Key Frames

Episode 43 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Surely there's been a misunderstanding! A normal, natural conversation about sex comedies in anime has transformed into a meditation about our self-made dystopia of technological isolation. What will Ben, Andy, Duncan, and Jeff do? It's a gamble, but their only option is to talk through the plot and themes of their spotlight anime, the 1998 series Serial Experiments Lain, in hopes of finding some kind of salvation.

The post 43 - Welcome to Anime School (Serial Experiments Lain) first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 42 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. It's our "transported to another world" special! Duncan sums up his thoughts on Bloom into You, the isekai about two high school girls struggling with love, and then Ben joins him to discuss the third season of A Certain Magical Index, another isekai about a world in which magic and technology fuel vast conspiracies. Don't worry, we didn't forget all the new anime this season that transport their characters to an exotic new setting! Jon talks about shows with isekai premises like women flying airplanes and a boy and a girl competing over love. Andy even checks in with an isekai of his own, about a twentysomething woman just trying to make it in Japan! After the break, they choose the 1998 cyberpunk isekai classic, Serial Experiments Lain, for their next spotlight. See you on the other side!

The post 42 - Everything Is Isekai first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 41 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. I'm not moving or speaking, but you can understand me perfectly from my body language, as if you're hearing my voice in your head. The set of my shoulders says, "Ben, Andy, Jeff, and Jon go over some highs and lows of the fall season of anime." The tilt of my head says, "They also discuss the 2010 series And Yet the Town Moves for their spotlight." Most of all, the line of my jaw says, "Believe in yourself. If you do your best and don't forget your friends, you have it in you to be the greatest hero who ever lived!"

The post 41 - Normal Anime Jeans (And Yet the Town Moves) first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 12 of Key Frames: Inbetweens, a mini-podcast about anime. Happy holidays! We got you a Christmas episode. What, are we too late? Well, if Honey and Clover can have its Christmas episode in May, we can certainly have ours in January. Snuggle in with Ben, Andy, and Duncan as they talk about Christmas traditions in Japan, iconic Christmas episodes from anime, and what terrible shows they would give each other as part of a white elephant gift exchange.

The post Inbetween 12 - A Very Thatcher Christmas first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 40 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Classic panel! Everyone's got their favorite. Jon talks more about Run with the Wind fulfilling all his dreams of friendship and athleticism, Ben agonizes about whether SSSS.Gridman is a successor to Neon Genesis Evangelion or just an imitator, and Duncan patiently explains to both of them why Bloom into You shouldn't be confused with Iroduku: The World in Colors. After a short break, they pick the 2010 anime And Yet the Town Moves as the first spotlight of the new year!

The post 40 - You May Already Be a Winner! first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 39 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Join Ben, ○○○, Duncan, Jeff, and Jon as they take a closer look at the fall season's breakout hits, including SSSS.Gridman, Run with the Wind, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. Then they... Wait, are there more hosts in this episode than when we started? Where are these opinions about Another coming from? This spotlight of the 2012 horror anime must be cursed! We have to listen to the entire podcast to see if there's a way to beat it and send the dead back to death.

The post 39 - Countermeasures: Twin Tails (Another) first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 11 of Key Frames: Inbetweens, a mini-podcast about anime. What is the relationship between words and reality? Do words describe a reality that exists independently of their use and meaning, or are words actually the medium through which reality is perceived and understood? For instance, if Aniplex decides to brand Hanamonogatari as a finale movie for Monogatari Series Second Season instead of an OVA epilogue for the entire franchise, does that make it so? If Ben and Jeff discuss it alongside Koyomimonogatari and Tsukimonogatari, does that make the podcast a work of media criticism? Listen to find out!

The post Inbetween 11 - No Vegetables, Only Meat (Hanamonogatari, Koyomimonogatari, & Tsukimonogatari) first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 38 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Who can look into the mind of Ben and know what anime he's watching this season? Not Andy, Duncan, Jeff, and Jon, that's for sure! Come on, guys, we've been doing this for over three years now. Join us for a rundown of what to watch (and, more important, what not to watch) in the 2018 fall anime season, then check out the 2012 horror anime Another that we picked for our next spotlight!

The post 38 - A Massive Conglomeration of Wizards first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 37 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Emerging like an advanced hunter-killer android from the mouth of a cute-looking cat, the hosts are burning holes through walls with our hot takes on anime! Actually, there aren't that many surprises among the anime discussed, but who could pass up a chance to evoke that disturbing moment from this episode's spotlight, 2003's Parasite Dolls? Tune in after the break to get the skinny on everything.

The post 37 - Human Is the Real Man (Parasite Dolls) first appeared on Key Frames.

Episode 10 of Key Frames: Inbetweens, a mini-podcast about anime. What happens when an unstoppable spear meets an unbreakable shield? No, we're not talking about your favorite sports anime, we're talking about Jeff and Jon talking about the controversial Hanebado! that aired this summer. One hates it, but loves it a little, and the other loves it, but hates it a little! Who will triumph?

The post Inbetween 10 - The Badminton Shinsengumi (Hanebado!) first appeared on Key Frames.