The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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Ani-what? Anime!

Japanese animation, or “anime” as many members of America’s youth know it, has had a steady rise in popularity over the past two decades, with many millennials having grown up with shows such as “Naruto,” “Bleach,” and “One Piece.” These shows being “the big three that really brought anime into the mainstream” as CeCe Doan, 19, a web design and multimedia major explained.
Anime’s growing presence in American culture has taken root in comedy, too, with Youtubers like NigaHiga and Swagkage publishing regular videos in regards to the subject. Popular rappers and singers have taken influences of anime into their music and album artwork, too, like XXXtentacion and Oliver Francis.
Anime’s growing fan base ranges from casual viewers, to diehard fans that not only watch the shows but own memorabilia and even attend anime conventions. The BC3 Anime Club here at Bucks is a club specifically aimed at catering to this wide range of viewers.
Club President Kathy Towell, 31, a small business major, stated that the main goal of the club is to “bring people together that like anime,” and for new viewers, to provide with “a really diverse selection,” while providing club members with the chance to “come together and have fun, watch anime, and discuss it.”
As with any form of evolving entertainment, anime is still attempting to find its main audience internationally.
The source of their interest in anime varies from person to person. Jeremy Solkow, 22, a liberal arts major was drawn to anime “because it was really creative, it was something that was very unusual, I mostly liked it because of the story. American stuff nowadays, it’s all drama. If I can’t sink my teeth into it, I don’t want to watch it.”
It is this cookie cutter type material that is driving more and more people to the richer story and plot development that anime seems to offer its fans. With more shows like “Attack on Titan” and “One Punch Man” opening the door for mainstream appeal in the U.S., the future of anime has come into question. Its niche appeal, unorthodox art design, and deep story has yet to be seized by America’s reality TV/drama-centric society. When asked about the future of anime, Doan says that “it is getting bigger, but it’s still a niche. But it has still come a long way.” Only time will tell if this niche entertainment will catch on with Americans in the coming years.