Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Anime Podcasts 2


Well, since my next-to-last post I've seen the second Naruto film, but once again, I'm holding off on the review, mainly because I presume most of you have already seen it.

But hey, if you haven't seen that, or most of the shows I've talked about, and thus you are basically like I was only about two or three years ago, aka ignorant about the whole scene, then please keep reading and hopefully I'll be able to help you thru those early hurdles of fandom that either scare many away, or just pose as foreboding arenas of otaku gone amuck. (I'm talking about you 4chan!) Of course, I'm not the only source by any means :), and I'd like to once again comment on one of my favorite means of finding information about anime, and that's thru podcasts. Now, some time ago I wrote about two of my favorite podcasts, Weekly Anime Review and OtakuGeneration.net. Both are excellent podcasts, and Otaku Generation's about to celebrate it's 2nd anniversary, without ever having missed an episode! That's impressive...

But, and not to take away from their glory, there are many other podcasts out there as well, relating to Anime, Manga, JPop, and just general Otaku goodness (basically all thing's Japan.) Today I focus on another pair...

Anime Genesis (AG)

My first highlight is one I found sometime ago, when I first started listening to anime podcasts, and that's Anime Genesis created and hosted by Benu. Unbeknownst to me until recently, they've already had their two year anniversary, and that was sometime early to mid Winter of this year. Now, I'll admit, when I listen to these podcasts, I usually try to listen to every past episode, until I catch up with current, and then listen to them as they come out. So, I was churning through Josh in Japan (to be mentioned), Weekly Anime Review Podcast, and Otaku Generation.net, thus when I got to Anime Genesis again, after my initial hearing almost a year ago now, I was pretty left behind from that first listen. However, I'm glad to see that while some of the various co-hosts throughout the podcast have become less frequent contributors :( , (one feature of Anime Genesis that I like is their variety of co-hosts), the show has improved greatly from the humble origins from whence it began to a podcast which the fan community can, and should, appreciate. So, if you want a show with relatively younger Otaku then my previous two mentioned (OG and WARP) that know how to discuss, and of course rant, on anime and in particular anime news and developments, then this is a fine podcast to look into.

Josh in Japan (JIJ)

Now, this next podcast may seem strange to recommend to some, since Josh's podcast has gone into an extended period of dormancy. However, the archives are worth the subscription alone, and after listening to just a few podcasts, you wonder what else could Josh cover? For more information though, this podcast is hosted by Josh, and Josh alone. He is, (or was?), stationed with the U.S. military in Japan, and as such developed an interest for the culture, and really the world around him. Clearly Josh found podcasting to be another interest, and sometime I believe in early 2005, Josh put those two together. Each episode covered a different topic, or part of a topic, relating to Japan, and the cultures and customs thereof. Everything from what to do customarily when dating a Japanese woman, to cooking and eating, to hotels and transportation, Josh covered it all. What more could an Otaku want, then to learn in preparation for that eventual mecca to Japan? That's what I thought, not much... (except pocky for the long flight). So, go check out Josh in Japan; an early addition, full of quality, to the Otaku podcast community that seems to have just bloomed these past couple years.

Well, that wraps it up for my new additions, and I have to make sure to put Josh in Japan actually on my list of favorites, although I may just stick with podcasts that I'm currently listening too. I'm not sure, but regardless, I am a great fan of the anime podcasting community, and I believe this medium of fandom is an example of, not the future of fandom, but the bustling and exciting present that I'm proud to be a part of, along with, I guess, the near future for those who aren't already listening to the great content that can be found!

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