- Ani-Gamers Book Club #24 – Ascendance of a Bookworm
We are back at it again with the light novels in this sixth episode of AGBC Part V: The Reading Experience. This time, we’re reading Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll Stop at Nothing to Become a Librarian Part 1: Daughter of a Soldier, Vol. 2, the story of a little girl trying to make paper. Topics include sharp criticisms of the new Bookwalker app, drinking shampoo, and ancient Egypt. Post in the Discord or pop off in the comments below on anything and everything AGBC and maybe we’ll talk about it on the next episode.
Runtime: 53 minutes
5 September 2026, 8:45 am - AGP#199 – Otakon 2026
Evan and Pat went to Otakon with a surprise guest: David, who attended the Washington, DC anime convention for the first time in a decade! The hosts discuss why Otakon is the best anime convention around, the guests and panels they saw, and more. Topics include: the lettuce that kills you, forbidden Lord of the Rings panels, and the most impregnatable man in fiction.
Runtime: 1 hour, 14 minutes
Show Notes
- Opening/Ending Song: “Blues Machine” by Scott Gratton
- Episode edited by Evan Minto.
- Topic: Otakon 2026
- BlueSky: Evan, Pat, Ani-Gamers
- Mastodon: Evan, Ani-Gamers
- Instagram: Ani-Gamers
- Twitch: David & Inaki
- Subscribe to Evan’s digital manga service Omoi (formerly Azuki).
26 August 2026, 4:16 pm - AGP#198 – Quicksave: Cleaning out My Backlog
Evan and David reconvene to discuss the anime, manga, and games they’ve been checking out: Journal with Witch, Owarimonogatari, Frieren Season 2, Demon’s Souls, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, and In This Corner of the World (the manga). Also Project: Hail Mary for a little bit. Topics include: anime for adults, playing NES games on the Switch 2, and why do they call it Owarimonogatari if they keep makin’ em.
Runtime: 54 minutes
Show Notes
- Opening/Ending Song: “Blues Machine” by Scott Gratton
- Episode edited by Evan Minto.
- Quicksave
- Evan watched Journal with Witch
- David is watching Owarimonogatari
- Evan watched Frieren Season 2
- David is playing Demon’s Souls
- Evan played Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
- Evan read In This Corner of the World
- BlueSky: Evan, Ani-Gamers
- Mastodon: Evan, Ani-Gamers
- Instagram: Ani-Gamers
- Twitch: David & Inaki
- Subscribe to Evan’s digital manga service Omoi (formerly Azuki).
16 June 2026, 12:04 pm - AGP#197 – The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The Tolkien sickos are unleashed at last! In this Golden Ticket episode requested by DustyStars, Evan and Inaki review the 2024 anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, discussing its status within the franchise, effectiveness as a standalone film, and adherence to Tolkien canon. To redeem your own Golden Ticket and request a review of a specific piece of media, join the Ani-Gamers Patreon! Topics include: incel kings, elephants where they don’t belong, and the plural of maia (it‘s maiar).
Runtime: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Show Notes
- Opening/Ending Song: “Blues Machine” by Scott Gratton
- Episode edited by Evan Minto.
- The Review
- Namedrops: J.R.R. Tolkien (duh), Peter Jackson, Phillipa Boyens, Kenji Kamiyama, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle Earth, The Children of Hurin, The Song of Beren and Luthien.
- Inaki mentioned this Tumblr post about Lord of the Rings in the context of WWI
- BlueSky: Evan, Inaki, Ani-Gamers
- Mastodon: Evan, Ani-Gamers
- Instagram: Ani-Gamers
- Twitch: David & Inaki
- Subscribe to Evan’s digital manga service Omoi (formerly Azuki).
17 May 2026, 5:40 pm - AGP#196 – 2-D Zelda Retrospective Part 1: NES, SNES, and CD-i
After our extended 3-D Zelda retrospective last year, the full Ani-Gamers staff (Evan, David, Inaki, and Pat) return for a multi-part dive into every 2-D Zelda game, starting with the earliest entries: The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and A Link to the Past. And as a bonus, they throw in the much-maligned and non-canon CD-i games Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. Topics include: being gifted a sword, skellingtons, and The Zelda Wars.
Runtime: 1 hour, 36 minutes
Show Notes
- Opening/Ending Song: “Blues Machine” by Scott Gratton
- Episode edited by Evan Minto.
- The Review
- Namedrops: Nintendo, Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, Super NES, Super Famicom. Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Tadashi Sugiyama and Yasuhisa Yamamura, Phillips, Sony, Yoshi’s Island, Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore
- Twitter: Ani-Gamers
- Twitch: David & Inaki
- Mastodon: Evan
- BlueSky: Evan, Inaki, Pat
- Subscribe to Evan’s digital manga service Omoi (formerly Azuki).
29 March 2026, 10:58 pm - AGP#195 – CITY The Animation
Evan and David are back for Evan’s review of CITY The Animation, the 2025 spiritual successor to Nichijou from the same manga author and studio: Keiichi Arawi and Kyoto Animation. Topics include: production perverts, the short round one and the tall lanky one, and crispy noodles.
Runtime: 1 hour, 7 minutes
Show Notes
- Opening/Ending Song: “Blues Machine” by Scott Gratton
- Episode edited by Evan Minto.
- The Review
- Namedrops: Kyoto Animation, Nichijou, Keiichi Arawi, Taichi Ishidate, Azumanga Daioh, The Daily Lives of High School Boys
- Twitter: Ani-Gamers
- Twitch: David & Inaki
- Mastodon: Evan
- BlueSky: Evan
- Subscribe to Evan’s digital manga service Omoi (formerly Azuki).
12 February 2026, 10:08 pm - Ani-Gamers Book Club #23 – Victoria of Many Faces
We are back at it again with the light novels in this fifth episode of AGBC Part V: The Reading Experience. This time, we’re reading Victoria of Many Faces, the story of a former spy trying to start a new life in another country. Topics include inevitable comparisons to Spy x Family, dissatisfaction in the workplace, and Italian grandmothers. Post in the Discord or pop off in the comments below on anything and everything AGBC and maybe we’ll talk about it on the next episode.
Runtime: 54 minutes
6 January 2026, 6:39 pm - Oldtaku no Radio #063 – Ghost Cat Anzu
Dropping in for a holiday visit to take part in Anime Secret Santa, Jared and Ink of Oldtaku no Radio talk about the 2024 movie, Ghost Cat Anzu. The movie, based off of a manga by Takashi Imashiro, focuses on a tween, Karen (#NotThatKaren), who is taken away from the city by her widower father and dropped off at a rural temple tended by her grandfather. The movie deals with the processing of loss and grief via a sense of sympathy as well as a nostalgia for youthful mischief, bolstered by supernatural elements, and makes fantastic use of ishōtenketsu structure to nail its finale.
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Runtime: 1 hour, 9 minutes
Show Notes
- Episode edited by Ink
- (Ink’s computer was dying, so he apologizes for some of his choppier bits)
- The Review: Ghost Cat Anzu
- Name drops: co-directors Yoko Kuno (Linda, Linda, Linda) and Nobuhiro Yamashita (The Case of Hana & Alice, select Crayon Shin-Chan movies)
- Ghost Cat Anzu can be streamed via HBO Max and has a North American physical release via GKIDS
- Socials: Jared, Ink
23 December 2025, 2:11 pm - Episode edited by Ink
- AGP#194 – Switch 2 and Mario Kart World
In this episode recorded shortly after the release of the Switch 2, Evan and David review their new consoles and the launch title Mario Kart World. How does the Switch 2 measure up against its predecessor, and is Mario Kart World enough of a departure from the formula to warrant a sequel to the definitive Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? Topics include: “the bullet bill is also my stand,” Grand Theft Kart, and donkloadable content.
Runtime: 1 hour, 9 minutes
Show Notes
- Opening/Ending Song: “Blues Machine” by Scott Gratton
- Episode edited by Evan Minto.
- The Review
- Namedrops: Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 2DS, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Metroid Prime 4, Megaman X4.
- Twitter: Ani-Gamers
- Twitch: David & Inaki
- Mastodon: Evan
- BlueSky: Evan
- Subscribe to Evan’s digital manga service Omoi (formerly Azuki).
19 November 2025, 9:31 pm - AGP#193 – UFO 50
Evan and Inaki dig into ALL FIFTY games from last year’s retro-styled indie darling UFO 50, from Barbuta to Cyber Owls. Strap in, it’s a long one. Topics include: demakes, From Software’s Dark Souls (of course), and Nintendo Hard.
Runtime: 2 hours, 13 minutes
Show Notes
- Opening/Ending Song: “Blues Machine” by Scott Gratton
- Episode edited by Evan Minto.
- The Review
- Name drops: Nintendo, NES/Famicom, SNES/Super Famicom, Into the Breach, Splatoon, PacMan, Metroid, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Civilization, SEGA, Nights into Dreams, WindJammers, MarioKart, Crazy Taxi, Balatro, Metal Storm, Super Smash Bros., Towerfall Ascension, Wizardry, Ghosts and Goblins (Makaimura), Final Fantasy, Maniac Mansion, Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, Metal Gear.
- Twitter: Ani-Gamers
- Twitch: David & Inaki
- Mastodon: Evan
- BlueSky: Evan
- Subscribe to Evan’s digital manga service Azuki.
7 October 2025, 7:01 pm - AGP#192 – Quicksave: You’ve Lost Reputation with Spiders
Don’t ask us how long ago we recorded this episode, just enjoy Evan and David talking about Frieren, Balatro, Cowboy Bebop, Caves of Qud, Dungeons & Dragons, and more! Topics include: staying together for the listeners, trading with glowfish, and the Ani-Gamers review of Baseball (The Sport).
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Show Notes
- Opening/Ending Song: “Blues Machine” by Scott Gratton
- Episode edited by Evan Minto.
- Quicksave
- David watched Frieren
- Evan is playing Balatro
- David is watching Cowboy Bebop
- Evan is playing Caves of Qud
- Evan is playing Dungeons & Dragons
- Evan is playing 1000 Blank White Cards
- Twitter: Ani-Gamers
- Twitch: David & Inaki
- Mastodon: Evan
- BlueSky: Evan
- Subscribe to Evan’s digital manga service Azuki.
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