For Andrew Grothen, president of the Anime Club Laramie Chapter, Japanese animation is an underappreciated art form.
“Our big objective is to make the campus and the community more aware of Japanese animation and its abilities as an artistic medium,” Grothen said. “It’s animated, it’s kind of a cartoon in the same vein as ‘Family Guy,’ but it’s got a lot of value to it. Because it isn’t the same culture, it gives you a different way to look at the world.”
Grothen said the group shows a variety of genres of anime with members voting on what to watch next.
“We’ve shown psychological thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, slice-of-life kind of events,” Grothen said. “We’re showing a series right now called ‘Wagnaria!’ (lit: Working!) which is literally just about a bunch of people working in a village inn/restaurant and the wacky antics that they go on.”
Grothen said that while members could simply watch the shows and generally socialize, he liked to engage in discussions with other members.
“We have discussions with our members all about the different elements that go into making anime, the social and cultural elements,” Grothen said.
Grothen said the club attracted a wide membership base, with students from a variety of majors. He said this helped bring different views and opinions to discussions.
“We have a very open community that’s been very free for the exchange of ideas, outside of just anime,” Grothen said.
Grothen said the club had been successful with fundraising this year and would be subsidizing costs for members to travel to Nan Desu Kan, an anime convention held in Denver.
Grothen said the club was also involved with SageCon, a science fiction and fantasy convention held at the University of Wyoming. Grothen said he was hoping to assemble a panel to discuss animated television and movies and the impact they have on parents and teenagers.
Membership for the Anime Club Laramie Chapter is free and open to all members of the
