can't stop won't stop

Can't Stop Hibari-kun is the podcast about the 1980s transgender romantic comedy you’ve never heard of. hosts Rowan and Xan live in Salt Lake City with their three cats.

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welcome to Can’t Stop Hibari-kun, the podcast about the 1980s transgender romantic comedy you’ve never heard of

Stop!! Hibari-kun! was a 1981 manga and then a 1983 anime about Hibari, the only “son” of Mr Ozora and heir to his yakuza group. The only problem? Hibari dresses, acts and talks like a girl, attends school as a girl, and generally refuses to be masculine. Also there’s Kosaku, Mr Ozora’s new foster son and Hibari’s love interest, for some reason

your hosts are Rowan (they/them), a nonbinary writer, linguist, TTRPG enthusiast and TV/anime enjoyer, and Xan (she/her), a trans woman who makes comics (Pandora's Tale & comics by Xan). they live in Salt Lake City with their cats Link, Midna and Nuku Nuku

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42. Hibari Cannot Be Stopped by Conventional Means

The series saves one of its most interesting characters for literally the last seven pages of the manga, as we meet the manly, hot-blooded shonen archetype Gekijirou. As they bid farewell to the series, Rowan and Xan speculate on what might have been.

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 42. Hibari Cannot Be Stopped by Conventional Means

The series saves one of its most interesting characters for literally the last seven pages of the manga, as we meet the manly, hot-blooded

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41. Hibari Is OP, Pls Nerf

It’s part one of our finale, and the very last episode of the anime sees Hibari acquiring strange powers from the gender-affirming white alligators who secretly live in her home. Rowan and Xan discuss their most and least beloved characters of the series, as well as ideas for a Stop!! Hibari-kun! revival.

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 41. Hibari Is OP, Pls Nerf

It’s part one of our finale, and the very last episode of the anime sees Hibari acquiring strange powers from the gender-affirming white al

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40. Hibari the Princess

Sayuri returns with plans of stalking and blackmail, vying with Hibari for the role of Sleeping Beauty in an upcoming school play. Kosaku edges further into harem manga protagonist territory with two girls competing for his affection (and also Rie, who seems kind of ambivalent about the whole thing).

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 40. Hibari the Princess

Sayuri returns with plans of stalking and blackmail, vying with Hibari for the role of Sleeping Beauty in an upcoming school play. Kosaku e

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39. Hibari and, Regrettably, Kaji

As the end of the series draws near, Rowan and Xan must face a terrible trial: an episode all about Kaji. He catches a cold and might miss a boxing match, which is basically the same thing as being a legendary swordsman who died of TB. Strap yourselves in.

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 39. Hibari and, Regrettably, Kaji

As the end of the series draws near, Rowan and Xan must face a terrible trial: an episode all about Kaji. He catches a cold and might miss

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38. Hibari Is Literally a Woman in a Man’s Body

Hibari and Kosaku swap bodies in an episode that’s a lot less trans in execution than it is on paper. Rowan and Xan discuss Japan’s on-again, off-again love affair with the occult including spoon bending, cults and a village with a highly dubious claim to fame.

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 38. Hibari Is Literally a Woman in a Man’s Body

Hibari and Kosaku swap bodies in an episode that’s a lot less trans in execution than it is on paper. Rowan and Xan discuss Japan’s on-agai

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What will happen with the podcast when the show ends?

hey, sorry for taking so long to answer this; we're definitely going to take a bit of a break when we finish. we're planning on doing one to three more episodes when the books come out in English. we've talked about maybe starting a new podcast to talk about other trans animes, but we haven't decided yet

-Rowan

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37. Hibari, the Hitman and Him

Hibari and Kosaku have the house to themselves, and now the only thing that can come between them is an anxious assassin. Rowan and Xan discuss Soviet gerontocracy and the classification of demons.

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 37. Hibari, the Hitman and Him

Hibari and Kosaku have the house to themselves, and now the only thing that can come between them is an anxious assassin. Rowan and Xan dis

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36. Hibari’s Trans-Genre Experiment

Is it a dream or an illusion? Rowan and Xan aren’t sure, but this week Hibari and the gang go back in time a thousand years for some historical fantasy sci-fi shenanigans. Come and join us for some non-competitive recreation in the most artistic and also silliest part of Japanese history!

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 36. Hibari’s Trans-Genre Experiment

Is it a dream or an illusion? Rowan and Xan aren’t sure, but this week Hibari and the gang go back in time a thousand years for some histor

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35. Hibari Is Respectfully Merry

Just in time for June, it’s time for Hibari’s Christmas episode! This leads, naturally, to a discussion of Buddhism, as Rowan and Xan try to analyze what little story is present in an episode that’s mostly everyone just doing their respective bits.

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 35. Hibari Is Respectfully Merry

Just in time for June, it’s time for Hibari’s Christmas episode! This leads, naturally, to a discussion of Buddhism, as Rowan and Xan try t

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34. Hibari Is Boxing Clever

The boxing club has a match against the punkest school in Japan, and Kosaku has to train hard to beat them, even if it takes the help of a guy who might technically be a murderer. Rowan and Xan discuss women in boxing and gender-neutral rival school names.

Can't Stop Hibari-kun: 34. Hibari Is Boxing Clever

The boxing club has a match against the punkest school in Japan, and Kosaku has to train hard to beat them, even if it takes the help of a

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33. Hibari and the Phantom Thief

Kosaku finds out about a long lost uncle who is also the richest man in the world. Rowan and Xan talk about New Wave artist and cake enthusiast Klaus Nomi, and that time the mascot of the Paralympics was trans.

Kosaku finds out about a long lost uncle who is also the richest man in the world. Rowan and Xan talk about New Wave artist and cake enthus

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32. Hibari the Sister

Tensions boil over between Hibari and Tsubame, as Kosaku develops a weird crush! Rowan and Xan discuss Xan’s favorite page of the manga, and which Cold War nations the characters most resemble.

Tensions boil over between Hibari and Tsubame, as Kosaku develops a weird crush! Rowan and Xan discuss Xan’s favorite page of the manga, an

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Hibari and Sayuri

The popular actress Hiroko Yakushimaru will not be appearing in this episode. Instead, Hibari gains a rival for Kosaku’s affections, as Rowan and Xan talk about a man who looks a little bit like Weird Al Yankovic, a man who looks a little bit like Edgar Allan Poe and a dog that looks nothing like a dog.

The popular actress Hiroko Yakushimaru will not be appearing in this episode. Instead, Hibari gains a rival for Kosaku’s affections, as Row

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Hibari Versus Juvenile Delinquency

The Bad Kid Gang is here, and the Bad Episode Gang is here to talk about it! Rowan and Xan discuss moral panics, Popeye’s photosensitivity, and the possible Mormon-ness of Suzume’s disappointing love interest.

The Bad Kid Gang is here, and the Bad Episode Gang is here to talk about it! Rowan and Xan discuss moral panics, Popeye’s photosensitivity,

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episode 29: Hibari and the Other Woman

Hibari’s dad falls for a barista who seems very taken with the idea of being a mother to Suzume. Rowan and Xan discuss non-verbal communication and the absolute worst chai in the Salt Lake Valley.

Hibari’s dad falls for a barista who seems very taken with the idea of being a mother to Suzume. Rowan and Xan discuss non-verbal communica

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episode 28: Hibari at the Bat

The Ozoras and the Umiushis settle a territory dispute with a time-honored tradition: playing a baseball game for a very old man. Xan doesn’t know the rules and is determined not to learn, so it’s up to Rowan to determine the legality of horses, dynamite and back tattoos during play.

The Ozoras and the Umiushis settle a territory dispute with a time-honored tradition: playing a baseball game for a very old man. Xan doesn