By Samuel Medina III/ reporter

With a sponsor as much into anime as the club members, there is no wonder the South Campus Anime Club is thriving as much as it is. 

Like other two-year students, TCC students aren’t as involved with extracurricular activities as they would be at a university. However, the Anime Club is a chance for students to get involved, get excited and get together to participate in volunteer work.

The Anime Club is not just people meeting in a room to watch anime. Although it does include that, it’s also about building strong bonds with one another and helping other clubs when they need it.

Amanda Sims, senior office assistant, sponsors the club and is no stranger to the medium. She first started the anime club at her high school. She attended the University of North Texas and became an officer of its anime club.

Many things happen behind the closed doors of a club meeting. Discussions about a show’s music, plot and art may take place or even a heated debate as to why one show is better than the next.

“They actually have a lot of strong opinions on the characters, storyline and how it’s all presented,” Sims said. “It is so much more than just watching cartoons. We’re watching it and thinking about it critically.”

Sims takes members’ ideas and plans how they will happen. She said the club is student-driven, and members collaborate with other clubs, such as the Gaming Club.

“We want to network with other clubs on campus so a lot of us attend their events and volunteer,” she said. “It’s a very community-building organization even though that’s not what you think when you hear ‘anime club.’”

South student Quentin Jackson started and is now president of the club.

“The Anime Club is like my family, and I love coming back to them,” he said. “No matter what’s going on in there, I’m always entertained and always having fun.”

The club has about 30 people fully expressive of their ideas for how the club can improve now and in the future, Jackson said.

“I learned more from people who don’t exist,” he said. “Goku from Dragon Ball Z, he teaches you to keep going and never give up. Naruto teaches you to dream big, stay on the track of your dream and never let anyone destroy your dream. It teaches you life lessons through the show.”

The members came up with the idea of the South Campus anime convention, which takes place April 16, and have been working on making it a reality. At each meeting, they discuss what the convention should include and focus on and give feedback. Students can play anime video games, table-top games, compete in tournaments as well as cosplay at the convention.

With the money raised at the convention and the help of South’s Student Government Association, the Anime Club is looking to have its own anime library in student activities. The library will have manga, a style of Japanese graphic novels, for students to check out and expose themselves to the Japanese culture in a unique way.

South student and club treasurer Jordan Pierce said the difference between anime and cartoons goes beyond it being made in Japan. The show’s music, artistic style, animation and storyline are all features that define anime.

“[Anime] is interesting, deep and intense,” he said. “It comes with a lesson. You have to pay attention, and it doesn’t just come to you. You have to be aware of what you’re watching.”

After the discussions and announcements are over, the members sit back, eat their Asian snack and watch anime together. They all pay close attention to the show as they enjoy what brought them together in the first place, their love for anime.

“Anime is kind of like our portal to the world,” Pierce said. “Everyone has different reasons to make them want to explore. Anime connects us with different cultures and the world.”