Can't Stop Hibari-kun

Join Rowan and Xan on the deepest of dives into Stop!! Hibari-kun! - the 1980s transgender romantic comedy you may never have heard of. This incredibly progressive and also incredibly problematic anime and manga series entertained Japanese audiences in the days of Walkmans and Space Invaders, but how does it hold up for a modern trans audience, 40 years and an entire continent removed from its original context?

38. Hibari Is Literally a Woman in a Man’s Body 07/04/2025

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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/37285690

37. Hibari, the Hitman and Him 06/27/2025

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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/37180260

36. Hibari’s Trans-Genre Experiment 06/20/2025

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! /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/37093110

35. Hibari Is Respectfully Merry 06/13/2025

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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/37006740

34. Hibari Is Boxing Clever 06/06/2025

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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36895475

33. Hibari and the Phantom Thief 05/30/2025

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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36791600

32. Hibari the Sister 05/23/2025

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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36692790

31. Hibari and Sayuri 05/16/2025

31. 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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36597335

30. Hibari Versus Juvenile Delinquency 05/09/2025

30. 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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36510880

29. Hibari and the Other Woman 05/02/2025

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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36411210

28. Hibari at the Bat 04/25/2025

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. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36314060

27. Hibari and Ribahi 04/18/2025

27. Hibari and Ribahi The Ozoras once again find themselves on an island, but this one is home to Hibari’s double and easily the best dad ever to appear in this show. Join Rowan and Xan for this, the exciting and also welcome conclusion of the detective arc! /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36222685

26. Hibari and the Secret of Monkey Island 04/11/2025

26. Hibari and the Secret of Monkey Island The inexplicable detective arc continues, bringing the Ozoras to a strange island in what is undoubtedly the weirdest episode yet. Rowan and Xan endeavor to analyze something that defies analysis. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36103865

25. Hibari Is Barely in This One 04/04/2025

25. Hibari Is Barely in This One In a truly awful episode of the anime, the Ozora Group becomes a detective agency because a computer tells them to. And Hibari… is also here, I guess? Also a man with a weird face plays rock paper scissors. This episode was a lot. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/36006370

24. Hibari and Heartbreak 03/28/2025

24. Hibari and Heartbreak In our second manga-only episode, we get two tales of Kosaku being romantically frustrated. Rowan and Xan discuss the Japanese take on Valentines Day, and somehow keep coming back to a certain beloved Yuri series. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/35910760

23. Hibari Is Still a Threat to Women’s Sports 03/21/2025

23. Hibari Is Still a Threat to Women’s Sports It’s Takarazuka time! Xan is extremely excited to talk about possibly the most capital G Gender episode this show has ever produced. It’s a theatrical tale of love and volleyball, plus some bonus discussion of a nineties anime you absolutely won’t see coming. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/35813565

22. Hibari Is a Threat to Women’s Sports 03/14/2025

22. Hibari Is a Threat to Women’s Sports Rie returns, and becomes Hibari’s rival as they compete to become pro wrestlers. Rowan and Xan talk about the history of the sport in Japan and Kosaku’s highly situational transphobia. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/35700930

21. Hibari’s Family Is Very Normal 03/07/2025

21. Hibari’s Family Is Very Normal Hibari’s family are visited by her teacher, an exhausting yakuza fangirl. It’s time to get invested in a romance between side characters we don’t care about, as Rowan and Xan discuss one of the less good Ridley Scott movies. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/35577390

20. Hibari, American Style 02/14/2025

20. Hibari, American Style The Ozora family hosts an American mob boss, and Hibari catches the eye of his son. In an episode full of American and Japanese cultural references, Rowan and Xan finally address the topic of traditional underwear. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/35289130

19. Hibari Caught in the Act 02/07/2025

19. Hibari Caught in the Act Honda schemes to win Hibari’s heart with a plan that involves no contact with her whatsoever. Rowan and Xan learn about Japanese street theater and compare workplace drinking culture around the world. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/35196620

18. Hibari and Ibari 01/31/2025

18. Hibari and Ibari In an episode full of Ozora family backstory, Rowan and Xan discuss earthquake stories and Scottish colonialism, and make an alarming discovery about Hibari’s dad’s age. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/35100120

17. Hibari the Motion Picture 01/24/2025

17. Hibari the Motion Picture Tsugumi wants to marry some guy, and things play out in a strangely similar manner to the last time this happened… only this time, with movies! Will Director Steven Lucas Coppola Jr get to make his masterpiece? /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34996950

16. Hibari, Hanako and Seiji 01/17/2025

16. Hibari, Hanako and Seiji The anime pairs up two of its most problematic characters and the results are… kind of nice? Rowan and Xan enjoy some yakuza trivia and discuss why Hibari might secretly be a mermaid. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34897460

15. Hibari and the PUA 01/10/2025

15. Hibari and the PUA A notorious womanizer with an improbable amount of time on his hands sets his sights on Hibari. Rowan and Xan discuss reasons to visit Morocco in the eighties. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34806550

14. Hibari Is Otherwise Engaged 01/03/2025

14. Hibari Is Otherwise Engaged Hibari gains an unpleasant admirer from a powerful mob family. Rowan and Xan talk about missing stairs and admire some Stop!! Hibari-kun! memorabilia. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34711730

13. Hibari’s Camp Shenanigans 12/27/2024

13. Hibari’s Camp Shenanigans Hibari and Kosaku go to summer camp in an episode filled with scary stories, uninvited guests and the occasional furry. Rowan loves a haunted summer camp episode, so this is bound to be a treat for them, right? /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34633020

12. Hibari Exposed 12/20/2024

12. Hibari Exposed In this manga-only edition, Kaori plans to embarrass Hibari during swim class, while Rowan and Xan dare to ask the question: Who is Santa Anaume? /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34551300

11. Hibari Needs a Bigger Boat 12/13/2024

11. Hibari Needs a Bigger Boat An anime beach episode has occurred. Hibari’s self-appointed rival Kaori is back, with a super elaborate plan that Rowan and Xan spend way too much time trying to comprehend. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34437925

10. Hibari Wants an A 12/06/2024

10. Hibari Wants an A From a sea of confusing references, a rival appears! Kosaku tries to win a bet, while Rowan and Xan talk about birds, very long necks, and the bloke from Takeshi’s Castle. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34320270

9. Hibari and Suzume 11/29/2024

9. Hibari and Suzume Suzume has a crush on a boy, but can she pick ‘em any better than her sisters can? Rowan and Xan discuss living like a man, solidarity between women, and which eighties movie the anime really shouldn’t have referenced. /episode/index/show/cb22ef54-8cc3-4945-9f55-5b0a600647bd/id/34203360

Can't Stop Hibari-kun

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