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13- Anime and Manga- The Follow Up image

13- Anime and Manga- The Follow Up

S1 E13 · Can We Interest You In...?
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11 Plays25 days ago

We have our first return guest. Chyanne joins us for the follow up our homework. And is there perhaps a cameo by a future anime-obsessed? Listen to find out.

Homework recap!
Charlotte had the best of intentions on watching anime, but ended up reading two books instead. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind- Volume 1 and Spy x Family- Volume 1

Patti (sort of) read The Elusive Samurai- Volume 1 and watched the first two episodes of The Apothecary Diaries on Netflix.

Chyanne does a wonderful job of providing summary teasers of the media we consumed while also recapping why each were assigned to us.

We share our first impressions on the style including sound effects, humor, and art styles, before discussing accessibility.

As Nicole Byer said in her interview with Jackie Johnson on Why Won't You Date Me, interests aren't dorky, interests should be celebrated!
Join us each week as we do just that.

Follow us, leave a rating and review, share with a friend.

Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
BlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.social
Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

Transcript

Introduction & Guest Welcome

00:00:00
Speaker
You know that thing you love that your friends and family don't want to hear about anymore? Tell it to us, Patty and Charlotte. We want to learn all about your weird and wild obsessions or your perfectly normal hobbies that you've taken just a little too far.
00:00:15
Speaker
We want to dabble in your curious interests. Can we interest you in today's episode?

Homework Review with Cheyenne

00:00:33
Speaker
Hey Cheyenne and Charlotte. Hey, I'm glad to be back. I know this is really exciting. This is our first time that we're having someone come back to do the homework review with us.
00:00:46
Speaker
So thank you for coming. We appreciate it I just can't talk enough about anime, so it'll be my chance to get so a little bit more. It was so fun talking with you both the last time.
00:00:57
Speaker
it's ah It's a testament to how much you are interested in and love anime. That's right. Yeah. which So just really quickly, I listened to a ton of podcasts, du but one of them is Nicole Byer's ah Why Won't You Date Me?
00:01:15
Speaker
And so it used to be this thing where she was trying to like ask people who she used to she had hooked up with or whatever, why won't you date me? but then it turned into something completely different. But anyway, she was interviewing Jackie Johnson, this comedian and fellow podcaster who fell out to Nicole, not to us, was asking like, oh,

Celebrating Individual Interests

00:01:37
Speaker
something. And she was like, I'm really into The Sims. I play The Sims like every single day.
00:01:42
Speaker
I love them. I've played it for like 20 years. And she's like, I'm really dorky. And Nicole was like, no you have interests and interests should be celebrated and i was like yes they should quote that i know i excellent idea we call it ah an endorsement yeah just didn't know well you could get her to talk about the sims yeah yeah
00:02:10
Speaker
yeah oh my god that would be cool cold call her
00:02:15
Speaker
I'm sure she's still taking calls.

Anime & Manga Homework Discussion

00:02:18
Speaker
Okay, so homework recap. Should we go over what are what are our homework was and then we can each talk about what we did? Yeah, that sounds great.
00:02:27
Speaker
Well, I believe that my homework, I believe I messed up a little bit my homework because I was going to watch one anime and then i guess read like one manga, manga.
00:02:41
Speaker
And then the Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Did I say that right? I think so. Yeah, that one I was going to watch the movie, but I forgot it was a movie. So I got it from the library, the the book, and oh wow I read it.
00:02:55
Speaker
and The whole series? No, just the first one. ah but How many are in the series? i It's a short set, so I think there's like seven.
00:03:06
Speaker
Oh, okay. And is the is the movie the whole series, like the whole seven? yeah Yeah. Okay,

Exploring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

00:03:12
Speaker
okay. Well, I'll have to get the other six and and read them and then watch the movie. But I was going to try to watch the movie, but I'm not at home, so I don't have access to because is Crunchyroll on HBO? No.
00:03:25
Speaker
Uh, no, Crunchyroll is kind of its own independent thing. Nausicaa would probably be on like Netflix or Amazon. It's like, it's pretty mainstream as far as these things go.
00:03:38
Speaker
But it's also, yeah, I think it's difficult when there's no blockbuster or things like that anymore. However, I did just hear about a new throwback DVD store opening in Brooklyn.

Introduction to Spy x Family

00:03:50
Speaker
um for people who are really nostalgic so of course probably if you happen to go to new york you can go rent it sure so that was one part of my homework and then the other part was reading spy family but that one's also a show right yes but that one's probably a little harder to find if you don't have crutchy roll Okay, and so I read the first one. That was my homework. Can you hold that one up? I want to see the cover.
00:04:17
Speaker
It's pretty cool. Oh, yeah. And then if you look on the inside, there's like this whole like... color drawing yeah that's lovely and very intriguing because it has the the dad with all his masks and spyware underneath him and then the the wife or the the mom has ah man she's killed underneath her and then the kid is ah telepath and so she's just in between like haha I know everything and she's the cutest kid like ever Yeah. So to recap, like spy family is kind of, um, about the spy who needs to have like a world peace saving operation and he has to pretend to have a family. So he happens to pull in this daughter who's telepathic as his like adopted daughter to go to this school.
00:05:10
Speaker
And because she's telepathic, she knows that this woman is an assassin who then like realizes that she needs a husband so that she doesn't stand out in society.

Appreciating Miyazaki's Work

00:05:20
Speaker
So like the three of them kind of find their way together.
00:05:23
Speaker
as a family. Wow. And now, so so I think we gave you that one because you were looking for something sort of lighthearted and fun. Yes. um But you also wanted something, it sounded like Miyazaki who did the Nausicaa was something kind of captivating to you as well, something that had like more impactful like nature messaging and and things like that.
00:05:46
Speaker
Yeah, I like a somebody who's crusading for the environment, that that type of thing.

Patty's Manga Experiences

00:05:53
Speaker
Awesome. And so, Patty, what would remind us again about your assignments?
00:05:59
Speaker
I read The Elusive Samurai. So I read see just the first in the series. I do have the second one as well. And then I watched the first two episodes of The Apothecary Diaries, which just became available on U.S. Netflix starting 4-1, the first season. So that was perfect timing.
00:06:22
Speaker
And i hardest time a like and i feel like such an idiot sometimes like i don't think i'm a stupid person however i was telling someone like oh yeah and i started reading the book and i'm like oh they're telling me all of this history like how tall were people in japan around this time and like you know, what is the usual unusual personality of Suwa's God and how powerful was the Shugo government? And i'm like, there's so much that I have to like read before I can get started on this.
00:06:56
Speaker
And then I realized I was reading it backwards.
00:07:03
Speaker
but I want to tell you, you are not stupid because this one actually has a page here that says you're reading it the wrong way. If you start to read it backwards. Oh, this one is too!
00:07:17
Speaker
Well, then nevermind. Oh my God. And then there's a visual to tell me how to read it on the page because that's the second thing I was going to say is I couldn't figure out how to read it on the page.
00:07:29
Speaker
So what I was doing is I was reading the full page and sometimes it was obvious because, and mind you, I am not good at writing graphic novels or even comic strips.
00:07:40
Speaker
Like I'm just not good at being able to like follow where things go. But so what I was doing is I was reading the whole page and then I was like synthesizing like the information and I was like, oh, okay, okay. And then I would go to the next one, except when it was obvious that it was like, there was a dot, dot, dot at the end of a sentence and a dot, dot, dot at the beginning. Then I was like, oh, okay, I got to go that way. This would have saved me so much.

Cultural Insights from Manga

00:08:08
Speaker
I am sorry I did not prepare you guys for that. it is like become too second nature to me to like even and think about it anymore. When you read like a book in English, are you are you like, okay, remember to start on the other side? like and Not like a normal book, but I have done some like normal English graphic novels that start, you know, read left to right. And I do have to stop myself there.
00:08:35
Speaker
Yeah. It is a lot easier when you're like on your phone and it automatically like scrolls for you or will tell you at like the start of each chapter that you're going the wrong way.
00:08:46
Speaker
So it's not just the one page at the the front of the hard copy. So, um but that's hilarious. So to recap your, your story is so um the elusive samurai is kind of like a historic,
00:08:58
Speaker
journey um and it's kind of a comedic look at um a is he an emperor like a shoujin yeah like not exactly the emperor but someone like high up his family was entirely wiped out and like as a noble person and they were trying to kill him as well but some yeah it kind of felt like his dad was just like this like talking head, but like the people behind him were clearly in charge. Like they, when they show him, he's like, you know, head cocked to the side, mouth open. And he's just like, Oh, okay. You know?
00:09:37
Speaker
And so I couldn't tell if he was just like drugged or dumb or, you know, whatever, but yeah. Yeah. And then it's all about this kid who like clearly has a spark for life and comes off as like being really lazy.
00:09:51
Speaker
But through his elusiveness, they call it, like through his like ability to run away, he actually like regains the strength to like save his family line and nation and like protect his people of stuff.

Varied Anime Styles & Humor

00:10:05
Speaker
Yeah. And part of what I really loved on that is that they even made a comment early on. that was like talking about at that time in history there, it was okay. So it says for a warrior honor is battle and death, noble suicide, valorous death and combat. Oh, I'm reading it. Okay.
00:10:28
Speaker
and But basically what I got from that was like, at least at this time or in these stories, the understanding was like, You either run away, you know, like when you're not winning or you kill yourself before you can be killed.
00:10:46
Speaker
And here he was making this decision to not run away, but to use his actual running away to fight back. So it' was kind of cool that they they did that.
00:10:59
Speaker
And then the other one we had you watch, Apothecary Diaries, it was because you were looking for something a little bit more serious or dramatic or something that was not so like fighting natured. And fully admitted i had not seen it before I recommended it.
00:11:16
Speaker
um I too, actually, since you mentioned it was on Netflix, I went to Crunchyroll and actually like scoped it out. I finally convinced Jason to watch it. And it was actually a lot more humorous than i expected it to be, but it was, it's kind of the story about a girl, Mau Mau, I think it is who gets abducted from her, uh, working with her family as like an apothecary in the brothel or the entertainment district.
00:11:44
Speaker
And instead is like brought as a servant girl for the, um, for like the emperor's, uh, consorts, consorts, what do they call them? but amazons There's another name for them.
00:11:59
Speaker
Anyways, his many wives. Concubines. Yeah, that's the word. And um so it's kind of about her journey, letting her skills shine in this era of like, distrust of medicine or, you know, kind of just a lack of knowledge about medicine and healing and things like that.
00:12:20
Speaker
Yeah. And like how they believed, you know, even just in the first episode, no spoilers, but the, you know, they're like, oh my gosh, these babies, there's, there must be a, um, a curse on them because all of these babies are dying.
00:12:37
Speaker
And then it's like through medicine, they figure out what it actually is, but you have to be really careful about all of that. yeah. Yeah. And I loved it and I will continue to watch it um partially because I love the apothecary part of it. Like it reminded me a little bit, she's like, you know, using different um herbs. And at one point she's like, oh, well that's an azalea and azaleas are, you know,
00:13:05
Speaker
poisonous And so if you use that in making your stuff that you'd like eat out of you know, you could get sick.

Historical Context in Anime & Manga

00:13:13
Speaker
And it reminded me of this book that I read years ago called The Language of Flowers.
00:13:19
Speaker
um which is all about like kind of the Victorian, it's a modern day story, but it talks about the Victorian era's language of flowers, like the different books, ah sorry, different flowers would signify different things like, you know, empathy and compassion and things like that so that you could through giving flowers, communicate a message to people. So um yeah, that was just kind of,
00:13:47
Speaker
kind of a fun added bonus of it. Is the information that's in the apothecary diaries with ah like about plants and all that true? So like based on, I'd be curious, like if it is really interesting.
00:14:02
Speaker
I should check that out. Yeah. I also found it really interesting and I don't know if this is how, cause Charlotte, did you end up getting to watch an anime or no? No, not yet.
00:14:13
Speaker
Yeah. So at Crunchyroll, you could just sort of sign up then and then because I was looking for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. And then it said something like HBO. So I was like, maybe that's how it's going to.
00:14:26
Speaker
And then it said Netflix, but it's no longer on there. and And I waited too long to do any more research than that. So i then I just i was like, I'll ah'll watch later. Yeah, you can definitely watch it Amazon's streaming services.
00:14:43
Speaker
okay And they have... it it's It's like a, oh, it's a 99 cent rental. Oh, okay. Because I'm a um dog sitting, so I'm not in my own place. I don't have access to all the same stuff. Well, you know, this wasn't, I mean, I don't know how you guys run your own podcast, but from my perspective, that this wasn't like an absolute critical homework assignment. Like I'm really impressed.
00:15:05
Speaker
Oh no, you guys should inter do it. This is our last episode. We're done. I'm out. Yeah. um But I'm still really impressed that you guys both like found the the content and even like navigated not only like trying to read it, but reading it backwards.

Storytelling & Visual Artistry

00:15:22
Speaker
So um decide varying ah so aside from like some of the technical difficulties of it, like what what were your first impressions of at the different content? like I think it's probably something different than you guys are usually consuming.
00:15:40
Speaker
Yes, for sure. Well, I loved the the storytelling of both of them. I was just very impressed at, like, it was keeping my attention. it was, like, these, well, just both of them are so different.
00:15:56
Speaker
but But, like, with Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, there's, like, this whole, you know, world building and history of, like, what's happened to the world.
00:16:09
Speaker
And then this girl who's... that that type of character where it's like, this girl's really special, you know? But like, it's cause like she has empathy and like can communicate with animals sort of ah little bit. and And that's the kind of thing that is very like fantasy-esque.
00:16:34
Speaker
And I don't watch or read a lot of that, but I do enjoy it when I do. And so I liked that one a lot. Spy Family is just like straight up fun and hilarious.
00:16:47
Speaker
And the whole, this first book is like, the whole goal is like getting together this family and then like trying to get this little girl into the school.
00:16:58
Speaker
So the big last challenge is like the the admissions interview, which is so funny. Act normal. Yeah, yes, exactly.
00:17:11
Speaker
Yeah, so that was great fun. And so yeah, that that was what impressed me right off the bat. But then also things like just the way that reading it is very cinematic. So I do want to watch some of the anime because you can see like when they introduce a new character,
00:17:31
Speaker
it's like there'll be like this full shot of them. you know, like when they introduce the mom, there's like this whole, I gotta find it. It's like, here, here I am.
00:17:43
Speaker
Like, oh, me? She's just like pouring coffee looking coy at the at the camera or at the reader.

Challenges in Understanding Manga

00:17:53
Speaker
Things like that found delightful.
00:17:56
Speaker
That sounds fun. Did they say like, was this girl that has the the telepath? Is it telepath? Yeah. Yeah. she' was totally Why was she without a family? Did they say? She was in an orphanage. And I think it was one of those.
00:18:14
Speaker
like stranger things ask situations where they were using her for maybe like testing or somehow to, to try and use her for governmental purposes.
00:18:26
Speaker
And then he goes to the orphanage and it's like the worst orphanage in the world. Cause the guy's like, take whichever kid you want. he chooses her. he chooses her Because they say she's really smart and she's not really smart, but she can read people's minds. So if somebody's thinking the answer to something, she knows the answer.
00:18:44
Speaker
Yeah. Well, because I think even when he picks her up, he's like, ah she doesn't look six at all. And she's like, I'm six. And he's like, really? yeah And so I think it's always implied that she's like four or five, you know even like five is probably a stretch. So she's probably this like four year old.
00:19:02
Speaker
hanging out with all these six-year-olds. Yeah. She, she's always pretending and that's why she kind of talks hilariously. Like when she's trying to speak, uh, in a more cultured way so she can get into the school, she like calls her own dad, Mr. Sir. It's very, it's very charming.
00:19:23
Speaker
oh Um, yeah. Like I said, I am not great at doing, um, graphic novels and comics, like comic strips and things like that, like whenever it's not just like words across page, I'm horrible at it.
00:19:41
Speaker
um So I did struggle a little even beyond the whole like figuring out where to start reading. The other piece that I found really tricky, and I remember this from when I was starting the, it's not called this, but the Game of Thrones series.
00:19:55
Speaker
And when I was reading that, because so many of like when some of the names were tricky for me to read, i would then forget, like i would combine people, you know, like I'd be like, wait, who was that again? Because it wasn't like something that stuck with me. And so partially because this felt like it's a different culture that I'm used to and history that I am not as familiar with.
00:20:23
Speaker
And then also names that I'm not as familiar with. I had a, I had a harder time following them and then even in the um anime when I was watching that I was like wait and and and I was wondering how much of this was kind of like intentional and kind a commentary um especially since they're like these servants and in you know the emperor's grounds and things like that um but the so many of the characters looked similar except when it was like the main character or, um, you know, like even some of the like wives or beautiful women, I was like, which one is that? Oh, okay. That one has pink hair. So I can tell that one apart, but the rest, you know, I couldn't as much. So that was something where I was like, this might just be comprehension on my own part.
00:21:18
Speaker
Um, but yeah feeling like those were two factors that that contributed to um me having a more difficult time. Yeah that's you also got like some of the historic references so it wasn't quite as easy as like here's a couple of characters that you're getting introduced to so um that's a really interesting perspective because for me like Like I am not a person who retains history.
00:21:47
Speaker
um So I constantly have to like reread it or relearn it. And even though I took like Japanese studies classes, like I really don't, don't retain anything about like past emperors or what their structure was like. or so for me looking at the elusive samurai, it was just like, oh, okay, here's like a chance to like, you know, see this again or like see like,
00:22:09
Speaker
learn about it almost through fresh eyes for me.

Insights on Japanese Culture

00:22:12
Speaker
And for me, like, I've had to like stop and be like, Oh my God, what, how much of this is like actually history and how much of this is like, like a joke. Cause there's like a couple of things that come in where you're like,
00:22:26
Speaker
Like, I don't want to do any spoilers, but there was like this event that happens and they're like, yeah, um this doesn't really track for the 21st century, but this is really what they used to do. And I was like, okay, really? So I look it up and like, they had this somewhat inhumane activity that they used to do that they're like portraying in the show later, you know, in the story or show later on. So it was kind of this weird, like,
00:22:53
Speaker
way to like almost an introduction into like the history that yeah um i wouldn't have really gotten otherwise because that's not what i'm into um but what i can also hear you about the names so for me like i can't remember anybody's names or i give them all nicknames this is why like a lot of the shows have like superpowers And I'm always like, oh that dude who like shoots tape from his elbow or you know like that one that has this thing. So in terms of your comprehension of the show, like I would say that there is, like most shows kind of have their own aesthetic where it's like, okay, here's all the background characters.
00:23:36
Speaker
And then here's the the main characters that you need to be paying attention to. I was just going to say, I'm curious about the elusive samurai because I'm remembering that when I was in Japan and we would go to some of the castles, I just always wanted to know like what their lives were like and where were they sleeping and who's guarding them and do they ever feel safe and All that kind of thing. So, oh, yeah.
00:24:06
Speaker
And it I mean, I would say the apothecary diaries also show that like they show where they're sleeping. And again, i don't know how historically accurate it is, but it was very cool.
00:24:19
Speaker
I am curious.

Humor in Anime and Manga

00:24:20
Speaker
um One thing that you guys have kind of been mentioning is the humor. um And I'm always like, do I just have a weird sense of humor? Or is this actually funny? So you guys got kind of like a broad spectrum. So like how entertaining or funny?
00:24:35
Speaker
Like, how did the humor come across to you? This one is so funny. i'm the Spy family. sorry Yeah, it's um I mean, I was just thinking about this whole there's like this scene where like the the main spy dad is like pretending to be a psychiatrist.
00:24:53
Speaker
And then um he like gets in this fight when he's like with the the mom and they none of them know what the other does. But he's like, like, oh, no, one of my patients has come to ah is stalking me. And so and then he like hits him or something. And then she's like, are you supposed to do that with your patients? And he's like, oh, no, that's a concussive therapy or like concussion therapy. And then I think, i don't know if it's there, but somewhere there's like a little asterisk. It's like, this is not a thing. like but just
00:25:24
Speaker
And then later she like hits somebody and she's like, oh, no, I shouldn't try to practice without a, without training, like practice concussion therapy. Yeah. <unk> Just hilarious.
00:25:36
Speaker
So yes, that one is great. I will have to read um volume two of the elusive samurai with the attention more towards sit the possibility that this could be satirical or that it could be, you know, that there is some humor. Cause I think I was taking it so seriously. I'm like, this is historical and oh my, you know, so, and I've,
00:26:04
Speaker
Again, i don't think I'm stupid, but there are things that I'm dense about for sure because remember reading an entire satirical book for a book club once and not knowing that it was satirical. And so I was like, I hated it. And then they were like, it was satire. And I was like, oh.
00:26:20
Speaker
like, okay, I love it. yeah let Let me rewind. and Playing it through that lens. Now I like it. Just kidding. Great, great. Yeah. But it was interesting in the anime that it is so obvious when...
00:26:37
Speaker
like there are some things that are a more subtle joke and then there are other things that almost would be like with a laugh track you know I mean there is no laugh track but it's like or slapstick where it's like oh even the style of drawing is completely different like all of a sudden the characters and have you ever seen this Charlotte like where it's like where they're, you know, like very angular and like specifically drawn. And then suddenly when they're like angry or like whatever, it turns more cartoonish and very circular and round and exaggerated. Yeah. I think I was, I was just looking at one im where, uh, what it was like one page where like the large picture is, like very,
00:27:24
Speaker
very beautiful, almost like a work of art because it's meant to be this like peaceful moment. And then like, like where two of the characters are sleeping. um And then the next like smaller panel underneath it is like something waking them up. And it's just like, it's much less like beautifully drawn and more meant to be like comic, like, you know, yeah their facial expression is very of like,
00:27:52
Speaker
more just almost like a line drawing.

Accessing Manga & Anime

00:27:54
Speaker
Yes. Yes. And so that was just so interesting to me because I'm like, ah you know, especially like, I'm used to when you're watching something, all of the visuals are in kind of the same style, whereas this is like suddenly you've brought in a totally different style.
00:28:12
Speaker
and um And then there's also like there were these yeah ah sound effects that felt almost video game like that would go along with that. um So that was very interesting, kind of jarring. But i then i when I was like, oh I like that.
00:28:32
Speaker
and the main character in the Apothecary Diaries, um she is very deadpan and she has a great sense of humor, but she's almost like an April Ludgate from Parks and Rec kind of character, you know, where she's like deadpan and like has a lot more going on than people give her credit for and things like that.
00:28:55
Speaker
So that's very humorous and obviously so. And speaking about the, what you werere saying about the sound effects, One thing that I thought was very interesting in Naseka, the Valley of the Wind, is that at the very end, there's a list of sound effects.
00:29:13
Speaker
So it's no it's a guide to sound effects. And so it'll tell you like, okay, if it's got these letters, ah it'll sound like... There's so little. I can't believe there's so many sound effects, but it'll be like... Goon.
00:29:30
Speaker
Or...
00:29:33
Speaker
kickki chi you know and then kind of like what that what that means or like what it might be in English so are those letters that they're showing in the in the book itself like while you're reading it almost like an asterisk would be or a footnote I believe they left them in there in Japanese but then like you can go panel by panel like by page and then it'll show you like how you would say it out loud okay Cool.
00:30:03
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, that's very cool. So it's it's interesting. I was going to say, then it feels like an art that's like meant to be read aloud, but no, not necessarily. That could still just be in your head, right? Like that you're.
00:30:19
Speaker
Yeah, that you're wanting to to know at least what it sounds like or what it means. Like, is this ah this car is going or is this this person's like banging into something?
00:30:32
Speaker
who that sort of thing yeah a loud groan something like that so in terms of accessibility what do you think for both and do we do manga manga manga and anime separate or what do you think let's do them separate because i for me The manga was really easy to access because it was at the library.
00:31:00
Speaker
it was really easy to find, at least what I was looking for. And and it was just, it wasn't like on hold or anything. I mean, granted, these have been around for a long time. So I don't know anything about more recent manga.
00:31:15
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. I also got mine from the library, easy to get. And now that I know that there is the directions in the front, like that was going to be my feedback on whether or not it was accessible, but to show you exactly how it's supposed to be read is incredibly thoughtful of them and very generous to a Western reader.
00:31:38
Speaker
reason Yeah, but anybody who's right not not used to reading from right to left. Yeah. And... The fact that it is in English, that a lot of them are in English, and my guess is probably a lot of other languages since it's so popular now. Yeah.
00:31:56
Speaker
It makes it more accessible too. Yeah. And the fact that there's so many different types, like what you said about some of the history and some of the the names and all that, I would say for the Nausicaa one that i read, there is a little bit more of...
00:32:17
Speaker
needing to remember certain aspects of this made up world and the names. And so there were times where I got a little bit confused. But then if you read something like Spy Family, there's like very little confusion as to what's going on. So you can go based on like, ah how much do I want to like think more versus just be purely entertained? as Sort of like the world of novels, you can find whatever you want.
00:32:45
Speaker
Yeah, that's a good point. And something probably useful to keep in mind. Like I keep kind of clumping them in my head is like, well, and is this a commentary on their culture or their, you know, and it's like, okay, maybe some are and some aren't like that's literature.
00:33:05
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. And then what about anime? Yeah, it definitely feels like there are a lot of options that are accessible if you have streaming services like Netflix or Amazon, although I hate to say them. And then even there were some that were on Hulu and things like that.
00:33:28
Speaker
But... It does seem that if you want to get access to the majority of them, you would have to add another subscription to get it from Crunchyroll.
00:33:40
Speaker
So that is like, you know, accessible, but not free. I wonder actually if they have DVDs or Blu-ray at the library.
00:33:53
Speaker
Right. But then you'd have to have a player. I i don't remember. I'm sure I still have a DVD player somewhere. You should know this. You just moved.
00:34:05
Speaker
it was probably in a box that you never unpacked this is the right currently I'm the most unpacked I've ever been ah after having moved to a place in like my entire life all right yeah but only because I'm not the only one there so do a little more than usual.

Personal Manga Reading Experiences

00:34:28
Speaker
there There is, okay, I think that we do have a DVD player, so maybe I'll check out the library for some some DVD manga. I mean, and anime.
00:34:40
Speaker
Right. i I do find, i remember in book clubs, like there would be different graphic novels that we would read or when you know reading graphic novels to the kids and stuff. like I just have a really hard time with it, like getting into the story. I feel like I'm reading like one scene at a time and then have a hard time, like just connecting, like getting lost in it in the same way.
00:35:06
Speaker
Does that happen to you or? I feel like it has happened to me before, although I i really haven't read a lot of comics or graphic novels at all. So I can't even be sure because it has been a while. So maybe that's maybe that's part of it is I didn't have a lot of like pre conceptions about because if I had read.
00:35:30
Speaker
I mean, I guess I used to read like Archie comics, but that seems different. And why was I reading those? Anyway. I would too, because they were free in the newspaper. yeah yeah look I was like a teenager.
00:35:45
Speaker
But yeah, I think that and think that it also might be a case of like, they're getting their the writing is getting better and better probably just like who with there were being more of it and people...
00:36:00
Speaker
really like getting more into it because I do think it's so much popular now because now I start to notice it when I go places or I talk to people and then like the younger generations are into it if anything, when I am reading, sometimes I'm like, oh no, I don't want to read a graphic novel because it's going to be so over so quickly. Most of it's just pictures.
00:36:26
Speaker
And then there's like an anxiety about like being done too soon and a weird way. But it wasn't the case with these because there's a lot going on on each page and it There's like this one split up into different, don't know if it's like chapters or missions. Oh yeah. It's split up into five different missions, which is very cute.
00:36:48
Speaker
And then each one looks almost like an episode because the, at the beginning of the next mission, they will like almost like reintroduce the scenario and characters like they do on TV, but like ah previously on. Exactly.
00:37:06
Speaker
Like I, I'm just, I'm reading this book. I don't know why they're doing that, but it's kind of fun. Yeah. And like how much time is like, do people usually have in between reading a chapter?
00:37:20
Speaker
That's interesting that your reaction is more like, oh, it's going to be over soon. But it's nice to know that at least the ones that Cheyenne suggested to us, A lot of them have quite a few series and the novels in the series or.
00:37:37
Speaker
Typically, like each little section comes out once a week. So it's almost like each little chapter. cool that's why. Yeah, comes out on a weekly basis. And then these books are called the volumes and those come out every like three to four months.
00:37:52
Speaker
So I used just kind of wait until I had a bunch of volumes and would read through it. um But now that I'm on the Shoujin Jump app, I'm like on the weekly junkie cycle.
00:38:09
Speaker
Okay, that makes a ton of sense then why they would want to like give you a recap of what happened and fun to think about it as like a serial and something that you have to wait for each week too. I love that because yeah, it does feel sometimes like you're getting a cliffhanger and I love a cliffhanger.
00:38:26
Speaker
okay Yeah, this book ends on a cliffhanger. Like we still don't know if she gets into that school.
00:38:35
Speaker
Yeah, it's funny. I'm like looking back at it now and I'm like, okay. Yeah, that is, that makes

Artistic Elements in Anime & Manga

00:38:41
Speaker
ah ton of sense. That's useful to know. That's so good. I also really like when they, um Charlotte, you were saying in yours, there's like a full photo, but this has like the stats of a person when they're introducing them. And I always think that's really funny. Like when it's like, okay, abilities, martial arts, 72. Mind you, no idea like what the scale is, but you figure probably a hundred.
00:39:05
Speaker
um Intelligence, 37. Charm, 15. Yeah. charm fifteen just ah
00:39:13
Speaker
I do think there's a lot of like whimsical kind of stuff in the some of this. And I love just that or like quirkiness. I think, oh, this is what what I was thinking before when you were talking about like the difficulty of sometimes reading manga or graphic novels is when there's fight scenes or things like that.
00:39:35
Speaker
Sometimes I have difficulty figuring out like what's going on But then i think that usually then recap it in a way where you can be like, oh, that's what just happened.
00:39:49
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. It makes me wonder, like, how good is my imagination? and do have another fellow manga and anime friend who likes to watch them. If they're, they basically like screen the anime where they'll watch it on like fast forward and like stop if something looks interesting or catch the dialogue and then go back to watching it like on fast forward. So they go through like an entire series in an evening of like a couple hours how do you do this but but then how do they know what's going on wait what is that how do they know what's going on and if they're fast forwarding i don't know i think it's more just like they like watching the art of it so there's this experience of like viewing the art that makes it enjoyable somehow cute cute
00:40:48
Speaker
It is cuckoo. I do think that's funny though. Like when it's, yeah, that's clearly like, oh, I don't care about the plot. I don't care about, you know, the story. I just want to see the parts that I like in this case, like maybe the fight scenes or whatever it is.
00:41:02
Speaker
And the art is pretty amazing. yeah I found that so many of the male characters are so feminine in their um representation, except especially if they're supposed to be like one of the good guys and or if they're supposed to be attractive.
00:41:24
Speaker
and And some of that is just like, my own what i'm bringing to it where it's like oh they have long hair but also that just like their features are very like beautiful and delicate and um pointy yeah yeah there's like this bad bad teacher guy and he what does he look like oh he's got like this terrible mustache And he just looks very boorish.
00:41:52
Speaker
But then the main character, by guy, is like very beautiful. And you could tell he's... Oh yeah, this is the one that I was talking about where it's like this very beautiful image of like him and the daughter sleeping on the couch. And look look how beautiful he looks.
00:42:12
Speaker
But then down here, like they wake up and then suddenly his image is very like... Yeah, that is definitely something that's really common. I think it's like the punchline comic. It's like the anime version of like ba-dump-tsch when they like completely swap to like ah like a super simplified like dope character kind of thing.
00:42:35
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I was saying that it felt almost slapstick. Yeah. And it's weird how that translates too because like when you see the, when you're reading the manga, like most animes,
00:42:48
Speaker
translate it exactly. So like, you'll still see that like dopey character translating through on like the TV show. And it just like, I'm always amazed how there's like, there's not many different interpretations when you're going from like the manga to the anime. It's the only difference is it's in color and you get some voices with it.

Navigating Anime Filler Episodes

00:43:11
Speaker
And it's like more of like a, maybe a lived experience than having to like read it. Well, and wonder if some of that is because it's like people are so in love with it that it's like, don't mess with it, you know?
00:43:25
Speaker
and then is the dialogue all the same too? By and large, like from what I can tell of the series that I've read and watched, they're super similar. But I think I might have mentioned on last episode how their series, because it comes out in this like weekly basis and they're published into volumes.
00:43:46
Speaker
When it starts going into anime, it has the, you know, it starts at the beginning, of course. So depending on when they're starting the animated version from this book, there's like only so much content that they can fill in.
00:43:59
Speaker
And so you get to this point where sometimes the anime catches up to like the source content. So then they're like twiddling their thumbs and they come up with filler, which is like the side stories or something like completely unrelated, or here's a backstory.

Concerns About Anime Binge-Watching

00:44:14
Speaker
um and a lot of people really don't see the filler as useful or as canon. So they they'll make all sorts of like guides as to how to avoid the filler episodes. okay
00:44:31
Speaker
Well, I would say overall incredibly accessible. Mm-hmm. Yay. I was thinking that I have some, this is like the weirdest, not weirdest anxieties to have, but I'm like, okay, Charlotte, don't get too obsessed with it because it'll take up a lot of your time.
00:44:56
Speaker
But there's so much content and what if I just love it and then I'm reading it and listening or reading and and watching it all the time and I could see that happening. So that's a good sign except for, you know, there's so much, but that just means that you have a lot of content to last you for your life.
00:45:18
Speaker
That's true. Pace myself. Yeah. You don't have to worry about running out.

Conclusion & Listener Engagement

00:45:22
Speaker
I am like a binger, you know, I did mention like I was into anime and then all of a sudden lately I've been into Jane Austen.
00:45:31
Speaker
Um, and since I checked out the library, um my way out i was like gotta check out the manga section and see if they have anything new and there was the emma graphic novel of jane austen no way
00:45:48
Speaker
so i guess if i really want um you know to cross you don't have to just be into anime you can like consume all of your favorite content in anime or manga style yeah That is great.
00:46:03
Speaker
Oh, how fun to have the crossover. the All right. Well, I think we did it. Another one. Another great interest. Yeah. Thank you so much, Cheyenne.
00:46:15
Speaker
Well, thanks for having me back. Yeah, I was really excited to hear how much you guys got into it. So thank you so much for sharing in my passions. Thank you so much for sharing it with us because again, it's not something that I would have sought out on my own. And now I have a new show that I'd love to watch.
00:46:36
Speaker
Yeah. Thank you so much. I definitely plan to continue and then also check these out with anime as well. It's like a new, fun, different thing for my brain to engage with.
00:46:46
Speaker
so um That's so great to hear. right. You guys take care All right. Thank you. Stay interested. and stay interesting. Bye. ae Thanks for listening to today's episode.
00:47:01
Speaker
Please subscribe, comment, and like the podcast. Follow us on Blue Sky Social at CanWeInterestYouIn. Send us an email at CanWeInterestYouIn at gmail.com. And join us next time.
00:48:32
Speaker
Yeah.