Anime has arisen!

Adults-only club is testament to its popularity

By Tracey Weiss

Editor

Photos by Tracey Weiss

Guess the Logo for $200

Answer: Demonslayer

Guess the background for $400?

Answer: Little Witch Academia.

At the bi-monthly Anime Club at the Noah Webster Library, the stakes are high during a game of Jeopardy. Like the popular television show, the categories—Character Themes, Things That Start with “D”, Backgrounds, Whose Weapon Is This?, and Guess the Logo—get progressively harder as the value of the money goes up.

Dozens of adults who love anime are joining in on the fun at the bimonthly anime club run by founders Jason Cramer and Alexis Paulette. It’s addictive!

Courtesy photo.

Club members have been split into three groups of seven, and have named themselves—the Elites, UnNamed and Nana—and in the end, the Elites win the game. The prize? Bragging rights.

For all of the members of this club, the real prize is laughter and discussion. And being with members of a club that all share a passion for anime, the popular Japanese animation that is defined by distinctive, colorful art styles, diverse genres, and complex storytelling.

For some of the members of the club, anime is a passion that revved up during Covid. But the genre has soared in popularity

Jason and Alexus, with Hello Kitty, on a visit to Japan. 

According to Infillion.com, there are 52.9 million people in North America watching anime on a streaming service called Crunchyroll, and that’s just one of the streaming services available. And “42% of Gen Z respondents to a recent survey say they watch anime at least weekly. That’s significantly more than the 25% who say they watch the NFL.”

Anime started in the early 20^th century. according to Makestoryboard.com, “From fashion to video games to the language itself, anime has had a significant impact on Japanese society. On top of that, the distinctive visual style of anime is one of its most noticeable characteristics. 

Large, expressive eyes and unusual apparel are frequently drawn on characters in 2-D animation. Also, the general aesthetic of anime is typically brighter and more vibrant than that of Western animation, and backgrounds are frequently quite realistic and detailed.

The group is for new and novice lovers of anime. Everyone over 18 is welcome and there is no registration. If you can make it to a meeting, just drop in.

“The biggest reason we started it is because there were no clubs for adults,” said Jason Cramer, He and his partner, Alexus Paulette, started the club in October of 2024 and average anywhere from 15-25 people each meeting. “We have a lot of familiar faces,” Paulette said.

Each meeting offers something different, Jason added. “We do trivia. Games. Anime movies. We watch documentaries, do presentations. Watch and discuss seasonal previews of what’s coming out.”

Jason Cramer and Alexus Paulette run the Anime Club at the Noah Webster Library every other Saturday from 2-4pm.

“I’m just always interested in trying something new and watching movies previews,” said club member Matthew Swartz. “I’m open to learning something new.”

MJ Vickers has been part of the group for a year. “I moved from Texas and I was looking to find friends and community. I found anime online, and this club seemed like a natural,” she said.

Anime fans can find listings of everything they’re looking for on myanimelist.com.

“It’s like Anime TV Guide,” Vickers said.

Members of the Anime Club share a laugh before kicking off a fun but competitive game of Anime Jeopardy. 

SIDEBAR: WHAT IS MANGA

The end of each session of the Anime Club at the library isn’t the end of the programming. It’s followed by a 30-minute discussion of the latest Manga publication a smaller group of members stay to discuss.

Manga is popular, but not nearly as popular as anime.

“Anime is a show and manga is a book (and graphic novels),” Cramer said. “It’s a smaller group—we pick a short and discuss it after the meeting.”