Anime World Order Show # 243 – Anime Boston 2025 Report and Listener Emails

[Once again we are betrayed by this new version of Audacity, which exported the episode in joint stereo rather than mono. If you’re hearing audio in only the left channel or right depending on who’s speaking, redownload the episode. It is corrected now.] It’s been a long time since we answered emails and even longer since we did a convention report, so let’s do both!

Introduction (0:00 – 1:09:34)
If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a 5-star review on either/both Apple Podcasts and Spotify, since we’ve recently been downvoted by a number of people over the previous episode’s news discussion, which knocked us out of the search result listings threshold for those searching for anime podcasts. We dive into the mailbag and answer a variety of questions, many from listeners who have been listening to us since the first episode nearly 20 years ago. Whether you’ve been listening that long yourself or not, we’d love to receive thoughtful email correspondence from you! You can email us at the link on the sidebar, message us on BlueSky, or chat with us on the AWO Discord available to Patreon backers.

We also talk about some anime news items. Anime Herald is celebrating its 15th anniversary by launching a print magazine, which is due for release this coming October. In addition to reprinting eight noteworthy articles from the website’s archives, it will also feature brand-new articles by several noteworthy contributors: Samantha Ferreira (Anime Herald’s founder and Editor-in-Chief), Lynzee Loveridge (Anime News Network), Chiaki Mitama (Anime Feminist), Erica Friedman (Okazu), Red Bard (@RedBardIsCool on YouTube), Borealis Capps (Anime Herald, Yatta-Tachi, Anime Feminist), Lucas DeReuyter (Anime News Network). Also, Daryl is writing an article once he can figure out a catchy title and find some suitable images. The current plan is to release one issue a year, but if there are enough orders they could expand to two issues or even four!

It was a topic of discussion among every anime podcast already, but the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners were announced, and the results struck everybody as somewhat puzzling, since the majority of categories were (rather surprisingly) won by the title which happens to be the most publicized title on the entire Crunchyroll website: the fantasy series Solo Leveling, which Crunchyroll reports as the single most watched anime series in all of Crunchyroll’s history, surpassing such titles as Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, and so on. The fanbase for this series, however, does not appear to be as prominently visible as those other ones, though Miles from Anime By the Numbers did note in his analysis The State of Isekai Anime that this is because the viewership for such fare does not actively engage in anime fandom. They do however, appear to know enough about anime fandom to not only be aware of the existence of Crunchyroll, but to pay for a subscription whereupon they rate episodes aired and vote in fan awards. Is the result valid? Is the issue the fact that the Anime Awards differ from traditional awards in that fan voting is weighted on an even 50% with the judges, who number over one hundred (disclaimer: we have been Crunchyroll Anime Awards judges in the past, albeit not this year)?

Con Report: Anime Boston 2025 (1:09:34 – 2:19:08)
It’s been about 14 or 15 years since we last went to Anime Boston, but we returned as guest panelists this year! We go over what we did, who we saw, our impressions of the venue, the dealer’s room, artist’s alley, and so on. Based on this coverage of the Thirty Years Ago: Anime in 1995 panel, Daryl probably did better at his panels than he’s letting on. Keep your eyes posted to our BlueSky accounts as well as the AWO Discord, since we might do extended virtual versions of these panels soon for the benefit of those curious.

The view from Main Events can be daunting, but we were only there for Opening Ceremonies.
This is more representative of the vantage point we had for most of our panels.
Graphic design actually IS Carl Horn’s passion.
We definitely need another season or two of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! so we can see the anime club members…but it’s already been five years…
If you see the Otaku Joe’s sign at a convention, be prepared to consider spending a lot of money.
Artist’s Alley booths are vastly more elaborate than ever before. Everyone in there is effectively a small business/LLC.
This is Gerald’s default state at any given anime convention: showing Agent Aika to a crowd of people. Sometimes it’s Najica instead.

List of Titles Shown at Anime Boston 2025

For those of you who attended Anime Boston 2025, here’s a list of the titles shown during our panels. We did say we’d put this up so you wouldn’t have to write everything down, didn’t we? If you liked what you heard, we’ve done plenty of anime reviews, so take a look at our Review Index and read Otaku USA Magazine. Note: we’ll be updating this post periodically throughout the convention, with a final update to come once the convention is over.

Like what you saw? Consider becoming one of our Patreon backers since that will give you access to our Discord where we will (at some point) do extended versions of these panels which can contain additional titles or longer/different clips than what was shown at the convention. If you’re not sure which title listed corresponds to what you saw, don’t hesitate to ask! We’re all on Bluesky (links on the right-hand side), or you can leave us a comment.

Thirty Years Ago: Anime in 1995
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing aka New Mobile Report Gundam W
Ghost in the Shell
Armitage the Third
Macross Plus
Slayers
Junkers Come Here
El Hazard: The Magnificent World
Fushigi Yuugi aka Mysterious Play
Phantom Thief Saint Tail
Nurse Angel Ririka SOS
Elf Princess Rane
Golden Boy
Katsuhiro Otomo’s Memories (Magnetic Rose)
Whisper of the Heart
On Your Mark
DNA^2
Gunsmith Cats

Anime’s Craziest Deaths
Fist of the North Star: The Movie
High Rise Invasion
Akiba Maid War
Inu-Ou
Midnight Panther
MD Geist
Angel Cop
Cybernetics Guardian
Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX
Darkside Blues
Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan
Another
Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199
Fist of the North Star TV
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 3, Stardust Crusaders
Samurai Champloo
Astro Boy (1980)
Magical Witch Punie-chan
Riding Bean
Lily C.A.T.
Battle Royale High School
Blade of the Phantom Master
Goku: Midnight Eye
Invincible Super Man Zambot 3
Sword of the Stranger
Violence Jack
Mad Bull 34
Spriggan (1998 film)
Dark Myth
Devil Man (OVA)
Berserk
Crystal Triangle
Genocyber
Black Jack: The Movie
Golgo 13: The Professional
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 5, Golden Wind
Shiki
Black Lagoon
Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Movie III: Encounters in Space
Cowboy Bebop (well, the tech shut the video off since he heard me say I was done)

A Sophisticatedly Unsophisticated Look at Fan Service

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Ending Preview Episode 1)
Dirty Pair Flash Episode 1
Combattler V
Valkyrie Drive Episode 1
Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01
Lupin III Part 1 Pilot
Cutie Honey Opening
Cutie Honey Episode 1 First Tranformation
Shin Cutie Honey Opening
Re:Cutie Honey Opening
Cutie Honey Universe (Statue)
Daicon IV Opening
Muteking (1980) (Episode 14)
Pattalliro! (1982) Episode 1
Gunbuster Episode 01
Show Montage Macross/Gundam and many shows
Black Magic M-66
Plastic Little
Kekko Kamen Anime
Kekko Kamen Live Action Movie (1991)
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Back Muscles)
Gundam Wing
Megami Paradise
Agent Aika
Agent Aika Live Action Special
Najica
Granadier
Manyuu Hiken-choo
Queens Blade
Hypnosis Mic
Fairy Ranmaru
Disney Twisted Wonderland
Quaswer of Stigmata
Interspecies Reviewers
Bang Bravern Ending
Bang Bravern Live Action Concert

Openings After Dark

Interspecies Reviewers
Agent Aika
Harenchi Gakuen
Shin Cutey Honey
Gushing over Magical Girls
Lupin the Third: Fujiko Mine
Miss Machiko
Beat Angel Escalayer
Valkyrie Drive Mermaid
Manyuu Hikenchou
Kandagawa Jet Girls
Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time
Peter Grill Season 2
Kisaku (Dub Clips)
Eiken
Brain Powerd
Angel Blade Punish
Bang Bravern
Keijo!!!!!!!
Redo of Healer
Taimanin Asagi
Wich of Steel Annerose
Qwaser of Stigmata
Queen’s Blade Season 1 (Opening and Ending)
Papillon Rose
Read or Die OAV Series