Anime World Order Show # 154 – No Way Would Mandrake Be a Defender of the Earth

Since we’ve got to spend most of June working on panels, we’ll try and knock out an episode or two this month. This time around, Clarissa reviews the relatively recent anime series Flying Witch, for which print editions of the manga have just started to be released in English.

Introduction (0:00 – 17:00)
In the wake of the Gundam 00 episode, Gerald wishes it known that he doesn’t hate all Gundam as long as the great and mighty Yoshikazu Yasuhiko worked on it and Yoshiyuki Tomino did not work on it. This YAS admiration does not however, extend to the Yoshikazu Yasuhiko-est title of all, Giant Gorg. We’ve also met the latest donations goal, and so we’ll soon have to pick from one of the donor suggestions for a future episode…the release of which is to be determined!

You can read the translations of the decades-past Yoshiyuki Tomino & Hideaki Anno interview that we were referring to here. These tend to get archived on this Tumblr account as well.

Promo: Right Stuf Anime (17:00 – 18:35)
The current sale as of the time this episode is out actually has the first volume of Flying Witch on sale, and the original Mobile Suit Gundam movie trilogy is now available on Blu-Ray! How’s THAT for expert timing, huh?!

Review: Flying Witch (18:35 – 47:32)
Realizing that we haven’t reviewed any “iyashikei”/”healing” anime in several years, Clarissa reviews this one from 2016. It’s about the joys of rural life and magic, and how this is all a stealth propaganda effort by THE GUBMINT to stem the depopulation crisis of the Japanese countryside. This invariably leads to (no spoiler) discussion about Attack on Titan, for obvious reasons. Listen, reviewing shows that aren’t heavy on plot, characterization, and stuff happening is HARD, okay?!