Neon Podcast Evangelion

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

And they're back! Deemed a triumphant return within seconds of beginning to record, our hosts attack the challenge of podcasting with renewed energy. A rethought format is announced, one that seeks to focus more on the episode and to try and capture the best of both worlds: in-depth analysis and meandering live episode commentary with mouth explosion noises.

Our hosts are pleased to present this Evangelion episode and eagerly provide the superlative: "an all-timer." It really is a masterpiece of whatever the the animation term is for "when to show what pictures." Probably just directing? Anyway, this is an episode of Evangelion that ought to canon for anime fans. Praise crazy, that's the brand around here.

Highlights:

- To really pare down their scant listenership right off the back, the episode opens with harrowing medical tales. I don't even want to get more specific.

- This one is recorded at our home NPE studios, and it damn well sounds just fine, maskiness and all.

- The new format is chat - watch - analyze the first half, and then repeat for the second half, with the popular(?) segment Evangelion in the News to break it up in the middle.

- For lack of noting it anywhere else, there were two other recordings between now and the last published plugcast. Those efforts were deemed "unlistenable". Quality control is part of life here at NPE.

- Coverage of the encounter at Rei's apartment is mature and responsible. And not just because that is asserted numerous times.

- The gif at right is one of our proudest discoveries. It could at least be entered into some Evangelion analysis competition.

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

Every podcast has one, and here is theirs: Neon Podcast Evangelion COVID Edition! Recorded in a pristine neutral location agreed upon by their wives, alteration of production values are in effect. Afraid to say an awful lot of post-production work went into making this one listenable. That metallic spinning? You’re not having a stroke, that’s what’s left of cleaning out the noise from the poorly calibrated impromptu remote set up.

This plugcast is an odd one for it's own reasons as well, due to this being the second step along our Hideaki Annography and very early in his career. The Hideaki bits being somewhat thin on the ground. Our hosts gamely present and do their best to draw similarities between it and later work, but mostly get tangled up in deciphering the weird male gaze presented in early 80s anime intended for preteens.

Highlights:

- More stories of rustic childhood tomfoolery, as Michael presents tales from the legendary War of the Woods. Oh boy!

- Dear listerner, that fancy transition into "Barefoot in the Park didn’t crossfade itself.

- Steve is especially on message with advertisement of our online presences... @neonpodcasteva1 especially!

- Confidence in this electronic empire leads us to uncover objective evidence of the popularity of our website live. The number of 0s astounds us.

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

This episode may be most notable as the first that doesn't feature an extended period of ennui regarding the purpose and value of the project. An overall feeling that we are meant to take these presenters as podcasters of their own merit pervades. Some self-doubt and impostor syndrome emerges once solid evidence of an actual damn listener with positive feedback is found. Our hosts swell gratitude like Shinji hearing about someone's dead mother.

This being an "episode plugcast", the proverbial thousand words are used to describe an episode of beautiful pictures in frugally efficient animation. Our fellas really dig deep trying to get at the souls of the protagonists, and it must be said, get damn wistful at the romance of the ending. It is agreed in whispers that train stations are romantic places. Honest and true; thank you guys.

Highlights:

- Thrill to the pounding drums and horns of “Decisive Battle” due to our new capability to line-in to our recording. Struggle to hear us over it!

- Overconfidence from mouth sounds not being picked up during the last few sessions come back to bite us here. Heavy editing was required.

- Without thinking it through Michael tries to find NSFW pics for his cousin on the Evangelion subreddit.

- More Magic cards 'n' Goths chat. Imagine the Venn diagram sliver of interested audience. The untapped dozens!

- Michael reveal some dangerously close-to-home similarities between his less healthy tendencies and the lowest forms of obsessive otakuism discussed in the last episode.

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

After a few months off partaking in presumably more wholesome activities, the cousins return with a mix of new and old. For the sake of tying this escapade to some measure of reality, let's just implicate the new decade with a new format for the show, a new level for our technical kit, and let's just hope a new grip on their thus far perennial podcast existential angst.

The over-all topic broadens from "Evangelion" to "Let's better understand Hideaki Anno's work to better understand Evangelion." That's progress worthy of a mid-series Evangelion episode! To start we watch some early works from the proto-Gainax "Daicon Film": The rapturously unglued otaku convention opening animations DAICON III (1981) and DAICON IV (1983), followed by the we-were-there satire/historical fiction on early 80s otaku culture "Otaku No Video" (1991).

Highlights:

- Listen to grandpa talk about his wild west days slinging the cardboard cocaine.

- Recommendations made openly for higher quality podcasts. Though it'd be puzzling that anyone this deep in lists quality as one of their top values.

- There's a new last Star Wars out right now, and some *cough* comparisons to Star Blazers are brought up.

- Witness the cousins rendered breathless by the contrast between Daicon III and IV.

- A quick glimpse into the cousin’s contrasting takes on body modification. Some golden "dad used to be cool" moments.

- About two minutes of Evangelion content on the sixth episode of a podcast with Evangelion in the title. Those minutes mostly spent trying to recall what was going on in the last episode.

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

A roller coaster of highs and lows for your listening pleasure. Some highs: new equipment, adherence to the format and some degree of pre-show preparation. The lows: New tech learning curve and improvisation skill ceilings.

Actually though, this one moves along at a good clip, featuring the third episode of Evangelion watched live. Thrill to the cousins agreeing on a pausing and commenting style! Deal with the results! After the mics were switched off, they listened to a couple minutes toward the end for reassurance and Michael declared "Damn fine podcasting."

Highlights:

- We are at Mouth Sound Alert Level 17, as our hosts continue eat live on air after switching to mics poised an inch from the face. Hope you don't mind haha!

- A warm up discussion of Michael's habits around Dragon Warrior. In true older cousin style Steve decides to overtake his record, likely effortlessly.

- Also, a review of the inspirational dedication of "The CRPG Addict" and his defense of analyzing esoterica.

- First official forays into Evangelion online communities are discussed. I wish one could say the results weren't predictable. Tentative discussion is made toward starting a Twitter account for the show.

- "If we were quicker on the draw we could draw some connection between them ... (silence) ... um, anyway ..."

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

Crazed with enthusiasm and hopped on various legal pharmacologies, our hosts hit record late in the evening. They immediately proclaim not only mastery over the show, but stake claims on certain insights as having been never before discovered. How far they fall as the cruel hours tick by and the simple fact of their advancing age renders them into gibberers by the conclusion of the episode.

A new section of covering editorials, interviews with Anno, and other bits of Evangelion media is tried on, and Steve reports back after giving a collegial listen to the podcast of our first Liker. We finally hit the intended topic of the larger world of Evangelion in the show until words fail us when midnite approaches. Despite all this, after the recording clicks off of course we stayed up until 230am watching Mandy!

Highlights:

- Steve's revelation that Shinji is staring back at himself through the eyes of Unit 01 at the end of Episode Two is actually pretty stunning.

- The first of likely many rants regarding the state of the Evangelion Rebuild films.

- An awful lot of loudly cracking into carbonated beverages on this one.

- Finances are openly discussed, as is the purchasing of actual microphones, challenging our aesthetic of adorable effort with scrappy low quality energy.

- At one point Michael struggles through the word "conceptually" over two whole seconds, and then appears to recover from a minor stroke. You wish you could help him somehow.

- A discussion of the concept "Tiers of Canonicity", including an essential obscure Japanese video game manual.

- Our habit of making vague threats to corporations and celebrities is given context in the story of how Steve's twitter handle was banned.

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

After a long "summer break" brought on by the sensible needs of family and home, the cousins return. Conversation quickly returns to whether the their podcast and unfortunately even their subject is any way vital or current. Months have past since the show's big outing on Netflix and the cultural dust has settled with only a few articles in nerd periodicals.

Not ones to dwell on or really even maintain focus on any subject for long, the litany of technical strides mastered in order to publish the pod are rolled out like a balm. There is a moment of audible relief from Michael when Steve says he likes the website. Yet, despite the strong chance that our hosts are only metaphorically shouting at the ocean, a strange but fact persists: this podcast has 64 listens on Soundcloud.

Eventually, the second episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion is watched live! With noodles! Hope you like mouth sounds!

Highlights:

- As the centerpiece of this episode of Evangelion is a party at casa Misato, the fellas join in according to her tastes with instant noodles and Japanese beer.

- The idea that we could actually edit the worst of our gaffes and stutters from the pod is floated. Were horrible things said and later hidden? A mystery!

- A potentially misguided commitment to only making "honest follow-backs" is made. There is considerable doubt regarding this choice.

- Vague blanket threats are made against products mentioned during the recording.

- Steve condemns the brewing practices of entire nations.

- "Plugcast" is settled on as the handle for episodes of the podcast to avoid confusing them with episodes of the show. See? It's confusing. Anyway, this decision is pushed through on the grounds that it sounds cool.

Segments: cold open, state of the podcast, evangelion chat, watch and commentary of NGE episode 2 with ramen and beer, favorite moments

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

The fellas return for a landmark second episode, never achieved in their efforts to put their voice to podcasting thus far. Extensive discussion of their own qualities as hosts and producers continues. The opening credit sequence is considered with astonishing restraint. In the fullness of time, the episode topic is reached and it turns out to be a listicle: "The 5 Hottest Reasons to Watch Evangelion on Netflix Right Now!"

Highlights:

- The challenges of discovering who wrote "Cruel Angel's Thesis" are overcome, accompanied by wild imaginings of the identity of Evageeks' secondary translator.

- Recommendations to check out other Evangelion Podcasts are narrowly avoided.

- Michael cannot resist talking through another extended analogy of Hideaki Anno to Kurt Cobain.

- Several bits end in sad contemplations of our future quality of life!

- We'll let the listener decide whether the experiment of playing Evangelion in the background improves their own experience in any way.

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

In which two American cousins begin an extended discussion of the famous anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, timely for it's recent release on Netflix. Introductions are made, an extended debate on pronunciation is begun (and not concluded), and several accusations are made internally regarding expertise and qualifications for this enterprise. Nonetheless, the first episode, "Angel Attack," begins! Intrepid listeners can follow along with the episode as we announce the time-stamps of our pauses with fairly good consistency!

Highlights:

- Extended discussion of the intense world building that occurs in the first 15 seconds of the show.

- The unlikely origins of Shinji's polaroid of Misato, and the starting of their (adjective not found) relationship.

- Successful avoidance at dumping lore on every single character that appears and extending this episode by an additional hour.

- Appreciation for the "tell and show" storyboarding style of the show.

- Swears are kept to a minimum, making this episode a great watch with say your 6 year old niece who you want to deeply confuse.