Hip Squared

In this episode of Hip Squared, John talks about Dragon Quest XI, the newest installment of one of the most influential and longest running Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs) ever made. Each game has been designed by Yuji Horii, with art by Akira Toriyama (of Dragon Ball fame) and music composed by Koichi Sugiyama. This trio has helped guide RPGs from the 8-bit Nintendo (Famicom) days all the way up into the present. Hear John nerd out, and Troy figure out just why the hell this game is such a big deal in the first place.

Then Troy takes us to another world of fantasy with Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now on Netflix. This animated show was created for Nickelodeon in 2005 by Michael DiMartino and Brian Konietzko. With head writer Aaron Ehasz, they sculpted a world based on ancient Asian fantasy, martial arts, fantastic creatures and an epic adventure for kids, teens and everyone. Ehasz also helped create the Dragon Prince with Justin Richmond, another animated fantasy (this time with a medieval European theme). The Dragon Prince was the focus of Hip Squared Season 2 Episode 4.

Episode art by Akira Toriyama.

Produced by Maplex Monk.

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Toodles…

In this episode of Hip Squared, Troy talks about the game Animal Crossing for the Nintendo Switch. This game blends sandbox style style gameplay with an emphasis on hanging out with friends and strangers. The player manages their home and island, including its residents, while trading resources and hanging out with their real-life buddies. In this time of social distancing and self quarantine, its social aspect has become more important than ever.

Then John talks about the app Seek by iNaturalist. Seek encourages the user to find different species wherever they go to identify and record them. This free app also gathers data for iNaturalist about where species exist and whether they’re cultivated or wild. It includes a gameification element, promoting the user to new levels as they find more and more species. It’s an excellent way to get people to explore outside and interact with nature.

Produced by Maplex Monk. This is our first episode since social distancing began, so special thanks to Maple for all his hard work.

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can subscribe to Hip Squared on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like American Fantastic on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Live Episode recoreded at OPEN Community Arts Center

This episode of Hip Squared is a crossover with Armchair Apocrypha! Andrew and Rachel join John in American Fantastic Studio, and Troy talks to John too.

First, John talks about Chapo Trap House, a scathing political satire podcast, along with their book, The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts and Reason. This podcast is hilariously entertaining, but nearly nihilistic in its outlook. It’s also very left-wing. The members of the podcast are extremely profane, and their book is too. If you’d like a political podcast from a very different perspective, they’re well worth a listen.

Then Andrew talks about the recent Hearthstone controversy. Ng Wai Chung won a Hearthstone tournament and used his platform to voice his support for the Hong Kong protests against Beijing. Blizzard, who has a heavy footprint in China, took away the player’s winnings. After a fierce protest, his suspension was reduced to six months. This new video game controversy reflects a defiant political perspective expressed in an old fashioned way.

Rachel talks about the podcast My Favorite Murder. This is a comedy true crime podcast starring Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Karen and Georgia talk about some of the most infamous murders in history, including some with happy endings, at least when a case is solved. Their humor leavens the heavy subject matter. If you’re a fan of true crime, or just want to see why this is the most popular podcast genre, this is a good show to start with.

Last but not least, Troy talks about the self-published novel Redirected by Pat Burton. This book is written by a teacher about a teacher that wakes up from a coma and loses his memory. He slowly unravels a mystery about a secret government program, and learns an agent has been sent to track him. It’s a slow-boiling thriller and an impressive debut.

Produced by Maplex Monk.

Make sure to listen to John on the episode of Armchair Apocrypha titled American Apocrypha. John talks about the 19th and 20th century feminist, journalist and adventurer Nelly Bly (as featured in The Lost Journals of Nelly Bly: Clash of the Kaiju written by John), Andrew discusses a mysterious talking mongoose on the Isle of Man, and Rachael delves into the sordid history of The Peoples' Temple and Jonestown. Follow Absinthe Activism Arts on Facebook and subscribe to Armchair Apocrypha to keep listening!

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can subscribe to Hip Squared on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like American Fantastic on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Toodles…

In this episode of Hip Squared, John and Troy finish season 2 with two topics that aren’t video games, but are related to video games.

First, John talks about the Angry Video Game Nerd, a long-running web series about a very angry nerd whose profanity ridden rants describe the most frustrating moments of retro video games. Also known as James Rolfe, the AVGN helped establish some of the basic foundations of online video game reviews, and grew in popularity with Youtube. His Youtube channel, website and production company, Cinemassacre, also produce and releases multiple other series focusing on wide-ranging topics from classic board games to movies. Check ‘em out!

Then, Troy talks about the Witcher book series by Andrzej Sapkowski. This series focuses on Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter in a world of high fantasy. The books are collections of stories, and don’t take place within any kind of heavy continuity. Instead, they are episodes of Geralt’s life and career. These stories have been adapted into a very popular video game series, especially The Witcher III, winner of multiple Game of the Year awards. A new Netflix show based on The Witcher is also in development.

Produced by Maplex Monk.

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can subscribe to Hip Squared on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like American Fantastic on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Toodles…

In this episode of Hip Squared, we delve deep into the past and present of American industry. First, Troy talks about the film American Factory. This Netflix documentary is about a Chinese auto parts factory that opens in a defunct General Motors plant. It focuses on the clash of Chinese and American cultures in terms of individualism, collectivism and hard work. It’s the first film released by Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company.

Then John talks about the novel Oil!, the basis for the film There Will be Blood. Oil! tells the story of Bunny, the son of an oil magnate who rose from the working class. Bunny struggles with his loyalty to his family and his passion for the worker’s struggle of the early 20th century. From Hollywood excess to Russian bolshevism, Oil! is an American epic that casts a cynical eye on global capitalism and the efforts to resist it.

Produced by Maplex Monk.

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can subscribe to Hip Squared on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like American Fantastic on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Toodles…

THE BREADWINNER WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY MORGAN TRUE BLUM

In this episode, John and Troy divide and conquer two worlds of fantasy! Instead of speaking to each other through the entire episode, they welcome guests, one creator and one devotee, to tell us what they know and feel about the art they’ve been making and experiencing.

John talks to his wife, Kelly, about her love of the Dungeons & Dragons Twitch TV show Critical Role, available on Youtube (Kelly also spoke to us in the debut episode of Season 2). Critical Role features a group of voice actors playing D&D together, led by their Dungeon Master, Matt Mercer. Kelly is especially attracted to the diversity of the cast, including three women, something missing from many other otherwise beloved role-playing game podcasts and shows. For an internet show, the production value is high—its space in L.A., and their sponsorships from DNDBeyond and Dragonforge all help. With a camera on the DM, and two others showing each side of the table, plus live player stats, the viewer will likely understand what the hell is going on in this show better than in their own campaign! With humor, high quality and “the feels”, Critical Role is an excellent show for fans of role-playing games, fantasy and long-form content (weekly shows are often four to five hours long). Roll for initiative…

Then Troy speaks to the writer Morgan True Blum, writer of the historical fantasy novel The Breadwinner. This self-published novel tells the story of Pasha Chevalsky, a Russian immigrant to New York in the 1920s, forced to flee the Soviets. With a gentle heart, Pasha struggles to help provide for his family, and has to join a street gang, the Breadwinners, to survive. In the midst of this grim, dark existence a bright flame illuminates Pasha’s world in the form of a mythical firebird (look, it’s right on the cover). This leads to a series of strange adventures connected to the fringes of New York, including a gypsy (Romani) circus and an eccentric, Staccato Nimbus. Staccato helps bridge Pasha’s world to a new one—one that Staccato claims Pasha is heir to. The Breadwinner is a strong achievement for a self-published novelist, and is just the beginning for Morgan True Blum. The second volume of this series, The Glassblower, is coming soon.

Thanks so much to Kelly Shiflet and Morgan True Blum for being such wonderful guests!

Recorded and produced by John Beechem and Troy Kremer. Edited by Maplex Monk. Special thanks to Maple for stitching this episode together from all the recordings we sent him.

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can now subscribe to Hip Squared on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like us on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Toodles…

In this episode of Hip Squared, we balance the high and low brows of science fiction. Troy talks about Foundation, the first book in the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. This recommended beach read became Troy’s portal into a galactic empire on the edge of collapse. It also helped form some basic sci-fi conventions, especially for stories set in outer space. The story focuses on a visionary prophet who marries science and mysticism to guide civilization into a less dark future.

Then John talks about Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, a Canadian-American sci-fi television series from the late 80s. Like a low-budget live-action cartoon, this series has a rough around the edges production style with lots of lasers and explosions. It’s a story of good and evil about humanity’s bravest survivors. Struggling to be a beacon for good on Earth, Captain Power and his Soldiers of the Future are beset on all sides by CGI monsters, dastardly villains and hostile robots. It can now be seen on Night Flight TV.

Produced by Maplex Monk.

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can now subscribe to Hip Squared on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like us on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Toodles…

In this episode of Hip Squared, we put the our bike pedals to the metal, and ride through the eye of the hurricane. First, John talks about Paper Girls, an Image comic book series written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang. It’s about a group of 12 year-old girls who deliver papers every morning in suburban Cleveland only to get embroiled in a conflict between two time-travelling factions. Part coming of age story and part action-packed sci-fi adventure, this story entertains and enlightens panel by panel.

Then Troy talks about the performance of Hamilton he went to see at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Now that more people are finally able to see this historical (in more ways than one) Broadway show , it’s pistols at dawn for lovers of hip-hop and musicals. Troy explains how the sets, costumes, dance and music come together, albeit in less mind-blowing than when Lin Manuel Miranda revolutionary Broadway was brand new. We also talk a little about In the Heights, Miranda’s first critical hit, and speculate on what his next musical offering may be about.

Produced by Maplex Monk.

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can now subscribe to Hip Squared on iTunes and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like us on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Toodles…

GI Joe: The Movie 1987

In this episode of Hip Squared, we celebrate our Independence Day with two All-American entries into pop-culture. First, John talks about GI Joe: The Movie (1987). This animated feature length film is about America’s top fighting force in their struggle against Cobra and a secret reptilian civilization bent on taking over the world. As a spectacle, this movie is over the top sci-fi fun, and an excellent example of 1980s animation.

Then Troy talks about Hello, Dolly!, an archetypal specimen of the American musical. First performed on Broadway in 1964, this musical comedy is about a matchmaker named Dolly who tries to find a match for a lonely “half a millionaire”. Written by Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart, Hello, Dolly! was ground-breaking for its songs that actually move the plot forward, laying the groundwork for story-based musicals that were to follow. Troy recently attended a performance starring Betty Buckley, who also played the role of the gym teacher in the movie Carrie.

Produced by Maplex Monk.

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can now subscribe to Hip Squared on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like us on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Toodles…