A group of close friends gather around in front of a big screen to hang out and watch anime. They consider themselves more than just friends – they’re family. This is the ETSU Anime Club.The story of the ETSU Anime Club is one that proves that ETSU can be a place for people with interests of any kind.

Over the last 10 to 15 years, Japanese anime and manga has become quite popular in North America.

This wave has created a young generation of fans who love the genre and consider it a passion in their life.

When Bethany Eldridge, 22, a digital media major with a love for Japanese animation, found that there were dozens of students at ETSU with the same passion she had, she did something about it.

“I kept waiting for someone else to make an anime club,” said Eldridge. “They never did. One of my friends was in an anime club at MTSU, and I wanted a place like that where people came together and just nerded out.”

Bethany began rounding up friends as officers to get the club started at the beginning of last semester.

She went through the process of becoming a sanctioned club and the anime club became a reality.

The club meets every Wednesday at 8 p.m. at varying locations on campus to get together and watch and learn about the genre.

Each meeting consists of anything from anime trivia, trading manga books to simply watching anime.

“I knew if it got started, it could be big,” said John Livaditus, a 21-year-old history major. “It’s a place for people to come and they don’t have to be afraid to say they’re nerds.”

In the past, a number of international students with interests in Japanese anime and manga have joined the club. The club also works very closely with the Japanese Cultural Society.

“Not everyone in the Japanese Cultural Society likes anime like we do,” said Tamsen Elliott, a 20-year-old German major. “But they do like people with an interest in Japanese culture. We all get along like a big family.”

Despite being a new club to the campus, the Anime Club has grown quickly. The club recently got official T-shirts and held a back-to-school event at Winged Deer Park just before classes began. They hope to hold a “mini con” on campus as a big collaboration with other clubs, as well as a “cosplay ball” in the very near future.

What members consider to be one of the best aspects of the club is that fact that even if you don’t know anything about anime, you’re more than welcome to come.

“If you come to the meetings and hang out and just keep coming back, you will make lifelong friends,” said Eldridge. “It’s a place to come and hang out with people who like the same things as you.”

Students interested in joining the club or coming to the meetings can join the mailing list through the ETSU anime facebook page. Just search “Buc Anime” on facebook and become a fan to find out where the next meetings will be held.

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