About ANO and Animarathon

Anime in Northwest Ohio is the official anime club at Bowling Green State University. The club was formed several years ago and became formally registered as a student organization in February of 2002.

Since forming, the group has continued to grow. When it first began ANO had only 12 members, but by the end of its first semester that number had doubled. Then in the 2002-2003 school year, the club's first full year, the membership grew to approximately 45 people.

The club continues to enjoy a strong and involved membership. There are around 80 registered members, 30 or so who attend meetings regularly.

In 2005, the club began to host activities beyond its regular screenings, including joint themed screenings with other student organizations and a cosplay workshop. More events related to anime, manga, and Japanese popular culture will occur in future semesters.

Animarathon began in 2003 as a way to celebrate ANO's one-year anniversary. The event did very well for its first year, drawing in around 200 people throughout the day. Subsequent Animarathons had similar turnout, with about 250 attendees in April 2005. Animarathon 2006, with more space, events, and panels, had an incredible response, with nearly 700 people in attendance. Animarathon 2007 was even closer to 700 people, and was better in all respects.

Animarathon is a small-scale convention celebrating anime and related Japanese media. There are multiple screening rooms featuring anime from a wide variety of genres throughout the day. Panelists give presentations on subjects ranging from origami to publishing your own comics. There are cosplay competitions and video game competitions; in 2006 the games were Dance Dance Revolution, Naruto 4, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. There is a room where area dealers sell anime, manga, and related goods and artists sell their comics and drawings.

The convention is held in Olscamp Hall at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Admission is free and is open to everyone.