In this lesson, your sensei school you on the (abbreviated) history of the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC and talk about some of their favorite Sakura characters in anime, manga and gaming.

Otaku Cram School

Cherry Blossom Festival

Happy White Day, gakusei!  On today's lesson of Otaku Cram School, we discuss the history and significance of White Day in East Asian cultures - as well as discussing our favorite love & romance / rom-coms / and dating sim IPs in all of otakudom! There are certainly some picks we talked about to consume with your koibito today!  Enjoy! Matta ne! 

Lesson 15: White Day 101

Welcome gakusei to another lesson of Otaku Cram School!  To celebrate the recent conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympics, Ebonne and Chris-sensei put together a crash course lesson into the history of sports anime and manga. Although this is a highly abridged history spanning across 50+ years, we cover the most important historical events and publications that helped to define sports anime and manga today!  Enjoy the lesson! Matta ne!  Some Important Links:  Keijo - now a REAL sport!  Cowboy Bebop on ICE Sailor Moon on ICE  Yuri on ICE... on ICE 

Lesson 14: Sports Anime 101

2017 has past and we are well into our way into 2018!  To celebrate a year of classes, our first ever and esteemed guest sensei, Breeze Grigas, returns to give updates on his amazing mecha tabletop game - AEGIS: Combining Robots by Zephyr Workshop! Breeze-sensei sits down to chat with Chris-sensei and Mike-sensei to talk about otaku culture in 2017 - including our top picks of the entire year! We also discussed what we're looking forward to in 2018! To find out more about Zephyr Workshop and AEGIS: Combining Robots, please follow them on social media:  Website Facebook Twitter Twitch  We reference a few of our past episodes during our graduation ceremony. Feel free to check them out!  Lesson 3 - Descending Stories: Show Genroku Rakugo Shinju Lesson 5 - Supaidaman (The Spider-Men of Japan) Lesson 10 - Webtoons Enjoy! Matta ne! 

Otaku Cram School: Lesson 13 - Graduation Ceremony (2017) w/ Breeze Grigas

Merry Kurimasu and Happy New Years to everyone!!!  To cap off an excellent year of lessons, Mike, Ebonne, and Chris-sensei bring aboard special guest host, Hayley-sensei, to talk about our favorite winter and holiday themed otaku IPs! Hayley-sensei also schools us about all the amazing things she did on her recent trip to Japan! Take notes gakusei - there are some amazing attractions and places to definitely keep an eye on!  Thank you to all you gakusei for making this such a wonderful year of lessons! Happy Holidays, Happy New Years, and we will see you in 2018 for a brand new year and semester!!! 

Lesson 12: Holiday Cram School 101

Welcome gakusei to another exciting lesson of Otaku Cram School!  This month, Ebonne-sensei leads an exciting history lesson and discussion about one of the most recent and revolutionary forms of comics that is literally taking the world by storm - webtoons (a.k.a. manhwa, or South Korean comics). Join us as we discuss the medium, its most popular platforms and apps (Line Webtoons, Lezhin Comics), and our favorite webtoons we are consuming at the moment!  Enjoy! Matta ne! 

Lesson 11: Webtoons

Happy Halloween, gakusei!  Welcome to Kowai Cram School! What does kowai mean?? IT MEANS SCARY AND SPOOOOKYYY! And for our 10th lesson, the inaugural Haunted Halloween Classroom Special, Mike, Ebonne, and Chris-sensei each bring a terrifying blind pick of a horror IP for you to consume this Halloween! LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK! BAHAHAHAHA!  Enjoy, and matta ne!  

Kowai Cram School - The Haunted Halloween Classroom Special (2017)

Welcome students to another lesson of Otaku Cram School!!!  Today Mike-sensei and Chris-sensei are bringing you a very special episode. In lieu of the recent release of Muv Luv Alternative on Steam / PC, Mike-sensei has prepared a lesson on one of THE greatest visual novel franchises of all time - Muv Luv!  Do you love romantic comedies and slice of life stories? Excellently designed and fleshed out characters and relationships? What about real robot mecha? GAMES OF THRONES STYLE POLITICAL INTRIGUE AND BACKSTABBING!?!? SURE, WHY NOT? Muv Luv has all this and more! In particular, we cover the main games: Muv Luv Extra, Muv Luv Unlimited, and Muv Luv Alternative. We also cover the excellent anime adaptations Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse and Schwarzes Marken - both of which are available to stream on Crunchyroll!  Don't forget to like, rate, share, and subscribe! Stay tuned for our super spoopy Otaku Cram School Haunted Halloween Classroom Special!  Enjoy, and matta ne! 

Lesson 9: Muv Luv

Welcome students! You are the Ultimate Listeners and are now enrolled in a new semester at Otaku Cram School with Mike-sensei, Ebonne-sensei, and Chris-sensei!! You are now trapped and can only graduate if you listen to this episode - LESSON 8, DANGANRONPA 101!!!!  In honor of the impending release of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony in North America this week, Mike-sensei has prepared for us a crash course history lesson on the critically acclaimed and dangerously addicting game franchise of Danganronpa and all of its adaptations!  Don't forget to tweet, like, or post on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts with the hashtag #OCSDanganronpaV3 for a chance to win a copy of the launch edition for Danganronpa V3! WHO WILL BE OTAKU CRAM SCHOOL'S ULTIMATE LUCKY STUDENT!?!?!  Don't forget to like, rate, share, and subscribe to this podcast! Also, please leave us a review on iTunes! Matta ne! +++ Music credits "Dangan Ronpa!" was composed by Masafumi Takada and Satoshi Iwase, and belong to Sound Prestige Records. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Lesson 8: Danganronpa

Welcome gakusei to another exciting lesson of Otaku Cram School!  With the recent release of the U.S. live action Death Note adaptation on Netflix this summer, Chris-sensei and Mike-sensei have to give you all a crash course history lesson into the widely acclaimed Death Note franchise, followed by a heated seminar discussion of the Netflix adaptation directed by Adam Wingard!  Let us know your thoughts about the movie, and about the Death Note franchise in general! And stay tuned for our next lesson - DANGANRONPA 101.  Matta ne!  +++ Credits to the amazing Yoshihisa Hirano for their track "Low of Solipsism" from the 2006 anime adaptation. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Lesson 7: Death Note (Netflix)

Welcome students to another exciting lesson of Otaku Cram School!!!  This month we have a very special group of guests joining us on the show to discuss their creator owned manga, anime, and entertainment label - Noir Caesar Entertainment!  We were gracious to have on the entire crew, including:  Johnny O'Bryant - NBA Player, Founder  Creator of PRIMUS 7, PLAYBOY, XOGENASYS,  Corey Mikell - Production Manager Oversees daily operations, Creator of SPACE POP, Writer of PRIMUS 7, PLAYBOY, SPACE POP, SHINTO (American Translation) Jacqueline Cottrell (JaxJaxattaxx)- PR Oversees daily operations, Entertainment Hostess, Social Media Face Marcus Johnson - Concept Development/Co-Founder Creator of ARMS of the Dragon In this lesson, we discuss the history, mission, and goals of Noir Caesar; what major influences in anime, manga, and pop culture inspired their works; their first convention appearance at BlerdCon 2017; and what to expect from them in the future! We would like to thank the entire team for coming on to our show!  Don't forget - Noir Caesar is making a special guest appearance at the Crunchyroll Expo this month to reveal new and exclusive material and teasers!  To find out more about Noir Caesar, be sure to visit their social media platforms:  Website: https://www.noircaesar.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoirCaesarLLC/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoirCaesar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noircaesar/ Tune in next month for our upcoming Lessons! Thank you! Matta ne! 

Lesson 6: Creator Owned Manga 101 with Noir Caesar Entertainment

NANI KORE!?! ANOTHER LESSON???  That's right, gakusei! To celebrate the recent release of Spiderman: Homecoming, Sensei Chris and Sensei Mike whipped together a surprise lesson plan to teach you all about the Spider-Men of Japan ranging from the 1970s live-action Toei tokasatsu Spider-Man show (that features a Spidey that fights villains with a freaking giant robot!!!!) to a variety of different Spider-Man manga incarnations that been published within the last 40 years! (Fun fact: thanks to Marvel Comics, ALL of these Japanese Spideys are now official canon!)  In this lesson, we give you the crash course in Supaidaman, Spider-Man: The Manga, Spider-Man J, and Marvel Mangaverse Spider-Man!  So get ready, Spider-Friends, your crash course into the friendly neighborhood Spider-Men of Tokyo begins now! 

Lesson 5: Supaidaman (The Spider-Men of Japan)

Welcome back students to another exciting lesson! Summer cram school is in session and we are going to take on K-Pop! Specifically, the spread of hallyu (or the Korean Wave) in the United States & around the world!   Furthermore, we have amazing guest sensei ready to school us - Mia Stenie, DJ and a founding member of Bae Bae DC, a K-Pop entertainment group in Washington DC & Claire Martinez - a K-Pop guru and connoisseur!  In this lesson, we explore the history of K-Pop & the Korean Wave, discuss its similarities and differences with US pop culture, and why it is such a formidable cultural powerhouse!  We want to thank Mia and Claire for being wonderful hosts! Furthermore, if you're going to be in town in mid-August for Otakon, Bae Bae DC is hosting a summer K-Pop dance party event! Be sure to check it out! Details about the event can be found here!  Enjoy! 

Lesson 4: K-Pop (The Korean Wave) with Mia Stenie & Claire Martinez

Konbanwa, students!!!  Welcome to a very special NEW segment of Otaku Cram School - Extra Credit!! These are sub-episodes where we review and discuss broadly a particular genre or hobby in otaku culture. In our inaugural extra credit lesson, we are going to tackle MECHA ANIME & MANGA. We are honored and privileged to have Breeze Grigas - the director / lead designer at Zephyr Workshop as our guest sensei. Breeze Grigas and his fantastic team have been developing and Kickstarting an incredible tabletop board game called A.E.G.I.S.: Super Combining Robot Tactics - a game where you and your friends create teams of combining robots & battle each other!!!  In this episode, Breeze-sensei, Chris-sensei, and Ebonne-sensei will give you the crash course in the main typologies of mecha, the history of mecha, and our top favorite picks. Furthermore, we discuss with Breeze about the mechanics, design philosophy, development, and future of his fantastic mecha board game!  As of this posting, the Kickstarter campaign is still live and active until Friday, June 9th! Please check out the Kickstarter and support an amazing game & team here! For more information, you can also visit their website!  Feel free to follow any of the social media platforms below to get the latest news and updates about A.E.G.I.S.!  Twitter - @zephyr_workshop Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ProjectAegis/ Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/zephyrworkshop If you're a fan of A.E.G.I.S., feel free to check out Giga-Robo by Alex Cheng - ANOTHER amazing anime mecha themed board game! Here is a link to their original Kickstarter!  For more information about the amazing artists mentioned in the show, Area-11, and Andrew KW (Gundam Rock), see below for links to their website!  Area-11: Website Area-11: "Heaven-Piercing Giga Drill"  Andrew W.K.: Gundam Rock Andrew W.K.: "Fly, Gundam" Check out our Top Picks!!! Please feel free to tweet at us at @OtakuCramSchool with your picks, and your thoughts! BREEZE-SENSEI'S PICKS:  Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Gunbuster Diebuster Dai-Guard G Gundam Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still  Medabots EBONNE-SENSEI'S PICKS:  Voltron: Legendary Defender  Bubblegum Crisis Transformers (TV Series) Transformers: The Movie  CHRIS- SENSEI'S PICKS:  Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann  Neon Genesis Evangelion  Gundam Wing  G Gundam  Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still  The Big O  Zoids: New Century Metal Wolf Chaos Omega Boost  Be sure to like, rate, share, and subscribe to our show! You can find our show here and on iTunes. Here is our RSS feed if you desire to upload this to your podcast player of your choice! Feel free to tweet at us @otakucramschool!  Stay tuned later this month for our next lesson all about K-POP!!!!  +++ All songs and effects ("Area-11 - Heaven-Piercing Giga Drill", "Andrew W.K. - Fly, Gundam", "Martin Kucaj - Medabots Opening Theme (English)") belong to the original artists and their respective studios. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, parody, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

OCS Extra Credit #1 - Mecha 101 with Breeze Grigas (AEGIS Super Combining Robot Tactics)

Welcome students to another exciting lesson here at Otaku Cram School!  Today, Sensei Ebonne, leads us in an exciting dive into the world of rakugo (a classic and entertaining Japanese oral tradition) and its beautiful portrayal in the anime adaptation of Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju!  And stay tuned for next month's lesson. This June - we will attempt to tackle the phenomenon that is K-Pop!!! YOOOOOOOSH! 

Lesson 3: Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

Otaku Cram School is a podcast university devoted to the mandatory education of the best that otaku & Eastern pop culture has to offer! Anime, manga, light novels, video games, JRPGs, music - all are part of our curriculum! To help with your studies are your esteemed sannin no sensei - Chris-sensei, Ebónné-sensei, and Mike-sensei! Benkyoushimashou! (Let's study!)

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