Zannen, Canada

Andy Coyle is probably best known as the director of Hilda, the animated adaptation of the UK novel series by Mercury Filmworks. More recently, he's been tinkering away at Don't Walk Home Alone After Dark, an animated horror anthology that has blown up in popularity over the past few years on YouTube and may very well be one of the coolest things happening in Canadian animation today. I talk to hi...

You probably didn't know there was an Emily of New Moon anime. Unless, of course, you live in an Arabic-speaking country, where it just happens to be one of the most popular anime series of this century despite being forgotten in every other region. I'll admit, I was kind of dreading the obligation of sitting through TMS and NHK's 2007 adaptation featuring Lucy Maud Montgomery's second most popula...

Some listeners may be perturbed to learn that much of the discussion on this program about the trends and traditions of anime in our country is built on a foundation of assumptions. Mind you, this is not the same thing as a foundation of lies, because these assumptions are based on the qualified observations and deductions of sensible people, but some out there will not accept anything less than a...

You may assume that the most popular anime to air in Quebec in the 1980s was Captain Harlock or Candy Candy, but that's probably because those are shows you'd find interesting on the surface. If you want to look at what was actually popular with French-Canadian children, you should shift your attention to a surprisingly violent talking beaver cartoon that was actually a repurposed advertisement fo...

It's time for Zannen, Canada to fulfill its mandated 30% yaoi quota by diving into Heated Rivalry. And why SHOULDN'T we talk about the greatest Canadian television show of all time? The fact that we can make numerous connections to anime, such as using innovative budget techniques and its status as an Evangelion-like social phenomenon, is really just a bonus. Ian and Randy are both back to discuss...

Gene Fowler is something of a mythical figure of the Maritime animation scene, having founded two studios (Fatkat Studios and Loogaroo Studios) and keeping up a steady stream of projects despite having a bit of an outsider status in the Canadian animation industry. And hoo-boy does he have some things to say about that industry! Even if you disagree, he'll sure as hell give you something to think...

Ginban Kaleidoscope is an anime series from 2005. It tells the story of self-absorbed Japanese figure skating champion who becomes possessed by the ghost of Canadian stunt pilot who crashes his plane near one of her qualifying performances in Montreal. The premise is ridiculous, the animation is mediocre at best, and the final episode famously carries an Alan Smithee directing credit. Did we have...

I've finally found the courage to talk about the sometimes tumultuous history of anime fandom in Vancouver, including stores like Anime Jyanai, clubs like VJAS, well-remember cons like Anime Evolution and not-so-well-remembered cons like AKA Con. Hieu Phan joins me for a fun and civil discussion.

K-Pop Demon Hunters, Netflix's most successful movie ever and the seismic cultural force of the summer, was made almost entirely by Canadian creative staff. So why isn't it a Canadian movie? Most of us probably understand that it's because it was made by American producers with American money. However, outside of some media puff pieces about the Canadian creator and co-director Maggie Kang, there...

There were simply too may conventions going on in August, but we tried our best to keep our bases covered! Chris gives us the lowdown on his last minute trip to Animethon in Edmonton, while Pierre and myself talk about our fun (but very hot!) weekend at Otakuthon in Montreal!

I've likely committed some kind of crime by going an entire decade without devoting an episode to Isao Takahata's 1979 Anne of Green Gables anime series, but here it is at long last. One of the greatest literary adaptations of all time, and maybe one the greatest television shows of all time. Dave Merrill and Patricia Gosselin chat with me about the legacy of Lucy Maude Montgomery's work, the idol...

The Zannen, Canada podcast has now been around for 10 years and I'm determined to not make a big deal about it! Sarah/Kittea joins me for the first time in some years to help me work through the headspace that results from dealing with trade wars and challenges to sovereignty day in and day out, and what this means for anime fans! We also chat about Inuyasha: The Final Act which is now available f...

We may be facing tumultuous times as a nation, but this has only helped make the bond between Anglophone and Francophone anime fans stronger than ever! Patricia Gosselin is co-founder of the Nadeshiko Club, a group of esteemed scholars and panelists who have worked hard to elevate the culture of French-Canadian anime fandom and conventions. She joins me to talk about the background of the club, th...

After the last episode exploring Cybersix, I felt that we still needed to dig deeper into the story behind the incredible Japanese-Canadian co-production. There was one major perspective missing, and I was very fortunate to not only get in contact with him, but have him agree to come on the podcast: Hervé Bédard, executive producer of Cybersix and founder of Network of Animation! Zee the Raccoon a...

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 th...

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 liv...

I finally made it to Otakuthon and I already want to go back. My generous Montreal host Chris aka Kurotsuki joins me to talk about pros and cons (mostly pros) of Canada's biggest and best anime convention. We also chat a little about this year's Anime Revolution in Vancouver, and I certainly had some things to say on that.

In a move that is not at all surprising for Bandai, the demand for the long-delayed Gundam SEED FREEDOM film was drastically underestimated in Canada. Originally planned for a one night screening, the film's exhibition was expanded to a 17 day run, as screenings in most major cities frantically sold out. Could this film possibly live up to this level of hype over 15 years after Destiny burned us s...

It's time to look at the first anime series ever set in Canada: the pastoral Quebec tale of Wakakusa No Charlotte (Charlotte of the Young Grass). It's not a World Masterpiece Theatre title, but it's got a little of that flavour, not to mention heaps of retro shoujo melodrama, so I knew that it was time to bring Dawn from the Anime Nostalgia podcast back on the show to take a look at this somewhat...

Scott Pilgrim means a lot of things to a lot of people. He especially means a lot of things to his creator, Bryan Lee O'Malley, which led to a few surprises in the recent anime series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. And now that Scott Pilgrim is officially anime... well we've gotta talk about him! Hazel and Bell return to chat about the impact Scott Pilgrim had on their lives, the new show and the possib...

For the first time in three years, Zannen, Canada is back in the holiday spirit, although as usual this episode has less to do with the holidays as it does looking back at our favourite media of the past year. This is in itself may be an activity best left until the beginning of the following year, but let's not worry about that. Hazel and Bell return to the show to discuss their recent work on El...

Beloved in most of the non-English-speaking world, Heidi: Girl of the Alps is quite possibly the most high profile series to have its French dub produced in Quebec. Isao Takahata's graceful and nuanced adaptation of Johanna Spyri's classic novels was a high point of Radio-Canada's programming and was making an impact a full two years before it would be seen in France. Chris (aka Kurotsuki) joins m...

Zannen, Canada is now twenty years old, and we're celebrating with a very classic discussion. Karl and I look back on the history of the blog and podcast going back to 2003, discuss the recent demise of English-language Teletoon and finally find the courage to tackle the impending regulation of streaming services in Canada. (As a side note, I can also confirm that the first two years of the Zannen...

The 1995 Crying Freeman movie is notoriously difficult to watch, which means that it has to be the most amazing thing ever right? Well, in addition to being a stellar live action adaptation of a manga, it has a few things going for it: Mark Dacascos in a starring role, well staged and edited action scenes and Vancouver playing Vancouver for once. Daryl and Gerald from the Anime World Order podcast...

I sit down with Chris Nielsen and Bart Bachelor, the key creatives behind Night Sweats, to discuss their brand new blisteringly fast-paced paranormal comedy, Psi Cops - Adult Swim Canada's first English-language original series! The premiere is Sunday, June 4, 2023 (technically Monday, June 5, 2023) at 12:30am ET, with streaming on StackTV and (I am assuming) the Global app!