This Week in Anime

Let's Get Together

Coop
Now that's a spicy meatball right there, Mr. Farris! Most seasoned anime enthusiasts are used to gathering the squad and driving over to the nearest big city for a convention, but doing that has become more financially prohibitive than ever before. In fact, our colleague Kalai Chik dove into this issue over on Forbes a few weeks back. But if you're completely priced out, a teen (yes, teenage anime fans exist, I know it's hard to believe), or both, it's a whole 'nother ballpark.

It's enough to make you Eric André at the gates of your nearest show.

Back when Crunchyroll was just starting to become more than a twinkle in Kun Gao's eye (the end of 2008), I remember watching Ultraman Mebius or the latest Shun Oguri Detective Conan special in a random video room. It wasn't exactly legal, but it carried on the "keep circulating the tapes" ethos of the CFO generation. Well, at least until more official distributors sunk their hooks into the con and anime space we've come to know today.

It also might've been a little more reasonable for a fourteen-year-old (like myself at the time) to convince their folks into going to a convention for their birthday. Don't get me wrong, times were tough back in '08, but my first couple of cons were way cheaper than anything I've been to recently. We also have to admit that the cons of our adolescence (of Utena) were nearly (if not) twenty years ago. And yes, I towered over Walter Jones as un bebe.

To quote noted videogamesman, Jeff Gerstmann, "People f*cking hate teenagers." It's a huge bummer because teens need their own spaces to hang out with their friends and get into a little good trouble. Yeah, they might not always be sunshine and rainbows attitude-wise, but who is to begin with? We're all human for cryin' out loud.

For me, I was huge into hanging around my local Barnes & Noble, comic shops, and Borders back when they were a thing. I still am, even if I don't get the chance to hit up a bookstore often. It's nice to sit down with a chai latte and flip through a few books before deciding which one I'll end up heading home with. But that also highlights another key point when it comes to gathering at any store: The expectation to buy something. Even if you're not making a purchase, there's a chance you might feel that sensation...which really stings when you don't have a ton of spending money.

Especially when there are so many factors that lead folks to say "Nah, I'll just do that at home." Be it going to the movies or having the occasional brewski after a long day at work, people aren't really going anywhere to do those things. Which, hey, it's understandable after the incredibly traumatic, worldwide nightmare that kicked off this decade.

But since you mentioned it, let's talk about your friend and mine, the library! Honestly, I can't think of another institution that's always been on the side of local and underserved communities. For every issue that we've mentioned so far, I can think of a library-based solution, baby.

And it's that free-to-low entry fee that makes these shows so appealing to younger fans and more rural communities. Aside from perhaps an artist alley, a library con isn't designed to funnel attendees into a big bazaar at some point; It's about sharing their love for anime, manga, cosplay, and their own creativity. Heck, if they're lucky, they might even briefly meet with their favorite voice actor. Library cons are picking up enough steam to occasionally bring in a heavy hitter or two.

Absolutely! Nabbing a print or sticker from a local artist puts money back into your community rather than having it scatter to the four winds.

However, the library gatherings don't have to stop there! If there's a local anime or manga club at your library, pop your head in and see if you'd like to join. Or if there isn't a club at all, you could always speak with the library staff and try to spin one up! It's a great way to meet new friends, discover new favorites, and maybe find a few carpool buddies if you're looking to take a day trip to the local "big convention." I'd also like to mention that your librarians will need to get in contact with the publisher if they want to screen anything, but most companies have a form on their website to do just that. Crunchyroll used to have a rock-solid library program, but they tripped over themselves again and killed it last May.

Building tangible, real, grass-touching community wherever you can find it is so important these days. Especially in our current political climate, which I took a long, hard look at last year when I spoke to librarians from across the country about the recent book banning fervor.

Yes, we are talking about third spaces in reference to anime and manga, but we're also in a situation where we have to fight for the rights of ourselves and others.

If you have the extra scratch for a figure, these stores occasionally carry prize figures from the big hot series...and Lupin the Third. Some folks just want to throw an All Might or Fujiko Mine on the shelf, as we talked about a little while back.

The key to building any community is just showing up. We might know of each other on social media or chat on Discord, but being in honest-to-god meat space with other people says a lot! Even if you make the occasional social misstep, most people appreciate the effort you've made to chat with them and put yourself out there. I felt like an awkward mess when I attended Otakon for the first time in 2022, but I know the efforts I made ended up leaving a good impression on people. Just go ask your partner or Justin Sevakis, Chris.

Heck, I even hosted a Macross Panel with our mutual friend (and keeper of the Space Kaleidoscope), Russell Latshaw... This was the first con I attended after the first round of COVID-19 boosters! Again, people appreciate the effort.

Now you've got me thinking about bringing the original live-action film version of Psychic School Wars—Nobuhiko Ōbayashi's School in the Crosshairs. It's worth mentioning that Obayashi directed this little movie called House.

But speaking of things I'll be bringing to Otakon, Sylvia will be joining the two of us to host our very first in-person This Week in Anime LIVE Panel! And now that I think about it, our topic slides in quite nicely with what we've talked about today.

Hey, everyone's got to know when they're the lowest of the low at some point.

While slipping twenty bucks to some guy at a meet-up for a tape isn't necessary anymore, Eldred's points still ring true to this day. I might love me a cartoon or comic, but that's nothing compared to the friends and loved ones who've entered my life through those shared interests.

You never know who you'll run into!