Check the schedule or directions page if you want to know where to find us
Showings are generally broken down into 3 segments. At 7pm, a series selected by vote during the first showing of the term is shown during the first hour; two or three episodes depending on the length of the series. We generally try to cram one series into each term in this fashion. The second hour is given over to a break in which members can socialise and loan from or return items to the library. At the end of this break, weekly announcements are given regarding upcoming events within and outside the society that members might be interested in. At 9pm, a member of the exec shows two (sometimes three) episodes of a series specifically picked to try and introduce the society to new Anime.
We have a society projector, DVD player and speakers which we can use in emergencies, but we usually make use of a donated laptop from a society member, to ensure we can show DVDs from all Regions, and any other more exotic media formats. We generally watch Anime with Japanese audio and English Subtitles.
In Term 3 of the year, showings take a different form. With the onset of revision of exams people find that they will probably have less time for showings. Because of this we don’t show a full series during term 3. Instead, the last hour involves submitting series to the society, who then vote for the series they’d most like to see. This gives a chance for non-exec members to contribute to the viewings, and can often unearth some very interesting Anime. We (the exec) will ask for nominations from the audience. those with something to nominate come down to the front and take turns to rant about how brilliant their submission is at the rest of the gathered membership. If you don’t feel comfortable in front of our imposingly massive membership one of the exec will be happy to do this for you (they may pretend they’re not, but that is just some exceptional acting thanks to the Student UnionSSE Training courses!). Once all the ranting and raving is done we put it to a show of hands to nominate enough material to fill an hour. You’re allowed to vote for as many series as interest you, though the vote is generally restricted to 3 choices (any more and the exec start to lose count of the votes).
If your nomination is not selected, feel free to bring it again next week again and again until we give in!
After a given showing finishes, the Exec follow the librarians back to SUHQ and hold a meeting in the lounge, next to the reception desk. We plan most of the society's activities during this meeting, although we maintain almost constant communication outside meetings through a mix of SMS, IRC, Facebook, Forums and email. Anyone interested in becoming more involved in the society, or even someone who just wants to bring something up with the exec in person should think about attending. It greatly helps the society if those running for election as Exec members already know how to be exec.
The Society regularly organises Socials to various restaurants around Coventry and Leamington, and even occasionally in Birmingham. The frequency of these varies greatly, as does the cuisine available. Generally, we aim to hold at least two a term. Our Society has a very large membership crossover with other societies on campus, such as the Computing Society and the Go Society, so our members can frequently be found at their events as well. We try not to clash with each other's calendars, so the result is a fairly packed social calendar for those attending all three! We also organise specialist socials for the end of each term, usually themed according to the closest date we can use as an excuse (Christmas Meal, Easter, Summer BBQ).
About once a term the society organises a shopping trip into Coventry. The society will meet up on campus beforehand, then take the bus into the city centre. These are great for new members who are interested in local shops for getting Anime or Manga, or for older members who just want to spend a bit of money. These trips are generally organised before all-nighters on the same weekend, but you'll have plenty of time left to go home and get some food (or do some work, perhaps).
We hold two "All-Nighter" events per term. These generally last from about 7pm to about 9am, and occur on weekends. The general idea is to watch massive amounts of anime, but we still cram some breaks in there to allow conversation and the odd game of Go or Mahjong. We try to keep the number of episodes of any individual series down, so we can show more stuff, and try to spread the genres, content (and sometimes the quality) out to satisfy as many desires as possible. We also perform a bulk Pizza order partway through to keep everyone tanked up. In the past, we've had more focused all-nighter events as well, such as the Yaoi and Yuri all-nighter which was a great success. The all-nighter is a great event for those looking to discover lots of new anime.
The Society has recently started holding cosplay workshops regularly through the terms. These workshops present information about what and where to cosplay, where to obtain materials and sewing information, as well as examples and tips. Anyone interested in cosplaying themselves, or learning a little bit more about this particular aspect of fandom should definitely pay these workshops a visit. We also try to coordinate the society's cosplay and attended events to some extent, so we're more easily spotted at conventions. A related shopping trip is also organised regularly to go and stock up on material, and a sewing machine is made available at the workshop as required.
Cosplay workshops on hold due to lack of people to run them.
Art workshops have also recently started; They're held fortnightly on Wednesdays for most of the afternoon. Society members meet and share tips and artwork, and a large quantity of art materials are supplied for you to have a go yourself. If you're an experienced artist, feel free to head down and share your skills with others, or make use of different media to what you're used to. If you've not drawn anything before, or you've not tried drawing in the style of Manga, you can turn up and learn!
At the end of each academic term, the last showing is given over to an Anime and Manga themed quiz, written by the Exec. Society members are split into teams of about 6, and compete for a Magnificent Cake, freshly baked by one of the society's armada of dessert chefs. Rounds in the past have included traditional question-and-answer rounds, anagram rounds, Music rounds, AMV rounds and various forms of picture rounds, ranging from the relatively straightforward to the almost impossible. The losing team are typically also given cake, people tend to bring cake anyway, and the general level of cake in the room is quite high throughout the event.
The dates of each of these events can be found in the schedule, under the events tab, and events are regularly announced during the break at each showing.