Best Seat on the Couch

Iris says that Michael has a "type" of movie he brings - 2000s to 2010s animated children's movies that maybe don't always hit. See Ice Age and Madagascar and Hoodwinked (the GOAT), to name a few. But Surf's Up is one of Michael's greatest triumphs, filmed in a mockumentary style that feels so convincing that you kind of wonder why they decided to use animated penguins at all. Throw in excellent voice acting, a satisfying story and message, and humor that isn't miserable, and you get a surprisingly wholesome and enjoyable watch experience. Oh, and the long awaited return of Trivia Corner, penguin-themed of course, caps off our episode! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

In one of the greatest multiversal crossovers of all time, Katy from the ONE PIECE holiday episodes joins the gang to talk about Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, an anime that rivals Kill la Kill in fan service while also providing some absolute gourmet perfection on screen, to kick off Season 13. But do not be fooled - this show is not just gratuitous moaning and literal foodgasms, it's actually really good, with solid character arcs and excellent plot progression that caters to even Iris's finer tastes. And you can't say that this show didn't move anyone in a major way - Marcus is planning to make his very own chaliapin steak pretty soon. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

The gang arrives at the end of the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, high on the previous two movies' excellent worldbuilding, strong main cast and characters, and more serious tone for a kids movie, to experience The Hidden World for the first time. Overall...it's alright. If HTTYD 2 found a way to be a good movie but a great sequel, Hidden World comes out as an okay movie and a disappointing sequel with a weird ending, though bolstered by its even more impressive animation and satisfying action scenes. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Pixar once again begs the question: what if the Classical Elements had feelings? Elemental is the latest entry in a slowly growing line of just-ok-but-not-spectacular Pixar movies, and while it bombed in the box office it performed fairly well on streaming - so the gang decided to try it out! What we got was a pretty entertaining romantic comedy (which, credit to Pixar, isn't something we've really seen from them before) wrapped in a fairly flimsy plot and half-decent immigrant family backdrop. For rom-com standards that's not too bad, but I think all of us came out of this viewing experience wanting for more. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

While no longer the case as of a few months ago, legendary director Hayao Miyazaki's last film was to be 2013's The Wind Rises, a fictionalized biography of Japanese WWII engineer Jiro Horikoshi spliced with a wondrous Miyazaki manga, wrapped up in the classical Studio Ghibli bow with gorgeous animation and vibrant, memorable scenes. There's plenty of controversy surrounding the implications of celebrating the mind behind the most destructive Axis warplane in WWII - and the gang discusses this at length - but overall we think the film is a uniquely thought-provoking and emotional entry from Miyazaki, worth its spot in the Miyazaki/Ghibli pantheon in its own right. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Do you remember Death Note, and how Light and L had a brutal battle of wits that existed entirely within their own respective subconsciouses? What if that was a romantic comedy? Enter Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, a hilarious portrayal of high school budding romance with everything from fourth-wall breaks to tear-jerking moments. Alex claims that it even revolutionized the genre in Japan, and with 3 seasons and a movie under its belt, we're still barely over halfway done with the series. Stick around for our season 4 Theory Wall! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Back again for 2 Train 2 Dragons, we're time skipping 5 years to a more mature young adult Hiccup, the long-awaited reveal of Hiccup's mother, and an antagonist that's actually not a dragon...technically. The gang has discussed the concept of a good movie but great sequel, and this movie certainly fits that bill - excellent worldbuilding, heightened stakes, and characters growing and reacting to foundations laid in the first movie are all hallmarks of that, and there are certain small moments that really sell this series's excellent treatment of the more serious moments in a kids movie. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Not to be confused with 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars which we spoke about nearly 3 years ago, this series came out in 2003 and coincided almost perfectly with the actual release of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith way back in the day. It's animated in the same style as Samurai Jack, feels more experimental in its progression, and is tonally almost completely different from its successor - its strengths are its quick runtime and excellent fight scenes/"power levels," while its weaknesses are lack of interesting plot progression or substance. Overall, though, we think the animation is excellent, and the show has underrated charm for going on 20 years old. Content warning: strong language.

The gang returns from a long hiatus to drop another childhood banger from 2002, Codename: Kids Next Door, which drops the absolute deepest lore on what it really means to have a childhood. Kids immediately latch on to their favorite of Numbuhs 1 through 5 and we were no different in our youth, and there's plenty of teenager/adult drama and bombastic (though sometimes disgusting) humor to keep our attentions now that we're a bit older. Plus, we talk about the movie! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

The gang puts the pedal to the metal this week, bringing relative newcomer Redline (2009) to the Couch after emerging from a months-long JoJo's Bizarre Adventure stint. This film was commercially unsuccessful, but has a vibe akin to your 8-year-old self playing Need For Speed in a dark arcade with your friends - the music is blaring, the cars are cool, each hand-drawn frame is artistically gorgeous and impressively detailed, and it's all turned up to a nitrous-fueled 11. Gorgeous visuals do not completely hide a relatively barebones plot and shallow worldbuilding, however, and a line in the sand gets drawn. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.