Trying to start an anime club at my sixth form

Does your school have a dedicated lesson slot for Activities (Mine was 1pm till 3:15pm every Wednesday).... or are you planning an after school club?

Why does it have to be Anime Club and not some sort of Japanese Culture Club? You would be able to use the club to learn things about Japanese Culture and Society. And hopefully everyone wanting to learn different things, you could make it a weekly research club and learn a huge amount of stuff over a few months.

It would also be easier to sell the idea to staff and other students and there is always the possibility of learning about (and watching) anime.
 
Mikeydmo1 said:
Yeah I did but didn't get the reply I wanted
Click to expand...
Okay so first of all the answer to a question isn't always gonna be what you want to hear. If you keep repeating the same question it isn't gonna change the answer - maybe you could change the question instead? Lets see what we can come up with.
Mikeydmo1 said:
Well alot of people don't openly reveal they watch anime because they believe that people will bully them and secondly I wouldn't want to have only boys in the club and I don't know how I can talk to girls about this
Click to expand...
I honestly don't get this mate but I'm interested to find out what you mean. I thought anime was a lot more accepted these days. As for talking about the subject with girls, well once you get talking girls are pretty much the same as blokes but have different rude bits. If they want to talk about anime then say something and see what happens - they tend to reply with something and thus begins a conversation.
If you do start a club its the conversation bit that keeps it running.
Shadow Cat said:
Why does it have to be Anime Club and not some sort of Japanese Culture Club?
Click to expand...
This is probably the best response you've had so far Mikey. Thinking about it from a slightly different perspective now gives you a different question see.
Shadow Cat said:
You would be able to use the club to learn things about Japanese Culture and Society.
Click to expand...
Which would make it sound a bit more appeasing to teachers and students.
Shadow Cat said:
And hopefully everyone wanting to learn different things, you could make it a weekly research club and learn a huge amount of stuff over a few months.
Click to expand...
That actually sounds like something I'd want to join at this point. It isn't just about watching anime - it's more about Japanese culture a massive part of which is the bit you're interested in.

Mate, read the above properly and have a bit of a think about what people have posted and what they're suggesting. Come up with a different question but factor in the following:
1) Why just anime? If you broaden the scope then it'll get more people involved.
2) Explain what the objective of the club is. If you do propose it to teachers then they'll ask the same thing.
3) Why do you think the school would benefit from the club? What positive effects would it have on the people there?

Answers in a forum post please :)
 
Adam-M said:
Okay so first of all the answer to a question isn't always gonna be what you want to hear. If you keep repeating the same question it isn't gonna change the answer - maybe you could change the question instead? Lets see what we can come up with.

I honestly don't get this mate but I'm interested to find out what you mean. I thought anime was a lot more accepted these days. As for talking about the subject with girls, well once you get talking girls are pretty much the same as blokes but have different rude bits. If they want to talk about anime then say something and see what happens - they tend to reply with something and thus begins a conversation.
If you do start a club its the conversation bit that keeps it running.

This is probably the best response you've had so far Mikey. Thinking about it from a slightly different perspective now gives you a different question see.

Which would make it sound a bit more appeasing to teachers and students.

That actually sounds like something I'd want to join at this point. It isn't just about watching anime - it's more about Japanese culture a massive part of which is the bit you're interested in.

Mate, read the above properly and have a bit of a think about what people have posted and what they're suggesting. Come up with a different question but factor in the following:
1) Why just anime? If you broaden the scope then it'll get more people involved.
2) Explain what the objective of the club is. If you do propose it to teachers then they'll ask the same thing.
3) Why do you think the school would benefit from the club? What positive effects would it have on the people there?

Answers in a forum post please :)
Click to expand...
I really don't understand it either there's just a bit of a misconception about anime in school and most people just make fun of people who watch it.
 
I tried joining a club at my university but my need for dubs kind of left me high and dry during their 'watch nights' which rather put me out. Not their fault, not mine, just circumstance.
 
I think I was the only person at my school who actually knew what anime was back when I was that age, but if I was going to think about attending a club meeting I would want to know what actually happened at that club. Are you going to show anime there? If so, which titles? Sub or dub? Are you going to sit around and discuss it? If so, how would a newcomer feel they could participate? Anime fans tend to be shy and nerdy, even though it's a lot cooler today than it used to be. Putting as much information out there up front will make them comfortable that the club is something they would enjoy.

To appeal to girls and other potential fans from demographics outside the stereotypical 'boys club', think about the kind of anime you're showing/discussing. I have no idea how your school advertises its clubs, but are you using cute anime girls to attract attention? That will lead to teasing and discourage people who aren't in the demographic attracted to cute anime girls. Back in the day my school ran a book club where we all listened to audio books on cassette together over our lunch break, which sounds like the most boring thing on earth by today's standards. I used to draw posters and stick them up on the school noticeboards to attract people to each new 'screening' and we always tried to pick a varied selection of topics to attract new people whenever we changed to a new book. If it looks as though the anime club is aimed at boys and dominated by boys, most girls will avoid it like the plague to avoid being picked on or treated weirdly. If it looks welcoming and respectful, you'll find a few of them might show interest even if you don't make any special efforts to attract them. A lot of girls are secret nerds because a lot of the time, being a nerdy girl is even harder than being a nerdy boy. Aside from remembering that everyone has different tastes and preferences, the biggest trick to talking with girls is to treat them exactly the same way you'd treat a boy.

As a general point I would encourage exploring the full breadth of anime on offer when you're running your club. Even if everyone in the group loves popular isekai harem shows about red-headed girls slapping boring guys for being lame, try using the club as a way to branch out and try different genres too. You might find out that your friends secretly love shoujo romance shows, or the swimming antics in Free!, or the thought-provoking observations of Mushi-shi, or the giant robot politics of Mobile Suit Gundam. Exploring new things together with friends will help everyone understand what they do and don't like better and lead to some really interesting discussions. The increased variety will also help encourage more people to join.

Lastly, don't be ashamed. Even if there is bullying going on, you have to act like your club has a right to be there (assuming that the teachers allowed it!) and ignore the ignorant people who want to pick on anything they don't understand. As the club leader, the people scared of bullies will look to you for confidence. Even if you inwardly feel discouraged at times, there's nothing to be ashamed of and as long as you can project that spirit it will encourage the people who need an extra nudge.

R
 
Back
Top