We like to think of the Anime & Manga Forum on CompuServe as a unique digital club created by fans for fans of Japanese animation and manga. It's an online anime club that's open 24 hours a day!

Since its inception, the group of anime fans on CompuServe have created something very different from what you'll encounter elsewhere in the online world. Flippant flaming and "sucks/rules" arguments are not something you'll find here. Instead, you can enjoy intelligent conversation about your anime and manga hobby with anime fans that are interested in serious fun. After all, we are on a commercial service and we pay for our time here! We don't mess around! We've always packed information and honest opinion in our message bases.

You'll also find that our members have traditionally been very helpful to new anime fans and users. We love sharing our hobby with new people. Many of our users have contributed greatly to the anime fan community and the professional anime world. New members get help and guidance from some of the online world's most friendly and knowledgeable fans! You can pick the brains of serious anime addicts! And we have fun helping you navigate the best of the world of anime and manga.

Our online anime group has been running continuously since the spring of 1986. This makes us the longest running online anime group in history! Certainly among commercial services, and as far as we can tell, longer than the anime newsgroups on the Internet. Our message bases and weekly conferences have been educating and entertaining anime and manga enthusiast for over 12 years now! Our file libraries span that length of time as well, as reflected by the favorite subjects and information placed there by our users.

The "CompuServe Anime Group" got its start in Doug Pratt's "Comic Book & Animation Forum" in the spring of 1986 when Forum member Takayuki Karahashi started posting discussions and reviews of Japanese animation in the Forum's message base and libraries. Over the next few months, the discussion had grown so vigorous that it required it's own message base and library section. Forum staff member, and die-hard Urusei Yatsura fan, Steve Bennett was assigned to manage it.

Along with the start of the Anime section, Taka had also began a weekly anime conference in the chat area of the Forum on Sunday nights! Hosted by Steve and Taka, this lively anime and manga chat is still running today, 12 years later!

Eventually as more members pulled in by the quality of the membership, the "Japanimation" section of the Comics & Animation Forum grew so busy and big that it was felt that it could support a Forum on its own, and thus in early 1997, the "Anime & Manga Forum" came online!

The Anime & Manga Forum has been a very special place. We've been host to anime fans that have gone on to have influence on the history of anime here in the US. We have also become known in Japan, thanks to computer guru and manga artist Mitsuru Sugaya and his coverage of our Forum in Animage Magazine there, and Yoshitaka Ishigama and Chris Swett for their participation with The Comic Market and among anime and manga professionals there.

It's hard not to brag. Among our users have been the founding members of such famous anime sub/dub companies as AnimEigo, and Software Sculptors. Our members have been involved in the founding of such great anime magazines as Animag and Animerica. They've written for many anime publications, spoke at several anime events, and have been interviewed by the media at large. They've also helped establish and run famous anime and manga conventions such as Anime America, AnimeExpo, and Japan's insanely huge Comic Market.

The Forum was also home to Anime Stuff, the first and longest running, widely distributed digital anime newsletter. I still get mail about it from anime fans and professionals. Mostly good too! (^_^)

Our Forum has traditionally been known as a place of calm influence, quality discussion and fun. Please feel free to become a part of it all yourself!

Many great members have come and gone in the Anime & Manga Forum. I've met so many interesting people there over the years. The experience has been precious to me. As a way of thanking my friends there for the fun I have, I would like to present the following list of the original members of our anime group from the first year.