Feb. 21, 2025

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

The creator of Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima, is on The Anime Effect! He’s sharing who his favorite Fairy Tail characters are, how FAIRY TAIL 100 YEARS QUEST came to be, and so much more! PLUS, the hosts reveal their favorite magical girl anime and their favorite ways anime love interests are introduced!

Welcome to The Anime Effect, the weekly podcast hosted by Crunchyroll's own in-house, resident anime experts – Nicholas Friedman, LeAlec Murray, and Leah President. The show is a lively mix of roundtable news and discussion, featuring Crunchyroll hosts and special guests as they debate hot topics, offer recommendations, and tackle fan questions.

Talk to us! ⁠⁠https://got.cr/AnimeEffectQuestions ⁠⁠

HOSTS: Nicholas Friedman, LeAlec Murray, Leah President
SHOWRUNNER: Megan Peters
V/A DIRECTOR: Shaun Michael Colon
MARKETING PRODUCER: Carla Solorzano
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Nicholas Friedman, Leah President

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Society & Culture

Leisure

Animation & Manga

English

United States

Use API to fetch this episode in JSON

IN THIS EPISODE

lealec murray

# nicholas friedman

# hiro mashima

Edit these tags

TRANSCRIPT 🔗

Are you the producer of this podcast? Add a podcast transcript

Need Audio-to-Text? Transcribe with Listen411 in Just 60 Seconds

SEARCH PAST EPISODES

Search past episodes of The Anime Effect.

Embed this search bar to your website

OTHER EPISODES IN THIS PODCAST

How Anime Is Changing American Superheroes w/ Kyle Higgins | 124

Aug. 14, 2026

Kyle Higgins joins The Anime Effect to explore how anime and tokusatsu are reshaping American superheroes. The writer of Radiant Black, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Ultraman, Nightwing, and Teen Titans breaks down what Hollywood can learn from transformation sequences, legacy heroes, and more. Pl…

00:59:59

SAVE

CLIP

The Real Anime Story Behind Scott Pilgrim w/ Bryan Lee O’Malley | 125

Aug. 28, 2026

Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley joins The Anime Effect to unpack the anime and manga roots behind his hit series, his history with SCIENCE SARU, and his return to Scott Pilgrim with a brand-new comic. Plus, we break down anime's growing footprint in theme parks, One Piece’s new movies, …

01:01:03

SAVE

CLIP

Kingdom Hearts Anime Is Finally Happening, Don’t Panic | NEWS

Aug. 21, 2026

Kingdom Hearts is finally getting an anime, and yes, we are so serious about it. The Anime Effect is breaking down the Kingdom Hearts anime for Disney+ and Disney Channel, why Sora’s story is such a massive deal to gamers, and why this show kept us waiting.Plus, we review Krispy Kreme’s Pokémon don…

00:48:39

SAVE

CLIP

Hatsune Miku’s New Magic: The Gathering Deck Is Pure Anime Joy | 123

Aug. 7, 2026

Hatsune Miku is officially entering Magic: The Gathering with a new Secret Lair Commander deck, and MTG designer Carmen Klomparens joins The Anime Effect to reveal how it came together. Plus, we break down Spider-Man’s latest anime crossover, the first look at Gachiakuta Season 2, Neon Genesis Ev…

01:09:55

SAVE

CLIP

Spider-Man, Gundam & Akira Toriyama Make Anime History | NEWS

July 31, 2026

Spider-Man is swinging out with a new manga! The Anime Effect breaks down Marvel’s next big partnership, Akira Toriyama’s Eisner Award honor, SDCC 2026 highlights, Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO, and the secret sauce for the ULTIMATE anime remake. Welcome to The Anime Effect, the weekly podcast…

00:47:44

SAVE

CLIP

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Crunchyroll , which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.