General Information
What is T.A.M.A.?
It stands for the Tahoe Anime & Manga Association. Tama is also a Japanese word meaning "ball," and it's a very popular name for cats over there. So popular in fact, that Tama has become a general word meaning "kitty".
Where is TAMA located?
We are based in the city of South Lake Tahoe, CA. We are an official Lake Tahoe Community College club. For more info on LTCC, you can visit their webpage at http://www.ltcc.cc.ca.us/ .
What Does TAMA Do?
TAMA screens anime, especially series not sold here in the US (usually in Japanese with English Subtitles, but some English dubs as well). Members also read manga and we dicuss what we've watched and/or read. Many of the members also draw their own manga or anime-style artwork and some participate in cosplay, which is making anime costumes. We also take trips to San Francisco and anime conventions, have sushi nights, and contests. TAMA is a great way to meet other anime fans locally or learn more about anime/manga.
How Do I Join?
To join, you need only an interest in anime or manga, and you need to be a student at LTCC. You only need to be taking one class, but you must be registered to join officially. You may also join unofficially, which means you can participate in meetings and events, but you cannot vote on issues. (We don't vote much anyhow, but...) If you meet the requirements, all you need to do is contact the President or any officer (or even member) to join or come to one of our meetings.
What is ANIME?
Anime is the Japanese word for animation (which they actually took from the French). So basically, it's Japanese cartoons. In Japan, animation is aimed towards all sorts of audiences and is considered mature, for the most part. Anime TV shows and movies range from young children's programs to adult-themed shows and movies not appropriate for children. We do not watch porn of any sort. Popular anime titles include Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing, Dragonball, and Pokemon, but there's much much more to anime than that.
What is MANGA?
Manga is the Japanese word for "comic". Manga, like anime, comes in all genres, and for all age groups. Many manga series are translated in the US and released as "graphic novels". Some series are fan-translated. A large percentage of anime is based on manga. If you watch any anime series, chances are it was a manga first (not always, but...)
How Do I Get in Contact With the Club?
TAMA will hold meetings at the college, announced a week in advance on flyers around campus. You may e-mail the president at Vchan@fushigiyugi.com to get on the TAMA Mailing List, which will send you an e-mail each time there's a meeting or event coming up.
Who Are the Girls on the Layout?
The girls on the layout are Jeanne and Maron (respectively) from the manga series Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne by Arina Tanemura. It's also an anime series and in the opening sequence, this picture is shown (animated, though, not the manga pic) and in between the girls, other characters are flashed around. It looks pretty cool, so I thought it would make a good layout. ^_^ We will probably show KKJ at TAMA this year.