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?!
Music from the Sailor Moon Super Live looks to be getting a worldwide release, Trigun's second season is set for January 2026, and NANA gets a makeover for its 25th anniversary! Also, animation cels and other collectibles are to hit the auction block, PERFECT BLUE gets a 4K collectors box, and Crunchyroll gives an answer to subtitle issues. Meanwhile in Japan... Hotel chain offers plushies their own beds, rail company apologizes for driver spacing out while operating the train, and Asahi Beer Japan is forced to take orders by fax as Japan races to avoid beer shortage!
Hianime is still targeted for piracy, the subtitle quality at Crunchyroll is at an all-time low, and Ae! Group member activity suspended after arrest! Also, AnimeJapan teams with Crunchyroll for a new award, the original Tiger Mask mask, found and verified, and Bushiroad reveals Hunter x Hunter survivor game! Meanwhile in Japan, a man was arrested for a naked trip to escape reality, and banks were irked by stolen envelopes and online reselling?!
Original Kamen Rider reprises role in new anime, Doraemon anime gets new ending theme after 20 years, and Ken Watanabe revealed for Alice in Borderland season 3! Also, a Hair product company teams up with Yu-Gi-Oh! for a new line, Evangelion marks its 30th anniversary with a weekly radio show, and Crunchyroll is bringing back its manga reader! Meanwhile in Japan... A hostess arrested for lying to her client about why she needs money, and a 63 y/o Japanese woman marries a 31 y/o man she met through a 'chance encounter’?!
The Battle Royale film comes to US theaters for its 25th anniversary, the Azumanga Daioh collection is released on Blu-ray, and a fight breaks out at the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba movie after a man pees on a row of seats in front of him! Also, KPop Demon Hunters becomes 1st Netflix title to surpass 300 million views, the CLAMP x GODIVA lineup is revealed, and Creepy Nuts R-指定 & DJ松永 announces an appearance at Coachella! Meanwhile in Japan... An employee was suspended and demoted for verbal abuse, blaming being Osakan, an airport inspector arrested for stealing from luggage, and a man was arrested for stealing 50 fire hose nozzles?!
Love Live! Tribute album confirms collaboration songs with Umamusume, KyoAni's newest project to be announced in October, and a New Texas law is already causing issues for anime fans. Also, Sailor Moon lands an unconventional record in the US, Attack on Titan manga gets an anniversary project, and WEBTOON's comment policy is revised after a backlash. Meanwhile in Japan... a mountain climber throws back out at the summit, bonsai tree flavored gin, and the fact that this is a common occurrence is the real issue with forgotten bathroom guns?!
Japanese companies holding orders until alternative shipping can be found, or final appeals for "illegal" tariff orders, VTuber Ironmouse makes Rolling Stone's top 25 most influential creators list, and KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix's most-watched movie globally, ever! Also, a cosplayer accused of threatening to plant a bomb at San Japan, Nintendo museum opens concept art exhibit, and BanG Dream spin-off in the works! Meanwhile in Japan, arrests made after a Hostess has a date beaten and stabbed, parents seek reimbursement after a 10-year-old spends 4.6 million yen on TikTok and more, and a foreign tourist steals offerings and chugs booze in a Japanese cemetery, sparking a police investigation!
We're talking Otakon! Join DJ Ranma S and co-host BerryMelon as she discusses her Otakon weekend in depth! Also, we bring back the Open Forum Topic, "Should convention raves be age restricted?" We also discuss Hitomi, the ‘legendary’ maid, guardian angel of Akihabara, and Rumiko Takahashi celebrates Doraemon's anniversary with crossover art! Meanwhile in Japan... Kyoto’s pinkest, cutest new restaurant is the start of a new life for retired train cars, and a household cleaner makes a survival horror game for Steam?!
Crunchyroll announces layoffs and a new growth model, a Vice-Minister refuses once more to appear at ComicMarket コミックマーケット, and a plan is in the works for an anime adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera! Also, a senior executive was dismissed from Gungho Online Entertainment for embezzlement. Issues in Indonesia result in the potential for the One Piece flag to be seen as treasonous, and Nike teams up with Yu-Gi-Oh! for an official character-inspired shoe! Meanwhile in Japan, randomize your night with gacha sake, and a reverse maid cafe lets cosplaying customers serve staff instead of the other way around!
Call for donations to help preserve rare Sailor Moon media, Disney Twisted-Wonderland English anime gets release date, and McDonald's Japan announces Pokémon Happy Meals, and it turns into a complete clusterf! Also, #CLAMP teams up with Godiva Japan （ゴディバ ジャパン）, Disney+ to integrate Hulu into a single streaming app, and Gundam Wing voice actors reunite for a one-night dinner show in Tokyo! Meanwhile in Japan, there are no more domestic live action films in Japan's top 10 highest earning movies, the shape of Pocky is now trademarked, and researchers have bottled newborn baby scent?!
Congratulations are in order for WCS Team USA, winners of the 2025 World Cosplay Summit 世界コスプレサミット! Also tonight, Kadokawa issues guidelines for anime sampling, anime studio Gaina changes name after being acquired, and the Korean government plans to offer tax credits for webtoon production costs. Plus, Hello Kitty gets a licensed tarot card set, and Neon Genesis Evangelion's 30th anniversary gets a new flashback album! Meanwhile in Japan, a Japanese Politician offers an apology for his opinion on the taste of rice, an Evangelion voice actress reveals she’s been waiting 11 years for free condoms she was promised, and let's take a trip back to all things Heisei era at a retro exhibition...
We bring back THE HOT TOPIC! Tonight's topic, Anime Boston's Masquerade Coordinator position, should it be paid? Also on tonight's show, the fallout from VShoujo, and boy, it's a mess! Plus, Gundam Wing gets new releases and sequels, Bushiroad releases a statement about threats against a voice actress, and a Japanese politician is in hot water for unauthorized cosplay?! Meanwhile in Japan, a fraud victim turns to fraud to make money, a schoolteacher loses their job for working, and an event welcomes you to sit and do absolutely nothing!