So I was reading Crisu’s post on tips on starting an anime club, and would like to add on with an edited version of some stuff I blogged in the past on my previous personal blog. May or may not work but heck, who knows man? For those who have the time and energy you may want to consider the following:

Firstly, you have to write a proposal and name your club, and I suggest that you should attempt to define a new term to summarise the sub-culture that enjoys what I used to call “Otaku culture”. Otaku culture is wrong, as an Otaku is not the same as an appreciator of Japanese Unicultural Modern Arts, or JUMA for short.

Why JUMA:

Japanese – Because this form of art originated from Japan.
Unicultural – Because it is by nature of this artform that it alienates outsiders, while insiders pursue it (almost) fanatically.
Modern – Because the artform is created in the modern post-WWII era.
Arts – Because it is an artform.

Of course, starting of a club with such a name can be a double edged sword as it may sound exotic and generate interest, or alienate the student population. Thus it would probably be better to name it as a “Japanese Culture Club” or something and then change the name it to “Japanese Unicultural Modern Arts Society” after it has survied for at least 2 years.

When most poeple talk about this unique subculture, they refer to it as anime/manga, or their appreciators as anime watchers and the like. However there are four basic media (there are more as well) pertaining to this subculture, therefore it is inaccurate to just refer to it as anime/manga. Therefore an over-arching term is required. JUMA will thus refer to anime, manga, light novels and visual novels. The fact there are so many cross-adaptions between the four forms of media and that anime is not always the end product.

Example: Fate/Stay Night started off as an adult visual novel, but was adapted into an manga first, THEN an anime. Strawberry Panic started off as a bunch of short stories, that were first adapted into a manga. The short stories were then compiled into light novels, then a bunch of PS2 visual novels were produced. The anime started running around the same time the light novels were published. It was only after the anime ended was Strawberry Panic was adapted into a PS2 visual novel.

It is necessary to use technical terms because we have to actually be doing work instead of goofing around.

Also someone who appreciates JUMA might not necessarily be an Otaku, but we welcome Otaku anytime!! To fully understand the term Otaku, it is necessary to read the mangas Genshiken and Comic Party. To summarise, an appreciator of JUMA need not be an Otaku, but an Otaku is always an appreciator of JUMA.

Anyone can be accepted as a member of JUMAS, even if you have not have prior exposure to this subculture. However, everyone has to go through a certain syllabus before you are accepted as a basic member of JUMAS, no matter how much or what kind of anime or manga you have read before. Only when you have completed your training, will you be reallocated to be a useful member of a section in the society. I am aiming to keep this syllabus as short as possible.


The syllabus is as follows (you will be assesed via short essays not exceeding 400 words or various questionnaires):
- Understand and appreciate to a small extent the basic genres of JUMA which are Shounen, Shoujo, Seinen and Josei.
- Understand and appreciate to a small extent the four basic media in JUMA which are Anime, Manga, Light Novels, and Visual Novels.

To pass the assessment (it isn’t going to be too difficult), it is recommended that you follow the module detailed below, although flexibility in substitution of titles and media is allowed with assistance from a member of the club.

To cover anime, manga and Shounen.

Shounen Action/Adventure – Bleach, Naruto, Full Metal Panic!, Full Metal Alchemist

Shounen Harem – Love Hina, Ichigo 100%, Magister Negi Magi, Nagasarete Airantou

You are required to watch at least four episodes of any of the above titles AFTER reading the first volume of the original manga.

Due to over exposure of Shounen anime in Singapore, it is ok to skip doing the above if you are confident that you are able to recognise the characteristics of Shounen Action/Adventure and Shounen Harem.

To cover light novels and Seinen:

Complete reading the first volume of the manga Genshiken (this is compulsory and cannot be substituted).

Complete reading the first volume of the light novel The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi.

Watch the first episode of the anime adaption of Genshiken or the second episode of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi.

To cover Shoujo:

Complete reading the first volume of any Shoujo manga that is not part of the Mahou Shoujo sub-genre. A list can be obtained from Wikipedia.

Watch the first episode of any Mahou Shoujo anime (which is Shoujo, and not Seinen Mahou Shoujo like Nanoha). A list can be obtained from Wikipedia.

To cover Josei:

Complete reading the first volume of the manga Nodame Cantabile.

Complete watching the first episode of the anime Honey & Clover.

To cover visual novels:

Either

Finish playing one full commercially produced visual novel on any platform (not very possible for new people).

or

Complete playing a demo version of one commercially produced visual novel.

Complete playing one doujin (amateur) visual novel.

Watch the first episode of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, keeping in mind that it originated from a doujin visual novel.

Demos and doujins can be obtained from www.visualnews.net or www.visual-novels.net

To score during the assessment, statements like “if an anime adaption is good, it would be as enjoyable as enjoying the original media” or “compared to the 3 other forms of media, anime is the most inferior” will definitely work if they are properly argued out with good examples. In fact if you follow the module above properly without rushing through, it shouldn’t be difficult to produce a good essay.

The essay will also disseminate information that this is a serious club and that anime and manga isn’t all just erotic nonsense.

Of course, this is simply a template, and you can craft your own syllabus according to your whims. But it is definitely better to quickly equip your basic members with knowledge of Japanese visual culture jargon so that in-depth and meaningful discussion can be achieved instead of just sitting around watching anime or reading manga.