The Future of Anime in Chicago
The rise of legit anime streaming online indicates a new type of viewer has arrived on the scene. One who is unfamiliar with ways of old. No longer purchasing a series disk by disk as released by the local media store. Missing the connections made from borrowing VHS tape by tape from friends. Scripts? Forget it.
Many celebrate this new-found liberation from the underground, appreciating the accessibility and quality of the final product. Production companies are no longer tied to the burden that is physical distribution of DVDs and manga, but opting for alternatives such as iTunes, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Viz’s Shonen Sunday and even mobile devices. The anime industry has matured. But this also comes with a price: the dynamic interaction of anime fandom has declined.
The anime industry worldwide is suffering and the effects are showing in all aspects, so innovation is key to keeping the boat afloat. And really, we love anime and we love innovation. But fandom isn’t an entity that can easily embrace change, nor can it be restructured. It morphs slowly and patiently. It knows the industry needs it to support sales. So our solution? Personally, I feel fandom must mature as well. We need to support the efforts of creators, producers and distributors, such as watching Naruto: Shippuden on Hulu or Crunchyroll over downloading off of popular fansubber sites.
More so, we need to make real connections and participate in our community to push beyond just being viewers to being whole as fans. Chicago is a second city in many ways, and it shows with the absence of A-list convention guests, fancy cosplay balls, and film festivals. But this doesn’t mean Chicago fans aren’t appreciative of current efforts or aren’t capable of planning such lofty events. We demand a lot, so when a struggling convention like Reactor declines or ACen bursts at the seams with attendees, we feel the pressure. What can we do to actively strengthen fandom in Chicago?
For one, we can help provide these conventions with constructive criticism and feedback to assist with the planning process. And while some of us (me included) dream of Japan-town, patronizing local karaoke clubs, sushi restaurants and other Japanese venues like Mitsuwa can help boost revenue during this recession. The biggest obstacle, however, is encouraging leaders to embrace these changes, to cultivate new leadership among the new viewers, and to actively converse and collaborate with other clubs and organizations. Joining efforts is our best means of staying afloat ourselves.
How has this dynamic shift affected your fandom? What other methods and actions can help our cause? Let us know in the comments!
UPDATE 11/29/09: The Wall Street Journal published further evidence of the anime industry’s decline.
Being a statistic of the economy, unemployed, I have not been able to afford much of anything in the way of extra lately. It’s been pure survival mode. I used to enjoy eating out, but it’s one of the things that I don’t do much if at all anymore due to the financial situation. With that being said, I really appreciate sites such as crunchyroll.com and fansubbers which provide anime for free. It allows me to enjoy -something- during these depressing times.
I think that if anime companies would be more focused on pleasing the fans and respecting the original work, rather than profit, there would be a stronger industry.
–Jen
I’m 28 and female. I work in the accounting field. I moved to NYC about a year ago after living in Chicago for 15 years. After coming to New York, the first thing I did was look for likeminded people (ie people who love anime). My search started at a local anime store by Greenwich Village. There I found tons of flyers and info about anime clubs, gatherings, events, galleries, etc. Only 20% of the stuff was school affiliated. I was totally floored. I attended three screenings and 5 meetings from 5 different clubs.
At the end of my first month in NYC I had a huge problem. I couldn’t decide which group I wanted to dedicate my free time to. At first I thought I could just mingle in a little bit of everything, but I soon discover’d that NYC just didn’t work that way. Until you chose the place you would belong to, every group of friends you met would keep reaching and clawing and vying for your attention. Choosing wasn’t easy either. Oh gosh, the boys were all cute and the girl were cuter.
And that’s another thing…everyone here is switched on. SWITCHED ON. People feel free to flirt and laugh and not be overly possessive like they were in Chicago. There is so much willingness to get to know other people that having a boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t mean the same thing it did in Chicago. I didn’t have to be saddled with the atypical nerd just because he coincidentally liked what I liked. I could “shop around” without feeling like I’d end up old and alone. There is not so much insecurity here, not such a big sense of feeling betrayed or backstabbed. Experimentation here is a given, but the funny thing is that the New York anime community is considered TAME compared to NY society around us.
I eventually fell into a group that held their anime events at lounges. It was mostly girls, and I felt this really healthy pressure to improve my self-image and get out there. We meet most weekends and dance our asses off to jpop while we project random anime on the walls. I have never been happier and I don’t ever plan on moving back to Chicago.
I do however think it’s weird that you’re worried about the anime industry. We never even give it a second thought here. We just meet, hang out and represent. I don’t think it’s my job as a fan to worry about the survival of an industry. Here in NYC, if we discuss that kind of thing at all then we bring up the survival of the ART FORM. And to keep the art form alive, all we gotta do is to keep it in public view in new and exciting ways. Stop by some of the comic shops by Queens and you’ll find abandoned walls just outside PLASTERED with anime posters and flyers from competing groups and events. That’s another thing 2. My club (Otakuties Inc) doesn’t have a website, but we REPRESENT as often as possible in the public eye. we’re not as big as MetroAnime but we have claimed our little section of Queens. I can’t imagine that ever happening in Chicago and OH GOD how long it took me to find out that Depaul had an anime club or that Brainstorm had geek meetups! You people are ridiculously afraid of re-branding your city’s culture. It’s almost like Chicago neighborhoods are allergic to symbols that don’t have a blue bear or an orange “c” in them.
You said “fandom isn’t an entity that can easily embrace change.” Add the word “chicago” to the beginning of that sentence, because it definitely doesn’t apply to NYC. If you want Chicago fandom to change, you’re going to have to get away from words like “industry”, “recession”, and “distribution”. Those words should not apply to fandom. Those are words that distro companies would like you to use within fandom so you can keep them in business. Anime fans don’t work for them, they work for us. If Tokyopop folds, then they pave the way for a new distro, new methods, new innovation.
If Chicago fandom can’t open up and take that social chastity-belt off, then hardcore fans should move to NYC to experience how the better half lives.
Hey PinkSaber,
You make some good points about Chicago’s inability to open up, but to compare Chicago to New York is unfair in some respect.
For one, downtown Chicago is centralized. Many who enjoy anime and are active in this community are located across outer neighborhoods and suburbs, which make meeting regularly without a school affiliation much more difficult. I would be most interested in hearing how your club, and others in NYC, use public and/or private space. And how do you deal with cost and location? Maybe we can adapt some techniques.
Many industries have neglected the Midwest and Chicago may be suffering from it. NYC has always been fortunate to get so much attention. You’re right, these cities are entirely different in the way they they socialize. But just saying we need to open up doesn’t solve the problem. We need natural leaders who are willing to commit their time and efforts to a selfish fandom to emerge and take charge. These leaders often get caught up in the politics of ACen and lose their passion when they could be doing more on their own with the help of similar organizations. We can’t afford to be competitive, and honestly, there isn’t any reason to be.
Our largest anime convention, which tries to act as a cornerstone to local community, comes off as a disappointment to many because the lack of quality programming. Personally, I feel there are too many politics involved, but there has yet to be another convention or organization with that much authority and presence. It has set the standards of what we see today, and the bar needs raising.
And yes, we’re in a recession and US anime companies are suffering. If we’re to continue appreciating the art form, we need to make sure it can be sustained, to take the time and money to support the artists and producers. They don’t work to fulfill the needs of the fandom but to make a living. And if we feel they’re not being true to original material, we need to speak up. I highly believe part of why the anime community isn’t well-respected or treated maturely is because we project ignorance as community, intentional or not. It’s part of why Miyazaki is ashamed to call his work anime and annoyed when others catalog it that way.
I started AnimeChicago knowing that Chicago fandom isn’t thriving as it is in NYC, parts of Florida, California and even in London. I hope this website becomes a good foundation to get anime enthusiasts thinking about the what little community we have and how we can strengthen it. And while I’m glad you have a strong local community to participate in, very few have the option to relocate across the country for a hobby.
It’s not about if a city is better than another. It’s about dealing with the situation as it is here, in Chicago, by using current resources and social networks to our advantage and closing those gaps. If you have more actionable advice on how NYC overcomes the challenges Chicago faces, please feel free to share. We’re certainly open to new ideas.
Once again, I lived in Chicago for 15 years. I lived in Norridge proper, so I know what it’s like to commute between the suburbs and downtown. So you can either take my word for it that there is not a huge difference in travel pains or you can argue based on what you read off of Wikipedia. My group typically uses lounges and bars as venues and we don’t pay a dime. We usually do a decent job convincing owners that we’ll bring people to their venues without needing an industrial smoke machine or a t-shirt gun. It’s not rocket science. Just takes some guts, gusto and out of the box thinking.
You’re right, simply opening up doesn’t solve the problem. But you’re off your rocker if you think I’m going to plop down a point-by-point outline of how to build a socially-beneficial hierarchy. The bottom line is that Chicago fandom is either socially chicken or retarded, take your pick. Start building a foundation at that social level and you’re on your way to doing what any ART FORM is supposed to do, which is: improve your community.
I’d also like to mention another difference between Chicago and NYC. Our various anime conventions are not the end-all be-all of our fan community. And our conventions aren’t cornerstones of what we share together. We natives see the big annual convention for what it is: an annual all-anime shopping center. We know the programming is shit, we know we’ll meet out-of-state weirdos who could care less about our dear city. What do you think inspired the NYC anime community to lean towards the social aspect of things? I’d like to point out that in addressing your original topic, I didn’t mention conventions a single darned time. The fact that you can’t see that this bloated-faux-Mitsuwa-on-stilts is completely irrelevant makes it clear why you opened an anime “portal” and not an anime “club”.
And sigh-yi-yi. Again with supporting the artists and sustaining the industry. Screw the darned industry! We do our best buying little knick-knacks year round already! Can’t you see this isn’t a problem about politics or capitalism or even anime itself? This is about your ailing city needing these likeminded disconnected souls to come together and revitalize it. If Japan sank into the ocean and produced no more anime, we would still have copies of 50,000+ anime episodes. Have you watched them all? I certainly haven’t. But okay, there’s no more new anime. Does that mean fandom would come to an end? Heck naw! In fact, it would probably mean we as people would be able to advance as social beings. We’d have more screenings to help local businesses, we’d start analyzing existing manga and turn it into a philosophy, or maybe we’d do what ART FORMS are supposed to do: inspire people to create.
And about competition. You’re all wrong about it. You keep thinking of introverted Chicago anime meetups that “compete” online, rarely if ever physically getting together. The fact that we have rival groups and organizations here in NYC doesn’t mean the majority of us don’t respect one another. Heck, we coordinate flyer “wars” together. The next logical progression is for NYC to rally and duke it out with the next behemoth. And that’s you. Chicago is nothing to scoff at.
I guess I should come out with it. I’m not here to provide you with ideas. I’m here to formally challenge your city on behalf of New Fucking York. Here’s what I’ve got immediately behind me: I’ve got 19 girls and 3 boys who can dance and draw their asses off. These are people who I consider more than family to me. We have zero trust issues, respect our personal boundaries, yet I know each girl’s favorite tickle spot and I know how each boy’s lips taste. We hold a hospital charity-drive at our local comic store twice a year and we should have another anime speed dating event around New Years, not to mention the weekly anime dance-offs. And this is within a two mile radius. A little farther behind me are bigger anime clubs with better reps, infamous anime stores, art galleries with anime exhibitions, and well-known independent manga publishing houses.
What does your city have? Let’s take inventory. You have a few Chinatown shops that carry anime knockoffs and give you the evil eye if you’re not Asian, you have a Japanese grocery store in Bumblefuck Illinois that is less than welcoming to its gaijin clientele, you have sushi places that would rather be associated with salmonella-poisoning than anime culture, and you have pretty much men-only college anime clubs that act as surrogates for when its members get back home to whatever backwater state they’re from. Did I forget anything? Oh dear, I forgot to count the two yearly anime cons. You know the ones I mean: that “reactor” one that is basically an excuse to have a cheap one-night stand between people with horrible hygiene, and that “central” one that was reported by Daley himself as being “a big incorporated leech on the city.”
If I sound bitter, it’s cuz I am. Chicago offered me nothing but loneliness, broken promises and endless cold shoulders from people who have the potential to be superstars inside but choose otherwise.
Your move.
I’m going to almost have to agree with some of the points that PinkSaber has made here. Yes, our city is sad when it comes to anime fandom, and yes we have to do more to get the community together. I think animechicago is a BIG step towards that.
I don’t understand how “central” has been reported by Daley himself as being “a big incorporated leech on the city”. How can he say that when it’s held in Rosemont, IL and not Chicago proper?
I won’t even comment on “frat party con”, a.k.a. “Reactor”. It’s a joke.
The major issue that I have seen running a small independent anime club for nine years is getting people to participate, or even try to work with other clubs. For many years, I have tried to network and organize with other clubs in the area, only finding one that was willing to work together. The elitist anime fandom culture in Chicago is disgusting. Everyone seems to want to get together, but some of those fans seem to have a very specific taste in anime that they feel is far superior to what others like. It’s similar to the Dub vs Sub war. It’s created an environment of “my anime is better than yours”, which is very negative. There are also some people that are so turned off by the vitriolic nature of the fandom here, they tend to isolate themselves. Finding a happy medium is difficult.
I feel that one of the major problems is this – most if not all of certain college clubs in the area have more of a vested interest in ACEN, as it’s staffed mostly by these local college clubs members’ that tend to have their own view of what fandom is, and tend not to take suggestions from anyone outside their circle with any type of respect. Needless to say, some members’ of those college clubs are the elitists. So It’s really all politics with the convention that refuses to change, and refuses to strive for bigger, better things. Year after year, I hear countless stories of staff coordination nightmares and less then positive experiences. Why don’t I do anything to help you ask? Well, because my help was refused multiple times, and people have the feeling of being ignored by “staff” when trying to constructively make suggestions they take as insults. Why would I work for such an elitist organization that is so out- of touch with the fandom?
The blame cannot be only placed on them however. Yes, they may be a huge contributing factor in the fandom as a whole here in Chicago, but that does not mean that we have to feel left out or feel powerless(but we do sometimes)! We can take it upon ourselves to make a fandom, and make a positive impression with other like minded people.
In addition, a lot of events such as movies and such are planned at awkward times, like the middle of the week Wednesday evening…and that’s not really good for some 9-5′ers. A lot of people who are not of drinking age cannot participate in “bar events”. That tends to isolate a lot of people, who are unable to participate in them. For me, a bar culture and atmosphere isn’t for me, mainly because I don’t drink(nor do I enjoy watching others), and that I just don’t care for that kind of “pick up” atmosphere, so why would I go somewhere that makes my uncomfortable for the sake of meeting other people?
What all that being said, I think that animechicago has it’s place. It’s purpose is to create a medium where events are listed, and information is exchanged. If it becomes too much like an anime club, then people will start to shy away from it, and I do not think that Jamie has any intentions of it being anything more that a hub for fans to find resources and information on local events. The other problem is promotion for such events in the city. There are no big advertising campaigns, there are no specialty shops with fliers to get the word out.
For a long, long while, my club consisted mostly males(me being the only female). I found nothing wrong with that per-say, but it was nice to have a female member once in a while to relate to, or to recommend something different. Today, we do have at least six girls(including myself) in our club out of the 40+ members. However, only about 10-20 of those people actively participate.
From what I have understood people tend to want to watch anime with their friends, people whom they share similar tastes with, so they can share that joy, and not be criticized by those who don’t share that opinion.
Pink Saber,
I understand that you’re proud of your community and are disappointed with your experience in Chicago, but fandom isn’t about competition. That’s the mindset that put us here in the first place.
True, AnimeChicago is not a club, but we do have participants and meetups to expand beyond a portal site. Ultimately, it’s about informing current organizations of each other and promoting events that would otherwise be unknown. This site is the virtual equivalent of your anime resource in Greenwich Village.
I have no intention of overshadowing or competing with Jen and JAPC. It’s phenomenal that they found a niche that doesn’t entail parties or drinking and they’re happy with that. Not only am I involved in JAPC myself, Jen and I helped inspire an entirely new club thanks to co-hosting a panel together at local cons (which have proved they provide a service beyond spend, spend, spend). I’m apart of that new club as well, and peripherally to DePaul’s anime club. That’s four different means of participating in the community right there. We might strongly affiliate with one group over others, but that doesn’t mean we have to limit ourselves or that it keeps us from forming valuable relationships. People have different tastes and we need to be open about that instead of exclusive and insular.
And if you note earlier, I mention conventions not in regard to your initial comment but in reference to what a large role it plays in our community. I think this is bad. Clubs need more presence than they get. And no, anime fans here aren’t socially chicken or retarded…
I’m sorry you’re bitter about your experience. However, your negative critique and public challenge towards Chicago fandom are neither productive nor positive. I’m not asking for a detailed point-by-point plan of how we can improve, only some helpful pointers or experiences that you may have encountered in the one year on NYC’s anime scene. If you have none to share, please refrain from harassing our open forum.
Jamie and I actually work together nicely. ^_^
One thing I do not like is this whole “my fandom is better than yours” stuff and all this hate that is in the anime fandom community as a whole. We cannot progress into bigger and better things if all we want to do is insult each others fandoms. After all, we all can agree on one thing. We like anime., no matter how we like it, we like it.
Definitely agreed!
This is what I wrote before “Jamie’s” 11:39 am response:
Jen, while I do agree AnimeChicago is a great resource and very necessary…I get the feeling that “Jamie” has higher ambitions than simply running a portal. I like that. Alot. I can remember feeling frustrated like that, wanting my world to move on to the next big thing. Wanting that page to turn quicker. Maybe having a feeling things aren’t the way they should be. For all I brag and boast about New York, the truth is that I ran away. “Jamie” maybe might be approaching it from the wrong angle, but he’s behind the trenches fighting. Not willing to give up his station.
Speaking to some older members of the biggest anime club in New York, I learned of how impossible it first seemed to get that anime community jumpstarted. The biggest question was “how are we going to get metropolitan New Yorkers to notice us when they never stop moving? how can we get those faithful to their boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx) to break out and join a club across the city?” Compared to what NYC went through, you Chicago guys have it easy and you don’t even know it.
I’m very sorry, but let me sink your battleship about “bar culture.” I have a health problem that doesn’t allow me to drink alcohol. Not a drop. And the lounges we hold our events in don’t look like seedy maritime hangouts. . . .
This is how I feel after “Jamie’s” 11:39 am response:
I am completely disheartened and disappointed by your response.
Now that I look at it, I realize I have probably harassed your open forum. I apologize. My opinions could be looked at as me trying to light a fire under your behinds. I see that you took it a different way. I anticipate you’ll mention your problem was with the rhetoric I used. If this is the case, then you know what I was talking about, but chose to argue for prim and proper’s sake.
I spent a good portion of the morning looking at your site to try and verify if your events matched up with how you described your city (and whether I was wrong). I found only one club that stuck out like a sore thumb. I don’t know how I missed it in the first place. I’m completely dumbfounded looking at her site right now. It’s the only club listed that has any real future to it. I’m going to spend the rest of this week writing to that club’s webmistress for some kind of inter-city exchange program. I’m forwarding this dialogue and that club’s url to a few NYC clubs and organizations that will be very interested in this stuff. I’m also going to direct her attention to this page (and copy and paste everything) so she can see where you stand in terms of Chicago anime fandom. I’m also purposely not mentioning the club specifically for search “spidering” reasons.
I don’t expect a reply or a “move” on your part any more. I’ve been talking to the wrong people all along. Forgive this last bit of trolling, but your outlooks are outdated, going the way of the dinosaurs. What we have here is lonely people arguing that there must be a way to not be lonely without needing people, without having to do those godawful things “normal” people do to get along..
There is also no “hate” in anime fandom. What you’re referring to are online opinions that oppose each other. No one is actually going to suicide-bomb themselves because a guy in Hyde Park loves Yugioh. The problem is physical interaction. Dancing, talking, and hugging. Can’t you see it’s just a problem of insecurity on a social level? It’s like saying “Hey! Screw the spirit of Christmas, communication, goodwill, and our social misgivings. Let’s just agree that we all like toys! No matter how we like it, we like it. Yay!”
You’re wrong about choosing sides. I can now clearly see that the biggest competition isn’t between clubs. It’s about old mindset vs. new mindset. It’s about those who DO and those TALK ABOUT DOING.
I already know which side will win in the end. I live in a city that had no choice but to change. And so will you.
PinkSabre
Jamie is a “she”, not “he”.
If I’m not mistaken, this attitude seems a bit “circle” to me.
I’ve know several guys named Jamie. I’m SORRY. Hard to tell something like that over the internet.
jenchan, I don’t get it. If I seem to have repeated myself over and over, it’s because both of you have as well.
PinkSaber,
You are entitled to your opinions. We’ve got a lot planned for the future and we’re on the grow, so no need to light any fire. And I’ve learned some about NYC so it’s not all for nothing. This isn’t a war, it’s a community that needs more information about itself. This will give us more opportunities to move along the way, to ignite those who have the spark of leadership and help things grow.
At one point, I wished I could devote time to found a full-fledged club. But knowing there are so many out there already and what little I could accomplish on my own, I’d much rather combine efforts and help improve upon what we have. That’s part of AnimeChicago’s mission: to inform and encourage.
wow, I am very impressed with how you two handled this person’s posts. I had to stop reading at “you people”.
Was bored at work and revisited this article; I know it’s an older post but I think it’s important we don’t give up hope on a better future for the Chi and developing a better anime culture and community.
Anyways I’m still very intrigued by PinkSaber’s experiences in NYC. I think I may just plan on visiting for a short vacation sometime.