Category: Manga

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Anime World Order Show # 223 – Some Might Consider This Moto Hagiography

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:07:42 — 31.2MB)

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This is perhaps our most tragic episode ever, for not only have we lost our sole sponsor Right Stuf due to Crunchyroll shutting it down, but Clarissa is reviewing The Poe Clan, one of the great shojo manga masterworks by Moto Hagio.

Introduction (0:00 – 25:45)
Well, they did the thing. It’s not like it’s a surprise. A year ago, we said it’d happen “a year from now.” But Crunchyroll has now shut down Right Stuf. After October 10th, it will instead redirect to the CR Store, and once again uncertainty abounds. Will the service be as good as Right Stuf’s? (That certainly isn’t the case right now!) Will they continue to carry all products? Discotek stated “we don’t anticipate any change in the availability or sales practices when it comes to our products” in their latest newsletter, but will that last? Best case scenario: maybe they’re just changing the sign in front of the building. We’ll wait and see what people say, and give things a shot ourselves, and if we like it–and they extend the offer–then maybe we’ll be sponsored by the CR Store moving forward instead. But until October 10th, you can use promo code “THANKYOU” to save an additional 15% off your Right Stuf orders, and if you do plan on doing so please consider using our affiliate link one last time before it’s gone.

Saturday, 09/30/2023, join us on the Anime World Order Discord at 3 PM EST for the Fall 2023 Trailer Watch Party! We’re once again watching trailers for all the stuff coming out next season…wait, it’s not really 75+ titles, is it? Viewable to all, but if you back us on our Patreon at any tier, then you’ll be able to chat and post with us as well.

Review: The Poe Clan (25:45 – 1:07:42)
It’s been quite some time since we’ve actually reviewed manga, and at the risk of invoking the ire of the greater evolved manga gods in the English-speaking world Clarissa weighs in on Moto “Actually Born In Showa 24 Unlike The Rest Of Youse Mugs” Hagio’s foundational shojo manga, The Poe Clan. This centuries-spanning tale of beautiful ageless adolescent vampires–er, “vampirnellas”–was a breakout hit in the early 1970s, and while we understand that after a decades-long hiatus it resumed a few years ago, all we currently have access to is the Fantagraphics hardcover editions of the original series. Somewhere, Gerald schemes in retaliation, either in the form of the annual trivia episode or perhaps a special guest appearance.

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Anime World Order Show # 210 – Finally, a WCW We Can All Be Proud Of

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:14:56 — 34.5MB)

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With Otakon 2022 nearly upon us (we’ll be there and have panels), Clarissa reviews 2014’s Witch Craft Works, a 12-episode adaptation of Ryu Mizunami’s recently-completed manga, the entirety of which is now available in English both digitally as well as in print.

Introduction (0:00 – 35:22)
We actually remembered to read an email for a change! An intrepid listener weighs in with thoughts on Gundam 00, intrigued by our review of the series back in 2017. This leads to a brief aside regarding the subject of tokusatsu that is available on free streaming, and at this point we would like to make it clear that none of us is an expert in tokusatsu. Fortunately, there are now dedicated communities and channels for that, so our half-baked thoughts on the subject needn’t be the definitive word. The question of what is and isn’t streaming changes rapidly; about 90 titles just vanished without warning from HiDive about two weeks ago. The most notable of which was Legend of the Galactic Heroes, which was only down for a few hours before reappearing, but it goes to show that there’s no guarantee of streaming availability. Incidentally, Gerald has finally gotten around to watching Angel Cop, just shy of 15 years after Daryl’s old review. Unlike back then, now we have Angel Cop in full native HD with accurate subtitles!

Oh yeah, we’ll be at Otakon 2022. Daryl has “Thirty Years Ago: Anime in 1992” at 12:45 PM on Friday in the AMV Theater, and Gerald is presenting “A Sophisticatedly Unsophisticated Look at Fan Service (18+)” Sunday 12:15 AM in Panel 7. See you there, and remember to wear a new N95 and bring proof of COVID-19 vaccination!

Promo: Right Stuf Anime (35:22 – 38:30)
It’s the last week of the 35th birthday sale, so pick up some comics and cartoons while they’re on steep discount. You may also want to start saving up for some upcoming ultra fancy edition box sets, because as was announced earlier this month, we are finally getting the Macross sequels on Blu-Ray in the United States. Right Stuf will be handling releases of Macross 7, Macross Frontier, and Macross Delta, while Animeigo will be bringing over Macross II (listen to our old review here) and Anime Limited/AllTheAnime will be releasing Macross Plus on Blu-Ray in the US. Hmm, aren’t there other Macross titles which could stand for a Blu-Ray release in the US? We’ll have to wait and see if any further announcements get made, but for now we note that there is a Bigwest panel at Otakon Saturday morning…

Review: Witch Craft Works (38:30 – 1:14:56)
Clarissa takes point on reviewing this action-comedy series from 2014 about the virtues of having a tall, long-haired, big-boobed magical girlfriend carry you around everywhere and beat up everybody who tries to mess with you.

We were going to title this episode this, but decided it’d raise hopes that we were reviewing a different type of show.
Despite being an encapsulation of 2010s otaku tropes, Witch Craft Works foresaw the 2022 otaku squad goals.

There has not (thus far) been a US release of the series on a physical media format. For now, you can still watch the series on Crunchyroll (minus the bonus OVA episode and Japan Blu-Ray exclusive chibi short segments). I suppose it wouldn’t be out of place in the other WCW for there to be a storyline where all the ladies are after a guy for his “white stuff.” I mean, that explains Torrie Wilson and David Flair at least, right?

Totally not a harem show.

Although this anime only adapts about 6 or so volumes worth of the manga, which ran for 17 volumes, we’d say that the series covers most of the major action that happens. Still, in true Ah/Oh My Goddess! fashion, the artwork remains exceptional as the magical girlfriend hijinks hamster wheel spins in place, and the series is now fully available in both print as well as digital.

Totally not gender swap Todoroki before Todoroki existed.