Anime World Order Show # 33 - Listener Feedback with Dave Merrill, Fandom Hero

In our longest podcast to date, we were supposed to get caught up on responding to listener feedback with our special guest, the now-retired head of Anime Weekend Atlanta / Corn Pone Flicks member / Anime Hell founder / comicbook creator / Totally Lame Anime expert / Misterkitty.org co-creator / no longer a "Cap'n," Dave Merrill. But we got too preoccupied with having him impart his wisdom to us so that our kung fu might become stronger. Oh, and we did this interview on his birthday.

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Introduction (0:00 - 1:15)
Shortest introduction ever! Or perhaps it's the longest, considering what this episode is!

• www.dougsmithart.com - in case you've never been to an anime con before

Let's News! (1:15 - 24:02)
Fine, so we're weeks late in getting to this. Bandai issued a press release warning everyone that if they fansub Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, they'd be prepared to dispatch lawyers in order to defend their intellectual property. While they're perfectly right to do so from a legal perspective, we weigh in on the significance of such an action and whether or not what they're trying to do is actually harmful to them in the long run. Comparisons to the MPAA and RIAA result, which leads to us talking about the effectiveness of their anti-piracy efforts and what could be done. Nikkei BP did an article on the state of Japan's animation industry, which is to say "not that great." Finally, Bandai follows up their Liver Blow that was the fansub warning with this Gazelle Punch: they're not going to allow exchanges of the old Zeta Gundam DVDs from the box set (the ones with awful subtitles) for the newer Zeta Gundam DVDs included in the individual sets (which have fixed subtitles). Daryl bought that set, and he is less than thrilled over this development.

• ANN's page on Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society
• ANN's article on Bandai's announcement
• Cinema Now - this is the site Gerald was talking about that allows people to pay for DVD ISO's to download and burn; he would like to note that while this is a good start, $10 is too high a price for a download for him
  
• ANN's Sazae-san page - the longest running animated program in the world (remember that to destroy the dreams of Simpsons fans)
  
• Article by Patrick Macias in the Japan Times about fansubbing and scanlations - featuring expert testimony by Daryl Surat, Certified Anime Authority
• Ain't It Cool News on Bandai and stuff - also featuring expert testimony by Daryl Surat, Certified Anime Authority...but DAY-UM, did Scott wrote 16 reviews and all that news stuff up in a week?!
• ANN's Zeta Gundam Page
  

Promo: Rangercast (24:02 - 24:47)
The sentai panel at Otakon was probably one of the best ones there, and this podcast is run by the guy who ran that panel. If it's true about TV-Nihon wanting this guy gone because he DARED to suggest that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is sentai, then tokusatsu fandom is in even worse shape than we would have imagined.

Then we talked to Dave for the rest of the show. Additional show notes to come, but for now I'll throw in the promo times.

Promo: R5 Central (1:05:12 - 1:06:16)
Speaking of tokusatsu, Mike made us a custom promo based upon the fact that Daryl lost his mind hearing that robot girl "Ai" voice being used for extended periods of time during his three-part Anime Central report. The observation that Gerald's voice sounds as though Carl Macek is directing his words is entirely his own, though it is an idea not without merit. Man. One of these days we should get back to making political attack ads against the other podcasts.

Promo: GeekNights (1:39:59 - 1:41:05)
We have been informed that the promo we chose to play is actually the promo they made which was intentionally bad and meant to prevent people from wanting to listen. We have one of those too, actually. It is also our only promo. Anyway, check out Rym and Scott's show. They're a dynamic [100% heterosexual] duo for the new millennium.

Promo: Anime Pulse (2:01:03 - 2:01:33)
Do you know how frightening it is to have to write that timecode? DO YOU?! Old Man Chigo is the aspect of the Anime Pulse promos that we here at the Anime World Order relate to best. Even though they're older than we are.

Closing (2:15:12 - 2:23:02)
Next time, we're going to do a normal show for once! Remember those? The ones WITHOUT con reports or guests, where we talked about anime and stuff? Gerald's reviewing the uncut version of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Clarissa's tackling that mad outlaw Captain Harlock as she tells us all about Arcadia of My Youth, and Daryl steps up to his role as a Certified Anime Authority by reviewing the much-requested Haibane Renmei. Also, Gerald makes an outlandish bet which he didn't realize was stacked horrendously against him until it was too late. Fortunately it will NEVER come to pass. Never ever.

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