Anime Shmanime

 It's high time we dig into a Magical Girl series, and what better introduction than Card Captor Sakura? She makes it look easy to catch 'Clow Cards'... probably because it just kinda is? At the very least she's the best dressed in the magical girl game. I would have filed this show under "Not For Grown-Ass Humans" but as we learn, Anime transcends genres where wester...

 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is another film whose name is known to even the most fringe anime fans (this means Jordy). This is largely because of the work of Mamoru Hosoda the films director. We spend a lot of time debating the effectiveness of the time travel mechanism(s?) specific to this film, and we go TOO DEEP about time travel in general. It was fun as hell but I don't think we sol...

 I don't want to talk about this show anymore... Monster Musume is... well it's fucked up. It is a little funny how absurd it is, but it pushes the boundaries of comfort for MOST of us. It makes you feel slimy as if... a slime... just sucked all the moisture out of your shorts. Listen or watch and let us know if you agree!  SPOILER ALERT!!!  Save this episode for later if you want to exp...

 Here we go again! Season 2 of Dragonball Z. It's a shame we couldn't do 2 and 3 in one episode, but Jordy has made it clear he can only withstand so much torture (and if it wasn't clear... it is now having been the one to write this.). In this season, said torture takes the form of the Ginyu Force, Friesa, drawn out battles with power-ups, and Bulma just generally doing some bullsh...

Going into Redline with no expectations is a best case scenario... It really makes an impact! It's a cyberpunk race and it's cool as shit. It's got some dumb names, some OP characters, a hint of magic and one prominent nude scene... it's undeniably exciting from top to bottom. Don't be a giant nuclear baby... watch this film and go through it with us after.  SPOILER ALERT!...

 This week we cover A Silent Voice! We are no strangers to emotional slice of life films and this is a big one that evokes the heaviest of feels. It's films like this that bring out the deepest truths in us... Jay is a big softy, Mikey is a little chibi, and Jordy is heartless and careless. Tune in to see how many big moments Jordy fully just missed and how angry Jay and Mikey get about it! ...

 We finally dive into Studio Ghibli – an anime titan - with Spirited Away. This film was groundbreaking for anime especially in the western market to the point where even Jordy has been a fan for many years despite his general aversion to excessive magic. We discuss our own theories that add further depth to the already rich characters and story, and pick the spirits with which we relate the most....

 Our first heavy hitter series... you know it HAD to be Dragon Ball Z. We will be covering a season of this series each month until we wrap it up. Today we cover Season 1 – The Saiyan Saga. We meet all the key players and get a general introduction to the show. Nostalgia plays a huge part in the series ongoing success, but does it hold up to a first watch as a grown-ass man? Tune in and find out w...

 Following up last weeks episode with another dive into Gundam! This time it's Char's Counterattack. This sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam films is full of familiar faces and a handful of new ones - some beloved... some despised. The film develops further the political landscape of the universe, the technological advancements, and the presence of Newtypes. Amuro is still a littl...

 For our first foray into the Mecha genre of anime we HAD to go with Mobile Suit Gundam - we cover the three classic films in one shot. This is an important episode not just for it's significance in anime but also for Mikey and Jay, both of whom have a deep seeded passion for Gundam and Gunpla figures... it's a shame that Jordy missed a bunch of shit as usual. It takes some time but ever...

 Tackling another anime institution this week on Anime Shmanime... It's Death Note! The reputation precedes this show bigtime – MANY non-weebs know the title and the image of Ryuk without having any anime knowledge. We talk about how this changes the impact it has on new, elder anime watchers (Jordy). We talk at length about ANTI-HEROES and EDGING... both of which Mikey is down for. Please do...

 Erased is a bigtime sleeper. The subject matter is HEAVY to say the least but it's nestled in a mystery with a subtle sci-fi mechanism. We try REALLY hard not to rationalize serial killers and their MO's, and discuss a rare, effective approach to the time travel paradox. PLUS... did Jordy somehow find his waifu in this show?? We managed to have fun despite the gauntlet of emotions this...

 Jujutsu Kaisen is arguably the second most talked about anime on the scene today after Demon Slayer. It's only fitting we covered them back-to-back this month. In this series, pacing is a dominating topic of conversation, and we address the STRONG similarities with other animes and a VERY popular western film series about wizards. It also turns out that one of us has big feelings regarding t...

It's part 2 of our coverage of Demon Slayer Season 1 and the Mugen Train movie! We take our time going over the plot of this series... There's a lot to talk about! As always 'magic' is a point of contention within Team Shmanime and this show is full of it. We talk further about whether or not the characters look like clowns (Is Jordy just ignorant?) and we all agree that Zenits...

In covering Demon Slayer (Season 1 and Mugen Train for now...) we just talked for far too long to subject you Shweebs to in one sitting. So we split it into to for a double episode! In this episode we chat about the Art, Music, and Characters of the show. We decide what our Hashira powers would be if we had them, and whether or not they look like clowns, and we realize we have different opinions o...

Kill La Kill is another controversial anime... because nudity... the entire show is about nudity... much of which surrounds an underage girl. That being said, it's clever, endearing, and they never go FULL nudity... just RIGHT to the edge of it. It's a wild ride and we had a LOT to say about it. We kept our parts covered (for the ratings) but you might wanna strip down nude when you watc...

Makoto fucking Shinkai everybody. We HAD to cover Weathering With You after gushing so hard over Your Name. These anime films have to stand against each other to some extent but how they stack up is a point of contention in Team Shmanime. One of us missed what is possibly the most hype element of the whole film, and we may be the first to discover our boy Shinkai's deep connection to Canadian...

Show me a better naked cyborg assassin, OR show me a more visually striking anime film. You can't because GHOST IN THE SHELL dominates in both categories. We get right into it in this episode. The tech in this film is a large topic of conversation, as is the not-quite-nudity. Despite a few qualms it's clear that even a harsh critic can appreciate the brilliance of this movie. Now that we...

Another classic childhood throwback this week! Inuyasha is a quintessential Isekai and a fan favourite. It's packed with Demons... maybe too packed depending on which of us you ask. The "Monster-Of-The-Week" format comes up as we get into a few of the more absurd ones. We debate whether time travel is also interdimensional travel, if the character development is up to snuff, and of...

We are 8 episodes in... is all this anime DRIVING Jordy crazy? Is he getting bored and DRIFTING off to sleep? The answer might be found in this week's episode on Initial D - a favourite of Jay's who is a low-key car enthusiast! He gives us a lesson on the cars featured and the impact this show had on street racing IRL, and we learn that Mikey discovered this show the way most young boys...

T his week we are covering Beck – Mongolian Chop Squad. As three band dudes we were primed for this show... however opinions in Camp Shmanime are VERY diverse. Some roles are reversed in this conversation but SOMEONE is still blindly infatuated, SOMEONE is still a harsh critic, and SOMEONE still yells a bunch. We talk a lot about being in a band and how we know all these characters in real life, w...

Perfect Blue is Britney Spears conservatorship meets Heath Ledgers 'Joker'. If you've seen it you know. If you haven't... you should. This film will make you feel strange. Watch it and then let us walk you through it because it DEMANDS some unpacking. SPOILER ALERT!!! Save this episode for later if you want to experience this show without a high-energy, often heated, very thoro...

This week we are covering something VERY controversial... at least within our ranks! Mikey and Jay surprise Jordy by switching sides so Jay can defend one of his most precious shows - Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. We talk about the differences between adult and chilrdrens programming, love languages, and of course... Oppai (that means boobs). Mikey is a mediocre Senpai, and Jay and Jordy get...

This week it's Parasyte – The Maxim (whatever that means)! There are tentacles, but NOT the porn kind that Mikey has definitely watched before. Regardless, we get wierd with it. Somehow despite how dark this show is, Jordy learns what 'kawaii' means, and Jay has to explain (reluctantly and repeatedly) that aliens are complex. Join us and find out if our opinions merge or if our head...

An absolute classic on the table for this week... Ninja Scroll! We get into why it is so iconic and revered, and which trends it started in the genre. We speculate (some with great confidence) certain elements of historical accuracy, and discuss the myriad of characters while giving them new, more descriptive names! If you've seen it, you know it can be... intense. We spend a lot of time talk...