Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Vol 2 Ch 30 | It's (Not) A Tuesday! feat. Olivia Swasey
164 Plays1 year ago
Happy (Not) Tuesday, this episode we're joined by the hilarious and incredibly talented Olivia Swasey! You may know Olivia from her voice acting work in Kakegurui, Vinland Saga, I'm Quitting Heroing, and so much more! Olivia brings a refreshingly feminine and feminist approach to all things anime; you can follow her Instagram here.
Ready to shop better hydration, use our special link http://zen.ai/fandameswithparksnebula to save 20% off anything you order.
If you like this episode, you can find video & uncut versions of all episodes on our patreon for as low as $5/month!
Follow us on our social media and access our discord server here!
Recommended
Transcript
Hydration Tips for Conventions
00:00:00
Speaker
Convention season is in full swing and planning for faster, efficient hydration is essential to survive any con. Liquid IV has you covered while you travel, power through in any cosplay, and recover after a long weekend. Liquid IV hydrates two times faster than water alone, with three times the electrolytes of traditional sports drinks.
00:00:15
Speaker
As someone who has postural tachycardia syndrome, I'm insanely desperate for electrolytes in my day-to-day already. That alone made liquid IV a staple in my purse no matter where I go. Convention days are no different with how few and far between hydration breaks can be. Not only is liquid IV made with premium ingredients, but each stick contains five essential vitamins to keep you going strong.
00:00:34
Speaker
B5, B6, B12, and vitamin C. You can get 20% off when you go to liquidiv.com and use code FANDAMES at checkout. That's 20% off anything you order when you shop better hydration today using promo code FANDAMES at liquidiv.com.
Technical Difficulties and Guest Introduction
00:00:50
Speaker
Hey y'all. On this episode, we are joined by a Superfund guest who had a few technical difficulties whenever we were recording.
00:00:58
Speaker
So the audio quality is not exactly up to what we usually have standard wise, but the quality of the interview is still just as good. So just give it your heads up, take a little listen, make sure it's good for your ear holes. We are the snails that will stay there and we're going to go slither away so you can listen to the episode. Okay. Bye.
Navigating Negative Feedback and Staying True
00:01:29
Speaker
Welcome back to the Sleepover Podcast. This is Fandames with Parks and Nebula, and we have a super fun guest this week. We have Olivia Swayze. Oh my God. Combined your first name and last name. Wow. It happens. It happens. Howdy. Good to... Oh, well, no, that's okay. I messed up my two. Glad to be here. Glad to be here today. Very excited. Good and blind. Howdy every time.
00:01:53
Speaker
I, you know, I really wanted to have like a trademark greeting. I just felt like that was something that I wanted. That's so cute. You know, like, just like, I don't know, just a way to say hello that everybody's like, Oh, it's you, you know? Yeah, I know. No, I knew that too. But I stopped in high school because someone commented down at once was like, Okay, well, that was corny. I don't want to do this anymore. It's not so funny when you comment on it.
00:02:23
Speaker
Yeah, you know, you got to let the haters hate and just move on. You know, you got to let it roll off the back just like a
Podcast Editing Experiences
00:02:30
Speaker
deck. Just like a deck. Just like a deck. We are on one today. All of us together are on one. It's a Tuesday. It's a Tuesday. It's a Tuesday. It's a Tuesday. Everyone's going to hear this on a Friday.
00:02:43
Speaker
Yeah, that's true. Everyone will hear it on a Friday, and they'll be like, you guys are fucking wrong. What are you talking about? Oh my god. You edit this the same day? What the hell? Yeah. I've never been able to understand editing timelines. They seem so long to me. It seems like editing takes just a wild amount of time. Thank goodness I'm not an editor. Thank goodness you are.
00:03:04
Speaker
Oh, I mean, I used to be the editor and I was like, I can't keep staying up till two o'clock in the morning doing this.
Moving on from Creative Submissions
00:03:10
Speaker
This is what I'm talking about. That's not a skill set I was born with. No, me neither. If I have to sit and like move stuff around for too long, I feel like my brain is growing mold. I can't do it. It's not for me. I need to like do it. And then I walk away and do not see it again.
00:03:25
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, that's how I feel about auditions. When I turn in self tapes and stuff, I just send them in and I don't think about them at all anymore. There's no way. It's off. I don't care. I only listen to them half the time sometimes when we put episodes out. And I'll hear it back like, Oh, yeah, we did talk about that. Because I just go, it's gone. I don't retain
00:03:46
Speaker
Sometimes when I turn in self-tapes, I will just edit them really quick and I won't watch them because it's hard for me to stomach myself mostly.
00:03:59
Speaker
I'm just too nervous. I don't want to watch the whole thing, you know? When I had to take a flight to a con once, I was like, fine, I'll listen to
Voice Acting Journey of Olivia Swasey
00:04:07
Speaker
one of the episodes. And I started it, got to like the three minute mark, and they like got sick. I was like, I can't do this right now. And I just didn't listen to anything because I had nothing else downloaded on my phone. I sat in silence for a 45 minute flight because I'm like, that was ass.
00:04:21
Speaker
That was ass. I bet it wasn't ass. I bet it was like a really nice thing. You know what I mean? Yeah. It was an awesome episode. Episode four or five of this. So I still wasn't used to myself. So I was like, wow, that completely bad, terribly bad. What episode number is this?
00:04:39
Speaker
29 or 30? Wow, look at you guys though. We're getting there. It's been a journey. Yeah, 30-30. Glad to be a part of it. It's you.
00:04:54
Speaker
We've been trying to interview as many voice actors as we can. So now you get to be among that alumni. But our first one was Chris Sabat. And we listened to that in the car together after we did it. And both Parker and I were like, how did he agree to this? You have to start somewhere. You have to start somewhere. Yeah, but we didn't expect to start with the big leagues. We should have been a little bit more humble.
00:05:20
Speaker
Dude, I think go big or go home, right? That's Texas' motto. You guys are right on track.
00:05:26
Speaker
Well, do you want to give a little introduction for all the listeners of what you do as a voice actor and as an actor in general? Sure, absolutely. So I have been a voice actor for just over five years now, but I've been acting since I was very young, very young. My first role ever was in Susical, which is a musical version of Horton Hears a Who. It's a lot of fun. And I played a Wickersham brother.
00:05:55
Speaker
And that was pretty awesome. And obviously, you know, that sparked a deep passion for the arts in me. And I continued on and I graduated recently in 2022 from the University of Houston with a degree in acting that I was very, very proud of. Go Cougs!
00:06:10
Speaker
I actually just went to the zoo yesterday and saw the Cougars there at the Houston Zoo, so that was comforting for me. But I've been voice acting for about five years now, and part of the reason that I got into the voice acting part of the industry is that my father, John Swasey, has been a voice actor and an ADR director now for a little over two decades, which is quite the impressive resume, quite the roster he has.
00:06:36
Speaker
And I really am inspired by my dad day in and day out. That being said, I missed his call. I gotta call him back soon.
00:06:45
Speaker
But, you know, he is my favorite actor on the planet. And I take a lot of inspiration from him, a lot of support, you know, stuff like that. So it just is very serendipitous that we were able to work together on a lot of different anime projects and stuff like that. And that's been a pretty driving force behind me continuing to, you know, audition and participate in different shows and stuff like that is simply because I want to take over the family business, if you will.
00:07:13
Speaker
Stuff like that, you know, it's just a cool way for us to be connected and also I've really, really come to love and appreciate anime. So, yeah, I guess I should mention some shows. Probably one of my more popular shows is Kaki Gururi. I played the student body president as well as her twin, spoiler, Ririka.
00:07:38
Speaker
I'm coming. Yeah, it'll be okay. It's been out for a while, right? I've also been in Vinland Saga. I've been in Bang Dream. Let me think of some other ones here. Hello, hello. You know, people always ask, they're like, what have you been in? I don't know.
00:07:57
Speaker
I don't know. I was looking at your anime news network list and Parker and I are giant One Piece fans and we were both like, oh my God, she was the Lady Tree. Thank you for knowing who that is. I literally put that character on my banner, my pop-up banner that I use at my table. I love Lady Tree. If anyone loves the characters that you see for two minutes, it's me.
00:08:26
Speaker
Oh, I'm so glad that you guys know who that is. People have come up to me maybe five times, probably less than five times, and they've been like, yo, I know exactly who that is. Put your banner up there. Respect.
00:08:39
Speaker
We love Lady Tree. We stan Lady Tree. We had Travis. I knew I came to the right podcast. We had Travis Thelbo who plays like Snack as his more like prominent one-piece character in Buffalo. But I was mad that he didn't dare mention the one lion that's in a scene in Dressrosa once.
00:08:58
Speaker
I had, I love those characters. I memorize every single one. So the minute I saw a lady tree, my boyfriend came in. He's like, what are you yelling about? I'm like, you know, the tree that he falls in love with. And then he immediately dies in front of. Oh my God.
00:09:13
Speaker
Dude, people, I feel like people or actors often underestimate the one-liners or just like the characters that are in one or two episodes. You know, I play in how to pick up girls in a dungeon. I play like a bimbo brigade commanding officer or something like that. And it's just like a couple of lines in one episode. And one time somebody came up to me and they were like, I came here because you are the bimbo brigade commander. And I love that episode.
00:09:39
Speaker
It's like, oh my God. That's so cute. Well, you know, I feel like you go hard with, you kind of go hard as fuck with the characters that are only on screen for an episode. Cause it's, you can have fun with them and it's not necessarily a character arc that you need to worry about maintaining and finding the exact right emotional release points for, you know, whatever.
00:10:01
Speaker
So these are characters that are on screen for a couple of seconds and then more often than not die. So I think they're always more fun, right? Like the walla and stuff like that.
00:10:14
Speaker
It's always way more fun than the big girls, but that's just one girl's opinion. No, I totally agree. No, I love that. Because all of the drop-in-the-bucket character designs are all wasted, too. There was something I was watching earlier, and it was like, wow, all of these characters have really good designs. But because of the core of it, everyone dies, so it does not matter. I love Battle Royales. Everyone dies, so it doesn't matter what they look like. They're cool.
00:10:42
Speaker
Yeah, I love them. I care about them. I'm looking out for those guys. Yeah, I'm very curious how if anime like the only avenue into anime in your life was from your dad or if there was any show that you liked outside of knowing
Family Influence and Anime Appreciation
00:11:01
Speaker
his work or anything. Yeah, so well, growing up, I didn't really watch. Pardon me.
00:11:08
Speaker
There we go. Growing up, I didn't really watch anime that much. It just wasn't what I grew up with. My brother did quite a bit, but not so much my sister and I, although there was one show called Michelle, which I don't know if that many people are familiar with that television show, but there was an anime called Michelle, kind of like Pokemon, honestly, looking back. It definitely kind of felt like a ripoff, but neither here nor there.
00:11:36
Speaker
We watched that quite a bit growing up. And I did really enjoy that, but I didn't, I just thought my dad was in this weird, funny little show. I didn't associate it as like, oh, he works in anime. You know, I was a kid, I didn't, I didn't. But eventually I, you know, I went to high school, like I knew what anime was, and I understood that my dad worked in it and had some pretty significant roles within like some pretty popular shows, but I still didn't really understand
00:12:04
Speaker
the community that existed around anime and just like how many people really liked this stuff, you know what I mean? Right. Because a lot of people turns out. Did you know there's a Death Note musical? Yes. Yes. They just did a show for it. Oh my god. They just did a show for it in London. I'm so pissed. They did not record it. I saw that art. I saw an article reviewing the show and I was like, what?
00:12:30
Speaker
The hell? So, anime obviously, well loved by many people, you know what I mean? And when I was, I think, a senior in high school, I might have been a junior, but I think I was a senior, I started asking my dad about, you know, auditioning for shows down at the studio and stuff like that, just seeing him more about what the artistic process was like, what the creative process was like. Because, you know, he's my dad, he's an actor.
00:12:56
Speaker
you know, his daughter, an actor, I'm curious about what his professional life looks like. And it just, it really blossomed because I was curious about what my dad did all day at work. You know, but it helps that my brother was into it. So I knew some stuff about it. He would always get me like Christmas presents, like
00:13:15
Speaker
He would get me like Lego sets of his favorite shows or like a figurine, something like that. And I would always just be like, I, this is really sweet, right? This is very kind and thoughtful, but I don't know who this person is. I don't know what show that is. You know, I don't care about this. Like, I just didn't know what it was. Uh, things have since changed. Things have since changed. It was, I definitely owe, oh, nearly all of it, not all of it, nearly all of it to my dad, for sure.
00:13:44
Speaker
So you mentioned that acting was like a family business. So do your siblings act? Does your mom act as well? Yeah, so my dad is an actor. He has been an actor since he was 15 and saw Joseph in the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Broadway.
00:13:59
Speaker
Yeah, right. He always talks about the woman who played the narrator, the actress who played the narrator. He was in love with her. I feel like her name started with a J. I don't know. But he originally wanted to be a marine biologist and study sharks.
00:14:17
Speaker
My mom is a stage manager, has been for quite a while. Started out trying to be an actor, quickly discovered that that is not one of her many, many talents. She's more of a behind the scenes kind of lady. And she's very good at running a ship. You know what I mean? She runs a very tight ship. And when I was growing up, and we would be, you know, getting ready Sunday mornings to go to church and stuff like that, mom would call out, you have
00:14:45
Speaker
It's together. And the whole family would be like, thank you five. Just like a real backstage would run, you know.
00:14:55
Speaker
And I, instead of playing soccer because both of my parents were artists, I was enrolled in like theater and painting camp and stuff like that. And it was a lot of fun. And my brother actually, so I mentioned before that before my dad decided he wanted to be an actor, he wanted to be a marine biologist. My brother is currently in school studying at A&M Galveston to be a marine biologist and study sharks. So my dad's two for two in the kids career department.
00:15:25
Speaker
Josh, my brother did do theater for a little bit in high school, but eventually he just decided that marine biology was the way he wanted to go. And my sister, oh God, my sister is a 16 year old and I am telling you this chick
00:15:40
Speaker
That's not what I want to say. This bitch is so good at, she's just so fun to watch on stage. She does a lot of musical theater, a lot of theater at the high school she's at right now. And I just love to watch her perform. She's so good. And it makes me, as an older sister who's decided to pursue acting, I feel very like, get it girl. You know what I mean?
00:16:01
Speaker
I'm so proud and that's so cute. She says that she wants to be a realtor or marry someone rich so it's hard to say if she'll stick with the acting thing. But you know I'd like for her too today. I think she's very talented and my brother too you know but I love that he's marine biologist so I want him to keep on doing that. So we're definitely an artistic family. Josh is definitely the smartest of all of us
00:16:28
Speaker
So, you know, board game nights are fun. Okay. I think it sounds like you guys are all extremely skilled and smart in your own respective areas.
00:16:40
Speaker
I like to think so without sounding arrogant. Yeah. That your dad is just like, yeah, I'm going to do everything. I'm going to act and also I'm going to learn about the science. Split, just fine. Yeah, very much so. My dad's a, he's a real sweet guy all the time. He says that his greatest accomplishment in life, he's always like, it's the three of you, me, my brother and sister. He's always like, you guys are the best thing I could have ever done with my life. And I'm like, man, that is so sweet. You are a good guy. Good guys. That's so precious. Yeah. That's so fun.
00:17:10
Speaker
I love those guys. I love those guys, man. It makes me really, really happy. I've actually done a lot of research on family compounds because of how much I love those guys. People used to live like...
00:17:24
Speaker
Mom and dad lived here. Yeah, you buy a huge acre of land and everyone gets a little bit. Yeah, and just with this move to New York that I've got coming up, it's, and now I went to school in Houston, I'm from Houston, so I've never really been outside of the range of my family. I've been always able to go see them when I wanted and certain things like that, you know, and I've just been very nervous about leaving them behind when I moved to New York. I'm like, look, humans are a tribal people, are we not?
00:17:51
Speaker
You know, it takes a village. I don't want to leave my village behind. I like my village. You know, but I also, you know, steps need to be taken. I get it. It's just scary.
00:18:01
Speaker
But you gotta leave your village to know you want to come back, you know? Okay, Plata Moana, I see you. Because of both your work and your dad's work, where you're both doing convention circuits at the same time as you do your touring, does that at least benefit more time that you will be at least able to travel and see one another while you're working or while you're moved and working in New York as well?
00:18:24
Speaker
Very much so. Yeah, I've taken a lot of comfort in the idea that Dad and I will still get to spend time traveling together, which has been so much fun for us, you know, the past couple of years. Especially because that motherfucker is gone every damn weekend. I mean, he, like, last year he went to 45 conventions. So that's 45 out of 52 weekends that he wasn't there. And like, look, mad respect. Did I get a new handbag for Christmas? Yes. Get that bread, but like damn.
00:18:53
Speaker
But also just like, you know, obviously quality time is invaluable and I miss my dad, you know? But so traveling is a really nice way for us to stay connected and things like that. And that is something I've taken a lot of solace in. And I've been actually upping my game as far as what conventions I'm going to. I've been trying to accrue more for next year. That way I get to hang out with my dad more. Yeah. Oh, like so we'll see. We'll see.
00:19:22
Speaker
If you can't plan for trips home, at least you can work at the same time and still be able to generate and do your normal stuff. That's really cool. That's really sweet. I don't want to keep harassing you with questions about your dad because obviously I want to hear more about you as well. But as you started to get more into the field, did the realization set in that your dad is one of the most important voices?
00:19:44
Speaker
in some of the most major animes of all time. Well, go ahead, sorry. I'm a 1999 baby and I have young parents, so I grew up watching Neon Genesis when I probably shouldn't have. Because I was like a child, I only did dub animes. I was an infant, I could not handle reading.
00:20:03
Speaker
And so your dad's voice has been there since I was a child and has set the whole groundwork with the way that things like Neon Genesis have impacted my life. It's like your dad has always been like that because of how impactful his voice has been in certain works. Did that realization kind of set in for you once you started to become more aware of what he did fully?
00:20:27
Speaker
It was really it was really once we started going to conventions together that I began to understand what an impact he had made on, you know, kind of a significant amount of people, especially people around my age. Pardon me one more time. Hello.
00:20:42
Speaker
I've been doing it too. The minute we started recording, I had to. Oh, goodness. So embarrassing. No, it's fine. I remember him getting an award before I really understood what he did. He got an award for being the most prolific male voice actor in North America, which means that in that year, he had
00:21:06
Speaker
at that point in his career done more voices than any other male actor in North America which I was like damn that's that's pretty cool you know I don't really know what that means um you know I did okay on my SATs prolific was a tough word at the time but I I was like that's really cool you know I I pardon me I'm I'm that's neat and then I started going to conventions with him and people were coming up and like
00:21:33
Speaker
They were either like, oh my God, or they were like, obviously not every time. But there were quite a few times when people would come up and they were really freaking out. And I was just like, hello, it's just my dad.
00:21:49
Speaker
Take it easy, people. He's got an ego. You are stroking it. It's just John chill. Take it easy, you know. But I would just, you know, our tables are usually right next to each other when we're at conventions. And so I would just listen to these people come up and interact with him.
00:22:06
Speaker
It's a very similar experience to you, Parker, you know what I mean? He just, they would be like, look, I've been hearing your voice in my living room since I was a kid, and that's incredibly special, and you don't know it, but this show has helped me through wildly difficult situations in my life, and your voice has been there for the ride, and that's impacted me, and I'm grateful to meet you, and thank you for the work that you've done. And when I started, uh, don't freak out, girl, when I started,
00:22:34
Speaker
Seeing those interactions, I was just like, that is so crazy that my dad has like, and this is a stretch. This is just how I understand it in my head. I'm like, my dad has been other people's dad, like through their TV, like in some weird twisted way. Some of them are not good examples of good dads, but you know, the sweetest father of all time has to be the one to play the worst fathers of all time, okay?
00:23:02
Speaker
Yeah, right. He's not a good, he doesn't play good guys, plays bad guys. But just like his, like, I was just like, wow, his presence is so reassuring to me and like how wonderful that other people are so affected by his performance. And also when I was witnessing these exchanges, that was when I really gained a new level of respect for voice actors, specifically anime voice actors.
00:23:27
Speaker
I was like, yo, this is an art and this does impact people. Not that I didn't understand or believe that before, but it was just like a further degree. Yeah. Like the severe or like the depth beneath it. Like you see that it's an underlying like art form. It's kind of like someone doing YouTube stuff. You're like, yeah, that's cool. But then when you get that under layer of how people genuinely connect with it, it adds a little bit more as like. Exactly. It's exactly like that. Like Cody Ko. I don't know if you guys know that YouTuber.
00:23:55
Speaker
But I'm obsessed with him, you know, I've been watching that guy since since he was on vine and I just like it's it's crazy how I forget, you know, and it's a little bit twisted because we live in the age of social media and celebrities and things like that and I don't quite know where I stand on all of that, but I do know that I feel very connected to a few specific online and celebrity personalities in a weird way where it's I understand para social relationships. It's okay.
00:24:21
Speaker
It's like, I feel like I owe you something. Your existence has impacted me, and that's crazy. One of the core tenets of art, I think, is affecting the people around us and affecting communities and sharing stories and stories of being alive and things like that. It's just witnessing people
00:24:45
Speaker
be impacted by my dad's performance that he did maybe even years ago. I was just like, that is really, really cool. And I understand what anime means to people now, you know? So it was a very spiritual experience for me, honestly, you know?
Feminism and Women in Anime
00:25:00
Speaker
Yeah.
00:25:00
Speaker
Don't worry. Well, I will say, Olivia, that I feel like I had that experience when I met you at SoonerCon, because I was talking to your dad and was like, oh my god, I know you from all these things. You've been there in these anime. And that's awesome. But also, then he was like, oh, you should talk to this lovely lady over here and points to you. And I'm like, who is this? They have the same last name. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
00:25:23
Speaker
And just talking to you like you have such a personable approach and like you're just so bubbly and easy to talk to that it was like we were instant best friends and it was you just had that immediate impact as well like I
00:25:39
Speaker
It's very palpable to see how that was passed and how you learned to have that good community in what you do. And I am just eternally grateful that I ran into you and that we have now have this awesome connection because you are you are exactly that as well.
00:25:55
Speaker
She's like, Olivia wants to hang out with me. We traded numbers. That's really, really kind of you. I, well, you know, I also felt that connection when we started talking. I was just like, yo, this is easy. You know, this is, this just feels very easy. Like I'm very casual, very comfortable, all of those things. And even when I logged on today, I was like, let's
00:26:16
Speaker
fucking go. Yeah, I'm excited to do this. Well, and especially as a young woman to see another young woman being successful in the industry and like Parker and I grew up loving anime and video games and all the nerdy stuff. And so to be a girl in that respect,
00:26:34
Speaker
is difficult at times, unfortunately. And then when you and I were discussing feminism and anime, your panel that you did at SoonerCon, it just clicked of like, oh my God, like everyone else that's a fan now that's growing up with it now is so blessed to have all of these industry professionals that are looking out for them and they have their back in the fan spaces as well.
00:26:58
Speaker
So it's just so cool to see how it's evolved and that you get to have such a hand in that. That's awesome. Dude, I was recently in a play called Photograph 51 and it was about, oh dear God, did I forget my character's name? No, it was about Rosalind Franklin who was a Jewish scientist in
00:27:21
Speaker
around World War II and they were just, you know, exploring the structure of DNA and things like that. And she was the first person who took the photo of the helical structure of DNA and figured it all out. But she's not accredited in history because a man took credit for her work. But there's a line in the play and the character, who's actually the villain, he's like, what an exciting thing to be born at the right time. And I love that line.
00:27:49
Speaker
and i feel like when i do those feminism panels at conventions or when i have discussions with fans at my table about the climate of the industry especially for women i just i just i get very excited you know i get very excited to be a part of the conversation a part of the effort for like
00:28:06
Speaker
representation within the industry and stuff like that. And it does feel like what an exciting thing that I was born at the right time that I get to participate in the here and now and be able to help unite voices within my generation and stuff like that in a community that I'm so passionate to be a part of. It's a really special opportunity because I get to meet people like y'all.
00:28:28
Speaker
you know, and we get to have these conversations and stuff like that. It's, you know, I don't know, it's invaluable. And to see it come out of parts of the country that you wouldn't expect. I feel like the majority of Americans wouldn't expect people like you or your dad to be working largely out of Texas and to be from Texas and to have that kind of impact and that positive attitude and to want that representation. It's very refreshing. It does, you know, being a Texan and
00:28:59
Speaker
Well, I guess I'm allowed to say I'm a liberal on a podcast. That doesn't feel like I have blue hair. We're a very liberal podcast. She's got blue hair and pronouns.
00:29:10
Speaker
We're an extremely liberal podcast. People at Akon did not notice that when they came in there, and some of them were a little disgruntled because it was Texas, and we were very liberal women. Get a grip, team. Get a grip. It's crazy because I think Texas women are some of the most liberated women. They just maybe sometimes have a hard time acknowledging it.
00:29:31
Speaker
No, it's difficult being a Texan and being a liberal because a lot of the choices that my state and local governments make are not ones that really align with what I believe. But at the same time, I'm very proud to be a Texan. I'm very proud to be from Houston. I'm very proud to be from my family and all of these things, like be a Texas family and stuff like that. So it is cool to be able to go to conventions other places and represent my home state and be like, yo, I know, Greg Abbott, I know.
00:29:59
Speaker
There's also some logic and sense that happens in the state as well. You don't need to be terrified, you know. But yeah, yeah. I feel you 100%. One of Oklahoma's claim to fame, which I'm very proud to be an Oklahoman, but one of our claim to fame is our senator, one of them brought a snowball onto the congressional floor and was like, global warming isn't real because I have a snowball.
00:30:24
Speaker
So, well, I got to spin it around me. So, boom. That's true. Parker's from Utah. Compete with that. Billionaire church. Compete with that. I'm just kidding. Not that. You are among friends here, Olivia. Yeah, seriously, man. Well, I bet, you know, you could be from any state at this point and be like, yeah, you know, I know we have that idiot that's from here. Who doesn't have that? I promise we're a chill state.
00:30:52
Speaker
the world is in flames it's okay whatever we're doing our best but seriously yeah seriously it's a lot of that of just like what else can you do but try to just be uh somewhat i don't want to say totem because it feels like it's too much like
00:31:06
Speaker
I don't want to suck my own dick by saying I'm being a totem for people to try to express themselves positively in the way that can impact their own community. Because I'm not that. I'm not a huge person. Us doing this podcast, us doing our panels, we're just drops in a bucket.
00:31:23
Speaker
people who do listen to this, or people who do come to our panels, or talk to us in person, are understanding just a little bit of our point of view. Even if it's not a major change, they're understanding a little bit of the importance of why we have representation, or what certain art forms can mean, or even nuanced direction in writing for what things can be deeper on an emotional level, as well as what it means for our real life comparatively.
00:31:51
Speaker
a lot. The world is on fire, but if we can keep just pushing out a little bit more of what we love, we can at least try our best to make it better. It's chaos. That's the most lovely thing I said, I think. What's totem?
00:32:07
Speaker
Like a totem pole? Yeah, a little bit. Like a pillar of the key. I've played too much World of Warcraft, I'm sorry. No, that's okay. I need to get cultured somehow. So this is a very interesting discussion because while we're all on the same page with so many things, I don't think that we have had someone this far removed from fandom in personal life.
00:32:37
Speaker
So I would love to hear your, what did you say? She's lucky, she's really lucky. That's true, you are a little lucky. So I'd love to hear, because you said you've grown to love anime, how has that journey been in more recent years for you?
00:32:54
Speaker
Yeah, well, you know, it's crazy. I actually saw, I just went on a little girl's trip. Um, and I went with a couple of friends from college and I went from with my, also with my best friend from high school and the high school friend. Um, I haven't talked to her in, in quite a while. Like, well, we've chatted, we chatted, but we haven't seen each other in over a year at that point. And so, um,
00:33:18
Speaker
we all go on this trip and we're having a great time and Saturday night comes around and some of us are like, hey, we're gonna go to this bar and do karaoke, which by the way, first time I ever did that. Shocked to the system. That terrified me. But some folks were like, oh, well, we're gonna stay behind, watch a movie, watch TV, we don't wanna go out, whatever. Okay, great. And the folks that were staying behind, one of my college friends, she put on anime, she put on
00:33:47
Speaker
It was a zombie anime. I think yes, I think that is exactly what it was. It's like in black and white, and then it all starts to go into color. Yes, yes. Yeah, so it was that. So she puts that on. And they're all chill and watch on TV. And then my friends and I get up and go to the bar. And one of the friends that chose to stay behind was my high school friend, we'll call her Janine. And Janine was like,
00:34:13
Speaker
I got back after the bar and we were just chatting and Janine went to high school with me here in Houston. We did not watch anime at all, at all. And then she went to college in Alabama. And I think they're watching a lot less anime in Alabama than they are in Texas.
00:34:32
Speaker
They ain't got none of it. She went to a Christian school in Alabama. There was no chance that she was watching that stuff. And the next day she's going, I was like, how was, did you guys watch a movie? You know, once you get up to, and she was like, dude, what the fuck did your friend put on bro? What the hell was that shit? Like I've never,
00:34:56
Speaker
I know that that pays your bills, but I have never seen that before like anime stuff and that was weird as shit and I was like
00:35:05
Speaker
Yeah, I guess. Like I had watched like an episode and it just seemed like regular anime to me, but like for the first time I realized that like, oh shit, maybe I have seen like a fair amount of anime at this point. Like maybe I am. That's normal. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, this is not that weird an anime to me. Like there's way weirder stuff out there, you know? My dad says that in anime there's everything from like, hello kitty to hello kitty. You know what I mean?
00:35:37
Speaker
And so I was just for the first time I was like oh shoot maybe I do know a little bit about this industry you know maybe I do know a little bit about this like entertainment form but I I've only seen two animes like fully start to finish Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan.
00:35:52
Speaker
I loved them both. I loved Demon Slayer because of the breathing techniques that they used to help them fight better. We learned all about breathing techniques and how they can extend and maximize your physical capabilities during physical combat strength and agility training during my theater school. We learned breathing techniques just like that shit. So I was freaking out when I first watched it. I was like, yo, we did that too.
00:36:24
Speaker
And my boyfriend at the time was like, chill out. I think there's cooler parts of this anime that you're going to want to see. No, fuck you. The cool part is the breathing. That's what all the cool colors happen. Obviously, that's the best part. When I found out that the colors were not real and they were just added for flair and that there's none of that actually happening when they use moves, I felt part of me die a little bit. I was like, what the fuck do you mean? You don't see the water.
00:36:51
Speaker
Come on, people, you know? But I was really glad that I ended up watching those two anime because I would go to conventions and I would meet actors that had been in those shows. And I was like, ooh, oh my gosh, you know? Oh, you've been in that show. And I felt like I got a lot of where people were coming from when they were like, oh, I don't know. Obviously, I get what being a fan is about, you know? But it just felt cool to be able to go fan over people at anime conventions that I maybe normally wouldn't have before.
00:37:20
Speaker
So I'm always on the lookout to start a new show. But currently I'm watching Good Omens with David Tennant and Martin Sheen. Oh, really good choice. Yeah, I'm in season two now and I'm a little confused, but I'm loving it. The kitties made an appearance. Lunchbox has decided to come check on me. Is her name really Lunchbox? Her name is Lunchbox. That's a great name for a cat. And she's leaning into the control panel on my
00:37:49
Speaker
headset. So I just can't really hear you for a moment. Okay, we're good. Yeah, there she is. Wow. What a good morning lunch. That is a great shot. Oh my god. Okay. Goodbye, sweet girl. Thank you. That is awesome. Cat interlude. But there's always this one though. She's she's getting better at it.
00:38:12
Speaker
I think it's funny that after you did start to watch a little bit, you did get your fangirl moments because those moments are so huge. I am self-proclaimed. There has never been a voice actor I've met in person that I didn't start crying while talking to. I don't know why I'm just I'm that empathetic. I start crying.
00:38:31
Speaker
I walked up to your dad and asked out and all. I was like, you're, you're a good neighbor, Cory. It's so cool. I'm sorry, my ass is out. Will you sign this? And I handed it over and I'm crying. It's embarrassing. It's really embarrassing because I'm never at a con. It's so sweet. Yeah, for you guys. It's embarrassing as hell.
00:38:52
Speaker
Because I'm always in cosplay, so it's like my makeup is running. It's like, this is the worst day of my life. I have a photo shoot in 20 minutes, and I just cried over Jeremy Lee. What the hell? Yeah. Dude, no. I love that. Emotional connections are everything. You know what I mean? Especially, like, pretty much all day at conventions when actors are sitting at tables, you know, they're getting the same six questions over and over. So you're breaking up the monotony, buddy. Like, you know, you're creating a memorable experience. God, have I made those.
00:39:23
Speaker
wow have i made those i don't think i don't know i think definitely i think absolutely i think when people freak out they definitely help make the most of the experience for both themselves and the voice actor my mom one time
Memorable Fan Interactions
00:39:40
Speaker
My dad got booked for a convention in Ireland, and my mom was like, hello, I'm going. So they flew over there together, and it was the first convention that my mom had really gone to. And they're on the plane over, and my dad was like, look, Dina, I want to let you know that when we get there, I'm kind of a big deal.
00:40:07
Speaker
And my mom was like, write up yours, you idiot, you know? And like rolled over, went to sleep. And then when they got there, sure enough, there were people at the airport with like signs like, welcome to 2020. Like, where's the country? And mom was like, what the fuck is going on? You know, like, what is happening? And then they get on a train and they start heading to the, uh, their hotel for the weekend.
00:40:34
Speaker
And the handler for dad for the weekend was sitting next to mom. And she turned to her and she was like, wow, I can't believe that you're married to John Swayze. And she was like, yeah, you know, living the dream, like, whatever. And she was like, I mean, you get to sleep next to him every night. She milked it a little bit. My mom without missing a beat was like, it's not that great.
00:41:07
Speaker
Oh my god. You know, I like when people freak out. It creates a memorable experience. That's so funny. Oh, goodness. Yeah, my dad was like, awesome. Thanks, Dina. You're e-roll. Thank you. Appreciate you telling him that. Hot stuff. Right on, you know. And even after that, she probably doesn't think he's hot shit when it comes to how much he gets done, huh?
00:41:31
Speaker
My mom gets a lot of stuff done. It can be hard to impress that woman. She's very good at her job, you know, very good. That's so funny. That was like when Parker and I did our first live panel at Fanex in Salt Lake City. There was this mom that came up because we were talking about
00:41:54
Speaker
girls and women in cosplay and conventions only existed because of young women and college age girls. And this mom came up to us that was very obviously excited about our panel and asked for our autographs. And I was like, what? What are you talking about? So we gave them to her. And then I came home and was trying to talk about it with my family. And my dad's like, so they wanted an autograph for your blog?
00:42:24
Speaker
I love that he calls it a bug. Thanks for humbling me. Appreciate it, pops. Everybody needs to be humbled every once in a while and boy are family members the best ones to do it. You're blind. That is so funny. Oh my god. He does not know what we do and he still doesn't know. We've been doing it for years. He's 65 now. He does not know what the fuck a podcast is. He's good on the learning. He's good on the learning, I'm sure.
00:42:54
Speaker
He's like, yeah, y'all go into the garage, do your little thing. Have fun out there. Have fun out there playing with cans and strings out there. Yeah. Oh my goodness. It was really funny.
00:43:11
Speaker
I don't know it's funny that he doesn't understand but it's also funny because at that panel my mom was sitting front and center anytime I said something because I don't show my full personality like on the podcast when it comes to like in-person things because I try to be a little bit more professional but every time I would say something where I'm trying to be professional and display myself in a professional manner my mom would look right at me and go like I
00:43:36
Speaker
Okay! For non-visual people, she just does like a flat wide like head shake at me. Because she knows, she knows who I am and I'm not like quiet and professional all the time. I'm annoying and she knows it. And she corrected you on a couple things. Oh, hell yeah. She interrupted the panel. And I don't blame her. That's her mom, Drew. That's her thing. That's her permission. But yeah. You know, I get where moms are coming from. My best friend's mom all the time. She like...
00:44:05
Speaker
my best friend will try it. Like, like when we were going to, you know, this girl's trip, her mom sat us down and she was like, be careful, you're going to be close to the border. Don't go into Mexico. You know, if you want to come back with your head, right. And, um, and, you know, just be careful, use your head, you know, keep your drinks covered, blah, blah, blah. And you know, while we're there, my friend is trying to like put her arm on her mom's shoulder and mess with her hair and shit like that. And just be like, mom, shut up. Like it's fine.
00:44:32
Speaker
But all the time, she'll be like, I made you. You are of me. The hair that I'm touching, I made that. You don't need to say anything to me. And at the end of the day, they're right. I believe her. She did make that shit. I cannot deny it. You're right. Whatever. You win. You win.
00:44:54
Speaker
You made me I guess you win, I guess you win. But you know, my mom's also a redhead. So I just generally concede to what she says. I get nervous. Yeah, I'm done. All you. Yeah, you take the reins here. I'm not I'm not gonna oppose you on this one. You know, that's so nice that you have such like a strong willed, strong willed mom and to have that like,
00:45:21
Speaker
That's centering. I've noticed like Parker has it as well. And that it's just to have that very centering and humbling, but still very supportive female figure in your life. That's awesome. Yeah, man. There is something about having like a woman as your mother, you know what I mean? Just like somebody who is not afraid to stand up for themselves and does wear high-heeled combat boots, you know what I mean?
00:45:45
Speaker
I don't know, I look up to my mom a lot, which is crazy because I do think, and dear God, my mom won't listen to this podcast, I'm sure of it. My dad might, my mom won't. But I definitely get along better with my dad than I do with my mom.
00:45:58
Speaker
But I think it's because, you know, I've taken a lot of cues from her and we ended up becoming like pretty similar people. Like, I don't know, she's instilled quite a bit of don't take no shit in me, you know? And I'm so grateful for that. I don't think that I would be as a kick ass of a bitch, dare I say, as I am without that kind of influence, you know? She's the best. And she also wouldn't take my shit. So that's, I feel also,
00:46:27
Speaker
that's the thing that like slightly separates you is that you're both take no shit bitches now and that makes it so you don't take shit from each other exactly and man well if you guys knew my mom like to stand up to that woman is a crazy thing i every time i do it i'm like what a huge mistake i've made this is horrible but i love it you know
00:46:49
Speaker
I've read on several other interviews with actresses that they always will pull from someone in their life like that. Do you pull from your mom's influence for certain characters and for certain like, whatever it calls for it, for that kind of attitude? Yeah, I mean, definitely. The way I was raised plays a big part of not only who I am as a person, but who I am as an artist and what sort of characters I embody on stage. I think I can attribute quite a bit of that to my upbringing. I think
00:47:18
Speaker
Nature's obviously a huge component, but nurture's just as much of a component, you know?
Acting Approach and Character Separation
00:47:24
Speaker
But as far as like my parents, there's been a couple of characters that I have pulled specific, oh god, 10% of my battery remaining. We'll deal with that in a moment.
00:47:36
Speaker
There's been a couple of characters that I have specifically pulled elements of my mom and dad's personality or, you know, mannerisms behaviors that they, you know, frequently do. But it's only been a handful of times. Substitution, which is, you know, kind of what I think that that practice is called within acting, substituting somebody from your own life for a character that you're speaking to or playing.
00:48:02
Speaker
I get nervous about that sometimes because I feel like the only things that I truly want to pull and find honesty within are feelings and experiences from my life rather than people. I just get nervous. I sometimes don't want to include other people like that in my process.
00:48:23
Speaker
Just because there's something to be said, subbing in an old ex-boyfriend for a disgruntled lover that you're playing opposite. You can pull feelings from that, but if you are really thinking of that character as your ex-partner,
00:48:39
Speaker
You're going to bring in a lot of feelings and emotions that are specifically tied to that person and that relationship. And sometimes that's beneficial, but sometimes it's also beneficial. Sometimes it adds, you know, complicated layers to the character's relationship with one another that the audience won't understand. And so I think it's really important to kind of like make it up, like play it out. Like I always think of it like the way I was a kid.
00:49:02
Speaker
like I got my degree just in playtime essentially um in professional play dates is kind of how I think of it you know what I mean
00:49:09
Speaker
Um, but you know, it's, it's like the backyard against, right? When they would like might like travel to a new land and invent all of these characters and storylines and stuff like that. That's kind of how I imagine taking on a new role, uh, for an anime or on stage or, you know, behind like, or in front of the camera, whatever it is, that's kind of how I imagine it is like, yes, I can use the experiences and feelings that I have garnered from before this.
00:49:38
Speaker
But I'm going to create a whole new game for this rather than use players from old games just because I don't want to accidentally cross any emotional lines. It's a disaster up here in my brain as it is. I don't need to confuse things. I feel that. Me too. I don't need to confuse anything for reality. It takes enough to keep me afloat as it is.
00:50:03
Speaker
That's a very unique take, I feel like, for acting. I feel like so many people, especially voice actors and character actors, will say, oh yeah, I remember this random person I knew in childhood, and that's kind of what I channel to do this character. But to separate it out in the emotional standard is really interesting. Well, I feel like when you're acting, I mean, you're embodying the human experience, right? You're embodying what existing as a person in this society means.
00:50:33
Speaker
Obviously like your own set of experiences and relationships aids in that storytelling and in that portrayal of what the human experience is like. But in order to make it like something universal, something that everybody can find a way to relate to that particular experience, I feel like you just kind of have to distance yourself from your personal life and step into the character.
00:50:56
Speaker
rather than bringing in elements of your personal life. I don't know if that quite makes sense. I've never written it all down, so it just kind of jumbles out.
00:51:06
Speaker
But I mean, that's kind of how I think of it, man. And I will say I went to a very traditional school for acting as far as like what the approaches to the craft are that they teach at U of H. It's a very traditional approach. And I really dug that. And Stanislavski, he does do a little bit of substitution. That was the main guy who we studied while we were in school was Stanislavski.
00:51:28
Speaker
And he does do a little bit of substitution, but I feel like he also does a lot of like, just like, what do you feel, man? And, you know, how, how, how do you think that that person feels when they feel like this? And how can you combine what you feel and what they feel when you're feeling the same thing? Yeah. And like portray that as one person experiencing that. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's very complex. And it's very artsy fartsy. And
00:51:54
Speaker
I don't know. Sometimes I get overwhelmed talking about it. It's a lot, you know, portraying the entire human experience in one story. That's a big responsibility. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, right. But some stories do it great. Avatar the Last Airbender, they do that shit so well, bro. I just feel like the way that story is told, and the way that those characters are performed, it's easy to find ways to like relate to their stories, you know? Absolutely.
00:52:21
Speaker
I don't know. I don't know. I think you would really enjoy Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, which your dad is actually in. He's one of the side characters, but he is not a side character. Oh, my God. Is he not a side character in terms of that? The one with the girl? Yes. Yes. That sounds horrific. It's only for one episode. That's one of its.
00:52:46
Speaker
It's a very good study on the humanity of loss and grief and finding yourself in your family and finding your strength through not only your chosen family, but also the family that chose to stay with you.
00:53:03
Speaker
And the complicated relationship between, because your dad plays a deadbeat dad that doesn't really know he's a deadbeat dad. But it's the relationship of he still cares for his sons, but he abandoned them basically. And how do his sons keep going? And then when they meet together again, like they have to work together and they are forced to go through those feelings for the better of everyone around them.
00:53:28
Speaker
And it's a little forced therapy. A lot of forced therapy in that series actually. It's my favorite story ever. And I highly recommend it. I've heard a lot of people talk very highly about full mental alchemist. Is it specifically brotherhood that you're recommending?
00:53:44
Speaker
Both are very good, but Brotherhood follows the manga more closely and is a little bit better in its liberties. I say you should watch both, but I would watch Brotherhood first and then when you have time to just watch the original, watch the original because it's good, it's just different. And it's not finished on the first one because they didn't have the ending, so they were just kind of like,
00:54:05
Speaker
Here you go. The first anime caught up to when the manga was being written. So the anime writers were like, we'll just figure it out. But the second show. How has that not happened with one piece yet? You know what I mean? The manga is a year ahead. The current anime is a complete year behind. Have they stopped their production speed? Have they slowed it on purpose so it stays a year behind?
00:54:34
Speaker
No, because for the most part the manga is weekly, unless there's like a holiday break. Oda took a month off because he had to have surgery around his eyes, but aside from that, it's pretty like every week we get a new chapter.
00:54:49
Speaker
For 25 years, dude. Is it just one author? One author 25 years? A week? What? That's why when people criticize the art style, I just kind of ignore it because it's like, it's one dude. He has a team of people that assist him, but he does the majority of the work. Yeah.
00:55:08
Speaker
What? Yeah, writes it and illustrates it. Yeah, Jesus. Oh my god, that's insane. It's crazy. Good. It's one of my favorites. But yeah, so we won't catch up for another year. We're technically always a year ahead. And if we do have stuff, usually movies are coming out between then, like it takes. There's probably a new one piece movie every three to four years, maybe five. That's insane. And so they get like a little bit more time with like the production companies for the anime.
00:55:36
Speaker
to hold back a little bit so that they can produce their actual movie and then they go back to streaming as usual. Dude, honestly, I don't mind with Grey's Anatomy and friends. I guess Grey's Anatomy and friends aren't necessarily great composers. Grey's Anatomy for sure. Love Island. These shows that have been running for 20 plus seasons, it's like, oh my.
00:56:00
Speaker
god man like what is happening here but i'm down with one piece and other animes that i've been running that long because my dad's in a lot of them and so i'm like your dad's coming back too he's coming back is he coming back in one piece yeah absolutely oh yeah oh my god as soon as we finish this arc he gets a major character boost
00:56:19
Speaker
So more work for your dad. He does. We talked about it. Oh, OK. Because he finds that out at conventions. He did. I'm the one that told him that. I told him that at Anime Town when he was in Utah, because John Gremillion was right next to him. And I was like, hey, or Gremion, sorry. I was like, hey, Mihawk and Crocodile are coming back. And they're like, are you for real, Mikey? Yes. Did you guys not know that? I love that. John did, because Anthony Bowling told him, because Anthony loves spoiling one piece for people who are not watching it. Good.
00:56:50
Speaker
Well, yeah, my dad's definitely not watching it. And, you know, that was strange to me. Like when I was first getting into the industry, I would be like, oh, dad, do you know like this and this and this about your anime? And he would be like, I have no fucking clue. I've never seen that, you know? And I was just always like, huh? But now I get it. I don't really watch the stuff I'm in. It's a little embarrassing.
00:57:13
Speaker
Well, it's the same thing we were talking about, listening to episodes that you've done or watching old videos of yourself, stuff like that. It's just like, yeah, that's me, guys. I don't want to see that. But it also, honestly, it's more of a detriment than it is a benefit because you'll be at conventions and people will be like, yo, remember in season two, episode 23, minute 35, when your character said that and you're like, I don't have any idea. I didn't watch that one.
00:57:42
Speaker
Or they'll ask about parts of the show that my character's not in. And I'm like, right. You'll know about that, dude. If my character wasn't in that scene, I have no idea what's going on, you know? Right. Sometimes I feel bad about that.
00:57:56
Speaker
But I'm just a busy lady. I'm just a busy lady who doesn't want to spend her time listening to herself over and over again. You're watching the whole story unfold and you're sitting in a booth reciting lines. It's a very different experience. It's a very different experience. You know what I mean? Very, very different experience. And a lot of the times, especially with the shows that we do down here in Houston,
00:58:19
Speaker
Um, I know 80% of the actors that are in the show. So it's like, I don't know. It sounds a little bit weird also because it's like, well, I know who's I'm imagining what that person looks like when they're saying these words. It's just a weird, it's a different experience. You know what I mean?
00:58:35
Speaker
Well, if you can stomach it, because you know several of the actors that are in it, I would also recommend One Piece. It is a theater to be observed in the best way possible. It is a very good exploration of humanity and friendship. It's long as hell, but it's not about the end. It's just about the journey. Take your time.
00:58:54
Speaker
It's so fun to watch dub. I watch it sub personally just because I'm caught up. There's not a dub where I'm at. But I love both versions so much. And it's been kind of crazy because yeah, I have the same thing where because of doing this and doing podcasting, I'm meeting voice actors like I went to go see the psychopaths movie.
00:59:11
Speaker
I was like, that's Jon's voice. Oh my god. I was like, I can't handle this. Oh my god. It's weird. It's weird. It's weird. It's like once you start to add faces to names. I was never a celebrity person growing up. So like actors and real life stuff, I didn't really stick with like I would recognize them, but they weren't really like I didn't have a parasocial relationship when it came to like that. I didn't really have a connection to real live action stuff like that.
00:59:32
Speaker
But when it came to voice acting, it was like, well, okay, I can represent this with a character still. And as I'm a cosplayer, it's like, I like to dress up as these cosplayers. I like to look at fan art of these characters. And then here's the person.
00:59:46
Speaker
But since I've been doing this more and I'm talking to the voice actors who come onto our show or just people I meet at shows who are interested in my costume or whatever, like I'm getting autographs back and forth, it's like, okay, we're on a different level. So now I have a face to add to the voice. It's like, I need to go back to watching sub anime. Love you guys. I can't. I know you. I know you.
01:00:07
Speaker
I do like having that barrier though a little bit because now you both can celebrate the character together versus if you speak to like a live action actor for a movie or something that it's like, oh, but that your face is connected to that character now. And I feel like it's also similar to stage acting because with stage acting, you're so far from the stage most of the time.
01:00:27
Speaker
that you have to kind of over act with the character to make sure everyone gets to see it. And so you can also have that barrier of like, yes, you are the actor, but the audience is only really seeing the character. And that very good point. I think that's why a lot of people that like anime or animation also really like musicals and stage play.
01:00:45
Speaker
Yeah, because it kind of goes hand in hand with that over acted and like that that full emotion instead of very much here's pretty person on screen reciting Alliance. Yeah, you know, it's the same reason that I am not you know, well that I am attracted to the Fox from Zootopia is because Jason Bateman plays him, you know, you're absolutely correct. Yeah, no 100%.
01:01:08
Speaker
One of my first childhood crushes was the fucking Robin Hood Fox for the 1970s Disney movie. He was an archer and he hit the bullseye every time. He was super cool, bro. He was cool as shit. I love that Fox.
01:01:28
Speaker
No, I totally get it. And I think also, you mentioned it earlier. You mentioned Theater of the Absurd, which I loved in reference to One Piece. And anime is just always larger than life, bro. And I think that's why a lot of actors enjoy anime is because it's so similar to the stage plays that they've often grown up training in. And just the storytelling methods are very similar between theater performance and voice acting, I think, specifically in anime.
Female Representation in Anime
01:01:55
Speaker
um and you know in the midst of like the strike and and all this stuff going on like i've just thought a lot about the different niches and and um disciplines of performance as an actor and what you know i just thought a lot about it lately with the strike going on and stuff like that and i love how similar voice acting and theater are you know i feel like they
01:02:17
Speaker
They do a really good job of honoring what the core of storytelling is. There's a beginning, middle, and end to every story. The end is so important. And TV shows lately just don't have ends anymore. They barely even have middles, you know what I mean? The anime's not so much. Even with One Piece, bro, I don't know.
01:02:38
Speaker
I just feel like the authors, the authors of the manga always have a beginning, middle, and end in mind. It just may take them a while. Well, maybe that was one piece. No, it definitely is because you can see stuff that's happening right now that we've been hinting to 20 years ago in the manga. Exactly. That dude knew what the hell was going to happen at the end when he started writing it. He had this idea. He's like, it is taking me all the way there, and it's been 20 years coming.
01:03:02
Speaker
And it's like one of the best examples. I try not to make it a one-piece episode every single time, but I cannot help but praise Oda for how well written. And about having that solid ending through the beginning, middle, and an end for stories. Completely. Because also, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, one, written by a lady. Phenomenal. She had to use a pen name, like a male pen name, to be published because of it. Are you kidding? No, that's...
01:03:28
Speaker
But that's a very contained story. I think that anime is only like 65 episodes or something like that. And it's for modern anime in terms of how long a lot of them often run. It is very contained and is solid in the way that it ends. So those are your two recommendations. You have a thousand episode anime and then one that's 60 years.
01:03:53
Speaker
I'll do what I can. I'll do what I can. Sorry to hijack it, Parker. No, you're good. It's just, yeah, a lot of the stuff beforehand has been easily contained because everything is arc by arc. And with One Piece, because it's arc by arc, you do get a clear start, you get a clear middle, and you get a clear end to every single arc we do. And it's always the same. We show up, things are bad. Rebellion, we just fought like the worst dictator in the world. Let's party and then leave.
01:04:20
Speaker
over and over and over again but the way that the formula works is that we keep moving up and up and up and more you're dealing with people losing their rights you're dealing with people starving to death like we're getting more and more serious and at the same time we're watching personal growth within our crew that we've been stuck with since the beginning as we gain more people even and you're watching as like we start to become more and more emotionally aware of circumstances around us as we liberate all of these people
01:04:48
Speaker
And it's like, even though the story is still going, you see the roots in the very, very beginning and how they tie over now. Because they do it arc by arc, where you get the clear start and stop almost every single time. And that's why I tell people it's really easy to watch because although it's 1,000 episodes, the first arc is maybe 40 or 45. From start to the exposition to the first end of the arc, it's 45 episodes.
01:05:18
Speaker
which feels like a lot, but it's also like, you know, when you get into like an early story and everything is a little bit more lighthearted, so you don't really have to be like fully invested into it a little bit just because it's so lighthearted and chill. Yeah, it's kind of like that, where you can just start to try it. And then eventually you'll start to get a little bit more hooked. And that's where the first arc actually begins and ends. And it's only like a 10 episode arc. Like it's that fast to just get through it.
01:05:47
Speaker
Yeah, I love that. And I also, I mean, I think that part of the reason that like, anime is like one piece of big going on so long, it's just the exploration of the complexity of every character is like...
01:05:57
Speaker
their dynamics with each other and how they function within this world, within that world, within this situation, that situation. You know, you're just getting to know the characters more and more and more. And I think that it's like kind of a reflection of what we go through every day, like getting to know ourselves better and better. And oh, how do I operate in this situation that maybe
01:06:18
Speaker
or maybe I haven't been but like there are different players here this time you know like stuff like that like I think it's very much like art reflects life, life reflects art, that kind of thing you know.
01:06:29
Speaker
With such a large cast too, you see a lot more, I don't want to say representation in terms of like body type or like minority characters even, because there's tons of that in One Piece. When you have over a cast of like a thousand million, I don't even know, it's probably in the millions of terms of how many characters are actually in One Piece. But like... I don't know if it's that high. I'm counting every single background character.
01:06:50
Speaker
Yeah, every single background character. Because they matter. Holy shit. Because they're different. They're different looking people. Like there's a good variation. But like, I haven't seen anyone touch on like, characters who are legitimately like,
01:07:07
Speaker
traumatized in a way that where they have to deal with and express living with bipolar disorder, which is odd, but One Piece handles it extremely well with putting in Whole Cake Island. The way they handle writing these characters where they're dealing with real life trauma in a way, it's like there is not a One Piece character that someone cannot relate to.
01:07:30
Speaker
There are so many deeply rooted issues for like where people can find their end to one piece. And that's the best part of it. Like I immediately fell into it with Nami at the very beginning because I've had to deal with issues of like being an older, because I was a latchkey kid and that's fine. I have talked about it before. I was a latchkey kid who kind of had to like raise my sister a little bit.
01:07:54
Speaker
That was my circumstances and it was fine, but because I felt like I had so much weight on my shoulders, I couldn't be myself for a long time throughout my teenage years and just trying to keep up with everything around me, I deeply related to Nami just finally being able to ask for help in episode 30. It grabbed me right then and there because it was so easy to feel like there was a character who was one-to-one in my situation that I felt like I finally felt a little bit more free to explore.
01:08:22
Speaker
That's amazing, dude. And that, again, goes back to why, like, I think voice acting and state performance on bomb.com. It's like the ability to empathize with everybody going through experiences that are similar to you. Yeah, I also think it
01:08:42
Speaker
It contributes a lot to women in these spaces a lot and female fans and females being females, sorry to sound like a word, women being like involved in the backend side of it and being in the industry because that's being brought more to the forefront as the needle is moved more towards the middle in terms of like demographics of who's watching and who's participating in these stories and these shows.
01:09:08
Speaker
Because it's no longer just about power scaling. Now it's also about what are the consequences of the plot and what about these character relationships. And I really enjoy that. Absolutely. I think there's a lot more thought and detail that are very intentionally practiced behind each story that's been told with a lot of the newer animes and stuff like that. And at the needle that you're talking about,
01:09:33
Speaker
of the demographic of who's consuming and watching anime on a daily basis swings more and more towards women it's also like i feel like then we start to see the reflection and what is being produced like what sort of stories probably ones that center women that platform like issues that like maybe specifically women do like all of these things
01:09:53
Speaker
are also becoming more and more of a presence within anime production and that is so important you know and again allows more and more and more of us to begin to empathize with people that maybe we weren't able to empathize with before because those stories were being told
01:10:10
Speaker
on a frequent enough basis, you know, I don't know. I think that we're seeing a really lovely trend in anime lately of like who's being represented and what sort of folks are consuming the entertainment and stuff like that. And always I have felt like anime is just like one or two steps ahead of like the rest of us like community wise and acceptance and tolerance wise and all of these things like
01:10:36
Speaker
I feel like there was a lot more acceptance at an anime convention than there was at like just out and about in the city. You know, I just, I don't know. I feel like folks in the anime convention get it and they're just like, oh, that's what you do. That's what you're about. Right on. I may not be about that, but I don't know. That's fine. Like it doesn't matter. You know, like we both still look awesome in our cosplay. And that's at the end of the day, what we came here for, you know?
01:11:01
Speaker
And like, I don't know. I think the anime does a really, really good job of practicing a lot of the values and morals that at least I'd like to see more of, you know, in our day-to-day societal existence. And I'm excited to be a part of an industry that like really platform stuff like that and really honors like the genuine connections between people and like their shared interests and all sorts of stuff like that. It's so cool. I love it. I love it.
01:11:29
Speaker
I love it. I love it too. And I love that modern anime is kind of giving more women an entry point because of things like Dragon Ball, I always say, because I don't know, power scalers and men would dominate things like Dragon Ball or One Piece or not. Like the big three, Bleach, Naruto, like those were dominated by men to such a degree that like they'll convince you that Sakura is the worst written woman of all time and why they don't have a real reason. It was just
01:11:58
Speaker
her being a woman. It's because she's lady and has pink hair. Yes. And stuff like that makes you not want to look at it. But when it comes to like, once you get that in with things that are a little bit more modern, like even spy family as a point of reference where you have your as a frontline character who, I mean, she's a housewife, but she's also very, very strong and presented as such throughout. And it's a good entry point for people.
01:12:24
Speaker
Because once they start to get that entry point into new modern day anime where it's a little bit more feminist leaning or a little bit like left leaning even You get that entry to older anime is where you start to realize that a lot of these older ones have always been a little bit Like woman focused in some degree. We were just seeing it through an overly like sexualized lens from men who weren't really understanding the point like
01:12:47
Speaker
with Neon Genesis. It's always been about women low-key. It's the sacrifice of mothers. That's one of the main plot points. So why are we talking about anything else? It's so hot how Misaru is. Okay, but what about the part that she's like having to fill this gap as both a mother and a protector, but she cannot do both at the same time while maintaining her job? Like why are we not talking about these main themes? Because they're so important, but it felt like they were glazed over by everything else there. Or it's like,
01:13:17
Speaker
Why are we focusing on the sexualization of teenagers in this and not actually what it's about? I just I feel like giving women the chance to go back and see that most of these stories were written for women in mind. It's always been a little bit more clear, if that makes sense, where it's like, yes, these old animes have always been very women centric. It's like Sailor Moon. It's like One Piece in the beginning.
01:13:45
Speaker
It's like, there's so fucking many robo tech magic night revolutionary girl utenna like there's so many women centric anime and there always have been because in live action shows we weren't getting women.
01:14:02
Speaker
The art styles may have been a little sexualizing in some capacities, but if you're not viewing that from that scale, if you're not approaching it from that direction, then you're not really going to even clock that, honestly. Because it's like, yeah, we're women, we have boobs, I don't care, there's other stuff at play that actually does matter.
01:14:24
Speaker
And I think that's a good point, man. I think that all the time people argue like, oh, well, women were like, you know, illustrated, like, very, very over-sexualized in X, Y, and Z show, like, back in the 90s and the early 2000s. And it's like, bro, first of all, stop saying that, like, women with those attributes are, like, over-sexualized. Those are, can also just be women. Like, that's okay. You know, like,
01:14:45
Speaker
Someone that have very big titties and that's just a thing. Like, like, you know, like you were like, you were the one over sexualizing it like to pin that on the illustrator is just like once again, you are pinning a crime on an artist or the artist who is just trying to make their rent for you. You're the one who's over like sexualizing and stuff. But I think that like the thing you made about Spiney's family were like,
01:15:09
Speaker
She's a housewife, right? But that's the mom, right? That's who you're referring to. I mean, yeah, so it's like she's a housewife. But she's so many other things. And like the housewife is kind of a front for like all of this other awesome shit that she is. Kind of like with Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, how like she, for instance, is like a housewife. Turns out like she's like this incredible comic, like all these things. She's such a strong woman. I feel like we're beginning, like, I don't know. It's like,
01:15:33
Speaker
i love that representation because it's like yo that is a clue like women have always been able to fool you fucking bozos like you think that we're just this like one-dimensional character in reality we are universes like infinite like universes of complexities of people and stuff like that you know they all exist inside of us
01:15:55
Speaker
And now that we're seeing more women-fueled stories, whether there's female representation in production, writing, acting, whatever part of the storytelling process it is, I'm getting excited about it because it's like, yo, I feel like I'm beginning to see more and more of myself reflected in media. And that is dope as shit.
01:16:15
Speaker
That is so cool. Yeah, that's like when Wonder Woman came out in 2017, my oldest niece was only one at the time. And I remember walking into Walmart and seeing all like the back to school stuff. And they had for years and years and years, it was always just Batman and just Superman on their like superhero signs for their back to school things. And I love both Batman and Superman. I love DC Comics. But for the first time in my life, it was Wonder Woman that was in the center.
01:16:41
Speaker
because of that movie and I almost started crying in this Walmart thinking like my niece gets to grow up in a world where Wonder Woman gets to be in the center now. And it's just actual thing. It's a very special thing. And like with She-Ra, with the new She-Ra show that came out a couple years ago with the Owl House, if you haven't seen the Owl House, highly, highly recommend.
01:17:02
Speaker
It has really great queer representation. It really like just fucking punches ageism in the face when it comes to characters. There's a lot of characters of much older ages that are still very important to the plot. It's also very representative of Hispanic cultures and Hispanic Americans. And it's phenomenal. I love it with my whole heart. And it's that same like female centric
01:17:32
Speaker
story because the main character is a pre-teen girl and guess what she figures out she's bisexual halfway through the show and has a girlfriend and it's just this like they're still saving the world that's just kind of a side plot but it's still there and it's it's so i love it with all my heart that is so wonderful oh it's called the owl house yeah the owl house yeah okay i just would have to check that out right you think plans might just have taken a turn or that you should it's on disney plus
01:18:02
Speaker
And it's so good. It's not that long either. I think it's only like three seasons, but it's a kid's show. So the seasons are only like eight or nine episodes each. No, they're longer. There's two full seasons. And then the third season, I'm pissed that the show got canceled, but they let the showrunners wrap up the third season with three like hour long episodes. So there's two full seasons. And then the third season is like three hours ish long.
01:18:32
Speaker
Did
Personal Challenges and Uplifting Experiences
01:18:33
Speaker
say what you all about quote-unquote kids shows, but I'm like I fucking love no they're good Yeah, that's what we watch in the hotel room over at a con like we don't we don't have Netflix But we can always reliably have blue eon
01:18:47
Speaker
Yeah, dude, like, oh, that should be making me cry sometimes. I'm like, those parents love those kids so much. Damn. You want to cry at kids cartoons? The new DuckTales, which also has really good girl representation. The new DuckTales is so good. The new DuckTales fucked me up. I watched it with my dad.
01:19:08
Speaker
I mean can we do our own it's certainly not bimbo for me which i'm remembering from earlier but it is be chappas shown in boss yes i was gonna cue us back into that in a sec i had it on the back i was like okay well
01:19:22
Speaker
What time do we start that? We'll happily start that. Do you want to get us started with our beach episode and boss battle, Olivia? We usually do boss battles first. That way we can end on a lighter note. I'll do boss battles first. I had a friend bail on some plans that I was really, really looking forward to last night. And it really bummed me out that they bailed unexpectedly. I understood, but I was pretty like,
01:19:49
Speaker
upset and disappointed and it blew, it blew. What about you guys? That sucks. Parker, what's your boss battle? Um, I had it and then I lost it. My work day has just been a pain in the ass. My manager is on break or she's taking a nice well deserved vacation, which is fine, but we're an office of five people. So I'm feeling it and that sucks for me. I'm very tired. I have not been sleeping well because of just how much work is on my plate, but we're doing it. It's fine. Nebula.
01:20:19
Speaker
My boss battle is that I ran out of my medication for two weeks. And so then my body like went back to normal, which is not fun for me because I got ADHD and depression. So my brain was like, let's go crazy. So I haven't been sleeping super great, but I'm back on my meds now. So now I just have to write out that like two week period where my body can readjust to it. So I'm just.
01:20:43
Speaker
so tired during the day. And then I'm like a fucking cat running laps at night. I'm like, I can't sleep. My brain's going so fast.
01:20:54
Speaker
Totally. Well, Olivia, what is your beach episode? Beach episode. It's a tough call. I've got two options. Lay them both out. We'll do two this time. Okay, great. I got to go wakeboarding with my roommate and I just recently got into wakeboarding. That shit fucking rules. It is so fun.
01:21:16
Speaker
and I found a wakeboarding cable park here in Houston and my roommate went with me and she'd be planning a bajillion times but like she was such a trooper and like we got in and out afterwards. It was just a really nice evening and she like came and like came to do this thing that I really love with me and it made me feel special. And then I also get to see my mom later this week. Love you.
Unusual Interests and Cosplay Projects
01:21:42
Speaker
Deena! Deena! Love you! Shout out! Whoo! No, that's awesome. What about you guys? What about y'all?
01:21:51
Speaker
Uh, Nev, do you want to go first? I don't know. Oh, sure. I was going to let you swap it up a little bit. I was trying to say swap and switch, and it came out. Yeah. Yeah, I heard you. Swap it up. My mom and I went to visit some family over the weekend that lives out in East Oklahoma, and they have like 24 acres of land or something. And my uncle built this cabin in his 60s by himself that he and his wife have retired to now.
01:22:18
Speaker
And he is like, he looks like Abraham Lincoln, he carries a fake ID in his wallet that says he's Abraham Lincoln to show his grandkids. And he's super into like nature and all the weird parts of it like their whole house is full of taxidermied animals that he's hunted and like because they try to live off the land as much as they can.
01:22:41
Speaker
and a few when I visited them last I was like hey you've got a bunch of cool skulls I would love one of your skulls that you get if you don't want it anymore he's like yeah cool and so then my mom got a text a few months ago and was like hey I have a hog head for tell her that next time she visits she gets a hog head so I got my fucking hog skull
01:23:01
Speaker
I'm very excited about my hog head. I love bones and I love that my uncle also loves bones and was like, she's going to love this bone. What about your other cool find you that? Oh yeah. So when I went to go put the hog head in my mom's car over the weekend on their veranda, they're like giant wraparound porch.
01:23:27
Speaker
There was this bug that was laying down. I'm like, Oh no, what's with the bug? What's the bug doing? And I love moths. And it was a hummingbird moth completely intact, unfortunately dead. But good news for me, because I took that sucker home and now I'm going to see if I can pin him and put him in a frame. Yeah, baby. That's super cool.
01:23:52
Speaker
I love moths. They're so funky. They have such unique designs. This will be my first moth to my pinned collection because I have a couple pinned butterflies, but not moths. Congratulations! Thank you!
01:24:10
Speaker
My beach episode is that I cannot give myself any breaks whatsoever, and I've already started my next two cosplay projects that I have to work on. Technically three, but one of them is already done. I just have to order the tattoos for my back. Because I have a month until Phanex, I've already gotten my swatches for my Odin and Kinamon cosplay. Those came in today, and I picked the colors. So now I just have to start my mock-up. So I'm very excited that I'm already back to crafting, because if I'm not, I feel like I will rot and die.
01:24:40
Speaker
So I just like crafting. It's fun. I'm excited to make some pretty big costumes. I originally wanted to compete in this one because I'm using silk and I'm having to French seam the whole thing and make it look fancy and cool. But I just don't have time to compete. And honestly, competing can be kind of a wash when you spend so long, like a really, really incredible costume and no one else likes it. So it's like, I'm not doing that anymore. We're just going to do what I want and call it good.
01:25:03
Speaker
Make it free. Yeah, so we're doing that and my friend is 3D printing my swords for me. I got the pieces for Kenamon swords because it's just two identical blades. I'm going to use a little bit of like automotive vinyl on those so that they're all shiny. Very cool. I'm very excited to have a bunch of swords to display around my house because they're plastics, you know.
01:25:22
Speaker
What else would I do? Hell yeah. That's awesome. I can't wait to see those botos. Those are going to be cool. Thanks. I have a month to finish. And then I have another, technically for the same day, I bought the costume, but I'm going to alter it very heavily, which is sad because they did not send me my wig with it. But we're doing that with two other friends of mine. We planned this really intense studio shoot.
01:25:46
Speaker
because what we're cosplaying from is very cutesy but also very edgy at the same time. So we're gonna basically use this cute pink background and put up anime figures and stuff, and then we're gonna over time mess it up. So I'm very excited for that. Lots of stuff going on, lots of stuff. And then I also planned a 10 person persona shoot that's happening in two weeks.
01:26:08
Speaker
I don't see Olivia for context. She just made a wig that took her 15 hours because there were prongs coming out of the side and the top that she made from scratch. And now she's like, all right, here's all my other. I have to make a big disc for my head. I got to make like a big disc and do all of that. And that's going to be fun. How many costumes have you finished this year so far?
01:26:37
Speaker
Is it in the 40s now? Yeah, I think so. There's too many. I actually have genuinely lost count. Commission-wise, I've only made-
01:26:51
Speaker
Why would you ask me that? I really don't know. I'm pretty sure it's in 30s or 40s though. That's incredible. Thank you. I'm on some degree of drugs. I don't know. Yeah, that's the blood. I'm on some of those drugs, man. That's incredible. It's a little, it's a little weed is okay.
01:27:07
Speaker
Um, but yeah, I'm just, I'm making a lot of stuff. It's, I'm making a lot of stuff. It's very fun. I'm very proud of it. It wears me down to the bone sometimes, but when I get to see the finished product, it's fucking incredible every time. Um, I have really, really good photographers and suppliers for things and I have good people in my system. So if I need 3d prints, I have someone who will always be there to help me out with it. Just cause we're friends. That's what we do. Um, and this is really nice to have support systems in my cosplay field that make it so I can be productive.
01:27:37
Speaker
Because Dan, I'm not productive. That's incredible,
Gratitude and Social Media Shoutouts
01:27:41
Speaker
man. Thank you. Well, Olivia, thank you so much for joining us. I feel like we just chatted and talked and hung out for two hours. I didn't even feel like we were podcasting. You're just so easy to talk to.
01:27:55
Speaker
Well, you guys are easy to talk to as well. Thank you for having me. This was such a delight. Do you have anything you'd like to plug? Any projects you can talk about that are coming out? Or any social media that you want to give out links to? Absolutely. Oshinoko is out right now on High Dive. I'm very, very excited about that show. And Vinland Saga Season 2 just came out on Netflix. And I'm very excited about that show as well. My character who I thought was going to be left behind
01:28:25
Speaker
made a comeback. Yeah! Let's go! You can follow me on Instagram at Olivia.SwithCity. So until next time, my friends. Hold quick, I had to make Nebula plug herself just because we got this all in one take.
01:28:43
Speaker
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at nevula underscore inky and parker where can they find you? Well you can find me at crown guard cosplay on instagram, littlelightb on twitter. You can find our podcast at fandames pod, or fuck, it's patreon.com slash fandamespod and we're fandamespod on twitter and instagram, god damn it. You did it, you made it through. We did it, we did it. It's Tuesday, we did it. It's Tuesday, fuck is it Tuesday? Thank you for recording with us, bye everyone else.
01:29:13
Speaker
Bye!