To say that opinions are divided on Cardcaptors would be an understatement. To those who were more attuned to anime fandom in 2000, Nelvana's incredibly loose adaptation of Cardcaptor Sakura was living evidence of why Canadian companies should not be allowed to wholly license and distribute anime. To the kids who didn't listen to weird adults on the internet, however, Teletoon's extended run of the show was a childhood landmark. Eryn and Rin-taichou (Rin-senpai at the time of this recording) join me to discuss the highs, the lows and the mysterious Europop connections of Cardcaptors, because I don't think anyone else will!

Zannen, Canada

Ep.77 - Cardcaptors and the Siren Curse of Froggy Mix

While many tend to associate franchises like Dragon Ball and Gundam with their historical ties to Canadian dubbing, the works of the godfather of anime, Osamu Tezuka, have a surprising hidden history within that designation as well. From the first anime ever aired on television in France, to the OTHER 80s Astro Boy dub, to a Kimba the White Lion dub produced under extremely unscrupulous circumstances, to more recent productions funded by the Japan Foundation, we've seen a number of work produced by Canadian studios. Mike Toole joins me to chronicle these largely obscure dubs in a way that will hopefully make you angry the next time a Tezuka property is sent to a dubbing studio in Miami instead of Vancouver.

Ep.79 - Canadian Tezuka Dubs - The Legal and Not-So-Legal

The success of Star Wars drove children's entertainment to do a lot of dumb things in the late 70s and early 80s, but throwing the characters and basic concept of HOMER'S Odyssey into space in the 31st century was definitely not one of them. While Ulysses 31 is cherished almost entirely by a small segment of GenXers who managed to catch it on TV during its very short run in the 1980s, this co-production between DiC and TMS packs a surprising psychedelic punch, and was a staple of French language Radio-Canada programming. Mike Toole and Dez join me to share their memories of this underrated classic.

Ep.80 - The Lonely Disco Space Journey of Ulysses 31

Corus is set to premiere an adult-targeted anime on one of their broadcast stations for the first time in over a decade on November 13, 2021 - Blade Runner: Black Lotus on Adult Swim Canada. Excited? Well, Warner and their awkwardly synergized partners sure hope you are! But wait, does this mean we're getting Toonami? And shouldn't they have run that other Adult Swim co-production, Fena: Pirate Princess, by now? Well, I sure hope you didn't set your expectations that high! Karl Olson joins me to take a look at that whole situation, as well as the upcoming Vancouver-produced dub of Future Boy Conan, the current streaming situation with Crave and those anime titles set to debut on Disney+ Star. I also relinquish my credibility as I reveal that I had forgotten to mention one rather interesting Canadian-dubbed Osamu Tezuka anime back in episode 79.

Ep.81 - Let's Not Get Too Optimistic, Now

I sit down with Chris Nielsen and Bart Bachelor, the key creatives behind Night Sweats, to discuss their brand new blisteringly fast-paced paranormal comedy, Psi Cops - Adult Swim Canada's first English-language original series! The premiere is Sunday, June 4, 2023 (technically Monday, June 5, 2023) at 12:30am ET, with streaming on StackTV and (I am assuming) the Global app!

Ep.87 - The Psi Cops Guys Are Here At Last!

In a move that is not at all surprising for Bandai, the demand for the long-delayed Gundam SEED FREEDOM film was drastically underestimated in Canada. Originally planned for a one night screening, the film's exhibition was expanded to a 17 day run, as screenings in most major cities frantically sold out. Could this film possibly live up to this level of hype over 15 years after Destiny burned us so badly? And... hey is that Trevor Devall back as Mu La Flaga?!

Ep.94 - There Is No Acronym That Can Describe Gundam SEED FREEDOM

Since I'm pretty much obligated to do something in observance of the 20th anniversary of YTV's Bionix block, Sammy and I are talking about its one debut anime we haven't touched on: Witch Hunter Robin! While it's not a super interesting show on its own, it did offer a lot to chew on as part of a well-curated programming block. We also have what I believe to be an exclusive look at the canceled live action Witch Hunter Robin series, courtesy of showrunner Joe Menosky. (Seriously, he just emailed it to me out of the blue!)

Ep.96 - Bionix Alpha: Witch Hunter Robin

We're not done celebration the 20th anniversary of Bionix yet! This time we're looking at the show that effectively marked the end of the block that we loved: Death Note! And we're not only looking at Death Note in the context of YTV, but also for the franchise's many connections to the city of Vancouver largely due to the amazing English dubbing work by Ocean Studios. And yes, we do talk about that other connection it has to Vancouver.

Ep.97 - Bionix Omega: Death Note

After the last episode exploring Cybersix, I felt that we still needed to dig deeper into the story behind the incredible Japanese-Canadian co-production. There was one major perspective missing, and I was very fortunate to not only get in contact with him, but have him agree to come on the podcast: Hervé Bédard, executive producer of Cybersix and founder of Network of Animation! Zee the Raccoon and Brady Hartel once again join me, although we spend most of this interview completely spellbound at the perspective Bédard had to offer, not only on the production of Cybersix, but on his incredible personal history in the animation industry, as well as the relationship between art and society.

Ep.98 - Hervé Bédard, the Architect Behind Cybersix

We may be facing tumultuous times as a nation, but this has only helped make the bond between Anglophone and Francophone anime fans stronger than ever! Patricia Gosselin is co-founder of the Nadeshiko Club, a group of esteemed scholars and panelists who have worked hard to elevate the culture of French-Canadian anime fandom and conventions. She joins me to talk about the background of the club, the lost decade that emerged after anime disappeared from Quebec television in the 1990s and the history of Quebec dubbing reaching back to JA Lapointe in the 1960s.

Ep.99- The Nadeshiko Club and Quebec's Lost Anime Generation

The Zannen, Canada podcast has now been around for 10 years and I'm determined to not make a big deal about it! Sarah/Kittea joins me for the first time in some years to help me work through the headspace that results from dealing with trade wars and challenges to sovereignty day in and day out, and what this means for anime fans! We also chat about Inuyasha: The Final Act which is now available for on-demand streaming in this country for the first time EVER.

Ep.100 - Inuyasha Finalis Actum

I've likely committed some kind of crime by going an entire decade without devoting an episode to Isao Takahata's 1979 Anne of Green Gables anime series, but here it is at long last. One of the greatest literary adaptations of all time, and maybe one the greatest television shows of all time. Dave Merrill and Patricia Gosselin chat with me about the legacy of Lucy Maude Montgomery's work, the idolatry of Anne Shirley in Japan, the anime's broadcast in French-speaking Canada and why its only English dub was produced in South Africa.

Ep.101- God's in His Heaven All's Right with the World

Randy and I sit down with Phil Guerrero, former host of YTV's "The Zone" block, who tells us about the loneliness of bingewatching, living the fast life in LA, and what it's like to be haunted by a single, over-used photograph.

Episode breakdown:

02:03 - Phil talks about his time on The Zone.

33:30 - How the internet screwed everything up and why TV personalities just aren’t the same anymore.

50:00 - Snit

52:15 - Exodus to Los Angeles

1:10:30 - Phil talks about his current online streaming project, Mainstream Media Unplugged

Contact:

Jesse: @zannencanada | zannen.ca

Phil Guerrero: @pjfreshphil | Mainstream Media Unplugged: http://www.msmu.me

Randy Forbister: @whoisfriend

Music by Karl Olson. Check out his music at http://www.ultraklystron.com.

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/zannen-canada/id1013994040?mt=2#

Ep.05 - Talking with "PJ" Phil Guerrero

There were simply too may conventions going on in August, but we tried our best to keep our bases covered! Chris gives us the lowdown on his last minute trip to Animethon in Edmonton, while Pierre and myself talk about our fun (but very hot!) weekend at Otakuthon in Montreal!

Ep.102 - Tokens for Shouta Aoi

K-Pop Demon Hunters, Netflix's most successful movie ever and the seismic cultural force of the summer, was made almost entirely by Canadian creative staff. So why isn't it a Canadian movie? Most of us probably understand that it's because it was made by American producers with American money. However, outside of some media puff pieces about the Canadian creator and co-director Maggie Kang, there isn't a lot of discussion about why we aren't doing anything to move away from being a thankless land of oursourcing. Luckily, Wildbrain animation staffer Kristian Lobb agreed with me that cartoons can be the ultimate "Nation Building project" and the two of us talk about how we could benefit from all of that pop culture soft power if we just only we moved the pieces around a little bit.

Ep.103- Why Isn't K-Pop Demon Hunters Canadian

I've finally found the courage to talk about the sometimes tumultuous history of anime fandom in Vancouver, including stores like Anime Jyanai, clubs like VJAS, well-remember cons like Anime Evolution and not-so-well-remembered cons like AKA Con. Hieu Phan joins me for a fun and civil discussion.

Ep.104 - Underdiscussed Vancouver Fandom History

Ginban Kaleidoscope is an anime series from 2005. It tells the story of self-absorbed Japanese figure skating champion who becomes possessed by the ghost of Canadian stunt pilot who crashes his plane near one of her qualifying performances in Montreal. The premise is ridiculous, the animation is mediocre at best, and the final episode famously carries an Alan Smithee directing credit. Did we have a good time watching it? Well... we had a good time talking about it, that's for sure. Dawn from The Anime Nostalgia podcast guest stars!

Ep.105 - Ginban Kaleidoscope, or: A Figure Skater Eats Tomatoes Alone at a Canadian Restaurant

Former Zone host Sugar Lyn Beard talks about her time as a host and producer at YTV, an unlikely start in radio and her fond memories working on Sailor Moon S and SuperS. She also shares details on some surprising projects we can expect from her in the future!

Ep.13 - You Are Tearing Me Apart, Sugar!

Over 20 years, John Rooney has worked at YTV, Teletoon and DHX Media. Acting as Director of Programming during the Bionix era and helping oversee the launch of Adult Swim Canada, John has overseen many key moments in anime and animation in Canadian media. I ask him to help dispel myths about acquisition, production, and talk also about a bunch of other stuff that will keep you 90s kids satisfied.

Episode breakdown:
39:00 - Inspector Bronco and how Adult Swim Canada was before Corus take-over
45:40 - Why doesn’t Teletoon want to air anime?
50:55 - John takes no responsibility for the Gundam Wing airing order, but has quite a bit to say about Bionix
1:00:00 - How to improve the way we fund our productions

Ep.19 - The Full Gamut

Lissa Pattillo from Seven Seas Entertainment talks about how the manga market has changed over the years, how important it is for the industry to have stuff on TV and the perils of bringing manga (smutty or otherwise) over the US border.

Episode breakdown:

2:15 - Looking back on Kuriousity and changes in the manga market since then
14:00 - Comparing our market to Europe
21:00 - Overcoming the digital serialization gap
35:46 - Problems with Customs and importing manga in Canada

Ep.26 - Don't Tell Us Print Is Dead

Netflix has committed to investing $500 million into a Canadian production studio over the next five years, but will this be enough to save Canadian media? Will it even be worth it if they can't recreate the lightining-in-a-bottle that is Neo Yokio on anyone's dime? Karl joins me to talk about this, as well as Viceland and that anime Canadian tourism ad.

Ep.37 - Netflix Must Fund the Canadian Neo Yokio

Gundam Wing was a pivotal title for audiences in Canada, and may have marked a point of division with anime fandom in the US that could never be undone. Ian and Pan join me for a retrospective on this series, and had so much to say that I had to cut it in half!

Ep.38 - Gundam Wing Part 1: The Silence of the Walts

Pan, Ian and I continue our retrospective on Gundam Wing, this time focusing a little more on the series and its themes, including philosophy on war.

Ep.39 - Gundam Wing Part 2: The Podcast That Killed Your Adolescence

Geoff Thew from Mother's Basement and Dave Merrill of Stupid Comics and Anime Hell fame join me to scrounge for morsels of media goodness in the year that was 2017. Hear us talk about Riverdale, Twin Peaks, Re:Creators and the extremely weird Neddeaus of Duqesne Island, among many other things.

Ep.40 - Zannensittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa

The Bush Baby, an anime based on a Canadian novel, was one of a minority of World Masterpiece Theatre titles to receive an English dub. This dub aired on TVO and Access Alberta in 1993 and then... vanished. It was thought to be lost forever, until it was finally recovered in its entirety earlier this year. Rania, who had the series archived for years, joins me in a retrospective look back on both the show itself, as well as the story of how this important historical artifact was preserved for so long. Mike Toole also joins us to shed a little bit of light on World Masterpiece Theatre licensing, and why this is such an important find. And yes, he does sing the theme song!

Rania's YouTube Channel where The Bush Baby English dub has been uploaded: https://www.youtube.com/user/Talim2004/videos

For more extensive information, visit www.zannen.ca

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp: ultraklystron.com/album/packet-flood

Ep.48 - The Bush Baby Recovery Project

Lots of amazing theatrical anime release happened in 2018... but you may have noticed that very few of them came to Canada, especially compared to the previous two years. Randy joins me to try and explain the many factors that may have led to this somewhat sorry state of affairs. We also talk about all of the great anime films we did manage to see, despite these setbacks.

Ep.52 - Theatrical Anime Apocalypse

With nine different voice actors for Goku and a LOT of bad theme songs, the Dragon Ball franchise has been an odd patchwork in Canada, but not one that has derailed its success in any way. Geoff and Yazy join me to talk about discovering and following Dragon Ball/Z/GT through all its different dubs, and try our best to clear up some misconceptions on why so may different versions hit the airwaves. We have so much fun that we completely forgot to mention that Dragon Ball Evolution aired on YTV at one point.

Ep.54 - The Canadian Dragon Ball Experience

Not to be confused with the Margaret Atwood novel, Cat's Eye (or "Signé Cat's Eyes") aired in French on Radio-Canada in the late 80s and early 90s, and oh boy did it stick out like a sore thumb on that line-up.  Chris joins me once again to share his own experiences watching the show. Dawn from the Anime Nostalgia Podcast also appears to give her own perspective on how well this show really holds up. We touch on many important points such as Club Dorothée, the connections to Nicky Larson (sometimes referred to as "City Hunter") and what it must be like to discover classic anime through Citypop and Vaporwave videos as opposed to just being old.

Ep.56 - Cat's Eye: The Anime Inspector Gadget

Ashley Hakker joins me to talk about the remarkable, unstoppable life-form that is Anime North. All of the planning in the world could never have prepared me to properly absorb this convention in one go, and together we talk about its history and the exact ingredients that caused it to become the giant glorious mess that it is today.

Ep.57 - The Enigmatic Ecology of Anime North

Information on donating to Kyoto Animation directly: https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2019/07/24-1/kyoto-animation-officially-starts-accepting-donations-through-bank-transfer

GoFundMe donations through Sentai Filmworks: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kyoani-heal



Karl and Corey share their thoughts on the horrific arson attack at Kyoto Animation. We also discuss the surprising prospects of Toonami on Adult Swim Canada, and why it may not have the content you want! We also go predictably in-depth about Warner's recent announcement of HBO Max and how it has possibly destroyed any reasonable expectation we had for their streaming strategy.

Ep.58 - Toonami Canada is Inevitable Maybe

In 1997, CBC's Undercurrents ran a legendary exposé on otaku as obsessive collectors of data. It featured William Gibson, Hitoshi Doi, as well as a charming fellow with an overzealous fixation on Sailor Mercury. That fellow was Gregory Taylor, and he joins me in this episode to talk about the segment, as well Sailor Moon chat groups in the 1990s, rogue anime screenings at the University of Waterloo, anthropomorphized math concepts and his own cataloged experiences in the world of Sailor Moon online roleplaying.

In a separate segment, I also talk about Anime Revolution 2019, and the unfortunate controversy surrounding the event this year.

Full Undercurrents Otaku Segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcczGPlbrYQ

Music Video featuring Greg: Alex Lacasse - "Like This, Like That" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ekMLv7ITH4

Greg's Website: Occasional Homepage of Gregory Taylor - http://web.ncf.ca/cz159/

Greg's Twitter: @mathtans

Anime News Network article on AniRevo 2019: Victims Speak Out After Canada's Anime Revolution Con Allows Serial Harasser, Convicted Sex Offender to Attend - https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-08-21/victims-speak-out-after-canada-anime-revolution-con-allows-serial-harasser-convicted-sex-offender-to-attend/.149978

Ep.59 - Sailor Mercury Mux Odyssey

Forty years ago, the entire non-English speaking world was captivated by Candy Candy, the chronicles of the endless tragedies befalling an spunky and adorable freckled orphan. This shoujo classic was a staple of Radio-Canada's anime line-up throughout the 70s and 80s, but was scrubbed off the face of the earth in the 90s amid legal turmoil. Join Dave, Shaindle, Chris and myself to find out why so many people continue to spread the good word of Candy despite the ongoing effort to erase her from public consciousness!

Big thanks to Vincent Bergeron for his help compiling information for this episode!

Ep.63 - Don't Worry Candy, He's Just in the Hospital

Will Studio Ghibli films ever become available to stream in Canada? You might not want to put your money on that one. Will Crunchyroll have to produce Canadian Content to comply with possible future regulations? Probably not a good bet. Karl and I tend to be really bad at predicting things, so we discuss some current news items that will likely have an impact this coming year and try to put every possibility we can think of out on the table.

Ep.65 - I Wouldn't Make That Bet

March 18, 2020 marks the 5th anniversary of the Zannen, Canada podcast.

Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/zannencanada
Twitter: @jbetteridge
Podcast Twitter: @zannencanada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zannencanada/
E-mail: zannencanada@gmail.com

Five Years of Zannen, Canada

Genice Chan is an illustrator and animator from Vancouver, BC who recently provided concept art and directed the ending credit sequence for the Netflix anime BNA (Brand New Animal) from Studio Trigger. She joins me to talk about the process of working with Trigger, how she enlisted Giant Ant Studios for animating the ED as well as her thoughts on localizing tanukis into raccoons.

Ep.68 - Genice Chan Makes Anime

For years it's felt like we've been asking the rest of the world to take our word for it that Sailor Moon was a Canadian cultural phenomenon, but at long last we have seen a distinct example of that in practice with Sailor Moon's launch on Crave last month. Karl and Kyle join me to talk about why this launch led to an explosion on social media, despite the fact that the show has been available on Tubi for years! We also discuss some other recent news stories such as Viz's new partnership with Funimation and AT&T's apparent desire to sell off Crunchyroll. We also take a look at the outrageous prices of Sentai Filmworks titles on Amazon.ca to underline what a terrible decision Crunchyroll made by choosing them to handle their home video distribution.

What was your reaction to Sailor Moon appearing on Crave? If they get more anime, is there anything specific you think they should grab next? If so, I'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts at zannencanada@gmail.com.

Ep.72 - Only Nerds Watch Tubi

If you haven't experienced a version of Sherlock Holmes where he drives around in steampunk vehicles, repairs bi-planes mid-air and is also a dog, then chances are you have experienced significantly more faithful versions of the character. However, that doesn't mean you should skip Sherlock Hound! Known simply as "Sherlock Holmes" in French, this Italian-Japanese co-production was the final television series directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and was likely the first exposure to his work for all those watching on Radio-Canada back in the 1980s. What this series lacks in actual mystery it makes up for in spades with elaborate animated set pieces and unnecessary animation flexes... for the six episodes that Miyazaki directed, anyway! Mike Toole and Kurotsuki join me to reflect on the series, and also listen to me completely mispronounce Kyosuke Mikuriya's name at every effort!

Ep.73 - He's More of a Sherlock Corgi

Zannen, Canada offers indepth discussion and interviews exploring the many relationships between anime and Canadian media.

Zannen, Canada

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