Hey Comets! Today I will be talking to you about A3, the Anime Club at UTD. A3 was created as a merger of three different anime clubs already on campus back in 2014. But that’s not why they have the 3 in their name. the 3 comes from the three tenets of the club: culture, social, and education. A3 differentiates itself from other anime clubs by these tenets. They want to look more into the culture in anime and use it in their meetings to make a better environment for making friends and educating people on anime in general.
Their meetings consist of watching two episodes of two new anime related to that week’s theme and then one episode of an anime that they have been watching for the past few meetings (Currently watching Violet Evergarden). They also host special events, such as Iron Cosplay, where contestants are given a limited amount of material to make a cosplay outfit and perform a skit while in costume. They also collaborate with other clubs on campus, such as the Archery Club (which sounds like a great club to interview next). About two weeks ago, I attended their Archery Discovery Project. The meeting first took place at the Texas Archery Academy in Plano, where we learned how to use bow and arrows. After spending about an hour aiming and shooting at targets, we returned to the club room on campus to watch some archery-themed anime.
One thing that sets the club apart from others on campus is the close-knit community built around it. Members don’t just go to watch anime with strangers in a room. They also hang out after meetings, sometimes hitting up fast food places to grab a bite and talk with friends (I am told that Steak ‘n Shake is a favorite). They also have a (quite active) Discord server. Everyone is chill on the server, and it’s fun talking to all the members. It is one of the most comfortable servers I’ve been in.
The takeaway from this is that A3 is a warm and welcoming club that has a lot to offer for new members. If you are a fan of anime and you feel like you haven’t had a chance to talk to new people around campus, this is a great place to find people who share your passion.
If any part of what I’ve written has piqued your interest, then I highly suggest you visit their website at https://a3.cometlife.org. You should also join the A3 Discord server at https://discord.gg/WMyEVJz. The club meets every Wednesday at 7:30 PM at GR 2.53. However, due to the ongoing situation, all on-campus meetings have been canceled and the Discord server will be used instead to host online meetings on Wednesday starting at 7:30 PM.
