Club provides venue for enjoyment, discussion of anime

By Jane Muhlstein

Fans of shows like Pokemon and Sailor Moon have a new venue on the Santa Clara campus to share their hobby, learn more about this style of animation and view less mainstream Japanese cartoons.

Since its beginning last May, Santa Clara's Tempura Anime club, which meets Thursday nights in Daly Science, has experienced relative success on campus, raising awareness of Japanese culture while enjoying the diversion of its animation.

"We have pretty good responses to our events," said the club's Supreme Chancellor senior Rob Pereyda. Weekly meetings feature screenings of Japanese animated movies, snacks and discussions on the Japanese animation.

The club also hosts a Karaoke night at The Bronco every quarter. "There are usually a lot of people there for the Japanese Karaoke, " said Pereyda.

Anime, or Japanese animation, has its roots in Japan's post-World War II era. When the United States stripped Japan of much of its autonomy, anime emerged to help restore Japan's cultural persona.

"People didn't realize until recently that anime is a big part of the Japanese identity," said Pereyda.

In Japan, many people are ashamed to admit that they like anime.

"An otaku is a geek, someone who likes anime too much," said Pereyda. "A lot of people in Japan want to hide that they are anime fans."

At Santa Clara, members of Tempura Anime are proud to endorse Japanese animation.

The creation of the club began last May. The first meeting was held in September and members have since worked hard to carve out a niche in the campus community.

The weekend of May 3 and 4, Tempura Anime, with the Asian Studies and Modern Languages departments, is hosting Anime Overdose. In honor of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the two-day event will feature all-day Anime and speakers of Japanese animation.

Giles Poitras, an Oakland librarian who is nationally recognized for his book on anime, is coming to the Santa Clara campus to speak about the art form.

Pereyda says that many students came to Santa Clara already interested in anime and wanted a group in which they could share their interest.

"A lot of people were introduced to it by things they've seen on TV," he said.

The Bay Area has a particularly large group of people interested in Japanese animation. This is in large part due to KTSF, a Northern California television station devoted to providing Asian programming.

Other people become interested in anime because of a general interest in Japan.

"A lot of people who take Japanese classes in high school or college seem to be interested in anime or other parts of Japanese culture," Pereyda said.

Pereyda first saw anime on TV in 1986 when he was four years old. Although Pereyda has been an avid fan ever since, anime's popularity has grown rapidly in recent years.

While working at the club's table in Benson, Pereyda noticed that Tempura Anime seemed to spark the interest of many students passing by. He hopes that even more passersby will come across their meetings. "A lot of people wander by and kind of get sucked in," he said.