Not Just Tentacles

Rachael looks back at CLAMP’s Magical Girlfriend anime, where cram student Hideki meets and falls for Chi, a mysterious amnesiac persocom. Does it stand the test of time?

A Death Note Musical? Sounds crazy, you know? Well, actually it slaps. Rachael and Ruth analyse Frank Wildhorn’s rock musical of the manga franchise, which isn’t anywhere near as well known as it deserves.

Rachael and Ruth look at one of anime’s most fraught debates, subs vs dubs. Contains tangents, accents and assorted ambles down Memory Lane.

Rachael and Ruth geek out about My Hero Academia, Kohei Horikoshi’s epic superhero saga. Can Izuku Midoriya, Quirkless fanboy, follow in the footsteps of his idol All Might and become the world’s greatest hero? Contains swearing, impressions and big stinky pizza.

It's the Not Just Tentacles Valentine's Day special! Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki can't believe his luck when his idol, Russian champion Victor Nikiforov, shows up naked in his family's hot spring and offers to coach him. It doesn't help that Yuri has an enormous crush on him - which shows every sign of being reciprocated! Can our hero win both the gold and Victor's heart? Rachael and Ruth...

It’s the biggest battle of them all! Rachael debates which is better, manga or anime, and how it’s incredibly difficult to pick a side - and do you even want to? Contains spoilers of various franchises.

Rachael and Ruth examine Saburouta's infamous yuri anime. Yuzu and Mei meet at school and fall in mutual loathing with a hint of gay. Problem is, Mei's dad has married Yuzu's mom! And the stepsisters now have to share a bed! We'll be asking, does this anime have anything to offer the modern lesbian?  Contains strong language. And bad accents. 

In a change from the normal format, Rachael answers the questions people have asked her most, from BL to weeabos!

Rachael and the lovely Ruth discuss Bisco Hatori’s screwball romcom. Contains spoilers and evil fangirl laughter.

Rachael fangirls about her beloved Death Note and why if you should watch any anime, it should be this one. Contains spoilers and bad, bad voice acting.

So what’s this all about, then? Rachael sums up the mission statement of Not Just Tentacles.

It’s a Christmas special (of sorts!) Rachael examines Tokyo Ghoul and how it fails to live up to the promise of its premise. Includes character assassination, bad impressions and singing. You have been warned.

Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop was launched with a bang, but has been cancelled with more of a whimper. Which leads Rachael to ponder: why is the original 1998 space western/noir so revered? 

In this, the show’s first episode, Rachael discusses how and why she became an anime fan to begin with, the magnificence of Death Note, and why living in the UK basically sucks.