Otaku Ryōhō

S3E10: Time skips! Love them or hate them, we all experience a time skip or two in our lives. With every ending comes a new beginning, and with new beginnings come new opportunities for growth and reflection. As Josué and Rae prepare for their own time skip as season 3 comes to a close (hopefully NOT another 5 year time skip!), they examine the concept of time skips, discuss their favorite and least favorite time skips, and explore all the different ways time skips can be used through the Geek Therapy lens- excitement, growth, reflection, goal-setting, curiosity, as well as using time skips to process grief, disappointment, and practicing radical acceptance. 

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Change
• Resilience
• Grief
• Acceptance
• Transitions 

Relatable Experiences:

• Acceptance
• Clarity/Understanding
• Coming of age/Getting older
• Loss (other than death)
• Guilt
• Moving
• New Life Event (New Rules)
• Separation
• Disappointment 
• Difficult transitions

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• One Piece 
• Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
• Dragonball/Z/Super/GT
• Naruto/Naruto Shippuden 
• Attack on Titan
• Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• Star Trek: Discovery
• Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon 
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day
• Star Wars (prequels, original trilogy, sequels)
• Star Wars Legends (extended universe, now non-canon content)

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: What time skips have you observed in your own life? How have they affected you? What did you learn from those transitions?

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

Josué and Rae will return.

S3E9: STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS! Because it's bullshit that only the boys get to do cool things. Rae talks about how representation of strong female characters is important and powerful for women and girls; for her specifically, seeing female fighters, tomboys, and women with masculine skills/interests has been crucial for her identity as a queer woman. Josué & Rae explore several examples of positive, mixed, and negative representation throughout different anime series and categories, as well as a few standout non-anime series, and examine several common writing/character tropes frequently used with female characters. Josué declares further reflection on My Hero Academia is forbidden.

(Producer Rae's note: turns out there are a handful of Shonen's with female main characters- the ones I could find are Soul Eater, Kill la Kill, Undead Unluck, Dandadan, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure part 6: Stone Ocean, A Certain Scientific Railgun, Slayers, and Claymore. Frieren: Beyond Journey's end is technically classified as a Shonen due to being published in a Shonen magazine, but there seems to be a lot of debate around this. Know of others? Let us know!)

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Cultural representation
• Death
• Difficult emotions
• Family
• Finding Oneself/Identity Development
• Leadership
• LGBT Issues
• Love
• Power struggle
• Problem Solving
• Resilience
• Standing up for others
• Strong female role models
• Standing up for oneself
• Misogyny
• Wish fulfillment 
• Female character/writing tropes

Relatable Experiences:

• Diverse female representation in media
• Gender roles and expectations for women
• Queer gender expressions such as tomboys and masc women 
• Parentified daughters 
• Strength from physical abilities/acuity 
• Strength from mental or emotional abilities/acuity
• Acceptance
• Clarity/Understanding
• Disability
• Fighting

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• Shonen (anime/manga category)
• Shojo (anime/manga category)
• Seinen (anime/manga category)
• Winry Rockbell (Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
• Nami (One Piece)
• Robin (One Piece) 
• One Piece: Fan Letter
• Witch Hat Atelier
• Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
• Attack on Titan 
• Berserk
• Vinland Saga
• Monster
• Ghost in the Shell 
• Dragon Ball/Z/Super 
• Goku (Dragon Ball/Z/Super)
• Bulma (Dragon Ball/Z/Super)
• Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball/Z/Super)
• Master Roshi (Dragon Ball/Z/Super)
• Android 18 (Dragon Ball/Z/Super)
• Videl (Dragon Ball/Z/Super)
• Naruto/Shippuden/Boruto
• Sakura (Naruto/Shippuden/Boruto)
• Team Seven (Naruto/Shippuden/Boruto)
• Tsunade (Naruto/Shippuden/Boruto)
• Sarada (Boruto)
• Tenya Iida (My Hero Academia)
• Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985)
• Kamille Bidan (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam)
• Caulifla (Dragon Ball Super)
• Kale (Dragon Ball Super)
• Katsuki Bakugo (My Hero Academia)
• Ochaco Uraraka (My Hero Academia)
• Sailor Moon (series)
• Sailor Moon/Usagi (character)
• The Sailor Scouts (Sailor Moon)
• The Outer Sailor Scouts (Sailors Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) (Sailor Moon)

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• If She Can See It, She Can Be It (non-profit organization founded by Gina Davis)
• Star Trek: Voyager & Captain Janeway
• Battlestar Galactica & Starbuck
• Doctor Who & the 13th Doctor
• Untitled live action Naruto project 
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Katara (A:TLA)
• Aang & Katara's relationship (A:TLA)
• "Sydney Sweeny-led Mobile Suit Gundam movie" (Upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam live action film)
• Toph Beifong (A:TLA)
• Korra (The Legend of Korra)
• Asami Sato (The Legend of Korra)
• Conan: The Barbarian
• Hercules (character/archetype)

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 

Who are your favorite strong female characters? Which female characters have had the biggest impact on you? Who is your go-to example to use in clinical work? 

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

S3E8: This week, Josué & Rae talk about inspiration and perseverance gained from anime! Josué has been noticing a trend on his socials' where people are talking about how anime characters inspired them to keep going, to keep fighting, to never give up during hard times. This is by far, most often seen in Shonen series, and Josué & Rae examine classic Shonen tropes such as "leveling up", the "I wanna be" motivations, and the training arcs. Rae embarrassingly struggles to pronounce "Hokage". The hosts compare and contrast Eastern vs Western mythology and storytelling tropes, such as "leveling up" vs "the chosen one" in eastern and western cultures, respectively, with the eastern collectivist "grind culture for the benefit for everyone" culture vs the western "individualistic power and privilege above all" expectation. Josué & Rae explore how these series and characters portray courage, bravery, fear, "doing it scared", and how supporting characters especially grow by recognizing and accepting their limitations and focus on helping their friends through their strengths (which usually doesn't involve literal physical strength).

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Change
• Cultural representation
• Fear
• Finding Oneself/Identity Development
• Leadership
• Moral dilemma 
• Power struggle
• Problem Solving
• Resilience
• Standing up for others
• Standing up for oneself

Relatable Experiences:

• Acceptance
• Clarity/Understanding
• Fear/Anxiety
• Fighting
• Loss (other than death)
• New Life Event (New Rules)
• Separation
• Growth 

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• Deku (My Hero Academia)
• Goku (Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z)
• Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z (series)
• Naruto (Naruto/Naruto Shippuden)
• One Piece (series)
• Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)
• Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
• Jinbei (One Piece)
• Sanji (One Piece)
• Nami (One Piece)
• Nico Robin (One Piece)
• Silvers Rayleigh (One Piece, mentioned)
• Sailor Moon
• Shonen (genre)
• Pokemon (anime)
• Record of Ragnarok (Netflix)
• Celestial Dragons (One Piece)
• Usopp/Sniper King (One Piece)
• Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece)
• Franky (One Piece)
• Krillin (Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z)
• Rock Lee (Naruto)
• Sasuke (Naruto)
• Witch Hat Atelier (referenced)
• Attack on Titan (referenced)

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• Batman (DC Comics)
• Superman (DC Comics)
• The Flash (DC Comics)
• Rocky (film)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (Best of Both Worlds part I & II)
• Jean-Luc Picard/Locutus of Borg (Star Trek TNG, Star Trek: Picard)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• Worf (Star Trek: TNG and DS9)
• Jadzia Dax (Star Trek: DS9)
• Doctor Who (series)
• The Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi)
• Mortal Combat (game)
• Super Smash Bros. (game, referenced)
• One Piece Live Action (Netflix)
• SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver, and More Resilient by Jane McGonigal 

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 

Which anime characters have inspired you? How have your favorite characters made you more resilient or determined? 

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

S3E7: This week, Josué and Rae are talking about Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, a beautiful high fantasy story that begins at the adventure's ending. They explore how Frieren (series and character) models a different way to grieve, one that centers on curiosity, reflection, gratitude, and celebration. They both share personal anecdotes about grief- Josué celebrating and recontextualizing his perception of his grandfather, and Rae rediscovering and revisiting her ancestors through family genealogy research. They then discuss the role of gratitude in grief-based practices as well as its role in living with intention fully in the moment and having no regrets in life.
 
[Producer's note: this was recorded during the first heat wave of July 2026 so our brains were a little more cooked than usual.]

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Death
• Feeling alone
• Finding Oneself/Identity Development
• Guilt
• Love
• Working with others
• Grief
• Loss
• Bereavement 
• Mourning
• Disenfranchised grief 
• Closure 
• Grief-based practices 
• Gratitude

Relatable Experiences:

• Acceptance
• Clarity/Understanding
• Coming of age/Getting older
• Death
• Loss (other than death)
• Guilt
• Moving
• Seeking closure with loss
• Living with intention/mindfully/fully in the moment to live without regrets
• Recontextualizing past experiences

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
• One Piece

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• Lord of the Rings (books and movies)
• The Hobbit (book & movies)
• Dungeons & Dragons

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 

What stories about grief have been the most impactful in your life? Which stories have helped you through your own grief?  

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

S3E6: [SPOILERS FOR END OF WANO ARC IN ONE PIECE]

Josué comes out swinging with an open discussion about the trait of openness and novelty-seeking, and how anime largely dominates the market for truly unique concepts and interesting new spins on genre or well-known tropes. They shift into a discussion about positive and negative bias and potential harm from negative media or anime bias in a clinical setting. Rae speaks about best practices with gathering potential clinical data from favorite media, hobbies, and interests using the Geek Therapy model. Both hosts share personal stories and experiences living with ADHD and how ADHD impacts what they find interesting, their struggles with engaging with certain hobbies, and how ADHD heavily influences their love of anime. Rae shares about how she reclaimed her love of reading and touches on ADHD coping strategies. Josué shares two anime that made him feel extremely seen and how this media representation encapsulates the internal experience of ADHD, contrasting it with negative clinical bias discussed previously. 

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• ADHD
• Burnout
• Change
• Finding Oneself/Identity Development
• Mental Health Services
• Problem Solving
• Resilience
• Positive and negative biases
• Best practices in clinical settings
• Openness and novelty
• Personality

Relatable Experiences:

• Clarity/Understanding
• Coming of age/Getting older
• Disability
• Fear/Anxiety
• Trauma
• Late-diagnosed ADHD

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• One Piece
• My Hero Academia
• Gundam (referenced)
• Undead Unluck
• Marriage Toxin
• Spy x Family
• Death Note
• Isekai (genre)
• The Master of Killing Time
• Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions 

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• Looney Tunes
• Behind Your Touch (K-Drama)
• Chicken Nugget (K-Drama)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Invincible (comic and animated show)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (film)
• The Mask (film)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (film)
• South Park
• Rick & Morty
• Transformers (referenced)
• Lisa Frank (referenced)
• Rainbow Bright (referenced) 
• Kill Bill (films)
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Wizard of Oz

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 
What anime-specific tropes are you most drawn to? What does that say about your personality, if anything? 

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

S3E5: COME ABOARD AND BRING ALONG ALL YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS!! It's time to talk about One Piece! Rae and Josué discuss the overall themes of One Piece and how it's important to not judge this manga by it's cover, per se. They discuss the setting and worldbuilding, examine the factions that make up this world, explore the values of various pirate crews/captains, and explore the nuance and role of neutrality, morality, and propaganda in this story. They then talk extensively about the main character, Monkey D. Luffy, his strengths, relatability, how he inspires and empowers others, and how his nuanced and balanced character fits in amongst other iconic Shonen protagonists.

This episode is meant as an introductory episode for One Piece and will likely be the first of many more to follow.

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• FREEDOM
• Found family
• Authenticity
• Liberation
• Selfish vs. selfless
• Finding Oneself/Identity Development
• Making new friends
• Moral dilemma
• Power struggle
• Resilience
• Standing up for others
• Standing up for oneself

Relatable Experiences:

• Following your dreams
• Rejecting the things that don't serve you
• Self-care and balance
• Determination and ambition
• Seeing the best in everyone
• Empowerment and inspiration
• Acceptance
• Death
• Fighting

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• One Piece
• Monkey D. Luffy (character)
• Gundam (franchise) 
• Dragon Ball Super/Z
• Goku (character) 
• Naruto

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• One Piece Live Action

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 
Are you as dedicated to your pursuits as Luffy? What could you learn from his character and his ambition, and how could you apply it to your pursuits? 

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

S3E4: Josué's time to shine has arrived in this episode of Otaku Ryoho. Josué and Rae discuss the first series, Mobile Suit Gundam from 1979, the most recent series at time of recording, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX from 2025, and many, many other series and adaptations in between that fall under the vast Gundam franchise umbrella. They talk about how Mobile Suit Gundam, as well as most of the franchise as a whole, doesn't shy away from showing the true cost of war, intentionally portrays major players in a morally grey light, and boldly illuminates the role of corporate corruption and influence over politics, power, and oppression. Josué connects the timeless themes in Gundam with current events and they reflect on how war becomes generational trauma. Rae notices a pattern of Japanese storytellers often restarting and retelling the same stories over and over in different forms and adaptations, and wonders if this is a metaphor for the cyclical nature of generational trauma. Or maybe it's just capitalism ruining the party again. 

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Change
• Consequences
• Death
• Leadership
• Power struggle
• Resilience
• Standing up for others
• Strong female role models
• Standing up for oneself
• Sacrifice for others
• Working with others
• War
• Freeing groups from oppression
• Survival
• Independence
• Grey morality in war and politics
• Horrors and reality of war
• Corporate influence and corruption in politics, healthcare, and war
• Capitalism and corruption
• Child soldiers

Relatable Experiences:

• Acceptance
• Clarity/Understanding
• Coming of age/Getting older
• Death
• Fear/Anxiety
• Fighting
• Making Others Worry
• Loss (other than death)
• Trauma
• War
• Generational Trauma
• Living in a dystopia

Anime/Manga/Characters Mentioned: 

• Mobile Suit Gundam
• One Piece
• Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
• Amuro Ray (Mobile Suit Gundam)
• Fraw Bow (Mobile Suit Gundam)
• Bright Noah (Mobile Suit Gundam)
• Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam)
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (film)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• SD Gundam Force
• Mobile Fighter G Gundam
• Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (Netflix anime)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway (movie trilogy)
• Yoshiyuki Tomino (Gundam creator)
• The Man Who Created Gundam (manga)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans
• Mobile Suit Gundam 00
• Gundam Build Fighters
• Mobile Suit Gundam Eight (manga)
• Gundam SEED
• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (Zeta Zeta)
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
• GUNPLA (model kits)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (manga)
• Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam (manga)
• Slayers
• One Piece: Party (manga)
• One Piece School (manga)

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• Toonami programming block
• Star Wars/The Phantom Menace
• Star Fox 64
• Star Trek
• Pacific Rim
• Band of Brothers
• Saving Private Ryan
• Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)
• Josué's TAGGS presentation: Making Miniatures Mindfully 
• Rae's TAGGS presentation: The Straw Hat Jolly Roger: How This Symbol Brings Hope and Empowerment During the Darkest Timeline 
• "What If?" Series in Marvel Comics
• Absolute Universe in DC comics
• Batman (various series)

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 

Many different types of media portray generational trauma- but which ones focus on ending the cycle? How can you draw inspiration from it and apply it to your work/life?

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

S3E3: Ah, Toonami. The after-school programming block that shaped a generation and had no business being that cool. American millennials especially love to wax nostalgic about Toonami; If you've ever found yourself outside that conversation for whatever reason (too young or old, not from the US, weren't interested at the time, didn't have that channel, etc.) and wanted a quick guide for understanding the millennial Toonami experience, Rae & Josué have you covered in this episode of Otaku Ryoho!

Josué and Rae dive a little deeper in their respective anime origin stories, shaped by the iconic Saturday-morning cartoon blocks that first brought anime to the west (salute the real ones- WB Kids and Fox Box) and later Toonami. They cover a brief history of Toonami and reflect on the shows that shaped us, year by year.

Also we have a(n unofficial) slogan now! Otaku Ryoho: Everything's Better With A Mech!

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Change
• Cultural representation
• Finding Oneself/Identity Development
• Resilience
• Discovery of new cultures and mediums
• Nostalgia

Relatable Experiences:

• Clarity/Understanding
• Coming of age/Getting older
• Loss (other than death)
• Transitions and change
• Shared cultural experiences
• Fallible human memory 
• Formative media

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• Pokemon
• Ranma 1/2
• Digimon
• Cardcaptor Sakura
• Escaflowne
• Fighting Foodons 
• Ultimate Muscle (Kini Kuman)
• Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z
• Sailor Moon
• Macross/Robotech
• Ronin Warriors
• Tenchi Muyo/Tenchi Universe/Tenchi in Tokyo
• Blue Submarine Number 6
• G-Force: Guardians of Space
• Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
• Zoids: Chaotic Century
• Mobile Suit Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam: the 8th MS Team
• Mobile Suit Gundam: 0080 War in the Pocket
• Outlaw Star
• Cardcaptors 
• Hamtaro
• Mobile Fighter G Gundam
• Cyborg 009
• Astro Boy
• .hack//Sign
• SD Gundam Force
• Dragon Ball GT
• Yu Yu Hakusho
• Ruroni Kenshin 
• Astro Boy (2004)
• Gundam Seed
• Zatch Bell
• Yu-Gi-Oh! 
• Naruto
• One Piece
• Cowboy Bebop
• Inuyasha
• Samurai Champloo
• Trigun
• Rent-A-Girlfriend
• Slayers
• Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
• Zoro and Sanji (One Piece)
• Gundam Age 
• Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuux

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• WB Kids Saturday morning cartoons programming block
• Fox Kids/Fox Box programming block
• Toonami cartoon programming block
• Thundercats
• Voltron
• Johnny Quest
• Cartoon Roulette [Space Ghost, Birdman, Galaxy Trio, the Herculoids, Superman (1940's)]
• Super Friends
• Beast Wars Transformers
• Reboot
• The Powerpuff Girls
• Superman: The Animated Series
• Batman: The Animated Series
• Batman Beyond
• She-Ra
• Star Wars

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 

Which Toonami-era shows were formative for you? How do they still influence you to this day? 

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

**THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL SEASON OF MHA!**

S3E2: It's post-TAGGS week and Josué & Rae are TIRED. This episode, Josué & Rae say goodbye to My Hero Academia and reflect on the journey of the characters and story- as well as events and growth in their own lives- during the manga's 10 year and the anime's 9 year respective runs. Josué talks about how he's rarely experienced the end of a massive mainstream hit show in real time and how different this ending feels- particularly because this ending was happy. Rae reflects on her experiences in online fandom spaces during new episode and chapter drops. Josué reflects on how frequent moving has affected his attachments and how a long-running show can provide consistency and stability in a very inconsistent and unstable world. Rae recounts how hearing about the MHA manga ending felt at the time, the additional factors that intensified her feelings, and contrasts that with how the anime's ending hits more positively now that she's in a better place. They both agree that their goodbye to My Hero Academia feels less sad and more appreciative and full of gratitude. 

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Real, tangible, and valid grief experienced by a beloved, long-running show ending
• Grief and loss in its many forms
• Stories with happy endings vs stories with tragic endings
• Attachment 
• Acceptance, gratitude, meaning-making, and closure
• Recognizing and building resilience and capacity
• Accepting what you do and do not have control over
• Common therapist experiences of burnout, termination, and licensure grind

Relatable Experiences:

• Frequent moves and necessary detachment- or, difficulty forming deep attachment
• Having something to look forward to when you're feeling hopeless; The grief when that thing you look forward to ends
• Collective, global fandom experiences
• Media reaching kids-playing-the-show-on-the-playground-and-having-themed-birthday-parties levels of mainstream popularity 
• Fandom twitter experiences (MHAtwt, CRtwt, OPtwt, etc.)
• Stories with rich, expansive worlds and how "playing in the sandbox" affects grief, loss, and acceptance of a story's end
• Life events coinciding with a show's duration
• When life is inconsistent, long-running media provides consistency
• Living in the present moment because the future is not guaranteed

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• My Hero Academia
• One Piece
• Attack on Titan
• Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super
• My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
• Sailor Moon 
• Hamtaro
• Deku (Izuku Midorya) (MHA)
• Katsuki Bakugo (MHA)
• Todoroki family (MHA)
• Bulma (DBZ)
• Dragonball Xenoverse III (video game)
• Wano arc (One Piece)
• Midnight (MHA)
• Best Jeanist (MHA)
• Hawks (MHA)
• Toonami (Cartoon Network anime programming block)

Non-Anime Media/Characters Mentioned: 

• Game of Thrones
• Star Trek
• Skywalker saga (Star Wars movies)
• Critical Role (Campaigns 1, 2, and 3)
• Arya Stark (GoT)
• Doctor Who
• The Kardashians (joke/reference)
• Spider-Man (Miles Morales, Spiderverse films)
• Magic: The Gathering (TCG)

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 

What shows have you had to say goodbye to? Was it easy or hard? What tips can you offer someone going through this experience? 

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]

S3E1: SURPRISE! Otaku Ryoho is BACK! After a 5 year hiatus, Geek Therapy's anime podcast is back and rebooted with a shiny new coat of paint, a new (cuter and very funny) co-host, and 5 years of fresh wisdom (and existential dread). Josué introduces Rae to the audience and interviews her about her favorite anime (which she mostly answers). They discuss favorite anime, what they're currently watching (Josué is DEEP in the Gundam mines), and how ADHD impacts favorites, watchability, enjoyment, and expectations. Rae discusses her origins with anime and the experience of first discovering anime in the early 2000's on Toonami. She talks about the negative social perception of liking anime at the time, how that shame affected her, and how finally openly embracing her love of anime has led to personal growth and a heaping scoop of healthy self-awareness. They then pivot to their plan for this new era's episodes- revisiting the classics, touching on what's popular right now, and more.

Themes/Topics Discussed:

• Anime as a therapy tool 
• Hyper-fixations and ADHD in fandom
• The vulnerability of liking things openly 
• Generational/perceived shame around anime (Toonami-era millennials)
• Identity development and alignment 
• Eating disorders/disordered eating
• Positive depictions of food and eating in anime (eating as self-care)
• Capable, well-written female characters, especially in Shonen
• Disability and accurate representation in anime 
• Cultural representation 
• Processing depression through art (Hideaki Anno and depression)
• Effort vs. faith models of wish fulfillment 
• Differences between media written for the male gaze vs the female gaze 
• Grief
• Nostalgia
• Female perspectives of anime, especially Shonen

Relatable Experiences:

• Blanking on your favorite thing when asked
• Hyper-fixation cycling
• Watching anime in secret because family didn’t get it
• Being a “hater” in order to avoid vulnerability 
• Starting an episode and losing focus or wandering off before it ends
• Coping skills for ADHD to maintain interest and engagement 
• Feeling ashamed of a hobby you actually love

Anime/Characters Mentioned: 

• One Piece 
• Dragon Ball Z/Dragon Ball Super
• Naruto
• Food Wars
• Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon)
• My Hero Academia
• Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
• Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
• Jujitsu Kaizen 
• Demon Slayer
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Gundam (franchise; specifically After War Gundam X, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, Gundam Freedom)
• Sailor Moon (classic)/Sailor Moon Crystal
• Cowboy Bebop
• Pokémon
• My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
• A Silent Voice
• One Punch Man
• Mob Psycho 100
• Solo Leveling
• One Piece: Fan Letter (OVA)
• Rebuild of Evangelion (film tetraology)
• Spirited Away
• Studio Ghibli 
• Portgas D. Ace (One Piece character)
• Senshi (Dungeon Meshi character)
• Winry Rockbell (FMA:B character)
• Todoroki family (My Hero Academia)
• Sungwon Cho (voice actor)
• Kohei Horikoshi (MHA mangaka)
• Hideaki Anno (director)

Non-Anime Media Mentioned: 

• One Piece Live Action (Netflix) 
• Star Wars
• Western superheroes 
• Marvel
• Batman 
• Bridgerton
• Pacific Rim
• Firefly
• Magic: The Gathering 
• Gundam TCG

Contact Us:

• Join the discussion on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org/ and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org/.
• Check out our other shows on the GT Network: https://network.geektherapy.org/  
• Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord
• Follow Geek Therapy on Bluesky: @GeekTherapy.bsky.social 

Conversation Starters: 
Is there a show or fandom you’ve felt embarrassed to admit you love? What happened when you finally let yourself enjoy it openly?

What stories (anime or otherwise) have you found yourself going back to lately? What have you gotten out of this revisit? 

[These show notes were proudly written with NO AI by a real human.]