The Weekly Stuff Podcast with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman

It's a jam-packed ‘Monthly Stuff' episode for June as we give our first impressions of the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch and react to the latest season of Doctor Who. First, Sean gives us his review of Doom: The Dark Ages, while Jonathan talks about watching the classic Takahata Isao anime Heidi, Girl of the Alps. Then we go through some not-E3 2025 news, including the announcement of a Persona 4 remake and Xbox's first branded handheld, before diving into all things Nintendo Switch 2. Jonathan had the system for about 3 days before recording, and played a ton of games, from brand new experiences like Mario Kart World to upgraded classics like Breath of the Wild. There's a lot to like here, and a lot to talk about. And finally, we break down what the hell happened with this year's Doctor Who episodes, as the series fully melted down on its way to a surprise regeneration and desperate last-minute twist. Time Chart: Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:05:22Doom: The Dark Ages: 0:05:22 – 0:19:58Heidi, Girl of the Alps: 0:19:58 – 0:40:53Not-E3 2025 News: 0:40:53 – 1:20:36Nintendo Switch 2 Impressions: 1:20:36 – 2:24:14Doctor Who Season 2: 2:24:14 – 3:32:18Monthly Ten: 3:32:18 – 3:55:24  Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

Purely Academic continues its new format, with our second episode for May focusing on the month's topic: In this case, we're celebrating the release of DOOM: The Dark Ages with a retrospective on the original PC DOOM games from the 1990s. Over 30 years later, we still find the original DOOM and DOOM II utterly captivating, and we wanted to finally devote a podcast to discussing why they remain such great, singular staples of the first-person shooter genre. And if that wasn't enough, we also decided to torture ourselves by watching the DOOM movie from 2005, starring Karl Urban and The Rock, which mostly has nothing to do with DOOM, but has one kinda-sorta interesting first-person sequence. It's bad. But DOOM itself – the real DOOM – is anything but. Enjoy! Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

Purely Academic has a new format starting this month, where we'll be releasing two episodes a month: One focused on a specific topic, and the other featuring all the other up-to-date variety of News, ‘Show n' Tell,' the Monthly Ten, and more! The latter, which we're nostalgically calling ‘The Monthly Stuff,' is what you're listening to today, and it's a busy one! There was some big video game news with Nintendo Switch 2 preorders and enormous Xbox price hikes; Sean has been playing some big PS5 games in Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin's Creed Shadows; and Jonathan is in charge of May's ‘Monthly Ten,' sharing with us 10 increasingly ridiculous ideas for Nintendo Switch 2 accessories that probably won't happen, but would be very funny if they did. Enjoy, and join us again in 2 weeks for May's topic, which is all about the classic DOOM games from the 1990s!  Time Chart: Intro & Housekeeping: 0:00:00 – 0:17:40News: 0:17:40 – 1:15:02 Thunderbolts: 1:15:02 – 1:28:37Monster Hunter Wilds: 1:28:37 – 1:49:25Forza Horizon 5 on PS5: 1:49:25 – 1:58:20 Assassin's Creed Shadows: 1:58:20 – 2:35:15 The Monthly Ten: 2:35:15 – 3:00:59 Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

This month, we're trying something new by releasing the individual segments once a week, to spread the mountain of content we recorded out over the whole month. And that continues with this month's main topic, where our resident English teacher, Sean Chapman, assigned us a very important reading: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the Great American Novel turning the ripe old age of 100 this month! We discuss the novel itself, along with two of its cinematic adaptations – the 1974 film directed by Jack Clayton, and the 2013 film directed by Baz Luhrmann – and try to untangle why such an amazing book as never produced a halfway-decent movie. Enjoy!   Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

This month, we're trying something new by releasing the individual segments once a week, to spread the mountain of content we recorded out over the whole month. And that concludes with the month's last segment, but certainly not its least: The Monthly Ten, the part of the show where Sean and Jonathan challenge each other to make increasingly ridiculous Top 10 lists. In this month's installment, Jonathan tasked Sean with ranking the Top 10 most unlikely creative collaborations for the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, in honor of the currently airing GQuuuuuuX, a partnership between Gundam creators Sunrise and the Neon Genesis Evangelion vets at Studio Khara. What Sean comes up with will surprise you, and maybe just make you wish to see some creative miracles unfold. Enjoy!   Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

This month, we're trying something new by releasing the individual segments once a week, to spread the mountain of content we recorded out over the whole month. And that continues with this week's ‘Show n' Tell' segment, in which Sean and Jonathan discuss what they've been watching and playing over the last month. Sean talks about the new Like a Dragon game, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, while Jonathan raves about belatedly catching up on Netflix's Daredevil and watching the revival series, Born Again, on Disney+. Sean also reviews a classic anime, Studio Gainax's Jules Verne-inspired Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, and Jonathan gives final thoughts on Dynasty Warriors Origins. Enjoy!     Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

This month, we're trying something new by releasing the individual segments once a week, to spread the mountain of content we recorded out over the whole month. And that begins with a super-sized news segment, in which we break down Nintendo's official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2, an announcement met with simultaneous excitement, controversy, and uncertainty. The price, and the possibility that it might skyrocket thanks to a certain dumbass' Tariff policy, was the biggest news, but the system also turned out to be a lot more powerful and performant than either of us were expecting – and the games revealed, from expected first-party titles like Mario Kart World to surprising third-party support like a brand new exclusive by FromSoftware, look very good. It gives us a lot to break down on this very busy episode! Enjoy!   Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

For March, we've put together a really fun grab-bag of an episode, including a topic segment where we answer a big pile of listener mail from our amazing audience members! Sean and I respond to your questions about our favorite directors, how we analyze art when preparing for podcasts, what we would program if we owned our own movie theater, and much more! In the News segment, we discuss the reveal of instant GOTY 2025 frontrunner Digimon Story Time Stranger, Microsoft's stupid new Project Muse AI initiative, and the unfortunate closure of Monolith, the studio behind games like Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. For our ‘Show n' Tell,' Sean talks about watching Ultraman Dyna, Jonathan reviews the Max original The Pitt and the new Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days collection, and we continue discussing the insanely fun Dynasty Warriors Origins. Sean introduces a brand new segment to the podcast with Mr. Chapman's Book Report, in which he tells us all about John Steinbeck's East of Eden, and for The Monthly Ten, Jonathan counts down the top 10 TV shows that should take a cue from Dragon Ball Daima and transform their adult casts into children. It's a wild one.  Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

It's February, the month of love, and we're celebrating it in style, first by talking about one of our most beloved (and oft-referenced) movies, Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece Citizen Kane, and then by having Sean count down the Top 10 Weirdest Anime ‘Ships he could think of, complete with original fan-fic excerpts for each and every one. We also pay tribute to David Lynch, a filmmaker both Sean and Jonathan loved dearly, after his passing at the age of 78 in January; talk about Nintendo's first unveiling of the Switch 2 console; the rapidly approaching death of the Xbox brand with news of more key franchises going multiplatform; and give first impressions of Dynasty Warriors Origins on the PS5, which is absolutely incredible. Enjoy!  Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:04:25News: 0:04:25 – 0:51:58Show n' Tell: 0:51:58 – 1:34:39Topic (Citizen Kane): 1:34:39 – 2:52:47The Monthly Ten: 2:52:47 – 3:25:18Outro: 3:25:18 – 3:26:05  Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

For our first episode of 2025, we take a look back at the very best in video games from 2024, with Sean and Jonathan both presenting their picks for the 10 greatest video games of the year, a diverse collection of titles including several games we've never discussed on the show before! In our Show n' Tell segment, Jonathan talks about his adventures graduating, moving, and preparing for a new job, Sean talks about watching old Gamera movies and Ultraman Tiga, and we review the Doctor Who Christmas Special, “Joy to the World.” And finally, for The Monthly Ten, Sean challenged Jonathan to rank the 10 best years in human history divisible by the number five, but Jonathan had a slightly different take on the assignment. Enjoy, and come back in February when, after years of mentioning it over and over again on the podcast, we finally devote an entire episode to Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. It's going to be highly educational.  Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:15:32Show n' Tell: 0:15:32 – 1:25:28Topic (Top 10 Games of 2024): 1:25:28 – 4:29:15The Monthly Ten: 4:29:15 – 4:41:27Outro: 4:41:27 – 4:43:45  Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

In this special bonus episode, Jonathan Lack counts down the Top 10 Films of 2024! You can read the text of this episode, and see links to full reviews of every film discussed, at https://www.jonathanlack.com/p/the-top-10-films-of-2024Time Chart: Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:02:38 Honorable Mentions: 0:02:38 – 0:10:54 #10: 0:10:54 – 0:16:12#9: 0:16:12 – 0:20:22#8: 0:20:22 – 0:24:53 #7: 0:24:53 – 0:29:36#6: 0:29:36 – 0:33:12 #5: 0:33:12 – 0:37:51 #4: 0:37:51 – 0:41:35 #3: 0:41:35 – 0:46:02#2: 0:46:02 – 0:49:51 #1: 0:49:51 – 0:56:57 Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

For our December episode, we go deep with Atlus' outstanding new JRPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio. Like Persona 5, the team's previous game, this is a work deeply involved in the political and existential questions of our present time, and gives us a lot to chew on as we break down what is easily one of 2024's best games. In our Show n' Tell segment, Sean gives his first impressions on Sony's PS5 Pro and the range of games upgraded to work on it, Jonathan reviews Square Enix's incredible Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, and special guest Thomas Lack gives his thoughts on Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Thomas sticks around to play a special, very silly game celebrating the music of Atlus' video game library – particularly those songs by rapper extraordinaire Lotus Juice – and for The Monthly Ten, Sean ranks the Top 10 Media that Most Embody Christmas, helping us to learn the true meaning of the season.  Enjoy, and we'll be see you in the new year when we count down the Top 10 Video Games of 2024. What kinds of things do you think we're going to learn next time? Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:12:11Show n' Tell: 0:12:11 – 1:33:03Topic (Metaphor): 1:33:03 – 3:12:05Game Time: 3:12:05 – 3:31:10The Monthly Ten: 3:31:10 – 3:58:51Outro: 3:58:51 – 4:00:23  Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

It's our busiest episode yet, with a giant six-hour extravaganza to get you through the month of November. Our main topic concerns the Gamera Heisei trilogy from the 1990s; directed by Kaneko Shusuke with special effects by Higuchi Shinji, these movies are towering classics of the Kaiju genre, and secretly some of the greatest superhero films ever made – and they're very fun to talk about. For the news segment, we discuss 343 Industries becoming Halo Studios and speculate about the future of the franchise; talk about the end of Firewalk, the studio behind Sony's massive bomb Firewalk; laugh about the bizarre state of Disney's Star Wars movies, and question what the hell is up at Warner Bros. In the Show n' Tell section, we give our first impressions on Atlus' amazing new JRPG Metaphor ReFantazio, alongside thoughts on Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero and Sonic x Shadow Generations, and take a trip to Sean's Beta Corner to discuss Monster Hunter Wilds. We debut a brand new segment, Hey, Listen!, in which Jonathan tries to explain what ‘Brat Summer' is/was to a very confused Sean, and for The Monthly Ten, Jonathan ranks the 10 absolute best gifts we could get Sean for his birthday this month. So yes – it's a busy, silly, very fun episode. And we know it's coming at a not particularly fun or silly time for America and the world, so Jonathan recorded an extra message at the top of the show reflecting on this week's events.Enjoy, and we'll be back next month to dive much deeper with Metaphor ReFantazio, in the grand tradition of our long Persona spoiler-casts. What kinds of things do you think we're going to learn next time? Time Chart:A Few Words from Jonathan: 0:00:00 – 0:19:19Intro: 0:19:19 – 0:40:13News: 0:40:13 – 1:52:12Show n' Tell: 1:52:12 – 2:57:27Topic (Gamera): 2:57:27 – 5:30:08Hey, Listen: 5:30:08 – 5:41:14The Monthly Ten: 5:41:14 – 6:03:22Outro: 6:03:22 – 6:04:21  Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

For the October installment of Purely Academic, Jonathan and Sean embrace the spooky season by talking Halloween – specifically, the recent Halloween reboot/sequel trilogy directed by David Gordon Green and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, with the hosts debating whether these films are muddled messes or interesting revisionist takes on the slasher genre. We break down some recent News, including Sony's controversial unveiling of the PS5 Pro, several new game announcements including Ghost of Yōtei and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and news of Kyoto Animation making an exciting new film and TV series in 2025. In our ‘Show ‘n Tell' segment, we discuss what we've been playing and watching recently, with Jonathan talking about the terrible new Joker movie, his experiences at the Denver Silent Film Festival, and finally finishing Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon, while Sean shares his thoughts on the 5.0 update of Genshin Impact, and we both discuss the outstanding new PS5 game Astro Bot. And finally, in the ‘Monthly Ten' segment, Sean is challenged by Jonathan to rank the Top 10 Anime That Aren't About the Power of Friendship. Enjoy, and we'll be back next month for an exciting episode reviewing the Heisei-era Gamera trilogy, a series of classic Kaiju films we've been promising to discuss for years now. What kinds of things do you think we're going to learn next time? Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:13:20News: 0:13:20 – 1:03:07Show n' Tell: 1:03:07 – 2:22:27Topic (Halloween!): 2:22:27 – 3:56:06The Monthly Ten: 3:56:06 – 4:14:20Outro: 4:14:20 – 4:16:56 Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

For the first episode of this new incarnation of the podcast, Jonathan and Sean introduce (or reintroduce) themselves to listeners by interviewing each other, with a mix of questions equal parts insightful and ridiculous. Then for our first ‘Show ‘n Tell' segment, we discuss what we've been playing and watching recently, with Sean discussing HoYoverse's Zenless Zone Zero and his ongoing adventures with Ultraman, while Jonathan shares his thoughts on the recently localized Tsukihime remake and what it was like seeing a LiSA concert film in an American theater. And finally, for the debut of our new ‘Monthly Ten' segment, Jonathan ranks the 10 best episodes of our previous podcast, The Weekly Stuff, and challenges Sean to make a very strange top 10 list for next month. Enjoy, and we'll be back Friday, October 4th for an exciting episode reviewing the recent David Gordon Green Halloween trilogy. What kinds of things do you think we're going to learn next time? Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:07:15Topic – (re)Introducing Ourselves: 0:07:15 – 1:58:33Show n' Tell – Zenless Zone Zero, Tsukihime, Ultraman 80 & More: 1:58:33 – 2:40:45The Monthly Ten: 2:40:45 – 3:02:14Outro: 3:02:14 – 3:04:54  Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

The Weekly Stuff Podcast may be dead, but that doesn't mean we are! Sean and Jonathan are here for a quick update to remind you that we're working on the next incarnation of the show behind the scenes, and announcing its premiere in September! Jonathan also tells you all about the new subscriptions at his site, www.JonathanLack.com, where you can get weekly classic film reviews and more! There is a lot of exciting stuff coming from us in the final months of 2024, including the end of Japanimation Station Season 4, and in this short check-in, we tell you what to expect and when. Read all of Jonathan's past and future writing at Fade to Lack https://www.jonathanlack.com Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation   

For our 500th episode, we've prepared one of the biggest and best podcasts we've ever made. Following up on episode 499, where we counted down our favorite anime opening themes, our main topic today is our Top 10 Favorite Anime Ending Themes, and this one is even more exciting, with endings from shows like Dragon Ball, Haruhi Suzumiya, multiple Gundam shows, Clannad, and more tugging at our heartstrings and contributing massively to our connection with each of these great shows. Sean and Jonathan also talk about playing the Persona and Like a Dragon games the other person was playing a few months ago, recap this week's surprisingly packed Nintendo Direct, and review the final episodes of the new Doctor Who season, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” and “Empire of Death.” There's also a very exciting surprise announcement about the future of the podcast, and our in-house composer Thomas Lack has not only helped us produce a spectacular opening song, but written a brand new anime-style end theme for The Weekly Stuff itself you'll get to see at the end of the show! Enjoy!Time Chart:Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:02:57 Intro: 0:02:57 – 0:12:19Stuff: 0:12:19 – 1:18:45Nintendo Direct News: 1:18:45 – 1:48:17Top 10 Anime Endings: 1:48:17 – 4:55:00Special Announcement: 4:55:00 – 5:04:14Doctor Who Finale: 5:04:14 – 5:56:59Final Thoughts: 5:56:59 – 6:46:56Ending Theme: 6:46:56 – 6:50:34Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

This month, The Weekly Stuff Podcast is reaching its 500th episode, and we're celebrating with two massive episodes counting down our Top 10 Favorite Anime Opening & Ending Themes. The former is the main topic of today's show, as Sean and Jonathan share their respective 10 favorite Anime Openings, from obvious favorites like Dragon Ball Z andNeon Genesis Evangelion, to deeper cuts including Maison Ikkoku and Patlabor. It's an extremely fun countdown, with a few big surprises along the way, and it's only one part of this massive, 5-hour episode! We also review the latest two episodes of Doctor Who, “Dot and Bubble” and “Rogue,” talk about recent games we've been playing and movies we've been watching, and break down a bit of news from the Xbox event at Not-E3 2024. Enjoy, and be sure to come back in two weeks for our landmark 500th episode, where we'll be counting down the Top 10 Anime Endings, reviewing the Doctor Who season finale, and making a big announcement about the future of the podcast! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:07:30Stuff: 0:07:30– 0:57:34Not-E3 2024 News: 0:57:34 – 1:20:22Our Top 10 Anime Openings: 1:20:22 – 4:23:52Doctor Who S14E5-6: 4:23:52 – 5:16:09Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

After many months and hundreds of hours of play, Sean and Jonathan have finally both finished Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second installment in Square Enix's remake trilogy, and … we didn't really like it. So today, we're going to tell you why, diving into a game that starts out promising but turns out to be a very flat, frequently frustrating, extraordinarily long experience that ends with an unbelievably frustrating series of narrative decisions. We also review the latest episodes of Doctor Who – “Boom” and “73 Yards” – and talk a little bit about Furiosa and some recent books we've been reading. Enjoy, and be sure to listen to the end to hear all about our big plans for the very special episodes 499 and 500! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:05:26Stuff: 0:05:26 – 0:34:52Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: 0:34:52 – 2:43:04Doctor Who: 2:43:04 – 3:23:07Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Doctor Who returned this week for its new season (Series 14, Season 1, or Season 40, depending on who you ask), the first full run starring Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor and Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday. And the first two episodes were a ton of fun, particularly the formally off-the-wall “The Devil's Chord,” which proves returning showrunner Russell T Davies is taking the show in a very different direction than anything we've seen before! But before that, we have to talk about the awful news from Xbox, where we learned Microsoft's game division is closing two beloved studios: Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. It continues a terrible trend from Xbox that keeps pushing the console maker in worse and worse directions, the culmination of a long series of frustrations we've been tracing for most of the lifespan of this podcast.Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:06:58Stuff: 0:06:58 – 0:24:18Xbox News: 0:24:18 – 1:06:27Doctor Who Reviews: 1:06:27 – 2:37:19Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Jonathan had a very exciting week as The Criterion Collection published an essay he wrote on Makoto Shinkai, thus checking off a major bucket list item, while Sean had an extremely boring week administering standardized tests to high schoolers and showing them the 2011 animated not-a-classic, Gnomeo & Juliet. We talk about both of those experiences, share some more thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and finally hear Jonathan gush about the 1997 Berserk anime, now on Blu-ray from Discotek, which we will definitely have to do an episode on in the future. Enjoy! Read Jonathan's Criterion essay here - https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8453-thoughts-transcending-time-and-distance-makoto-shinkai-s-voices-of-a-distant-starSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

In one of the grab-baggiest grab bag episodes we've ever recorded, Sean reviews a bunch of anime including Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Solo Leveling, and The Dangers in My Heart, and talks about playing through all the DLC forDragon Ball Z: Kakarot; Jonathan gives his thoughts on Netflix's outstanding new drama Ripley and talks about finally getting his hands on the premium Game Boy device, the Analogue Pocket; and finally, we both give our initial impressions of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Sean after playing the first few hours, Jonathan after playing the first 40 hours, but neither of us anywhere near completing this mammoth second chapter of the Remake project.Enjoy! Time Chart:Into & Housekeeping: 0:00:00 – 0:06:02Talkin' Anime: 0:06:02 – 0:48:53Talkin' Ripley & Netflix: 0:48:53 – 1:11:17Dragon Ball Z Kakarot DLC: 1:11:17 – 1:31:36Analogue Pocket: 1:31:36 – 1:58:58Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: 1:58:58 – 2:57:00Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

We're back with a jam-packed episode covering lots of games, anime, and more! Sean and Jonathan have finally finished the massive 100-hour JRPGs both have been playing – Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Persona 3 Reload – and give final reports on both of those. But we also discuss the leaked specs for Sony's upcoming PS5 Pro, discuss the new Sand Land anime based on the manga by Akira Toriyama, hear travel stories from Jonathan about a recent trip to Boston, and get details from Sean on his latest Ultraman adventures! Enjoy! Time Chart:Into & Housekeeping: 0:00:00 – 0:06:27Stuff: 0:06:27 – 0:57:56PS5 Pro News: 0:57:56 – 1:25:44Persona 3 Reload: 1:25:44 – 1:58:16Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth: 1:58:16 – 2:23:24 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, and illustrator of the Dragon Quest franchise, passed away this week at the age of 68. His influence on our lives, like those of millions around the world, has been incalculable, so we're devoting today's entire show to discussing his incredible body of work and the way it changed anime, manga, video games, and global popular culture. We discuss how we first discovered Dragon Ball, why he was such a peerless mangaka, read some of the statements that have poured in from other manga authors and Dragon Ball collaborators, and respond to some listener comments. And after that, we bring back a segment from 2022 in which Sean and Jonathan rank all the story arcs in the Dragon Ball franchise, giving us a chance to dive into and celebrate his most famous work.  Enjoy. Time Chart: Remembering Akira Toriyama: 0:00:00 – 2:12:07Ranking Dragon Ball Story Arcs: 2:12:07 – 3:10:45 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

After weeks of breathless speculation, Xbox unveiled some relatively minor details about the multiplatform future vision of the brand, which prompts us to have an in-depth conversation about where Xbox is going and why the current strategy feels at odds with their oft-stated long-term goals. We also discuss Marvel's unveiling of their new Fantastic Four cast, Jonathan talks about watching Solo Leveling and playing Modern Warfare III, and we conclude with a check-in on the giant JRPGs we're both playing, Persona 3 Reload and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:07:43Stuff: 0:07:43 – 0:24:34Fantastic Four News: 0:24:34 – 0:45:21Xbox & Gaming News: 0:45:21 – 1:35:20Persona: 1:35:20 – 1:46:32Like a Dragon: 1:46:32 – 2:10:51Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Superhero movies are quickly becoming a dead genre in Hollywood, as evidenced by this weekend's coldly-unanticipated release of Madame Web, so we thought we'd bid the genre the farewell it deserves by recycling a segment from our 10th Anniversary Podcast in 2022, where we counted down each of our 10 favorite superhero movies of all time! Though this was recorded a year-and-a-half ago, almost nothing of note in the genre has come out since, so this still more or less reflects our general thoughts, and can serve as a nice auditory headstone over the grave of superhero cinema. These were the good ones, and we may never see their like again. Enjoy! Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Today's episode is wall-to-wall packed with exciting stuff, as we give first impressions on Persona 3 Reload and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Jonathan explains why you should avoid Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Sean dips his toes in Palworld, and we discuss some anime we caught up on over winter break including Spy x Family and One Piece. We also dive into recent news including the catastrophic series of video game industry layoffs throughout January and, more happily, the announcement of the original Fate/stay night visual novel finally being localized in English later this year. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro/Housekeeping: 0:00:00 – 0:16:26Talkin' Anime: 0:16:26 – 0:52:41Talkin' Tolkien: 0:52:41 – 1:01:04News: 1:01:04 – 1:30:11Fate/Samurai Remnant: 1:30:11 – 1:41:19Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown: 1:41:19 – 1:58:01Palworld: 1:58:01 – 2:05:11Persona 3 Reload: 2:05:11 – 2:28:50Like a Dragon: 2:28:50 – 3:05:35Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

This Friday sees the release of Persona 3 Reload, the remake of one of our very favorite video games ever made, and to celebrate, we're resurrecting a segment from our 10th Anniversary Podcast in 2022, where Sean, Jonathan, and special guest star Occasional Thomas watched and reviewed the first part of Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade, the stage play adaptation of the game from 2014. “Weird” is definitely the operative word here, as this is a very quirky theatrical (and musical!) adaptation of an already bizarre game, but it makes for a very interesting conversation, one we're excited to present as a standalone episode for the first time! Enjoy! Link to Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade YouTube Fansubs - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiy1WLTm7y8wFxkRdzycpHRZ0QNNYnkUX&si=gn2ZCs5qrKeDVCfQSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

The time has come, once again: Sean and Jonathan are here to count down the Top 10 Video Games of 2023, in what was one of the most densely packed years for great games we've experienced in a long time. Both hosts present their own Top 10 lists, recapping some games we've sung the praises of before – like Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, and Final Fantasy XVI – and discussing some surprise entries we haven't mentioned until now. It's a really fun episode that highlights just how many great experiences we had in the world of video games this year, and leaves us refreshed and excited for what's to come in 2024! Enjoy! Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

The New Year and the THIRTEENTH SEASON of The Weekly Stuff Podcast (whoa!) begins with a lot of catch-up on what we've been doing over the holidays – playing Alan Wake II and Pokémon, watching anime, and more – and our review of the Doctor Who Christmas special, “The Church on Ruby Road.” Introducing us to Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as new companion Ruby Sunday, this Christmas-day extravaganza was a blast, with amazing creature effects, outstanding performances, and a full-blown musical number. It's a great way to ring out 2023, kick off 2024, and start a new year of the podcast!  Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:09:46Sean's Remedy Adventures: 0:09:46 – 0:39:53Jonathan's Stuff & Anime Talk: 0:39:53 – 1:07:36Doctor Who: 1:07:36 – 2:13:24Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

In this special bonus episode, Jonathan Lack counts down the Top 10 Films of 2023! You can read the text of this episode, and see links to full reviews of every film discussed, at https://www.jonathanlack.com/p/the-top-10-films-of-2023Time Chart: Intro: 0:00:00 - 0:03:18 Leftovers: 0:03:18 - 0:05:01 Honorable Mentions (#20-#11): 0:05:01 - 0:17:29 #10: 0:17:29 - 0:19:57 #9: 0:19:57 - 0:22:23 #8: 0:22:23 - 0:25:11 #7: 0:25:11 - 0:27:48 #6: 0:27:48 - 0:34:40#5: 0:34:40 - 0:36:52#4: 0:36:52 - 0:39:30 #3: 0:39:30 - 0:41:54 #2: 0:41:54 - 0:44:16 #1: 0:44:16 - 0:48:59Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms: https://weeklystuffpodcast.com Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.com Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/  

The 60th anniversary mini-season of Doctor Who has come to a rousing and surprising close with “The Giggle,” with David Tennant and Catherine Tate facing down Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker, and the expected regeneration into Ncuti Gatwa going in some unexpected directions. It's a fantastic episode of Doctor Who that makes the most of its very big swings, and gives us a lot to talk about as we break down how this episode both serves as something of a ‘series finale' for modern Who while launching a bold new era to come. Sean talks about playing Alan Wake Remastered, we discuss the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer, and Jonathan briefly discusses Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron – you can read his review at JonathanLack.Com – before diving into the Doctor Who spoilers. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:35:33Doctor Who, “The Giggle”: 0:35:33 – 2:31:25 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Godzilla Minus One & Doctor Who Special 2 Reviews | The Weekly Stuff Podcast #485 It's a very enthusiastic week here on the podcast as we not only get to talk about another great new Doctor Who episode, but an even greater new Godzilla movie! The first live-action Godzilla film by Toho in seven years, Godzilla Minus One is of the finest films in the franchise's 70-year-history, a rousing period piece with phenomenal special effects and even more impressive human drama. We talk about it at length, and then move on to discussing this week's Doctor Who, “Wild Blue Yonder,”the second 60th anniversary special! It's a wonderfully weird and very creepy story, performed beautifully by David Tennant and Catherine Tate, and gives us a lot to chew on. Discussion of Baldur's Gate 3, Star Wars: Ahsoka, and Super Mario RPG round out the episode! Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:40:32Godzilla Minus One: 0:40:32 – 1:57:43Doctor Who, “Wild Blue Yonder”: 1:57:43 – 2:44:38 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Doctor Who is back! Both in the sense that we got our first new episode in over a year this weekend, and, more importantly, in the sense that we got our first new good episode since 2017! This week marked the 60th anniversary of our favorite TV show here at The Weekly Stuff Podcast, and brought with it the first in a series of specials reuniting David Tennant and Catherine Tate, writer/showrunner Russell T Davies, composer Murray Gold, and more, and the resulting episode, “The Star Beast,” is indeed a cracking good time, and a tremendous return-to-form after the Dark Ages ushered in by Chris Chibnall since 2018. Sean talks about finally catching up with the end of the Chibnall/Jodie Whittaker run at the top of today's show, then we talk about some our favorite stories we've been revisiting for the 60th anniversary, and finally we've got a spoiler-filled review of “The Star Beast.”Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:10:06The Sad, Pathetic End of Chibnall's Doctor Who: 0:10:06 – 1:12:21Doctor Who 60th Talk: 1:12:21 – 1:45:27“The Star Beast” Review: 1:45:27 – 3:18:31 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Happy Thanksgiving one and all! While the main podcast is off this week, we still wanted to give you something to show our gratitude for another great year, so Jonathan busted out a microphone, broke open a copy of his new book, 200 Reviews – available now on Amazon! – and read 5 reviews as requested by listeners! The ones chosen were Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, the latest Fast & Furious film Fast X, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part III, Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and David Lynch's Twin Peaks: The Return. Jonathan reads all of those and gives some insight into the book on this special Thanksgiving bonus episode!Enjoy, and come back Monday for a big Doctor Who 60th anniversary extravaganza! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:12:00Death Proof: 0:12:00 – 0:18:49Fast X: 0:18:49 – 0:30:14Godfather III: 0:30:14 – 0:42:17Nausicaa: 0:42:17 – 0:48:36Twin Peaks: 0:48:36 – 1:01:20Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

It's a giant episode with many topics today, led by an in-depth discussion of Insomniac's fantastic Spider-Man 2 for the PS5. We break down the gameplay and story in spoiler-filled detail at the end of today's show, mostly praising it but also debating whether or not the controversial MJ missions are bad – please take to social media and use #JonathanWasRight (they suck) or #SeanWasRight (they're great and there should be more) to sound off. Jonathan also gives final thoughts on Super Mario Bros. Wonder for Nintendo Switch, Sean shares more thoughts on Baldur's Gate 3, we talk some major Hollywood news including Marvel's latest misfire and the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, and we spend more time than we have in a long while talking about our favorite show, Doctor Who, as we both find ourselves watching through parts of the series in advance of this month's 60th anniversary specials. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:04:35Baldur's Gate 3: 0:04:35 – 0:08:55Doctor Who: 0:08:55 – 0:57:52News: 0:57:52 – 1:40:28Super Mario Wonder: 1:40:28 – 1:49:22Spider-Man 2: 1:49:22 – 3:15:52Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Happy Halloween! Last year, we celebrated the spookiest day of the year by talking about John Carpenter's original HALLOWEEN from 1978, and this year we're jumping ahead 30 years to talk about the remake directed by Rob Zombie in 2007, and its sequel from 2009. These films have a mixed reputation, but they're worth revisiting and taking seriously. The 2007 remake is trying to be two movies at once and never really coheres, but the 2009 sequel – especially in its Unrated Director's Cut – may just be a genuine masterpiece, a truly powerful depiction of PTSD and the way trauma can swallow a person whole. Zombie is a real auteur, a singular filmmaker with a compelling voice, and these films are worth engaging with on that level alone. We also talk about Sean's recent experiences catching up on Doctor Who and Jonathan's October adventures binging all 10 Saw movies (and ranking them over on JonathanLack.Com). Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:04:30Doctor Who: 0:04:30 – 0:25:07Saw: 0:25:07 – 0:40:16Rob Zombie's Halloween: 0:40:16 – 1:29:29Rob Zombie's Halloween II: 1:29:29 – 2:46:13Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Two of the most anticipated video games of 2023 launched this week, with Sony and Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 for the PS5 and Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Nintendo Switch. We've been extremely excited for both, and so far, they haven't disappointed. We give initial spoiler-free impressions of both games on today's show, discussing how Mario Wonder delivers a deliriously fun re-invention of 2D Mario platformers and Spider-Man 2 serves as both a compulsively playable superhero game and the PS5's best tech demo to date. Sean also talks about finally diving into Baldur's Gate 3, and we remind everyone to listen to Japanimation Station's Kyoto Vacation,the amazing new season of our anime podcast that just launched last week! Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:06:13Baldur's Gate 3: 0:06:13 – 0:24:43Super Mario Bros. Wonder: 0:24:43 – 0:48:58Spider-Man 2: 0:48:58 – 1:21:00Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

The fourth season of our sister series, Japanimation Station, begins today with the premiere of Japanimation Station's Kyoto Vacation, our biggest podcasting adventure yet! We are taking a journey through the works of Kyoto Animation, one of the most respected and beloved anime studios in Japan, reviewing shows like Clannad, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-On!, Nichijou, Sound! Euphonium, Violet Evergarden, and much more. But before we talk about any specific works, we take a step back and discuss the history of Kyoto Animation itself, because it's a fascinating story stretching back to the earliest days of anime, and one that explains a lot about how the studio came to have the style and structure it is known and respected for. Even if you've never watched one of these shows before, this is a story you'll definitely want to hear, and a great way to kick off our Kyoto Vacation. Enjoy, and be sure to subscribe to Japanimation Station to continue following the season as it continues for many weeks to come! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:02:56Theme Song: 0:02:56 – 0:04:25Intro and Preview to Season: 0:04:25 – 0:40:31Eyecatch Break: 0:40:31 – 0:41:07The History of Kyoto Animation: 0:41:07 – 1:57:08End Theme: 1:57:08 – 1:58:11Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffRead the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comMusic by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Today's episode is all about 200 Reviews, the new book by co-host Jonathan Lack, which contains, well, 200 reviews, mostly of movies, but also some TV and video games, some that have been seen before, and many that haven't. You can buy the book now in paperback, for Amazon Kindle, and as a digital bundle with PDF and EPUB versions. We tell you all about it on today's episode, with Sean interviewing Jonathan about the book's contents, and Jonathan reading eight excerpts from the book, including reviews for The Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man 2, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and more! We also take a look at Jonathan's earliest-ever reviews, from when he was just ten years old, in one of the funnier segments we've ever recorded.Enjoy!  Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:00:30Discussing 200 Reviews: 0:00:30 – 1:12:36Barbie: 1:12:36 – 1:21:34Cats: 1:21:34 – 1:38:13A Christmas Carol: 1:38:13 – 1:45:20The Grand Budapest Hotel: 1:45:20 – 1:55:40The Lord of the Rings: 1:55:40 – 2:03:34Spider-Man 2: 2:03:34 – 2:09:24Star Trek Into Darkness: 2:09:24 – 2:27:19Star Wars Episode III: 2:27:19 – 2:41:01Outro: 2:41:01 – 2:41:41Buy 200 Reviews in Paperback on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKMPX2CKBuy 200 Reviews for Kindle on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CK68K3WGBuy 200 Reviews as an EPUB/PDF bundle at Ko-fi – https://ko-fi.com/s/07bc1a2b39Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

It's a big week with lots of news here at the Weekly Stuff, including Jonathan's announcement of his new book, 200 Reviews, which releases this Sunday! He tells you a little bit about it on today's show (and you can pre-order it on Amazon now for Kindle, with a paperback version coming soon!), and we'll discuss it more next week. On today's show, we discuss the triumphant end of the writer's strike, lots of Xbox news courtesy of a historic document leak, and review Capcom's Resident Evil 4 DLC, Separate Ways, an outstanding extension of a wonderful game that leaves us wanting more from Ada Wong and her awesome grappling hook. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:01:07Jonathan's Book, 200 Reviews: 0:01:07 – 0:11:25Stuff: 0:11:25 – 0:28:53News: 0:28:53 – 1:36:25Separate Ways: 1:36:25 – 1:56:15Pre-order 200 Reviews by Jonathan Lack https://a.co/d/efTM4zp  Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

It's an exciting grab-bag of topics this weeks as we discuss some recent video game news from Sony and Nintendo, dive into a big ol' bag of listener mail, and talk more about two of our favorite games of the year with Baldur's Gate 3 and Armored Core VI. A surprise Nintendo Direct and Sony State of Play give us plenty of video game announcements and trailers to talk about, including our best look yet at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and an absolute avalanche of Mario games from Nintendo, including the long-requested remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Then we answer some questions sent in by listeners, including thoughts on what movies/shows/games our opinions have most changed on over the years, the state of superhero movies and DC in particular, our favorite live music experiences, and much, much more.Enjoy!  Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:01:21Armored Core VI: 0:01:21 – 0:06:13 Baldur's Gate 3: 0:06:13 – 0:30:48Video Game News: 0:30:48 – 1:27:53Listener Mail: 1:27:53 – 2:47:13 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

It's a double-header on today's podcast as we review two very different things from this summer that we both love passionately: FX's Justified: City Primeval, the sequel miniseries to the modern neo-western classic starring Timothy Olyphant, and Square Enix's Final Fantasy XVI, the latest and among-the-greatest entry in the venerable JRPG series. Justified is one of our favorite TV series, and the return absolutely did not disappoint, putting Raylan Givens in a new setting and telling a new kind of story with him, while continuing his character development in really smart, thoughtful ways. Final Fantasy XVI is one of the year's best games, but also perhaps one of its most misunderstood, and in this discussion, we mainly break down the story and themes and why so much of what it's doing has been dismissed in Western reviews and thinkpieces. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:02:25Armored Core VI: 0:02:25 – 0:17:47Baldur's Gate 3: 0:17:47 – 0:23:56Justified City Primeval: 0:23:56 – 1:46:05Final Fantasy XVI: 1:46:05 – 3:05:56Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

We're back after a month away with a “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” catch-up episode, and it's quite the grab bag! Sean gives impressions of some recent video games including Armored Core VI and the 4.0 Fontaine update of Genshin Impact, while Jonathan tells us about unexpectedly becoming a fan of Sword Art Online while researching his dissertation, and walks us through the giant stack of movies he watched over the last week of summer, from a few Michael Mann classics on 4K Blu-ray to the re-release of Park Chan-wook's Oldboy in theaters. More discussion of Final Fantasy XVI and a discussion of the great Arleen Sorkin, originator of Harley Quinn who passed away over the weekend, round out the episode. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:06:20Arleen Sorkin: 0:06:20 – 0:11:30Final Fantasy XVI: 0:11:30 – 0:20:57 Jonathan's Sword Art Online Adventures: 0:20:57 – 0:52:56Genshin Impact 4.0: 0:52:56 – 1:09:01Jonathan's Movie Madness: 1:09:01 – 1:35:51Armored Core VI: 1:35:51 – 1:55:22 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Seven years after Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi lit the world on fire with Shin Godzilla – which we very vocally went crazy for! – the duo's follow-up, Shin Ultraman, is finally available for home viewing in the United States! Sean's been gradually watching through the Ultraman TV shows over the past few years, while Jonathan has only seen a few stray episodes, but we're both in love with this passionate re-imagining of the tokusatsu classic. It's a striking piece of filmmaking with amazing special effects, creative and disorienting camera work, a great cast, and terrific music, giving us plenty to sink our teeth into. Jonathan also talks about his experiences seeing and reviewing both halves of the Barbenheimer phenomenon this weekend (Barbie and Oppenheimer, both reviewed at the new www.jonathanlack.com), and we discuss our continued adventures in Final Fantasy XVI. Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of the other Hideaki Anno tokusatsu film released in the US this week, Shin Kamen Rider! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:06:35 Barbenheimer: 0:06:35 – 0:28:17Final Fantasy: 0:28:17 – 0:54:43Shin Ultraman: 0:54:43 – 2:47:57 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Today's podcast, should you choose to listen to it, is all about one of the finest films of the summer, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Jonathan reviewed the film in non-spoilery details at the new JonathanLack.Com last week, but on today's show, he and Sean dive deep with the story, characters, action sequences, and much more, and while there are a few disagreements, overall we're very much fans of what Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie continue to achieve with this series. Before the big review, though, we also talk a little more Final Fantasy XVI and discuss SAG-AFTRA joining the WGA in striking Hollywood's abhorrent treatment of its workers, in a segment that becomes a larger conversation about what a raging dumpster fire the non-Mission: Impossible parts of this industry have become.  Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:08:13 Final Fantasy XVI: 0:08:13 – 0:23:37SAG-AFTRA Strike: 0:23:37 – 0:49:21Godzilla News: 0:49:21 – 0:56:23 Mission Impossible Review: 0:56:23 – 2:44:41Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

After checking in on all the recent video games we've playing – including Diablo IV, Street Fighter 6, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Final Fantasy XVI – and hearing a very funny Ultraman anecdote from Sean, we dive back into the Weekly Suit Gundam waters with our review of the second and final season of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. This season brings the story to a close with a rousing, jam-packed set of episodes that's darker, richer, and more action-filled than the first season. This is the first mainline Gundam series besides Reconguista in G to tell its story in just 2 cours, but that doesn't mean it's a thinner or less complicated show, as our super-sized conversation in today's episode attests to. With so many amazing characters, stellar animation and music, and a story that revisits classic Gundam scenarios and iconography while also challenging and moving beyond them, Witch From Mercury is a show with a lot on its mind, and a lot to break down.  Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:05:10Video Games (Diablo, Zelda, Street Fighter): 0:05:10 – 0:24:52Final Fantasy XVI: 0:24:52 – 0:39:36Ultraman: 0:39:36 – 0:49:53G-Witch: 0:49:53 – 3:47:35 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

It's a good ol' fashioned grab-bag this week as we prepare for the launch of Japanimation Station Season 3 tomorrow night, July 4th, with the first episode of The Classic Adventures of Lupin the 3rd – shameless plug, yes, but you should totally listen to this new season! Here on The Weekly Stuff, Jonathan talks about going through all the Indiana Jones movies for The Weekly Stuff Wordcast, and we chat about the disastrous new movie, Dial of Destiny. Sean gives first impressions of Final Fantasy XVI and gives continued thoughts on Blizzard's Diablo IV, while Jonathan talks about getting back into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and we also go off the beaten track for an exploration of how out-of-control movie budgets have become, and why Sean is obsessed with Ultraman. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:05:40 Indiana Jones (w/spoilers for Dial of Destiny): 0:05:40 – 0:38:50Movie Budgets Are Crazy: 0:38:50 – 0:50:04Ultraman: 0:50:04 – 1:02:41Final Fantasy XVI Impressions: 1:02:41 – 1:18:04Diablo IV: 1:18:04 – 1:39:07Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: 1:39:07 – 1:58:22 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

The third season of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba recently wrapped up its hotly anticipated third season, adapting the “Swordsmith Village Arc” of Koyoharu Gotouge's manga, and as big fans of the series who have reviewed all the prior arcs, we're here for a deep dive with another amazing season. This set of episodes introduces us to a cast of largely new characters, and is also where the story fully starts to lay out its biggest themes and ideas, before arriving at a pivotal turning point leading to the start of the series' endgame. Before we dive into Demon Slayer, though, we also recap this week's surprise Nintendo Direct, which revealed Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a remake of Super Mario RPG, and several other interesting games, and talk a lot about the glory of Elephant Mario, our new lord and savior. Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:01:43Nintendo Direct: 0:01:43 – 0:40:08 Demon Slayer Swordsmith Village: 0:40:08 – 3:16:03Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.comEnding music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

It's a video game-focused episode today as we continue gushing about Capcom's outstanding Street Fighter 6, Sean gives his first impressions of Diablo IV, and we recap all the most interesting announcements and reveals from June's various “Not-E3 2023” events, including the Summer Games Fest, Xbox's showcase, and more. Is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth shaping up to be something interesting? Is Persona 3 Reload the remake we always wanted? Do we care about Bethesda's Starfield yet? And is Metaphor Re:Fantazio the presumptive Game of the Year 2024? All this and more will be answered, along with Jonathan's thoughts on the final season of FX's Justified!Enjoy! Time Chart:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:06:36Diablo IV: 0:06:36 – 0:14:42 Justified (w/spoilers): 0:14:42 – 0:38:55  Street Fighter 6: 0:38:55 – 1:21:20Not-E3 2023: 1:21:20 – 3:07:40 Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:https://weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.com Ending music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/ 

Hosts Sean Chapman and Jonathan Lack give you a special look at Season 3 of Japanimation Station, THE CLASSIC ADVENTURES OF LUPIN THE 3RD, premiering July 4th, 2023! In this 8-episode season, we will be surveying 30 years of anime history through the exploits of the infamous thief Lupin III and his friends Daisuke Jigen, Fujiko Mine, Goemon Ishikawa, and Inspector Zenigata! From the original anime in 1971 to the “Episode 0” origin-story special in 2002, we're looking at many of Lupin's biggest, best, weirdest, and most memorable heists, learning and laughing a lot along the way. In this preview, we give you the details on everything we're watching and where exactly you can find it! Season 3 premieres July 4th, 2023, and will air Tuesday nights at 7pm CT for 8 uninterrupted weeks. Visit our website and subscribe to Japanimation Station on all podcast platforms: http://japanimationstation.com/Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffSubscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWeeklyStuffPodcastSubscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcast platforms: http://www.weeklystuffpodcast.comFollow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! https://weeklystuff.substack.com“Welcome to Japanimation Station!” Lyrics by Sean Chapman, Music by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku. https://www.thomaslack.comSeason 3 Viewing Guide: Lupin the 3rd Part I (1971) – All 23 episodes – Available on Blu-ray from Discotek, streaming on HiDive (better quality) and Crunchyroll The Mystery of Mamo (1978) – Film – Available on Blu-ray from Discotek Lupin the 3rd Part II (1977) – Episodes 1, 12, 13, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 48, 57, 58, 66, 69, 85, 94, 97, 99, 112, 114, 129, 145, 148, 151, 155 – Available on DVD from Discotek, streaming on HiDive (better quality) and Crunchyroll The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) – Film – Available on Blu-ray from Discotek, and to rent/buy on digital platforms like Amazon, Apple, YouTube, Vudu, etc. Lupin the 3rd Part III (1984) – Episodes 1, 3, 7, 11, 13, 18, 23, 24, 27, 28, 30, 31, 34, 37, 38, 40, 44, 46, 49, 50 - Available on Blu-ray from Discotek, streaming on HiDive (better quality) and Crunchyroll The Legend of the Gold of Babylon (1985) – Film – Available on Blu-ray from Discotek, streaming free (English dub only) on Amazon's Freevee, Tubi, and the Roku ChannelThe Fuma Conspiracy (1987) – Film – Out of print. See Carvioso + Jet Force torrent release for best available version Bye Bye Lady Liberty (1989) – TV Special - Available on Blu-ray from Discotek, streaming free (Japanese with subtitles) on Amazon's Freevee Voyage to Danger (aka Orders to Assassinate Lupin, 1993) – TV Special – Available on Blu-ray from Discotek,streaming free (Japanese with subtitles) on Amazon's Freevee, Tubi, and Pluto TVFarewell to Nostradamus (1995) – Film – Available on Blu-ray from DiscotekDead or Alive (1996) – Film – Available on Blu-ray from DiscotekIsland of Assassins (aka Walther P-38, 1997) – TV Special – Blu-ray out-of-print, streaming free (English dub only) on Tubi; available to rent or buy (English dub only) on Amazon Prime VideoTokyo Crisis (1998) – TV Special – Available on Blu-ray from Discotek, streaming free (English dub only) on Tubi; available to rent or buy (English dub only) on Amazon Prime VideoEpisode 0: First Contact (2002) – TV Special – Available on Blu-ray from Discotek, streaming free (Japanese with subtitles) on Tubi Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974) – Live-action movie – Sail the high seas for this one…