Under the Kotatsu

Shinsekai Yori marches on, though it's debatable whether it should have gone on for this many episodes or not. As we reach the three quarters point on the show, we find ourselves frustrated on all the time waste on things that are not the developing rat politics. Anime Discussed: Shinsekai Yori 14-19Next time: Shinsekai Yori 20-25Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

Shinsekai Yori continues to have its series of ups and downs as we jump forward in time two years. We learn even more about the hows and whys of the disappearing children, but unfortunately we also have to deal with the real-world implications this show inadvertently brings into conversation along with it. But most importantly, Squonk returns.Anime Discussed: Shinsekai Yori 8-13Next time: Shinsekai Yori 14-19Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

Time for a new show! This time we're diving into the world of Shinsekai Yori - a world full of psychic powers, genetic manipulation, rat societies, and exploding dogs. Despite some ups and downs in these first few episodes, we're mostly having a good time as this show teases out it's central mysteries and ideas.Anime Discussed: Shinsekai Yori 1-7Next time: Shinsekai Yori 8-13Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

As we come to an end with Granbelm and realize that we were all too right about this show being Madoka with the edges sanded off. But it turns out you need some of those edges to make a compelling show! Oh well, at least there's some evil women and cool mech fightsAnime Discussed: Granbelm 8-13Next time: Shinsekai Yori 1-7Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

We're watching Granbelm, a show with mechs AND magical girls plus a healthy splash of Madoka for good measure. If it weren't for some solid action, and some A+ sicko women, this show would be pretty unremarkable, but boy are we feasting on the sicko energy in this one.

Anime Discussed: Granbelm 1-7

Next time: Granbelm 8-13

Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

We finished Mononoke! Any hang-ups we had about this show were alleviated by a very strong showing in these final episodes. Lots meaty themes and ideas to dig into, but also: haunted train!!!CW: Brief discussion of sexual assault and abortion

It's time to exorcise some evil spirits as we begin Mononoke! A show with tons of visual style, and a fun Agatha Christie-esque structure. We have a great time working to uncover the truth, reason, and form of this anime.

CW: Abortion and Miscarriage

Anime Discussed: Mononoke 1-6Next time: Mononoke 7-12Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

It's episode 100!

To mark the occasion we've invited our friend Tyler back on the podcast to once again discuss Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece with us. Since this is episode 100 of the podcast, we jumped ahead to episode 100 of these three long running Shonen anime.

Surely a big, significant number like 100 means all three are action packed, emotional episodes right? Right??? Well either way, we get to ruminate on long running adaptions, the ways they handle outpacing the source material, and lament (but mostly celebrate) the loss of this particular type of Shonen manga adaption...

In this special (not actually special) Kotatsu after dark episode, we finish Scorching Ping Pong Girls! While it suffers from some unavoidable consequences of adaptation, we managed to have a fun time with this one. Though that doesn't stop us from making some unfair comparisons to Ping Pong the Animation. Anime Discussed: Scorching Ping Pong Girls 7-12Next time: Episode 100!Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

Given our history with ping pong anime, it was only a matter of time before we watched one of the only other ping pong related shows besides Ping Pong The Animation, Scorching Ping Pong Girls! Or as I like to call it, Flaming Ping Pong Girls cuz these girls sure are gay. Oh, and the ping pong is pretty cool too. Anime Discussed: Scorching Ping Pong Girls 1-6Next time: Scorching Ping Pong Girls 7-12Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky...

Last time, two of us foolishly held on to the hope that the second half of Dual would really lock in on some interesting ideas, themes, character arcs, etc., but one of us correctly predicted that nothing interesting would happen. Somehow they made a science fiction harem show that manages to miss the mark on both fronts. Join us as we air are greviences about this disappointing relic of the post-Eva 90s.Anime Discussed: Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure 8-14Next time: Scorching Ping Pong Girls 1-6Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com...

Going in we knew Dual! would be an Evangelion inspired anime, but we did not know it would be a harem anime or that it was created by the Tenchi Muyo guy. However, it does have some interesting sci-fi ideas when it's not being a harem show. Here's hoping the ratio of those things works out in our favor by the end of the show...Anime Discussed: Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure 1-7Next time: Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure 8-14Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and...

Our old friend Toh EnJoe has done it again. He made a show with some interesting ideas that got bogged down by BS pseudoscience and bad writing, but hey, at least Jet Jaguar, Godzilla, and Pero 2 are all here to give us something to enjoy. We're going to have to send this podcast back in time to prevent the Catastrophe of us watching it.Anime Discussed: Godzilla Singular Point 7-13Next time: Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure 1-7Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky...

Hope you're read up on your Cryptochemistry and Algebraic Cosmology because we're covering the Toh EnJoe (he of the two worst Space Dandy episodes) written Godzilla S.P, a show with some cool kaiju and nonsense pseudo-science, but with way too many characters with little to do. None of that matters though because we're here for our boy Jet Jaguar.

Anime Discussed: Godzilla Singular Point 1-6

Next time: Godzilla Singular Point 7-13

Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM...

It's time for another show and tell! We've got an interesting mix of older anime to talk about, from an iconic Ikuhara show from the 90s to two OVA from 1989 with very different tones. It's also our 4 year anniversary, so you know that means: time for each of us to attempt to put all of the anime we've watched over the last 4 years into ranked lists. Our number one picks honestly won't surprise anyone, but some of our others might! Anime Discussed: Show and Tell! Next time: Godzilla Singular Point 1-6 Send us your questions! You can email us...

We've reach the end of our time with Milky Holmes! Unfortunately for us the back half of this season is much more dense with plot that the first half, and features an unlikely (and unliked) side character become the final boss for reasons? Anyway, there's still enough trademark Milky Holmes stupidity for us to enjoy. Make sure to join us next time for another show and tell and to celebrate 4 years of Under the Kotatsu! Anime Discussed: Milky Holmes Season 2 7-12 Next time: Show and Tell! Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com...

If you thought season 1 was stupid, wait to you get a load of season 2! Join us as we delight in just how head-empty and nonsensical Milky Holmes season 2 gets. Anime Discussed: Milky Holmes Season 2 1-6 Next time: Milky Holmes Season 2 7-12 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

Merry Christmas! We're celebrating the holiday by watching two very dumb and fun special episodes of Milky Holmes including the Christmas Special! Not much too say about these, but we had fun celebrating the holidays with our favorite incompetent detectives! Anime Discussed: Milky Holmes Season 1 Special + Christmas Special! Next time: Milky Holmes Season 2 1-6 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

We've reached the end of the first season of Milky Holmes! Do the girls finally get their Toys back? Does the plot make any sense? Just how important are these boob jokes? Answers will be revealed! Anime Discussed: Milky Holmes 7-12 Next time: Milky Holmes Season 1 Special + Christmas Special! Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu and on bluesky @underthekotatsu.bsky.social

We've convened to discuss one of the dumbest (non-derogatory) shows we've watched for the podcast: Milky Holmes. Despite being about a group of detectives, there's not a lot of mysteries being solved, but there is a lot of fun and dumb comedy, even if some of it has aged liked vinegar. Anime Discussed: Milky Holmes 1-6 Next time: Milky Holmes 7-12 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu.

It's time to talk about the power of friendship and senshado as we discuss the second half of Girls und Panzer, a show that on paper has not right being as good as it is. This podcast too was senshado the whole time. Anime Discussed: Girls und Panzer 7-12 Next time: Milky Holmes 1-6 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu.

Panzer vor! We're beginning our foray into the world of Senshado with the first six episodes of Girls und Panzer. Despite some weirdness around the edges with this show's usage of World War II iconography, we had a really fun time with this silly yet well made show. Anime Discussed: Girls und Panzer 1-6 Next time: Girls und Panzer 7-12 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu.

Unfortunately, we can't say that Ex-Arm betrayed the hype. It truly is the worst anime we have watched for this show, and that's really saying something. Join us as we close the book on this awful series, and try not to talk too much about Metal Gear Solid 4 along the way.

Anime Discussed: EX-ARM 7-12

Next time: Girls und Panzer 1-6

Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost...

We've been watching too many good shows recently, so we decided to test ourselves by watching the infamously bad, Crunchyroll produced EX-ARM. We were prepared for bad CGI animation, but we were not prepared for everything else about it being equal bad. Turns out it's hard to make a good anime when almost everyone involved has never worked on an anime before!

Anime Discussed: EX-ARM 1-6

Next time: EX-ARM 7-12

Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on...

We've reached the end of the line on our OVA train, so it's time to wrap things up with a one-off episode on Gunsmith Cats! Apart from the last few episodes of Bubblegum Crisis, we missed out on the 90s in our recent round of OVA picks, and boy, do we get a healthy dosage of 90s anime action in this series. Join us as we discuss the hijinks of gun nut Rally, and grenade girl Minnie as they take down gun runners, Russian assassins, and corrupt politicians on the mean streets of Anime Chicago. Anime Discussed: Gunsmith Cats ...

Since the OVA was an incomplete adaptation, we've done our due diligence and have read the Alien 9 manga. All of it! Unfortunately that means we read it's two sequels: Emulators and Next, which kinda step all over the interesting parts of the original manga. But hey, we still have a good time picking apart the manga and thinking fondly of the anime. Anime Discussed: Alien 9 Manga (Including Alien 9 Emulators and Alien 9 Next) Next time: Gunsmith Cats Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find...

Next up on our current round of OVA coverage is Alien 9! Despite being an incomplete adaption of it's original manga (which we'll be covering next episode), we managed to have a great time discussing this stylistic strong, Evangelion influence OVA from the early 2000s. And Discotek, if you're reading this, please put this one out on blu-ray. Anime Discussed: Alien 9 Next time: Alien 9 Manga (Including Alien 9 Emulators and Alien 9 Next) Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

Continuing our run of anime OVA coverage, we watched Dallos, which on top of being the first ever OVA might also be one of the most overtly political. We've got all kinds of great revolutionary imagery and themes to talk through as we discuss a truly one of a kind anime from our boy Mamoru Oshii. Anime Discussed: Dallos Next time: Alien 9 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

We finished Bubblegum Crisis! But does Bubblegum crisis really finish? Not really. These last few episodes are a messy and definitely doesn't offer a satisfying conclusion, but hey it does have some sick stuff like more orbital lasers and a spider mech. Anime Discussed: Bubblegum Crisis 5-8 Next time: Dallos Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

We're diving into more 80s OVA goodness with Bubblegum Crisis, a series that has way more style than plot, but hey, who needs plot when you've got style and the budget of an 80s OVA. Join us as we talk about the first few adventures of the Knight Sabers as they fight against *checks notes* Boomers? Anime Discussed: Bubblegum Crisis 1-4 Next time: Bubblegum Crisis 5-8 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

What started off as an excuse for us to pay tribute to the late, great Akira Toriyama somehow turned into us reliving the entire 1989 Toei Manga Matsuri movie lineup. So join as we have a great time with Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone and Mobile Cop Jiban: Great Explosion at the Monster Factory of Fear, and then have an alright time with the Akko-Chan and Akuma-Kun movies. Anime Discussed: Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (and the rest of the 1989 Toei Manga Matsuri) Next time: Bubblegum Crisis 1-4 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail...

We finished Bocchi! Let's all hope they make another season though because this show was great. Filled with great music and animation, this is the new anime we've watched for the podcast, and it did not let us down! Anime Discussed: Bocchi the Rock! 7-12 Next time: Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

We continue the theme of anime about bands with a completely different show than given: Bocchi the Rock! Join us as we bask in the extremely high highs of this show's production and work to complete our Bocchi-dexes. Anime Discussed: Bocchi the Rock! 1-6 Next time: Bocchi the Rock! 7-12 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

We say our goodbyes to given by watching the first movie and the OVA (sadly we must wait for the English release of the second movie), and feast on all the nasty, juicy drama between Haruki, Kaji, and Ugetsu... oh, and I guess Mafuyu and Uenoyama are there too. Anime Discussed: given the Movie + OVA Next time: Bocchi the Rock! 1-6 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

We're not done with given yet, but we are done with the 11 episode TV anime. We bear witness to the power of rock music to let two boys fall in love and process emotional trauma. We also manage to find some time to complain about our least favorite British rock band yet again. Real ones already know which band. Anime Discussed: given 6-11 Next time: given the Movie + OVA Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

We're moving on from gay skating to gays in a band with given! The first half of this show is mostly setup, but we still have a good time talking about the boys and their homosexual musical escapades. But before we can get to any of that, it's our 3 year anniversary! Which means it's time for another ranking of all the anime we've watched. Anime Discussed: given 1-5 + 3 Year Anniversary Rankings! Next time: given 6-11 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us...

We've completed our short program, so now it's time for the free skate as we talk about the second half of Yuri on Ice! We've much to talk about like kissing, wedding rings, JJ style, pork cutlet pirozhkis and more! Anime Discussed: Yuri on Ice 7-12 Next time: Given 1-5 + 3 Year Anniversary Rankings! Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

Oops! Someone spilled some gay into my sports anime. We're here to talk about the first half of Yuri on Ice! A show that honestly doesn't need an introduction. If you're listening to this, you probably know about the gay figure skating anime already. Anime Discussed: Yuri on Ice 1-6 Next time: Yuri on Ice 7-12 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also find us on Cohost @underthekotatsu.

We're back! After taking a break we're back to talk about... a J-drama, a visual novel, and a tokusatsu show? That's right! It's time for a special non-anime show and tell episode. We've got three very different things to share, from an endearing drama with a cute sci-fi premise, to a visual novel about queerness and devils, to a tokusatsu show about a certain purple robot who fights for justice. Anime Discussed: Show and Tell - Anime Ja Nai Edition Next time: Yuri on Ice 1-6 Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com...

We finished Canaan! This show was an absolute train wreck by the end, but that didn't stop us from having a good time talking about just how much of a train wreck it was. Maybe you should play 428 Shibuya Scramble instead and skip this anime.

CW: Discussion of sexual assault, necrophilia, light body horror, misogyny

Anime Discussed: Canaan 8-13

Next time: Show and Tell - Anime Ja Nai Edition

Send us your questions! You can email us at underthekotatsu.anime@gmail.com or DM us on twitter @underthekotatsu. You can also...