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1[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_anime_club_9275.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:349:We assure you, they're only this terrifying 30% of the time.[[note]]From left to right: Clyde, Dave, Mort, Mark[[/note]]]]
3
4A slice-of-life web comic that was, originally, just a recurring sideplot in Creator/KCGreen's ''Webcomic/{{Gunshow}}''. It focuses on the four dweeby teenagers that comprise the titular high school Anime Club: [[JerkAss Mort]], [[OnlySaneMan Mark]], [[TheQuietOne Dave]], and the newest member, [[ThePollyanna Clyde]].
5
6One day, Mort brings a ''[[InsistentTerminology hentai]]'' movie to the library and insists that they watch it there. Unfortunately, the disc gives Dave's computer a virus, and this sparks a fight between the incensed Mark and the always-furious Mort.
7
8To make matters worse, The Anime Club is booted from the public library for the fight (and for watching ''hentai''), leading them to search for a new location to conduct their club, as well as a refund for the corrupted data.
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10A five part web-comic (not including the original strips, a very short Part 2.5, and a [[spoiler:non-canon Part Six,]]) it's a short but highly recommended read. It can be found [[http://gunshowcomic.com/ac/ here.]] A FanVid series [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8C86XAjxeU has started]] by the people who did the Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}} VideoGame/Persona4 fandub, and is probably even more hilarious.
11
12----
13!!This webcomic provides examples of:
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15* AnimatedAdaptation: So far, of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz6XUyABUyM Part 1]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bZ4piFst1c Part 2]] by [=LeeJayAnimation=] (using the audio from the fandub)
16* AprilFoolsDay: [[spoiler: Part 6]].
17* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: Dave's revenge on Tony turns out to be one of these.]]
18* BestialityIsDepraved: "Smegma Princess". It's mostly shown offscreen, but both Mort and Clyde seemed to have enjoyed watching it...
19* BerserkButton: Mort's berserk button is whenever someone denounces his taste in anime (Smegma Princess being a prime example) while Dave's is whenever someone messes with his computer. Tony's is probably Mort, especially due to the damage done to his car.
20* BewareTheQuietOnes: Dave is a sulky force to be reckoned with.
21* BlackAndGrayMorality: Done with three forces at hand here:
22** The title Anime Club's only greater sins are that Mort is ill-tempered and has a short fuse, which can potentially lead into fights with Mark. Topping all of this, Mort is the leader, and tends to impose his repertoire of anime onto the group. On the other hand, [[spoiler: the club is generally the most sane portrayed group of the rest, are shown to be sympathetic and redeemable, and even Mort cares for the group, going as far as apologizing to his enemies to help salvage the club at its worst time. His fuming passionate anger, though on the surface imposing and scary, turns into genuine love, implying he only wishes to share the magic of the moment he has felt out of the shows he has seen with his friends. Even if the anime they watch is sometimes highly questionable and at times is hentai, they are at least going the far distance of knowing the full spectrum of what anime is about.]]
23** The Japanese Animation Club, lead by Amy, tend to get along well and do not stir up much of a fuss, allowing them to hold the school as a stable meeting ground. However, [[spoiler:the group is a strictly-managed echo chamber where open discourse is discouraged. The members are encouraged to insert obnoxious weeaboo mannerisms and terminology into casual conversation (something that even Mort and co. find excruciating for how forced and awkward it is), ignore dissenting opinions to uphold their "happy" atmosphere, and are implied to follow trends to a fault. They've been shown to keep around people worse than Mort in terms of personality and social integrity as long as they don't challenge Amy's authority. They're also capable of being just as horrible as Mort is, as shown when they demand that he degrade himself at the film screening (they're possibly worse than Mort, as for all his rude behavior he never went out of his way to humiliate somebody out of spite).]]
24** Tony's group isn't shown much on screen, but much can be inferred with his overall appearance and impressions. Running the local comic book shop, he is the oldest anime fan on the strip, and knows much. On the other hand, [[spoiler: Tony is shown to be a surly, arrogant elitist who looks down on anyone who doesn't have tastes like him, uses his store to shortchange customers with bootlegs, merchandise, and other schemes like movie events simply for a quick buck, and anyone he doesn't find meshing with him gets him to act like a cruel dick.]]
25* BlackComedy: [[spoiler: Part 6 of the comic]] and the Suicide Club comics that were derived from it. Mainly SuicideAsComedy.
26* BreakoutCharacter: The Anime Club started as a one-off joke and grew into a rather large story.
27* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Clyde's reaction to what was presented to him.
28* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: At the end of it all at Whyme R. Reiner's, Clyde suggests they could host meetings at his parent's house basement, which is big enough and private enough to accommodate them all.
29* DisproportionateRetribution: Tony dislikes the tastes of the Anime Club, especially Mort. His solution? To give Dave's computer a powerful virus.
30** Dave's revenge on Tony for this is an even better example. Not only does he pop all of Tony's tires and break his windshield and car hood, he [[spoiler: gives Tony's computer the very same virus Tony gave to his.]]
31*** Not just that, but he [[spoiler:gave the virus to Tony's computer right before he was about to broadcast a new Naruto movie that he had sold tickets for. So, in addition to the money Tony lost on the car he likely also lost several hundred dollars in refunds to the people who came to see the movie.]]
32*** Not to mention the collateral damage inflicted upon the Japanese Animation Club, who at least never went out of their way to harm the Anime Club, by [[spoiler:ruining the Naruto screening]].
33* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Part 6]]. There are a few other strips where there are [[IdenticalStranger identical strangers]] known as the Suicide Club.
34* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The initial Anime Club strips now look a bit odd. Clyde's design looked different and Mort would yell at anyone. In the later comics, Mort seems to get along fine with Dave and Clyde although he still fights constantly with Mark.
35* EvenNerdsHaveStandards: Why the Anime Club was formed in the first place. For all of their faults, they understandably can't stand The Japanese Animation Club's constant circle-jerking, loud obnoxiousness, and over the top weeaboo behavior.
36* ForTheEvulz: Tony knowingly sold Mort the tainted disc just to spite him and his club.
37* FanBoy: All of the Anime Club, but Mort especially.
38* FatBastard: Mort, but Tony even moreso.
39* FlippingTheBird: Seems to happen at least OnceAnEpisode.
40* {{Foil}}: Mark is this to Mort.
41* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Mort to the rest of the Anime Club.
42* GoryDiscretionShot: The hentai is mostly shown off-screen, or in the case of the fandub, [[FunnyBackgroundEvent depicted through silly voices and even sillier sound effects.]] The reason this isn't a SexyDiscretionShot is [[{{Squick}} fairly obvious.]]
43* GrassIsGreener: For its most defining story, the heart and crux of its arc. The Anime Club gets put through its most trying time, and everyone in the club comes to realize why the club was made in the first place.
44* HumiliationConga: Mort starts on one in Anime Club part 5 [[spoiler: before Dave intervenes.]]
45* HypocriticalHumor: Mort chews out the [[InsistentTerminology Japanese Animation club]] for their poor taste, despite lauding [[{{Hentai}} a show]] about a [[BestialityIsDepraved Princess's weird interests.]]
46* IdenticalStranger: Mort and Porky.
47* ItsNotPornItsArt: Mort tries to defend a {{Hentai}} anime (involving ''bestiality'', no less) with this. It doesn't work well.
48* JerkAss: Mort most prominently, but Tony is not much better.
49** Hell even Mark has his moments, judging by part 4.
50** Amy and the rest of the Japanese Animation club also qualify.
51* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Mort of all people shows himself to be this in a flashback. When Mark and Dave wanted to bar Clyde from joining the club for having basic tastes in anime, Mort was the one who urged them to reconsider. Beyond it being unfair to dismiss someone on those grounds, he argued that Clyde was merely inexperienced and hadn't had the opportunity to fully explore the medium yet. It's noteworthy because Mort barely knew Clyde at this point. He still felt compelled to stand up for a complete stranger for no other reason than it being the right thing to do.
52** Broadly speaking, Mort has a genuine love and passion for anime that goes deeper than it just giving an opportunity to do some nerd posturing. In the above-mentioned example, Mort hints that he wants to help Clyde experience the same joy that the medium has brought him over the years. However, his stubborness, short temper, and lack of social skills prevent him from being articulate about this with others. His conciliatory speech at the film screening touches on these faults and seems to come from a pure place.
53-->"I have not made the greatest name for myself through the things I have said or done. But it is only out of passion of what we all love. That passion drives me to express my feelings, to make them known! It is the love of what we all enjoy here today that I can come off a little... uncouth with my words. Again, I am just a lover of the arts, as much as you are. And I beg of your forgiveness of my words, my ways... and of myself."
54* KickTheDog: [[spoiler: After Mort sincerely apologizes for his rude behavior, Amy and the rest of the JAC jeer at him and demand that he perform the degrading "apology dance." It comes across as a needlessly spiteful and vindictive thing to do, even if this is [[{{Jerkass}} Mort]] we're talking about.]]
55* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Mort thinks he's a brilliant connoisseur of anime whose opinions are infallible. In reality...not so much.
56** Tony is much the same way.
57* LaserGuidedKarma: While Mort may be at times ostentatious and overbearing, and is what probably invited the Anime Club's misfortune, every opposing party got what was coming to them.
58** Yeah, giving Mort that virus filled bootleg DVD of Princess Smegma was meant for Mort, but Tony's antics did not see the aftermath of his actions being much like a bomb next to a gas station. For all of the misery meant for Mort, Dave was the unsuspecting victim, and Dave in turn decided to ruin Tony's life.
59** The Japanese Animation Club gets one for being more passive-aggressive, unpleasant, and imposing than Mort. A lot of what they do as club activities is why the Anime Club was started in the first place, and a lot of it was implied to have been either embarrassing, uninformative, tasteless, and trend born sensationalist overhype. Though Aimee is seemingly more receptive and welcoming, she is way more socially clueless and is implied to be more domineering than Mort, whom though is outwardly verbally explosive, at least cares for the club's members and their experiences. None of them get their money back or watch the Naruto's Law School movie due to them not taking heed to Mort's directions prior to him forming the Anime Club.
60* MistakenForGay: In part 6, the club is mistaken for being gay [[spoiler: by the media after their dead bodies are found.]]
61* MoralityPet: Not only Mort defends Clyde in front of the rest of the club when they wanted to kick him out for his plebeian tastes, he also tries his best to avoid yelling at him, as seen when Clyde asks about Mark after their big fight in the library.
62* TemptingFate: In the first part when Mort tries to convince the rest of the club that nothing will come of them watching the hentai, he says that "we're not gonna get kicked out of here."
63* TheQuietOne: Dave.
64* SayMyName:
65--> Tony: MMMMOOOOOOOOORRRRRRTTTTT!
66* ShoutOut: To several animes, most prominently Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya and Manga/{{Naruto}}.
67** Also, [[Film/TheExorcist this.]]
68-->'''Clyde''': [[http://gunshowcomic.com/846 YOU'RE MOTHER SELLS CLOCKS IN HECK!*spit spit*]]
69** Part 4 is titled "[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Birth and Redeath]]".
70** Part 6 is titled "[[Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies Grave of the Fanboys]]".
71* StartMyOwn: Mort when he was voted out of the original Japanese Animation Club.
72* SuckECheeses: In Part 2.5, Mark reviews a "Whyme R. Reiner's" as a possible location for the new, HQ-less Anime Club. They revisit it at the end of part 5, only to find that [[spoiler:[[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot the club could have just met in Clyde's mom's basement all along]]]].
73* SuperTitle64Advance:
74-->'''Mort:''' "This is Super Bullshit 64!''
75* [[spoiler:TrappedInASinkingCar]]: Parodied using black comedy [[spoiler:in part 6 when the boys have decided to drown themselves by driving a car into the ocean.]]
76* TokenEvilTeammate: For the Japanese Animation Club, ''Daniel'', a groggy, insufferable, and disgusting looking raving cynical elitist anime fan who makes Mort seem tolerable in comparison. Sure, Mort has a case of being a loudmouth and crusading his tastes, but Mark notes that though Mort can turn off his unpleasantness, Daniel always has it on. It also doesn't help that he serves as the critic and screener for the Japanese Animation Club's lineup, meaning he gatekeeps just as much as the leader Aimee.
77* VitriolicBestBuds: Mort and Mark stand out since they have fought verbally and physically most of the time. Despite this, they hang out because they look out for the well being of their club and its members.
78* TheWatson: Clyde.

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