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

Jesse and Karl share their thoughts on Crunchyroll and Funimation's recent partnership announcement - hands down the second-most important anime news of the week.

Cameron Archer from Gloryosky (sweetposer.com) joins me to talk about industry presence at Canadian anime cons, the new fall TV line-up and... could anime work on the CBC?

When McPizza was test marketed, it never made it outside of our borders. When Pepsi Max was, it spread to countless markets. Karl helps me figure out which junk food analogy best fits Crunchyroll's current strategy. We also talk about Viz streaming on Tubi TV, upcoming Ocean dubs and some thoughts on the Iron Man anime which finished its run on Family CHRGD. 2:25 - Talk about some new shows this season including Amanchu, 91 Days and Mob Psycho 100 14:45 - A quick review of Iron Man on Family CHRGD 25:00 - Hands on with Tubi TV 33:30 - Picking apart Crunchyroll's current Canadian strategy 44;00 - Some Adult Swim Canada talk

Sailor Moon is unanimously considered the starting point of modern anime fandom in English-speaking Canada. Is this historical designation still important in an age where the series is receiving US-based redubs and remakes? Randy and Eryn share their thoughts. Also, an interview with the ADR director of the original DiC dub, Roland Parliament, featuring Emily Gonsalves from Moon Chase and the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration. Episode Breakdown: 2:55 - We give a rundown of our own personal experiences with Sailor Moon as it rolled out in Canada between 1995-2000 29:00 - Comparing the original Japanese context to the Canadian context 38:42 - Has the Sailor Moon lost its “Canadianness” in the English-speaking world? 57:05 - Interview with Roland Parliament featuring Emily Gonsalves

Over 20 years, John Rooney has worked at YTV, Teletoon and DHX Media. Acting as Director of Programming during the Bionix era and helping oversee the launch of Adult Swim Canada, John has overseen many key moments in anime and animation in Canadian media. I ask him to help dispel myths about acquisition, production, and talk also about a bunch of other stuff that will keep you 90s kids satisfied. Episode breakdown: 39:00 - Inspector Bronco and how Adult Swim Canada was before Corus take-over 45:40 - Why doesn’t Teletoon want to air anime? 50:55 - John takes no responsibility for the Gundam Wing airing order, but has quite a bit to say about Bionix 1:00:00 - How to improve the way we fund our productions

LINK TO IMPORTANT CANCON SURVEY: http://pch.sondages-surveys.ca/s/dwc/?l=en The Iron Man anime is hitting... Family CHRGD? What's Viz up to this time? Is there any hope for Canadian content with a new survey from the Ministry of Heritage, or should we just stick with anime forever? Karl returns to share his perspective. Episode breakdown: 4:30 - The Iron Man anime is hitting Family CHRGD 13:40 - Does Viz have something new in store for Canada? Don't get too excited... 19:10 - The Ministry of Heritage has launched a survey on CanCon. We talk about the state of things and why you should fill this out!

A few theatrical updates, and a rundown of the new shows for the spring 2016 season with Corey and Ian. Episode breakdown: 5:00 - Theatrical updates 9:20 - Everything you need to know about Super Lovers 14:20 - Ian mercifully changes the subject to The Lost Village 18:25 - Streaming issues, Kabenari of the Iron Fortress 29:30 - My Hero Academia, Joker Game, Ace Attorney, Flying Witch, and more! 41:00 - A little bit of streaming and home video talk

In a surprise turn, Mongrel Media will be releasing Mamoru Hosoda's "The Boy and the Beast" in Canada rather than FUNimation - both theatrically AND on home video. Yet we've gotten almost no news about this. Randy Forbister helps speculate on just what on earth is going on with this movie. Also, other theatrical issues, as well as streaming. Episode breakdown: 0:30 - Quick catch up with Randy 10:35 - The current status of The Boy and the Beast 25:35 - Randy’s Love Live experience and other theatrical stuff 32:15 - Streaming news: Amazon Prime, JoJos and the new Adult Swim app 44:00 - Addendum

Inuyasha made a significant splash when it first debuted on YTV in 2003... far greater than many of us seem to remember, in fact. What were the exact cultural circumstances that caused Inuyasha to dominate Canadian Google searches for years? Ian and Noah help me get to the bottom of this. Episode Breakdown: 5:45- Our personal experiences with Inuyasha 25:00 - The Japanese context of the show 29:50 - Overview of story and characters 43:55 - The nuances of Inuyasha’s Canadian context

Hazel and Bell from the popular webcomic "Always Raining Here" join me to discuss new anime for the winter 2016 season. But first, Karl and I talk about the new policy changes for Canadians on Crunchyroll a few other unfortunate developments Episode breakdown: 0:15 - Crunchyroll is restricting access for non-premium users! Netflix is blocking VPNs! The Anime Network free lunch is over! 33:00 - Hazel and Bell talk about Erased, Osomatsu-san, Sekko Boys and some BL stuff