Gateway to Anime

Episode 114 - The Complicated Legacy of My Hero Academia

With My Hero Academia coming to an end, it's time to reflect on the strange history of this iconic series. 

Once one of the most promising new shonen series after the famous Big 3 (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece), My Hero Academia was primed to usher in the next stage of the anime medium. But after some online controversies regarding the fandom and the emergence of a new wave of more mature and darker shonen like The Dark Trio (Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, Hell's Paradise), My Hero Academia fell out of favour with much of the anime fandom. What's more, the super hero genre that helped the series find initial success became massively oversaturated, with 'super hero fatigue' contributing to the struggles My Hero Academia faced. 

Despite this complicated history, My Hero Academia remains one of the most popular series of its time and has maintained huge manga sales. Now with the final season of the anime set to bring the story to its conclusion, its time for us to reflect on the 

 

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Episode 113 - Fall 2025 Anime Season Recommendations

It's time for a new season of anime! The 2025 fall anime season is about to start - what are the gateway crew excited to watch? Let us know what you are excited for!

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Episode 112 - The Underappreciated Brilliance of Demon Slayer with Gerald Lillywhite

With the upcoming release of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1, Charlie and Sam speak with longtime guest of the show, Gerald Lillywhite all the way from LA to discuss why he (somewhat surprisingly) has Demon Slayer in his top 10 anime of all time. 

 

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Episode 111 - Why Naruto is Still King With Alex Williams

After Netflix released their mid-year data showing that Naruto is the most watched anime on the platform in the West, we decided to get together and talk through why it still has such a presence. 

We're joined by returning guest Alex Williams who is just as much of a Naruto fan (and Boruto) as we are. We talk through how much of an influence it had on us growing up and why we still love it (despite it's flaws). 

 

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Episode 110 - Why Should We Watch One Piece? With Tristan Field

We finally address our great shame of never having watched One Piece (well, Charlie has seen 100ish episodes) by getting One Piece super fan Tristan Field on to convince us to take the plunge. One Piece is Tristan's favorite piece of media ever and he takes us through the genius of Eiichiro Oda and the extraordinary world building of the phenomenon that is One Piece. 

 

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Episode 109 - The Craft of Cosplay with Dr Emerald King

Sam talks with Dr Emerald King from the University of Tasmania to talk through all things Cosplay. Dr King is a literary scholar and cosplayer with a background in Japanese literature and popular culture. Since 2017, she has worked as a volunteer translator and interpreter for the WCS (Wold Cosplay Summit) finals in Japan, and in 2020 she was named a WCS Support Ambassador.

As part of her cosplay research she is a two time Australian national cosplay champion. She has competed in and won a number of prizes, most notably winning the 2023 World Cosplay Summit (WCS) Australia and the right to represent Australia in Japan in 2024.

 

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Episode 108 - Summer 2025 Anime Season Hype-Up | Dandadan, Kaiju #8, Gachiakuta & More

Charlie, Graeme and Sam get together to preview the upcoming 2025 Summer season of anime.  There's a lot of returning shows this season (like Dandadan, Kaiju #8 and My Dress Up Darling) as well as some really interesting new shows that have very much piqued our interest. 

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Episode 107 - J-Pop & Idol Anime | Featuring Sly Ip

You've probably seen Oshi no Ko and you might recognise Hatsune Miku but but the world of J-Pop and Idols is inseparable from anime. There is an idol version of... eeeverything. Whether its mecha or zombies, idols have infused themselves with every anime genre.

Join us as long term Idol fan and returning guest Sly opens the J-Pop gateway. We dive into the history of this unique genre and compare it with the rise of K-Pop as direct competition, while of course recommending the best idol anime along the way.

Episode 106 - Best Anime of Spring 2025 - To Be Hero X, Witch Watch & more

We are now over half way through the 2025 spring anime season and the gateway team have some FEELINGS. 

Disappointments, pleasant surprises and some brand new trends emerging - the gateway team go deep on their thoughts of the Spring season.

 

What's been your favourite show this season?

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Episode 105 - Mecha & Robots in Anime - Live at ACMI Melbourne

With the rise of AI and so much of our lives online, our relationship with technology is ever changing. But anime has been exploring these ideas for decades. As machines and technology shaped our world, anime reflected it back. Whether its giant mecha wars in space or philosophical questions about our identity in the digital age, anime has given us an incredible legacy of stories about technology, robots and mecha.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for this very special live recording and special thanks to the team at ACMI for making it happen!

Learn more at acmi.net.au