The Pop Break

There’s never a dull moment in the world of anime and Pop Break is diving right into the action! Join anime enthusiasts Amanda Rivas and Josh Sarnecky as they geek out monthly with dedicated experts and special guests on exciting anime news, trending anime in TV and/or movies, and anime recommendations spanning different genres that everyone should be watching. If you are a lifelong anime lover or taking the initial leap into the genre that has something for everyone, this is the podcast for you!

This month they are joined by the debuting Aaron Sarnecky, co-host of The Anniversary Brothers podcast, and Dan Cohen, host of the Batman by the Numbers podcast because their DC expertise would be direly needed for this month’s feature review section.

Our enthusiasts take a stroll through the anime content minds to discuss favorite series they’ve been watching recently, including Josh’s continued love of Kaiju No.8 and the Demon Slayer Hashira Arc, Amanda’s recommendation of Wisteria Wand and Sword, Dan’s recommendation of the 1960’s Adam West version of Batman as this show’s influence is felt in present day anime, and Aaron’s deep dive recommendations of Martian Successor Nadesico and Baccano!

In Anime News this month, they discuss key news coming out of Anime Expo to include trailers for Solo Leveling Season 2, Witch Hat Atelier, and Terminator Zero; upcoming releases from Crunchyroll and Netflix; and all things Bleach with the trailer for Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Cour 3 and the upcoming console and mobile games (10 Biggest Announcements From Anime Expo 2024 (screenrant.com) They also review the Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League trailer.

In their feature review section, our enthusiasts discuss Max’s Suicide Squad Isekai, including their familiarity with the Suicide Squad franchise, their favorite members of the Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn’s portrayal, and whether Suicide Squad Isekai’s Joker is Hot Topic Joker or Smooth Criminal Joker.

Stay tuned next month for the next episode covering The Elusive Samurai and My Deer Friend Nokatan

Prep some glyphs (or grab the nearest baseball bat), because Saturday Morning Adventures is back to explore Season Three of Disney’s The Owl House.

Pop Break writer and podcaster Randy Allain is joined by his Media/Lit co-host Kris Ingersoll and Pop Break television editor Avani Goswami to explore Dana Terrace’s unique and groundbreaking fantasy series about a young girl escaping her conventional life to become a witch. 

After a quick discussion about Amity, Willow, and Gus adjusting to life in the human realm, the team recaps the third season, discusses more core characters, and explores why they believe Disney missed a golden opportunity when they walked away from the rich potential of The Owl House. Additionally, each host explores their favorite humorous moment and favorite emotional moment from the third season.

Please tune in again next week, when your hosts build their palismen, award some series superlatives, and share their parting thoughts on a very special series.

Welcome to “Not Couple Goals” where co-hosts Allie Nelson and Tyler McCarthy do a deep dive into a different ridiculous romantic thriller from the vantage point of their long-term relationship.

Allie, a TV writer/producer and actress, has an affinity for romantic thrillers, the more salacious the better. Tyler, an entertainment reporter and critic, often finds himself drawn in despite his better judgment. Join them as they explore all the ways it’s possible to love too hard… like WAY too hard.

In this episode, the hosts watch the 2018 movie “A Simple Favor,” starring Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively and surprisingly directed by Paul Feig. Join them as they discuss the many twists and turns in this movie, the differences between the book source material and whether or not Allie and Tyler would take part in a fraud plot.

Special thanks to Mallory Johns for the introduction music.

To see more of our hosts, check out Tyler’s writing at USA Insider, SYFY and NBC Insider. Find Allie’s work at Parade and Business Insider!

And don't forget to follow us on social media —

Allie: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok

Tyler: Twitter

Not Couple Goals: Instagram and Twitter

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast all about the ABC reality series The Bachelor and its many spin-offs.

ThePopBreak.com's Michelle Coraci, who has been recapping all things Bachelor for The Pop Break for years, and co-host DJ Chapman, of Mostly Nitpicking, are back talking about the latest season of The Bachelorette!

This week, Michelle and DJ go down under, to the beautiful country of Australia for some exciting dates with Jenn and her contestants. We discuss the perils of skydiving and if we would ever sign up for that kind of date. Which men we think have the best shot of winning, and who is stirring up all of the drama in the house.

If you have thoughts or suggestions for what you’d like Michelle and DJ to cover during the offseason or opinion about all things Bachelor & Bachelorette, be sure to reach out via twitter @Roses&Rejections!

Hello and welcome to Bill vs the MCU! Each month your hosts⁠⁠ Pop Break Podcasting Director Alex Marcus⁠⁠ and⁠⁠ Pop Break Editor in Chief Bill Bodkin⁠⁠ are taking another step into the wider Marvel Multiverse as the MCU dives deeper into their Multiverse Saga.

Bill & Alex spent all of 2022 rewatching the first four phases of the MCU, and they just spent 2023 covering the first phase of Netflix’s The Defenders Saga and the first four seasons of ABC’s Agents of SHIELD. This year, they journeyed into Fox’s X-Verse with their X-Treme X-Watch.

Later this month, they will be closing out their X-Treme X-Watch miniseries with their instant reaction to Deadpool & Wolverine. However, in this episode, they are kicking off their brand new miniseries Defenders Disassembled, where they break down the closing chapters of the Netflix Defenders-Verse. 

For Defenders Disassembled, they will be reviewing the final seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, plus both seasons of The Punisher. The first season of The Punisher is the focus today, but before they get there, they give their reactions to the Agatha All Along and Captain America: Brave New World trailers. 

Watch along with us! Next episode’s title is Deadpool & Wolverine (in theaters), followed by  Luke Cage S2 (available to stream on⁠ ⁠Disney+⁠⁠), which will be covered in our August episode.

Welcome to Blerd Watchers! ThePopBreak.com's monthly podcast about TV shows with a Blerdy twist! Come hang out with Courtney & Marshall, two married Blerds, as they navigate all the dopeness on TV and share insights and opinions on the monthly show topics!

This month, our dynamic duo breakdown the most recent two episodes of House of the Dragon with an in depth discussion of all the highs and lows for Team Green and Team Black over these pivotal installments. 

Then, in their Ongoing Series Check-In, they explore the season finales of Kaiju No. 8, Windbreakers, and Demon Slayer, check up on My Hero Academia, and get into it over the middle installments of The Acolyte. Join us for all this and more!

Follow Courtney on⁠⁠⁠ Twitter⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and Marshall on⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Twitch⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Youtube⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ TikTok⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠ Merch⁠⁠⁠ now available!

Make sure to check out their other podcast,⁠⁠ Blerd Life with My Wife⁠⁠ on your favorite podcasting app and on⁠⁠ Twitter⁠⁠ &⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Blerd Life with My Wife Archives!⁠⁠

And head on over to their⁠⁠ Patreon page⁠⁠ for extra content.

Find some Titan’s Blood and reopen that portal door, because Saturday Morning Adventures is back to explore Season Two of Disney’s The Owl House.

Pop Break writer and podcaster Randy Allain is joined by his Media/Lit co-host Kris Ingersoll and Pop Break television editor Avani Goswami to explore Dana Terrace’s unique and groundbreaking fantasy series about a young girl escaping her conventional life to become a witch. 

After checking in about how The Owl House has influenced some of their other recent media consumption, the team recaps the second season, discusses more core characters, and shares some of their favorite episodes from the second season. Additionally, each host explores their favorite humorous moment and favorite emotional moment from the second season.

Please tune in again next week, when your hosts will continue working their way through the cast list and provide a deep dive into the final season of this beloved series.

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here to talk about Spider-Man 2 for its 20th anniversary.

Spider-Man 2 is a superhero film directed by Sam Raimi. It is based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. It opened in theaters on June 30, 2004.

In the film, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) regrets keeping Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) at a distance to protect her from Spider-Man’s enemies. His newest foe is Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), a scientist turned into a villain when an experiment goes wrong. Peter also finds himself at odds with his friend Harry (James Franco), who blames Spider-Man for killing his father (Willem Dafoe).

Spider-Man 2 was the third highest-grossing film of 2004, raking in $789 million on a $200 million budget. It earned rave reviews, with the American Film Institute naming it one of the 10 best films of the year. At the Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing and won for Best Visual Effects.

Aaron and Josh discuss their histories with the film before going into the plot, performances, humor, effects, action, and legacy.

To hear about the first film, you can listen the brothers’ Spider-Man podcast with Managing Editor Al Mannarino.

Spider-Man 2 is streaming on Netflix and Disney+

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast all about the ABC reality series The Bachelor and its many spin-offs.

ThePopBreak.com's Michelle Coraci, who has been recapping all things Bachelor for The Pop Break for years, and co-host DJ Chapman, of Mostly Nitpicking, are taking a tour through the wider world of reality tv while waiting for the latest season of The Bachelorette, coming this summer!

Michelle and DJ are back for the premiere of Jen's season of the Bachelorette. They cover their favorite men and who they think will go on to win. They also try to solve the mystery of what happened to the mansion.

If you have thoughts or suggestions for what you’d like Michelle and DJ to cover during the offseason or opinion about all things Bachelor & Bachelorette, be sure to reach out via twitter @Roses&Rejections!

It’s Every Pod You Cast, a podcast dedicated to the British rock band The Police! Justin Mancini of TheCineMaverick.com & Cinema Joes is joined by Chris Mancini and Randy Allain of Media/Lit as they delve into the discography of the postpunk power trio, from 1978 to 1983.

In the last episode of the season, Chris, Justin, and Randy look back on their marathon and discuss their final thoughts on the band. In addition to their general thoughts on The Police’s longevity, they share their favorite album covers, rank all 5 albums, and name their top 10 songs in addition to some favorite non-album tracks!

Host Picks:

Favorite Non-Album Tracks

Chris: Dead-End Job

Justin: Shambelle, I Burn for You, Once Upon a Daydream

Randy: Someone to Talk To, Friends, Flexible Strategies

Favorite Album Cover

Chris: Ghost in the Machine

Justin: Synchronicity

Randy: Ghost in the Machine

Our Album Rankings

Chris

5) Zenyatta Mondatta

4) Ghost in the Machine

3) Synchronicity

2) Outlandos d’Amour

1) Reggatta de Blanc

Justin

5) Ghost in the Machine

4) Zenyatta Mondatta

3) Synchronicity

2) Outlandos d’Amour

1) Reggatta de Blanc

Randy

5) Zenyatta Mondatta

4) Synchronicity

3) Ghost in the Machine

2) Outlandos d’Amour

1) Reggatta de Blanc

Our Top 10 Songs

Chris

Honorable Mentions:

The Bed’s Too Big Without You

Peanuts

Spirits in the Material World

Synchronicity I

Synchronicity II

10) Secret Journey

9) Deathwish

8) Next to You

7) Canary in a Coalmine

6) Hungry for You (J'aurais toujours faim de toi)

5) Bring on the Night

4) It’s Alright for You

3) Roxanne

2) Message in a Bottle

1) King of Pain

Justin

Honorable Mentions:

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da

Don’t Stand So Close to Me

Driven to Tears

It’s Alright for You

So Lonely

10) King of Pain

9) Roxanne

8) Can’t Stand Losing You

7) Bring on the Night

6) Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

5) The Bed’s Too Big Without You

4) Message in a Bottle

3) Walking on the Moon

2) Tea in the Sahara

1) Synchronicity II

Randy

Honorable Mentions:

Bombs Away

Canary in a Coalmine

Does Everyone Stare

Next to You

Ωmegaman

10) On Any Other Day

9) Invisible Sun

8) Every Breath You Take

7) Hole in My Life

6) Bring on the Night

5) Synchronicity II

4) So Lonely

3) Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

2) Message in a Bottle

1) Roxanne

Our Favorite Songs by Album

Outlandos d’Amour (1978)

Chris – Roxanne

Justin – Can’t Stand Losing You

Randy – Roxanne

Reggatta de Blanc (1979)

Chris – Message in a Bottle

Justin – Walking on the Moon

Randy – Message in a Bottle

Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)

Chris – Canary in a Coalmine

Justin – De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da

Randy – Canary in a Coalmine

Ghost in the Machine (1981)

Chris – Hungry for You (J'aurais toujours faim de toi)

Justin – Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Randy – Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Synchronicity (1983)

Chris – King of Pain

Justin – Synchronicity II

Randy – Synchronicity II