Cocoa☆Disaster

Today, Cocoa☆Disaster fights through harsh climates and harsher schedules in order to finally bring the the Anime of the Year Awards for 2018! For such a strong year of anime, we couldn't possibly do it justice with just two hosts, so we also had to bring back Jordan in order to talk through all of 2018's highlights. With everyone discussing their picks and sharing opinions, the show ended up being a bit long, but I think that only goes to show how much we had to say! So sit back, relax, and enjoy our final hurrah for 2018!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

2:30 - The Official Unofficial Awards

15:27 - Best OP of 2018

47:48 - Best ED of 2018

1:15:11 - Biggest Surprise of 2018

1:50:05 - Biggest Disappointment of 2018

2:18:07 - Best Production of 2018

2:39:56 - Worst Anime of 2018

2:55:39 - Best Prestige Anime of 2018

3:16:54 - Best Light Anime of 2018

3:33:16 - Fanmail and Correspondence of 2018

3:38:04 - Outro/Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today, Cocoa☆Disaster closes out its seasonal coverage of 2018 with a look back at the fall season! While none of these shows were perfect, many of them were earnest and had strong messages behind them that helped us fall in love with them. There were also some real dumb as hell action shows that we couldn't look away from! The final season of 2018 was a fun one, and we're here to count down everything we watched, as well as some exciting news involving Netflix's Death Note, One Piece, and more!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

1:34 - The News

13:53 - Golden Kamuy Season 2

17:52 - Banana Fish

26:38 - Skull-Faced Bookseller Honda-san

30:30 - Mr. Tonegawa Middle Management Blues

37:37 - Today's Menu for the Emiya Family

43:31 - Iroduku: The World in Colors

49:34 - SSSS.Gridman

54:56 - The Girl in Twilight

1:02:55 - Conception the Animation

1:06:43 - Professor Layton: Kat's Mystery-Solving Files

1:07:03 - Release the Spyce

1:08:45 - Ace Attorney Season 2

1:14:38 - Thunderbolt Fantasy Season 2

1:21:29 - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

1:30:50 - Double Decker! Doug & Kirill

1:39:30 - Fanmail

1:49:02 - Outro and Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today, Cocoa☆Disaster rings in the new year with another season preview! With the winter season fast approaching, it's time to make tally of what needs to be seen, what needs to be watched for, and what needs to be avoided. So come on in, take off your coat, and shake off the snow as we talk through all of the shows that are opening 2019!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

1:33 - The News

16:11 - The Summer Leftovers

21:27 - Our A-List

29:43 - Our B-List

37:23 - Our C-List

44:34 - Our D-List

55:40 - Our Poopoo Garbage List

58:52 - Concluding Thoughts on the Upcoming Season

1:00:01 - Fanmail

1:02:15 - Outro and Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today, real life friend of the show heptameride (@heptameride on Twitter) takes me to the court in order to discuss Masaaki Yuasa's 2014 adaptation of Ping Pong! A relatively unknown series to Western anime fans, Ping Pong strikes a good balance between directorial style and capturing the aesthetic of the original manga in order to create a fascinating and exhilarating story about heroes, friendship and table tennis. Let's make it a match, here on Cocoa☆Disaster!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

3:46 - Background for Ping Pong

15:53 - Summary

1:41:21 - Discussion: How Ping Pong Differs from Popular Shonen Sports Narratives

1:50:57 - Discussion: The Concept of the "Hero"

1:56:02 - Discussion: The Cost of Success

2:01:01 - Discussion: The Relationship Between Peco and Smile

2:04:26 - Discussion: Ping Pong and the Pro Smash Bros. Scene

2:07:16 - Discussion: Is Ping Pong a Coming of Age Narrative?

2:09:54 - Fanmail

2:20:37 - Outro/Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today, we're joined by phantom of the night Hobo (@Hobotron2000 on Twitter) for a hair-raising look into the 2000 film Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust! Based on a long-running novel series, Bloodlust adapts the third adventure of the mysterious dhampir D and does a good job at setting a spooky, unsettling tone throughout its runtime! It's got strong action scenes and surprisingly good character development for such a sparse script, and the two of us were more than happy to dig deeper into this seemingly forgotten cult classic from a different era of anime!

So join us as we carefully navigate through the haunting tale of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, here on Cocoa☆Disaster!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

5:04 - Background for Vampire Hunter D (series)

10:29 - Background for Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

17:28 - Summary

43:39 - Discussion: Vampire Hunter D's Use of Genre

52:25 - Discussion: Vampire Hunter D as a Travelling Mercenary Narrative

57:11 - Discussion: The Production, The Action of Bloodlust

1:08:41 - Discussion: The Character Relationships

1:23:14 - Discussion: The Horror of Vampire Hunter D

1:33:50 - Closing Thoughts

1:42:04 - Fanmail

1:59:13 - Outro/Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today on Cocoa☆Disaster, anime is the one thing we're reminiscing about from the summer! While the season wasn't looking as hot as the weather was, by the end we came a way with a number of big surprises, some fun distractions and only a couple of duds. So join us as we talk our way through the latest season of anime, discuss the most millennial anime characters, and more!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

1:59 - The News

8:34 - Planet With

18:21 - Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight

25:20 - Hanebado!

31:20 - Professor Layton: Kat's Mystery Solving Files

35:15 - Cells at Work!

41:08 - Gundam Build Divers

44:25 - Harukana Receive

46:18 - Asobi Asobase

49:49 - Mr. Tonegawa Middle Management Blues

59:31 - Grand Blue Dreaming

1:00:26 - Chio's School Road

1:02:30 - Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

1:07:56 - Banana Fish

1:16:58 - My Hero Academia 3rd Season

1:25:36 - Lupin III Part 5

1:42:45 - Concluding Thoughts on the Summer Season

1:45:47 - Fanmail

1:49:42 - Outro

1:52:01 - Announcement of Next Single Servings

1:53:11 - Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today, the leaves are changing and you know what that means: it's time once again for new anime to arrive! Xain and I join up to talk about this transitionary season of anime, and there's plenty to look forward to, including the next arc of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure! Let's rattle down the entire Fall season on this episode of Cocoa☆Disaster!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

1:39 - The News

18:09 - The Summer Leftovers

23:58 - Our A-List

35:45 - Our B-List

47:37 - Our C-List

57:03 - Our D-List

1:11:57 - Our Poopoo Garbage List

1:13:22 - Concluding Thoughts on the Upcoming Season

1:15:09 - Outro and Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today, Jay (@TheJayOfSpade on Twitter) and FutureFriend (@FutureFriendLP on Twitter) rejoin the cast to discuss the oft-belied but fondly remembered Speed Racer movie from 2008! While the Wachowskis may have produced a flop that failed to impress in its time, more recently articles and discussions have popped up in defense of this movie, saying it was ahead of its time and worth a re-examine. And with no one asking for it, we decided to include our own opinions on the topic as well, with three pairs of fresh eyes diving into the anime and the movie! Does it hold up to modern standards? Does it have to? Did we get the weak shit off our track? Find out in a mile-a-minute episode of Cocoa☆Disaster!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

5:09 - Background for Speed Racer (1967)

16:06 - Background for Speed Racer (2008)

23:43 - Summary

47:20 - Discussion: What Defines "Speed Racer"?

51:36 - Discussion: Does the Movie Capture "Speed Racer"?

1:00:14 - Discussion: Does Speed Racer Succeed at Its Goals?

1:09:34 - Discussion: What Has Changed to the Narrative Around the Speed Racer Movie?

1:17:13 - Discussion: The Other Failed Speed Racer Movies

1:31:26 - Fanmail

1:52:55 - Closing Thoughts

1:56:09 - Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today, qb (@queuebae on Twitter) once again adds his voice to a special Single Serving episode of Cocoa☆Disaster! This time, we're talking about Eccentric Family from 2013, as well as its 2017 sequel. Join us as we explore a fantastical version of Kyoto where tanuki roam among men, tengu fly the skies and nothing is ever boring! It's a very interesting and fascinating show that doesn't get a lot of attention, so the hope with this episode is to spread awareness of Eccentric Family and all of the elements that make it so special!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

3:11 - Background

8:26 - Summary

47:48 - Discussion: The Atmosphere

57:56 - Discussion: The Power Struggles

1:12:33 - Discussion: Family

1:21:39 - Discussion: The Trans-Species Narrative

1:29:53 - Discussion: Tanuki Weaknesses

1:36:01 - Discussion: Catchphrases

1:40:55 - Discussion: The Connection to Morimi's Other Works

1:44:26 - Discussion: Does the Frog Deserve Fried Chicken?

1:46:54 - Discussion: The Food Chain

1:53:51 - Discussion: The Trick Magister Position

1:57:08 - Discussion: In-Depth Character Analysis

2:13:36 - Conclusion

2:20:14 - Fanmail

2:32:50 - Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)

Today on Cocoa☆Disaster, we're barreling through the Spring season! We watched a lot of shows and have a lot of opinions on them, and hopefully we can discuss all of that before Fall comes along! Very few dropped shows among our list, there were plenty of fun surprises, earnest stories and wacky comedy beats that we couldn't help but love. Join us as we recap just a bit of the stuffed Spring season!

Timestamps:

0:50 - Introduction

1:20 - The News

8:12 - Megalo Box

17:25 - Food Wars! Season 3

21:15 - My Hero Academia Third Season

30:08 - Caligula

36:42 - Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

42:20 - Record of Grancrest War

46:14 - Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These

55:34 - Golden Kamuy

1:02:18 - Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

1:10:31 - Darling in the FranXX

1:17:09 - Gundam Build Divers

1:21:49 - Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc

1:25:39 - Layton's Mystery Detective Agency: Kat's Mystery-Solving Files

1:32:26 - Lupin III Part 5

1:43:42 - Tada Can't Fall in Love

1:45:44 - Hinamatsuri

1:49:17 - Today's Menu at Emiya Family

1:52:00 - Uma Musume: Pretty Derby

2:03:40 - Closing Thoughts

2:06:20 - Fanmail

2:17:20 - Outro

2:18:20 - Announcement of Next Single Servings

2:19:28 - Send-Off

Intro by BeamSplashX (twitter.com/BeamSplashX)