WITH COVID-19 restrictions relaxed, the Anime Nerds of Jamaica (ANJ) were happy to host their first event since the lockdown. Billed as ‘Gunki’ — a fictional game from the popular Japanese cartoon and comic Hunter x Hunter — the event was held at the Altamont Court Hotel, New Kingston, on Saturday June 4.

“It was, however, refreshing to return to the game after a two-year hiatus,” Tianna Powell of ANJ told the Jamaica Observer.

Powell explained that the idea to make Gunki a reality came from another ANJ member, Tianna Frazer.

“We always wanted a board game because, while others do it, I haven’t seen one that did it at this level, to my knowledge. Gunki, on the other hand, is unique in that it not only incorporates the standard board games we know and love, but we also had Yu-Gi-Oh! duelling going on, making it a surreal experience,” said Powell.

The event featured a mix of traditional board and card games from Asian, American and Jamaican culture, with participants battling it out to win various prizes.

“We did fantastic for our first event since the pandemic and our first ever board game event. We are satisfied as long as our customers and vendors are satisfied,” she said.

Powell added that while overall attendance was potentially tempered by the afternoon rains, those who did attend greeted the concept with positivity as it seemed the club patrons were just happy to be able to share their passion for Asian pop culture physically.

“The occasion was truly spectacular. We were in a new environment because this was our first board game event; we had always wanted to introduce it to our niche market. A Yu-Gi-Oh! card duel tournament with a twist of a standard board game will always be enjoyable and beneficial to the scene, for us,” said Powell.

She partly credits the event’s success to the planning that took place during the lockdown. Powell explained that while ANJ was initially affected by the restrictions on public gatherings, the club found ways to keep things alive via the Internet and social media while meticulously preparing for when things would return to normal.

ANJ will now add Gunki to its roster of popular events within the Asian pop culture community. Fans of the genre can look forward to ANJ staples Anime Picnic, Maid & Butler, and their glow-in-the-dark raves. The club will also be lending its support to the stream of similar events scheduled up to the time of the central event for the community, ‘AnimeCom Fest’ in July.

“We’d like to thank our sponsors, vendors and customers,” she concluded.