OTAKU C

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WHAT’S AN OTAKU?

• The word otaku actually originated in Japan as a derogatory term describing someone who was too obsessed with something.

• Nowadays, otaku is synonymous with “nerd” in America, and, let’s be honest, nerds are awesome.

SO, WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE DOING HERE?

• In Otaku Club, we aim to educate you more on the culture of Japan.

• We cover several topics, such as Japanese food, education, fashion, video games, ninjas and samurai, and music, which is what we will be going over today.

AND THE PEOPLE TEACHING ME ARE…?

• The Otaku Club officers. I am your senior/leading officer for this year. I’m not the only one, though. We have other officers from previous years as well.

• We do consider and usually accept new officers every year, so keep that in mind (I will discuss officer sign-ups later).

SOME BASIC RULES…

• We are still on school property; ergo, school rules still apply.

• When an officer is presenting, please stay quiet and pay attention. This also applies while an anime is being shown.

• Please, no cussing. Some people find that offensive. You don’t want to offend people.

• If you have to leave the meeting early, go right ahead. You don’t have to ask an officer if you can go, but if you know ahead of time that you’re leaving early, please sit near the door so that you aren’t walking in front of people during a presentation or anime showing.

IS THAT IT? WE JUST LISTEN TO LECTURES?• Not quite. We will also be hosting

several events throughout the year.

• In the past, we have done movie nights, video game days, and even gone to a restaurant.

• This year, we plan on maybe having a movie night every month and introducing you to other Japanese related events going on in the surrounding areas (which I will discuss later).

• We also have a party at the end of each semester, so look forward to that.

WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE SOMETHING ABOUT THE CLUB? WHAT IF I HAVE A QUESTION?• This year, we obtained a lockbox for, not only the club funds, but

for you to deposit suggestions or questions you have for the club.

• The lockbox will be open before and after the meeting.

• Any suggestions you have for improving the club are welcome. You could suggest things such as a new anime you found and liked, a cool idea to incorporate into the club activities, or even objective criticism for the officers.

• Questions you ask could include general questions about the club, a question about an aspect of Japanese culture, or even personal questions for the officers concerning their preferences on certain things like anime, manga, food, etc.

• Remember, we will read ALL of the suggestions/questions deposited into the lockbox, so any question you have will be answered.

HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER/OFFICER?

• As you leave today, we will have membership forms as well as officer forms for you to pick up.

• Membership forms and a $5 membership fee are required. The fee pays for any extra things we get for outside activities, and it’s for the whole year. Turn the forms in by the next general meeting (two weeks from today).

• Officer forms are optional, of course, but you must fill out the membership form in addition to that.

• Anyone can apply to be an officer. In fact, we especially need a freshman ambassador so that we can stay connected to the Milburn Campus. With that in mind, don’t worry about not having enough experience. All of our officers have been there at one point or another.

• If you do apply to be an officer, please report to the next officer’s meeting this upcoming Wednesday so you can be evaluated for placement.

QUESTIONS?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• We want you to draw a design for this year’s Otaku Club t-shirt.

• The designs should include Japanese related things. Some guidelines:• Don’t write a random word (like “water”) in Japanese as your

design. In fact, only use Japanese if you speak Japanese and know for sure that any spelling or grammar is correct.

• You can have characters on the design, but they have to be your own original characters.

• Try to keep only two colors in your design (it makes the shirts cheaper).

• Once designs have been turned in (by the pending due date), the entire club will vote on what design they want.

• Only one design will be selected.

LAST YEAR’S DESIGNS

LAST YEAR’S DESIGNS

ANNOUNCEMENTS (CONT.)

• Pre-registration for Anime St. Louis will start in September. Please refer to the below link for dates and pricings of tickets.• http://animestl.net/registrations/astl-2014-pre-reg/

• The annual Japanese Festival, held at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, will occur this Labor Day weekend from August 31st to September 2nd. If you would like more information, please refer to the below link.• http://

www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/things-to-do/events/signature-events/japanese-festival.aspx

• If you would like to connect with us online, we have a Facebook page and a Blogger page. Both pages run under the name OTHS Otaku Club.• https://www.facebook.com/otakuclub.oths• http://othsotakuclub.blogspot.com/