The Anime Summit: A meeting of minds (and pens)

Greetings from Day Three of the Japan Trip. We were reunited with the students this morning and heard many tales of their adventures. Their homestay "siblings" treated them to everything from sushi to shopping to some serious Nintendo Wii competition. They got to meet the extended families of their hosts, some of whom spoke more English than others, and some of which spoke no English at all - a great opportunity for all involved to step outside their comfort zones and learn.

After a lengthy morning debriefing, full of storytelling, we reassembled with our hosts for the much-anticipated, first-of-its-kind Anime Conference! On previous trips we had established relations with the Sapporo Designer College, an institution devoted to training its students in all fields of design, from architecture to fashion to, of course, anime and manga. Years in the planning, this Conference brought together students from three schools and two nations: the CCHS delegation, the Higashi School host students, and the manga club from Sapporo Shiroishi High School, whose band and ours have shared so many joint concerts, some of them at Boston Symphony Hall. Shiroishi is an elite liberal and fine arts high school in many ways, while the Higashi School is a technical/vocational school, so for the Japanese students, meeting one another was something of a cultural exchange in itself!

What united all three of these seemingly disparate groups was love of animation and comics, popular with young people (and some of us older folk, too!) worldwide. The teachers, administrators and students of the Designer College produced a wonderful program for us all, with a welcome ceremony, tour of the facility, special anime screenings, and then a "mixer" where students sat across from each other and drew one another's picture, anime-style. Just as music has been a "universal language" for our school band in the past, artwork also transcends the written and spoken word and communicates volumes. Although a little nervous at first, the students soon began getting into the spirit of it, and by the end the room was full of laughter, pen-scratching, and "oohing" and "aahing" over some of the excellent manga caricatures that were produced. Although some of the artistry was stunning, producing top-notch artwork wasn't the point - making friendships was.

One of the most touching moments for me in fact came from the Shiroishi manga club advisor - in the past, I had, unfortunately, heard some deprecating comments from Shiroishi staff about "those kids" at the Higashi school, but today the Shiroishi teacher told me that she was humbled by how much better the Higashi students spoke English than her own kids, and how much more mature and outgoing they seemed. The Higashi teacher responded that, because his kids don't tend to go to college, his school trains them explicitly in social skills and gregariousness, so they are better prepared for the interactive world of the workplace. He in turn complemented the Shiroishi students on their impressive artistic skills - indeed, their manga club has won national awards. To see these two teachers, from two different social "places" in the intensely stratified culture of Japan, exchange this kind of mutual respect was more than a little awe-inspiring for me.

The CCHS students expressed their own awe and inspiration about the day at the Designer College in their own inimitable way. I think Kyle Landon summed it up the best: "This is a crazy awesome school!"

Other "crazy awesome" activities included a trip to an anime sound-stage where the CCHS kids got to record their own voiceover to a short anime movie, and a game show style contest where students (and teachers!) from all three visiting schools competed in "speed rounds" to draw famous Japanese animated icons, with the audience's applause standing in judgment . I am proud to report that Susanna Hamilton and Sarah Kindler each took a win for their depictions, respectively, of Astro Boy and Hello Kitty. :) I regret that my own hastily-scribbled wombat won no prize - next year, we need to send Mr. Prifti. :)

The day concluded in a grand luncheon, taking up a gymnasium-sized space, with students from all *four* schools (the college included) at each table. Across ages, nationalities, cultures and subcultures, It was a beautiful sight, the kind which one seldom sees. I told the assemblage that I hope today marked the beginning of ongoing friendships between all the students and adults...and the anime school was quick to remind everyone that they are always soliciting applications. The requirements? A high school diploma, a killer art portfolio, and yes, fluency in Japanese. Start practicing, kids!

Everyone went off with their host families for the afternoon, and as I type it is the next morning and we are awaiting their return. Today we bid a sad farewell to Sapporo and all our new friends here, and head out on the long bus ride to our sister-city of Nanae. Internet access is a little less available there, but I'll do my best to keep you posted.

In the meantime, don't forget to >check out our trip photos!

- David Nurenberg