Strictly Anime

We review Tokyo Godfathers. It's Christmas in August as we discuss one of Satoshi Kon's more unexpected films. This heartwarming comedy follows three homeless protagonists on their journey to reunite a baby with her family. We get in the holiday spirit early, talking about the themes of Christmas and family that are present throughout this wild, crazy ride propelled by nonstop coincidences.⁠ Join...

We celebrate our 100th episode the best way we know how: by letting our listeners roast our taste in anime and roasting them back! It's the roast of Strictly Anime where we shared our anime lists with our patrons and Discord members, asked them to choose one of our questionable anime ratings, and tell us why our taste is trash. We also invited them to share their anime lists so we can roast them i...

We discuss our favorite villains in anime. What makes these villains our favorites? Some are memorable, some we connect with emotionally (whether that emotion is love or hate), and some are just weird. Join us as we talk through all the villains and antagonists that made our lists.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/4Rnq4GTePP Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/thestrictlyseries Websi...

We're joined by David and Jordan from Shonen Flop to rank anime dere types! We go through a list of the 10 most common dere types, slotting them into our own rankings based on which we love and hate the most. Who had tsundere at the top of their list? How did we feel about the controversial yandere? Tune in to hear all the dere types and characters across anime and manga as David and Jordan bring...

We review Mob Psycho 100 II. Mob isn't the only one improving in the second season. In addition to great character development, season two drastically improves on the animation and choreography, bringing us a never-ending stream of ⁠amazing fights. We discuss all the ways the second season is stronger than the first, as well as the parts of the season that fall flat. Join our Discord: https://disc...

We discuss our spoiler-free Summer 2022 anime first impressions. This season is starting off with quite a few surprises, including shows that have quickly hooked us in or completely subverted our expectations. Plus, there's an anime full of tsundere guys that's right up Courtney's alley. Join us to find out everything we're watching and hear all our thoughts on the start of this season!⁠ Join our...

Courtney reviews the second season of The Rising of the Shield Hero (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari) ft. Ash from Simping for Senpai Podcast. Courtney won't be joined by Karl this week because he hasn't seen the anime. However, she's not alone as Ash from Simping for Senpai Podcast is joining the show to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. How does this season compare to the previous? Which n...

We review season two of Komi Can't Communicate (Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu.). The shy goddess and the stumpy boy are back and Karl is excited to talk more about his waifu. We're introduced to a new set of Komi's friends, so naturally we compare them to the friends she made in season one. We also gush over the increase in romantic development between Komi and Tadano (and also between Tadano and Ka...

We review the first half of Spy x Family season one. This show has taken the anime world by storm as weebs get to experience an actual family dynamic among three characters who aren't technically family. But with all the buzz about Spy x Family, did it live up to the hype or was it over-hyped? We share our differing opinions along with the rest of our thoughts on what is undoubtedly one of the big...

We're celebrating Father's Day by talking about the best and worst fathers in anime. After our recent episode dedicated to anime moms, we realize that anime dads are a bit more questionable and divisive.⁠ Whether they're biological or adoptive, some of the dads on our lists are amazing, some started off bad but are working to better themselves, and some are just pure evil.⁠ Join our Discord: https...

We talk about how the anime rom-com genre never changes. Inspired by the "Anime Rom-Com Starterpack" posted on Reddit, we take a look at some of the most common elements found in these shows and discuss whether the genre has become formulaic. We also asked our Discord members to send us their favorite rom-coms which we share at the end of the episode along with our own thoughts on those...

We review Baccano! With its huge cast of characters, multiple timelines, and intertwined storylines, there's a lot going on in this anime that left us confused. We discuss the good and the convoluted, as well as how this anime compares to other stories that use a similar, non-linear storytelling style.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/4Rnq4GTePP Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/th...

Live recording of our panel "Waifu Wars: The Tournament Arc" at Anime Central 2022. We gathered some of the best and most popular waifu in anime to battle it out in the ultimate tournament arc. We pit them against each other, selected brave volunteers to defend their waifu, and asked the audience to vote for the winner of each round until one character was crowned best waifu in anime!⁠ V...

We're joined by Som from Anime Summit to create our tier list of the most well-known, bad anime tropes! ⁠From accidental fan service, to filler episodes, to 100-year-old lolis, we discuss the way these tropes are used in anime and how they're received by fans. Find out where we placed each trope and which one Karl regrets searching on the internet.⁠ Check out Anime Summit Podcast on Spotify, Apple...

We review Mob Psycho 100. Mob might be a calm and plain kid but his anime is a wild and crazy ride. The humor hit, the animation was insanely varied and intense, and Mob and Reigen have an interesting dynamic. We talk about all this, plus what we wish was done better in season one.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/4Rnq4GTePP Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/thestrictlyseries Websi...

We're celebrating Mother's Day by talking about the best and worst mothers in anime. It's a rare occasion when anime parents are actually present and play a significant part of the story, and we've gathered together some of the mothers to discuss what influence they have on their children, how they care for and raise them, and whether they deserve love or hate.⁠ Join our Discord: https://discord.g...

We review Wolf Children (Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki). This anime film follows the story of Hana, a mother who must navigate the struggles of raising and protecting her two half-wolf children. We talk about the soundtrack, Ame and Yuki's journey to decide their paths in life, Hana's perseverance, and much more. We also debate whether there are "furry" moments in this movie.⁠ Join our Di...

We discuss our spoiler-free Spring 2022 anime first impressions. We're a few weeks into the season and it's already pretty clear which anime will be hits and which anime we'll have to force ourselves to finish. There's also a few unexpected anime that are turning out to be more impressive than we initially expected. Tune in to find out everything we're watching and hear all our thoughts on the sta...

JD and Earthworm from Anime Brothers Podcast return to the show for a review of Hunter x Hunter! ⁠We tap into their extensive knowledge of this anime to talk about the various arcs, characters, abilities, and everything else that makes this one of the best shounen anime of all time. After watching Hunter x Hunter a decade after it premiered, we finally understand the hype and how Bungee Gum posses...

We review the second half of Ranking of Kings (Ousama Ranking). Bojji continues to be best boy and inspires others to achieve their dreams through the means that best suits them. We have some hot takes on a few of the characters, including King Bosse and Miranjo, and some issues with the way key information is revealed throughout the story. But overall, we sing our praises for this incredible stor...

We review Attack on Titan: The Dawn of Humanity (E87). This is it. It really is the final episode of the final season...part 2 because we got confirmation that there will be a part 3 of the final season. We talk all about this news, and all about this episode filled with flashbacks that give us more context for some pivotal moments for Eren and the Scouts. But most importantly, there was a clown....

We review My Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru). There are two things that stand out the most about this anime: the level of detail and appreciation for the art of cosplay, and Marin Kitagawa. We discuss what could easily be one of the best romcoms this year, and share our thoughts on Marin and Gojo, the ongoing theme of accepting everyone's interests and hobbies, the show educatin...

We review 86 EIGHTY-SIX (Part 2). Thanks to its expertise in storytelling, this anime continues to hit as hard as it did in part one. We discuss how part two compares to part one, the incredibly satisfying ending that makes us question whether we want or need a second season, and how they managed to create a great show despite production delays. We also talk about Frederica and how she's really, r...

We review Attack on Titan: Retrospective (E86). There was a certain charm and elegance to the way Wit Studio animated and choreographed fight scenes in seasons 1-3 of Attack on Titan, but MAPPA showed us in this episode that their adaptation also incorporates some incredible battles. The brutality of this ongoing fight reaches its conclusion, and we take a look at how the never-ending war is start...

We review Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Movie. MAPPA is once again flexing their skills with top-tier animation, fight choreography, and story-telling. But there's one aspect of this movie that falls flat, and we discuss how that aspect could have prevented other issues. Plus, we share our appreciation for how this prequel movie enhances everything we learned from season one of Jujutsu Kaisen.⁠ Join our Discor...