Sacramento’s Convention Center has long been home to a variety of social and cultural events, from homecoming dances to the Women’s Expo. So it comes with no shock being the location for Sacramento’s annual anime convention. From August 31st to September 2nd, people of all ages gathered due to a shared love for anime, cartoons, cosplay, and Japanese culture.

This event brings together all different groups of people, taking pictures with each other, viewing and purchasing merchandise, receiving autographs, building friendships, and mingling with other like-minded individuals for an experience that can only be described as chaotic fun in an accepting ambiance.

In addition to the autographing events, SacAnime also offers live shows and concerts, fashion events, and art competitions as well as an interactive maid and butler cafe known as Cafe Hoshi. At night, the event’s atmosphere changes slightly as people either head home or to a dance party where they can enjoy each others’ company.

“It’s a good place for people who love anime to convene,” said a 17-year-old attendee of the event.  

While navigating the vendors, one can expect to find: clothes, figurines of all their favorite characters, pillows, tails and other cosplay details, unique stickers, art and manga, a variety of posters, and so much more. There’s always something interesting around every corner to see. One can even pay to have their portrait drawn in different styles of animation.

In case you and your friends get hungry, marble sodas, Pocky, and other Japanese snacks can be found in the shopping areas at the convention. For those who are craving something else, there are a few restaurants and coffee shops inside, as well as lots of nearby restaurants outside of the Convention Center, like Pieology or P.F. Changs.

When attending, one can expect to pay about $30-$45 for one day while this year’s weekend pass was $50. Up until a couple days before the event, people are able to pre-register online, otherwise a long wait in line may be required.

All in all, for a fun time and chance to make great memories, SacAnime is the place to go. With cute snacks, unique art, and collectors items there’s something for everyone and you’ll get an experience like no other.

This summer, millions of devoted Mamma Mia! fans entered theaters across the world in order to travel back to the pristine island of Kalokairi after ten years, for another ABBA-filled masterpiece. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again hit theaters July 20th, almost exactly ten years since the release of Mamma Mia! in 2008. While reviews have been quite mixed, it’s interesting enough that the original fan favorite Mamma Mia! received a 55% by Rotten Tomatoes’ top critics, while its sequel was certified fresh at 89%.

Much like the film The Godfather Part II, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again had a timeline that shifted back and forth from the past to the present, attempting to explain the story behind young Donna and how there were parallels in her’s and Sophie’s young lives. While this seems complicated, Director Ol Parker was able to illustrate it in a way that eloquently depicted everyone’s experiences.

These mixed reviews were given based on the fact that there were some significant inaccuracies in the film based on information given in the first film. For example, it was implied that Donna’s mother had passed away, yet in 2018’s film, she is shown dancing and jiving along to “Fernando.” Other inaccuracies included inaccurate eye color of the younger versions of the cast and the order in which Donna supposedly met Sam, Bill, and Harry. These inaccuracies were in fact acknowledged by director Ol Parker and producer Judy Craymer, who rebounded with the claim that “it wasn’t supposed to be perfect.” It was supposed to be a free and light film that would make you want to get up dance.

The cast of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again included not only the marvelous talents of possibly the greatest actress of all time, Meryl Streep, but also the musical legend Cher. While Cher’s part as Ruby Sheridan (Donna’s Mother) could be interpreted as unimportant to the plot, it’s easy to disregard and bask in Cher’s stardom. One should not focus on any plot holes, but rather the insane amounts of talent paired with classic ABBA songs like “Dancing Queen” and Lily James’ breathtaking rendition of “Mamma Mia,” which overall created another hit feel-good film.

Ol Parker stayed true to the musical’s first installment with the original cast, including Amanda Seyfried, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, and even the talents of Andy Garcia. Critic Neil Soans of the Times of India wrote “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a breezy, feel-good musical made for ABBA fans that sweeps you away with a wave of nostalgia to make you forget the point of the movie in the first place,” which couldn’t have been phrased better.

Ultimately, when watching Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, one should remember not to critically dissect it, or delve into every plot hole or inaccuracy, but rather focus on the sheer amounts of talent paired with brilliant ABBA songs, beautiful cinematography, and the serene Grecian views. Avid Mamma Mia fans, like myself, can only hope one day our ferries will return to Kalokairi and we shall be welcomed by Sophie and serenaded by ABBA tunes once more, but for now we can find solace in two beautiful jukebox musicals and play “Dancing Queen” on repeat.

In prior years, German 4 was the expected class that any senior who desired to further their German education could take. No one ever imagined that their worlds would be turned upside down, come the end of their junior year, when the excited German knowledge-seekers had their German dreams dashed–there would be no AP German class their senior year. Despite the fact that these students had spent the last three years of their high school career working to impress colleges, such as those in the UC system that strongly recommend four years of a foreign language, the students were faced with the fact that, due to inflation of class sizes, their prospect of taking this impressive advanced course was not able to be fulfilled.

One may be wondering is “How did this happen?” If our administration knew the sizes of the incoming freshman and sophomore German classes, why wasn’t a solution sought after sooner? The size of the class of 2022 is upwards of 600 students, nearly 200 more than this year’s senior class. This overwhelming class size means more students taking German, which in turn leads to need for more first level German classes. The result? No room in the schedule for AP German.

Cameron Lee (‘19) clarified how the AP German scheduling situation worked out. He said that students were told last May that the class would be cut. Shortly after, frustrated parents and students began emailing administration and district officials regarding potential solutions. During the summer, they were told that a solution was on its way, but come the Monday morning of orientation, they found the class missing from their schedule. Frau Templeton, along with a group of passionate students, worked hard with administration to schedule German as a zero period in less than a day.

Many students at McClatchy take zero periods, and with the exception of HISP sophomores, they are completely optional. Students may participate in zero periods such as yearbook, lifeguarding, and student government, or choose to use the hour before the school day to sleep, or get some extra studying done. Many of the German students desired to use their zero period in ways such as these, but are instead sacrificing their early mornings to work hard in their advanced-level German class. The students are extremely grateful for Frau Templeton’s commitment to them and the program, noting how she is dedicating her early mornings to the class.

Cameron Lee has dedicated his mornings to student government for the past three years, with the exception of his required HISP zero period his sophomore year. Lee is the student body secretary, and with an important role in student government, found himself conflicted when it came to his position on the ASB board and his desire to continue learning a language that he’s passionate about. Deciding between two classes he cares about was something Lee hadn’t planned for his senior year.

“German is something I’m really passionate about studying, so sacrificing my position as secretary wasn’t the end of the world,” said Lee. “But I was still upset that I would have to give up my role on the board and in ASB.” Cameron was forced to give up his position as secretary in order to continue taking German, and the ASB board is still deciding who will take his place.

Meredith Brown (‘19), a passionate German student who actively petitioned for the German class to have a place at McClatchy, also gave her insight on how she felt the dilemma was being handled.

“When we were told last year that we wouldn’t have a class, we were given excuses rather than reasons. Admin told us we shouldn’t complain about it, because underclassman were required to take their German class, but for us it was just an extra class.”

Brown also mentioned that in order for the class to stay, 20 students or more need to be enrolled. As there are only 16 students right now, and a few students have expressed that they would rather spend zero period doing other things, the future of the class is uncertain.

This article contains spoilers for To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Romantic comedies have always been something that I have watched growing up.

I enjoyed the cheesy and cliche part about them. All of them as a whole have been pleasurable to watch, seeing a white male fall in love with a white female with a good enough romantic plot, with a side of cliche monologues and liners. The only thing that I couldn’t get from it was feeling like I could relate to the female protagonist. She would always be Caucasian and though I am half, she would never look anything like me. I was so used to not being represented, it felt like a normal thing for every romantic comedy movie to have a Caucasian couple.

The movie To All Of The Boys I’ve Loved Before came out on Netflix on August 17, 2018 and is based on the novel of the same name that was released in April of 2014. It’s centered around a girl named Lara Jean Song Covey, who writes a letter to every boy that she has ever had any feelings for but never sends it and keeps it inside of a box hidden in her room. One day, her letters are sent out all at once, causing a few of the boys to question her, including a boy named Peter Kavinsky. Lara Jean and Peter end up being in a fake relationship to make Peter’s now ex jealous, as well as make Lara Jean’s sister’s ex-boyfriend think she doesn’t like him since he received a letter as well. The movie is the cliche fake relationship to real relationship storyline, something that I have always liked. So, of course, I watched it the day after it came out.

This movie is just like any other romantic comedy and is good in its own ways, but it’s got something that I’ve never seen in my seventeen years of living: an asian-american main character. Lara Jean is half Korean and half Caucasian, and the movie itself didn’t whitewash her; it casts her as she was written. Plenty of movies have whitewashed and stereotyped Asians instead of portraying them as the actual humans we are, so this movie depicting her the way actual Asian-Americans look and act makes me feel something I’ve never felt in this genre: represented.

I am a half Filipino and half white, which means that I am not exactly like Lara Jean, but I am still half Asian and half Caucasian like her. I used to believe that Asians just weren’t people to be seen in a romantic way because of the lack of representation in film, but now, in the summer of 2018, I don’t have to believe that anymore. It’s a feeling of relief to see someone that looks so similar to me and not be a funny sidekick with a racist Asian accent, but actually be the lead role in the film. Asian characters in movies are typically minor roles (from the ‘Asian friend’ who is always smart to racist stereotypes and caricatures) that would never truly have a backstory. I never felt like the characters in these big Hollywood movies ever actually represented who I was as a person, although I am only half, it felt wrong to watch another Asian woman play another nail technician in a comedy but never have a lead role in a film.

According to the author, Jenny Han, only one producer would not whitewash Lara Jean’s character. “One producer said to me, as long as the actress captures the spirit of the character, age and race don’t matter,” said Han in her New York Times piece. She wanted to make Lara Jean be exactly who she is so that little girls who looked just like her would feel like it was possible for them to have a cheesy love story like the one in the film. Producers in that industry like to believe that representation in film doesn’t matter, but in my seventeen years of watching white people take roles from traditionally Asian characters and other people of color, I have not once agreed with them. Even films like The Grudge have been remade with white characters instead of just hiring Asian ones like the original Japanese movie, changing parts of the story just to fit their white cast.

This summer of 2018 has been a big deal for representation for Asians in general. Crazy Rich Asians was a hit in the box office, making $30 million during its opening weekend, showcasing an entirely Asian cast, something that I have never seen before in a big Hollywood movie.

Being represented, even in small film like a romantic comedy, is actually a bigger deal than some people might think. It may not feel that way to people who have always been represented in media but for a minority people like me, having someone that looks like me on the big screen isn’t as typical as seeing a white person. Positive change has been made, with Asian-Americans portrayed realistically instead of stereotypes to use as a punchline. To some this wouldn’t seem like a big deal, but this will allow Asian or Asian-American children to be able to have a role model that has their features. I barely had that as a kid, Mulan and American Dragon: Jake Long being the only ones I can remember. Having your favorite character look like you is something not all of us have experienced. At this rate, representation for Asian-Americans should be something that increases, as it’s better that your favorite character can actually represent who you are.