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00:00:00
00:00:01
New Year, Same Fans
4 Plays3 years ago
Back like we never left! The Melaninjas catch up for the first time in months as a warm up for an exciting Season 3!
Time Stamps:
1:52 - The Anime We've Watched During Our Break
17:57 - The Anime We Are Most Excited For This Year
37:55 - The Things We Are Looking Forward To Most In 2022
39:55 - Shinobi Time! *New Segment*
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Return
00:00:09
Speaker
Every story, every battle, every model, every child, every dream, every team, it don't matter if you proud, gotta bleed for it Yeah, nigga, gotta bleed for it
00:00:20
Speaker
See my ancestors from Manchester to now I've been to underground stories Since niggas was underground, we them black ninjas Who makin' our mamas proud, better tune in nigga We takin' it all around, it's the meloninjas So go and tell the fam we need better figures And we don't fuck with Uncle Sam, better get the picture These black hands make black bands And I be the greatest nigga like the last dance meloninjas
00:01:00
Speaker
Hello, we are your Meloninjas, and we will discuss anime topics that are near and dear to our hearts. We aren't experts, just very passionate fans. I hope you enjoy. So it's been a while, guys, since the last time we recorded. A few months, no, almost a year. But... Ten, ten. You know, we close the round up around here, you know. You know, girls ask if you five, eight, no, I'm six feet.
00:01:28
Speaker
Oh, that's not what we're doing. I mean, I'm six people. My Tim's on. I'm just saying, I'm just saying, but all right, let's, uh, let's get back into anime. Let's talk anime. So Alex, what have you been watching since the last time we spoke?
Anime Reflections and Struggles
00:01:54
Speaker
Wow.
00:01:55
Speaker
Not gonna lie, I felt like we went through a little dry period because I, after Jiu-Jitsu Kaizen left my world, everything just wasn't able to live up to it. I really enjoyed Jiu-Jitsu Kaizen. It was amazing to me. So when that went off air, it was just really, I don't know, it left a void.
00:02:20
Speaker
But to be honest, I've been watching my favorite childhood show. That kind of was one of the introductions I had to anime was Inugasha. And so Inugasha has a sequel out right now called Gashahime, Princess Half Demon. And so I've actually been watching that, but it does make me sad sometimes to watch it because it's not that good. Not gonna lie, it's not that good. But, you know, like I get to sometimes see my favorite characters pop in and out. So.
00:02:49
Speaker
It makes it worth it, so I've been watching that. I've also been watching, you know, I started Tokyo Revengers. That was decent, but not my, it's not, admittedly not my cup of tea, I know. Oh, come on, you gotta tell us why it's not your cup of tea.
00:03:08
Speaker
I just, I can't like, I can't suspend my disbelief enough to appreciate the eight year olds and twin year olds like scrapping, you know, to the death, joining games, living out all day. I just, I can't get out of my own head on it. It just feels silly to me. And I also don't like the main character. He just doesn't- Do you like Naruto?
00:03:29
Speaker
Yes, but that's a whole different, the world that they built in that show, like it makes sense within the context of their world. I mean, eight-year-olds taking two-year exams. But in the context of, I mean, that was their school. Like they were in school. So were the people at Tokyo Revengers. They were in school.
00:03:55
Speaker
I'm not a fan. I don't know, but it would make more sense to me if it didn't feel modern or just something about it. It's too close to the real world that they built and then get the behaviors are just so errant.
00:04:08
Speaker
The only fantasy element of it from the perspective of the world building in the show is the fact that our character can go back in time. But that just seems the way that they, at least because I haven't seen or read the whole thing. So to me, within the way that they describe it, it's just this fluky thing that he just happens to be able to do. So it doesn't feel like other people have abilities and powers in the show. So it's just him randomly being able to do it.
00:04:34
Speaker
It's just not enough of a fantasy suspension for me. I don't know. It's just not my thing. Have you seen it? Have you seen it, Kwon?
Fantasy Elements in Anime
00:04:44
Speaker
Tokyo Revengers? Yeah, I'm not finished with it, but I've seen pieces.
00:04:51
Speaker
Do you guys have a theory about that? Because I thought that was curious to Alex, like, why is there only one person in your universe that has this ability? But I mean, I feel like you can also make that, you know, comment about a lot of Isakais, like, why has only one person come? But you know, I digress.
00:05:11
Speaker
It's like the whole concept of all these gay guys. They just be like, oh yeah, so I'm in this different time. Hello. I'm just here now though. Like, I don't know why. I don't know how. The irony is they rarely explain why or how. You just go with it. But when they get cast into the gay say guy, the gay say guy world is a complete fantasy world though. It's either a video game.
00:05:32
Speaker
or it's a like, you know, some kind of medieval setting or just, it's a completely fantasy landscape, but these guys are teleporting to like, you know, five years ago. It's just not enough distance. I don't know. There's just not, it's not, it doesn't have enough. It's, I can't get immersed to appreciate the universe to just let go of my own, you know, anchoring elements of reality. I don't know. I just, it's just not my thing.
Anime Recommendations and Preferences
00:06:02
Speaker
And I don't know, and I don't love bloody violence. I mean, just senseless bloody violence for the sake of senseless, bloody violence. It's just not my thing, unless it's Vinland Saga. I just, I don't know. You're so classy. You're classy. She's the act civilized around me. It's funny to say that in Love Shonen, but. Okay, come on. What have you been watching since the last time we've spoken?
00:06:31
Speaker
Oh, and Demon Slayer had to throw them in. I've been watching. Hey, we let at. Are you caught up? All the way caught up? I've just finished the last episode. Great episode. It was. That's all right. Can they call on? No, no, you're good. I have sadly said, not sadly, but like unhappily embarked on this long ass bleach journey. And so we're going to see how this goes.
00:07:02
Speaker
But it's taking all of my time. You preparing for that 1,000 year war, sir? Not Bleach. I'm so sorry. One piece journey. Oh. I'm disappointed, too. Bleach is my show, too. And one of the enemies I'm looking forward to in 2022 is going to be the 1,000 year blood war. Heck yeah. I've been trying to catch up on One Piece, bro. This is a long journey. It's a long journey. What episode are you at?
00:07:30
Speaker
I'm ending the Scott Island arc. Okay. Maybe like two and some change or something. Okay. You got a lot to look forward to, man. It gets better. I think the one thing that's super unique about... I mean, maybe not super unique. Well, no, it's definitely super unique. Sorry. To One Piece is that the animation gets dramatically better over time. Like by the time you get to the Wayno arc, you're like, what? So...
00:07:59
Speaker
Yeah, I'm not sure if animation bothers you when you watch. It doesn't bother me. But I think that's also because I like the 90s animes. So seeing new shit is cool. But if I see shit that looks like the 90s, it doesn't bother me. It bothers me. It bothers me. It's so ugly. Yeah, I've been spoiled, bro. I've watched the 90s anime. And I'm like, don't get me wrong, it will always have a special place in my heart, like air games and stuff like that.
00:08:29
Speaker
This jujitsu Kaizen animation, like, this could be good, bro. I've been eating steak. It is, it is insanely good. That and a demon slayer animation and jujitsu Kaizen animation are next level studio bones. I mean, they'd be doing their thing. Crazy. I'm just saying like, you ever, it's like going from like,
00:08:56
Speaker
like a tube TV to like, you know what I'm saying? One of them LED OLED screens on it. Like it's a little different. I like curves though. I ain't gonna lie. I love some curves. Oh my God. But no, there is a huge bump in quality. But also to me comparing, saying that like the one piece anime looks like the eighties inspired kind of that art style.
00:09:21
Speaker
Come on, like 80s anime looks better to me than like One Piece does because they intentionally draw them so ugly. Like they're drawn the characters are ugly. Okay, all of them. Hey, Nico Robin is not ugly. Oh, you can draw a thick character all you want. They are still ugly. Okay, like the facial the faces that just the way that they look. They just I don't like I just don't like them. They're just I just don't like it. So you can keep that.
00:09:49
Speaker
You're missing out on a wonderful tale. There's another show, if I can think about it, but I remember it came out on Nickelodeon. There was a show that One Piece reminded me of. Was it The Misseth? No, no. What is that show called? I'm going to figure it out right now because that show was ugly as hell too, just like One Piece and it reminded me of it. Oh, gosh. Okay, Kawhi. Anything else you want to watch? Alex researches her childhood.
00:10:17
Speaker
No, I'm not watching too many other things right now. I'm about to start Attack on Titan's new season. Okay, okay. Yeah, I'm a little behind on that. But I'm, I'm not mad at that. I mean, you know how I feel like Aaron Yaker. So I was behind on most of the series. Yep. This is what it was called. Yep. This show right here. Know it one piece one piece is as ugly as the misadventures of flapjack. Wow.
00:10:43
Speaker
Wow. Have you seen that show? That show is garbage. But like, not when you're drunk. Yes. That show is as ugly as Flapjack. Flapjack was kind of funny though. I'm not going to hold you up. That was the show was a little funny. It's a big crew, but a little funny. I like it. Nuts. Well, for me, I've been watching.
Character Development and Power Dynamics
00:11:06
Speaker
So I rewatched this anime called Psycho Pass.
00:11:10
Speaker
Yeah, it's really good. I liked the first season better than I liked the second season, but it's pretty good. It's about a utopian society where they judge people based off their crime coefficient, which will determine how much of a criminal or latent criminal abilities a person has.
00:11:30
Speaker
There's a bunch of different things that can impact it, but that's the basic premise of the show. So then you have a small faction of people that want to uphold that society and others that want to dismantle it. Cool show. A newer anime that came out that I started watching was Tocked OP. It's really cool. So like the main character, you're living in the universe is one where music
00:11:59
Speaker
is band, like not sound, music. So it's really interesting because the main character's father used to like lead an orchestra and you find out in the first episode something happens to his dad, well say what?
00:12:14
Speaker
Um, but then he, um, gains these powers where you can, they scrap in the show basically. And I love anime where they scrap, but like you get, you get like this alien. Yeah. I mean, I'll send you a clip. It's actually speaking of like just pure animation. The animation for it is insane. Like it's, if you watch just the first episode, you'll know off rip what it's like. It's pretty cool. I think the story is a little boring. Um,
00:12:40
Speaker
But I actually liked the scrapping and did enough to do that. I was like, all right, I'll hold out. And they scrap every episode, which is pretty cool. Or fight what is the main monster called the D2 every episode. So I was watching that. Let's see. Oh, I got caught up on that time I got reincarnated as a slime and
00:13:00
Speaker
Phenomenal series, it's so hard for me because as we will get to in a new segment, that's a surprise for you guys. It's so hard when people ask what are my favorite three anime out right now or other questions relating to that subject. And it's hard because of animes like slime, that time I got reincarnated like a slime. Season two specifically goes crazy. If you ever watch it, all I have to say to you is Megido, you know what that means.
00:13:30
Speaker
Um, and then again, I got caught up on attack on Titan. Um, Aaron Yeager is still a bitch.
00:13:37
Speaker
but less of a bitch because he has a beard now and a man bun. And then I got caught up on Demon Slayer, which is winning me over. I liked the first season, but I wasn't one of those people that I was like, oh yes, this is the greatest thing. I think it might have to do with the fact that I'm a sucker for a training arc and I'm a sucker for a tournament arc. And they didn't have a tournament arc, that's fine, but they did have a training arc.
00:14:07
Speaker
And it was all a 14 minutes. It was a 14-minute episode. Yeah, I wasn't a fan. I was the biggest fan of that. And then, of course, as I say at Nazium, Tanjiro fights a lower moon and unleashes this phenomenal attack for them to just walk it back the next episode. I don't like that. That's like Goku turning Super Saiyan, killing Frieza, and then they say the next episode, actually, Frieza's not dead.
00:14:35
Speaker
Granted, they did do that in Dragon Ball because his dad brought him back to life, but that was way later. That was way later. It wasn't the next episode. They do that all the time. They red con everything in Dragon Ball. Even right now, there's a guy, and this is spoilers if you don't want to skip the next one minute of me saying this, but right now in the manga,
00:14:54
Speaker
They have, in Dragon Ball Super, a character who just wished to be the strongest in the universe. And then two seconds later, a different character also wished to just be the strongest in the universe. First of all, it just discredits the entire power. It discredits training altogether because you just wake up and you're just immediately stronger than everyone else.
00:15:19
Speaker
And then for you then to make like two back to back, let me be the strongest wishes. It was just kind of it definitely just kind of weakens the whole the whole premise, I think. I think I mean, that's an interesting. It's like an interesting concept, though. I'm actually not mad at it because like I'm not mad. Well, hear me out. Come on. Hear me out, sir. I'm not mad at it because one
00:15:47
Speaker
It's a logical wish. It's the smart thing to do if you're trying to do fuckery, aka villainy. You want to be the strongest. It's not like it's an illogical wish, one. And two, it kind of throws in that whole red herring of, all right, cool. You wish to be the strongest. At the point in time that you made the wish, you become the strongest at that time. And then someone can surpass you.
00:16:13
Speaker
And I think that's kind of like the whole concept of going back. I hate to use the same analogy, but it's kind of like, you know, Frieza not training because he thinks he's the strongest. And then Vegeta, kid Vegeta before he, you know, became prince, the full prince with super Saiyan powers, training his whole life to kill him. And then he finally kills him. You know, it's just like you were the strongest at a point in time and then somebody should pass you. So I'm not mad at it.
00:16:41
Speaker
I mean, that's the point of the whole Dragon Ball Z show though, right? Like is like, you're the strongest at one point of time and then someone surpassing. Like that's why this nigga Goku is like quite literally a fucking ape. Like he, all he does is like fight people. I feel like they wasted a perfectly good arc.
00:16:58
Speaker
I really do. Because the Dragon Balls have been around for a long time. And one of my burning questions has always been, what if a nigga actually wished to be the strongest? And I wanted that legitimately to be an art. I wanted this nigga to be dumb strong. I wanted to see what type of powers they would give the person. And now I feel like that's ruining for me. Because two people can't make that wish. Just why? I don't know. I don't know. I mean, that is what happened. You have.
00:17:27
Speaker
And also the name started getting wild in the show, like Granola. And I think the character's name is Granola. And then there's another one, Cale. They just really went there. Do they have Oreo that looks like Mr. Popo? Not yet. Mr. Popo's probably one of the funniest names in anime, bro, to be honest with you. I think so.
00:17:52
Speaker
Oh man, that's hilarious. Okay. All right. Well, appreciate that. Come on. Could you let us know what anime are you most excited for this year or just in general? Uh, well, in general, my answer will predominantly be Vin Vinland saga whenever that, uh, next season decides to drop because that is quickly become one of my favorite. Amen. Long lived orphan.
00:18:19
Speaker
Right. Like he, I just, I need to see him grow up and become a monster because we've been witnessing like the roughest training arc you could possibly imagine. Cause he's still young. Like he's a child. Like you are like, well, he's killed more people in his childhood than like most people have in like an entire war. Like this nigga is lethal and I need to see him. I need to see the final product. But watching Tokyo Revengers, he hasn't killed more than Mikey.
00:18:46
Speaker
Mikey is a monkey. I'll give him that. But I got Thorfinn whooping Mikey's ass if I'm being honest with you. Like, that's just the one. I agree. You saw how many kicks that man took to the head and a steel plate, and he still stood up. I think Thorfinn. I'll take him, Mikey. And he's going to keep his coat on. Against Thorfinn? I don't think Thorfinn gets Pash Drago.
00:19:13
Speaker
Do you see his uncle I know his uncle was his uncle went easy on him. He let him take a finger
00:19:25
Speaker
You didn't know what you were about to tell me that he would lose to Mikey. I would say what I said. Also, Thorfinn can take care of himself. These little kids go home to Mommy at the end of the day, and this is his job. I mean, they go home. They have a cushy upbringing. Thorfinn was raised in, he actually was raised in savagery. I feel like he has to have a little bit more grit to him than Mikey and all his crew.
00:19:55
Speaker
Sorry, come again about Thorfinn? Yeah, so I was just saying that Thorfinn literally grew up outside in the savage world. He grew up just taking care of himself and
00:20:17
Speaker
fending for himself, being independent, knowing how to scavenge and find food and just be an independent human. Whereas these little kids literally go back home to mommy every single day. They have to go home, they get taken care of, they go to school. It's a different lifestyle. I feel like that's why Thorfinn is
00:20:38
Speaker
would easily stomp Mikey in his crew. Now, OK, let me let me backtrack. I probably won't say easily, but I think that Gorphin is going to be way more resourceful and weathered to be able to maintain, like to go longer than than these little kids, especially if you take them out of the gang setting and just go one for one. Come on, what you got to say? All I got to say is.
00:21:05
Speaker
drop Thorfinn in the school, everybody gone die. That's all I got to say. I don't care. First of all, give Thorfinn his two daggers, finito, OK? That's what I was about to say. Assuming Thorfinn has fucking weapons. Even without him, drop him in there. Man, he's resourceful enough. Yeah, he could turn the pencils into weapons. He just knows how to make anything around him useful.
00:21:33
Speaker
This nigga is literally a student of the school of hard knocks. All he's been doing for his entire childhood, the son of the best warrior on the planet, mind you, is killing people. This nigga is experienced. Yeah, but he still hasn't got himself out of his slavery, so I don't know what he's doing. His slavery? Yeah. He was literally born in the darkness, and they really adopted him. Right.
00:22:03
Speaker
He was born in it. Mom didn't buy it. I love that scene. That's the perfect voice for it, Kawhi. OK. Did you guys see what you're forward to outside of the last saga?
Anticipated Anime Releases
00:22:23
Speaker
Oh, man. My hero academia, of course. I love that show. I absolutely, positively love that show.
00:22:31
Speaker
And I'm a little, this one's late. So, but I need to watch the moving train, Demon Slayer movie. So I'm gonna pick that up soon. Please do, man. I watched it in theaters and I cried. Oh, they shouldn't really like ball at the end. Yeah, it's one of those. I mean, there's several points where it just makes you like feel real low.
00:22:58
Speaker
Oh man, I got to bring you up and you're just like, this is a roller coaster. It is a train. It's okay. So I'm not going to lie. I don't know why, but it didn't do that for me. And actually I liked it better having watched it like at home when they put it out in crunchy roll and all of that. But when I saw it in theaters, it was beautiful animation, breathtaking. I mean, the most beautiful animation you'll ever see, like the highest of quality.
00:23:22
Speaker
But I don't know. I saw it in Japanese and English, but I saw it in theaters and English, and I did not like it in English at all. The main character in Goku kind of was irritating. I didn't like it. I don't know. I didn't love that movie. I'm not going to lie. I didn't love it until the last 30 minutes, which I felt like the whole movie should have been about that fight.
00:23:46
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, but I thought that was cool in the sense of Kawan Eramuffs to the extent that you can. I thought it was cool because the last 30 minutes because that's not what you would normally get in an anime movie. What happened for the beginning, how it ended that first part, like that's what you would get in a standard anime movie, at least from what I've seen. And then on top of that, I was going to say that the feels for me came specifically
00:24:17
Speaker
towards acknowledging Tanjiro's plight. Because the dream that he was under, what he had to do when he had to do it to figure out how to continue to scrap, that was pretty heartbreaking to me. I agree with that. Or when he awoke from one of those dreams and thought he was so dreaming, because he didn't. But I think the best part in that, for me, the most emotional seed was just when they finally went to his core.
00:24:47
Speaker
Like when they saw the core of Tanjiro's heart and it was just purity. Like, I don't know, that was just the symbolism there. Just kind of had me shook, not gonna lie. But that was probably that scene and that last battle scene. But the last battle scene was unrelated to the whole first two hours of the movie. So for me, it just was kind of like, okay.
00:25:11
Speaker
I don't know. And I was also kind of sick of the train after a while, but it was beautiful. And I liked it. It just, I wouldn't, I kind of wished I didn't pay for it in theaters. And I wish I didn't see it in English. I would have, it was significantly better to me in Japanese. The jokes hit. I saw it in Japanese in theaters. I did not see the English though, but I felt like
00:25:35
Speaker
that would that would that that fire pillar, the flame pillars voice will bother me in English. Yeah, him and also the jokes like, like the I can't hear Inosuke his voice and his jokes don't hit in English because it's just he's just weird. It's weird in English. Like the jokes don't matter. Don't fit in English. It's too weird. But I love his character. But I I imagine that would be the same because he's so dramatic. Yeah.
00:26:04
Speaker
Oh, man, that's good. Okay. Okay. What else you got, Kawan? Is that it? Yeah, I think for right now. Yeah, I'll leave it there. Okay. Attack on Titan, I'm looking forward to for the new season. Have you seen the first episode already? Attack on Titan? I haven't seen it yet. I just saw what people said about it, but I haven't seen it in myself. Oh, man.
00:26:30
Speaker
Oh man, you're in for a treat. Are you waiting to binge it or are you going to watch it this weekend? I'll watch it. Oh, you should just wait till Sunday and watch it back to back. Might as well. Okay. I'm just telling you that because the first episode ends on the cliffhanger. So you don't have to deal with the cliffhanger if you do it that way. Okay. Yeah, look at that. Save you a little heartbreak.
00:26:55
Speaker
Let's see that. Oh, definitely bleach. Like I'm deaf and I'm looking forward to bleach. We know your stance on bleach, ma'am. Yes. Sir Eisen. Oh, that sounded weird. Oh my gosh. Let's see. Are they going to do SAO again? Sword Art Online?
00:27:22
Speaker
this year. I have no idea. I haven't looked into black clover. Are we gonna get black clover back this year? I really so I look I'm I'm very high on black clover. I'm high on black clover and especially how they ended off the last season chef's kiss.
00:27:41
Speaker
Um, so yeah, I hope we get another season. I think, I think I always heard that I'm not sure there's actually two, but I heard that issue for them was, um, you know, they're past, they're caught up to the manga. So they have to wait until there's more episode, more chapters put out. Um, hopefully we do get something this year though, because
00:28:02
Speaker
Yeah, I get why you wouldn't wanna put something out again, because last time they did a season with just like hella filler, people weren't the happiest, but I think we deserve it. What about Tower of God? Are we getting that? Oh man, how do you feel about Rachel? She's definitely one of the most unlikable characters.
00:28:31
Speaker
I want Tower of God and I want God of High School. You can keep God of High School. Animation was beautiful, but man, that show, that plot was like non-existent. That was the most convoluted plot I've ever seen, ever. I may or may not have watched a couple episodes with a pen and paper to try to figure everything out, but I will say, I will say they box in that show. They box like no other.
00:29:01
Speaker
And I am here. And Dr. Stone, that'd be nice if that could come back too. Do you think it will given how the season two ended? I think there's more to the show than what we have, but I don't know.
00:29:17
Speaker
I don't know anything about the anime or the status of them. I mean, I don't know anything about the status of the manga, so I don't know how close we are to the end, but I would like it. I would love that show to come back. That's another one that I enjoyed that wasn't like supremely popular, but I liked it a lot. That's true. For me, I would add
00:29:37
Speaker
I agree with all the ones you guys picked so far. Definitely emphasis on Jiu-Jitsu Kaisen coming back because, yes, not a single bad episode is absurd to me. I've rewatched it multiple times. Just not one that's bad. I love how the power-ups in there haven't really been individual either. And so when I say that, generally in a lot of anime,
00:30:06
Speaker
like Naruto, for example, he would get all these different types of resangons and he'd be like the next strongest. But it was primarily focused on him and they didn't really ever showcase other people's talents as much. But Jujutsu Kaisen is very different in that respect. Everybody develops their new special moves and they all look equally dope. I don't know. Let's just kudos to them for that. I really like that part. No, I really bang with that. I mean, I also think about
00:30:32
Speaker
just to set up the parallel to Naruto and like that group seven, because, you know, the two guys, the one girl, I think the difference in Naruto is like when Sakura helped, like they probably could have done without her help in most scenarios, like they would have been fine.
00:30:49
Speaker
or at least that's how it like it comes off versus introducing two guys and like the whole team is like equally involved. I love how gritty she is too. Like she's a fucking monster mind you. Like she snapped her fingers and killed this nigga with like no hesitation. I'm here for it. She's wielding a fucking hammer.
00:31:10
Speaker
easily. Just like I'm just I get tired of him like them high pitched like, oh my god, like, I don't know, like the high pitch like and a female anime voice is like, I feel like not enough anime characters as better women are like gritty like that. And I really, really appreciate that.
00:31:27
Speaker
I appreciate her for that too, but I will say I find her voice to be a little annoying still, but I do like her as a character, but she's such a, I don't, I, I've never loved like soon to day character types. I think they're kind of annoying. So like, I, I don't know. I prefer more like, I actually really liked Envy from, um,
00:31:48
Speaker
from, oh no, sorry, I said India. I meant to say Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist. I like that kind of, I don't know, she's cool. I liked her energy. She was a badass to me. Oh yeah, she's a badass. I've been with that. I mean, I agree with you. I think that
00:32:04
Speaker
Yeah, I like that type. I think Maki is kind of that type. Maki. Yeah, I like her better than our girl, to be honest. And I also think that they do a better job balancing kind of the three-man squad in Boruto. I actually think that the three-man squad of Boruto and, man, I can never remember their names fast enough.
00:32:33
Speaker
Orochimaru's kid. What is his name? I am not watching bar, so ma'am, I can't help you. Well, and the girl in that show, his Sakura's daughter, Sakura and Sasuke's daughter.
00:32:47
Speaker
I like her. She is also similar to you, but I like her better. She's more palatable and the balance on that team is better than it was in Naruto where soccer really just did not help that much. I admittedly am team soccer. I think soccer is much more helpful than the community.
00:33:08
Speaker
Pretends her not like pretends her to be like she's a monster She's super strong and her healing abilities like surpassed She surpassed do not in every way at some point So she's kind of a beast like I have to give her her props. I gotta give her her flowers That's cool, I mean like she does definitely deserves her flowers I agree with you. That's cool. I know I mean, I don't know I agree with you. She deserves her flowers. I'm just like, I don't know I take everything with like
00:33:38
Speaker
So the thing that fucked her up for me was, I forgot what episode it was. It was during the Shinobi war though, when she was just like, I finally got on par with these guys talking about Sasuke and Naruto. No ma'am, you have not. And like, cool, you passed Tsunade's powers, which is dope. Tsunade is a Hokage. But remember, she was never the first choice to be a Hokage. So you passed like a very high level person, but like, she's the highest by chance.
00:34:07
Speaker
I don't know. For me, it was just like, I'm not a big fan of her. Yeah. I think my gripe with Sakura is similar to my gripe with Gohan in Dragon Ball Z. She was supposed to be one of the, what's the name of those three famous Shinobi from each generation?
00:34:31
Speaker
Um, like it was Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade. What were they called? Yeah, the three, like she was supposed to be one of the three legendary Sani in my opinion. And she, like, she's not on par with Naruto and Sasuke though. Like, and my, I want, like the female, I always feel like, especially as one of the legendary Sani, she was supposed to be one of those characters who were just like on par. Like, uh, I'll draw a parallel with like, um, fairy tale.
00:34:55
Speaker
I don't know why the fuck I thought of her, but it has like a dumb strong. It's like a bunch of dumb strong female characters that just maintain a certain level of being on par with people. And once they developed the expectation that she was going to be one of those three legendary Sony, then like, she needs to be one of those people who are in the clutch, not screaming, but like whooping ass like she, and I don't think she got that kind of shine.
00:35:21
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I can see that. I don't know. I just think she gets more hate, but she was just really poorly written at the beginning. So it makes sense, because man, she was not likable. But as far as her power level, I feel like we thumb our nose at her for some reason. And I'm like, she can basically take on almost every other character in the show. Almost. What we thumb our nose, it's not that we thumb our nose. It's just like she didn't meet the expectation.
00:35:52
Speaker
And that's fair. I think I can, I can. She's dumb. Strong. I will 110% give you that. Like she's, she's very useful, but like she needs to be throwing up Kobe numbers. Rest in peace. And she's not.
00:36:12
Speaker
Okay, well, I'll wrap up this part by saying the last, the last anime I'm really excited for, which is like not the most popular, is Fire Force.
Personal Growth and New Year Adventures
00:36:22
Speaker
I love Fire Force.
00:36:24
Speaker
I did too. I like that one. I mean, actually, I lied. That's not that's not the last one I would say. I really want a one punch man season three. And I really want Mob Psycho 3 100. But I was like, just stay on fire force a little bit because I think it does not get enough love. I think a lot of people thought the plot of it was a little convoluted.
00:36:50
Speaker
I think it's cool though that everybody in the world has the same power. So everyone has the same similar powers. The people that are powered has similar powers and they tear them off. So you know what's happening. I like something like that. The rules of the universe are very easy to digest. But I will say I get the whole them not understanding the great cataclysm or whatever is not the best look.
00:37:19
Speaker
Season two, episode 18 is one of the best episodes of anime of all time, by the way. Okay. Okay. Now you're a little strong, a little strong. I was about to come, you know, I was about to be, you know, really come for support, but you just said that and I don't, I don't know. I got to kind of dial back that support I was about to throw. You know, I'm used to being out here by myself. It's cold. It's cold during cuffing season.
00:37:47
Speaker
Okay, before we before we debut our new segment, what is something that you are looking forward to most in this new year, Alex? Something I'm looking forward to most in the new year. Honestly, so this is supposed to be my golden year, you know, it's it's a it's a year where you're going right now.
00:38:15
Speaker
But yes, yes, like I, I'm not gonna lie, the last couple of years for me have been real, real rough, like real rough, you know? And so I've been putting a lot of work on myself and just on everything. And so what I think I'm really looking forward to this year is sort of like watching the things that I had planted and been, you know, that have been underground and buried for so long kind of emerge and grow and bloom. I just, I love seeing the fruit come
00:38:43
Speaker
come of the work and the labor I put in. So I'm actually really looking forward to this year. I feel like it's going to be a positive year just overall. I'm just looking forward to that. I'm just looking forward to wins. I love that. I love that. Wins all around. You should talk about them rough. You make rough look good, Alex. Take that to heart. All right, Kawan, what you think?
00:39:13
Speaker
What's you looking forward to most in this new year? I've been just growth in progress and some new seasons that I can enjoy, you know, just just adventures, man. Another another season of adventures. Hey, I love that. Yeah, I think for me, it's
00:39:34
Speaker
You know, making sure I do more for myself, taking time to tap into those creative outlets, passions, outside of work, you know. So it'd be cool, hoping to make that come to fruition this year. All right, so this season, we have a little bit of a new concept, a fun concept.
00:39:59
Speaker
it's essentially a mailbag where we'll post some questions and ask that people, you know, give us their take or propose some questions to us to we answer on air.
Shinobi Time - Listener Questions
00:40:12
Speaker
So we call this segment Shinobi Time. And look, I had to do jazz hands while I said it.
00:40:24
Speaker
Oh, so for the first, uh, first one we're going to do, we're going to answer three questions that we received. Uh, we'll start with the big boy, actually. We're going, yes, go on. We're starting with the big boy. Who is the new big three? So give them a little bit of background before I read the person's full question. Generally speaking, the big three is defined as the most popular manga or anime series.
00:40:52
Speaker
In the past, it was One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. And this was based off the fact that they have high popularity in both mediums of manga and anime, selling its competitors by landslides.
00:41:07
Speaker
So for a lot of anime that we might think of that came out in the same era, the thing that sets apart One Piece Naruto and Bleach is the fact that they did really well in both mediums as opposed to doing really good in one and okay at another. I think you're Hunter Hunters in the late 90s.
00:41:27
Speaker
there was something just, you know, to be fair, in case our you want to cop out, you know, there is an argument that there should be a big four, but that would include the Dragon Ball series in that. But you know, a lot of people, especially in the anime industry, see Dragon Ball, the Dragon Ball series as part of the old guard. So the godfather of
00:41:46
Speaker
the modern anime as opposed to seeing it as the fourth in the big three because it wrapped Dragon Ball Z the initial run especially for the anime wrapped in 96. Then that also includes the run of Dragon Ball GT which is not canon. So the person goes on to say
00:42:08
Speaker
For them, My Hero Academia is the only series that is big enough to have a reasonable claim to be a part of the new Big Three with Jiu-Jitsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer as top contenders, but only noting that they have one season. So what are you guys' thoughts? Do we want to redefine what the Big Three is for us, or do we want to go off of just based off popularity and manga and anime sales?
Debating the New Big Three in Anime
00:42:42
Speaker
Well, I guess it's hard to claim what the big three, like to me the big three were the big three because of their longevity and their staying power too. Like that part, that mattered too. So I feel like in order to include something like jujitsu Kaizen in a big three or include something like that, we would have to, we'd have to kind of almost make some predictions and guesses on how likely we think it will stay at the top or stay really, really popular.
00:43:12
Speaker
But, I mean, I think that definition is fair overall. Like I think that's, you know, having really strong manga and anime sales, definitely, I mean, basically profit, right? Like profit is a way you can kind of identify something as a big three. But what I'm surprised to hear or to not hear out of the list is something like One Piece, which is still ongoing in for that to not be a contender in the big three, even now.
00:43:39
Speaker
I feel like it's the only one that you could probably pull in as a new school, even anime, since it's still ongoing. And also something like Pokemon, like I'm surprised that's absent from the conversation too, because it's super popular and profitable. Yeah, I think the, so based off the question, I think people are talking about like new gen, so maybe that's why they're not considered.
00:44:07
Speaker
I think yeah, I mean, it's just kind of crazy because in terms of profit, if we went off profit, the highest selling manga and anime series in the last year were Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, and Demon Slayer. So, you know, I think for me, when it comes to defining like a big three, it's
00:44:32
Speaker
you know, obviously it benefits me to say this, but I'm like, it's more about what are my favorites or what I think, you know, really defining the culture, moving the culture at that time, just because if we go off what made One Piece Naruto and Bleach the top, those are pretty objectifiable, you know, numbers. You know, it's not really an argument, right? Based just on paper, this is what it should be based off of these numbers, as opposed to, you know, acknowledging that they had a lot of popularity when others didn't,
00:45:02
Speaker
You know, so like a good example I think would be in the last year, we got Demon Slayer, Dr. Stone, Fire Force, Jujitsu Kaisen. And normally when people ask her like, or give their favorites, they're leaving all Fire Force to Dr. Stone, you know. Or even like that time I got reincarnated as New Slime, ReZero. There's just been a bunch that came out that we omit.
00:45:32
Speaker
What do you think? What do you think? Um, so I think that it's, I think it just, I think that the big three should be the three most popular. And so I am honestly inclined to say that the big three are like, I have to acknowledge fire force, but if I'm comparing five or so, I'll acknowledge the big three and then I'll compare it to fire force. Cause you mentioned that in a Dr. Stone in Pokemon. So the big three, in my opinion are Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia,
00:46:02
Speaker
and da, da, da, da, wow, Demon Slayer. And so I think that those three, I think are the most popular, the most generally well received, and they have the best animation, like just why, why, why fall in the other way? I don't know, I think they do, I think that those three shows deliver in all aspects, and so their popularity is well deserved, and so those are my big three. So you're leaving off Attack on Titan.
00:46:29
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. The numbers of the manga sales are there, bro. Yeah, but fuck the manga sales, bro. Attack on Titan is very popular. I wouldn't call it big three material, bro. I got to be honest with you.
00:46:48
Speaker
I would drop it off my big three two. I don't. Oh man. Attack on Titan is good. I think it's a good show. I will say like, again, it's not exactly my cup of tea either. It's a little dystopian. It's fine. But it's super popular. And the way it ended just completely recasted my
00:47:09
Speaker
like from the way the manga ended, just really just dampened the whole show for me. But that, you know, it's still objectively a really good show. Don't get me wrong. Like it's objectively great, but I don't know. And I think also we have to account for what would be considered the big three. I think what the big three also needs to have is impact, right? Cause I feel like the big three really in the original big three really kind of like
00:47:37
Speaker
influenced the next generation of anime that came after it in a lot of ways. And I feel like the way that we're seeing anime, the trajectory of anime going now is sort of similar to that. Like I could see Jiu-Jitsu Kaizen influencing kind of a more dark wave of anime and bringing that more popular. I think even Demon Slayer is a little dark too, actually. Both of them are pretty dark. They have similar flavors to them.
00:48:06
Speaker
from that perspective. And then what was the last one? My Hero Academia, it's kind of like the bright-eyed classic shown in that kind of also feels inspired by Marvel a little bit in the Marvel culture and how that's been so popular in the last couple of years. I feel like, I don't know, I feel like impact. I agree with you that that would be the popular big three would be those three. So I would have to agree with you on that.
00:48:35
Speaker
That's you calling all my Captain America. Yeah, yeah, he's pretty much Captain America. Yeah, I can see that. But he's more Superman meets Captain America.
00:48:52
Speaker
I have a question. Can this nigga fly or can he just jump forever? I'm really confused. The thing that's so funny to me is the comparisons I always hear is Captain America or Superman, but this is Nicki's Hulk. He's like his brute strength. Can I overthink what y'all just very briefly? Go ahead, ponder, sir.
00:49:16
Speaker
If this nigga all might like, cause I watched one of the episodes when like, uh, one of the earlier episodes when, uh, Deku hopped on his back and he was just fucking flying through the sky. This nigga flew for like, probably like 30 seconds. I don't know.
00:49:32
Speaker
Like, how much force would it take to like fly for 30 seconds? And could you put that much force through someone's roof and it'd still be like, what the fuck are these houses made of is my general purpose. I think about that a lot. Why the fuck do these people live here?
00:49:53
Speaker
I think that there's also he can control like the air currents or something because that's one thing that Deku learned how to do is like be able to flick like air bullets at people with his fingers. So I would imagine there's got to be some degree of his power that can
00:50:09
Speaker
creates some kind of like when he can seemingly control control when I don't know the exact anime like terminology for it in the show but I remember him having some ability like air dealing with air forces so maybe that has to do with it yeah I'm just very confused as to the extent of this nigga's power and it blows my mind sometimes hey I'm not mad at it I'm not mad at it well Gilbert I hope that answered your question it probably did not
00:50:40
Speaker
Our next question from the great Johnny Nixon.
Respect for One-Season Animes
00:50:43
Speaker
Former guest, might I add, you know, we love a man. It is why isn't Gurren Logan given its proper respect top five anime ever?
00:50:56
Speaker
So I'm not sure if you two have seen this anime. I've seen it. No. And for me, I think it has to do with a terrible, terrible theme in anime culture where we omit anime that have one season, but that one season is phenomenal. Like, think your cowboy bebops.
00:51:18
Speaker
you know, one season, and people are like, ah, I love it, it's a really great anime, but top ever, I can't put it in my top three or top five. I get it, there is an infatuation with longevity, but if some anime can come out in one single season, shoot, even two seasons, think your samurai shampoos and your anime assassination classrooms, like, those can have a profound impact on you. You know, my analogy for this is always,
00:51:49
Speaker
Hip-hop will always say they love Biggie. Biggie gave us one album. Sure, it was a double album, but he gave us one album and he's still considered one of the goats. Why can't the same be true for these anime? So I think it's under exposure, sir. Kwon, you look like you got a, you got a retort, sir. No, no, no, I don't have a retort. I agree. Well, I don't, I don't, I'm not one of those people who like will write off an anime
00:52:14
Speaker
just because it only has one season. Jujutsu Kaisen's in my top three, is in my current big three and they have one season. It's not really, I don't know. Well, I think it's also tough because there's like,
00:52:37
Speaker
I'm not sure if you guys have encountered this, but when people ask what are your favorite anime, sometimes. So I can go into deeper cuts that I really like, but if I know, they're not gonna know it.
00:52:49
Speaker
So for example, you both know, and our viewership knows, my favorite anime of all time is Yu Yu Hakusho. But if I lead with that, a lot of people haven't seen it. So it's just like, all right, if I really want to extend this conversation, I can mention Yu Yu Hakusho, or I can say something like Dragon Ball, which you most likely have seen, or Naruto, which you most likely have seen.
00:53:10
Speaker
A lot of people haven't seen One Piece, which actually is kind of surprising to me. But also, Johnny, same contributor, mentioned that a good point. The animation is kind of rough. But also, if you think it's goofy, it's hard to pay attention. And that is kind of true because everybody that has these devil fruits, they say stuff. I mean, Luffy says gum gum before every attack. You don't got to announce it.
00:53:35
Speaker
At the same time, you know, Goku has to scream Kamehameha as opposed to, you know, whispering it or just doing it like Frieza does his death beam. But you know, that's neither here nor there. But yeah, I always find it hard like saying saying what my top five is. So I think that's another reason people want a top five that's more recognizable so they can like, you know, relate. That's true. That's a good point. Yeah, that's a really good point. Like, I don't really talk so much about new Yasha.
00:54:02
Speaker
because not as many people are gonna have watched that or seen it, or even Parasite. I loved Parasite. I thought that was such a good anime.
00:54:10
Speaker
Oh, wow. You guys want to hear something really random about Parasite? What? It's very off topic, but I had a nightmare the other night that with COVID going around. Remember that scene when in Parasite, when they had the building locked up where they said all the politicians were, and then people were walking out and had to walk between the scanners and the scanners could show if they were Parasite or not?
00:54:33
Speaker
Yeah. I had a dream that that happened, but with COVID. So you had to walk through these every time. And if it had COVID, people were just jumping to detain you and throw you in a room until you can leave quarantine. Jeez. It sounds like a fucking nightmare, sir. I thought about writing it. I was like, maybe I can make it like Attack on Titan.
00:54:57
Speaker
the people that had COVID revolted, it became tightened. That sounds like, no, I'm not going to do that. Yeah, that is a long thing, because, yeah, we can we can dive real deep, deep cut, speaking of deep cuts into COVID.
00:55:12
Speaker
Man, we can really kind of tackle that one, see where this is heading. Hey, we know that. But yeah, Johnny, hopefully that answers your question. Last one, my man Elijah Smith. Hopefully, Kawan will be able to answer this question one day in the future. But is Shanks coming to Wano?
One Piece Character Discussions
00:55:33
Speaker
So Wano is the most recent arc, for those that don't know, going on in one piece.
00:55:40
Speaker
My answer is probably at the end. So I say yes. I think he is coming, but he's coming at the end. I don't think he's going to be part of Luffy's alliance, this fight in Kaido. So high level, one piece. There are four emperors of the sea. And so it's like, it's big mom, Kaido, Shanks. And it used to be white beard, but now it's black beard.
00:56:09
Speaker
without giving any spoilers. So those are the four emperors of the sea, but based off the previous arc that happened in one piece, Luffy is considered the fifth emperor, but like with, well, like quotation marks, kind of like the last thing we talked about, right? With the big three, some people have Dragon Ball Z as the fourth. It's kind of like that set up. Anyway, so the Wano arc sees Luffy fighting one of the four emperors of the sea,
00:56:39
Speaker
Shanks is part of his lineage. He gave him the iconic hat that he has. So a lot of people are kind of expecting or wondering if Shanks is going to come help him. I think he is going to appear in the arc, but not to help him, but to celebrate with him after a victory.
00:56:57
Speaker
Or if he loses, he still will show up, but to ask for it there to be peace between everybody that's fighting, kind of like he did at the end of the Battle of Marineford. So that's my answer for that one. But, you know, keep the questions, Roland. We'll answer all of them at Shinobi time. Jesse.
Conclusion and Future Themes
00:57:26
Speaker
All right. Thanks, everyone. Thanks, Kawan. Thanks, Alex. It's great being back. It sure is. And, you know, we'll hit you guys with a theme and a topic next time. Later. Bye.
00:57:49
Speaker
Colder than freeze, I'm protecting my own like cocoa and vegeta This is my story, pain in the glory Taking it black, all of my territory Blacker than berry, that's green in the gym Stocker than flesh, deep as the roots in my life It's the truth that I rock with melanin, just get you by, forget Laughing in the face of danger, flexing my guns and I am defeat I am the voice of the night, of all of my people, unleashing the power in me Deep in my genes, this is my destiny This is my legacy, won't get the best of me
00:58:17
Speaker
Make you disappear like Mr. Compress I'm making moves and silence in the shadow like Okage My brother, can you pass me the wasabi Nigga, I'm black as fuck and proud of it I won't be modest, no, ain't no blockin' me
00:58:33
Speaker
I overcome every obstacle Like a rose out of the concrete I accomplish the impossible Like a rockin' bakugo, yeah, I'm unstoppable Still I rise from the ashes Mama taught me never settle And if I can handle all that I got now I'm made for metal Melaninjas Black as my skin, power with it
00:59:05
Speaker
Black as my skin, power with me