Bento Radio

In this episode, Alex explores how My Hero Academia evolves from a hopeful shonen into a complex critique of hero society, systemic failure, mental health, and the cycles of violence that create villains. Visit https://bento-box.ghost.io/ for more anime thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alex dives into his most anticipated shows for the Summer 2026 anime season, offering a thoughtful mix of returning heavy-hitters and daring newcomers. After a quick update on studio heat woes and a reminder to subscribe, review, and visit bento-box.ghost.io, Alex frames the episode around how early screenings at conventions like Anime NYC (which he’ll be covering with full press...

In this episode of Bento Radio, I take a deep dive into one of the year’s most fascinating fantasy anime and explore why Witch Hat Atelier resonates so strongly with artists and creative people. We discuss its beautiful worldbuilding, its thoughtful magic system, the importance of apprenticeship, and what the series has to say about learning, teaching, and mastering a craft. Along the way, I compa...

His and Her Circumstances is unlike any other romance anime from it's time but it's also how you get shows like Horimiya and out and I are Polar Opposites to name a few and that's befor you deal with the fact that it's the thing that Ginax made and Hideki Anno directed after Evangelion and you already have the reason to watch it Visit https://bento-box.ghost.io/ for more anime thoughts Hosted on A...

This week on Bento Radio, Alex takes a look at Dead Account, a supernatural battle shonen built around haunted social media accounts, digital ghosts, and internet culture. While the premise is surprisingly interesting, the series struggles under the weight of its influences. The episode explores how modern shonen evolved from Dragon Ball to Hunter x Hunter, Naruto, and Jujutsu Kaisen, and examines...

In this episode of Bento Radio, Alex finally dives into Serial Experiments Lain, a landmark anime that has spent decades building a reputation as one of the medium’s most challenging and prophetic works. What begins as a discussion of a quiet middle school girl drawn into the Wired quickly becomes an exploration of how Lain anticipated many of the questions that define life online today. From soci...

n this episode, Alex critiques the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, arguing they’ve become a popularity contest. He outlines concrete fixes to restore prestige, improve voting, and elevate winner publicity. Visit https://bento-box.ghost.io/ for more anime thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alex explores the litRPG phenomenon Dungeon Crawler Carl, the cross-pollination between anime and Western media, and why depicting raw, volatile anger in characters matters. Visit https://bento-box.ghost.io/ for more anime thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Bento Radio, Alex dives deep into Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc, exploring how Tatsuki Fujimoto uses explosive action, awkward romance, and emotional manipulation to tell a much darker story about loneliness, abuse, and growing up too fast. What begins as a discussion of the film’s plot quickly expands into a broader conversation about worldbuilding in anime, comparing Chainsaw Man’s i...

In this episode of Bento Radio, Alex takes a deep dive into Macross Plus and explores why this 90s sci-fi classic feels more relevant now than ever. From its incredible OVA-era animation and high-speed mecha action to the eerie presence of virtual idol Sharon Apple, the conversation examines how the series anticipated modern anxieties around AI companions, algorithmic platforms, and emotionally ma...

In this episode of Bento Radio, Alex takes a deep, reflective dive into Miss Hokusai (2015), using Keiichi Hara’s quietly powerful film as a lens to explore the realities of being an artist in Edo Japan. Framed by the moment when Hayao Miyazaki was publicly contemplating retirement—and the industry’s obsession with finding “the next Miyazaki”—the episode contrasts Hara’s restrained storytelling wi...

Monster Musume is often dismissed as just another fanservice-heavy monster girl series—but that surface-level read misses what’s really going on underneath. In this episode of Bento Radio, I take a closer look at how Monster Musume—and the broader monster girl genre—can be read as a quiet exploration of disability, accessibility, and social integration. Through its exaggerated character designs an...

This week on Bento Radio, I’m digging into Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3—and why it feels so different from everything that came before it. The Culling Game pushes the series into full chaos, but what really stands out isn’t just the scale—it’s the way the show is being made. The structure is looser, the fights are more expressive, and the whole thing starts to feel less like traditional shonen and more...

Spring 2026 anime is here, and instead of trying to keep up with everything, I’m focusing on three shows that actually feel worth watching. In this episode, I break down what I’m watching this season and why these picks stood out—from the emotional storytelling of Akane-Banashi, to the long-anticipated adaptation of Witch Hat Atelier, and the latest series from the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist....

This week on Bento Radio, I’m diving into Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, a series that continues to prove why it’s one of the most compelling fantasy anime in years. Instead of focusing on spectacle alone, Frieren builds its story around memory, time, and the quiet weight of human connection. As Frieren travels with Fern and Stark, the series deepens its exploration of what it means to ou...

This week on Bento Radio, I’m diving into Sentenced to Be a Hero —a seasonal fantasy that ended up being way more interesting than I expected. At first glance, it looks like another light novel adaptation, but the deeper you get, the more it reveals a surprisingly dense world built around penal heroes, divine contracts, and a system that’s clearly broken at its core. Every character feels shaped b...

The One Piece Season 2 trailer is finally here, and yeah… I had to sit with this one for a minute. In this episode, I break down everything the trailer is hinting at—from the bigger direction of the story to the smaller details that might end up mattering way more than they seem. It feels like Netflix isn’t just continuing the series—they’re scaling it up in a real way. We’re talking new character...

Today on the show I’m talking about one of the calmest, strangest, and most quietly beautiful OVAs from the late 90s: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. This is one of those anime that almost feels like it exists outside of time. It’s set in a future where the world hasn’t ended with explosions or war—civilization has just slowly faded. The sea levels are rising, cities are disappearing, and the few people...

This week on Bento Radio, I’m talking about Twilight Q, a strange and largely forgotten anime OVA from 1987 that came out during the height of the experimental OVA boom. The two standalone episodes take very different approaches. The first, “A Knot in Time,” is a quiet time-loop mystery about a girl who discovers a photograph of herself that she has no memory of taking. The second episode, “Myster...

In 1998, anime changed forever. The same year that gave us Cowboy Bebop , Trigun , and Serial Experiments Lain also gave us Outlaw Star — a sci-fi space western that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those classics… but rarely is. In this episode of Bento Radio, I revisit Outlaw Star and break down why it still works nearly three decades later. From Gene Starwind’s unapologetically me...

This week on Bento Radio , I take a deep dive into Inu-Oh — the electrifying historical rock opera from Science SARU . Set in 14th-century Japan after the fall of the Heike clan, Inu-Oh follows two outcasts — a blind biwa player and a physically deformed Noh performer — who transform forgotten war stories into explosive, rebellious stage performances. But beneath the glam-rock spectacle and surrea...

This week, I’m breaking down Cosmic Princess Kaguya!, a hyper-stylized sci-fi fairy tale that feels like a collision between Hosoda-era digital optimism and modern influencer anxiety. From VR contact lenses and disco moons to AI identity and parasocial pressure, the film is packed with ideas—and not all of them fit cleanly into its runtime. We talk about the film’s take on The Tale of the Bamboo C...

In this episode, I talk about Love Through a Prism, a historical anime romance that surprised me by being far more about art, ambition, and loss than love alone. Set in early-1900s London, the series follows a group of art students navigating class, obligation, and creative pressure as they try to define who they are and what their work means. I walk through how the show portrays art school as liv...

n this episode, I break down 100 Meters ( Hyakuemu ), a Netflix anime film that challenges nearly every expectation of the sports anime genre. Unlike traditional sports anime focused on destined champions and inspirational victories, 100 Meters explores burnout, athletic pressure, and the emotional cost of chasing excellence. This episode examines how 100 Meters uses track and field—specifically t...

n this episode of Bento Radio, I’m revisiting Kekkaishi, a mid-2000s supernatural shonen that aired on Toonami and somehow became one of anime’s most overlooked gems. It’s a series I didn’t fully appreciate the first time around—but on rewatch, it surprised me in all the best ways. I dig into what makes Kekkaishi feel so different from its contemporaries: its tight 50-episode runtime, its focus on...