Category Archives: Podcast

Chic Pixel Plus Episode 7 – Bomberman Canon

Why, if it isn’t another episode of Chic Pixel Plus! I bet you were getting worried, huh? Well never fear, both myself and Chic Pixel Plus are alive and well! A bout of a fiendish flu had me out of commission for most of the week, but I’ve finally bested the microbes. I promise the next episode won’t be so hellishly late!

This week I’m joined by someone so famous they even have their own Wikipedia page! Hayden Scott-Baron is a professional game designer, illustrator, and manga artist, so it was great to virtually sit down and chat with him about his interests, inspirations, and past and current projects. His game experience ranges from the LostWinds series to Tumbledrop, and he even came in second place in the the third volume of the UK & Ireland edition of the Tokyopop Rising Stars of Manga contest. I could go on, but I think it’s best if you just listen to the podcast and hear the man speak for himself!

Not only do I grill Hayden about his professional life, but we talk extensively about anime, manga, and games, as well. In particular, Hayden teaches me a thing or two about importing and the joy of interesting games that aren’t necessarily good. We also reminisce about the early days of anime in the west, while Bomberman Fantasy Race makes us stop to consider the possibilities of a Bomberman universe canon… The podcast clocks in at just about two hours, making it my longest yet, but I do hope you give it a listen!

Download [HERE] [RSS]

In the interest of getting this podcast up in a timely manner, I’ve decided to come back and add the time codes later, as I’m not sure how useful they are to folks anyway. Please let me know if you like to have them!

Opening ♫ – Mr. Driller’s Theme – Mr. Driller Drill Land
Closing ♫ – Theme Song – Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea 

Get in touch with Hayden via Twitter or his website!

Chic Pixel Plus: Episode 6 – Final Fantasy XIV: A Wallet Emptied

Come one, come all, for a very special themed episode of Chic Pixel Plus! This week, I’m joined by Final Fantasy MMO nut and general nerd Mog for an in-depth discussion of Final Fantasy: XIV: A Realm Reborn! And we make a pretty good duo, if I do say so myself:

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper episode without some news, so we also discuss the pre-TGS Sony Japan press conference that was chock-full of exciting and not-quite-as-exciting game and hardware announcements! What’s this newfangled PS Vita model? Did Sony say something about a Soul Sacrifice sequel? What exactly was so bad about the original Final Fantasy XIV? And why do we keep bringing up that other Japanese online game, Phantasy Star Online 2? Find out the answers to these pressing questions and a whole lot more in Chic Pixel Plus episode 6!

Download [HERE] [RSS]

Time codes:

00:00:32 – Introductions
00:00:52 – Sony Japan’s pre-TGS press conference (Soul Sacrifice Delta, Phantasy Star Nova, new Danganronpa, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD PS Vita)
00:13:33 – PS Vita 2000, PS Vita TV
00:24:06 – FFXIV makes Anne consider a PS4
00:30:18 – Main topic: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, our MMO backgrounds
00:35:08 – Final Fantasy XIV 1.0
00:43:43 – From beta to launch
01:00:27 – Endgame
01:20:15 – Closing thoughts

Opening ♫ – By Design – Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Closing ♫ – Akachan wa doko kara kuru no? – The Rub Rabbits! (feat. in Phantasy Star Online 2)

Bonus image:

No, my avatar doesn’t look sketchy at all…

Chic Pixel Plus: Episode 5 – A Wild Husband Appears!

Podcast was super effective! Okay, that was the dumbest joke in the book, but this wouldn’t be Chic Pixel if I didn’t throw in some bad puns or blatant video game references, right? Besides, I’ve always wanted to type “a wild husband appears!” But I’m not just typing it – he really did! That’s right, I finagled my benevolent husband Shaun to podcast with me this week (well, nearly two weeks ago now, but who’s keeping track)!

Shaun and I dressed up in garb inspired by our favorite ‘mons, Psyduck and Swadloon! art by the wonderful Io

In this glorious fifth episode of Chic Pixel Plus (pronounce “plus” with a French accent to make it sound more cultured than it is) we chat all things anime and games… but mostly anime! Things start off with me grilling Shaun on his first and favorite anime and games as a way to introduce him to you lovely listeners (keep an ear out for when I call you “viewers” in the podcast). Then, not only do we give the 411 on currently airing series Free!, Shingeki no Kyojin, and Hunter x Hunter, but we also give our full impressions of an interesting little anime that aired earlier this year called Hataraku Maou-sama!.

Games discussion is limited to SteamWorld Dig (it’s not Japanese shh), some brief news, and contemplation of the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn phase four beta. Since that’s already come and gone, that makes this podcast feel extra late!

Regardless, I do hope you find something interesting in this week’s episode. As always, please leave any comments or questions here, and make sure to speak up if you like Shaun as a guest… if you do, I may be able to arrange for him to make a regular appearance!

Download [HERE] [RSS]

Time codes:
00:00:29 – Introductions, Shaun’s first and favorite anime and games
00:19:08 – Little Witch Academia Collector’s Edition preorders
00:21:27 – Hataraku Maou-sama! anime impressions
00:30:11 – Free! ep. 1-5 discussion (mild spoilers)
00:41:36 – Attack on Titan ep. 1-18 discussion
00:51:34 – New Hunter x Hunter anime discussion
01:00:09 – Game news: FFXIV: A Realm Reborn open beta, Culty’s Monster Hunter gunner guides, Nintendo direct, Senran “boob ninja” Kagura localization announcement
01:21:24 – SteamWorld Dig
01:34:52 – Closing remarks

Opening ♫ – Departure! – Hunter x Hunter
Closing ♫ – SLASH FREE – Free!

I’d also like to get some Q&A for future episodes, so shoot me your questions about anything nerdy or Japan related you like! If I get any, I’ll be sure to answer them on the show. Thanks!

Chic Pixel Plus Episode 4 – Freelance Game Localizer Extrodinare

The long wait for a new Chic Pixel Plus episode is finally over, and I think you’re all in for a treat! Following episode 3’s Japanese language and game-centric podcast, I was lucky enough to snag freelance translator Gabe Glick for a great discussion on game localization, Japanese language learning, and raising a family in Japan. If you’re at all interested in any of those things, then this podcast is for you!

A quick caveat: we recorded two days before I left for Japan, so there is some brief pre-Japan talk, but it doesn’t really affect the content of the podcast as a whole. I just don’t want anyone to think they’re going nuts since I’m already back!

Download [HERE] [RSS]

Time codes:

00:00:20 – Introductions
00:04:13 – Freelance translation/game localization discussion (feat. Chaos Rings, Tales of Graces f, and more!)
00:16:18 – Translation methods and difficulties
00:20:50 – Advanced Japanese language learning, JLPT
00:35:20 – Living in Japan/raising family as a foreigner
00:48:20 – My whirlwind Japan romance
00:58:53 – Character tie-in campaigns and convenience stores
01:10:36 – Closing comments

Opening ♫ – Merchant’s Song – Chaos Rings
Closing ♫ – Domino’s app feat. Hatsune Miku ad

Be sure to check out Gabe’s online portfolio for the full list of games and guides he’s worked on! He can also be contacted on Twitter, and I’m sure he’d be delighted to answer any Japanese language or localization-related questions.

I hope you enjoyed the podcast! Now that I’m back from Japan, I plan to get back to a regular bi-weekly schedule and perfect my weirdly abrupt closing comments (sorry about that!). As always, please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions you may have!

Chic Pixel Plus Episode 3 – Countdown to E3 and Japanland

Now, this is unexpected! An episode of Chic Pixel Plus is actually up early?! No, it’s not a dream – due to the fact that episode 3 contains some pre-E3 speculation, I’ve decided to go ahead and post it a few days ahead of schedule with the hope that everyone has time to listen to it (or at least the pre-E3 portion of the discussion) before all the new announcements start rolling in. So let’s get right to it, shall we?

retro game boxes
Beautiful retro game boxes by The Gay Gamer
For this game-tastic week (sorry, anime fans!), I’m joined by a very special guest: Bryan, one of my fellow podcasters on The Nichiest Podcast Ever, and the curator of The Gay Gamer! We cover a whole range of topics, including our localization announcement hopes for E3 and what it’s like to be a gamer learning Japanese. I also take the opportunity to blab about all the games I’m planning on buying during my impending Japan trip, and I ask Bryan the ultimate question: if you could only buy one retro game console in Japan, what would it be? And somehow the GameBoy Advance manages to sneak its way into the conversation once again!?
Also, you may have noticed something a little different about the site… That’s right, I’ve got my own domain! I’ll also be hosting all future podcasts on my own server from now on, and will try to get an RSS feed and iTunes downloads set up as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!
Time codes:
00:00:32 – Introductions
00:01:40 – News (Cave, Time of EVE Kickstarter, Class of Heroes 2)
00:07:15 – Pre-E3 speculation (Localizations! Next gen consoles! Who needs next gen consoles?!)
00:24:26 – Nerds learning Japanese
00:44:08 – Anne’s upcoming trip to Japan (PC Engines, Guru Logi Champ, Ys, GBA games…)
01:16:00 – Closing remarks
Opening ♫ – Trader – Ys I & II Chronicles
Closing ♫ – Results Music – Guru Logi Champ
 
Thanks for listening! Any and all feedback is always appreciated!

Chic Pixel Plus: Episode 2 – Otaku Gaming

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s another episode of Chic Pixel Plus! To the surprise of everyone, including me, I’ve managed to get the second episode of my new podcast out the door on schedule. Sure, considering I called the first episode the pilot this technically is only episode one, and I managed to completely botch my opening and closing remarks, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory artwork
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory

This week I’m joined by Matt Sainsbury of DigitallyDownloaded to discuss a particular niche of Japanese games often dubbed “otaku games.” Together, we hash out what makes these games appealing, why they tend to have a bad rep outside Japan, and what our favorite otaku games are. Of course, with the recent Xbox One reveal, we couldn’t help but add some of our thoughts, and I took the time to gush about the recent Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- announcement. Even if you’re not a fan of otaku games, be sure to tune in – you might learn something new!

Download [HERE] [RSS]

Time codes:
0:00:25 – introductions
0:01:48 – what are otaku games?
0:09:00 – Love Plus
0:19:15 – Photo Kano Kiss + Photo Kano anime
0:34:00 – Atelier series (Arland trilogy + Ayesha)
0:46:10 – Hyperdimension Neptunia series
0:59:45 – hurdles of publishing otaku games outside Japan, Mugen Souls, otome games
1:09:40 – upcoming otaku games (Time and Eternity)
1:13:48 – news! Xbone, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, BlazBlue anime, Freedom Wars
1:26:21 – closing remarks

Anne Lee || Chic Pixel || @apricotsushi
My Xbox one thoughts are included in this compilation of staff impressions at VGW

Matt Sainsbury || Digitally Downloaded || @DigitallyDownld
Matt’s Xbox one reaction piece

Opening ♫ Koi suru lens – Photo Kano
Ending ♫ Dimension tripper!!!! – Hyperdimension Neptunia The Animation

This time around I used a different program to record the audio, and unfortunately I don’t think it turned out as well. Since I’m still getting the hang of all this, your feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Introducing Chic Pixel’s new bi-weekly podcast, Chic Pixel Plus!

As you may know, I’ve dabbled in the realm of video game-related podcasts for a while now. I’m a cohost of the Nichiest Podcast Ever with shidoshi and Bryan, I’ve appeared infrequently on the Video Game Writers podcast, and I even made a guest appearance on the latest Gaymebar function. But, while I love chatting about video games, I’ve long felt that there aren’t many good podcasts out there that conduct discussions on a variety of Japanese entertainment, particularly anime/manga and games.
So, what’s a blogger to do? Start her own podcast, of course! My latest endeavor, Chic Pixel Plus, will act as a kind of supplement to this blog, and in it I hope to discuss all manner of fun Japan-related things with each of my bi-weekly guests.

On this week’s pilot episode, I’m joined by special guest Elliot Gay of Japanator and the Red Sun Gamer podcast for a discussion of Kyoto Animation’s newly-announced anime Free!, what spring season anime we’re watching, and a few video game-related tidbits including a discussion of just what is up with Compile Heart’s Fairy Fencer F, old-school Ys, and the 3DS eShop game Crimson Shroud. We also get our fangirl on over a rather interesting obsession… Japanese GBA games boxes!

If that sounds up your alley, please give the episode a listen below! You can also download it directly onto your computer, if you prefer, or even manually subscribe on iTunes by adding the RSS feed.

Download [HERE] [RSS]

0:11 – A new challenger appears
3:00 – (fujoshi heaven) Free!
11:40 – Shingeki no Kyojin – Attack on Titan (watch on Crunchyroll)
27:43 – Suisei no Gargantia – Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (watch on Crunchyroll)
37:18 – Aku no Hana – Flowers of Evil (watch on Crunchyroll)
53: 37 – Video gaemz? Fairy Fencer F
1:02:19 – Ysssssss
1:10:05 – Crimson Shroud
1:12:22 – omg GBA boxes
1:20:12 – closing remarks

Guest: Elliot Gay || Japanator.com, Red Sun Gamer || @ryougasaotome

Opening ♫ Honeybee Manor – Final Fantasy VII
Ending ♫ Guren no Yumiya – Shingeki no Kyojin

Since this is my first time recording and editing a podcast, I’d really appreciate your feedback! Is the sound okay? Are the topics interesting? Do I say “um” too much? Please let me know what you think, and look forward to a new episode with a different guest in two weeks!