One school received the gift of anime cheer this holiday season from a surprise visitor.
Tony Weaver Jr., the creator of the webcomic The UnCommons and CEO of Weird Enough Productions, teamed up with Funko to bring presents to a school for students experiencing homelessness. According to a video posted on his Twitter account, a teacher at the school uses anime to make sure the students never feel like they’re less. A large poster of Naruto Uzumaki hangs above the whiteboard with a quote epitomizing their unique approach: “Never give up on yourself! That’s our ninja way.”
Weaver Encourages Uplifting Communities
Weaver goes on to state that the strength of anime lies in its community, which offers anyone a place to belong. Anime fandom has the power to bring people together, as evidenced by the vibrant communities of cosplayers and fan-content creators that span cultural and geographical boundaries. “That’s why something as simple as a toy can go a long way,” says Weaver, urging others to uplift those in their found communities, not just during the holidays, but all year round.
The UnCommons launched in 2014 as the flagship comic of Weaver’s Weird Enough Productions, a company he started off of an $80,000 grant while still in college. The series follows Iris, a West African teen with a mystical power called “Second Sight” that allows her to see things others can’t, like an impending apocalypse. After glimpsing this terrifying future, Iris travels to the futuristic Delta City in an effort to change the fate of the world with a team of super-powered allies. The series has received nearly three million views on WEBTOON, while Weaver’s work with Weird Enough Productions earned him a spot on Forbes’s 30 under 30 in 2018
This Christmas’ collaborative classroom visit with Funko isn’t the first time Weaver has gone out of his way to give back. Weird Enough’s educational platform, Get Media L.I.T., provides over 400 pages of free lesson plans, comics, and activities for students, teachers, and administrators. Weaver has also kept the production team for TheUncommons “100% POC” and LGBTQ inclusive, providing opportunities for creatives from historically marginalized communities to gain a foothold in the industry.
The Uncommons is available to read on WEBTOON, while all Get Media L.I.T.’s comics and curricula are available free of charge on their website.
Source: Twitter
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