Backlog Dialogues

It's the season finale for Backlog Dialogues, and what better way to send off Saikoroshi than a Minilog about a game for true witches, Undertale. Join us as we discuss the many characters and endings of 2015's smash indie success and summon all our determination to see it through. Plus, bonus heresy as suitable for a minilog paired with Saikoroshi! Oh what fun. This week on Backlog Dialogues, we take a look at ourselves in the mirror.

Its the Maebara show, with our very special guest star, Hanyuu Furude! YAAAAAY! Its time to play the board games, its time for squirt gun fights, its time to meet the club mates on the Godcast show tonight! Its time to put on theories, its time to penalize, its time to raise the curses on the godcast show tonight "Why do we discuss it all here?" "i guess you need to know its like a kind of magic to talk about this show!" "But now its time to start it We're out of time lets start outside of time we start it On the most conspiratal Reckless therical Perfect poetical Smacks Heretical This is what we call the godcast show! [Adapted from the Muppet Show Theme] This week on Backlog Dialogues, we bid farewell to Higurashi When They Cry.

Rika has to make a choice, and the responsibility for that choice cannot burden anyone but herself. Will she kill her mother and return to the world she fought for, or will she live in this world and attempt to improve herself here? Is she a human, or a witch? Perhaps a certain orange haired street magician has the answers... This week on Backlog Dialogues, we accept the world we are in, and bid farewell to witches.

In her search for the fragment that prevents Hanyuu from finding her, Rika's depersonalization continues as she lashes out at Satoko for bullying her. Is this world real, or is the world she came from a fabrication of this world's Rika's sad mind? Rika consults Doctor Yamamoto, setting off a chain of events that leads to both the possibility of this world's Rika finding happiness but also a terrible truth that provides Bernkastel a way out. This week on Backlog Dialogues, we get a little heretical.

Rika has arrived at the 1983 of her dreams, and is riding high off the success. But in her arrogance, she fails to remember the important lessons from train safety PSAs and plays in traffic, finding herself in a nightmare bizarro Hinamizawa where no one likes her and Hanyuu isn't around. Can Rika find her way out of the labyrinth and back to her world again? It's time for the coda of Higurashi, Saikoroshi, and its far more introspective mood. This week on Backlog Dialogues, we talk about being safe around vehicles.

For our penultimate Minilog for this season, we look in to one of the most impactful stories of adolescence anime has to offer. A coming of age tale about growing to become the best person you can be, about the people that change you as you grow and that you change in turn. A tale about the changes one experiences in their body as they grow. A tale about being the most powerful psychic in the world, and how that doesn't make you special. This week, Backlog Dialogues is talking Mob Psycho 100.

We've made it to the end - or have we? As we explore the many facets of Matsuribayashi's post story elements, as well as the anime and manga adaptations of the work, it becomes clear that Ryukishi07 still has a bit more to say in this idealistic fantasy world of his. So join for this penultimate Godcast as we prepare for one final voyage.

It's time to get extremely indulgent in the way only Ryukishi07 (and Backlog Dialogues) can get in a finale. The longest chapter in all of When They Cry, a massive epic of big goonies energy and hype. We follow the Hinamizawa School Board Game Club as they enact Operation 48 Hours, throwing Takano Miyo and the Mountain Dogs for a loop. This week on Backlog Dialogues, the Festival is here. And you don't watch a festival. You enjoy it.

Alternate Episode Title: Furude's Eleven It's time to plan a heist! The club prepares for the fight of their lives, for the sake of Hinamizawa and everyone who lives in it! But before we can do that, a bit more movement of pieces along the game board is required. Ooishi's character arc hits its finale in one of the best scenes in all of Higurashi, and the hype builds as we go through this penultimate section of Matsuribayashi, in preparation for tomorrow's festival! (For bonus fun, here's a link to the insane house on Zillow that we can't stop laughing about in this episode: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1201-Marble-Way-Boca-Raton-FL-33432/87660584_zpid/)

Alternate Episode Title: Rika Explains it All We have left the realm of the gods and return to the realm of man, and we brought a really cute god with us! The club gets to know Hanyuu, and Hanyuu learns that Rika has forgotten all the stuff she needed to remember. Guess it's time to speedrun everyone's character development in this final world so that we can turn the tables on Takano Miyo... but first, we need to find out what her deal is, anyway.

As we cross the vast seas of possibilities, the winds shift around us. Whether it is a tailwind giving us support, or a headwind buffeting us and hindering our progress, these shifting winds help determine our course, our fate. What risks we take, what chances we see, and how we sail with the wind determine our fate, and our existence. With these thoughts, we close our discussions on Connecting Fragments, and chart the path to the true Matsuribayashi. This week on Backlog Dialogues, we set up the game board.

As a person lives, they take on many burdens in their life. Whether it's as simple as a watermelon too big to take home on a bike, as thoughtful as a large teddy bear as a birthday present, or as complex and hindering as the weight of ones sins, that person needs to let themselves accept the help of others, for no burden is so easy that anyone can bear them alone. Unless you're Takano Miyo, and are completely ignoring all the burdens you're building up in mad pursuit of your goal. This week, we help each other take the load off.

Fifty fragments lay before you. Within each, a morsel of knowledge to build the understanding needed to reach the ideal June 1983. It will be a long process to sift through them all. Which is why we need to do this in three parts. Sorry. This week, we cover the first seventeen fragments of Connecting Fragments, Ryukishi07's bizarre TIPS minigame that stands between us and the true Matsuribayashi, and look at the themes of the rot at the heart of the village that creates the circumstances that allow for a bad actor to appear and potentially destroy it.

The Mastermind has been revealed, and her god complex laid bare. With her unbreakable certain willpower, she is forcing the inevitable murder of Furude Rika, and the destruction of Hinamizawa. She wants nothing more than to tear god from his throne and be revered above all else. Truly, she is a monster for the ages... right? Would it make you happier if she had a good reason? A thousand little tragedies build upon each other to create big tragedies. Nothing happens in a vacuum. There are no good people, and there are no bad people. There are, however, bad ideas, and bad ideas can linger for generations. This week, we look at the tragic life of a brave woman who stood in defiance of a cruel god that tests people with tragedy, and the seemingly innocent bad idea that led her to become the one who would destroy a village...

We're going more obscure with this minilog as we explore the 2013 cult classic anime Gatchaman Crowds and its 2015 sequel season Gatchaman Crowds Insight. We look at this history of the Gatchaman franchise and Tatsunoko Productions in general before we start discussing this strange, political, and highly prescient twist on the Superhero story, where protagonist Hajime Ichinose sets the rules and deals with internet trolls awakening individual will and friendly orange aliens granting sentience to the collective subconscious. And most importantly of all, we explore what it means to be a hero in a complex society based around the liberal democratic ideal of building consensus, as well as the dangers of populism and going with the flow. Yeah, it's THAT kind of series. Watch it!

We've made it to the end of the penultimate arc of Higurashi When They Cry. With this, all things have been revealed, and we are left to discuss the aftermath. As we prepare to go to the final world, we consider how Minagoroshi has been adapted, and discuss the greater context within When They Cry in the spoiler filled postcredits discussion. Where can we go from here?

Will. The power of the individual to influence people and events. This has been at the core of Rika's cruel fate all this time. As she has seen her friends muster the collective will to save Satoko, she too has found her own strength of will to defy her death once more. But even the collective willpower of a village may not be able to overcome a will forged with certain conviction. A will backed by a far greater power than a single village will crush all beneath it. It would take a miracle for one to survive against such a force. A miracle backed by an equivalent amount of will. This week on Backlog Dialogues, we confront the true Will behind the tragedy.

Politics. The science and art of convincing others to do what you want them to. For many, it's a dirty word, a thing to be avoided. But if you want to save the life of a child, if you want to change the nature of a village, if you want to tear through fate itself, it is a skill one must master. But even more important than mastering the skill is knowing who to use the skill on. To save Satoko, Keiichi must convince the head of the village herself to change her mind... This week on Backlog Dialogues, we bring the greatest challenge to its end.

Humans are weak on their own. No single person has all the answers. People need to turn to each other for support, no matter what. As Keiichi and Friends discover, it takes many voices speaking in unison to get the gears of society turning. With a simple marching tune, they raise a chorus to defend their friend, and give Rika a fleeting hope once more. This week on Backlog Dialogues, we make our voices heard.

The human heart is fragile, and must guard itself with the armor of hope to endure hardships. Rika has strengthened her armor, as she finds more and more cause to hope... only to have that armor stripped away. As if to mock her, the world has set up hope after hope, just so that it can lead to her deepest despair. When faced with this reality for a hundred years, who could blame anyone that wants to abandon the fight? This week on Backlog Dialogues, we face the harshest reality.

Ah, you're finally aware of where we are. This infinite expanse of possibilities across time and space has brought us together here and now. As we travel it, it falls to us to understand not just what is happening around us, but who is impacted by it, as we are the only ones truly aware of it. You are almost at the truth you seek, but there is still much to learn before it can make sense. Come, let us see the world finally through Rika Furude's eyes, as she repeats the same month of her life for hundreds of years, struggling desperately with one simple question - who wants to kill her? This week on Backlog Dialogues, we find a small hope.

It's time once more for a Minilog, this time covering the first season of the anime Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World! Join us as we go over this time looping isekai that defies the usual expectations of isekai by not being a total power fantasy! We talk about Subaru and his persistent inability to die, and how that does very little to actually help him solve the issues he faces in Lugnica which mostly stem from him having to get over his own shit that he brought with him from earth. 

Another arc, another godcast! This week we look at Ryukishi's impassioned plea to those struggling to reach out, go over the Manga and Anime adaptations, and once more go over what we learned. And for those who have seen all things, in the spoiler section of the Godcast, we discuss the impact of this work on Ryukishi's future writing.

And I face you now tonight, And we'll fight this more than ever And if you only play this right, We'll be playing here forever And we'll only be making us win, Because neither of us will lose Together we can face off at the top of this roof Your hand is right in front of me offering the truth I don't know what to do, and I'm still in this dark, But were standing on this building top and GIVING OFF SPARKS I really need you tonight There's only one winner tonight There's only one winner... Once upon a time, i was saving this town But now I'm only falling apart There's nothing i can do, A shadow's come over my heart Once upon a time, there was laughs in my life But now there's only blades in the dark Nothing I can say, Total eclipse of the heart (Filk of Total Eclipse of the Heart, by Bonnie Tyler) This week on Backlog Dialogues, we tear through fate.

Ninety-nine City PD Ninety-nine Yakuza Meet To worry, worry, super-scurry Call the cops out in a hurry These books are what we've waited for This is it, boys, this is war The Sonozakis on the line As ninety-nine Kyuteballoons go by (Filk of 99 Red Balloons, by Nena) This week on Backlog Dialogues, we reveal the 'truth.'

I went to a nurse Who thought that I was cursed She said it's parasites that are getting me down I went to my friend On who I do depend He said he'd listen to what's getting me down Sometimes that van gives me the creeps Sometimes those gardeners play tricks on me It all keeps adding up The whole world's cracking up Surely I'm not paranoid Oh no no no Grasping to control So I better hold on This week on Backlog Dialogues, we search for the truth.

Somewhere in this little town. Someone's feeling way more down. Wish that made my heart feel sound. Wish I didn't hide a frown. The world's kyutest violin really needs an audience. So if I do not find somebody soon. I'll cut my problems into bits And try to find a spot that fits While hiding in my secret place To keep a smile on my face I know ive tried my very best to once more find my happiness But now i stand upon the stage To tell you how it went this way So let me play my violin for you (Filk of World's Smallest Violin by AJR) This week on Backlog Dialogues, we forgive our sins.

No one knows what it's like To be the bad girl To be the sad girl Behind Kyute Eyes And no one knows what it's like To be hated To be fated to hearing only lies But my dreams they aren't as icky As my heart seems to be I have hours only lonely My love is kyuteness That's never free... (Filk of Behind Blue Eyes, by the who) This week on Backlog Dialogues, we get to learn about Rena.

This week brings another Minilog, with the sci fi kung fu multiverse flick, Everything Everywhere All At Once! We discuss the struggles of laundromat proprietress Evelyn Wang as she tries to file her taxes properly but keeps getting distracted by things such as her daughter coming out as a lesbian, her husband seemingly seeking a divorce, and the entire multiverse deciding that she needs to fight the mysterious omnidimensional supervillain Jobu Tupaki. We dig in to the film's sincere exultation at the concept of absurdism as a vessel for familial reconciliation, and also just laugh about silly things like hot dog fingers and worlds where life never happened but we are rocks.

All Cast Review Sessions may be done, but Ryukishi07 has some things to say to launch us into our first postgame discussion of an Answer Arc! We discuss all that we have learned, and John continues his exploration of the adaptations. From the excellent manga adaptation that elevates the work almost as well as Tatarigoroshi did and an almost good anime adaptation that has a good run for the first few episodes then perpetually steps on rakes as things go to shit, this time it runs the gamut. And of course, it's not a Godcast without heavily spoilery discussions for those who have seen all!

How did everything go so wrong for Shion? As victory over the three families approaches, she finds herself constantly thwarted. By Rika, strangely acting violent. By Satoko, refusing to give in to her torture. By Keiichi, who never gives up on her, even as she claims a demon has taken hold. And by her sister Mion, who reveals the terrifying truth that the three families have nothing to do with the strange happenings in Hinamizawa. Reveals abound in the emotional climax of Meakashi!

The year advances to 1983 and things start to get a little more familiar, as we experience some of the events of Watanagashi through Shion Sonozaki's eyes. It's still different in some places, but eerily similar in others, but with Shion's perspective we get to see her hearing mind Satoshi and getting closer and closer to the truth, guided by her intricate behind the scenes knowledge... and her stun gun. We have watched Shion ascend, now let's watch her crash in to the narrative from high above and see just how much she breaks...

Things take a turn for the worse for Shion, as Satoshi comes under the scrutiny of the law after killing his aunt and she reveals her true identity to cover for him, bringing the wrath of the wicked matriarch of the Sonozakis upon her. Fingernails are removed and old wounds start to open, and she becomes increasingly suspicious of all the murders that have been happening in town while the Sonozakis seem to do nothing. The persistent cop Ooishi and the mysterious researcher Miyo both influence her, but a fortunate encounter with her sister Mion turns the temperature down as we close out the first half of Meakashi.

Shion has a problem. The hot guy she likes is not doing well. He's skipping baseball practice and acting real strange. What's a girl to do? Why, pose as her sister to cause severe damage to her social life, of course! She encounters the peculiar Rena Ryuugu, who proselytizes for Oyashiro-sama as a way to show how much trouble she knows Satoshi is in, and then takes Mion's place at school to solve what's really causing Satoshi problems: a totally innocent and horribly abused nine year old child named Satoko. What the fuck, Shion?

The answer arcs begin with our new Protagonist, Shion Sonozaki! This demon of a twin sister breaks out of catholic school to seek freedom in Okinomiya, no matter what her mafia boss grandma has to say about it! But this tough teenager has a weakness - cute boys with sad puppy faces that like to say 'mmph!' Can she navigate the politics of the Sonozaki Crime Family to get familiar with the hot stud who saved her from biker thugs (not that she needed saving), Satoshi Hojo?

We dive back in to Manga discussions for today's minilog, reviewing Tatsuki Fujimoto's Grindhouse-esque Shounen character study, Chainsaw Man! Continuing the theme of 'protagonists that kinda suck', we are covering the character growth of Denji, Id-driven loon and chainsaw monster. As we look over the Public Safety arc, we dig in to just why he works as an anti-hero, as well as which devils give us the jibblies....

The final godcast of the question arcs marks a turning point. For the last time, we go through an all cast review, as Shion stages a rebellion, which can only be countered by the dumbest antics imaginable. John goes through the interesting choices of adaptation made by the manga (including some rather unfortunate ones) and even has praise for the anime for once. And as always, for those who have seen all truths, the spoiler discussion awaits...

We reach the climax of Himatsubushi. Akasaka, fresh off his fight with the kidnappers, is prevented from contacting his wife by Rika, acting even stranger than before. She tells him a vision of the already decided future, and looks to him to see what he might say. How will Akasaka respond? What secrets still remain in Hinamizawa? What should have happened differently? The Question Arcs conclude, when the Higurashi cry...

It's time for an action packed week in Higurashi, as Akasaka shows off his manga protagonist level skills at Mahjong and teams up with Ooishi to take the fight to some kidnappers! We discuss cops, protest tactics, the existence of a tiny Mion acting as a Capo, and figure out exactly why Ooishi is so hung up on the serial murder case in the future. Also, we call in Pete again to investigate another mysterious box. For fun!

Let's start the shortest arc by stretching things out! Lots of stuff is different this time. We follow Public Safety Officer Akasaka Mamoru as he investigates a kidnapping undercover out in the sticks and meets a mysterious girl with a penchant for cute noises and not so cute personality shifts. Can Akasaka find the truth when an entire village is against him?

This time, we cover the 2001 Playstation 2 classic horror game, Silent Hill 2! Our inner demons haunt us as we discuss a game that we didn't even have an occasion to play until this podcast. We discuss James Sunderland as he takes multiple possible paths through spooky maybe hell dimension Silent Hill, dig in to themes of guilt and self punishment, and jump in to more than a few holes as we play the game the way it was meant to be played and not whatever the fuck is going on with the upcoming remake. Is there a good ending? Is James just... bad?

The all cast review sessions are starting to get silly, as the discussions about what's going on gives way to silliness and the promise of a new protagonist going forward! Thank goodness, it was almost getting to be too unbearable to be Keiichi anymore. Then, John gushes over his favorite manga adaptation and unleashes an incredible amount of rage upon the hack job the anime does with this material. And as always, a special gift awaits those who have seen to the end of the story....

Reality is coming undone and weird things are happening. Did Keiichi murder someone last night, or did he spend the festival with his friends like they say he did? Has he somehow gained the ability to kill others with his brain? Can he save Satoko from her cruel fate once and for all? Or is it all for nothing? Once more, the tragedy comes to its head, and this time, the curse spreads farther than any thought possible.

Keiichi tells us in great detail how smart he is as he plans the perfect murder. His descent to being a creature of the night progresses, and he begins to cross paths with other demons... Bang Bang Keiichi's silver hammer came down upon his head Bang Bang Keiichi's silver hammer made sure that he was dead...

The extent of Satoko's situation is laid bare: her abusive uncle has returned, and the club is powerless to do anything. But that's not going to keep Keiichi from trying, as he shouts at his friends, begins to make terrible kidnapping plans, talks to Miyo about her interests, implies that his friend is behind all the murders in the village, and shows us just how far out his galaxy brain can go.

Rena gets philosophical and Ooishi gets terrifying this week, as Keiichi learns more about his new 'sister', Satoko. Things are starting to get gloomy faster this time, as Satoko fails to come to school and the question of Satoshi is way more forward, with Shion pushing Keiichi on what he's learned about the missing boy.

It's Satoko's turn in the spotlight as we go back and start over to have a good old fashioned lunch box battle! Keiichi begins to develop brotherly feelings for the precocious brat (affectionate), and his skill for bullshit hinted at in the previous arc is now given a name in one of the most hilarious (and horrifying) scenes we've ever done on this pod! Listener discretion advised, we do not condone any of the words that weird pervert says.

O, Canada! We don't know much about you, but you do make a fun setting for a very strange tale. We're talking about the original Graphic Novel that inspired a movie, a video game, and a Netflix original series, Scott Pilgrim! We take the time to talk characters, themes, and how being in your twenties just completely sucks.

We join the cast of Higurashi in once again asking, what the hell was that? Are the Sonozakis really a ruthless crime syndicate? Why does the manga localize so many things but not Ritual Storehouse? Will the anime make any improvements over its fumbling of Onikakushi? And will you listeners who have seen to the end of this tale stick around for more? Once again the passage to darkness opens.....

Things aren't looking good. Satoko and Rika are missing, and Keiichi may have been spilling his guts to the wrong Sonozaki sister this whole time. It's a good thing Rena is an ace detective, or this case would never have been cracked. It's time once more for things to come to a tragic end...

Keiichi has a rough one, as everyone wants to know if he saw some people that he definitely does not want them to know he saw. Rena's acting smart, Mion's acting strange, and Rika is talking about cats. Oh, and people are starting to disappear, that's big too. Make sure to practice proper ladder saftey, Keiichi!