My Anime Club

[SirChico]

As stated in another thread I am president of Anime Club at a school (I don't actually attend school there). This club has pretty much gone down hill since I took over. It's not that I'm a bad president (I've been the best since the original president), it's just that our old president scared the members away with his pessimistic adtitude... this meant he took NO suggestions from the members and we ended up doing NOTHING. So he gave it to me after he said he couldn't take it anymore. So I've been president for 4 months and we've had a good club. We always have something to do and I am always planning for the future. This is all well and good except I have three members (including myself) and the other two are my friends who really don't like anime.

My plan is to try to attract more members (and bring back the old). I was wondering if you had any suggestions for the club? One more thing... the host art teacher doesn't want anime playing all the time because she says we can do that at home whenever we want. A predicament, yes, but your supposed to watch anime at an anime club!

[FairUse]

I have always wanted to start an anime club, but I have always felt that if I did, it would kill my grades. These are just some ideas:

1. Look at what other clubs have done/are doing. Look around at the different clubs listed an Anipike.

2. Have some kind of constitution (with mission statement, core values, core activities, etc.). That way all members know what the club is about. A basis to go by is by looking at what others have done in the aforementioned Anipike.

3. Do not try to accomodate everyone. Your ex-president was wrong to ignore everyone (sounds elitist). Although sometimes you cannot cater to everyone. Just point people to your constitution up front. Be fair and reasonable, sometimes group polling can help someone make a decision.

4. Recruitment of members is important, but there are just some people out there who will always be against anime. I would try to get the message out there, but don't hogtie anyone to get them in. Try to educate people and bring them into it. I would try flyers myself, try to make them unique (put a catgirl or something on them, maybe a shrine maiden, personally I would plaster bishoujos everywhere although that might be sexist...). Our college has all kinds of flyers everywhere. Just walk around to the different buildings and look at the bulletin boards.

5. Avoid being cliqish (SP?), try to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone. Make sure to have policies (no talking while playing a movie), and if someone breaks them, WARN them nicely, and then ask them to leave if they continue. I would pull them aside the first incident, do it publicly the second, and then ask them to leave. That way they look like the troublemaker and you aren't appearing to be a powermonger (which the kicked person may try to do).

6. Show your host art teacher that there are many campuses with scheduled viewings. You could always play the educational role and play subtitled anime in order to promote cultural awareness via a pop culture interface.

7. If your club grows, be sure to delegate authority, and make sure you have reliable members. Don't do everything yourself. A mistake I saw done at a club meeting was trying to get volunteers. Try that initially, like "Does anyone want to do anything?" and if the crickets are chirping, look at your members and their specialties, and be like "Hey Name, could you do us a website?"

8. Know your environment, know your people, and don't let idle comments get you down! Remember some of the old sayings such as stopping a problem early, etc.

9. As president, you set the tone. I would recommend a mature environment, not something that would attract troublemakers (although a joke or two every so often is pleasant).

10. Enjoy yourself! If you hate doing it, something went wrong somewhere.

[SirChico]

Thanks for your help!

We are going to make posters this week to post around the school. Hopefully, we will get some members to show up and we can make a constitution of sorts to set a basis for the club meetings. I hope our hostess will allow us to watch more.

What we've been doing recently has been working on an anime style (as in art style) comic. We are using the Laws of Anime to make it too. We also watch anime on themed occasions (which is most fun); for instance on the Valentine's Day meeting we watched an episode of Cowboy Bebop ("My Funny Valentine") and an episode of Love Hina. Right now we are watching FLCL. Watch, draw, discuss anime is what we've done so far.

I will definitely use the ideas given. Any other ideas are appreciated!

[matthewmalay]

Get some hookers to "service" new members. That will bring in the crowds.

[SirChico]

Originally posted by matthewmalay
Get some hookers to "service" new members. That will bring in the crowds.

And it would be a good way to fundraise! I'm just kidding... though it would work.

[kakomu]

I think you ought to go to the school that you have an anime club at, so that you know who in school watches anime. The club at my school worked that way since people could tell everyone in school to watch anime with them. As for putting up signs in school, I don't know if that will work...

[SirChico]

Well, I used to go to school there (and I go there nowadays to catch a bus to go to a techincal school where I am earning college credits in computer programing), so I do know lots of the people who like anime. The problem is trying to get those members back because they were scared away by our old president. I know flyers won't work, unless there was some incentive that was stated on the poster... well I'll see what happens.

[pugmagician]

Well to get those members back you could always offer an insentive like saying having cookies and punch there, they might come back to check it out if you publicly offered that.

[FairUse]

Perhaps to attract the old members, put in your flyers "Under new management" and put something like "Help us form our constitution to make the club for everyone's enjoyment, including your own!" Try to tell the old members that you will be different, and be sure to HONOR YOUR WORDS. Don't say something you can't deliver to get them back. If you have a club name, perhaps a new name would be appropriate, and have everyone participate in the new naming process.

You can also seek out promotional items from companies (I think some R1 companies send screeners, etc.) and maybe have contests (random drawings are best, but make sure they have to be present in order to win :p .

Free food is awesome, but when every club (at least at my school) does it, it loses its competitive advantage.

Signs are weak sometimes, but in my area at least, awareness is the key. There are some groups (Dungeons and Dragons, computer games, etc.) in my area and I had no they idea existed until I saw them...

Since it sounds like you are making something along the lines of a doujinshi, perhaps your club should watch Comic Party to examine the unique sub-culture of doujinshi authors and one man's decent into that world...

[rav96]

Originally posted by SirChico
And it would be a good way to fundraise! I'm just kidding... though it would work.

I'd join then without a single hesitation!!! get rid of some frustration

[Vicious]

Originally posted by FairUse

You can also seek out promotional items from companies (I think some R1 companies send screeners, etc.)

Yes. Alot of the R1 companies will send you free DVD's if you can prove to them that you have an anime club. I know for a fact that some of them have programs in place just for anime clubs. alot of times, they'll send you out DVD's even before the street dates.

[SirChico]

Originally posted by Vicious
Yes. Alot of the R1 companies will send you free DVD's if you can prove to them that you have an anime club. I know for a fact that some of them have programs in place just for anime clubs. alot of times, they'll send you out DVD's even before the street dates.

I didn't know that. This is defiently good to know. Thanks for the help. Tomorrow is anime club (every Tuesday), I'll talk with the teacher who oversees anime club and we'll figure something out for the future clubs to make it more enjoyable.

About free food... we sometimes have that at club the only problem is that we can't advertise that because it would be hard to get that every week. We buy our own when we go to Japanese restaurants; it is at these times that the most members come.

All of the help I recieved is appreciated, thanks alot!

[sanosuke]

i think my old school started an anime club just after i left. im bitter cause its full of kids whove only seen dbz and arent legally old enough to watch things like akira (not like i was when i saw it the first 5 times). animes not too big in ireland so i was the only otaku in the school and i say that with confidence, so id like to go to their damned club and slap them with my akira dvd! (kind of an otaku's school shooting spree, prefered weapon of choice anyone?)

[rav96]

what proof do you actually need to show to the R1 or in my case R2 companies about you Anime Club?

[Vicious]

Originally posted by rav96
what proof do you actually need to show to the R1 or in my case R2 companies about you Anime Club?

Not sure. But I don't know if they do it for R2's. you'd have to contact the companies over there and ask them. Go to their websites and write to whatever email address you find.