Under the Kotatsu

New show! We're finally diving into the world of Nisio Issin, and also diving back into the world of Shaft Animation. The results are... mixed? Is this show kinda problematic? Yeah, but mostly it's just kinda boring. Regardless, we have a pretty good time digging into whatever's going on with this show. Anime Discussed: Bakemonogatari 1-5 Next time: Bakemonogatari 6-10 Send us your que...

We finish Space Dandy and put to rest the question that started all of this: is Space Dandy the anime that people should be recommending for first time watchers over Cowboy Bebop? The answer is yes, yes, absolutely yes. Anime Discussed: Space Dandy 21-16 Next time: Bakemonogatari 1-5 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu.

We love to do two things on this podcast. Trash talk Cowboy Bebop and gush over Masaaki Yuasa. Well, we already did enough trash talking about Bebop when we started Space Dandy, so now it's finally time for us to gush about the one episode Yuasa did for this show. We also talk about 6 other episodes, I guess. Anime Discussed: Space Dandy 14-20 Next time: Space Dandy 21-26 Send us your question...

We continue to have a dandy time as we finish up the first season of Space Dandy. Save for one notably bad episode, this show is nothing but back to back bangers. We've got time loops, wacky races, plant planets, and more! Anime Discussed: Space Dandy 7-13 Next time: Space Dandy 14-20 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotat...

Ever since we started this podcast we've been threatening to watch Space Dandy (mostly because our collective memory of it said it's far superior to Cowboy Bebop). Well it's finally time to make good on the promise, and you know I hate to say it, but we were so right. Join us as we have a great time talking about everything from boobies to zombies to space ramen to more boobies. Anime...

It's time for us to say goodbye to Paradigm City, but not before we talk through the wild ending, bad French accents, clown cyborgs (who are also French), and more! Make sure to stick around to the end where we get to test our Big O knowledge to prove whether or not we're real fans. Anime Discussed: The Big O 20-26 Next time: Space Dandy 1-6 Send us your questions! You can email us at unde...

It's time for season 2! Unfortunately between seasons 1 and 2 the early 2000s happens and so we now enter the digipaint zone. Fortunately this show is still really well made so even the specter of digipaint isn't enough to ruin the good time we've been having with Big O. We also get to meet a new tumblr sexy (clown) man, so honestly we're having a great time all around. Anime Discu...

We're back with more Big O! We finished season 1 and are still having a great time. We bask in the neo-noir vibes, herald the return of some of our favorite sickos, and pog out at the mecha action. Oh, and it wouldn't be right if we didn't also take the time to compare some of the best episodes of this show with some of the worst episodes of Bebop.  Anime Discussed: The Big O 7-13 Next time:...

We're kicking off the third year of Under the Kotatsu with a stone-cold banger: The Big O! We had a great time talking about this show's excellent pacing, it's character development and wordlbuilding, and how it's basically just the Batman of mecha anime. Showtime!  Anime Discussed: The Big O 1-6 Next time: The Big O 7-13 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail...

It's our two year anniversary! And also our 50th episode! To celebrate the occasion we spend the first half of this episode doing our second show and tell. This time we each picked two episodes of a different slice of life comedy anime to share with each other. Then in the second half we look back on our last two years by asking each other some questions and going through our personal rankings of...

Surprise! We decided (literally at the end of this episode's recording, lol) to cut our coverage of Lucky Star a bit short. There's only so much to be said about a 15 year old comedy anime that (like a lot of comedy) hasn't aged well. Did that stop us from going nearly two and a half hours on these episodes? Hell no! You know how we do. Tune in next time for our second show and tell episode and to...

It's time for a new show, and Danielle has selected the well loved KyoAni comedy classic Nichi—I mean Lucky Star! In true Under the Kotatsu fashion, we all have different feelings about this show so far, but at least it's not as heavy as some of the other things we've been watching recently. Anime Discussed: Lucky Star 1-6 Next time: Lucky Star 7-12 Send us your questions! You can email us at unde...

After covering the beloved anime classic Ghost in the Shell last time, it's time for us to cover it's much less talked about sequel. In a rare occurrence, none of us had actually seen this one before, and what we discovered was mostly a film with some cool scenes but not a lot of great thematic work to back it all up. Hope you like guys citing quotes back and forth at one another! At least we got...

Because we enjoyed Angel's Egg so much, and because somehow neither Danny or Danielle had seen it before, we watched the 1995 Mamoru Oshii directed classic, Ghost in the Shell! While there is much to love about this film (just look at the length of this episode) from the music, to the extremely well aged mix of traditional and computer animation techniques, we unfortunately still aren't saved from...

Last time we were left divided on how we felt about Now and Then, Here and There. Well now on the other side of this show we've found unity. Unfortunately we've unified around how awful this show turned out to be. What we thought might turn out to be a show about the refusal of fascist ideology and the fight for a better future somehow managed to backpedal into pro-life conservative nonsense in it...

After a short break, we return to your regularly scheduled programing to talk about the 1999 Isekai Now and Then, Here and There! While Austin and Danny are deeply interested by this show's violent depiction of an apocalyptic world consumed by fascism and what it means for one to have to maneuver within said world, Danielle is rightfully dismayed by the show's handling of it's few women characters...

It's that spooky time of year, so we watched Mamoru Oshii's moody, atmospheric 1985 OVA, Angel's Egg. We gush all over this one from the music, to the striking direction, to the poetic nature of it's storytelling. This one's an all time classic   Anime Discussed: Angel's Egg Next time: Now and Then, Here and There Episodes 1-7 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@...

We're back to finish Bloom Into You, and since the anime offers no attempt at an ending, we turn towards the manga to see how things turn out in the end for Yuu and Touko. Join us as we compare and contrast that half of the manga the anime adapted and then deep-dive into the half that wasn't adapted. Anime Discussed: Bloom Into You manga Next time: It's a Halloween Special! We're watching Mamoru O...

The curse of incomplete Yuri anime adaptions gets the better of us this episode as we discuss the second half of Bloom Into You. Despite this show not giving us a lot of closure on it's core themes and concerns, we still manage to have a lot to say about just how weird this adaption feels, how it might've ended up that way in the first place, and how we would've done it differently given the chanc...

Somehow we've done 39 episodes of this podcast without talking about a yuri romance anime. Well, it's Danielle's turn to pick the show, and she's here to fix that with 2018's Bloom Into You. We have much to say about these first six episodes ranging from adaptation choices to genre tropes to messy relationship dynamics (though maybe not messy enough) to our scathing indictment of student council n...

Well we've made it to the end of The Summer of Wixoss™️ but at what cost... Join us as we pick apart this shows attempt to wrap up its plot, get a rundown on the actual rules of Wixoss courtesy of Danielle, and somehow make even more unfair comparisons to Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime Discussed: Selector Spread Wixoss 7-12 Next time: Bloom Into You 1-6 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu...

As The Summer of Wixoss™️ blazes on, we move into Wixoss's second season, Selector Spread Wixoss. Is it any better than the first season? Oh hell no, but it does gives a plenty to chew on from extremely questionable sound design decisions to messy depictions of queerness and abuse. Oh, and it wouldn't be a proper discussion of Wixoss if we didn't spend at least a little time comparing it to gold-s...

The Summer of Wixoss™️ rages on as we finish the first season of Selector Wixoss. As more of the world of Wixoss is revealed to us, we're left with even more unanswered questions about the nature of the world, but mostly we're just wondering why our new favorite anime sicko isn't in these episodes as much, though she does a have a sick scar now. Anime Discussed: Selector Infected Wixoss 7-12 &nbsp...

We know you've all been waiting for it. It's time for the Summer of Wixoss™! Join us as we start our journey to figure out just what's up with the 2014 Mari Okada written card battle anime about traumatized teenage girls. A show which dares to ask: what if we never explain the rules of the titular card game? Anime Discussed: Selector Infected Wixoss 1-6 Next time: Selector Infected Wixoss 7-12 Sen...

It's time for a special one-off episode, and this time we're doing a show and tell episode! Each of us picked two episodes of something we've seen before to share with the class. From an uncomfortable ecchi to a wholesome romcom to a daring magical girl show, we've got a wide variety of anime to share with y'all! Anime Discussed: Show and Tell! Next time: Devilman Crybaby 1-5 Send us your question...