By Morgan Buerke and Heather Shelton, Editors
Sabrina Watts knows that when she wears her black and red cape emblazoned with the symbol of Naruto to school every Friday, her classmates will stare, but she doesn’t care.
“When I wear my cloak, I feel alive, and I notice that people stare at me,” Watts said, “At first it was awkward, but now I’m okay with it.”
Watts used to feel uncomfortable because of the people who kept staring, but her friends were dressing up, and she didn’t want to be left out, so she wanted to too. Now Watts has fun wearing her cloak and loves the attention she gets from wearing it every week.“One time I went to the mall and a group of girls walked up to us and asked me and my friends who we were dressed up as,” Watts recalled, “I told them we were dressed up like Akatsuki, and then they asked us for hugs.”
The cloaks that Watts and some of her friends wear are part of something called cosplay, a large part of Anime that literally means “costume play.” Cosplay is something usually only dedicated anime fans participate in, and it involves dressing up to fit the person’s favorite show, manga, or other type of anime.
Anime sales hit their peak in 2003, according to the Japan External Trade Organization but there’s still a dedicated fan base at Kaneland.
The anime world is a strange and mysterious place that few know exists—most American’s first thoughts that come to mind either begin with the show Pokémon or DragonBall Z Kai. Pokémon sales actually represent 60 percent of all anime in the United States, but anime is much more than just those stereotypical shows, and junior Alexis Davis isn’t fond of people stereotyping about anime.
“People think it’s nerdy and that’s not fair.” Davis said, “So many people watch it and don’t realize it. Let people express themselves how they want.”
Dr. Susan Napier, a professor at Tufts University who studies anime, agrees that there’s to anime more than the usual stereotypes.
“Some of them are genuinely adults works that are very thought-provoking, very challenging, very disturbing in the way a good work of art should be,” Napier said.
Anime in general ranges from shows such as: “Death Note,” a fantasy-style “Criminal Minds,” to “Initial D,” a series about drift racing that inspired both “Tokyo Drift” and “The Fast and the Furious,” and even to anime-style, to manga include textbooks where Japanese characters teach subjects like math and science.
Anime conventions are also a large part of this subculture. The feature everything from Masquerade and crystal balls to other entertainment such as gaming, concerts, panels, art shows and more.
“[I prefer] Anime Central because it’s the largest in the area, and I look forward to it every year,” senior Heather Clark said.
The largest convention in the Midwest is called Anime Central (Acen for short), which goes on every year in Chicago.
“I don’t know what to say about the first time I went to Acen,” Clark said. “I mean, what can you say when you roll up to an enormous convention center full of a bunch of nerds who’ve dressed up as their favorite character from who knows what? It wasn’t anything I haven’t expected it didn’t surprise me even. It was like going to a school for people who were usually very, very nice and liked a lot of things I liked.”
According to Napier, anime also uses art to explore serious themes like war and isolation, as well as more light-hearted romances, thought-provoking horrors and many more.
“Young people do want to see a more realistic version of the world,” Napier said. “They’re not satisfied with everything tied up in a bow and walking off into the sunset.”
Junior Alexis Davis and sophomore Dzenan Bogaljevic watch almost all of these categories.
“I like most of the story plots,” Bogaljevic said.
Seniors Krysta Knarr and Kayley VanVliet are mostly fans of fantasy and horror anime.
“For horror, I like a good thrill,” VanVliet said. “And sometimes when you draw anime, you can take it farther than with actors.”
VanVliet would know, too, since she’s been drawing since kindergarten. She said that she started drawing in an anime style just three years ago.
“I like to mix Western and anime styles for a more realistic touch,” she said. She believes that drawing is “a good way to vent creativity and emotions.”
She’s not the only anime-lover to draw either. Art teacher Carleen Wieg said that she’s actually seen an increase in anime-artists at Kaneland over the years.
“I started drawing anime in sixth grade,” Davis said. “I love to draw anything; I prefer to draw girls and animals. Guys are like ridiculously hard to draw.”
Many students have gotten into anime by chance. However, it doesn’t take a skilled artist to get into anime; anyone can become a fan. All it takes is a computer or remote.
“I have seen an increase in the number of students. I believe it has to do with the different climate and envoriment the students are in. I do have an appreciation of the designing. However, the asthetic part is very repetitive,” art teacher Carleen Weig said.