In The Gaiden of Geekdom

Intros and Curriculum

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0800

In this limited-run podcast, Janice sets out to make an anime fan out of Deanna using lessons learned in Masaaki Yuasa's acclaimed series Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! But first she needs to actually name the show. Come dip your toes by getting to know a little about the hosts and Eizouken before diving into the series.

Next Episode Media: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Creating A Whole New World

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Asakusa fell in love with animation when she watched (an homage to) Future Boy Conan. We delve into concept art and worldbuilding with another early Miyazaki work. This episode contains many cool planes and fun facts. For example, did you know that Dune is a relaxing movie to sleep to? Or that war is bad?

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 1 - The Greatest World!
Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Next Episode: Akira

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Akira - Transforming 2D Drawings Into Nightmare Fuel

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0700

The Eizouken crew discover a room full of manual 2D animation equipment and bring an old set of drawings to life using perspective and effects. We watch another classic hand-animated masterpiece and discuss how the powers of wind, water, fire, unnaturally moving flesh, and cool motorcyle slides bring it to life. Also featuring the horrors of toxic masculinity in "Boy Feelings" media, a pitch for the Wachowkis' Speed Racer (2008), and Janice once again bringing up Lupin the Third.

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 2 - The Eizouken Takes the Stage!
Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira (1988)

Next Episode: Promare

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Promare - So Stylish It Melts Your Brain

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0700

The Eizouken girlies set out to make a high-impact short feature with flashy fights and a simple story to secure club approval and funding. Flashy fights? Simple story? We know just what movie matches that vibe. Janice plugs Speed Racer (2008) again, and Deanna learns the true meaning of "dakimakura."

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 3 - Let's Accomplish Something!
Hiroyuki Imaishi's Promare (2019)

Next Episode: Paprika - Content Warning

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Paprika - Dreamy Direction That Will Make You Go "What?"

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 08:25:51 -0700

Satoshi Kon was known for directing movies that push the boundary between reality and fiction, leaving you to wonder what was real and what was imagined in his works. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken delivers a powerful animation-within-an-animation. Both give us lessons on Cinematography 101. Thanks to Susumu Hirasawa for Parade, which is still stuck in our heads.

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 4 - Hold That Machete Tight!
Satoshi Kon's Paprika (2006) - Content Warning

Next Episode: Patlabor: The Movie

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Patlabor: The Movie - Mecha Escapism Is Too Realistic

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Can't have a podcast about anime without watching something heavy with giant robots in it. Eizouken is comissioned to create a "realistic" "giant fighting robot" (oxymoron). Patlabor does a tightrope walk between science fiction and practicality when suiting up their labor patrol force. And would have been by far the weirdest Lupin the Third movie. Yes, even weirder than Mystery of Mamo.

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 5 - An Iron Giant Appears!
Mamoru Oshii's Patlabor: The Movie (1989)

Next Episode: The Wind Rises

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The Wind Rises - Sound Effects and Overdramatics

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Eizouken drafts a new member, sort of! Enter Doumeki, sole member of the Sound Club who helps with sound effects while Asakusa's motivation switch disengages. Miyazaki, the king of flickering motivation, made this movie between his third and fourth (but not final) retirement from animation. This episode features a quick history on the man himself and lots of talk about pursuing passions. All we want to make is something beautiful (ymmv).

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 6 - Let's Do Better Than Last Time!
Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (2013)

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Wolf Children - The (Shape and) Movement of Water

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Mizusaki has been obsessed with movement and her whole life. Doumeki shows how sound can be used to relieve some of the animation load. Wolf Children is a vibrant movie full of character and environment motion that lets you sit in scenes and feel immersed. We learn Deanna only likes well-behaved children and loves falling asleep to Dune.

Every Frame a Painting - The Lateral Tracking Shot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdSKot0psNg

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 7 - I Have To Do It For Myself!
Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children (2012)

Next Episode: Great Pretender: Los Angeles Connection

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Great Pretender - A Little More Conversation and Music

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

It's festival time and the robot club + Eizouken have to pull off a massive heist to get people in the doors for their joint short. Finished just in time, the voice actors have to perform their lines live! Great Pretender is an original animation written by Ryota Kosawa and directed by Hiro Kaburagi, full of international heists incorporating breathtaking backgrounds in the style of Brian Cook/Batsford. We discuss the genre, the music (Great Pretender theme performed by Queen!), and the voice acting in both! The alternate title for this episode was "Danny Ocean Avenue."

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 8 - The Grand Shibahama Festival!
Great Pretender: Los Angeles Connection (Episodes 1-5) (2020)

Next Episode: Perfect Blue - Content Warning

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Perfect Blue - The ABPs of the Industry: Always Be Promoting

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 05 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

After the success of their latest short, Eizouken's skills are in high demand, but not for a lot of money so they decide to deep dive into self-promotion and self-publishing. We take another crack at Satoshi Kon with his first (unintended) theatrical release, about a woman and her agency trying to transition her from an Idol to an actress. Featuring the origins and cultural attitudes on "otaku" vs "weeaboo."

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 9 - Aim for Comet A!
Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (1997) - Content Warning

Next Episode: Liz and the Blue Bird

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Liz and the Blue Bird - The Sound of Silence in Storytelling

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 12 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Asakusa says, "Every single motion is something intentionally depicted by an artist" in animation. Liz and the Blue Bird, a stand-alone spinoff movie from the Sound! Euphonium! franchise, is a beautiful movie full of meaningful framing and motion. We discuss the importance of show-don't-tell and talk about the sound hunting adventure in Eizouken vs the real life sound hunting for this movie.

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 10 - Against Our Independent World!
Naoko Yamada's Liz and the Blue Bird (2018)

Next Episode: On-Gaku: Our Sound

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On-Gaku: Our Sound - Breaking Off a Slice of Life

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 19 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

"You can't expect someone to be able to work with no time off or no enjoyment." That's the message that the Eizouken club advisor stresses to the kids as they come up against creative burnout. We take a mini-rest this week with a 71-minute movie full of beautiful painted backgrounds and the slowest dialogue cadance imagineable. Despite how chill this indie movie seems, it took more than 7 years of work from concept to creation with the director's committment to "rotoscoping without a rotoscope." Also we talk about laying on the floor a lot.

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 11 - Each Other's Existence!
Kenji Iwaisawa's On-Gaku: Our Sound (2019)

Next Episode: Lu Over The Wall

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Lu Over The Wall - We Saved the Last Dance

Janice Hawkins and Deanna Chapman — Fri, 26 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

And that's a wrap on this season! We watch the final episode of Eizouken, realize that Lu Over the Wall is just Ponyo+That One Episode of Spongebob Squarepants, compare both with the other works of Masaaki Yuasa, and discuss what our favorite and least favorite pieces of media were from the show. Thanks to our 5 listeners for being there with us along the way and we hope you had fun!

This Episode:
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Episode 12 - Shibahama UFO Wars!
Masaaki Yuasa's Lu Over the Wall (2017)

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