Where's Pod When I'm Scared?

After a disastrous act of Pod we had to re-record this episode. We still have a lot to say about how this show messes up it’s moral of forgiveness, the Garden of Eden, the existence of french fries and the fact that Larry might be a god in training.

Luke and Ashley get started on their new mistake. They talk about their history with religion, try to get to the bottom of what the creator believes and try to figure out this new world.

We reach the end of our Evangelion journey (for now) with the love it or hate it Evangelion 3.0. We come firmly down in the “it’s perfectly okay” camp but that doesn’t mean that we can’t talk about how Shinji sucks, gay piano sequences, the shakey look of characters being perpetually young and the thrilling conclusion to Luke’s “steal everything” story line!

Frustrating is a word we use a lot around Evangelion. That words sums up both our viewing and discussion of Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0, a movie that manages to have some great moments while also making infuriating and baffling choices as it sets off on it's own path. We like the new Angel designs and a drunk PenPen but making all the girls stories revolve around trying to woo Shinji sucks. Then there's the question of "Just what is Mari's purpose being here?" It's a long and winding pod and we're in a madder place at the end but the almost end is near.

Luke and Ashley have come back around to Evangelion and while they're happy to be back on familiar ground it's perhaps too familiar. In fact for all the episodes that could do with remake episodes 1-8 are probably the least needed. Especially when you're adding even more uncomfortable content. At least we got our fav death diamond Ramiel and that cliffhanger of an ending to chat about.

Ashley & Luke get in-depth on the 2016 Shin-Godzilla, the biggest live action movie directed by Hideaki Anno. Bringing Godzilla back to it's original role as a symbol for disaster the film looks into how modern Japan would react. We talk about the wonderfully gross designs of Godzilla, how the cinematography matches Anno's animated work and whether this film is dropping nationalist/libertarian dog whistles.

I love all my friends!

After worrying about all the ways it could become a complete mess Ashley & Luke are happy to see that FLCL: Alternative keeps it's thoughtfulness and fun throughout. The planet is being heated up by Medical Mechanica and the rich and powerful are leaving the Earth. Kana is more concerned about trying to make everything stay the same, whether it's with the boy she likes or her best friend. Unfortunately things change, romance fades and sometimes friends aren't what they seem. Luke and Ashley love the story and the emotion but the still wish Haruko was brought in more naturally.

In this city, I will.

After the disappointment of season 1 and the nothing of season 2 Luke and Ashley aren't looking forward to the last season of the show. They're expecting more horny teens with no character who suck. So they're very surprised to find a collection of characters they really love! Kana and her friends are a fun collection of non-horny teens who are layered and support each other. As they try to find out they're doing next they're confronted with questions about maturity, helping friends and being themselves in ways that work way better then any previous season. That said it's not all great, Haruko is still around and while she has grown up a bit she still can't help but be a creep, and an undercurrent of fatphobia hurts Mossan who is a great character otherwise. We also talk about how Kana is totally gay, how people are leaving Earth, and worry about how this season might disappoint us again.

Luke and Ashley finish FLCL: Progressive and find a series that is a mixture of boring and infuriating despite it's flashes of interesting moments. With no real main characters other then the pedophile villain we're supposed to feel bad for because she can't force one person into a controlling relationship we wonder how the show could have been better. Maybe don't put all of Hidomi's important character choices into the hands of other people. Maybe do something with Aiko other then make her a prop. Maybe make Marco and Goro matter. Maybe make Ida a character rather then just the boy everyone wants to kiss. And what the fuck happened to Hidomi's gore fetish that was a key part of her character????

Ashley & Luke look at the FLCL follow up that's considered not as good, but after they came away from the original in low spirits maybe this one will be great? Nope! We talk about how the show handles Haruha, how Hidomi doesn't have a character except being super horny for gore, how the lower budget affects the show and how the choice to have one of the main characters be a guy in a skirt is unfortunately loaded.