Under the Kotatsu

Time for another bonus episode, and with its recent 4K Blu-ray release, it felt right for us to finally talk about Look Back! You probably don't need us to tell you, but wow, this movie is something special. It's not everyday we watch something for this podcast that we put in direct conversation with Ping Pong the Animation. Oshiyama if you're reading this, I hope you got caught up on...

We're closing the curtain on Revue Starlight with the movie! While it might not have as strong a plot as the show, it more than makes up for it by having incredible visuals, great songs, and more of that good gay rivalry we crave between Claudine and Maya. Oh, and Veg-giraffe Tsuda is real and he can hurt you. Anime Discussed: Revue Starlight The MovieNext time: Look BackSend us your questions...

We're once again taking the stage to talk about the second half of Revue Starlight! Definitely some very high highs, and some lows as the curtain closes on the series, but one things for certain: it's all still very gay. Anime Discussed: Revue Starlight 7-12Next time: Revue Starlight The MovieSend us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @u...

We're following up Girls und Panzer der Film with another great girls show, Revue Starlight. A show filled with Music! Dance! Drama! And also a talking Giraffe... It's so easy for us to imagine a version of this show made by a different creative team that we hate, so we're so grateful that the people how made this kinda nailed it. Anime Discussed: Revue Starlight 1-6Next time: Revue St...

We're wrapping up our return to the world of Girls und Panzer with Der film! (And it's associated OVA, Alice War!). If you like girls and you like tanks (like a certain someone on this podcast now does), this movie is a great time! We talk about our favorite looney tunes-esque tank battle moments and our favorite character moments with the girls, learn about the one of it's kind T-28 s...

We're returning to the glorious world of girls and tanks (and the gigantic ships they go to school on) with a handful of Girls und Panzer OVAs! While the original 6 OVAs are a bunch of (mostly) characterful hang-out episodes, the Anzio Battle OVA provides us with a full (Italian) course of all the things we remember loving about the TV series. Overall a great way to get us properly warmed up f...

We've made it to the finish line of RideBack! Did the geopolitical themes add up to something compelling and interesting? Oh, hell no, but it was pretty entertaining for the most part. Honestly, it's a rare treat for us to get to talk about a perfect mid anime. Oh, and make sure to stick around to the end for a mini-discussion on the recent theatrical rerelease of End of Evangelion. Spoile...

After our brief foray into video games, it's time to ride back into anime with 2009's RideBack: a show we all thought would be like IGPX with motorcycle mechs, but instead it's more like Terror in Resonance with motorcycle mechs? Either way, we're having a surprisingly good time with this racing anime pollical drama hybrid. Anime Discussed: RideBack 1-6Next time: RideBack 7-12Send...

Today we're saying goodbye to anime (temporarily) and hello to video games. We've got another show and tell for y'all with a cyberpunk roleplaying game out in the edges of space, a photography game about trying to soak in the vibes at the end of the world, and a shoot 'em up from one of the bedrock series of otaku culture. And don't you anime sickos worry, we'll be back nex...

It's time to wrap things up with our favorite gay girls and the world of Pure Illusion. Despite some misgivings about the final conflict of the show, we all made it to the other side with positive feelings towards Flip Flappers. Strap in as we unpack the high highs, and (in the grand scheme of this podcast) not so low lows. Anime Discussed: Flip Flappers 8-13Next time: Show and Tell (Anime Ja...

We're Flipping and we're Flapping as we watch the delightfully original Flip Flappers. Join us as we discuss our love (or hate) for Papika, lesbians and Class S tropes, biosemiotics and more! Anime Discussed: Flip Flappers 1-7Next time: Flip Flappers 8-13Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthe...

It's time to ugly cry as we reach the emotional climax of A Place Further than the Universe, and boy, what a climax it is. Join us as we discuss loss and closure, friendship, more girls rocking, Werner Herzog, and more! Anime Discussed: A Place Further than the Universe 8-13Next time: Flip Flappers 1-7Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitt...

Needless to say we deserved a nice palate cleanser after Bokurano, and fortunately for us A Place Further than the Universe fits the bill. Join us as we talk about a show where the vibes are great, the girls rock, and the tears are flowin'. Anime Discussed: A Place Further than the Universe 1-7Next time: A Place Further than the Universe 8-13Send us your questions! You can email us at underthe...

We made it to the end of Bokurano which means we can finally say with no hesitation that it was one of the worst things we watched for the podcast. Any good will we might've had towards the start of the show has fully whittled away at this point. Join us as we attempt to discuss what does and does not happen in the final episodes of Bokurano without losing our minds. Anime Discussed: Bokurano...

Much like the kids in Bokurano, we're fighting for our lives trying to see this show through to the end as it continues to throw plot lines and characters at us that we could care less about, and forgets to have its characters reflect on any of the plot reveals that happen. Oh well, at least it's starting to get a lot sillier as it goes along. Anime Discussed: Bokurano 13-18Next time: Boku...

So there's good news and bad news about the next six Bokurano episodes. The bad news is that we've hit a major low point in the show, but the good news is that hopefully (let's all cross our fingers) the worst is now behind us. Sit down in your thematically appropriate pilot chair and join us as we complain about the tasteless of the show, it's contradictory inclination to pull its...

We're watching Bokurano! Six episodes in and it's fair to say we have some varied opinions about this one. Things we generally like: the music, the mechs, the OP; things we don't like: all these nasty boys, the ED, strange changes from the source material. Will our spirits hold for the remaining 18 episodes, or will they die out like these kids after piloting Zearth? Anime Discussed: B...

It's our 5th anniversary! We're celebrating the occasion by talking about a seminal anime film: Akira. We're also continuing our annual tradition of personally ranking all of the anime we've watched over the last 5 years. Turns out we've watched a lot, so the lists are long, but some of us might finally have something different at the number one spot. Tune in to find out! Anime...

We've finished Wish Upon the Pleiades which means we can finally lay Gainax to rest. Was their final produced anime any good? Was it way too straight for our liking? Did it make us want to go out an purchase a Subaru? Listen to find out! Anime Discussed: Wish Upon the Pleiades 7-12Next time: Akira + our year rankingsSend us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or...

Today's episode is brought to you by your local Subaru dealer! Just kidding, but we are starting the Subaru and Gainax (RIP) co-produced anime Wish Upon the Pleiades. Is this a sleeper hit of a magical girl show or just blatant advertising? Or perhaps something else entirely? Let's find out! Anime Discussed: Wish Upon the Pleiades 1-6Next time: Wish Upon the Pleiades 7-12Send us your quest...

We're finishing off our run on Patlabor with a trio of offerings. First there's the main event, Patlabor WXIII, the last of the theatrical animated films and an often overlooked and underappreciated part of the series. Then there's MiniPato, the short form experimental parody anime, and last (and probably least) there's Patlabor Reboot, the 2016 proof of concept for a modern Patlab...

It was all leading to this. One Patlabor work stands high above the rest: Mamoru Oshii's Patlabor 2. Join us as we talk about the films big thematic ideas, the masterful soundtrack from Kenji Kawaii, both the showy and subtle animation, the historical context the film was released in, and much more. Folks, they really don't make 'em like they used to. Anime Discussed: Patlabor 2: The M...

With the OVAS out of the way, it's time to dig into the Patlabor movies, starting with Patlabor: The Movie! This movie has a lot of what the OVAs felt lacking, and then some: a lot more character interactions, intrigue, and action, not to mention it looks and sounds incredible. Join us as we dig into another Mamoru Oshii banger. Anime Discussed: Patlabor: The MovieNext time: Patlabor 2: The Mo...

We're finally scratching a big one off of Austin's personal list, and diving into Patlabor! Unfortunately for Danny and Danielle who haven't seen any Patlabor before, that means doing the prep work of watching the mostly good, but not great OVAs before getting to the real high points of the movies. Fortunately though, there's still much to talk about with the OVAs, including the we...

We're changing things up a bit for this episode by reading a manga instead of watching an anime! We read the delightful (yet toothless) BL Metamorphosis. A totally nice manga that maybe could've had a bit more depth and drama going on. Anime Discussed: BL MetamorphosisNext time: Patlabor OVAs 1-7Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter...