Explore every episode of the podcast Japanimation Station Season 6 - TOMINO-THON!
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S4E31 - MISS KOBAYASHI’S DRAGON MAID Review (2017/2021 Kyoto Animation TV Series) | 26 Aug 2024 | 02:36:08 | |
It’s the penultimate episode of our Kyoto Vacation season, and while we wait to board the plane back to America, we’ve got one last show to review: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, which aired two seasons in 2017 and 2021. A delightfully silly and surprisingly sweet slice-of-life comedy an office worker and the extra-dimensional dragon who’s infatuated with her, the first season was directed by the great Yasuhiro Takemoto, before his tragic death in the 2019 arson attack that took the lives of so many Kyoto Animation artists. The second season, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, was finished by the studio’s other stalwart veteran director, Tatsuya Ishihara, as the first series the studio had back on the air after the attack. It’s a great show in both incarnations, different in some notable ways based on the personalities of the two directors, but more than anything, the series attests to the artistry and humanity of Kyoto Animation, and their resilience in continuing to create in the wake of such overwhelming loss. Enjoy, and come back next week for the FINAL episode of the season, as we take a look back at our entire Kyoto Vacation, create a tier list of KyoAni shows, and announce Seasons 5 and 6 of Japanimation Station! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 0:44:12 Eyecatch Break: 0:44:12 – 0:44:49 Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Review: 0:44:49 – 2:34:28 End Theme: 2:34:28 – 2:35:59 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| S4E30 - VIOLET EVERGARDEN: THE MOVIE Review (2020 Film) | 19 Aug 2024 | 03:31:39 | |
The 7th and final part of our epic Kyoto Vacation is titled“Through Rain or Shine: The Life and Times of Violet Evergarden,” and in today’s episode we reach the end of that story with Violet Evergarden: The Movie. And what a movie it is. Here is a film that made at least one of our hosts ugly cry, and deeply affected both of us. An outstanding masterpiece of a movie on its own terms, and a tremendous conclusion to the Violet Evergarden story, director Taichi Ishidate and screenwriter Reiko Yoshida both outdo themselves here, telling a tale about guilt, death, love, and acceptance, and doing it with nearly unparalleled artistry. It is as profound a work as Kyoto Animation has ever created, and one of the best animated films we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing on this show. Enjoy, and come back next week for the penultimate episode of the season, where we’ll be discussing Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, the other major KyoAni series that straddles the horrific arson attack that devastated the studio. Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 0:57:45 Eyecatch Break: 0:57:45 – 0:58:23 Violet Evergarden The Movie Review: 0:58:23 – 3:29:57 End Theme: 3:29:57 – 3:31:26 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| S4E21 - LOVE, CHUUNIBYO & OTHER DELUSIONS! TAKE ON ME Movie Review | 06 May 2024 | 01:54:55 | |
Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” comes to a close with one last adventure with the characters of Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions, in their 2018 movie, Take on Me! The film finds Rikka and Yuta off on a journey across Japan as they ‘elope’ after Rikka’s big sister Toka plans to move her to Italy for her final year of high school. Many hijinks ensue, and while Sean and Jonathan are again slightly divided on how effective the storytelling is, as they were with season 2, we enjoy celebrating just what a funny, lively production the film is, and the strong ending it delivers this great group of characters. Enjoy, and come back in June for the premiere of Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation, where we’ll be reviewing the film A Silent Voice before leaping into the world of Sound! Euphonium. Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Review Part 1: 0:37:18 Eyecatch Break: 0:37:18 – 0:37:55 Review Part 2: 0:37:55 – 1:53:47 End Theme: 1:53:47 – 1:54:48 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #37 – Gundam Build Fighters Review & Discussion | 30 Aug 2021 | 02:49:14 | |
With 2013’s Gundam Build Fighters, Gundam leaves the world of life-and-death warfare and science-fiction (mostly) behind, and instead settles in for a slice-of-life sports anime centered around the Gunpla plastic models that have long been one of the most beloved and popular parts of the franchise’s legacy. And in a wonderful surprise, it winds up being one of the franchise’s finest hours, a practically perfect 25-episode series chock full of great, vibrant characters, big laughs, awesome Gunpla designs, and truly rousing, get-on-your-feet-and-cheer caliber mobile suit duels. Whether you’re a Gundam novice or a grizzled veteran, Gundam Build Fighters has something for everyone. It’s as entertaining an anime as you’re likely to find, and maybe the most crowd-pleasing installment in the franchise’s stories history – and because of that, it’s a real treat to get to talk about here. Enjoy, and come back in two weeks for Gundam Build Fighters Try! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #36 – Rebuild of Evangelion Film Tetralogy Review & Discussion | 16 Aug 2021 | 04:43:54 | |
Almost two years ago, we took a little detour from Gundam to review Neon Genesis Evangelion upon its Netflix streaming debut, and promised that we’d come back to discuss Eva again if and when the 4-film Rebuild of Evangelion project was ever finished. And with the final film in Hideaki Anno’s lifelong passion project, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time, now streaming worldwide (alongside the first three films) on Amazon Prime, we’re keeping our word and then some, with our longest Weekly Suit Gundam episode to date! We discuss all four films in the Rebuild project, diving deep into how these masterpieces fully realize the magic that was always there in Evangelion, but for us at least was held beneath the surface by frustrating and limiting creative choices in the original series. These are great, beautifully told, stunningly animated productions that give Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Misato, and everyone else the fully realized character arcs they’ve always deserved, and ends in a place that feels like Evangelion has finally found the conclusion it was always searching for. And that’s more than enough to fill a super-sized podcast. Enjoy, and come back in two weeks for GUNDAM BUILD FIGHTERS! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #35 – Mobile Suit Gundam AGE Arcs 3 and 4 (Episodes 29-49) Review & Discussion | 02 Aug 2021 | 02:51:19 | |
It’s the end of an Age on today’s show as we finish reviewing Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, covering the 3rdand 4th arcs and episodes 29 through 49 of this severely underrated gem. This half of the show sees another jump to a new generation, as we join young Kio Asuno on his journey to learn the true nature of the Vegan and their world, reunite with his pirate father, and to bring his grandfather Flit back from the brink of his vengeful vendetta. It all builds to an outstanding conclusion, with a truly terrific set of final episodes that brings the series full circle in powerful fashion, and along the way we have all sorts of fun and interesting things to talk about, making for a great discussion about a Gundam series that deserves a much better reputation than it’s previously enjoyed. Enjoy, and come back in two weeks for a detour back to the world of Neon Genesis Evangelion as we review all 4 Rebuild of Evangelion movies! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #34 – Mobile Suit Gundam AGE Arcs 1 & 2 (Episodes 1-28) Review & Discussion | 19 Jul 2021 | 03:00:04 | |
Continuing on to the next full-length Gundam series, we reach Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, Sunrise’s 2011 collaboration with video game giant Level-5, whose lead creative Akihiro Hino conceived of and wrote this child-friendly Gundam series that spans 3 protagonists over 3 successive generations in a century-long space conflict. AGE did poorly upon its initial airing in Japan, and has suffered a quiet and often negative reputation in years since. But we don’t think that reputation is deserved – through its first two arcs, at least, AGE is an imperfect but extremely compelling show, with a really cool central narrative conceit, great characters, and some really interesting ideas that take Gundam to places it had never been before. At the very least, it’s a show worth giving a serious shot, and in this first part, covering Arcs 1 & 2 and episodes 1 through 28, we aim to do just that. Enjoy, and come back in two weeks for Part 2 of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, with episodes 29 – 49! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #33 – Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash Movie Review & Discussion | 05 Jul 2021 | 02:31:11 | |
Premiering worldwide on Netflix this week after its debut in Japanese theaters last month, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash is the first film in a planned trilogy adapting original Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino’s trio of novels from 1989-1990, following the exploits of Hathaway Noa 12 years after the events of Char’s Counterattack. And it’s a terrific start to this new film series, offering some of the best animation, music, set pieces, and writing in the history of the franchise. From Tomino’s characteristically rich writing to the complex and nuanced vocal performances to how this story fits into the larger cycle of Tomino’s original Gundam saga, Hathaway’s Flash offers so many rich avenues for discussion, making for a podcast that’s an hour longer than the film itself, and could have gone on much longer still. Enjoy, and come back in two weeks for Part 1 of our Mobile Suit Gundam AGE review, where we’ll cover Episodes 1 – 28! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #32 – Two-Year Anniversary Celebration & Rankings | 24 Jun 2021 | 03:05:52 | |
Two years ago today, Weekly Suit Gundam was born, and what a wild ride it’s been! Just as we did on its first anniversary, we’re using the show’s birthday to take stock of everything we’ve reviewed up to now. With a particular focus on the “Year Two” shows – namely G Saviour, 0080: War in the Pocket, 0083: Stardust Memory, The 08thMS Team, Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, Gundam 00, and MS IGLOO – we rank the best mobile suits and best songs from the series we reviewed this year, and adjust our master rankings for those topics from last year’s anniversary show. For the main event, we each rank all 21 Gundam shows and movies we’ve reviewed these past two years, and then come together to create our complete, unified, official Weekly Suit Gundam series rankings thus far. With listener feedback, lots of reflections on the show’s second year, and a roadmap for year 3, today’s episode is a really fun trip down memory lane and a great start to the next, climactic phase of the series, as we inch closer to Gundam’s present day. Enjoy, and come back Monday, July 5thfor our review of Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway after it’s July 1st debut on Netflix! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #31.5 - Gundam SEED Movie & Hathaway on Netflix News | 14 Jun 2021 | 00:17:24 | |
This week, we have a quick little bonus episode for you, with an excerpt from this week’s Weekly Stuff Podcast, where we talked about two major pieces of Gundam news from the past few weeks: The announcement that Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway will be debuting worldwide on Netflix very soon, on July 1st, and the reveal of a brand new Gundam SEED movie coming from the original creative team. We knew both of these items would be of interest to listeners, so we thought we’d throw this excerpt in the podcast feed for those who don’t listen to the mothership show. And just to clarify the schedule for the immediate future, our next episode of Weekly Suit Gundam will be on Thursday, June 24th, and it’ll be our 2nd Anniversary Spectacular episode, where we’ll be adding all the shows we reviewed this part year to our official ongoing rankings, and list some of our favorite songs and mobile suits and more. It’ll be a lot of fun. And then the next episode after that will be our review of the Hathaway movie, which will come out on Monday, July 5th. And after that, we’re moving on to Gundam AGE. So lots of good stuff to come – and we hope to see you there for all of it. Enjoy! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #31 – MS Igloo and MS Igloo 2 Review & Discussion | 24 May 2021 | 01:29:27 | |
This time, we’re taking a detour into one of the most obscure corners of Gundam animation, with the 6-episode CGI OVA MS IGLOO and its 3-episode sequel series MS IGLOO 2: Gravity Well. Originally produced for the Bandai museum in Japan, the first series suffers from repetitive storytelling, thin plotting, and some of the worst 3D CGI animation the early 2000s had to offer, and on its own, there’s not a ton worth saying about it. But the sequel series, produced in 2008, isn’t just a huge step forward in the quality of the CGI production – it’s also a wonderfully unique, compellingly told set of ground-level war stories that make for essential viewing for anyone interested in the One-Year War period of Universal Century Gundam, and is a lot of fun to talk about. Enjoy, and come back in June for our 2-year anniversary podcast celebration! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in Apple Podcasts! | |||
| S4E20 - MYRIAD COLORS PHANTOM WORLD Review (2016 Kyoto Animation TV Anime) | 29 Apr 2024 | 02:59:27 | |
We are back for a particularly ‘colorful’ episode of Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” with our review of 2016’s Myriad Colors Phantom World. While this series isn’t one of KyoAni’s ‘masterpiece’ shows, it might just be their most underrated. A madcap comedy packed with wall-to-wall creativity, vivid characters, and a smarter and more emotionally engaging structure than viewers might first realize, Myriad Colors is a consistent delight, with its second half in particular delivering one great episode after another. Sadly, the show flopped upon release and has been unfairly dismissed as a major creative misfire, meaning it’s due a real re-evaluation, which we hope today’s show kicks off! Enjoy, and come back next week for the end of Part 5 with our review of the Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions ‘finale’ movie, Take On Me! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Intro and History: 0:01:30 – 0:44:54 Eyecatch Break: 0:44:54 – 0:45:32 Myriad Colors Phantom World Review: 0:45:32 – 2:58:15 End Theme: 2:58:15 – 2:59:16 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #30 – Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer Review & Discussion | 12 Apr 2021 | 02:20:10 | |
With both seasons of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 reviewed, it’s time for the third and final piece of the 00 tapestry: Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer, the 2010 feature-film follow-up/finale that brings a close to the world of Gundam 00 and introduces the world of Gundam to extraterrestrial life for the first time. It’s a wild, strange, defiantly singular movie, and one of the stranger corners of the Gundam universe – but also one of the most rewarding, especially when you break it down in a long-form conversation as we do here. Operating on the levels of symbolism, metaphor, and myth-making, A Wakening of the Trailblazer isn’t quite like any other piece of Gundam, and it isn’t quite like anything we’ve discussed before; but it’s got a lot of fascinating, rich ideas on its mind, some of the most startling imagery in the entire franchise, and brings the Gundam 00 saga to an unexpected but wholly satisfying close. Gundam 00 has been one of our favorite series to discuss so far, and the film is no exception. Enjoy, and come back next time for the CGI OVA series, MS Igloo! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeanTheChapman Subscribe to Weekly Suit Gundam: https://anchor.fm/weeklysuitgundam Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com Visit our website at http://weeklysuitgundam.com | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #29 – Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Review & Discussion | 29 Mar 2021 | 02:48:25 | |
After its stupendous first season, Gundam 00 has a lot to live up to in its back half, and we find it more than rises to the challenge with an incredibly smart, exciting, affecting, and entertaining second season, bringing the TV portion of this Gundam experience to a rousing close. Set 4 years after the first season, in a world that increasingly resembles some of Gundam’s most recognizable archetypes, Gundam 00 Season 2 reconfigures and interrogates some of the franchise’s longest-running ideas for the 21st century, not just applying issues of 21st-century geopolitics to its own fiction, but asking where Gundam belongs, and how it must evolve, as the franchise goes forward. With amazing animation, outstanding mobile suit designs and action, tremendous characters, and one of the best voice casts the franchise has ever assembled – including the very surprising return of one of Gundam’s most iconic voice actors – Gundam 00 truly is one of the franchise’s finest hours, and we had even more fun talking about it the second time. Enjoy, and come back next time for Gundam 00 The Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #28 – Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - Season 1 Review & Discussion | 15 Mar 2021 | 02:13:59 | |
Gundam moves boldly into the era of HD, widescreen, and 21st century geopolitics with Mobile Suit Gundam 00, an absolutely terrific installment that’s wickedly smart, wildly exciting, and features some of the best characters and world-building of the entire franchise. It’s also the first Gundam series to split itself into seasons, so on today’s episode we’re covering Season 1 – Episodes 1-25 – which work pretty splendidly on their own, as the story of the rise and fall of Celestial Being, a stateless military organization aiming to eradicate war through armed intervention. We discuss the story, world, themes, characters, and so much more, including the incredible production values and remarkable batch of theme songs, for a Gundam show that’s definitely worth the deep dive treatment. Enjoy, and come back next time for Season 2 of Gundam 00! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeanTheChapman Subscribe to Weekly Suit Gundam: https://anchor.fm/weeklysuitgundam Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com Visit our website at http://weeklystuffpodcast.com | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #27 - Zeta Gundam: A New Translation Trilogy Review & Discussion | 22 Feb 2021 | 02:21:51 | |
This time, we’re taking a look at a curious oddity in the history of Gundam – Yoshiyuki Tomino’s Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation film trilogy from 2005 and 2006, which saw the Gundam creator returning to the classic sequel series and compiling it into three feature films, just as he had done for the original series in 1981, but now 20 years later, with much shorter run times, and, due to the inevitable passing of time, a much starker difference in new and recycled animation. There’s probably no Gundam series more difficult to condense in to three 90-minute movies than Zeta Gundam, with its enormous cast of characters, heady and challenging themes, and dense, complicated storytelling, but A New Translation is nothing if not a valiant effort, worth examining even if it never quite overcomes the sheer weight of factors working against it. We discuss the pace, the animation, the music, which characters make a strongest impression in this format, and are consistently reminded, at every turn, of just what a masterpiece Zeta Gundam itself truly is. Enjoy, and come back next time as we move into the HD era of Gundam with Mobile Suit Gundam 00 – Season 1! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #26 – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Review & Discussion | 11 Jan 2021 | 03:29:36 | |
The day of reckoning has arrived – at last, it is time to review perhaps the most controversial show in the Gundam pantheon: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, the baffling, confounding, infuriating, utterly fascinating sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Set two years later with both new and returning characters, Destiny tries to be two different, contradictory shows at once: a challenging sequel questioning the assumptions and characters from the original, a la Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and a straight-up sequel to SEED – Gundam SEED: Here We Go Again – and in the shuffle, somehow makes us hate the entire returning cast even while it buries and repeatedly does dirty its interesting new characters. The result is one of the most inept sequel stories ever told – but undeniably one of the most compelling to talk about. Enjoy, and come back next time as Gundam revisits its canonical sequel series with Yoshiyuki Tomino’s Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation film trilogy! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #25 – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Review & Discussion | 09 Nov 2020 | 03:52:21 | |
Weekly Suit Gundam continues into the bold new world of the 21st century with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, the first Gundam of the 2000s and one of the most broadly popular entries in the history of the franchise. It’s also a hell of a series – even if it took one of us a while to start enjoying it! – and builds to one of the best runs of episodes we’ve had the pleasure of discussing so far. It makes for one of our longest and most in-depth episodes, as we break down the characters, music, digital animation, and so much more, including how the series starts by reconstituting the structure of the original Mobile Suit Gundam before exploding into something new, vibrant, and incredibly compelling, both for the time in which it was made and the world in which we’re watching it now. This has long been one of our most requested episodes, and it was a real pleasure to try doing it justice. Enjoy, and come back next time for our last episode of 2020 with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in iTunes! | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #24 – The 08th MS Team Review & Discussion | 12 Oct 2020 | 02:31:15 | |
Our OVA-a-thon concludes with one of the most universally beloved and undeniably entertaining series in the Gundampantheon, The 08th MS Team. Taking a ‘boots on the ground’ approach with no newtypes or ace pilots as heroes, the OVA follows a mobile suit team in a Vietnam-esque setting during the One-Year War, and provides some of the best action, animation, and mobile suit designs in the series. We gush over the lush production values and incredible set pieces, discuss the vibrant cast of characters, puzzle over how best to categorize the bewildering 12th episode (and why this should really be considered an 11-episode series), and also touch on the compilation movie Miller’s Report. The 08th MS Team is one of those works it’s impossible for any Gundam fan not to love, and getting to celebrate it at length here is a lot of fun. Enjoy, and come back next time as we move forward into the 2000s with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #23 – Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory Review & Discussion | 28 Sep 2020 | 02:19:20 | |
After an unplanned two-month hiatus, we’re finally back to continue exploring the wide and wonderful world of Gundam, continuing our OVA-a-thon with Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, the 1991 OVA chronicling the adventures of Ensign Kou Uraki and his encounter with Zeon loyalist Anavel Gato. It’s a series that provides some of the highest highs but also many of the lowest lows in the entire Gundam franchise, with stupendous animation, great music, a few really strong episodes, and outstanding voice acting, but also some really shaky storytelling and character work and a final episode that may the single worst Gundam half-hour we’ve talked about so far. It makes for one of the best critical discussions about Gundam we’ve had on the podcast, and it’s an episode you won’t want to miss! Enjoy, and come back next time for our next OVA review with The 08th MS Team! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #22 – Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Review & Discussion | 13 Jul 2020 | 01:55:33 | |
Before continuing on to 21st-century Gundam, we’re doubling back for deep dives with the OVA series we’ve mentioned in passing but never reviewed in depth, starting with Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Released in six installments in 1989, War in the Pocket marked the first time creator Yoshiyuki Tomino wasn’t involved in a Gundam production, and is widely regarded as one of the franchise’s finest hours, expanding and deepening the series’ themes and perspective by focusing in on the small-scale story of a boy growing up amidst the backdrop of the One-Year War. It is one of the greatest and most powerful anti-war stories ever told, on similar footing as Isao Takahata’s 1988 Grave of the Fireflies, and began a rich tradition of Gundam taking some of its best artistic leaps on home video. Enjoy, and come back next time for our next OVA review with Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #21 - G-Saviour The Movie Review & Discussion | 30 Jun 2020 | 01:24:38 | |
To close out our anniversary month celebrations, we’ve got a surprise review of a (rightfully) forgotten piece of the Gundam universe: G-Saviour, the live-action Canadian TV movie from 2000 that brought Gundam to live-action for its 20th anniversary, in spectacularly awful fashion. Boasting awful production values, bargain bin acting, a script straight of the Hallmark channel recycling bin, and almost nothing to distinguish itself as part of the larger Gundam franchise, G-Saviour is a morbid curiosity that is, at least, worth some laughs, as we pick apart the mostly nonsensical story, watching and reporting so you don’t have to! Enjoy, and come back next time for the start of our series of OVA reviews with Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| S4E19 - LOVE, CHUUNIBYO & OTHER DELUSIONS! ~HEART THROB~ Review (Season 2, 2014) | 22 Apr 2024 | 02:47:03 | |
We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we return to the wacky world of Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions for its second season, Heart Throb! This second batch of episodes sees Rikka and Yuta struggling with what it means to be a couple when another chuunibyo friend from Yuta’s past enters the picture, and while both Sean and Jonathan agree it’s an extremely funny, well-directed set of episodes with plenty of laughs and memorable moments, there’s a bit of a divide between how effective we think the core plotline is, with Jonathan loving it all the way through and Sean finding it lacking. Either way, this remains a delightful show, and a very enjoyable one to talk about. Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of all 13 episodes of Myriad Colors Phantom World! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Intro, History, and Rikka’s Version Movie: 0:01:30 – 0:40:01 Eyecatch Break: 0:40:01 – 0:40:39 Chuunibyo Season 2 Review: 0:40:39 – 2:45:53 End Theme: 2:46:53 – 2:46:53 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #20 – One-Year Anniversary Celebration and Rankings | 24 Jun 2020 | 04:06:19 | |
With one year of Gundam podcasts under our belt, we thought now would be a good time to take a look back at everything we’ve discussed so far. We’ve reviewed 11 Gundam shows or movies to date – Gundam 79, Zeta, ZZ, Char’s Counterattack, Unicorn, F91, Victory, G Gundam, Gundam Wing, After War, and Turn A – and on today’s anniversary celebration episode, we rank the best Songs, Musical Scores, Mobile Suits, and Characters from that pool of 11 works, before making our official Weekly Suit Gundam ranking of everything we reviewed in our first year. It’s a very fun episode, getting into the minutiae with music, mechs, and characters in ways we don’t always have time for in our various reviews, and these are lists we intend to revisit and update as Weekly Suit Gundam continues and we watch, review, and discuss more of this incredible franchise. Enjoy, and be prepared for a special surprise episode of Weekly Suit Gundam next week on June 30th to finish our anniversary month! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #19 - Turn A Gundam Review & Discussion | 10 Jun 2020 | 04:22:23 | |
It’s been one year to the day since we started our podcast journey through the wide, wonderful world of Gundam, and to celebrate our one-year anniversary milestone, we’re diving deep into one of the single greatest works the franchise has ever produced: Turn A Gundam, Yoshiyuki Tomino’s return to, and revolution of, the series he created. Set on a pre-industrial Earth in the very distant future, Turn A looks, sounds, and feels like nothing that’s come before, a punch drunk act of endlessly creative world-building that is so impossibly rich with ideas and dense with fascinating themes and characters that even though this is our longest episode yet, it feels like we only scratch the surface. Turn A is essential viewing for anyone even vaguely interested in Gundam, and talking about it makes for one of our richest conversations yet. Enjoy, and come back later this month for our 1-year anniversary special, where we’ll be ranking the best songs, characters, mobile suits, and series from our first year of Gundam reviews. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #18 – After War Gundam X Review & Discussion | 01 Jun 2020 | 03:09:23 | |
After War Gundam X is one of the least known and most underrated corners of the Gundam universe, running for only 39 episodes, with its shortened run marking the end of four continuous years of the franchise holding the same time slot on Japanese television. But it’s also a special, woefully underappreciated show, a smart and soulful return to and commentary on the major tropes and archetypes of Yoshiyuki Tomino’s original Gundam cycle, serving as something of an alternate sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam wherein Amuro becomes a dejected, sunglass-wearing Captain mentoring a new Gundam Boy. Full of great characters, excellent storytelling, and thoughtful, bold ideas about Gundam’s past and future, After War Gundam X deserves a greater reputation, and we hope this in-depth podcast conversation is a step in the right direction. Enjoy, and come back throughout the month of June as we celebrate one full year of the Weekly Suit Gundam with a review of Turn A Gundam, an anniversary celebration special, and more! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #17 – Gundam Wing Review & Discussion | 27 Apr 2020 | 03:15:32 | |
It’s a big moment for our journey through the world of Gundam, as we finally reach New Mobile Report Gundam Wing – aka Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, or just Gundam Wing – the 1995 anime that finally brought Gundam to the mainstream in the West when it premiered on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block in 2000. At once a throwback to many iconic pieces of Yoshiyuki Tomino’s original Gundam formula and a bold break with the structure of every Gundam series up to this point, Gundam Wing is a very different experience than anything we’ve talked about before. Initially exhilarating before growing increasingly frustrating, the show is one of the messier entries in the Gundam canon, but nevertheless fascinating to talk about. And the OVA/movie sequel, Endless Waltz, is a real treat for those who stick with it all the way to the end. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #16 – Mobile Fighter G Gundam Review & Discussion | 06 Apr 2020 | 03:06:49 | |
The time has finally come for us to dive into the wacky and wonderful world of Alternate Universe Gundam, and to start this new phase in the life of the podcast, we’re going back to where AU Gundam began with 1994’s bizarre Shonen soap-opera classic Mobile Fighter G Gundam, one of the strangest, coolest, and most endearingly heartfelt entries in the entire Gundam franchise. With an awesome cast of characters, great storytelling, an astounding command of its own silly, soapy tone, and one of the best soundtracks in anime history, G Gundam isn’t much like any other Gundam show before or after – but it’s absolutely worth taking the time to fall in love with. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #15 – The End of Evangelion Review & Discussion | 23 Mar 2020 | 01:36:13 | |
On the second part of our special Neon Genesis Evangelion detour, we dive deep with The End of Evangelion, the influential 1997 film that redoes…well, the end of Evangelion. Replacing the famously under-budgeted episodes 25 and 26 of the original TV series, The End of Evangelion is an epic production with incredible direction and animation, and it may be the purest expression of what Evangelion is – for good and for bad. There’s a lot to discuss with this film, from its mind-bending avant-garde stylings, to how it expands upon and wraps up the story that went unresolved in the television series, to the extreme Freudian psychoanalytic themes on display and the film’s frequently problematic treatment of women. Enjoy, and join us next time when we return to the wonderful world of Gundam with Mobile Fighter G Gundam! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #14 – Neon Genesis Evangelion Review & Discussion | 02 Mar 2020 | 02:42:51 | |
On this special episode, we’re taking a brief detour from Mobile Suit Gundam to talk about another of the most infamous, influential mecha anime of all time: Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion, the mid-90s sensation that helped to revitalize the anime industry and became a major worldwide sensation. It’s a significant work in the history of anime, and a really interesting point of comparison to the world of Gundam, which Anno was intimately familiar with and drew a lot of inspiration from. On this episode, we are specifically discussing the original 26 episodes of the TV series (we’ll be doing End of Evangelion in a few weeks), and find that, while it has frequently magnificent direction, animation, and voice acting, the story, structure, and themes are a lot more undercooked and problematic. It’s certainly a fascinating show to talk about, and hopefully worth the wait, since we’ve been promising this for a while (though big Eva fans might hate us by the end). Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Wordcast Newsletter! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #13 – Japan Quest! Jonathan’s Great Adventure! | 27 Jan 2020 | 03:25:53 | |
In this very special episode, we take a break from talking about Mobile Suit Gundam itself to talk all about the place where Gundam is made: Japan! Jonathan just spent three weeks travelling in the land of the rising sun, and has tons of great stories to share – more than a few of them Gundam related, including visiting the life-size Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba, getting a drink at the Gundam Café, and discovering some very cool Gundam snacks in a convenience store. Beyond that, you’ll also hear about the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, the Hello One Piece exhibit in Yokohama, cool details about all sorts of famous temples like Zenkoji, Kinkakuji, and Matsumoto Castle, and the infamous Snow Monkeys of Nagano. There were so many incredible experiences on the trip, and this podcast is bursting at the seams with great memories. You’ll also hear all about a wide assortment of Japanese books, magazines, candies, food dishes, and so much more – and even hear a few clips from Karaoke, various shop songs, and the incredible Japanese dub of The Lord of the Rings. And if you want the best experience possible, make sure to watch this episode of the podcast on our YouTube channel, where we have a special video version with thousands of pictures, dozens of videos, and so much more to accompany all the stories told throughout the episode. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #12 – Victory Gundam Review & Discussion | 19 Dec 2019 | 03:27:20 | |
Our first year of Weekly Suit Gundam comes to a close as we reach the end of the Universal Century with 1993’s Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, the final full series set in the Universal Century and the last before creator Yoshiyuki Tomino took a break from the franchise and Sunrise branched out into Alternate Universe stories. Victory Gundam is famously one of the darkest installments in the series, with a large cast, a shockingly high mortality rate, and the youngest protagonist so far in 13-year-old Uso Ewin. It’s also one of Gundam’s most commonly underrated achievements, an imperfect but frequently brilliant series that contains some of the best moments, characters, action sequences, and episodes, and which lingers long after one finishes watching. We dive deep with the series, but also reflect on our first year of the Weekly Suit Gundam podcast, look towards the future, and discuss Fathom Events’ recent theatrical screening of Char’s Counterattack to celebrate Gundam’s 40th anniversary. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #11 - Gundam F91 Review & Discussion | 31 Oct 2019 | 02:23:01 | |
Our journey through Universal Century Gundam continues with one of the strangest and most rewarding corners of the franchise, the 1991 theatrical feature Mobile Suit Gundam F91. Written and Directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino and reuniting him with Gundam’s original character designer, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, and original mecha designer, Kunio Okawara, Gundam F91 was the first attempt to move beyond the original Universal Century saga that had reached its culmination in Char’s Counterattack. Set 30 years later, with an all-new cast of heroes and antagonists, F91 was originally intended to be a full 50-episode TV series, before plans fell through and Tomino and company were left scrambling to fit their story into a 2-hour feature. The result is, indeed, a mess, albeit a fascinating one, filled with some of the richest and most affecting material the franchise has ever conjured, brought to life with some of the best animation ever committed to film. There’s no doubt it’s an oddity and outlier in the history of Gundam, but it’s also essential viewing for fans of the series – and it leads to one of our most enjoyable conversations so far. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| S4E18 - BEYOND THE BOUNDARY Review (2013 Kyoto Animation TV Anime + Movie) | 15 Apr 2024 | 02:24:36 | |
We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we’re discussing what might be the worst series the fine folks at KyoAni have ever made: 2013’s Beyond the Boundary, a show that is as beautifully animated as anything the studio has ever produced, but suffers from generic (and sometimes incoherent) storytelling, flat characters, and a frustratingly repetitive and off-putting sense of ‘comedy.’ It also has a feature film follow-up, 2015’s I’ll Be Here, which is even more stunningly animated, but also somehow even more maddening as a piece of storytelling. It’s a strange show, but a fascinating one to talk about. Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of the second season of Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions – Heart Throb! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Beyond the Boundary Review: 0:01:30 – 1:30:13 Eyecatch Break: 1:30:13 – 1:30:51 I’ll Be Here Movie Review: 1:30:51 – 2:23:26 End Theme: 2:23:26 – 2:24:28 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #10 – Unicorn Gundam & Narrative Gundam Review & Discussion | 23 Sep 2019 | 03:19:33 | |
Released in seven parts from 2010 to 2014, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is an extravagant OVA sequel to the original saga of Universal Century Gundam, set three years after Char’s Counterattack and engaging in a direct, deeply thoughtful dialogue with the major themes and ideas of the franchise’s 70s and 80s output. It’s also a spectacular production, with movie-caliber animation, an all-time great score by Hiroyuki Sawano, and some of the greatest mobile suit action the franchise has ever seen. We dive deep with the series on this week’s show, while also touching upon Unicorn’s own movie sequel, Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, the 2018 film that stands as the most recent entry in the Universal Century canon. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #09 – Char’s Counterattack Review & Discussion | 10 Sep 2019 | 02:13:23 | |
The original saga of Mobile Suit Gundam reaches its spectacular climax with Char’s Counterattack, the 1988 theatrical film that reunites Char Aznable and Amuro Ray for one final conflict, and sees Yoshiyuki Tomino and company bringing these characters, their story, and the major themes of the series up to now home with astonishing aplomb. As the first original movie in the franchise’s history, Char’s Counterattack boasts incredible production values and some of the greatest animation we’ve ever seen, but it’s also a deeply intelligent, incredibly thoughtful capper to all the big ideas, character arcs, and interpersonal conflicts broached in the original three TV series. And after spending so much time talking about the ingenious character creation that is Char, this movie gives us ample opportunity to put the character and his complex evolution in context, leading to one of the best conversations we’ve had about Gundam so far. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #08 - Gundam ZZ Review & Discussion | 02 Sep 2019 | 02:24:26 | |
After the abject darkness that was the ending of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, we come out on the other side to review and discuss its immediate successor, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, a show that appears lighter at first glance…but is it? ZZ has a bad reputation among Western fans, but we’d argue it’s a deeply misunderstood and underappreciated gem, an essential follow-up to Zeta Gundam that masterfully shifts the franchise’s POV, boasts stunning visuals from start to finish, and is chock full of great characters, both heroes and villains alike. As the final TV entry in the initial Gundam trilogy, it wraps up the first saga of the Universal Century with aplomb, challenging much of what we thought we know and taking the series to bold, compelling new places along the way. It’s not one to miss, and this jam-packed discussion is a lot of fun. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #07 - Zeta Gundam Review & Discussion | 19 Aug 2019 | 02:30:51 | |
In this episode, Weekly Suit Gundam goes beyond its original missive of reviewing the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam by jumping ahead for a deep dive with the second series in the Gundam franchise, and one of the most beloved: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, the sequel set in 0087 that sees new protagonist Kamille Bidan joining forces with the AEUG – and several familiar faces, including the mysterious, sunglass-wearing Quattro Bajeena – to fight against the fascistic takeover of the Earth Federation by the evil Titans. Now that Jonathan’s binged the entire 50-episode series in just over a week, we have a lot to talk about, from how beautifully this series functions as a bold, thoughtful sequel to the original, to its blend of new and returning characters, to how impactfully its political content resonates with our current moment. It’s one of the greatest anime series of all time – with as dark an ending as you’re ever likely to see – and that’s more than enough for a packed episode’s worth of discussion. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #06 – Gundam Film Trilogy & One-Year War Wrap-up | 06 Aug 2019 | 04:00:53 | |
Our first ‘season’ of Weekly Suit Gundam comes to a close with a big, fun, celebratory ‘wrap-up’ episode. For our main topic, we discuss the series of theatrical films, released between 1981 and 1982, that compiled and reworked the original Mobile Suit Gundam into a surprisingly effective film trilogy that saved the series from its initial lack of popularity and helped launch the franchise into the stratosphere. That’s a great discussion in and of itself, but it’s not all! We also briefly review all the other One-Year War series – Gundam: The Origin, War in the Pocket, The 08thMS Team, and Thunderbolt – talk about some Gundam manga and books, and count down the Top 10 Best Mobile Suits, Best Character Names, and Greatest Episodes of the original series. It’s a fun, jam-packed episode saluting one of the best anime series of all time, and a fitting celebration for Gundam’s 40thanniversary. Enjoy, and stick around to the end, because while this may be the end of what we planned to do with Weekly Suit Gundam, it’s certainly not the last you’ve heard of our Gundam talks. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #05 - Reviewing Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Episodes 39-43 | 06 Aug 2019 | 02:20:25 | |
It’s the final stretch of Mobile Suit Gundam – episodes 39 through 43 – and if you thought a mere five episodes wouldn’t be enough to fill a full installment of this podcast, you clearly haven’t seen the absurdly jam-packed final push of this incredible show. With the strange, metaphysical concept of ‘Newtypes’ taking center stage, Gundam’s closing episodes are both its most action-packed and its most boldly experimental, as Amuro comes fully into his new abilities and Char tries to harness the powers of the mysterious Lalah Sune. It wasn’t exactly the ending creator Yoshiyuki Tomino and company had in mind – the series was cut from 52 to 43 episodes, with these final five installments having to tell a much-condensed version of a longer original game plan – but as we argue here, it’s nonetheless a stirring, pitch-perfect ending to this all-time great anime, and one worth the deep dive we give it here. Enjoy, and come back next time for our final episode (for now!) of Weekly Suit Gundam, where we’ll be talking the compilation movie trilogy from 1981-1982 that sent Gundam’s popularity into the stratosphere. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #04 - Reviewing Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Episodes 26-38 | 06 Aug 2019 | 02:34:42 | |
The end is near for Mobile Suit Gundam, as this set of episodes – #26-38 – find the crew of the White Base becoming fully integrated into the Federation’s forces, visiting the military’s biggest base of operations, and returning to space for an assault on the Zeon stronghold of Solomon and, finally, a duel…in Texas! It’s another sterling set of episodes, this bunch more action-packed than ever, but also dense with revelations and major plot developments, culminating in a series of major reveals that reshape the stakes of the conflict and where our major characters stand, with just five episodes left to go. We’ll get to those next time, but for now, this is an incredibly juicy, wildly entertaining, and as always shockingly sobering set of episodes worth diving deep with. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #03 - Reviewing Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Episodes 14-25 | 06 Aug 2019 | 01:51:59 | |
As we hit the middle stretch of Mobile Suit Gundam and discuss episodes 14 through 25, the show gets increasingly dark, with the challenges faced by the crew of the White Base growing ever more perilous. We’re introduced to new foes like M’quve and Kycilia Zabi, alongside the inimitable Ramba Ral and his companion Hamon, enemies who present Amuro and Bright their fiercest opponents yet, but are also perhaps the most honorable and upstanding characters on the series to date. As the lines between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ grow ever blurrier, the body count starts piling up, and series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino more than earns his nickname, “Kill ‘Em All Tomino.” It’s another terrific, if frequently depressing, set of episodes, as we round the halfway point of the series and head into the back half full steam ahead. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #02 - Reviewing Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Episodes 03-13 | 06 Aug 2019 | 02:09:56 | |
After giving an overview of the Mecha genre and talking about the first two episodes last time, we dive deep into the meat of Mobile Suit Gundam on this week’s episode, discussing Episodes three through thirteen, a stretch which sees Amuro struggling with the surmounting stress of piloting the Gundam, Bright navigating his unexpected leadership, and Char deliciously manipulating supposed friend Garma Zabi to mysterious ends. It’s a terrific set of episodes that establishes the show’s episode structure and major themes, culminating in a brutally dark episode that makes it clear this is no lighthearted space opera – and why this show deserves the thorough look-back we’re giving it on this podcast. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! | |||
| Weekly Suit Gundam #01 - Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Episodes 01-02 & Intro to Mecha Anime | 06 Aug 2019 | 01:36:25 | |
In the 40 years since its 1979 debut in Japan, Mobile Suit Gundam has grown into one of the most pervasive and beloved franchises in anime history – and this summer, we’re taking a look back at the series that started it all, by watching, reviewing, and discussing in depth all 43 episodes of the original Mobile Suit Gundam (aka Gundam 0079). Sean has been a big Gundam fan for years, but Jonathan’s never seen a single episode before, giving us two unique perspectives on the series as we set out on this journey. This week, we go into the history of bothGundam itself and the Mecha genre at large, before diving into the first 2 episodes of the anime, one of the most confident and compelling introductions we’ve ever seen to a TV series. And over the next four parts of this podcast miniseries, we’ll continue through to the end of the series. Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter @SeantheChapman Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! | |||
| S4E17 - TAMAKO MARKET (2013 TV Series) & TAMAKO LOVE STORY (2014 Movie) Review | 08 Apr 2024 | 03:08:57 | |
We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we’re discussing the next series made by the ladies behind K-ON!, 2013’s Tamako Market! An entirely original creation by Naoko Yamada and Reiko Yoshida, Tamako Market is a strange, singular, and sweet slice-of-life series about the daughter of a mochi-shop owner and the many oddballs she encounters in daily life, including a talking bird from a mysterious island kingdom named Dera. Sean and Jonathan are split on just how effective the TV show itself is – Sean loves it, while Jonathan found it a little hit-or-miss – but we are in complete agreement about the 2014 film follow-up, Tamako Love Story, which adopts a slightly different tone and focus and delivers a true directorial tour-de-force from Naoko Yamada. It’s one of the best things we’ve watched this season, and that’s saying something. Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of 2013’s Beyond the Boundary and its feature film sequel, I’ll Be Here! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Tamako Market Review: 0:01:30 – 1:43:36 Eyecatch Break: 1:43:36 – 1:44:14 Tamako Love Story Review: 1:44:14 – 3:07:45 End Theme: 3:07:45 – 3:08:46 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Happily Ever After” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| S4E16 - LOVE, CHUUNIBYO & OTHER DELUSIONS! Review (Season 1, 2012) | 01 Apr 2024 | 02:40:22 | |
We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” where we will be looking at the period in the 2010s when KyoAni took complete control of their source material and began creating anime based on light novels they themselves published! That effort began with 2012’s Love, Chuunibyo & Other Delusions!, a series that starts out as a very funny, very silly odd-couple comedy between a boy trying to leave his youthful obsessions behind and a girl still embroiled in playing pretend, before gradually becoming a startlingly rich, incredibly touching story about how fiction and fantasy help us process grief. It’s another Kyoto Animation home run, one that sneaks up on the viewer but lands its punches with startling power. We discuss the 12-episode first season from 2012 in today’s episode, but will be back later in Part 5 to discuss the show’s second season and movie sequel. Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of Tamako Market and its feature film follow-up, Tamako Love Story! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Intro and History: 0:01:30 – 0:45:52 Eyecatch Break: 0:45:52 – 0:46:29 Chuunibyo Season 1 Review: 0:46:29 – 2:40:53 End Theme: 2:40:53 – 2:41:55 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Happily Ever After” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| Special Episode - Remembering Akira Toriyama & Ranking Dragon Ball Story Arcs | 12 Mar 2024 | 03:12:07 | |
Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, and illustrator of the Dragon Quest franchise, passed away this week at the age of 68. His influence on our lives, like those of millions around the world, has been incalculable, so we’re devoting today’s entire show to discussing his incredible body of work and the way it changed anime, manga, video games, and global popular culture. We discuss how we first discovered Dragon Ball, why he was such a peerless mangaka, read some of the statements that have poured in from other manga authors and Dragon Ball collaborators, and respond to some listener comments. And after that, we bring back a segment from 2022 in which Sean and Jonathan rank all the story arcs in the Dragon Ball franchise, giving us a chance to dive into and celebrate his most famous work. Enjoy. Time Chart (JS) Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:15 Remembering Akira Toriyama: 0:01:15 – 2:12:41 Ranking Dragon Ball Story Arcs: 2:12:41 – 3:12:07 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms: https://weeklystuffpodcast.com Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.com Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/
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| S4E15 - HYOUKA Review (2012 Kyoto Animation TV Anime) | 26 Feb 2024 | 03:28:05 | |
Part 4 of our Kyoto Vacation is called “My Ordinary Life is a Mystery to be Lived,” and today’s second part tackles the ‘Mystery’ part of that title with 2012’s singular slice-of-life mystery anime HYOUKA! Adapted from the ‘Classic Literature Club’ novels by Honobu Yonezawa, Hyouka follows ‘energy conservationist’ Hotaro Oreki as he tries to glide through high school without giving anything much effort, only to be drawn into the orbit of the perpetually curious Eru Chitanda, with whom he begins solving low-stakes mysteries left and right. It’s an amazing and very unique story, and it’s brought to life with perhaps the most beautiful animation in the history of TV anime – which sounds like hyperbole until one lays eyes on this amazing series, which is another certified masterpiece from Kyoto Animation. Enjoy, and come back in two weeks on March 10th for Part 5 of the season, and our review of the 2012 anime Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Intro and History: 0:01:30 – 0:49:30 Eyecatch Break: 0:49:30 – 0:50:08 Hyouka Review: 0:50:08 – 3:26:51 End Theme: 3:26:51 – 3:27:53 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Happily Ever After” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| S4E14 - NICHIJOU: My Ordinary Life Review (2011 Kyoto Animation TV Anime) | 19 Feb 2024 | 03:01:35 | |
Part 4 of our Kyoto Vacation is called “My Ordinary Life is a Mystery to be Lived,” and we begin with one of Kyoto Animation’s most beloved cult classics, and also perhaps the weirdest show ever made: Nichijou, based on the manga by Keiichi Arawi, which follows three high-school girls, a genius child inventor, the robot big sister she invents for herself, a talking cat, and many more increasingly strange characters in a very bizarre world of madcap, gorgeously-animated comedy. Nichijou is purely gag-focused, more than any show we’ve reviewed here before, but it's also incredibly creative and wildly accomplished as an animation production, and gives us a ton to talk about. We go over the show’s history, discuss what makes it so special, and each count down our Top 10 Favorite Nichijou Segments! Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of Hyouka, the equally-singular slice-of-life mystery show from 2012! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Intro and History: 0:01:30 – 0:46:47 Eyecatch Break: 0:46:47 – 0:47:22 Nichijou Review: 0:47:22 – 1:43:44 Top 10 Nichijou Segments: 1:43:44 – 3:00:22 End Theme: 3:00:22 – 3:01:24 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Happily Ever After” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||
| S4E13 - K-ON! The Movie Review (2011 Kyoto Animation Film) | 29 Jan 2024 | 02:29:38 | |
Part 3 of our Kyoto Vacation is‘Moe Money, Moe Problems: After School Tea-Time with the Girls of K-On!’ And today, we’re finishing our journey with Hokago Tea Time by following the girls to London for an overseas adventure in K-On! The Movie. Released in 2011 to more or less unprecedented success for this type of anime, the feature film continuation of the series is one of the franchise’s finest hours, lushly animated, absolutely hilarious, and incredibly heartfelt, revisiting the events of the series finale to deepen the perspective of the original four club members – Yui, Ritsu, Mio, and Mugi-chan – on a bigger scale than we ever saw in the TV series. It's a fantastic movie, and a great way to close our After School Tea Time adventures. Enjoy, and come back on February 11th for the start of Part 4 of our Kyoto Vacation, with our review of the comedy classic Nichijou: My Ordinary Life! Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30 Intro and History: 0:01:30 – 0:35:47 Eyecatch Break: 0:35:47 – 0:36:22 K-On! The Movie Review: 0:36:22 – 2:28:28 End Theme: 2:28:28 – 2:29:29 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/ Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com “re:CAPTURE” and “Happily Ever After” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com | |||