Episode 97 - Bionix Omega: Death Note

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.

Zannen, Canada · Ep.97- Bionix Omega: Death Note

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Sammy's Bluesky: @zeekayart.bsky.social

Sammy's Twitter: @zeekayart

Bluesky: @jbetteridge.bsky.social

Twitter: @jbetteridge

Podcast Twitter: @zannencanada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zannencanada/
E-mail: zannencanada@gmail.com

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp.

Episode 96 - Bionix Alpha: Witch Hunter Robin

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!)

Zannen, Canada · Ep.96 - Bionix Alpha: Witch Hunter Robin

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Witch Hunter Robin Opening and Madonna's "Take a Bow" MV Comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHrWGaxJq7I

Sammy's Bluesky: @zeekayart.bsky.social

Sammy's Twitter: @zeekayart

Bluesky: @jbetteridge.bsky.social

Twitter: @jbetteridge

Podcast Twitter: @zannencanada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zannencanada/
E-mail: zannencanada@gmail.com

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp.

Episode 82 - Tachikomas Will Make You Love Dystopian Military Robotics

If you're anything like me, Blade Runner: Black Lotus may have made you a bit nostalgic for the last time a Corus-owned station ran a cyberpunk anime directed by Kenji Kamiyama every week at midnight. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was a stand-out title on YTV's Bionix block for many reasons, not the least of which include the international notoriety the broadcast gained from having an entire episode banned in Canada... although not really, since it aired a couple of weeks later. Randy joins me to look back on the series and how it holds up with its dense storytelling and (relative) lack of questionable CGI.

Zannen, Canada · Ep.82 - Tachikomas Will Make You Love Dystopian Military Robotics

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Randy's Twitter: @chandyran

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

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp.

Episode 54 - The Canadian Dragon Ball Experience

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.

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Geoff's Twitter: @G0ffThew
Yazy's Twitter: @Tenleid
Geoff's channel: Mother's Basement
Tenleid's site: tenleid.moe

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

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp.

Episode 49 - The WOW World Revolution (Probably)

WOW Unlimited will be launching a new television channel soon in collaboration with Bell Media, and the chances are looking very good that it will feature an anime line-up of some kind. Why should anyone care about a linear television channel in this day and age? With some notable heavy hitters behind the scenes, as well as an incredibly strong streaming outlet in the form of Crave, this station and brand may have more of an impact than you'd expect. Karl joins me to discuss the potential benefits, as well as some of the dystopian side effects, of where the broadcast and streaming future of this channel could take anime, as well as the whole damned Canadian media ecosystem. Is that enough hyperbole for you?

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

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp.

Episode 45 - Gundam SEED Holds Up Better Than You Think

Why was Mobile Suit Gundam SEED a success here but not the United States? Daryl Surat and Jarvis Gray join me to explain, in yet another retrospective episode on anime that have had a unique cultural impact in Canada. (Honestly though, we spend more time ranting about Gundam SEED Destiny, how that show is unfairly lumped in with its predecessor and why you should NOT watch the new HD remastered version of either series under any circumstances whatsoever.)

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

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp.

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Please leave a rating or review on these platforms, or post your comments on the episode below!

Episode 19 - The Full Gamut

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

Twitter: @zannencanada
E-mail: zannencanada@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zannencanada/

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp.

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/zannen-canada/id1013994040?mt=2#
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Please leave a rating or review!

Episode 15: Inuyasha: Context Over Content

Inuyasha made a significant splash when it first debuted on YTV in 2003... far greater than many of us seem to remember, in fact. What were the exact cultural circumstances that caused Inuyasha to dominate Canadian Google searches for years? Ian and Noah help me get to the bottom of this.

Episode breakdown:
5:45- Our personal experiences with Inuyasha
25:00 - The Japanese context of the show
29:50 - Overview of story and characters
43:55 - The nuances of Inuyasha’s Canadian context

Twitter: @zannencanada
E-mail: zannencanada@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zannencanada/

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out Packet Flood, the album all of this show's music is taken from, on his Bandcamp.

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/zannen-canada/id1013994040?mt=2#
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Please leave a rating or review!

Episode 7: Can We Just Agree That Anime is More Popular Here?

Mike Toole swings by to help determine why anime is more popular in Canada than it is in other regions like the United States. I don't think we find a definitive answer, but along the way we talk about Otakon, the 80s Astro Boy dub that aired on Global, World Masterpiece Theatre on Radio-Canada, and that elusive Dragon Ball Kai Ocean dub.

Contact:

Zannen, Canada: Twitter | Blog

Mike: Twitter | THE MIKE TOOLE SHOW

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out his music at Ultraklystron.com.

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Episode 6: The YTV Anime Master is Not Unstumpable

  

YTV's infamous Anime Master is at last ambushed and unmasked for all to see! But first, Karl and I talk a bit about streaming on MAL, why you shouldn't use Hola after all, and why you should care about not being able to watch NieA_7.

Episode breakdown:

01:30 - Karl and I talk about region issues on Viewster and MAL embracing legitimate streaming.

20:00 - Anime Master time!.

Contact:

Zannen, Canada: Twitter | Blog

Emily: Twitter | Moon Chase

Karl: Twitter | Ultraklystron.com

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out his music at Ultraklystron.com.

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

Episode 4: Workaround Dystopia

Zannen, Canada · Ep.04 - Workaround Dystopia

This episode I'm joined by Lance Heiskell (former Director of Corporate Strategy for FUNimation Entertainment) and Karl Olson (nerdcore rapper Ultraklystron) to talk about anime streaming and simulcasts in Canada. Geoblocking and the inability for American companies to understand the problems with it, the ethics of VPN use, and weighing streaming and broadcast as forms of discovery are all on the agenda.

Episode breakdown:

1:08 – Introducing Lance and Karl

7:50 - The problems with the US-centrism baked into the net and the frustration with embedding

9:00 – Running down the streaming situations of FUNimation, Netflix, Sentai, and Crunchyroll. We also touch on Quebec rights and just can’t resist talking a bit about broadcast and MuchMusic.

37:00 – Why some companies only use Hulu for streaming, and will they ever change?

1:05:00 – If we can’t get this figured out in North America, what hope is there for global streaming?

1:16:20 – Reminicising, simuldubs and some gushing over Shirobako.

Contact:

Jesse: Twitter

Lance: Twitter | Anime Nostalgia Bomb

Karl: Twitter | Ultraklystron.com

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out his music at Ultraklystron.com.

Episode 3: LA-LI-LU-LELOLA

Zannen, Canada · Ep.03 - LA-LI-LU-LELOLA

An interview with the ever insightful Pan, former webmaster of the incredibly popular Canadian anime site LELOLA.net, cosplayer extraordinaire, and Power Rangers aficionado.

Episode breakdown:

01:05 - Introducing Pan

14:00 – The lost art of the personalized fan site

20:53 – Exposure and reaction to social justice issues online

27:00 – The Lelola community and the enormous response it received, including Pan fanfiction

37:34 – Power Rangers talk, specifically why Power Rangers Megaforce: Robo Knight Before Christmas is the ultimate cringewatch

43:37 – Pan answers the roundtable questions from previous episodes

51:40 – I address a user submitted question with an answer that I guess is acceptable

53:00 – Call out for thoughts on the state of streaming in Canada

Contact:

Jesse: Twitter

Theme song by Karl Olson. Check out his music at Ultraklystron.com.

Episode 2: He Sold His Soul For Bootleg Rock and Roll

Zannen, Canada · Ep.02 - He Sold His Soul For Bootleg Rock 'n Roll

The panel is dominated by Winnipeggers and near-Winnipeggers in our second roundtable discussion of the past and possible future of anime on Canadian TV.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 - Introductions

01:40 - Some more good anime TV memories including MTN children's shows, Macross Plus, and... some other stuff Teletoon had a hand in.

20:40 - What, exactly, was the big deal with Gundam SEED and Witch Hunter Robin?

22:40 - How we would've benefited from more girl shows, missing second seasons, and the real artistic potential of international co-productions.

37:00 - The common cultural experience of anime bootlegs.

55:15 - Hopes or expectations for the future such as broadcast supplementing geoblocked streams and broadening the possibilities of an unexpected hit.

Contributors:

Jesse: Twitter

Randy: Twitter

Phil: Twitter | Just What Am I Listening To? Podcast

Leandra: Twitter

Ian: Twitter

Special thanks to Karl Olson both for the theme song and for production assistance yet again on this episode. Check out his music at Ultraklystron.com.

Episode 1: Understandable Skepticism

Zannen, Canada · Ep.01 - Understandable Skepticism

The premiere episode! This is the first of two roundtable discussions looking back at anime on Canadian TV, musing about some missed opportunities, and speculating about what the future may hold.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 - Introductions

02:40 - Some fond reflections of anime on Canadian broadcasters. Some appreciation of Witch Hunter Robin, weird movies on SPACE, and lots of Sailor Moon.

37:00 - Some of the biggest missed opportunities. and many tears shed for CHUM.

55:55 - Hopes or expectations for the future of anime on TV. Quite a bit of skepticism, but maybe there's hope for Attack on Titan and Sailor Moon?

Contributors:

Jesse: Twitter

Emily: Twitter | Moon Chase!

Marc: Retroarcadia

Kevin: Twitter | Linked to Japan Podcast

Special thanks to Karl Olson both for the theme song and for production assistance on this first episode. Check out his music at Ultraklystron.com.

Introduction

Nearly five years after shutting down the original news site, I'm pleased to announce that I will be relaunching Zannen, Canada in the form of a podcast. In each episode I will be joined by a variety of co-hosts as we explore the many intersections between anime and Canadian media through streaming, home video, and (most importantly) television. We hope to highlight the many ways that anime has been an integral part of the Canadian media landscape in the past, and will hopefully continue to be in the future.

Keep your eye on this page - the first episode will drop sometime next week. Please tune in!