Wota-kai!? Episode 4

It has been 9 weeks since we released the pilot episode. Now we're releasing the 4th.

With each passing episode I feel more and more at ease with this show. I don't think anything will ever help me get over my hatred towards the sound of my own voice, and indeed, the editing process, which often lasts several times the length of the podcast itself, is something of an exercise in trying to not delete all of my own dialogue that makes me cringe.

This episode was no different. Over two and a half hours of audio was recorded, and both trying to clean up the audio and cut it down so it more closely resembles the imaginary 90-minute run-time I have in my head meant that I was still editing this 12 hours after I had started.

But despite the sheer amount of work, which will probably give me nightmares for the next two weeks until it's ready for episode 5, I feel that it's probably my favourite episode so far.

Our guest this week was Murr, currently serving as a translator for fansubbing group TPF, and was formerly one of the core contributors to International Wota. I think I've known her since I joined IntlWota's IRC channel, #wotachat, back in 08. And I'd probably be lying if I said she didn't scare me. Of course, most of the regulars in there scared me over the years - it's fascinating how Idol fandom seems to attract the most insane people.

In the chat, she's always quick (in IRC terms, anyway) to knock me down with a tsukkomi, and I probably imagine her as the most tsundere person in there. But actually talking to her proved to be really enjoyable, and my image of her has probably changed more in the four hours we spoke before and during the podcast than the rest of the four years I've been an wotachatter.

In any case, the guest topics this week were on fansubbing, and the difficulties of translation and how different approaches between different groups can cause problems, and finally on what it is like to live and work in Japan, the centre of fandom for most of us, as Murr does.

You can download the podcast here, or listen to it below.

If you have any comments or feedback, be sure to drop me a line. Also, if you'd like to appear on the show as a guest to voice your own opinions, get in contact with me, as I'm sure we'd be happy to arrange it.

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Wota-kai!? Episode 3

So the show returns for its third episode. The support from you guys, however vocal or silent, has been a huge boon to us, and I thank you.

In some ways, Aika's graduation was something of a godsend. Definitely a shocking turn of events, and tragic for her fans, and of course the dejected Gaki fans who feel that they have had something stolen from them, but with regards to this podcast, it couldn't have come at a better time. 

Last week was effectively the dictionary definition of a "slow news week", and so, right up until the day before we were due to start recording, I honestly had no idea how we were going to fill out the news corner. In the end a combination of Berryz' USB concert and the Aika graduation allowed us a pretty lengthy discussion.

This week we were also joined, as last time, by a special guest. The person we did have penciled in to appear this week had to drop out at almost the last minute, and will hopefully be back for episode 4, but that left us scrambling to find a replacement. 

Luckily, Liamers, a Risa fan I have known for nearly 5 years, had been asking to appear on this show. His schedule meant that he would have to appear on it this week, or he'd have to wait indefinitely for his own schedule to free up a little. But we had already promised the show to the afforementioned guest, so we made arrangements to have Liam back at his earliest convenience. 

This meant that when this week's slot opened up, he was available and ready to make an earlier appearance and the show went forward without a hitch.

In terms of format changes, there's not much. In the interests of time, however, we decided to tweak the way the Guest Topic corner works. Where before the guest and each host would bring an individual topic to discuss, we decided to merge the hosts' topics together. This means that the guest will have a topic to discuss, and Ren and I will have another.

On that note, this week's topics were on Hello!Project and their inability to get roles in mainstream dramas, and on fanworks such as vocal and dance covers, and whether there is any entertainment value in them for anyone other than the creator.

Episode three of Wota-kai!? can be downloaded from Hello! Online tracker here. Alternatively, you can stream it via the widget below.

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