Episodes
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The fourth and potentially final TV season of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba aired its fourth season this summer, adapting and expanding on the “Hashira Training Arc” of Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga. We weren’t able to review this season right when it finished due to work on our massive Kyoto Animation project, but now that we’re between seasons we thought it was time to talk once more about one of our favorite ongoing anime. These episodes adapt a very short slice of the manga, expanding on it in really wonderful ways to give us a final stretch of in-depth character development before the chaos of the Infinity Castle Arc, which will be produced as a film trilogy in the coming years. As always, ufotable’s adaptational choices are really smart and interesting to talk about, and it all builds to a season finale that’s one of the best episodes in the show’s history.
Enjoy! We’ll be going on a bit of a hiatus for now as we work on SEASON 5 of Japanimation Station, our ‘Grand Tour’ through a variety of anime, which will be premiering later this winter.
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:15
Hashira Training Arc Review Part 1: 0:01:15 – 1:06:24
Eyecatch Break: 1:06:24 – 1:06:47
Hashira Training Arc Review Part 2: 1:06:47 – 2:19:08
End Theme: 2:19:08 – 2:20:09
Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to PURELY ACADEMIC, our monthly variety podcast about movies, video games, TV, and more: https://purelyacademic.simplecast.com
Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Subscribe to our YouTube channels!
Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation
Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
“Welcome to Japanimation Station” – Original Music by Thomas Lack, Lyrics by Thomas Lack and Sean Chapman, featuring Hatsune Miku; “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Weekly Suit Gundam makes its triumphant return to review the long-awaited Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM, the film sequel to the first Gundam anime of the 21st century: Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny. We are big fans of the original SEED on this podcast, and were driven slightly insane by Destiny, so seeing director Mitsuo Fukuda and the original cast and crew come back together for a final adventure, based on story material left behind by the late Chiaki Morosawa, is extremely cathartic, especially since the film they made is so astonishingly great. Now that it’s finally dropped in the US on Netflix (albeit in a strange dub-only release – we would encourage listeners to, uh, *search elsewhere* for the original Japanese), we’re free to talk about the film at length, diving into the incredible action, surprisingly potent storytelling, and how the movie finally does right by Kira, Lacus, Shinn, and all the other great characters left in tatters by Destiny.
Enjoy, and join us next week for another bonus episode of Japanimation Station, where we’ll be reviewing the Hashira Training Arc season of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to PURELY ACADEMIC, our monthly variety podcast about movies, video games, TV, and more: https://purelyacademic.simplecast.com
Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Subscribe to our YouTube channels!
Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation
Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
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Missing episodes?
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It’s the final episode of our Kyoto Vacation season, an incredibly, unexpectedly long journey that’s lasted almost a full year! For this Season Finale, we thought we’d take stock of all the incredible anime we’ve seen from the incredible artists at Kyoto Animation. We make a Tier List of all the TV series and movies we watched this season, create a KyoAni drinking game based on the most common visuals and tropes we noticed across the studio’s work, and declare our favorite shows, characters, episodes, and more. And at the end of the episode, we announce not one, but two new seasons of Japanimation Station: Season 5, premiering this winter, and Season 6, premiering in 2025. What will they be? You’ll have to listen to find out!
Enjoy, and come back next week for the long-awaited, one-week-only return of Weekly Suit Gundam, as we finally review MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED FREEDOM!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Reflections: 0:01:30 – 0:31:14
Tier List: 0:31:14 – 1:02:53
Picking Favorites & KyoAni Drinking Game: 1:02:53 – 1:52:50
Season 5 Announcement: 1:52:50 – 2:05:38
Season 6 Announcement: 2:05:38 – 2:07:55
End Theme: 2:07:55 – 2:09:09
Make your own Kyoto Animation Tier List here https://tiermaker.com/create/japanimation-stations-kyoto-vacation-17327185
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “Welcome to Japanimation Station” – Original Music by Thomas Lack, Lyrics by Thomas Lack and Sean Chapman, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com
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It’s the penultimate episode of our Kyoto Vacation season, and while we wait to board the plane back to America, we’ve got one last show to review: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, which aired two seasons in 2017 and 2021. A delightfully silly and surprisingly sweet slice-of-life comedy an office worker and the extra-dimensional dragon who’s infatuated with her, the first season was directed by the great Yasuhiro Takemoto, before his tragic death in the 2019 arson attack that took the lives of so many Kyoto Animation artists. The second season, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, was finished by the studio’s other stalwart veteran director, Tatsuya Ishihara, as the first series the studio had back on the air after the attack. It’s a great show in both incarnations, different in some notable ways based on the personalities of the two directors, but more than anything, the series attests to the artistry and humanity of Kyoto Animation, and their resilience in continuing to create in the wake of such overwhelming loss.
Enjoy, and come back next week for the FINAL episode of the season, as we take a look back at our entire Kyoto Vacation, create a tier list of KyoAni shows, and announce Seasons 5 and 6 of Japanimation Station!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 0:44:12
Eyecatch Break: 0:44:12 – 0:44:49
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Review: 0:44:49 – 2:34:28
End Theme: 2:34:28 – 2:35:59
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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The 7th and final part of our epic Kyoto Vacation is titled“Through Rain or Shine: The Life and Times of Violet Evergarden,” and in today’s episode we reach the end of that story with Violet Evergarden: The Movie. And what a movie it is. Here is a film that made at least one of our hosts ugly cry, and deeply affected both of us. An outstanding masterpiece of a movie on its own terms, and a tremendous conclusion to the Violet Evergarden story, director Taichi Ishidate and screenwriter Reiko Yoshida both outdo themselves here, telling a tale about guilt, death, love, and acceptance, and doing it with nearly unparalleled artistry. It is as profound a work as Kyoto Animation has ever created, and one of the best animated films we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing on this show.
Enjoy, and come back next week for the penultimate episode of the season, where we’ll be discussing Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, the other major KyoAni series that straddles the horrific arson attack that devastated the studio.
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 0:57:45
Eyecatch Break: 0:57:45 – 0:58:23
Violet Evergarden The Movie Review: 0:58:23 – 3:29:57
End Theme: 3:29:57 – 3:31:26
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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The 7th and final part of our epic Kyoto Vacation continues with the first Violet Evergarden film, Eternity and the Auto-Memory Doll! It is a ‘Gaiden’ side-story that plays like a longer, lusher episode of the TV series, where Violet comes into a client’s life and not only helps them write the perfect letter, but in so doing helps them make a major personal breakthrough. And this time, she does it twice, as the film takes the surprising step of resetting halfway through with a major time jump, and the flipside of the story we see in the first half. It’s a remarkable film, boldly and beautifully directed by Haruka Fujita in her feature directorial debut, and the first KyoAni production animated in 2.35:1 widescreen, making for one of the most overwhelmingly gorgeous things we’ve reviewed so far.
Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of the final piece of the Violet Evergarden saga, the aptly but confusingly named second film Violet Evergarden: The Movie!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 0:34:57
Eyecatch Break: 0:34:57 – 0:35:34
Violet Evergarden Gaiden Review: 0:35:34 – 2:35:27
End Theme: 2:35:27 – 2:36:58
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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The 7th and final part of our epic Kyoto Vacation is titled“Through Rain or Shine: The Life and Times of Violet Evergarden,” which means we finally get to dive into an anime we’ve wanted to review for years: Violet Evergarden, the 2018 series based on the acclaimed novels by Akiko Takase. It is, as you’ve probably heard, a masterpiece, a departure in setting and storytelling from many KyoAni works, but tonally and emotionally something a return to their early Key adaptations like Air and Clannad. A mix of anthological storytelling about different characters in need of letter-writing and a serialized narrative about the eponymous child soldier turned auto-memory doll, Violet Evergarden is a powerful, profound, and stupendously beautiful triumph that leads to one of our longest episodes ever – but if any series deserves this much discussion, it’s this one.
Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of the first Violet Evergarden movie, Eternity and the Auto-Memory Doll!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 1:26:03
Eyecatch Break: 1:26:03 – 1:26:41
Violet Evergarden Review: 1:26:41 – 4:17:08
End Theme: 4:17:08 – 4:18:39
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation comes to an end today with the third and final season of Sound! Euphonium, which also happens to be the most recent production from Kyoto Animation, having finished airing just a few weeks ago! This season (and the accompanying Ensemble Contest OVA) tells the story of Kumiko’s final year in High School and the Kitauji Band’s last shot at taking the Gold at Nationals, and it proves to be a divisive set of episodes amongst our hosts. Sean loved it just as much if not more than the previous seasons, finding it a thoughtful and touching portrait of the cyclical realities of high school life as a teacher, while Jonathan found it mostly frustrating in its thematic gaps, narrative repetition, and lack of focus on the music or performance. Our in-house composer and musical expert Thomas Lack joins to help moderate, and it makes for a really engaging, deep discussion that goes beyond just talking about the anime itself.
Enjoy, and come back on August 4th for the premiere of the seventh and final part of our Kyoto Vacation, “Through Rain or Shine: The Life and Times of Violet Evergarden,” the last set of episodes for this season of the podcast.
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro, History, and Ensemble Contest OVA: 0:01:30 – 0:43:32
Eyecatch Break: 0:43:32– 0:44:09
Sound! Euphonim the Movie Review: 0:44:09 – 2:44:36
End Theme: 2:44:36 – 2:46:06
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation continues with the second Sound! Euphonium movie, and the one that directly follows on the events of the TV show to continue the story of Kumiko in her 2nd year at Kitauji. And it may be the most divisive episode of the season so far, as although Sean loved the film and found it a compelling exploration of Kumiko moving into her role as senpai to a new group of first-years, Jonathan was mostly unmoved, finding the film narratively insubstantial and awkwardly structured. But it makes for a really great conversation that helps us arrive at what the core of Sound! Euphonium is, the differences between the source material and Kyoto Animation’s adaptation, and what exactly it is we do – or don’t – respond to in this series.
Enjoy, and come back next week for the final episode of Part 6, as we review the just-completed Sound! Euphonium season 3, including the Ensemble Contest OVA.
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 0:21:33
Eyecatch Break: 0:21:33– 0:22:09
Sound! Euphonim the Movie Review: 0:22:09 – 2:00:54
End Theme: 2:00:54 – 2:02:25
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation is titled ‘Yamada Naoko Strikes Back; or, I Have no Voice and I Must Sound! Euphonium,’ and in this week’s episode, both halves of that title meet, and then some. We are discussing the 2018 film Liz and the Blue Bird, a spin-off/side story to the main Sound! Euphonium narrative, focusing on the oboe and flute players Mizore and Nozomi as they navigate their unusual, fraught friendship while rehearsing a major solo for the Kansai competition. With an entirely different visual aesthetic and Yamada Naoko’s unmistakable voice shining through in every frame, Liz and the Blue Bird stands tall all on its own as a singular masterpiece, and to fully break down just how great the film is, we’ve brought in Jonathan’s concert-band-veteran brother, Thomas – also Japanimation Station’s in-house composer – as a guest on today’s episode.
Enjoy, and come back next week as we dive into Kumiko’s second year at Kitauji High with the awkwardly titled 2019 film Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day.
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 0:47:16
Eyecatch Break: 0:47:16– 0:47:52
Liz and the Blue Bird Review: 0:47:52 – 3:06:29
End Theme: 3:06:29 – 3:07:59
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation continues with Sound! Euphonium 2, the aptly titled second season of Kyoto Animation’s beloved adaptation of Takeda Ayano’s novels. This batch of episodes picks up right where the first left off, with the students of the Kitauji High Concert Band working hard to make it to Nationals, but this time working through a lot more interpersonal drama. Where the first season focused on protagonist Kumiko’s relationship with trumpet prodigy Reina, Season 2 follows Kumiko’s encounters with estranged oboe and flute players Mizore and Nozomi, and the fraught journey of the mysterious third-year Euphonium player Asuka. It’s another great set of episodes, and while Jonathan was very slightly less impressed than Sean, his concert band veteran brother Thomas writes in with a sternly-worded letter to set him straight.
Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of the Sound! Euphonium spin-off film, Naoko Yamada’s Liz and the Blue Bird!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & Review Part 1: 0:01:30 – 0:44:32
Eyecatch Break: 0:44:32 – 0:45:10
Sound! Euphonium 2 Review: 0:45:10 – 3:03:40
End Theme: 3:03:40 – 3:05:10
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation is titled ‘Yamada Naoko Strikes Back; or, I Have no Voice and I Must Sound! Euphonium.’ And from here on, we’re looking at the second half of that title, as we review Kyoto Animation’s beloved adaptation of Takeda Ayano’s Sound! Euphonium novels (co-directed, of course, by the one and only Yamada Naoko). In today’s episode, we’re looking at the 13 episodes (and 1 OVA) of the show’s first season, from 2015, a spectacular stretch of television that sees KyoAni taking on perhaps its biggest animation challenge yet: Meticulously, lovingly, and accurately drawing an entire concert band’s worth of instruments as they are practiced and performed. They rise to the challenge, of course, while also delivering a huge ensemble of characters with an extremely intense relationship at the show’s core, making for a very special season of TV indeed.
Enjoy, and come back next week as we make our way to Nationals with the second season of Sound! Euphonium!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 1:10:15
Eyecatch Break: 1:10:15 – 1:10:52
Sound! Euphonium Review: 1:10:52 – 2:46:59
End Theme: 2:46:59 – 2:48:29
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Welcome back for Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled ‘Yamada Naoko Strikes Back; or, I Have no Voice and I Must Sound! Euphonium.’ And while most of this part will deal with the second half of that title, today’s subject is all about the aforementioned Yamada Naoko, the Kyoto Animation wunderkind behind K-On! and Tamako Market, and the director of what might well be the best thing we’ve watched all season: The 2016 movie A Silent Voice – aka The Shape of Voice – based on the manga by Ōima Yoshitoki. It’s an absolute masterpiece, a stunningly animated story tackling some very intense subject matter – including bullying and suicidal ideation – with incredible amounts of empathy, sensitivity, humor, and humanity.
Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of the first season of Sound! Euphonium.
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro & History: 0:01:30 – 0:54:31
Eyecatch Break: 0:54:31 – 0:55:09
A Silent Voice Review: 0:55:09 – 3:24:29
End Theme: 3:24:29 – 3:25:59
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “ice” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” comes to a close with one last adventure with the characters of Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions, in their 2018 movie, Take on Me! The film finds Rikka and Yuta off on a journey across Japan as they ‘elope’ after Rikka’s big sister Toka plans to move her to Italy for her final year of high school. Many hijinks ensue, and while Sean and Jonathan are again slightly divided on how effective the storytelling is, as they were with season 2, we enjoy celebrating just what a funny, lively production the film is, and the strong ending it delivers this great group of characters.
Enjoy, and come back in June for the premiere of Part 6 of our Kyoto Vacation, where we’ll be reviewing the film A Silent Voice before leaping into the world of Sound! Euphonium.
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Review Part 1: 0:37:18
Eyecatch Break: 0:37:18 – 0:37:55
Review Part 2: 0:37:55 – 1:53:47
End Theme: 1:53:47 – 1:54:48
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com
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We are back for a particularly ‘colorful’ episode of Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” with our review of 2016’s Myriad Colors Phantom World. While this series isn’t one of KyoAni’s ‘masterpiece’ shows, it might just be their most underrated. A madcap comedy packed with wall-to-wall creativity, vivid characters, and a smarter and more emotionally engaging structure than viewers might first realize, Myriad Colors is a consistent delight, with its second half in particular delivering one great episode after another. Sadly, the show flopped upon release and has been unfairly dismissed as a major creative misfire, meaning it’s due a real re-evaluation, which we hope today’s show kicks off!
Enjoy, and come back next week for the end of Part 5 with our review of the Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions ‘finale’ movie, Take On Me!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro and History: 0:01:30 – 0:44:54
Eyecatch Break: 0:44:54 – 0:45:32
Myriad Colors Phantom World Review: 0:45:32 – 2:58:15
End Theme: 2:58:15 – 2:59:16
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com
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We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we return to the wacky world of Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions for its second season, Heart Throb! This second batch of episodes sees Rikka and Yuta struggling with what it means to be a couple when another chuunibyo friend from Yuta’s past enters the picture, and while both Sean and Jonathan agree it’s an extremely funny, well-directed set of episodes with plenty of laughs and memorable moments, there’s a bit of a divide between how effective we think the core plotline is, with Jonathan loving it all the way through and Sean finding it lacking. Either way, this remains a delightful show, and a very enjoyable one to talk about.
Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of all 13 episodes of Myriad Colors Phantom World!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro, History, and Rikka’s Version Movie: 0:01:30 – 0:40:01
Eyecatch Break: 0:40:01 – 0:40:39
Chuunibyo Season 2 Review: 0:40:39 – 2:45:53
End Theme: 2:46:53 – 2:46:53
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com
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We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we’re discussing what might be the worst series the fine folks at KyoAni have ever made: 2013’s Beyond the Boundary, a show that is as beautifully animated as anything the studio has ever produced, but suffers from generic (and sometimes incoherent) storytelling, flat characters, and a frustratingly repetitive and off-putting sense of ‘comedy.’ It also has a feature film follow-up, 2015’s I’ll Be Here, which is even more stunningly animated, but also somehow even more maddening as a piece of storytelling. It’s a strange show, but a fascinating one to talk about.
Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of the second season of Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions – Heart Throb!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Beyond the Boundary Review: 0:01:30 – 1:30:13
Eyecatch Break: 1:30:13 – 1:30:51
I’ll Be Here Movie Review: 1:30:51 – 2:23:26
End Theme: 2:23:26 – 2:24:28
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “Rolled Into One” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com
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We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” and today we’re discussing the next series made by the ladies behind K-ON!, 2013’s Tamako Market! An entirely original creation by Naoko Yamada and Reiko Yoshida, Tamako Market is a strange, singular, and sweet slice-of-life series about the daughter of a mochi-shop owner and the many oddballs she encounters in daily life, including a talking bird from a mysterious island kingdom named Dera. Sean and Jonathan are split on just how effective the TV show itself is – Sean loves it, while Jonathan found it a little hit-or-miss – but we are in complete agreement about the 2014 film follow-up, Tamako Love Story, which adopts a slightly different tone and focus and delivers a true directorial tour-de-force from Naoko Yamada. It’s one of the best things we’ve watched this season, and that’s saying something.
Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of 2013’s Beyond the Boundary and its feature film sequel, I’ll Be Here!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Tamako Market Review: 0:01:30 – 1:43:36
Eyecatch Break: 1:43:36 – 1:44:14
Tamako Love Story Review: 1:44:14 – 3:07:45
End Theme: 3:07:45 – 3:08:46
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “Happily Ever After” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com
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We are back for Part 5 of our Kyoto Vacation, entitled “Kyoto Animation’s Splendid Isolation,” where we will be looking at the period in the 2010s when KyoAni took complete control of their source material and began creating anime based on light novels they themselves published! That effort began with 2012’s Love, Chuunibyo & Other Delusions!, a series that starts out as a very funny, very silly odd-couple comedy between a boy trying to leave his youthful obsessions behind and a girl still embroiled in playing pretend, before gradually becoming a startlingly rich, incredibly touching story about how fiction and fantasy help us process grief. It’s another Kyoto Animation home run, one that sneaks up on the viewer but lands its punches with startling power. We discuss the 12-episode first season from 2012 in today’s episode, but will be back later in Part 5 to discuss the show’s second season and movie sequel.
Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of Tamako Market and its feature film follow-up, Tamako Love Story!
Time Chart:
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:30
Intro and History: 0:01:30 – 0:45:52
Eyecatch Break: 0:45:52 – 0:46:29
Chuunibyo Season 1 Review: 0:46:29 – 2:40:53
End Theme: 2:40:53 – 2:41:55
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://www.jonathanlack.com
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcast
Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.com
“re:CAPTURE” and “Happily Ever After” – Original Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.com
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Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, and illustrator of the Dragon Quest franchise, passed away this week at the age of 68. His influence on our lives, like those of millions around the world, has been incalculable, so we’re devoting today’s entire show to discussing his incredible body of work and the way it changed anime, manga, video games, and global popular culture. We discuss how we first discovered Dragon Ball, why he was such a peerless mangaka, read some of the statements that have poured in from other manga authors and Dragon Ball collaborators, and respond to some listener comments. And after that, we bring back a segment from 2022 in which Sean and Jonathan rank all the story arcs in the Dragon Ball franchise, giving us a chance to dive into and celebrate his most famous work.
Enjoy.
Time Chart (JS)
Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:15
Remembering Akira Toriyama: 0:01:15 – 2:12:41
Ranking Dragon Ball Story Arcs: 2:12:41 – 3:12:07
Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK
Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation
Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:
https://weeklystuffpodcast.com
Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content!
https://weeklystuff.substack.com
Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/
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