For the past decade, anime has grown in popularity in numerous countries, including the United States. The genre is based around Japanese animated TV shows and movies and draws inspiration from a variety of other genres, from horror and sci-fi to romance.

At UNI, anime-lovers gather on Wednesday evenings to watch and discuss new and old animes. The Anime Club meets from 6 to 8 p.m. in Curris Business Building, room 127. Meetings consist of watching two episodes of anime, followed by a detailed discussion of the episodes.

“Our mission is to unite the weebs and provide a safe and fun environment!” states the group’s mission on its Facebook page.

The club’s president, Kumari Kinrade, explained that the club’s leaders meet and select a theme for each month. The Anime Club watches selections during  weekly meetings correlating to that theme.

“October’s theme was ‘spooky’ for Halloween, so we watched more horror and Halloween-related animes, like ‘Hellsing Ultimate’ and ‘Ghost Stories,’” said Kinrade, a senior graphic design major. 

While the club mostly watches a new anime each week, there are exceptions. Kinrade explained how they’ve watched Studio Ghibli movies in the past, such as “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Spirited Away.” They also have a weekly anime, a series the club votes to watch throughout the entire semester — this semester’s selection is “Demon Slayer.”

The group also discusses board games, video games and manga relating to the anime they watch and will occasionally have anime trivia nights.

The Anime Club launched at UNI in August 2016 and has seen much growth since Kinrade joined.

“I’ve been a part of the club since freshman year,” she said. “And that first year, I was pretty much the only member, apart from the president.”

Currently, the club may have up to 10 students attending  meetings on some weeks, but consistently has three or four members, including Vice President Colby Weber and Public Relations manager, Allie Zapata.

“It’s super-duper laid-back,” Kinrade said. “You can come in for an episode then leave if you want. It’s not serious at all, we just want to have fun.” 

Those interested in joining the Anime Club or getting more information can attend a meeting or contact [email protected].