Podcast appearances and mentions of lauren orsini

Canadian comedy titan Seth Rogen discusses his debut book, Yearbook, his famous use of cannabis and why he thinks comedy is undervalued. Journalist Lauren Orsini walks us through how cosplay became a global phenomenon. New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman tells us why Michael Heizer's monumental project City defies easy description. Iqaluit-based multidisciplinary artist Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory discusses how climate change permeates all aspects of her art and life in the North.

Ionatan and Ravi are joined by Lauren Orsini, a web developer and anime blogger, to discuss her career in journalism and coverage of otaku culture. They talk about Lauren's own interest in anime and 'Gundam' models before diving into what it takes to be an anime journalist writing for broad and niche audiences and how fan culture has changed over the years as anime has become more mainstream.

What's the difference between a monkey and a great ape? Where is Chicago in the Cowboy Bebop universe? What is a seinen anime? Was Tainted Donuts real or just a weird dream we had? This week, we (badly) answer these questions and more with otaku journalist Lauren Orsini.  References:Lauren Orsini's website:https://www.otakujournalist.com/Vulture's Gig Economy article:https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/cowboy-bebop-2020-gig-economy.htmlTainted Donutes ;) :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9e_WIoJJnI

At AnimeNEXT 2018, Doug hosted an AnimeCons TV Live panel to talk about conventions and play a game of "What's This Panel Really About?" Our complete coverage of AnimeNEXT 2018 can be seen on AnimeCons TV.

At AnimeNEXT 2018, Doug hosted an AnimeCons TV Live panel to talk about conventions and play a game of "What's This Panel Really About?" Our complete coverage of AnimeNEXT 2018 can be seen on AnimeCons TV.

At AnimeNEXT 2018, Doug hosted an AnimeCons TV Live panel to talk about conventions and play a game of "What's This Panel Really About?" Our complete coverage of AnimeNEXT 2018 can be seen on AnimeCons TV.

At AnimeNEXT 2018, Doug hosted an AnimeCons TV Live panel to talk about conventions and play a game of "What's This Panel Really About?" Our complete coverage of AnimeNEXT 2018 can be seen on AnimeCons TV.

Take part A1-2 and add part D3-5, then turn the middle part top-wise?? This week, we're talking about the world of Gundam plastic models, AKA Gunpla, with special guest, Lauren Orsini—_[The Otaku Journalist](https://www.otakujournalist.com/)_ and author of _[Gunpla 101](https://www.gunpla101.com/)_! Next week: Are you hearing voices? Animal noises? The creme-de-la-creme? The feminine abyss? I'm not sure what any of that means, but we'll be hear to talk Scott Pilgrim with a special guest! ## Where can I learn more about Lauren Orsini? If you want to learn more about Lauren, you can [follow her on Twitter](https;//twitter.com/laureninspace), or read about more of her work on [The Otaku Journalist](https://www.otakujournalist.com/), _[Gunpla 101](https://www.gunpla101.com/), or the [Gunpla 101 twitter](https;//twitter.com/gunpla101)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** While doing the research for this week's topic and unearthing the history of Gunpla, we inevitably were lead to our guests on words. From [Gunpla101.com's "the History of Gunpla"](https://www.gunpla101.com/the-history-of-gunpla/): > Mobile Suit Gundam, the first Gundam series ever, aired in 1979. > > Less than a year later, the first Gunpla kit appeared. And for the past 30 years, people of all ages have continued to enjoy this unusual hobby. > ... > - The word “Gunpla” was coined at the same time as the first kit. Like “cosplay,” it's a Japanese amalgamation of two English words—“Gundam” and “plastic,” as in “plastic model. English speakers will interchange this with “Gundam models,” but we usually say Gunpla because it's shorter. > - The first Gunpla, released in July 1980, cost just 300 yen, or about $3. Obviously, it was a kit for making the very first Mobile Suit Gundam model. > - The earliest Gunpla kits, released between 1980 and 1989, are nothing like the Gunpla we build today. Instead of snapping together, you had to glue them together with cement. Even trickier, they were all one color, and you'd need to paint them first! You'd get a rigid, hardly poseable model for your reward. Today these are called FG (First Grade) kits. > - The first High Grade was released in 1990 and cost 1000 yen, or about $10. As would become a tradition, the first model of any grade was the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Today High Grade is synonymous with “cheap and easy,” but in 1990 it was considered a more detailed, poseable grade of Gunpla. > - The first Master Grade was released in 1995 and cost 2500 yen, or about $25. It is the first time the original Mobile Suit Gundam was named correctly, as the RX-78-2. The grade was originally designed to be used for a select number of models to commemorate Gundam's 15th anniversary, but the popularity of these more accurate models is why they're still being manufactured to this day. > - The first Perfect Grade Gunpla appeared in 1998 and cost 12,000 yen or about $120. Today's Perfect Grades make this look cheap, often topping $200 or more. Perfect grades come in 1/60 scale and include so much detail that they can take weeks to build. They may even come with wiring for LEDs or other electronic features. > ... > - The first Real Grade showed up just recently, in 2010. It was designed to be a step up from High Grade in terms of realism, without being as complicated as a Master Grade. **Search Data:** Looking at some of the [Google Trends data since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F077wn1), Gunpla has gained some popularity, and is relatively stable in terms of search volume having grown by 50% since 2004. There appears to be some precipitating event around September 2013 where interest picked up quite a bit, possibly in relation to _[Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam:_The_Origin)_ being released in North America? It's unclear. [// Gundam build fighters - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun

Take part A1-2 and add part D3-5, then turn the middle part top-wise?? This week, we're talking about the world of Gundam plastic models, AKA Gunpla, with special guest, Lauren Orsini—The Otaku Journalist and author of Gunpla 101! Next week: Are you hearing voices? Animal noises? The creme-de-la-creme? The feminine abyss? I'm not sure what any of that means, but we'll be hear to talk Scott Pilgrim with a special guest! Where can I learn more about Lauren Orsini? If you want to learn more about Lauren, you can follow her on Twitter, or read about more of her work on The Otaku Journalist, _Gunpla 101, or the Gunpla 101 twitter! Episode outline Fandom Facts History and Origins: While doing the research for this week's topic and unearthing the history of Gunpla, we inevitably were lead to our guests on words. From Gunpla101.com's "the History of Gunpla": > Mobile Suit Gundam, the first Gundam series ever, aired in 1979. > > Less than a year later, the first Gunpla kit appeared. And for the past 30 years, people of all ages have continued to enjoy this unusual hobby. > ... > - The word “Gunpla” was coined at the same time as the first kit. Like “cosplay,” it’s a Japanese amalgamation of two English words—“Gundam” and “plastic,” as in “plastic model. English speakers will interchange this with “Gundam models,” but we usually say Gunpla because it’s shorter. > - The first Gunpla, released in July 1980, cost just 300 yen, or about $3. Obviously, it was a kit for making the very first Mobile Suit Gundam model. > - The earliest Gunpla kits, released between 1980 and 1989, are nothing like the Gunpla we build today. Instead of snapping together, you had to glue them together with cement. Even trickier, they were all one color, and you’d need to paint them first! You’d get a rigid, hardly poseable model for your reward. Today these are called FG (First Grade) kits. > - The first High Grade was released in 1990 and cost 1000 yen, or about $10. As would become a tradition, the first model of any grade was the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Today High Grade is synonymous with “cheap and easy,” but in 1990 it was considered a more detailed, poseable grade of Gunpla. > - The first Master Grade was released in 1995 and cost 2500 yen, or about $25. It is the first time the original Mobile Suit Gundam was named correctly, as the RX-78-2. The grade was originally designed to be used for a select number of models to commemorate Gundam’s 15th anniversary, but the popularity of these more accurate models is why they’re still being manufactured to this day. > - The first Perfect Grade Gunpla appeared in 1998 and cost 12,000 yen or about $120. Today’s Perfect Grades make this look cheap, often topping $200 or more. Perfect grades come in 1/60 scale and include so much detail that they can take weeks to build. They may even come with wiring for LEDs or other electronic features. > ... > - The first Real Grade showed up just recently, in 2010. It was designed to be a step up from High Grade in terms of realism, without being as complicated as a Master Grade. Search Data: Looking at some of the Google Trends data since 2004, Gunpla has gained some popularity, and is relatively stable in terms of search volume having grown by 50% since 2004. There appears to be some precipitating event around September 2013 where interest picked up quite a bit, possibly in relation to Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin being released in North America? It's unclear. The top ten countries by search volume are: Japan (by a huge margin), Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, China, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Canada is 11th, and the United States is 13th. Size of Fandom: Based on a number of different sources: The Gunpla Subreddit has over 48 000 subscribers The Advanced Gunpla Subreddit has over 3000 subscribers "As of 2015, Bandai has sold an estimate 450 million units, with nearly 2,000 different Gundam plastic models" Wikipedia. A simple calculation of units per model gives us over 225 000 units per model (and a good rough estimate of the number of fans). It's safe to say that there are probably more than 100 000 fans. Fan Demographics: We don't have data for this week's fandom, but we do have some data of fans of Gundam from the Gunpla subreddit, which is close (it's at least the same sample population). From a survey conducted by MrUsamaKhan... Most folks got into Gundam via the Anime (79.7%), but a large percentage also got into it via Gunpla (13.5%) Gundam Wing was the first Gundam anime that most saw (42.1%) followed by Mobile Suit Gundam (14.2%), and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED/SEED Destiny (12.7%) There was also a link to Gunpla demographics in Japan which includes some age data and a comparison of 2010 to 2015 (along with when different Gundam series were released): Age: The largest group is folks ages 40-50 (30%) followed by folks ages 30-40 (22%) then folks age 20-30 (20%). It looks like, for the most part, folks are growing up with the hobby, but also, younger folks are getting into it too! From Lauren's own Gunpla 101 stats: Age: About 33% are ages 25 - 30 (the largest group) followed by folks 18-24 (Google Analytics does not report on folks younger than age 18) Gender: Fairly even, with 54% male and 46% female Fanac Fast Facts: There are over 6300 works on Archive Of Our Own in the Gundam series: Age ratings: Teen and up (1900+), General Audience (1700+), Explicit (1200+) Categories: M/M (3700+), Gen (1500+), F/M (1200+) Fandoms: Gundam Wing (5100+), Gundam 00 (400+), Gundam Seed (200+) Japanese researchers discovered in 2005 that in a study of university students, building Gunpla before doing mathematical drills produced a significant improvement in completion time. Last Episode's Famous Last Words Michael How big can the models get? G Are there enthusiasts who don't care about the series at all? T What are the forbidden techniques of Gunpla? (think about Lego) Z Gunpla is the modern day ship-in-a-bottle building. This week's spotlight Gunpla Builders World Cup > “Gunpla Builders World Cup” is the official Gunpla global tournament presented by BANDAI where modelers around the world show off their completed Gundam models. The competition determines the greatest Gunpla builder in the world and let creators fight for the title of Gunpla World Cup Champion! If you happen to be at Otakuthon next week, you can probably participate in the Canadian semi-finals portion of the GBWC! OR if you happen to be at Otakon, you can check out Lauren's panel, 39 Years of Gundam Anime, or the Art in Gundam panel. Race Against Time IV > Now in its fourth year running, the Race Against Time is an annual charity marathon to raise money for the Alzheimer Society of Canada by beating the SNES classic, Chrono Trigger, as many times as possible in 24 hours. This year, the event is running every week until August 11 and 12 for the main event (see website for detailed schedule). > > Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that slowly robs those afflicted of their memories, and, eventually, their very sense of being. We are racing to help preserve those memories of loved ones and for a cure to stop it once and for all! > > All donations go directly to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Famous Last Words This week's famous last words around next week's fandom, Scott Pilgrim! T How popular is Scott, as a character within the fandom? G Is the music portion of Scott Pilgrim as important to the GN fans as it is to fans of the movie? Z How divisive was the movie? Lauren What did you think of Lost at Sea?? Do you want to talk about Lost at Sea with Lauren? Where can you find us online? We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media: If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on twitch.tv every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time! For all the latest updates, check us out on Facebook or Twitter To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on Instagram For our latest convention updates, Let's Plays, and other in-real-life video, check out our YouTube channel We're also on iTunes, and Google Play, and would love it if you could leave a review and rating! if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try nick@thenickscast.com You can check out our website; that will mostly bring you back to this stuff. Everything is thenickscast, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that! What is "Fanthropological"? How did you read this far without asking this question?! Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish. Who is "The Nickscast"? We are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the most creative). Ahem We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more. We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. Because everyone's a fan. Thanks Special thanks to Lauren Orsini for making the time to chat with us, especially as she was in the midst of a move when we had chatted with her! Credits Sources Wikipedia - Gundam Models Gunpla 101 - The History of Gunpla Wikipedia - Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin r/Gunpla - [Results] The Definitive Gundam Survey 2016 - Initial Results Archive of Our Own - Gundam Series and related fandoms Prezi - Model kit building and its effect on the brain Crunchyroll - Social Media Falls In Love With "Gundam" Relationship Story Gunpla 101 - Trust You: The Making of a PG Gundam 00 Diorama Gunpla 101 - How Gunpla First Came To America Wikipedia - Impossible Bottle Instructables - Building a Ship in a Bottle YouTube - Putting a Ship Into a Bottle Marine Insight - Everything About Ship in a Bottle - The Famous Nautical Gift Folk Art in Bottles - The History of Ships in Bottles Wikipedia - Gundman Model The Gundam Wiki - Gunpla Gunpla 101 - About Us Anime Amino - Why Build GUNPLA? (An Introduction to Gundam Model Building) The Escapist - Scientist Says Building Gundam Models Makes You Smarter FROM JAPAN Blog - Why Is Gunpla So Addictive? Quora - Can You Buy Gunpla When You Become Adult in Japan. And Do "Most" People Look Down on You? r/Gunpla - Why Do You Build Gunpla? r/Gunpla - Dear r/Gunpla, Thank You r/Gunpla - Does Anybody Else NOT Watch Gundam? r/Gunpla - Thoughts on SD Gundams Shaolin Wahnam Institute Forum - Model Building, Another Form of Meditation? Music / Sound "Conjuring a New Enemy" by TeknoAXE used under CC BY 4.0 All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

This week, we're teaming up to get a high score with Michael Kimball as we blast into the world of... Galaga?! What is it about the classic arcade game that has held its allure for more than thirty years? And where is the fandom heading? Next week, we move from space fighter to space _robots_ to talk about Gunpla with [the Otaku Journalist, Lauren Orsini](https://www.otakujournalist.com/)! ## Where can I learn more about Michael Kimball? You can learn more about Michael by [checking out his website](http://www.michael-kimball.com/) or perhaps even by reading his book, [_Galaga_](https://bossfightbooks.com/collections/books/products/galaga-by-michael-kimball) published by Boss Fight books! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > Galaga is a Japanese arcade game developed and published by Namco Japan and by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to 1979's Galaxian. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a spacecraft which is situated at the bottom of the screen, with enemy aliens arriving in formation at the beginning of a stage, either trying to destroy, collide with, or capture the spaceship, with the player progressing every time alien forces are vanquished. > > — [Wikipedia - Galaga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaga) The game has been re-released and sequeled multiple times, with at least twenty different games existing in its release history including tie-in versions for popular anime _Space Dandy_ and fighting game series _Tekken_. **Size of Fandom:** Estimating the number of fans is always difficult. Using a few data points that we have: - The [Galaga subreddit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaga) has about 140 subscribers - The [Arcade subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/cade/) has over 22 000 subscribers - The [Retrogaming subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/retrogaming/) has almost 63 000 subscribers - Two remixes on [OverClocked Remixes](http://ocremix.org/game/192/galaga-arc) - [300 000 people](http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-bc-as--new-zealand-galaga-wars-20180504-story.html) tuned in to watch a livestream of a Galaga tournament Given such a wide range of values, the safest estimate probably puts the number of fans _in the thousands_. **Fast Facts:** - Archive Of Our Own and FanFiction.net have about 60 fanfics combined that reference Galaga, the majority of which involve "Galaga Guy" from the first Avengers movie; even DeviantArt returns a scant almost 3000 results - The 2007 ABC series, _Lost_, features a submarine named after the game > Variety reports **Galaga Chronicles is being developed by The Nuttery Entertainment, who reached an agreement with the original creators, Bandai Namco. The firm will be responsible for developing a story and characters for the Galaga series for the first time in its over 30 year history**. No official word yet on where the animated series is set to land if it's completed and greenlit, but it's being reported the series and other Galaga related projects the company is working on will be cut across various platforms. The project is still very early on in development, so no release date has been given as of yet. > > — [Cinemablend - Galaga Might Get A TV Show, And Yes, We Mean That Galaga](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1683990/galaga-might-get-a-tv-show-and-yes-we-mean-that-galaga) ### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/#-name) Famous Last Words **Justus** Given the age of Galaga and the fact that there haven't been that many remakes over the years... why Galaga? What is it about that game that lends itself to the longevity of the fandom? [// Why are folks still a fan?]: # [// I am also curious about this]: # **T** How does the community stay together, given how small it is? [// I found an official forum, but it was almost dead?]: # **G** Is there an aspect to Galaga fandom that is non-competitive? **Z**

Mecha enthusiasts Lauren Orsini, Sean O'Mara, and TomAznable join Grant for a special episode all about Gundam and Gunpla model kits.

Mecha enthusiasts Lauren Orsini, Sean O'Mara, and TomAznable join Grant for a special episode all about Gundam and Gunpla model kits.

In Episode 39, “Fansplaining!!! On Ice,” Elizabeth and Flourish interview Lauren Orsini, a journalist and anime expert. Topics discussed include different generations of anime fandom in the United States, the way language barriers affect the transcultural conversation, depictions of gay men in anime, and—of course—Yuri!!! On Ice. They also take reader mail and discuss the term “beta reader” and the less-common “alpha reader” in fanfiction communities.

On the newest APOSS, Jack is on extra-spoopy Halloween assignment, and David is joined by THE Otaku Journalist, Lauren Orsini! David & Lauren cover the latest news on Makoto Shinkai’s “Your name” and Funimation’s shot at Oscar qualification. Not to mention the film’s YUUUGE numbers in Japan. Plus, the final take on Serena kissing Ash […] The post Anime Podcast of Some Sort: Otaku Journalist Lauren Orsini reminds us “That’s okay!” appeared first on Delta Juliet Mike Media.

Thank you for listening! For more detailed information about this episode, check out Beneath the Tangles at http://beneaththetangles.com/category/the-tangles/ … … …Continue reading →

Lauren Orsini enters the lab and talks about her latest book, Build Your Anime Blog, and how self-publishing is the way to go over traditional methods.

Welcome to the eleventh episode of the official Crunchyroll Podcast, CrunchyCast! Each week, we'll be bringing you the hottest news and perspectives on the world of anime. Join hosts Evan and Victoria as they delve into the best programming the web has to offer, explore pressing questions, and interview the anime community and industry's most compelling personalities.   Show Notes:   News Victoria: Dragon Quest VIII makes its way to the 3DS Lauren: Yowamushi Pedal character rankings come in! Evan: Dallos is now on Crunchyroll! Build Your Anime Blog is now available! Anime Lauren’s fascinated by the consequences of alternative selves in Gunslinger Stratos Victoria goes deep on the latest Sailor Moon Crystal Evan’s excited by the pitching animation in the That’s a Baseball! arc of Jojo’s Questions from #CrunchyCast Horo ‏@TrickedOutHoro @Crunchyroll Is there an anime that you really like a lot, but can't stand one of the protagonists in it? #CrunchyCast Assuming parasyte the maximum was a huge sucess and inspires more old never animated old Manga to be adapted what are Ur picks? - Cyrus Best anime soundtrack ever. Go! - Erik Cheeser Anime Maru ‏@AnimeMaru #crunchycast @laureninspace Will there be a sequel to BYAB on how to transform your anime blog into a sinister worldwide media empire?   You can find more episodes of CrunchyCast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and our Libsyn page.    CrunchyCast is hosted by Victoria Holden and Evan Minto and produced by Miles Thomas and the Crunchyroll Brand team. If you have any questions for our hosts, you can reach us at CrunchyCast@crunchyroll.com, or on Twitter at @SailorBee and @VamptVo respectively.    The opening and ending music in CrunchyCast are produced by Noah Hafford, who can be found at his SoundCloud. 

If you're looking for solid, newbie-friendly guides to tech, Lauren Orsini's got you covered. As a tech journalist for ReadWrite, she's written some CodeNewbie favorites, including a great explanation of git and GIthub. We talk about her writing process, how she tackles a new piece of technology and learns it well enough to write about it, and why she calls herself an "amateur" programmer and really needs to stop. Show Links Digital Ocean (sponsor) MongoDB (sponsor) Heroku (sponsor) TwilioQuest (sponsor) How to draw an owl Learn Python the Hard Way Git Real (Code School) Cloud to Butt PyLadies Codeland Conf Codeland 2019

Thank you for listening! For more detailed information about this episode, check out Beneath the Tangles at http://beneaththetangles.com/category/the-tangles/ … … …Continue reading →

This week, we're teaming up to get a high score with Michael Kimball as we blast into the world of... Galaga?! What is it about the classic arcade game that has held its allure for more than thirty years? And where is the fandom heading? Next week, we move from space fighter to space _robots_ to talk about Gunpla with [the Otaku Journalist, Lauren Orsini](https://www.otakujournalist.com/)! ## Where can I learn more about Michael Kimball? You can learn more about Michael by [checking out his website](http://www.michael-kimball.com/) or perhaps even by reading his book, [_Galaga_](https://bossfightbooks.com/collections/books/products/galaga-by-michael-kimball) published by Boss Fight books! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > Galaga is a Japanese arcade game developed and published by Namco Japan and by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to 1979's Galaxian. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a spacecraft which is situated at the bottom of the screen, with enemy aliens arriving in formation at the beginning of a stage, either trying to destroy, collide with, or capture the spaceship, with the player progressing every time alien forces are vanquished. > > — [Wikipedia - Galaga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaga) The game has been re-released and sequeled multiple times, with at least twenty different games existing in its release history including tie-in versions for popular anime _Space Dandy_ and fighting game series _Tekken_. **Size of Fandom:** Estimating the number of fans is always difficult. Using a few data points that we have: - The [Galaga subreddit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaga) has about 140 subscribers - The [Arcade subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/cade/) has over 22 000 subscribers - The [Retrogaming subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/retrogaming/) has almost 63 000 subscribers - Two remixes on [OverClocked Remixes](http://ocremix.org/game/192/galaga-arc) - [300 000 people](http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-bc-as--new-zealand-galaga-wars-20180504-story.html) tuned in to watch a livestream of a Galaga tournament Given such a wide range of values, the safest estimate probably puts the number of fans _in the thousands_. **Fast Facts:** - Archive Of Our Own and FanFiction.net have about 60 fanfics combined that reference Galaga, the majority of which involve "Galaga Guy" from the first Avengers movie; even DeviantArt returns a scant almost 3000 results - The 2007 ABC series, _Lost_, features a submarine named after the game > Variety reports **Galaga Chronicles is being developed by The Nuttery Entertainment, who reached an agreement with the original creators, Bandai Namco. The firm will be responsible for developing a story and characters for the Galaga series for the first time in its over 30 year history**. No official word yet on where the animated series is set to land if it's completed and greenlit, but it's being reported the series and other Galaga related projects the company is working on will be cut across various platforms. The project is still very early on in development, so no release date has been given as of yet. > > — [Cinemablend - Galaga Might Get A TV Show, And Yes, We Mean That Galaga](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1683990/galaga-might-get-a-tv-show-and-yes-we-mean-that-galaga) ### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/#-name) Famous Last Words **Justus** Given the age of Galaga and the fact that there haven't been that many remakes over the years... why Galaga? What is it about that game that lends itself to the longevity of the fandom? [// Why are folks still a fan?]: # [// I am also curious about this]: # **T** How does the community stay together, given how small it is? [// I found an official forum, but it was almost dead?]: # **G** Is there an aspect to Galaga fandom that is non-competitive? **Z**

Take part A1-2 and add part D3-5, then turn the middle part top-wise?? This week, we're talking about the world of Gundam plastic models, AKA Gunpla, with special guest, Lauren Orsini—_[The Otaku Journalist](https://www.otakujournalist.com/)_ and author of _[Gunpla 101](https://www.gunpla101.com/)_! Next week: Are you hearing voices? Animal noises? The creme-de-la-creme? The feminine abyss? I'm not sure what any of that means, but we'll be hear to talk Scott Pilgrim with a special guest! ## Where can I learn more about Lauren Orsini? If you want to learn more about Lauren, you can [follow her on Twitter](https;//twitter.com/laureninspace), or read about more of her work on [The Otaku Journalist](https://www.otakujournalist.com/), _[Gunpla 101](https://www.gunpla101.com/), or the [Gunpla 101 twitter](https;//twitter.com/gunpla101)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** While doing the research for this week's topic and unearthing the history of Gunpla, we inevitably were lead to our guests on words. From [Gunpla101.com's "the History of Gunpla"](https://www.gunpla101.com/the-history-of-gunpla/): > Mobile Suit Gundam, the first Gundam series ever, aired in 1979. > > Less than a year later, the first Gunpla kit appeared. And for the past 30 years, people of all ages have continued to enjoy this unusual hobby. > ... > - The word “Gunpla” was coined at the same time as the first kit. Like “cosplay,” it's a Japanese amalgamation of two English words—“Gundam” and “plastic,” as in “plastic model. English speakers will interchange this with “Gundam models,” but we usually say Gunpla because it's shorter. > - The first Gunpla, released in July 1980, cost just 300 yen, or about $3. Obviously, it was a kit for making the very first Mobile Suit Gundam model. > - The earliest Gunpla kits, released between 1980 and 1989, are nothing like the Gunpla we build today. Instead of snapping together, you had to glue them together with cement. Even trickier, they were all one color, and you'd need to paint them first! You'd get a rigid, hardly poseable model for your reward. Today these are called FG (First Grade) kits. > - The first High Grade was released in 1990 and cost 1000 yen, or about $10. As would become a tradition, the first model of any grade was the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Today High Grade is synonymous with “cheap and easy,” but in 1990 it was considered a more detailed, poseable grade of Gunpla. > - The first Master Grade was released in 1995 and cost 2500 yen, or about $25. It is the first time the original Mobile Suit Gundam was named correctly, as the RX-78-2. The grade was originally designed to be used for a select number of models to commemorate Gundam's 15th anniversary, but the popularity of these more accurate models is why they're still being manufactured to this day. > - The first Perfect Grade Gunpla appeared in 1998 and cost 12,000 yen or about $120. Today's Perfect Grades make this look cheap, often topping $200 or more. Perfect grades come in 1/60 scale and include so much detail that they can take weeks to build. They may even come with wiring for LEDs or other electronic features. > ... > - The first Real Grade showed up just recently, in 2010. It was designed to be a step up from High Grade in terms of realism, without being as complicated as a Master Grade. **Search Data:** Looking at some of the [Google Trends data since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F077wn1), Gunpla has gained some popularity, and is relatively stable in terms of search volume having grown by 50% since 2004. There appears to be some precipitating event around September 2013 where interest picked up quite a bit, possibly in relation to _[Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam:_The_Origin)_ being released in North America? It's unclear. [// Gundam build fighters - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun