Category: The Speakeasy

The Speakeasy #039: Old Fashioned, Classic Manga in English

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Drink #039: Old Fashioned,
Classic Manga in English

What just got licensed? What’s hot in Japan? What is being brought out day and date? It is rather easy to get obsessed with the latest and greatest manga series but there are plenty of series in the illustrious history of manga worth examining. Each era has its own zeitgeist which produces artists and stories that can only be made in that time. Each era also produces classics that will forever stand the test of time.

So this month we are discussing classic manga. This is hardly the first and last time we will touch of the subject for the podcast. So if you have any titles or more specific niches in classic manga you think we could discuss then we are all ears. This time around, we discuss some of the titles from before 1987 that have moved us.

Before we begin the podcast proper we discuss two untimely passings: the death of manga pioneer Toren Smith and the closure of JManga. We give tribute to two big names in the American manga scene who will be missed.

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And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

Old Fashion

4.5 cl Bourbon or Rye whiskey
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 sugar cube
Few dashes plain water

Place sugar cube in old fashioned glass and saturate with bitters, add a dash of plain water. Muddle until dissolved. Fill the glass with ice cubes and add whiskey. Garnish with orange slice, and a cocktail cherry.

The Speakeasy #038: Love Deluxe, The Fine Art of Shipping

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Drink #038: Love Deluxe,
The Fine Art of Shipping

I know the end before
The story’s been told
It’s not that complicated
But you’re gonna need a bullet proof soul

Bullet Proof Soul – Sade

Shipping is like time, nothing can stop it. Some series don’t have romantic relationships? That cannot stop shipping. Some shows have romantic relationships that are set in stone? That cannot stop shipping. Some shows have asexual characters? That cannot stop shipping.

When people want in their hearts for two characters to hook-up, they become a fearsome force sometimes for good but mostly for evil. For Valentine’s Day we look at how shipping affects fandom and the fans who ship. We even make some confessions about who we ship and which ships we fight against.

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And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

Love Deluxe

1 oz. BarSol Pisco
8-10 red seedless grapes
1 1/2 oz. Riesling
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup

Muddle red seedless grapes in Boston shaker. Add other ingredients and ice to shaker. Shake well and serve in a cocktail glass.

REPOST – The Speakeasy #007: Official OUFC Drink, Get Into the Game!

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Drink #007: Official OUFC
(Oxford United Football Club) Drink,
Get Into the Game!

Sports manga and anime are some of the most popular staple series in Japan along side such institutions as shonen fighting and school romance. Almost any sport has at least one series centered around it with many sports like baseball, boxing, and soccer getting several every year. Classic sports titles are influential on Japanese media and culture as seen by constant references, parodies, homages, and allusions. But why are sports series so well received in Japan but essentially ignored in the U.S.? What about the genre as a whole is so poorly perceived when it contains such a wide variety within?

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(Listen)

And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

Official OUFC (Oxford United Football Club) Drink

1 part Aperol
1 part Pisang Ambon
1 part 7-up

Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into Highball glass.