After a disastrous act of Pod we had to re-record this episode. We still have a lot to say about how this show messes up it’s moral of forgiveness, the Garden of Eden, the existence of french fries and the fact that Larry might be a god in training.
Read MoreWPWIS Ep 1: Junior Asparagus Universe
Luke and Ashley get started on their new mistake. They talk about their history with religion, try to get to the bottom of what the creator believes and try to figure out this new world.
Read MoreEpisode 40: Let Me Tell You About Piano Playing
We reach the end of our Evangelion journey (for now) with the love it or hate it Evangelion 3.0. We come firmly down in the “it’s perfectly okay” camp but that doesn’t mean that we can’t talk about how Shinji sucks, gay piano sequences, the shakey look of characters being perpetually young and the thrilling conclusion to Luke’s “steal everything” story line!
Read MoreLMTYAE 39: Let Me Tell You About (Not) Advancing
Frustrating is a word we use a lot around Evangelion. That words sums up both our viewing and discussion of Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0, a movie that manages to have some great moments while also making infuriating and baffling choices as it sets off on it's own path. We like the new Angel designs and a drunk PenPen but making all the girls stories revolve around trying to woo Shinji sucks. Then there's the question of "Just what is Mari's purpose being here?" It's a long and winding pod and we're in a madder place at the end but the almost end is near.
Episode 38: Let Me Tell You About Rebuild
Luke and Ashley have come back around to Evangelion and while they're happy to be back on familiar ground it's perhaps too familiar. In fact for all the episodes that could do with remake episodes 1-8 are probably the least needed. Especially when you're adding even more uncomfortable content. At least we got our fav death diamond Ramiel and that cliffhanger of an ending to chat about.
LMTYAE 37: Let Me Tell You About Shin Godzilla
Ashley & Luke get in-depth on the 2016 Shin-Godzilla, the biggest live action movie directed by Hideaki Anno. Bringing Godzilla back to it's original role as a symbol for disaster the film looks into how modern Japan would react. We talk about the wonderfully gross designs of Godzilla, how the cinematography matches Anno's animated work and whether this film is dropping nationalist/libertarian dog whistles.
LMTYAE 36: Let Me Tell You About Things Changing
I love all my friends!
After worrying about all the ways it could become a complete mess Ashley & Luke are happy to see that FLCL: Alternative keeps it's thoughtfulness and fun throughout. The planet is being heated up by Medical Mechanica and the rich and powerful are leaving the Earth. Kana is more concerned about trying to make everything stay the same, whether it's with the boy she likes or her best friend. Unfortunately thinks change, romance fades and sometimes friends aren't what they seem. Luke and Ashley love the story and the emotion but the still wish Haruko was brought in more naturally.
Read MoreEpisode 35: Let Me Tell You About Friendship!!!
In this city, I will.
After the disappointment of season 1 and the nothing of season 2 Luke and Ashley aren't looking forward to the last season of the show. They're expecting more horny teens with no character who suck. So they're very surprised to find a collection of characters they really love! Kana and her friends are a fun collection of non-horny teens who are layered and support each other. As they try to find out they're doing next they're confronted with questions about maturity, helping friends and being themselves in ways that work way better then any previous season. That said it's not all great, Haruko is still around and while she has grown up a bit she still can't help but be a creep, and an undercurrent of fatphobia hurts Mossan who is a great character otherwise. We also talk about how Kana is totally gay, how people are leaving Earth, and worry about how this season might disappoint us again.
Read MoreLMTYAE 34: Let Me Tell You About Wasted Potential
Luke and Ashley finish FLCL: Progressive and find a series that is a mixture of boring and infuriating despite it's flashes of interesting moments. With no real main characters other then the pedophile villain we're supposed to feel bad for because she can't force one person into a controlling relationship we wonder how the show could have been better. Maybe don't put all of Hidomi's important character choices into the hands of other people. Maybe do something with Aiko other then make her a prop. Maybe make Marco and Goro matter. Maybe make Ida a character rather then just the boy everyone wants to kiss. And what the fuck happened to Hidomi's gore fetish that was a key part of her character????
Read MoreLMTYAE 33: Let Me Tell You About FLCL Progressive
Ashley & Luke look at the FLCL follow up that's considered not as good, but after they came away from the original in low spirits maybe this one will be great? Nope! We talk about how the show handles Haruha, how Hidomi doesn't have a character except being super horny for gore, how the lower budget affects the show and how the choice to have one of the main characters be a guy in a skirt is unfortunately loaded.
Read MoreLMTYAE 32: Let Me Tell You About A Disappointing Climax
Wasn't this show supposed to be good? Luke and Ashley are looking forward to the part of the show they considered the best as kids and are resoundingly disappointed. The show plays with treating it's pedophile antagonist as a serious threat but doesn't do enough, while making jokes about a 12 year old's big genitals. Meanwhile our fav Mamimi (who is also super into kids who don't know better) is pushed to the side, even when the sub-plot is all about her. Combined with disappointing plotting, random Nazi imagery and a quick but bad gay joke it's all a mess. Well at least the animation is nice!
Read MoreLMTYAE 31: Let's Talk About The First Half Of FLCL
Wanting to get away from the serious thoughts we had on Evangelion we take it easy with... almost three hours on the first three episodes of FLCL. Come on guys.
We talk about the controversy that has come up around the Netflix translation of NGE, the way FLCL was localized so well, the way it falls into some of the same pitfalls NGE does and hey how did kid us not realize that Mamimi was homeless?
Read MoreLMTYAE 30: Let Me Tell You About Incel Shinji
CW: We talk a large amount about sexual abuse, both shown and implied, violence towards women and depression.
The end of a series is also the joy of rewatching.
Luke and Ashley talk about the feature film End of Evangelion, this time with Luke giving it more of a shot and Ashley going in with lowered expectations. They discuss how Shinji throughout the move is a great look at how the depression and anxiety that made him so relatable can fester into an ugly resentment of the world, especially women. Looking through that lens they find the movie is a righteous takedown of people who expect women to love them at the drop of the hat... while also turning the sexually abused Rei into a McGuffin that turns to Shinji cause he's such a Nice Guy. Also we compare the movie to a Calvin and Hobbes strip and wonder why this film is seen as better then the TV show finale when it's just as weird and so pointedly vicious.
Read MoreLMTYAE 29: Let's Talk About The Second Half Of Evangelion
We get in depth on the second half of the show as we discuss the twists and turns. We also get in depth on how the show treats the sexuality of it's teen character, the use of sexual abuse as a metaphor and child abuse
Child abuse talk from 2:15:00 to 2:19:40 and mentioned sometimes after that.
Note: We recorded this before the Netflix dub had come out, we’ll probably discuss it in an upcoming episode.
Read MoreLMTAYE 28: Let Us Talk About The First Half of Evangelion
Luke and Ashley figured they would finally get around to those Rebuild movies but first we had to re-watch all of Evangelion. Here we examine the first 14 episodes of the series. We talk about trying to make non creepy shows about burgeoning sexuality, how Shinji is a relatable view of depression and realizing sexuality and how the series flips between fun action show and depressing subversion mid scene sometimes.
Bonus Episode 1: Let Me Tell You About Detective Pikachu
Luke and Ashley both watched the movie Detective Pikachu and felt the need to talk about it somewhere, and well, they do have an anime podcast. We talk for a too long time about Pokemon Jobs, PokeFan Bill Nighy, Justice Smith Holding The Movie Together and Mr. Mime.
Read MoreEpisode 27: You Have Been Told
Ashley and Luke sit down one last time to discuss their thoughts on End of Evangelion, and the series as a whole. Thank you so much for listening, everyone! This podcast is melting away into the sea of LCL until the fourth rebuild film finally releases, at which point we'll resume our physical forms just long enough to do four new episodes, one for each film. Until then, farewell, and congratulations!
Episode 26: Let Me Tell You About Masturbation
Wow, the last episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion was one of the most satisfying half hours of television ever. A showcase of strange and bold creative decisions that seamlessly wove the resolution of the show's core emotional arc with a visually engaging multimedia experience that simultaneously made the ending unforgettable and helped them deftly avoid the budgetary problems that plagued the show. How could anyone possibly be anything less than in love with it?
...Wait, what? Everyone hated it, and sent absurd amounts of hate mail to Gainax and Hideaki Anno? The reaction was so incredibly negative that they had to make a movie that completely reworked the ending? Well, that might be good too, I guess...
Wait. It opens with WHAT?
Commentary starts at 12:31 and runs through the end of the episode.
Episode 25: Let Me Tell You About Instrumentality
We've finally arrived. In this special double header episode, Luke and Ashley witness the first version of the end of Evangelion. Something strange and horrible is happened. The real world seems to have dissolved, and everyone has become a singular, amorphous conscious. Shinji sits either at the center of this mental miasma, or in some obscure corner of it, talking to people who are either his old friends or simply his memories of them. The thing is, it's impossible to tell which is which, as all concepts of identity and discrete metaphysical values are consumed by Shinji's all-pervasive self-loathing. But... maybe it doesn't have to be that way. Commentary runs from 15:50 to 39:12, and from 43:27 1:05:28.
Episode 24: Let Me Tell You About the Final Angel
With Tokyo-3 in ruins, a new Eva pilot shows up to bolster NERV's dwindling ranks. But like the second they start talking about the mysterious final Angel it's like, super obvious that it's definitely him. Which is a shame because Shinji wants to kiss this new boy SO BAD, and apparently there's a lot of controversy over whether their relationship is platonic or romantic and that just makes me weep for the state of arts education because if it was any more obvious that shinji wants to ride Kowaru's Lance of Longinus then Neon Genesis Evangelion would just be softcore porn. COME ON PEOPLE.
Commentary runs from 6:31 to 32:45