Key Frames

Episode 100 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. For our hundredth episode, we've pulled out all the stops! There are dramatic readings, quiz games, and lots of navel-gazing about how our relationship with anime has evolved over six years of podcasting. Experience the thrills of Ben finally watching Revue Starlight, the chills of Jeff managing to work Baki into the conversation yet again, and the spills of Duncan blaming Ben for all the bad shows he's stuck with! You'll even learn some of the podcast's lore, like where the inside joke about Andy and a wedding in Blackpool came from. Above all, you'll get our thanks for listening to our podcast, whether for one episode or one hundred, and our hopes to record a hundred more!

Episode 25 of Key Frames: Inbetweens, a mini-podcast about anime. It's finally here, the moment where we get to talk about tanks as much as we want—as opposed to every other episode of this podcast, where Ben just talks about tanks until everyone else makes him stop! Duncan and Jeff join him now to chat about Girls und Panzer, a 2012 anime by Tsutomu Mizushima that's somehow spawned a massive franchise. Tune in to hear them discuss everything from the ethics of a show that gamifies war to the best tanks and their teams!

Episode 99 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. So here I am, writing a recap of our podcast episode on anime recaps, and you better believe that the irony does not escape me. Although Ben, Andy, and Duncan make great points about the logistical and commercial pressures that have brought about recap episodes and compilation movies, none of that will make an appearance here, not beyond that passing reference. Along similar lines, further discussion of My Next Life as a Villainess X, The Aquatope on White Sand, and How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω will only be alluded to. That way, you've been informed of the episode's content but still need to listen to get any real benefit out of it! Recaps truly are a wonder...

Episode 98 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. The sun, cold and distant, crests the rim of the crater in which you're taking shelter. You raise your hand as you squint against it, the ghost of a reflex from before you lived on the moon, then go back to eating your Nissin Cup Noodles. Sure, you miss the hills and fields of Earth, the blues and greens and whites that are simply nowhere to be found in the icy depths of outer space, and you wish each and every day that you could see them again. Still, you know what can be found in space? Nissin Cup Noodles. Rather than return to nature, you return to your instant ramen.

Episode 24 of Key Frames: Inbetweens, a mini-podcast about anime. What even is a metaphor? Is it meant to be a comparison between every aspect of two objects, or just one between their most salient features? Is there value in unsuited metaphors, ones mischaracterizing the nature or intent of one object (or both), or is there an intellectual and even ethical responsibility for metaphor to reveal a deeper truth? Is wanting to eat someone the same as wanting to have sex with them? All this (and more) will probably not be answered as Andy, Duncan, and Jeff explore the latest season of Beastars!

Episode 97 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Jon got chased away again because Ben, Andy, Duncan, and Jeff are talking about love! How interested is anime in romance for the sake of romance versus romance for the sake of comedy? Do the tropes make the genre or the genre make the tropes? How long until Ben brings up His & Her Circumstances again? All this and more are in this latest episode.

Episode 96 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Hey, guess what? Jon's back! It's only a limited-time engagement, of course, but for now let's enjoy him running through his massive list of anime for the summer 2021 season. Kageki Shoujo!!,  Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S, and Sonny Boy are all highlights, but isekai fans shouldn't worry, because there's plenty for them as well! Oh, also Ben and Duncan are there, and one of them's changed his mind on a much-derided anime.

Episode 95 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Oh boy, a podcast full of white guys talking about depictions of race and foreign culture in anime! Believe me, we understand how it looks, but I think we manage to acquit ourselves decently, covering everything from Japan's love of stereotypes and caricatures to the role of colonialism and imperialism in shaping the media landscape. Still, it's a lot, and you'd be excused for thinking that it's just one long ad for Hetalia: Axis Powers. Don't worry, though! After the break, we switch over to long ads for the Godzilla franchise and Urusei Yatsura. Something for everyone, I guess!

Episode 94 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Hello and welcome to Hot Anime Summer! We're excited to kick off the new shows that are starting to air right now, but first we've got to clean our plate of spring's leftovers. Hear Jeff groan and cringe about Higehiro! Hear Duncan express mixed feelings about Vivy! Hear Ben say, "I don't have much to say about this one," at least three times! Hear about how SSSS.Dynazenon turned out good, as expected, and how Battle Athletes Victory ReSTART! turned out bad, also as expected! There really is something for everyone here.

Episode 93 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. No goofing around this time! Okay... Well, some goofing around? Just a little. Ben and Andy have as a guest Van Paugam, a Chicago-based DJ whose work has contributed to the meteoric rise of city pop as a genre over the past several years. We discuss old anime (something Ben loves) and old music (something Andy loves), and we even find time to talk about more recent hits like The Tatami Galaxy, Ergo Proxy, and the Demon Slayer movie! Thanks again to Van for coming on, we couldn't have hoped for our first big-name guest to be more gracious, charming, and funny.