The result: the Japanese anime craze.

It's a fairly specialized market niche, but Matt Nelson and Derek Kennett are betting the demand for Japanese entertainment will make for a profitable business.

On Monday, the 24-year-olds opened Salt Lake City's first store dedicated exclusively to Japanese anime products. Tokyo's Anime House sells full-length movies and television series on DVDs, video games, soundtracks and mangas - Japanese graphic novels that, though translated into English, read from right to left and back to front.

The genre is on the verge of moving from a cult hobby to mainstream pastime, Nelson said. The Japanese films "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Spirited Away," which won the Oscar for an animated feature in 2003, have been very popular in the United States. American spending on Japanese anime products topped $500 million in 2003, according to the Japanese edition of Newsweek. In Salt Lake, more than 600 people attended the state's first anime convention last month at Salt Lake Community College, many of them dressed as their favorite characters.

Even Nelson's mom sees the potential.

"We run into people everywhere who say they love anime - middle-aged people, young people, kids, everybody," said Catherine Nelson.

Although fans of Japanese pop culture in Salt Lake can buy anime in large chain stores such as Media Play and Best Buy, Nelson said those stores charge premiums for Japanese imports and have small selections. Tokyo's Anime House sells DVDs for $10 to $30 less on average, Nelson said. Customers can find unedited, Japanese-language DVDs and hard-to-find mangas such as "The Monkey King" and "Apocalypse Meow."

Anime hobbyists also will be drawn to the store for its events, said Jonathan Higley, marketing consultant for Tokyo's Anime House. The store celebrated its grand opening Monday night with sushi, martial arts demonstrations and a costume contest. Future events include an animated music video contest and video game competitions. Customers can play video games, listen to anime music and watch films in the store every day.

Higley said Nelson and Kennett probably will be the biggest anime enthusiasts in the store, and customers will benefit from their extensive knowledge. Nelson, a self-taught computer programmer, has been hooked on the Japanese animation since he watched "Thunder Cats" as a child.

"I am to-the-bone a geek," Nelson said. "Sometimes I try to hide behind some clothes from Express for Men, but it seeps through."

rwinters@sltrib.com

Tokyo Anime House

* What? Salt Lake City's first store devoted exclusively to Japanese anime sells DVDs, graphic novels, video games, soundtracks and novelty items.

* Where? 2929 E. 3300 South.

* When? The store is open 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday

* Information: http://www.tokyosanime.com.