On Dec. 21, the Bel Air High School’s Anime Club will be having their first “Similar Media Day” in room C123 to expose the student body to various forms pop culture from around Asia.   

The Anime Club is a walk-in club held every Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon that is sponsored by Nathaniel Schoppert. The club was started in 2009 by Jessi Deane Pantazis. In addition to annual meetings, the club also hosts a Halloween, holiday season, and summer party at one of the club head’s houses each year for the purpose of bonding with its members to create a sense of community within the group.

The idea to do such an event came into existence from a suggestion by one of the club’s regular members, Erika Gonzales, in the hopes that others interested in anime might also enjoy media from Japan and other Asian countries. As a result, the heads took polls from regular attendees on which forms of entertainment would have the most appeal before the actual meeting. Although the group will vote during the meeting on what to watch, the rough schedule includes exploring different foreign pop music groups before watching half of a foreign drama for the last portion of the meeting.  

“I’m excited to see what other types Asian media the heads found.” Gonzales states. “I’ve only been exposed to K-pop and J-pop, so I hope that through this Similar Media Day I’ll discover a variety of different Asian entertainment.”

The current club officials are Paris Maye (President), Alexi Misciagna (Vice President), and Hector Belarmino (Treasurer) who are looking for ways to change up the club’s usual format through member based suggestions. During regular meetings, attendees either vote on a show to watch, play anime based games, or participate in workshops that teach individuals how to emulate iconic anime styles to create their own characters.

“I believe that changing our format is a good idea because it makes more opportunity for communication and mixes up a somewhat repetitious formula to be more exciting for older members along with providing new members a way to better connect with the group,” Misciagna expresses.
The Anime Club is always looking for new members who share their love in the art form and this is a unique change of pace for the organization. Their club heads are hoping that “Similar Media Day” can be an annual event in the future. So, for anyone interested, be sure to attend on Dec. 21 in room C123 to show your support!