Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:44:39 — 48.0MB)
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If your downloaded episode 216 is just episode 215, please delete and then redownload the episode from your podcast app. There was a typo in the RSS feed that we fixed immediately, but it didn’t propagate to the podcast directories for two hours.
We meant to release this in January but uh, didn’t. Anyway, this time around Gerald reviews the latest film from Masaaki Yuasa, Inu-Oh from 2021 (though it didn’t come out in Japan/USA until 2022).
Introduction (0:00 – 48:02)
For all our high-falutin’ talk about how we’re the podcast that primarily talks about Japanese cartoons and comics, the first 16 minutes or so of this episode is spent talking about Shin Ultraman when we are decidedly people who know EXTREMELY LITTLE about Ultraman specifically let alone kaiju and tokusatsu in the general sense. After that, we get around to what we’re currently watching/just finished watching as far as seasonal streaming titles go.
- We don’t pay heed to Tomatometer score ratings, and in fact we think the existence of aggregator scores is actively detrimental to how we consume entertainment, but here are 25 other reviews of Shin Ultraman that you can actually READ (the whole thing, not just the summary blurb!) to compare and contrast with Gerald’s thoughts
- Matt Alt thread on Twitter about the legacy of Shoji Otomo
- Matt and Patrick Macias then released a Pure Tokyoscope episode entirely about Shoji Otomo
- Forbes interview with Shinichiro Watanabe; an archived snapshot is here if you need to circumvent the paywall
- John Sirabella’s YouTube channel
Promo: Right Stuf Anime (48:02 – 51:57)
We talk a lot about the weekly specials Right Stuf has, but it’s worth noting that even their regular prices are generally the best deals for things. Now that the 10th and final volume is released, pick up the Maison Ikkoku: Collector’s Edition manga. As far as classic anime goes, the TV series collectio for the classic sports shojo series Aim For the Ace is also finally available! We were so used to just calling her “Ochofujin” that it took us a second to get used to the fact that it translates to “Madame Butterfly.”
Review: Inu-Oh (51:57 – 1:44:39)
Gerald reviews the latest film from Masaaki Yuasa, which reminds Daryl of the times in the earlier years of the podcast when his trying to convince people to watch his works was a grueling uphill battle. Check out the Review Index for those really old reviews of Mind Game, Kemonozume, Kaiba etc. if you’re interested in being mad at us. Well, more mad than usual anyway. This one is distributed in the US by GKIDS, so expect a lot more availability than you’d usually see for an anime title. There’s a good chance it’ll be carried in brick-and-mortar stores, but if you’re a pal you will of course buy Inu-Oh on Blu-Ray/DVD via our Right Stuf affiliate link!
- The GKIDS trailer for Inu-Oh, which includes a pull quote from general entertainment industry news site TheWrap declaring it “the best feudal Japanese hair-metal-demonic-curse-serial-killer-political-tragedy=rock-opera of the year”
- YouTube has several videos of people demonstrating the biwa being played. This and this are but a few examples. No, we don’t know the difference between the biwa and the shamisen.