31 episódios
Anime is Lit Anime is Lit
-
- Artes
A podcast exploring what makes anime meaningful to people. Hosted by Krissy and Danny—two weebs who talk about anime like it's literature, except fun and not boring.
-
Ep 21 - Gankutsuou (Part 2) - The Lesbians We Lost Along the Way
***This episode is Part 2 of our Gankutsuou series, which contains spoilers for both the anime and the book. Please listen to the previous episode first!
Welcome to Masterpiece Theatre… I mean, Masterpiece Anime…
Here to fully make good on our podcast’s name, we’re ready to go full Literature Analysis Mode on some actual literature with Gankutsuou and its book of origin “The Count of Monte Cristo”. Joined by Vrai Kaiser, we cover everything from the funny bits to the twists, tragedies, and the Gay Stuff, including the gay stuff from the book that the anime somehow redacted?? There’s lots to unpack, and we bothered to read this entire long book, so prepare to hear all about it and more!
The very cool early-in-production Gankutsuou trailer that we refer to
Where to find us:
Vrai’s Twitter and Blog
Listen to more of Vrai on the Anime Feminist podcast and Trash & Treasures pod
Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod
Email: animeislitpod@gmail.com
Anime is Lit direct feed -
Ep 20 - Gankutsuou (Part 1) - French People... In Space!!
Welcome to Masterpiece Theatre… I mean, Masterpiece Anime?
Finally, Anime is Lit covers the most Literature of Anime - “Gankutsuou”, the artistic 2004 adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic (and long) novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” …IN SPACE! with vampires!
Joined by Gankustuou aficionado Vrai Kaiser, we explore the anime’s approach to the novel, as well as the thematic contrasts, visual design, and the creators’ own inspirations. This episode is a spoiler-free discussion for fans and newbies alike. We cover plenty of interesting aspects from our research on both the original text and the anime’s creation, which we hope will encourage newcomers to watch the anime. All the spoilers are all hiding in the second half our our discussion for our next episode.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Vrai’s blog posts
Interview with director Maeda (in French)
NPR Article discussing the racialized French terminology for “Ghost writer” and Dumas
Article by Lizzie Visitante
The awesome Gankutsuou figure Vrai mentioned
Where to find us:
Vrai’s Twitter and Blog
Listen to more of Vrai on the Anime Feminist podcast and Trash & Treasures pod
Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod
Email: animeislitpod@gmail.com
Anime is Lit direct feed -
Ep 19 - NANA - Part 2 - This Baby Can Fit So Much Feminism In It
Part 2 of our NANA discussion, complete with spoilers. Our guest Meru (@pixelatedlenses) goes with us on a deep dive through the well-crafted storytelling and the inherent feminism woven into all its fibers. NANA candidly goes places few anime ever do, and we sift through the complexity of its portrayals of sexuality, race, gender, heteronormative expectations, friendships, and the characters' own internal lives. We also discuss the narrative framing, highly effective symbolism, and allusions to the real life Sid Vicious, exploring how they enhance the ideas already present in the story.
Opening theme: "Lucy" by Anna Tsuchiya inspi' Nana (Black Stones)
Ending theme: "Winter Sleep" by Olivia Inspi' Reira (Trapnest)
Where to find us:
Meru’s Twitter and Carrd
Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod
Email: animeislitpod@gmail.com
Anime is Lit direct feed
-
Ep 18 - NANA - Part 1 "And They Were Roommates..."
We're back with another classic among sapphics: NANA. Joined by our wonderful guest Meru (@pixelatedlenses), we talk about our love for this series, its characters, and the maturity of its storytelling. We also dive into the music and fashion of the show, and the strengths and weaknesses in its reflections on gender, race and relationships. This episode is part one of our Nana discussion — a spoiler-free introduction safe for those who haven't seen the show. Join us in episode 19 for part two where we dig a little deeper into the drama and what it has to say.
Opening theme: "Rose" by Anna Tsuchiya inspi' Nana (Black Stones)
Ending theme: "a little pain" by Olivia Inspi' Reira (Trapnest)
Where to find us:
Meru’s Twitter and Carrd
Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod
Email: animeislitpod@gmail.com
Anime is Lit direct feed -
Ep 17 - Dear Brother - Part 2 "The spoilers... they just won't stop flowing"
Continuing part 2 of our discussion on the classic shoujo masterpiece Dear Brother (Oniisama e), now no-holds-barred, all-spoilers-all-the time. Dawn and Diana are with us to go in-depth about the themes, characters, tragedy, romance, metaphors, symbols, and what makes this show so effective at everything it has to say.
*****This episode is part 2 of 2, please note the following content warnings for topics we discuss in relation to Dear Brother: Suicide and extensive suicidal ideation, drug addiction, abuse, bullying, disease, minor sexual assault themes, and romantic love between siblings. ****
Links:
Watch Dear Brother streaming for free on RetroCrush (as of July 2021)
Dear Brother on Blu-Ray from Rightstuf Anime
Where to find us:
Dawn’s podcast Anime Nostalgia
Dawn’s Twitter
Diana’s Twitter
Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod
Email: animeislitpod@gmail.com
Anime is Lit direct feed -
Ep 16 - Dear Brother - Part 1 (Spoiler-Free Edition!)
We’re back with a supercast on the unmissable classic shoujo masterpiece Dear Brother (Oniisama e)! Joined by our friends Dawn (of the Anime Nostalgia podcast) and Diana, we talk about the show’s rich history, its multi-genre nature, and what makes it such a master work—both within anime as a medium and in our own hearts.
This episode is part 1 of 2, an entirely spoiler-free discussion of the history and creators of Dear Brother, as well as the stories, themes, and dramatic techniques the anime uses. Each one of us deeply loves this series and we hope to convince you to watch it before listening to part 2 (next episode in our feed), where there will be spoilers.
**The anime of Dear Brother includes several heavy and sensitive topics, so before watching please note the following content warnings: Suicide and extensive suicidal ideation, drug addiction, abuse, bullying, disease, and romantic love between siblings.
We discuss these warnings within the episode, but our discussion in Part 1 does not dwell on any of these topics.
Links to information referenced in this episode:
Watch Dear Brother streaming for free on RetroCrush (as of July 2021)
Dear Brother on Blu-Ray from Rightstuf Anime
Anime Nostalgia episode on Legend of the Galactic Heroes with Dawn & Diana
Erica Friedman’s blog posts about Dear Brother on Okazu
Post 1, Post 2
Anime News Network article from 1998 referencing Technogirls fansubbers finding employment
Where to find us:
Dawn’s podcast Anime Nostalgia
Dawn’s Twitter
Diana’s Twitter
Follow us on Twitter: @animeislitpod
Email: animeislitpod@gmail.com
Anime is Lit direct feed