Japanimation Station is an anime podcast where hosts Jonathan Lack and Sean Chapman, creators of Weekly Suit Gundam, create deep dive conversations not just on individual shows, but on complete bodies of work, approaching these shows not just as fans, but with a fresh pair of critical eyes. We get deep into the stories, characters, and aesthetics, but also place the series and their creators into the proper contexts of history, backstory, and behind the scenes details that make these works so special. And, hopefully, we’ll have some fun along the way. Welcome to Japanimation Station.
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Sep 28, 2026 · 3:38:05
We are back for the second half of our Tomino-Thon, and we’re diving in with one of Tomino Yoshiyuki’s most legendary and defining works as a director: 1985’s Mobile Suit Zeta…
Jul 4, 2026 · 3:29:55
This month marks the 60th anniversary of the premiere of Japan’s most iconic tokusatsu franchise: ULTRAMAN! Created by the legendary special effects wizards at Tsuburaya…
Jun 8, 2026 · 3:00:43
For our last episode of Season 6 Part 1, we’re taking a look at the 3 OVA releases for Heavy Metal L-Gaim. Released between 1986 and 1987, the first two offer recap specials of…
Jun 1, 2026 · 3:12:50
The second half of Heavy Metal L-Gaim bucks the trend from Xabungle and Dunbine of Tomino shows that become messier down the home stretch, as this final set of episodes sees Daba…
May 25, 2026 · 3:15:57
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a prickly anime veteran named Tomino Yoshiyuki teamed up with a plucky young aniq`mator named Nagano Mamoru, and with a healthy dose…
May 20, 2026 · 2:49:26
The second installment of the Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway film trilogy is finally here, and it was absolutely worth the five-year wait. The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, based on the…
May 18, 2026 · 3:11:19
The second half of Aura Battler Dunbine is one of the most fascinating and divisive stretches of Tomino Yoshiyuki’s career. After a killer set of episodes following the deepening…
May 11, 2026 · 3:19:15
Grab your motorcycle, hop on the aura road, and cross between the sea and the shore to join us in Byston Well, where we’ll be spending the next 2 weeks with Aura Battler Dunbine!…
May 4, 2026 · 2:12:53
The second half of Combat Mecha Xabungle – episodes 27 through 50 – plays like a second season, with the action moving to Planet Zola’s snowy tundra, a new group of characters…
Apr 27, 2026 · 3:14:01
Beginning an historic, uninterrupted run of 5 back-to-back 50-episode anime series airing from 1982 to 1987, Combat Mecha Xabungle marks an exciting turning point in Tomino…
Apr 20, 2026 · 3:19:54
Many years before Anno Hideaki remade the ending to his audacious but unfinished sci-fi TV series with an avant-garde theatrical tour-de-force in The End of Evangelion, Tomino…
Apr 13, 2026 · 3:58:51
It’s finally time to discuss what is almost certainly Tomino’s best-known and most widely renowned work outside the world of Gundam: 1980’s Space Runaway Ideon, the 39-episode TV…
Apr 6, 2026 · 2:12:54
Considering Japanimation Station started its life in 2019 as Weekly Suit Gundam – which itself started with a six-part podcast miniseries following Sean and Jonathan discussing…
Mar 30, 2026 · 2:44:11
“Exhilaration, humor, and pathos” – these are the three pillars Tomino Yoshiyuki outlined in a pre-production memo for the series that became 1978’s Invincible Steel Man Daitarn…
Mar 23, 2026 · 2:26:31
Our Tomino-thon reaches its first full review of the season with 1977’s Invincible Super Man Zambot 3, the debut series from a newly independent Sunrise, and the first original…
Mar 16, 2026 · 1:57:09
Our Tomino-thon kicks off with a history-focused episode exploring the origins of Tomino Yoshiyuki leading up to the creation of his first full original series, Zambot 3 (which…
Feb 1, 2026 · 14:01
Japanimation Station returns on March 15th, 2026 for its 6th season, and it’s one listeners have been demanding for a long time: our Tomino-thon! Throughout 2026, we’ll be…
Nov 3, 2025 · 2:05:16
We’re back in Kyoto again to look at another new work from our friends at Kyoto Animation: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants To Be Loved, the feature film…
Oct 15, 2025 · 3:30:10
After spending a full year chronicling the history of Kyoto Animation in 2024, we’re back for a brief return trip to review CITY: THE ANIMATION, the latest anime series from the…
Sep 17, 2025 · 2:25:19
Demon Slayer is back in theaters with its second original movie after the record-breaking success of 2020’s Mugen Train, and the latest installment – Part I of the planned…
Jul 1, 2025 · 1:59:52
The latest Gundam TV series, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, wrapped up its 12-episode run this week, which means Weekly Suit Gundam is back to break it all down! A collaboration…
Jun 9, 2025 · 3:29:06
Our Grand Tour comes full circle for its final stop, as we return to the world of Dragon Ball – and the premise of Goku becoming a kid again – for the latest installment in the…
Jun 2, 2025 · 3:52:38
Our Grand Tour finally arrives at one of the most-requested shows in the history of Japanimation Station: the 1997 adaptation of Miura Kentaro’s seminal manga masterpiece,…
May 26, 2025 · 3:30:28
Our dirty pair of Dirty Pair episodes continues this week with a look at the theatrical feature film and cavalcade of OVAs that followed in the wake of the original TV series.…
May 19, 2025 · 3:57:14
Our Grand Tour takes us back to outer space for the irreverent sci-fi comedy classic Dirty Pair! Produced by the amazing talent at Sunrise and inspired by the light novels by…
May 12, 2025 · 2:15:48
Before Anno Hideaki and the team at Studio Gainax changed the course of anime history with Neon Genesis Evangelion, they produced Gunbuster, aka Aim for the Top!, a 6-episode OVA…
May 5, 2025 · 3:02:14
Our Grand Tour now takes us to the turn of the century, and the dawn of modern comedy anime, with the classic series Azumanga Daioh: The Animation! Based on the celebrated…
Apr 28, 2025 · 3:33:55
Takahashi Kazuki’s Yu-Gi-Oh! is a worldwide phenomenon that needs no introduction, since the anime has been airing in one incarnation or another every week for the past 25 years,…
Apr 21, 2025 · 3:45:11
This week, our Grand Tour takes us to one of the most unique series we’ve ever covered: Gonzo’s 26-episode cult classic Welcome to the N.H.K.! Based on the 2002 novel by Takimoto…
Apr 14, 2025 · 3:26:21
Our Grand Tour reaches one of its strangest destinations this week as we complete our trilogy of Tezuka Osamu-themed episodes with a look at the Animerama Trilogy, a collection…
Apr 7, 2025 · 3:07:11
Fifty years after the original Dororo aired on TV, MAPPA brought Tezuka Osamu’s Dororo roaring into the 21st century with a radically different take – and it’s the next stop on…
Mar 31, 2025 · 3:33:53
Our Grand Tour now takes us back to the first decade of anime, and to the work of the ‘God of Manga’ himself, the one and only Tezuka Osamu! The creator of series like Mighty…
Mar 24, 2025 · 2:54:33
Our Grand Tour continues with the second half of Dragon Ball GT, which marked the end of the 18-year ‘Toriyama Block’ on Fuji TV, and the end of new Dragon Ball stories on TV…
Mar 17, 2025 · 3:54:20
Our new season begins with a blast from the past, as we return to the 90s for an in-depth look at Dragon Ball GT, the 64-episode, anime-only extension of Toriyama Akira’s classic…
Mar 3, 2025 · 1:38:30
Gundam is back, which means Weekly Suit Gundam returns once more, thanks to this weekend’s release of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- in American theaters. The film,…
Jan 28, 2025 · 2:19:20
The latest film from Kyoto Animation veteran Yamada Naoko – known for K-On!, A Silent Voice, and Tamako Market – arrived in American theaters courtesy GKids this weekend, and…
Sep 24, 2024 · 2:20:09
The fourth and potentially final TV season of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba aired its fourth season this summer, adapting and expanding on the “Hashira Training…
Sep 10, 2024 · 2:24:07
Weekly Suit Gundam makes its triumphant return to review the long-awaited Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM, the film sequel to the first Gundam anime of the 21st century: Gundam…
Sep 2, 2024 · 2:09:16
It’s the final episode of our Kyoto Vacation season, an incredibly, unexpectedly long journey that’s lasted almost a full year! For this Season Finale, we thought we’d take stock…
Aug 26, 2024 · 2:36:08
It’s the penultimate episode of our Kyoto Vacation season, and while we wait to board the plane back to America, we’ve got one last show to review: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid,…
Aug 19, 2024 · 3:31:39
The 7th and final part of our epic Kyoto Vacation is titled“Through Rain or Shine: The Life and Times of Violet Evergarden,” and in today’s episode we reach the end of that story…
Aug 12, 2024 · 2:37:06
The 7th and final part of our epic Kyoto Vacation continues with the first Violet Evergarden film, Eternity and the Auto-Memory Doll! It is a ‘Gaiden’ side-story that plays like…
Aug 5, 2024 · 4:18:54
The 7th and final part of our epic Kyoto Vacation is titled“Through Rain or Shine: The Life and Times of Violet Evergarden,” which means we finally get to dive into an anime…
Jul 22, 2024 · 2:46:15
Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation comes to an end today with the third and final season of Sound! Euphonium, which also happens to be the most recent production from Kyoto Animation,…
Jul 8, 2024 · 2:02:32
Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation continues with the second Sound! Euphonium movie, and the one that directly follows on the events of the TV show to continue the story of Kumiko in…
Jul 1, 2024 · 3:08:09
Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation is titled ‘Yamada Naoko Strikes Back; or, I Have no Voice and I Must Sound! Euphonium,’ and in this week’s episode, both halves of that title meet,…
Jun 24, 2024 · 3:05:21
Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation continues with Sound! Euphonium 2, the aptly titled second season of Kyoto Animation’s beloved adaptation of Takeda Ayano’s novels. This batch of…
Jun 17, 2024 · 2:48:38
Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation is titled ‘Yamada Naoko Strikes Back; or, I Have no Voice and I Must Sound! Euphonium.’ And from here on, we’re looking at the second half of that…
Jun 10, 2024 · 3:26:11
Welcome back for Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled ‘Yamada Naoko Strikes Back; or, I Have no Voice and I Must Sound! Euphonium.’ And while most of this part will deal with…
May 6, 2024 · 1:54:55
Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” comes to a close with one last adventure with the characters of Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions, in…
Apr 29, 2024 · 2:59:27
We are back for a particularly ‘colorful’ episode of Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” with our review of 2016’s Myriad Colors Phantom World.…
Apr 22, 2024 · 2:47:03
We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we return to the wacky world of Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions for its…
Apr 15, 2024 · 2:24:36
We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we’re discussing what might be the worst series the fine folks at KyoAni…
Apr 8, 2024 · 3:08:57
We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we’re discussing the next series made by the ladies behind K-ON!, 2013’s…
Apr 1, 2024 · 2:40:22
We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” where we will be looking at the period in the 2010s when KyoAni took complete…
Mar 12, 2024 · 3:12:07
Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, and illustrator of the Dragon Quest franchise, passed away this week at the age of 68. His influence on our lives, like…
Feb 26, 2024 · 3:28:05
Part 4 of our Kyoto Vacation is called “My Ordinary Life is a Mystery to be Lived,” and today’s second part tackles the ‘Mystery’ part of that title with 2012’s singular…
Feb 19, 2024 · 3:01:35
Part 4 of our Kyoto Vacation is called “My Ordinary Life is a Mystery to be Lived,” and we begin with one of Kyoto Animation’s most beloved cult classics, and also perhaps the…
Jan 29, 2024 · 2:29:38
Part 3 of our Kyoto Vacation is‘ Moe Money, Moe Problems: After School Tea-Time with the Girls of K-On!’ And today, we’re finishing our journey with Hokago Tea Time by following…
Jan 22, 2024 · 3:07:41
Part 3 of our Kyoto Vacation is‘ Moe Money, Moe Problems: After School Tea-Time with the Girls of K-On!’ And today, we’re discussing the 27-episode second season from 2010, which…
Jan 15, 2024 · 3:15:07
Part 3 of our Kyoto Vacation is‘ Moe Money, Moe Problems: After School Tea-Time with the Girls of K-On!’ And for the next three weeks, we’re reviewing what may be Kyoto…
Dec 25, 2023 · 3:13:33
It’s December 25th, and Christmas has finally come to Otaku Town – and with it, the final episode of Part 2 of our Kyoto Vacation. For today’s very special episode, we are…
Dec 20, 2023 · 2:03:50
Part 2 of our Kyoto Vacation chronicles ‘ When Christmas Came to Otaku Town,’ and that holiday is drawing ever nearer with Season 2 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Aired in…
Dec 13, 2023 · 4:38:33
Part 2 of our Kyoto Vacation chronicles ‘ When Christmas Came to Otaku Town,’ and in this episode, we do an extremely deep-dive into the single craziest experiment ever attempted…
Dec 6, 2023 · 3:17:26
Part 2 of our Kyoto Vacation chronicles ‘ When Christmas Came to Otaku Town,’ and following the wild success of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kyoto Animation moved on to one of the defining…
Nov 29, 2023 · 3:16:58
Part 2 of our Kyoto Vacation chronicles ‘ When Christmas Came to Otaku Town,’ beginning with a look at the first season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Based on the light…
Nov 23, 2023 · 1:39:24
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the first movie based on Persona 3, a game that is one of our all-time favorites here at Japanimation Station . We reviewed each of those…
Nov 22, 2023 · 53:58
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the first movie based on Persona 3, a game that is one of our all-time favorites here at Japanimation Station . We reviewed each of those…
Nov 21, 2023 · 1:07:14
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the first movie based on Persona 3, a game that is one of our all-time favorites here at Japanimation Station . We reviewed each of those…
Nov 20, 2023 · 1:03:40
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the first movie based on Persona 3, a game that is one of our all-time favorites here at Japanimation Station . We reviewed each of those…
Nov 15, 2023 · 3:49:18
Part 1 of our Kyoto Vacation, ‘ Crying is the Key to Happiness,’ comes to a close with Clannad After Story, the second and final season based on the legendary visual novel by Key…
Nov 8, 2023 · 3:34:51
Part 1 of our Kyoto Vacation, ‘ Crying is the Key to Happiness,’ continues with 2007’s Clannad, the first entry in a two-series journey adapting the legendary visual novel by Key…
Nov 1, 2023 · 3:15:23
Part 1 of our Kyoto Vacation, ‘ Crying is the Key to Happiness,’ continues with our review of Kanon, a fascinating snapshot of two groups of storytellers finding their way: The…
Oct 25, 2023 · 3:09:53
Part 1 of our Kyoto Vacation kicks off with ‘ Crying is the Key to Happiness,’ a series of episodes on Kyoto Animation’s adaptations of the acclaimed visual novels by Key…
Oct 18, 2023 · 1:55:21
Welcome to Japanimation Station’s Kyoto Vacation, the fourth season of our podcast and our biggest adventure yet! We are taking a journey through the works of Kyoto Animation,…
Aug 23, 2023 · 2:41:04
“Leave it to my psychokinesis.” The third season of Japanimation Station comes to a close with the jam-packed final installment of The Classic Adventures of Lupin the 3rd! We…
Aug 16, 2023 · 3:09:59
“I guess we do battle tonight, Pops!” For the penultimate episode of Japanimation Station Season 3, we’re looking at a selection of Lupin the 3rdfilms and specials from the brink…
Aug 9, 2023 · 3:29:04
“I can’t just ignore a lovely lady with a big Diamond.” As Lupin the 3rd rounded the corner of the 1980s into the 1990s, the character and the series was in a period of…
Aug 2, 2023 · 3:53:24
“Nobody said I’m not in. We’re just out of cognac.” With Lupin the 3rd Part III, Lupin officially the enters the 1980s and he’s got a new attitude, a new look, and a new jacket –…
Jul 26, 2023 · 3:17:50
“Believe in the power of the thief.” Before he left the world of Lupin behind and went off to change the course of anime history forever with Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,…
Jul 19, 2023 · 3:46:40
“Lupin, our manly drama ends today!” Airing from 1977 to 1980, the second Lupin the 3rd TV anime – retroactively titled “Part II” – produced a whopping 155 episodes, and with the…
Jul 12, 2023 · 2:28:13
“Wherever he goes, he’ll be chased. That is his destiny.” In 1978, Lupin the 3rd made the leap to the big screen with his first animated feature film, and while the second Lupin…
Jul 11, 2023 · 2:59:15
“I’m a greedy person. There’s so much I want to do with Mom and all of you.” Weekly Suit Gundam is back to review the second and final season of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch…
Jul 5, 2023 · 3:24:14
“Lupin. He’s a nice man. But he’s cool.” Welcome to Season 3 of Japanimation Station: The Classic Adventures of Lupin the 3rd! This season, we will be exploring the countless…
Jun 27, 2023 · 2:38:33
“For the sake of someone other than yourself, you can exert infinite strength.” The third season of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba recently wrapped up its hotly…
Jun 7, 2023 · 21:08
Hosts Sean Chapman and Jonathan Lack give you a special look at Season 3 of Japanimation Station, THE CLASSIC ADVENTURES OF LUPIN THE 3RD, premiering July 4th, 2023! In this…
May 10, 2023 · 3:16:04
“Getting to know someone is all about little moments like that, wouldn’t you agree?” In this super-sized season finale of Japanimation Station, we close out ufotable/Moon Works…
May 3, 2023 · 3:03:30
“I’ll show you a miracle.” The journey of Fate/stay night comes to a close with the third and final chapter of the Heaven’s Feel trilogy, Spring Song, and Sean and Jonathan are…
Apr 26, 2023 · 2:33:34
“She’s all I want to protect.” The dark saga that is Heaven’s Feel enters its especially dark middle chapter with Lost Butterfly, the second film in the trilogy, and one that…
Apr 19, 2023 · 2:17:26
“If I ever did something bad, would you forgive me?” We enter the final phase of ufotable/Moon Works with the first part of the Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel trilogy, Presage…
Apr 12, 2023 · 2:42:51
“That’s Hell you’re walking into.” Where the first season of Unlimited Blade Works provided a lot of essential character work, the second season – episodes 13 through 25 – is…
Apr 7, 2023 · 2:29:45
“Starting now, things are gonna get real flashy!” The premiere of the Swordsmith Village Arc is just two days away – on April 9th – and we’re finishing out our reviews of Demon…
Apr 5, 2023 · 2:47:09
“I am the bone of my sword.” After the breakout success of Fate/Zero, ufotable returned in 2014 with an adaptation of the second route in the Fate/stay night visual novel:…
Mar 31, 2023 · 2:06:15
“Set your heart ablaze.” Ahead of the premiere of the Swordsmith Village Arc on April 9th, we’re revisiting a series of reviews of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, ufotable’s…
Mar 29, 2023 · 3:21:27
“Glory lies beyond the horizon.” After covering just the double-length first episode last week, we’re back to discuss the full run of Fate/Zero, the Fate/stay night prequel that…
Mar 24, 2023 · 3:05:58
“The bond between Nezuko and me can’t be severed by anyone.” With Season 3’s Swordsmith Village Arc of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba right around the corner – it premieres April…
Mar 22, 2023 · 1:17:27
“The Holy Grail will save you.” After finishing up The Garden of Sinners last week, we are taking our first steps into the larger world of Fate/stay night, the most iconic of…
Mar 15, 2023 · 2:04:47
“Your dream will live on.” After adapting the original seven chapters of Kara no Kyoukai, ufotable returned in 2011 to animate the novel’s Epilogue chapter as a half-hour short,…
Mar 8, 2023 · 2:48:36
“I won’t let you go, as long as I live.” The original 7-part run of The Garden of Sinners comes to an end with these last two installments, Oblivion Recording and A Study in…
Mar 1, 2023 · 2:34:03
“You know, high rises are strange.” We are only reviewing one installment of The Garden of Sinners this week, but since that installment is Paradox Spiral, we basically have no…
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