OTR Debate

With the MCU’s newest big hit Thunderbolts* (or *The New Avengers, spoiler alert) and James Gunn’s upcoming take on Superman hitting theaters in 2025, what better time to discuss the comic book world’s most iconic teams of anti-heroes (or even outright villains)? Lando reps the Thunderbolts and impresses Mucci with some of the cool things Marvel did in the comics that may not be able to make thems...

With his new Robert Pattinson-starring Mickey 17 , Korean director Bong Joon Ho displays his knack for blending genres and entertainingly covering sociopolitical and interpersonal themes. Mucci thinks he hasn’t done that better than Okja , an adventure-thriller-heist-comedy with strong animal welfare themes. Lando, on the other hand, advocates for the dark and dreary serial killer mystery that is...

We at OTR had several mini debates that we couldn't resolve amongst ourselves going into C2E2, so we took the questions to the cosplayers of the convention! Huy and Mucci had a quiet dispute over the chillest anime, Mucci and Lando went into the convention fighting over Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, and Lando and Huy could not agree on the best X-Men or their coolest mutant powers. Luckily, we...

Two iconic magical girl franchises are back in the zeitgeist, as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live continues its US tour and the fourth Madoka movie, Walpurgisnacht Rising , inches closer to its release…sometime in 2025! Huy details Sailor Moon ’s lasting influence, its iconic theme song, and the bizarre character renamings in the English dub. Mucci vouches for the short and sweet Puella...

We hope you're hungry for anime that distill the essence of RPGs, because on the menu this episode are Solo Leveling and Delicious in Dungeon! Lando takes us through an E-rank hunter's quest for strength and other stats as he levels up into a formidable fighter. Huy spins a yarn about a journey of a party of adventurers as they try to resurrect the hero's sister and cook delicious crea...

Join us, True Believers, as we face off with our picks of the best people to have ever worn the Captain America suit! Huy picks two different characters named Steve Rogers (including the most famous one) as well as Kiyoshi Morales, or Commander A. Mucci assembles Bucky Barnes, Isaiah Bradley, and Roberta Mendez from the far-off year of 2099. Judge Lando will have to decide: Which Caps have the bet...

We start season 4 by diving into the PlayStation Plus monthly games for February 2025: High on Life and Pac-Man World Re-Pac ! Lando advocates for the Rick and Morty humor of High on Life , with star voice actors such as JB Smoove and Tim Robinson. Mucci vouches for the wholesome family classic of Pac-Man World and this worthy remake version. Will Huy be swayed by raunchy comedy and find Pac-Man d...

From Billy Madison to Spaceman , Adam Sandler’s career has run the gamut from comedy to drama to thriller to sci-fi. This week, Lando and Huy must give Mucci their three picks of Adam Sandler movies to introduce to aliens, to give them an idea of what comedy is all about. Would the aliens prefer his Drew Barrymore romcoms to an action fantasy black comedy film featuring the Devil’s son? Is it impo...

Can anyone make Malört, the controversial Chicago wormwood liqueur, taste good? Classically a shot you have unsuspecting Chicago visitors try, maybe paired with an Old Style for a Chicago handshake, Malört has been described as tasting like bug spray or gasoline. Lando walks us through some of the history of the company, before Andy and Mucci make some cocktails to try to see if they can make Malö...

Happy Halloween from OTR Debate! Of course for us, that means a nerdy debate on the two biggest horror video game franchises! Andy, appearing as a pro se litigant and fresh off playing the Silent Hill 2 remake, directs us through deep and horrifying atmosphere and story of the Silent Hill games, including Hideo Kojima's P.T. that elicited a...certain reaction. And Mucci walks us through the fixed...

OTR rings in October with some horror anime! Huy advocates for a horror comedy that is a bright and colorful zombie apocalypse, which the main character may prefer to the hell of working life. Lando details the dread viewers can experience watching the Saw-like tests of Death Parade. But this is anime, so it may all come down to which opening theme is an absolute banger. And in our Recess segment,...

OTR's battle of fast food titans is underway! But is it a battle of Americanized versions of cultural cuisines? Huy takes us through the history of Glenn Bell without trying to advocate for cultural appropriation. Lando takes us through the positivity and fun of Panda Express and its "funny" ads. Mucci insists there's no collusion, but he is drinking Beer for Tacos...And for our Recess segment, it...

You've heard of Alien VS Predator, but with Alien: Romulus and Terminator Zero having just come out, we debate Alien VS Terminator! Mucci advocates for the iconic xenomorph design and the stamp directors such as David Fincher, James Cameron, and of course Ridley Scott put on the franchise. Speaking of James Cameron, Lando details perhaps his most iconic franchise, with Arnold Schwarzenegger&#3...

We discuss how you can make your gatherings magical and revel in the splendor of an enjoyable time with your friends, as we debate board games versus trading card games! Huy advocates for the approachability of board games and their wide breadth of complexity, from simple games like Life to modern classics like Catan and Scythe . Mucci argues for the collectable nature of trading cards and the ver...

Happy Umbrella Academy season 4 release! To celebrate, we're having Netflix's comic adaptation face off against Amazon Prime's (at times loose) adaptation of The Boys. Lando advocates for Gerard Way's Umbrella Academy and the uniqueness of its characters and premise. Mucci vouches for the wide-ranging satire and positive changes made to Garth Ennis's sometimes edgelord-y comic....

Two anime about fighting off giant creatures face off this week! Huy represents the '90s classic Neon Genesis Evangelion, with its in-depth explorations of philosophy and the psychology of such characters as Shinji, Asuka, and Misato. Mucci takes the new kid on the block, Kaiju No. 8, fresh off its first season, and points to its history-making livestreams of each episode on Crunchyroll and X, as...

How many corny action movie puns and references can we fit into one episode? Turns out quite a few, as we pit Sylvester Stallone, the Italian Stallion himself, against the world's most famous Scientologist, Tom Cruise. Lando takes us through Sly's origin story with Rocky and Rambo, up to the more recent ensemble action films, The Expendables. Mucci couches, I mean vouches, for Tom Cruise's increas...

A trial takes place in the Kingdom of Hyrule. Princess Zelda herself is suing Nintendo's number one plumber, Mario, for defamation. Particularly galling is the comment that Mario's games are better than Zelda's, which the princess argues is patently untrue. Mucci represents Zelda and advocates for the open-world nature of The Legend of Zelda since its first NES entry and the strength o...

C2E2 has come and gone here in Chicago, but we're still talking nerdy stuff. This week, we discuss the two most famous comic book rogues galleries -- those of Batman and Spider-Man! Lando takes us through the symbiotes, scientists, and super-strong mob bosses of Marvel's biggest superhero. Meanwhile, Mucci takes us through the more down-to-earth villains of DC's Dark Knight...and makes the case th...

C2E2 is this weekend in Chicago, and we're starting our duo of special C2E2 episodes with a face-off of sidekicks from video games and other nerdy media! Huy and Lando present their balanced teams of characters that represent brains, muscle, and loyalty. Will Lando's team of Falco Lombardi, Diddy Kong, and the dog from the Fable series win out? Or will Huy's squad of Knuckles, Pikachu,...

We're debating Tim and Eric, but not the ones you might be thinking of...That's right, we're pitting two alternative comedy titans against one another: Tim Robinson and Eric Andre! Lando discusses Tim Robinson's beginnings with his buddy Sam Richardson, and his time on Saturday Night Live and Detroiters before coming out with Netflix's biggest meme-able sketch show, I Think You...

In light of the upcoming new blockbuster movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire , what better time for a MonsterVerse debate to determine who is the true king of the monsters? Lando takes us from Skull Island to the Empire State Building, as he draws upon King Kong's humanity and the lawsuit against Nintendo's Donkey Kong, with an ironically-named lawyer in the proceedings. Mucci argues for...

Bring along all your hopes and dreams on your voyage to master all four elements, because we're talking One Piece and Avatar this week! And what better time to do it than when both of Netflix's most successful live action adaptations of animated properties have been released? Mucci talks up mangka Eiichiro Oda's masterpiece, which he believes to be one of the greatest stories ever written, with ro...

Anime and manga fans, rev your chainsaws and start scribbling the names of people you'd rather see gone, because we're talking Chainsaw Man and Death Note this episode! Lando reveals how Death Note has spoiled him for all other anime, and highlights the cat-and-mouse machinations of Light Yagami (not Turner) and L as one boy genius tries to outwit the other. Mucci attempts to dance around...

Mucci walks in on his cohosts playing Fortnite on a Switch by Lake Michigan. He insists that Super Smash Bros. is better and that they should all be playing that. Lando disagrees, and what follows is a lively discussion, judged by Huy, in which Mucci and Lando argue that their crossover game is the better one. Which has the better selection of characters? Better multiplayer experience and gameplay...