Key Frames

Episode 17 of Key Frames: Inbetweens, a mini-podcast about anime. I shouldn't have wasted my butchering of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" on the description of episode 51 because this really is the end of an era. Ben and Jeff discuss the final arc of the Monogatari Series franchise and look back on six episodes of navel-gazing speculation about one of the most intellectual and perverted shows out there. Lots of important questions are asked and answered, like whether Ben is more into eyebrows or feet. Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoyed it!

Episode 58 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Look, we know what you're thinking. "Really, a meme that's half a decade old? I can't believe that's the best that came out of this episode." First off, yes, a meme that's half a decade old and still hilarious. Second, Ben, Andy, Duncan, and Jeff have great conversations about perennial favorites Chihayafuru and Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro, as well as a throwback to last year's Dragon Pilot, before shifting to their topic of cicadas and summertime in anime. Only one of them has firsthand experience with those loud-ass bugs—guess who it is!

Episode 57 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. It's so tricky sometimes, starting a new anime. Is it going to be a good crime, like Babylon or Kabukichou Sherlock, or is it going to be a bad crime, like Hataage! Kemono no Michi? Well, worry no more, because Ben, Duncan, Jeff, and Jon are at hand to steer you through the fall 2019 anime season. Also, Ben watched another Mamoru Hosoda movie, just... because. No, not the anime Just Because.

Episode 56 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. In hindsight, it would have made more sense to bring up the atrocities committed by Unit 731 in Manchuria for this episode, wherein the depiction of Chinese people in anime is the topic. Oh well! After they discuss the career of Mamoru Hosoda and the earliest arrival of the fall 2019 season, Ben, Duncan, and Jeff do the best that they can anyway. If you're looking to hear about the decade-old Sword of the Stranger movie, you've come to the right place!

Episode 55 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. In some ways, this is a typical end to a season of anime. Jon has a long list of shows that he stuck with, albeit longer than usual, and Ben has one that he probably shouldn't have stuck with. Duncan and Jeff discuss matters of subtle emotionality, while Andy's always game to defend baser pleasures. And yet! We discuss the war crimes of Unit 731 during the Second World War, superhero movies as mythology, and terrible nineteenth-century houseguests. Don't miss out!

Episode 54 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Ben, Andy, Duncan, and Jeff emerge from their bedrooms and basements to spook everyone with their opinions on anime. They heap disdain on Carole & Tuesday and the new Baki, no doubt driving many fans of those shows away, and then turn to this episode's topic, creepy loner girls. True, there aren't exactly a wealth of examples of the character archetype, but it gives them the opportunity to talk about WataMote and The Wallflower, so it's all good.

Episode 16 of Key Frames: Inbetweens, a mini-podcast about anime. What, puppets? Don't worry, Jeff and Jon are here to guide you through the confusing world of Thunderbolt Fantasy, a Taiwanese show set in fantasy China with Japanese voice acting. What are everyone's names? Do they all die at the end? How is "wuxia" pronounced? All this and more may or may not be answered!