Podcasts about Akira

In this bonus episode, hear more from Zipeng Zhu who talks about his design philosophy and methodology, the importance of sprinkling magic dust on top of things, and why swiping up and down and hoping for the best isn't the best design approach. We also talk about manga and manifestation, creating work that you can touch or work that touches people, and be sure to listen to the end, you'll hear us planning a Zoom Drop-In to surprise an upcoming guest.-Zipeng Zhu is a Chinese-born artist, designer, educator, and founder of the award-winning creative studio Dazzle in New York City. He wants to make every day a razzle-dazzle musical and has collaborated with iconic brands such as Apple, Adidas, Adobe, Coca-Cola, Instagram, MTV, Microsoft, Netflix, The New York Times, The New Yorker magazine, Samsung and Uber. His work has been exhibited at major museums and institutions in cities all over the world, including New York, Barcelona, Dubai, Shanghai, Beijing, and Mumbai. Zipeng dedicates his days running both the Dazzle Studio and merch shop Dazzle Supply, bringing his dazzling design to clients and fans around the globe.https://dazzle.studio/https://dazzle.supply/ https://x.com/zzdesign https://www.instagram.com/zzdesign https://sva.edu/features/sva-creators-zipeng-zhu-makes-exuberant-designs-that-leave-you-dazzled -Amélie (2001)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/‍ ‍-Other movies, shows, and books discussed:Akira (manga, 1982-1990)Chicago (2002)Harry Potter (2001-2011)Naruto (manga, 1999-2014)One Piece (manga, 1997-)Sailor Moon (manga, 1991-1997)Shōnen Jump (manga, 1968-)

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Journey Through the Torii: A Tale of Hope and Heritage Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2026-02-23-08-38-20-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 冬の日、春人は伏見稲荷大社への参拝を決意しました。En: On a winter's day, Haruto decided to make a pilgrimage to Fushimi Inari Taisha.Ja: 彼は祖母からもらったお守りを大切に持ちながら、未来への道を探していました。En: Holding tightly to the amulet he received from his grandmother, he was searching for a path to the future.Ja: 赤い鳥居が続く道を歩きながら、彼は心に誓いました。「祖母のためにも、この巡礼を完了しよう。」En: As he walked along the path lined with red torii gates, he vowed in his heart, "For my grandmother's sake, let me complete this pilgrimage."Ja: 今日は節分。特別な日です。En: Today was Setsubun. A special day.Ja: 春人は幸運を祈り、豆を撒くことを楽しみにしていました。En: Haruto was looking forward to throwing beans and praying for good fortune.Ja: 彼の友人、さくらとあきらもそれに加わります。En: His friends, Sakura and Akira, joined him as well.Ja: 彼らは鳥居をくぐりながら、お互いを励まし合っていました。En: As they passed through the torii gates, they encouraged each other.Ja: 鳥居の道は静かで、冷たい風が吹いていました。En: The path through the torii was quiet, and a cold wind was blowing.Ja: 急に、空が暗くなり、嵐が始まりました。En: Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a storm began.Ja: 強い雨は道をぬらし、滑りやすくしました。En: Heavy rain soaked the path, making it slippery.Ja: 春人は足元に気をつけながら進みました。「このお守りを絶対に落とさないようにしよう」と彼は思いました。En: Haruto treaded carefully, thinking, "I must not drop this amulet."Ja: 雨は強くなる一方で、春人の服はずぶ濡れでした。En: The rain only intensified, and Haruto's clothes were drenched.Ja: でも、彼は決して立ち止まりませんでした。En: Yet, he never stopped moving forward.Ja: 「僕ならできる」と心に言い聞かせました。En: He told himself, "I can do it."Ja: さくらとあきらも彼を応援し、共に進みました。En: Sakura and Akira also cheered him on, progressing together.Ja: やがて、春人たちは神社の奥の聖域にたどり着きました。En: Eventually, Haruto and his friends reached the sacred area deep within the shrine.Ja: 嵐は最高潮に達し、あたり一面見えないほどの雨が降っていました。En: The storm reached its peak, and the rain fell so heavily it obscured everything around them.Ja: しかし、その雨の中で春人の心は静かになりました。En: However, amidst the rain, Haruto's heart grew calm.Ja: 「この嵐も試練だ。僕を洗い清めてくれるものだ」と悟りました。En: He realized, "This storm is also a trial. It's here to cleanse me."Ja: しばらくすると、嵐は嘘のように止みました。En: After a while, the storm miraculously ceased.Ja: 空は澄み渡り、明るい太陽が顔を出しました。En: The sky cleared up, and the bright sun emerged.Ja: 春人は新しい目的を感じ、心が晴れ渡るようでした。En: Haruto felt a new sense of purpose, and his heart seemed to be brightened.Ja: 彼は、自分の選んだ道に自信を持ちました。En: He gained confidence in the path he had chosen.Ja: 「祖母の記憶とお守りが、僕を未来につないでくれた。」En: "The memory of my grandmother and her amulet have connected me to the future."Ja: 「春人、笑顔に戻ってきたね」とさくらが言いました。En: "Haruto, you've got your smile back," Sakura said.Ja: 「その通りだ」とあきらが頷きました。En: "That's right," Akira nodded in agreement.Ja: 3人は微笑み合いながら、来た道を戻りました。En: The three of them smiled at each other as they retraced their steps on the path they came from.Ja: 伏見稲荷の道を歩きながら、春人の心は新しい夢と希望で満ちていました。En: As he walked along the path of Fushimi Inari, Haruto's heart was filled with new dreams and hopes.Ja: 巡礼によって、彼は自分の未来に続く道を見つけたのです。En: Through the pilgrimage, he had found the path leading to his future.Ja: 彼はもう迷わないと決めました。En: He resolved never to be lost again.Ja: 彼の心には、未来への力強いビジョンが刻まれていました。En: Within his heart, there was etched a strong vision of the future. Vocabulary Words:pilgrimage: 巡礼amulet: お守りtorii gates: 鳥居vowed: 誓いましたSetsubun: 節分fortune: 幸運encouraged: 励まし合ってstorm: 嵐intensified: 強くなるdrenched: ずぶ濡れcheered: 応援しsacred area: 聖域peak: 最高潮obscured: 見えないcalm: 静かtrial: 試練cleanse: 洗い清めてmiraculously: 嘘のようにceased: 止みましたemerged: 顔を出しましたpurpose: 目的connected: つないでくれたretraced: 戻りましたdreams: 夢hopes: 希望resolved: 決めましたetched: 刻まれてvision: ビジョンfilled: 満ちてfuture: 未来

We tend to run long, so this tangent from our Starfleet Academy episode was cut out. If you want to hear a little chatter about comics and RPGs, then it's here.

We tend to run long, so this tangent from our Starfleet Academy episode was cut out. If you want to hear a little chatter about comics and RPGs, then it’s here. [ Full Show Notes ]The post Casual Tangent: Akira and Game Design first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

In this episode of the show we are taking our 80s dystopia abroad as we discuss the 1988 anime classic Akira. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us try to understand this dense movie and tease out what it says about Japan at the time and the world at large. We then take a bit of a deep dive to try to learn more about how storytelling archetypes native to Japanese audiences are slightly different to ones encountered in Western traditions only to emerge enriched and a little bit more discombobulated, but nonetheless full of appreciation for this movie. We also discuss the iconic animation style, Akira as a biker movie and whether water has memory. Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Campbell BurrowsHead over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠uncutgemspodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@UncutGemsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), IG (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@UncutGemsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)

¡Bienvenidos oyentes a nuestro primer episodio regular del año! Oruga ha encontrado un misterioso objeto en un lugar indeterminado de la ciudad. Akira se encuentra sumergido en la investigación de una conspiración que conecta a Jeffrey Epstein con Mike Wazowski. Y Grego parece haber perdido la fe en la tierra de la libertad.

El baterista japonés Akira Jimbo es el protagonista de este nuevo monográfico de nuestro podcast. Ha sido componente de la banda Casiopea durante muchos años y tiene editados más de 50 álbumes como solista. Hacemos un repaso de su discografía a través de los temas vocales que en ella ha incluido. Y todo realizado junto a algunos de los nombres más conocidos de la música Smooth Jazz.

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Heartbeats at Shibuya: A Valentine Confession Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2026-02-10-23-34-02-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 白い息が冬の寒さを物語る中、東京の渋谷交差点はいつにも増して賑やかだった。En: In the cold winter's air, shiroi breaths tell the story of the chill as Tokyo's Shibuya Crossing was busier than ever.Ja: 空には大きな広告板が光り、通りはカラフルな人々で溢れていた。En: Large billboards lit up the sky, and the streets were teeming with colorful people.Ja: 今日は特別な日、バレンタインデー。En: Today was a special day, Valentine's Day.Ja: 恋人たちが手をつないで笑い合っている。En: Couples were holding hands and laughing together.Ja: 大学生の蓮は、交差点の一角でそわそわと立っていた。En: Daigakusei (college student) Ren stood anxiously at a corner of the crossing.Ja: 厚手のマフラーに顔をうずめ、手には小さなプレゼントを持っている。En: He buried his face in a thick scarf, holding a small gift in his hand.Ja: クラスメートの明への思いを、今日こそ伝えたいと決意していた。En: He had resolved to finally confess his feelings to his classmate Akira today.Ja: 「あぁ、これが僕の唯一のチャンスかもしれない」と蓮は心の中でつぶやく。En: "Ah, this might be my only chance," Ren whispered in his mind.Ja: シャイな彼は、ずっと前から明に密かに想いを寄せていた。En: A shy person, he had secretly liked Akira for a long time.Ja: でも、明は友達が多く、いつも賑やかで笑顔を絶やさない。En: However, Akira was popular, always lively and smiling.Ja: そんな明に、自分の気持ちを伝える勇気がなかなか出なかった。En: Ren had struggled to find the courage to express his feelings.Ja: 蓮はじっと人ごみを見つめる。En: Ren stared intently at the crowd.Ja: 心の中では緊張で鼓動が速くなっていく。En: Inside, his heart was pounding with nerves.Ja: 「見つけることができるだろうか？En: "Will I be able to find Akira?"Ja: 」と不安がよぎる。En: he worried.Ja: そのとき、人々が交差点を横切り始めた。En: Just then, people started to cross the intersection.Ja: 信号が青に変わり、人の波が一斉に動き出す。En: The light turned green, and the wave of people started moving all at once.Ja: 蓮は心を決めて前に進む。En: Ren made up his mind and stepped forward.Ja: そして、遠くに見える明の姿を見つけた。En: Then, he spotted Akira in the distance.Ja: 明は友達と笑顔で話しながら歩いている。En: Akira was walking, talking, and smiling with friends.Ja: 蓮の心臓は高鳴った。En: Ren's heart raced.Ja: 「今しかない！En: "It's now or never!"Ja: 」蓮は少しずつ明に近づく。En: Ren gradually approached Akira.Ja: もうすぐ目の前だ。En: He was almost there.Ja: 思わず足を速める。En: Instinctively, he quickened his pace.Ja: 混んだ人波の中、明に手を振る。En: Amidst the crowded throng, he waved at Akira.Ja: ようやく目が合い、明がこっちを向いた。En: Their eyes finally met, and Akira turned towards him.Ja: 「明！En: "Akira!"Ja: 」と蓮は声をかける。En: Ren called out.Ja: 驚く明の前で立ち止まり、震える手でプレゼントを差し出した。En: He stopped in front of a surprised Akira and, with trembling hands, offered the gift.Ja: 「これ、受け取ってほしい。En: "I want you to have this.Ja: 君のことが、好きなんだ。En: I like you."Ja: 」一瞬の沈黙が流れる。En: A moment of silence passed.Ja: しかし、すぐに明の顔に優しい笑みが浮かんだ。En: However, soon a gentle smile appeared on Akira's face.Ja: 「ありがとう、蓮。En: "Thank you, 蓮.Ja: それ、すごく嬉しいよ。En: That makes me really happy.Ja: コーヒーでも行かない？En: Want to go for a coffee?"Ja: 」その瞬間、蓮の心は温かさに包まれた。En: In that instant, Ren's heart was enveloped in warmth.Ja: 勇気を出して良かったと心から思った。En: He felt truly glad he had mustered the courage.Ja: 二人は笑顔で交差点を歩き、カフェへと進んでいった。En: Together, they walked smiling through the crossing and headed to a café.Ja: 冬の冷たい風も、心にはもう届かない。En: The cold winter wind no longer touched their hearts.Ja: こうして蓮は、自分の気持ちを伝えることの大切さを実感した。En: Through this, Ren realized the importance of expressing his feelings.Ja: 怖さを乗り越えた先には、新しい世界が広がっているのだと知った。En: He learned that beyond overcoming fear lies a new world.Ja: それからというもの、蓮は少しずつ自信を取り戻し、シャイな自分を超えて新しい一歩を踏み出せるようになったのである。En: From then on, Ren gradually regained his confidence, stepping beyond his shyness and was able to take new steps forward. Vocabulary Words:anxiously: そわそわとcrossing: 交差点intently: じっとintersection: 交差点instinctively: 思わずconfess: 伝えるresolve: 決意courage: 勇気mustered: 出してenveloped: 包まれたteeming: 溢れていたthrong: 人波gradually: 少しずつshyness: シャイovercoming: 乗り越えるpounding: 鼓動step forward: 進むshiver: 震えるglad: 嬉しいregained: 取り戻しrealized: 実感したnew world: 新しい世界surrounded: 包まれたnervous: 緊張dense: 混んだexpress: 伝えるlively: 賑やかsilently: 心の中でmoment: 瞬間approached: 近づく

The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions—again! On this special Monday morning episode, Ryan and Dustin react to Seattle's hard-fought win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX. The guys break down a dominant performance from Kenneth Walker, a turnover-free postseason for Sam Darnold, and a Mike Macdonald defense that left New England searching for answers. Plus: why Michael Dickson deserves love, which Super Bowl commercials actually hit the mark, and their honest takes on a polarizing halftime show. Could the Seahawks run it back next season? And what should Seattle fans savor before the NFL off-season madness begins? No Credentials Required is a part of Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com  | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports  Fanatics: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Fanatics! Shop for your favorite team's gear, plus trading cards, fan memorabilia, and more! Use our affiliate link to support the show: https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/bOqrrb Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/

Eric Canete (Aeon Flux, Inkpulp, Iron Man) joins Dave to discuss his upcoming run on DC Comics Absolute Batman. Canete shares the story of landing the gig at NYCC after conversation with Snyder & Dragotta, and how Akira helped unlock the style of his early sample pages. Eric reflects back to getting into comics via Glenn Danzig, and his start in animation with the great Peter Chung.They explore manga's influence reshaping American comics, Scott Snyder's commitment to storytelling, Walt Simonson's "working stiff" mentality, and why now might be the best creative moment to make the comics you actually want to make.

It's Super Bowl Eve! Ryan, Dustin, and returning guest Cole Johnson huddle up for a complete breakdown of Super Bowl LX's biggest storylines. The trio dives deep into the Seattle Seahawks' resurgent defense, Sam Darnold's redemption arc, and the weapons Seattle brings to the biggest stage. Then, they pivot to the New England Patriots—how Coach Mike Vrabel transformed this squad, Drake Maye's impact, and questions about pass protection. Plus, each host offers their score prediction, some fun Super Bowl prop bets they'd love to see, and their essential game day snacks. Sprinkled in are all-time favorite halftime shows and a few laughs. No Credentials Required is part of the Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Fanatics: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Fanatics! Shop for your favorite team's gear, plus trading cards, fan memorabilia, and more! Use our affiliate link to support the show: https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/bOqrrb Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Blossoms and Dreams: A Promise Under Ueno's Cherry Trees Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2026-02-05-23-34-02-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 東京の上野公園では、遅れながらも春が近づいています。En: At Ueno Park in Tokyo, spring is approaching, albeit slowly.Ja: 冬の寒さがまだ残る中、桜が少しずつ咲き始めています。En: Even though the chill of winter still lingers, the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom little by little.Ja: 公園では行灯（あんどん）が準備され、ひな祭りの飾りも始まっています。En: Lanterns are being prepared in the park, and decorations for the Hinamatsuri are beginning as well.Ja: 人々は祭りの準備でにぎわい、明るい笑顔が見えます。En: People are bustling with festival preparations, and you can see bright smiles.Ja: アキラとユミ、二人は去年の桜の季節に心からの別れを経験しました。En: Akira and Yumi experienced a heartfelt farewell during the cherry blossom season last year.Ja: 「来年の桜の下で、また会おう」と約束し、それぞれが抱える悩みと夢を胸に一年間を過ごしました。En: They promised, "Let's meet again under the cherry blossoms next year," and spent a year carrying their individual worries and dreams.Ja: アキラは大学生で、両親の期待に応えるために勉学に励んでいますが、心の中では音楽の道へ進みたいと思っていました。En: Akira is a university student, diligently studying to meet his parents' expectations, but in his heart, he wished to pursue a path in music.Ja: 一方、ユミは自分に自信が持てないながらも、描きたいという気持ちを抱えている芸術家としての道を模索していました。En: Yumi, on the other hand, although lacking confidence, was exploring the path of an artist with a desire to paint.Ja: その年の初め、アキラは決意しました。En: At the beginning of the year, Akira made up his mind.Ja: 自分の夢をユミに話し、彼女がどう思っているのか知りたいと。En: He wanted to talk to Yumi about his dreams and know what she thought.Ja: しかし、それを言い出すのは難しい。En: However, it was difficult to bring that up.Ja: そのため、彼はユミのための歌を作ることにしました。En: So, he decided to write a song for Yumi.Ja: ユミもまたアキラの歌を聴いて、そこから勇気を得て大きな絵を描くことを決めました。En: Yumi also decided to draw a large picture, gaining courage from listening to Akira's song.Ja: 桜祭りの日、上野公園は多くの人であふれていました。En: On the day of the cherry blossom festival, Ueno Park was overflowing with people.Ja: アキラは緊張しながらも、ユミとの約束を胸に桜の木々の下に立ちました。En: Akira, though nervous, stood under the cherry trees, holding onto his promise with Yumi.Ja: そして、彼女が姿を現したその瞬間、心の中の不安が晴れていました。En: And the moment she appeared, the anxiety within him cleared.Ja: アキラはギターを取り出し、歌い始めました。En: Akira took out his guitar and began to sing.Ja: 彼の歌声は周囲のにぎやかな喧騒の中でも鮮明に響き渡りました。En: His singing voice resonated clearly amidst the lively clamor.Ja: 「ユミ、この歌は君のためだよ。En: "Yumi, this song is for you.Ja: 僕は音楽の道に進みたいんだ。En: I want to pursue a path in music.Ja: 君と、その夢を一緒に追いかけたい。En: I want to chase that dream with you."Ja: 」その瞬間、ユミははっと息を飲みました。En: At that moment, Yumi gasped.Ja: アキラの想いに応えるために、ユミは自分の絵を広げました。En: To respond to Akira's feelings, Yumi unfolded her painting.Ja: そこには満開の桜と共に、彼との新しい未来が描かれていました。En: It depicted a future with him, alongside fully bloomed cherry blossoms.Ja: 「アキラ、私も君の夢を応援する。En: "Akira, I support your dream.Ja: 私も絵を描く自信が湧いてきたよ。En: I feel confident in my painting now.Ja: 君と一緒に、新しい道を歩みたい。En: I want to walk a new path together with you."Ja: 」二人は桜の下で新しい約束をしました。En: Under the cherry blossoms, the two made a new promise.Ja: それは、互いの夢を追い続けること、そしてその道を二人で共に歩むことでした。En: It was to keep pursuing each other's dreams and to walk that path together.Ja: 桜の花びらが舞い落ちる中、彼らの心は温かく照らされ、ほんのりくすんだ冬の風も、もう気になりませんでした。En: As the cherry petals danced down, their hearts were warmly illuminated, and even the slightly chill winter breeze didn't bother them anymore.Ja: これから二人は、季節が巡るたびに思い出すであろう、この特別な桜の下で新しい人生の一歩を踏み出したのです。En: From that day forward, under this special cherry blossom, they took a new step in life, one they will recall every time the seasons change. Vocabulary Words:approaching: 近づいていますlingers: 残るbloom: 咲き始めていますlanterns: 行灯preparations: 準備bustling: にぎわいfarewell: 別れdiligently: 励んでいますpursue: 進みたいexploring: 模索していましたpath: 道expectations: 期待made up his mind: 決意しましたunfolded: 広げましたdepicted: 描かれていましたresonated: 響き渡りましたclamor: 喧騒overwhelming: あふれていましたchase: 追いかけたいgasped: 息を飲みましたconfidence: 自信breeze: 風blossoms: 桜approached: 近づいていますpromise: 約束dreams: 夢illuminated: 照らされchill: 寒さseason: 季節heartfelt: 心からの

It's time to hand out Report Cards for every team in the NFL on No Credentials Required! Ryan, Dustin, and guest Drew Willingham hand out final grades for every NFL team, division by division. Who made the honor roll, who's headed to summer school, and which struggling franchises could use some extra credit? The trio breaks down season-long performances, coaching moves, front office blunders, and the teams poised for redemption next year. Plus, reactions to the latest head coaching hires and the inside scoop on offseason storylines. No Credentials Required is a part of Belly Up Sports Media Network. Discover Drew: https://www.sirtoba.com | https://www.youtube.com/@SIRTOBAMedia  Belly Up Sports: https://www.bellyupsports.com  | https://www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports  Righteous Felon: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Righteous Felon Craft Jerky: Save 20% off your order with promo code NOCREDS at checkout! Plus, free shipping on every order of $60 or more! | https://www.righteousfelon.com Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Bonfire store: https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Discord: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

Anime is everywhere now. Streaming platforms, cinema screens, fashion, music, TikTok, gaming. But it didn't arrive in the West through studios, marketing campaigns, or corporate strategy.It arrived through fans.In this bumper-length episode of Geekstorians, Dave uncovers the real, messy, rebellious story of how anime travelled from post-war Japan to British living rooms and American college basements. It's a journey that begins with lone animators and wartime propaganda films, explodes into giant-robot fever, and eventually spreads across the globe through mail networks, tape-trading rings, fan-subtitling groups, Channel 4's late-night experiments, the chaos of SMTV: Live… and one film that hit like a cinematic meteor: Akira.This is the tale of the people who carried anime by hand, copying tapes at 3am, mailing fanzines in brown envelopes, hosting screenings in overheated hotel rooms, building early websites on dial-up, and refusing to let shows like Gundam, Yamato and Macross slip into obscurity.It's the hidden history of how a scattered, passionate, wildly inventive fandom reshaped global pop culture, long before the industry realised the world was watching.If you enjoy the episode, don't forget to follow, rate, and share Geekstorians. It genuinely helps the series grow and reach more listeners. And for more geek culture deep-dives, visit Geektown.co.uk.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/geektown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let me tell you all the story of how I defeated my Arch-Rival and Nemesis (or was it Arch-Nemesis and Rival?) Akira Toya. Also, a little discussion about rivalries in Go!Join the Discord⁠Support Star Point⁠The Star Point Store

The NFL off-field news cycle is wild and this week was no exception - Ryan and Dustin are on the case! In this jam-packed episode, the guys react to Bill Belichick being snubbed as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, debate coach and coordinator hirings from Buffalo to Cleveland, and call out the NFL's Rooney Rule charade. Plus, the crew tackles ownership chaos, QB drama across the league, a salary cap boost, and rumors around the Seattle Seahawks' potential sale. Along the way, get quick hits on the coordinator carousel, the state of the Vikings, and plenty of sharp takes and laughs. No Credentials Required is part of Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Invader Coffee: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Invader Coffee: Fuel For the Fearless! Support the show by shopping at our affiliate link and save 15% off your order with promo code BELLYUP at checkout! | https://www.invadercoffee.com/?rfsn=6061080.e802273&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6061080.e802273 Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

For this new show-within-a-show, Craig and Andrew will travel to Neo-Tokyo to meet Akira, created by Katsuhiro Otomo. We're going to read this classic manga across six episodes, then close out with an extra episode on the groundbreaking 1988 film adaptation.This is a preview of a series we'll be running exclusively for our Patreon supporters over the next few months; we won't release them on the main feed until the entire series has run. If you want to listen to them as they're released, see patreon.com/overduepod for more! Episode 1 is already up!In this episode, you'll hear us discuss our own experience with manga and anime, Otomo's background, and the story of how Akira came to be published in the US.The episode schedule:Vol. 1 - TetsuoVol. 2 - Akira 1Vol. 3 - Akira 2Vol. 4 - Kei 1Vol. 5 - Kei 2Vol. 6 - KanedaBonus - Akira (1988)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Becky Darke joins MIke to discuss two anime classics...Akira and Perfect Blue!  Hosted, Produced and Edited by Mike Muncer Music by Jack Whitney.  Artwork by Mike Lee-Graham Get ad free episodes and weekly bonus content on our Patreon! www.patreon.com/evolutionofhorror  Mike Muncer is a producer, podcaster and film journalist and can be found on BLUE SKY and INSTAGRAM Visit our website www.evolutionofhorror.com  Buy tickets for our UPCOMING SCREENINGS & EVENTS Buy yourself some brand new EOH MERCH! Email us!  Follow EOH on INSTAGRAM Like EOH on FACEBOOK Join the EOH DISCUSSION GROUP Join the EOH DISCORD Follow EOH on LETTERBOXD    

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Winter's Harmony: Akira's Journey to Leadership and Unity Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2026-01-30-23-34-02-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 冬の寒い朝、丘の上に建つ日本の寄宿学校は、新たな活気に満ちていました。En: On a cold winter morning, the kishuku gakkou in Japan, perched on top of a hill, was brimming with new vitality.Ja: 雪がちらほら舞う中、生徒たちの楽しげな声が響き渡ります。En: Amidst the gently falling snow, the cheerful voices of students resounded.Ja: もうすぐ節分がやってきます。それは冬の終わりを告げる特別な日です。En: Soon, setsubun would arrive. It's a special day that marks the end of winter.Ja: そして、学校の恒例行事である文化祭もこの時期に行われます。En: Additionally, the school's traditional event, the cultural festival, is held during this time.Ja: 文化祭の責任者であるアキラは、学校の中庭に立って忙しく指揮を執っていました。En: Akira, the person in charge of the cultural festival, was in the school courtyard, busily directing activities.Ja: 彼は真面目で少し控えめな性格のため、自ら進んでリーダーシップを取ることは少なかったのですが、今回は一念発起で引き受けました。En: Due to his serious and somewhat reserved nature, Akira rarely took the initiative to assume leadership roles, but this time, he decided to take it on resolutely.Ja: 「アキラ、ちょっといい？」と、友人のユキが声をかけます。ユキは手に大きな箱を持ち、困った顔をしています。En: "Akira, do you have a moment?" asked his friend Yuki, who was holding a large box and looked troubled.Ja: 「飾り付けのテープが足りないみたい。」En: "It seems we're running short on decorating tape."Ja: 「分かった、確認するね。」アキラは素早くメモを打ちながら、次の行動を考えます。En: "Got it, I'll check," Akira replied, quickly jotting down notes as he considered his next move.Ja: しかし、すぐに別の問題が彼を待ち受けます。En: However, another problem soon awaited him.Ja: 準備チームの間で祭りのテーマについて激しい議論が始まったのです。En: A fierce debate erupted among the preparation team regarding the theme of the festival.Ja: 意見は分かれ、場がますます混乱していきます。En: Opinions were divided, and the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic.Ja: 限られたリソースで、どうやって全員を満足させるか、アキラは頭を抱えました。En: With limited resources, Akira was troubled over how to satisfy everyone.Ja: 「どうしたらいいんだろう。」と、アキラは心の中で呟きます。En: "What should I do?" he murmured to himself.Ja: リーダーの職責か、それとも皆の意見を大事にするか、彼は大きな決断を迫られていました。En: Faced with the responsibility of leadership or valuing everyone's opinions, he was forced to make a significant decision.Ja: リハーサルの日、すべてはますます混乱していくように見えました。En: On the day of the rehearsal, everything seemed to be getting more chaotic.Ja: テンションはピークに達し、異なるアイディアがぶつかり合います。En: Tensions peaked, and different ideas clashed.Ja: そこでアキラは深呼吸して、思い切ってチームへと歩み寄りました。En: At that moment, Akira took a deep breath and boldly approached the team.Ja: 「みんな、ごめんね。実は一人で全部を管理しようとしていたけど、それが間違っていた。ハルト、飾り付けをお願いできる？」アキラは心を開いて、自らの不安を打ち明けます。En: "Everyone, I'm sorry. I was trying to handle everything by myself, and that was a mistake. Haru, could you take charge of the decorations?" Akira opened up and confessed his anxiety.Ja: 「もちろん、任せて。」とハルトは笑顔で答え、問題解決に向けて動き始めました。En: "Of course, leave it to me," Haru replied with a smile and began working towards a solution.Ja: ユキも観客席の配置を手伝い、チーム全体の雰囲気が次第に和らいでいきました。En: Yuki also helped with rearranging the seating, and gradually the atmosphere throughout the team softened.Ja: 文化祭の当日、生徒たちは準備したブースやパフォーマンスを見て歓声を上げました。En: On the day of the cultural festival, students cheered as they enjoyed the prepared booths and performances.Ja: 雪がちらつく中、温かな雰囲気が漂い、参加者全員が笑顔でいっぱいです。En: Amid the flickering snowfall, a warm atmosphere prevailed, and all participants were filled with smiles.Ja: アキラは一歩後ろに下がり、その光景を静かに見つめました。En: Akira took a step back and quietly watched the scene.Ja: 彼は孤立していると感じていたが、仲間を信頼することで皆とつながることができたのです。En: Although he had felt isolated, he was able to connect with everyone by trusting his teammates.Ja: 夜が深まると、温かい豆の香りが漂い始めました。En: As night deepened, the warm aroma of beans began to fill the air.Ja: 節分の日を祝いながら、アキラは心の中で小さな誓いを立てました。En: While celebrating setsubun, Akira made a small vow in his heart.Ja: これからはもっと人に頼り、仲間と共に歩んでいこうと。En: From now on, he would rely more on others and walk together with his companions.Ja: 学校は変わらずそこにありましたが、アキラの心の中では大きな変化が起きていました。En: The school remained unchanged, but a significant transformation had occurred in Akira's heart.Ja: 彼は新たな一歩を踏み出し、未来の可能性を信じ始めたのです。En: He had taken a new step forward and began to believe in future possibilities.Ja: 文化祭の成功は、友情と協力の力を証明するものでした。En: The success of the cultural festival was a testament to the power of friendship and cooperation. Vocabulary Words:perched: 建つbrimming: 満ちているvitality: 活気resounded: 響き渡るmarks: 告げるcourtyard: 中庭reserved: 控えめinitiative: 自主性resolutely: 一念発起jotting: メモを打つdebate: 議論erupted: 始まったsituational: 状況的chaotic: 混乱Tensions: テンションpeaked: ピークに達したclashed: ぶつかり合うboldly: 思い切ってrearranging: 配置softened: 和らいだcheered: 歓声を上げたflickering: ちらつくatmosphere: 雰囲気isolated: 孤立companions: 仲間transformation: 変化testament: 証明cooperation: 協力fierce: 激しいassume: 引き受ける

The A. Casey Podcast Episode 48 with guest Gentle Poet (Jean). Gentle Poet sits down with host, Anthony Casey. Recounting the journey or Ireland throughout the years, Jean, known as the 'based Granny', has attracted a lot of attention due to her courageous and public stance against, what she see's as, a tyrannical and evil government. Podcast brought to you by Gael Force Media. Podcast also available on all podcast platforms. Music supplied by Akira the Don https://linktr.ee/akirathedon

Zo finds himself in a timeline where Tokyo was destroyed in WWIII and from its ashes rose a Neo Tokyo. It's a thriving civilization if not filled with chaos: teenage biker gangs, heavy police presence, an aggressive military complex, violent protests, and a group of people that the media are calling terrorists. Rumors abound that these terrorists are actually trying to prevent Japan from doing research on the most devastating weapons that the world could never imagine in its wildest post apocalyptic nightmares. It's the an innate ability within all humans that allows them to access the primordial power of the universe itself and granting the possessor of that power unparalleled psychic abilities. The rumors say that they had succeeded before, but that the scientists who were attempting to control the uncontrollable were predictively unable to manage the fruit of their foolish labor. In their effort to contain the power and prevent a catastrophic outcome they manage to seal this "fruit" away for all time.  In this case their "fruit" was a little boy with incredible psychic abilities. The population at large knows nothing of this, put there are those who speak of this impossible little boy. According to them this boy is destined to come back. His name is Akira . . . or so the rumors say. Episode Chapters00:04:24 Opening Credits for Akira Starring Cam Clarke, Jan Rabson and Lara Cody [1989 English Dub]00:15:29 Favorite Parts of the 1988 film Akira  01:01:23 Trivia from the futuristic cyberpunk action anime - Akira01:08:55 Critics' Thoughts on Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira   Vice Article: How 'Akira' Has Influenced Modern CultureAnimation Obsessive Article: When Katsuhiro Otomo Learned  Please leave a comment, suggestion or question on our social media: Back Look Cinema: The Podcast Links:Website: www.backlookcinema.comEmail: fanmail@backlookcinema.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@backlookcinemaTwitter: https://twitter.com/backlookcinemaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackLookCinemaInstagram: https://instagram.com/backlookcinemaThreads: https://www.threads.net/@backlookcinemaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@backlookcinemaTwitch https://www.twitch.tv/backlookcinemaBlue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/backlookcinema.bsky.socialMastodon: https://mstdn.party/@backlookcinemaBack Look Cinema Merch at Teespring.comBack Look Cinema Merch at Teepublic.com Again, thanks for listening.

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to Minneapolis, Greenland, the late Bob Weir, cool names among public radio’s on-air talent, AI overview on Google and elsewhere … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. MUSIC FEATURED (in order): I Work in a Warehouse – Blake Porter Self Deprecating Blues – Tyler Miller Pure Magic – Akira the Don, Alan Watts Jeans (fall on my knees) – Katie Tupper Vivid Light – Blood Orange America’s Daughter – May Erlewine Field Song – Mon Rovia Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Punch your ticket to the Super Bowl with Ryan and Dustin as they break down all the drama from NFL Championship Weekend! The guys dive into a wild AFC slugfest as the Patriots grind out another Super Bowl berth in miserable conditions, while the Seahawks and Rams trade haymakers in an NFC classic that pushed Dustin's nerves to the brink. Plus, they debate Sean McVay and Sean Payton's crucial decisions, hand out props to Sam Darnold and Leonard "Big Kat" Williams, and react to the Steelers' surprise hiring of Mike McCarthy. Join in for hot takes, passionate fan reactions, and plenty of laughs as No Credentials Required serves up everything you need from NFL Conference Championship Sunday. No Credentials Required is part of the Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports This episode's affiliate sponsor is Righteous Felon Craft Jerky: Save 20% off your order with promo code NOCREDS at checkout! Plus, free shipping for every order of $60 or more! | https://www.righteousfelon.com Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

Four teams. Two tickets. Who's heading to Santa Clara? Ryan and Dustin break down NFL Conference Championship weekend, starting with a deep dive into Patriots vs. Broncos—including defensive storylines, quarterback concerns, and paths to victory for both squads. Then, it's the NFC West rubber match: Rams vs. Seahawks, with analysis on key injuries, game changers, and what each team must do to punch their Super Bowl ticket. Plus, the duo covers the Ravens' new head coach hire and shares laughs over retro gaming memories, favorite sweaters, and more. No Credentials Required—where you don't need a press pass to talk sports—is a proud part of the Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports This episode's affiliate sponsor is Invader Coffee: Fuel For the Fearless! Support the show by shopping at our affiliate link and save 15% off your order with promo code BELLYUP at checkout! | https://www.invadercoffee.com/?rfsn=6061080.e802273&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6061080.e802273 Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY MERCH! Bonfire store: https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Discord: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Frost and Forgiveness: A Walk Through Sagano's Bamboo Beauty Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2026-01-22-23-34-02-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 冬の早朝、空気が冷たい中、アキラとユリは嵯峨野竹林を歩いていました。En: On an early winter morning, with the air sharp and cold, Akira and Yuri walked through the Sagano Bamboo Forest.Ja: 竹の茂みが高くそびえ立ち、深い緑に白い霜が柔らかく覆っていました。En: The bamboo groves towered high, softly covered in white frost over deep green.Ja: 風がサワサワと竹の葉を揺らし、静かな音楽を奏でています。En: The wind gently rustled the bamboo leaves, creating a quiet melody.Ja: 今年の節分も、もうすぐです。En: This year's Setsubun is just around the corner.Ja: アキラは竹林の静けさを楽しむように歩きながら、ユリへ目をやりました。En: As Akira walked, enjoying the bamboo forest's tranquility, he glanced at Yuri.Ja: 彼女の顔には、どこか遠くを見つめるような表情が浮かんでいます。En: Her face bore an expression as if gazing into the distance.Ja: 何かを避けているかのように、彼女は竹の美しさに話題を逸らそうとしていました。En: It seemed as though she was trying to avoid something, diverting the topic to the bamboo's beauty.Ja: 「ユリ、この場所、覚えている？」アキラは少し微笑み、思い出を引き出そうとしました。En: "Yuri, do you remember this place?" Akira smiled slightly, trying to evoke memories.Ja: 「昔、ここで迷子になったよね。」その時の面白い出来事を思い出して笑いますが、ユリは口元を引き締めたままでした。En: "We once got lost here, didn't we?" He laughed, recalling the amusing event of that time, but Yuri kept her lips tightly shut.Ja: 「ええ、よく覚えてる。」ユリは答えましたが、その声はどこか冷めています。En: "Yes, I remember it well," Yuri replied, but her voice was somewhat dispassionate.Ja: 「でも、今日はその話はいいわ。竹がすごくきれいだから。」En: "But today, let's not talk about that. The bamboo is so beautiful."Ja: その時、滑らかな道に霜が積もっていることにユリは気づかず、突然バランスを崩しました。En: At that moment, Yuri, unaware of the frost accumulated on the smooth path, suddenly lost her balance.Ja: 「キャッ！」と驚いた声が竹林に響きます。En: "Kya!" her startled voice echoed through the bamboo forest.Ja: アキラはすぐに彼女を支え、その瞬間、二人の心の距離も縮まりました。En: Akira quickly supported her, and in that moment, the emotional distance between them also closed.Ja: 少し恥ずかしそうにユリは言いました。「ありがとう、アキラ…。それに、前に言い過ぎたこと、ずっと気にしてたの。ごめんね。」En: Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yuri said, "Thank you, Akira… I've been thinking about how I spoke too much before. I'm sorry."Ja: アキラは微笑みました。「僕も、もっとちゃんと自分の気持ちを伝えるべきだったね。」と答えました。En: Akira smiled. "I should have communicated my feelings better too," he replied.Ja: そして、二人は互いの目を見つめ、これで本当の意味で和解し、新しいスタートを切ることができました。En: Then, looking into each other's eyes, they truly reconciled and embarked on a new beginning.Ja: 嵯峨野竹林の中で、二人はゆっくりと歩き続け、昔のような自然な会話を取り戻しました。En: As they continued to walk slowly through the Sagano Bamboo Forest, they regained their natural conversation just like before.Ja: 竹の静かな音が、彼らの友情の再生を祝福しているかのように感じられました。En: It felt as if the quiet sound of the bamboo was celebrating the rebirth of their friendship.Ja: 節分が近づく中で、新しい春を迎えるように、二人の友情も新しい春を迎えたのです。En: With Setsubun approaching, and as they welcomed a new spring, their friendship too embraced a new spring. Vocabulary Words:sharp: 冷たいtowered: そびえ立ちgroves: 茂みrustled: 揺らしtranquility: 静けさgazing: 見つめるdiverting: 逸らそうevoke: 引き出すamusing: 面白いdispassionate: 冷めてunaware: 気づかずaccumulated: 積もってstartled: 驚いたechoed: 響きembarrassed: 恥ずかしそうreconciled: 和解embarked: スタートを切るnatural: 自然なcelebrating: 祝福rebirth: 再生expression: 表情bore: 浮かんでbalance: バランスsupport: 支えdistance: 距離communicated: 伝えるconversed: 会話melody: 音楽smooth: 滑らかなwelcomed: 迎える

The NFL never sleeps and neither do Ryan McCarthy and Dustin Henry! In this episode, the guys break down all the latest NFL coaching hires, including John Harbaugh to the Giants, Kevin Stefanski landing in Atlanta, Jeff Hafley's out-of-nowhere move to Miami, and Robert Saleh getting a second chance in Tennessee. Plus, they react to every game from the Divisional Round—overtime heartbreak, controversial calls, and statement wins. Also on deck: the latest Baseball Hall of Fame news, why full-time refs remain a talking point, and who still has a shot to fill remaining coaching vacancies. No Credentials Required is a proud member of the Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports SeatGeek: Save $20 off $50+ with code BELLYUPSPORTS! | www.seatgeek.com Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

This is a truly wide-ranging and phenomenal episode as Jimmy welcomes Dave Chisholm onto the podcast to discuss his newest series with Mad Cave Studios: Is Ted OK? Issue #1 is out February 25, 2026. This series contains some of Dave's best work today, which is a high bar looking at his previous comics including the recent Spectrum with Rick Quinn. Dave discuses how every choice in his comics is deliberate and work to serve the story and compel the narrative forward. Dave also discusses his work on Spectrum and his different approach to that comic compared to Is Ted OK? Dave also drops a fascinating anecdote about the early Renaissance composer Guillaume Du Fay, and I've included a link below to an example of that music. Follow Dave on Bluesky Pre-Order Is Ted OK? Buy Spectrum Nuper rosarum flores by Guillaume Du Fay as sung by Quire Cleveland CHAPTERS (00:00) Welcome to Cryptid Creator Corner (Comic Book Yeti)(01:13) Introducing Dave Chisholm (Spectrum, Is Ted Okay?)(02:25) What Is Is Ted Okay?? A Corporate Surveillance Horror Comic(03:52) Power, Corporations & the Modern Surveillance State(04:58) Pitching a “Mystery Box” Comic Without Spoilers(06:58) Empathy, Violence & Writing Modern Masculinity(08:15) Why Is Ted Okay? Gets Weird (and Keeps Escalating)(09:36) Ending Issues on Shock: Big Story Beats Without Betrayal(11:11) Music as Character Insight: Paganini & Ted's Obsession(14:04) Hidden Motifs, Pietà References & Artistic Echoes Across Works(15:45) Paneling Philosophy: Normalcy, Contrast & When to Break the Rules(18:09) Visual Language as Storytelling (Color, Layout & Impact)(24:59) Satire Becoming Reality: Corporate Culture & “Positive Paranoia”(28:34) Using Color to Convey Trauma, Memory & Emotion(35:19) Comics, Music & Craft: Making Work That Rewards Deep Reading(42:27) Script vs Instinct: Chisholm's Writing & Art Process(44:46) Collaboration, Editing & Letting Characters Drive the Plot(49:48) Final Thoughts: Taking Big Swings in Indie Comics From the Publisher about Is Ted OK? This is a story about Ted and Sarah. Ted, isolated and paranoid, works for a mega-corporation owned by the world's only trillionaire. He suffers from night terrors, obsessively draws the same mysterious figures again and again, all while listening to one track of music on repeat–oh, and the only “person” he ever talks to is a stray cat. His humanity is hanging by a thread. Sarah is a new arrival to the city, fighting her own demons, and her job is to remotely spy on Ted to ensure he doesn't hurt anyone…or himself. When Ted's mental state begins to crack, Sarah compassionately intervenes to help, and things go catastrophically wrong. IS TED OK? mashes up the paranoid existentialism of SEVERANCE with the cosmic sci-fi of AKIRA while exploring what happens when the act of help goes horribly wrong. Follow Comic Book Yeti

The NFL Divisional Round is here, and Ryan and Dustin are ready to break it all down! The guys open with the contract talks surrounding John Harbaugh and the New York Giants: does Harbaugh hold the keys to a Giants turnaround? Then, it's a jam-packed Divisional Weekend preview: from Buffalo's battered roster heading into Denver, to San Francisco versus Seattle, and why Chicago vs. LA Rams could be the shootout of the weekend. Plus, the duo debates coaching decisions, fourth-down gambles, and what each contender must do to punch their ticket to the next round. No Credentials Required is a part of Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Invader Coffee: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Invader Coffee: Fuel For the Fearless! Support the show by shopping at our affiliate link and save 15% off your order with promo code BELLYUP at checkout! | https://www.invadercoffee.com/?rfsn=6061080.e802273&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6061080.e802273 Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

Akira, Teddy Bears, and playing adult dress-up!If you're seeing this, please leave us a review!https://linktr.ee/horrormakesushappy

Ryan and Dustin break down a wild NFL Wild Card Weekend - where dreams were made, and others were crushed. The duo talks through every game, the shocking coaching carousel news including Mike Tomlin stepping down in Pittsburgh, and what it all means for the teams looking for head coaches moving forward. Plus, they debate the trend of “taking the points,” why scheduling quirks are shaping the playoffs, and which teams are destined for NFL purgatory. The guys also share their favorite moments from the weekend (plus a pizza delivery story gone wrong) and look ahead to the divisional round. No Credentials Required is a part of Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Seat Geek: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Seat Geek: Life's an Event, We Have the Tickets! Save $20 off your order of $50 or more with promo code BELLYUPSPORTS at checkout! | https://www.seatgeek.com Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

It's Time D-Heads! Get ready to shell-ebrate! We welcome the legendary CAM CLARKE (Leonardo on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Snoopy, Akira, Simba, Metal Gear Solid, The Smurfs, Flounder and Author of Now They're All Here, The King Family) to the show! Whether you know him as the fearless leader Leonardo (and the bumbling Rocksteady) from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the intense Liquid Snake from Metal Gear Solid, or the iconic Shotaro Kaneda from Akira, Cam's voice has been the soundtrack to our favorite childhood memories. From voicing Simba in The Lion King Sequel and The Lion Guard to his work as He-Man, he truly is the man of a thousand voices! We'll be diving into his incredible career, his deep roots in entertainment with The King Family, how he got into Voice Acting, Fans and his brand-new coffee table book, Now They're All Here: The King Family. And Jonathan rambles on about classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Smurfs, Metal Gear Solid and a story about his son getting his head stuck in a banister watching movies as a family. So get ready for the Nostalgia, the Magic, the Wonder, and the Memories with The DizRadio Show "A Pop Culture Celebrity Guest Show"!

In this in-depth conversation, Ben Mauro — legendary concept artist behind Halo, Elysium, and Chappie — joins This Comic Cooks to talk about the creation of HUXLEY, his deeply personal sci-fi graphic novel universe.We explore why Mauro chose comics over film, how HUXLEY grew from a solo passion project into a global bookstore release, and what it means to create something physical in an increasingly digital world.We are talking:How HUXLEY was built one page at a timeWhy physical books still matter in 2026The role of AI in modern science fictionMauro's influences (Akira, Moebius, Dune)How HUXLEY: The Oracle expands the universeWhat makes meaningful sci-fi timelessIf you love science fiction, graphic novels, worldbuilding, or thoughtful conversations about creativity and craft, this episode is for you.

Ryan and Dustin are back to break down everything you need to know about NFL Wild Card Weekend! The guys tackle major coaching shake-ups—John Harbaugh out in Baltimore, Mike McDaniel gone from Miami, and Matt Ryan taking over the Atlanta Falcons' front office. They preview every playoff matchup, from the Rams-Panthers opener to a Monday night clash between the Steelers and Texans, giving their keys to victory and bold predictions. Plus, do the Eagles' offensive woes spell trouble against the Niners? Is this the year the Buffalo Bills finally break through? Grab your favorite snack - maybe some Righteous Felon Jerky? - and get ready for an action-packed episode! No Credentials Required is a proud part of the Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Righteous Felon: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Righteous Felon Craft Jerky: Save 15% off your order with promo code NOCREDS at checkout! Plus, free shipping for every order of $100 or more! | https://www.righteousfelon.com Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Discord: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

In this bonus episode of Popcorn & Catch-Up, we discuss Akira.Remember to spread the word about the show. Reach us on X/Twitter, Facebook, or BlueSky to share your thoughts! Enjoy!

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Inside the Mountain Lab: A Night of Discovery and Necessity Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2026-01-07-23-34-02-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 冬の静かな夜、雪は積もり続けていた。En: On a quiet winter night, the snow continued to accumulate.Ja: 秘密の研究所は山中深くに位置し、外は寒いが、内部はハイテク機器であふれ、暖かく輝いていた。En: The secret laboratory was located deep in the mountains; it was cold outside, but inside was filled with high-tech equipment, warmly glowing.Ja: ひろしは、実験室で一人きりだった。En: Hiroshi was alone in the laboratory.Ja: 彼の目の前には、壊れた科学器具が横たわっていた。En: In front of him lay a broken piece of scientific equipment.Ja: この器具は、今日の重要な実験に欠かせないものである。En: This equipment was essential for today's important experiment.Ja: ひろしは額の汗を拭い、深呼吸した。En: Hiroshi wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath.Ja: 彼は何度も試したが、うまくいかない。En: He tried many times, but it just wouldn't work.Ja: 時計の音が、時間の限界を告げているように聞こえた。En: The ticking of the clock sounded as if it was signaling the time limit.Ja: 「ひろし、おはよう！」と、あきらが入ってきた。En: “Hiroshi, good morning!” said Akira, coming in.Ja: 彼はリラックスした態度で、コーヒーカップを手に持っていた。En: He casually held a coffee cup in his hand.Ja: 「どうだ？進んでる？」En: “How's it going?”Ja: 「困ったことになったよ」とひろしは返した。En: “I'm in trouble,” Hiroshi replied.Ja: 「この器具が壊れてしまった。新しい部品が見つからないんだ。」En: “This equipment broke, and I can't find a new part for it.”Ja: あきらは少し微笑んで、「じゃあ、あるものでなんとかしよう。僕が手伝うよ。」と力強く言った。En: Akira smiled slightly and confidently said, “Then let's make do with what we have. I'll help you.”Ja: ひろしは悩んだが、あきらの提案に賭けてみることにした。En: Hiroshi was troubled but decided to take a chance on Akira's proposal.Ja: そのとき、電気がふっと消えた。En: Just then, the electricity suddenly went out.Ja: 外の雪嵐の影響で停電だ。En: It was a power outage caused by the snowstorm outside.Ja: 「なんてこった…」ひろしは小声でつぶやいた。En: “Oh no...” Hiroshi muttered quietly.Ja: しかし、あきらは携帯ライトを取り出し、「大丈夫。僕らには時間がある、気を落とさないで。」と彼を励ました。En: However, Akira pulled out a flashlight and encouraged him, “It's okay. We still have time, so don't lose heart.”Ja: 即席の材料を集めながら、二人は頭をひねった。En: While gathering makeshift materials, the two of them racked their brains.Ja: 新年の掛け軸が壁にかかっていた。「今年は挑戦の年だ」と書かれている。En: A New Year's scroll was hanging on the wall, bearing the words “This is the year of challenges.”Ja: ひろしはこの言葉に力を得た。En: Hiroshi drew strength from these words.Ja: ついに、徹夜で修理を終え、実験を準備した。En: Finally, after pulling an all-nighter, they finished the repairs and prepared for the experiment.Ja: ゆき、彼の指導教員でもあり、期待を込めた笑みを見せた。En: Yuki, who was also his supervising teacher, smiled at him with hope.Ja: 実験が始まると、器具は作動を始めたが、途中で異常な動きを見せた。En: As the experiment began, the equipment started working, but then it showed unusual behavior.Ja: 「ちょっと待って、計器が…！」とひろしは叫んだ。En: “Wait a minute, the gauges...!” yelled Hiroshi.Ja: 彼は冷静を保ち、即席の修理をさらに工夫して異常を抑えこんだ。En: He remained calm and made further impromptu repairs to suppress the anomaly.Ja: 心臓が高鳴る中、実験が続行された。En: With his heart pounding, the experiment continued.Ja: やがて、すべてが終わり、結果が出た。En: Eventually, everything concluded, and the results came out.Ja: ひろしは予期しないデータを目にし、「これだ！これは新しい発見だよ！」と大きな声で声を出した。En: Hiroshi saw unexpected data and exclaimed loudly, “This is it! This is a new discovery!”Ja: ゆきは満足そうに彼に近づき、「よくやった、ひろし。この経験を大切にして。また一歩、君は成長したね。」と優しく語った。En: Yuki approached him with satisfaction, saying gently, “Well done, Hiroshi. Cherish this experience. You've grown another step forward.”Ja: ひろしは、自信とチームワークの大切さを学び、新しい年を希望と共に迎えたのだった。En: Hiroshi learned the importance of confidence and teamwork and welcomed the new year with hope.Ja: 外はまだ雪が舞っていたが、研究所の中は熱気で満ちていた。En: Outside, the snow was still falling, but the inside of the laboratory was filled with warmth. Vocabulary Words:accumulate: 積もるlaboratory: 研究所essential: 欠かせないexperiment: 実験forehead: 額limit: 限界casually: リラックスした態度でtrouble: 困ったことproposal: 提案outage: 停電encouraged: 励ましたmakeshift: 即席のrack their brains: 頭をひねったscroll: 掛け軸challenges: 挑戦all-nighter: 徹夜unusual: 異常なgauges: 計器suppress: 抑えこんだanomaly: 異常pounding: 高鳴るconcluded: 終わりunexpected: 予期しないcherish: 大切にしてconfidence: 自信teamwork: チームワークwelcomed: 迎えたobserved: 観察したsatisfaction: 満足gently: 優しく

The NFL regular season is in the books, and that means it's time for drama - on and off the field! Ryan and Dustin break down the action from Week 18, highlight the biggest surprises and disappointments, and debate the effect of resting starters before the playoffs. The guys also tackle the annual coaching carousel, giving their takes on Black Monday's firings, questionable front office moves, and which head coach firings make sense (and which don't). Plus, the Cut the Brakes Pick'em Challenge comes to a close: who's claiming ultimate bragging rights? From wild finishes to wild firings, you don't need credentials to join the conversation. No Credentials Required is a proud member of the Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports  Royal Retros: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Royal Retros: The King of Throwbacks! Get 10% off your order with promo code CREDHEAD and receive free shipping for every order over $100! | https://www.royalretros.com Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Discord: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

It's a new year, so it's time for our New Year's tradition of taking a look at movies that tried to predict the future. This year, we're traveling to the year 2019 with Akira! Join us as we learn about the Tokyo Olympics, biker gangs, technical schools, riots, and more! Sources: 2020 Host City Election Announcement: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/2020-host-city-election Image of the Stadium: https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1087204/olympic-stadium-for-tokyo-2020-completed' January 2019 image, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kokuritsu_Kasumigaoka_Rikujo_Kyogijo-23a.jpg Education Senmon Gakko: Japanese Vocational Education. Available at https://cordmagazine.com/education/education-senmon-gakko-japanese-vocational-education/ A Complete Guide to Senmon Gakkou in Japan: https://studyinjapan.org/a-complete-guide-to-senmon-gakkou-in-japan/ Rikkyo University Institute of Peace and Community Studies, "Local Responses to Prime Minister Abe's Attack on Article Nine and the Constitution," translated by Saito Yuriko,The Asia-Pacific Journal Vol. 14, issue 3, no. 5 (2016).  David Slater, Robin O'Day, Satsuki Uno, Love Kindstrand and Chiharu Takano, "SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy): Research Note on Contemporary Youth Politics in Japan," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue 37, No. 1, September 14, 2015. Obe Mitsuro, "World News: Students Protest Japan Military Shift," The Wall Street Journal (2015).  Simon Denyer, "Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka speaks out for Black Lives Matter, faces backlash: Protests in Japan have reignited a debate over racism and policing. Osaka has also won support for speaking out," Washington Post (June 8, 2020).  Motoko Rich and Hikari Hida, "In Japan, the Message of Anti-Racism Protests Fails to Hit Home," New York Times (July 1, 2020).  Anna Fifield, "Fierce opponent of U.S. military bases in Okinawa detained for three months: A protest leader's continued detention without trial has triggered accusations that Japanese authorities are trying to silence him." Washington Post (2017).  "1969: Student Protestors Paralyze Tokyo in Anti-War Demonstrations," New York Times (reprinted October 22, 2019) Alastair Gale, "Japan Pushes Ahead with Antiterrorism Bill; Government says legislation is needed as part of counterterrorism preparations for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo," Wall Street Journal (May 23, 2017).  Mariko Tamura, "Flower Demo: Fighting Sexual Violence in Japan," https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/16387  Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_(1988_film) Tom Usher, "How Akira has Influenced All of Your Favorite Film, TV, and Music," Vice, available at https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-akira-has-influenced-modern-culture/ https://akira.fandom.com/wiki/Akira_(anime) https://www.yokogaomag.com/editorial/bosozoku-biker-gangs-of-japan https://medium.com/@essie.angelica/the-rise-and-fall-of-japans-notorious-motorcycle-gang-ee31464c2406 https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20251017/p2a/00m/0na/053000c https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/30-years-akira-teenage-kicks-anime-style  Christopher Gerteis, "Cold War Warriors," in Mobilizing Japanese Youth: The Cold War and the Making of the Sixties Generation (Cornell University Press, 2021), 100-120. 

https://bbvproductions.co.uk/products/Faction-Paradox-The-Confession-of-Brother-Signet-AUDIO-DOWNLOAD-p389922366 The first season of the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things premiered worldwide on the streaming service Netflix on July 15, 2016. The series was created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. This season stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, and Matthew Modine, with Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery, and Shannon Purser in recurring roles. The first season of Stranger Things received critical acclaim, in particular for its originality, homages to the 1980s, characterization, tone, visuals, and performances (particularly those of Ryder, Harbour, Wolfhard, Brown, Heaton and Modine). Premise The first season begins on November 6, 1983, in a small town called Hawkins. Researchers at Hawkins National Laboratory open a rift to the "Upside Down," an alternate dimension that reflects the real world. A monstrous humanoid creature escapes and abducts a boy named Will Byers and a teenage girl. Will's mother, Joyce, and the town's police chief, Jim Hopper, search for Will. At the same time, a young psychokinetic girl who goes by the name "Eleven" escapes from the laboratory and assists Will's friends, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair, in their efforts to find Will.[1] Cast and characters See also: List of Stranger Things characters Main cast Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers[2] David Harbour as Jim Hopper[2] Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler[3] Millie Bobby Brown[3] as Eleven ("El") Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson[3] Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair[3] Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler[3] Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers[3][4][5] Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler[6] Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner[7] Recurring Noah Schnapp as Will Byers Joe Keery as Steve Harrington Shannon Purser as Barbara "Barb" Holland[8] Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler Ross Partridge as Lonnie Byers[9] Rob Morgan as Officer Powell John Paul Reynolds as Officer Callahan Randy Havens as Scott Clarke Catherine Dyer as Connie Frazier Aimee Mullins as Terry Ives[10] Amy Seimetz as Becky Ives Peyton Wich as Troy[11] Tony Vaughn as Principal Coleman Charles Lawlor as Mr. Melvald Tinsley and Anniston Price as Holly Wheeler Cade Jones as James Chester Rushing as Tommy H. Chelsea Talmadge as Carol Glennellen Anderson as Nicole Cynthia Barrett as Marsha Holland Jerri Tubbs as Diane Hopper Elle Graham as Sara Hopper Chris Sullivan as Benny Hammond Tobias Jelinek as lead agent Robert Walker-Branchaud as repairman agent Susan Shalhoub Larkin as Florence ("Flo") Episodes See also: List of Stranger Things episodes No. overall No. in season Title Directed by Written by Original release date 1 1 "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" The Duffer Brothers The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 On November 6, 1983, in Hawkins, Indiana, a scientist is attacked by an unseen creature at a U.S. government laboratory. 12-year-old Will Byers encounters the creature and mysteriously vanishes while cycling home from a Dungeons & Dragons session with his friends Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. The following day, Will's single mother Joyce Byers reports his disappearance to the police chief Jim Hopper, who starts a search but assures Joyce that almost all missing children are quickly found. The lab's director, Dr. Martin Brenner, investigates an organic substance oozing from the lab's basement, claiming that "the girl" cannot have gone far. A nervous young girl wearing a hospital gown wanders into a local diner. The owner, Benny, finds a tattoo of "011" on her arm and learns that her name is Eleven. Brenner, monitoring the phone lines, sends agents to the diner after Benny calls social services. The agents kill Benny, but Eleven manages to escape using telekinetic abilities. Joyce's phone short circuits after receiving a mysterious phone call that she believes is from Will. While searching for Will in the woods, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas come across Eleven. 2 2 "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street" The Duffer Brothers The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 The boys bring Eleven to Mike's house, where they disagree on what to do. Mike formulates a plan for Eleven to pretend to be a runaway and seek help from his mother, Karen. Eleven refuses, however, revealing that "bad men" are after her. Will's brother Jonathan visits his estranged father Lonnie in Indianapolis to search for Will, but Lonnie rebuffs him. Hopper's search party discovers a scrap of hospital gown near the lab. After recognizing Will in a photograph and demonstrating her telekinesis, Eleven convinces the boys to trust her, as they believe she can find Will. Using the Dungeons & Dragons board, Eleven indicates that Will is on the "Upside Down" side of the board and is being hunted by the "Demogorgon" (the creature). Mike's sister Nancy and her friend Barbara 'Barb' Holland go to a party with Nancy's boyfriend Steve Harrington. Searching for Will near Steve's house, Jonathan secretly photographs the party. Joyce receives another call from Will, hears music playing from his stereo, and sees a creature coming through the wall. Left alone by the swimming pool, Barb is attacked by the Demogorgon and vanishes. 3 3 "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly" Shawn Levy Jessica Mecklenburg July 15, 2016 Barb awakens in the Upside Down: a decaying, overgrown alternate dimension. She attempts to escape but is attacked by the Demogorgon. Joyce believes Will is communicating through pulses in light bulbs. Hopper visits Hawkins Lab, and the staff permits him to view doctored security footage from the night Will vanished, leading Hopper to investigate Brenner and discover his involvement with Project MKUltra and that a woman named Terry Ives alleged years earlier that Brenner took her daughter. Eleven recalls Brenner, whom she calls "Papa," punishing her for refusing to hurt a cat telekinetically. Steve destroys Jonathan's camera after discovering the photos from the party. Nancy later recovers a photo of Barb, simultaneously realizing that Barb is missing. Returning to Steve's house to investigate, Nancy finds Barb's untouched Volkswagen and encounters the Demogorgon but manages to escape. Joyce paints an alphabetic board on her wall with Christmas lights, allowing Will to sign to her that he is "RIGHT HERE" and that she needs to "RUN" as the Demogorgon comes through the wall. Believing Eleven knows where Will is, the boys ask her to lead them to him. Eleven leads them, to their frustration, to Will's house. From there they follow emergency vehicles to a nearby quarry just as Will's body is recovered from the water. 4 4 "Chapter Four: The Body" Shawn Levy Justin Doble July 15, 2016 Joyce refuses to believe that the body found at the quarry is Will's. Mike feels betrayed by Eleven until she proves that Will is still alive, channeling his voice through Mike's walkie-talkie. The boys theorize that Eleven could use a ham radio at their school to communicate with Will. Nancy notices a figure behind Barb in Jonathan's photo, which Jonathan realizes matches his mother's description of the Demogorgon. Nancy tells the police about Barb's disappearance. She later fights with Steve, who only cares about not getting in trouble with his father. Hopper has suspicions regarding the authenticity of the body found in the quarry when he learns that the usual coroner was sent home. Hopper confronts the state trooper who found it and beats him until he admits he was ordered to lie. The boys sneak Eleven into their school to use the radio, while Joyce hears Will's voice through her living room wall. Tearing away the wallpaper, she sees him. Eleven uses the radio to channel Will talking to his mother. Hopper goes to the morgue and finds that the body is a fake, and, suspecting that Brenner is responsible, breaks into the lab. 5 5 "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" The Duffer Brothers Alison Tatlock July 15, 2016 Hopper searches the lab before being knocked out by the lab's guards. The boys ask their science teacher, Mr. Clarke, if it would be possible to travel between alternate dimensions, to which he answers that there could be a theoretical "gate" between dimensions. Hopper awakens at his house and finds a hidden microphone, realizing that Joyce was right the whole time. The boys follow their compasses, searching for a gate that could disrupt the Earth's electromagnetic field. Eleven recalls memories of being placed in a sensory-deprivation tank to telepathically eavesdrop on a man speaking Russian; while listening, she came across the Demogorgon. Fearing another encounter with the Demogorgon, Eleven redirects the compasses. Lucas misinterprets this as an act of betrayal, leading Mike and Lucas to fight and Eleven to telekinetically fling Lucas away from Mike. While Dustin and Mike tend to the unconscious Lucas, Eleven runs off. Nancy and Jonathan formulate a plan to kill the Demogorgon. While searching in the woods, they come across a small gate to the Upside Down. Nancy crawls through it but inadvertently draws the Demogorgon's attention. Jonathan unsuccessfully tries to look for Nancy, as the gate to the Upside Down begins to close. 6 6 "Chapter Six: The Monster" The Duffer Brothers Jessie Nickson-Lopez July 15, 2016 Jonathan pulls Nancy back through the gate. That night, Nancy is afraid to be alone and asks Jonathan to stay in her bedroom. Steve, attempting to reconcile with Nancy, sees them together through her bedroom window and assumes they are dating. Joyce and Hopper track down Terry Ives, who is catatonic and tended by her sister Becky. Becky explains that Terry was a Project MKUltra participant while unknowingly pregnant and that Terry believes Brenner kidnapped her daughter Jane at birth due to her supposed telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Nancy and Jonathan stockpile weapons to kill the Demogorgon, theorizing that it is attracted by blood. Steve is brutally beaten up in a fistfight with Jonathan after he insults Will and calls Nancy a slut. Jonathan is arrested and held at the police station for beating up Steve and inadvertently punching one of the responding officers in the face. Eleven walks into a grocery store and shoplifts several boxes of Eggo waffles. Searching for Eleven, Mike and Dustin are ambushed by two bullies but are rescued by her, as she uses her powers to break one bully's arm after he attempts to kill Mike. Eleven collapses and recalls being asked by Brenner to contact the Demogorgon and, in her terror, inadvertently opening the gate. She tearfully admits to Mike that she is responsible for allowing the Demogorgon to enter this dimension. Lucas sees agents, who have tracked down Eleven, preparing to ambush Mike's house. 7 7 "Chapter Seven: The Bathtub" The Duffer Brothers Justin Doble July 15, 2016 Lucas warns Mike that agents are searching for Eleven. Mike, Dustin, and Eleven flee the house. Eleven telekinetically flips one of the vans that block their path as the kids escape. Lucas reconciles with Mike and Eleven, and the kids hide in the junkyard. Nancy and Jonathan reveal their knowledge of the Demogorgon to Joyce and Hopper. Hopper also learns that Eleven is with the kids. The group contacts the kids, and everyone meets at the Byers' house. Joyce and Hopper realize that Eleven is Jane Ives. The group asks Eleven to search for Will and Barb telepathically, but her earlier feats have weakened her. They break into the middle school and build a makeshift sensory deprivation tank to amplify Eleven's powers. After telepathically entering the Upside Down again, Eleven finds Barb dead and Will alive, hiding in the Upside Down version of his backyard fort. Realizing that the gate is in the basement of the lab, Hopper and Joyce break into the lab and are apprehended by security guards. Nancy and Jonathan sneak into the police station to retrieve the weapons they purchased previously, planning to lure and kill the Demogorgon. In the Upside Down, the Demogorgon breaks into Will's fort. 8 8 "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down" The Duffer Brothers Story by : Paul Dichter Teleplay by : The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 Hopper, haunted by the death of his daughter Sara from cancer years earlier, gives up Eleven's location to Brenner, who in exchange allows Hopper and Joyce to enter the Upside Down to rescue Will. Nancy and Jonathan cut their hands to attract the Demogorgon at the Byers' house. Steve, intending to apologize to Jonathan about their fight, arrives just as the Demogorgon appears. Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan fight the Demogorgon and light it on fire, forcing it to retreat to the Upside Down. Meanwhile, Eleven and the boys hide in the middle school when Brenner and his agents arrive to kidnap Eleven; she kills most of them before collapsing from exhaustion. As Brenner and his remaining agents pin Eleven and the boys down, the Demogorgon appears, attracted by the dead agents' blood, and attacks Brenner and the remaining agents as the boys escape with Eleven. Hopper and Joyce enter the Upside Down's version of the Hawkins library, where they encounter several corpses of the Demogorgon's victims, including Barb, and find Will unconscious with a tendril down his throat. Hopper revives him using CPR after removing the tendril. The Demogorgon corners the kids, but Eleven recovers from her exhaustion and disintegrates it, causing them both to disappear. Will recovers in the hospital, reuniting with his family and friends. One month later, it is Christmas and Nancy is back together with Steve, and both are friends with Jonathan. Will coughs up a slug-like creature and has a vision of the Upside Down, but hides this from his family. Production Development Ross (left) and Matt Duffer, the creators of the series Stranger Things was created by Matt and Ross Duffer, known professionally as the Duffer Brothers.[12] The two had completed writing and producing their 2015 film Hidden, which they had tried to emulate the style of M. Night Shyamalan, however, due to changes at Warner Bros., its distributor, the film did not see a wide release and the Duffers were unsure of their future.[13] To their surprise, television producer Donald De Line approached them, impressed with Hidden's script, and offered them the opportunity to work on episodes of Wayward Pines alongside Shyamalan. The brothers were mentored by Shyamalan during the episode's production so that when they finished, they felt they were ready to produce their own television series.[14] The Duffer Brothers prepared a script that would essentially be similar to the series' actual pilot episode, along with a 20-page pitch book to help shop the series around for a network.[15] They pitched the story to a number of cable networks, all of which rejected the script on the basis that they felt a plot centered around children as leading characters would not work, asking them to make it a children's show or to drop the children and focus on Hopper's investigation in the paranormal.[14] In early 2015, Dan Cohen, the VP of 21 Laps Entertainment, brought the script to his colleague Shawn Levy. They subsequently invited The Duffer Brothers to their office and purchased the rights for the series, giving full authorship of it to the brothers. After reading the pilot, the streaming service Netflix purchased the whole season for an undisclosed amount;[16] the show was subsequently announced for a planned 2016 release by Netflix in early April 2015.[17] The Duffer Brothers stated that at the time they had pitched to Netflix, the service had already been recognized for its original programming, such as House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, with well-recognized producers behind them, and were ready to start giving upcoming producers like them a chance.[15] The brothers started to write out the series and brought Levy and Cohen in as executive producers to start casting and filming.[18] The series was originally known as Montauk, as the setting of the script was in Montauk, New York and nearby Long Beach locations.[17][19] The brothers had chosen Montauk as it had further Spielberg ties with the film Jaws, where Montauk was used for the fictional setting of Amity Island.[20] After deciding to change the narrative of the series to take place in the fictional town of Hawkins instead, the brothers felt they could now do things to the town, such as placing it under quarantine, that they really could not envision with a real location.[20] With the change in location, they had to come up with a new title for the series under the direction from Netflix's Ted Sarandos so that they could start marketing it to the public. The brothers started by using a copy of Stephen King's Firestarter novel to consider the title's font and appearance and came up with a long list of potential alternatives. Stranger Things came about as it sounded similar to another King novel, Needful Things, though Matt noted they still had a "lot of heated arguments" over this final title.[21] Writing The idea of Stranger Things started with how the brothers felt they could take the concept of the 2013 film Prisoners, detailing the moral struggles a father goes through when his daughter is kidnapped, and expand it out over eight or so hours in a serialized television approach. As they focused on the missing child aspect of the story, they wanted to introduce the idea of "childlike sensibilities" they could offer and toyed around with the idea of a monster that could consume humans. The brothers thought the combination of these things "was the best thing ever". To introduce this monster into the narrative, they considered "bizarre experiments we had read about taking place in the Cold War" such as Project MKUltra, which gave a way to ground the monster's existence in science rather than something spiritual. This also helped them to decide on using 1983 as the time period, as it was a year before the film Red Dawn came out, which focused on Cold War paranoia.[14] Subsequently, they were able to use all their own personal inspirations from the 1980s, the decade they were born, as elements of the series,[14][22] crafting it in the realm of science fiction and horror.[23] The Duffer Brothers have cited as influence for the show (among others): Stephen King novels; films produced by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas and Guillermo del Toro; films such as Alien and Stand by Me; Japanese anime such as Akira and Elfen Lied; and video games such as Silent Hill and The Last of Us.[21][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] With Netflix as the platform, The Duffer Brothers were not limited to a typical 22-episode format, opting for the eight-episode approach. They had been concerned that a 22-episode season on broadcast television would be difficult to "tell a cinematic story" with that many episodes. Eight episodes allowed them to give time to characterization in addition to narrative development; if they had less time available, they would have had to remain committed to telling a horror film as soon as the monster was introduced and abandon the characterization.[15] Within the eight episodes, the brothers aimed to make the first season "feel like a big movie" with all the major plot lines completed so that "the audience feels satisfied", but left enough unresolved to indicate "there's a bigger mythology, and there's a lot of dangling threads at the end", something that could be explored in further seasons if Netflix opted to create more.[32] While explaining their intentions for the show, the Duffers adamantly stated their intentions to not explain the mythology in the show so they could leave a mystery and lot for the audience to speculate over their lack of understanding by the season finale, which they accepted but asked to be explained about at the very least, which they found like a really good exercise as they spent quite a bit of time with their writers' room figuring out exactly what the Upside Down would actually consist for, writing a 20-page mythology document whose details wouldn't be clarified for the audience until the show's fifth and final season.[33] Regarding writing for the children characters of the series, The Duffer Brothers considered themselves as outcasts from other students while in high school and thus found it easy to write for Mike Wheeler and his friends, and particularly for Barbara "Barb" Holland.[21] Joyce Byers was fashioned after Richard Dreyfuss's character Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as she appears "absolutely bonkers" to everyone else as she tries to find her son Will Byers.[34] Other characters, such as Billy in the second season, have more villainous attributes that are not necessarily obvious from the onset; Matt explained that they took further inspiration from Stephen King for these characters, as King "always has really great human villains" that may be more malicious than the supernatural evil.[35] Casting The Duffers cast David Harbour as Sheriff Hopper believing this was his opportunity to play a lead character in a work. In June 2015, it was announced that Winona Ryder and David Harbour had joined the series as Joyce and as the unnamed chief of police, respectively.[2] The brothers' casting director Carmen Cuba had suggested Ryder for the role of Joyce, which the two were immediately drawn to because of her prominence in 1980s films.[14] Levy believed Ryder could "wretch up the emotional urgency and yet find layers and nuance and different sides of [Joyce]". Ryder praised that the show's multiple storylines required her to act for Joyce as "she's out of her mind, but she's actually kind of onto something", and that the producers had faith she could pull off the difficult role.[36] Upon being offered the role, Ryder felt intrigued at being given the pilot's script due to know knowing what streaming was and finding it "terrifying", with her sole condition to the Duffers for accepting the role being that, if a Beetlejuice sequel ever materialized as she and Tim Burton had been discussing since 2000, they had to let her take a break to shoot it, a condition the Duffers agreed and ultimately proved to work out when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was greenlighted years later.[37] The Duffer Brothers had been interested in Harbour before, who until Stranger Things primarily had smaller roles as villainous characters, and they felt that he had been "waiting too long for this opportunity" to play a lead, while Harbour himself was thrilled by the script and the chance to play "a broken, flawed, anti-hero character".[21][38] Additional casting followed two months later with Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Millie Bobby Brown in an undisclosed role, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers]].[3] In September 2015, Cara Buono joined the cast as Karen Wheeler,[6] followed by Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner a month later.[7] Additional cast who recur for the first season include Noah Schnapp as Will,[3][5] Shannon Purser as Barbara "Barb" Holland,[8] Joe Keery as Steve Harrington,[39][5] and Ross Partridge as Lonnie Byers,[9] among others. Actors auditioning for the children's roles read lines from Stand By Me.[14] The Duffer Brothers estimated they went through about a thousand different child actors for the roles. They noted that Wolfhard was already "a movie buff" of the films from the 1980s period and easily filled the role, while they found Matarazzo's audition to be much more authentic than most of the other audition tapes, and selected him after a single viewing of his audition tape.[15] As casting was started immediately after Netflix greenlit the show, and prior to the scripts being fully completed, this allowed some of the actors' takes on the roles to reflect into the script. The casting of the young actors for Will and his friends had been done just after the first script was completed, and subsequent scripts incorporated aspects from these actors.[32] The brothers said Modine provided significant input on the character of Dr. Brenner, whom they had not really fleshed out before as they considered him the hardest character to write for given his limited appearances within the narrative.[34] Filming The brothers had desired to film the series around the Long Island area to match the initial Montauk concept. However, with filming scheduled to take place in November 2015, it was difficult to shoot in Long Island in the cold weather, and the production started scouting locations in and around the Atlanta, Georgia area. The brothers, who grew up in North Carolina, found many places that reminded them of their own childhoods in that area, and felt the area would work well with the narrative shift to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.[20] The filming of the first season began on September 25, 2015, and was extensively done in Atlanta, Georgia, with The Duffer Brothers and Levy handling the direction of individual episodes.[40] Jackson served as the basis of the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.[41][42] Other shooting locations included the Georgia Mental Health Institute as the Hawkins National Laboratory site, Bellwood Quarry, Patrick Henry High School in Stockbridge, Georgia, for the middle and high school scenes,[43] Emory University's Continuing Education Department, the former city hall in Douglasville, Georgia, Georgia International Horse Park, the probate court in Butts County, Georgia, Old East Point Library and East Point First Baptist Church in East Point, Georgia, Fayetteville, Georgia, Stone Mountain Park, Palmetto, Georgia, and Winston, Georgia.[44] Set work was done at Screen Gem Studios in Atlanta.[44] The series was filmed with a Red Dragon digital camera.[34] Filming for the first season concluded in early 2016.[41] While filming, the brothers tried to capture shots that could be seen as homages to many of the 1980s references they recalled. Their goal was not necessarily to fill the work with these references, but instead to make the series seem to the viewer like a 1980s film.[21] They spent little time reviewing those works and instead went by memory. Matt further recognized that some of their filming homages were not purposely done but were found to be very comparable, as highlighted by a fan-made video comparing the show to several 1980s works side by side.[14][45] Matt commented on the video that "Some were deliberate and some were subconscious."[14] The brothers recognized that many of the iconic scenes from these 1980s films, such as with Poltergeist, was about "taking a very ordinary object that people deal with every day, their television set, and imbuing it with something otherworldly", leading to the idea of using the Christmas light strings for Will to communicate with Joyce.[21] The brothers attributed much of the 1980s feel to set and costume designers and the soundtrack composers that helped to recreate the era for them.[14] Lynda Reiss, the head of props, had about a $220,000 budget, similar to most films, to acquire artifacts of the 1980s, using eBay and searching through flea markets and estate sales around the Atlanta area. The bulk of the props were original items from the 1980s with only a few pieces, such as the Dungeons & Dragons books made as replicas.[46] Visual effects To create the aged effect for the series, a film grain was added over the footage, which was captured by scanning in film stock from the 1980s.[34] The Duffers wanted to scare the audience, but not to necessarily make the show violent or gory, following in line with how the 1980s Amblin Entertainment films drove the creation of the PG-13 movie rating. It was "much more about mood and atmosphere and suspense and dread than they are about gore", though they were not afraid to push into more scary elements, particularly towards the end of the first season.[34] The brothers had wanted to avoid any computer-generated effects for the monster and other parts of the series and stay with practical effects. However, the six-month filming time left them little time to plan out and test practical effects rigs for some of the shots. They went with a middle ground of using constructed props including one for the monster whenever they could, but for other shots, such as when the monster bursts through a wall, they opted to use digital effects. Post-production on the first season was completed the week before it was released on Netflix.[14] The title sequence uses closeups of the letters in the Stranger Things title with a red tint against a black background as they slide into place within the title. The sequence was created by the studio Imaginary Forces, formerly part of R/GA, led by creative director Michelle Doughtey.[47] Levy introduced the studio to The Duffer Brothers, who explained their vision of the 1980s-inspired show, which helped the studio to fix the concept the producers wanted. Later, but prior to filming, the producers sent Imaginary Forces the pilot script, the synth-heavy background music for the titles, as well as the various book covers from King and other authors that they had used to establish the title and imagery, and were looking for a similar approach for the show's titles, primarily using a typographical sequence. They took inspiration from several title sequences of works from the 1980s that were previously designed by Richard Greenberg under R/GA, such as Altered States and The Dead Zone. They also got input from Dan Perri, who worked on the title credits of several 1980s films. Various iterations included having letters vanish, to reflect the "missing" theme of the show, and having letters cast shadows on others, alluding to the mysteries, before settling into the sliding letters. The studio began working on the title sequence before filming and took about a month off during the filming process to let the producers get immersed in the show and come back with more input. Initially, they had been working with various fonts for the title and used close-ups of the best features of these fonts, but near the end the producers wanted to work with ITC Benguiat, requiring them to rework those shots. The final sequence is fully computer-generated, but they took inspiration from testing some practical effects, such as using Kodalith masks as would have been done in the 1980s, to develop the appropriate filters for the rendering software. The individual episode title cards used a "fly-through" approach, similar to the film Bullitt, which the producers had suggested to the studio.[48] Music Main articles: Music of Stranger Things and Stranger Things (soundtrack) The Stranger Things original soundtrack was composed by Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon of the electronic band Survive.[49] It makes extensive use of synthesizers in homage to 1980s artists and film composers including Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Goblin, John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, and Fabio Frizzi.[50] According to Stein and Dixon, The Duffer Brothers had been fans of Survive's music, and used their song "Dirge" for the mock trailer that was used to sell the show to Netflix.[49][51] Once the show was green-lit, the Duffers contacted Survive around July 2015 to ask if they were still doing music; the two provided the production team with dozens of songs from their band's past to gain their interest, helping to land them the role.[49] Once aboard, the two worked with producers to select some of their older music to rework for the show, while developing new music, principally with character motifs.[51] The two had been hired before the casting process, so their motif demos were used and played over the actors' audition tapes, aiding in the casting selection.[51][52] The show's theme is based on an unused work Stein composed much earlier that ended up in the library of work they shared with the production staff, who thought that with some reworking would be good for the opening credits.[49] The first season's original soundtrack, consisting of 75 songs from Dixon and Stein split across two volumes, was released by Lakeshore Records. Digital release and streaming options were released on August 10 and 19, 2016 for the two volumes, respectively, while retail versions were available on September 16 and 23, 2016.[53][54] In addition to original music, Stranger Things features period music from artists including The Clash, Toto, New Order, The Bangles, Foreigner, Echo and the Bunnymen, Peter Gabriel and Corey Hart, as well as excerpts from Tangerine Dream, John Carpenter and Vangelis.[54][55] In particular, The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" was specifically picked to play at pivotal moments of the story, such as when Will is trying to communicate with Joyce from the Upside Down.[54] Music supervisor Nora Felder felt the song "furthered the story" and called it an additional, unseen, main character of the season.[56]

It's the final week of the NFL regular season and Ryan and Dustin are here to break it all down! The guys discuss what matters—and what doesn't—in a wild Week 18, share their most intriguing matchups, and call out their “friends and family” games of the week. They also introduce the “JR Effect” game—where business just might pick up late—and highlight the players to watch as playoffs loom. Plus, the usual banter about soups, Invader Coffee, and their favorite athletes to wear 97, 98, and the legendary 99. No Credentials Required is part of Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Invader Coffee: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Invader Coffee: Fuel For the Fearless! Support the show by shopping at our affiliate link and save 15% off your order with promo code BELLYUP at checkout! | https://www.invadercoffee.com/?rfsn=6061080.e802273&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6061080.e802273 Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

Our host, Jose Acevedo, sits down with author Akira Singh to explore the deeply personal journey behind her storytelling, creativity, and debut novel. From growing up in South Africa to building a new life in the United States, Akira shares how cultural transition, family influence, and personal growth shaped her voice as a writer. Her debut novel, The Book That Will Change the World, reflects her desire to inspire readers, challenge perspectives, and remind people that creativity can flourish through every season of life. Connect with Akira Singh:Website: https://akirasinghauthor.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_bookeffect?igsh=M3dncml2Nmg0ajFmConnect with the Finding Arizona Podcast:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@findingarizonapodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/findingarizonapodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/findingarizonapodcastWebsite: https://www.findingarizonapodcast.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/finding-arizona-podcast/Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/findingarizonaPRODUCTION:Ready to start your own podcast? Found-House powered by The Finding Arizona Podcast is your best find!Want to be a guest or a sponsor of the show? Send us a message on the https://www.findingarizonapodcast.com/contact SPONSORS:SeatGeek: Get a $20 discount on your tickets with code FINDINGARIZONA at seatgeek.com.

Ryan and Dustin return for Week 17 NFL reactions and deliver a heartfelt sendoff on No Credentials Required. The guys share laughs about email mishaps and dive into the shockwaves from off-field NFL headlines, including Stefan Diggs' latest trouble. On a somber note, Ryan pays tribute to Tagalong, the beloved show mascot, sharing memories and stories that tug at the heartstrings. Then, it's all gridiron: the duo breaks down Week 17's most electric games, biggest upsets, disappointments, and peak performances. NFL playoff implications, coaching hot seats, and wild-card weekend chaos are all on the table. They wrap up with the “favorite athlete to wear number 96” segment and tease what's ahead for the final week of the season. No Credentials Required is a part of Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Righteous Felon: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Righteous Felon Craft Jerky: For a limited time, save 20% off your order with promo code NOCREDS at checkout! Plus, free shipping for every order of $50 or more! | https://www.righteousfelon.com Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Discord: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

A Sensory Overload of Cyberpunk: Akira Takes Over Neo TokyoWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast, where hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell are joined by special guest David Westlake to dive headfirst into Katsuhiro Otomo's groundbreaking 1988 anime masterpiece Akira. Buckle up—this one goes hard from frame one.Neo Tokyo Never Stood a ChanceThe crew tackles one of cinema's most ambitious and visually stunning films—a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk epic that defies easy explanation. Set 30 years after a catastrophic explosion that reshaped Tokyo, Akira follows biker gang leader Kaneda and his friend Tetsuo as they stumble into a military conspiracy involving psychic children, a mysterious godlike force, and power that no human was ever meant to wield.Krissy admits she was completely lost for most of the viewing experience, frantically taking notes and cross-referencing Wikipedia. Yet this confusion becomes part of the film's brilliance—Akira deliberately withholds exposition, letting mystery and ambiguity drive the narrative forward. The hosts wrestle with whether they enjoyed the experience, ultimately concluding that enjoyment isn't quite the right word. Instead, they felt changed by it.Nathan emphasizes that the film's true genius lies in its exploration of unchecked power and human inadequacy. Through Tetsuo's tragic arc—reminiscent of Anakin Skywalker's descent—the film asks a haunting question: what happens when a being with the emotional maturity of an angry teenager suddenly gains godlike abilities? The answer is absolute chaos. The violence is visceral, the destruction is relentless, and the moral landscape is deliberately murky. This isn't a film designed to comfort you; it's designed to challenge and provoke.David, experiencing Akira for the first time, identifies it as a foundational text for anime—a starting point that established countless tropes still used today. He notes how the film's aesthetic choices, from the distinctive art style to the passionate name-calling during intense moments, have become codified anime conventions. The hosts agree that while the character of Kaneda isn't particularly likable (he treats nearly everyone poorly), his cool motorcycle and sense of responsibility create an engaging protagonist despite his flaws.What Makes Akira Essential CinemaVisual Innovation: The animation is a technical revolutionPhilosophical Depth: Genuine philosophical inquiry about human nature, power, and moreMoral Ambiguity: Nearly every character exists in shades of grayGateway to Serious Storytelling: The perfect film for those ready for more challenging, adult narrativesA Masterclass in Trailer Difficulty: How do you sell this movie? The VerdictDavid appreciates the mystery, ambiguity, and groundbreaking artistry while wishing for a more likable lead character beyond his iconic bike and sense of duty. Nathan recognizes this as stunning cinema on an action, writing, and thematic level. While he won't rewatch it as frequently as lighter fare, he calls it the perfect gateway for curious teenagers seeking philosophical, intense storytelling. And Krissy feels genuinely changed by the experience, acknowledging that Akira is now part of her, informing her perspective going forward. This is a film, not just a movie—and one she'd enthusiastically recommend, though she'd warn viewers to put their phones away.Stay Excellent, Downtown MesaWant to catch David and Krissy performing? Visit Neighborhood Comedy Theatre in downtown Mesa. Check out Nathan's filmmaking work, including the feature film The Last Movie Ever Made, at his website. Krissy also co-hosts Gank That Drank, a supernatural drinking game podcast on TruStory FM.Join the CommunityLike what you heard? Become a member to get episodes a week early, ad-free access, and exclusive bonus content—like this episode's discussion of favorite animated films and shows beyond Akira. Rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. Tell your friends, your neighbors, and yes—even your local biker gang. Every five-star review helps immensely.Connect with us:Facebook | Instagram | BlueskyFor 80s movie lovers: Have you experienced Akira, and if so—did it blow your mind or confuse you senseless? Drop a comment and let us know what you thought of this cyberpunk classic. ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Recording live from Koenji, Japan, Dave sits down with Shawn — better known as Japan Book Hunter — for a deep dive into Japan's unique underground book culture, rare book collecting, and the obsession that drives collectors down endless rabbit holes. From underground bookstores to forgotten print runs, this conversation explores what makes Japanese books so special — and so hard to find.They discuss a shared love of AKIRA and Hayao Miyazaki, and the endless rabbit holes of collecting and the influence of Japanese visual culture on collectors worldwide. If you're interested in rare books, Japanese art, anime history, or the psychology of collecting, this episode is packed with stories and hard-earned wisdom.Check out JPH on Youtube and visit his website to snag something for yourself www.japanbookhunter.com

It's an NFL holiday hangover on No Credentials Required! Ryan and Dustin break down all the action and chaos from Christmas Day in the NFL, including the Cowboys-Commanders, Lions-Vikings, and Broncos-Chiefs matchups. The guys share their mixed feelings on Netflix's player interviews during the broadcasts and debate nostalgia versus the flow of the game. Plus, they preview a wild Week 17 slate: find out which games are must-see, which ones are for diehards only, and the players they're watching as records and playoff spots are on the line. The guys also reveal their picks in the Cut the Brakes Pick ‘Em Challenge and spotlight their favorite athletes to ever wear the number 95. No Credentials Required is proudly part of the Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Invader Coffee: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Invader Coffee: Fuel For the Fearless! Support the show by shopping at our affiliate link and save 15% off your order with promo code BELLYUP at checkout! | https://www.invadercoffee.com/?rfsn=6061080.e802273&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6061080.e802273 Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

Katsuhiro Otomo did the impossible when he adapted his own unfinished manga into an anime film that changed everything. In episode 367, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they unpack the making of this landmark film, try to understand a mind-blowing ending, compare different versions of Tetsuo, and finally cast their vote on which one is ultimately better: the manga series or the anime! Pickup Akira or any of the novels they've covered at the Ink to Film Bookshop! https://bookshop.org/shop/inktofilm Support Ink to Film on Patreon for bonus content, merch, and the ability to vote on upcoming projects! https://www.patreon.com/inktofilm Ink to Film's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky (@inktofilm) Home Base: inktofilm.com Intro/Outro Music "Rebels" by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-wKcIkElIc&t=522s Luke Elliott Website: www.lukeelliottauthor.com Social Media: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/social Writing: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/publications James Bailey Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jamebail.bsky.social IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamebail/

NFL Week 16 delivered heartbreak and hope as playoff dreams were dashed for some and rekindled for others. Ryan and Dustin break down the wild finishes, including epic divisional clashes like Bears-Packers and the NFC South's rollercoaster Panthers-Bucs showdown. They debate whether the Jaguars' win over the Broncos was the week's biggest upset and question if Trevor Lawrence is an MVP contender. Plus, the guys discuss discipline in the league after a player-fan incident and dish on who stood out as their peak performers. To close out, they share their favorite athletes to ever wear the number 94. No Credentials Required is a proud part of the Belly Up Sports Media Network. Belly Up Sports: www.bellyupsports.com | www.youtube.com/@bellyupsports Royal Retros: This episode's affiliate sponsor is Royal Retros: The King of Throwbacks! Get 10% off your order with promo code CREDHEAD and receive free shipping for every order over $100! | https://www.royalretros.com Bumper Music: "Thank You God" by Akira the Don and MEANINGWAVE - Copyright 2021 USED WITH PERMISSION Follow No Credentials Required on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube page for additional content! MERCH! Check out our Bonfire store and show the world you're a Cred Head! | https://www.bonfire.com/store/no-credentials-required/ Join our Discord server for more sports conversation: https://discord.gg/WknBEUQY

Katsuhiro Otomo's series is a landmark work in the history of Japanese manga and animation that shaped the industry as we know it today. In episode 366, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they continue their journey through Neo Tokyo by reacting to volumes 2 and 3, debate just how evil (or not) Tetsuo actually is, weigh the pros/cons of color, learn about "gutter loss," and further explore the legacy of this legendary story. Join them again next week when they race headlong into the film! Pickup Akira or any of the novels they've covered at the Ink to Film Bookshop! https://bookshop.org/shop/inktofilm Support Ink to Film on Patreon for bonus content, merch, and the ability to vote on upcoming projects! https://www.patreon.com/inktofilm Ink to Film's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky (@inktofilm) Home Base: inktofilm.com Intro/Outro Music "Rebels" by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-wKcIkElIc&t=522s Luke Elliott Website: www.lukeelliottauthor.com Social Media: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/social Writing: https://www.lukeelliottauthor.com/publications James Bailey Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jamebail.bsky.social IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamebail/

Join my Patreon for access to all court docs, podcasts and more! https://www.Patreon.com/imnotalawyerbut Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imnotalawyerbut Merch: https://cc0463-4.myshopify.com/ Booking/Email: info@imnotalawyerbut.com  Timestamps:  00:20:04 - intro  1:26:04 - objection to uber  03:29:20 - Aaron Spencer  06:25:04 - Mel's correction  27:20:01 - first objection  32:03:24 objection  33:14:14 objection  36:07:27 objection  37:30:22 - objection  40:20:27 objection  44:02:24 - objection  47:34:01 - objection  54:46:18 - veneer tech Atlanta  55:29:10 - objection  59:27:09- objection Romeeka Blackmon  1:00:58 - Alicia Andre's objection  1:04:20 - objection Alicia Andrews  1:07:08 - DAVID / Brenay v Akira  1:09:21 - objection on US  1:12:10 - objection 2025 court case wrap up  1:13:56 - Mel's 2025 Lookback / wrap up  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many Americans seem to be brainwashed by odd beliefs. How did this happen…how have bad ideas become so widespread? To find the answer, we follow the story of Akira the Don – an artist that found himself under the spell of ideas that held him back…and how he finally broke free.Support the show: https://redpilledamerica.com/support/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Americans seem to be brainwashed by odd beliefs. How did this happen…how have bad ideas become so widespread? To find the answer, we follow the story of Akira the Don – an artist that found himself under the spell of ideas that held him back…and how he finally broke free. Note: Some adult language.Support the show: https://redpilledamerica.com/support/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.