Beyond the action-packed fight scenes and immersive drawings that define 2D animation, anime has always had intricate stories at its heart—and this year, Northwood’s Anime Club has found a new way to tell its own. 

With increasingly ambitious guest speakers and events ranging from karaoke to cosplay contests, the club has re-established itself as a social hub for students who share the same passion. 

“I want to make sure that I create an environment where people feel safe to talk about things they obviously love,” Anime Club president senior Priansh Mittra said. “We have so many people who I’ve personally become friends with because they come to the club pretty often.”

After a period of declining membership and inconsistent meetings, the club has undergone a turnaround with its new board. The club has supplemented its usual watch parties with larger events such as a cultural discussion with the Japanese Student Association on Feb. 5 and a Q&A with the VTuber group BEASTIEZ on Feb. 19, aimed at creating a strong sense of community and engagement. 

“The cosplay event that happened back in Halloween was my favorite, for sure,” member freshman Sophie Li said. “People would give an introduction on what their costumes were about, and we’d give them points for creativity and accuracy … Everyone was so supportive of each other.”

The club’s new momentum comes from diligent planning by the board, with Mittra developing most of the event ideas; he draws inspiration from college clubs, conventions and online sources. The club’s 10 other officers split duties: Community moderators handle tickets and seating, the art team creates photo cards and the publicity team manages campus posters.

One of the club’s biggest events was their Q&A with The Anime Men, a popular social media group with over 4.66 million subscribers, on Nov. 6, 2025, drawing more than 80 attendees as some students had to watch from outside the room. 

“I really enjoyed it because you rarely get to meet people that are creators in the anime space,” Anime Club art director senior Ray Ta said. “It was like getting to meet a celebrity at school during lunch.”

Anime Club meets every Thursday at lunch in Room 1027, with their next major event, a manga exchange, scheduled for March 5, and a collaboration with YouTuber Kito Senpai planned for sometime in March.

“My goal is to foster a continuous member base,” Mittra said. “I hope to continue this sort of tradition of bringing in cool guests for people to meet and ask questions to.”