For the October installment of Purely Academic, Jonathan and Sean embrace the spooky season by talking Halloween – specifically, the recent Halloween reboot/sequel trilogy directed by David Gordon Green and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, with the hosts debating whether these films are muddled messes or interesting revisionist takes on the slasher genre. We break down some recent News, including Sony’s controversial unveiling of the PS5 Pro, several new game announcements including Ghost of Yōtei and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and news of Kyoto Animation making an exciting new film and TV series in 2025. In our ‘Show ‘n Tell’ segment, we discuss what we’ve been playing and watching recently, with Jonathan talking about the terrible new Joker movie, his experiences at the Denver Silent Film Festival, and finally finishing Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon, while Sean shares his thoughts on the 5.0 update of Genshin Impact, and we both discuss the outstanding new PS5 game Astro Bot. And finally, in the ‘Monthly Ten’ segment, Sean is challenged by Jonathan to rank the Top 10 Anime That Aren’t About the Power of Friendship. 

Enjoy, and we’ll be back next month for an exciting episode reviewing the Heisei-era Gamera trilogy, a series of classic Kaiju films we’ve been promising to discuss for years now. What kinds of things do you think we’re going to learn next time? 

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:13:20

News: 0:13:20 – 1:03:07

Show n’ Tell: 1:03:07 – 2:22:27

Topic (Halloween!): 2:22:27 – 3:56:06

The Monthly Ten: 3:56:06 – 4:14:20

Outro: 4:14:20 – 4:16:56

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

For the first episode of this new incarnation of the podcast, Jonathan and Sean introduce (or reintroduce) themselves to listeners by interviewing each other, with a mix of questions equal parts insightful and ridiculous. Then for our first ‘Show ‘n Tell’ segment, we discuss what we’ve been playing and watching recently, with Sean discussing HoYoverse’s Zenless Zone Zero and his ongoing adventures with Ultraman, while Jonathan shares his thoughts on the recently localized Tsukihime remake and what it was like seeing a LiSA concert film in an American theater. And finally, for the debut of our new ‘Monthly Ten’ segment, Jonathan ranks the 10 best episodes of our previous podcast, The Weekly Stuff, and challenges Sean to make a very strange top 10 list for next month. 

Enjoy, and we’ll be back Friday, October 4th for an exciting episode reviewing the recent David Gordon Green Halloween trilogy. What kinds of things do you think we’re going to learn next time? 

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:07:15

Topic – (re)Introducing Ourselves: 0:07:15 – 1:58:33

Show n’ Tell – Zenless Zone Zero, Tsukihime, Ultraman 80 & More: 1:58:33 – 2:40:45

The Monthly Ten: 2:40:45 – 3:02:14

Outro: 3:02:14 – 3:04:54 

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

The Weekly Stuff Podcast may be dead, but that doesn't mean we are! Sean and Jonathan are here for a quick update to remind you that we're working on the next incarnation of the show behind the scenes, and announcing its premiere in September! Jonathan also tells you all about the new subscriptions at his site, www.JonathanLack.com, where you can get weekly classic film reviews and more! There is a lot of exciting stuff coming from us in the final months of 2024, including the end of Japanimation Station Season 4, and in this short check-in, we tell you what to expect and when. 

Read all of Jonathan's past and future writing at Fade to Lack https://www.jonathanlack.com 

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

For our 500th episode, we’ve prepared one of the biggest and best podcasts we’ve ever made. Following up on episode 499, where we counted down our favorite anime opening themes, our main topic today is our Top 10 Favorite Anime Ending Themes, and this one is even more exciting, with endings from shows like Dragon Ball, Haruhi Suzumiya, multiple Gundam shows, Clannad, and more tugging at our heartstrings and contributing massively to our connection with each of these great shows. Sean and Jonathan also talk about playing the Persona and Like a Dragon games the other person was playing a few months ago, recap this week’s surprisingly packed Nintendo Direct, and review the final episodes of the new Doctor Who season, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” and “Empire of Death.” There’s also a very exciting surprise announcement about the future of the podcast, and our in-house composer Thomas Lack has not only helped us produce a spectacular opening song, but written a brand new anime-style end theme for The Weekly Stuff itself you’ll get to see at the end of the show! 

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:02:57 

Intro: 0:02:57 – 0:12:19

Stuff: 0:12:19 – 1:18:45

Nintendo Direct News: 1:18:45 – 1:48:17

Top 10 Anime Endings: 1:48:17 – 4:55:00

Special Announcement: 4:55:00 – 5:04:14

Doctor Who Finale: 5:04:14 – 5:56:59

Final Thoughts: 5:56:59 – 6:46:56

Ending Theme: 6:46:56 – 6:50:34

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:

https://weeklystuffpodcast.com

Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! 

https://weeklystuff.substack.com

Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

This month, The Weekly Stuff Podcast is reaching its 500th episode, and we’re celebrating with two massive episodes counting down our Top 10 Favorite Anime Opening & Ending Themes. The former is the main topic of today’s show, as Sean and Jonathan share their respective 10 favorite Anime Openings, from obvious favorites like Dragon Ball Z andNeon Genesis Evangelion, to deeper cuts including Maison Ikkoku and Patlabor. It’s an extremely fun countdown, with a few big surprises along the way, and it’s only one part of this massive, 5-hour episode! We also review the latest two episodes of Doctor Who, “Dot and Bubble” and “Rogue,” talk about recent games we’ve been playing and movies we’ve been watching, and break down a bit of news from the Xbox event at Not-E3 2024. 

Enjoy, and be sure to come back in two weeks for our landmark 500th episode, where we’ll be counting down the Top 10 Anime Endings, reviewing the Doctor Who season finale, and making a big announcement about the future of the podcast! 

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:07:30

Stuff: 0:07:30– 0:57:34

Not-E3 2024 News: 0:57:34 – 1:20:22

Our Top 10 Anime Openings: 1:20:22 – 4:23:52

Doctor Who S14E5-6: 4:23:52 – 5:16:09

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:

https://weeklystuffpodcast.com

Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! 

https://weeklystuff.substack.com

Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

After many months and hundreds of hours of play, Sean and Jonathan have finally both finished Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second installment in Square Enix’s remake trilogy, and … we didn’t really like it. So today, we’re going to tell you why, diving into a game that starts out promising but turns out to be a very flat, frequently frustrating, extraordinarily long experience that ends with an unbelievably frustrating series of narrative decisions. We also review the latest episodes of Doctor Who – “Boom” and “73 Yards” – and talk a little bit about Furiosa and some recent books we’ve been reading. 

Enjoy, and be sure to listen to the end to hear all about our big plans for the very special episodes 499 and 500! 

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:05:26

Stuff: 0:05:26 – 0:34:52

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: 0:34:52 – 2:43:04

Doctor Who: 2:43:04 – 3:23:07

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:

https://weeklystuffpodcast.com

Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! 

https://weeklystuff.substack.com

Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

Doctor Who returned this week for its new season (Series 14, Season 1, or Season 40, depending on who you ask), the first full run starring Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor and Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday. And the first two episodes were a ton of fun, particularly the formally off-the-wall “The Devil’s Chord,” which proves returning showrunner Russell T Davies is taking the show in a very different direction than anything we’ve seen before! But before that, we have to talk about the awful news from Xbox, where we learned Microsoft’s game division is closing two beloved studios: Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. It continues a terrible trend from Xbox that keeps pushing the console maker in worse and worse directions, the culmination of a long series of frustrations we’ve been tracing for most of the lifespan of this podcast.

Enjoy! 

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:06:58

Stuff: 0:06:58 – 0:24:18

Xbox News: 0:24:18 – 1:06:27

Doctor Who Reviews: 1:06:27 – 2:37:19

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:

https://weeklystuffpodcast.com

Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! 

https://weeklystuff.substack.com

Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

Jonathan had a very exciting week as The Criterion Collection published an essay he wrote on Makoto Shinkai, thus checking off a major bucket list item, while Sean had an extremely boring week administering standardized tests to high schoolers and showing them the 2011 animated not-a-classic, Gnomeo & Juliet. We talk about both of those experiences, share some more thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and finally hear Jonathan gush about the 1997 Berserk anime, now on Blu-ray from Discotek, which we will definitely have to do an episode on in the future. 

Enjoy! 

Read Jonathan’s Criterion essay here - https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8453-thoughts-transcending-time-and-distance-makoto-shinkai-s-voices-of-a-distant-star

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:

https://weeklystuffpodcast.com

Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! 

https://weeklystuff.substack.com

Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

In one of the grab-baggiest grab bag episodes we’ve ever recorded, Sean reviews a bunch of anime including Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Solo Leveling, and The Dangers in My Heart, and talks about playing through all the DLC forDragon Ball Z: Kakarot; Jonathan gives his thoughts on Netflix’s outstanding new drama Ripley and talks about finally getting his hands on the premium Game Boy device, the Analogue Pocket; and finally, we both give our initial impressions of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Sean after playing the first few hours, Jonathan after playing the first 40 hours, but neither of us anywhere near completing this mammoth second chapter of the Remake project.

Enjoy! 

Time Chart:

Into & Housekeeping: 0:00:00 – 0:06:02

Talkin’ Anime: 0:06:02 – 0:48:53

Talkin’ Ripley & Netflix: 0:48:53 – 1:11:17

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot DLC: 1:11:17 – 1:31:36

Analogue Pocket: 1:31:36 – 1:58:58

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: 1:58:58 – 2:57:00

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:

https://weeklystuffpodcast.com

Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! 

https://weeklystuff.substack.com

Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

We’re back with a jam-packed episode covering lots of games, anime, and more! Sean and Jonathan have finally finished the massive 100-hour JRPGs both have been playing – Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Persona 3 Reload – and give final reports on both of those. But we also discuss the leaked specs for Sony’s upcoming PS5 Pro, discuss the new Sand Land anime based on the manga by Akira Toriyama, hear travel stories from Jonathan about a recent trip to Boston, and get details from Sean on his latest Ultraman adventures! 

Enjoy! 

Time Chart:

Into & Housekeeping: 0:00:00 – 0:06:27

Stuff: 0:06:27 – 0:57:56

PS5 Pro News: 0:57:56 – 1:25:44

Persona 3 Reload: 1:25:44 – 1:58:16

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth: 1:58:16 – 2:23:24 

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:

https://weeklystuffpodcast.com

Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! 

https://weeklystuff.substack.com

Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, and illustrator of the Dragon Quest franchise, passed away this week at the age of 68. His influence on our lives, like those of millions around the world, has been incalculable, so we’re devoting today’s entire show to discussing his incredible body of work and the way it changed anime, manga, video games, and global popular culture. We discuss how we first discovered Dragon Ball, why he was such a peerless mangaka, read some of the statements that have poured in from other manga authors and Dragon Ball collaborators, and respond to some listener comments. And after that, we bring back a segment from 2022 in which Sean and Jonathan rank all the story arcs in the Dragon Ball franchise, giving us a chance to dive into and celebrate his most famous work.  

Enjoy. 

Time Chart: 

Remembering Akira Toriyama: 0:00:00 – 2:12:07

Ranking Dragon Ball Story Arcs: 2:12:07 – 3:10:45 

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our sister series about the wide, wacky world of anime: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Explore our archives and subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on all podcasting platforms:

https://weeklystuffpodcast.com

Follow The Weekly Stuff Wordcast newsletter for regular updates and extra content! 

https://weeklystuff.substack.com

Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman