Discovering Manga: Podcasts

I rarely get a chance to talk about manga with other people. Part of this is my own fault since I don’t generally talk to people to begin with, but some of it is that I simply don’t personally know many people with which to have those sorts of conversations. And when I do have the chance to participate I tend to just sit there and absorb what everyone else has to say rather than speaking up much. And then I discovered podcasts, which are perfect for people like me.

There seem to be very few manga specific podcasts out there, at least that I’ve been able to find so far. The podcast that got me started trawling the net in search of such gems was Ed Sizemore’s wonderful Manga Out Loud which began in January 2010. Ed, who also writes for Manga Worth Reading, includes useful links to accompany each podcast. Usually there are a few episodes posted each month and Ed frequently has other manga lovers and experts on to participate in the discussion. I love the conversational feel and tone of the show.

Anime Today, associated with Right Stuf and Nozomi Entertainment, started in November 2005 and every single one of the episodes is still available to download. The podcast is highly integrated with the Right Stuf catalog which is useful, but it can occasionally come across as being strictly a marketing and advertising tool. However, they do include interviews, news, and customer reviews, as well as many other features not to mention copious and detailed show notes. Overall, it’s really quite good and interesting.

A relative newcomer to manga podcasting is Anime 3000 which actually has several featured podcasts. A3K Radio is ambitious in that it updates almost daily. The episodes are rather short, but it’s a great way to catch up on current news and events. 20 Questions features brief interviews with people in various parts of the manga and anime industries. Some of the questions are more serious than others so it’s both fun and informative. Finally, there’s Manga Corner. There’s only been one episode so far, but I hope there will be more.

Completely unrelated to manga, but I wanted to mention it because I love the show, is Zac Bentz’s Japanator Radio. If you’re looking for contemporary Japanese music, everything from experimental jazz to visual kei, 8-bit, soundtracks and more, this is the podcast for you. The show started in September 2007 and so recently celebrated it’s third anniversary. Last I checked, episodes 93 and later are still available for download and each show is around an hour long. That’s a ton of great music to listen to and enjoy.

Finally, I would like to briefly note a few podcasts that I’ve recently tracked down, but don’t actually know much about yet. Anime News Network has ANNCast, which if it’s anything like the rest of the site is very useful. Otaku USA has the weekly Friday ACE by Mike Dent. I enjoy the magazine, so I suspect that I’ll probably enjoy the podcast as well. And last but not least, Reverse Thieves has the Speakeasy Podcast and Otaku in Review also has a podcast.

So there you have it—that’s what I’ve been able to discover about manga podcasting up to this point. I’ve included a podcast section on the Resources page and would love to add more shows. If you know of other manga related podcasts or have more information about those that I’ve mentioned here, please leave a comment!

(Also check out Discovering Manga: Podcasts, Part 2!)