Bonus Podcast (with Transcript) 2022 August: Dog Days of Summer

The heat is making us a little loopy; Caitlin, Meru, and Chiaki take an old idiom in a decidedly fuzzy direction. 

Also we uh.....brought up Summer Wars again. Blame the thermostat (and recording several episodes simultaneously). 

--

CHIAKI: Hello and welcome to a bonus episode of Chatty AF: The Anime Feminist Podcast. I’m Chiaki, one of the editors for AniFem. You can find me at @Chiaki747 or @AnimatedEmpress on Twitter. Today we’re with Caitlin and Meru to talk about the dog days of summer. How y’all doing?

CAITLIN: Oh, you know.

MERU: It’s hot.

CAITLIN: It really is the dog days of summer here.

MERU: It’s hot. It’s hot! [Chuckles]

CAITLIN: Yeah, we’re both in Washington. We’re getting a brief respite from the heat wave, the longest stretch of 90-plus days ever in Washington.

MERU: Ooh!

CAITLIN: Which, before you go, “Well, I live somewhere hot,” we both lived somewhere hot, too. Now we don’t have air conditioning. Now our homes are made to trap in heat.

CHIAKI: Yeah, y’all have humidity up there, too.

MERU: Yeah, it was only by the grace of a 50-count bag of Otter Pops that I have survived this week.

CAITLIN: My work is air conditioned. My home is not but my work is.

MERU: Unfortunately, because I work from home, my office consists of a desk fan, a box fan, and a pedestal fan for cooling. [Chuckles] It’s hot!

CAITLIN: [Sighs] Yeah. So, anyway…

CHIAKI: Anyway, Chiaki?

CAITLIN: [crosstalk] How are things up in NorCal?

CHIAKI: Well, down here it’s a little bit better. I lucked out. We have had a few 90-plus days, but that’s not anything weird for us. And my house does not have air conditioning, but I’ve been blessed with mid-80s just these past few weeks rather than 90s. And yes, my work also has air conditioning and it’s in the city, where it’s like 70 degrees. So, it was a microclimate of magic and wonder.

CAITLIN: Truly we are recording during the dog days of summer.

MERU: I mean, we really are. We really are.

CHIAKI: Well, it’s the coolest summer you’re gonna have for the next 100 years.

MERU: Oh no!

CAITLIN: [protesting] Stop it.

MERU: That makes me so sad!

CAITLIN: No, stop, I don’t want to talk about it.

CHIAKI: Okay! Manga, anime! For recommend—

CAITLIN: Yeah, let’s talk about anime.

[Chuckling]

CHIAKI: Well, so, when I pitched this idea of “dog days of summer,” I figured we’d get something to chill out to, relax. And then Dee and Vrai were like, “Oh, you mean, like Where’s My Tama? [sic] and all these other dog-influenced anime?” So I was like, geez, now I gotta find a dog-based title to pitch. Y’all came back with dog-based titles, right?

MERU: I, um… Okay, so, uh…

CHIAKI: [Chuckles]

MERU: [Chuckles] Someone took it literal, and I was like, “Oh, yeah, the dog days of summer, the period from, like, early July to mid-August. I’ll just get a really…”

CAITLIN: No, you didn’t [take it] literal. [Chuckles] You understood the metaphor.

MERU: Yeah! I was like, “Yeah, dog days of summer, like the idiom,” and the thing that happens. The “hot, sultry days,” as Wikipedia describes them. And I was like, “Oh, yeah, I got a summer anime.”

CHIAKI: So what did you get?

MERU: Oh, oh, ooh. Oh, I can tell my title? I chose Summer Wars because, first of all, it’s got “summer” in the title; second of all, it’s very enjoyable.

CAITLIN: I’m sure there are some dog people in the virtual world. It’s the internet; there are furries there.

MERU: Right. I mean, our main character’s a rabbit, so rabbits are just a few steps from dog. I mean, probably not. [Chuckles] But, you know.

CHIAKI: Mm, kind of a stretch but sure.

MERU: They’re in the pet category. They have—

CAITLIN: They have four legs and fur.

MERU: Yeah. And in this movie—

CAITLIN: And some dogs have long ears.

MERU: Yeah, yeah! See, Caitlin understands me.

CAITLIN: Yeah! Listen, I get you.

MERU: You get me.

CAITLIN: I get you.

MERU: Yeah, but I chose Summer Wars.

CHIAKI: I watched Beastars, and I know for a fact that dogs and rabbits are totally different.

MERU: I mean, they are. They are.

CAITLIN: But let’s talk about Summer Wars, which is a great movie.

MERU: Yeah! It’s one of my favorite movies, and I did not see it when it originally came out in 2009 because I was in high school and didn’t have money. But I did see it in 2021, when I was an adult and also didn’t have money.

[Chuckling]

MERU: And I just really like it. It’s a quintessential summertime… It has the feeling of a ‘90s summer caper where a bunch of kids come together and, in this case, take on the internet. And it’s great.

CAITLIN: Yeah, but, except instead of kids, it’s just one big family coming together.

MERU: One big Japanese family in the countryside, which is also hot! So, it’s just all on theme, it’s all on brand. But I really like Summer Wars, because I think it’s a really pretty movie and I think it’s just a really fun movie. And I won’t spoil it, but the climax made me cry because it’s just such a good scene.

CAITLIN: Oh, me too.

MERU: Ah, it’s such a good scene. And it’s just a good family film. If someone was looking for a family film, it’s really in that vein of good to watch with kids, good to watch with teens, good to watch with adults. So yeah. I’m gonna rec Summer Wars.

CHIAKI: That’s good. I never had the opportunity to watch it because, yeah, back in 2009, when I was a poor college student with no money, I didn’t watch it, and then now in 2021, as an adult with a little bit more money, I just have not watched it yet either. But I should just watch it.

MERU: Get on it. Chiaki. There’s a novelization of it and there’s a movie. Come on. Come on. You have no excuse. [Chuckles]

CAITLIN: I think it was also the last Hosoda movie written by… God, what’s her name? The scriptwriter who worked with him on The Girl Who Leapt Through Time as well, and her scripts are great.

MERU: I think it is… Oh, gosh, I can’t remember who it is. But I know… Because I believe she passed away.

CAITLIN: [Gasps] Oh.

MERU: I think she passed away fairly… kind of after this? I might be wrong. I might be thinking someone else. [Chuckles] But… Oh, was it… Satoko Okudera.

CAITLIN: Okudera, yeah. She’s still around.

MERU: Oh, she’s still alive. Sorry, everyone. I’m thinking of another writer who’s probably dead.

CAITLIN: And she also wrote Wolf Children, so we’re wrong just all over here.

MERU: Yeah. It’s the summer heat: can’t think to save my life. [Chuckles]

CAITLIN: We’re not a news site or an encyclopedia site, so it’s okay for us to be wrong sometimes.

MERU: Yeah. Yeah. Feminism is sometimes being wrong.

CAITLIN: That’s right. [Chuckles]

CHIAKI: It’s the importance of admitting you’re wrong and learning from your mistakes.

CAITLIN: If I can sit there and scream at my podcast about Anime World Order being wrong, just sitting there yelling at my phone, then we can be wrong sometimes, too.

MERU: Yeah.

CAITLIN: But anyway. [Chuckles] Yeah, I agree: Summer Wars is a really great pick.

MERU: Mm! It’s very fun.

CAITLIN: I’m now over at my Mamoru Hosoda box set and I’m thinking, “I could just watch it.”

MERU: It’s a good… it’s 114 minutes long, so, on a Saturday, get yourself some popping corn, a box of Mike and Ike, a cold Coca-Cola, and just—

CAITLIN: Now, are you…

MERU: [Laughs]

CAITLIN: Meru?

MERU: Yeah?

CAITLIN: Are you just a grandparent in disguise?

CHIAKI: [Laughs]

MERU: I…

CAITLIN: Are you the same age as the grandma in this movie?

MERU: Look, I love Mike and Ike. I have a candy jar full of Mike and Ike.

CAITLIN: I love Mike and Ikes, too. I was thinking more about the popping corn.

MERU: Oh, yeah! Get yourself some popping corn. Yeah!

CAITLIN: Are you actually the grandmother in this movie? Is this why you’re recommending it?

MERU: I might secretly be this grandmother.

CAITLIN: Are you a badass with a naginata?

MERU: Look, I can’t reveal all my secrets.

CAITLIN: [Laughs]

MERU: [Chuckles] Yeah, get your popping corn, kiddos, and some Mike and Ikes. Or some Raisinets. Raisinets also slap.

CAITLIN: Now, that is old-lady candy.

CHIAKI: I was gonna say, like, Red Hots?

CAITLIN: That’s old-person candy.

MERU: Look, I might be nonbinary but I have the spirit of a grandma.

CAITLIN: [crosstalk] Unlike, of course, Werther’s Originals.

MERU: Look, do not diss my boy Werther’s Originals!

CAITLIN: No, I love Werther’s Originals.

MERU: Yeah, they’re good.

CHIAKI: Yeah, no, I—

MERU: I feel like this has been enough about Summer Wars and my obsession with old candy.

[Laughter]

CAITLIN: All right, shall I go?

CHIAKI: Sure thing.

MERU: [crosstalk] Yeah! What are you recommending?

CAITLIN: So I am recommending Eccentric Family, which I might have talked about for a bonus episode before, when we were talking about our anime resolutions. So, I was looking at dog anime. I was looking at JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, which has dogs from time to time. Part 3 has a major dog character. I looked at Inuyasha.

MERU: Inuyasha is a dog boy.

CHIAKI: Very much a dog anime.

MERU: One of my first loves.

CAITLIN: But I never finished Inuyasha. I mean, technically I haven’t finished Eccentric Family either since I’ve only watched the first half, but that alone, I feel like, makes a really, really solid recommendation. And I heard really good things about the second half, too. But Eccentric Family fits because the main characters are tanuki, and tanuki are raccoon dogs; they are actually part of the canine family. So, I’m recommending Eccentric Family.

It’s based on a Morimi novel like Tatami Galaxy and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time— No. The Night Is Short, So Walk On Girl. Sorry. And so, it’s got his very quirky writing. The city of Kyoto is as much a character… And you really feel the seasons in Kyoto, with all the traditional festivals and stuff, and it does take place over a span of, I believe, several months, so the climax takes place at New Year’s, which is in winter, but I’m pretty sure at least part of it takes place in the summer. It’s been a little while since I’ve watched it.

But it’s just this fantastically warmhearted series about family, specifically a family trying to work through grief, and the loss of tradition. Tanuki are facing a serious loss of habitat all the time, and so they feel that; but also, they are the kind of animals that, like foxes and bears and raccoons, thrive in an urban environment as well. So these are tanuki living in Kyoto, blending into Kyoto. They can change form, so a lot of them spend a lot of time in human form. There’s a lot of traditional Japanese mythology involved in it, and it’s just such a warm show.

MERU: Aw!

CAITLIN: There’s a moment I think of a lot where the siblings—because there’s four brothers—are talking on the phone and they’re passing around the phone and it’s just like, “Hold on, so-and-so wants to talk to you.” It’s like, oh, okay, it’s just like talking to my family at holidays!

You know, so, it’s really just a wonderful series that it’s really hard to sum up everything good about it in an off-the-cuff podcast discussion. I would recommend it to anyone. It is not a show that has done well, like most excellent, truly excellent anime. Very few people watched it.

MERU: That’s really a shame because this sounds really good.

CHIAKI: So, I have a question. Have you seen Pom Poko?

CAITLIN: I have not. It’s one of the few Ghibli movies I haven’t watched.

CHIAKI: Okay, because it sounds a lot like Pom Poko except it seems to be taking a lot more time and it’s less story-driven in the sense that Pom Poko is actively about tanuki being pushed out of their natural habitats and having to adapt to human society. But this sounds a little bit more laid-back, a little bit in the same vein, but also exploring that sense of mythical beings living it up and enjoying themselves.

CAITLIN: I wouldn’t say… You know, I haven’t watched Pom Poko. But from what I know about it, there aren’t too many parallels. Like, it doesn’t really go into habitat destruction. The tanuki in Eccentric Family are… they’re thriving. I mean, there are still… The grief that the family is dealing with from the outset and through the course of the series is that their father was eaten by humans that eat a tanuki every year at New Year’s as a tradition.

CHIAKI: Ooh! What? Huh?

CAITLIN: Yeah.

MERU: [Laughs]

CAITLIN: So, there are still issues with humans, but by and large, they have their own community, but they have also more-or-less integrated into human society in a lot of ways. They are blending in comfortably. They have a house. They walk around in human form most of the time. They seem pretty comfortable.

So you could say it’s maybe an evolution of Pom Poko, where Pom Poko, they’re trying to prevent the habitat destruction, they’re trying to prevent human encroachment; and this is more tanuki who have survived through that and who have lived to learn alongside the humans. But that’s not really the prevailing theme of the show.

It’s not about loss of habitat so much as tradition. You know what I mean? It has a lot of things with festivals and there are tengu, and so it’s interacting very strongly with a lot of traditional Japanese culture. Which, that’s kind of a pet theme with Morimi, right? Maybe not super traditional culture, but with traditions, with rituals, with the cycle of the seasons. So I think that’s more what it’s about.

CHIAKI: Yeah. Kyoto is the perfect setting to do that in.

CAITLIN: It is. I hope I get to go to Kyoto again someday.

MERU: I hope I get to go once, myself. Never got to go while I was in Japan.

CHIAKI: It’s a nice place.

CAITLIN: And Chiaki, that’s where your family is from, right?

CHIAKI: My father’s side, yeah. So we actually live like 10 minutes down the street from Kyoto Station.

CAITLIN: Oh, wow.

MERU: That’s pretty cool.

CHIAKI: By foot. Yeah, I was always like, “People take the bus in Kyoto?” because I never actually rode the bus in Kyoto! I just get off the train and walk to my grandma’s house. It’s like, “Wait, you mean people just don’t live next to the station? People actually have to commute?” But I was also raised as a princess, so whatever.

[Chuckling]

CHIAKI: So, if I’m going to give my recommendation… The caveat for my recommendations usually are that I am so out of step with what most Americans have available, I don’t actually read things in English, and I was kind of grasping at straws to make do with this “dog days” idea, that I actually went and looked up some dog manga to see what would be interesting.

So, I came up with The Dog Returns. It’s still in Japanese; it’s not been translated, I believe. By Kitago Kai. It’s kind of a play on… I think a lot of Americans will know The Cat Returns, like the cat repays its debts.

CAITLIN: Yep, yep.

MERU: Right, right.

CHIAKI: It’s actually based on a—

CAITLIN: You know, as a tangent… Sorry, can I go on a tangent quickly?

CHIAKI: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

CAITLIN: I always think about the translation choice in the title of The Cat Returns, because people think of it like, “Oh, the cat’s coming back.” [Singing to the tune of “The Cat Came Back”] The cat came back the very next day. [Returns to normal voice] Sorry, I had to do that for a second. But it’s not! It’s about the cat returning a favor, and there’s not really a simple translation for that.

MERU: Yeah, because I guess “The Cat Does a Solid” would have really been…

CAITLIN: [Laughs]

CHIAKI: “The Cat Does a Solid”! [Laughs]

[Laughter]

MERU: That was the first thing that came to mind. Yeah, probably wouldn’t have really worked, huh?

CAITLIN: Yeah, or “The Cat’s Repayment.” That doesn’t sound good. There’s not really a good translation.

CHIAKI: [crosstalk] I’m not sure if you know. I’m not sure if you know: this is actually a play on a different folktale called “Tsuru no Ongaeshi,” which is “The Crane Returns a Favor.”

CAITLIN: Okay, yeah, I know that one.

CHIAKI: Yeah, so it’s like “Tsuru no Ongaeshi” and then it’s “Neko no Ongaeshi,” (you know, “Cat’s Return of the Favor”) and now we’re going with a dog. But the Japanese name is “I’m Not Going to Forget This, Ever. ” And it’s about a man who is down on his luck but is taken in by a human husky.

MERU: What?

CAITLIN: Hm?

CHIAKI: Exactly. Okay, so…

CAITLIN: Is this another one of your furry manga?

CHIAKI: Hold on.

MERU: [crosstalk] I was gonna say, is this like a boys’ love or something?

CHIAKI: It is boys’ love, kind of.

MERU: Yes!

CHIAKI: So, in 2016 in the summer, Ryo finds a dog trapped in a gutter and helps him out and saves his life. Two years later, he’s thrown out by his girlfriend and is unable to find work. And so, at that moment, the dog that he saved comes back in the form of a human, but with a dog head, and takes him in and cares for him. And he learns to pick himself back up afterwards. It’s kind of like The Odd Couple, but Felix is a dog.

MERU: [Laughs]

CHIAKI: Who listens to Nirvana and Pixies.

MERU: [crosstalk] That is… curious.

CHIAKI: [Chuckles] Yes.

MERU: And I would like it to be localized.

CAITLIN: Unfortunately, I feel safe saying that this is a series that will never get localized, because that’s fucking weird!

MERU: I mean, I feel like if Titan’s Bride could come out in English, if Dick Fight Island could make it…

CHIAKI: [Laughs]

MERU: …the doors have been thrown open. Nothing is barred.

CHIAKI: Look, it’s good art, it starts out with some really weird parody stuff, and it’s overall pretty heartwarming. Ryo and Kitano get together to take over a candy shop from an old lady who’s thrown out her back. And they just kind of live out their days. It’s a very summery story as well. It takes place over the summer. Very laid-back.

MERU: I just want to say that Kodansha is who publishes this in Japan. So, yo, Kodansha USA, you looking to dip into boys’ love more? Here’s your next title.

CHIAKI: Yep.

MERU: You’re welcome.

CAITLIN: Ah, it would probably be one of the lower-tier titles that gets a crap translation.

MERU: Ah, yeah. Okay, then, Seven Seas.

CHIAKI: [Chuckles]

MERU: Seven Seas, you like to do it a little different.

CAITLIN: Listen, you know who to talk to about that.

MERU: Yeah. Yeah, come on. I mean, you know, let’s mix it up.

CHIAKI: Yeah, it’s two chill dudes in their own respective ways living it out in suburban Japan, except one of them is a dog.

MERU: Yeah. I guarantee Seven Seas has published weirder. So, why not?

CHIAKI: For sure. Speaking of Seven Seas, though… So, I hear there’s a new comic…

CAITLIN: [crosstalk] What a nice segue.

CHIAKI: Yeah. I hear there’s a new comic coming out, a pretty famous one.

MERU: There is!

CHIAKI: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, finally getting an English translation, huh.

MERU: And it’s an omnibus and I think it has french flaps, y’all. I think it has french flaps.

CAITLIN: Ooh, fancy!

MERU: [crosstalk] Yes! Yes! It’s one of five. It’s one of five omnibuses, I believe, and they’re gorgeous.

CHIAKI: It’s like a 17-volume series, or maybe it was a 21-volume series in Japan.

MERU: I know the run of it that I have is 14.

CHIAKI: 14? Is it 14? Was it just 14?

MERU: Yeah. Because I know when they’ve done different runs of it, it has ended up at different volume counts. I have one digitally that’s 10, and I think it was an updated one. But yeah, the run of it that I have is, I think, the original run, and it was originally 14 volumes.

CHIAKI: Gosh, I guess… No, right, right, that’s right, that’s right. It is 14.

MERU: Yeah, so, what I’m going to assume is going to happen with the omnibuses is that 14 over 5 doesn’t really quite calculate out, so I assume it’s just that it’s going to be broken at reasonable places to stop. But yeah, it comes out on August ninth.

CHIAKI: Ninth. So, I think if you’re listening to this, you should be able to go out and get it.

MERU: Go get it. Go get it.

CAITLIN: Real quick, before we run out of time, do wolves count for this?

CHIAKI: I mean, you’ve forced in tanuki, so I think wolves will count.

CAITLIN: I’m just saying, there’s a lot of good anime about wolves.

MERU: Wolf’s Rain.

CAITLIN: Like Princess Mononoke.

CHIAKI: Spice and Wolf.

CAITLIN: Spice and Wolf, yeah. I mean, Ame & Yuki: Wolf Children [sic]. Plus, if we do want a series about a dog, there is the classic, classic series Dog & Scissors.

MERU: [Laughs]

CAITLIN: Don’t watch Dog & Scissors. I can’t… I can’t… I can’t in good faith say that with…

MERU: If you want to feel even more exhausted this summer, go pick up Dog & Scissors.

CAITLIN: Yeah. It’s a story about a guy who gets reincarnated as a dog—as a dachshund, specifically—and he is adopted by his favorite author, who can understand him and then sadistically terrorizes him with scissors, and I’m pretty sure it’s a romance.

MERU: It is indeed. And a comedy.

CAITLIN: [Sighs]

MERU: [Chuckles] Uh-uh.

CAITLIN: Don’t watch Dog & Scissors, guys. Don’t.

CHIAKI: Anyway, thank you for supporting us!

[Laughter]

MERU: You can tell the heat got to us this month, huh.

CHIAKI: [Chuckles]

CAITLIN: [Groans] Listen, I felt bad shortchanging by just giving them a 20-minute bonus episode. Had to add in a little bit there.

CHIAKI: I mean, I think, as far as dog shows go, I mean, you know, Tama and Friends. There are a lot of interesting dog-based entertainment out there.

CAITLIN: Bungo Stray Dogs.

CHIAKI: Bungo— That’s not…

CAITLIN: Dramatical Murder.

MERU: Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. That’s got a dog.

CAITLIN: Don’t watch Dramatical Murder. I mean, if you’re into it, go ahead and watch Dramatical Murder.

MERU: [quietly] No, don’t.

CAITLIN: [Chuckles]

MERU: [quietly] Don’t. Don’t.

CAITLIN: Some people are into it!

MERU: Yeah, I mean, no kink-shaping! [Corrects self with amusement] No kink-shaping? Kinkshaming. No kinkshaming, but [obscured by crosstalk].

CAITLIN: I mean, if you watch it young enough it might be kink-shaping.

MERU: You know what, anything could be kink-shaping if you watch it before you’re supposed to. [Chuckles]

CAITLIN: [Sighs] Anyway…

MERU: Thanks for supporting us.

CHIAKI: It’s not an anime, but I would also highly recommend Homeward Bound.

MERU: I literally… I partially kind of wanted to come up on here with a Homeward Bound recommendation because…

CAITLIN: Oh, man, I haven’t watched that movie since I was so little. I should watch it again, and I know I will cry.

MERU: It’s so good.

CAITLIN: I know I will break down sobbing.

CHIAKI: Y’all, go watch Homeward Bound.

MERU: Go watch it.

CHIAKI: [Chuckles]

MERU: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, 1993’s best film.

CAITLIN: Is that up streaming?

CHIAKI: I don’t know. It’s probably…

MERU: You know what? Probably.

CHIAKI: Disney Plus.

MERU: Probably.

CAITLIN: Oh, yeah.

MERU: [confirming] Disney Plus.

CAITLIN: [crosstalk] Got Michael J. Fox in it, as a pit bull.

CHIAKI: [Chuckles]

MERU: Yeah. Yeah! “Based on The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.” So there’s a book, too!

CAITLIN: [Laughs]

CHIAKI: I don’t know if the book really conveys the beauty of…

CAITLIN: They don’t talk in the book.

MERU: Yeah. They don’t talk and there’s not a dramatic penultimate scene, so…

CHIAKI: Also, in the second one they go around San Francisco, which was really cool.

MERU: There’s a second one?

CHIAKI: Yeah, Homeward Bound II. They’re lost in San Francisco.

MERU: Oh! Huh.

CHIAKI: Anyway, okay.

[Laughter]

CAITLIN: I guess it’s time to finish for real. [Laughs]

CHIAKI: Thank you for supporting us. Your contribution on Patreon really matters, and it allows us to make these kinds of shorts to shoot the breeze with our lovely cohorts. So, we’ll be seeing you next month on Chatty AF.

CAITLIN: Don’t shoot the breeze; you’ll scare it away. We need the breeze. It’s so hot.

MERU: [crosstalk] We need the breeze.

CHIAKI: [Chuckles]

MERU: Oh my God, it’s so hot.