Podcast: Yamada’s First Time Retrospective

As demanded by my inner 12-year-old…

A teen girl is on her hands and knees dejectedly by the side of a road. Another teen girl watches her, unimpressed, drinking from a juice box. Along the road is a sign that says "Route 69."

Caitlin, Vrai, and I celebrated the 69th episode of Chatty AF with Yamada’s First Time: B Gata H Kei! Can an ecchi comedy treat its female characters with respect? We’re gonna find out—and hopefully have a (ah-hem) nice time doing it.

Click here to view the show notes and download the SoundCloud file, or find it on iTunes and Stitcher by searching for “Chatty AF.”

If you like the dishes AniFem is serving up, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month!

Podcast: Summer 2018 Mid-Season Check-in

Bravely battling to stay atop our lengthy watchlists!

A screenshot from Planet With. A young woman in a maid outfit and a boy in a silver mask hold out their hands and scream, with lightning crackling across the screen.

Caitlin, Peter, and I checked in on the spring shows to talk about the good (shows with “light” in the title), the bad (isekai slave fantasies), and the ugly (those transphobic bits in Asobi Asobase, OOF).

Click here to view the show notes and download the SoundCloud file, or find it on iTunes and Stitcher by searching for “Chatty AF.”

If you like the dishes AniFem is serving up, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month!

Rule of Three Review: Summer 2018 Anime Digest

Some of these characters might be trash, but that doesn’t mean their shows are.

A teen girl in pigtails says happily "It doesn't smell!"

I took part in AniFem’s three-episode summer check-in post, so I’ll send you over there for all the discussion points. More shows, more voices, and more recommendations for you dear readers!

And as far as sequels go, I’m also keeping up with Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia. Y’know, me ‘n’ 90% of the anime fans out there. Truly, I am a trailblazer.

Click here for the full post on AniFem!

If you like the dishes AniFem is serving up, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month!

Panning the Stream: Summer 2018 Premiere Digest

Some cool new anime to chill you out on these blazing summer days.

A teen girl in a bikini claps her hands together happily. Above her head, in thought bubbles, are images of her surfing, swimming, and scuba diving.

As is the new tradition, I got together with fellow AniFem staffers Caitlin and Vrai to review all the premieres for Anime Feminist and help readers find their new faves.

You can click here for the full digest on AniFem, which includes links to every review. Or you can hit the jump for a quick rundown of the series I reviewed and what’s caught my attention this season!

Continue reading →

Podcast: Little Witch Academia Retrospective

Bringing a little magic to the airwaves.

A teen girl (Akko) grins and points at someone off-screen.

I got together with Caitlin and special guest Miranda Sanchez to talk about the family-friendly girl-power series I fondly refer to as “What if TRIGGER, but without the bullshit?”  I can’t wait to show this one to my kid cousin in a couple years.

Click here to view the show notes and download the SoundCloud file, or find it on iTunes and Stitcher by searching for “Chatty AF.”

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Podcast: Spring 2018 wrap-up

Get comfy. We’ve got a long list of shows to appraise.

Four young men wearing yukata blush and smile at something off screen.

Lauren, Peter, and I run down the many, many Spring shows we watched (at least to the halfway point). HINAMATSURI and Golden Kamuy prove to be everyone’s problematic faves, Lauren and I bask in Yotsuiro Biyori‘s chill vibes, and Peter tries his damnedest to sell us both on Last Period. There’s a good chance he succeeded.

Fair warning: I was about half-conscious for this one and I haven’t had the guts to listen to it yet, so there’s like a 50% chance I just rambled incoherently for an hour and a half.  And I think I ranted about My Hero Academia for a couple minutes? It’s all a sleepy blur. But I’m sure Lauren and Peter are great, so check it out for them, for sure!

Click here to view the show notes and download the SoundCloud file, or find it on iTunes and Stitcher by searching for “Chatty AF.”

If you like the dishes AniFem is serving up, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month!

Glancing Upstream: Spring 2018 Retrospective Digest

Plucking our favorite shows for the season’s bouquet!

An image from Golden Kamuy. Sugimoto and Shiraishi lie on their stomachs, admiring a golden flower poking out of the snow. They are smiling cutely.

While this season was a bit disappointing for me—a lot of shows with potential either never achieved it or actively shot themselves in the foot (‘sup, Amanchu)—I still made friends with a few series, as did the rest of the AniFem staff.

Click here for the AniFem recommendations for Spring 2018! From ragin’ red pandas to laid-back cafe boiz, there’s a show for just about every mood in this batch.

If you like the dishes AniFem is serving up, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month!

Podcast: Ouran High School Host Club Watchalong – Episodes 21-26 (Final)

One last visit to Music Room 3.

A group shot of the cast of Ouran High with rose petals blowing past them

The grand finale of our 4-part watchalong of Ouran High School Host Club with Amelia, Alexis,  Isaac, and your humble blogger! As the series gallops to a thrilling anime-original conclusion, can stunning flashbacks and emotional climaxes overcome a few cringe-worthy moments? (Spoiler alert: Yes.)

Like with the Fushigi Yugi podcast, I had an absolute blast with this one and am so happy folks took this little stroll down memory lane with me. I hope you enjoyed it, too! (Also, since this is my last opportunity to say it: let the record show that, even several years later, Haruhi is Best Protagonist and Kyoya is Best Boy.  Look, that’s just science folks, I don’t make the rules.)

Click here to view the show notes and download the SoundCloud file, or find it on iTunes and Stitcher by searching for “Chatty AF.”

If you like the dishes AniFem is serving up, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month!

Podcast: Ouran High School Host Club Watchalong – Episodes 14-20

Refreshing Points for everyone! (Except you, Lobelia Episode. You go sit in the corner.)

An Ouran high School Host Club screenshot. Haruhi, Tamaki, and Honey look shocked while Mori and Kyoya stand slightly behind them, expressionless.

Part 3 of the 4-part watchalong of Ouran High School Host Club with Amelia, Alexis, Isaac, and me!

The show is all over the map in this stretch, both in terms of locale and quality, as we travel through cute B&Bs, surprise department stores, touching flashbacks, and…siiiiigh. Lobelia Academy again. But hey, at least I got to spend some time gushing about the good good relationship developing between Haruhi and Kyoya!

Click here to view the show notes and download the SoundCloud file, or find it on iTunes and Stitcher by searching for “Chatty AF.”

If you like the dishes AniFem is serving up, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month!

Podcast: Aggretsuko Retrospective

Rock ‘n’ Retsuko.

An anthropomorphic red panda screams into a microphone while a gorilla and a white bird dance behind her. All are wearing business clothes.

Unleash your inner rage panda and join Caitlin, Vrai, and me as we discuss corporate criticism, kawaii culture, dating debacles, and the fabulous female friendships of Aggretsuko, the surprise gem of the spring season.

Click here to view the show notes and download the SoundCloud file, or find it on iTunes and Stitcher by searching for “Chatty AF.”

If you like the dishes AniFem is serving up, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month!