Because of all the snow days, and because I have a tendency to forget details quickly, I ended up visiting Anime Club twice. The first time I went to visit them, it almost looked like an empty classroom; the lights were off, and there were only a few figures stationary in the darkness. I creaked open the door and was immediately greeted with some smiles and Oreos–definitely not a bad start.

They were already several minutes into the episode, so I quickly sat down, not wanting to interrupt more than I already had. The subtitles were on, but they had opted not to use a dubbed version. I wasn’t sure whether or not I would like it, since I’d only watched dubbed anime in the past. The episodes were short, about 12 minutes each. We finished the one we were on then started the next. The plot was easy to follow, and the fact that I missed the beginning was no problem.

The second time was different. I had already visited them before, and I knew several of them personally, so they were quick to get silly around me. When I came in, they weren’t watching anime. Trevon whined that Kaire was “too lazy to put on anime,” and it was true; they were watching cartoons. While trying to hide my half smile and conceal that I was getting amusement out of this exchange, I rose an eyebrow at Kaire. “I came here for anime,” I told him. With a groan, he moved to change what we were watching. I heard him ask the other members what they should watch, but I didn’t recognize either of the anime he listed.

I moved to my camera case, wanting to get a photo for the blog post I would eventually write. I slipped the strap on and turned it on. It was a new camera, so I was still unfamiliar with it; as I struggled to try and get the settings right, Trevon asked if I was going to take a photo. I nodded, and, satisfied with the exposure–which is a delicate balance of white balance, shutter speed, ISO, and aperture and I haven’t mastered it yet–I snapped one. By the time I took the photo, a few of the members were aware that I was taking photos and perked up, posing. They asked to see it and a laughed at the result. One of them commented that Alex looked like he was going to kill someone. I looked and laughed as well; it was a bad moment.

“Just… act normal!” I told them, and they settled back into watching. We were watching Gakuen Babysitters, and if you haven’t seen it, it’s pretty great. I took just one or two more photos before I’m too interested by the anime to continue. I didn’t think we started on episode one, so I turned to Trevon and asked a few questions as we went through. I was caught up soon enough.

One thing I learned from this anime: anime children are the cutest things on earth. It was not too long till I was screaming in excitement. Compersion flowed through me as the little kids giggled with happiness at getting chocolate. We watched one episode. Then two, then three. Then even more till it was 3:30. Jokes were told throughout it, and we messed around a lot.

As I got up and started sliding my backpack on, I remembered my English paper that was due on Thursday that I hadn’t touched in a while. I said my goodbyes and closed the door. I also remembered that I had an APUSH test I needed to study for, and I wasn’t what was going on in physics. I’d forgotten all of that while I met with the club, even if it was just for a little while. I’d gotten an hour of pure fun, a rare treat. And I knew I’d have an easier time with my work now.

I recommend this club from someone who likes anime and is looking for a way to forget about their stress after school for an hour. It meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and frequently the shows are easy to jump in and out of; the people are pretty great, too.

Catch you soon,

Emma

P.S:

Wanna learn more about Anime Club or any club? Visit my website; the link is posted below!

https://emmailonamarton.wixsite.com/whsclubs

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.