By Victoria Mezera
The anime club is a club at Apopka High School where people who share an interest in anime and Japanese culture get together. It is run by Mr. Wagner and is a place for people to express themselves and what they enjoy. Anime is a style of Japanese cartoons that has an audience of both adults and children. The name anime is derived from the Japanese word for animation. However, anime is not only popular in Japan, but it is popular all around the world, even at our own school. There are many different genres of anime. For instance, anime can be a comedy, it can be a drama, romance, or action. Some of the most popular examples of anime in America are Death Note, a popular anime about a boy who discovers a book that allows him to kill. Another popular anime is Attack on Titan, a dystopian show about a world where large humanoid monsters threaten humanity. One more example of a popular anime in America is the Dragon Ball franchise, which is a show based off of Chinese mythology. Many people can recall watching this particular show when they were younger, and they may have not even known it was anime. However, arguably the most popular and or well-known anime in America is Pokémon. The concept of Pokémon is that there are magical creatures, named Pokémon, and there are the trainers who catch them and battle with them. Pokémon is popular not only as a show, but as video games, card games, and more recently in the form of a mobile app.
Mr. Wagner, the anime club sponsor, is actually not the founder of the anime club. Instead, the club was handed down last year by Mr. Houvouras, who did start it. Mr. Wagner first became interested in anime when his kids began to watch it. “My kids always watched it for a long time, and I’ve watched it a little bit, so it’s just always something that’s been in my house.” He mainly watches it with them, but also has a couple of other relatives who enjoy it. As for a favorite genre of anime, he says he doesn’t have one, saying he’ll watch anything. However, he does have a favorite anime show. His favorite anime is One Piece, which is both a manga (Japanese comic books or graphic novels), and an anime. It is about a boy who unknowingly eats a fruit that turns his body into rubber. It is one of the most popular anime shows, and actually is the best-selling manga of all time. When asked what he likes about anime, he said it “makes people think outside the box, it’s typically stories that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.” In America, anime has become a huge phenomenon, and most people know what it is. Mr. Wagner feels this has happened because “it’s not something that’s done a lot in the United States, so like we can pull from other cultures and nations, so that’s what makes it popular.” Speaking of pulling from other nations and culture, Mr. Wagner and his family are actually planning to visit Japan one day, “because the culture’s huge there.”
Overall, the anime club itself is a place for people with common interests to come and get together. At the meetings, they play Yuh-Gi-Oh, watch anime, and hang out with friends. They also sing Japanese karaoke, and plan field trips. If you or someone you know are interested in anime and would like to get together with others who share the same interests, definitely give the anime club a try.
