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Okaerinasaimase, ojou-sama~ ♥ |
It’s June, the weather is heating up, and everyone needs a break from the heat. So do what we at RC do – take a couple of ZanTak and chill with a podcast.
It’s my honor and pleasure to join Stilts in the ranks of RC podcast hosts – it was a blast, and with Takaii and Zani we had a wide-ranging and fun conversation. The new mantra at the RC podcast studio (tours available) is “just go with it” – freed from the cages of form and structure, let the conversation wander wherever its heart desires.
Important Note: After this ‘cast, we’re switching to a tri-weekly (every third week, not three times a week) schedule in order to keep everyone fresh and frisky. Exact details are still to be determined, but the next podcast will fall either at the end of June or beginning of July
- Zanibas – @Zanibas, MAL profile
- Guardian Enzo – @GuardianEnzo, Anime-Planet profile, lostinanime.com
- Takaii – @rctakaii, MAL profile
I sprung everything on ZanTak live, so kudos to them for being so quick on their feet. We covered a little of a lot – this season, next season, doujins, Avatar and more:
00:00 – Intro – What anime character would you like to have a beer or coffee with?
06:25 – Isshuukan Friends
16:12 – Underrated Spring shows
- Gokukoku no Brynhildr
- Selector Infected WIXOSS
- Hitsugi no Chaika
- Baby Steps
- Haikyuu!!
- Gaworare and debate on MAL ratings and “bait and switch” series
29:44 – Summer Series/Sequel Fever
- Sailor Moon
- Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus
- PSYCHO-PASS Cash-in Again Version
- SAO 2
- Space Dandy 2
- Kantai Collection
41:26– Anime disc sales projection using the “Doujin Model”
- Hoozuki no Reitetsu
- KanColle
54:32 – Summer Sleepers
- Barakamon
- Zankyou no Terror
- Tokyo Ghoul
56:33 – Wrap-up
No music for this one. Xumbra: “The only sounds I wish to hear are the wails of the readers as their hopes and dreams are broken. Why would I listen to music, when no music could be half so sweet?”
Download 160 kbps (52.62 MB)
…”ZanTak”…nice ring (and a typo on google)…dling…
Worst. podcast. evar!!
Just kidding. I’m just jealous. This is the first podcast I’ve had to miss 🙁 Whoever had the idea to do these things more frequently, thus making it hard to always clear my schedule, is a total dick.
It was me. I had that idea. I’m the dick 🙁
Now excuse me while I listen to this podcast with big crocodile tears. FOREVER ALONE!!
Your idea? I think your memory is failing you in your dotage, my fellow elder statesman! 😛
Okay, yes, but I wasn’t going to call you the asshole. That woulda been mean, lol
Looking forward to your NGNL article!
Yup, it’s official. Worst podcast evar. How could you bring up the RC Host Club without its prince!? *hides behind a coach and sniffles*
@stilts are you going to review this new version of sailor moon in this summer? i heard from manga readers it going to be much more dark and violent then the original
Why am I the Sailor Moon / dark-and-violent guy? o.O
I hadn’t planned on it. I’m sure it’ll get an intro at least, but we’ll see past that.
lol. Oh Xumbra, are you related to George R. R. Martinby some way?
Unfortunately not.
And I’m not as eloquent as Enzo makes me out to be.
I love the running gag of podcasts and cages. I understand they’re useful for storing otome anime heroines..
For the record, I did read Zanibas’s mega-post on fanime. I thought the interview was very interesting, especially the part about being short on actual animators. Could not think of a way to comment beyond “Oh, that’s quite worrying.” ^^
You know, a randomc host club might actually be similar to an Ouran one…
interesting episode but…
SAO2… no no no NO!
*snif* I don´t want see this kind of vilian who want to marriage a comatose heroine again.
Something gos horrible worng in the world. Where is the sequel for Hyouka or Oregairu?
Oregairu sequel has already been announced. The issue with Hyouka is not enough source material.
Oh thanks Enzo for the info. I still didn´t know,
finally a beacon of hope in the dark ocean of trope characters.
They greenlit oregairu for a second season even though there are only 3 volumes to which they have yet adapt. If they go at a well-given pace, they could adapt the remaining 3 vols within 10 to 12 eps but only if they go at a good pace. Last time they literally blew through 6 vols in 12 eps so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle it this time around. As for Hyouka, i dont quite remember where they left off with the source material (im currently rewatching the series; man watching the bluray at full up-scaled 1080p on a respectably-sized HDtv is freaking awesome) but isnt there enough source material to at least make a 12-ep sequel? Im pretty sure there is. Hell, Moribito produced 26 eps from one novel (and a smidge of the second i believe). If not, then maybe some OVA’s or even a movie; Yeah a movie would be awesome. Kyoani knocked it out of the park and beyond when they adapted “the disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya” into a movie. i could only imagine what they could do with a movie budget with Hyouka; that would be awesome. Kyoani, get on that.
The new Kuroshitsuji will apparently pick up from the point where the anime diverged from the manga, so season 2 and the end of season 1 will be completely ignored.
The one anime I recommend keeping an eye on is Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. It will most likely be the best comedy of summer and maybe even of the year.
i going to watch sailor moon becouse even if it magical girl it going to be dark and with great characters devloment
So glad there’s some discussion of sports anime in these recent podcasts. 😀
I personally find them the best shows this season, and the fact that they’re all scheduled so close together makes it impossible not to compare them (which doubles the fun in watching them for me).
Also as a Kuroshitsuji manga fan I’m sooo glad they’re adapting the manga (I dropped season 2 after the first third of the first episode), and honestly the anime original ending of the first season really doesn’t do the original material justice. It’s such a perfect example of dark humor mixed with suspense, mystery, and occasionally, action.
Well, lay that ending and the second season at Okada Mari’s feet – it’s all her original material.
I certainly agree about sports anime – they’re alphanumeric, and this is a great time to be a fan of them. I’m following six at the moment and it’s been many years since there have even been that many airing at once if my memory is right.
Has anyone seen the live-action Kuroshitsuji yet? I’m curious if its any good compared to the anime and manga.
I’m aware they make several differences, like setting the movie in future Asia to fit a predominantly Japanese cast(& meeting a presumably tight movie budget), and making the Ciel-type character a Japanese woman descended from the Phantomhives.
That said, if you like watching actor Mizushima Hiro play the demonic butler Sebastian…
What, no three new podcasts a week? Extreme dissapointment…
The comparison between humor of Brynhildr and WIXOSS (wicross?) was interesting, can’t say much more because I dropped the latter. I think Brynhildr does have some ridiculous moments that feel unintentionally funny, but not that many.
About Gaworare, I think its rating is brought down by the fact it looks like a typical cliche storm of a romcom, so there are people dropping it based on the wrong first impression it gives. Although Enzo’s analysis is likely big part of the truth too. (and then there are people complaining it not being the second coming of Kaminomi)
About sports anime, I haven’t watched any of them yet, so which one would be the best or easiest choice for getting myself hooked?
Oh boy, that question… Ask a father which of his kids he loves best next time.
It would be easier to know what to recommend if I knew some of the other shows you like so I had an idea of your tastes. For me Baby Steps is the best pure sports series of the bunch – not just now, but maybe ever. The sports side of it is amazingly authentic. It doesn’t move quickly and it doesn’t involve special moves or power-ups, so maybe it’s not as “user-friendly” for a new viewer in that sense.
On the opposite side of the spectrum would be Haikyuu!!. It has great visuals, lots of comedy and action in every episode, and things move pretty quickly. It’s bubbly, dorky and fun, and if there are a few borderline-WSJ moments, the sports itself is pretty decent.
Ping Pong is like an old school boxing manga mixed with a pure character story. It’s built around sports (you’d be amazed at how gripping table tennis can be) but it’s the least “sports anime” in terms of structure and tone.
Diamond no Ace is definitely the classic, old-school timeless sports series about the #1 manga sport, baseball. If you want to see an archetypal sports series, that would be one. It has good characters and a decent amount of comedy, but the sport is the star and it’s built around the concept of teams rather than individuals.
Yowamushi Pedal may be the “Goldilocks” sports series in that it seems to combine elements of all of the above. It’s approachable, very fun, has fantastic characters and takes the sport pretty seriously. It also has a MC who’s an otaku and it incorporates many non sports anime elements very successfully.
Honestly, all five are excellent, and I don’t think you could go wrong.
I’m aware it’s a hard, even brutal, question, but one I had to ask for my own gain. I admit I should have given some background info to make it easier though, sorry about that.
(The ones I’m currently enjoying the most are No game No Life, Mushishi, Gaworare, Black Bullet, Brynhildr, Ishuukan Friends and Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii)
From what you say, it seems Haikyuu or Yowamushi might be the ones for me. You really make me want to check out baby Steps too, although probably not as the first one.
I would go with Yowapeda – Haikyuu is good, but Yowapeda is better IMO. After that has its hooks in you, Baby Steps.
@Enzo
What’s really bringing me down on Yowamushi Pedal is Midousuji. He is so psychotic that he just seems out of place in the rest of the story.
I have my ups and downs with Yowapeda, mostly the Hakone group which can be a mixed bag to say the least. At least Midousuji increases the anxiety level of the race. Besides the show’s never been hyper realistic.
Thanks for the recommendations Enzo! (I can’t believe I forgot to say that before)
I started watching Yowapeda, and after 5 episodes, I’m liking it. It doesn’t create same level of excitement or feels like my favorite shows, but those 20 minutes fly past really fast.
@Hangman: Thanks for the recommendation of Hajime no Ippo. It’s a bit long for my taste though, I’m not sure if I can take off the time to watch 75 episodes. At least not now, but maybe in future.
You’re very welcome – I think it gets better and better, though I did quite like Yowapeda right from the start.
I’d recommend checking out the first 5 episodes of Ippo, Anon. To get your bearing with the show at the least. Enjoy ^^
Re Wixoss: What is it about Okada Mari that gets everyone so irritated? She seems more like a jack of all trades who tries out all genres, if comments I read are correct.
Re Brynhildr: Based on what I’ve seen, Okamoto Lynn obviously caters to the readers that love cute girls(cute look is king in Japan!), ultraviolence and some misogyny on the side.
Of course your sports preferences will play into your enjoyment for most, but if you’re looking to get hooked into the genre (trust me) watch the first season of Hajime no Ippo , and Yowamushi Pedal is fun too without having to like sports.
Then check out Daiya no Ace (baseball), Haikyuu!(Volleyball) and Ping Pong (which is less traditional as Enzo says).
The thing i don’t like about the sailor moon remake is a hybrid of the fact its being animated by Toei Animation, who’s animation ability has been pretty of low quality since the 2000s (try to name one visually competent~impressive series from the 2000s+) and the fact the designs is being helmed by someone (Yukie Sako) who (according to ANN) has no mention of any other character designs besides this. If you look at it that angle it doesn’t look good.
The series also suffered delays for the series, implying that there is some problems with the series, one can believe that Toei is having problems animating the series, and to me the PV shows precisely that.
Im still going to watch it for nostalgia sake, but i can guarantee say that i will groan at some obvious quality drop in animation because Toei Animation.
Hope that provides some insight for discussion.
Kyousougiga springs to mind without even checking.
If you say so then it must be true.
i watched the preview of sailor moon and i think this is good they was make them look exactly like the manga and the animation is good but not the art style
This season, I count three shoujo series. One (Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii) is a manga adaptation, while two (Kiniro no Corda and Kamigami no Asobi) are otome game adaptations.
Most (myself included) don’t consider otome games part of the shoujo demographic, though of course it depends on the game. At best, it’s a stretch definition.
\o/
There will be another hyped (I believe) shojo adaptation next season though? Ao Haru Ride. Is it not in the summer fever at all? 🙁
It’s on my radar – it actually looks pretty decent to me.
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun and Barakamon are two series I’m *really* looking forward to. Nozaki-kun has made me laugh so hard it hurts. Barakamon is just a really good manga.
Rail Wars and Blade Dance look interesting, but could wind up generic LN adaptations. Hanayamata and Himegoto also look interesting, but for wildly divergent reasons.
And as someone who has worked in hot glass before, I’m curious about Glasslip. It it just going to be cute girls aiming to be gaffers, or will it have substance? (Hoping it has substance!)
SAO2 and KanColle… kinda sorta care, kinda sorta don’t. If they’re good, I’ll watch. I still don’t get KanColle, but I understand that marketing-wise, it’s well-done.
It’s not coming this summer, but I really can’t wait for the next season of Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabu Kome ga Macchigatteiru. Love the books. Can’t wait to see them animated.
“Watch 5 episodes of JoJo and you’ll be straight again” <- Best comment ever
TAKAII: I am with you! I will watch SAO 2 with you =) because… I actually liked it? I mean I didn’t LOVE it, but I thought it was decent and good… and probably some of the better anime that I saw that year (albiet, I DIDN’T WATCH A LOT! lol =P need to put that disclaimer out there). Also with you on Sailor Moon – it was like… the only thing I watched for years of my childhood. That and Dragonball Z so I guess I got a good balance of muscular men and girly pow pow o_o
I like how everytime you guys mentioned guys being gay – you had to add “NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!” lol just to ensure you guys don’t offend anyone =P
Regarding SAO Season 2: Not interested/pass. That being said, for Takaii, Cherrie and others who plan to watch, hope it turns out well for them.
Regarding Kancolle anime: I agree that it is very likely the anime will do well in Japan given the game’s popularity, all the doujinshi/fan made materials, etc. However, I do question how popular the show will be outside of the Japanese market. It strikes me as a very niche show (military/WWII) rather than something that might appeal to a wider audience.
From listening to the podcast, Enzo, Takaii and Zanibas seem to have little interest in watching the anime. Personally, I plan to watch since I fall into that niche (WWII).
Well, wasn’t GuP also supposed to be a niche show? I think if it’s a good show, people will watch.
@SK: “Well, wasn’t GuP also supposed to be a niche show?”
True. Girls und Panzer is one of my favorite anime, and as I posted in my end of season comment, I think GuP is a rare niche show that just about every anime fan can enjoy. I am NOT suggesting people shouldn’t give Kancolle anime a try if they are interested, but I would NOT go into it with expectations of another GuP.
WWII history is thoroughly woven throughout Kancolle – much more so IMO it is in GuP. Kancolle may very well turn out to be “good” (I certainly hope so since I plan to watch), and yet still remain tailored to its established fan base. Frankly, at this point, not much is even known about the anime other than the director, studio and three characters. It may or may not be based upon the Fubuki manga.
Meh – “typo” in my above post to SK. First sentence, 2nd paragraph missing the word “than”. Should read “…much more so IMO than it is in GuP.” Sorry about that.
Fair enough, I certainly wouldn’t go in expecting GuP. I also happen to have an interest in WWII (particularly the Pacific theater), so I’m planning to watch this as well. I just feel that it could be a show where having some knowledge of WWII ships is a bonus, not a necessity. Given the dearth of information so far, though, we’ll just have to wait and see.
I’m in line with some others in thinking that Kancolle should be compared more to Strike Witches than GuP. GuP was a unique take on the cute girls doing cute things trope by adding in something literally out of left field: tanks. This brought together both SoL (and to a degree sports) lovers and military nerds, not an easy feat all things considered. I’m really hoping for a second season, it tickles my tank loving nerve something fierce.
Kancolle, however, looks to be more narrowly focused as it literally is centered around 20th Century naval vessels personified as girls. Similar to how Strike Witches is a niche show, Kancolle is unlikely to strive for anything more than warships, girls, and fan service. Although of course I don’t think anyone knows yet what to expect from the show.
@Pancakes
I think it has similarities to Uppote! and Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio since all three have objects that are personified as girls. GuP and SW are girls that utilize machines that either are, or analogous to, WWII tanks and planes respectively.
There is very little info on Kancolle that I’ve been able to find (except the game). No PV’s that I’m aware of for example, which is strange IMO. It might follow the manga but that’s just a guess.
@SK – “I also happen to have an interest in WWII (particularly the Pacific theater)”
Nice to “meet” another WWII enthusiast. 😀 I’m probably more knowledgeable about the ETO than the Pacific Theater. Any good books to recommend on the topic? [RC sorry if this is too OT]
— “I just feel that it could be a show where having some knowledge of WWII ships is a bonus, not a necessity.”
I agree that it is certainly possible, but I do question how probable that is. It’s hard for me to imagine divorcing the bulk of the IJN stuff from Kancolle without significant risk of alienating the core fan base. Given the franchise popularity, I don’t see why they would risk that. Still, like you said, there’s a dearth of information so who knows at this point.
——————————————-
@Pancakes “I’m in line with some others in thinking that Kancolle should be compared more to Strike Witches than GuP”
I agree that Strike Witches is probably closer to Kancolle than GuP, but IMO Strike Witches is not that much of a niche anime. There is hardware for the WWII/military “otaku” viewers, but I don’t think you need any WWII knowledge to enjoy the show. IMO there is more to Strike Witches then just the fanservice. In fact, the movie had relatively little fanservice.
The anime which I think is most comparable to Kancolle is Upotte!! though Kancolle certainly has the potential to be better.
@Pancakes – forgot something.
FYI regarding GuP – The 60 minute GuP Anzio Battle OVA will be released in July (July 5th for theaters, and July 25th DVD/BD). PV for the OVA looks really good IMO. The GuP movie (which is said to take place after the anime ends) is still scheduled for theater release before year end.
I hope the new sailor moon remake will inspire future mahou shoujo writers to include the female demographic again in their stories and have male rivals or love interest.
Jibril, there are people here who’re in need of help with difficult words like “gay” and “fujoshi”…
About the fandom-that-must-not-be-named(?) they’ve existed ever since there were shounen mangas (as a shounen fan who’s been around the internet..I know..I still remember a traumatic experience when I accidentally clicked on a slam dunk doujinshi link). The fact that their financial power (in terms of DVD and Blu-ray sales) hasn’t been recognized until now…I’m guessing it’s linked to the increase in expediency of online shopping.
That may be, but I’ll tell you this – massive amounts of retail space are targeted at that demographic here. An entire day of Comiket is geared towards those fans, and there are events and doujin fairs pretty much every weekend. It’s a proud group that loves to get together and share their passions, and doesn’t especially seem tied in to the anonymity of online shopping in order to flex their commercial muscles.
Ah, Ouran High School Host Club. Good memories. One of the few anime adaptations that ended up better than the original source.
Huh, a lot of people actually take MAL’s rating seriously? News to me, shows what I know. I mean, several shows I like (like, yes, Gaworare) get low ratings while Guilty Crown nearly gets an eight. So yeah, I ignored them the moment I noticed that.
Also, I actually kind of like Wixoss. A Madoka rip-off it is, but a pretty decently well done one. It’s not the kind of crummy clone that, say, Daybreak Illusion was, and I can at least take it seriously despite a pacing that’s a wee bit too slow and the occasional melodrama.
And I hated SAO, but I’m going to watch this second season anyway. For purposes of bile fascination, this time. I do love me some unintentional comedy.
Decently? With the forced drama, mostly unlikeable characters, pathetic reasons to play card game (oh my, those wishes… I’m speechless) and unreasonable scenes (like 1 bitch blocking with her leg 3 girls and forcing them to give her their mails). After first episode it gave me a little of Madoka vibes but it sunk almost immediately. Now I’m watching it only to laugh at this.
Forced drama is mere opinion, because I’ve seen far worse (Soredemo Sekai this season comes to mind) and I don’t find the characters unlikeable (they’re messed up in the head, but that makes them interesting). The wishes aspect is pretty similar to Madoka, really, and the scene you describe seems rather reasonable to me when concerning people who are intimidated.
So no, I don’t think it’s a bad show. Not upper tier, but there’s far worse shows I’m watching this season (like Mahouka).
One of the series I’m waiting for is Akame ga kill. Honestly I’ve never read it but really it gets so much hype on the manga websites I might-us-well check it out. Then there’s Dramatical Murder (just to see how much its butchered with the removal of all gay-scenes like Blood of the Reprimanded dog did), amongst with many others. This summer does look like a strong season, and hopefully I have more than just 3 shows I’m watching at the moment from Spring…because its summer, the only time I can afford the time spent in front of the computer.
I think the whole backlash with the sailor moon remake’s art direction has to do with the small, triangulated heads, thin upper bodies, and long lanky legs of the characters. It’s probably the faces that are throwing fans for a loop. The character designs almost harken back to an 80’s anime look. Im also assuming the way the shading and color gradience look on the characters just doesnt vibe well with the fans of the old series. I think people would have been more accepting of the designs if they didnt look so sharp, probably something like SAO character designs would have appeased the fanbase. I think most were expecting a more modern look to the art and where disappointed when it ended up looking….not modern. Im prefectly fine with what we got; it looks just like the manga’s design.
Not to mention SAO’s designs are tasteless. *sips tea*
I dont think they are tasteless; I find a certain appeal to them although there are character designs from other artist i prefer more.
Kantai Collection is the next Touhou type craze with a little Strike Witches mixed in for good measure.
Easy pass.
I’m saddened that you guys aren’t covering Brynhildr and WIXOSS
Enzo is covering Brynhildr on his blog if that’s any consolation.
Is there any reason why it’s not on RC? Because of a different format?
Yup, different format for the images. We require more pictures, in a certain format, with certain naming conventions, etc. etc.
Indeed, I am covering Brynhildr, yes. Link in the post intro.
Zani is pretty much right. I often end up using as many or even more caps on LiA now, but the image and post formatting is completely different and every time I do a post on RC, it’s effectively doing the entire post from scratch apart from the content itself. Different software (in my case even a different computer, by necessity). If I was only covering a few shows it wouldn’t be a big deal, but time is my most precious resource at the moment so really, my hands are tied.
Don’t compare kantai to touhou, kantai lacks everything that makes touhou good, kantai don’t have stories or awesome music or even character that have interesting personalities. Kantai being popular is probably the most puzzling thing ever, it would probably die off soon. Kantai is far from touhou in terms of everything including popularity.
Will the Summer preview be coming out relatively soon?
So I tried to get this working on my podcast app to no avail. Is there an RSS feed specifically for the podcast, or is that still in the works?
I’ll try to get these working soon, but was just curious on that.
And stuff.