Canuck Otaku

We are long overdue, but we've got valid reasons for it! On the contrary, something in Luigi's life arrived underdue and we talk about the birth of his first child on this episode! More importantly (or not), Chris shares his experience in Calgary's first Otafest since the start of the pandemic, his journey taking part in the convention's singing contest and how it felt to be attending a convention once again! (0:00) - The BABY (23:11) - Otafest: The Good, the Bad, and the Long Wait Times (29:45) - The Ota Factor experience (47:44) - Other Ota experiences (55:00) - Using Anime to connect to others

One of our hosts is a Slice of Life lover, so the upcoming Spring 2022 season is going to be magical. In this episode, Chris gives a rare 10/10 rating, the AoT final season has multiple seasons, bad shows keep on getting sequels, and Chris shares his stories of being a geeky teacher. Timestamps: (8:00) - Takagi-san is a perfect series (15:30) - AoT Final Season: Part 999 (26:35) - Why do bad shows keep on getting new seasons? (30:35) - Spring 2022 shows (57:00) - Teaching as an anime fan: Part 2

Hello everyone, in the spirit of the Oscar weekend, we dive into movie and award-related topics. In this episode, Luigi sees his first anime movie in theaters, which prompts a PSA on personal hygiene and etiquette when attending public events. We talk about recent changes to the Oscars that included a popularity contest, and we criticize the Crunchyroll Awards (again). We also take a sneak peek into the podcast's next episode, which will revolve around Chris' experience as a teacher who also happens to be an anime-fan. We'd love your input so send us your questions! (5:40) - Jujutsu Kaisen in Theatres (10:50) - Personal Hygiene + Etiquette in Theatres and Conventions (and always) (21:20) - Oscar Preview and Crunchyroll Award Rant (32:50) - Definition of Protagonist vs Antagonist (47:30) - Teaching as an Anime fan

Chris and Luigi back in studio with some big news! A lot of things have been happening in our personal lives and we share a little bit about where we are headed in the near future. For one of us, it's nerding out as a teacher; for the other, it's preparing for a life of fatherhood! Chris also announces his entry into "The Ota Factor" which will be a part of Otafest 2022 and we take a sneak peek into what we have been up to anime-wise over the past few crazy months. Looking forward to chatting with you guys soon! Timestamps: (0:00) - Parenting and Teaching (26:32) - Otafest 2022 and Song Suggestions (40:22) - Dress-up Darling (50:27) - Chris Makes a Plex Server (55:18) - CR: Legend of Vox Machina

Hi everyone, Chris here. Welcome to 2022! In this episode, I explain our absence over the past months and dive into a reflection over the past 2 years of COVID, my mental burnout towards life and anime, and the shows that have helped to bring me back. I hope that everyone is doing well and I hope that my sharing of my personal life can spark you to take action in some way, whether reaching out to someone or watching an inspiring show as I have done many times in my life. Shows mentioned: - Fullmetal Alchemist - Violet Evergarden - A Silent Voice - ReLife

We are finally back to a committed schedule and have some awesome topics lined up for the near future! In this episode, we discuss the shows that we have graced with our attention. We also talk of news of the ending and continuation of some big names in the industry. Chris also shares a short and sweet manga which will lead into a future episode! - End of Kaguya-sama & the Return of Nichijou (6:08) - Assassin Isekai and the Isekai Question (12:18) - The Fruit of Evolution (22:17) - Ganbare Douki-chan does not give its best (26:03) - Luigi watches Komi-san (28:44) - Platinum End (35:04) - Mieruko-chan has weird camera angles (39:48) - Three Days of Happiness (44;05)

A mixture of summer vacation and one of our co-hosts getting married put us on hold for a few months but we are happy to be back! In this episode, we recap some of the summer shows we were able to watch, including Iruma S2, Kobayashi S2, and Great Jahy. We take a quick look at what's to come in the near future, which includes more Komi-san bashing, and Takagi S3 goodness. Keeping things in line with recent wedding events, Chris offers Luigi some nice wholesome series about healthy couples in a relationship which then segues into a list of manga series that he thinks needs to be adapted. Timestamps: (4:56) - Iruma S2 (12:31) - Slime S2, Naruto, Bleach (15:39) - Kobayashi S2 (21:16) - More Komi-san Ripping (25:33) - Not-so-Great Jahy (32:08) - Couple Romance Manga (37:27) - Takagi-san News (44:14) - Manga that Need an Anime (51:46) - Fall 2021 Teaser

Hello! We are finally back from our summer vacation and are really looking forward to an awesome 2nd half of 2021! In this episode, we start off by talking about what we have been doing since we disappeared 1 month ago. We then discuss the news regarding the anime adaptation of Komi-san, including our grievances with the storyline and writing. We also talk a bit about some new shows that are airing and are scheduled to be released, including Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, a movie which has been playing in theaters across NA. Finally, as an athlete myself, we talk a bit about the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and some of the anime and video game cameos and references that have been spotted thus far. Timstamps: (8:31) - Komi-san and the series' shortfalls regarding plot, characters, and focus. (24:36) - Aharen-san is Indecipherable slated for 2022! (31:41) - Luigi's re-watching Naruto (45:28) - Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (49:49) - Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics

In this episode, we discuss a recent article detailing how many watchers are viewing shows at 1.5x in order to get through their backlog, which begs the questions, are too many shows coming out every season to the point that it becomes overwhelming for us, and why do we feel obligated to treat this hobby like a series of checkmarks? Chris also talks a bit about his recent (6th) playthrough of Mass Effect and why it's been taking up most of his past 2 weeks. We also discuss some news regarding big announcements, including the cast & crew of the upcoming Cowboy Bebop live action, as well as a new Fullmetal Alchemist project that will be revealed on July 12th, 2021! We give our predictions as to what the project might be and if it is a sequel, what the possible plot might look like. Timestamps: (5:44) - Are too many shows being released/Are you watching an unhealthy amount of TV? (21:31) - Everyone, play Mass Effect (41:01) - Yoko Kanno returning to score the new Cowboy Bebop (46:36) - New FMA Project on the horizon/Our Prediction

Links to album and social media located below! This episode is our chat with Natalie London and Taylor Plecity of the indie rock duo, Hey, King! Along with being anime fans, they're also musicians and Natalie is a fellow Canuck so we knew that they'd fit in perfectly! We discuss the band's newest album which was released on April 2nd, including the creation process and their inspiration towards the composition of many of its tracks. Many of the songs on the album deal with issues such as love, resilience, female empowerment, and moving through difficult times and the two share their experiences regarding those themes. On the anime side of things, Taylor shares her love for the artform, her experiences with cosplay, and gives some tips for those who are looking to jump into the hobby. We also discuss topics such as having a partner that's an anime fan, FMA, Super Smash, guilty pleasures, and more. Check the timestamps! (4:16) - Interview Start (5:44) - Album Creation (16:17) - Moving on when your Life has been Put on Hold (28:12) - Introduction to Anime/Cosplay (40:22) - Choosing What to Cosplay/Tips for Aspiring Cosplayers (49:48) - Otafest and Touring to Calgary (54:12) - Having a Partner that's an Anime Fan (57:38) - Fullmetal Alchemist (64:54) - Super Smash Melee + Final Fantasy (72:47) - Interests in Other Nerd/Geek Cirlces (80:39) - Guilty Pleasures + Rapid Fire (92:28) - Anime Easter Eggs in Music Videos (94:45) - Future Projects + Interview End (97:46) - Conclusion Links: Website Music Youtube Band Instagram Taylor's Instagram Twitter Facebook Natalie's Book

Episodes 29 and 30 are all about Spring 2021! Listen to our grievances with Moriarty, Luigi trying to explain the plot of 86, us trying to avoid the wrath of Tokyo Revengers manga readers, Chris lamenting the identity struggles of artists, and our complete amazement of To Your Eternity. In this episode, we discuss out general thoughts on some of the shows running this season. The shows in this part are mainly the big-hit, AOTY, Oscar-type shows and include (with time stamps): - Mars Red (4:45) - 86 EIGHTY-SIX (14:30) - Tokyo Revengers (27:16) - Those Snow White Notes (35:30) - Higehiro (53:30) - To Your Eternity (76:56) *SPOILER WARNING: This episode was recorded after 3-4 episodes of each show was released so just a discretion* Check out Episode 29 for our thoughts on the lighter, feel-good shows of the season including: - Iruma-kun - My Hero Academia - Koikomo - Osamake - Nagatoro-san

The next two episodes are all about Spring 2021! In this episode, we discuss our general thoughts on some of the shows running this season. The shows in this part are mainly continuations, comedies, and romcoms, including (with time stamps): - Iruma-kun Season 2 (19:20) - MHA S5 (22:00) - Koikomo (25:00) - Osamake, (33:40) - Nagatoro-san (56:50) Check out Episode 30 for our thoughts on the heavy hitters of the season including: - Mars Red - 86 EIGHTY-SIX - Tokyo Revengers - Those Snow White Notes - Higehiro - To Your Eternity

How much weight do you put on the visual aspects of a show? To what extent do the visuals and animation affect your enjoyment of a show? In part 1 of our Spring 2021 preview, we reveal which shows we are watching this season, which will be discussed in our next episode. This episode revolves around Gokushufudou: The Way of the Househusband, which has been one of our favourite shows of the season! The show has been marred with polarized opinions over its production choices and we tackle the questions asked above, which results in another criticism of MAL reviews. Our discussion starts at 22:00 of the episode. Updates: 1. Apparently reasoning for the visual style of the anime was as a means to replicate the look and feel of the manga (ie: it was a conscious, stylistic choice) 2. The show was marketed in Japan as an animated comic, not an anime.

Message from Chris: Apologies for the wacky audio. I was doing audio tests with RTX Voice and forgot to turn it off when I recorded the episode :( This episode is all about Iruma-kun! We start off by talking about our experiences with the first season, especially when used for a watch party before talking about what Season 2 will have in store (mild but inconsequential spoilers discussed!). Chris also takes a look at ambition, one of the series' central themes. We then did some research on the actual demons that many of the characters were based upon. What were the real Azazel, Asmodeus, Valac, and Naberius like? We share our research on how the original demons affected the names, personalities, and abilities of many of the show's characters.

In this episode, we discuss the recent news about a second season being announced for The Devil is a Part-Timer, which segued nicely into a talk about why so many series seem to have horrible endings and finales. It also segued nicely into part 1 of our discussion on Iruma-kun, including things we love about the show and going a bit into the lore of the demonology on which many of the characters are based on. Look out for a deep dive on this show very soon!

In this episode, we talk about the pressures faced when talking about the "big" shows in anime and Luigi discusses his hopes for the remainder of Attack on Titan (SPOILER FREE). We also discuss the absolute disaster that is Redo of Healer, the issues around its content and how it could have negative lasting effects before revealing and talking about what shows we have been watching from this season. Shows discussed: AoT, Slime Isekai, Spider Isekai, Jobless Reincarnation (Isekai), Wonder Egg Priority, Heaven's Design Team, Tomozaki-kun

Can you trust the public with objective decision making? Is it alright to force objectivity on a very subjective field? Is it alright to pit the creations of artists against each other? Does "favorite" necessarily mean "good"? While we're doing our preparations for our Winter 2021 preview, we decided to focus this episode on the Crunchyroll Awards, the problems with awards shows in general, as well as discussion on that age-old question: with how many shows that are out there, just how do you choose what to watch? Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates as well as leave your feedback! You can also send us comments, feedback, and messages directly at cotakupodcast@gmail.com

Happy New Year, everyone! What started out as a covid-19 hobby turned into something we never could have imagined and we are so excited to be entering our second season of the podcast. Thank you so much to our listeners for making this possible! This episode is a bit of a reflection on the past year, including what we've learned along the way and what you can expect in the coming months. Of course, we are ALWAYS looking for feedback to please feel free to contact us on Twitter, Instagram or email (cotakupodcast@gmail.com) for comments. Here's to all the shows we'll enjoy in 2021!

Merry Christmas, everyone! This is by far our longest and most in-depth episode that we honestly spent way too much time, but there was a lot to be said about this classic show that Chris considers "not a romantic comedy." In this episode, we do an analysis on the characters and some of the main themes of the show. Chris compiled our characters into specific roles specified below in our timestamps. We connect our characters to sad clowns, the Matrix, and our own personal lives so we hope you either learn something or are entertained by it. Thanks so much to our listeners for being a part of our first year as a podcast! Since it's a long episode, we have provided time stamps for each section. Overall thoughts on what this show is about (07:20). Ryuuji The Rejector: (24:46). Taiga the Toddler: (61:45). Minori the Martyr: (81:00). Ami the Adult: (120:00).

Hashire sori yo..... In this episode, our hosts give some suggestions on how to get into the Christmas spirit, with both anime and non-anime names being thrown on the table. .....padoru padoru!!!