Do you consider yourself an Otaku? Do you answer the phone by saying "moshi moshi"? If so, the Amesbury Library's Manga and Anime Club is for you.

Club members will tell you that an Otaku is a fan, like themselves, of Japanese animation and graphic novels, and that "moshi moshi" is how you would answer the telephone in Japan.

The club, open to youngsters in seventh grade through high school, meets every other Thursday after school in the library's teen room. Members agree that there's just something about Japanese culture and the stories told through anime and manga that draws them in.

"I like everything about it," said 15-year-old Chrissy Gilford. "I come here (to the library) every day just to get a manga."

Chrissy lives in Salisbury, but attends Amesbury High School. She said her sister, who is also in the club, got her interested in anime and manga, and she reads through one manga graphic novel just about every day. She even gets up at 4:30 a.m. some days to watch her favorite anime program, "Inu Yasha," because that's when it runs on cable TV's Cartoon Network in the U.S.

"It's fun, you get to watch new movies and hang out with people," said 10-year-old Jocelyn Lopez, who attends the club with her brother. "I like the cartoon drawings of it, and the fantasy. It's different than American cartoons."

Stories told through anime and manga, which are similar to comic books, almost all take place in Japan. Story themes range from science fiction to love stories, action, sports, comedy and more. The anime and manga that is distributed in America has been translated from Japanese to English, but manga books are still read from right to left, as in Japan.

Artwork in manga and anime is very distinctive, and characters often have large eyes and exaggerated facial expressions. Popular anime series in the U.S. have been "Sailor Moon," "Hello Kitty," "Pokemon" and "Dragon Ball Z."

"There's something for everybody, it's not just one genre. It's a glimpse into their (Japanese) culture," said Nigel Mainville, 17, the club's moderator. "I wish people knew that it's more than characters with wild hair and big eyes. There is a story line. It's not just for hard-core fans; you don't have to be obsessive."

Club meetings, held after school, allow members to discuss their favorite anime and manga series and characters and suggest new anime and manga for each other to watch and read. They discuss Japanese culture, play Japanese board games and also display artwork they've created in the style of anime.

The club also reviews an anime DVD once a month, sent from Houston-based ADV films, the leading distributor of anime in the U.S. The youngsters watch a new DVD that has not been released to the public yet, discuss it and fill out questionnaires to send to ADV. In return for their input, ADV allows the library to keep the DVD for its collection, free of charge.

"They love that, because that means someone's listening to them," said librarian Margie Walker, who launched the club in September.

Members agree that it's a way to meet up with friends that have similar interests, and meet new friends in the process.

"I'm really happy with how (the club) it's grown. They come for the manga and get into the (other) books as well. It promotes being in the library," said Mainville as he surveyed the room packed with about 20 teens. He attended the recent AnimeBoston 2007 convention, where fans convened to discuss and preview the latest anime and manga series. Many of the convention attendees dressed up as their favorite anime and manga characters, said Mainville.

The library's teen room is decorated with several posters of popular anime and manga series, as well as club members' drawings of their favorite characters and manga comic strips they've written and illustrated.

Walker has worked for the library for 13 years, and said that this is the first after-school teen club the library has ever hosted. She said she's very pleased with its popularity.

"This is the first time that the kids consistently come, and they look forward to it," she said of the club.

The club also makes lists of suggestions they'd like to see added to the library's collection of manga and anime DVDs, and Walker takes these suggestions into consideration when she's ordering new material for the teen room. The manga and other graphic novels in the teen room are among the most popular items taken out of the library, she said.

"They (the teens) know everything about it, and they're going to read it, so they're the best ones to ask," said Walker. "With the books, they're a fast read; you can read a whole book in an hour. It just keeps their interest. They're reading, and that's the important thing."

Club members agreed that anime and manga has taught them about Japanese culture; they have picked up words and phrases in Japanese, and also have taken an interest in Japanese food and music. At a recent meeting, members passed around a package of Pocky, a type of Japanese candy.

As they watched the latest anime DVD, members chatted and explained plot and character details to each other while sipping sodas and munching on popcorn. The teen room was full to standing room only as they discussed the DVD and filled out their questionnaires for ADV.

Mainville has taken his interest in Asian culture one step further. The Amesbury High School junior will be leaving in August to be an exchange student in Taiwan for 11 months. His first choice of countries to visit was Japan, but is happy with heading to Taiwan, he said. He is currently studying Mandarin Chinese to be able to communicate in the fall.

"It (anime) is not the only reason why I wanted to be an exchange student, but it's a key factor," he said with a smile.

He first became interested in anime and manga in seventh grade, when he met friends that were drawing anime-style fan art, he said.

"I fell so in love with it that I went to Barnes and Noble to get my own (manga book) and now I have my own collection," he said.





READERBOXES

Are you an Otaku?

The Amesbury Library Manga/Anime Club meets alternate Thursdays, 3:30 p.m.

149 Main Street, Amesbury, in the teen room

Free and open to teens in grades seven through 12

Complete schedule is at www.amesburylibrary.org

For more information, call Margie Walker at 978 388-8148



Ani-what?

Anime is a shortened word for animation, and usually refers to cartoons and animated movie and television series originating in Japan. Manga is anime in book form, written as graphic novels, which are like lengthy comic books. While most anime and manga in the U.S. has been translated in to English, manga is still read from right to left, as it is in Japan.

Artwork in manga and anime is very distinctive, and characters often have large eyes and exaggerated facial expressions. Popular anime series in the U.S. have been "Sailor Moon," "Hello Kitty," "Pokemon" and "Dragon Ball Z."