It’s a question that seems to pop up more and more frequently as of late, given its global popularity – just what exactly IS anime?

This episode, following bribes involving copious amounts of pizza, we gather a panel of experts, academics and industry insiders to try come up with an answer to this question which is as old as anime fandom itself (spoiler alert – we fail spectacularly).

Featuring special guests Callum May from The Canipa Effect, Kim Morrissy from Anime News Network, Craig Norris from the University of Tasmania and the SpeakerPODcast Crew.

Be afraid – we’re armed with flashcards and we aren’t afraid to use them!

Photo courtesy of entertainmentstation.jp

In case you’re wondering, the title of this episode refers to the series of Macross nooks we found while visiting Macross The Art (pictured above). 

Similarly, this episode is a series of reports and discoveries the likes of which have never been covered by a single podcast ever before!

We visit Macross the Art, uncover long-lost VF-0 lineart, hear a live audio commentary by Shoji Kawamori himself and learn all about the making of the notorious SDFM episode “Phantasm”.

But that’s just the beginning! We then meet conductor Kenichi Shimura and experience Yoko Kanno’s BGM work on Macross Frontier performed by a full orchestra. After that, it’s time to talk to the scenario writer of Macross, Kenichi Matsuzaki about the Supervision Army and hear mechanical designer Kazutaka Miyatake discuss his new personal best work.

It’s more deculture than ever before, so throw on some headphones, kickback, and enjoy.

These shots were instrumental in the making of “Phantasm”.