Eight years and a ton of effort went into this re-telling of an ancient tale about a bamboo cutter who finds a thumb-sized princess inside a bamboo stalk one day. Join Jared and Ink as they discuss The Tale of Princess Kaguya, the final movie directed by the late Isao Takahata of Studio Ghibli, and why this monogatari is still so powerful. Stream The Tale of Princess Kaguya via HBO Max . Purchase The Tale of Princess Kaguya via GKids , Rightstuf , or Amazon . Direct Download – RSS Feed – Spotify...
Feb 11, 2021
Evan reviews the 2020 anime series Akudama Drive with Greatest Movie EVER Podcast host Paul Chapman . Plus, Evan, David, and Paul discuss Donkey Kong Country 3, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Hitman (2016) in the Queue. Topics include: killing the real Sean Bean, downloading Danganronpa from the Something Awful forums, and “we’re all dirty cops.” Thanks to Patrick Sutton for editing this episode. Runtime: 1 hour, 16 minutes Direct Download RSS Feed iTunes Spotify Stitcher Google Music...
Feb 01, 2021
After an economic bubble burst in Japan, the Tennouzu Group buys a city and a nation by catering to its leaders’ perversions. The underground (literally) club that serves the basest desires of the rich and powerful is only open to those willing and able to pay lifelong yearly dues to the tune of ¥24,000,000 … ¥120,000,000 if they want to see others of the same tier face death or monstrous transformation by kissing a mesmerized “goddess.” But everything starts to crumble when a celebrated war pho...
Jan 21, 2021
The boys are back from their New Year’s break! Evan kicks off 2021 with a review of Glacier Bay Books’ fascinating new indie manga anthology Glaeolia 2. Before that he and David discuss the big “FUNimation bought Crunchyroll” news, then Star Wars Squadrons and Final Fantasy IV in the Queue segment. Topics include: fans win, a whole town dedicated to hating the player, and Wario’s entrepreneurial spirit. Runtime: 51 minutes Direct Download RSS Feed iTunes Spotify Stitcher Google Music Send us Fee...
Jan 15, 2021
Three bums talk about three homeless people who find a baby. For our second installment of our Satoshi Kon episodes, Phillip rejoins us to talk about the Christmas (should-be) classic: Tokyo Godfathers. We were a little giddy with holiday spirit, so please forgive us our mania. Stream Tokyo Godfathers on Crackle . Buy Tokyo Godfathers via RightStuff , Amazon . Direct Download – RSS Feed – Stitcher – Google Play: Music – iTunes Send us Feedback! – More episodes Runtime: 1 hour, 43 minutes Show No...
Dec 30, 2020
Do the Mario! To celebrate our 150th episode and close out Super Mario’s 35th anniversary, Evan and David discuss Super Mario Bros. 1, 2 (including both the Doki Doki Panic and Lost Levels versions), and 3, available on the Nintendo Switch Online NES Collection. Then they move to some newer Mario content with Super Mario 35 and Odyssey. Plus: the Metal Gear Solid live-action casting news (of course). Topics include: uncles who work at Nintendo, Mario’s dad, and young Jenny Lewis sightings. Thank...
Dec 17, 2020
David makes his return to the Queue segment to catch up with Evan on the games and anime they’ve been checking out, including the latest Smash Bros. Fighters Pass, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core + R (got that goood netcode), Ghost of Tsushima, the “Crown Tundra” Pokemon DLC, and the Cardcaptor Sakura anime. Topics include: horny gambling, Sekiro vs. Tsushima, and problematic ships. Runtime: 1 hour, 9 minutes Direct Download RSS Feed iTunes Spotify Stitcher Google Music Send us Feedback! Support us o...
Dec 02, 2020
David makes his triumphant return to the podcast, joining Evan and Patrick in a review of the completely bonkers 2018 martial arts anime Baki . We cover the whole show in-depth with quite a few minor spoilers mixed in. Learn about which karate techniques can counter monofilament wire, the advantages of building up your finger strength, and much more. Topics include: never-before-seen muscles, best boy Biscuit Oliva, and sex that gives you superpowers. Thank you to Patrick Sutton for editing this...
Nov 15, 2020
For Oldtaku no Radio’s very first golden ticket request, we’re reviewing Q Hayashida’s Dorohedoro manga (Volumes 1 & 2) as well as MAPPA’s adaptation of the same as directed by Yuichiro Hayashi. Dive deep into za hole with us as we talk lizard men, buff babes, masked sorcerers, and the insanely engaging world that is Dorohedoro. The Dorohedoro manga (23 volumes) is published in North America by Viz and can be purchased online via their own website or Comixology / Amazon / RightStuf . The Dor...
Nov 12, 2020
As if 2020 wasn’t scary enough, we’re checking out a vintage 2004, 3-part OAV from Director Akiyuki Simbo and Studio Daume. Le Portrait de Petite Cossette is a gothic romance about a blood pact between a stemware-bound ghost and an aspiring artist who works in his uncle’s antique store. As always, the devil’s in the details, which are what we dive into with this Halloween-themed episode. Direct Download – RSS Feed – Stitcher – Google Play: Music – iTunes Send us Feedback! – More episodes Runtime...
Oct 30, 2020
To celebrate the spooky season, Evan and our editor Patrick Sutton review the 2008 action-comedy anime film Hells, which has some incredible design and animation work but a whole lot of story issues! Plus news about Anime NYC’s virtual event and opinions on the Fall 2020 anime season and video games from the distant past of 2001. Topics include: hypebeast anime cons, rapping idol boys, and Wife Guy Adam. Thank you to Patrick Sutton for editing this episode. Runtime: 1 hour, 21 minutes Direct Dow...
Oct 28, 2020
Six years after the end of its second season, the Chihayafuru anime that adapts Yuki Suetsugu’s josei manga returned for its third season. After what seemed like a lifetime, Jared and Ink discuss this anime, at length, on their own show for the very first time (believe it or not). There is a general section up front, to cover what Chihayafuru’s all about, and some impassioned discussions regarding the characters, themes, and art of the third season. Stream Chihayafuru on HIDIVE (English/Japanese...
Oct 17, 2020
Anime News Network Executive Editor Lynzee Loveridge ( @ANN_Lynzee ) joins Evan to discuss their latest anime and gaming escapades (Re:Zero Season 2 and Into the Breach, respectively). Then they review the 2020 anime series Deca-Dence, a post-apocalyptic survival story that’s so much more than it seems. Spoiler warning: we spoil the series after the first few minutes of the review! Topics include: “why Rem and not Ram,” Minions, and drinking cyborg poop liquor. Runtime: 1 hour, 24 minutes Direct...
Oct 15, 2020
Matt Schley from Otaku USA and The Japan Times joins Evan for a discussion of some recent developments in labor practices in the anime industry, particularly the Black Kigyo “Union” (more on what that word means in this case in the podcast) and their lawsuits to recoup wages for production assistants at Studio 4°C and Trigger. Plus Violet Evergarden: The Movie and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes in the Queue segment! Topics include: unions get the goods, nobody’s innocent in the anime industry...
Oct 02, 2020
The forbidden book has been opened and the umpire’s eyes are glowing red. That’s right, it’s time to play ball! Former Crunchyroll host Elliot Trinidad ( @nameoftheyear ) and game designer Cassandra Lugo ( @prophet_goddess ) join Evan to plodcast about the surrealist virtual splorts betting game-slash-collaborative fiction project Blaseball. Plus a bunch of Nintendo and anime news, entirely too much Gundam talk for a podcast without Pat on it, and Pathologic 2! Topics include: Zelda battle royal...
Sep 15, 2020
Space Brothers #0 tells the tale of two aspiring astronauts who just happen to be siblings. Mutta, the older brother, has fallen behind his younger brother, Hibito, in working towards their childhood dream of going to the moon. Meanwhile, Hibito is experiencing doubt about his own direction while training as a mission substitute. An anime prequel movie unlike most other anime movies, SB0 actually adds pertinent content that bolsters the original anime series which is based off of the manga of th...
Sep 11, 2020
Vinnie Averello from All Geeks Considered joins Evan to dive into the RetroCrush catalog with One-Million Year Trip: Bander Book, the first of Osamu Tezuka’s NTV specials. It’s an extremely weird movie featuring all sorts of wacky Tezuka alien designs and also Space Gangster Black Jack. Plus: the new Anilog YouTube channel, Great Pretender, and virtual board games! Topics include: the anime kids love Future Boy Conan, Bander’s sister-slash-girlfriend, and Sears catalog time machines. Thank you t...
Sep 01, 2020
Memories is a 1995 anthology movie (one feature comprised of multiple vignettes) that showcases directorial efforts of Koji Morimoto (Magnetic Rose), Tensai Okamura (Stink Bomb), and Katsuhiro Otomo (Cannon Fodder). Despite short run times, each of the three stories provides plenty to talk about. Join Jared and Ink and special guest Kory as they discuss the power of deception, art, and farts. Direct Download – RSS Feed – Stitcher – Google Play: Music – iTunes Send us Feedback! – More episodes Ru...
Aug 20, 2020
There’s a new Trigger show out and naturally Evan is on the case. In this episode he’s joined by fellow Trigger super-fan Kyle Cardine from Crunchyroll to talk BNA (a.k.a. Brand New Animal), directed by Yoh Yoshinari (Little Witch Academia) and written by Kazuki Nakashima (Promare, Kill la Kill). Plus, we chat about The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Anime: A History, and … online anime mahjong? Topics include: a good year for furries, Bad News Bears: The Anime, and “what animal do you look like?” For...
Aug 17, 2020
Evan and substitute co-host Patrick Sutton ( The Cockpit Podcast ) recap Otakon Online and review Tsuredure Children, a four-panel ensemble romantic comedy manga by Toshiya Wakabayashi. Topics include: watching panels while half asleep, late-night anime will ruin your life, and “does sushi mean like or love???” Thank you to Patrick Sutton for editing this episode. Runtime: 1 hour, 21 minutes Direct Download RSS Feed iTunes Spotify Stitcher Google Music Send us Feedback! Support us on Patreon! Jo...
Aug 06, 2020
Helen ( @WanderinDreamr ) from The OASG and the Manga in Your Ears podcast joins Evan to talk about Summer 2020 anime, including the big Deca-Dence Twist (spoiler-free of course). Then we review the currently running fantasy manga series Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama. The story is delightful but more than anything else it serves as a showcase for Shirahama’s incredible artwork! Topics include: witch dads, problematic Rurouni Kenshin references, and hat opinions. Thank you to Patrick Sutt...
Jul 24, 2020
Talk about a deep dive ! This episode, Jared and Ink talk about Science Saru ‘s original animated movie, Masaaki Yuasa’s Lu Over the Wall. This movie centers around a withdrawn Tokyo transfer student who accidentally draws out like-minded, music-making friends as well as a music-seeking mermaid – the local legends about which both scare his fellow port town residents and benefit the town’s tourist trade. The animation draws on a surprising range of old-school sources while flashing the Yuaasa st...
Jul 11, 2020
David’s on break (hence the delay in getting the episode out), so our editor Patrick Sutton (also co-host of The Cockpit Podcast ) joins Evan as co-host for this episode. We talk about the news from virtual anime conventions Anime Expo 2020 Lite, FunimationCon, and KuroCon, then we discuss our latest anime and video game escapades: Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Final Fantasy XIV. Topics include: getting owned by how good The World Ends with You looks, turning into an old person, and two betas who...
Jul 10, 2020
Sony’s new router just got revealed so Evan and David convene to discuss the PlayStation 5 event and all the games in this totally-not-E3 show, including Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls, Resident Evil VIII: Village, Deathloop, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and more. Plus: send us receipts for donations to social justice charities and activist groups (including Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ orgs, and more) alongside a review recommendation and we’ll give you a shoutout and pick something from th...
Jun 19, 2020
Take to the animated skies (and bars and secret beach hideouts and so much more) with Jared and Ink as they talk about Ghibli’s 1992 feature, Porco Rosso. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this movie depicts a post-WWI man-turned-anthropomorphic pig – a war pilot-turned-deserter/bounty hunter. The movie, while warmly humorous throughout, tackles such issues as identity, war, and fascism. Listen in to find out how (and how effectively)! Stream Porco Rosso on HBOmax . Buy the movie via Rightstuff or Ama...
Jun 14, 2020
Last week we took a break from regular content while our staff took part in the global (and ongoing) #BlackLivesMatter movement against racism and police brutality, but now we’re back with a very special episode! Evan is joined by IGN and Crunchyroll News ‘ Natasha H. ( @illegenes ) to review the anime film Liz and the Blue Bird . This review was requested by our patron Zane ( @enazzle ) using his “Golden Ticket.” To get your own Golden Ticket and force us to review one title of your choice, sig...
Jun 08, 2020
May 29, 2020
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a gelling of past and present; an awakening; a transition (multiple transitions, really); and a handoff. But this movie, as an experience, is ultimately a visually enthralling, action- and emotionally packed exploration of what being a hero means to self and community and the means by which it takes for that to manifest. Join Jared and Ink as they babble on about the 2018 movie: all it accomplished, all it drew from, and, hopefully, all it will lead to. Strea...
May 25, 2020
Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has made Death Stranding real, Evan attempts to review the game without going completely over time. Since David hasn’t played it, the review is spoiler-free! Plus, Evan and David discuss The Ultimate Doom, more Gal & Dino and Sing “Yesterday” for Me, EVO Online, and Netflix’s announcement of the release date of BNA. Topics include: netcode debates, Doom on your calculator, and the new “strand game” genre. Runtime: 1 hour, 17 minutes Direct Download RSS Feed iTu...
May 17, 2020
May 11, 2020
