1st April 2020 with Dr. Jonathan Clements

Jeremy Graves and Andy Hanley welcome special guest Dr. Jonathan Clements to the podcast to discuss a boat load of topics to bring new nearly two hours of audio!

We've intentionally steered away from talking about the current state of play around the world on recent episodes, but with Jonathan being based in Finland and being on the pulse when it comes to Asian culture, we'd be remiss if we didn't get his experiences and take on things. But during that discussion you'll also discover that during lockdown he has introduced his son to the world of Studio Ghibli for the first-time! If you want to know what he watched, you'll have to listen and find out!

From there we move onto discussing some news that has broken since our last episode; first of all is the fact that NEO Magazine announced that due to the current goings on they will be going on hiatus for a while.

Then we touch on the breaking news (within an hour or so of us recording) that Masaaki Yuasa is stepping down from his role as president of the studio Science Saru. We look at what this means, but also tell you why, when it comes to future works of Masaaki Yuasa, you shouldn't worry too much.

From there we move onto tackling some questions and topics of conversation send it by you, the listeners! Topics covered (but not limited to) include dream titles we'd like to see receive an ultimate edition; merchandise, recent "must watch" anime; working conditions of animators in Japan, whether we think dubs fit better for an anime not set in Japan compared those that are, and more!

Then, as a primer for the show on Friday where it'll be our second watch-a-long discussion style episode focusing on episodes 1-3 of Megalo Box, Jonathan delves into the history of the Ashita no Joe / Tomorrow's Joe franchise - which Megalo Box is a 50th Anniversary commemoration project of - to really help set the scene for the importance of the franchise and how Megalo Box is a very unique undertaking in itself. (There's also a story Jonathan shares about Tomorrow's Joe that relating to him directly that you need to hear to believe.)

And if that wasn't enough - yes, there's more! - as we're closing out the show Jonathan makes it known that his adaptation of Death Note is now available on Audible in France! And that sparks a conversation about this came about and the casting choice for the French language version as it features the same cast in the French dub of the Death Note anime!

There's a heck of a lot packed into nearly two hours, but definitely worth a listen!

APPROX TIME CODES FOR THIS EPISODE -

00:00 - 16:14, Intro, what lockdown life in Finland is like; what Ghibli Jonathan introduced his son to during this time!

16:15 - 49:54, Intro continued, NEWS: NEO Magazine going on hiatus; NEWS: Masaaki Yuasa retires as President of Science Saru

59:55 - 1:30:11, Questions/topics from the community

1:30:12 - 1:43:33, Megalo Box discussion primer: Jonathan Clements on the history of Ashita no Joe

1:43:34 - 1:54:14 [END], Close Show; discussion on Jonathan's adaptation of Death Note.