Podcast

Simple, yet makes a statement.

As always, every season brings us interesting topics to ramble and rant about, though this time some interesting extra bits are in the mix. Aside from an extra cast dedicated to Oreimo’s finale, please also welcome our guest star, Cherrie, as she partakes in our discussions!

Thanks to Xumbra for editing the majority of the podcast this time as I recovered from Post-Oreimo Stress, and of course thanks to Stilts for hosting another podcast. Thank you Cherrie for finally giving in to our requests to come onto the cast and gracing us with your voice, and of course thank you Zephyr and Guardian Enzo for being continued regulars!

  Participating Writers
  Time Index

Bloopers

  • 00:00 – 11:29 – Bloopers

Extra Segment: Reactions to Oreimo

Be forewarned: swearing, bad choice of music, and overall outrageousness inside. Listen at your own risk!

  Listen to the Episode
Summer 2013 Mid-Season Podcast | Duration: 138:23 – 96 kbps [flv:rc_podcast_10.mp3 350 0]

Download 160 kbps (113 MB)

Summer 2013 Mid-Season Podcast – Random Bloopers! | Duration: 11:29 – 96 kbps [flv:rc_podcast_10bloopers.mp3 350 0]

Download 160 kbps (9 MB)

Summer 2013 Mid-Season Podcast – Reactions to Oreimo | Duration: 56:44 – 96 kbps [flv:rc_podcast_10oreimo.mp3 350 0]

Download 160 kbps (65 MB)

 

121 Comments

  2. Pardon my ego, but…

    That Stilts has a sexy voice. Also Kuroneko is best girl.

    That is all.

    P.S. Awww Zani, you didn’t get my awesome rendition of Amazing Grace on there! Oh well, your loss : )

    Stilts
    Reply

    1. God yes, have to agree with Stilts on this one too. KURONEKO!!!!

      *stares blankly at the Kuroneko x Kyousuke doujinshi that is still incomplete yet lack the willpower to continue…*

      Thumbs up to Stilts for Kuroneko love!

      RuriNeko
      Reply

    5. Just finished the Oreimo extra segment…

      My comment: would be nice if the light novel author decided to do like Kawahara Reki (the Sword Art Online) author and posted doujinishi under a pen name online, explaining his “Complete End” and wrapping the story. Of course, it would not be known until some years later that it was really him writing those doujinshi… A bit like the recent news that J.K. Rowling wrote a book under a pseudonym as well.

      One can only dream isn’t it?

      Domo-kun
      Reply

      1. I wish this sensei would. Lots of writers use pseudonyms to try new things/genres without impacting their current fanbase, so why not? I’d take a real end years later to NEVER.

        Stilts
        Reply

  5. Sorry for double comments… but the reactions to Oreimo music was… wait wut? I thought it was a new ClariS song or a remix or something, then my jaws just dropped.

    If anyone still haven’t listened to it yet, I ask people to listen to it.

    RuriNeko
    Reply

  6. Great insert music choices <3

    yesssss Kyoto animation thank you for fanservice in Free!
    I agree, Gou represents us fangirls.lol
    The fujyoshi's appreciate the hard work!!

    Bought their newest drama CD but need a translation in Englishhhh. XD

    WATAMO <3 Cant say the whole name either…
    love this dark comedy

    berrish17
    Reply

  9. I’d love some commentary on Love Lab. Funniest show this season. Too bad nobody here is covering it.

    Regarding FLCL:
    My favorite part about it is not the fact that it does nothing wrong, but rather how much symbolism it’s loaded up with. There’s not much else that has such pervasive symbolism to an even slightly comparable extent. The way the whole series was composed is so…perfect.

    I’ve probably watched it about 8x through, and I love it more every time I watch it.

    CarVac
    Reply

  10. FLCL, Gainax at their best!
    The very amount of craziness and brilliance mixed is astonishing.
    Sora no Woto, it was putting girls in a tank before it became mainstream 😛
    The story setting in semi-dark postapocalyptic future was great, mixing darkness and hope, and then I loved the art style of the opening – or was that ending – reminding me of Belle Epoque paintings of Gustav Klimt.
    As for the OreImo, I could have accepted incest ending, Yosuga no sora style, but not the whole “few months relationship” cop-out and trolling of the public. It makes all those rejections simply feel wasted. Still, I must admit they really did great job of picturing the pain of Ruri, and the determiantion of Manami. Both Yamineko’s crying mixed with curses, and brutal fight between Manami and Kirino were full of emotional tension.
    And, IMHO Kyosuke was right in one thing all the girls deserved someone better than him. Fans, pick your waifus!
    Also series definitley could benefit from omnibus format – or semi-omnibus with points of divergence (again YnS!).

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. I agree with the fact that they pictured Kuroneko’s painfull defeat well but sadly,all I wanted to say to her at that point was “YOU FREAKING ASKED FOR IT!” while recalling how utterly naive she was in giving up on her love interest because of Kirino in the 1st place.

      MgMaster
      Reply

  12. Seeing FLCL on the list was a nice surprise. It’s one of my very top anime shows. The soundtrack can’t be understated/underrated IMO. When I first watched the show, by the third episode, I had my guitar playing along with the BGM as I watched. The soundtrack hooked me on the show as much as anything else. “Little Busters” is an definitive J-Pop song IMO.

    As for the quality of the English dub, could not agree more with Guardian Enzo. FLCL is one of three animes where I actually prefer the English dub (the other two being Cowboy BeBop and Hellsing “Ultimate”/OVA). It’s just fantastic.

    I’m sure there’s a lot of little nuances in FLCL that I’ve missed, but I really don’t care. For me watching FLCL is like river rafting (not rapids type stuff LOL) – just sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s a lot fun to watch even if you don’t think to deeply about the content.

    A bit surprised that Gen’ei wo Kakeru Taiyou wasn’t one of the “official” topics of discussion. It’s been this seasons “surprise/better than expected” show for me, and one of the few I’m following.

    daikama
    Reply

  13. Don’t worry of getting spoiled from me @Cherrie cause you won’t.
    The show that I am watching and the show that you watch are different and doesn’t cross.
    But if you go to IRC during air time of a certain anime, there is a possible chance that you will get spoiled.

    †Croos†
    Reply

    1. Oh no, I wanted a Kuroneko end, but that died a while ago, and they staked it during episode 14. From then on I was just hoping for a not-shit ending, and THAT’S where I was disappointed.

      Stilts
      Reply

  19. Thanks for another podcast everyone, I really enjoy these.

    It was awesome to hear a lot of thoughtful discussion of Watamote! This is my favorite show of the season and I enjoyed hearing what you guys thought about it. It really is a show of conflicting feelings and perspectives; more than any other show this season, its entertainment level is determined by the lens through which it is seen. First-hand, experiential knowledge colors the show in a completely different way, and I like that the show can mean different things to different people depending on their personal circumstances. For example, I’m able to easily see the paranoia that is omnipresent in Tomoko’s daily life, but a friend of mine was able to see more of the witty comedy than I could. Watamote is operating on a lot of different levels, which is really interesting to observe.

    On Kaminai’s situation with the halves of people, the witch took pieces of each of the original people to create Kiriko. The other halves of their bodies no longer exist because they were consumed to create Kiriko’s body and consciousness. I guess they could technically find a way to produce working, matching halves for their bodies in Ortus, but they never went into much detail about the witch’s curse to say whether or not that would be possible.

    My word association responses (I hope you guys do this again!):
    Uchoten Kazoku – community
    Blood Lad – exaggerated
    Free – manservice
    TWGOK – omitted
    Symphogear – hyperactive
    Eureka 7 – adventurous
    Love Hina – old-fashioned
    Darker than Black – favorite
    Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon – vast
    Ghost in the Shell – intellectual
    Guilty Crown – abomination
    Oreimo – dissatisfied
    Pokemon – hajimete
    Yosuga no Sora – clueless
    Valvrave – insanity

    <3 the Oreimo podcast intro song. My personal favorite Barkley/anime mashup is this Nichijou mashup. All the BGM during Stilts’ and Zephyr’s reactions were hilarious as well. Also, DAT OUTRO.

    Regarding Oreimo’s conclusion, I think I was trying to fit it to my expectations, so on an emotional level, I was completely let down by the ending they presented. From a critical standpoint, it was still a show that looked and sounded great, but that had a gradual decline in storytelling quality. It was so easy to relate to the characters and their emotions when the first season began, but there was an emotional and logical disconnect toward the end of the first season and throughout the entire second season that really inhibited my enjoyment of the show.

    One of my main issues with the series is that it became increasingly difficult to understand the characters and their motivations as the series progressed. In some shows, this is played for intrigue, like it was in Hyouka; the mystery of the characters’ behaviors are used to drive character development until we can fully understand their thought processes. For Oreimo’s second season, it was just utterly frustrating because it seemed like Kyousuke and the girls had no logical reasoning for their behavior, and as a result, the development of the characters seemed stunted. Sure, the characters did develop, but only to a certain point; Kuroneko became more social, Saori became comfortable with her public appearance, the Kousaka siblings acknowledged their feelings, and so on. The problem is that the characters seem like they have no more room to grow after the ending. A key element of a satisfactory ending for any story is to provide the possibility for its characters to continue growing even after the story has ended. Oreimo’s characters are mired in stagnation instead, and it just seems like none of the characters can ever get any real closure and move forward.

    Anyway, those are just my random ramblings on the conclusion. Hopefully I was able to get some semblance of a point across.

    Jimhawk
    Reply

    1. Wow, nice find Croos. It seems that the author wanted to tell what he is going through as an author having his work being animated, and used the story for it. I guess the publishers had been intervening with his work for a very long time.

      TheMoondoggie
      Reply

  24. Im glad to see that I wasn’t the only one.who.deduced the possibility that tomoko had social anxiety disorder. As a psych major it.was wondering.why I felt something different about tomoko’s portrayal from.the usual awkward MC in anime…and then it clicked around EP 3….that realization gave the anime that much more.depth and sophistication in how subtle.it was about it. Some.may find.this show.hard to.watch but I personally love.when anything can make.me feel.a certain way that.may.make.me.uncomfortable; that means the show.or.novel or.whatever it may be is.doing.its.job (unless its crass and.just.plain.stupid.n.done.just for shock value) what watemote needs needs to do from here is really show the issue of those turning a blind eye.towards Tomoko and how it arguably.makes.her situation worse as well as Tomoko coming to.terms with her anxiety and self-infliction of.pain…she needs to.realize.that Shes doing.this.to.herself…maybe not of her own volition…but she has.to realize.the.problem.she.faces.

    sonicsenryaku
    Reply

  26. I’m pretty sure the HasebexTanaka ship sank 😛

    Going into Free! I was expecting Kuroko No Basket with swimming and got something different that said we’ve barely hit the competing part.

    If you compare Free to DxD or any guys fan-service show this is way less although Sasami-san’s brother came pretty close – the muscles ;]

    They act like the cast of K-on and they have girl names too :\

    One thing you guys didn’t mention about Free! was the OP and ED I thought it was interesting how the OP is all about the competition while the ED had that cool analogy where Haru was stuck in the desert while Rin had all the water and then they swam together at an oasis; music-wise it has to be my fave ending this season 2nd only to DxD ED2 for sequence 😉 If anyone’s interested I found what I think is a good english cover for Free’s ED http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3ZNherbJCA

    Not featured: Yeah we’ve seen Tamoko’s dad like once xd

    “Kicking a wounded animal” As evil as you put it’s true.

    Yeah it’s definitely a black black anime.

    Nah they can die their souls just don’t leave their body.

    Each arc was really rushed I’ve heard that Hampnie didn’t die until around chapter 50 in the manga.

    The baby really was random, but I think she will be important in the final arc.

    One thing that is weird for me as I’m watching KamiNai I feel as if every episode goes into a new era of time Ai’s village seemed like it just got electricity and were still using horses. We hit the next arc Kiri has a van and Orthus was completely lit up and had phones. Finally in this third arc we have a black car that looks like its from modern time and the school is modern too I wouldn’t be surprised if we see computers in this arc or the next arc. The technological differences just seem to great.

    agr0n
    Reply

  27. Thanks for another great podcast.
    I really enjoy these.

    I wondered if I should watch FLCL for some time. And NGE (tv)is one of my favorite animes.

    @GuardianEnzo How do you feel about RahXephon?

    chad28
    Reply

    1. I like RahXephon a lot. It’s pretty transparently an Eva “inspired” show, but one of the better ones. I think it kind of represents the essence of the BONES oeuvre as expressed in mecha anime just as Eva does for the Gainax of that era.

      guardian enzo
      Reply

      2. I really liked RahXephon too.
        But I know some people don’t because they say it too much of a clone.
        I’ll try FLCL, yes that was a taste test question. lulz
        I’m just really afraid of not liking FLCL because it’s too confusing/ obtuse/ conceptual.
        I didn’t like Ergo Proxy’s way of handling philosophical and deeper themes. The only reason I kind of enjoyed Ergo Proxy was because I read all th plot and meaning before hand because I knew it would be confusing. Should I do the same?

        chad28
        Reply

      4. I did enjoy watching the show, I don’t think it was a waste of time, and I’m happy I watched it.
        I gave it a 7/10, mainly because the last episode disappointed/annoyed me a little. /don’t hate me.

        chad28
        Reply

    1. Yes, I’ve no doubt that would have been… colorful (though I should point out that Kirino in no way is the trailblazer for her trope, only the most famous recent example). I just couldn’t – and can’t – psych myself up to endure watching the episodes.

      guardian enzo
      Reply

  29. Finally finished listening to everything 🙂
    Stilts said: “Spaces Bros, that WAS such a good show 🙁 ”
    @Stils and other RC Staff : the show is actually still going on, episode 70 or so, and still awesome 🙂 Even though it wasn’t even included in the Summer 2013 Schedule 🙁

    Domo-kun
    Reply

    1. Shows don’t get included if they’re not 1) starting in the current season or 2) we’re covering them.

      And I’m sure that Space Bros is still a good show, but alas, I lapsed and fell behind a long time ago :X Just got way too busy, and once I was like 12 episodes behind catching up became extremely unlikely. To my shame!

      Stilts
      Reply

  30. Firstly, I love these podcasts! Thanks again for going through all the trouble of making them for us readers ^^ You are my anime geek heroes lol. I wish more of my friends enjoyed anime because (for me at least) having serious and/or hilarious discussions with fellow fans is half the fun! However, most of my friends only want to have conversations about how I’m weird for finding animated characters attractive -_-

    Also, I should remember to only listen to your podcast when no one else is around! It’s partially my fault for trying to talk to you guys while I’m listening ^^;;; But today I had to explain to my mom that I wasn’t actually talking to anyone. I told her I was listening to a podcast where guys (and one girl lol) were discussing the anime I watch. Her response? “And what exactly are those guys saying to you?” To which I replied, “No. It’s a pre-recorded show and I’m responding even though they can’t hear me. And it’s not ALL guys this time!” I think it’s funny how that’s the part she cared about.

    In conclusion, you’re all awesome and I should only talk out loud during your podcasts when I’m alone xD

    Kira526
    Reply

  31. LOL at everyone in the Oreimo reaction.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    TheMoondoggie
    Reply

    1. Wow, now you’re just being overtly trollish.

      Also the reason that most people who were for the incest hated the ending was because it WAS a cop-out.

      But really, good for you. Your pairing won. You clearly win at life.

      Dipper
      Reply

      1. LOL, how am I being trollish? Can anyone really refute the idea that Kuroneko pushed for her own demise?

        Also it was implied by the author their relationship did continue after that “cop-out” in the end anyway. I put more value in word-of-god than what is put in print anyway. If you can’t trust an author’s words because you’d rather think that what the publishers let you see is all that’s canon, you deserve to be disappointed.

        TheMoondoggie
        Reply

  34. I’m usually on the edge about listening to podcasts from RC because I usually only fully follow about 5 shows a season (fully as in keeping up on a weekly basis) and am not sure if there will be spoilers about the series that will be discussed. I was pleasantly surprised yet again, just as I was with the last podcast.

    I was encouraged to watch (or rather, keep up. lol) with Gin no Saji, Watamote and Kaminai. The discussion about Watamote was eye opening. I actually thought it was supposed to be a comedy just as Stilts I believe said, so after watching the first episode, I felt a little unsettled and unsure of how I should feel about it and didn’t feel inclined to watch the next episode even though I already had it downloaded. It creeped me out, and I simply thought it was just not my type of humor since sometimes humor can be lost in translation and culture. Now I know I wasn’t “wrong” about my train of thought about it being unsettling.

    tl;dr, it encourages me to try and catch up with Watamote. I’ll also catch up on Gin no Saji and Kaminai. I was planning on watching them after they finished airing, but it seems like they might be worth the weekly waits.

    After episode 3 of Kaminai, I was on the edge about continuing right away, but RC’s podcast changed my mind.

    Enzo brought up a good point about Free! as well. I knew it was based on a light novel titled High Speed! but following the lives of children in elementary school. They do act immature for their age of 17ish. Mostly the impulsive actions such as suddenly starting the club together, shopping for swimsuits, even to the flashback that was in episode 6 about Makoto. A lot of the conflict is juvenile and is pretty anticlimactic like with why Haru stopped swimming in middle school. Of course, as I believe Stilts noted, KyoAni has lots of great moments as it does with all of their series, at the very least. At this point, the only real reason I want to keep watching is because KyoAni has one of the best animation in my opinion.

    That word game seemed fun. I wonder what would have happened if someone said Aku no Hana or Shingeki no Kyojin. Lol.

    Skipped on the backlog since FLCL has been on my wishlist for awhile.

    Thanks a lot, RC! I know I’ve changed my outlook on a number of shows, and will definitely catch up and continue them. I was very happy with this podcast, and look forward to the next one that was noted in this one (a mini one coming up soon? you got my hopes up, hope you guys can deliver!).

    Jel
    Reply

  36. First time listening to the podcast, and it was hilarious listening to the live reactions to this show’s finale. I only ever saw the first season, and I think I’ll leave it at that, but this extra podcast probably is a distillation of nearly the entire fanbase right now and likely into the future.

    Do we know exactly what the author had in mind for the ending? I’m pretty sure the cop-out was Executive Meddling, but was that the only thing?

    Also, looking forward to the Eyepatch-Manami fan art. And who was it that said this was the worst anime they ever watched? I’m still trying to match the voices.

    Da5id
    Reply

  37. Thank you Zanibas and Xumbra for adding good and fitting background music to the podcast.
    It was nice!
    Though there is only one thing that I think wasn’t fitting and Oreimo podcast OP. The music remix was was awesome but it was too long.

    †Croos†
    Reply

  38. Love that word association game but it lacks something… Hmm…something *hard, I think you need to add some *spirits into it to give it an extra kick. xD

    Your guy’s reaction to Oreimo is just hilarious. Oh men! Now I’m much more curious to Divine’s opinion in that ending, cuz his enthusiastic write up on it is pretty much why I started watching and liking it in the first place.

    Jhacks
    Reply

  40. You know, the only thing that really ticks me off about the way Dengeki Bunko ended Oreimo was the implications of what’s in store for Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. Like I stated in the last episodes’ post, the LN gives you a clearer picture on just how Fushimi-sensei wanted to end it without actually showing it.

    That’s that and this is this however. There will officially be no (clear) Miyuki end in Mahouka. T_T

    (Well, at least unless the author gives Dengeki Bunko the middle finger and goes back to writing it as a web novel. Legal implications obviously put a damper on that hope though.)

    Kuntzy
    Reply

      1. Infinite Stratos is a bit of a special case though. The author didn’t change publishers so much as he was forced out of Media Factory because they just got tired of dealing with his crap.

        Not to mention that Mahouka sells over 100k per volume without an anime, which puts it in Sword Art Online and Index levels (aka two of Dengeki Bunko’s big sellers) as far as pre-anime sales go. I highly doubt the same thing would happen.

        Kuntzy
        Reply

  43. I have to say that was the most magnificent rickrolling I ever got, right at the end with no way to even expect it coming and it’s even more fitting considering the sucker punch that the anime being talked about gives you.

    Even if I had stumbled upon that video on youtube, there’s no way it would have the same impact as one that comes after an hour of podcast. (Even assuming I didn’t read the top comment spoiling it)

    HakumeiJin
    Reply

  45. I actually laughed out loud listening to the word association part, especially when Cherrie threw out TV-Free! into the field. We (or I) shall be forever be scarred about the writers’ fetishes.

    (it does not help that I was partially drunk – on JAL sake – listening to that particular part of the main podcast.)

    info600
    Reply

  46. lololz, the Oreimo podcast was too funny and music, so deliciously bad. if anime ever rickrolls you, you know you’ve experienced it all.

    @13:37 for Stilts’ epic wtf ending reaction. \(>w<)/

    calytrix
    Reply

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