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For our special 500th episode, Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack returns to discuss two classic films with Joe: The Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven. The Seven Samurai is a 1954 film directed by Akira Kurosawa about farmers hiring seven samurai to protect their village from bandits. The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American reimagining of that film directed by John Sturges about villagers hiring seven cowboys to protect them from bandits. 

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Returning guest Cavan Helps joins Joe to discuss Ahsoka Tano from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. We discuss Ahsoka’s character arc through the show, and how she stands as an interesting contrast to Anakin Skywalker.

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Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss Lavinia, a 2009 novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. The story centers the life of Lavinia, a very minor character in Virgil’s Aeneid. The Aeneid is a 2,050 year old poem that served as a founding myth for Ancient Rome. Lavinia was Le Guin’s last novel.

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Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to play a game of Disney Song Mount Rushmore. We all picked a representative song from four categories: 1) the Classic Disney era, 2) the Disney Renaissance era, 3) the modern CGI era, and 4) a score/instrumental piece. No overlapping picks are allowed, and then we talk through our choices and debate who has the best Mount Rushmore. 

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Returning guest Norman Mitchell joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss the manga series Naruto. One of the most popular mangas of all time, we’re talking about stories from the first collections of Naruto. In these volumes, a young ninja begins his quest to become leader of his village. 

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Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss Paul Atreides from the films Dune and Dune Part II. We talk about the Dune franchise, this film adaptation, and some of discomfort felt in Paul’s ascension. We also acknowledge what an absolute all-star cast was assembled and the astonishingly beautiful cinematography in the film. 

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Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss the novel Daisy Jones and the Six. This 2019 novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the story of a band’s rise to popularity in the 1970s and their eventual break up shortly after they released a hit album. The oral history style the novel uses allows multiple subjective points of view to be quickly shared and makes for a very entertaining read.

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Returning guest Dr. Kyra Hunting joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss one of the most popular kids’ shows being produced today. Kyra studies children’s media, and is the perfect guest to help break down the massive success Bluey has achieved in its three seasons.

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Returning guest Ryan Haupt joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss science in popular culture. The good, the bad, and the wildly inaccurate. We talk about sci-fi as a genre and some specific examples of how science is used in stories.

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Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the comic book series Strange Academy. This school for magic users in the Marvel comic book universe introduced readers to a wave of new young magic characters, including Doyle Dormammu and Emily Bright. Established characters appeared as teachers, as teenage characters navigated their strange new powers, teenage angsts, and tangled relationships.

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