By: Michael McCarrick, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, mqm5415@psu.edu
Bored with conventional TV programs? Then explore a more creative part of fiction with the big colorful world of anime and check out the anime club. Now sure, most students used to traditional animation will probably cringe at how weird and violent the content in anime shows can be, but it should be noted that those who grew up watching cartoons like Pokemon, Powerpuff Girls, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, might not realize that those were American shows influenced by Asian anime culture.
The club is comprised of a small group of students who sit back and watch their favorite anime show with the dialogue redubbed to sound more hilarious on a Youtube channel. Attack on Titan, a brilliant, yet depressing, anime show about a war between giant “Titan” monsters and a young group of soldiers defending their city, has its dialogue redubbed from intensely serious to laugh-out-loud funny. Another club meeting presented an anime which also does the same dialogue dub in Tokyo Ghoul Abridge; another dark anime about supernatural diseases spreading into humans and turning them into creatures (creatures who, of course, can grow out tentacles, because it’s anime).
Anime club leader and student Julia Gallagher perfectly simplifies the purpose of the club which is,“to watch anime.”
She followed that up with the statement, “I don’t force people to watch certain anime, it’s more of a place to relax, and they can still go on computers and do their own thing.”
So even if a student isn’t interested in watching anime they can still get some privacy in the dark room and work on any of the computers available. Students are allowed to choose pretty much whatever anime they want to because of the vast archive of anime available on YouTube and Crunchyroll. Those who aren’t as experienced in the genre can get help from the club members who can recommend shows to watch and try to make sense out of it.
For older students who might have grown up watching Cartoon Network shows like Naruto, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Dragon Ball Z, they can visit the anime club to rediscover the genre that inspired their childhood and become more enlightened by those type of cartoons.
Club meetings take place every Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 205 in the Main Building. If there’s a place that is perfect for unwinding and being entertained for a little while during a busy day, it’s the anime club.