Anime club enjoying flicks, considering state conference

By: Taylor Hylton

For fans of the distinctive Japanese cartoon artistry, anime flares alive in the hearts of the members of the CFHS anime club.

“We just watch anime and talk,” sophomore Linzee Harriman said. Members may suggest their own anime features they wish to watch, and in time their suggestions will come to life. They eat popcorn, talk and watch anime.

Surprisingly, anime comprises a wide range of styles. Naruto, Yugioh! and Pokemon are just some examples of a few that some may have watched as children. However, anime is not just children shows.

Anime can also be dark, grotesque, mysterious and violent.

The CFHS anime club was considering going to Anime Iowa this year. The headliner for this year’s Anime Iowa is that the “convention will celebrate Ninjas and our famous LoDN (League of Disposable Ninja).”

Not only are ninjas the subject of the convention, but the organization is also practicing its own ninjutsu. (Ninjutsu is the The traditional Japanese art of stealth, camouflage and sabotage, developed in feudal times for espionage and now practiced as a martial art.) Mailers this year will not be from “Anime Iowa” but rather the  “Animation Network for Imaginative Multimedia Enthusiasts of Iowa.”

The building itself and the workers will be dressed in business suits and business galore.

All of the organization’s media will be changed as well.

They also ask that cosplayers tone it down by wearing their character’s “casual wear” or simply going as someone else.

Having been there before, junior Nick Tran, anime club’s president, said he had a great time. “The sheer mass of it. It’s amazing seeing so many people being so passionate about it and getting to enjoy something in common.” He plans on going this year as well, even without the rest of anime club. Next year, Tran said he hopes to make the trip with the rest of the club.

Anime Iowa will take place in Coralville from July 24 through 26. Prices are as follows:

$45 Pre-registration Jan. 18 – March 14

$50 Late-registration March 15 – May 31

$35 Child Badges for Children ages 6-12

According to the website, “Pre-registration will be open until Sunday June 1, after that you will have to wait until the convention and register at the door for $60.”