Anime Fannatiku is a Big Hit
By: Cindy Lee Mackert
A club has formed for those who appreciate anime (Japanese animation), or just want to check it out. Anime Fannatiku meets the first Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hurricane Library.
“Evilness is bad,” Hillarie Gowers, a club member, quoted from an anime. “I like anime. Anime is fun. I go because I can dress up and not be laughed at.
Natalie Daniel, a librarian clerk at the Hurricane Library, was inspired to start the group by a similar one that meets in the Charleston Library in Las Vegas, called Anime Vegas.
“I was sitting at the computer one day and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we had a club here where we could all get together with people who have similar interests?’” Daniel said.
She talked her co-worker, Sarah Hall, into helping her organize the club.
“We knew there would be a large fan base here,” Hall said, “because we have an extensive selection of Japanese Manga, which most animes are based on, at the library and we can’t keep them in. They’re always being checked out, especially by the high school students. When we advertised for the anime club, we received a positive response.”
Anime Fannatiku met for the first time on Feb. 4. A total of 75 people were in attendance, and some of them were from St. George and Ivins. Even Anime Vegas founder, Rich Stott, brought a group of members with him from Las Vegas to support the club opening.
