The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 129: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 40th Anniversary with Rachel

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This episode is sponsored in part by Tokyo Treat! To get $5 your first box of delicious snacks & treats delivered from Japan straight to your door, AND to help support my little podcast, use code "NOSTALGIA" at my link here!

This month (March 11th, 2024 to be exact) marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. So to celebrate this momentous occasion, friend of the show & HUGE Nausicaa fan Rachel is back to discuss the history of not just the film, but the manga it's based off of! Since the Nausicaa is pretty widely available at this point, we DO talk openly with spoilers. So if you've never seen the film before, go have a watch and then come back to listen to us do a deep dive & gush about what makes this movie so special in this extra-long episode!

Stream the episode above or [Direct Download]
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Relevant Links:

• Buy Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind on Blu-ray from The Crunchyroll Store or Amazon
• Buy the Nausicaa manga box set from The Crunchyroll Store or Amazon
• Buy The Art of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind from The Crunchyroll Store or Amazon
• Buy Shuna's Journey from The Crunchyroll Store or Amazon
• Visit Nausicaa Net (aka the Ghibli Wiki), the longest-running Ghibli fansite still up and running!
• Visit Gkids' official Nausicaa page
• Read "When Nausicaa became Warriors of the Wind"
• Follow Rachel on Twitter, Bluesky, and Twitch!

My theme song music was done by Kerobit! You can find more about them on their website!

Support the work I do on this podcast by leaving me a tip on Ko-fi! Want to have your name read in the special thanks segment on the next episode? All you need to do is buy me 2 or more “coffees” on Ko-fi!

As always, feel free to leave me your thoughts on this episode or ideas for future episodes here—or email me directly at AnimeNostalgiaPodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening!

Review: Spirited Away Live On Stage

In 2002, I remember excitedly going to a small arthouse theater in Seattle with a close friend to see Hayo Miyazaki’s big new animated film, the first he’d made since coming out of “retirement”. Seeing Spirited Away on a big screen was nothing short of magical, and I came out of the theater with a huge grin plastered on my face that didn’t leave for hours.

20 years later, I find myself seated in a much bigger theater for the theatrical recording of a stage play based on Spirited Away. This is a real treat, as Japanese stage plays (let alone ones based on anime) are rarely ever screened here in the US. As the lights dim, and the recorded version of the play begins on the big screen in front of me, I felt that same grin returning–one that pretty much stayed on my face for two hours. 

The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 105: The World of Future Boy Conan with Dave Merrill

 

Subscribers! Be sure to go to the blog to read the description easier & check out links for this episode!

This month on the podcast, we’re celebrating the first ever North American English release of one of the most influential anime of the 70s: Future Boy Conan! That’s right, after over 40 years, we’re finally getting a release in America (with a new English dub!) thanks to Gkids. And with me to talk about this classic gem is Conan super-fan Dave Merrill! Listen as we discuss the history of this wonderful series, how many amazingly talented people worked on it, how it became a hugely influential pop culture phenomenon in Japan and other countries, and why YOU should add it to your watch list--all without any major spoilers!--in this extra long episode. Let’s set sail!

Stream the episode above or [Direct Download]
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Relevant links:

• Buy Future Boy Conan on bluray at Rightstuf, Amazon, and Gkids’ online store!
• Visit High Harbor Net, one of the biggest Future Boy Conan fansites still running!
• Future Boy Conan at Nausicaa Net
• Buy Hayao Miyazaki’s Starting Point 1979-1996, where he talks about his work & his process (which includes some bits of when he worked on Future Boy Conan!), in print or digitally. 
• The Italian opening of Future Boy Conan
• Read Dave’s anime blog, Let’s Anime!
• Find Dave on Twitter

My theme song music was done by Kerobit! You can find more about them on their Twitter!

Support the work I do on this podcast by leaving me a tip on Ko-fi! Want to have your name read in the special thanks segment on the next episode? All you need to do is buy me 2 or more “coffees” on Ko-fi!

As always, feel free to leave me your thoughts on this episode or ideas for future episodes here—or email me directly at AnimeNostalgiaPodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening!

The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 89: Whisper of the Heart 25th Anniversary with Nitro

Subscribers! Be sure to go to the blog to read the description easier & check out links for this episode!

25 years ago today, Studio Ghibli gave us Yoshifumi Kondo's first (and sadly, only) directorial debut film: Whisper of the Heart! And with Studio Ghibli's movie catalog finally streaming on various online platforms around the world, what better time to revisit this beautiful love letter to art and the creative process? With me to gush for several hours about just how much I adore this movie is returning champ Nitro of MDiskPlaylist! Listen as we discuss why Shizuku is one of the most relatable Ghibli heroines for us personally, how it's filled with whimsical Ghibli magic regardless of it's seemingly more down-to-earth story, and just rambling incoherently in general about how much we love it. All this, singing, and answering your listener questions, too!

Stream the episode above or [Direct Download]
Subscribe on apple podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify

Relevant Links:

• Gkids' official page for Whisper of the Heart
• Buy Whisper of the Heart on Rightstuf or Amazon!
• Buy Baron: The Cat Returns sequel manga on Rightstuf or Amazon!
• Learn more about the movie at the Whisper of the Heart portal at Nausicaa Net
• Watch Rebecca Sugar's Special Intro for Whisper of the Heart made for Ghibli Fest 2019
• Visit Whisper of the Heart background artist & fantasy painter Naohisa Inoue's official homepage
• Check out some of the real-life locations from Whisper of the Heart!
• Check out Nitro's Community Game Along page!
• Follow Nitro on Twitter!
• And as promised, Nitro made a little video clip with Old Town Road.

Support the work I do on this podcast by leaving me a tip on Ko-fi! Want to have your name read in the special thanks segment on the next episode? All you need to do is buy me 2 or more “coffees” on Ko-fi!

As always, feel free to leave me your thoughts on this episode or ideas for future episodes here—or email me directly at AnimeNostalgiaPodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening!

Endless Memories - Only Yesterday & My Neighbors The Yamadas

Anime News Network is doing a week long celebration of the life & work of Isao Takahata, and yours truly wrote an article about Only Yesterday for the occasion! Check it out here.

You can also read my other article in the series about My Neighbors The Yamadas there!

The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - Ep 40

 

 iTunes & Stitcher subscribers! Be sure to go to the blog to read the description easier & check out links for this episode!

It’s been a while since I did a music-themed episode! And what better guest to have than the host of a music-themed podcast, Nitro of MDisk Playlist, to talk all about the music of Joe Hisaishi! You probably have heard Hisaishi’s work in Miyazaki’s films, but what else has this immensely talented musician done? Nitro & I talk all about it, plus go through some of our favorite tracks by him (hint: it’s nothing from the soundtracks to Techopolice or Parasite Eve.)


Stream the episode above or [Direct Download]
You can also now subscribe on itunes & Stitcher!

Relevant Links:

• Buy Joe Hisaishi’s music officially on itunes or Amazon!
• Buy the films of Miyazaki, scored by Hisaishi
• Buy Robot Carnival (scored by Hisaishi) on DVD
• Buy Venus Wars (scored by Hisaishi) on DVD or blu-ray
• Read more on Joe Hisaishi at Nausicaa.net
• Joe Hisaishi’s official homepage

As always, feel free to leave me your thoughts and ideas for future episodes here, or email directly at AnimeNostalgiaPodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening!

The Anime Nostalgia Podcast ep 05

 

Did you know that Hayao Miyazaki worked on part of the original Lupin the Third anime? Or that the animation team that would become Studio Ghibli helped animate some American films, like 1977's The Hobbit? In this episode, join me and longtime friend Nitro as we talk about Miyazaki's works before and after Studio Ghibli, Ghibli films that came out before 2002, as well as Ghibli's ties to things like Yoko Kano and video games! (I do apologize--the audio in this episode has some cracking & popping in places for some reason. I'm not sure if it was from something that happened while I was recording, but I couldn't get rid of all of it when I edited it. I'll make sure to be extra careful next episode!)


Stream the episode above or [Direct Download]

Links we mentioned in this episode:

Some of Miyazaki's works pre-Studio Ghibli you can buy on DVD!:

• 1969's The Wonderful World of Puss in Boots (Miyazaki did key animation & designs--there's even an amazing chase scene in it that he animated!)
• 1971's Animal Treasure Island (Miyazaki played a key role in creating the story's structure, as well as character & background design.)
• 1972's Panda Go Panda! (created and written by Miyazaki)
• 1979's Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (Co-written, directed, and storyboarded by Miyazaki.)

Watch the original Lupin the Third anime series, which Miyazaki did work on 14 episodes of:

• Watch the official Lupin stream on Hulu
• Watch the official Lupin stream on Daisuki Net

And for those interested in hearing more on the Urban Legends we talked about briefly:

• A collection of "My Neighbor Totoro" theories as collected from around the internet.
• Origins on the "Spirited Away" theories/translations.

As always, feel free to give me your thoughts and comments on this and for future episodes! Thanks for listening!