The Anime Noise Podcast

[ANP | S3 | EP2]

Sometimes, the creative spark ignites from the unlikeliest of changes – like trading our spacious master bedroom for a more intimate space to supercharge our podcasting endeavors. That's precisely what we've done, and in this episode, Emily and I unfold the story behind this unconventional switch-up. We divulge how this drastic reshuffle has revolutionized our daily rhythms and productivity. Meanwhile, our manga library continues to swell, and our calendar is marked with the buzz of upcoming conventions. I'm also thrilled to give you a sneak peek into my passion project: a dynamic manga soundtrack that adapts to your reading tempo, a concept Emily ponders over, considering the intricacies of personalizing such an immersive audio experience.

As we pivot to a more somber note, we tackle the underbelly of the anime world, peeling back the layers on the financial woes plaguing animators, and the systemic snags within production committees. We dissect the knots of low project bids, outsourcing, and the troubling descent in animation quality. Engage with us as we confront the piracy debate, and map out how we plan to leverage our platform for constructive industry reform. To lighten the mood, we switch gears to muse over the parenting rollercoaster, drawing parallels and contrasts between generations, and sharing our enthusiasm for 'My Hero Academia's new chapter. We round off the conversation with a glimpse into the post-pandemic societal landscape as seen through the eyes of Generation Alpha – a cohort as wild as they are wise.

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[ANP | S3 | EP1]

Step into the arena of the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards with Episode 1 of Anime Noise Podcast! We're dissecting the highs, the lows, and everything in-between. Who took home the gold, and who left us scratching our heads? We've got all the deets, dished out with our signature John Oliver-inspired flair.

The Breakdown: Dive into our analysis of 5 major categories - the winners, our personal picks, and our predictions. It's the insider look you've been craving!

A Legendary Farewell: Join Garrett as he honors the incomparable Akira Toriyama. It's a memorial segment that pays tribute to a true pioneer in the anime world.

Looking Ahead: Get a sneak peek at next week's episode, where we navigate the stormy seas of anime piracy. The dos, the don'ts, and the downright questionable.

Stay Connected:
Craving more Anime Noise goodness? Follow us on Instagram and TikTok [@animenoisepodcast], and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel [Anime Noise]. We're just getting started, and you won't want to miss a beat!

With our roots in anime music and branches reaching out to all corners of anime and gaming, we're here to enrich your auditory experience. Let's make some noise together!

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[ANP | S3 | EP0]

🚀 We're back and better than ever! After a two-year hiatus, join us on Anime Noise Podcast as we dive headfirst into what's been filling our world - from the anime that's kept us glued to our screens to the melodies that moved us. In this comeback episode, we're not just catching up; we're redefining our journey. 🎶✨

👾 From the latest hits we've been binging to a sneak peek into the revamped structure of our episodes, we're laying it all out. Plus, we're setting the stage for Episode 1, where we'll unpack all the highs and lows of the recent Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Did your favorites win? We've got opinions, and we're not afraid to share them.

💥 What's New?
* 📺 Discussing the anime that's captivated us these past two years.
* 🔄 A fresh take on our episode formats - more music, more anime, more everything!
* 🏆 Teasing our next episode where we'll dive into the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Expect hot takes, surprises, and everything in between.

📣 Join the Anime Noise Family!
Don't miss out on any of our antics or insights. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok [@animenoisepodcast], subscribe to our YouTube Channel [AnimeNoise], and connect with us on MyAniList. Your support means the world, and we can't wait to share this new chapter with you.

🎉 Why Tune In?
Apart from our unwavering love for anime, we're both musicians with a keen ear for the soundtracks that give life to our favorite shows. As we expand our horizons to cover all things anime and gaming, you're in for a ride filled with expert insights, hearty laughs, and maybe a few surprises.

🔊 So, are you ready to make some noise? Because Anime Noise Podcast is not just about anime; it's a celebration of the culture, the music, and the community that makes it all worthwhile. Let's kickstart this adventure together - back in the game, son!

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The perfect anime to review on this podcast; Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad also ranks a solid 8.29 on MyAnimeList and is considered one of the greatest anime of its genre. We fell in love with this anime mostly because the music is amazing but also because it is so unbelievably relatable for Emily and I. All the trials and tribulations of discovering a new passion, learning and developing a talent, forming a band, gigging with that band, and finding success all while coming of age. The only critique we had for Beck was that the animators didn't animate the instrument playing correctly haha but it didn't take away from the story itself! However, we were very impressed by the voice acting from both the Sub and Dub versions of the show. Either one is a great watch! So go watch it!

Final Rating: 6.5/7 (-0.5 for not releasing an OST with the background score)

YouTube Playlist: AN-37: Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad

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What do you do when your very brief career as a Jedi Knight apprentice comes to a screeching halt cause the Empire wants to execute you? You turn your broken lightsaber into a microphone and start a fucking rock band!!

This episode of Visions was truly a fun watch. Angsty teen dreams of rock-stardom and winning over the hearts of your adversaries with your music; needless to say, it was very relatable to our infamous podcast hosts and warmed their hearts with feelings of nostalgia.

That being said, the music wasn't very "Star Wars" but it was certainly enjoyable. All the themes for the band of protagonists were great and fit the characters really well. They were just so short. We wanted more!

Without further ado, time to join in the adventurous feelings of rock n' roll youth!

Final Rating: 3.75/7

YouTube Playlist: AN-34: Star Wars Visions (Tatooine Rhapsody)

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Break out the hippie crack cause this anime is TRIPPY. Seriously, I don't think it would be inappropriate to serve this anime with a helping of psilocybin mushrooms and a side of whip-its... Just make sure you've got a healthy state of mind cause this show is brutal and freaky enough to send you spiraling into a bad trip.

Okay, maybe we'll save the psychedelics for the OST.

Dorohedoro translates to "mud-sludge" in english and the music unit that composed the score, (K)Now_NAME, did a phenomenal job capturing the setting and emotional feel of "The Hole," the fictional city where most of the Dorohedoro plot takes place. "The Hole" acts as a kind of sewer or gutter where the litter, scum and magical waste of the sorcery world ends up creating chaos for the poor citizens that live there.  Between the industrial percussion, dark yet mystifying music beds, organized noise, and synthesized instrumentation that felt organic, the composers nailed the world building in this score. From Black Sabbath, Deftones and Slipknot to Billie Eilish and classic horror film scores, you can hear all the musical influences from piece to piece yet the music still feels incredibly unique.

If you aren't already impressed, (K)Now_NAME also composed and arranged the OP and all 6 ending sequences as well, working hand in hand with the author of the manga, Q Hayashida, who wrote all the lyrics.

Dorohedoro is without a doubt interesting and just downright weird. The story hooks you in, the characters are very well written and the music was super fun to analyze. So, without further ado, let's dive into "The Hole."

Final Rating: 6/7

YouTube Playlist: AN-36: Dorohedoro

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The 1000 Year Blood War Arc is just around the corner, so we decided that it would be a great time to bring on the Ban-kai and board the Bleach band wagon!!

Que the nostalgia! Seriously, so many throw backs and memories from the mid 00's while listening to the audio that made up the first ~18 months of this iconic anime. Like Naruto, Bleach is a member of "The Big Three" and similarly is a bit hit or miss when it comes to the team's musical decision making. However, unlike Naruto, part 1 of Bleach contained much more successful OP's and ED's. As a matter of fact, 7 of the 8 OP/ED sequences landed in Oricon's top #40, 4 of them peaked in the top #10, 3 were top #5 and 1 (the very first OP) went straight to #1 and stayed in the top #20 for almost 6 months. Pretty damn impressive.

The OST was a lot of fun to analyze, especially because all of those pieces were just so damn recognizable and uniquely "Bleach." We did get a bit critical, though, after learning of the jazz background and vast experience that composer Shiro Sagisu had under his belt going into this production. We did our best to not be overly judgmental of the experimental nature of some of these arrangements, but even knowing the music production tech of the times they certainly could have made better compositional and track mixing decisions (like dialing back on the often overused plastic sounding synthesized instruments).

That being said, we think it's a very important OST for anime fans to listen to! So throw on those kimonos, unsheathe your zanpakuto, and lets to a ride the reishi realms of the mid 2000s!!

Final rating: 3.65/7

YouTube Playlist: AN-35: Bleach [Part 1]

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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away Garrett and Emily embark on the journey that is Star Wars Visions. Simply put, we nerd...the fuck...out. Garrett pops a nerd boner talking about the similarities of the episode versus the Star Wars movies and Emily nerds out about the inspiration coming from Akira Kurosawa on both the studio and directors behalf.

AND NOT TO MENTION THE 4-TRACK OST!!! *nailed it* Listen in for the one song we review because it truly depicts the storyline.

At the end of the day, everything about this episode is a job well done. We got so caught up in our own shenanigans that we didn't even rate it! What's wrong with us!? So here it is:

Overall rating: 6.8
(Reasoning: It would have honestly gotten a 7 but it just wasn't enough! We need more, we yearn for more, Keiji Inai!!!)


YouTube Playlist: AN-34: Star Wars Visions

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Well this one passes the OST rating with flying colors compared to the previous one's we've listened to! Wow. Yoshihiro Ike is a musical lord because damn...he got right to the point with these tracks and had us entranced.

He isn't a God compared to original creator, Osamu Tezuka, though. I think we spent just as much time talking about Tezuka and Queen Bee (Ziyoou-vachi) as we did the OST this time. There's just so much information and cool shit happening in this episode ya'll!

This remake of the 1969 anime is jam packed with action, emotional damage (queue meme), and beautiful music. This is something Garrett and Emily can most certainly agree on.

Please check this shit out...ESPECIALLY if you haven't seen it yet! Go watch it on Amazon Video and THEN come back to listen to our musical breakdown. Peace out y'all!

Final Rating: 6.25/7

YouTube Playlist: AN-33: Dororo (2019)

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Finishing out this series (so far) in style with season 2 of Fire Force. We want answers for a lot of things; all the way from how the artists for the OP/ED’s get their inspiration to why this OST was kind of a "goat noise." We were not mad at this OST but we heard the first one, and we want to know where that spark went from returning composer, Kenichiro Suehiro. 

Aimer’s OP is by far our favorite from this season…why did season 1 get all the good themes!!?? More questions and less answers. We always tell you what we think but above else, we are grateful that the director switch up didn’t affect the integrity of the animation/script. We absolutely love Fire Force, especially because it ties into our very first episode, so when you have a storyline so cool, sound design that blows your ears right off of your head and then you have music that doesn’t hold it’s own, it can be a bit disappointing.

Garrett and Emily have differing opinions on this OST, while we agree it's lacking luster, Garrett says the overuse of modulation makes it boring while Emily says the dynamics and modified motif sprinkled into the OST makes up for it. But we came to a consensus. We don’t hate it. We just think some aspects could be better and we hope that with season 3 in production, they absolutely kill it overall. I’d like a 7/7 for that one please, Suehiro-kun! 

We go over some personal shortcomings and achievements within our weekly ramblings but as we state in the episode, we are eternally grateful for your continued listening through this transitional period. Stay tuned for updates about scheduling and upcoming episodes! We strive to give you the best we have and sometimes that means tweaking the system. We love you all and hope your week is full of music, anime and good times!

Final rating: 4.5/7

YouTube Playlist: AN-27: Fire Force [S2]

Instagram: @animenoisepodcast

TikTok: @animenoisepodcast

YouTube Channel: AnimeNoise

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CashApp: $emberbb

Check out our merch on Etsy! AnimeNoiseWorks

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