Nostalgia Club

You’ve heard of Mark Twain’s novel, The Prince and the Pauper, but what about the Barbie movie that did it better? Victoria watched a lot of Barbie movies as a high schooler, and The Princess and the Pauper was always her favorite. She and Michael have been waiting for Jino to watch it so that they can openly play the soundtrack at the office (along with the various excellent remixes of “How Can I...

Have you ever stumbled down a magical rainbow staircase hidden in your family's basement? Then you may have visited the secret world of Droon! It’s got everything you could ever want: wise wizards, flying carpets, and a nefarious villain with a bright yellow car. Victoria and Jino encountered this series as young kids and barely remember any plot. Victoria loved the illustrations! Jino did not...

In the year 2000, Jino and Michael watched wide-eyed as Iguanodons and Carnotaurs came to life on the big screen. As fans of all things dinosaurs, it was a spectacular sight to see. Revisiting it more than 20 years later… that’s a different story. The feats of animation still hold up surprisingly well. The plot and the character designs? Not so much (although Jino always hated the dinosaur lips)....

Join us as we don talking pendants and run downstairs into the 2008 graphic novel series Amulet! Victoria celebrates her longtime love for this story while reluctantly revealing her involvement in a fandub. Michael stresses the need for an elvish skincare routine, and Jino questions the wisdom of giving all politicians cursed rocks. Tune in to hear our thoughts on which robot is which, slowly turn...

Most of us are most familiar with the 2010 DreamWorks animated film: How to Train Your Dragon. But did you read the books that they were based on? Jino certainly did, including the companion books that detailed the facts of every type of dragon you could imagine! The first movie in particular was a life-changing, emotional experience for Michael, and now reading the book has heightened his love fo...

On today’s episode, we continue our adventures in the Warrior Cats universe by revisiting Books 2 & 3 of the series: “Fire and Ice”, and “Forest of Secrets.” Victoria flexes her Warriors knowledge as she tries to summarize two books full of short-lived alliances and even shorter-lived betrayals. Jino rescinds his positive review of the titular best friend Greystripe, and Michael gets drawn in...

If you were a kid in the early 2000s who dreamed of being a ninja and ran with your arms extended behind your back, then you’ve probably heard of the beloved anime/manga series “Naruto.” All of Jino’s friends loved this series, so he joined them in creating secret jutsus on the playground, but that was the extent of his knowledge until now. Michael was a big fan of the anime, and even has the Sand...

Move aside Marvel, the most iconic superhero movie will always be “Sky High” from 2005. Michael and Victoria remember Sky High fondly, while Jino has been waiting for this moment to share his gripes with the movie on the Internet (although he admits “goo boy” wasn’t as bad as he remembered). We discuss all our favorite characters and moments, along with our plot grievances after this rewatch. Tune...

Gather around the fire as we tell the tale of the Magic Belt of Deltora. The early 2000s fantasy series “Deltora Quest” was beloved by Michael, a love that was rekindled when he discovered that there was an anime adaptation of the books. Jino was reminded of how much he enjoyed the series as a kid as well, although he wished there were more dragons. And as a first-time reader, Victoria was captiva...

Have you ever wondered if your classmate is secretly a dead rat in a trench coat? Then you may have read Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Jino and Victoria read this wacky anthology series as kids, but as it turns out, Jino’s school was a little bit like Wayside itself. Meanwhile, Michael relives his childhood horror of discovering the existence of long division. Tune in to hear our thoughts...

After-school cartoons were a hallmark of the 2000s. Every day, Victoria would run to the TV and turn on PBS Kids to catch the latest episode of Arthur. Michael watched this slice-of-life series sporadically, tuning in when the episodes seemed interesting, or when reruns were happening. Jino had passing awareness of Arthur, but only now has he sat down to experience the show for himself. Tune in to...

For its entire five-book run, the dark and fantastic Underland captured young Jino’s imagination. Michael read up to Book 3, but got too depressed to continue. Now, Victoria hits the first book in the series with fresh eyes (not that humans can see much underground). Tune in to hear our thoughts on human-rat geopolitics, the destructive cycle of war, and bug religion. _____________________________...

In middle school, Victoria was obsessed with the Warriors (also known as Warrior Cats) series. Jino read the series too, but he was too cool to admit it. Several years later, they’ve managed to convince Michael to read these books for the first time. Tune in to hear our thoughts on cat society, naming conventions, and drama. Thanks for listening to Nostalgia Club, the podcast where we revisit the...