Show #80 - The History of Manga in the U.S., by Jason Thompson

Show #080 - Direct Download:

OP: Theme from a Golgo 13 videogame
ED: Song and clip from a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure videogame

Promo: Friday Ace

This panel was recorded live at San Diego Comic Con, possibly in 2008, and is posted here with the permission of Jason Thompson, author of King of RPGs, Manga the Complete Guide, and the Manga Editor of Otaku USA magazine. We previously interviewed Jason in this show.

You can read the Wired manga history of manga in the U.S. here.

The Great Otakon Podcast Picnic

This idea came up on Twitter some weeks back. The greater manga blogging/anime podcast community online wants to get together at Otakon for a meal. However, eating during Otakon is always a crazy juggling act of scheduling, convincing a restaurant to seat an absurdly large group, getting annoyed as they refuse to split the check, and then rushing back to the con in time to get wristbands before the hentai panels.

In the interest of accommodating as many people as possible and not spending too much money, we propose the following meet-up:

The Great Otakon Podcast Picnic (named loosely after Achewood's Great Outdoor Fight)

When:  Friday, July 30th, from 7:45 ~ 10 PMish (they might kick us out by 9)
Where: If it isn't raining, on the patio just off the mall food court
              If it is raining, in the cafe space by the Starbucks near Registration
Who:  Podcasters, Bloggers and listeners and readers thereof
What to Bring: Not-easily-spoiling foodstuffs to eat and share. It's sort of a pack-your-own lunch meet-up, with the option that you can bring (non-poisonous) shareable food should you feel so generous and/or ambitious to do so.  Perhaps you might also bring something to sit on, like a tarp or a blanket, although I'm not sure if that will be allowed in either location.

I chose this time because it is after the Funimation Panel and the AMV Contest, and slightly before the concert, although it is during the Otakon Game Show. Friday night was a suggestion from the Reverse Thieves.

Show #79 - Return of The Angry Otaku

Show #079 - Direct Download:

OP: Theme from Neo Ranga
ED: Black Daisy "The Dragon"

Our previous shows with James "The Angry Otaku":

I'm not going to kid myself and promise to add links later. I ought to run this like a wiki.   Thanks hisuirt !!
If you want to add a link or correct the spelling below, say so in the comments. Anonymous commenting is fine:

• Thanks, Levelator


• Hitotsubashi University


• The Plaza Accords


• Japan's Lost Decade


• Japan, Inc.


• Rising Sun (the movie)


• El Hazard


• Akira


• Ninja Scroll


• Shinsei Bank


• Mitsui


• MUFG


• Speed Grapher


• Niea Under 7


• Yokohama Shopping Log


• FLCL


• Sunshine Sketch


• Azumanga Daioh


• Sazae-san


• Doreanmon


• FDIC (if you're not an American have you heard of FDIC?)


• 4X accounts (or in Japan "FX" or "efecks")


• 120% debt to GDP index??


• FDI - Foreign Direct Investment


• Ghost in the Shell the 2nd Gig


• Red Dawn (the movie)


• Hetalia fans - Is there a North Korean character?


• Pachinko is 51% of the Japanese economy?


• Nerima Daicon Brothers


• Battle Royal


• "I'm not here to make friends."


• Ganbatte - the most destructive word in the Japanese language.


• "Dig up, stupid!"


• Orthopraxy vs. Orthodoxy- Here's a great article about that thinking in Japan.


• Felipe Smith thinks that Naruto is Dragon Ball all over again.


• The Freakanomics thing about some guy putting the KKK into a Superman radio show (as described on This American Life)


• The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire


• Noah was an International Baccalaureate Student


• Vinland Saga


• Historie

Ninja Consultant 5th Anniversary "Hanging Out at a Bar"

The Ninja Consultant Brunch became massively over-crowded, so in the interest of accommodating everyone, I'm arranging a late-night meet up in the same area at a bar that mostly has pinball machines and not much else, from 9:00 PM ~ 11:00 PM. It's called the Satellite Lounge. They don't have food, but there is food nearby.

Saturday, July 17th
9-11 PM
Satellite Lounge
143 Havemeyer St
(between 1st St & 2nd St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211

This is a repeat of some of the information on Facebook, but not everyone uses facebook, so here you go!

News: Ninja Consultant 5th Anniversary Brunch

Edit: Because the 24th is during Comic Con, by popular demand I am moving the date of the celebratory brunch back to July 17th.

Who is interested in joining us for a brunch to celebrate the 5th year anniversary of the Ninja Consultant podcast?

When: Saturday, July 17th, Noon
Where: Somewhere in Brooklyn, New York
RSVP: Required. Email us or RSVP on Facebook or comment below. Tweeting or DMing @erinf will also work.

#ProTip: Please only friend my personal page on Facebook if I know you In Real Life, but you can fan our podcast page.

Show #78 - ANNCast Segment Recast

Show #078 - Direct Download:

This show was originally broadcast on ANN's ANNCast.

Favorite Quote from this show:

Zac: We've fully ridden the train to Movie Snobtown.
Noah: Next Stop Pretension, Snobtown...

Also be sure to listen to ANNCast's Carl Macek show.

Show #77 - Anime Boston 2010 Manga-Mania I -- Enter Panel-dome [Raw]

Show #077 - Direct Download:


[Photo by @animealmanac]

This panel stars:

[not pictured] @kransomwastaken
@erinf
@ClarissaG
@aicnanime
@MichaelToole
@BrigidAlverson
@Vertical_Ed

Panel Description:  In an effort to initiate a US branch of the ZeroAka Dojo, Vertical Inc. has collected a brain trust of the brightest and most respected manga bloggers and journalists on the East Coast to discuss manga culture. But there is a catch! This is not your average panel. This is a moderated discussion covering a wide range of manga topics from politics and ethics to the industry and its fans. This is not a democratic, everyone gets equal time, panel. This is a public forum where the best voices of manga share their knowledge and views honestly and openly.

Has manga criticism reached new heights? Or are our manga literati still in the dark ages? Join journalists, podcasters, bloggers, industry insiders and manga academics as they reveal why manga your fandom originates and always comes back to manga!

Warning: Unedited Audio
Note: I totally bomb the first question. Instead of "Bestselling" I just went for "Best".

News: Ninja Consultant Panels at Anime Boston 2010

Here is the official panel schedule for this weekend, subject to change:

Panel Name: Unusual Manga Genres
Day: FRIDAY
Time: 4:00:00 PM
Length in minutes: 45
Room: Panel 107

"Manga-Mania I -- Enter Panel-dome"
Host: Ed Chavez
Day: SATURDAY
Time: 07:00:00 PM
Length in minutes: 50??

Panel Name: Recent Trends in Anthropomorphization, Hetalia to Wikipe-tan
Day: SATURDAY
Time: 08:00:00 PM
Length in minutes: 50
Room: Panel 202

Panel Name: Cooking with Manga
Day: SATURDAY
Time: 09:00:00 PM
Length in minutes: 50
Room: Panel 206

※ Only two of these panels are listed in the program guide, the others are late editions.

※ We do NOT have a table in Artist's Alley this year.

※ Talking to us after the panel is encouraged, however, please note the three panels in a row on Saturday, so don't feel bad if we run away.

Show #76 - Black Lagoon, Part 2

Show #076 - Direct Download:

Show #75 - Black Lagoon, Part 1

Show #075 - Direct Download:

Show #74 - Christmas 2009

Show #074 - Direct Download:
OP: "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses
ED: "Welcome Christmas" from the 1966 How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The difference between criticism and reviews.

Hanasakeru Seishonen

The Five Disfunctions of a Team - Manga Edition

Detective Loki Ragnarok
Bastard!
K-9 and Company

The Myth of the Noble Savage and the movie Avatar.

Show #73 - NYAF 2009 Part 2: Caleb

Show #073 - Direct Download:
OP: Kanon 2006 OP, "Last regrets" by Ayana
ED: Clannad After Story ED, "TORCH" by Lia

In this episode we interview Caleb, an Otaku USA writer. Here's his personal blog, Anime wa Bakuhatsu da!

• For a better definition of moe, listen to Dr. Weeaboo's 2007 panel recording we did.


• Caleb saw Cencoroll at NYAF but we missed it.


• You can read more about Caleb's opinions here and also over here:

  It's insulting to the entire human race to put someone down because you think the anime they watch is trashy compared to what you watch. It's rude, it's annoying, and it's an embarrassment to any fan community. It's perfectly okay to not like a series; no one's expected to like everything, but insisting, even in jest, that someone who watches Kanon is suffering from severe autism (just like the characters! truly I am a comedy genius!) is just taking the extra step from "having a different opinion" to "being a jerk". it's common Internet behavior, true, but the Internet at large is another huge embarrassment to humanity.

I am the new Bamboo Dong

It's official. Starting next week I'll be taking over Bamboo Dong's¹ "Shelf Life" column on Anime News Network. I'll be reviewing anime on a weekly basis, for "...the #1 English language source for anime and manga news on the Internet".

Five years ago, when I was reading Bamboo's column, I never thought, "Oh, I bet someday I'll be writing this!" I really liked her Nightshift Nurses 2 comic strip - and apparently so did everyone else, it's her "longest viewed" column.

Back in 2004 I also asked the Answerman a question. I couldn't really imagine that there would come a time in 2009 when I would be randomly hanging out with ANN staff over lunch at Tokyo Big Sight.

So next week please look forward to my review of Black Lagoon! Hopefully Noah will get his Black Lagoon podcast ready soon, too.

I'm trying to figure out what this will mean for the podcast. Our pace of shows is already really slow, (averaging once a month) so I can't imagine it getting any worse. We will certainly be watching a lot more anime. Maybe we'll give away DVDs once in a while.

¹ Yes, that is her real name.

Show #72 - NYAF 2009 Part 1: The Rough Guide to Anime

Show #072 - Direct Download:

OP: Only Yesterday clip
ED: Multilanguage version of Ponyo end theme, including the abysmal English language remix.

An interview with Simon Richmond, author of the Rough Guide to Anime (and the very useful Rough Guide to Japan) conducted at NYAF 2009. Here's my Otaku USA NYAF coverage.  Here's my PW interview with Simon.

• Anime influenced Madonna video, Britany Spears video.
• The Anime Encyclopedia by Helen McCarthy
• Justin Sevakis's Buried Treasure
• Fred Schodt!
• Gilles Poitras also writes for Otaku USA magazine.
• Seoul Animation Center
• Korean Folk Village
• Lotte World
• Planned Museum Dedicated to the New Arts in Odaiba, in Tokyo
• Starcraft Players in Korea
• The Last Starfighter
• Ame Con in Leicester, U.K.
• Smallest U.K. Con: Minami Con, 300 Attendees
• "Horses for Courses", an idiom we had never heard before.
• Rough Guide to Manga, October 2009, by Jason Yadao

Daryl's comment is worth noting in the show notes:

In my review of the book in Otaku USA, I said that if I had to pick *one* book that every anime fan should read, The Rough Guide to Anime was it. It's not just because I briefly met Simon at Anime Boston thanks to your interviewing him, either. If everyone knew (or at least read through and partially retained) the information contained within it and watched the 50 recommended anime titles (well, you can skip Steamboy. And if you absolutely MUST watch Evangelion, save it for last so you can properly contextualize it), then anime fandom would be substantially better off for it. It's not a big book, it's not expensive, and despite being really information-dense it's got a lot of pictures and sidebars so as not to overwhelm people.

At every con I go to where I do some sort of anime recommendations panel (such as this weekend's upcoming EXPCon in St. Augustine, FL!), I tell people to go out and get this book. My actual success rate is unknown, as I'm still the only person I know to have read it, but it's simultaneously "newbie-friendly" while containing more worthwhile, lasting information worth retaining than pretty much any other anime book on the shelves.

If there ever came a day when 1. I figured out what the heck I'd write a book about, and 2. I managed to actually write said book and get it published, key in my mind would be "does this book I'm writing handle [whatever its subject material would be] as good as if not better than The Rough Guide to Anime?" Were that day to ever come, I'm not fully sure the answer would be "yes."

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Show #71 - The Webcomic Episode

Show #071Direct Download:
OP and ED: "Theme from Mega Force" by Movie Night: The Band

Hetalia - began as a webcomic, and was collected into manga volumes, then adapted into an anime series which was streamed online for free in Japan.
Tonari No 801-chan was similarly a webcomic, and I think it was adapted into a live action drama series.

At 1 h 9m 35s - we talk about Japanese comics some more, and it's historical and informative.

Guest: Chris from Ego and the Squid

If my hotlinking crashes your server let me know.

Chris's Favs:
Dinosaur Comics
Isotown
Overcompensating
Penny Arcade
New Feelings
Achewood
American Elf
Scene Language
Star Shaped Rock
Daisy Owl
The Ego And The Squid
The Order Of The Stick
Fart Party
Hark! A Vagrant
Cat And Girl
Creased Comics
Buttersafe
Nedroid
Natalie Dee
Married To The Sea
Toothpaste For Dinner


Noah's Favs:
Penny Arcade
Skinhorse (by the author of Narbonic)
Erfworld (dude is cool)
Order of the Stick

Erin's Favs:
A Kick in the Head
XKCD
Perry Bible Fellowship (retired)
Fart Party
Jerk City (NSFW)
Dinosaur Comics


Old-Timey Comics:
Wondermark
Married to the Sea
Edison Hates the Future


Some Other Mentions:
Alien Loves Predator
Idiot Comics
Irregular Comics


Webcomic Cons:
Conneticon
MoCCA
Stumpytown
APE
New England Webcomics Weekend


Goodbye Kim's Video Underground!

Now Syndicated: Diesel Sweeties

Paper Comics:
Ted Rall of Tom the Dancing Bug
Ernie Pook's Comeek by Lynda Barry

Topatocow Store for the coolest shirts

Drama Webcomics:
Voids
Scene Language

Eventually we talk about manga again - around 57-1 hour in.
Viz's IKKI - titles for free
Rin-E - Rumiko Takahashi's bland Bleach rip-off

Garfield Without Garfield
Arbuckle
Lasagna Cat

Flethcher Hanks reprints - Super Wizard Stardust (recommended!)

1 h 9m 35s - Japanese strip comics

A Drifting Life - read it!
My Neighbors the Yamadas - based a newspaper strip - recommended!


4-Koma strips in translation:
Azumanga Daioh (recommended)
Lucky Star
Shoulder a Coffin Kuro
S.S. Astro
Cosplay Kurumi-chan
Sazae-san

Although not a strip comic, High School Girls is recommended!

60 Ways to Leave Your Mother
Star Shaped Rock
American Elf
Creased Comics by Brad Neeley, who did Wizard People Dear Reader, and a hilarious short about George Washington
Overcompensating

e-sheep

Promos:
Gamma Quadrant
Anime Roundtable

Last minute Otakon roommate?

Hey guys, we could use one to three more Otakon roommates. We're staying at the Brookshire, which is not the cheapest, but has free breakfasts and free microbrew beer on Friday night. I arrive Thursday night, we're leaving Sunday afternoon.

Contact: ninjaconsultant (at) gmail (dot) com

And no, we don't want to move to another hotel to stay in your room. We love breakfast.

Otakon 2009 - Booth R12

I only made a few of these. You can get 'em at Booth R12 in Otakon's Artist Alley. I'm making buttons that say the same thing as well.

All our panels got rejected :( but I might be on the "Review Anime the Right Way" panel tentatively scheduled for Saturday at 7 PM, with other Otaku USA writers.

Show #70 - 20th Century Boys

Show #069Direct Download:
OP and ED: "20th Century Boy"" by T. Rex in reference to 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa

We totally saw these two movies. And the Korean Antique Bakery movie.

Check our wedding website for all the videos we're talking about.

Thanks to everyone who donated towards our wedding!!

No, we haven't retired from podcasting!

We've just been too busy, you know, appearing on Adult Swim and stuff:



More info on our wedding website.

News: Ninja Consultants At Anime Boston 2009

Noah and I will be at Anime Boston but we won't have an artist alley table this year. You might be able to find us bumming around ali_wildgoose's table. Erin will be on both of the following panels, but Noah is only on the Manga Genre Madness panel.

Even if you've attended my Manga Genre Panel before at AnimeNext or MangaNext, you should go again this time because I've added new content about political mahjong manga Legend of Koizumi, more manga about cats, more scans from Drops of God, and Chloe will help us translate the weird foods of Kishoku Hunter (Junk Food Hunter).

Please Save My Manga! Friday 10:00:00 AM - 11:00 AM in Panel Room 202

Underloved? Overrated? Or just plain out of print? Join a crack team of PopCultureShock.com reviewers as they discuss everything manga, from classics and favorites to overlooked gems and over-read failures. (Disclaimer: starry-eyed abandon, the occasional mean right hook may ensue.)

Manga Genre Madness 5:00 to 6:30 PM on Saturday in Panel Room 202

Manga covers every genre imaginable - and unimaginable! Thanks to the importing of manga you can read veterinarian manga, salaryman manga, fishing manga, manga about economics, and manga about baking bread! Erin and Noah from the Ninja Consultant podcast and special guest Chloe from PopCultureShock.com present the absolutely most insane manga titles available in English - and a few titles which won't be translated anytime soon (wine connoisseur manga, for example).

Show #69 - The Wedding Episode

Show #069Direct Download:

OP: Major Tom (Coming Home) by Peter Schilling
ED: Paul Simon sings Scarborough Fair on the muppet show (featuring Miss Piggy), and the relevant excerpt of Scarborough Affair by Scooter

This episode does not have anything to do with:

• Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex, Terrorism and Radicalization

• Black Lagoon, piracy and the decline of the state.

But those shows are on their way.

• Erin went to Japan!
• Remember when we got engaged??? That was over a year ago!  Well, now we're getting married... in Zero-G.
• But it's not like some impossible task, like in the song Scarborough Fair...
• We will be the first couple to get married in zero gravity!
  • ...or one of two couples if the Canadians go up with us.
• Right now it looks as if our wedding will be JUNE 13 JUNE 20th, 2009!

Which we have been planning, which is why Erin went to Japan...

to get this dress from Eri Matsui:

• Erin also went to Tokyo Anime Fair
• Hung out with Anime News Network peeps.
  • and, of course, Ed Chavez.
• Meanwhile, Erin will NOT work on the TMNT 25th anniversary thing... which will probably be awesome.
• Who cares though??? BEAN DOGS!!! Or mameshiba - here's the official site and some of the commercials.
  • Neither a bean, nor a dog. Liminal. Kind of like natto.

• Noah has no facebook account, although there is a Friends of Noah facebook group.
• Soon we will be married in space. Well... Zero gravity... Well... SIMULATED zero gravity.
• Erin had a good experience working with Eri Matsui!

How does the zero-g work?
Look at this:



It's like a roller coaster!



As seen here:



We are selling things! But first --

We pitched Whose Wedding is it Anyway? On the Style network. But... they turned us down.

So. We are selling things. Like these things:

• iPod Touch
• Kindle II
• Yaoi
• "Disappointing" (non-pornographic) Code Geas dojinshi

Do you want to come to our wedding? If you want to, maybe you can!

Or, if you want to give us a wedding gift -- you can do it here.

• There will be receptions in NY and Michigan (and Boston Florida, for that matter).
• Horrible Michigan Traditions, some of which are wedding-related:
  • Chicken dance
  • Dollar dance
  • Glumkis
  • Punchkis
    • As featured in Deer Hunter.
• Hey! Weekly Anime Review People! You are totally invited to our Michigan reception!
• Glumki sounds gross. Pierogi sounds delicious.
• Goulash... is ok, maybe. Bigos is pretty good.

Wedding stuff email address: noahanderin@gmail.com

...and, in Japan, Erin also bought 24 cologne for Dave Riley.

"Take risk! Be sexy!"

Wrong Number?

Ugh! The wrong voicemail number was listed in our sidebar for months! Our current voicemail is: 206-338-3790.

Also I think skype voicemail is working again. We are "ninjaconsultant" on skype.

Well, I'm off to Tokyo for my wedding dress and to go to TAF. Read about it at noahanderin.com when I get around to blogging.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Manga Recon Show #009: Schedule of a Weekly MangaKa

Direct Download:

OP & ED: Theme from Blazing Transfer Student, "Blazing Transfer Student" by Toshihiko Seki.


View Larger

Manga Adaptations Discussion:
- Haruhi Suzumiya
- InuKami
- .hack//XXXX
- Gurren Lagan

- Family Complex has a great description of eye surgery, couched in a very boring regular story. Here's my review.

- Peach Pit was hospitalized recently
- Who is Kazuo Koike?

( more images under the cut )
Burning Pen! Screaming Pen! Blue Flame!
by Kazuhiko Shimamoto
http://users.skynet.be/mangaguide/au1729.html</center>

Blog post about the horizontal gutters being wider than the vertical gutters in manga.

I was talking about good and bad paneling examples from One Pound Gospel and S.A.. I can't find the S.A. example, but here's a nice sequence from One Pound Gospel:

( more images under the cut )

Mr. X talks about Mampu

( more images under the cut )
Hikaru No Go paneling where the "camera" is placed below the board. In this sequence, Akira is playing Go on the internet.</center>

I mention the School of Visual Arts. (Pratt is also good.)

Unimpressive art in an autobiographical comic that made all the critics' top ten lists:
( more images under the cut )

In Japan, a bad run is a circulation of 50,000. In the U.S. a great circulation for manga is 5,000 - even though we've got four times the population.

The Yasha Craig Ape is from Grappler Baki.

Link to AWO's coverage of Lady Snowblood. It's at 37:28 - 57:52 in their show.

Kochikame has been around forever!

What are ikimen?

Bakuman

Show #69 - Coming Soon. I mean this isn't it.

Not really a show. Direct Download:

OP & ED: "Chocolate Disco" by Perfume

Not so much a show as an announcement and an apology?