Warui Deshou: An Anime Podcast

Welcome back, folks! Apologies for the overly long time away; we've been super busy with our day jobs. Hopefully, since we're covering an absolute gem of a movie, you'll forgive us. Enjoy our discussion of Tomas Alfredson and John Ajvide Lindqvists' romantic horror film, Let The Right One In.

All aboard, anime fans! Join us as we punch our ticket to space adventure, science fantasy, and beautiful melancholy. Listener, you're on a one way train to a three hour discussion of 1979's Galaxy Express 999 The Movie! We talk about Leiji Matsumoto, the Leijiverse, Rintaro, and some of the notable seiyuu. We discuss Maetel, Tetsuro, Emeraldas, Harlock, and all your favorites. We get into this film as a story about class struggle, Matsumoto's depictions of women, and how certain scenes affected us now that the original creator of the Leijiverse is sadly no longer with us.

Hello, friends! We actually released two pods this month! Who'd have guessed it could happen again? This episode we are talking about the 2019 Noah Baumbach film "Marriage Story" starring Matoko Kusanagi and Kylo Ren! In all seriousness, we both really liked this movie and we hope you enjoy our chat about how it goes in on the American legal system, what we thought of all the performances, how the film is disarmingly funny at times (often because of its subject matter rather than in spite of it), stimulates reflections on relationships and fatherhood, and just generally creates awareness and empathy in us.

Hello, friends! We are back are far too long an absence to discuss the seminal 1980s OAV, Megazone 23! Parts 1 and 2 only. In this episode, we chat about the creators of the films, articulate our own experiences with them in 2023, attempt to understand them from the mindset of the 80s fandom unto which they were released, answer listener questions, and more!

Doc & Shadon break down Hong Kong action director Benny Chan's final film, Raging Fire! Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse tear it up in this high-impact revenge story. We talk about our favorite scenes, discuss whether the film is copaganda, talk a bit about moral luck, and count suplexes!

Oi chooms, we are back with an absolutely nova episode that only a gonk brain wouldn't enjoy. We are covering all things Cyberpunk: Edgerunners! Doc & Shadon talk about the show's aesthetics, themes, how it relates to and compares to the video game, where Edgerunners fits into cyberpunk literature, and more. Also we discuss who is best gi--pfft I can't even joke about this because no discussion is needed. It's so obvious, right? 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Blessed Kwanzaa, Merry MegaChristmas, and Happy Holidays! Doc & Shadon are here with you once again to talk about all things media in 2022, at least all things they've experienced. Yes, there's some grousing about the usual awful state of the planet, but the majority of this episode is a celebration of a whole bunch of great anime, video games, books, and movies that have gotten us through the year. Sit back and reminisce with us for a few hours to close out your year with a good time!

Doc & Shadon have come back from a war torn future to talk to you all about a couple of really cool James Cameron movies, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day! If you're not super old like us, you might not remember how mind-blowing these films were at the time or how important they were to pop culture and the near-term future of action sci-fi cinema. On the other hand, if you are on old head, then come soak up the nostalgia as we discuss our favorite scenes, smart decisions the movies make, and get annoyed at the T2 trailer.  

Newtypes, Oldtypes, and everyone in between, Doc & Shadon are here to talk Mobile Suit Gundam! We invite you to join us as we review and discuss the anime film trilogy that kicked off anime's biggest franchise. How cool are these robots? How badass is Char Aznable? Is war truly hell? We will answer these questions, your questions, and much more on our trek through the 79th year of the Universal Century!

Doc & Shadon romp, stomp, and spray atomic breath all over the place on this episode that's all about Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi's 2016 kaiju powerhouse, Shin Godzilla! We discuss the film's seething hatred of bureaucracy, ability to put the viewer into ground zero of a disaster, fantastic editing and shot composition, driven core cast, and more! 

Doc & Shadon discuss Suncoast Video shelf constant, Video Girl Ai. Is this 1992 OAV sex comedy meets sci-fi romance worth revisiting 30 years later? Listen in and find out as we chat about the show's themes, characters, comedy and place in anime history. And answer your questions!

After some delays, we're back to talk about Spike Jonze' film "Her" from 2013! Shadon enjoyed this film back when it was released, but he wanted to revisit it now, almost a decade later, to see how it held up. We discuss the film's relevance in 2022, its core message about learning how to love others well, if anything about it would be made differently in 2022, its depiction of societal change in the wake of radical new technology, if the film sufficiently establishes Samantha's humanity, which app we'd like to fall in love with, and much more!

We discuss Mamoru Hosoda's third original film and final Madhouse production, 2012's "Wolf Children." When Doc first watched it, it was one of his favorites. After watching/rewatching all of Hosoda's work n the lead up to this podcast, does he still feel the same way? Shadon has never seen the film before. What does he think of it? Click play and find out!

Lot of ground covered in our discussion, including: production details, both the critical and also the academic/scholarly response to the film then and now, different cultural perspectives on single-motherhood, queer readings of wolfhood, "let's get back to nature" and, of course, our emotional responses to the movie. And much more!

We are discussing one of the best films, Korean or otherwise, made in recent years, Lee Chang-dong's "Burning." In fact, this is Doc's favorite movie! "Burning" is an adaptation of Haruki Murakami's short story, "Barn Burning" (itself an adaptation of sorts of William Faulkner's short story of the same name) and features incredible performances from Yoo Ah-in, Jeon Jong-seo, and Stephen Yeun.

There is a lot of ground to try to cover in this discussion. We tackle the movie's focus on class and wealth divides, what it says about creative individuals and the creative process, reality vs unreality of certain elements of the film and what those possible conclusions mean for the film as a whole as well as its individual elements, and so so much more. All of this discussion is near, very very near...all you have to do is press play!  

Doc & Shadon saddle up to bring you all a mammoth sixty billion double-dollar-sized helping of podcast about one of our all-time favorite anime: Trigun! This show was an important one for both of us in the early, formative years of our anime fandom. Perhaps surprisingly, we both found that, not only does it hold up (in terms of what we come to anime for) but it has some depths we did not plumb when we were in our teens and twenties.

We cover a ton of topics in this show, including: a character analysis of Vash The Stampede, utilitarian/consequentialist morality vs deontic/non-consequentialist morality, how the show drops the ball with its female cast, the anime's tonal shift, Christian symbolism, comparison of Trigun to other media, favorite gags, how many Gung-ho Guns can you name, and so much more!  

For you, it was the most important podcast of your life, for us...it was Tuesday.

Welcome back, friends, to Warui Deshou, where this time we discuss the notorious 1994 fighting game film adaptation, Street Fighter: The Movie! While it can occasionally be charmingly camp, and Raul Julia's performance is beyond reproach, much of the time the movie's poor casting and writing leave us cringing and groaning. But, how would we adapt a fighting game story to the silver screen? What lessons can be learned from this one? From its troubled production? In addition to pondering these serious topics, Doc & Shadon have a good laugh at SF's expense.  

Join Doc & Shadon for a discussion on Studio Ghibli's 2004 film adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' 1986 fantasy novel, Howl's Moving Castle. After talking a bit about some creatives behind the film as well as its production, the hosts analyze the movie's aesthetics, anti-war themes, metaphorical interpretations of the castle, differences from the novel, and, of course, its very abrupt ending. 

We discuss Doc's favorite John Woo film, 1989's "The Killer"! Doc and Shadon talk favorite scenes, religious symbolism, heroic bloodshed as a genre, what to make of the Jenny character, and so much more!

Once upon a time, there was a man who died...then that man befriended another man, and they went on to do a Bad Anime Podcast which would one day cover...Princess Tutu! That's right, Doc and Shadon are here to talk about ballet, meta-text, and weird animal-people. After lauding the folks who created this little gem, we answer a boatload of Discord & Twitter questions, discuss characters, themes and story structure, and do our best 'If you like _____, you'll like Princess Tutu."  

Hello, friends, and welcome to Warui Deshou's Holiday/Year-End Special! I already wrote this description once, and 2021 hates me so much that it disappeared my write-up for no reason whatsoever. That being the case, this description will be even more low-effort than usual, which is saying something.

In this here podcast, Shadon and Doc discuss all their favorite anime, video games, podcasts, YouTubers, John Woo movies, and Stephen King novels they've experienced in this bloody endless year. Not one single once of prep was done by either host before the pod. Listen at your own risk.

WHAT'S UP DANGER? Hey gang, it's our maiden voyage into the great big ocean of Non-Anime Podcast Episodes! ICYMI, we are going to be doing two pods a month, one anime and one non. For this month's non, Shadon has chosen a pair of exemplary superhero animated films. We know these movies have a ton of big fans, so we hope we've done them justice in our (lengthy) discussion!

First, we detail our histories with these characters across various forms of media. Then, we talk about each film separately, why we like each so much and we we think each does really well. Next, we compare the two in terms of their tone, goals, accessibility, stand-alone-ness, core themes, and how well each film presents the essence of its protagonist. Finally, we answer some very good questions put to us by our Discord group. Please enjoy!

Welcome back, friends, to Warui Deshou! This episode, Shadon & The Subtle Doctor review and discuss the rather bonkers 2016 anime Drifters. 

As usual, opinions are divided on the show. Doc is full of praise for its interesting concept, generally fun tone, and its humor. Shadon found it a boring exercise in propaganda. Despite their differing takes, the boys have a lot of fun discussing all of the above and so much more on Drifters. We hope you enjoy! Hearts to Yoichi!

There are a number of content warning for Drifters. We'd advise those inclined to listen to our discussion of those before jumping into the series. 

It's the final Stream of Thought and what a ride it's been across all these years! Join Doc and Shads for one last time as they round out their discussion of Sonny Boy by talking about emotional connections, wibbly wobbly timey wimey, man's proclivity towards creating our own hell, cults of personality and more!

Join Shadon and Doc as they tackle the final four episodes of the show and handle topics such as the purpose of Chiyuki as an ice skater for the narrative, the implementation of fairy tales in works of fiction, ASBOs, the appendixes of anime, spicy takes on the fate of Mayu and Harada, Playstation Move controllers and more!

Join the duo on this podcast outing as they conclude their coverage of  the series with discussions on the revelation of why Odakawa sees people  as animals and it's purpose in the story, Kabasawa's comeuppance,  Kakihana and his own One Ring moment, rampant fakery and more!

Join Shadon and Doc as they tackle the next block of four episodes and  have some strong disagreements over the show, particularly focused  around Episode 6! There's also discussion of the celestial pool game as  visual metaphor, Death Note, the Muppets, the choice of which games to  use in the text of the show, missed storytelling opportunities and more!

Join the duo on this podcast outing as they tackle episodes 5 through 8  and discuss topics like how chasing social media metrics demands the  erasure of nuance, Joe Pesci, the very real consequences of vigilante  justice, our thoughts on Yano's introduction, the use of music to inform  mood, and more!

CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of suicide and spousal/familial abuse.

When you visit the bar in this show, the hangover lasts beyond a lifetime.

Deshou The Third is back and we're covering the 2015 anime Death Parade, which combines bar games with existential examination and judgment of one's eternal soul!

Join Shadon and Doc as they cover the first four episodes and also discuss the 2012 pilot Death Billiards and discuss a ton of topics including fighting games as metaphor, the show's metatextual criticism of omnipotent divine judgment, creepy stalkers, Clockwork Orange ultraviolence, slow business hours, misogyny and more!

We're late to the party on this one, but it's fine, we ordered a (Odd) Taxi!

Doc  and Shads call for transport on a journey that has already been near  universally lauded by anime critics and find themselves in agreement!  What starts as an intriguing mystery story quickly turns into parasocial  relationship commentary and examinations of how we place value on  ourselves and others, and it's like, really bloody good!

Join the  duo on this podcast outing as they tackle episodes 1 through 4 and  discuss topics like the predatory nature of gacha games, Hellboy memes,  Brazilian martial arts, the history of parasocial relationships and the  formalization of the term, idol groups, authenticity from chaos, Doc  being replaced by a clone and more!

I SAY I SAY I SAY I SAY

No, this is not the first anime to star washed up cartoon rooster Foghorn Leghorn, this is the pan-dimensional survival series Sonny Boy from Madhouse! And this is Stream of Thought, where we will try and make sense out of this puzzle of a show for your amusement and edutainment!

Join Doc and a very sunburnt Shads as they tackle the first three episodes of this intriguing work and discuss topics such as it's against the grain approach towards the typical execution of isolated group survival stories, can we prevent falling back into old, flawed societal structures, the presence of an evil Joestar, how silence can be as powerful as an actual score, how order is not necessarily better than chaos, a kid inventing his own cryptocurrency and more!

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of children in peril, violence and abuse against children, torture, miscarriage, and stillbirth. Listener discretion advised.

Doc and returning pod fave James Beckett discuss one of their favorite anime to come along in recent years, Made in Abyss! They talk about world-building and characterization, themes and motifs, aesthetics and music, whether or not the series "goes a step too far" in terms of its violence, and much much more.

Join Shads (and not The Subtle Doctor) as he rounds out the  Vivy discussion with Episodes 12 & 13 and begs to know why sci-fi  anime refuse to stick the landing. Covered in this 45 minute rant  include topics such as the post credits scene with Short Hair Vivy, the  weak textual support for the Archive's motivation, Elizabeth's  perfunctory inclusion in the closing episodes, technological  conservatism and the one good bit where Vivy gets to sing to conclude  her journey. 

Join Shads and returning special guest Marc of Oh No, Anime! and returning returning special guest Alexander Smit as they cover the final three episodes of Dynazenon and dive head first into topics like Godzilla references, Kai Ikarashi's contributions to Episode 10, the power of friendship, Gauma's fate, Koyomi's backstory, the power of memories and more!

Musical Credits:

Join Shadon as he discusses the show's final four episodes and the  ascending quality curve they complete for Tomozaki's improvement into a  work of substance, how the show reveals other ways of viewing and  interpreting life experiences, the battle between authenticity and being  hands off, DICKS, criticisms of gamification, tier lists, rum and more!

Join Shads (and not The Subtle Doctor because he had the audacity to be a  loving father and family man seriously dude wtf) as he talks shop about  Episodes 9 thru. 11 and why we tell stories about AI. He also covers  the fight between Matsumoto and Antonio and why it finally delivers on a  more inventive form of AI vs AI combat, dignity and the lack thereof  when it comes to AI, why Episode 11 is deeply worrisome and may be a  sign the show is falling apart, and also the fact that Vivy got shot in  the boob. Yes. That happened.

Join Shads and returning special guest Marc of Oh No, Anime! as they discuss the follow up to SSSS.Gridman and talk about the arrival of GRIDKNIGHT on the scene and what it means for the show, how to handle team ups across shared entries in a franchise, Koyomi's flaws, the power of friendship, sweet bowling victories and more!

Join TheSubtleDoctor and Shadon as they discuss the show's surprising  uptick in quality and substance, tackling issues such as how life cannot  be compared to a game, the pressures of an arbitrary system of  competition, jarring edits, LEARNING AN INFINITE, queer readings, who  Tomozaki is destined to end up with and more!

Join Shads and The Subtle Doctor as they cover Episodes 6, 7 & 8 and  dive head first into topics such as Saeki's thoughtless and reckless  sacrifice of K-5, the conflict between spectacle and substance when it  comes to action, sly digs at playwright John Marston, the difficulty of  putting a fresh spin on stories about AI and more!

Join Doc, Shads and returning special guest Marc of Oh No, Anime! as they discuss the follow up to SSSS.Gridman and talk about the show's wonderfully strong and consistent comedic streak, the repeated visual cues and motifs from SSSS.Gridman, water park hijinks, churros, what the agenda of the Kaiju Eugenicists might be, piecing together a narrative of a person through second hand accounts, and more!

There is no fate but what we make, and so our Patrons have thusly  chosen! For this round of Second Stream we'll be covering Vivy: Fluorite  Eye's Song, a show that seems to be a smooth blend of retro and high  concept sci-fi ideas, a murderous teddy bear, Sharon Apple from Macross,  Nier Automata, Terminator 2 and a touch of Portal thrown in. And so  far, it goes down well!

Join Shads and The Subtle Doctor as they  cover the first five episodes of this rare specimen of a modern anime  and dive head first into topics such as the ethical conflict between  Vivy and unbearable AI Matsumoto, the show's emphasis  on physical rather than digital violence, the well worn themes of AI  going rogue and the fault of humankind in doing so, why Stephen Marchant  should be in the English dub, satire of theme parks and more!

Get ready to engage Big Kid Mode ladies, gentlemen and enbies as we're back for the Spring 2021 anime season to talk shop about the second entry in Studio Trigger and Tsubaraya's Gridman anime universe, SSSS.Dynazenon!

DYNAZENONNNNNNN

Sorry, the chorus is obligatory. I don't make the rules.

Join Doc, Shads and returning special guest Marc of Oh No, Anime! as they discuss the follow up to SSSS.Gridman and talk about the show's themes of the ties that bind, the deep lore of Gridman and how it plays into Gauma's origins, the big kid effect, the depiction of city wide destruction, Minami's character, the Kaiju Eugenicists- I mean, Race Realists and more!

Join Doc and Shads as they answer a multitude of Patron questions, talk about Hori's biphobia, the terrible moral lesson of forgiving your abusers for no good reason, the mishandling of Yuki's character journey, colour coded characters, the return of delicious spine juice and an overall positive message and observation about the lingering effects of trauma. Plus, Shads still thinks Kyosuke isn't funny. =p

CONTENT WARNING: This show covers topics such as  suicide, bullying, depression & isolation to name a few and as such  we will also be discussing these on the pod itself throughout. We  believe Wonder Egg is an overall positive show but please be careful if  any of the above may be uncomfortable or sensitive for you.

Join Shadon, The Subtle Doctor and returning special guest Emily Rand as they answer Patron questions and tackle topics such as Frill as metaphor, the flower language of Wonder Egg Priority, Ai's emotional journey, the show's troubled production, techbros, the use of colour, Sawaki being a creeper, overall thoughts on the show and more!

Join Shadon & The Subtle Doctor as they discuss the final four episodes of the amazing Girls' Last Tour! Topics covered include: the best ways to interpret ambiguous media,  the ethics of eating meat, the origin of the Cuts, Yuu's "wow cool  robot!" moment, the Instagram account of a submarine, and more!

CONTENT WARNING: This show covers topics such as  suicide, bullying, depression & isolation to name a few and as such  we will also be discussing these on the pod itself throughout. We  believe Wonder Egg is an overall positive show but please be careful if  any of the above may be uncomfortable or sensitive for you.

Join Shadon and The Subtle Doctor as they answer Patron questions and tackle topics such as parental neglect, the commodification and consumption of the bodies, minds and emotions of women, "wooden swords", Episode 10 in massive detail, good intentions versus good execution, the idea of family, Mamma Mia and more!

Over here at Warui Deshou our barely organised and functional enterprise  disguised as a high functioning podcast sometimes finds itself with  spare time to cover a show, movie or other thing that we really want to  talk about but otherwise lack the opportunity to do so. This is one such  time as we dig into the Mobile Suit Gundam 10th Anniversary OVA: War In  The Pocket!

Join Doc, Shads and returning special guest Alex  Smit as they discuss various topics like War in the Pocket's criticism  of unfettered consumption of violent media, the privilege of first world  children in not knowing the horrors of war, comparisons to old soap  operas, questionable hamburger metaphors, world building, the  perspectives of someone new to Gundam versus those familiar with it, and  more!