Episode 35 of CLAMP’s podcast, CLAMP Kanbukai, is out! You can listen to it on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.
This episode’s theme is “Movies and ways to beat the summer heat”.
As promised, this episode was delivered on the Summer Solstice (in the North Hemisphere). Last time, Ohkawa-sensei had said that there would be one-on-one interviews before the delivery of this episode, but that did not happen…
The episode begins with a story from CLAMP about randomly meeting a podcast listener. While the four members were walking together in Kyoto, they were unexpectedly recognized by a young woman. They asked how she recognized them and she said it was because of their voices (she said she listens to the podcast). According to CLAMP, the lady was very apologetic saying she wasn’t a stalker or anything and they parted ways very quickly. CLAMP members were grateful for the encounter and wished they could at least have shook her hands.
Next, the members discussed Project Hail Mary, the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel starring Ryan Gosling. Going in with minimal knowledge and deliberately avoiding spoilers, they were surprised by the movie’s direction and charmed by the relationship between the protagonist and the alien Rocky.
They praise the film for blending science fiction, suspense, humor, and friendship in unexpected ways. The conversation also turns to the explosion of fan art and fan-made merchandise online, lamenting the lack of official goods and joking that Japanese fans inevitably adopt a “If it doesn’t exist, make it yourself” attitude.
They highly recommend this movie and they are telling everyone they know to watch it.
Next, the group discussed The Sheep Detective, a mystery film in which sheep investigate a murder. Despite the whimsical premise, the movie surprised them with its emotional depth, warm atmosphere, and memorable characters.
They talked about their favorite sheep and the film’s unusual idea that sheep can forget painful memories simply by counting to three. The conversation repeatedly returns to how adorable the characters are, and how disappointing it was that almost no official merchandise was available.
The discussion then shifts to The Mandalorian & Grogu, the latest Star Wars theatrical release. Even members who aren’t deeply familiar with Star Wars found the film approachable and enjoyable.
The group talks about Grogu’s overwhelming popularity, the surprising lack of lightsabers and Jedi compared to traditional Star Wars stories, and the movie’s resemblance to Lone Wolf and Cub. They also praise characters such as Ahsoka and Rotta and spend a significant amount of time discussing Grogu merchandise, especially the frustration of discovering that most of the best items are already sold out.
By the end, they admit that their social media feeds are now dominated by Grogu fan art. Ohkawa-sensei wants the Zara cologne but it’s already sold out (she asked to be notified when it’s restocked).
For upcoming movie releases, CLAMP are looking forward to Chiikawa: The Secret of Doll Island, which they are eagerly anticipating.
The conversation revolves around advance ticket purchases, exclusive merchandise, and how the story may affect different audiences. While children will likely enjoy it as a fun summer adventure, the members speculate that adults may notice darker implications hidden beneath the cute surface.
They recall how readers reacted to the original story online, describing widespread shock and sleepless nights when the manga chapters were first released.
Then, they briefly mentioned Good Boy, a survival horror movie centered on a dog. Their main concern was: Is the dog okay?
After hearing positive reactions from people who have already seen the movie, they are relieved to learn that the dog does not suffer, a detail they jokingly insist is the most important spoiler anyone could provide.
Next, they talk about Dark Water (Honogurai Mizu no Soko kara), one of the classics of Japanese horror cinema.
While Satsuki barely remembers the film beyond its gloomy atmosphere, Nekoi summarizes its lesson succinctly: “You shouldn’t just pick things up.”
The group reminisces about watching the film together and praises its oppressive mood, music, and lingering psychological horror. Ohkawa-sensei finishes by noting that anyone who lives in an apartment building is likely to find the film’s ending particularly terrifying.
For the remaining minutes of the episode, they talked about things they do to endure the summer heat. This was a very quick segment. Satsuki-sensei said she buys a new water bottle every summer to keep her hydrated, Mokona-sensei said she is been using the Dream Wand fan from the CLAMP Exhibition goods, Nekoi-sensei mentioned a make-up finisher with a minty scent and Ohkawa-sensei mentioned a sunscreen. They will be posting pictures of these products in the coming days in the CLAMP Kanbukai instagram account.
Now, with the use of an online tool, I was able to extract the text from the audio and made a translation with ChatGPT. It looks pretty decent so if you are interested in following the translation while listening to the episode, you can do so after the cut below.
There are two things to be aware of: 1) it’s a pretty decent translation, but not a perfect one. I did not make a throughout revision and there could be mistakes particularly in the Japanese names they mentioned and which member said what. I don’t have time to revise it but again, it’s a pretty decent translation from what I checked; and 2) unfortunately the tool I used to extract the text from the audio has a 30 minutes limitation so the last 5 minutes were not transcribed.
[English transcription]