UMBC Anime Society’s non-stop anime marathon

Students powered through the UMBC Anime Society’s non-stop anime marathon Saturday night. Fueled by ramen and potato chips, many students made it through the whole event.

The UMBC Anime Society held its biannual 24 hour anime marathon on Friday night, May 8. Attendees prepared for the long night, and brought pillows and blankets. The club provided soda, chips, popcorn and ramen to help fuel people through the event. In the morning, they offered homemade doughnuts with icing and powdered sugar toppings.

UAS has hosted the anime marathon at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters since the club’s inception in 1994. Rachel Crane, a junior who is double majoring in social work and sociology, is the outgoing secretary and will be next year’s president of the club. Crane felt that UAS and the marathon offered a great way for the club to connect with the community.

“There’s a stigma that people who watch anime don’t talk to other people,” Crane said. “Here everyone can get together and share common interests.”

The event was certainly well attended. By 7:30 p.m., close to 35 people were enjoying One Piece, a show about the misadventures of a group of friendly pirates. The viewing lineup was chosen carefully by the UAS marathon committee based on suggestions from club members. They attempted to show titles that people would enjoy watching, and also hoped to introduce new shows to people.

There was also opportunity for the attendees to decide what to watch. Seven of the time slots were dedicated to viewers choice, where people could nominate a show they wanted to watch, and the group voted on it. The only stipulation was that titles had to have a TV-14 rating, since the event was open to the public.

Jason Hughes, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, heard about UAS from a friend in the fall. At the last marathon, he left around 2 a.m. to sleep, then came back the next morning.

“I brought a pillow in case I want to sleep this time,” Hughes said. By midnight, he was still awake and enjoying the viewing.

Adding to the festivities, a TV was set up in the hall behind ENG 027 for people to play Smash Brothers 3DS, a fighting game featuring characters from various Nintendo titles. Club officers brought card and board games as well. A small group played Cards Against Humanity in the hallway around midnight.

By 3 p.m. on Saturday, fifteen people were still in the audience. There was much less enthusiasm than the night before. Some fidgeted in their seats from tiredness. Hughes had gone back to his dorm room to get some sleep, and came back rested and ready for the rest of the event.

Crane felt the effects of sleep deprivation. Much more soft spoken than the night before, she was able to catch an hour and a half of sleep Saturday morning in the back of the room. Running a 24 hour anime marathon is exhausting work, but Crane’s spirits were high.

“This is probably one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Crane said of the marathon and her involvement in UAS, “I’ve made a lot of friends here.”

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