Otaku Hourly

Anime can get pretty campy with its tropes. How many more isekais will we need to get the point across that this life can be more? How many more rom-coms will continue to dangle the “relationship” in a form of sideways glances or hand holding? How many more shounens must be made using the same stock of characters to end with the power of friendship? Not all of it is bad, yet it begs the question:...

The Hypnosis Mic franchise has seen its fair share of media diversification - anime, manga, even a live theater stage production - yet nothing like this: an interactive movie theater experience where audience members vote in real time to determine the outcome and narrative. Having watched the series proper, I can comfortably say that this is both the best entry point for those new to Hypnosis Mic...

DISCLAIMER : Discussion on sensitive topics include: child abuse, suicide, trauma, and self-harm. Listeners discretion is advised. One of the most compelling series of the summer season, and 2025 as a whole, is also the shortest and toughest to watch. By no means is this a bad series, far from it actually. However great art handles heavy subject matters with dignity, expertise, and balance and all...

Your backdoor anime hangout had the press media opportunity to watch Mamoru Hosoda’s latest film, Scarlet, at the Animation is Film Festival. The plot goes: After witnessing her father’s wrongful execution, Scarlet is hellbent on revenge towards her uncle and father’s murder, Claudius. However due to Claudius’s cunning, he poisons her and Scarlet is brought into a purgatory where the living, the d...

Hands down the best animated film of the year. Watching this at Animation is Film Festival was truly magical - a good majority of us were tearing up at its sheer beauty and nuanced storytelling. Your show host, Jonathan Joestar Beltran, goes into what makes this film exceptional as well as an interview snippet of directors Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han discussing about the creative process for...

Your backdoor anime hangout got invited to cover the Animation is Film Festival this past weekend and wanted to share with you some of the best films from the lineup! Little Amelie - (Feature Length Film) Nobody - (Feature Length Film) Playing God - (Short) Retirement Plan - (Short) Many thanks to: 42 West LLC and Animation is Film Festival for the press media opportunity All the creators, directo...

Your backdoor anime hangout had the opportunity to watch the upcoming Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc. It is ballistic in its presentation and retains the violent nihilistic charm of its source material. May this episode whet your appetite for what's to come and perhaps leave you thinking on its deeper themes of connection. Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc is out in theaters 24 October 20...

You are thrown into battle and for the next 2.5 hours you will be a witness to what is arguably the flashiest and most-cutting edge action shounen of the modern era. Your backdoor anime hangout had the opportunity to see Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle; the first part of a trilogy. Our talk consists of: A discussion on animation (2D and 3D hybrid style) Glazing studio ufotable, Dire...

Are second chances possible? When is it too late? The latest film by the creators of Odd Taxi explore these questions through a new film about a dying mid-level yakuza member serving a life sentence in solitary confinement and engaging with a talking balsam flower about whether or not he turn his life around now. Your backdoor anime hangout had the privilege and honor to be invited by PONY CANYON...

Amuse Creative Studio hosted a panel at Anime Expo about the ins-and-outs of creating anime and manga featuring: Shinobu Seguchi - mangaka ( Prisoner Riku ; Oedo Fire Slayer ) Rei Hebiguchi - manga editor ( Weekly Shonen Champion ) Kazuhiro Nishikawa - CEO of DandeLion Animation Studios ( The First Slam Dunk; Magic Candies ) Your backdoor anime hangout brings you the insights we have learned and e...

Anime Expo 2025 has been a surprisingly great year with efficient lines, entrances, and spaces that it all feel seamless...yet the vibe felt different from previous years. Your backdoor anime hangout answers two questions: what are our highlights? how has Anime Expo changed over the years? From calling a concert "when peak happened" to even asking ourselves "when was the last time s...

Lighthearted shows are not easy to find these days, and your backdoor anime hangout had a ball in the movie theaters watching the first three episodes of the upcoming romcom series - Witch Watch. Two childhood friends reunite - one an ogre named Morihito who wants to live a peaceful life, and the other a witch named Nico who strives to both help people and woo Morihito's heart - and live toget...

Shinichiro Watanabe is a legend amongst anime fans and an auteur who pushes the boundaries of what the anime medium has to offer. Titles such as Cowboy Bebop , Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy are Adult Swim staples that have defined a generation. Now he’s back with an upcoming action series debuting on Cartoon Network midnight 05 April 2025 called Lazarus. A story about a world wracked in chaos...

From seeing Shinichiro Watanabe (director of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo ) and ribbon collecting we have a lot of stories to share at your backdoor anime hangout! We talk about our ALA 20 highlights, fun con stories, and the potential growth of this personally beloved convention! Topics include (and not limited to): Lazarus Episode 1 Premiere Examining Skeletal Injuries in My Hero Academia Ribb...

Your backdoor anime hangout looks back at the year from seasonal anime to major events in the industry and community. Topics including (and not limited to): Convention Coverage (e.g. Anime Los Angeles, Anime Expo) Seasonal Anime (Winter - Fall 2024; e.g. Frieren, Jellyfish Can't Swim At Night, DanDaDan ) Akira Toriyama's Death Funimation's Shutdown hololive at Dodgers Stadium The Catholic Church U...

An intimate venue celebrating twenty years of a beloved Japanese franchise in Hollywood, California; Go USA! From having the three of the original voice actresses of the titular three characters - Saber, Rin Tohsaka, and Sakura Matou - to hosting the world premiere, this was an event for only the lucky few. Your backdoor anime hangout had the pleasure to be invited and we hope our resident Fate fa...

High school rom-coms are a tried and true formula and these titles demonstrate in different ways: Koumori's adolescent rom-com Our Aimless Nights is a boy-meets-girl scenario where the two secretly flirt with one another after school and figure out where both of each other lie in each other's lives. It is a dive into the "will-they, won't they" as told in the tune of shy romance. Mao Nakada's ecch...

Two grim titles with one common motif - the unknown. Sumako Kari in her award-winning title, Since I Could Die Tomorrow, explores the malaise of being in your forties as told in two characters: one a film promoter who experiences menopause for the time and a mother who works part time amidst co workers twenty years younger than she. Masaaki Ninomiya's horror manga, Gannibal, takes you into the mys...

When a robot is designed to have human-like traits and emotions, are these feelings necessarily sentient or programmed? Independent 3DCG animator Gensho Yasuda makes his directorial debut with Make a Girl about a young inventor named Akira who - out of a cheeky suggestion to 'get a girlfriend' - decides to create a humanoid robot named No. 0 with all the physical and emotional capabilities of typi...

Director Naoko Yamada ( A Silent Voice; K-On ) has released a new film - an original story about a girl who can see and feel a person's color joining a band with a dropout and an aspiring medical student in preparation for an upcoming school festival. The Colors Within is an exploration of both the internal struggles of hiding secrets and the joys of creating music as an act of community and worsh...

Join us as we interview Naoko Yamada, director of The Colors Within. The Colors Within will be in theatres on January 24th, follow @GKIDSFilms for more updates!

Join us as we interview Yoko Kuno, director of Ghost Cat Anzu. Ghost Cat Anzu will be released to theatres on November 15 according to the GKIDS official website. Follor @GKIDSFilms for more information!

Join imagEn with special guest hyunicat on their first impressions attending Anime NYC 2023!

This is a story of boy meets girl, and it is not a love story.* Keisuke Uyama's popular novel follows a young couple who fall in love yet are separated due to a fatal illness that causes someone to age rapidly. Death looms over the couple's time and intimacy together, yet what if miscommunication is accelerating their demise? Host Jonathan "Joestar" Beltran and crew member Razela...

Hitting the year running, we're starting off with our experiences at Anime Los Angeles 19 (2024) and Anime Impulse Los Angeles 2024. Two VERY DIFFERENT conventions that occur right next to each other. Members on the Show: - Jonathan "Joestar" Beltran - Matt "imagEn" Aquino - Jon "No Jons" Sloan - Jonathan "Ravarath" Garcia Disclaimer: All opinions made a...