Strife's Sanctum

2nd shot at this idea. Going through the current anime of the season and give some general thoughts and predictions of where those shows are headed. Ground rules - Watching dubs only (might be a week or two behind) - Not every show available will be covered - I'll try avoiding spoilers wherever possible Shows I Enjoyed - Dandadan - Nina the Starry Bride - Natsume's Book of Friends - After-School H...

On the more procedural or dramatic side of crime dramas, Gunslinger Girl explains the push and pull between fighting criminals and spies, trying to condition fragile teenage minds, and examining the effects of making them skirt the line between real girl and killing machine. Upcoming Schedule Nov. 16th: Fall 2024 Anime Dicussion Nov. 23rd: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Nov. 30th: Fall 2024 Anime Di...

Decided to try a new idea. I spent the last week or so catching up on a lot of new anime. Some I liked, some I didn't, and I'm on the fence; however, this should be a unique way to stay up to date on things. Hopefully this is an interesting change of pace for myself and viewers. Ground rules - Watching dubs only (might be a week or two behind) - Not every show available will be covered - I'll try...

*if you have yet to do so, please note the new schedule. I'm going to start adding bi-weekly anime reviews of current shows (if the shows are available and interesting enough to stick with). I may be a couple weeks behind due to watching dub versions, but this should allow me to space out watching or playing other games and shows for full reviews without feeling the need to ever "run out" too quic...

What happens when a weirdo loner says he wants a zombie girlfriend and it actually happens? Well, the show answered that very oddly specific question and then went even weirder. Upcoming Schedule Oct. 12th: Xenosaga 2 Oct. 19th: Sankarea Oct. 26th: Final Fantasy: Glitches and Translation Errors Nov. 2nd: Gunslinger Girl Nov. 9th: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Nov. 16th: Casshern Sins Nov. 23th: How...

1If you need a refresher on Xenosaga Episode 1, please go to episode 102. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/dashboard/episode/e26n7f7/details I normally try to avoid talking badly about games...but this is a rare case. Xenosaga II is an exercise in creative frustration. In trying to create something that felt different from Episode I, they made nearly every facet of the game worse. Different look...

Anime has been a favorite hobby of mine for 25 years. One of the fixtures of the medium is the special opening and ending themes. However, I ended up with the idea to ranking which I felt were my favorites. I ended up trying to craft an exhaustive list. "Did this song, this video, or both resonate with me so I constantly come back to them later? What ways do they keep me engaged? What exactly am I...

Perfect timing for this once, since I'm playing it over on my main channel. MGS3 is a result of scaling back the sci-fi and taking the MGS stuff back to its roots a bit, and dialing up the stealth and survival. Snake has to deal with an old mentor who defected to the Soviet Union, some classic Kojima-weird bosses, but at its heart, MGS3 is about two people torn apart by the times, the way war uses...

This week's anime review is about a crime thriller that did just enough to make everything make sense after throwing a lot of things at you. Odd Taxi is a show about a driver who gets swept up in a weird gangster scenario, and has to use his street smarts to use that to his advantage. Upcoming Schedule Sept. 28th: Metal Gear Solid 3 Oct. 5th: Favorite Anime OPs/EDs Oct. 12th: Xenosaga 2 Oct. 1...

Changed my schedule around a bit, and I decided to keep diving into the Castlevania/Bloodstained well. The release of the Dominus collection saw the three Nintendo DS entries get their moment in modern spotlight. Good thing too, because they are just as good as any of the other Metroidvanias. I talk about the two non-Sorrow entries this time. Upcoming Schedule Sept. 21st: Odd Taxi Sept. 28th: Meta...

For rundowns of previous KonoSuba stuff, please watch Episodes #33: Konosuba and #140: Konosuba: Megumin Spinoff first This week's anime review returns to the wacky antics of Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness. Following their victory against one a high ranking demon, the group is given lavish funds and praise. This leads to Kazuma meeting a princess, and then a secondary storyline involving...

This is going to be a two-part review. Bloodstained is what happens when a good franchise and good people making them aren't allowed to keep doing what they are good at. The guys making Castlevanias Symphony of the Night and onward went and made a new franchise that played just like Castlevania in every possible way. The end result was Bloodstained. After five years since release, the final Ki...

This week's anime review is a pleasant goofy jaunt into the world of Konohanatei: a hot-springs resort that caters to deities and other mystical entities. The cast itself is mostly fox demihuman girls who have their own small scale struggles that play out while they interact with the guests. It's the sort of nice, goofy comedy that is just comforting to watch sometimes. Upcoming Schedule A...

This is going to be a two-part review. Bloodstained is what happens when a good franchise and good people making them aren't allowed to keep doing what they are good at. The guys making Castlevanias Symphony of the Night and onward went and made a new franchise that played just like Castlevania in every possible way. The end result was Bloodstained. After five years since release, the final Ki...

This week's anime is about teaching kids how to kill an unkillable test subject. But it also has a heart of gold. This show is about a teacher who believes so much in his students, they become everything they want to be. Upcoming Schedule August 17th: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night August 24th: Konohana Kitan August 31st: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Sept. 7th: Sailor Moon Crystal (w/Lei...

This week's anime review is about an older show with a dire, desperate tinge. Wolves and humans all searching for Paradise, but going through a hollow world to find it. Upcoming Schedule August 10th: Assassination Classroom August 17th: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night August 24th: Konohana Kitan August 31st: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Sept. 7th: Sailor Moon Crystal (w/LeighClipse) Sept....

It only makes sense to start my fourth year podcasting talking about the game I spent months completing on my main channel. Persona has been my go-to franchise for almost two decades now, and Reload did everything it could to change the original into something more modern, without losing the spirit. Everything about it was enhanced. I loved playing this. Upcoming Schedule July 27th: Persona 3 Relo...

If you haven't watched the first AI: Somnium Files review, please go here. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/dashboard/episode/e1r35v1/details Following the first game's events, Nirvana Initiative retools and reintroduces many aspects along with a brand new case. If you liked the first game, chances are the sequel is going to do the same. Upcoming Schedule July 27th: Persona 3 Reload (3rd...

This week's anime review is about a dark comedy. Yokai, kemono, and other japanese horror/occult things is a fun side genre to dip my toes into from time to time. When done well, it weaves the cool old school traditional stuff with some level of horror or gore I don't often dive into. This show helps bridge that gap by being a good comedy while being dark or weird enough to have its own au...

Having never played the OG Gameboy version, I was floored at how well this game fit my Zelda sensibilities like a glove. I love the simple fun of the 2D Zelda games. However, having not played it, I also ran afoul of the last two dungeons being...rough. It wasn't a complete deal breaker though. This is what old-school Zelda games were like, and I had fun. Upcoming Schedule July 13th: Kemono Ji...

This week's anime review is one that mixes seedy crime drama with super power insanity. A photographer investigating a secret club is thrust into a fugitive role, when he runs off with a girl who is able to grant people special abilities. Upcoming Schedule July 6th: Link's Awakening July 13th: Kemono Jihen July 20th: AI: The Somnium Files: Nirvana Initiative July 27th: Sailor Moon Crystal...

JRPGs love sidequests and minigames. It can usually be a chance to earn rewards, unwind, or just find a change of pace. One of the more prevalent games is fishing. Some do it well, some do it poorly, but I try to run down as many as I can. Upcoming Schedule June 29th: Speed Grapher July 6th: Link's Awakening July 13th: Kemono Jihen July 20th: AI: The Somnium Files: Nirvana Initiative July 27th...

Final Fantasy is great, Final Fantasy music is great. What happens when you put 400-500 of those songs in a rhythm game? Well, you get a great game. Upcoming Schedule June 22nd: Fishing Minigames in JRPGs June 29th: Speed Grapher July 6th: Link's Awakening July 13th: Kemono Jihen July 20th: AI: The Somnium Files: Nirvana Initiative July 27th: Sailor Moon Crystal w/LeighClipse (3rd Anniversary)...

Continuing the anime fun, it's time to talk about the show that took the world by storm recently. Frieren quickly became the most popular show, through a unique blend of dry comedy, interesting world building with a dour overtone, and a set of characters that feed into the narrative that the story doesn't end just because the quest is done. Upcoming Schedule June 15th: Theatrhythm: Final B...

Back to anime now, and these next two weeks feature some of the biggest shows of the last year. First up, the end result of when a show is completely elevated by its main character. Apothecary Diaries is a mixture of political drama, mystery show, and subtle comedy, but really, this show is about Maomao, one of the most unique characters I've ever seen. She is so many things all at once, and n...