AniMonday

Nariyuki is given the impossible task of tutoring two geniuses in order to receive a letter of recommendation for college. He finds that he’s going to have to use all of his wits and compassion to get these girls to pass or say good-bye to his dreams.

Topics discussed: We Never Learn, Bokuben, We Can't Study, harem anime, tutoring, studying, arts and literature, science and mathematics, STEM, dead parents, loss, broken relationships, Arvo Animation, Studio Silver, character designs, adult characters who look like students

In an attempt to terraform Mars, humanity sent the most durable creature they could think of to the planet: the cockroach. What they didn't plan on was the lowly creatures evolving into unstoppable killing machines. Can an elite team eliminate the threat or is humanity doomed?

Talking points: space bugs, bug juice, Mars, medicine, sci-fi, cockroaches, bear fights, gore, censorship, Mortal Kombat, campy slasher horror

This week in an especially non-spooky Halloween episode, Colin and Kayla discuss the 2014 anime series Noragami!

Hiyori Iki’s life is suddenly altered dramatically when she meets a strange god named Yato and his spiritual weapon Yukine. Trying to live between two worlds will test everything she has ever known, but maybe she will find more of herself along the way.

__Talking points:__ gods and goddesses, spirituality, spiritual weapons, shrines, religion, afterlife, the near shore, the far shore, spirits, tracksuits, cats, delivery service, Bones, animation studios, Hello Sleepwalkers

When humanity is threatened by ferocious monsters, society depends on children trained to pilot battle robots called Franxx. When a mysterious and skilled pilot named Zero Two meets a boy named Hiro, the world might finally have the heroes they desperately need.

This one has a mild parental warning! Darling in the Franxx uses some sexual imagery and innuendo, and it would be difficult to have a serious discussion about the anime without describing some of that. It's nothing major, but listener discretion I suppose.

__Topics discussed__: mecha anime, Evangelion, child soldiers, post-apocalypse, Studio Trigger, A-1 Pictures, collaborative animation, sexual innuendo, robots

Eight years after the death of his father, Kaito Kuroba learns of his father’s secret identity as the Phantom Thief Kaito Kid. When he discovers the organization responsible for murdering his father, he dons the mantle of the Kaito Kid to thwart their plans of achieving immortality through the Pandora Gem. With each stolen jewel he gets closer to avenging his father and stopping the organization.

__Topics discussed:__ the Gentleman Thief archetype, Detective Conan (Case Closed), long-running manga and anime, illusions, sorcery, magic, heists, Persona 5, Death Note

This week, Colin and Kayla enter the Digital World to talk about Digimon Fusion, the sixth anime in the Digimon franchise.

Taiki and his friends are swept into the Digital world where an ongoing war is threatening the lives of the digimon who inhabit it. There are those who wish to take back their once peaceful homes, and fight against the dark powers destroying their land. The unlikely heroes will leverage the power of the cross loader to help save the digital world and their new friends.

How does it stack up against the beloved Pokémon franchise? Are they even worth comparing? What is going on over at Toei Animation?

Talking points: Digimon Fusion, Digimon Xros Wars, Taiki vs. Mikey, English localizations of the Digimon franchise, the Digital World, Shoutmon, Ballistamon, Toei Animation, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, transformation sequences, Guile, cartoon theme songs, Pokémon, Scooby Doo

On this week's episode we discuss Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, an isekai that is maybe meant for kids and maybe for teenagers but seems pretty okay to us oldies too.

Iruma Suzuki has never been given the chance to live a normal life due to his parent’s neglect, so it’s no surprise that they would sell his soul to a demon named Sullivan. Living out the rest of his life as a human in the demon world might come more naturally to Iruma than he would have guessed.

Other topics: Game of Thrones, Sonic the Hedgehog, the Funimation/Sony acquisition of Crunchyroll, the new custom randomizer

After more than a year away from the microphone, Colin and Kayla are finally back with their first proper randomized episode of AniMonday, and their 50th episode is about Love Live! Sunshine!!

Chika Takami dreams of becoming a school idol to bring some excitement to her boring life. In her sleepy seaside hometown, this might prove to be more difficult than she anticipated. But with her friends by her side, Chika knows she will always be able to find fun and adventure.

IT'S BEEN...

One year since the last episode of AniMonday, and we really missed you. We are happy to announce that we are coming back for real, and will be randomizing some anime every two weeks.

On the return episode, Colin and Kayla discuss why they took a break last year (it should be obvious), what they ended up watching and not watching over the pandemic, and what the plan is for the future of AniMonday.

Topics discussed: our life last year, COVID-19 stuff, living in Texas during a pandemic, protests against racial injustice and police violence, BlackAnimePodcasts.com, working from home, our new home studio space, UI changes on Crunchyroll, the new AniMonday Randomizer at animonday.moe/random

Anime discussed: K-ON, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Konosuba, DanMachi, Noragami, The Devil Is A Part-Timer, Robotics;Notes, Fruits Basket, Mob Psycho, Haikyuu, Yuru Camp season 2, Cells At Work season 2, Pokémon Journeys, Way of the Househusband, Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun, BNA, Wonder Egg Priority, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, My Hero Academia, Fate/Zero, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, SSSS Gridman, Yuri on Ice, Chainsaw Man, JoJo Part 6

Thanks to Sithu Aye for the intro and outro music for our show. You can find his latest anime inspired album, Senpai III, on BandCamp and other major streaming services.

After a substantial hiatus, AniMonday returns on July 19th! Colin and Kayla are excited to be back for more random anime every other Monday.

New music from the album Senpai III by Sithu Aye.