Many people have heard of anime, but aren't sure exactly what it is. As president, Jennifer is the official face of the club, and a part of her duties is to raise awareness of anime at MIT, with the help and hard work of her officers and club members. The Halloween showing this year is a good example of this attempt. They screened "Vampire Princess Miyu," an extremely popular title, and ran a themed informal cosplaying contest to get the filmgoers into the spirit of things. What better way to raise awareness of anime than by showing how much fun it can be to play adult dress up?

"Realistically, I am so involved in anime because I think it has a lot to offer people, given the right kind of guidance," Chang explains. "Many people associate anime with porn simply because they weren't exposed to masterpieces like Miyazaki's 'Mononoke Hime,' which was one of our most popular showings. The US entertainment industry has been rather disappointing in the last few years, and I find that the cultural aspects of anime give us a lot more to think about. Just the range of anime is something I find intriguing. Many people see anime and think 'Oh, more cartoons in bad English,' but anime mirrors the entire universe of American entertainment in animated form, and bad dubbing is only more proof of how poorly the US reacts to foreign media."

At each showing, the MIT Anime Club tries to show a diverse selection of anime from the library, giving everyone a taste of what they came to see. This can sometimes be difficult, with so many types of anime each with its devoted fan-base. There are no arguments about what to show among the officers, though. When the rare disagreement arises, the president makes peace. Each showing consists of three films, which allows for a wide cross section of the medium, providing something for all aspects of anime fandom. Over 600 people have signed up on the club's mailing list, most of who email requests.

"I like 'El-Hazard' (the original 7 episode series) for its light, fun and amusing characters," Chang says of her personal favorites. "'Shamanic Princess' is also a favorite. It's wonderful eye-candy, with a very interesting plot structure that requires a lot of thinking. And if you're not in the mood to think, you can just watch it for the beautiful art. 'Escaflowne' and 'Shoujo Kakumei Utena' ('Revolutionary Girl Utena') are two longer series that I enjoy very much as well. 'Utena' is a strange one that I love especially for its depth of symbolism and intriguing organization. The subtle hints and complex characters give us a lot to discuss at showings. For films, there can be only one: the new Miyazaki classic 'Mononoke Hime.' Need I really say more?"

Happy tenth birthday MIT Anime Club! Here's to ten more years of excellent anime to watch, discuss, laugh and cry at. Maybe by then anime will supplant live-action as the central form of entertainment.