Anime Lab: Ukrainian youth hub unites teens through their love for anime and creativity

What's the problem?

Kryvyi Rih, "the city of ore and steel" in central Ukraine, is one of the country's largest industrial hubs. Its towering factories and sprawling production sites leave little room for youth culture. 

With their distinctive interests and few places where they can truly feel at home, teenagers are often misunderstood and overlooked. Youth spaces are so rare that you could count them on the fingers of one hand.

What's the solution?

Oksana Pavlushenko, a local entrepreneur, economist, and former educator, noticed this gap firsthand. Her daughter, an anime fan, struggled to find a place where she could connect with others who shared her passion. This problem sparked the idea for Anime Lab, a space that would bring like-minded teens together.

Anime Lab became a unique place where young anime lovers can buy manga, relax in a themed café discussing their favorite shows, or join creative workshops, events, and free movie screenings. After becoming a part of the nationwide urban movement UrbanRukh–City Is Me, Anime Lab expanded its work to teach youth how to make their city a better place.

How does it work?

Anime Lab has been working in the heart of industrial Kryvyi Rih for eight months, becoming like a residence for young fans of anime and K-pop. Founder Oksana Pavlushenko says the idea for the venue came naturally to her. 

After 24 years working in the city council, including ten as deputy head of the economic department, Oksana wanted to open her own business. Inspired by her daughter's hobby, she knew it would be an anime-themed store, the first of this kind in her city.

"Wherever we traveled, my daughter would drag me to shops selling anime merchandise or festivals and fairs in our city that showcased and sold these goods," says Oksana Pavlushenko. "She also painted custom tote bags with favorite characters for her friends' birthdays. I realized anime was popular among her peers. They needed a space to meet, shop, and connect."

Oksana drew on her background in urban marketing, where she worked to make cities more appealing places to live. She recognized the lack of "magnets" for creative and meaningful youth activities in Kryvyi Rih and decided to go beyond a simple anime store.

Before opening the center, she surveyed local teenagers to understand their interest in anime, how much they'd be willing to spend, their vision for the space, and even ideas for its name. Using their input, she built a hub that brings together everything they love.

"Our venue combines a store, café, and club. Even Kyiv doesn't have anything like this. For instance, World of Comics in the capital has a café but no club, while Totoro Café (which sadly closed) used to have club elements but no store. We've brought all these pieces together," says Oksana Pavlushenko.

"We designed this space so that every anime fan could find their community, meet new friends, and enjoy a warm, welcoming atmosphere," says the Anime Lab team.

Although the shop, which sells a variety of anime merchandise and manga, is the project's financial backbone, Anime Lab isn't just about selling to anime fans. It addresses a critical social issue: the lack of informal spaces where teens can meet, share interests, and create something together.

"In a world where young people often rely on online spaces for support and self-expression, Anime Lab provides a welcoming physical space for creative meetups, workshops, and themed events," the founder shares.

The club organizes:

• Discussion forums, where people share the latest news, recommendations and impressions of anime.
• Anime-themed games, events, and quests.
• Short-term projects such as dance and cooking classes, Korean and Japanese classes, cosplay parties, and karaoke.
• Charity workshops where people can make anime-themed merch. Kids need to pay for these, but the fees are small, functioning more as donations to help fund charity projects.
• Free movie or TV show screenings.
• Swap meets where teens can exchange things they no longer use for something that sparks their current interests. These events are open to everyone and free to attend.

Oksana believes that modern businesses should have a social impact.

"Coming to business from local government, I often worked with socially responsible entrepreneurs. Businesses that care about their social impact on their community, not just profits, have always inspired me," says Oksana. "Making this part of Anime Lab felt natural and rewarding. Plus, it helps spread the word about us."

Does it really work?

Oksana Pavlushenko says that after years of online schooling and lockdowns, many young people in Ukraine struggle with social skills.

"Our club helps solve these issues step by step. Here, teens step out of their bubbles and make friends. Some join to learn the languages their favorite anime characters speak, and others come to create crafts at themed workshops or exchange anime merchandise," says the Anime Lab founder. "Unlike animals, humans have developed into who we are today because of our interactions with other people and communities. These connections are so important for growth."

The space is also involved in the UrbanRukh–City Is Me social impact project. This initiative teaches young people and teenagers how to engage with and influence their cities, take responsibility, offer help, and shape urban spaces. Oksana Pavlushenko points out that only a quarter of kids who joined UrbanRukh classes at Anime Lab are anime fans. The rest are newcomers, which means the community at Anime Lab is expanding, and their interests and opportunities are growing along with it.

Even more helpful solutions!

"Anime resonates with young people because it helps them navigate life's big questions. Whether their passion grows into an ability to change their city depends on how we, as adults, guide and support them," says Oksana Pavlushenko.

She believes teens need to understand the importance of building up their communities, cities, and country.

"War and economic hardships have made millions of Ukrainians leave their home country. Some will stay abroad forever and build those countries instead," says the Anime Lab founder. "That pains me deeply. I've visited 13 countries and know they have challenges, too. I only want to go abroad for vacations or work trips. My life and work belong in Ukraine. I want to instill this mindset in my kids and our Anime Labbers. And I deeply value the work UrbanRukh is doing for Ukrainians."