Field trips, raffles and promotions aside, the heart of Cal Animage lies in its weekly screenings, which are open to members and non-members alike. Few of the club's popular titles can be found on store shelves though, at least not in this country. Cal Animage Eta keeps its library stocked by trading non-commercially available tapes with fan subbers. This leads to a wider variety of shows than what is available in stores.

"Generally, the more action-packed anime that we show tends to get picked up by US distributors," Wang says. "A lot of the comedy and relationship-based shows have a harder time finding an audience here because the stories tend to run much longer and it's hard to sell those to kids."

There are also added perks to watching fan subbed tapes. Subbers recorded "Child's Toy," one of the club's most popular series, directly off of Japanese television. This means the tapes include the original commercials and a dose of Japanese culture. Viewers learn that, while a monkey might endorse Cocoa Crispies in America, a yellow elephant fills in as spokesperson in Japan.

Before the club gets a chance to watch such oddities, though, a new series must meet the approval of the club's officers. The officers follow strict criteria for selecting new shows: if it's good, they show it. An enthusiastic response is the best indication that a series will be added to the list of potential screenings.

"We always have several officers keeping an eye out for new titles," Wang says. "We also take into account the suggestions of officers and members…We don't want to just show comedy, but also screen some action anime, some relationship-based series. We try to show a good mix and show something for everyone."