In this episode, Kevin, Josh, and Lux sit down to discuss Netflix’s 2023 adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho. As three relatively hardcore fans of the source material, we get into a fair amount of minutia comparing the new incarnation to different adaptations from years past, so it’d be good to have a passing familiarity with the property before listening……

In this episode, Kevin is joined by Alex, Connor, and Jared as the gang look back on the decade since Ultraman Ginga debuted, recapping all of the mainline Ultraman shows and trying to decide exactly what “New Generation” means. This is perhaps not a great episode for novices, but experienced Ultra-fans who want to get our perspectives on everythin…

Jessica Tseang was due to interview the great Godzilla and Ultraman franchise actress Tomoko Ai at G-Fest this year, but wasn’t able to attend the convention due to a sudden emergency. Since Amanda was already on interpreter duty, Kevin stepped in as Jessica’s replacement for the interview. We talked about Ms Ai’s career on Ultraman Leo, her time a…

In this episode, Kevin sits down for an interview with the team behind Error 4444, an exciting new home video label that’s specializing in Asian genre film. We talk about the company’s origins, licensing philosophy, first few releases, and even tease some of their future plans. Their first Blu-ray release was stellar, and their second (which ships …

On this episode, Kevin is joined by Alex (Control All Monsters, 13AM Games, Seismic Toys), Connor (Easter’s Kaiju Kompendium), and Mike (Vintage Henshin) to discuss the latest entry in the Ultraman franchise, Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga. Does the show make us Smile Smile, or did it turn us into Giants of Darkness? Give this a listen and f…

On this episode, Kevin is joined by artist John Bellotti Jr of Robo 7 to discuss recent developments of the convention scene from the Artist Alley perspective. Topics include what it was like to be on the ground floor for the Covid-19 omicron variant at AnimeNYC, the seller experience at a virtual convention, and G-Fest’s recent policy change regar…

Grüß Gott! In this episode, I’m joined by Henning Strauß (not “Straub”!) to discuss the history of kaiju (and also of other tokusatsu, anime, and manga) in Germany, along with how the development of fandom there has in some ways similar or different to the US and other countries. Germany has a vibrant otaku community that puts the US to shame in so…

After a long hiatus, it’s time for another episode of the Maser Patrol podcast. This time, we take a look at a show with a valuable life lesson: That’s right, this time around Josh and Kevin discuss the sweet Swan Songs of the Valkyries in the Senki Zesshō Symphogear franchise. It’s largely a synopsis of the five seasons, but hopefully our enthusia…

I was on Kaiju Transmissions last month for a post-Halloween show to talk about some of Ryuhei Kitamura’s early action/horror output, including: Down to Hell Versus Alive Aragami Longinus He’s a favorite director of mine, so it was great to geek out over. Direct download Expect something else Versus-related shortly!…

Hi all, Kevin here. The blog has gone sadly neglected for the past few months, for which I apologize; the stressful current state of world events has certainly taken its toll. However, I have not been completely off the radar! Here are a few activities you might have missed: First of all, Alex of Control All Monsters and I sat down to recreate our …

While there hasn’t been a new Maser Patrol episode in a hot minute, Kevin (along with author John LeMay) had a chance to drop by the Kaiju Transmissions podcast this week to discuss Kinji Fukasaku’s 1980 disaster film Virus, AKA Day of Resurrection. If you want to get your mind off of current events…well, this might not be the movie for you right n…

Looking for a last-minute Christmas present? Well, you’re in luck, because John LeMay has a varied bibliography on topics ranging from history, UFOlogy, horror films, cryptozoology, spaghetti westerns, and a whole smattering of kaiju/tokusatsu-related titles, with a special emphasis on lost and unmade movie projects. Since the new editions of The B…

On this episode of the podcast, Kevin, Justin, and Byrd sit down to discuss some of the exciting recent tokusatsu home video releases from Criterion, Mill Creek, Discotek, Section23, SRS, Shout Factory, Arrow, Kino Lorber, and Synapse. We also go into the overall home video market landscape, distribution, why we still collect physical media, and th…

On this episode of the podcast, Kevin’s in Japan, and with the help of local guide Amanda, we talk about all the neat pop-culturey stuff we got to see and do. https://maserpatrol.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/maser_patrol_podcast_44_-_bizarre_japan_adventure.mp3 Direct download Photos after the jump. Permanent attractions: Anata no Wareh…

In this episode, Kevin, Andy, Josh, Justin, and Matt sit down to chat about Legendary’s new monster movie, co-produced with Toho, that hit theaters last month. The one with the British bad guy, environmental themes, an absentee dad, and Ken Watanabe. Oh, I guess we talk about two movies. I recommend both, but if you only care about one movie or the…

Late on posting this, but I was on a guest Kaiju Transmissions again last month; this time to talk about the under-discussed Toho superhero series Zone Fighter! Every Godzilla fan should check out that show for its unique brand of insanity that even puts other 1970s henshin heroes to shame. https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/download/jauqnf/zonefighter.mp…

In this episode, Kevin, Benji, and Josh sit down for a spoiler-laden review of the long, long, long-awaited new Hollywood quasi-hit Alita: Battle Angel! We jump right into comparisons between the movie, OVA, and original manga, so if you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend that you do that first…unless all you want from the podcast are passive-aggress…

Another guest spot on Kaiju Transmissions! This time I try to defend two very unpopular 1980s Koichi Kawakita special effects films from Toho, so it could be controversial! https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ksfwc5/SJGunhed.mp3 Direct downloadPar Maser Patrol

The second part of our Gridman podcast episode gets into the main focus: reviewing the new series SSSS Gridman. Spoiler: we liked it. Also, spoilers for the rest of the show. https://maserpatrol.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/maser_patrol_podcast_40b_-_gridman_pt2.mp3 Direct Download Show notes: They made a new suit for promotional purpos…

In this episode, Kevin, Justin, Connor (earning our explicit tag), and Matt (of Kaiju Transmissions) sit down for a long round-table about the awesome recent anime series SSSS Gridman. We got carried away and went for a solid four hours, so the first part, here, will focus on the original Gridman the Hyper Agent, Denkou Choujin Gridman: The Demon K…

Here’s the other half to that Kaiju Transmissions guest spot, talking about End of Evangelion now! https://maserpatrol.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/endofEva.mp3 Direct downloadPar Maser Patrol

Forgot to mirror this here before, but I was on Kaiju Transmissions again… sort of. This was actually the first time I was ever on the show, but they’ve had it in the bag for a while (hence the five guest spots and a cameo in the interim). Anyway, it’s good timing with Netflix hype for Evangelion being pretty high. This is a two-parter, with the re…

In honor of Halloween, author John LeMay stops by the podcast to talk about the Wolf Guy werewolf franchise from Kazumasa Hirai. We discuss the novel, manga, Toho, Toei, and JC staff adaptations. It’s a howling good time. https://maserpatrol.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/maser_patrol_podcast_39_-_wolf_guy.mp3 direct download Notes: Many …

Last month I showed up on Kaiju Transmissions for another guest spot, this time to talk about Godzilla the Series, which, as mentioned before, is just the best. Apologies for the delay in posting! Expect an actual Maser Patrol podcast shortly. https://maserpatrol.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/gts.mp3 Podcast Download Buy Godzilla the Ser…

Kaiju Transmissions just had their 100th episode! Not ones to do anything special for such a milestone, they instead decided to chat with me about the book and about obscure kaiju flicks in general. It’s cool for me to be a part of such podcast history, but hopefully everyone enjoys listening to it too! https://maserpatrol.wordpress.com/wp-content/…

Windows updates were the Zetton to my computer’s Ultraman this Sunday, so I didn’t have any of my slides for the Ultraman panel at Anime Central. Fortunately, the crowd was great, and we were able to improvise something audio-only, even if it wasn’t exactly as advertised. On the plus side, this being a single audio file with no video, I could slap …

Oh, wow! I was on the Kaiju Transmissions podcast again! Go listen to Byrd, Matt, and I chatting about kaiju video games. Find out what we think should get a movie adaptation next after Rampage! https://kaijutransmissions.podbean.com/mf/download/qc7m6h/kaijutransmissions-music_-_4_13_18_7_15_PM.mp3 Download here…

On my trip across the US, I stopped by Matt of Kaiju Transmissions‘ place, and we caught the new Pacific Rim: Uprising together. In lieu of an actual Maser Patrol podcast episode on the subject, I crashed their review, and you can hear it mirrored here… though, really, you should be subscribed to their feed as well, since that podcast is great. So …

On this episode, Kevin, Josh, Andy, and Justin completely sell out to a huge corporation as we discuss a handful of programs we’ve been following from the same behemoth, convention-defying content producer/distributor: the ever-popular Netflix. If you’re a Japanese media geek looking for recommendations on Netflix (and/or chill), you might want to …

With the first of of Gou Tanabe’s HP Lovecraft manga adaptations, The Hound & Other Stories, fresh on US bookstore shelves, it seems like a good time to get a crash course on the impact of Lovecraft on Japanese genre fiction, and, of course, kaiju. Justin previously wrote the articles “The Cthulhu Mythos in Japan” and “Robot Lords of Tokyo: Lovecra…

With the first of of Gou Tanabe’s HP Lovecraft manga adaptations, The Hound & Other Stories, fresh on US bookstore shelves, it seems like a good time to get a crash course on the impact of Lovecraft on Japanese genre fiction, and, of course, kaiju. Justin previously wrote the articles “The Cthulhu Mythos in Japan” and “Robot Lords of Tokyo: Lovecra…

With the first of of Gou Tanabe’s HP Lovecraft manga adaptations, The Hound & Other Stories, fresh on US bookstore shelves, it seems like a good time to get a crash course on the impact of Lovecraft on Japanese genre fiction, and, of course, kaiju. Justin previously wrote the articles “The Cthulhu Mythos in Japan” and “Robot Lords of Tokyo: Lovecra…

With the first of of Gou Tanabe’s HP Lovecraft manga adaptations, The Hound & Other Stories, fresh on US bookstore shelves, it seems like a good time to get a crash course on the impact of Lovecraft on Japanese genre fiction, and, of course, kaiju. Justin previously wrote the articles “The Cthulhu Mythos in Japan” and “Robot Lords of Tokyo: Lovecra…

In this episode, Kevin and Benji have a chat about the wild genre filmography of the mad genius behind some iconic (yet under-represented stateside) Japanese fantasy flicks. If you read those A Space Godzilla translations (parts 1 & 2) and wondered what was up with its creator, here you can hear about a few of his works and get a taste for his ecce…

After that extensive countdown earlier in the year, we got to go see the new King Kong movie, Kong: Skull Island. In this episode, Kevin, Josh, Andy and Justin talk for longer than the movie’s run time, and mostly on the topic of the film, but veering into some general Kong-related (and tangentially, loosely related) topics as well. https://maserpa…

This episode is about goofy German movie posters, the ending of All Monsters Attack, rhinoceros sails, Charles Barkley doujinshi games, and the sexual dimorphism of Pokemon. Not that the likes of Kevin, Josh, Andy, and Justin could get distracted or off topic. But mostly, we talk about Shin Godzilla. We recorded on the topic previously in an attemp…

This weekend we recorded an epic 4-hour podcast to discuss the latest Godzilla flick, but then lost one of the audio tracks rendering the conversation incomprehensible. So, to tide everyone over, here’s a selection of choice (not-so-serious) moments from the surviving recording. Enjoy! https://maserpatrol.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ma…

With the next Godzilla flick being written by the most coveted screenwriting talent in the modern anime world, the Maser Patrol crew sat down this week to discuss Gen Urobuchi’s previous output…. along with interludes about Star Trek and Josh’s potentially self-renewing Netflix account. This is a long one (the spoilers section of the Madoka Magica …

With the simultaneous home video re-release of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and the release of The Boy and the Beast, the Maser Patrol gang (Kevin, Josh, and Andy) sat down to discuss the work of director Mamoru Hosoda, and why he seems to be the hot new thing in the world of anime theatrical pictures. Expect talk of animal people, family drama,…

In this episode of the podcast, Kevin and Justin discuss the work of Japanese pop-culture artist Takashi Murakami, culminating in his 2013 feature film Jellyfish Eyes. The movie just got a release from Criterion, so fans of battle monsters, kaiju, and heartwarming children’s entertainment won’t want to miss it! https://maserpatrol.wordpress.com/wp-…

In this episode of the podcast, Josh, Andy, Kevin & Amanda (sharing a lousy mic, apologies for that!) shoot the breeze about our favorite horror anime, since Halloween is right around the corner. Of course, there’s a lot of horror anime out there, so this is far from comprehensive; leave a comment to let us know your favorites. Hopefully we recomme…

In this episode, our longest single recording so far: Kevin, Andy, and Alan shoot the breeze about the long-running Garo franchise, which turns 10 this year. We like this series a lot, so we talk in sort of broad strokes about aspects of the various seasons in juxtaposition with one another. Also, there may be a rant about the ending of Battlestar …

In this episode, Kevin, Andy, and Josh talk about the major prior works of Hideaki Anno, the director of the upcoming Toho Godzilla flick. He’s an eccentric weirdo, for sure, but he has also created some of the best animation of all time, kicked off a major player in the industry, and gotten himself canonized as an Ultraman. Plus, as a fellow über-…

In a not-particularly-structured episode, Andy, Josh, and Kevin shoot the breeze about what they’ve been watching lately… because according to Funimation, they should be watching, after all. If you wonder what we think about Parasyte the Maxim, Garo the Animation, Cross Ange, Sailor Moon Crystal, Aldnoah Zero, Terra Formars, Blue Blazes, Kamen Ride…

Rounding out our 6-or-7-part Godzilla retrospective, Andy and Kevin chat for about two hours about the Millennium/Shinsei Godzilla film series (made between 1999-2004) then speculate wildly about the recently-announced 2016 movie. Apologies in advance for a generally poor memory of the plot of Tokyo SOS, and the superfluous interjection of “like”, …

After a long delay, we finally got around to recording the next installment in our Godzilla retrospective. And after another long delay, it was actually edited. Anyway, this time around, we take a fond look back at the Heisei Godzilla period (1984-1999, not to be confused with the actual Japanese Heisei period, 1989-present). We’re quite fond of th…

A sort of unusual episode here: Star Clipper in St. Louis runs a weekly seminar series in the summertime under the moniker Comics University. I was invited to give a presentation on the history of anime and manga, which, as you can imagine, is a pretty big field. Anyway, I put together a 2-hour presentation and delivered it with some success, and a…

As promised, here’s our four-person round-table review on Legendary Pictures’ new Godzilla. Short version: we liked it, but had some suggestions for improvements. Also it was sort of a Gamera movie. The rest of the Godzilla retrospective is coming soon, but we figured this would take the priority for now, since, well, it’s on everyone’s mind. Spoil…

For the second (maybe third) part of our Godzilla podcast retrospective, we look at Godzilla and Toho’s SF/fantasy/horror output in the 1970’s, or rather 1969 (All Monsters Attack) through 1979 (A Space Godzilla). This is a period that many Godzilla fans would rather forget, but as consummate kaiju eiga hipsters, we absolutely love the crazy, child…

In honor of Legendary’s upcoming Godzilla movie, we marathoned the franchise. Now we’re doing a retrospective in (probably) four parts, starting with this overview of Toho Studios’ science fiction, fantasy, and horror special effects movies during the golden age of Japanese cinema, i.e. Godzilla (1954) through Destroy All Monsters (1968). We did ha…