For this episode, Sully and Austin had the chance to sit down with noted anime scholar Helen McCarthy!

Helen has been a pioneer in the English-speaking anime community for almost 40 years, having brought anime programming to UK sci-fi conventions, founding and editing Anime UK, and authoring over a dozen books on anime fandom and research. Helen co-authored the monumental Anime Encyclopedia with Jonathan Clements, now in its third edition, written one of the definitive biographies of the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka, which was published in English, Japanese, and Korean, and had the chance to interview Hayao Miyaki in-person for her book Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation.

Sully and Austin reflect on Helen’s beginnings in anime fandom, what it took to publish the world’s largest English-language anime resource, and the importance of diverse voices in global anime scholarship. Helen also gives a sneak peak into her upcoming book: a collection of scholarly essays on the works of Leiji Matsumoto!

If you are interested in researching anime and taking an academic approach to your fandom, you won’t want to miss this episode!

Helen’s personal blog — Helen McCarthy: A Face Made for Radio

Click here to purchase Helen’s books!

Pre-order Leiji Matsumoto: Essays on the Manga and Anime Legend from McFarland books!

Music featured in this episode comes from My Neighbor Totoro, Akira, Mobile Suit Gundam, K-On!, Grendaizer, Urusei Yatsura, Princess Mononoke, Galaxy Express 999, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Daimond is Unbreakable.

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