The hosts look back on the best anime, manga and video games of last year, including Zelda, NieR, Land of the Lustrous, and In This Corner of the World, with guest Nate Ming from Crunchyroll. Plus listener questions and lots of pontificating on the nature of Best-of lists. Topics include: fancy root beer glasses, nuclear takes, and Shigesato Itoi’s Mother starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Runtime: 1 hour, 7 minutes

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Adapting the novel by Shion Miura, The Great Passage tells the story of an editorial crew assembling a dictionary. Exciting stuff, right? Well, actually this simple tale of ordinary people who love words and all they can do is as gripping and dramatic as it can be visually beautiful. Sadly, not too many people have experienced this imagery-heavy anime. It premiered in the noitaminA programming block on October 14, 2016, but exclusively streaming rights, granted Amazon Prime’s (then double-paywall) service Strike, held up the release until later in 2017. Since then, the double paywall has vanished, and there is now no reason not to enjoy this fine, 11-episode show.

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Runtime: 52 min

There’s lots of anime and games to talk about this episode as Evan and David discuss the baffling Nintendo Labo cardboard accessory system, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the absurd comedy of gdgd men’s party and Pop Team Epic, and of course, Devilman Crybaby. In the questions segment, the hosts give some advice on how to avoid feeling inadequate about the amount of anime you’ve seen. Topics include: Nintendo Labo vs. Metal Gear Acid; the gdgdverse; and Decoy Octopus, master of disguise.

Runtime: 52 minutes

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Time for a deep cut to some awesome mecha designs and ’80s rock music! Jared finally gets robot-anime h8ter Ink to sit down and watch all eight Bubblegum Crisis OAVs. Come for Jared’s idol debut and stay for some great discussion and reminiscing with special guest Doug Weinman about this late-’80s, early-’90s cyberpunk series that packs some serious talent. In addition to general takes, we talk specifically about each OAV.

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Runtime: 1 hr, 56 min

Evan and David are back for the new year to talk about their favorite anime from Fall 2017, their most anticipated anime from Winter 2018 (although they forgot a couple big ones!), and Kim-Jong Un’s favorite manga. Plus an important Kyoto Animation confession. Topics include: Kino’s Journey is Windwaker, the prequel to Boss Baby, and raw milk idols.

Runtime: 1 hour, 11 minutes

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Welcome to Anime Secret Santa, a gift exchange run by our friends at Reverse Thieves where the gifts are anime review recommendations!

For their first Reverse Thieves Secret Santa entry, Jared and Ink stare into the bleak and violent landscape of Casshern Sins. This reboot of the 1973 anime Casshan follows an immortal, amnesiac robot named Casshern, whose initial act of violence brought death to the doorsteps of humans and robots alike. As Casshern interacts with the dwindling population, he learns more about what it is to live and what it means to be truly alive. Be warned: we do not hold back on spoilers in this episode. Thanks to the Reverse Thieves for organizing this wonderful project, and thanks to George (The Land of Obscusion) for the recommendation!

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Runtime: 47 min

At long last, the NieR: Automata show has arrived! David and Evan sit down with their buddy Natasha (@illegenes on Twitter) from Isn’t It Electrifying and Crunchyroll News to discuss the game’s multiple playthroughs and fan-favorite characters, as well as the indelible charm of its creator, Yoko Taro. Topics include: getting owned by Yoko Taro, 9S’s pineapple pizza preferences, and Evan’s bad NieR opinions.

Runtime: 1 hour, 36 minutes

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We had to postpone our NieR: Automata episode due to scheduling problems, but there’s a lot of news for Evan and David to go over in the meantime, like the Batman Ninja trailer, Nobuhiro Watsuki being a pedophile, and EA’s Battlefront 2 loot box shenanigans. Then it’s time for David to actually watch anime for once: In This Corner of the World, Fate: Apocrypha, and Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel. And at the very end: a special call for our listeners to help defend Net Neutrality! Topics include: Who’s That Pedophile?, Duke Nukem the Fate servant, and the fact that Phos from Land of the Lustrous is just Gem Akko.

Runtime: 1 hour, 12 minutes

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Released in 2003, the first Kino’s Journey anime is an episodic affair that centers around an AI-imbued motorad named Hermes and its rider, a traveler named Kino. They visit country (town) after country and stay no more than three days at a time to observe the inhabitants and their customs. The series, based on a series of light novels (…no wait, keep reading!) by Keiichi Sigsawa and directed by Ryutaro Nakamura (Serial Experiments Lain), offers settings not bound by any solid sense of chronology or aesthetic; countries can combine such disparate genre elements as sci-fi and Western, and the differences between neighboring countries can make them seem centuries apart. Kino’s Journey is one of Ink’s favorite anime, and Jared just watched it for the first time. Find out what we have to say and then maybe go grab yourself a copy. (The sale referred to during the podcast is over, but the series is still a steal at $20.) Jared and Ink also talk a little bit about the recent reboot, Kino’s Journey – the Beautiful World – The Animated Series.

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Runtime: 1 hr, 9 min