Zannen, Canada

With nine different voice actors for Goku and a LOT of bad theme songs, the Dragon Ball franchise has been an odd patchwork in Canada, but not one that has derailed its success in any way. Geoff and Yazy join me to talk about discovering and following Dragon Ball/Z/GT through all its different dubs, and try our best to clear up some misconceptions on why so may different versions hit the airwaves. We have so much fun that we completely forgot to mention that Dragon Ball Evolution aired on YTV at one point.

Lots of amazing theatrical anime release happened in 2018... but you may have noticed that very few of them came to Canada, especially compared to the previous two years. Randy joins me to try and explain the many factors that may have led to this somewhat sorry state of affairs. We also talk about all of the great anime films we did manage to see, despite these setbacks.

Curating the many great anime, TV shows, films, comics and music of 2018 is pretty much an impossible task, but Dave Merrill and Chris (aka Kurotsuki) join me in this holiday special to at least help navigate their personal favourite pieces of media of the year. Hear us discuss about Cells at Work, Joe Pera Talks With You, Hereditary and one really great Macross Delta song. (Don't consider that an endorsement of Macross Delta, though!)

Few things compare to the sheer might in which Goldorak (the French version of UFO Robo Grendizer) took French-speaking Canada by storm when it first debuted in 1978. While not particularly well-loved in Japan, Goldorak has proven to be one of Go Nagai's most impactful creations worldwide, and has influenced youth programming in ways you may not expect - even in the Anglosphere!. But does Goldorak still matter to Quebec and other francophones around the country? Dave Merrill and Chris (aka Kurotsuki) join me to explore the issue, and also help paint one of the best pictures of French-Canadian anime fandom you're likely to find. NOTE: In this episode, we incorrectly state that Goldorak aired on Radio-Canada. It actually aired on TVA! For more extensive information, visit www.zannen.ca Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp: ultraklystron.com/album/packet-flood Jesse's Recommended Grendizer/Goldorak Episodes: 1, 2, 12, 14, 23, 26,

WOW Unlimited will be launching a new television channel soon in collaboration with Bell Media, and the chances are looking very good that it will feature an anime line-up of some kind. Why should anyone care about a linear television channel in this day and age? With some notable heavy hitters behind the scenes, as well as an incredibly strong streaming outlet in the form of Crave, this station and brand may have more of an impact than you'd expect. Karl joins me to discuss the potential benefits, as well as some of the dystopian side effects, of where the broadcast and streaming future of this channel could take anime, as well as the whole damned Canadian media ecosystem. Is that enough hyperbole for you? Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp: ultraklystron.com/album/packet-flood

The Bush Baby, an anime based on a Canadian novel, was one of a minority of World Masterpiece Theatre titles to receive an English dub. This dub aired on TVO and Access Alberta in 1993 and then... vanished. It was thought to be lost forever, until it was finally recovered in its entirety earlier this year. Rania, who had the series archived for years, joins me in a retrospective look back on both the show itself, as well as the story of how this important historical artifact was preserved for so long. Mike Toole also joins us to shed a little bit of light on World Masterpiece Theatre licensing, and why this is such an important find. And yes, he does sing the theme song! Rania's YouTube Channel where The Bush Baby English dub has been uploaded: https://www.youtube.com/user/Talim2004/videos For more extensive information, visit www.zannen.ca Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp: ultraklystron.com/album/packet-flood

Since the early 90s, Raj Ramayya has had a rich career in the Japanese music industry, spanning commercials, to children's shows, to video games and, of course, to anime music collaborations with the likes of Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop and Wolf's Rain) and Kevin Penkin (Made in Abyss). He joins me in this episode to talk about how a foreigner from Saskatchewan could achieve such a prosperous career in Japanese media. For more extensive information, visit http://www.zannen.ca Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp: ultraklystron.com/album/packet-flood

Sarah joins me to talk about Anime Revolution 2018, including the big improvements from last year, as well as complaining about panels that pad out time with Q&A because they can't fill a full hour with proper content. Incidentally, we get through this topic in about 30 minutes, and then proceed to fill the rest of the episode with discussion about current anime shows this season. Sarah's Twitter: @kittyandtea Website: http://www.zannen.ca Twitter: @jbetteridge Podcast Twitter: @zannencanada E-mail: zannencanada@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zannencanada/ Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp: http://ultraklystron.com/album/packet-flood

Why was Mobile Suit Gundam SEED a success here but not the United States? Daryl Surat and Jarvis Gray join me to explain, in yet another retrospective episode on anime that have had a unique cultural impact in Canada. (Honestly though, we spend more time ranting about Gundam SEED Destiny, how that show is unfairly lumped in with its predecessor and why you should NOT watch the new HD remastered version of either series under any circumstances whatsoever.) Website: http://www.zannen.ca Twitter: @jbetteridge Podcast Twitter: @zannencanada E-mail: zannencanada@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zannencanada/ Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp: http://ultraklystron.com/album/packet-flood Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/zannen-canada/id1013994040?mt=2# Subscribe on Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/I7t6yo7bjokkdk4rce66ygomsny Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/pod

Matthew Erickson is one of the few voice actors who has worked (physically, at least) at both Ocean Studios locations. He made the leap from working at Blue Water Studios in Calgary to Westwood Studios in Vancouver, and is noted for his roles as Shinn Aska in Gundam SEED Destiny, Amuro Ray in Zeta Gundam and Trunks in the Blue Water dub of Dragonball GT. He joins me in this episode to talk about his experiences as a voice actor across two cities.

Karl (aka Ultraklystron) and I reunite to discuss a few things that occurred this past April Fools' Day; namely Sakura-Con 2018 and Reboot: The Guardian Code. Karl also has a lot more to say about the new FLCL than I do.

Are FUNimation and Crunchyroll abandoning theatrical anime in Canada? Is Netflix eradicating unique media phenomena at a national level? Is Violet Evergarden worth coming back to every week? Eryn and I discuss all of this, and Devilman Crybaby too!

Randy and I look back on all of the major theatrical anime releases in Canada from this past year including your name., In This Corner of the World, Sailor Moon R and Love Live! delayed live shows. We also talk about Studio Ghibli screenings moving to Cineplex and whether or not we should just embrace our monopolistic overlords.

Geoff Thew from Mother's Basement and Dave Merrill of Stupid Comics and Anime Hell fame join me to scrounge for morsels of media goodness in the year that was 2017. Hear us talk about Riverdale, Twin Peaks, Re:Creators and the extremely weird Neddeaus of Duqesne Island, among many other things.

Pan, Ian and I continue our retrospective on Gundam Wing, this time focusing a little more on the series and its themes, including philosophy on war.

Gundam Wing was a pivotal title for audiences in Canada, and may have marked a point of division with anime fandom in the US that could never be undone. Ian and Pan join me for a retrospective on this series, and had so much to say that I had to cut it in half!

Netflix has committed to investing $500 million into a Canadian production studio over the next five years, but will this be enough to save Canadian media? Will it even be worth it if they can't recreate the lightining-in-a-bottle that is Neo Yokio on anyone's dime? Karl joins me to talk about this, as well as Viceland and that anime Canadian tourism ad.

G4, G4TechTV, ZDTV... no matter what you call it, it had one of the most interesting evolutionary path of any channel on Canadian TV, and some of the most interesting anime selections. Does Anime Current stand the test of time? Jarvis and I try to get to the bottom of that.

Amanda joins me to talk about this year's Anime Revolution: the only anime convention sponsored by Church's Chicken. The Vancouver con is far from the best out there, but I'll be damned if it isn't one of the most interesting to talk about. Hear about all of the highs and lows of the 2017 event.

Jose Argumedo from the One Piece Podcast joins me to share his thoughts on the streaming economy and why we can't quite escape from the bundling tactics that have stigmatized cable for many. We also chat a bit about Discotek releases and Adult Swim.