A new addition to Riverbend’s many clubs is the Anime club. The club is sponsored by Mrs. Dunford, and ran by officers: Kasey Roper and Kassie Phillips. When Mrs. Dunford was asked about her opinion on anime, she simply said, “I don’t know much about it, other than that my husband enjoys it. Although the episodes I have seen, I’ve enjoyed.” Roper said the club was started “to promote Japanese culture and have a place for people who like anime to talk.”

The turnout for anime club was “definitely more than we thought,” as Roper put it. Roper expected 30 or so students, but had a result of about 100. The anime club has a lot of different activities planned and ideas they want to do during this school year. Roper said, during their Thursday meetings, “We plan to talk about our favorite shows and couples, which we call ships. Also, compare and contrast our favorites, likes, and dislikes in shows. We also talk about Japanese culture.” They also want to do things outside of bear block meetings. Roper said they want to “have a cosplay day, kind of like a spirit day. It would be school wide, but you don’t have to participate.” When asked why they want to do this, Roper said “A lot of people have cosplay costumes, which take a lot of effort and time to make, but have nowhere to wear them. This gives them the opportunity to show their hard work. Also, it will encourage cosplay.” They have many activities planned, and are excited to gather for the rest of the year.