Zannen, Canada

In another retrospective on anime that have had a unique cultural impact in Canada, Dave Merrill joins me to gush about the legendary space pirate Captain Harlock. Under the localized title "Albator," the 1978 series was once a massive social phenomenon in French-speaking Canada. What made this show resonate so strongly with people? Is it worth checking out today? And... why is Harlock always rocking that Hugo Boss look? Give a listen to find out.

Jarvis Gray joins me to chat about the good times had at Sakura-Con 2017, the shut down of Nyaa and the unexpected impact this might have on people who need clips or can't stream anime, the lost Anne of Green Gables dub and just how blown away we've been by Persona 5.

Remember when Power Rangers was banned in Canada by the CBSC? Pan and I sure do! In this episode we recount the somewhat rocky history of Super Sentai in Canada. Also: the Conservative Party of Canada is holding their leadership conference at the same time and place as Anime North! What could this mean?

Episode breakdown:

3:30 - Pan shares her thoughts on Saban's Power Rangers movie

22:00 - How the CBSC ban affected Power Rangers over many years

1:01:00 - The Conservative Party Toronto Leadership Conference will be at the same venue as Anime North... what can we expect?

Crunchyroll recently released a new dub for the third season of Gintama, one of the few recently produced in Vancouver, BC. Michael Daingerfield, the voice of Gintoki, stops by to talk about his work. Patrick also joins me to dig into the new dub.

Karl and Corey join me to talk about the sad demise of HMV, how the increasingly restrictive US border under 45 may impact Canadian anime fans, and what you might be missing if you don't have an over-the-air antenna. Also, more musing about anime on CBC.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 - HMV closure

24:00 - The implications of the recent US travel ban

35:00 - Karl becomes enamoured once again with over-the-air local television

57:00 - It's time to demand anime on CBC

1:04:00 - A few words on the new Samurai Jack

Has Beyblade had a unique cultural impact in Canada? I'm still a little on the fence, but Ashley and Noah join me to make a pretty solid argument.

Try to find some kind of complacency in this tumultuous 2016 holiday season as Jesse, Eryn, Ian and Randy recount our favourite movies, TV shows, comics and video games from the past year. If you weren’t paying attention to DC’s new Hannah-Barbera comics already, you might want to reconsider now.

Episode Breakdown

2:00 - A look back at anime in Canada over the past year, whether streaming, broadcast or theatrical

26:30 - We share our favourite media from the past year

1:50:00 - What we’re looking forward to in 2017

Lissa Pattillo from Seven Seas Entertainment talks about how the manga market has changed over the years, how important it is for the industry to have stuff on TV and the perils of bringing manga (smutty or otherwise) over the US border.

Episode breakdown:

2:15 - Looking back on Kuriousity and changes in the manga market since then

14:00 - Comparing our market to Europe

21:00 - Overcoming the digital serialization gap

35:46 - Problems with Customs and importing manga in Canada

Crunchyroll recently released electoral-style maps breaking down the most popular new anime in each Canadian province and US state, and man were there some notable differences.

Canadian map: http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2016/10/30-1/feature-crunchyrolls-most-popular-fall-anime-by-provinceterritory

US map: http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/10/27/feature-crunchyrolls-most-popular-fall-anime-by-state

Also, in the off chance that you don't know what a fujoshi is, you might want to do some reading, because this term describes Canadian fandom pretty well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaoi_fandom#Fujoshi

Episode breakdown:

0:30 - Corey talks a bit about his work on "Lucas Bros. Moving Company" and "Major Lazer"

7:30 - We compare the Canadian, US and Australian maps and discuss new shows this season including "Kiss Him, Not Me," "Yuri!!! On Ice," "Drifters" and "Keijo!!!!!!!!"

You must watch "The Secret Path." Directed by Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip, this animated feature recently broadcast on CBC tells the story of Chanie Wenjack who escaped from a residential school in 1966 in a way that no other medium could. Ian Whitcombe joins me to explain why.

"The Secret Path" can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGd764YU9yc

We also take a little time to discuss different subjects, including the end of shomi and the new Escaflowne release from FUNimation.

0:00 - Quick update on the show

2:35 - The Secret Path

25:45 - The death of Shomi

34:50 - New Escaflowne release