The Wonder of Anime

This week on The Wonder of Anime, I'm joined by content creator Paul.Soles! You may know Paul from his anime and manga content, where he showcases his collection, his favorite anime and manga, figure collecting, and more! Paul fills me in on his journey as an anime fan, creating content at the age of 12, proudly being a fan of shojo, BL, and romance, creating from a place of joy, and more! Follow Paul: Instagram TikTok X Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

Let's talk all things Magical Girls Festival! Victoria L Johnson, founder of the Magical Girls Fest, is on the podcast this week to tell us everything about MGF. If you don't know, The Magical Girls Festival is the largest fan-organized event for magical girls in the United States. It is a one-day mini-convention filled with vendors, programming, activities, giveaways, and more, inspired by magical girl anime and manga.

Victoria tells us all about creating MGF, the wonderful guests this year, some of the panels, and so much more!

Get Your Tickers Now

Follow Magical Girls Fest: Magical Girls Festival Instagram

Follow Victoria & Moonies Club: Victoria on X Moonies Club on X Sailor Moon Fan Club Podcast Sailor Moon Fan Club Website Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week I sit down the team behind Manga Mavericks, Varun Gupta, Siddharth Gupta, and Mike Jokoh. We get into the "origin story" of Manga Mavericks, how it went from a media company to a publishing company, some of the ins and outs of indie publishing, what they love most, some misconceptions about manga publishing, and so much more. This conversation was so insightful and really speaks to the power of community! Follow Manga Mavericks: Manga Mavericks Store X / Twitter Instagram BlueSky

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week on The Wonder of Anime, I'm joined by the amazing Kelly Quinn Chiu. Kelly is an editor of danmei and light novels at Seven Seas Entertainment. She has a background in publishing as well as librarianship, where she established herself as an expert in graphic novels and manga for kids, teens, and adults.

In this episode, Kelly is in the expert seat to talk about the publishing industry and publishing danmei. She walks me through what an editor does, the book process from start to finish, thoughts about localization and translation, and so much more! Kelly also clears up a lot of misconceptions about publishing and specifically danmei publishing.

Follow Kelly:

X / Twitter

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week, I'm joined by Mel of AniMel! Mel is a content creator sharing her thoughts and insights on her favorte anime, manga, manhwa, and webcomics. Whether she's recommending a series or breaking one down, shelove digging into the details — researching what makes it stand out, adding her own perspective, and highlighting what might appeal (or not appeal) to different viewers.

In this episode, Mel is in the expert seat to discuss Orb: On the Movements of the Earth. She breaks down the historical anime, why it's so important, and so much more!

Follow Mel: YouTube Instagram Threads

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week, I'm joined by the incredible Klaudia Amenábar. Klaudia is the co-host of the Mystery Spotcast: A Supernatural rewatch, producer of the Anime by the Numbers newsletter, and an entertainment strategy consultant. You probably know her from her JJK TikToks.

Klaudia is in the expert seat today to talk all things Trigun! She breaks down the OG anime, the reboot, the manga, and even the bad movie. We get into what each anime does right vs could do better, her thoughts on controversial ship in the fandom, and so much more.

Follow Klaudia: Instagram Tiktok BluSky Anime by the Numbers The Mystery Spotcast The Sailor Moon to Trigun Agenda Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week I'm joined by The Recovering Elitist. The Recovering Elitist is an anime YouTuber that creates video essays highlighting some of his favorite scenes, characters and other aspects of various shows.

In this episode, Rec is in the expert seat to tell me all about Shangri-La Frontier. While I had seen the first episode, I was completely in the dark about what this anime really is. Rec gets into why Shangri-La is different from your usual video game anime, why it speaks to him as a gamer, and so much more.

Follow The Recovering Elitist: YouTube Threads

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This weak, I'm joined by one of my favorite creators, Leah of WisteriaLeah. Leah is a romance connoisseur from the Hudson Valley in New York. Leah is a content creator on Instagram and Youtube and also writes about all things books, manga, and romance for Readin' Magazine and Pretty Girls Do Read.

In this episode, Leah and I discuss one of our favorite anime and manga series. Sasaki and Miyano. We discuss Leah's quick ascend to loving it from volume one, how she saw queer experience represented in it, why it's the best, and so much more!

Follow Leah: Instagram YouTube Tiktok Threads Readin' Magazine Pretty Girls Do Read Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week on The Wonder of Anime, I'm joined by comedian Yedoye Travis. You may recognize Yedoye from his stand-up, and his previous work on Get in the Robot, and his hilariously viral tweets.

In this episode, Yedoye sits in the expert seat to discuss the Studio Ghibli film, Princess Mononoke. He breaks down the story, what he thinks Ashitaka stands for, Lady Eboshi's role, and so much more.

Book referenced: The Ecology of Freedom: The Emergence and Dissolution of Hierarchy by Murray Bookchin

Follow Yedoye: YouTube Instagram Threads Twitter Link Tree

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

I just wanna dance!!! This week on The Wonder of Anime, we have TJ Ferentini! TJ (they/them he/him) is a senior Editor with Kodansha Comics, where they have worked on series such as Wandance, the Attack on Titan and Blue Lock Omnibuses, and many of Kodansha's BL and LGBTQ+ series, including Boys Run the Riot, My Summer of You, and more.

This episode TJ is in the expert seat to tell me all about Wandance, which has been adapted into an anime this season. We get into why this series means so much to TJ, the important of showcasing disabilities, our dancer dreams, and so much more!

Follow TJ: BlueSky X / Twitter Instagram https://tjferentini.carrd.co/

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week on The Wonder of Anime, we're welcoming back Lucy! Lucy Camacho a.k.a Opal Lines is a Dominican American illustrator, award winning filmmaker, and comics artist best known for her ongoing work with IDW on Mattel's Monster High: New Scaremester and her original, manga inspired project Heroes Circle. She is also the artist behind The Wonder of Anime logos.

In this episode, Lucy sits in the expert seat to talk about the shojo classic, Kimi ni Todoke. We work together to unpack how "shy girls" are so necessary, why Kimi ni Todoke made such an impact on Lucy, what people get wrong about it, and so much more!

Follow Lucy: Instagram TikTok X / Twitter BlueSky

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week on The Wonder of Anime, I'm joined by thee Shojo Connoisseur, Colleen of Colleen's Manga Recs! Colleen is a self proclaimed shoujo manga connoisseur that got their start on Tik Tok before moving to Youtube to create video essays shining light on the often left behind demographic of media.

In this episode we dive into The Wonder of Chihayafuru, with Colleen in the expert seat driving the boat. We discuss the impact the anime and manga had on them, what fans get wrong, and so much more!

Follow Colleen: YouTube X/ Twitter Instagram

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

Get in, we're going to the past! This week on The Wonder of Anime podcast I'm joined by the amazing Lauren Hill. Lauren is the Sales and Marketing Manager for Seven Seas Entertainment, an award-winning independent publisher that specializes in Japanese manga and light novels to English-language audiences alongside the hottest danmei, webtoons, and other books from around the globe. She has worked in the anime, manga, and gaming industries for over ten years.

In this episode we get into the classic anime and manga Fushigi Yuugi! From discovering it in the 7th grade to a life long love, Lauren and I dive into how she got into Fushigi Yuugi and how much it means to her.

Follow Lauren: Instagram BL Events in DFW

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

This week on The Wonder of Anime, I'm joined by one of my dream guest, Laura Neuzeth. If you're on manga-tok, you absolutely know who she is. Laura is a 35 year-old content creator on YouTube, TikTok, and Substack.She creates content bout shoujo, josei, BL, Yuri, and LGBTQ+ manga. Laura also has a gaming channel where she shares her love for Project Sekai and other rhythm games.

In this episode, we get into The Wonder of A Sign of Affection. A Sign of Affection is a shojo anime based on the manga of the same name. We discuss why Yuki an incredible MC, how her deafness was portrayed in the anime and manga, Itsuomio's "red flag" allegations, and more!

Follow Laura: Tiktok YouTube Substack X / Twitter Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

The Wonder of Anime is back for an all new season! Joining me this week is the incredible Morgan Perry, who is the Marketing Manager for Square Enix Manga and Books. In this episode, we discuss her journey as an anime fan (starting with Yugioh,) working in the western comics industry, and transitioning into manga.

Morgan and I also discuss THE Wonder of My Hero Academia and why it's such an important story, the comic influences in the story, it's impact in the anime culture, and MORE!

Follow Morgan Perry: X / Twitter Square Enix Manga and Books

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

I'm back with a special episode of The Wonder of Anime. Thanks to Toei Animation, I was able to attend the press preview of the ONE PIECE exhibit at the iconic Mercer Labs in NYC. Afterward, I was able to speak with Roy Nachum, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Mercer Labs and Nasir Dean, Manager of Special Projects at Mercer Labs. We spoke on the partnership with Toei Animation, their favorite parts of the exhibit, what they want attendees to take away, and so much more.

Individual tickets for ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS are on sale now at www.mercerlabs.com.

Special thank you to Toei Animation and Mercer Labs for the invitation.

Follow Mercer Labs:

Instagram https://www.mercerlabs.com/

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

So many shows, so little time! This week on the podcast, I am catching up on life before diving into a manga review of A Star Brighter than the Sun vol 1 and then my weekly anime reviews! Check the time stamps to avoid spoilers!

00:00 Intro 03:00 A Star Brighter Than The Sun Review 09:13 Rock is a Ladys Modesty ep 2 13:00 Wind Breaker Ep 2-4 23:07 Vigilantes ep 2-3 28:34 Outro

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

We're back, baby! Let's dive into the Spring Anime season, which is packed with so many engaging titles like WITCH WATCH, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Kowloon Generic Romance, and more! But before that, I chat about what I've been up to in my absence and where the podcast is headed moving forward.

00:00 Intro, Where I've Been 06:51 New Episode Types 10:23 Rock is a Lady's Modesty 14:20 WITCH WATCH 18:15 ZatsuTabi That's Journey 21:26 Kowloon Generic Romance 25:01 My Hero Academia: Vigilantes 28:43 Wind Breaker S2

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

Calling all Digidestineds!! This week on The Wonder of Anime I'm joined by the incredible Serrandon. Serrandon (Sir-ran-den) is a director, photographer, and content creator based in Los Angeles. Inspired by anime, video games, and pop culture of the late 90s & 2000s, Serrandon produces vibrant, "in-your-face" content that makes you feel like a tween again. Serrandon has a web series titled, Plug_N an immersive retrospect show that gives a fresh perspective on video games, tech, and toys from yesteryear.

In this episode we discuss the 2001 anime, Digimon Tamers! We talk about why it was so different from Digimon Adventures, the darker theme it discusses, the new movies, and so much more.

*Apologies for the issues in sound quality in this episode. I had some technical difficulties midway through recording and needed to change microphones.

Follow Serrandon: X (formally Twitter) Instagram Tiktok Website

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve

Welcome back to a new season of The Wonder of Anime! Cristal Marie is joining me for the first episode back! Cristal Marie is the host of the official Crunchyroll podcast CrunchyCast, a V-tuber, and an award-winning singer/creator living the Anime Girl life in NYC. She is best known for being on YouTube's Get In The Robot, Beyond The Bot, and now The Hollow TV.

In this episode, Cristal Marie and I dive into CODE GEASS, the 2006 original anime about an exiled prince, childhood best friends, and mecha?! Strap in because Cristal Marie breaks down how Code Geass paved the way for a lot of anime in terms of telling these types of stories. We also discuss the light Yagami comparisons, Attack on Titan, and Jujutsu Kaisen. (No spoilers, I promise!)

Follow Cristal Marie:

Instagram X Twitch YouTube

Follow Lisa: https://thewonderofanime.com Instagram Facebook Twitter / X Recorded using a Sony A6000 and a Hyper Quad X microphone Intro Music: LAKEY INSPIRED - Arcade Edited by Lisa De La Cruz using Davinci Resolve