A night raid gone wrong and a river rescue gone right. A headbutt to save memories and a tea ceremony to save the country. Is Kaku a genius? Is Qifrey an idiot? Here's what we think this week about Nippon Sangoku and Witch Hat Atelier. (Episode 28)

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Cowen talks about the cocaine doctor, Kai gets a taste of Hogwarts, and the boys rate their first improv show. With all the countries in the world gearing up for the animal wars, the last thing you'll want is a cheater by your side. Deadass. Also, happy summer! (Episode 27)

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The barber messed up Kai's bussin cut and it scared away all the frogs. Mosquitoes are dominating, the world is ending, and everyone's been a slug since covid. But we went fishing and that was nice. (Episode 26)

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This week in Witch Hat Atelier, we learn how to tame a dragon and ponder about Qifrey's hidden sharingan. No progress on the Agott front, but the food scene was nice. Over in Nippon Sangoku, Fatso's still running the show and war is on the horizon. Aoteru better act soon if he doesn't wanna lose any more of his hunnies! (Episode 25)

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Run-down cars, paying with credit cards, and the death of fast food; we're in a recession and it's shaped like a McDouble with no Mac sauce. This week, we talk about inflation, The Odyssey, and our future technological yearnings. Without Zeus' Law, can we even make it to personal flight and Sword Art Online? (Episode 24)

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In this episode, we dig into Coco’s apprentice test and why the show’s attention to tools and technique makes the magic feel tangible. From there, we spiral into big worldbuilding questions. If magic is basically ink plus drawing skill, is it too “free”? Should there be an equivalent exchange, a personal cost, or a clearer drawback? And when the Brim Hat Society shows up calling Coco their “hope,” we start throwing out theories about what they actually want and whether the “villains” are more nuanced than they look.

Then we switch gears to Nippon Sangoku episodes 3 and 4, where time skips rocket the story forward into military roles, court factions, and a puppet emperor who can’t hold the room. We debate the underwhelming “get the general to his knees” payoff, talk through a brutal justice scene that actually lands, and unpack the power plays around “Fatso,” plus the rising threat from Sei and its tiger-themed leader. We also get into the show’s distinct art style, jazz touches, and why the absurdist humor sometimes undercuts the stakes.

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What does it say about your friends if they're too cool for social improv games? 

What does it say about your family if they're envious of influencers? 

What does it say about you if your social feeds are full of incel memes? 

One thing's for certain: none of it will matter once we save the Hidden Leaf Village in the upcoming Naruto live-action. Believe it!

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Two brand-new series; two totally different kinds of tension. We’re launching our anime book club by watching the first two episodes of Witch Hat Atelier and Nippon Sangoku and then going beat by beat through what actually worked, what felt mid, and what made us instantly want more.

Witch Hat Atelier pulls us in with storybook visuals, pop-up-book transitions, and a rules-based magic system where spells are literally drawn. We talk about Coco’s kindness, her mom’s harsh shutdowns, and why that tension feels so real. Nippon Sangoku swings hard in the opposite direction: post-collapse Japan split into three factions, modern references layered over old-world politics, and a grim opening that doesn’t wait to hurt you. 

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Why do months disappear when regular school routines end? Why does the same week repeated 40 times feel like it never even happened? Why does everyone care about the World Cup? These are the questions we answer as Cowen shares what Vancouver feels like when it's humming with international fans and Kai complains about the struggles of following volleyball...

Unexpected injuries on Canada Day, RecklessBen and the hunt for the missing Lego, and yelling at kids to get off the lawn; it's been quite an eventful summer so far, and we just might be starting to find our stride. 

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What's the point of doomscrolling all day? Let's watch anime together instead. We're starting an anime book club(which is chill) and you're invited! Here's how it's going to go: two anime at a time, with two episodes each per week. To make our picks, we go through the top anime of spring 2026, skipping multi-season continuations so that anyone can jump in without extra backstory homework. From there, we read through the summaries of each anime and get into what makes a show worth the time: strong premises, clean animation, and stories that don’t rely on cheap drama. 

Our draft turns into a real decision as we compare a post-collapse Japan military drama, Nippon Sangoku, with the visually stunning magic mystery of Witch Hat Atelier. Along the way we detour into romance, rom-coms, Boys Love comedy, and why some genres land differently depending on tone and tropes.

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