Those who grew up watching anime may notice something channel-hopping: There’s very little of it on TV. The Japanese Media Society aims to fill this void.
Club president Christopher Lieb said the club, founded in 2006, tries to provide a haven for fans to hang out and watch anime.
“The goal of the club is to spread the word of anime,” he said.
Lieb, an electrical engineering graduate student, said the club has around 20 members.
He said anime’s popularity continues to expand, citing the growing number of people that watch anime and the shows that are springing up to accommodate them.
The appeal of anime lies in the characters and the tale that unfolds around them, Lieb said.
Club secretary Brian Bishop said the succinct definition of anime is Japanese animation.
“Going beyond that, it’s a cultural thing,” he said.
Bishop, a journalism senior, said anime’s appeal is its deeper depth of plot and character than the average American cartoon.
“All members have a passion for anime and for Japanese culture in general,” Bishop said.
It is not a mainstream appeal, but that is part of the club’s purpose, Bishop said. The club airs relatively unknown, and often newly, released anime.
“We get a lot of what’s happening in Japan out there for people to watch,” Bishop said.
Anime is experiencing a rise in popularity, he said.
“More people are dressing up as anime characters for Phoenix Comicon, which isn’t even geared toward anime,” Bishop said.
Software engineering junior Moses Agboola, a club member, said anime has the same appeal as all fiction.
“It’s an escape from reality,” he said.
Agboola said typical club meetings are fun, loud and lively.
In addition, he sees its variety of genres to be able to appeal to an equal variety of people.
“There’s a lot more diversity than there used to be,” he said.
Reach the reporter at smande17@asu.edu
