Shonen Tapes

In today’s episode, we decided to pit these two shows together because they both fight, hunt stuff, and have demons. Stylistically and story-wise they both choose such different approaches. Is a linear story automatically better than one that subverts your expectations? Do you prefer the safe protagonist, or the wild card? So much to dive into here. Also…you’re going to want to be one of the first...

GETTEM BOJJI! Today we review the weird and wonderful Ranking of Kings. Like most people, we were completely shocked and blown away by this show, because it was not at all what we were expecting. From the underdog protagonist, to the breaking of stereotypes, this episode is all about what this show did right, and a few things they fumbled on. Share with us your favorite characters and your overall...

Be real - not much comes to mind when you think of this character, does it? Why is that? She had so many game changing moments, but there was just something that was missing from Tsunade. From her tragic backstory, to her rise to Hokage, we dissect Granny and everything about her. Naruto fans will enjoy this episode. Should we do the rest of the Legendary Sannin next? This episode includes: Naruto...

HOW is this arc so slept on? Evil Goku!! Today Sean and Kev go back and forth on the good and bad of this arc. It’s been a while since we’ve just done a straight up Dragonball episode, and we enjoyed it way too much. We also address the ending of the Saga and do a wittle bit of theory crafting. As always, thanks for listening.  This Episode Includes: DBZ, Vegeta, Dragonball Super Super Hero, Goku,...

Bleach. Naruto. One Piece. These ingredients were chosen to create the perfect little Trio. But professor Shonen accidentally added an extra concoction - The Shonen Tapes. Thus, The New Big Three Tape was born!! Using their ultra-super powers, Kev and Sean Shonen Pants have dedicated the hour to picking what current Anime can stand the test of time, and become the new Big 3!! Not sure what prompte...

The podcast devil invites you to join the Shonen Tapes in reviewing Chainsaw Man. Does the show live up to the crazy hype, or is was it just a bit too overhyped? Mr. ShonenPants and Kev discuss the squad of Makima, Power, Aki, Denji, and the rest of the lunatics in the special unit. We talk about what Chainsaw Man does differently in regards to story telling, tropes, and character development. MOS...

How does this man Isagi SMELL goals?? Today we break down one of the hottest shows to drop in 2022. If you haven’t watched yet, we don’t give away too much, but still break down the show for you. If you have seen it, listen to us try to pinpoint whether it was the story, the writing, the characters, or the animation that made this show stand out the way it did.  This episode is about: Blue Lock, I...

Happy holidays Tapeworms! As we wrap up 2022, we review Looper and Esquire’s lists (links below) of the top anime of 2022, before making our own picks of the best and worst content to come out this year. https://looper.com/1108845/the-best-anime-of-2022-so-far/ https://esquire.com/entertainment/tv/g39361213/best-anime-2022/  This episode includes: Anime, Shonen, Attack on Titan, Bleach, Mob Psycho...

Tapeworms, if you're tuning into this one, you are truly going to have to buckle up. This is a contentious episode because we could not agree on Season 1 of Vinland Sage being good or not. Kev lists out the pitfalls, while Sean hypes up great parts. Some of the issues discussed is story plot points, likable characters, and the show's thematics. Please let us know how you guys are feeling...

Today, the boys start to reminisce about their all-time favorite Anime episodes. This was a fun one because we got to see what stands out and is memorable to Sean, versus the things Kev latches on to. We’d actually love to hear what your favorite episodes are and from what shows, because we know we missed a ton! Hit us up on whatever social media you’re seeing this on or jump in the discord.  This...

Just warning you right now, Sean opens up this episode with a big ol' "Buckle Up Cowboys," and it is absolutely warranted given the episode topic. Whether you love it (Sean) or hate it (Kev), Cowboy Bebop was an incredible influence on the western side of the world getting into anime. The episode focuses more so on the fact that it may not necessarily hold up to the test of time lik...

Alrighty folks - In this episode we pick a couple of shows that we think would make good movies. There is so much potential here that we got more excited as the episode went on. We talk plot points, why they'd make good movies, who could direct them, and briefly discuss some other anime adaptations that just missed the mark. Please don't forget to subscribe if you're enjoying the Sh...

We had so much fun doing an episode on how to improve Dragon Ball's side characters on our Patreon (link in bio, muhuhu), that we decided to do the Naruto version for the public! Granted, Sean does stray a bit from the typical side characters you'd expect, valid points are still made. We talk different ways they could fight, along with different stories about them that could have been to...

ASH DID IT, HE FINALLY DID IT! Homie finally won it all! Today the boys react to not only that, but Pokemon and the Masters 8 tournament in general. In this episode you got Kevin, who is super into Pokemon, versus Sean, who is really looking at things from an outside perspective. We discuss favorite matches, quality of the battles, and then take a step back to pick our favorite Pokemon. Click HERE...

Not going to lie to y'all - this entire episode really got our creative juices flowing!! It consists of what-ifs and theories on some of our favorite shows. We take turns coming up with some different scenarios and really diving into how some of these ideas could spawn new storylines and different directions for both the shows and the characters involved. We also took some suggestions from th...

If you're interested in getting over 40 songs stuck in your head, this is absolutely the episode for you. After dissecting the value and power of theme songs, we separate a pretty large handful of popular theme songs from the biggest shows (and some small ones), and rank them into the tiers of S, A, B, C, D and F. While we can agree on some of the major ones, we are also completely opposite o...

Fuuu-sssion....HA! But not just a normal DBZ Fusion - Multiple fusions from various characters across the different anime worlds we know and love. We rack our brains and come up with interesting fusions that would benefit one character, or both. We based it more so on personalities and bodies, but there are some really cool power combinations in there too. As mentioned in the episode, send in any...

Not only do we react to the first episode of the fantastic Chainsaw Man, but we did an episode on the second season of Rent-A-Girlfriend, and you can listen to the episode whether you’ve watched the season or not! This was fun. You can get a taste of if you like these Harem animes or if they’re just not for you. This episode was geeking. Join us! Click HERE to follow us on socials and subscribe on...

We are going HEAVY into character story arcs today. We break down what makes a good character story arc to us, and then dive into some of the more impressive ones. We also touch on what are some lackluster arcs and missed opportunities. Love episodes like these because we can pick and choose what so many great (and stinky) anime have done before to make a character who they really are. It's a...

Today we are talking about new school anime versus oldschool anime! We talk about our thoughts on both types of anime. We also discuss the pros and cons about older and newer anime. We end up discussing some anime we think of the when we think of both eras. As per usual, we end up taking sides which ensues in another great Shonen Tapes Debate. Join the debate and let us know which era of anime is...

Today we are reviewing Jujutsu Kaisen's first movie! Don't worry if you haven't seen it yet - our first 15ish minutes are spoiler free. We go over the protagonist introduced, compare how the acts compare throughout the movie, judge the action, go over what we'd change, and lastly,  how many thumbs we're giving this bad boy. Click HERE to follow us on socials and subscribe...

The courtroom proceedings shall begin! One Punch Man versus My Hero Academia.  Which anime is better? Kevin stands up for One Punch Man, while Sean is defending My Hero Academia.  We will be judging these anime by the main characters, the side characters, the story, and the villains. To be honest, this slowly becomes a little more one-sided as the episode progresses, but the losing party does not...

TWO YEARS BABAY!!! That is insane y'all.  First time listeners, be wary - this is a reflection episode! Today we run through what has changed in our top-10 Anime, as well as our favorite characters. We also pick out our most and least favorite episodes from this past year. We briefly discuss any takes we'd like to formally take back. Lastly, we cover what's ahead for the future Shon...

I know, I know - we’ve been on a Demon Slayer kick lately. We’re making up for lost time! After announcing our Patreon,  we discuss one of the most enjoyable protagonists in all of anime. We compare him to some others in a battle setting, as well as dissect what makes him so good, and what we would tweak about him overall. Also, Sean has a really weird nickname for him.. Click HERE to follow us on...

What’s up y’all! Today we are tackling one of Naruto Shippuden’s most wasted characters. Aside from his fighting ability and general swagger, we highlight some clever ways they could have utilized him. Also, we put him in some 1v1 versus battles vs similar characters from Naruto and then from other Anime. This was a really fun one to make. Hope you guys enjoy.  Click HERE to follow us on socials a...