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Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Helen McCarthy – the author of the recent books The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga and Manga Cross-Stitch – to episode 106 of ANIME TODAY.

In this new interview, McCarthy discusses what anime and manga fans can gain by learning about the background of Astro Boy and Black Jack creator Dr. Osamu Tezuka, the relevance of his work to today’s audiences, how her biography’s pop culture perspective differs from a more academic examination of his career, and which Tezuka works are her very own personal favorites. (The rest of this interview, focusing on her other new book, Manga Cross-Stitch, will air in episode 107 of Anime Today on December 4, 2009.)

A trailblazer in the field of anime writing and journalism, McCarthy’s recent published works include 500 Essential Anime Movies, Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation and The Anime Encyclopedia (co-authored with Jonathan Clements). One of the world’s foremost experts on Miyazaki and the works of Studio Ghibli, she has also curated several seasons of lectures and screenings at London’s Barbican Cinema and is a featured guest and lecturer at conventions and events worldwide, including the recent opening weekend of the Smithsonian Institution’s current exhibition, “Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime.”

Also in Episode 106:

• Chad shares “What’s Hot” in the world of anime and manga.
• Shawne tells fans how they can “get in the spirit to save” on DVDs, Blu-ray and more from Media Blasters and its labels.
• Rich and Nick take a look at how packages get out from RightStuf.com to customers in the third and final installment of “Best Wishes, Stuf!,” which focuses on how outgoing orders are packed and shipped to anime fans.
• Rich announces the latest Year of the Otaku winners (and new weekly contest), remind fans about the contest for the Korean drama adaptation of Boys Over Flowers, and announce a new contest marking the launch of the site for Nozomi Entertainment’s release of Rental Magica.
• Nick provides a rundown of upcoming conventions, courtesy of AnimeCons.com.
• In a new “If… /Then…” segment, Christy offers recommendations to fans of the Gakuen Alice anime series.
• Listen to clips from Fafner Original Soundtrack 1: No Where from Geneon Music. Also hear tracks from JapanFiles.com artists Blue Trike (“Stand up!!” from the CD Daydream) and nanocycle (“folksonomy” from the CD something burning).
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

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Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Frederik L. Schodt and Jared Cook – the translators of the PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka manga – to episode 105 of ANIME TODAY.

In this new, three-segment interview, Schodt and Cook discuss their work on Naoki Urasawa’s reimagining of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy manga, how Dr. Tezuka may have reacted to the recent adaptations of his work, and their unique, two-person translation process.

Long-time translation partners Schodt and Cook collaborated on the English translations and adaptations of Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix and Princess Knight (excerpt for Viz’s Shojo Beat magazine), prior to their work on Pluto. The author of The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom and the Manga/Anime Revolution, Schodt has been recognized with the Osamu Tezuka Culture Special Prize and by the Japanese government with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contributions to the appreciation of manga and Japanese culture worldwide.

Also in Episode 105:

• Chad shares “What’s Hot” in the world of anime and manga.
• Rich tells fans how they can find “Revolutionary Savings” on DVDs, Blu-ray, books and music from Bandai Entertainment.
• Rich and Nick take a look at how packages get out from RightStuf.com to customers in the second installment of “Best Wishes, Stuf!,” which focuses on the customer service, accounting and warehouse departments.
• Nick and Rich announce the latest Year of the Otaku winners (and new weekly contest), announce the winners of the Kimba (Jungle Emperor Leo) contest, and kick off a new contest gearing up for this month’s release of the Boys Over Flowers Korean drama.
• Rich and Nick provide a rundown of upcoming conventions, courtesy of AnimeCons.com.
• Marie takes a look at the manga Karakuri Odette by Julietta Suzuki.
• Listen to clips from Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack 1 and the Refrain of Evangelion soundtrack from Geneon Music. Also hear tracks from JapanFiles.com artists MORNING GLORY (“Time After Time” from the mini EP Remember) and ketchup mania (“Welcome to Paradise” from their Best of CD).
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

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Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome David Bowers and Maryann Garger – the director and producer of Imagi Studios’ newly released ASTRO BOY movie – to episode 104 of ANIME TODAY.

In this new, two-segment interview, Bowers and Garger discuss how they each became involved with the Astro Boy project, talk about the challenges of introducing Astro Boy to new fans while also still appealing to long-time fans of the series, share details about the film adaptation and its vocal cast, and hint at the Easter eggs fans of the original series can find throughout the movie.

Prior to directing Astro Boy, David Bowers co-directed the 2006 computer-animated film Flushed Away, served as the storyboard supervisor for Aardman Animations’ Chicken Run, and worked as an animator and story artist for projects including Balto and the Dreamworks’ feature films The Prince of Egypt and The Road to El Dorado. Maryann Garger’s credits include serving as co-producer for Flushed Away and producer for the animated short First Flight, as well as work on Madagascar, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, The Prince of Egypt and Pocahontas.

Also in Episode 104:

• Chad shares “What’s Hot” in the world of anime and manga.
• Rich tells fans how they can “Unleash Fierce Savings” on manga from Go! Comi.
• Rich and Nick take a look at how packages get out from RightStuf.com to customers in the first installment of “Best Wishes, Stuf!,” a special feature in anticipation of Anime Today’s fourth anniversary.
• Nick and Rich announce the latest Year of the Otaku winners (and new weekly contest), announce the winners of the Rockin’ Android SUGURI Perfect Edition contest, and kick-off a new contest for an official Jungle Emperor Leo (Kimba) collectible wrist watch.
• Rich and Nick provide a rundown of upcoming conventions, courtesy of AnimeCons.com.
• Christy offers recommendations to fans of the original Dragon Ball anime in a new “If…/Then” segment.
• Listen to clips from the Read or Die (R.O.D.) OVA Original Soundtrack and Read or Die (R.O.D.) TV Original Soundtracks 1 and 2 from Geneon Music. Also hear tracks from JapanFiles.com artists SKYBEAVER (“For a Long Time” from the CD The First Countdown) and HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR (“you” from the CD swamp man).
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

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Right Stuf, Inc. examines the highlights of this year’s Tokyo Game Show, looks at the debut volume of Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, kicks off new contests, and much more in episode 103 of ANIME TODAY.

In a special, two-segment edition of the “Anime and Gamers’ Guide to Japan,” Kris and Judy talk about some announcements that are of particular interest to Final Fantasy fans, plus White Knight Chronicles for the PlayStation 3, Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles for the Nintendo Wii, Joy Ride for the Xbox 360, and Infinite Space, Ghost Trick and Tsumuji for the Nintendo DS.

Also in Episode 103:

• Chad shares “What’s Hot” in the world of anime and manga.
• Shawne reminds fans about the last days to find “Supernatural Savings” on manga and books from Viz Media.
• Rich announces the latest Year of the Otaku winners (and new weekly contest) and reminds fans about the contest for copies of Rockin’ Android’s PC game SUGURI Perfect Edition.
• Nick and Rich provide a rundown of upcoming conventions, courtesy of AnimeCons.com.
• Marie takes a look at the first volume of the manga Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee by Hiroyuki Asada.
• - Listen to clips from the Yoko Ishida CDs All of Me and Sweets from Geneon Music. Also hear tracks from JapanFiles.com artists GUARDIAN HACKER (“Burn Me Away” from the CD FLARE IN REVERBERATION) and Furil (“Aurora” from the CD ether).
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

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Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome actor, writer and director Stephanie Sheh – who is best known to fans as “Eureka” in Eureka Seven, “Orihime” in Bleach and “Mikuru” in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – to episode 102 of ANIME TODAY.

In this new, two-part interview, Sheh discusses how she transitioned from working behind the scenes, in a production capacity, to voice acting, her work as an ADR director and script adapter, and her current projects.

Also in Episode 102:

• Chad shares “What’s Hot” in the world of anime and manga.
• Shawne tells fans how they can “blast off with bargains” and find deals on everything from Right Stuf, its Nozomi Entertainment division and more.
• Rich announces the latest Year of the Otaku winners (and new weekly contest), announce the winner of a limited-edition Fruits Basket print, and kick off a new contest for copies of Rockin’ Android’s PC game SUGURI Perfect Edition.
• Rich and Nick provide a rundown of upcoming conventions, courtesy of AnimeCons.com.
• Christy offers recommendations to fans of the NANA anime in a new “If…/Then” segment.
• Kris and Judy discuss Japanese citizens’ privacy concerns about Google Maps’ street view feature.
• Listen to musical clips from the JapanFiles.com CDs mama manner, interphone and birdless by the band mothercoat.
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.