Media Missile Circus

It's been a hell of a year, but James (@KickTheBeckett) and Doc (@TheSubtleDoctor) are back from an extended hiatus to discuss Bruce Lee's seminal martial arts classic from 1973, "Enter the Dragon".  Spoilers abound!

Listen to the show on Spotify, iTunes, and Stitcher.

Note: The episode unfortunately suffered from some technical issues that affected the quality of the recording in some spots, especially in the second half.

Coming Up Next: "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" (1966)

Which Final Fantasy titles stand above the rest, and which ones are better left out of the JRPG Canon? Do any of our hosts have surprising or controversial picks for their Top 5 lists? And who is the hottest Final Fantasy hero, anyway?  Find out the answers to these questions and more in this special episode of the Kick the Beckett! Podcast.

Note: This episode was recorded before the global release of Final Fantasy VII Remake. Expect to hear more of our takes on that particular game sometime in the future! 

Produced by James Beckett
Art by Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)

Spoilers abound for the original  Final Fantasy VII (it's over 20 years old, what did you expect?), but nothing but pure speculation regarding what's going on in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

What do James, Doc, and Emily think of the original game, and how does it hold up in 2020? What kinds of changes or expansions are they expecting in the Remake, and exactly how many entries do they think it will take to cover the whole story? Is Cloud as much of an emo edgelord as popular culture might have you believe? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this special episode of the Kick the Beckett! Podcast.

Coming soon in Part 2: The hosts run down the entire mainline Final Fantasy franchise, and each of them give their Top 5 Final Fantasy Games of all time!

Produced by James Beckett
 Art by Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)

Spoilers abound!

How does The Legend of Korra pick up where Book 1 left off? Why are James and Doc so darned excited to cover the two-part Avatar origin story, "Beginnings"? How does Mako screw up his love life this time around? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this week's episode of The Kick the Beckett! Podcast!

Timestamps:

0:00-15:44 - Intro
15:44-57:58 – Castlevania Season 3 Review (Spoilers!)
57:58-2:42:00 – Discussing The Legend of Korra, Book 2: Spirits (Episodes 1-8)

Produced by James Beckett
 Art by Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)

Korra-cast! Book One: Air (Pt. 2) [aka "CabbageCorp Rises!"]

Spoiler Alert for Disney's 2016 reboot of Ducktales, because we definitely spend a while gushing about that cartoon, too.

Does the rest of Book 1 live up to its lofty ambitions, especially when it comes to the political threat of the Equalists? Why are James and Doc so frustrated with the season finale? Will the Cabbage Vendor finally be avanged? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this week's episode of The Kick the Beckett! Podcast!

Timestamps:

0:00-4:15 - Intro
4:25-19:20 - Book Talk with Doc! ("Black Leopard, Red Wolf" by Marlon James)
19:20-40:20 - Ranting About Parasite (and the weird racist hot takes that came out after the Academy Awards)
40:20-53:00  - Duck Tales, Woo-oo!
53:00-59:00 -Finishing The Legend of Korra, Book 1: Air

Produced by James Beckett
Art by Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)

Korra-cast! Book One: Air (Pt. 1) [aka "More Like Chief Bae-Fong, Am I Right?"]

What do the new setting and the hot-headed heroine bring to the series? Is Pro-Bending the coolest thing in the history of sports adjacent cartoon culture? How well do James and Doc put up with all of the lovey-dovey YA romance going on in between all of the awesome action scenes? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this week's episode of The Kick the Beckett! Podcast!

Timestamps:

00:00 - Winter 2020 Anime Discussion
00:40 - Manga Corner - "7 Billion Needles" by Nobuaki Tadano
00:49 - The Legend of Korra Discussion - Book 1, Episodes 1-6

Produced by James Beckett
Art by Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)

What does this ending offer that the original series' conclusion does not? How does all of the religious symbolism fit in to everything? And what the heck is going on with those ambiguous final scenes? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this week's commentary for The End of Evangelion.

Approximate Timestamps
00:00: Pre-Commentary Catch Up
00:45 : 'End of Evangelion' Overview
00:54: Movie Commentary
02:20: Ending Breakdown and Analysis


Produced by James Beckett
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)
Original KtB! Art by  Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Media Missile Circus Art by Phil Dragash (Twitter: @PhilDragash)

Note: This episode originally aired as an episode of the Kick the Beckett! Podcast, before the show became Media Missile Circus in 2021

Catch Up #1 - Zany to the Max! (aka "Does Steins;Gate Ringabel to You?")

Produced by James Beckett
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)
Original KtB! Art by  Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Media Missile Circus Art by Phil Dragash (Twitter: @PhilDragash)

Note: This episode originally aired as an episode of the Kick the Beckett! Podcast, before the show became Media Missile Circus in 2021

"Experiencing Evangelion" Part 6 - Episodes 23-26 Commentary (aka - "A Completely Straightforward and Simple Ending That Definitely Won't Make Anyone Mad")

What made the new translation so controversial when it comes to Kaoru Nagisa's character? Just what the hell is going on with the Human Instrumentality Project, anyway? Is Evangelion's ending as depressing and nihilistic as some people say it is? ? Find out in this commentary track for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Episodes 23-26

Approximate Timestamps

State-of-the-Podcast Update: 0:00
What We've Been Watching (And Reading) - 2:30
Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky - 25:00
Commentary for:
Episode 23. Tears - 34:00
Episode 24: The Last Cometh - 58:00
Episode 25. The Ending World - 01:22:00
Episode 26. The Beast That Shouted "I" at the Heart of The World- 1:44:00

Produced by James Beckett
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)
Original KtB! Art by  Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Media Missile Circus Art by Phil Dragash (Twitter: @PhilDragash)

Note: This episode originally aired as an episode of the Kick the Beckett! Podcast, before the show became Media Missile Circus in 2021

"Experiencing Evangelion" Part 5 - Episodes 19-22 Commentary (aka - "Kaji Takes Shinji to His Watermelon Patch, Which Totally Isn't a Dirty Innuendo For Anything, We Promise")

How is Toji on Shinji's Brain-Train in Episode 19? What is going on with how everyone is pronouncing "Fuyutsuki?" Is there even a point to how bleak and upsetting the show is becoming in these final episodes? Find out in this commentary track for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Episodes 19-22.


Approximate Timestamps
What We've Been Watching (And Reading): 00:45
Commentary for:
Episode 19. A Man's Battle - 30:32
Episode 20. Of the Shapes and Hearts of Humans - 52:47
Episode 21. The Birth of NERV- 01:15:00
Episode 18. Staying Human - 1:42:00
Wrap-Up - 2:11:00

Produced by James Beckett
Theme Music by YESPOLLY (https://audiojungle.net/user/yespolly)
Original KtB! Art by  Danielle Daniels (https://danielledaniels.art/)
Media Missile Circus Art by Phil Dragash (Twitter: @PhilDragash)