Ultra Podcast Z - A-to-J Connections

Ultra Podcast Z 107 (VTubers w/ Callie) | Twitch Chess, Vtuber History, Becoming A VTuber, More!

9/9/2020

Live Broadcast:
September 8, 2020 6:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Nyaru
Callie

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z is now a part VTuber show! Nyaru has gone full VTuber and achieved her final form and the show technically has taken on a new name: Ultra Podcast Z & Knuckles! Some shifts in style are to be expected, but we plan to continue on as we always have for over 100 episodes! Now, this Nyaru debut one featured Callie as a guest and we all talked about VTubers, Konaru's debut, and a weirdly long discussion about chess competitions on twitch and competitive checkers. This was always a slightly cursed episode and featured fifteen minutes in the middle where we lost the stream, but not the call, so seeing as we didn't stop recording (and didn't say anything bad!) we decided it'd be fun to just leave in the parts where we freaked out and all our false starts. We're not sure if this is entertaining or not, but it's a little behind the scenes bit and usually ends up on the cutting room floor. Anyhow, we discussed things from history, popular VTubers, and some of the unseen costs involved in becoming a VTuber. There's some good info to find here. Anyhow, there's lots to look forward to in the future so be sure to keep follow UPZ&K! As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 106 (Fav Wikis & Online Resources) | VTubers, TinierMe, Idol Documentaries, More!

9/2/2020

Live Broadcast:
September 1, 2020 6:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Konaru

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z finally returns after an accidental break in the schedule. Three weeks off and we're back one week ahead of Konaru's upcoming VTuber debut! We had a rather long opening where we discussed a lot of updates regarding both of our streaming schedules and a lot of details of Konaru's (soon to be "Nyaru") debut. We even talked some Sonic OC art and even a bit about Racheal's upcoming VTuber debut which comes at a bit of a random surprise to everyone. Our main topic for this episode was mainly to talk about our favorite resource or fandom sites and we were also going to have Jasmine on, but due to a lot of factors we didn't have Jasmine and we didn't have the fullest of lists of sites so we had a lot of randomness in between. Unfortunately, most of Konaru's sites were dead, but we did go down a nice memory lane talking about TinierMe and its presence in the con scene a full decade ago. In the end we shared some sites, mainly wikis, and the active ones can be linked to below. We wrapped up this somewhat chill episode with a brief talk of idol documentaries, specifically the BBC's recent one on Junior Idols and the newest BNK48 one. We're back to the normal schedule though and next week we will see Nyaru as a VTuber so be sure to tune in next week for that! As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 105 (Overseas Idols w/ Callie & Tiffany) | Community, Gatekeeping, Critique, More!

8/12/2020

Live Broadcast:
August 11, 2020 6:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Callie
Tiffany

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z finally returns back to its proper time and day, but we had a little fun when it came to the hosts this week! Last week we discussed how idols were seen in by those outside the fandom (basically how they were mistakenly seen) and this was seen as a natural follow-up to that one continuing along some of the points we touched upon there. As chance would have it though a bit of drama hit the scene and rather than change up the topic (as we have such a small window to put together a decent series of talking points/hosts) we just shuffled things a bit and along the way replaced Konaru for this week! We hit upon a lot of points that we had hoped to do before the drama hit and, even though we tried to avoid it like the plague, we touched a bit upon that particular topic here and there without naming any names though. Hopefully we don't rattle any cages even though this was originally taken just as a casual topic on our long podcast road and not exactly a harsh examination of the scene as a whole. Let us know what you thought about this one though as we're always open to other views and discussion, but in case we did rattle those aforementioned cages, be sure to keep it clean and civil. Also, we were actually pretty on top of changing the topic header as we moved along so feel free to scrub along even though we did add in our usual levels of randomness here and there! As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 104 (Idol Misrepresentation w/ Molly) | ANN Survey, Idols @ Cons, Produce 101, More!

8/6/2020

Live Broadcast:
August 5, 2020 6:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Konaru
Molly

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z changed it's day again a bit as Konaru was once again on the move, but we went live with Episode 104 which is the first truly outlined episode since the furry one! Molly joined us this week and we were all a little bit tired, but were able to bring out the energy when we needed it. With that in mind, it's worth noting that this is the most non-visual episode we've probably ever done so it is pretty much truly a "podcast" at this point and might be best enjoyed leaving in a window on its own and just listening to it. As for the topics though, after our usual intro nonsense, we dove into the the topic of how idols, and the idol fandom, are largely misrepresented by outsiders. "Outsiders" in this case is pretty much any non-fan such as mainstream media, nerd media, and even conventions. This was all spurred on by a rather ridiculous survey that was put out by Anime News Network and we discussed that as well. After our deep dives into that (along with a lot of storytime along the way) we moved briefly into our bonus topic which is what the "Produce 101" shows have done for non-KPop groups, in this case namely "IZ*ONE" (Produce48) and "Rocket Girls" (Produce 101 China). A fun episode with only a bit of visuals to go along with things be sure to check it out and hopefully we offer more in the way of video next week! As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 103 (Summer Nonsense w/ Callie) | Updates, Memories, Summer Camp, Randomness, More!

7/29/2020

Live Broadcast:
July 29, 2020 7:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Konaru
Callie

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z soldiers on with a very chill, very random Episode 103! Callie joined us last minute for this one and we were originally going to talk some recent news stories and "Summer" stuff. A very loose prompt that we only partially managed to do as we had the most chill episode ever. It was discussed how we have lost some of our live viewers on our UPZ streams (possibly) due to a lot of skipped episodes and schedule changes. That said, we still strive to give a good show as we can and after a really short intro, and a mini talk on BNK48, we did talk a lot about Summer and how our schools handled it, what we did during the summer, and all sorts of nonsense on Summer Camps, Girl Scouts, Royal Rangers, and lots more! More randomness rounded out the show and a barely-there Konaru (still getting ready for her VTuber debut) tossed in her two cents to deliver an episode that, while it's not the usual high energy type fare we pull, can still be quite entertaining. Also, check out yet more Quarantine Blues-esque topics even though we're technically retiring that series of podcasts! Keep in mind that the topics list for this episode are particularly loose, so it might be best to just skim through/watch the entire thing. As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 102 (Revival w/ Jasmine) | WACKchin Audition, Becoming A VTuber, Travel Nonsense, More!

7/23/2020

Live Broadcast:
July 22, 2020 7:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Konaru
Jasmine

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z returns after a short accidental break with episode 102! Weeks of delays as we tried to get this Jasmine co-hosted episode off the ground made it so that it actually took place on A-to-J's sixth anniversary! We didn't really mention it all too much as the July anniversary is more of a "soft" anniversary (we celebrate another in November when the site itself launched) but it's worth a mention. Jasmine joins us again, though planned and not last minute, and she discussed a lot of her recent activities such as her entering MiSS ID, her experiences in the (ongoing) WACK auditions, and even a bit on her new, upcoming fashion line. Elsewhere Konaru went into a bit of detail about where she's been (having taken a break from streaming on her end) and her plans to become a VTuber. From there we discussed a bit of idol groups before just devolving into a lot of nonsense regarding travel with an emphasis on South Korea and Japan, including things you shouldn't/can't look up online while in South Korea and how you can kill time going in circles on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo! There was a lot of randomness here but also a lot of fun and we can't wait to get back into the UPZ groove! As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 101 (Odottemita & Zhaiwu) | DANCEROID, CUCA, RE-M!X, Kaya, Ririri, Penta, More!

7/1/2020

Live Broadcast:
June 30, 2020 7:30 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Konaru

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z crosses the hundred episode threshold with Episode 101! Riffing off a topic Manuel covered in the recent Drink Talk Learn stream, it was decided that we'd discuss odottemita (dance covers) and how we got into the fandom (as well as performing for Konaru) and some of our favorites. It's worth mentioning that the live stream was VERY late due to a lot of nonsense and not a lot of our viewers turned up for the live version as they probably assumed that we had cancelled with no word, but this turned out to be a very fun show! After discussing how we discovered odottemita we went into some of our favorite odorites and videos. Discussing CUCA (now Sakaki Miyu of STU48) was VERY nostalgic and we had a lot of memories of following her over the years. Owing to the recent DTL the topic of "zhaiwu" (the Chinese dance cover scene) was discussed as well and we looked into Re-M!X, Xisi, and Kaya. Lots of other favorites were discussed and we could've honestly gone on for hours watching more videos and discussing other amazing odorites. It's safe to say that this is a topic that we'll probably come back to sometime in the future. Hopefully when we do, it'll feature a guest co-host and we won't sleep through the call time! Let us know what you think and feel free to share some of your favorite odottemita videos in the comments below! As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 100 (Furry Fandom w/ Kayla) | Furries, Fursonas, Fursuits, Furry Conventions, More!

6/24/2020

Live Broadcast:
June 23, 2020 6:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Konaru
Kayla Kitsune

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z has FINALLY hit 100 episodes and as we have been promising for months now, it's an episode on the furry fandom! We had a very long run getting this one together and a hell of a time finding a co-host for it. Originally intended to feature Ren, Max, or both, we ended up lucking out after being referred to Kayla Kitsune and it turned out to be a very good mix as far as co-hosts go! While we didn't take as in-depth a dive into the history of the furry fandom as we originally intended (which is fine as the "Down The Rabbit Hole" video below does a better job than we ever could in our show anyway) but we covered a lot of facets of the fandom, such as art, fursuits, fursonas, and furry conventions. We even covered some odd topics here like the prevalence of NSFW artwork in the furry sphere and things like "yiffing", "crinklers", and Rainfurrest! We even touched upon the mixture of the Sonic OC fandom with the furry fandom and the rise of Beastars kind of becoming a new gateway for furries today. A fun show all around and we're excited to have finally tackled it! Be sure to let us know your experiences with the furry fandom and any aspects of the fandom we might want to tackle in the eventual second episode of this topic. (Which will happen LONG before another 100 episodes pass!) Anyhow, here's to another 100 episodes with all sorts of similarly fun topics! As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 99.75 (Hello! Project Tier List) | Past, Present & Favorite Groups, Podcast Plans

6/17/2020

Live Broadcast:
June 16, 2020 6:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Konaru

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z took two weeks off and we're back with a rather short, though fun, tier list where we rank nearly all the Hello! Project groups/soloists according to our likes and dislikes. This idea was born out of the most recent Drink Talk Learn stream where Hina listed her favorites and it was thought that this would make a nice stop-gap show until our scheduled 100 podcast (the long-discussed "furry" episode) and because of this we kinda hit the list and left rather early so this show is a nice quick and painless look into our favorites within Hello! Project if you're so inclined! Also, it's worth noting that, due to the fact that we're somewhat superfans, we decided to eliminate the "D" and "F" tiers and replace them with "SS" and "SSS". This means that the lowest any group could be placed was "C" and so on. A little different and while this list might've been a little more interesting with one or two other hosts giving their opinions, we were proud of it and hope you enjoy it too. Let us know what changes you'd make and if you're a fan of any of the groups we talked about! There's not much else to say as we didn't really linger too much on this one and discuss many things that weren't related to the tier list or our upcoming shows so just bear with this somewhat actual "half" episode. As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!

Ultra Podcast Z 99.5 (Randomness w/ Callie & Molly) | Fanime, Storytime, Conspiracy Theories, More!

5/29/2020

Live Broadcast:
May 26, 2020 6:00 PM PDT

Hosts:
Manuel
Konaru
Callie
Molly

Description:
Ultra Podcast Z is still in quarantine and we're coming off our recent Drink Talk Learn stream with the TRUE Episode 99.5! This was originally to be a FanimeCon appreciation podcast as we are huge fans of that particular convention and it was one of many that was forced to cancel its 2020 show, but the podcast turned into something more. We were a little unable to focus on telling a cohesive and linear story here about our first FanimeCons and our favorite FanimeCon memories, but the stories were there and we discussed a lot regarding Fanimaid and other relative nonsense like the issues that maid cafe causes to A-to-J panels at Fanime. In between this though we talked a LOT about food (the origin of "ketchup" anyone?) and some of our earliest drug and alcohol experiences. We did tie some of them into anime conventions, but yeah, there was a lot of randomness in this one. That isn't all of it though as we were considering wrapping up the show and then we accidentally dived into the world of conspiracy theories AGAIN but with a lot more manic energy this time around. Honestly, that crazy abrupt ending is almost worth watching on its own... Oh yeah, RIP FanimeCon 2020 and we'll definitely be back in 2021! As always, take care of yourselves and each other in these trying times and stay healthy and safe! If you want to watch Ultra Podcast Z live then check out our twitch channel: twitch.tv/atojplays We are live every Tuesday at 6 PM PST!