I produce this show out of my own pocket, primarily because of my love of all things anime and Japan. Unfortunately in this down economy, I need as much help as I can get. If you feel so inclined, a small donation to help offset my costs (server, bandwidth, equipment, etc.) would be much appreciated. Either make a purchase through one of our affiliates, bid on our eBay auctions, buy me something on my wish list, or use the handy donation button below.
Bitcoin Address: 14hYjheG9W7aWip7K wLPcfXxoXdALwDcma Total Donations:
0.01000000 BTC
We Heart Japan, a charity organized by several individuals including anime voice actress Stephanie Sheh, will be holding another charity event next month in Southern California.
Well, they’re back for another go. We Heart Performing for Japan is coming to the Theatre of Arts Arena Stage, 1625 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, CA 90028, for one night only, Saturday, October 1, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Headliners include
Mari Iijima, known as both the acting and singing voice of Lynn Minmay from the classic Super Dimension Fortress Macross (and its American adaptation Robotech); also, the English cast of an “unannounced classic anime series” will be reuniting to perform a live reading of an episode (a little birdie landed on my shoulder and whispered in my ear that it might be Cowboy Bebop). Other guests include Beau Billingslea (BLEACH, FRANKLIN & BASH, NARUTO); Steve Blum (COWBOY BEBOP, FINAL FANTASY VII, GURREN LAGANN); Melissa Fahn (DIGIMON, FLCL, BLUE DRAGON); and Wendee Lee (BLEACH, THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA, MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH). Prizes will be raffled off throughout the evening as well.
Tickets are $40 for general admission and $60 for premium/reserved seating (which includes an exclusive gift bag) and must be purchased online. All proceeds will go towards the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund, a joint venture between the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) and JCIE/Japan dedicated to supporting relief efforts in Japan.
Edit 2011-09-08: Thanks to everyone who participated! Everyone had a good time, and we’ll definitely be doing something like this again. Keep an eye on the website for an announcement of when the next one will be. I’m editing the recording I made of this event and I’ll be putting it out as a series of podcast episodes over the next few weeks.
Well, September 1 has finally come, meaning that this upcoming weekend is Labor Day. Time to kick back and relax, fire up the grill, enjoy the last dog days of summer… and, oh yeah, take part in the Otaku no Podcast Live Call-in Show of Doom!
As I mentioned before, this is something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time. Basically, I am envisioning a sort of live group call-in show where hosts, co-hosts and guests can drop in and out at will. What will we talk about? Whatever you want, and whatever strikes our fancy. The summer 2011 anime season, anime conventions you’ve been to, your favorite (and not so favorite) anime/character, whatever…
We will be “on the air” through the afternoon and evening, starting at, let’s say, around 4 PM Pacific time, and going on until either we have nothing left to talk about, everybody else has left the call, or we’ve all passed out. (These times may change – I’m still waiting to hear back from some potential participants to see what times work for them. If I have to change the times, I’ll update this post.)
Now, it should go without saying that for something like this to really work, we need your help! Call in and join the discussion, won’t you? Now’s your chance to tell the world about why (insert name of anime) is the greatest in the world (or sucks worse than a sack of wet gym socks), or what your latest doll or figma acquisition is… anything goes, providing that it’s even vaguely related to anime (or manga – this is something I don’t know that much about, but would like to learn more)
Here’s how you can participate.
Via Skype:
If you have Skype installed on your computer, in most cases, clicking this handy link will launch Skype and automatically dial in for you.
If that doesn’t work, just open Skype’s “dial pad” and dial in this number: +9900827047586112 This is a free Skype call and you don’t need to be subscribed to SkypeOut for it to work.
Via phone:
(201) 793-9022 (long distance)
(888) 350-0075 (toll free)
Please use the long distance number if possible. This shouldn’t be a problem for most people — most cell phone plans these days have free weekend calling as well as free long distance, and for those using landline phones, reasonably priced “phone cards” (MCI, Sprint, etc.) can be purchased at many grocery/drug stores as well as Costco. If this is not doable for you, then you can use the toll-free number, but since this service costs us extra, we’d prefer it if you didn’t.
Once you’ve joined the conference:
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are asked for the Conference Room Number, it is 7586112.
You will be asked to speak your name. It doesn’t have to be your real name – feel free to use whatever you go by when on the Internets.
If, once you join, all you hear is cheesy elevator muzak, that means you are the only person in the call. Congratulations. You can either wait around for someone to join you, or better yet, keep an eye on our Twitter; we will tweet when we start and stop the live call.
If all you hear is silence, then either we are all off doing something else, or we’ve all passed out, or there is something wrong with the conference call. Be patient, and again, keep an eye on our twitter to find out what’s going on.
If you just want to listen in…
If all you want to do is listen in, we’ve got you covered there as well. Our streaming Internet radio station Otaku no Radio will be interrupting its usual broadcasting to bring a live simulcast of this event.
If you already have a program capable of playing Shoutcast radio streams (iTunes and Winamp are two popular free ones), this link should launch your player and tune in to the stream. (If you’re a Google Chrome user, you might need to use this link instead.) Otherwise you can listen in directly on your web browser (assuming your computer, tablet, or other listening device of choice supports Flash) by loading up the Flash based stream player.
When I started putting out video podcasts a few years ago, I was worried that this decision might meet with some controversy. After all, video files are large and consume lots of bandwidth, which some people just can’t or won’t want to download. (Especially these days, when many internet service providers are imposing data caps.) However, I was pleasantly surprised when I failed to receive one single complaint. Still, in the back of my mind I fear that someone is secretly plotting my assassination in retaliation for the heinous crime of forcing them to download my (admittedly cheesy) video podcasts. Well, in an effort to head that admittedly far-fetched problem off at the pass, and to provide an extra bit of convenience and choice for you, our audience, I have implemented separate audio-only and video-only podcast feeds! Now YOU get to choose what content you get!
If you want to continue receiving both audio and video podcasts, you don’t need to do anything. (Truly the lazy man’s solution, which is why it’s my favorite. 😉 ) The “default” podcast feed that you’re currently subscribed to will continue to carry both audio and video episodes.
If you want to receive only the audio podcasts, then you can subscribe to the audio-only feed (iTunes link). (Useful if you use a podcast client on your smartphone, since most people don’t watch video on those tiny screens. Also useful for those standalone Internet radio gizmos that are popular with some people out there)
If you want to receive only the video podcasts, then you can subscribe to the video-only feed (iTunes link). (Handy if, for example, you want to watch them on your iPad or big-screen TV, say using an Apple TV or Roku box for example, since playing audio-only stuff on large screens like that doesn’t really make much sense.)
The combined (main) feed will remain available on iTunes as well as the various other podcast directories where we’re listed. I’ll be submitting the separate audio- and video-only feeds as well, so they should start appearing in search results soon.
Summer is coming to an end, which for many people unfortunately means it’s Back to School time. (I feel your pain) It also means that it’s time once again for the infamous MDA Labor Day Telethon. I remember watching this with my parents for years when I was a kid, groaning at the lame jokes, and watching the various performers.
Thinking about this gave me an idea — how about we hold our own Labor Day event — a Labor Day Otakuthon, if you will? No, I won’t be crass and ask for your donations (though if you do I certainly wouldn’t mind). Instead, I am envisioning a sort of live group call-in show where hosts, co-hosts and guests can drop in and out at will, and we can talk about anything that strikes our fancy. (This is actually something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.)
We can talk about what we think of the Summer 2011 anime season so far. We can talk about the various anime conventions we’ve been to this year. We can sing the praises of our all-time favorite anime, or lampoon and ridicule the worst anime in the history of mankind. Whatever!
I was thinking that we could do this on Labor Day weekend, which is Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd and 4th this year. No, we won’t be going all weekend long – I don’t want to completely emulate the MDA telethon (which in its heyday lasted as long as 21-1/2 hours!). I was thinking of doing this for a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday (to give as many people as possible on both the east and west coasts an opportunity to join in).
I’ve already lined up a few co-hosts who will be joining us. But for this to really succeed, we need you! If you’ve got a reasonably good computer and Internet connection, and a decent mic or USB headset, you can participate using Skype (which can be downloaded for free). Or you can join in by dialing a (toll free, in the US or Canada) telephone number.
If you’re interested in participating, drop us a line letting us know around what time(s) you might be available that weekend. I’ve also set up an editable web page where anyone who is interested can suggest topics of discussion; also please list the days/times that you might be able to join in there.
Look for another blog post closer to the weekend in question (sometime next week) that will detail the specific time(s) we’ll be operational, as well as instructions on how to join us by Skype or phone.
We here at Otaku no Podcast pride ourselves on always being at the trailing edge of technology and trendiness. So, in that vein, we are pleased to announce that we have finally set up our own Tumblr.
Tumblr, in case you’re unaware, is a sort of microblogging platform that lets you post quick little snippets of text, images, videos, links, quotes, and audio. Think of it as a short-form blog: something that kind of sits in between a full-on blog posting here at otakunopodcast.com, and a really short tweet or Facebook post. Basically, this will be used for things that are kind of cool (well, at least I think so), but aren’t deserving of a full-on blog post at Otaku no Podcast (I wouldn’t want to clutter up the home page even worse than it already is…) Fun screenshots from anime I’m watching, cool or funny YouTube videos I run into, etc.
You can follow it via RSS feed or just follow our Twitter since I’ve set up Tumblr to post to Twitter whenever I put up a new entry.
It’s been a while since my last guest appearance on another podcast (glances meaningfully at the Cartoon Geeks), so when Tom Langston of the Nigorimasen blog and podcast sent out a call for guest co-hosts, I was more than happy to respond. And that is how I found myself sitting around the virtual Skype roundtable on an uncomfortably warm Sunday afternoon along with Tom, Hisui of the Reverse Thieves and Patz from Insert-Disc. We talked about the Summer 2010 anime season and what shows we’re watching (or not) as well as Otakon, which I really do want to make it out to one of these days. (It’s just that pesky lack of money/time thing…) Go listen to it today!
C’mon, admit it. I’m sure that, at least once or twice in your life, you’ve wondered what it would be like if you could date your favorite anime character. Well, as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for, because you might get it, and it might not be quite what you’d imagined it to be…
My Anime Girlfriend is a fun series of web shorts that details the life and adventures of Sid, your plain old everyman, who’s been extremely unlucky in love. One day his well-meaning colleague sets him up with Yuruki, a cheerful and very animated girl. And thus begin their misadventures in life and love, while taking on various anime tropes and stereotypes along the way.
This fun series is brought to you by the writer & executive Producer of Comedy Central’s Ugly Americans, and features Patrick Shepherd, John Gemberling, and the voice of SNL’s Abby Elliott.
Unfortunately there are only 4 episodes made so far. This is a really neat idea and I sincerely hope that the creators will continue with it; there is certainly no shortage of anime tropes and stereotypes that can be explored in any number of doubtlessly entertaining ways.
We are pleased to announce that we are now a Crunchyroll affiliate!
Crunchyroll is quite possibly the best thing to come around for us anime fans, and is the easiest and cheapest way of enjoying 100% legal streaming anime while supporting the companies that create it. They actively go after the latest and greatest anime titles, as well as maintain a back catalog of over 200 titles.
You can access most of the site for free. But if you pay for a Premium membership, not only do you help support the people and companies that create anime, you also get access to some cool extras. For one thing, you get access to the full back catalog (only a subset of the older titles are available for free). You also get — and this is the big one — same-day simulcast. Yes, on the same day that any given anime episode comes out in Japan, you can watch it on Crunchyroll, complete with English subtitles. You also get access to high-quality HD (720p and 1080p) streams. And not only can you watch Crunchyroll on your computer, but with a Premium membership, you also can use their apps for iOS (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad), Android, as well as set-top boxes by Boxee and Roku. And finally, if you’re a fan of live-action Japanese or Korean dramas (“dorama”) they’ve got those too.
What will all of this cost you? Very little. For an anime- or drama-only Premium membership, you pay the low low price of just $6.95 per month. Or if you want both anime and drama, that’ll run you $11.95/month. Better still, if you’re willing to pay for multiple months in advance, the price drops to as low as $4.99/month!
So what are you waiting for? Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership today! If you sign up through any of the CR links/banners on our site, we’ll get a little cut (it doesn’t cost you anything extra), which goes towards keeping the website up, paying for server and bandwidth, equipment for the studio, etc.
Are you sad that you missed out on what was quite possibly THE event of the new millennium? Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. We’ve uploaded our video from the Mikunopolis concert to our YouTube channel. Go check ’em out today!
But first, the bad news. Unfortunately, the press weren’t exactly given the best seats in the house — I suspect they saved the best angles/camera positions for their own use. Also, due to the nature of on-camera microphones, the sound quality isn’t exactly world-class. (I did use a shotgun mic so the quality is probably a bit better than your garden variety camcorder.) Also, they only let us record the first 6 songs (the first 7 if you count Project DIVA desu), and while these first few songs were awesome, the ones that came later were even more spectacular.
And the good news? These videos will still give you a taste of how incredible this show was to behold. You’ll get to see and hear how terrific Miku and friends (and especially their backing band) were.
If you really wanted to see the live show in person and are bummed that you missed it, don’t fret! I have a feeling that Miku and friends will be returning to the States before too long. Keep an eye on the Mikunopolis site as I’m sure they’ll announce future concert dates and locations there. (Of course, as soon as we hear about any possible future Mikunopolis dates, we’ll be sure and tell you as well.)
Also, I understand that they will be releasing an official concert DVD (and Blu-Ray too, hopefully) later this year. We’ll definitely let you know about it when it goes on sale, so keep an eye on the Otaku no Podcast website as well as our Twitter and Facebook accounts. (Or, if you’re the impatient sort, you can get the Blu-ray of the Japanese concert today, thanks to our good friends at J-List/J-Box.)
Finally, this is by no means the end of our AX coverage; there is still tons more to come. Besides the second half of our recap/review podcast episode of Doom (which should be going up tonight), there are tons more interviews, video and photos, which will be going up over the next few weeks to come. So stay tuned!
![[Play Now!]](http://media.otakunopodcast.com/images/PlayNow.jpg)
![[View our eBay Auctions]](http://bayfeeds.com/images/Right_Now_108x45.gif)
We Heart Japan, a charity organized by several individuals including anime voice actress Stephanie Sheh, will be holding another charity event next month in Southern California.
Edit 2011-09-08: Thanks to everyone who participated! Everyone had a good time, and we’ll definitely be doing something like this again. Keep an eye on the website for an announcement of when the next one will be. I’m editing the recording I made of this event and I’ll be putting it out as a series of podcast episodes over the next few weeks.
When I started putting out 
Summer is coming to an end, which for many people unfortunately means it’s Back to School time. (I feel your pain) It also means that it’s time once again for the infamous 
We here at Otaku no Podcast pride ourselves on always being at the trailing edge of technology and trendiness. So, in that vein, we are pleased to announce that we have finally set up our own ![[Nigorimasen logo]](http://www.nigorimasen.com/audio/npodcastlogo_300.jpg)
It’s been a while since my last guest appearance on another podcast (glances meaningfully at the 
C’mon, admit it. I’m sure that, at least once or twice in your life, you’ve wondered what it would be like if you could date your favorite anime character. Well, as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for, because you might get it, and it might not be quite what you’d imagined it to be…
Are you sad that you missed out on what was quite possibly THE event of the new millennium? Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. We’ve uploaded our video from the Mikunopolis concert to our 
