Anime Jam Session

A Pokémon Center employee was killed in a stalking confrontation, Ranma 1/2 season 3 has been announced, and KPop Demon Hunters take over McDonald's! Also, the new Magic Knight Rayearth anime info has been released, Silent Hill f gets a manga adaptation, and Tokyo's British Maid Café wins global fans after agency rejections! Also, Ranma discusses the Stella Chu Brouhaha! Meanwhile in Japan, the World Expo mascot releases a tastefully erotic photo book, the Ministry of Economy reminds people not to panic buy toilet paper, and you can now get sake made with moth poop?!Watch us live on Twitch every Tuesday night at 9 PM Eastern! -===Social Media===-Website: https://www.animejamsession.com/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/animejamsessionBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/animejamsession.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/animejamsessionTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/animejamsessionSubscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtgJElQKxCVGYR7i7GuYOQg-===Support us===-StreamLabs: http://www.streamlabs.com/animejamsessionStreamElements: https://streamelements.com/AnimeJamSession/tipKo-Fi: http://www.ko-fi.com/animejamsessionPart of The Voice ofGeeks Network: https://www.vognetwork.com/

We're talking about Zenkaikon 2026! Join DJ Ranma S, Ari Rockefeller, and Mako-chan as they discuss all three days, plus day zero! Panels, Dealer's Room, Masquerade, Idol Showcase, and much more! Then over in Meanwhile in Japan... Japan now has a “for foreign tourists only” Mt. Fuji sightseeing train, the Tokyo government organizes a food truck event to clear out delinquent/homeless teens, and the World Expo mascot releases a tastefully erotic photo book?!

Crunchyroll goes through restructuring layoffs, Pokopia sells 2.2 million in the first 4 days, and Love Live wins animation album of the year! Also, KPop Demon Hunters wins best animated feature, Sailor Moon joins Universal Fan Fest nights, and the NYC Japan Day Parade will host the Jujutsu Kaisen stage show cast! Meanwhile in Japan, a Tokyo bus line praised for handling of driver’s mental health, a hiker fell into a hole with a bear in it, a pipe breaks through downtown Osaka street, and a man drives a truck on fire to the fire station while dropping flaming potatoes on his way?!

Crunchyroll hit with class action suit, Evangelion anime short leaked, so the company streams it free, and the Hello Kitty Labubu is still creepy looking, but it's Kitty, so it's cute! Also, the Gundam movie Char's Counterattack gets a limited three-day revival screening, Dark Horse Comics Founder, CEO Mike Richardson Leaves Company, and Kodansha celebrates its manga with stop motion animated papercraft! Meanwhile in Japan... The price was finally released for the human washing machine, and it's not at all cheap. Sauna bans testicle covers because they are being left behind on shelves...

Madhouse's Supernatural anime celebrates 15 years, Next Pokémon game series announced for 2027, and Kyoto Animation co-founder dies... Also, MediaDo acquires Seven Seas Entertainment, Shogakukan apologizes for releasing manga from a convicted sex offender, and a Pokémon voice actress marks 30th anniversary with first-ever game stream! Meanwhile in Japan... Play Tetris on a massive Kyoto station staircase, and a Puyo Puyo Game is in development for use in nursing homes!

New Evangelion series in production, get official manga panels printed on shirts, legally, and Sanrio characters get a new game with 50+ stages! Also, Death Game rewards you with a T-shirt if you're lucky, or a sticker to help others survive. Funimation founder joins adult anime studio advisory board, and a license company issues a statement after social media backlash due to collaborative art by Detective Conan artist?! Meanwhile in Japan... Linguistics sends six to the hospital, a man was arrested for watching a baseball game, and a bathhouse-themed bar?!

Crunchyroll blunders with anime leak, a game criticized by Miyazaki comes to Steam, and Ranma 1/2 gets anime exhibition in Tokyo! Also, Gundam Wing Official gets an anniversary album, Yoko Kanno 菅野よう子 to hold 2 NYC shows, and Yakuza/Like a Dragon crossover live action series debuts today! Meanwhile in Japan... A manager was arrested for punching himself in the face, a man was arrested for leaving a car parked in a lot for 6 years, and a cherry blossom festival is canceled due to overtourism?!

Check out what we're discussing this week! Hello Kitty teams with Neon Genesis Evangelion for new apparel, Sailor Moon theater show brings a new story and character, and Gundam Hathaway gets nostalgic with an ending song by Guns N' Roses! Also, Crunchyroll increases pricing, BAND-MAID world tour followed by a hiatus, and the Court upholds prison sentence for piracy site operator! Meanwhile in Japan, Kyoto is putting in efforts to crack down on overtourism, movie theater popcorn earns high-quality certification, and a drunkard was robbed after falling asleep on the street!

The rankings of the popularity of Dragon Ball characters, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is delayed... Again... And manga creator Go Nagai is to be inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame! Also, Netflix and MAPPA strengthen their partnership, ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン / Universal Studios Japan (USJ) launches Pokémon experience before global rollout, and Rumiko Takahashi visits San Francisco's manga exhibition! Meanwhile in Japan, all 롯데리아 (LOTTERIA) restaurants in Japan will close by the end of March, a man was arrested for leaving obscene DVDs in stores as gifts, and a Tokyo pub sets a soft ban for patrons over 39?!

A popular scanlation site has shut down, Comic-Con International updates its policy on AI materials, and Gundam Hathaway is to be snowed in at the Sapporo Snow Festival?! Also, the Japan Fair Trade Commission releases a report on issues in the anime industry, Netflix in a new streaming deal with Sony, and Uma Musume anime cosplayers make the local news for their pro football fandom! Meanwhile in Japan, a man was arrested for violating Japan’s anti-dueling law in downtown Tokyo, and Kitkat pizza... Yep. That's all you need to know.

We're back for 2026! And check out what we're talking about on tonight's show! China’s largest comic convention, COMICUP, bans anime & manga, an idol was replaced in a stage play due to a manager, and KPop Demon Hunters wins 2 Golden Globes! Manga artist apologizes for an AI-edited photo, Scooby-Doo is getting a short anime series, and an Uma Musume anime girl plushie recalled for having parts she absolutely should not have?! Meanwhile in Japan, researchers give a mouse glowing sperm, a train station gets a new stationmaster cat, and a ramen restaurant prices differently based on the menu language?!

We're keeping it casual with a few stories tonight, like how Santa Claus delivered Christmas presents to penguins, Gainax is now fully dissolved, turning a train platform into a sake bar, and the deal with KFC and Christmas in Japan! We also have fun Christmas questions for the hosts!

The first permanent Gundam store in the US opens in Illinois, Crunchyroll ends ad-supported streams, and Go Nagai gets to pilot a new Mazinger Z figure! Also, Silent Mobius gets a Marvel crossover series, counselors in costumes testing anime therapy for depression, and restored versions of Studio Ghibli films coming to theaters in 2026! Meanwhile in Japan... A civil servant is arrested for misusing access to run a detective agency, a Japanese town sues a local resident for being a jerk, and KFC opens a pop-up restaurant specifically for non-fried chicken Christmas meals in Tokyo?!

Political tensions cause cancellations of Japanese media in China, Shonen Jump pop-up shop opens in NJ, backlash over Prime Video's Banana Fish AI dub has voice actors speaking out, and Amazon.com has quietly removed the dub tracks?! Also, J-Hip Hop group m-flo to stop public activities after their February concert, Toei Animation head producer explains Super Sentai ending, and the newest Dragon Ball Z and KFC collaboration hits! Meanwhile in Japan... A Wakayama senior uses AI to identify wild mushrooms and gets poisoned, and a train company lets you buy ticket gates!

Our host, DJ Ranma S, reviews his first PAX Unplugged, so you definitely want to check that out! Also, Tokyo court orders Cloudflare to pay over $3.2 million for manga piracy sites, animators call out critics of One Punch Man season 3, and Pokémon wins Google Play's Best Game for 2025! Meanwhile in Japan, an immersive samurai theme park has an opening date, and the theft of toilet rubber parts is baffling... And a special tribute to Orange Lounge Radio!

New anime announced for Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding video game, the latest Super Sentai show replaces the main character partway through the series, and Hello Kitty teams up with BanG Dream Girls Band Party! Also, Love Live CD is delayed due to the jacket art, the official Attack on Titan concert is coming to the US in 2026, and entry into part of the Pokémon theme park will come with some physical fitness requirements! Meanwhile in Japan, a company mascot is "graduating", and the Japanese Government is considering charging more to leave the country by plane?

Kodansha (講談社) establishes a Hollywood studio, Kill Bill extended director's cut to include unseen anime footage, and school Idols to become reality! Also, the full Love Live tribute album song list has dropped, the newest Studio Trigger anime is streaming free on YouTube, and Hello Kitty learns sign language in a new collab! Meanwhile in Japan... The newest toy car is a bit fishy, the newest theme hotel lets you take the driver's seat, and a package delivery was delayed due to... Da Bears?!

We're talking DerpyCon 2025! DJ Ranma S takes us through his three days of the final con of the year for him! Also tonight, hackers claim VIZ Media breach, 18 companies publish a joint statement criticizing Sora2 AI, and MyAnimeList.net is banned for content in Russia?! Meanwhile in Japan... An experience package lets you battle as a samurai with your friends, and a teacher apologizes for a word given to students for an assigned video?!

The Sailor Moon Shining Theater returns, Hello Kitty gets spooky with a Junji Ito collab, and Super Mario celebrates his 40th anniversary with a parade balloon! Also, Cutie Honey gets a short-lived action series, FanimeCon announces a dedicated dojinshi event, and LINE WEBTOON and Disney announce an additional wave of reformatted comics! Meanwhile in Japan... Enjoy a Japanese train seat heater at home this winter, the media jumps to exaggerated conclusions in a harassment case, and dinner and a Sumo show give bilingual entertainment!

It's Another Anime Convention (AAC) 2025! It's DJ Ranma S and Ari Rockefeller as they break down the entire convention weekend and understand why they travel to this con every year! Also, if time permits, for Meanwhile in Japan, we have humans getting their own instant washing machine, and a train driver in trouble for reading a book on trains while on a stopped train?!