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.