JAPANIMATION CLUB Interview

.

Now if you've made it this far, then I'm sure you're wondering..."just what the heck are we going to be doing here?" ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ)

Well no worries!
We are just as lost as you are~
Just kidding!^^

Here's a little taste of what JAPANIMATION is all about...


An Interview of Japanimation Club Founder: Lovelle Cardoso
by Kelly Fan:


K: What is the purpose of the Japanimation club?

L: Well basically, our club was formed to help create an understanding and appreciation for Japanese art, animation, and culture. Obviously we deal with the major things you would first think of: anime, manga, video games, etc. But we also cover topics such as drawing, Photoshop, clothing & design, animation, video editing, music, TV dramas, films, websites, blogs, manhwa, and only the most recent news and releases straight from Japan.

K: What do you hope to accomplish?

L: At JAPANIMATION we have 2 major goals...

First and foremost, we want to provide a setting for bringing together fans from all grade levels who otherwise, would have never even met. This way you can meet a lot of new people who have the same interests as you. I mean, it’s a lot easier to make new friends if you already know you have things in common! We just hope that in JAPANIMATION all kinds of people can get together and share their love of anime!

Secondly but equally as important, we want to change the way people perceive anime. “Masculine guys, cleavage. large eyes, stylized hair, and Japanese cultural references that no one really knows about.” This is how one article in the Mt. Carmel Sun described manga. Sure, when you think of manga these are some of the first things that come to mind, but saying that these five things define the whole genre is a severe overgeneralization. I mean, just because you watched one episode of Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon, it doesn’t mean you know the whole genre. Just like if you read Harry Potter, you can’t say that every other book in the world is the same; you’ve got your mystery books, your romance books, your classics, and then you’ve got your really remarkable books and your really, really awful ones. They are not all the same! We want to show people that just like any book or movie, anime and manga covers an enormous range of genres, and it can, of course, vary from the truly shallow stories to the truly profound.


K: Can anyone come to your meetings?

L: Of course! This club is in no way restricted to hardcore fans. Anyone curious about this industry or just wishing to know what the heck all these people are obsessing about, can come. We didn’t make this club just to collect big time otaku, but also teach those unfamiliar to the genre just what it’s all about. We just hope that by attending our meetings those average joes who have no idea what anime is, can walk away with just a little bit more knowledge of Asian culture, and maybe will no longer be so quick to shy away from everything foreign.

K: How about the more casual fans?

L: Once again, we welcome all kinds. Even for the casual reader, I guarantee that you will enjoy our meetings just as much as anyone else. And maybe if you attend enough of them, you just might find yourselves becoming a little bit more obsessive.^^

K: Will you be showing anime at your meetings?

L: Showing, reviewing, analyzing, we’ll do a whole bunch of things. Of course we won’t have enough time to show one every single day, but we will be frequently recommending a lot of interesting anime that you may have never watched. One of the things we really want to change is the fact that a lot of fans limit themselves to “mainstream” anime (Dragon ball Z, Inuyasha, Naruto). Sure some of these are good shows, but there not the only ones out there! For the more casual fans, we hope to introduce them to some more of the lesser known works through reviews and weekly viewings, and maybe by exposing them to the more unusual and less-mainstream, we can break them away from the typical shojo or shonen equations, and expand their horizons to encompass a much wider variety of genres.

K: So wait, you just sit around watching anime all day?

L: Of course not! In addition to weekly reviews, discussions, presentations, and other club activities, on the 1st of every month we will deliver presentations that teach our members a specific new skill. For example, we will be showing those interested in animation and video editing, how to use special effects, beat synchronization, and accurate timing, to create an AMV. We will also teach how to draw and use Photoshop for those who have always wanted to learn. And we will give lessons on how to use basic sewing and craft skills to assemble elaborate cosplays.

K: How is the club gaining in popularity?/ How popular is it?

L: Mt Carmel is a high school teeming with otaku. Sure, many are very open about their fandom, displaying drawings or pictures of it on their binders, or even walking around campus in anime-styled hats or jackets. But really, it’s almost impossible to point out some fans just by looking at them, so getting the word out has not been easy. But now we have accumulated  over 70 members! It's really a staggering amount of people and to tell you the truth it's slightly terrifying. That's a lot of people to get up in front of every week. But I'm really looking forward to getting to know all our members and making sure they have a lot of fun!

K: I heard the club used to be called Club Otaku. What is an "otaku"?

L: Basically the term is jokingly used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, video games, and Japanese culture in general. We thought the name fit best, because it dealt with our club’s major subjects, and a lot of American fans pride themselves in being called an otaku. But after doing some more research, we found out that while in America it is generally understood to mean geek or fanboy, Japanese native speakers don’t really recognize this usage and may consider referring to yourself as an otaku as strange or even offensive. Well, of course, we had to change our name after we found that out! We didn’t want to turn away any fans just because of a stupid name. Anyway, we thought calling it Japanimation was pretty clever (plus it's fun to watch people try to pronounce it.)

K: What made you want to start it?

L: Well, it was my sister who gave me the idea. Oh, there were many reasons why we started it, but there were only two main ones. The first was that so many fans were walking around Mt. Carmel, and we didn’t even know them. We created the club so we could just meet some of them and bring together all kinds of people who shared our love of the industry. We also wanted to bring in those closet fans or people who were curious about anime. We hoped that by showing others the lesser-known side of anime, we could open their minds to some truly remarkable stories.

K: Who are the Club Officials?

L: Well, I am the main representative and president, which mostly puts me in charge of all the planning, organizing, and talking. But at my side I also have my main anime buff, my sister. She is going to be one of the biggest benefits to our club, seeing as she has read more manga than anyone I know (over 300 to be exact, and trust me, a lot of those were pretty painful to read). She is vice-president and will be in charge of most of the recommendations and advice on what manga to steer clear from. But we also have a treasurer, secretary, PR rep., video-editing instructor, drawing instructor, Photoshop instructor, clothing design instructor, and some other positions that have yet to be filled.

K: When and where are your meetings?

L: Our meetings are hosted in room V8, every Tuesday during lunch.

K: Great! So how do you join?

L: Simple! Just register at our website www.japanimationclub.forumotion.net and your officially part of the club!





well that pretty much covers it! if you guys have any more questions/comments/concerns please post them under the questions & comments topic