The My Hero Academia manga is entering its final stage. Hopefully, that means we can look forward to some awesome upcoming fights. YouTuber Turtle Quirk came out with a video of all the fights that need to happen and we were big fans! In our first segment, we covered the list and our thoughts on how they would turn out. Some standouts from his list include a clash between two All for One users, revenge for Twice, and Deku vs Backugo: Round 3! 

Then, in our second segment, we went over some fights that we'd like to see before MHA ends that didn't make Turtle Quirk's list. A few standouts on our list include a brawl between former best friends, some redemption for Mina and Kirishima, and a brawl of vestiges?! Which one of these fights do you want to see the most? Any other fights we might've missed? Tweet us at @nerdingwfriends and let us know! 

Turtle Quirk - My Hero Academia: All FIGHTS that NEED TO HAPPEN! : https://bit.ly/2W1Zloj

Nerding with Friends —

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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The Olympics just wrapped up in Tokyo after a delay due to COVID-19. With the location being Japan and the ambassador being none other than Dragon Ball's Goku, it's needless to say anime completely took over the games. Events like shot put, archery, horseback riding, and others got a healthy dose of shonen energy. 

We took a look at all the anime references we could find from watching the Olympics and searching the Internet. Highlights included some nods to One Piece characters that got attention from the anime's official Twitter, an honorable anime getting some love, and two major publications showed the world they don't have an otaku running their social media. At the end of this episode, we closed with some anime characters we'd like to see in the Olympics and what events they'd compete in. Did we miss any references? Tweet us at @nerdingwfriends and let us know! 

Nerding with Friends —

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Batman: The Long Halloween is another gem in the DC Animated movie vault. This two-parter was a breath of fresh air compared to other Batman movies released in recent years. Batman: The Long Halloween does a great job of bringing the comic to life while adding some great new changes. These movies feature not only a grounded Batman but a young one, way before he became the World's Greatest Detective. Part one of The Long Halloween introduces us to some fan favorites such as Catwoman, James Gordon, and Harvey Dent. We also are introduced to some characters casual fans might not know like Calendar Man.

Also, we are introduced to the story's main villain, The Holiday Killer.  The mystery of the killer runs through both parts and is a driving force of the story. Between the mafia-inspired Maroni and Falcone families and Harvey Dent, whose sanity is questioned. Overall, Batman: The Long Halloween ranks high on the list of DC animated movies and is hopefully a sign of good things to come. What did you think of parts one and two of The Long Halloween? Did you guess the killer right? Tweet us at @nerdingwfriends or let us know in the comments!

Nerding with Friends —

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Masters of the Universe is a show on Netflix. Other than the great cast and animation, there isn't much good to say about it. Masters of the Universe sets out to be a spiritual successor to the 80's He-Man show but fails in every way. He-Man isn't just dropped from the title, but almost from the show entirely. The decision to make Teela the main focus is only the beginning of a slew of issues the show has.

Alongside the change in the main character, the show also suffers from unnecessary race swapping, queer bending, and overall lacking a target audience. On top of all the issues present in the story, things might be worst behind the scenes. After being called out years ago once plot details leaked, Kevin Smith has gone on record denying them. Not only did Kevin Smith deny the rumors, but harrassed the leakers, insisting they're the liars. Now that those rumors have been confirmed, it is finally time to give Kevin Smith the "sell-out" label?

What did you think about Masters of the Universe? Do you plan on watching part 2? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @nerdingwfriends to let us know!

Nerding with Friends —

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Loki season 1 has just wrapped up at Disney Plus! This newest phase 4 installment just changed the future of the MCU! Loki season 1 is filled with Easter eggs and references MCU and comic book fans can both enjoy. However, the references weren't the only great parts of the show! The first season of Loki introduced us to a cast of fan favorites including Mobious and Sylvie. We were lucky to be joined by a well of knowledge from the King of Wakanda himself, T'Challa Black Panther 74, from the "A Podcast About Comics" podcast. Check them out on Facebook and Spotify.

In our first segment, we break down the development that Loki went through during the first season and his transformation from villain to reluctant hero. Then we broke down the supporting characters and their importance to the future.  The second half of this episode was all about our main villain, He Who Remains. Jonathan Majors' performance might be the highlight of Loki season one and the best has yet to come. Also, we speculated on what is next for the MCU. Kang is set up to be the new main threat to the MCU. but we don't think it will be as simple as some may think. Are you excited for Phase 4 of the MCU? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @nerdingwfriends with your answers!

Nerding with Friends —

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Space Jam: A New Legacy is currently in theaters and streaming on HBO Max. Don't listen to the LeBron haters; the new movie is just as good, if not better, the original. We brought in basketball expert Marq from the MB8Cast to help review Space Jam: A New Legacy and he did not disappoint. This episode highlighted his sports and film knowledge. While the movie may not be getting any Oscar nominations, if you want to watch LeBron James play basketball with Bugs Bunny, that's exactly what you're going to get.

In this review, we covered all the sports references and Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the movie. Considering every Warner Bros. character you can think of showed up, there was a lot to cover! We also threw out some matchups, including The Monstars vs The Goon Squad and the team LeBron wanted to put together. Finally, we gave Don Cheadle, hands down the best actor in the movie, his flowers. Did you like Space Jame: A New Legacy more than the original? What characters do you wish laced up on the court? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @nerdingwfriends to let us know!

Nerding with Friends —

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Black Widow is the first MCU movie to hit theaters in two years. Also available on Disney Plus via their premier access, it is also the first MCU movie in phase 4. Black Widow picks up with its titular character not too long after Captain America: Civil War. However, since diehard fans and even casual moviegoers are well aware of her faith, the movie's biggest issue is how out of place it feels.

Black Widow joins WandaVision, The Falcon and Winter Soldier, and Loki as post-infinity saga installments. Except for the post-credit scene, the entire movie takes place in a pre-blimp world. This ultimately leaves the stakes extremely low. The biggest knock on the movie has to be the introduction and characterization of the fan-favorite villain, Task Master.

Black Widow isn't all bad though. With those few flaws aside there is a lot to enjoy about the movie. Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova was the highlight of the movie along with David Harbour as Red Guardian. The chemistry between the family was an overall highlight, which makes it even worse to think we may not see them together again. What did you think about Black Widow? Was it a good send-off for the MCU's first heroin or was it too late? Let us know in the comments and tweet us at @nerdingwfriends with your thoughts!

Nerding with Friends —

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Only those deemed worthy can lift Mjolnir. Thor's hammer has most recently gained notoriety due to the success of the MCU. However, the Norse god's favorite weapon has been around for centuries. A question that constantly pops up surrounding Mjolnir is "who is worthy to lift it?" For this episode, we decided to put that question to the test, but for anime characters.

First, we determined what makes one worthy. There were a lot of factors to consider, but the criteria we ended up with match the profiles of other characters that have lifted Mjolnir. Then, we had to prepare a list of characters. To make things fun, instead of choosing characters, we decided at random. Thanks to generatormix.com, we were given a random anime character to choose from at the click of a button. Some of the choices were easy, some were hard, and some were characters we'd never seen before. Do you agree with us on if all these characters can or can't lift Mjolnir. What character did we leave off that you think can wield the power of Thor? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @nerdingwfriends to let us know!

Nerding with Friends —

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Record of Ragnorak is the latest anime to hit Netflix. Adapted from the Record of Ragnorak manga, the 12 episode season was released last month to the streaming service. Much like Yasuke, this series was also meant with some mixed reviews. While the plot and characters are interesting enough, the animation and pacing left much to be desired.

In this review, Max from our superhero and supervillain football team episodes brought his anime knowledge to the table. Everyone loves a good tournament arc in anime, but Record of Ragnorak is a tournament show! First, we talked about the all-star lineup of humans and gods we were introduced to in season one. Those we discussed included Zeus, Shiva, Adam, and Lu Bo. Then, we broke down the fights we got to see during the 12 episode run. Finally, we wrapped up this episode by looking at who still has to fight on both sides and gave some matchup predictions. Which match-up are you most excited to see? Do you think there might be a traitor among the gods? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @nerdingwfriends!

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Yasuke was a legendary samurai of African descent. His story is one that sparked the depiction of many black samurai in anime. When we found out there was going to be a Netflix series based on Yasuke many blerds were excited. The final product, however, was met with mixed reviews. While the six-episode miniseries does have some redeeming qualities, overall the story was underwhelming. In this review, we broke down the story, characters, and the interesting world created in Yasuke.

Similar to how we felt about Mortal Kombat (2021), it was easy to say that this movie failed to meet expectations. While some of us were expecting a somewhat historical story with anime elementals, that's not what we got. What we did get was an over-the-top anime with a story not really revolving around the titular character.  Mechs and magic are all front and center, making Yasuke feel like a side character in his own story. On the plus side, some highlights of the story are the flashback scene. If that is the story we received, this episode would be very different.

We ended this episode in a new segment titled Codename's Comments. Codename let us know how he really felt and his take on the Yasuke character might surprise you. What did you think about Yasuke? Did it live up to the hype or was it a bust?  Also, how did you feel about the first Codename's Comments segment? Tweet us at @nerdingwfriends or let us know in the comments what you think!

Beat by Mal(Twitter- @malphroditee904 & IG – @mallycyrus904) Follow C.Ro$$ on Twitter and IG at @c_ross321 and Codename: Comet on IG at @divinewolf_artistry and Twitter at @ codename_comet. — This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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