Best Seat on the Couch – Details, episodes & analysis

Widely considered to be one of the best anime series of all time (especially to Western audiences), Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan has action, gore, giant organic mecha, bureaucracy, and subterfuge all packed into a TV journey bolstered with great animation from Studio Wit and a baller soundtrack from my boy Hiroyuki Sawano. Given that resident weeb Alex has already watched the entire series, the rest of the gang gets to experience Season 1 at face value: it introduces characters, provides lore and information on Titans in little bite-sized nuggets, and has some really cool fight scenes...but what more is hidden behind the scenes? Stick around for a slightly different Theory Wall segment at the end of the episode, where Iris, Marcus, and Michael call their shots on how things might shake out in Season 2. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Iris steers the gang back onto the anime track with 2018's Violet Evergarden, a story about a girl who makes the ridiculous character journey from overpowered shōnen-esque child soldier to emotionally stunted post-war ghostwriter, all while tugging on our heartstrings through each individual episode. While Marcus and Iris drop the ball on watching the complementary film, we all get to delve deeply into the anime's vignette-style structure, the importance of written language and how its meaning translates, and the interesting post-war setting of a fictional faux-Germany that has palpable influence on the story's progression. Plus, what the hell does "Iron Giant-pilled" mean?! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

The gang finally completes the Makoto Shinkai trilogy, closing the book on our previous discussions on Your Name (Episode 7) and Weathering With You (Episode 12) after many years with 2022's Suzume. There's a lot to like about this movie (it's just as beautiful as its predecessors, if not even more gorgeous) but it's definitely not as good as Your Name and arguably may not even be better than Weathering With You, which does lend itself to a pretty great discussion about the main characters, the keystones (how do they work?!?), and the weird way the "romance" develops as the movie goes on. And in its small moments there's a wonderful story about the kindness of strangers Suzume meets on her journey, and it does elicit the emotions we're used to feeling in a Shinkai film. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

It must be guest starring season on the Couch as we bring back our podcast's number 1 fan, Sarah, to talk about one of her childhood favorite Disney (cult) classics, Atlantis: The Lost Empire! And, well, I suppose it might not be as...classic...as its reputation suggests. It's a fine story, with some wonderful characters, an entertaining adventure sequence, and worldbuilding with plenty of potential, but it falls flat on one too many aspects. But that doesn't stop us and Sarah from having a fun time discussing it! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Oh, and because Iris wasn't able to touch on it in the episode proper: there's a pretty rampant colonialist undertone to this movie that was hard for a couple of us to shake off, especially in 2022 - Milo being praised as savior to the Atlanteans, coming in and desecrating an ancient culture's homeland, and so on and so forth...

What if...the gang dove back into the Marvel cinematic MULTIverse? A charming anthology show based off of the Marvel comic series of the same name, What If...? is a fun and entertaining look at our favorite Marvel characters in strange and unique situations, channeling the comic vibe and resulting in some real bangers...and maybe some stragglers too. There's cool cel-shaded animation, great voice acting performances, and plenty of fan service! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language. 

This week on the couch, the gang takes a nice break from some of the heavier hitters of our recent episodes to talk about Bee Movie, which experienced a sort of meme renaissance a few years ago and is a very important nexus event in Alex and Iris's childhoods. But don't get us wrong - this movie is not good. It is a monument to Jerry Seinfeld's sins and disrespects children, adults, biologists, cinephiles, and Sting at the same time. Thank the heavens for Patrick Warburton, at least. Oh, and we do have a pretty fun Trivia Corner to liven our spirits! Content warning: strong language, brain damage.

First DOTA: Dragon's Blood, then Castlevania, and now Arcane, and soon Marcus will get his wish about discussing video games full time on the Couch. But unlike its predecessors, Arcane is a worldwide phenomenon that has skyrocketed in popularity and ratings and is honestly a masterclass in animation, voice acting, storytelling, and worldbuilding. To celebrate, we bring back our first ever returning guest Jess, who offers her own unique perspective on Arcane and her favorite character/waifu Jinx. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

The Polar Express is a...special film. It's a landmark work in computer-generated animation and was one of the first such movies to use extensive motion capture technology, which culminates in a final product that is at the same time immensely creepy and visually wondrous. Tom Hanks plays half the cast, "Hero Girl" looks like some kind of demon, Marcus cannot even with the blatant disregard of the laws of physics, Michael learns about Christianity, and Iris drops an absolutely molten take on what this movie truly means to her. All Alex can do is witness, and so we invite you to witness, as well. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

It's another holiday season and as we all go about (safely) enjoying the holidays, Alex gathers his own group of Straw Hats for a follow-up of Episode 27: "ONE PIECE." Now at 1004 episodes total, the anime is firmly in its longest individual arc called Wano Country, and infuses feudal Japanese influences into the exciting pirate adventures of Luffy and his pirate crew. In addition to guests Katy and Kyle returning to continue their discussion where they left off a year ago, Alex's friend and coworker Lony arrives to the Couch excited to talk about favorite characters, favorite arcs, favorite villains, and more! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

The 2005 Ben 10 series, the O.G. of our childhoods, is a cool psuedo-superhero cartoon that works around the creativity of the Omnitrix and the myriad of cool alien powers that Ben has at his disposal. Compared to some of the newer cartoons we've discussed on the Couch, Ben 10 doesn't try to bring a lot of character development or major twists to the table, and simply relies on the unreliability and flexibility of the Omnitrix, cool factor, and fun family dynamic to make each episode entertaining. Content warning: strong language.