Anime Club has ‘something for everyone’

One student organization at the University of South Dakota is finding fun in Japanese animation.

Senior Casie Moody, president of the Anime Club, said she started the club, which meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m., to attract people who share her love of anime.

“There are a lot of people who are into anime here who aren’t willing to join groups because there’s a stigma against it sometimes,” Moody said. “(We) wanted to make a club so that people can get into anime and be welcomed into it.”

Moody said she loves the stories anime shows can tell.

“There’s just a story element that anime has that I don’t really see much of in regular TV shows, and I love that,” Moody said. “It touched on hard topics that a lot of other shows wouldn’t touch on.”

Senior Nathan Cunningham, vice president of the club, said the Anime Club was founded in fall 2013 and attracts 10 to 20 members each meeting. The club advocates itself by putting up posters and tabling or through word of mouth.

“We’ll talk about upcoming stuff, fundraisers, events that we’re gonna do or going to,” Cunningham said. “Then we’ll either watch anime or we’ll do an activity.”

Cunningham said the club will be hosting a mini-con Feb. 28 in the Muenster University Center Ballroom.

“It’s just a mini-con, where we’ll have panels and small cosplay contests with showrooms and show anime constantly — hopefully we’ll have some vendors,” Cunningham said.

Funds raised from the event will go toward supporting some of the club’s biggest projects, such attending conventions like Torii Con and Naka-Kon, a convention in Kansas, Cunningham said. The club’s latest fundraiser was a bake sale.

First-year Tattianna Toledo not only loves anime, but creates art for a living. Toledo said her schedule can be hectic trying to juggle school with art.

“I don’t sleep much,” Toledo said. “It’s a lot juggling studying and classes and homework, and every other waking moment, I’m drawing.”

Toledo said there is something everyone can find to love about anime.

“There is literally something for everyone, and I’m shocked that more people aren’t into it,” Toledo said. “If they are, they’re not ready to admit it for some reason. It’s fantastic, and I think there’s a story for any kind of person. I hope that people just give it a chance at some point.”

Cunningham added anime is so diverse it can reach a wide audience.

“Anime is for everyone,” Cunningham said. “I think deep down, everyone could find an anime that they like… It’s pretty diverse and exciting, sad, scary, funny — it’s all out there.”

Moody said one of her favorite things about anime is how philosophical it can be.

“It’s got a lot of deep stories, and that’s what a lot of people can be surprised about, that there can be deep stories in cartoons,” Moody said.

(Photo: First-year Tattianna Toledo digitally paints anime in her spare time. She painted “It’s all lies” as a birthday gift for one of her friends. Submitted photo / The Volante)