Vrai, Alex, and Peter check-in on the 2024 Winter season where quite a few titles with a lot of potential have a lot riding on their second halves! 0:00:00 Intros Red Flags 0:01:30 The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil 0:02:09 The Witch and the Beast Yellow Flags 0:02:29 BUCCHIGIRI?! Neutral Zone 0:11:47 The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic 0:14:25 Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord 0:18:03 Tis’ Time for Torture, Princess 0:18:44 7th Time Loop: The Villaines...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 11 min
We're celebrating 200 episodes! And what better way than for mega Utena fan Vrai to talk Cy and Chiaki through their very first viewing of the series? 0:00:00 Intros 0:04:02 Past experience 0:10:08 Utena in modern culture 0:12:26 Series info 0:17:55 Favorite character 0:19:20 Sub vs Dub 0:25:18 Abuse of Anthy 0:32:30 Saionji 0:35:31 Incest 0:41:53 Learning how to watch Utena 0:46:44 Experience with Ikuhara 0:50:32 Utena’s gender and sexuality 0:56:47 Outro Vrai: bsky.app/profile/writervrai.bsky....
Feb 05, 2024•58 min
Caitlin, Toni, and Peter wrap-up another Fall season with a few hidden gems, a few series that failed to stick the landing, and a bunch of sequels! 0:00:00 Intros Pit of Shame 0:01:37 A Girl and Her Guard Dog Yellow Flags 0:03:06 Protocol: Rain 0:06:03 KamiErabi GOD.app 0:07:34 The 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really REALLY Love You Neutral Zone 0:14:25 The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons 0:14:51 Tearmoon Empire 0:17:44 Shangri-La Frontier 0:18:57 Paradox Live the Animation 0:22:26 OVERTAK...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Vrai, Cy, and Toni discuss Hayao Miyazaki’s latest (last?) movie, its callbacks to his career and themes, and Robert Pattinson. 0:00:00 Intros 0:01:50 Favorite Ghibli film 0:07:08 Sub or dub 0:12:18 The title 0:15:52 SPOILER WARNING 0:16:57 Summary 0:18:06 It’s an isekai 0:22:33 What is this sekai? 0:27:39 WWII 0:29:22 Takahata 0:30:58 Goro 0:33:20 The birds 0:37:40 The Wind rises 0:43:34 Hime 0:46:59 Natsuko 0:55:43 Mahito 1:04:22 Outro Vrai: bsky.app/profile/writervrai.bsky.social Cy: bsky.app...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Alex, Caitlin, and Toni talk the new Scott Pilgrim Takes Off anime and how it matches up as a new take on the decades old comic and movie! 0:00:00 Intros 0:01:14 Backgrounds with the franchise 0:05:41 The franchise’s background 0:07:25 The vibes 0:09:39 The plot 0:12:53 The twist 0:16:43 Different Scotts 0:18:11 Comic vs movie 0:21:31 Casting 0:24:08 Manic pixie dream girl narrative 0:27:53 Protagonist Ramona 0:30:00 Exes and disposability politics 0:38:12 Giving the exes nuance 0:41:19 Wallace ...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Toni, Caitlin, and Peter try and fail to check-in on the biggest anime season ever in a reasonable amount of time. 0:00:00 Intros 0:02:06 A Girl and Her Guard Dog 0:03:26 The Kingdoms of Ruin 0:05:16 Protocol: Rain 0:07:52 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really REALLY Love You 0:15:08 The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons 0:17:33 Tearmoon Empire 0:19:22 Shangri-La Frontier 0:20:11 Paradox Live THE ANIMATION 0:25:27 OVERTAKE! 0:27:23 My New Boss is Goofy 0:31:42 Migi&Dali 0:42:20 Frieren: Be...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 22 min
Toni, Caitlin, and special guest Annie discuss the themes of nonviolence, abolition, and meaning in part 2 of our 2-part retrospective on VINLAND SAGA! 0:00:00 Intros 0:01:15 Hot boys 0:12:20 Lief 0:23:06 The myth of the good enslaver 0:33:53 Olmar 0:37:50 Arnheid and the experiences of enslaved women 0:44:27 Slavery rooted in hate vs love 0:48:14 Portrayal of violence 0:52:16 Ideas of empire 1:00:16 Thorkel vs Ylva 1:04:51 Outro Toni: twitter.com/poetpedagogue Caitlin: twitter.com/alltsun_noder...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Toni, Caitlin, and special guest Annie discuss the themes of nonviolence, abolition, and meaning in part 1 of our 2-part retrospective on VINLAND SAGA! 0:00:00 Intros 0:01:13 Background 0:13:03 Emptiness vs meaning 0:24:01 Askeladd 0:28:08 Forgiveness vs compassion 0:39:04 Love as a form of discrimination 0:40:54 Models of leadership 0:45:32 Ideals vs material conditions 0:47:37 Thofinn’s nonviolent resistance 1:03:23 Final thoughts 1:05:28 Outro Toni: twitter.com/poetpedagogue Caitlin: twitter....
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Alex, Toni, and Peter wrap-up the small and disappointing Summer season… 0:00:00 Intros Red Flags 0:02:20 Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero Yellow Flags 0:04:42 Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 0:16:14 Dark Gathering Neutral Zone 0:19:43 Reign of the Seven Spellblades 0:28:45 Reborn as a Vending Machine 0:32:29 Helck 0:33:07 BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!! It's Complicated... 0:35:13 The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 0:42:34 Gene of AI Feminist Potential 0:44:59 Undead M...
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Tony, MoBlack, and Danny return for the 2nd part of their discussion of abolitionism in anime featuring the work of Sadiya Hartman and Joy James in Fujiko Mine, Stone Ocean, Deca-Dence and Michiko & Hatchin! 0:00:00 Intros 0:02:22 Centering sexual assault survivors 0:12:05 A Woman Called Fujiko Mine 0:20:28 Stone Ocean 0:28:37 Sadiya Hartman and prisons as reformatories 0:43:29 Deca-Dence 0:56:14 Joy James 1:08:23 Captive Maternals 1:15:00 Michiko & Hatchin 1:30:36 Final Thoughts 1:33:02...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 34 min
Tony, MoBlack, and Danny discuss the state's monopoly on violence 2-part discussion on abolitionism in anime! 0:00:00 Intros 0:03:03 Abolitionism 0:15:06 History with abolitionism 0:25:42 Full abolition 0:32:10 Death Note 0:38:49 Chainsaw Man 0:41;58 Akudama Drive 0:52:47 My Hero Academia 0:58:02 Chainsaw Man spoilers 0:59:37 Outro Tony: twitter.com/poetpedagogue MoBlack: mastodon.online/@MoBlack Danny: twitter.com/TheMangaScholar AniFem Patreon: www.patreon.com/animefeminist AniFem Twitter: twi...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Vrai, Megan, and Maddie return to cap off our retrospective on the tragically short but triumphant run of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury! 0:00:00 Intros 0:01:50 We got Sam-Flammed 0:11:54 Should’ve/could’ve been 4 cour 0:16:57 *Slaps hood of Gundam* “This baby can hold so much Utena” 0:18:29 Guel 0:20:18 The time-out room 0:23:48 Shaddiq 0:25:53 Miorinne and the princess of peace trope 0:31:36 Space capitalism 0:32:49 Suletta and her family 0:38:02 Disability elements 0:51:07 Suletta...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Alex, Tony, and Peter review a relatively… light summer season? 0:00:00 Intros Red Flags 0:02:16 Level 1 Demon Lord & One Room Hero Yellow Flags 0:07:57 Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 0:15:16 Dark Gathering Neutral Zone 0:21:56 Reign of the Seven Spellblades 0:28:03 Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon 0:36:44 Helck It’s Complicated 0:37:49 The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 0:42:01 Gene of AI Feminist Potential 0:45:28 Undead Murder Farce 0:53:5...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Vrai, Alex, and Peter (with a guest appearance by Tony) try to cover the wealth of excellent titles in the 2023 Spring season! 0:00:00 Intros/Content warning 0:03:25 Heavenly Delusion 0:11:32 My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lvl999 0:14:33 Dead Mount Death Play 0:17:38 The Dangers in My Heart 0:20:58 Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion 0:24:19 Otaku Elf 0:29:11 Hell’s Paradise 0:36:32 Oshi no Ko 0:48:08 Insomniacs After School 0:52:34 Yuri is My Job! 0:55:44 Skip and Loafer 1:00:53 The A...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 22 min
Alex, Vrai, and Toni shine a spotlight at the 2023 Spring seasons’ standout series playing in the Class S genre space, Yuri Is My Job! 0:00:00 Intros 0:01:53 Background 0:03:11 Spoiler Warning 0:03:56 Summary 0:12:22 Parody? Satire? Deconstruction? 0:23:56 Hime 0:28:32 Mitsuki 0:33:46 Hime AND Mitsuki 0:37:12 Kanoko 0:40:22 Sapphism, voyeurism, and femininity 0:49:26 Sumika 0:51:47 The anime ending 1:01:30 Final thoughts 1:03:57 Outro Alex: twitter.com/TheAfictionado Vrai: twitter.com/WriterVrai...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Part two of our two-part retrospective on the Yuzuru Tachikawa classic that just turned 10 years old, Death Parade, with Caitlin, Toni, and Cy! 0:00:00 Intros 0:00:13 Harsher punishments for women 0:18:47 Portrayal of motherhood 0:27:11 Carceral Feminism 0:35:42 Reform (or lack thereof) 0:44:23 Buddhism: Transformative justice and cycles of abuse 0:57:17 Final thoughts 0:59:13 Outro Caitlin: twitter.com/alltsun_nodere Toni: twitter.com/poetpedagogue Cy: twitter.com/pixelatedlenses AniFem Patreon...
Jun 11, 2023•1 hr
Part one of our two-part retrospective on the Yuzuru Tachikawa classic that just turned 10 years old, Death Parade, with Caitlin, Toni, and Cy! 0:00:00 Intros 0:02:51 Content warnings 0:04:23 Summary 0:05:45 Background 0:06:57 Deca-Dence 0:09:40 Mob Psycho 100 0:12:58 Tachikawa’s themes 0:15:40 Personal experiences with Death Parade 0:22:42 That OP 0:27:07 Decim 0:33:38 Ginti 0:34:44 Mayu 0:37:23 Chiyuki 0:42:31 They don’t make ‘em like they used to 0:44:18 Ginti (again) 0:48:55 Mayu and Ginti 0...
May 30, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Vrai, Toni, and Peter try and fail to keep their discussion of a packed-to-the-gills season to a reasonable duration! 0:00:00 Intros Red Flags 0:01:59 KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World Yellow Flags 0:03:46 Heavenly Delusion (Tengoku Daimakyo) 0:11:56 The Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts 0:18:40 My Live Story with Yamada-kun at Lvl999 0:20:55 MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES 0:22:34 Magical Destroyers 0:24:45 Dead Mount Death Play 0:27:47 The Dangers in My Heart Neutral Zone 0:34:...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Dee, Chiaki, and Peter look back on a season with a lot of mixed bag recommendations! 0:00:00 Intros Pit of Shame 0:02:01 ONIMAI Yellow Flags 0:08:47 TRIGUN STAMPEDE 0:09:56 Tomo-chan Is a Girl! 0:17:05 Revenger 0:18:24 Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 0:21:57 Chillin’ in My 30s After Getting Fired from the Demon King’s Army Neutral 0:23:40 NieR: Automata Ver 1.1A 0:24:16 The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague 0:28:07 HIGH CARD 0:30:55 Farming Life in Another...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Dee, Alex, and Cy return to discuss asexual and aromantic coding and representation in the works of Uta Isaki! 0:00:00 Intro 0:00:35 Mine-kun is Asexual and sex-repulsed vs non-sex-repulsed 0:18:06 Ace stereotypes 0:20:55 Is Love the Answer? 0:22:58 Allosexual social and societal pressure 0:31:56 Ishi, mentorship, and aromantic relationships 0:35:26 Ume and sex repulsion for heteroromantic men 0:45:33 Asexuality as an orientation vs identity 0:52:00 Hopes for future ace/aro rep in media 1:00:00 ...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Dee, Alex, and Cy discuss asexual and aromantic coding and representation in anime and manga! 0:00:00 Intros 0:02:14 Ace/Aro 101 0:10:05 Conflation with frigidity/prudishness/trauma 0:12:18 Linguistic differences between Japanese and English 0:15:50 Koisenu Futari and recognition and evolution of terminology 0:19:52 Ace coding in anime and manga 0:28:30 Favorite ace/aro coded characters 0:42:10 Our Dreams at Dusk and Sex Ed 120% 0:49:50 I Want to be a Wall 0:57:59 Outro Dee: twitter.com/joseinex...
Mar 20, 2023•59 min
Cy, Caitlin, and Peter check-in on a season with way too many series that warrant some kind of discussion, Winter 2023! 0:00:00 Intros Pit of Shame 0:02:06 Sugar Apple Fairy Tale 0:09:27 ONIMAI: I’m Now Your Sister! Yellow Flags 0:10:50 TRIGUN STAMPEDE 0:17:55 Tomo-chan Is a Girl! 0:27:58 REVENGER 0:32:19 Reborn to Master the Blade Neutral Zone 0:33:17 UniteUp! 0:33:43 NieR: Automata Ver 1.1A 0:36:52 Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 0:39:11 The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague 0:43:25 The I...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Vrai calls in Gundam experts Maddie and Megan to discuss the too-dense-to-for-a-round-up-episode first cour of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury! 0:00:00 Intros 0:01:35 Background 0:04:19 The Gundam franchise and Universal Century 0:10:15 Gundam: The Origin 0:10:58 Suletta as Gundam’s first female pilot protagonist 0:13:37 The novelty of a two cour anime 0:15:19 Wow cool robot 0:18:22 Military appropriation of medical tech and portrayal of disability 0:23:41 It’s gay too 0:27:11 Reading...
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr
Chiaki, Vrai, and Cy return to complete their watchalong of Haibane Renmei with episodes 8-13! 0:00:00 Intros 0:04:37 Reactions 0:07:10 The ending first 0:10:00 What are the haibane? 0:14:20 Christian? Buddhist? 0:16:43 Absolution 0:19:06 Rakka 0:28:31 True name 0:33:25 Portrayal of suicide 0:43:57 Suicide in Japanese culture 0:46:15 Personal reactions 0:53:16 Final thoughts 0:56:18 Halo touching 1:00:12 Outro Chiaki: twitter.com/Chiaki747 Vrai: twitter.com/WriterVrai Caitlin: twitter.com/pixela...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Chiaki, Vrai, and Cy as they look back on episodes 1-7 of Yoshitoshi Abe’s second landmark series, Haibane Renmei! 0:00:00 Intros 0:02:46 Production info and Abe 0:07:28 Personal histories 0:12:07 What we expected vs what we got 0:16:56 The haibane 0:24:44 The Town 0:30:27 The wing scene 0:33:16 Reki 0:37:35 Trans readings 0:42:30 The day of flight 0:51:27 Rakka’s reaction 0:55:12 Predictions 0:58:52 Outro Chiaki: twitter.com/Chiaki747 Vrai: twitter.com/WriterVrai Caitlin: twitter.com/pixelatedl...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Vrai, Peter, and Dee try their best to wrap-up the thematically dense 2023 Fall season! 0:00:00 Intros Neutral Zone 0:01:58 My Master Has No Tail 0:06:37 Do It Yourself! 0:10:41 Raven of the Inner Palace It’s… Complicated 0:18:25 Chainsaw Man Feminist Potential 0:23:19 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury 0:31:11 I’m the Villainess so I’m Taming the Final Boss 0:38:02 BOCCHI THE ROCK! 0:48:47 Akiba Maid War Sequels & Carryovers 0:58:35 SPY x FAMILY cour 2 1:02:49 Pop Team Epic Season 2...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Dee, Vrai, and Alex talk about the sexual education comedy manga Sex Ed 120% and how it compares to real-world sex education. 0:00:00 Intros 0:00:27 Sex ed in Japan 0:12:24 The importance of Sex Ed 120% 0:15:52 Portrayals of various sexual orientations 0:19:00 Sexual terminology in Japan 0:24:21 Portrayals of abortion in media 0:26:26 Abortion and prophylaxis in Japan (and elsewhere) 0:32:43 Tsuji’s characterization 0:37:35 Nakazawa as questioning 0:42:22 Education vs action 0:44:54 Final though...
Dec 12, 2022•48 min
Dee, Vrai, and Alex talk about the sexual education comedy manga Sex Ed 120% and how it compares to real-world sex education. 0:00:00 Intros 0:00:28 Background 0:02:15 Content warnings 0:04:54 Personal impressions 0:08:17 Would you recommend it? 0:09:04 What did we learn? 0:15:31 Favorite line 0:20:08 Comparison to our sex ed experiences 0:32:24 Asexual-friendly 0:34:59 Fictional portrayals of sex and sexuality 0:41:57 Outro Dee: twitter.com/joseinextdoor Vrai: twitter.com/WriterVrai Alex: twitt...
Nov 28, 2022•43 min
Vrai, Caitlin, and Peter check in on the absolutely stacked Fall season! 0:00:00 Intros Pit of Shame 0:01:52 More than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers Red Flags 0:04:20 Urusei Yatsura Yellow Flags 0:08:50 The Little Lies We All Tell 0:15:02 BLUELOCK Neutral Zone 0:20:34 My Master Has No Tail 0:22:07 Do It Yourself!! It’s Complicated 0:28:58 Reincarnated as a Sword 0:29:20 Raven of the Inner Palace 0:34:42 Chainsaw Man Feminist Potential 0:44:57 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury 0:49:29...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Caitlin, Dee, and Meru complete their watchalong of GAINAX-produced shojo anime, His and Her Circumstances AKA Kare Kano with episodes 20-26 plus some manga discussion! 0:00:00 Intros 0:01:53 The… End? 0:10:16 Kano and some Class-BS 0:17:00 Tonami’s fatphobic arc 0:28:57 Arima’s unresolved red flags 0:49:39 *MANGA SPOILER/CONTENT WARNING SECTION* 0:58:53 Remake? 1:00:47 Recommend? 1:06:57 Outro Cailin: twitter.com/alltsun_nodere Dee: twitter.com/joseinextdoor Meru: twitter.com/pixelatedlenses An...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 8 min
