A podcast all about Japanese cartoons and comics as discussed by three self-proclaimed experts in the world of anime and manga! Plus anime news / reviews, coverage of classic anime, hentai / yaoi, and much, much more. Updated every week. We hope.
As Halloween approaches and a new anime season begins, we offer some (very preliminary) thoughts on what we’ve seen so far, and Gerald reviews the sci-fi horror OVA Lily C.A.T., best known for being a thing that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel back when it was spelled that way.
This episode isn’t yet available on RSS. The file is there, this link is there, but Feedburner won’t process the enclosure. This may be a Google issue, but who at Google is even looking at Feedburner? UPDATE: we think it’s fixed now?
Introduction (0:00 – 41:40)
This episode came out relatively soon after the previous, so in lieu of emails we talk about our initial impressions of the current anime season. Guaranteed to make someone mad because we made an unfair snap judgment about a thing. That is where YOUR comments come in!
Promo: Right Stuf Anime (41:40 – 44:43)
The Dirty Pair TV English Dub Kickstarter has succeeded, but there are only THREE DAYS remaining and TWO stretch goals remain! Back now to make sure those remaining extras get on there, because those will affect the regular retail edition as well.
Review: Lily C.A.T. (41:43 – 1:40:29)
HEY, DO YOU REMEMBER ALIEN? DO YOU REMEMBER THE THING? That’s it, that’s the review.
In this episode, Daryl reviews one of his favorite titles from the 2010s which is finally readily available for viewing in English: the two-part theatrical film adaptation of the formative shojo classic Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern! (Spoilers: Gerald thought it absolutely sucked and is of appeal to nobody who is watching anime in the 21st century.)
Introduction (0:00 – 57:40)
Despite repeatedly missing months this year, our number of Patreon supporters is steadily approaching the 200 mark. Remember: at 250 total patrons we will be reviewing Hand Shakers, which Gerald purchased on Blu-Ray (because obviously one buys what one cherishes most). We also haven’t read emails in a while, so this time around we’ll read two! With the new Harmony Gold arrangement in place regarding the international rights to Macross and Robotech being distinct entities, is a US release of Macross 7 on the foreseeable horizon? Why is Eternal Wind so memorable when most of Gundam FORMULA NINETY WAN is so not? Who is more petty, Yoshiyuki Tomino for not letting us Americans see the infamous Cucuruz Doan’s Island episode of the original Mobile Suit Gundam television series, or Yoshikazu Yasuhiko for directing a theatrical-length film adaptation of it due for release next year? And why does the AWO continue to LIE AND EXPOSE THEIR SHALLOW IGNORANCE~! regarding the “death” of 2D animation? None of these questions and more will be adequately answered in this approximate hour of chatterbox noise.
Promo: Right Stuf Anime (57:40 – 1:03:27)
In the time between us recording the promo and getting around to posting this writeup, the Dub Dirty Pair TV Into English and Release It On Blu-Ray Kickstarter has been 100% funded. But the campaign lasts until the end of October, and it is the beginning of October, so YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS: stretch goals! Much like what was basically done with the Irresponsible Captain Tylor Blu-Ray set as well as the various Animeigo Kickstarter projects (Otaku no Video, Riding Bean, Gunsmith Cats, Megazone 23), the stretch goals will determine not only how nice the physical extras are for the fancy Collector’s Editions that are exclusive to the Kickstarter, but also the general release! For now, aside from a new interview with Haruka Takachiho, what the stretch goals will be are shrouded in mystery. More will be revealed…within the next 24 hours! Be sure to keep tabs on https://twitter.com/NozomiEnt for details, but given how these things have turned out in the past, we’re pretty certain that you’ll want to back this project. All of us did, anyway.
Review: Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern Parts 1 & 2 (1:03:27 – 2:20:04)
Daryl reviews this 2017-2018 theatrical film adaptation of one of the formative 1970s shojo manga classics that he didn’t even know existed until after having seen these movies. This period comedy/melodrama/romance/liquor adventure from Waki Yamato is one of the most beloved and fondly remembered shojo titles the world over–the non-English speaking world over, anyway–having remained in print and adapted into multiple other media including live-action and Takarazuka plays right up until the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. Set in the socially turbulent Taisho era of Japanese history, it’s a tale of modern Western ideals clashing with conservative Japanese traditions wrapped around a Days of Our Lives-caliber soap opera romance. OBEY BENIO.
Opinions are, as they always seem to be for literally everything Daryl recommends, sharply divided as to the qualities of this cartoon. For now, you can watch both parts streaming free of charge via the oft-forgotten streaming platform Tubi: here’s Part 1 and here’s Part 2. You can buy the Blu-Ray of Part 1 from the film’s distributor, which is–oh, right–our sponsor Right Stuf. But part 2 to date has never been released on physical media in the US, presumably because so much money was lost on dubbing the first part into English and releasing it into theaters that (as far as we can tell/recall) no English dub was produced for the second part. Maybe the only contemporary interest in classic shojo is when there’s LGBT+ themes. Unfortunately for Haikara-san, it’s not that kind of story.
