For our December episode, we go deep with Atlus’ outstanding new JRPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio. Like Persona 5, the team’s previous game, this is a work deeply involved in the political and existential questions of our present time, and gives us a lot to chew on as we break down what is easily one of 2024’s best games. In our Show n’ Tell segment, Sea…

It’s our busiest episode yet, with a giant six-hour extravaganza to get you through the month of November. Our main topic concerns the Gamera Heisei trilogy from the 1990s; directed by Kaneko Shusuke with special effects by Higuchi Shinji, these movies are towering classics of the Kaiju genre, and secretly some of the greatest superhero films ever …

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…

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 HoYove…

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 g…

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 Gun…

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 G…

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, …

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 showru…

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…

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 get…

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 San…

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, …

After weeks of breathless speculation, Xbox unveiled some relatively minor details about the multiplatform future vision of the brand, which prompts us to have an in-depth conversation about where Xbox is going and why the current strategy feels at odds with their oft-stated long-term goals. We also discuss Marvel’s unveiling of their new Fantastic…

Superhero movies are quickly becoming a dead genre in Hollywood, as evidenced by this weekend’s coldly-unanticipated release of Madame Web, so we thought we’d bid the genre the farewell it deserves by recycling a segment from our 10th Anniversary Podcast in 2022, where we counted down each of our 10 favorite superhero movies of all time! Though thi…

Today’s episode is wall-to-wall packed with exciting stuff, as we give first impressions on Persona 3 Reload and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Jonathan explains why you should avoid Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Sean dips his toes in Palworld, and we discuss some anime we caught up on over winter break including Spy x Family and One Piece. We…

This Friday sees the release of Persona 3 Reload, the remake of one of our very favorite video games ever made, and to celebrate, we’re resurrecting a segment from our 10th Anniversary Podcast in 2022, where Sean, Jonathan, and special guest star Occasional Thomas watched and reviewed the first part of Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade, the stage pla…

The time has come, once again: Sean and Jonathan are here to count down the Top 10 Video Games of 2023, in what was one of the most densely packed years for great games we’ve experienced in a long time. Both hosts present their own Top 10 lists, recapping some games we’ve sung the praises of before – like Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, and Fina…

The New Year and the THIRTEENTH SEASON of The Weekly Stuff Podcast (whoa!) begins with a lot of catch-up on what we’ve been doing over the holidays – playing Alan Wake II and Pokémon, watching anime, and more – and our review of the Doctor Who Christmas special, “The Church on Ruby Road.” Introducing us to Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Mi…

In this special bonus episode, Jonathan Lack counts down the Top 10 Films of 2023! You can read the text of this episode, and see links to full reviews of every film discussed, at https://www.jonathanlack.com/p/the-top-10-films-of-2023 Time Chart: Intro: 0:00:00 - 0:03:18 Leftovers: 0:03:18 - 0:05:01 Honorable Mentions (#20-#11): 0:05:01 - 0:17:29 …

The 60th anniversary mini-season of Doctor Who has come to a rousing and surprising close with “The Giggle,” with David Tennant and Catherine Tate facing down Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker, and the expected regeneration into Ncuti Gatwa going in some unexpected directions. It’s a fantastic episode of Doctor Who that makes the most of its very…

Godzilla Minus One & Doctor Who Special 2 Reviews | The Weekly Stuff Podcast #485 It’s a very enthusiastic week here on the podcast as we not only get to talk about another great new Doctor Who episode, but an even greater new Godzilla movie! The first live-action Godzilla film by Toho in seven years, Godzilla Minus One is of the finest films in th…

Doctor Who is back! Both in the sense that we got our first new episode in over a year this weekend, and, more importantly, in the sense that we got our first new good episode since 2017! This week marked the 60th anniversary of our favorite TV show here at The Weekly Stuff Podcast, and brought with it the first in a series of specials reuniting Da…

Happy Thanksgiving one and all! While the main podcast is off this week, we still wanted to give you something to show our gratitude for another great year, so Jonathan busted out a microphone, broke open a copy of his new book, 200 Reviews – available now on Amazon! – and read 5 reviews as requested by listeners! The ones chosen were Quentin Taran…

It’s a giant episode with many topics today, led by an in-depth discussion of Insomniac’s fantastic Spider-Man 2 for the PS5. We break down the gameplay and story in spoiler-filled detail at the end of today’s show, mostly praising it but also debating whether or not the controversial MJ missions are bad – please take to social media and use #Jonat…

Happy Halloween! Last year, we celebrated the spookiest day of the year by talking about John Carpenter’s original HALLOWEEN from 1978, and this year we’re jumping ahead 30 years to talk about the remake directed by Rob Zombie in 2007, and its sequel from 2009. These films have a mixed reputation, but they’re worth revisiting and taking seriously. …

Two of the most anticipated video games of 2023 launched this week, with Sony and Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 for the PS5 and Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Nintendo Switch. We’ve been extremely excited for both, and so far, they haven’t disappointed. We give initial spoiler-free impressions of both games on today’s show, discussing how M…

The fourth season of our sister series, Japanimation Station, begins today with the premiere of Japanimation Station’s Kyoto Vacation, our biggest podcasting adventure yet! We are taking a journey through the works of Kyoto Animation, one of the most respected and beloved anime studios in Japan, reviewing shows like Clannad, The Melancholy of Haruh…

Today’s episode is all about 200 Reviews, the new book by co-host Jonathan Lack, which contains, well, 200 reviews, mostly of movies, but also some TV and video games, some that have been seen before, and many that haven’t. You can buy the book now in paperback, for Amazon Kindle, and as a digital bundle with PDF and EPUB versions. We tell you all …

It’s a big week with lots of news here at the Weekly Stuff, including Jonathan’s announcement of his new book, 200 Reviews, which releases this Sunday! He tells you a little bit about it on today’s show (and you can pre-order it on Amazon now for Kindle, with a paperback version coming soon!), and we’ll discuss it more next week. On today’s show, w…

It’s an exciting grab-bag of topics this weeks as we discuss some recent video game news from Sony and Nintendo, dive into a big ol’ bag of listener mail, and talk more about two of our favorite games of the year with Baldur’s Gate 3 and Armored Core VI. A surprise Nintendo Direct and Sony State of Play give us plenty of video game announcements an…

It’s a double-header on today’s podcast as we review two very different things from this summer that we both love passionately: FX’s Justified: City Primeval, the sequel miniseries to the modern neo-western classic starring Timothy Olyphant, and Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XVI, the latest and among-the-greatest entry in the venerable JRPG series. J…

We’re back after a month away with a “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” catch-up episode, and it’s quite the grab bag! Sean gives impressions of some recent video games including Armored Core VI and the 4.0 Fontaine update of Genshin Impact, while Jonathan tells us about unexpectedly becoming a fan of Sword Art Online while researching his dissertati…

Seven years after Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi lit the world on fire with Shin Godzilla – which we very vocally went crazy for! – the duo’s follow-up, Shin Ultraman, is finally available for home viewing in the United States! Sean’s been gradually watching through the Ultraman TV shows over the past few years, while Jonathan has only seen a few …

Today’s podcast, should you choose to listen to it, is all about one of the finest films of the summer, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Jonathan reviewed the film in non-spoilery details at the new JonathanLack.Com last week, but on today’s show, he and Sean dive deep with the story, characters, action sequences, and much more, and w…

After checking in on all the recent video games we’ve playing – including Diablo IV, Street Fighter 6, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Final Fantasy XVI – and hearing a very funny Ultraman anecdote from Sean, we dive back into the Weekly Suit Gundam waters with our review of the second and final season of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury…

It’s a good ol’ fashioned grab-bag this week as we prepare for the launch of Japanimation Station Season 3 tomorrow night, July 4th, with the first episode of The Classic Adventures of Lupin the 3rd – shameless plug, yes, but you should totally listen to this new season! Here on The Weekly Stuff, Jonathan talks about going through all the Indiana J…

The third season of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba recently wrapped up its hotly anticipated third season, adapting the “Swordsmith Village Arc” of Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga, and as big fans of the series who have reviewed all the prior arcs, we’re here for a deep dive with another amazing season. This set of episodes introduces us to …

It’s a video game-focused episode today as we continue gushing about Capcom’s outstanding Street Fighter 6, Sean gives his first impressions of Diablo IV, and we recap all the most interesting announcements and reveals from June’s various “Not-E3 2023” events, including the Summer Games Fest, Xbox’s showcase, and more. Is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth …

Hosts Sean Chapman and Jonathan Lack give you a special look at Season 3 of Japanimation Station, THE CLASSIC ADVENTURES OF LUPIN THE 3RD, premiering July 4th, 2023! In this 8-episode season, we will be surveying 30 years of anime history through the exploits of the infamous thief Lupin III and his friends Daisuke Jigen, Fujiko Mine, Goemon Ishikaw…

The sequel to one of our favorite superhero/animated films ever made dropped this week with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and has been lighting the world on fire – so you know we had to talk about it. Jonathan gave his thoughts in a written review over at the Weekly Stuff Wordcast – you should subscribe! – but here, we go into full spoiler d…

It’s a listener mail extravaganza today as we answer a big batch of questions from YOU, including: our thoughts on the rumored Persona 3 remake; the ongoing Writer’s Guild Strike and implosion of athe streaming business model; learning Japanese; the dumbest things we’ve ever done; what media we would save if we had to leave earth with just one VHS …

The biggest video game launch of 2023 is here with Nintendo’s highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch, and after a little over a week of playing, we’ve got thoughts! Jonathan was a big fan of Breath of the Wild, while Sean was much more lukewarm on it, but we’re both greatly enjoying this shockingly expansiv…

The second season of our anime podcast, Japanimation Station, is coming to a close tomorrow night with a jam-packed season finale, and we’re bringing you a big chunk of that episode today with our deep dive discussion of Witch on the Holy Night (aka Mahoutsukai no Yoru), the visual novel based on Kinoko Nasu’s first unpublished novel, originally re…

After a few weeks off, we’re back with a jam-packed smorgasbord of stuff to discuss, including (deep breath): first impressions of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor; reactions to WB’s idiotic and immoral decision to remake Harry Potter for Max; thoughts on the Microsoft/Activision merger drama; Jonathan’s thoughts on the incredible Spirited Away: Live on St…

Last year, we recorded an episode entirely devoted to the original Resident Evil 4,easily one of the greatest video games ever made, and this week, we’ve got an episode entirely devoted to the recent Resident Evil 4 remake – which also happens to be one of the greatest video games ever made. Flawlessly expanding upon the foundations of its classic …

‘4’ is our lucky number this week as we have the pleasure of not only reviewing the outstanding action masterpiece that is John Wick: Chapter 4, but also giving first impressions on Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake, which is, through what we’ve played so far, an incredible experience that’s much better than either of us expected when this project wa…

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is one of the oldest topics on this podcast – we reviewed the original PS3 game, when it was brand new, 10 years and over 400 episodes ago, and have followed the series ever since – so it’s probably inevitable we’d cover HBO’s 9-episode TV adaptation starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. What’s not inevitable is what …

Illumination Entertainment’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie is opening in theaters next month, and is looking like a surprisingly faithful, entertaining adaptation of the beloved video game characters. But it’s not the first time Hollywood has tried this – thirty years ago, there was Super Mario Bros., a live-action adaptation starring Bob Hoskins, Jo…

After a two week break to finish production on Japanimation Station Season 2 – shameless plug! – we are back with a jam-packed episode featuring a smorgasbord of stuff! First up, Jonathan talks about seeing Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village, the special theatrical event featuring the hit anime’s upcoming season premiere, an…