BC’s anime club: The Genki Society

Summer break arrives, the sun comes out and students, normally busy with their classes, have a chance to relax. However, for the various clubs at Bellevue College, there are more than a few duties that need to be done. New officers have to be found, charters need to be renewed and schedules need to be re-evaluated. The Genki Society, Bellevue College’s anime club, is no exception to this.
The Genki Society is a club at Bellevue College that is dedicated to enjoying and raising awareness about anime, Japanese animated cartoons, usually drawn in an iconic style that, despite having a wide variety of artists, is common throughout the genre. The club has existed since 2001. According to the club’s Facebook page, in addition to watching anime, the club focuses on examining the cultural significance of anime. The page also includes a meeting schedule and list of members, as well as detailed reviews of several shows written by various members of the club.  In addition, there are no unique requirements to join the club. Any student currently enrolled at the college can become a member, free of charge.
Currently, the club is in the process of re-chartering under the leadership of Tyler Hart, former secretary of the society and current president. While it is unlikely that anything will significantly change under his guidance, Joshua Uczekaj, returning vice president, said, “Currently, our plans are to get our club re-chartered and to push for some new members. We are an open-invite club to any students who want to join.” According to Uczekaj, Hart became president of the club when former president, Ethan Noffsinger, left Bellevue College. Uczekaj just returned to the society himself after a year away from Bellevue College. Hart and Uczekaj’s current goals for the club largely revolve around re-chartering the club, namely polling the members in order to set up a day that will be convenient for everybody. According to Hart, the club will likely be meeting either Tuesday or Thursday at 3:00 p.m.
While it doesn’t seem like there will be many overt changes to the club’s activities as a whole, interesting club activities are on the horizon. “[We] plan activities to enjoy the culture where our anime […] originated from. Just recently our group was able to attend an anime convention called Sakuracon,” said Uczekaj. A multitude of such events are held in the area throughout the year; thus, it is likely that this will not be the only event visited by the club.
For those interested in the club,  the precise place and time that the society will meet at is yet to be fully decided. According to Uczekaj, a change in faculty adviser has necessitated a change in room in order to make room for proper classes and office hours for the students. While not officially announced, according to their Facebook page, the club will likely meet around 3:00 p.m. on either Tuesdays or Thursdays.