Best Seat on the Couch

Does anyone else remember this movie? From 2005? Did you know that Ewan McGregor is the VA of the main character in this movie, while almost certainly just coming off filming Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith? I won't blame you for forgetting Robots, as it's broadly pretty forgettable, neither enjoyable nor boring. Robin Williams is also in this movie, and does Robin Williams things, to varying levels of success. The concept of a soul also straight up does not exist in this universe, and that's existentially terrifying. So uh...content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Now on their 3rd year running, Alex's Straw-Hat-gang-away-from-home returns to the Couch this holiday season to once again continue their discussion on ONE PIECE, picking up where they left off in Episode 66. Midway through the Wano Country arc in the anime in that episode, the Wano arc has actually just ended now, and there's plenty of good discussion to be had between Katy, Kyle, Lony, and newcomer Owen! Stick around for discourse on favorite characters, favorite moments in the Wano arc, some banger fight scenes, and speculation on where the show is going to go next...(do I smell a Theory Wall?)

A few weeks ago the gang was thrust into Parts 1 and 2 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the legendary 1987 anime series, and learned everything there is to know about the Joestars, the evil vampire Dio, the enigma that is Speedwagon, the Pillar Men, and Hamon. So anyways, literally none of that is relevant anymore, as Stardust Crusaders elevates the series to heights never seen before, with the introduction of... ゴ ゴ ゴ 「ＳＴＡＮＤＳ」ゴ ゴ ゴ. It's more fun, more interesting, more hilarious, more memeable, and somehow manages to live up to its own self-generated singularity of hype. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Right on time for the holiday season, the gang puts on a couple of the best known Peanuts specials - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown - for some leisurely viewing. A cornerstone of all our childhoods, this 1940's comicstrip character loses more often than he wins, but when he wins it warms the heart, and he's surrounded by a lovable cast of friends as well as Snoopy and Woodstock. Join us as we reminisce on stories from a simpler time, and sing along with some kids! Content warning: strong language.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is the love child of Studio Trigger's animation reputation (see our previous episodes on Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia) and video game studio CD PROJECT RED's longstanding success from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk: 2077, and also it's on Netflix so I guess it's a bit of a triangle. But even if you were disgusted by Kill la Kill's...showmanship...or disappointed with 2077's excessively buggy gameplay on launch, you will be blown away by the emotional throughlines and excellent worldbuilding provided by Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. It's mature, it's nuanced, it's incredibly faithful to the game and its setting, and it's a wonderful story overall, bolstered further by an excellent soundtrack and Trigger's high-quality animation. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

It's always nice to come into a movie that appears to be about supervillains, spycraft, action scenes and whimsical gadgets and ends up being about the beauty of family. Despicable Me features Steve Carell's excellent dubious Eastern European accent (as well as an impressive voice cast overall), three lovable little girls that steal your heart, weirdly prominent marine life, Kingpin from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and of course, the Minions - though they are somewhat more tame in this movie, to the Couch's relief. Plus, Michael kinda tears up by the end of the movie! That's a W for everyone. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Our first post-centennial episode comes with an introduction to an absolute classic in the anime sphere, originating all the way back in 1987, with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. We start with Parts 1 and 2 for this week's episode, following the stoic Jonathan Joestar in Phantom Blood as he faces off against the evil Dio, and then continuing with his grandson Joseph in Battle Tendency as he fights the Pillar Men, named after cool American bands! The show's reputation precedes it, as Iris and Michael discover just how deep this rabbit hole goes, but beyond how crazy the narrative gets, there's aspects of horror, comedy, drama, and Speedwagon packed into these two short seasons. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Over 2 years and 4 months ago, the four of us came together with a pandemic-era idea to simply record ourselves talking about TV shows - and in that moment, Best Seat on the Couch was born. Humor us now as we come together for our momentous 100th episode, as we take a look back on how far we've come, our favorite moments together, and some of our opinions on where we'll see this show go in the future. And what better way to cap off this episode with our biggest and brainiest Trivia Corner yet! Content warning: strong language, bit of self-indulgence.

Thank you, truly, to all of our listeners who have stuck around with us for this long, and made us feel like we might be even a tiny bit entertaining to people out there. We appreciate you giving us the time of day and allowing us to draw as much enjoyment from this little project as we have so far, and we hope you'll continue to listen to our content for as long as we make it!

Toy Story is the first completely computer generated movie from start to finish, and is therefore the grandfather of all animated children's movies that came after it, cementing its legendary status both in pop culture and in the National Film Registry's archive of preservation. But how does a CGI movie from 1995 hold up over 25 years later? Honestly pretty well - Tom Hanks and Tim Allen steal the show in the lead roles, there's great character progression, humor for both kids and adults, and at its core takes a simple concept - "the secret life of toys" maybe - and puts together a story that's a home run from start to finish. Maybe the dog could use a remaster though. Content warning: strong language.

Today is a momentous occasion on the Couch, as for the first time ever we are revisiting a show we previously discussed on the podcast over a year ago, DOTA: Dragon's Blood. Now bolstered with a second and third season, the show continues to suffer for its ludicrously erratic pacing and increasingly this-is-getting-out-of-hand plot but also introduces new characters, hype fight scenes, politics, plot twists, and classically anime stakes. Stick around to hear Alex apologize constantly for disliking this show for completely valid reasons, Iris channel her inner Chaos Dragon (RIP headphones), and Michael come away confused and baffled from his watch experience. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.