Leaping across the Pacific, and even across the equator, this month's Anime Club Profile spotlights a group in Australia doing what anime fans around the globe do best - unite.

President Charles Chien, secretary Sylvia Syamanond, treasurer Judy Chang, librarian John Tjongue and publications officers Rebekah Webb and Chris McGuire represent the core of "The Weekly Watchers of Wonderful Anime" (3WA). Based at the University of Melbourne in Australia, 3WA has about 200 members among its ranks, all dedicated to watching and promoting anime.

In reaction to the lack of a strong anime presence in Australia, promotion has become the clubs main focus, presenting weekly screenings that are open to the entire university and designed primarily to capture mainstream attention. Secretary Sylvia Syamanond describes their screenings as 3WA's best aspect.

"In Australia, anime is still relatively unknown," Syamanond says. "The goal of our club is to promote anime to a wider audience. All of the committee members are university students and we are running this club simply because we want others to enjoy anime as well."

It only takes five Australian dollars to join 3WA. And president Charles Chien recites a litany of privileges for such a meager sum.

"It entitles members to borrow from a library which has grown to nearly 150 tapes," Chien explains. "We also have marathons where we provide members with some free food and drink. Finally we hold a convention with the other main anime clubs of Melbourne called 'Manifest' (Melbourne Anime Festival), to which members receive a special price."

'Manifest,' actually borne out of the aforementioned marathons at the University of Melbourne, began in 1998. Now, moving into its fourth year, the event is growing, stretching from a single Saturday at its inception, to over an entire weekend, replete with BBQ, panels and screenings galore. 3WA plays a central role in the organization and appeal of the burgeoning convention. Chien, and 3WA in general, believes in the spirit of cooperation along with promoting anime.

"We are loosely affiliated with a couple anime groups for the purposes of 'Manifest,'" he explains. "They are MAS (Melbourne Anime Society), MAC (Monash Anime Club) and SAC (Swinburne Anime Club)."

MAS, the only non-student club, also provides most of 3WA's tapes by virtue of its dealings with Siren Entertainment, a major Australian anime distributor. The most popular titles for 3WA include "Slayers," "Slayers Next," "Irresponsible Captain Tylor," "Cowboy Bebop" and "Rurouni Kenshin."

All cannot remain harmonious, however, with only a modest 150-tape collection.

"We are still losing many videos from our club collection," Syamanond laments. "We really do need a better library system to keep track of all of the tapes that have not been returned." But if missing tapes constitutes 3WA's only discordant issue, they are doing fine. In fact, they are constantly evolving and moving forward.