Sophia Allen
Lantern Staff
Scott Garrison, the president of the anime and manga club, first discovered anime in high school, when he joined some friends talking about it in the library.
“I sat and listened to them talk about shows occasionally giving my own input,” Garrison said. “I asked some questions about shows that they watched. They told me a bit about what they watched, so I thought to myself “Hmm, this might be interesting. I might give this a shot, so I looked it up online for streaming sites. I watched a couple of episodes and I just continued from there.”
For Garrison, his interest is in the animation style and writers.
“I guess for me, I think it was the overall animation style and the different writers,” Garrison said. “If you compare what we have here in the West compared to what they (Japan) have, they are more in depth about characters, stories (and) art design, because the anime industry has been really centered in the Japanese culture, and it’s a big part of their history. That’s what appealed to me, the overall design.”
When he came to Butler, he wanted to find more people who were interested in the subject. He gathered a few friends and started the anime club. It started out as just a gathering with friends, in which they watched a show and discussed it. He then decided to make it a club. To do this, he talked with Andrea Weiss, Student Involvement and Hall manager, and filled out some paperwork.
“I’d have to say that it would be just finding other interested people that either like Japanese culture or that are interested in anime,” Garrison said of the goal of the organization. “I just wanted to meet other people. It started out as a social gathering, but with the policies I have to turn it into something educational as well as social. So I combined both aspects, socializing and learning about culture and the history because certain anime was made and shown to the public at key points in history.”
Usually, the club meets in the L.W. Nixon Library during the afternoon, though they do not have set days and times. They watch part of a show and take notes on what they find interesting, which they then discuss. They will often tie the story to relevant social issues. Through this, they can learn about many topics.
The anime club is open to anybody, whether they are a casual viewer or are obsessed with everything related. The club welcomes creators of fan art and fan fiction to share their projects as well as cosplayers.
If you are interested in joining this club, contact Scott Garrison at (316) 650-9031 or scott.garrison18@gmail.com.