***This episode is Part 2 of our Gankutsuou series, which contains spoilers for both the anime and the book. Please listen to the previous episode first!Welcome to Masterpiece Theatre… I mean, Masterpiece Anime… Here to fully make good on our podcast’s name, we’re ready to go full Literature Analysis Mode on some actual literature with Gankutsuou a…

Welcome to Masterpiece Theatre… I mean, Masterpiece Anime? Finally, Anime is Lit covers the most Literature of Anime - “Gankutsuou”, the artistic 2004 adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic (and long) novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” …IN SPACE! with vampires! Joined by Gankustuou aficionado Vrai Kaiser, we explore the anime’s approach to the novel…

Part 2 of our NANA discussion, complete with spoilers. Our guest Meru (@pixelatedlenses) goes with us on a deep dive through the well-crafted storytelling and the inherent feminism woven into all its fibers. NANA candidly goes places few anime ever do, and we sift through the complexity of its portrayals of sexuality, race, gender, heteronormative …

We're back with another classic among sapphics: NANA. Joined by our wonderful guest Meru (@pixelatedlenses), we talk about our love for this series, its characters, and the maturity of its storytelling. We also dive into the music and fashion of the show, and the strengths and weaknesses in its reflections on gender, race and relationships. This ep…

Continuing part 2 of our discussion on the classic shoujo masterpiece Dear Brother (Oniisama e), now no-holds-barred, all-spoilers-all-the time. Dawn and Diana are with us to go in-depth about the themes, characters, tragedy, romance, metaphors, symbols, and what makes this show so effective at everything it has to say. *****This episode is part 2 …

We’re back with a supercast on the unmissable classic shoujo masterpiece Dear Brother (Oniisama e)! Joined by our friends Dawn (of the Anime Nostalgia podcast) and Diana, we talk about the show’s rich history, its multi-genre nature, and what makes it such a master work—both within anime as a medium and in our own hearts. This episode is part 1 of …

Come on, come on! On a journey! We're back again with a real anime, an underrated gem from creator Natsume Ono titled "ACCA: 13 Territory Inspection Dept." for some jazzy good times, joined by special guest and ACCA expert CC. The first half of the episode is spoiler free and covers much about the setting, style, and background behind the show and …

It's the ultimate Chihayafuru cast, brought to you right at the dawn of Chihayafuru Season 3's airing! We assembled the biggest fans of this anime that we know (AnimatedInk of Anigamers, and returning guest Heidi) to talk about its masterful uses of genre, character, gender, history and poetry itself to create an unforgettable story. If you're look…

We were pleased to guest on Oh No, Anime! with our longtime podcasting friend Marc for a series about the Lore of Evangelion. This is a deep-dive into a synthesized understanding of the construction of the world and events that make up the NGE series. Here is Part 2! From the Oh No, Anime! feed: "I'm joined once again by Danny and K of Anime is Lit…

We were pleased to guest on Oh No, Anime! with our longtime podcasting friend Marc for a series about the Lore of Evangelion. This is a deep-dive into a synthesized understanding of the construction of the world and events that make up the NGE series. Here is Part 1! From the Oh No, Anime! feed: "In the first part of a new series celebrating Neon G…

Part 2 of our episode on of Mob Psycho 100 (please start with Part 1 if you haven't already! **Spoiler warning for seasons 1 and 2 of Mob Psycho 100). Marc of Oh No, Anime and TheSubtleDoctor of Warui Deshou continue the conversation with us about the types of philosophy found throughout the story, the definitive debate on Internet Sex Symbol Sensa…

We're back in the saddle with old pod pals to bust open seasons 1 and 2 of the Mob Psycho 100! Marc of Oh No, Anime and TheSubtleDoctor of Warui Deshou join us to talk about what makes this show so incredibly special, as well as the show's emotional allegory, morality and ethics, and the best of the Body Improvement Club. Join us for another shot a…

K and Danny had an amazing time at Kumoricon 2018 and sat down the next day to record their thoughts! We have a conversation about what it was like watching Yoshitaka Amano paint, and why his entire philosophy of art and artistry made us so excited about what we do. His rare perspective got us talking between ourselves about the value of art and ab…

BARA WA, BARA WA! Danny and K assemble a super crew to discuss the 1979 classic anime Rose of Versailles, joined by Dawn from the Anime Nostalgia Podcast and GrantTheTheif of Blade Licking Thieves/Super Senpai Podcast. Part 1 (Beginning - 1:01:43) is a spoiler-free discussion of themes, historical fiction, what we love about the show, and the story…

Our best podcasting buddies Marc and Patrick of Oh No, Anime sat down with us on the last day of AX for a very special in-person bonus episode. Topics include: the AX curse of Go Nagai, Anisong tears, gay battleship shipping, and comparing Florida vs. Oregon cryptids. Oh No, Anime Podcast Feed | Twitter | Website Anime is Lit on Twitter Email: anim…

Celtic Mythology meets poignant recovery allegory in the 2017-2018 anime "Ancient Magus Bride". Returning pod friend Shadon and our good friend Bethany join us to discuss this beautiful anime that's very personal and meaningful to all of us. This episode is a long one, but it's packed with discussion about the surprisingly intricate narrative the s…

Your favorite anime podcast crossover is back! We team up again with the Warui Deshou podcast to dissect and gush over Mamoru Oshii and Yoshitaka Amano’s 1985 masterpiece art film, Angel’s Egg. CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of stillbirth, miscarriage, possible anxiety-inducing subjects such as loss of faith. ***The first half is spoiler-free, see tim…

Welcome to our episode on Princess Tutu, the classic 2002 anime about ballet, fairy tales, and a duck who turns into the magical Princess Tutu to fight for the ones she loves! Our friend Heidi joins as our guest to talk about her experience training in ballet and music, and her love for the anime that celebrates them both. We dive into the lore of …

Earlier in February we guested on Oh No, Anime with our friends Marc and Patrick, and other guests GrantTheTheif and TheSubtleDoctor to discuss more of Devilman Crybaby! Marc had some fresh insights on the unique production details of the project, and we discuss our thoughts on it as a whole. Oh No, Anime! Podcast on Libsyn and iTunes Website: http…

We were thrilled to get the chance to talk about Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju with Giancarlo on the Subtitled Anime podcast! In this episode we get emotional (and analytical) about this brilliant show laden with themes of identity, family and the artist. Enjoy this episode and check out the rest of the Subtitled Anime podcast! ******HUGE SPOILERS FO…

This episode we cover "Tales from Earthsea", the Goro Miazaki-directed adaptation of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea novels. We talk about what Ursula Le Guin means to us and then dive in to the film's unique production, story and thematic shortfalls. ***Spoilers for the movie and bits of the Earthsea cycle books*** Link to Ursula Le Guin's blog post of …

We were delighted to guest on Warui Deshou with our friends TheSubtleDoctor and Shadon about Devilman Crybaby! This is a more free-form discussion with lots of laughs, but together we hit some moments of real discovery and depth. Discussions include the running metaphor, what the ending means, the show’s depiction of Satan, LGBTQ+ representation, t…

This month we couldn't resist taking a bite out of the recent Netflix phenomenon, DEVILMAN Crybaby. We talk about our personal reactions, the show's surprisingly optimistic thesis, horniness, queer elements, and why we're glad we followed the hype down this incredible rabbit hole of apocalypse and love. On the literary side, we also dive into the s…

This month we're covering Time of Eve (Eve no Jikan), a short but fantastic ONA series from 2008 about a cafe where both androids and people are welcome and indistinguishable from one another. This episode is spoiler-free for those of you who have yet to watch! We talk about the laws, social structure, and culture of the show's setting, and what it…

Welcome to our Drunk Evangelion bonus episode! This time we get personal, talk about our feelings, and wax drunk-poetic about the purpose of art and literary criticism. **SPOILERS for Evangelion** Link to full gospel choir ending theme video: https://www.facebook.com/MyACGG/videos/1307544232610550

By request, this episode is a podcast version of the panel we presented at Kumoricon 2017 on the Evangelion Mythos and trying the plot arcs together. We try to give some context to the more vague plot elements, and talk through the psychological narrative, which fuels the story's climax from beginning to end. Drunk Eva is coming next as a bonus epi…

This time we’re diving into Natsume Yuujinchou, also known as Natsume’s Book of Friends, with our very special guest Ethan. We discuss why the show resonates with us, how it uses short story techniques to build the overarching emotional storyline, and the use of mental illness allegory. Join us as we talk about one of our favorite shows and unpack …

Narration in Anime: The Tatami Galaxy and Beyond aka "This Podcast is (Not) About Evangelion" Welcome to our jam-packed episode on narration in anime! Starting with The Tatami Galaxy and branching from there, we cover different techniques and styles of narration including the minimalist, overbearing, unreliable and even fourth wall-breaking. We dis…

Everything Thunderbolt Fantasy! Even though it's not technically anime, we talk about the creation of Thunderbolt Fantasy, how medium affects storytelling and why the show watches like a good DnD campaign. Our web page with articles and extra info on Budaixi, PILI, and Thunderbolt Fantasy: https://animeislitpod.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/thunderbolt-…

Welcome to episode 1 of Anime is Lit, where we get hyped and nerdy about why anime is awesome. We talk about the art and storytelling in anime and why it makes people love it so much. For our pilot episode we do a mini-analysis on the most profound and important anime from 2016: Bananya. We'll be at Anime Expo in LA next week, come say hi, and let …