Get In The Mecha

I watched a lot of 80s & 90s OVAs in the most recent lockdown. Do I regret it? Not at all! In this week's episode, I want to share what I really enjoyed about my favourite OVAs from this 'era' and more importantly what I learnt from them too about anime. From the thrilling JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (1993) to the iconic Gunbuster (1988), let's discuss what we can enjoy about these individually b...

Original anime is a big part of what anime 'is' in my opinion - but why exactly is it so important for the art form and also us, the watchers of anime? This week's episode of the podcast is an attempt to get to the bottom of this and really appreciate how fun it can be to watch. From the thrilling experience of watching Wonder Egg Priority (2021) on a weekly basis to the slow burn of Akudama Drive...

The Bakemonogatari re-watch is back! This week let's discuss the fourth arc of the series, The Nadeko Snake Arc. This arc marked a real turning point for me in the series in the way that it showcased a much more uncomfortable side to the series and the big ideas within it. In this episode, I touch on how exactly it creates this uneasy mood from the perspective of audio as well as visual direction,...

SSSS.Dynazenon has been a wonderful experience and so I thought it would be worth taking the time to talk about my favourite moments from the series - the awkward & uncomfortable moments. In this week's episode, I talk about the funny, yet quite important 'Churro Scene' and then speak more widely about why these moments are so valuable for humanising the anime and much more. Timestamps: 0:00 -...

The annual Get In The Mecha Mid-Year Review is back! In this episode, just like last year, I take the time to reflect on what I've learnt about anime this year. Unfortunately, if you're looking for a review of actual anime from this year, this isn't the episode for you - this will be looking at some more anime news-related topics and industry-centred ideas! This time around I discuss the state of...

Get In The Mecha is going on a (partial) break this week! To fill the space, I've decided to handily compile all six episodes of the 'Short Intro Series' into one longer episode for anyone who hasn't listened to them yet or isn't bothered to download all six episodes. I'll be back next week with more of the usual analysis content - until then, enjoy! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:08 - Episode 1 (Yuta...

For the sixth and final installment of the 'Short Intro To' series, let's discuss the wonderful animation of Keiichiro Watanabe! Watanabe's animation has definitely made me think twice about what I already know about Japanese animation and so in this episode I try my best to make sense of their work from the perspective of timings, 'momentum', 'tempo' and more. Thank You For Supporting This Mini S...

For the fifth part of the 'Short Intro To' series, let's take a look at the animation of popular animator Yoshimichi Kameda! Kameda personally introduced me to a different side of animation that I had hardly experienced before and later down the line led to my fondness of the Kanada-school of animation. Let's talk about style, inspiration and more! Thank You childish!lino for the review! Follow Ka...

For the fourth minisode in the Short Intro series, let's look at the amazing animation and direction of none other than Shingo Yamashita! Yamashita opened my eyes to another side of animation and direction that focused on distortion, risk and unconventionality. In this week's episode I want to share what I've learnt from the work of this industry titan. Follow Yamashita on Twitter: https://twitter...

This week, let's look at the animation and direction of Naoya Nakayama! Nakyama's work is very interesting to look at because it is centred mostly around a technical part of anime / film being the 21:9 aspect ratio. In this short episode I'll attempt to break down why exactly I think they're work on it is so great. Follow Nakayama on Twitter: https://twitter.com/naota0048 Naoya Nakayama's work on...

In this week's 'Short Intro To' minisode, let's look at the action animation of Norio Matsumoto! Let's discuss some of their iconic moments and of course the feautures that make his animation so great in just about seven minutes! Check Out Norio Matsumoto's work on sakugabooru: https://www.sakugabooru.com/post?tags=norio_matsumoto SEND ME A VOICE SUB! (it can be a question, opinion, etc): https://...

In this first minisode of the first ever Get In The Mecha minisode season, let's briefly discuss the amazing action animation of the legendary animator Yutaka Nakamura. Smear, impact frames, cubes and most importantly - what his work has taught me about the anime industry! Follow Nakamura on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sekise10 Check out Nakamura's work on sakugabooru: https://www.sakugabooru.com...

As you probably already know, I like Aspect Ratios a lot. In this week's episode I want to hone in specifically on the 4:3 aspect ratio and talk about what it does for framing, space and more in the context of anime. This week I'm talking about how 4:3 has accumulated more value over time, how it creates a sense of intimacy or confinement and loads more! Next episode is the start of the first ever...

I've spoken about Wonder Egg Priority's animation quite a lot - let's talk about its narrative this week! WEP goes from commenting on friendship to eventually discussing what it means to be human in the space of twelve epiosdes and the way it gets there was also marvellous to watch each week. This episode will be an attempt to understand these core themes like 'humanity' and 'adolescence' a bit be...

Recap movies and episodes in anime are a mixed bag. A lot of the time they can be quite mundane and even a pain to get through - but sometimes they aren't. Evangelion - Death & Rebirth is an excellent example of a recap that takes the opportunity to add more value to the content it has at its disposal; this is why I want to look at this more depth. This week I talk about how reorganising infor...

I have discussed character-acting and action animation quite extensively on the show (and will continue to do so) but this week I want to go just a bit deeper by looking at the concept of 'form'. How animators interpret the body and give life to it through movement is very important not just for understanding how a character is feeling at a certain point in time, but also what the overarching idea...

I have to come clean and admit that I did not think that Jujutsu Kaisen (2020) would be as good as thought it would be. What I thought would be 'just another battle-shounen anime' turned out to be an exciting and thrilling one that would have me wanting more each week. In this episode, I talk about why exactly this anime exites me (and maybe even why it should excite you too). In this session I di...

Even though there have been a few twists and turns, the Monogatari Series has been quite 'comfortable' so far. All of that is about to change. This week I'm plunging into the Suruga Monkey Arc in Bakemonogatari in order to explore what makes it so different to the other two. In this episode I discuss the crucial change in storyboarders for this arc, how this arc takes us out of our comfort zone, a...

Award Season is over and as I expected, Pokémon: Twilight Wings did not get the recognition it deserved. That is why in this episode, instead of discussing the winners and nominations of the various award shows, I've decided to give Twilight Wings the spotlight I wish it had. This week I talk about how it sets itself apart from previous Pokémon series, John's inspirational mini-arc, why I cried wh...

Last time I discussed Wonder Egg Priority (2021), I mentioned that there were two sides to its animation; in episode 80 we talked about character-acting and so this session will focus on action animation! This week I try to figure out who and what makes the anime's action so special to try and understand why it is so vital to its tone and attitude. Background animation, smears, locations and more...

I’ve always found Gurren Lagann quite an attractive anime.  From its inspiring message to its varied cast, it simply had so many things I like in a single anime.  However, what got me really excited was how it was animated!  In this episode I give an overview of how Gurren Lagann works stylistically, who has worked on it and most importantly what we can take from it. It's definitely about time I s...

Unsurprisingly, we're back in lockdown once again. But that also has meant is that I have been able to watch a bit more anime (while juggling everything else I have to do). In this episode, I talk about three rather different anime I have been trying out this lockdown. Why English dubs can work so well for comedy anime, what I like in a battle-shounen protagonist, where sports & idol anime are...

Wonder Egg Priority (2021) has been the craze of the Winter 2021 Anime Season for many great reasons, from its staff to its writing. While watching this anime, how it was animated really stood out to me, which is why I want to return to the topic of character acting animation this episode. In this session, I discuss why character acting is so vital to Wonder Egg Priority in particular, some staff...

Last episode, I looked at the very beginning of the Monogatari Series and the story of Hitagi Senjougahara; this time we move onto the story of Mayoi Hachikuji! In this session, I talk about episodes 3 to 5 of Bakemonogatari, also known as the Mayoi Mai Mai Arc. How are ideas linked with visual codes? How does this arc differ to the Hitagi Crab Arc? And most importantly, where does surrealism fit...

The Monogatari Series is one of my favourite anime of all time. But where did it all begin? In this episode, I formally start my journey into the anime. This week I tackle the first arc: Hitagi Crab. How does this arc comment on our inner thoughts? What exactly is the 'surrealist aesthetic' and how did Tatsuya Oishi & co's sequencing distance itself from anything else I've seen? On the side, I...