Ani-Gamers Podcast

Evan reviews the 2020 anime series Akudama Drive with Greatest Movie EVER Podcast host Paul Chapman . Plus, Evan, David, and Paul discuss Donkey Kong Country 3 , Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain , and Hitman (2016) in the Queue. Topics include: killing the real Sean Bean, downloading Danganronpa from the Something Awful forums, and “we’re all dirty cops.” Thanks to Patrick Su...

After an economic bubble burst in Japan, the Tennouzu Group buys a city and a nation by catering to its leaders’ perversions. The underground (literally) club that serves the basest desires of the rich and powerful is only open to those willing and able to pay lifelong yearly dues to the tune of ¥24,000,000 … ¥120,000,000 if they want to see others of the same tier face d...

The boys are back from their New Year’s break! Evan kicks off 2021 with a review of Glacier Bay Books’ fascinating new indie manga anthology Glaeolia 2 . Before that he and David discuss the big “FUNimation bought Crunchyroll” news, then Star Wars Squadrons and Final Fantasy IV in the Queue segment. Topics include: fans win, a whole town dedicated to hating the player, and...

Three bums talk about three homeless people who find a baby. For our second installment of our Satoshi Kon episodes, Phillip rejoins us to talk about the Christmas (should-be) classic: Tokyo Godfathers . We were a little giddy with holiday spirit, so please forgive us our mania. Stream Tokyo Godfathers on Crackle . Buy Tokyo Godfathers via  RightStuff , Amazon . Direct Download – RSS Fe...

Do the Mario! To celebrate our 150th episode and close out Super Mario’s 35th anniversary, Evan and David discuss Super Mario Bros. 1 , 2 (including both the Doki Doki Panic and Lost Levels versions), and 3 , available on the Nintendo Switch Online NES Collection. Then they move to some newer Mario content with Super Mario 35 and Odyssey . Plus: the Metal Gear Solid live-action casting news...

David makes his return to the Queue segment to catch up with Evan on the games and anime they’ve been checking out, including the latest Smash Bros. Fighters Pass, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core + R (got that goood netcode), Ghost of Tsushima , the “Crown Tundra” Pokemon DLC, and the Cardcaptor Sakura anime. Topics include: horny gambling, Sekiro vs. Tsushima , and problematic ships....

David makes his triumphant return to the podcast, joining Evan and Patrick in a review of the completely bonkers 2018 martial arts anime Baki . We cover the whole show in-depth with quite a few minor spoilers mixed in. Learn about which karate techniques can counter monofilament wire, the advantages of building up your finger strength, and much more. Topics include: never-before-seen muscles, best...

For Oldtaku no Radio’s very first golden ticket request, we’re reviewing Q Hayashida’s Dorohedoro manga (Volumes 1 & 2) as well as MAPPA’s adaptation of the same as directed by Yuichiro Hayashi. Dive deep into za hole with us as we talk lizard men, buff babes, masked sorcerers, and the insanely engaging world that is Dorohedoro . The Dorohedoro manga...

As if 2020 wasn’t scary enough, we’re checking out a vintage 2004, 3-part OAV from Director Akiyuki Simbo and Studio Daume. Le Portrait de Petite Cossette is a gothic romance about a blood pact between a stemware-bound ghost and an aspiring artist who works in his uncle’s antique store. As always, the devil’s in the details, which are what we dive into with this H...

To celebrate the spooky season, Evan and our editor Patrick Sutton review the 2008 action-comedy anime film Hells , which has some incredible design and animation work but a whole lot of story issues! Plus news about Anime NYC’s virtual event and opinions on the Fall 2020 anime season and video games from the distant past of 2001. Topics include: hypebeast anime cons, rapping idol boys, and...

Six years after the end of its second season, the Chihayafuru anime that adapts Yuki Suetsugu’s josei manga returned for its third season. After what seemed like a lifetime, Jared and Ink discuss this anime, at length, on their own show for the very first time (believe it or not). There is a general section up front, to cover what Chihayafuru’s all about, and some impassioned discussio...

Anime News Network Executive Editor Lynzee Loveridge ( @ANN_Lynzee ) joins Evan to discuss their latest anime and gaming escapades ( Re:Zero Season 2 and Into the Breach , respectively). Then they review the 2020 anime series Deca-Dence , a post-apocalyptic survival story that’s so much more than it seems. Spoiler warning: we spoil the series after the first few minutes of the review! Topics...

Matt Schley from Otaku USA and The Japan Times joins Evan for a discussion of some recent developments in labor practices in the anime industry, particularly the Black Kigyo “Union” (more on what that word means in this case in the podcast) and their lawsuits to recoup wages for production assistants at Studio 4°C and Trigger. Plus Violet Evergarden: The Movie and Metal Gear Solid...

The forbidden book has been opened and the umpire’s eyes are glowing red. That’s right, it’s time to play ball! Former Crunchyroll host Elliot Trinidad ( @nameoftheyear ) and game designer Cassandra Lugo ( @prophet_goddess ) join Evan to plodcast about the surrealist virtual splorts betting game-slash-collaborative fiction project Blaseball . Plus a bunch of Nintendo and anime ne...

Space Brothers #0 tells the tale of two aspiring astronauts who just happen to be siblings. Mutta, the older brother, has fallen behind his younger brother, Hibito, in working towards their childhood dream of going to the moon. Meanwhile, Hibito is experiencing doubt about his own direction while training as a mission substitute. An anime prequel movie unlike most other anime movies, SB0 actu...

Vinnie Averello from All Geeks Considered joins Evan to dive into the RetroCrush catalog with One-Million Year Trip: Bander Book , the first of Osamu Tezuka’s NTV specials. It’s an extremely weird movie featuring all sorts of wacky Tezuka alien designs and also Space Gangster Black Jack. Plus: the new Anilog YouTube channel, Great Pretender , and virtual board games! Topics include: th...

Memories is a 1995 anthology movie (one feature comprised of multiple vignettes) that showcases directorial efforts of Koji Morimoto ( Magnetic Rose ), Tensai Okamura ( Stink Bomb ), and Katsuhiro Otomo ( Cannon Fodder ). Despite short run times, each of the three stories provides plenty to talk about. Join Jared and Ink and special guest Kory as they discuss the power of...

  There’s a new Trigger show out and naturally Evan is on the case. In this episode he’s joined by fellow Trigger super-fan Kyle Cardine from Crunchyroll to talk BNA (a.k.a. Brand New Animal), directed by Yoh Yoshinari ( Little Witch Academia ) and written by Kazuki Nakashima ( Promare , Kill la Kill ). Plus, we chat about The Tale of Princess Kaguya , Anime: A History , and &#823...

Evan and substitute co-host Patrick Sutton ( The Cockpit Podcast ) recap Otakon Online and review Tsuredure Children , a four-panel ensemble romantic comedy manga by Toshiya Wakabayashi. Topics include: watching panels while half asleep, late-night anime will ruin your life, and “does sushi mean like or love???” Thank you to Patrick Sutton for editing this episode. Runtime:  1 hou...

Helen ( @WanderinDreamr ) from The OASG and the Manga in Your Ears podcast joins Evan to talk about Summer 2020 anime, including the big Deca-Dence Twist (spoiler-free of course). Then we review the currently running fantasy manga series Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama. The story is delightful but more than anything else it serves as a showcase for Shirahama’s incredible artwork! Topic...

Talk about a deep dive ! This episode, Jared and Ink talk about Science Saru ‘s original animated movie, Masaaki Yuasa’s Lu Over the Wall . This movie centers around a withdrawn Tokyo transfer student who accidentally draws out like-minded, music-making friends as well as a music-seeking mermaid – the local legends about which both scare his fellow port town reside...

David’s on break (hence the delay in getting the episode out), so our editor Patrick Sutton (also co-host of The Cockpit Podcast ) joins Evan as co-host for this episode. We talk about the news from virtual anime conventions Anime Expo 2020 Lite, FunimationCon, and KuroCon, then we discuss our latest anime and video game escapades: Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Final Fantasy XIV . Topics incl...

Sony’s new router just got revealed so Evan and David convene to discuss the PlayStation 5 event and all the games in this totally-not-E3 show, including Spider-Man: Miles Morales , Demon’s Souls , Resident Evil VIII: Village , Deathloop , Kena: Bridge of Spirits , and more. Plus: send us receipts for donations to social justice charities and activist groups (including Black Lives Matt...

  Take to the animated skies (and bars and secret beach hideouts and so much more) with Jared and Ink as they talk about Ghibli’s 1992 feature, Porco Rosso . Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this movie depicts a post-WWI man-turned-anthropomorphic pig – a war pilot-turned-deserter/bounty hunter. The movie, while warmly humorous throughout, tackles such issues as identity...

Last week we took a break from regular content while our staff took part in the global (and ongoing) #BlackLivesMatter movement against racism and police brutality, but now we’re back with a very special episode! Evan is joined by IGN and Crunchyroll News ‘ Natasha H. ( @illegenes ) to review the anime film Liz and the Blue Bird . This review was requested by our patron Zane ( @enazzle...