Words by Micah Avry Guiao
Ateneo de Manila University might be home to some of the brightest studies, but it also houses some of the most cultured “memers.” Facebook pages dedicated to showcase Atenean meme culture are revealed through Ageless Ateneo Memes, Jef the Eagle, Deadline Memes for First Draft Teens, Blue Babble Ex-Battalion, Meronistic Memes for Bolero Teens, and I’m pretty sure I’m missing out on more.
Popular around 2016, a surge of events manifested around Facebook: Suntukan sa Ace Hardware, Group Study sa SOGO Hotel, Leila de Lima Acting Workshop, Landian sa Booksale, and Grab-All-U-Can sa 7-Eleven. Thousands of people either clicked on “going” or “interested” for the fun of it. Of course, those events remained fictitious.
Ateneans, however, weren’t ones to flake—they turned these visions into realities.
Related: A Bunch of Ateneans ‘Ran Like Naruto’ On Campus Because Why Not?
So far, there have been four meme gatherings and counting. It kicked off with the Naruto Run and Scream like Goku in September 2017. Seeing it was successful, it was followed by Owen Wilson’s iconic “wow” chants and Wakanda Forever Charge in September and October 2018 respectively. These events occurred during the ten-minute breaks between classes.
To add to that, a number of participating Ateneans decided to take it up a notch by donning costumes. You’ll even manage to spot a T-Rex in these videos.
See the madness for yourself:
4. Scream Like Goku
Inspired by the original Scream like Goku event that happened at the Washington Square Arch, Ateneans gathered around to imitate anime character Son Goku from anime television series Dragon Ball. Goku’s screams are aggressive—almost lung shredding—which undeniably left its mark among viewers.
ICYMI: Scream Like Goku in SEC Walk happened for like 5 minutes pic.twitter.com/NhnKwcnAVq
— Michelle (@michelleabad_) September 8, 2017
3. Naruto Run
Naruto Run refers to the unique running style of the titular protagonist Naruto Uzumaki in the popular anime series, Naruto. Naruto runs with his body leaning forward and his arms stretched out behind him. This position is said to decrease air resistance. About a week after, the Ateneo Naruto Run, students at the University of the Philippines Los Baños also held the same run of their own.
JUST NOW: NARUTO RUN SA RED BRICK ROAD pic.twitter.com/Xk1nT0OC2R
— Samantha B (@samxbeltran) September 15, 2017
2. Owen Wilson “Wow”
Actor Owen Wilson is known for his iconic “wow.” Whatever role and context he is given in a movie, the unique intonation of his wows remains the same, much to everyone’s amusement. Since then, several compilation videos of him saying “wow” emerged on the internet. The Owen Wilson “Wow” event was first held in Federation Square at Melbourne earlier this February.
ICYMI: Ateneans gathered along SEC Walk this afternoon to collectively chant Owen Wilson’s one-of-a-kind “Wow.” pic.twitter.com/zxOKn6EKut
— Vantage Magazine (@VantMag) September 26, 2018
1. Wakanda Forever Charge
Avengers: Infinity War brought us the Wakandan forces’ epic charge into battle against Thanos’ army, the Black Order. It is no secret that most Filipinos would be thrilled for anything Marvel. First to organize an event like this in the world, we can say that Ateneans are not exempted from the hype.
ICYMI: See the #WakandaForever Charge here pic.twitter.com/5oio5Mb19T
— Vantage Magazine (@VantMag) October 5, 2018
–
Although events like these might sound absurd to others, it’s definitely one for the books. After all, they’re all just for fun. It’s quite fascinating, seeing a community gather to do something completely unique to celebrate their love for pop culture memes. Whether a participant or a mere onlooker, a sense of unity is made among students which otherwise would never have occurred within the usual classroom or organizational setting.
Have you ever participated in something like this? Let us know in the comments!