From the ill-fated Studio Flag with character design from Fullmetal Alchemists's Hiromu Arakawa, the wuxia inspired action series Hero Tales follows a group of warriors brought into conflict due to a celestial prophecy, with each warrior being an incarnation of one of the stars in the Big Dipper. BJ and Duffo discuss a Chinese empire falling apart due to poverty and corruption, a legendary archer who starts hanging around because he really wants to hook up with your sister, and a necromancer who loves stealing and redistributing holy swords to whichever side he feels like that day.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Frankenstein bracket brings us a new compilation featuring a lot of Kingdom Hearts cutscenes, going up against the (now identified as a Karas AMV) post-war story of Memento Mori.

"Falling Dreams - Kingdom Hearts" - MysteriousRyder

Memento Mori - NightPunisher

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Charlie and Shamus from Real Fantasy Encounters join us for another bite of Studio Deen's Vampire Knight franchise, where the drama, violence and incest (uh oh) are all ratcheting up. BJ, Duffo and the group discuss Yuki's unfortunate habit of following creepy children into dark alleyways, Kaname bragging about having his DNA inside of Zero in the most homoerotic way possible, and yet another evil pureblood villain whose weakness is being shot with a gun.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

A strong judges' favourite is back, competing against a bye round contestant featuring Super Smash Bros and classical dubstep.

Watch the contestants here:

Smashing it Old School - Zarxrax

Bustin - DriftRoot

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

With the arrival of a new Flame Haze and the villains finally getting into action, Shakugan no Shana II is going to try and pack in all the plot that should have been happening in the first half of this show. BJ and Duffo watch from episode 13 onwards and discuss the Amulet of Kill Yourself, an information network that is too busy getting attacked to do their paperwork properly, and a Christmas Eve villain plot that falls apart because someone looked at a bird once.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

J.C. Staff’s Shakugan no Shana combines supernatural action with slice of life as it follows a group of teenagers drawn into a world of demons and magical hunters fighting a shadowy war. BJ and Duffo watch the first 12 episodes of the second season and discuss the many unexplained proper nouns that make this the most challenging show so far to pick up without pre-2008 context, as well as examining another clear-cut example of our “all maids are ninjas” rule and a perpetually drunk white lady who should probably not be anywhere near these Japanese teenagers.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The second round of the AMV bracket is underway, with our first bye round contestant bringing in Elfen Lied to challenge a first round winner.

Watch the contestants here:

Occupat Artus - Misk

Clarissa - BoneFixer

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Studios Gainax and feel. collaborate to present Shikabane Hime, an action horror anime about a boy who stumbles into a world of Buddhist monks and undead girls fighting cursed entities from beyond the grave. BJ and Duffo discuss zombie kindergarteners, factional disputes about whether women are people, and a villain collecting tortured souls with an evil driverless car.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

It's mashup on mashup violence in this week's Frankenstein division match up, backed by Yellowcard on one side and bass-heavy trance music on the other.

The Air In My Lungs - Malificus

Auriga - Nostromo

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Romantic comedy Haruka Nogizaka's Secret is a Diomedéa production following the relationship between an average teenage boy and his rich heiress classmate who accidentally reveals her anime fangirl side to him. BJ and Duffo discuss the perils of Akihabara, sending out mercenaries in jets to hunt for your runaway daughter, and receiving magical girl doujinshi from the Prime Minister of Japan.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

In this match-up in the Frankenstein Division, the most seamless of the Frankensteins we have seen so far comes up against the power of groovy dance moves.

Memento Mori - NightPunisher

Shake THAT!!! - Arczi

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The war between Britannia and the Black Knights comes to a dramatic conclusion, with nuclear warheads, new geass magic, and the power of God all on the table. BJ and Duffo watch from episode 13 to the end and discuss the skyrocketing death counts in each engagement, a significant character from Lelouch's past who has been hiding in a child's brain for several years, and one of the most iconic anime endings of 2008.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

BJ and Duffo split into chronologic vs broadcast order for the second half of Rental Magica, discovering in the process that the show doesn't entirely make sense either way. Watching from episode 13 onwards, they discuss Christmas carols for orphan ghosts, increasingly dangerous Solomonic rituals with a high failure rate, and ending your show by ruining a gay marriage.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The sequel to Sunrise's mecha action political drama Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion follows the exiled prince Lelouch as he once again assumes his masked identity as the Japanese freedom fighter Zero, using his magical power to compel people to set up a series of convoluted plans that escalate to a world war. BJ and Duffo watch the first 12 episodes and discuss making an anime in the backroom of a convenience store, tricking the government into exiling over a million people onto an iceberg, and having your terrorism career interrupted by all of the hot dates your ninja maid scheduled while disguised as you.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Class Clown bracket this week presents a well edited but somewhat problematic Code Geass tribute, and then a lot of dancing to EDM.

Listen to the contestants:

Code: Ecchi - Aggressor

Another Dance AMV - Wyspa

Nomad's supernatural action series Yozakura Quartet brings us to the city of Sakurashin, where yōkai and humans live alongside each other in an unsteady peace mediated by a handful of teenagers working out of a shed. BJ and Duffo discuss age requirements on becoming the mayor, ethically using your "blast people to another dimension" spell, and running out of new yōkai ideas after the first few episodes.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

After some more Bullet For My Valentine related discussion, BJ and Duffo pit a new Claymore heavy metal AMV against a D&B fever dream.

Danse Macabre - tan_elorn

Down The Rabbit Hole - Relliknl

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

A-1 Pictures brings their industry power to the table for the sci-fi action drama Birdy the Mighty: Decode, about a planet-hopping alien law enforcement agent and the high school boy she ends up sharing a body with after accidentally killing him while trying to make an arrest. BJ and Duffo discuss planet-killing weapons dealers hidden in the entertainment industry, defending your child-punching in space court, and aliens shooting your girlfriend with an orbital space laser.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Titans of 00s metalcore Bullet For My Valentine and Disturbed go head to head in this AMV round, with a Bleach and a Claymore AMV trying to out-hardcore each other.

Hand of Blood - narutomaniac

Perfect Warriors - seriy

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

90s fantasy sensation Lina Inverse, the teenage sorceress known for terrorising bandits with her explosion magic, returns to screens in 2008 for J.C. Staff's Slayers Revolution. BJ and Duffo discuss Lina's defence strategy against "the crime of being Lina Inverse", getting transformed into a Digimon to avoid a terrible plague, and building a labyrinth for the purpose of doing comedy skits to a captive audience.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Artsy bracket dips into live action as we see homemade footage fused with Kanon, followed by another AMV exploring the visual stylings of ef: A Tale Of Memories.

Twilight - Koop

More Than Enough - ZetZu

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Endless 08 has their first real foray into the otome genre as they watch Yumeta Company's Neo Angelique Abyss, a fantasy anime about a special miracle-wielding chosen girl and the various sexy men who live in a mansion with her. BJ and Duffo discuss the early days of video games for women, giant life-draining blobs from the darkness dimension, and maybe the dumbest looking monocle ever designed.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Endless 08 project has now been through 15 shows, and it’s time for a retrospective episode to sort out the good, the bad, and the completely average. BJ and Duffo place the anime they have watched so far into a ladder ranking, reflecting on the following shows:

Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino; Shigofumi: Letters From The Departed; Toradora!; Vampire Knight; Ga-Rei: Zero; RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne; They Are My Noble Masters; The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk; A Certain Magical Index; Spice and Wolf; Top Secret: The Revelation; ChäoS;HEAd; Bamboo Blade; To LOVE-Ru; and Soul Eater.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

It's time for a deeply self-serious mid 00s rock off as first round Vegeta Linkin Park Akira Toriyama Memorial Bracket exemplars compete to make it to the third round.

Watch the contestants here:

Diary of Jane - budddha

Hit The Floor - Hwoarang

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

With the anime now officially extending beyond the source material, Soul Eater comes in for a bumpy landing from episode 38 to the end of the show. BJ and Duffo discuss archeological clown robot discoveries, Lord Death's very underplayed crimes, and how to non-harmfully chop a child in half with a scythe.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

With madness now leaking into the world, a new spider-themed antagonist is here with a cult hellbent on going to war with the Death Weapon Meister Academy. BJ and Duffo discuss sandworm style underground desert trains, an incredibly freaky bodysnatching episode, and a secret coffee snake that is very bad for your mental health.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

In a respectable showing for the Artsy bracket, an AMV highlighting the unsettling work of Satoshi Kon goes up against a pastoral jig featuring plenty of chicken.

Phobia - CrackTheSky

Festival of Life - Cross/fade

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

A new threat emerges beneath the Death Weapon Meister Academy in episodes 14 to 25 of Soul Eater, with the witch Medusa working to revive an ancient enemy of Lord Death. BJ and Duffo discuss Excalibur's musical theatre background, Stein and Medusa matching each other's freak, and a surprising amount of people turning into fighter jets.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Artsy AMV bracket goes psychedelic this episode, with 5 Centimeters Per Second and Kara no Kyoukai going through their own musical acid trips.

...the endless vast of bird's flight... - Shepherd

LAST [lost] WAY - Wesker

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Gothic comedy action series Soul Eater from studio Bones is one of 2008's shounen blockbusters, set in a school where human weapons and their partners learn to synchronise their souls. BJ and Duffo watch the first 13 episodes and discuss how to start a Zoom call with the lord of death, the least stealthy but most endearing ninja of all time, and getting a blood infection so bad that you go to the Twin Peaks dimension.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The fourth and final division of the AMV Elimination Tournament is the Artsy bracket, which opens with two speedy entries exploring memory loss and the life of an AMV editor.

A Sudden Love... or? - Alex Daikou

Betamax Cascade - blabbler

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The threat of planetary obliteration has upped the stakes for harem anime To LOVE-Ru in the second half, and Rito will need the help of every ghost girl, alien girl, and regular-style girl around him to make it through. BJ and Duffo discuss making an English dub of a mid-00s ecchi comedy 12 years later, helping a pregnant cat assassin give birth, and a marathon for the fate of the earth that involves dodging at least three unique varieties of tentacles.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

In another round of Frankenstein AMVs, a shounen compilation set to All American Rejects competes against a musical skit show complete with voice acting, commentary, and Spock wearing a Naruto headband.

Unbreakable - Songbird21

The Audition - Vlad G Pohnert

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

With a dozen shows successfully under their belt, Endless 08 turns their experienced critical eyes towards some serious cinema: To LOVE-Ru, Xebec's sci-fi harem comedy about a teenage boy who accidentally gets engaged to an alien princess. BJ and Duffo discuss the deep cultural significance of breast-grabbing in Devilukean society, aliens who change gender every time they sneeze, and the most dangerous events to ever be unleashed at a school sports festival.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Rental Magica is a paranormal action show from Zexcs about a teenager with a cursed eye who inherits his father's wizard-for-hire business with zero qualifications or even knowledge about how magic works. BJ and Duffo watch the first 12 episodes and discuss airing your episodes out of order as an artistic statement, working with a guy named Mr Cathouse who lets four cats live inside his robes, and contaminating your body with magic radiation so that you can yell out instructions really well. Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Bamboo Blade continues on from episode 14 onwards with more fights, more new rivalries, and more cats. BJ and Duffo discuss boyfriend-stealing American kendo practitioners, the arrival of the cast and crew of a super sentai action show, and a lot of green tea drinking.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The number of shows being used in our Frankenstein division dramatically increases this round, with a U2 and a Rob Thomas AMV bringing 25+ anime sources each to the battle.

Watch the contestants here:

Just For A Day - Funky-kun

These Small Hours - includeownage

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Sports anime Bamboo Blade is an AIC ASTA production about a high school girls kendo team and the deadbeat teacher who supervises them and occasionally gambles on their success. BJ and Duffo watch the first 13 episodes and discuss what goes into scoring an ippon, using kendo as an outlet for your secret violent side, and cheating in sports by giving one of your players a fake Power Rangers-sona.

Apologies for the audio, which is a little rougher than usual!

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

We enter the Frankenstein division for the first time, meeting our first two multi-show monstrosities: a Death Note AMV that cannibalises five other shows, and a King of Fighters, Guilty Gear and Need For Speed dream game combo.

Watch the contestants here:

The Conspiracy of Law - Artofeel

Midnight Carnival - De29v101L

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

ChäoS;HEAd, better known today as the Science Adventure installment that came before Steins;Gate, is a psychological thriller anime from Madhouse that follows a mentally unwell otaku who stumbles into a violent conspiracy with serial killers, brain manipulating radio waves, and people whose delusions allow them to overwrite reality. BJ and Duffo discuss the history of denpa fiction, whether the show acts as effective bait and switch from the typical harem show, and go through the supposed science of Gigalomaniacs realbooting DI-swords.

Content warnings for discussions of suicide, mental illness and torture.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Class Clown bracket psychically hurts our hosts this week as another Ouran High School Host Club AMV comes up against a Koizumi x Kyon shipping AMV for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Watch the contestants here:

Ouran High School Never Ends - Melichan923

The Harassment of Kyon - MysteriousRyder

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

In the back half of Top Secret: The Revelation, the revelations keep coming and the secrets keep getting more scandalous. BJ and Duffo discuss directing a movie with your post-mortem brain, calling in romantic bomb threats to the local theme park, and a disturbing hostage situation that requires the team to delve into the world of dreams.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Class Clown bracket brings us some decidedly un-clowny picks, pairing up the chaotic metal-jazz sounds of Dog Fashion Disco with a boy band themed Ouran High School Host Club AMV.

Watch the contestants here:

Macabre Serenade - Ileia

Ouran POP - JadeCharm

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Madhouse's speculative crime drama Top Secret: The Revelation takes us to a future where police have the technology to look into the brains of the deceased and see the world through their eyes. BJ and Duffo discuss how it compares to American police procedurals, the bold move of murdering the president in the second episode, and the ethics of picking through the dark secrets of murder victims.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Imagin's pastoral merchant fantasy Spice and Wolf is a rare era-defining work from 2008 (the year that it is), following the journeys of a trader and a charming wolf goddess. BJ and Duffo discuss old fashioned Japanese dialects, FX trading with Trenni silver coins, and have a disagreement about the amount of implied wolf sex. Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

Our Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei competitor comes back for round two, going up against a hyperactive entry involving Lucky Star and Haruhi dances, Dancemania music, and Italian "spaghetti fever".

Macabre Serenade - Ileia

Attack Of The Otaku - Chiikaboom

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

This World Summons Too Many Heroes!! on Kickstarter

Endless 08 continues with J.C. Staff's A Certain Magical Index, watching from episode 15 onwards. BJ and Duffo discuss the power of feng shui to dethrone angels, curriculum failures in Academy City, and imaginary students from the esper dimension.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

The Class Clown bracket represents a change of pace for the tournament, as a Ghostbusters FFVII parody competes with Jim Carrey comedy done anime style.

Watch the contestants here:

Bustin - DriftRoot

Chicky-Chicky-Boom! - Ileia

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

J.C. Staff brings us another light novel adaptation, this time featuring a cold war between nuns, psychics and sorcerers in the action series A Certain Magical Index. BJ and Duffo watch episodes 1 - 14 and discuss pro basketballer sized 14 year olds, how to Google search actual magicians, and try to figure out what a vector actually is. Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.

BJ and Duffo are joined by guest host Ettin (Breakfast Cult, Hard Wired Island) as they attempt to scale the early dungeon tower fantasy that is Gonzo's The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk. Discussions include reflections on 80s arcade cabinet culture, the birth of anime simulcasting, and how many bath scenes is too many bath scenes.

Our theme song is Endless 808 by I.K.