As a student, it’s obvious that H-F offers many different sports and activities to get involved in. But when there are more popular activities, like joining the football team or Zoobot, a lot of clubs go without recognition.

One of these clubs is Anime Club.

Although the club might be new to the average H-F student, Anime Club currently has 73 members and is sponsored by math teachers Tiffany Madison and Ashley Alex.

When asked about the low number of numbers, Alex stated that the club is actually having its highest numbers this year.

“We have the biggest numbers this year having 73 members’’.

For students, Anime Club offers an opportunity for students to practice their leadership and communication skills. 

”We offer a variety of activities for [students] to do like watching anime and we have different types of activities like Family Feud-based anime or a Kahoot and charades,” said Alex. Additionally, “the officers get a leadership opportunity and we get to be organizers and they get to decide prizes and facilitate everything.”

Officers are the main facilitators of Anime Club and are usually the older members that have been part of the club since their freshman year.

Students join this activity because students see it as an opportunity to bond with other students over a common interest.

However, according to Alex, they also join for the fun.

“[Students] can win some money from competitions and from connecting with people that have the same interests and [they] can meet new friends to bring people together because they have the same interests,” said Alex.

One reason people might not want to be associated with the club is the image that it brings and that might make them not join.

Markeese Brown believes that people won’t join Anime Club because“… some people are just not into anime or they’re embarrassed about it because of the stereotypes anime members usually get.”

But the Anime Club has many things for the clubs to offer like games and competitions.

Edward Szczender on what the club has to offer ”… more than just watching anime, it’s also games, drawing, activities and competitions.”

Szczender also had a pretty positive output about the club and what it has to offer. ”We’re all a group where you can hang out as friends, with this big group you can find out new anime, and we do new activities, win big prizes, have contests and can teach others about anime”.

Tori Hunt is also a member of the club and she wants to show that the club is more than the stereotype.

Hunt says “We’re just trying to show people that anime isn’t just generic to the anime weeb stereotype because it’s a bunch of different things and activities.” 

Isaiah Joiner is an officer for the anime club, and he thinks that this stereotype is the reason that people aren’t joining the anime Club. ”Probably knowing that it’s more than just anime because of the stereotype but it’s about the whole pop culture in general and we’re not always just watching anime we mainly just watch cartoons that are trending”.

Joiner was also positive about what the anime club has to offer. ”This year, since we have two rooms open, we don’t only watch anime, but we have activities open in the next rooms such as drawing tutorials, games, and field trips, once COVID allows it. Anime Club is also a great way to make new friends.”

This shows us how the Anime Club is more than just watching anime, it’s also activities and the whole culture behind it.