The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 144: The Fangirl Diaries with Author Erica Victoria Espejo

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

Treat yourself or a loved one! TokyoTreat makes the perfect gift for any occasion. Use code "NOSTALGIA" for $5 off your first #TokyoTreat box through my link: https://team.tokyotreat.com/theanimenostalgia

Author Erica Victoria Espejo has not only been an anime fan since the 90s, she's been going to cons & writing about it for over 20 years! And now, she's written a book called The Fangirl Diaries: Finding Community in Anime Fandom of the 90s & 00s, chronicling early anime fandom and cosplay through her lived experience in it while growing up as a queer, femme Asian. Listen in as we discuss daring to share stories of cringey youth, the evolution of fandom, cosplay, and anime conventions, and what it was like to write a book about it all. 

Stream the episode or [Direct Download] Subscribe on apple podcasts | Spotify

Relevant links:

• Buy Erica's book using my affiliate link at Bookshop.org, Amazon, or directly from the publisher!
• Check out Erica's website for over 20 years of her anime convention coverage!
• Follow Eri on Twitch to watch her "Fansview Friday" streams live, or follow her Youtube account to watch the VODs
• Follow Erica's cosplay-focused Instagram and Tiktok
• And of course, follow her on Bluesky for updates on her writing and reports!

Bonus: Erica in her custom Baka-Con t-shirt she mentions this episode:

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

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!

This month's podcast

This month on the podcast: I'll be chatting with the author of The Fangirl Diaries: Finding Community in Anime Fandom of the 90s & 00s, Erica Victoria Espejo! We'll be discussing her background as a fellow Oldtaku, and how she put together her book on her experiences with anime, fandom, and cosplay to share a piece of Fandom History with others. 

Have any questions, comments, or topics you’d like to hear on this episode? Feel free to leave a comment, or email me directly at AnimeNostalgiaPodcast@gmail.com!

Want to get a special shout-out on the episode? Become a member of my Ko-fi Subscriptions, or tip me 2 or more “coffees” at my Ko-fi account here to get your name included in my Special Thanks segment!

Get your questions & tips in before June 19th, 2025! 

The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 141: Creative Conversations with Sarah Myer

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

Treat yourself or a loved one! TokyoTreat makes the perfect gift for any occasion. Use code "NOSTALGIA" for $5 off your first #TokyoTreat box through my link: https://team.tokyotreat.com/theanimenostalgia

This month, we’re returning to my Creative Conversations series! In these episodes, I talk to people in various creative fields making things today who were greatly inspired by anime & manga, and are using that inspiration today to make their own cool things. This time, we’re talking to Eisner-Nominated comic artist, writer, colorist, and occasional cosplayer Sarah Myer (They/Them)! We discuss how growing up loving cartoons & anime not only had a big impact on their life, but how fandom was a major plot point in their incredible auto-biographical graphic novel Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story. We also talk about early fandom memories, cosplay, how both TMNT and Evangelion have always been there for them, and answering your questions!

Stream the episode above or  [Direct Download]

Subscribe on apple podcasts | Spotify

Just a FEW of Sarah's older anime & manga recommendations (listen to the ep for their complete list!):

• Unico (buy at CR Store or Amazon!)
• Astro Boy 1980 (buy at CR Store or Amazon!)
• Space Pirate Captain Harlock (buy at CR Store or Amazon!)
• Endless Orbit SSX (buy at CR Store or Amazon!)
• Galaxy Express 999 (buy at CR Store or Amazon!)
• Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo (buy at CR Store or Amazon!)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion (buy at CR Store or Amazon!)
• Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (buy at CR Store or Amazon!)
• Wings of Honneamise (buy on Amazon!)
• Martian Successor Nadesico (buy on Amazon!)

Follow Sarah & their work online!:

• Sarah's home page with their comic work
• Follow Sarah on Instagram & Bluesky
• Buy their graphic novel Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story directly from their store! (You can even get it autographed!)
• Check out their work on the TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures comic series!

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

See how you can get access to behind-the-scenes stuff, early access to the podcast, and a BRAND NEW subscriber exclusive podcast with my new Ko-fi Subscriptions!

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 134: Otakon History & Chat with Gerald

 

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

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!

Earlier this month was Otakon, which celebrated it's 30th year of being "The Convention of Otaku Generation". It was also my first ever time attending! So what better time to talk about it's history with fellow podcaster and Otakon veteran, Gerald of Anime World Order! We talk about Otakon's humble beginnings and history (with some general anime con memories), and what we thought of the con now that it's ever closer to reaching "middle-age". So grab a snack and an ice-cold water, and listen in!

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

Relevant links:

• Read the program book for the very first Otakon on Internet Archive!
• Check out other program books from past Otakons as well!
• The Otaku Archive at Internet Archive
• ComicsBeat's coverage of TheGreatSG's Anime Home Video Museum panel
• Watch Discotek's livestream version of their Otakon panel
• Check out Anime World Order's episode on Otakon 2024!

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

See how you can get access to behind-the-scenes stuff, early access to the podcast, and a BRAND NEW subscriber exclusive podcast with my new Ko-fi Subscriptions!

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!

Guest Spot - Otaku no Shouzou

 

I was recently a guest on Chilean podcast Otaku no Shouzou with friend of the podcast Dave Merrill to talk about what being an anime fan was like before the 2000s! The podcast is usually en Español, but for this, they did the entire podcast in English! It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about what the otaku scene was like for folks in South America. Definitely check it out! Thank you so much for having me! 

The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 122: The Legacy & Influence of Kamen Rider (with guest Mach Dent)

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

With Kamen Rider's 50th anniversary celebration still going strong, and the recent release of Shin Kamen Rider in North America, what better time to talk about just how huge an impact Shotaro Ishinomori's original creation had on Japanese pop culture...including it's huge influence on anime, manga, and fandom in general! And joining me to chat about it is none other than the Tokusatsu Troubadour, Mach Dent! Listen as we discuss how everything from shonen anime to magical girls to video games have been influenced by Kamen Rider, how easy it's gotten to get into the franchise now in the US, and going on random fun tokusatsu tangents! Listen in and join the shenanigans!

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

Relevant links:

• Read Kamen Rider: Behind the Mask on Zimmerit
• Read The Broad Spectrum of Shotaro Ishinomori's Manga
• Watch the original Kamen Rider, free with ads in North America, on Tokushoutsu, Pluto.TV, and Tubi!
• Watch selected Kamen Rider episodes, specials, and trailers officially in English on the Toei Tokusatsu World Youtube channel!
• Get the original Kamen Rider manga by Shotaro Ishinomori in English from Seven Seas at Rightstuf or Amazon!
• Watch the Kamen Rider: Gaia fan documentary here!
• Check out Vintage Henshin on Youtube and on Tumblr!
• Follow Mach on Twitter & Twitch!
• A playlist of Official Tokushoutsu promos made by Mach!

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!

The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 110: Giant Robo with MinovskyArticle

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

Last month, the beginning of a well-loved OVA series turned 30 years old:  Yasuhiro Imagawa’s love letter to mangaka Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s career, Giant Robo: The Animation (aka Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still)! And to celebrate this momentous occasion, Casey (aka MinovskyArticle) has returned to talk about all things Robo with me! For the first part of the podcast, we discuss in a spoiler-free way what exactly the series is, it’s history, why it’s special, and why you should check it out! After that, we go all out in the spoiler-zone to gush about our favorite characters, scenes, and answer all your listener questions! (Spoiler talk starts at around the 1:34:17 mark.) So sit back, relax, and celebrate one of our favorite anime series with us in this GIANT-sized, nearly 3-hour long episode! 

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

Relevant links:

• Buy Giant Robo on bluray at Rightstuf or Amazon!
• Read about a Yasuhiro Imagawa lecture in the US from 2002!
• Watch the Imagawa-directed Tetsujin 28 remake at Retrocrush
• Check out this Giant Robo cosplay group page, “Experts of Cosplay”, still up and running on AngelFire! Some pictures are back from the 90s!
• If you want to learn more about The Water Margin, one of the stories Yokoyama used as the basis of some of his manga, check out the Chinese Folklore Podcast!
• Follow Casey 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!

Update: Episode 61 transcription

Hello listeners! After over a year, I'm happy to say I now have a transcript of the Miami Mike episode available for download! A HUGE thanks to the very generous Eleanor who volunteered her time to make one for my podcast. I've added a link to download the document on the original post here for anyone who wants to save it for reference.

I hope that in the future, I can possibly get more episodes transcribed, but for now this was the single most requested episode to have one, and I'm happy that it's now available for those who will find it useful.

Edit: Also, sorry that adding the transcript to ep 61's post seems to have made my RSS feed think it was a new episode! 😅 Sorry for any confusion that might have caused.

Happy 30th, Ranma!

September marks the 30th Anniversary of Ranma 1/2, which first debuted as a manga in 1987 in Japan! But did you know the anime has been released in multiple formats over the years? Here’s a (very) quick look & comparison at the history of Viz’s different releases in the US!

Click image for fullsize 

For years, Ranma 1/2 was Viz’s flagship title, and was a popular staple in most anime & manga fan’s collections at the time. For a while, they even produced Ranma 1/2 merchandise, including mugs, t-shirts, posters, clocks, and even a personal organizer. It wasn’t until the late 90s & early 00s that Ranma was knocked out of the top spot for fan favorite, replaced by a different Rumiko Takahashi title: Inuyasha.

It took many years to dub all of Ranma 1/2. The first VHS release was in 1993, and was dubbed in the old-school, analog way. Initial releases were slow, because it took a lot of time to produce & release them. Over the years, dub actors had to be recast for several characters, but they finally finished dubbing the entire series sometime around 2003 with the release of the final DVD box set.

Unlike Viz’s original VHS release, their initial DVD sets were a co-production with Pioneer for a brief period until they started handling their own DVD & blu-ray releases in-house. Viz also released several Laserdiscs for Ranma 1/2 with Pioneer, but not the TV Series--only the Movies & OVAs.

Speaking of the OVAs & Movies, the final Ranma 1/2 bluray set with the remastered movies & OVAs was released last week! That means all of Ranma 1/2 is now finally available in the US in high definition, as well as all of the manga! Fitting that it’s during it’s anniversary month.

Happy 30th, Ranma! Still looking good, even after all these years.

If you enjoyed this little article, consider leaving me a tip of a coffee at Ko-fi! If you purchase 2 or more coffees, you get a shout in the next episode of the podcast! Thanks for reading!

Book Review: Her Eternal Moonlight

 
I was approached recently by the authors of this book to do a review of it, as my podcast & blog are pretty relevant to part of the Sailor Moon experience. Like myself, many of my followers were fans of Sailor Moon since back before the internet was a constant presence in our everyday lives. The idea of a book focused not just on the history of Sailor Moon through the lens of its North American fans, but specifically how it touched the lives of its female fandom sounded quite intriguing. So of course, I jumped on the chance to read this book, and I wanted to share my thoughts with all of you!