2 Weebs in a Trench Coat

In the summer of 2021, a few brave souls took on media giants Funimation and Crunchyroll to create the future of anime streaming apps. Within 2 days, Anime Tube's Kickstarter campaign had reached its goal twice over -- and also been shut down by Kickstarter. So what happened to Game Face LLC and Anime Tube?

Who is Hatsune Miku and what anime is she from? What's a Vocaloid? When Miku does a concert, who writes her songs? Suzanne asked these and many other questions. Madison answered. 

You might know JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (or maybe its many infamous memes) but how much do you know about its creator? In this episode, Madison talks about Hirohiko Araki, from his humble beginnings as a young manga artist to collaborations with the Gucci and the Louvre. 

Netflix's Cowboy Bebop was announced in 2017 to mixed reception, which eventually turned to tentative excitement once set photos dropped in early 2021. So what went wrong? Will there ever be a good US production of a live action anime adaption (did you know Mark Hamil was in an anime adaption in the 90s)? The weebs speculate wildly on what went wrong.

In part two, Madison covers the rest of Star Wars visions (and some of their current JoJo's Bizarre Adventure brainrot)

In part one, Madison talks about Star Wars: Visions, Disney's collab with some of the biggest anime studios in the industry (plus some more you've probably never heard of). 

Special guest Eli takes the weebs on a tour of the Higurashi series, from passion project to multimedia cult classic. Plus, Suzanne explains why you shouldn't watch Platinum End unless you're a masochist. 

We're off this week! Here are some of the (many) tangents left on the cutting room floor from Death Note the Musical to Brendon Urie.

In part 2, Suzanne continues with their rec list of queer manga.

In part one, Suzanne covers queer culture in Japan, and suggests some non-yaoi/yuri anime with LGBTQ+ themes.

In which Suzanne complains about bad shows they've watched and better shows they recommend. 

Fellas, is it gay to wash the homies' feet?

In part 2, Madison and Suzanne discuss the many maligned female characters of Death Note and finally get around to giving Amane Misa the respect she deserves.

Death Note was a cultural milestone for anime fans during its run, generating light novels, a musical, live-action films, a drama series and a...controversial Netflix adaption. In part 1, Madison and Suzanne talk about what made Death Note so good that we're still talking about it 6 years after it aired. 

Before Saban's Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, there was Toei's Super Sentai series. And before there was Super Sentai there was Godzilla. On our first guest episode, Zach from Classic Gaming Brothers takes on a journey through the history of Showa-era tokusatsu and its cult status in the US. 

Suzanne and Madison talk about the anime they've been watching. Madison says everyone should watch The Bad Batch. Suzanne says everyone should watch Harley Quinn. Neither of these are anime.

Madison reviews Dorohedoro, a show about magic, buff women, himbos and gyoza. Watch Dorohedoro now on Netflix. 

What happened to the company that once licenced Star Wars and Pokemon? Did the disastrous One Piece dub really cause their downfall? This week, Suzanne talks about whatever happened to a little company called 4Kids. 

15 years ago, you couldn't walk into a bookstore without running headfirst into a Tokyopop display. Now if you want to buy manga from Tokyopop, your best bet might be visiting your local thrift store. So what happened to the biggest manga publisher in North America? Madison explains.

Also known as Case Closed or Meitantei Conan, Suzanne takes Madison on a journey, explaining why they watched 1,000 episodes of a show about a boy detective and also how Detective Conan has become a cultural mainstay in Japan while being virtually unheard of in the US. 

Most people Stateside have heard of Sailor Moon, but what about Mermaid Melody or Marvelous Melmo? In this episode, Madison gives a brief history of mahou shoujo or magical girls, a genre that spans more than 50 years with some....questionable entries. 

Best known in the west for The Enigma of Amigara Fault ("This hole was made for me!"), Uzumaki and Gyo, Junji Ito has developed a cult following in the States since the early 2000s. In this episode, Madison covers his work from dental technician to accomplished mangaka, his artistic influences and upcoming work, and the Silent Hill game that never was. 

Sources:

Wikipedia | Nightfire books/ tor nightfire.com | CBR.com | 8fourty | Yatta tachi.com | Sabukaru online | TheArtifice.com | IGN | Grapee.jp | TheBoronHeist.wordpress

What are the mythical "Big Three" anime of the late 2000s? This week, Suzanne talks Naruto, One Piece and Bleach and speculates what the "Big Three" of the 2020s might be. 

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