Best Seat on the Couch

If I had a nickel for every anime-inspired video game adaptation TV show we've discussed on the couch, I'd have two nickels - which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice. But unlike DOTA: Dragon's Blood, the first two seasons of Castlevania are actually pretty solid and significantly more welcoming to newcomers lore-wise than Dragon's Blood was, and the Dracula arc was overall exciting, captivating, emotional, and adventurous. Plus - vampires! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

If you had the chance to create a movie heavily focused on fantasy and Scottish mythology but then two years later you get axed and the new director comes in and decides that this movie will follow the more traditional Pixar formula and the only remnant of your original vision was the fact that BEARS are so heavily involved in the story from a fantasy standpoint that it's honestly a little weird to watch and the finished product ends up trying to balance the two original artistic visions and kinda falls short on both fronts but still ends up being a box office success...

...wouldja?

Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Kill la Kill is Studio Trigger's magnum opus, the spiritual successor of Gurren Lagann and the precursor to Little Witch Academia, two shows we've already touched on on the Couch. It is an anime unlike any other anime the gang ever seen before - it breaks an almost uncountable number of traditional boundaries, anime tropes, and uh...PG-limits...while barraging the audience with top-tier music, incredible fight scenes, and raw hype from the minute Ryuko arrives in Honnouji Academy in episode 1. Love it or hate it, Kill la Kill is a legendary entry in the anime pantheon. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

WALL-E is decidedly top 3 in Pixar's repertoire, and is another universally loved entry in the gang's podcasting library. It's got a spectacular and unique opening sequence, lovable - and truly human - non-human characters, and strong emotional moments. Not much else to say about a movie this legendary :) Content warning: strong language.

This week Alex brings us another heavy-hitting and emotionally rich anime in Erased, which combines the murder mystery genre with a warm and nostalgic TV show about childhood, a mother's love, and the power of friendship. At only 12 episodes it's impressive that this show can be so story-rich yet also pace itself in its slow moments, and it certainly doesn't make the show any less emotionally heavy to experience. Plus - time travel! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

Nestled somewhere in between our previous episodes on Batman Beyond and Teen Titans, Young Justice has a rich world, excellent storytelling and plot buildup, and a really impressive voice cast that gives it all the tools to be a really excellent entry in the animated DC universe. The gang delves into a passionate discussion about the trailblazing that Young Justice did for a show of its time, and how Iris's upbringing with the show compares and contrasts with the Alex's, Michael's, and Marcus's more contemporary perspectives. Give the show a watch - at the very least, you'll agree with us that it's pretty solid. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

For a genre as saturated with a variety of content as the superhero genre, it's pretty incredible that an animated superhero TV series brings something fresh to the table - almost as fresh as the steaming pile of guts from the biblical levels of gore shown on screen. But Invincible is more than its violence, and is bolstered by its star-studded voice acting cast, excellent fight scenes, extremely strong trio of main characters in Nolan, Debbie, and Mark, and how their relationship unravels over time once you've seen the first episode. It's a show that's impressively well made, stays true to its source material, and keeps the gang hungry for more for the upcoming Season 2. Highly recommend! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

If the movie Shark Tale was a pathetic, lowly little fish, then the Best Seat gang would be a pack of hungry (decidedly not vegetarian) sharks circling its next meal, seconds away from ripping and tearing apart this sad excuse of a movie to shreds. Released alongside greats like The Incredibles and Shrek 2 and on the heels of Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo, it's honestly pretty incredible that Shark Tale was a box office success, because it's got...a lot of things wrong with it, to say the least. Take it from us - please don't watch this movie. It's bad. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

To celebrate our 50th episode on the Best Seat on the Couch podcast (wooo! Now if only this coincided with our one year anniversary...) we're blurring the lines of what makes an animated movie with the unholy matrimony of professional basketball and Looney Toons - the original Space Jam! Its sequel is in the news these days and Marcus and Michael think this movie is an absolute classic, but does that make the movie good? Are professional basketball players decent actors? Are professional cartoons decent basketball players? Is it ridiculous that Alex and Iris had never watched this movie until now? Tune in to find out! Content warning: strong language.

There isn't much to say in a description of Your Lie in April, as its hard to put its powerful emotional impact into words, and even harder to describe how it made us feel. But its genuine portrayal of the rigorous and strenuous life of a child musician, its lovely and beautifully animated quiet moments, and its visualization of the emotion and struggle in each character's relationship with music are all highlights of what I'd say is a truly one-of-a-kind anime series. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.