Student Club Animates Interest in Japanese Manga, Anime

Author: Charlie Goulding

Earlier this semester, two prospective students came to stay with this writer for a three-day weekend. When they arrived, they asked to experience Middlebury's nightlife, to attend classes and to eat the food. They also asked if there was an anime club. Sure enough, the prospectives left Monday afternoon having danced at the drag ball, sat through a literature class, dined at Ross and attended a screening sponsored by Middlebury's Manga and Anime Club. Middlebury received high marks in all categories.

The Manga and Anime Club meets Friday evenings in Bicentennial Hall and usually consists of a screening followed by a discussion of the film. The club is only a few years old, but its burgeoning popularity mirrors the rise in recognition anime has received globally in recent years. Indeed, anime is on fire, and the fire sparks have reached Middlebury.

Traditionally, manga are Japanese comics and anime are the animated versions of those comics. Anime can take the form of television programs, movies and internet publications, among other media. Although the art form originated in Japan, it has recently enjoyed a surge in worldwide appeal. In America, manga and anime are best known for "Pokemon" and other children's favorites. Many do not realize, however, the wide scope of audiences to which manga and anime appeal. Additionally, they cover a robust array of themes and topics.

Globally, anime has emerged in recent years as a booming industry. Germany launched Daisuki, a monthly manga magazine targeting girls, in January, and in 2001, Carlsen Comics started publishing the monthly Banzai, the most popular weekly manga in Japan. Banzai currently enjoys a circulation of about 130,000 copies in Germany. Moreover, in the United States, Viz Comics started its English version of Shonen Jump, the inspiration for Banzai, in November with 250,000 copies. Shonen Jump began in Japan in 1968, and currently has a circulation of 3.4 million copies in its native country.

Other artists have begun recognizing anime as an interesting and novel medium. Quentin Tarantino's latest film "Kill Bill," for example, contains a 20-minute animated interlude with "Japanamistic" overtones.

Anime's worldwide rise in popularity has piqued international interest in both Japan's culture and language. In some youth cultures, manga and anime are so pervasive that the status of the medium has been rapidly upgraded from a subculture to a widely recognized artistic form. Many anime aficionados extend their interests by visiting Japan and learning Japanese.

This trend is evident here at Middlebury, as well. As Julia Cheng, prospective Middlebury student, noted, "My interest in anime is a big reason why I want to study the language. I attended a Japanese class at Middlebury for that reason and liked the class very much."

The artistic scope of anime far exceeds its primary stereotype as an art form intended for children. "It's not all PokÈmon," stated Club Treasurer Shannon Gmyrek '06.5. "In fact, anime started as an adult form of entertainment. I also think that movies like 'Spirited Away' and 'Perfect Blue' are changing people's perceptions. Anime can be serious, action filled and definitely not for kids!"

Anime has also been blamed for promoting excessive violence. As Gmyrek noted, such perceptions often stereotype anime as a superficially "lame, predictable art form." She went on, "But really, you have classics like 'Metropolis' that deal with man's inability to grapple with technology. Or 'Akira' or 'Ghost in the Shell' ... all movies that deal with philosophical and pretty deep stuff."

As another example, Kazuichi Hanawa's "Keimusho no Naka," "Inside Prison," is a diary-type manga based on Hanawa's three-year imprisonment. Devoid of action, the manga focuses solely on the writer's contemplative observations on fellow inmates and himself. In Japan, "no Naka" is a highly regarded philosophical inquiry.

While the Middlebury's Manga and Anime Club is certainly a part of these global trends, its purpose is simply to make the media accessible to Middlebury students. "Sure, if someone came and wanted to start a hardcore discussion [about anime's influence], we'd be all for it. But mainly we're just here to be geeks and have fun with some great shows," quipped Gymrek.

The Manga and Anime Club is sensitive to the breadth of audiences to which the medium speaks and topics it addresses, and plans its film screenings accordingly. "We try and show series that reflect the wide variety of stuff that's out there," noted Gymrek.

Accessibility is another key issue. Given the continuous, serial nature of many mangas, the club tries to interchange movies with print manga series, so students can join at any time and not feel left out.

Recently, the club has also held a number of Dance Dance Revolutions (DDR) competitions. DDR is to dance what karaoke is to song, and this popular social activity in Japan is featured in Sophia Coppola's new film "Lost in Translation."

The club is excited about its future plans. Said club president Laura Isham '04, "this January we're planning on watching Twelve Kingdoms, which has just been released in the US, and for which they are still making new episodes in Japan."

Isham explained the appeal of anime nicely when she stated: "Anime fans like to see something unusual. I don't like to see stuff that's avant-garde and weird-just to be-weird, but I do like to see stuff that's unusual or presented in a different format."