Anime is Lit

***This episode is Part 2 of our Gankutsuou series, which contains spoilers for both the anime and the book. Please listen to the previous episode first!Welcome to Masterpiece Theatre… I mean, Masterpiece Anime…

Here to fully make good on our podcast’s name, we’re ready to go full Literature Analysis Mode on some actual literature with Gankutsuou and its book of origin “The Count of Monte Cristo”. Joined by Vrai Kaiser, we cover everything from the funny bits to the twists, tragedies, and the Gay Stuff, including the gay stuff from the book that the anime somehow redacted?? There’s lots to unpack, and we bothered to read this entire long book, so prepare to hear all about it and more! The very cool early-in-production Gankutsuou trailer that we refer to

Where to find us: Vrai’s Twitter and Blog Listen to more of Vrai on the Anime Feminist podcast and Trash & Treasures pod Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected] Anime is Lit direct feed

Welcome to Masterpiece Theatre… I mean, Masterpiece Anime?

Finally, Anime is Lit covers the most Literature of Anime - “Gankutsuou”, the artistic 2004 adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic (and long) novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” …IN SPACE! with vampires!

Joined by Gankustuou aficionado Vrai Kaiser, we explore the anime’s approach to the novel, as well as the thematic contrasts, visual design, and the creators’ own inspirations. This episode is a spoiler-free discussion for fans and newbies alike. We cover plenty of interesting aspects from our research on both the original text and the anime’s creation, which we hope will encourage newcomers to watch the anime. All the spoilers are all hiding in the second half our our discussion for our next episode. Links mentioned in the episode:

Vrai’s blog posts

Interview with director Maeda (in French)

NPR Article discussing the racialized French terminology for “Ghost writer” and Dumas

Article by Lizzie Visitante

The awesome Gankutsuou figure Vrai mentioned

Where to find us:

Vrai’s Twitter and Blog Listen to more of Vrai on the Anime Feminist podcast and Trash & Treasures pod

Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected] Anime is Lit direct feed

Part 2 of our NANA discussion, complete with spoilers. Our guest Meru (@pixelatedlenses) goes with us on a deep dive through the well-crafted storytelling and the inherent feminism woven into all its fibers. NANA candidly goes places few anime ever do, and we sift through the complexity of its portrayals of sexuality, race, gender, heteronormative expectations, friendships, and the characters' own internal lives. We also discuss the narrative framing, highly effective symbolism, and allusions to the real life Sid Vicious, exploring how they enhance the ideas already present in the story.

Opening theme: "Lucy" by Anna Tsuchiya inspi' Nana (Black Stones) Ending theme: "Winter Sleep" by Olivia Inspi' Reira (Trapnest)

Where to find us:

Meru’s Twitter  and Carrd

Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]Anime is Lit direct feed

We're back with another classic among sapphics: NANA. Joined by our wonderful guest Meru (@pixelatedlenses), we talk about our love for this series, its characters, and the maturity of its storytelling. We also dive into the music and fashion of the show, and the strengths and weaknesses in its reflections on gender, race and relationships. This episode is part one of our Nana discussion — a spoiler-free introduction safe for those who haven't seen the show. Join us in episode 19 for part two where we dig a little deeper into the drama and what it has to say. Opening theme: "Rose" by Anna Tsuchiya inspi' Nana (Black Stones) Ending theme: "a little pain" by Olivia Inspi' Reira (Trapnest)

Where to find us:

Meru’s Twitter  and Carrd

Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]Anime is Lit direct feed

Continuing part 2 of our discussion on the classic shoujo masterpiece Dear Brother (Oniisama e), now no-holds-barred, all-spoilers-all-the time. Dawn and Diana are with us to go in-depth about the themes, characters, tragedy, romance, metaphors, symbols, and what makes this show so effective at everything it has to say.

*****This episode is part 2 of 2, please note the following content warnings for topics we discuss in relation to Dear Brother: Suicide and extensive suicidal ideation, drug addiction, abuse, bullying, disease, minor sexual assault themes, and romantic love between siblings. ****

Links:

Watch Dear Brother streaming for free on RetroCrush (as of July 2021)

Dear Brother on Blu-Ray from Rightstuf Anime

Where to find us:

Dawn’s podcast Anime Nostalgia

Dawn’s Twitter Diana’s Twitter

Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]

Anime is Lit direct feed

We’re back with a supercast on the unmissable classic shoujo masterpiece Dear Brother (Oniisama e)! Joined by our friends Dawn (of the Anime Nostalgia podcast) and Diana, we talk about the show’s rich history, its multi-genre nature, and what makes it such a master work—both within anime as a medium and in our own hearts.

This episode is part 1 of 2, an entirely spoiler-free discussion of the history and creators of Dear Brother, as well as the stories, themes, and dramatic techniques the anime uses. Each one of us deeply loves this series and we hope to convince you to watch it before listening to part 2 (next episode in our feed), where there will be spoilers.

**The anime of Dear Brother includes several heavy and sensitive topics, so before watching please note the following content warnings: Suicide and extensive suicidal ideation, drug addiction, abuse, bullying, disease, and romantic love between siblings. We discuss these warnings within the episode, but our discussion in Part 1 does not dwell on any of these topics.

Links to information referenced in this episode:

Watch Dear Brother streaming for free on RetroCrush (as of July 2021)

Dear Brother on Blu-Ray from Rightstuf Anime

Anime Nostalgia episode on Legend of the Galactic Heroes with Dawn & Diana

Erica Friedman’s blog posts about Dear Brother on Okazu Post 1, Post 2

Anime News Network article from 1998 referencing Technogirls fansubbers finding employment

Where to find us:

Dawn’s podcast Anime Nostalgia

Dawn’s Twitter Diana’s Twitter

Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]Anime is Lit direct feed

Come on, come on! On a journey!

We're back again with a real anime, an underrated gem from creator Natsume Ono titled "ACCA: 13 Territory Inspection Dept." for some jazzy good times, joined by special guest and ACCA expert CC. The first half of the episode is spoiler free and covers much about the setting, style, and background behind the show and manga, and the second half dives into the symbolism and foreshadowing woven throughout the series, with spoilers.

Timestamps:

4:16 - Intro to anime & production

26:53 - Explanation/Discussion of the various 13 Districts

53:17 - Manga vs Anime and Natsume Ono's other works

59:44 to End - SPOILER WARNING

CC on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]

Opening/Ending music: "Shadow and Truth" by ONE III NOTES

Links we mentioned in the show:

ACCA 13 Artbook

Artbook of Backgrounds

DVD Booklet

Compilation of Nino saying "Jean"

Carabinieri uniform the ACCA uniforms were based on:

Is The Witcher anime? It's definitely literature, and we decided it's anime enough for this podcast! K and Danny are joined by our friend Elise to talk about the recent Netflix adaptation of The Witcher. Elise helps us compare to the books and games, and we talk about themes, writing, amazing female characters, the difference a female showrunner makes, and our excitement about the series (and Geralt's ass).

[Contains mild spoilers for the Netflix "The Witcher" series, but is spoiler-free for the books/games.]

Elise on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]

Opening/Ending music: "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" from Netflix's The Witcher OST (and now it's stuck in your head, too)

It's the ultimate Chihayafuru cast, brought to you right at the dawn of Chihayafuru Season 3's airing! We assembled the biggest fans of this anime that we know (AnimatedInk of Anigamers, and returning guest Heidi) to talk about its masterful uses of genre, character, gender, history and poetry itself to create an unforgettable story. If you're looking to start Chihayafuru or are a longtime fan, both are welcome for this discussion!

We really dig into the history and nuances of karuta itself, as well as the 100 Poems that the cards are based off of. We each share our personal favorite poems and gush about our favorite characters and elements of the story. Join us for a rich exploration and a fun time!

Ink on Twitter, his podcasts Oldtaku no Radio and Taiiku Podcast, and the Anigamers website.

Heidi's Twitter, Tumblr and Tesla Cosplay, (the cosplay group all 3 of us belong to) Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected] Online resources we used for English translations of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu/100 Poems: 1 | 2

Links to articles Ink has written on Chihayafuru (check them out!) "Poetic Propaganda" | Interview with Masao Maruyama | Chihayafuru Review

Link to the Crunchyroll "Anime vs. Real Life" article Danny mentioned

Intro song: "YOUTHFUL" by 99RadioService Outro: "STAR" by 99RadioService

We were pleased to guest on Oh No, Anime! with our longtime podcasting friend Marc for a series about the Lore of Evangelion. This is a deep-dive into a synthesized understanding of the construction of the world and events that make up the NGE series. Here is Part 2!

From the Oh No, Anime! feed:

"I'm joined once again by Danny and K of Anime is Lit! to finish our outline of the timeline of events leading up to the Evangelion TV show.

You can find the soul timeline/chart we talked about HERE."

Where to find Oh No, Anime! -

Website | YouTube | iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud | Twitter

@AnimeisLitPod on twitter [email protected]