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
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 isâŚ) 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][10] 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 thingâŚ) 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!
“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” Or so the old saying goes. And if the act of “teaching” includes blogging and podcasting, then it’s especially true in my case. You see, I can’t draw worth a darn. And that explains why I write about anime and manga rather than actually create it. đ But, as is true for many people I’m sure, there are still stories bouncing around in my head that I wish I could either animate or draw. (Or maybe I just want to make a cheap rip-off or parody of some already existing property.) Luckily, for people like us, technology is here to help, at least as far as “drawing” manga is concerned, thanks to a new program called ComiPo!.
This software lets you place 3D models of various manga-y characters in various standard outfits (school uniforms, etc.) in various poses, add speech bubbles or action text, and place them on a variety of backgrounds. And because the models are 3D, you can easily pose them any which way you want. It really has an impressive list of features. The software is currently still under development, but they have released a free trial version that’s good through November 30, 2011 which can be downloaded from their website. (Look for the big red download button about halfway down the page.) The software should run on almost any fairly modern PC, and appears to work with Windows XP and later versions. (Mac users – sorry, there doesn’t appear to be a Mac version; but it runs beautifully under emulation software such as Parallels, VMware Fusion and VirtualBox.)
You’ll need to enable Japanese language support in Windows. I previously showed you how to do this in my Kanon installation video, but it turns out the steps I showed there were incomplete. I’ve made a new video that shows you how to properly enable Japanese language support.
Unfortunately the software is in Japanese (duh) and no English translation (or tutorial) has yet been put forth; I’m sure that there are groups working on this Newsflash! The creators of ComiPo! have announced that they are working on an English language version of the software!! For now you’ll have to resort to the tried-and-true technique of “click on something and see what it does.” You also might want to check out the official demo video to get an idea of what you can do with the software, as well as episode 8 of Patrick Macias’ and Yuu Asakawa’s (English language) show Otaku-verse Zero, who also showed off ComiPo!; the segment starts in at around 03:00. Japanese culture blogger Danny Choo also wrote about it and you might find some useful tidbits in his post (as well as in the comments to his post). He also featured ComiPo! in episode 11 of his show Culture Japan. (The segment starts in at about 26 minutes.) There’s also a community site (in English, fortunately). And, the makers of ComiPo! have set up an English language Facebook page where Facebook users have helpfully posted their own English language tutorials on how to use the software. Sugoi ne!!
In our continuing efforts to take over the world, bwahahahh!!!! bring Otaku no Podcast to the widest possible listening audience, we are pleased to announce that we are now available on the Stitcher SmartRadio app.
Stitcher is an award-winning provider of news and talk radio for your mobile phone. With the free Stitcher SmartRadio app (available for devices running iOS, Android, BlackBerry OS, and HP/Palm webOS), you can listen to your favorite radio programs and podcasts – anytime and anywhere you want.
Stitcher has a truly wide variety of programming available, from the media industry’s premier content providers — tech news, sports, talk radio, business, entertainment, and much more. Itâs the easiest way to stay connected to your world while on-the-go. You can easily create your own personalized audio stream, with only the content that you want, and listen to it anytime, anywhere. With over 5,000 shows available on Stitcher, you’re bound to find something of interest to you. And if you’re having trouble finding something to listen to, Stitcher’s recommendation feature can help you out.
![[Play Now!]](http://media.otakunopodcast.com/images/PlayNow.jpg)
![[View our eBay Auctions]](http://bayfeeds.com/images/Right_Now_108x45.gif)
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.
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 
“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” Or so the old saying goes. And if the act of “teaching” includes blogging and podcasting, then it’s especially true in my case. You see, I can’t draw worth a darn. And that explains why I write about anime and manga rather than actually create it. đ But, as is true for many people I’m sure, there are still stories bouncing around in my head that I wish I could either animate or draw. (Or maybe I just want to make a cheap rip-off or parody of some already existing property.) Luckily, for people like us, technology is here to help, at least as far as “drawing” manga is concerned, thanks to a new program called 
In our continuing efforts to 
