Anime is Lit

We were thrilled to get the chance to talk about Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju with Giancarlo on the Subtitled Anime podcast! In this episode we get emotional (and analytical) about this brilliant show laden with themes of identity, family and the artist. Enjoy this episode and check out the rest of the Subtitled Anime podcast!

******HUGE SPOILERS FOR ALL OF SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU Seasons 1 & 2********

Original Episode Shownotes: Welcome to The Subtitled Podcast, a biweekly anime podcast hosted by Giancarlo Navas with a rotating panel of members from around the anime community. In this episode Giancarlo is joined by Danny and K in discussions that involve: • Rakugo and its race for AOTY • Discussions about Rakugo's central themes and prodcution • How gender is portrayed in Rakugo • Gianni shares his experience watching the Silent Voice dub • K and Danny tell Gianni about "reverend Vic Migniona" • Gianni volunteers why he loves Eupho … and so much more _ _ _ _ _ Link to the Silent Voice video on composition Rakugo video on death

Contact us: @animeislitpod and email: [email protected]

This episode we cover "Tales from Earthsea", the Goro Miazaki-directed adaptation of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea novels. We talk about what Ursula Le Guin means to us and then dive in to the film's unique production, story and thematic shortfalls.

***Spoilers for the movie and bits of the Earthsea cycle books***

Link to Ursula Le Guin's blog post of her reaction to the film

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

Ending song: "Theru no Uta" from the Tales From Earthsea sountrack

We were delighted to guest on Warui Deshou with our friends TheSubtleDoctor and Shadon about Devilman Crybaby! This is a more free-form discussion with lots of laughs, but together we hit some moments of real discovery and depth. Discussions include the running metaphor, what the ending means, the show's depiction of Satan, LGBTQ+ representation, the nature of the show's violence, character acting, who is best boy, the show as cautionary tale, dope music, Donald Trump's cameo, and a whole lot more.

It was a blast to record, so it ended up quite long, but see the timestamp outline for a guide and the link to the original shownotes here.

***SPOILERS FOR ALL OF DEVILMAN CRYBABY***

Follow @waruideshou on soundcloud & twitter!

Contact us: @animeislitpod and email: [email protected]

Timecodes:

00:00:00 – Opening Bits

00:02:42 – Introductions

00:06:12 – Ice Breaker Game – Which anime title would you be embarrassed to say out loud, "I am watching _______" to a non-nerd you respect?

00:19:30 – Devilman Crybaby Historical context – Go Nagai, Masaki Yuasa, Netflix

00:34:53 – SPOILER FREE plot summary and We Sell You On Crybaby

01:07:57 – [SPOILERS FROM HERE ON] Discussion Topic 1: Favorite Scenes

01:55:01 – Discussion Topic 2: Satan!

02:13:50 – Discussion Topic 3: Akira And Miki

02:29:30 – Discussion Topic 4: Some Dude Dissed Crybaby On The Internet

02:34:56 – Discussion Topic 5: To Run

02:47:34 – Discussion Topic 6: The Ending

03:14:32 – Discussion Topic 7: Post Credits aka TIME LOOP

03:27:26 – Discussion Topic 8: Final Thoughts & Why Crybaby Impacted Us so Much

03:36:36 – Correspondance

03:54:45 – Outro

This month we couldn't resist taking a bite out of the recent Netflix phenomenon, DEVILMAN Crybaby. We talk about our personal reactions, the show's surprisingly optimistic thesis, horniness, queer elements, and why we're glad we followed the hype down this incredible rabbit hole of apocalypse and love. On the literary side, we also dive into the show's relation to Satyr Plays in Greek Tragedy and its use of Greek Chorus through Wamu's hip-hop crew.

SPOILER WARNINGS for all of Devilman Crybaby. Content Warning for discussions of the show's treatment of violence and sexual assault.

Intro: Devilman no Uta / AVU-chan by アヴちゃん Outtro: Konyadake by Takkyu and Tavito

Link to the interview we referenced: https://blog.sakugabooru.com/2018/01/08/devilman-crybaby-interview-with-director-masaaki-yuasa/

Next month we will be back on schedule releasing our episode on Goro Miyazaki's Tales From Earthsea.

This month we're covering Time of Eve (Eve no Jikan), a short but fantastic ONA series from 2008 about a cafe where both androids and people are welcome and indistinguishable from one another.

This episode is spoiler-free for those of you who have yet to watch!

We talk about the laws, social structure, and culture of the show's setting, and what it says about human perception and interaction.

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

Opening/Ending song: "Eve no Jikan" (main theme) by Tohru Okada

Welcome to our Drunk Evangelion bonus episode! This time we get personal, talk about our feelings, and wax drunk-poetic about the purpose of art and literary criticism.

**SPOILERS for Evangelion**

Link to full gospel choir ending theme video: https://www.facebook.com/MyACGG/videos/1307544232610550

By request, this episode is a podcast version of the panel we presented at Kumoricon 2017 on the Evangelion Mythos and trying the plot arcs together. We try to give some context to the more vague plot elements, and talk through the psychological narrative, which fuels the story's climax from beginning to end.

Drunk Eva is coming next as a bonus episode!

**Spoiler warning for the Evangelion anime and films**

Links to the visuals/timeline from our panel: https://animeislitpod.wordpress.com/2017/11/13/episode-5-evangelion-resources/

Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]

Opening song: "Cruel Angel's Thesis" by Yoko Takahashi, Ending song: "Fly Me To The Moon", Megumi Hayashibara

This time we're diving into Natsume Yuujinchou, also known as Natsume's Book of Friends, with our very special guest Ethan. We discuss why the show resonates with us, how it uses short story techniques to build the overarching emotional storyline, and the use of mental illness allegory. Join us as we talk about one of our favorite shows and unpack what make it so meaningful.

*Note: the name of the Eastern story technique Ethan described is "Kishōtenketsu".

Ethan's Twitter @autonomousbagel

Follow us @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]

Opening song: "Floria" by Tomohisa Sako Ending song: "Natsu Yuuzora Sky" by Kousuke Atari

Narration in Anime: The Tatami Galaxy and Beyond aka "This Podcast is (Not) About Evangelion"

Welcome to our jam-packed episode on narration in anime! Starting with The Tatami Galaxy and branching from there, we cover different techniques and styles of narration including the minimalist, overbearing, unreliable and even fourth wall-breaking. We discuss how these styles affect the show and the viewer, and why they shape the story's meaning and enjoyment. Emotional contextualization IS storytelling!

All shows mentioned are spoiler-free, so don't worry if you haven't seen them all!

Titles in order of discussion:

The Tatami Galaxy Princess Jellyfish Princess Tutu Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu Kino's Journey March Comes In Like a Lion His and Her Circumstances (KareKano) Space Patrol LuLuCo Arakawa Under the Bridge Baccano! UtaKoi (Chouyaku Hyakuninissu: Uta Koi) [Evangelion, unavoidably] "What Is Art?" = SOLVED

Contact Info: Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]

Opening song: "Kamisama no Iutoori" by Juuji Ishiwatari & Yoshinori Sunahara + Etsuko Yakushimaru Ending Song: "Maigo Inu to Ame no Beat" by Asian Kung Fu Generation

Everything Thunderbolt Fantasy! Even though it's not technically anime, we talk about the creation of Thunderbolt Fantasy, how medium affects storytelling and why the show watches like a good DnD campaign. Our web page with articles and extra info on Budaixi, PILI, and Thunderbolt Fantasy: https://animeislitpod.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/thunderbolt-fantasy/ Intro/Outro music is "Raimei" by T.M.Revolution Twitter: @animeislitpod Email: [email protected]