Anime Interview Paper

In interviewing the Anime Club of Colorado School of Mines, the Anime Club members were able to showcase their expertise in the topic of anime. Those who were interviewed were Jeff Chung, Micah Asato, Ben Oldegard, and Hannah Brown. Of the five, Asato seemed to be the most talkative and provided vast amounts of information that were both surprising and new. His ethnicity is also Japanese, giving him a hands-on understanding of the Japanese anime culture. Chung is Korean, and was able to further delve into anime because of Asato. Oldegard and Brown are a couple, and are both close friends with Asato and Chung. All those who were interviewed attested to having over 15 years of experience with anime. They all agreed in being drawn into anime due to anime’s psychologically complex plots and fantasy aspects. Oldegard claims that the psychological aspect of anime allowed “greater amounts of freedom anime has to mess with my mind, and make the mysteries and situations so much juicier” (Oldegard). Asato also stated in regards to the anime community that “Anime fans stick together. I’ve seen introverted people open up a lot more when around other anime fans” (Asato).

In terms of anime expansion beyond Japan, all agreed that anime has definitely taken root in many foreign countries, with the more popular anime being shown on Netflix. Chung discussed the assimilation of anime into other cultures, and pointed out that anime generally has a tough time breaking through into the entertainment industry. Asato was quick to agree with Chung, stating, “People are typically afraid of seeing or trying new things,i like anime. Rather watch something more familiar,” (Asato). For America, Toonami was a vital factor in contributing to anime’s success. While it now only shows on late night TV, it used to be on during a time where children coming home from school could watch