Vinnyroll Presents: National Anime Day

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
April fifteen is something else too, though. It is Anime
Day from Crunchy Role Presents the Anime Effect podcast, very
popular podcast, Nicholas Friedman. Am I right about this? I
just can't find it right now. Isn't today anime Day?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
It is? That's what they tell me.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
That they should since you do it for a living,
you do podcasts for a living. Is there a word?
I'm supposed to have it in front of it though,
like Global Anime Day, because it's a National anime day.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
I believe today is National.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Anime Day, National Anime Day, and I have to tell
you the truth. I appreciate you taking the time to
come on the show. It's Nicholas Friedman. Crunchy Role Presents
the Anime Effect. Do you know how much I miss
Crunchy Roll?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
How much you miss Crunchy Role?

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yeah? Yeah, Well I have an eighteen year old son,
and when he was and I'm not trying to make
it sound like you outgrow such things, although he did,
so I miss it because I'm still you know, I'm
an avid comic book collector. I still collect. I actually
give him such a hard time about that because he
won't he won't roll. Maybe I'll come back around to it.

(01:10):
I might have taken a break at eighteen or nineteen two,
but I'm always saying to him, Yeah, just got back
from the comic book store, and man, crunchy Roll was
our jam dude and all of the great and who's
it One Punchman. We were big fans of One Punchman
and all of this great content. So, I mean, if anything, though,

(01:31):
it's more popular than ever. I'm seeing even this weekend,
I do a movie segment here the ABC affiliate in town,
and we've got Amiku who Can't Sing opening in theaters.
Some of the biggest money made that some of the
biggest money made this past year has been anime. No
in the theaters.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, that's right. I mean, anime is everywhere, and the
best thing about it is, you know, go your own speed, right,
you can go in, you can go out, and you know,
crunch Roll's got something for everybody. Yeah, it makes it
really easy to talk about anime.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, and it's interesting. You're exactly right. You could go
to your own speed too. And it was wild for
me when my son first many years ago now started
giving me a crash course in it. You know, I mean,
like I said, I'm a comic book collector. So he's like,
you want action, Here's you know, Tokyo Ghoul, Here's I
can't wait for. I can't wait for Chainsaw Man. By

(02:23):
the way, I just saw that get announced. But then
every once in a while, you know, I'd put it
on when he wasn't around, or you know, something else
will pop up. They were like love stories, like, uh,
you know, anime isn't genre exclusive, and I think a
lot of people probably would think, well, it is, oh anime,
that's action. No, there's beautiful. I mean, look at Spirited Away.

(02:47):
That changed the game.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
No, absolutely, I mean there is a genre of anime
for everyone. That's why there isn't one perfect anime. To
get someone started on, you gotta you know, you find
out what they're into, and then you go from there.
I mean yeah, even just this season, I'm watching three
or four slights of life or romance anime that are
totally different from like you mentioned, the Chainsaw Man's and
Togyo Guls of the World.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah. I love Death Note too. It's all about Death
Note Man classic. Yeah. Yeah, and I loved a lot
of the live screen adaptation. I know they take card
people are really people are harder about live screen adaptations
I feel of anime than they are, as I keep
mentioning the comic books I grew up loving. And it's

(03:30):
funny because Scarlett, I mean Scarlett Johansson's in the center,
you know, of each of those worlds, which is kind
of interesting.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
I mean, think about how comic book movies were, you know,
back in the day, I mean even like before the
two thousands comic book movies, and you had your like seventies, eighties,
nineties attempts and a few came through, Like I think,
we're just now at that point where you're starting to
get these big Hollywood creators that have grown up with him.
So there's this level of respect and understanding of the
source material now.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yeah, and your head of editorial at Crunchy role, which
I'm just glad to see that, you know. And it
even said on some of the paperwork that I had
gotten about you, you know about National Anime Day. You know,
there was this once obscure Japanese animation known as anime
becoming mainstream entertainment. Crunchy roles come a long way, you guys,

(04:21):
really have. I had someone from Crunchy roll on when
you were first like kind of rolling it out. So
it's great to see that it's just getting bigger and better.
Any predictions at what adaptations you might think, I mean,
I know cinemacn just announced some huge stuff, chainsaw Man
being part of it. You got your eye on anything,

(04:41):
or you're like, you know what I think is going
to have long legs, it's this, you know, it's this
series or this maybe first installment.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
One of the biggest things in the animed world right
now is Deven Slayer. Oh yeah, and you know, such
a joy just to be a small part of getting
to talk about Demons Player and getting it out to people.
But you know, crunch Roll and Sunny Picture have the
first in a trilogy of Demons Layer movies dropping this
September in the US, and I mean, look, Demons Layer

(05:09):
made a lot of waves during the pandemic and fans
have really rallied around and it's been one of the
biggest ongoing series of the last few years. And I
think the movie is going to be completely massive. It's
gonna be awesome to see on the big screen. That
is definitely one to look out for.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
And of course, uh, the Boy and the heron you know,
taken home in an Academy award that speaks volumes too,
you know, Nicholas we had. There's a little shopping center
not far from my house that an anime store opened
in this past year. Uh down to. It's weird too,
because not only does it have like books and you know,

(05:47):
stuffed animals and little things like that, but there's a
little grocery section. You probably know the exact kind of
store that I'm talking about. There's lines to get into
the store. And not not only that on Saturday, since
Sunday is they'll often have talent, you know, people, the
fan base for the voices of these characters a lot

(06:08):
of work there, and the fan bases are insane.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, I mean, look, I work with and see some
of those faces every single day, and it still blows
my mind that I get to work in a place
where I get to see them. But it's like you know,
you talk about, you know, things like food and snacks
and and the fandom. It's like the community and culture
around anime is it's unlike anything else, right, Like, Look,
I'm also I'm a comic book guy, I'm a video

(06:32):
game guy, but anime is at the center of my heart.
And there's a reason why that is. And a culture
is the big is the big piece of that.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
Yeah, I'm glad you're acknowledging the food end of it too,
because it's so funny. I never know what I can't
read what's on the wrapper, but I'm still buying it.
I still can't open the bottles of soda. I cannot
open the song. I need my son. You gotta pop
the marble down, get marble down, dude. I can't do it.
And that's why do you think my son will come
back around? Did you ever take a break neck? Did

(07:01):
you ever? Or were you like?

Speaker 2 (07:03):
Nah?

Speaker 1 (07:03):
Dude, I was hardcore my whole life, just like me.
I mean, I loved animation in my whole life. I've
never taken a break.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yeah, you know. I don't like to look at hobbies
and interest that way.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
It's like it, neither do.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
I'll play video games for six months at a time,
and then I'll take a little break. I'll do something else,
watch the big TV show that's on, you know that's on,
and I don't I mean, yeah, he will, he will,
And you know, look off. If you need any if
any recommendations, you know, I'll send you over a huge
list of a fifty to one thousand titles that you know,
you start, you start at the top.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Yeah, well, I think he's loving a lot of that.
Others say he's gravitating more towards the boy and the
hero and stuff and the I'm not I'm going to
mangle this. The mona que and mona what is that one?

Speaker 2 (07:48):
Princess Mononoke?

Speaker 1 (07:49):
Yes, very big, you know, and I know, you know,
I hesitate that could be a competitor. But that Studio
Ghibli whatever that is. I'm hearing that get brought up.
Still he's not computing. Yeah, yeah, he's not completely removed.
I think he's just gravitating more towards just to a
different genre.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
But yeah, you bet, and I I don't like to
think about it that way, right, I mean, anime is anime,
and I you know, we have such a massive respect
for the taste makers and the cultural icons like Hyam
Miyazaki from from Studio Kibli. I mean, Princess Mononoak is
one of my favorite films of all time.

Speaker 1 (08:23):
Do you remember gigantor did you ever hear of Gigant or.

Speaker 2 (08:28):
Did not expect to hear Gigantors.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
That was my jam. Dude, I've got that. I've got
a box set of gigant Or at home. Yeah, man,
you're talking old school. Nick. I want people to check
out your podcast. It's crunchy. Role presents the anime effect,
and it provides a gateway for the anime curious to
enter this fantastic world. One of the hosts tom of

(08:51):
us right now, Nicholas Friedman, thanks for taking the time
and having fun with me. My man,