Anime Jam Session

Crunchyroll blunders with anime leak, a game criticized by Miyazaki comes to Steam, and Ranma 1/2 gets anime exhibition in Tokyo! Also, Gundam Wing Official gets an anniversary album, Yoko Kanno 菅野よう子 to hold 2 NYC shows, and Yakuza/Like a Dragon crossover live action series debuts today! Meanwhile in Japan... A manager was arrested for punching himself in the face, a man was arrested for leaving a car parked in a lot for 6 years, and a cherry blossom festival is canceled due to overtourism?!

Check out what we're discussing this week! Hello Kitty teams with Neon Genesis Evangelion for new apparel, Sailor Moon theater show brings a new story and character, and Gundam Hathaway gets nostalgic with an ending song by Guns N' Roses! Also, Crunchyroll increases pricing, BAND-MAID world tour followed by a hiatus, and the Court upholds prison sentence for piracy site operator! Meanwhile in Japan, Kyoto is putting in efforts to crack down on overtourism, movie theater popcorn earns high-quality certification, and a drunkard was robbed after falling asleep on the street!

The rankings of the popularity of Dragon Ball characters, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is delayed... Again... And manga creator Go Nagai is to be inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame! Also, Netflix and MAPPA strengthen their partnership, ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン / Universal Studios Japan (USJ) launches Pokémon experience before global rollout, and Rumiko Takahashi visits San Francisco's manga exhibition! Meanwhile in Japan, all 롯데리아 (LOTTERIA) restaurants in Japan will close by the end of March, a man was arrested for leaving obscene DVDs in stores as gifts, and a Tokyo pub sets a soft ban for patrons over 39?!

A popular scanlation site has shut down, Comic-Con International updates its policy on AI materials, and Gundam Hathaway is to be snowed in at the Sapporo Snow Festival?! Also, the Japan Fair Trade Commission releases a report on issues in the anime industry, Netflix in a new streaming deal with Sony, and Uma Musume anime cosplayers make the local news for their pro football fandom! Meanwhile in Japan, a man was arrested for violating Japan’s anti-dueling law in downtown Tokyo, and Kitkat pizza... Yep. That's all you need to know.

We're back for 2026! And check out what we're talking about on tonight's show! China’s largest comic convention, COMICUP, bans anime & manga, an idol was replaced in a stage play due to a manager, and KPop Demon Hunters wins 2 Golden Globes! Manga artist apologizes for an AI-edited photo, Scooby-Doo is getting a short anime series, and an Uma Musume anime girl plushie recalled for having parts she absolutely should not have?! Meanwhile in Japan, researchers give a mouse glowing sperm, a train station gets a new stationmaster cat, and a ramen restaurant prices differently based on the menu language?!

We're keeping it casual with a few stories tonight, like how Santa Claus delivered Christmas presents to penguins, Gainax is now fully dissolved, turning a train platform into a sake bar, and the deal with KFC and Christmas in Japan! We also have fun Christmas questions for the hosts!

The first permanent Gundam store in the US opens in Illinois, Crunchyroll ends ad-supported streams, and Go Nagai gets to pilot a new Mazinger Z figure! Also, Silent Mobius gets a Marvel crossover series, counselors in costumes testing anime therapy for depression, and restored versions of Studio Ghibli films coming to theaters in 2026! Meanwhile in Japan... A civil servant is arrested for misusing access to run a detective agency, a Japanese town sues a local resident for being a jerk, and KFC opens a pop-up restaurant specifically for non-fried chicken Christmas meals in Tokyo?!

Political tensions cause cancellations of Japanese media in China, Shonen Jump pop-up shop opens in NJ, backlash over Prime Video's Banana Fish AI dub has voice actors speaking out, and Amazon.com has quietly removed the dub tracks?! Also, J-Hip Hop group m-flo to stop public activities after their February concert, Toei Animation head producer explains Super Sentai ending, and the newest Dragon Ball Z and KFC collaboration hits! Meanwhile in Japan... A Wakayama senior uses AI to identify wild mushrooms and gets poisoned, and a train company lets you buy ticket gates!

Our host, DJ Ranma S, reviews his first PAX Unplugged, so you definitely want to check that out! Also, Tokyo court orders Cloudflare to pay over $3.2 million for manga piracy sites, animators call out critics of One Punch Man season 3, and Pokémon wins Google Play's Best Game for 2025! Meanwhile in Japan, an immersive samurai theme park has an opening date, and the theft of toilet rubber parts is baffling... And a special tribute to Orange Lounge Radio!

New anime announced for Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding video game, the latest Super Sentai show replaces the main character partway through the series, and Hello Kitty teams up with BanG Dream Girls Band Party! Also, Love Live CD is delayed due to the jacket art, the official Attack on Titan concert is coming to the US in 2026, and entry into part of the Pokémon theme park will come with some physical fitness requirements! Meanwhile in Japan, a company mascot is "graduating", and the Japanese Government is considering charging more to leave the country by plane?

Kodansha (講談社) establishes a Hollywood studio, Kill Bill extended director's cut to include unseen anime footage, and school Idols to become reality! Also, the full Love Live tribute album song list has dropped, the newest Studio Trigger anime is streaming free on YouTube, and Hello Kitty learns sign language in a new collab! Meanwhile in Japan... The newest toy car is a bit fishy, the newest theme hotel lets you take the driver's seat, and a package delivery was delayed due to... Da Bears?!

We're talking DerpyCon 2025! DJ Ranma S takes us through his three days of the final con of the year for him! Also tonight, hackers claim VIZ Media breach, 18 companies publish a joint statement criticizing Sora2 AI, and MyAnimeList.net is banned for content in Russia?! Meanwhile in Japan... An experience package lets you battle as a samurai with your friends, and a teacher apologizes for a word given to students for an assigned video?!

The Sailor Moon Shining Theater returns, Hello Kitty gets spooky with a Junji Ito collab, and Super Mario celebrates his 40th anniversary with a parade balloon! Also, Cutie Honey gets a short-lived action series, FanimeCon announces a dedicated dojinshi event, and LINE WEBTOON and Disney announce an additional wave of reformatted comics! Meanwhile in Japan... Enjoy a Japanese train seat heater at home this winter, the media jumps to exaggerated conclusions in a harassment case, and dinner and a Sumo show give bilingual entertainment!

It's Another Anime Convention (AAC) 2025! It's DJ Ranma S and Ari Rockefeller as they break down the entire convention weekend and understand why they travel to this con every year! Also, if time permits, for Meanwhile in Japan, we have humans getting their own instant washing machine, and a train driver in trouble for reading a book on trains while on a stopped train?!

Music from the Sailor Moon Super Live looks to be getting a worldwide release, Trigun's second season is set for January 2026, and NANA gets a makeover for its 25th anniversary! Also, animation cels and other collectibles are to hit the auction block, PERFECT BLUE gets a 4K collectors box, and Crunchyroll gives an answer to subtitle issues. Meanwhile in Japan... Hotel chain offers plushies their own beds, rail company apologizes for driver spacing out while operating the train, and Asahi Beer Japan is forced to take orders by fax as Japan races to avoid beer shortage!

Hianime is still targeted for piracy, the subtitle quality at Crunchyroll is at an all-time low, and Ae! Group member activity suspended after arrest! Also, AnimeJapan teams with Crunchyroll for a new award, the original Tiger Mask mask, found and verified, and Bushiroad reveals Hunter x Hunter survivor game! Meanwhile in Japan, a man was arrested for a naked trip to escape reality, and banks were irked by stolen envelopes and online reselling?!

Original Kamen Rider reprises role in new anime, Doraemon anime gets new ending theme after 20 years, and Ken Watanabe revealed for Alice in Borderland season 3! Also, a Hair product company teams up with Yu-Gi-Oh! for a new line, Evangelion marks its 30th anniversary with a weekly radio show, and Crunchyroll is bringing back its manga reader! Meanwhile in Japan... A hostess arrested for lying to her client about why she needs money, and a 63 y/o Japanese woman marries a 31 y/o man she met through a 'chance encounter’?!

The Battle Royale film comes to US theaters for its 25th anniversary, the Azumanga Daioh collection is released on Blu-ray, and a fight breaks out at the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba movie after a man pees on a row of seats in front of him! Also, KPop Demon Hunters becomes 1st Netflix title to surpass 300 million views, the CLAMP x GODIVA lineup is revealed, and Creepy Nuts R-指定 & DJ松永 announces an appearance at Coachella! Meanwhile in Japan... An employee was suspended and demoted for verbal abuse, blaming being Osakan, an airport inspector arrested for stealing from luggage, and a man wa...

Love Live! Tribute album confirms collaboration songs with Umamusume, KyoAni's newest project to be announced in October, and a New Texas law is already causing issues for anime fans. Also, Sailor Moon lands an unconventional record in the US, Attack on Titan manga gets an anniversary project, and WEBTOON's comment policy is revised after a backlash. Meanwhile in Japan... a mountain climber throws back out at the summit, bonsai tree flavored gin, and the fact that this is a common occurrence is the real issue with forgotten bathroom guns?!

Japanese companies holding orders until alternative shipping can be found, or final appeals for "illegal" tariff orders, VTuber Ironmouse makes Rolling Stone's top 25 most influential creators list, and KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix's most-watched movie globally, ever! Also, a cosplayer accused of threatening to plant a bomb at San Japan, Nintendo museum opens concept art exhibit, and BanG Dream spin-off in the works! Meanwhile in Japan, arrests made after a Hostess has a date beaten and stabbed, parents seek reimbursement after a 10-year-old spends 4.6 million yen on TikTok and more, and a foreign tourist steals offerings and chugs booze...

We're talking Otakon! Join DJ Ranma S and co-host BerryMelon as she discusses her Otakon weekend in depth! Also, we bring back the Open Forum Topic, "Should convention raves be age restricted?" We also discuss Hitomi, the ‘legendary’ maid, guardian angel of Akihabara, and Rumiko Takahashi celebrates Doraemon's anniversary with crossover art! Meanwhile in Japan... Kyoto’s pinkest, cutest new restaurant is the start of a new life for retired train cars, and a household cleaner makes a survival horror game for Steam?!

Crunchyroll announces layoffs and a new growth model, a Vice-Minister refuses once more to appear at ComicMarket　コミックマーケット, and a plan is in the works for an anime adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera! Also, a senior executive was dismissed from Gungho Online Entertainment for embezzlement. Issues in Indonesia result in the potential for the One Piece flag to be seen as treasonous, and Nike teams up with Yu-Gi-Oh! for an official character-inspired shoe! Meanwhile in Japan, randomize your night with gacha sake, and a reverse maid cafe lets cosplaying customers serve staff instead of the other way around!

Call for donations to help preserve rare Sailor Moon media, Disney Twisted-Wonderland English anime gets release date, and McDonald's Japan announces Pokémon Happy Meals, and it turns into a complete clusterf! Also, #CLAMP teams up with Godiva Japan （ゴディバ ジャパン）, Disney+ to integrate Hulu into a single streaming app, and Gundam Wing voice actors reunite for a one-night dinner show in Tokyo! Meanwhile in Japan, there are no more domestic live action films in Japan's top 10 highest earning movies, the shape of Pocky is now trademarked, and researchers have bottled newborn baby scent?!

Congratulations are in order for WCS Team USA, winners of the 2025 World Cosplay Summit 世界コスプレサミット! Also tonight, Kadokawa issues guidelines for anime sampling, anime studio Gaina changes name after being acquired, and the Korean government plans to offer tax credits for webtoon production costs. Plus, Hello Kitty gets a licensed tarot card set, and Neon Genesis Evangelion's 30th anniversary gets a new flashback album! Meanwhile in Japan, a Japanese Politician offers an apology for his opinion on the taste of rice, an Evangelion voice actress reveals she’s been waiting 11 years for free condoms she was promised, and let's take a trip back to all thi...

We bring back THE HOT TOPIC! Tonight's topic, Anime Boston's Masquerade Coordinator position, should it be paid? Also on tonight's show, the fallout from VShoujo, and boy, it's a mess! Plus, Gundam Wing gets new releases and sequels, Bushiroad releases a statement about threats against a voice actress, and a Japanese politician is in hot water for unauthorized cosplay?! Meanwhile in Japan, a fraud victim turns to fraud to make money, a schoolteacher loses their job for working, and an event welcomes you to sit and do absolutely nothing!

A convention was abruptly canceled, and then the Company canceled all remaining scheduled events. A company named 'Your Rights' is established to allow fans to invest in anime. VTuber Ironmouse Officially Leaves VShojo, Says She's owed "Significant Funds", and the Ranma 1/2 anime opening is used in the newest cover song project. Also, HarperCollins is to acquire French and German Crunchyroll manga publishing, and an anime to air, just an audio-only screening due to explicit content?! Meanwhile in Japan, a man was arrested for arson on a go-kart tour lot, a battery fire broke out on Tokyo's main commuter line...

We say farewell to a friend of the show... Also tonight, the first official Dragon Ball store to open in Tokyo, a new Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba film premieres to a sold-out show, and a copyright suit is settled for an Attack on Titan event. Plus, the MAO manga gets a TV anime adaptation, an upcoming PS5 game gets a mode directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, and Comic-Con International marks Gundam Wing anniversary with English dub cast! Meanwhile in Japan... Japan Airlines is giving free flights to tourists, Uniqlo is adding shoplifting deterrents with a petty but brilliant plan...

J-Pop group FLOW is doing a European and North American tour in fall 2025, a remake of the Jungle Emperor Leo anime is in the planning stages, and the Ghost In The Shell anime is getting a comprehensive exhibition in 2026! Also, a teaser announces a September debut for Alice in Borderland season 3, the Sailor Moon museum to continue its tour outside of Japan for the first time, and Hong Kong debuts wings of the non-fried kind in a Gundam Wing / KFC collaboration?! Meanwhile in Japan... A naked man arrested at a shrine admits to walking around naked, and a company...

The Sanrio 2025 ranking is out, live-action Sailor Moon series returns to television, and the AKIRA film rights revert back to Kodansha! Also, Anime Expo® apologizes for canceled autograph tickets due to vague wording on the rules, Crunchyroll to host music festival during San Diego Comic Con International, and rock band TOKIO announces disbandment... Meanwhile in Japan, the police raid a real casino in Tokyo that caters to online gambling, and get paid to poop, but only if it's really awesome poop?!

Ranma 1/2 season 2 release date announced with new character trailer, Gen Z survey from Japan claims 3 Sanrio characters as top three in the general Favorite Character question, and Tokyo University of Technology collaborates with Pokémon franchise launches a Twitch-streamed game show, TRANSFORMERS gets a garage kit release, and Sanrio is now the 4th largest shareholder for Production I.G and Wit Studio parent company! Meanwhile in Japan... A man arrested for stealing over 40 bicycles in an attempt to build his own perfect bike, and a man arrested after a chase for being suspiciously overdressed?!

A French production company acquires the rights for Space Adventure Cobra, a piracy site removes titles due to a cease-and-desist order, and Samurai Troopers anime gets a sequel! Also, New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt premieres July 9th, voice Actress Megumi Hayashibara goes viral with a blog post, and Wit Studio produces anime shorts for Google Play! Meanwhile in Japan... A man was arrested for using curry spices as a weapon during a robbery, and a theft of a car is not thefty enough for police...

The squad is back! DJ Ranma S discusses his trip to Japan, so get ready! Also, LINE WEBTOON tightens hate speech guidelines, New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt anime theme songs get single release in August, Toonami to air Dragon Ball Daima, and The Tom and Jerry anime shorts get an English release on YouTube! Meanwhile in Japan... Police in Nagasaki get in a high-speed chase with Nagasaki police, a man arrested for forcing a store clerk to shave his own head, and a small study finds VR may actually help eyesight!

On tonight's show... Dragon Ball news! Record-breaking sales and a big anniversary celebration are inbound! Also, Samurai Troopers gets an anniversary screening event in Japan, Tenchi Muyo omnibus Kickstarter surpasses goal, and Sony and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment jointly invest in an AI company?! Plus, the Japanese ministry says unauthorized use of generative AI voices is likely illegal, and an Evangelion candle brings expensive scents to your home... Meanwhile in Japan, Japan warns kids of choking hazard from tanuki testicle toys, and squirrel cheeks are boob adjacent in new game?!

Inspiration comes full circle between Star Wars and Gundam, Sanrio ranking to have a speedy surprise character, and using Godzilla: King of the Monsters to stomp nails into place! Also, the North American tour of Evangelion symphony to include Yoko Takahashi, LINE WEBTOON union to file a complaint against Kakao Entertainment, and South Korea will announce a plan to boost the animation industry! Meanwhile in Japan... The government was ordered to search for the parents of a 67-year-old man switched at birth, the police piece together a multi-city naked rampage, and manga characters are ready to teach you manners...

Crunchyroll backtracks on AI plan, Sanrio character ranking to launch with a potential trip to the finals, and Studio Ghibli themed LEGO set has passed into review... Also, LINE WEBTOON partners with IDW Publishing to publish reformatted versions on their website, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is set to destroy the Marvel Universe, and 蜡笔小新 Crayon Shin Chan is an adult in new live action commercial?! Meanwhile in Japan... The University of Tokyo / UTokyo creates new department specifically for English speaking foreigners, a Japanese town using ninjas to correct tourists behavior, and a new cafe won't let you leave until you solv...

Amid legal battle, Ohayocon announces 2026 eventNetflix adds full subtitle/dub language options to TV streaming, and a surprise cast reunion at 50th anniversary surprise show for 1st Super Sentai show! Also, not a joke, Pop Team Epic collaboration with Code Geass, ufotable to open mocktail bar in Tokyo featuring Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and BAND-MAID releases new music video for anime opening! Meanwhile in Japan... Man arrested for pouring instant noodles out, mountain climbers to get relief and prizes with gacha toilets, and purify yourself from horror games.

Mushoku Tensei⁠ author has no intention of giving fans what they want, NYC Japan Day Parade will host ⁠Attack on Titan⁠ musical cast, and drama erupts after AI used to mimic Ghibli art style! Also, the publisher had some worry over Frieren, Dragon Ball Evolution no longer the lowest rated movie, and dress like ⁠Ranma Saotome⁠ in new casual roomwear costume sets! Meanwhile in Japan, due to fake whisky, Japan has an official whisky emblem, and a shrine attempts to ban all tourists, foreign and domestic!

DJ Ranma S and

Off-record anti-piracy meetings take place between streaming companies and the U.S. government, Aniplex+ teams with Crunchyroll for an anime production venture, and an authorized Serial Experiments Lain game launches April 30! Also, Niantic is to sell Pokémon GO to Saudi Arabian mobile publisher, Tokyo Ghoul comes to Dead by Daylight, Pokemon Horizons to implement a time skip in the next season, and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid film adds 4D screens in Japan! Meanwhile in Japan, the world's first 3D-printed train station building planned for a train line, and a foreign man was arrested for trespassing while drunk?!

Gareb Shamus Of Wizard Magazine claims they invented cosplay, Hololive CEO responds to newest talent exit, and Amazon Prime Video to implement AI dubbing program. Also, CODA works with China on arrest of piracy website owner, pharmacies offer licensed prescription record books for free, scalping ensues, and Mamoru Oshii still wants to make a third Ghost In The Shell movie! Meanwhile in Japan, a man arrested for asking to borrow money, due to staffing shortages, and the newest snack to be sold as a work of art at 110,000 yen?!