Purely Academic with Jonathan Lack &amp; Sean Chapman – Details, episodes &amp; analysis

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Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://www.japanimation-station.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

The Weekly Stuff #430 – Obi-Wan Kenobi Premiere Review & Discussion

Episode 457

mardi 31 mai 2022 • Duration 01:42:36

Ewan McGregor made his long-awaited return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in this week’s premiere episodes of the aptly titled Obi-Wan Kenobi for Disney+, and we were so enthusiastic about the results we just had to share our thoughts in today’s episode! With a compelling characterization of an Obi-Wan stuck between the despair of his many losses in Episode III and the wise, hopeful mentor of Episode IV, the show finds a smart way into this story, with some much appreciated surprises in store, and a large number of excellent new and returning performances throughout these first two hours. We save that spoiler-filled discussion for the end of the podcast, with Sean talking about his adventures watching the Ultraman series at the beginning, followed by Jonathan’s take on Top Gun Maverick and his initial impressions of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:06:09

Ultraman: 0:06:09 – 0:15:17

Top Gun Maverick: 0:15:17 – 0:24:37

Lego Star Wars: 0:24:37 – 0:39:05

Obi-Wan Kenobi: 0:39:05 – 1:42:36

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in Apple Podcasts!

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://www.japanimation-station.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

The Weekly Stuff #429 – Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt & Twilight Axis Reviews & Discussions

Episode 456

mardi 24 mai 2022 • Duration 02:21:38

Jonathan shares his rankings of all 13 Star Trek films following an inexplicable completist run through all of them, which Sean mocks him roundly for, and then it’s time to settle all Gundam business by reviewing two ONA (original net animation) series that are the last mainline Gundam titles we’ve yet left un-reviewed. Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, based on the manga by Yasuo Ohtagaki, aired from 2015 to 2017 and was collected into 2 films, December Sky and Bandit Flower, and it’s a fascinating, frequently rousing production, if also one that’s messy and incomplete. With detailed over-the-top action scored to incredible jazz music by Naruyoshi Kikuchi and a series of faux-pop oldies representing rival protagonists Io Fleming and Daryl Lorenz, Thunderbolt is a synesthetic marvel – but it’s also barreling through 7 volumes of manga in a scant 2.5 hours, and with no new episodes in 5 years, it’s an entirely unfinished project. Twilight Axis, on the other hand, is finished – but it’s very slight, a series of short ONA episodes collected into a 26-minute movie, loosely adapting a series of light novels into an impressionistic-at-best, confusing-and-vestigial-at-worst short film.

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:38:39

Gundam Thunderbolt: 0:38:39 – 2:00:26

Gundam Twilight Axis: 2:00:26 – 2:21:51

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in Apple Podcasts!

The Weekly Stuff with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman is a weekly audio podcast, and if you subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts, episodes will be delivered automatically and for free as soon as they are released. Visit www.weeklystuffpodcast.com for a complete archive of streaming and downloadable episodes.

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://www.japanimation-station.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

The Weekly Stuff #428 – Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE Review & Discussion

Episode 455

mardi 17 mai 2022 • Duration 03:05:18

Before ‘diving’ into this week’s Gundam discussion – yes, it’s still a pun – Sean talks about finally upgrading to a new smartphone (after being on the iPhone 6S for over half the life of this show), asks Jonathan why he’s inexplicably watching through all the Star Trek movies including the very bad ones, and Jonathan gives impressions of the excellent indie adventure Tunic on Xbox. Then it’s time to talk about Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE, the most pleasantly surprising qualitative whiplash we’ve ever seen. Following the franchise low-point of Gundam Build Divers, Re:RISE is a stunningly smart, soulful, exciting, and all-around excellent anime that is nearly as great as the original show is bad. Following a new group of characters – the BUILD DiVERS, distinguished by one lowercase ‘i’ – Re:RISE immediately distinguishes itself with a deeply human and compelling protagonist, Hiroto Kuga, and a fantastic group of supporting characters, all on a wild adventure that combines the video game isekai tropes the first show tried but failed at, a more traditional fantasy isekai journey to another world, and even dashes of other non-Build Gundam shows with heroes, villains, and major life-and-death stakes. It’s the last full Gundam show made to date, and we couldn’t ask for much more of the series that catches this podcast up to the franchise’s present day.

Time Chart:

Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:33:01

Gundam Re:RISE: 0:33:01 – 3:05:31

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in Apple Podcasts!

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://www.japanimation-station.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

The Weekly Stuff #427 – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review

Episode 454

mardi 10 mai 2022 • Duration 01:50:08

It’s a very ‘strange’ podcast this week – haha, get it? – as we review the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness! Directed by the great Sam Raimi – and featuring WAY more of his characteristic humor, scares, distorted camera work, and cartoon violence than we expected – it’s one of the most unique, imaginative, and downright fun films Marvel has made so far. To put it simply, the film kicks ass. We also got news this weekend about the casting of the 14th Doctor on Doctor Who, to be played by 29-year-old Ncuti Gatwa, who will become the first black actor to play the iconic part, and discussion of this exciting announcement rounds out the episode.

And finally, in recognition of the overwhelming threat to reproductive rights bearing down on the United States this week after it became clear the Supreme Court was poised to overturn Roe v Wade, we are encouraging listeners to make donations, if able, to local abortion funds in their area. Jonathan will be donating to the Iowa Abortion Access Fund in Iowa, and Sean to the Lilith Fundin Texas, but we encourage you to donate wherever will do the most good in your community.

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:21:29

Doctor Who News: 0:21:29 – 0:32:32

Doctor Strange 2 Review: 0:32:32 – 1:50:21

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in Apple Podcasts!

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://www.japanimation-station.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

The Weekly Stuff #426 – Gundam Build Divers Review & Discussion

Episode 453

mardi 3 mai 2022 • Duration 02:31:30

After a bit of a break from the giant fighting robots, we’re diving back into Gundam this week, jumping all the way down to the bottom of the barrel to review 2018’s Gundam Build Divers. Capitalizing on the Sword Art Online-inspired Isekai craze of the 2010s, Gundam Build Divers takes the Gunpla action out of the real world and into a very boring virtual reality, without really understanding what makes Isekai shows or the prior Build Fighters series fun in the first place. With amazingly low stakes, wildly inconsistent world building, nary an interesting character in sight, and a final arc that goes from zero to bananas in record time (and not in a good way), Gundam Build Divers is the nadir of animated Gundam. And before eviscerating this terrible series, Sean also talks about playing Horizon: Forbidden West, and Jonathan discusses catching up on recent happenings in Genshin Impact.

Time Chart:

Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:26:39

Gundam Build Divers: 0:26:39 – 2:31:44

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in Apple Podcasts!

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://www.japanimation-station.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

The Weekly Stuff #425 – Elden Ring Final Review & Discussion

Episode 452

mardi 26 avril 2022 • Duration 02:44:33

After hundreds of hours, countless deaths, millions of runes collected and dozens of demigods slain, Sean and Jonathan are both finally finished with FromSoftware’s incredible open-world RPG masterpiece Elden Ring, and that means it is, at last, time for our in-depth spoiler-filled review and discussion. After discussing the game in bits and pieces along the way over the past two months, we dive deep with the surprisingly rich storytelling and mythology, the many fabulous boss fights, the seemingly endless assortment of dense, surprising areas and images, and so much more. Before the spoiler chat begins, Sean also talks about reading through the Fullmetal Alchemist manga for the first time, Jonathan review Robert Eggers’ outstanding new Viking epic The Northman, and we collectively take a look at the upcoming ‘second season’ of Halo Infinite, and why the game is in such a bafflingly miserable state.

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:02:33

Fullmetal Alchemist: 0:02:33 – 0:16:52

The Northman: 0:16:52 – 0:25:00

Halo Infinite Is a Mess: 0:25:00 – 0:52:22

Elden Ring: 0:52:22 – 2:44:33

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in Apple Podcasts!