The Japanese Animation Society of the Treasure Coast is a non-profit organization made up of fans of Japanese Animation, commonly known as Anime, set out to help promote the art style and pop culture influence of Anime and Manga, as well as educating the community on all aspects of Japanese culture from ninjas and samurais to tea ceremonies and maid cafes.

The group started in 2006 during the planning for project Houkocon, a small Japanese animation convention. Our biggest event we hold once a year is akiba@con, a local convention with the hopes of promoting Japanese culture to the Treasure Coast area. An event put together by fans and volunteers for fans and the community.

What is Anime and Manga?

Anime and Manga are entertainment art forms that originated in Japan. Anime, or Japanese Animation, has roots tracing all the way back into the 1950s with such classics as Astro Boy and Gigantor. Anime first started to hit mainstream status in the United States with Speed Racer, with more titles becoming licensed in the 80s with "Robotech" and " Voltron ". The industry slowly began to grow until it exploded into mainstream media in 2004 with such shows as Gundam, Dragon Ball Z, Rurouni Kenshin, and Cowboy Bebop. Today, the anime industry is over 4.5 billion dollars in the United States.

Manga, its comic book counterpart, is known for being more diverse than Anime by covering all sorts of topics and having stories that can relate with people of all ages. In Japan, its common to find a middle aged salary man coming home from work while reading a manga.

Anime and Manga isn't simply young teenagers saving the world with wacky hairstyles and crazy outfits. Stories can range from wacky comedies to serious dramas that deal with real life issues. Many reasons why anime has garnered such a large audience is the fact that it does not stay in one category, it is an artform of expression.