Since the Spring of 2019, better known as quarantine, anime watchers have been on the rise. From people who have been locked in their homes and had already rewatched all the best shows like Grey’s Anatomy, The 100, and Once Upon a Time over a million times and simply needed something new to watch, to the people who have been diehard fans and have been watching Yu-Gi-Oh and Dragon Ball since they were seven. However, the struggle that comes with watching anime and K-dramas, or listening to J-pop and K-pop, is finding a community of people to share your interest with. 

The Tarleton Anime Club welcomes you. Whether or not you just started watching, only play games, appreciate  Asian culture, or just need a group of friends, the Anime Club is here for you. The club meets on Monday, Friday, and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m every week. The Monday meeting takes place in the O.A.Grant building room 112, then the Friday and Sunday meetings in TSC 130. 

The club has been in operation since 2014, and the main form of communication is via Discord. The Discord server is located within the Linktree in the bio of the Anime Club Instagram account. With around 100 members, including alumni that participate through Discord.

“For beginning anime watchers, I would recommend the classics, such as Bleach, Naruto, and My Hero Academia. I started watching Sword Art Online (SAO), and it really got me hooked, but the club is honestly for everybody,” Anime Club president, Majesty states. “My current favorites are SAO, Death Note, and Demon Slayer.”

Since everyone is still getting used to the new operations of the club from a change of ownership, it is a very lax club. While meeting in person is not required it is encouraged, thus people are able to hang out both outside of the club as well as through Discord. 

“A lot of the people are shy, but one thing I have learned from watching anime is that you can really find good people in unexpected places, and you can really find your people through it,” Majesty confessed. 

The club is open to everyone, from people who admire Asian culture to people who casually game. There are many subdivisions in the club such as Korean or K-dramas, Korean and Japanese culture and music, as well as anime watchers. It is a club meant to relax and be you. The usual activities include, playing casual games and a Kahoot to determine what show to watch, and watching anime for the remainder of the time. Most of the activity is online through Twitter and Discord.

They are looking for Raikage or officers like the Vice President. A tradition they plan on bringing back to Tarleton is Texan Con., which is essentially an anime convention where people are free to cosplay, indulge in all things anime, and interact with others with similar interests. They are looking into bringing the event back next fall and encourage other organizations to get involved. 

For more information, reach the anime club on Texan Sync. The Instagram account, @tsuanimeclub or the Linktree with the Discord account, linktr.ee/TSUANIMECLUB.