Latest / Anime Club Podcast / Escaflow-yay or Nay? - Anime Club

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Escaflow-yay or Nay? - Anime Club · Anime Club Podcast

0:29
Juno. Hello and welcome to Anime Club,
0:33
my little guy Melletz. I've just learned that word
0:35
because I looked it up before. My name's Chris and this is
0:39
Phoebe. Hello.
0:42
Yeah, I'm all right. Thanks.
0:43
I was just showing off my new June Sippy Cup.
0:48
Sippy Cup. I've I've entered my I've
0:52
entered my sippy cup era of my 30s.
0:55
Are you are you still on TikTok? Like do you scroll TikTok a lot?
0:59
Sometimes I do a lot of YouTube shorts to be honest.
1:03
I'm of reels now. I've went off because it's more
1:05
memes, yeah, and I'm a bit older now.
1:09
Distinguished gentleman, yeah. But weirdly, at one point I was
1:14
in a, in a drink talk or whatever it's called, where
1:19
people had loads of like, cops with weird attachments, like,
1:23
oh, here's a little briefcase that I put toothpicks in.
1:25
That's something like that. Yeah, it was very.
1:28
Extra and they and they always have like fancy ice.
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I'm obsessed with that part of TikTok where like people are
1:36
clearly have way too much time on their hands because who can
1:39
be asked every week? Like they do like a restock
1:42
every week, don't they? And it's like, hey, you're using
1:45
so much ice. I don't think I use ice that
1:47
much, you know, I mean, we are in England, so it's not like
1:51
super hot hot, but like who's out here putting hibiscus
1:55
flowers in their ice like on the daily?
1:58
It's insane. I.
1:59
Didn't even know what a hibiscus flower looks like.
2:02
It's like an edible flower. On all flowers edible.
2:07
No, some of them quite poisonous.
2:13
Still edible, Just one. Everything's edible if you're
2:19
brave enough. I've heard a similar saying of
2:24
that. But anyway, welcome to anime,
2:26
where we watch the first 3 episodes of an anime and see
2:29
Well, like it or not, this week it's been it's been your pick,
2:33
Phoebe it. Has it's been your pick?
2:37
It's been, I love how very early on you're distancing yourself
2:40
from the pic. And yeah, we did Escar Florida
2:44
this week, which is honest to God very different to how I
2:48
remember it. I remember.
2:52
That's how I would. Message it so.
2:56
That's how. Yeah, don't go for it.
2:59
The vision of Escafloni. Escafloni.
3:03
So yeah, so I started what? Me and Molly started watching
3:07
that last night, but the night before, when you watched it, you
3:10
I. Can't believe this is the anime
3:12
that you choose to introduce Molly to.
3:14
Anime with. This feels like.
3:17
No, it was I couldn't find the dub version, so I watch it on
3:23
Crunchyroll. So watch it so and so.
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Like after the the opening song I was like, So what?
3:29
What do you think of it? She was like, I just don't
3:31
understand it. I was like, what do you mean?
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Don't you understand? Like because I'm thinking
3:35
there's flashing images, there's girls and there's like Dragons
3:38
and whatever. And she's like, no, no, it's,
3:41
it's in a it's in Japanese. I can't understand it.
3:43
I was like, oh, right. So this is going to go well.
3:50
Molly brand new to the concept of anime, just realizing it's in
3:53
Japanese. Although to be fair, I am glad
3:58
that you showed her the that you showed her the sub, not the dub.
4:02
Because I watched the English dub.
4:04
Yeah, because I'm, I'm a dub girl and I'm lazy and that's
4:08
fine. And actually, after the first,
4:11
first, after the first episode, I was like, I think I'm going to
4:14
have to switch to the sub because the voice acting on this
4:17
English dub for vision, the vision of Escafloni is insane.
4:22
It's so cringey. I was like to the point where I
4:26
was like, uncomfortable watching it.
4:29
Can you can you give us a line a like a like a impression of what
4:33
it was like? I can give you an impression.
4:36
I can't remember any of the lines because I was too big to
4:38
go. Cringe.
4:38
Go on then. I think what it sounds like is.
4:44
So I don't know. You said this isn't a relatable,
4:50
A relatable reference to you, but as a, as an adult theatre
4:54
kid, I've seen a lot of musicals and there's this thing that like
4:59
like like Broadway, West End actors do when they're they're
5:04
about to enter a solo and they've got a speech and they
5:07
have to start pacing it really carefully because they have to
5:12
make sure that they start singing at exactly the right
5:16
moment. And that voice acting in the dub
5:19
feels like that, but there's no song.
5:23
The song never comes. And there's also a lot of noises
5:29
happening. And it's just, it's, it is
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almost like a pastiche of what you imagine voice acting to be
5:38
in English. Like when people say I've got a
5:41
problem with dubs, they're probably thinking of dance like
5:44
this. Yeah, it's not great.
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We've been watching the quite a few of the the classic stuff
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that maybe is what I haven't watched or only one of us
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watched. And yeah, that's they didn't
5:57
invest in English voice actors. There's a definite there's a
6:00
distinct difference between what anime made today and the voice
6:05
acting in anime made today as opposed to 90s anime.
6:10
For sure. The quality of voice acting is
6:12
very very different with an exception to of like films like
6:17
Studio Ghibli. I was going to say exceptional,
6:20
like beat cover beat bop because I still think the voice after
6:24
the lap is amazing. Spot on.
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I don't think I've even heard the dub a lot and I don't need
6:32
to. And whoever does the radical
6:35
Edward voice in the English dub, the Teeter Totter, Teeter
6:41
totter, it's perfection. It's just so good.
6:47
It's so distinct and wonderful. Yeah, and, and EIN's voice as
6:51
well. Yeah, just that you can hear in
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the background. Yeah, Yeah, he's literally just
6:58
asking to go for a wee right now.
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So this is going to be constant for the whole of tonight.
7:03
Nice, nice. Well, Speaking of which, what
7:09
snacks you got the day? I was really shit.
7:13
We're getting snacks today. Show us your snacks.
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So I've got Taco Bell, but what I have basically I've just got
7:24
their chicken tenders and some nachos.
7:26
I also have a quesadilla and a soft Taco here as well, which
7:30
might make an appearance will be very messy and then some
7:34
seasoned rice. But what I have got that I've
7:37
never had before is the Cali ranch dressing, which is my
7:41
which I only put because I was like I've never actually had
7:44
ranch dressing because it's not really a thing over here.
7:49
So I thought I'd shove that on my order.
7:52
Absolute delight. We'll be ordering that again.
7:55
I've I've never tried it like from the shop.
7:57
I've I've made it myself and it turned out nice.
8:00
But do you know when you make something and you're like, I'm
8:04
not sure what it's meant to taste like, but it tastes nice,
8:06
so I'll accept this. Yeah, it tastes like a it tastes
8:10
like a the mix between the Domino's garlic and herb.
8:15
Pardon me. Sorry, I've got burps now.
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This is going to be a horrific. Like the dogs barking.
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I'm burping into the mic. Welcome to anime club.
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It's fine. It's fine.
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The IT tastes like a cross between the Domino's garlic and
8:33
herb dip, the greatest dip known to take away and like a salad
8:38
dressing. And I'm into it.
8:40
I'll. Go for that.
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I would like to try it but I disagree with the golden herb
8:46
being the best, the Domino's one.
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Oh well, you can shut your mouth.
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There's a there's a take away that me and Molly used to live
8:54
next to called Santino's and the colic sauce from there was the
8:59
best I've ever tasted. It did make you have the runs
9:02
but it was worth it. It's a small price to pay for
9:04
flavour. But anyway, Speaking of the.
9:08
Runs, Why have you got your snacks?
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My snack I've got plop. Very good and.
9:20
I've got a full bag of a bag of plops.
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A big old bag of plops. I was going to, I don't want to
9:27
get me kicks dirty, so I'll save them for another time, but I'm
9:34
going to try it, he told them Me Eddie.
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Both of you. Most of you.
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I've got VDS. Well, because I thought I would
9:47
try this and wash it down with a plop.
9:49
If it's not like so that's a marzipan biscuit roll.
9:53
I think it's got liquid on it. I do like marzipan though.
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I know you're going to be like, I know exactly what you're going
10:01
to say. You're going to be like, oh,
10:02
it's not proper marzipan, not like from the the old country.
10:08
OK, look, don't disclemish marzipan if you want decent
10:11
marzipan. You was covered.
10:15
But what a bit it is and also because I know that like it's
10:20
too early to be talking about Christmas, but at Christmas
10:25
stolen, stolen is a thing. And I worked with a another
10:31
another phlegm for a while and every Christmas you would bring
10:37
me proper stolen. Which is like.
10:40
Christmas cake, but with big chunks of marzipan in it.
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It's so good so. Good.
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Does it taste? Does the stolen taste like the
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what that we get in ALDI? Actually, the ALDI one's not too
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bad. Right.
10:53
Oh, I like that. Yeah, yeah, it's actually quite
10:56
a good version. Yeah, Jake's, and it needs to be
11:00
from the Mazapan region of France.
11:02
Well, I've got sparkling fondant then.
11:08
Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK, that's fair.
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It's fair to call me out on my bullshit.
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But having licorice? Having licorice on top of
11:17
marzipan seems like a flavour nightmare.
11:21
But I've just opened it and it is it smells very spicy.
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I'm I'm spelling it from up here.
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Not me nose. So we'll see what happens.
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But OK, it's good floaty. It's your, it's your pick this
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week. So what's it about?
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So you've just put something in your mouth there.
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I know that's lovely timing. Thank you.
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Normally I do that to you. So it's about a young athlete
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which I'd forgotten that she was like in the track team or
11:58
whatever. Like the first episode is mostly
12:00
just her track team romance drama.
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A young a young sporty schoolgirl called Toby whose
12:12
mother whose grandmother is some sort of fortune teller and has
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passed down her strange fortune telling gifts through a magical
12:24
kind of pendant thing. She basically Taro reads for her
12:31
friends and fancies a boy. That's episode 1.
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And then right at the end, a random Prince from another
12:40
world, a magical world suddenly like in the middle of them doing
12:44
like some sort of late night track run, just like jumps into
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their world and brings with him a dragon.
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And that is where the IT then goes crazy because she then gets
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dragged into his world. And then the rest of the series
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is about her landing in his world and finding herself in a
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world of like Knights and Gaimolefs, which are the the
13:09
mechs of Eskafzone. And and he's like generally very
13:15
brooding. The Prince fan very, very like
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teenage like it's a bit yeah, it's it's a lot of that.
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There's there's that. There's also Alan the who's like
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the long like long blonde haired gentle gentleman of sensitive
13:38
soul Alan Shazar. He also makes appearance.
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With an and the gentleman with an apple gentleman but.
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Now I'm just I am going to let Eddie out because this is going
13:55
to get really annoying otherwise I'll.
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Take over. Yeah, yeah.
14:00
But yeah, that's basically what the first 3 episodes are.
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Yeah, so I've seen the first 3 episodes and it's set in the
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she's young from modern day Japan, so it's an Isakai from
14:15
1996 and she's thrown at the gear, which is a fantasy world.
14:21
It's a bit confusing at times because she she knows where she
14:25
is by looking up at the sky and they're like oh, are you from
14:28
that place there? And there's the earth and the
14:30
sky where their moon should be. Oh, I've just realised I was by
14:35
myself for a bit there. And you only just realised
14:39
you've been by yourself for a while.
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Wow, Chris, I feel like you've never even seen me anymore.
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I forgot to say as well, I do have some Care Bear lumpy juice
14:51
as well, so I'll see about you as well.
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You didn't. Like, why do you keep buying
14:59
lumpy juice? Because I thought you didn't
15:01
like it, but I'm starting to think you actually do like it.
15:03
I. Like the juice, not the lumps.
15:08
Do you just leave the lumps? The lumps must take up so much
15:12
of this room. Yeah, they do.
15:16
It's like, it's like drinking a slush if you don't like ice.
15:21
But yeah, but you just like melt the lumps.
15:24
Yeah. Yeah.
15:32
So what looking back first 3 episodes, what were your first
15:37
impressions? Because you've, I'm guessing
15:39
you've seen the whole series before, but it's different when
15:41
you look back at 2035 hours because you said, oh God, why
15:46
did I recommend this messages that when you were watching
15:50
them, Why? What point did you did you think
15:52
that? 1st 5 minutes no so well so
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there are bits of this series that I really like and I still
16:06
remember as being like iconic mech fighting.
16:10
I love a mech and in Escafloni what I like about the mechs is
16:16
that it's like a lot of the time mechs are very sci-fi, whereas
16:20
in Escafloni they have like this kind of like knightly armour,
16:25
magical element to it. And I really like that.
16:30
Also, some of them are invisible and there's a bit later on where
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you have a fight between like van and an invisible mech and
16:41
the invisible mech that like he has to like get the invisible
16:44
mech into the water and then there's like spray from the
16:48
water kicking up. And I just remember this very
16:50
iconic mech fight and I loved it for those kind of moments.
16:59
But I had also forgotten it's very teenage romance anime,
17:05
which probably when I first watched it at age 13 was great
17:13
because I was the target audience.
17:15
As an adult woman, it's it made me deeply uncomfortable.
17:23
Some of it there are rose petals, like there's lots of
17:27
like slow motion, loads of feathers.
17:31
You find out why the feathers, but there's lots of slow motion
17:36
shots of like men turning to the camera.
17:42
Yeah. And obviously there's 13 year
17:48
old Phoebe has just blocked that out like because it wasn't of
17:51
interest to me really then either.
17:54
Phoebe blacked out at the slow More men, pretty men.
17:58
And just wondered the fun for Meg fights.
18:02
I just like, I just watch you for the guy.
18:04
My left's honest. Yeah, there's a touch with that.
18:08
There's a touch with that. So, yeah.
18:12
But so, but like the first episode, there's a lot of,
18:16
there's not a lot of Max. There's a lot of everything
18:19
else. Yeah.
18:21
And that made the first episode a tough watch for me because I
18:24
was like, Chris is going to hate this.
18:27
He's going to be like, what have you done?
18:29
He's never going to let me pick an anime ever again.
18:33
It's it's fine to to be fair, doing this, I've wanted to I
18:38
would never watch this of me on, but because I don't think it is
18:43
in my, I don't know in in it's not something I would normally
18:50
go for. So I stuck it on and I saw
18:55
Hitomi Kanzaki, the athletic schoolgirl class, and she was
19:02
talking about she was cheering on a boy that you fancies at a
19:06
track meet and doing all this. I mean, this is like going on
19:10
5-10 minutes in with and I'm like, Phoebe said this was a
19:14
mech. If, if this was just me watching
19:17
this, I would have it off straight away.
19:19
I'll be like, what is this? And then bam, a guy with a sword
19:24
comes in. I was like, oh, this could be
19:25
interesting. And then he's a broody little
19:28
shit. It's just like, oh, where am I?
19:31
Oh, well, watch out for the dragon.
19:33
Then the dragon appears and yeah, then they get it's a guy
19:38
to a different world and then she still broods after these
19:41
blokes that that running bloke. And it kind of feels to me, with
19:48
it being in 1996, I think it is quite dated even in the art,
19:53
because it's got that really long necks, they've got massive
19:57
eyes, really skinny arms and legs.
20:00
But everyone's so skinny so it's like no one's had a good meal
20:05
except for a few very buff dudes.
20:08
Yeah, they've nicked all the food, I think.
20:11
Actually, you see. Underneath me, between us.
20:13
Yeah, Look at the length of that neck.
20:17
Like a gust of wind. I don't know how it's propping a
20:20
head up but they're massive eyes.
20:23
But it is like the classic anime style though isn't it?
20:28
But once I finish it. Feels almost 80s in its anime
20:32
style. Yeah, if you think 959095 is
20:38
when Gundam Wing came out. Right, so this is a year after
20:42
Gundam Wing, but I think it feels much more dated in terms
20:46
of its animation style. Even in the story, because like
20:50
when I look at the the Brennan lass in the first 3 episodes, I
20:54
don't know if it carries on throughout.
20:56
She's a very damsel in distress, always wanting a guy to save
21:00
her, which I think is very old fashioned in anime.
21:04
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
21:07
Because she's like, she relies on the Prince, who is Prince
21:11
called Van Fennel Fennel, and she relies on him to save him in
21:17
this new world. And then she gets transported
21:20
somewhere else. She meets Alan Chazaw.
21:25
He has to save her and carry on his back.
21:27
Basically the whole time she goes to the castle, she's just
21:31
like oh you woman, you, you go to the side while the men fight
21:34
this battle, please. Also, the women in this hate
21:38
each other. There's no, there's no sense of
21:40
sisterhood, right? I didn't even mention the weird
21:43
cat girl thing. Yeah, the weird cat girl.
21:46
That was another bit where I was like, oh God.
21:49
I've forgotten this, so this is my first introduction to
21:54
obviously the the go into this weird world.
21:57
We she gets put in this place. There's weird eyes in the forest
22:02
and you realise there's like cat people or wolf people or like
22:05
big warrior types in the forest. They come out and they're like,
22:09
oh, there's the Prince taking back the castle.
22:11
You go back the castle and you're like, deal with this so
22:14
far. And then this weird, very, very
22:18
young looking cat girl comes up to the Prince and said, oh, oh,
22:23
Van, I've missed you so much and starts licking his face all
22:26
over. And she's a bit obsessed with
22:27
them. I think, Oh, this is the bit.
22:31
But you know, stuff like our hands.
22:34
It's a bit weird and she's immediately like very jealous
22:38
and possessive and weird like. You stay away from him, he's
22:41
mine. And yet you have no real real.
22:47
Well, I think you're a servant, right?
22:51
It's a weird dynamic. Very odd.
22:54
I have this memory. Oh sorry, he just calls it Eska
23:01
Flows. Eska flows.
23:04
I know exactly what it means because there is a certain type
23:07
of stuff that I would watch in bed as a kid.
23:10
Not like dodgy stuff, but like it just reminds us of that and I
23:14
would fall asleep to watching it.
23:15
And it kind of like used to be that for Kabo Bebop and weird
23:22
Asian horror films. So used to wake.
23:25
Up to like, screaming. End call.
23:27
I explained so much about you in your life and how you view the
23:32
world. Sorry, what was up?
23:41
What? What were you saying?
23:46
Yeah, it's very, it's weirdly slow paced as well is what I
23:53
also realised in a way that I don't think you get, not in a
24:01
good way, not in like a mushi, just to bring it back to mushi
24:05
Shi because any given opportunity.
24:08
It's been 1 episode since To be a Counter.
24:12
Since we talked about it, yeah, yeah.
24:15
At some point there's going to have to be some sort of master
24:17
cut of like the number of times I talk about Mushishi.
24:21
But Mushishi is a slow anime, right?
24:24
And it's it's got this like very delicate, like Somnorus kind of
24:29
quality to it that is atmospheric, whereas this is
24:33
just a little bit boring at times.
24:37
Yeah, yeah, I, I think you've, you've got to balance it out.
24:42
So if you don't have a a lot going on, you have to have a lot
24:46
going on in the background. Like Mushishi has an amazing
24:50
background. It's got like a really relaxed
24:54
fire. Extraordinary.
24:55
Yeah, actually a great sound, Like one of the best soundtracks
24:58
ever to like. And I would say almost.
25:01
I would say it's not even a soundtrack, it's a soundscape.
25:05
All right, moving on. I'm not having this.
25:10
It's art. It's all right.
25:14
It's all right. It's where is this is this isn't
25:20
that. I would say it was fairly
25:25
standard. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's it's
25:29
yeah, it's of its time. Oh.
25:33
What are the plucks like? What do plucks taste like?
25:39
Oh, hello. Oh, look at that ooze baby.
25:44
Doctor Pimple Papa, we're coming for your brand.
25:49
I love Doctor Pimple. Papa I.
25:51
Know you do. Genuinely it makes me gag I
25:53
can't watch it. Well, some people are.
25:58
It's not for the weak. So how would you pitch this to a
26:02
friend that has never seen anime before?
26:05
I kind of want to want to hear your pitch on this.
26:10
OK so I'm assuming in this that my friend.
26:15
Is I'll set the scene OK but oh Phoebe, I really wanted to get
26:19
an anime. Would you recommend?
26:23
Could could you recommend as 10? There's a vision of escaponi.
26:28
What's that about? I've heard you really like it.
26:34
If you want to get into anime, don't start there.
26:41
If you like Mex, try Gundam Wing.
26:47
But what if they were like, Oh yeah, I do like Mex, but I also
26:49
like looking at boys? Oh OK, then you'll love Esca
26:53
floating. So if you, if you want, if you
26:58
want to know what would have happened if Sailor Moon, I've
27:04
never seen any possible. Yeah, Yeah.
27:07
OK. No.
27:08
So right. Yeah.
27:08
You don't have any point of reference for Sailor Moon
27:10
either. Yeah, Yeah.
27:12
I've just suddenly realised as I'm trying to to reference this.
27:17
Oh, I've got it. OK.
27:20
Do you want Twilight but without any of the vampires?
27:25
And they're in a magical fantasy world full of Knights and
27:29
swords, where people jewel each other and sometimes the boys
27:35
have magical Angel wings. No.
27:42
If if that sounds like your cup of tea, Eska Floni is your jam.
27:49
And they also have one good song that they use over and over
27:53
again. What does that sound like?
27:57
Eska Floni. 02 things Tony didn't like the look of me plop.
28:07
Oh. No plops for him.
28:10
Molly Molly's also Everything comes back to Twilight, yeah.
28:17
To be fair, I really want to watch the second and third one.
28:22
You really enjoyed it, didn't you?
28:23
You're not ready. You're not ready for the Jelly.
28:27
Sorry, what? I don't think you've already
28:30
filled this Jelly because my body too delicious for you,
28:34
babe. No Destiny's Child, only
28:37
Beyoncé. Oh, don't miss your children.
28:47
Yeah, good question. Actually my favorite character
28:49
doesn't appear until later and he's.
28:52
If you thought the Prince fan was brooding, wait until you
28:58
meet his brother. No way there.
29:02
I'm sure he's been in it because.
29:04
Oh, he comes in right at the end.
29:05
Falcon Falcon fannell who looks like he looks like David Bowie
29:13
in in like Ziggy Stardust era, and he's he's the most.
29:19
Man because he talks to. Yeah, he comes in at the end of
29:23
episode 3. Yeah, because he's like you sold
29:28
out your village and he's like, whatever, mate.
29:31
Yeah, pretty much, yeah. But also if if you if you call
29:37
your child Falcon Falcon and expect him to turn out not
29:40
broody and working insects Cex. And he has wings.
29:48
And you're naming him after a bird?
29:50
Of course he sold out his village.
29:54
Of course he sold out of his village because he was probably
29:57
horrendously bullied. Yeah, he's my favorite
30:04
character, though. Ziggy Stardom, Angel man, who
30:08
goes on this like he has this crazy arc.
30:12
I see. There is, there is as much as I
30:16
didn't enjoy it, coming back to it, I did find bits of it really
30:20
cringy. There are also bits of it that I
30:22
know happened later on that I'm like, oh, but that is quite fun.
30:26
And he's basically like he. So there's this whole thing
30:30
about like fate that runs through it.
30:32
So the fact that he told me can like predict the future or gets
30:35
from like flashes visions, if you will, of Escafloni where
30:42
she's like he's going to die if and then she'll know like the
30:45
moment to like change fate. And you basically find out that
30:51
like that, that there's a reason for that.
30:54
And she's tied into this, like, almost extinct race of people
30:58
who were kind of in a very Atlantean What?
31:05
I'm joking, just seeing spoilers.
31:09
Spoilers. Oh yeah, they're huge spoilers,
31:11
but this has been out since 1996, so if you haven't.
31:13
Watched it, I know. So, but in a very Atlantean way,
31:19
they've kind of like messed with fate too much and caused their
31:22
own destruction. And Van and Falcon are kind of
31:25
remnants of this ancient race. And what Falcon has done is he's
31:30
kind of aligned himself with the emperor, who's hooked himself up
31:35
to this like ancient technology that's like a fate machine
31:39
that's corrupting everything in its presence.
31:43
So you, you discover that Falcon has ultimately doomed himself by
31:47
trying to like master his, his fate and change his fate and
31:51
work with the emperor. So he's like slowly dying.
31:53
And it's a very like, it's like, as you know, it is very emo.
31:57
Is it? Yeah.
31:59
As a storyline, but it's also kind of cool.
32:02
I kind of like the like, you know, man brings about Matt like
32:06
its own destruction and like I like the the kind of like lost
32:12
race elements like the Atlanta. I think they're even called
32:15
Atlanteans or something. I think it's like literally on
32:17
on the nose in the translation. They did mention it.
32:20
Yeah, yeah. I did have questions about that
32:24
Fiat machine because you just did see like a, it reminded me
32:27
of, well, I'm a 40K, you know, the emperor on his mass.
32:30
Yeah, thrown. It looks to yeah.
32:32
Yeah, the God Emperor. Yeah, and he's just like my fate
32:37
machine did not predict this girl with power.
32:41
And you know what that's based on, don't you?
32:45
Harry. Potter for Warhammer 40K.
32:50
Is it really Yeah yeah, yeah. The God Emperor is a character
32:53
in June, Leto A tradies the second, and I think the creators
33:01
of 40K are like very open about the fact that they are are
33:04
heavily inspired by June. It's not the only thing in 40K
33:07
that's June influenced. I'm I'm sure part of the 40K law
33:13
is where they've got a planet where absolutely nothing happens
33:16
and everyone hates and it's called Birmingham or something
33:19
like that. I'm I'm sure I've heard that.
33:25
I would like to formally distance myself from Christopher
33:28
Reid's opinion about Birmingham. That wasn't my opinion, that was
33:32
40K. I've never actually been before
33:37
Birmingham. I do no.
33:39
It's all right. It's got more.
33:41
My one Birmingham fact. It's got more canals than
33:44
Venice. To be fair though, do you know
33:48
what it is? Venice is like the city of
33:50
canals, isn't it? Just one canal, just a really
33:53
long one. It's built on water.
34:00
It's got 1K on it. Sorry, Venice.
34:04
And also, to be fair, to to be fair to Venice, Birmingham's
34:11
architecture is nowhere near as as remarkable as Venice, but it
34:19
is also because it's an industrial city.
34:25
Isn't Ozzy Osbourne from Birmingham?
34:29
Who? Ozzy Osbourne.
34:31
Yeah. Yeah, how many singers from
34:35
Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne have been born are from Venice?
34:39
Exactly. Do you see it?
34:45
Although when I did go to Venice I randomly a couple in a boat,
34:49
just a guy singing opera just like just just was singing opera
34:54
to them. I think he was probably about to
34:56
propose or had just proposed this guy because he looked
35:00
nervous as shit. But the guy won the boat.
35:03
Like steal this woman. No, Oh my God, that would be a
35:08
great drama. I.
35:12
Love people watching. Yeah, me too.
35:15
But I was also like, getting an opera singer in your boat when
35:21
you're about to propose is high stakes.
35:23
You better believe that she's going to say yes.
35:27
You wouldn't ask if they weren't going to say yes, yeah, this has
35:33
got to be that conversation beforehand.
35:35
Like, I know people say you'd surprise them, but you're going
35:38
to say, look, I'm going to propose the at some point.
35:41
Anyway, let's make sure your nails.
35:42
Because Molly's listening so. Your nails are nice, love.
35:49
So do you know when you were saying there was like when you
35:53
first started watching it again? The 1st 3 episodes I had the
35:56
exactly the same moment as well. Whereas I remember it, I was at
36:01
sea with a bunch of big burly men and we used to have, we used
36:07
to have film nights. And I had, I had like a terabyte
36:12
hard drive just full of anime and films and stuff.
36:15
And they were like, oh, Chris, why don't you pick a film
36:17
tonight? And I've been talking that day
36:19
about Cowboy Bob. I was like, Oh no.
36:23
But that is amazing. I know, but listen, it gets
36:26
worse. So I would say it's kind of like
36:29
a spaghetti western in space. It's this bounty hunt that goes
36:33
round and there's more stuff that happens.
36:35
It's got like a noir thing. And they're like, oh, that
36:37
sounds pretty good. That obviously in their
36:39
respective accents, I won't copy and.
36:42
Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
36:44
And they were like, oh, well, you've got it on DVD here.
36:46
And it was Cowboy bought the movie.
36:51
And I was just like, all right, I'll stick that on.
36:54
And I forgot, but there's like a whole, like, dancing montage at
36:59
the start. And they were just like, yeah,
37:03
let's turn this off. I was like, oh, OK.
37:07
Oh no, they didn't even like stick out the dancing montage to
37:10
the good bit. No, not this is but you've well,
37:15
to be fair, they normally watched Bollywood films, so I
37:18
thought they would have been all over it.
37:20
But he has a, he has a different type of dancing montage and
37:23
they're like. Yeah, Asian dancing.
37:29
But yeah, Harsh forgot about us, Yeah.
37:34
Yeah, yeah. But that's how I felt.
37:35
I we probably both felt the same then because I did when I was
37:39
like. And also, it goes on for so
37:42
long, this high school drama bit in episode 1, it's 90% of what
37:47
happens in that episode. Yeah.
37:49
It takes so long for her to get. It's a kind and I was like, I, I
37:56
owe Chris an opponent. It's fine, I'll probably do the
38:01
same at some point. But do you think, yeah,
38:03
throughout the first 3 episodes, who's the like, who do you think
38:07
the star of the show is? Well, it's supposed to be
38:12
Hitomi, isn't it? That's why I'm asking.
38:17
Yeah, she also, she has a weird, she has a weird moment where she
38:22
lands in the, in whatever it is called Gaia, where she lands and
38:29
she's thinking about her friend, her red headed friend.
38:34
Very, very homoerotic subtext. Like the way that she thinks of
38:40
her friend is very, there's a very sapphic element to that, I
38:45
would say. I also noticed that when she's
38:49
in peril because there's a weird situation that probably don't
38:52
want to get into with a mole man or any time she's in danger as
38:56
well, she shouts. I don't know if this is a dope
38:59
thing but shouts mum or mum shouts for her mummy.
39:03
I don't know if it's because she's young or it's because it's
39:06
a weird like call out thing to show how naive and young she is
39:10
or what it's a weird thing to shout.
39:14
Is she not shouting for the guy? I forget what his name is.
39:17
The the runner in episode 1. He's the he's the star of the
39:23
show because he's the focus for most of it.
39:27
Episode 2 I think. Under 10 seconds, That's his
39:33
track record. That's his track record in once
39:40
you get into the other world, into Gaia.
39:43
I think Van and Hitomi are the main characters, but the best
39:48
character is Balgus. I was just going to say that
39:52
he's my stand out. Yeah.
39:54
He's built like a brick shithouse.
39:58
He's got scars all over his body.
40:00
He's got some interest in face paint.
40:02
There's these things called you know what, What's the big guy?
40:08
Guy Molefs, which is the mix Guy Molefs.
40:11
He takes them out. By himself, without being in a
40:14
guy malef himself, he just like with his big sword, he's the
40:19
most interesting guy so far. Him and Emperor Domkirk I think
40:24
obviously had something about them.
40:27
And I realise that I'm picking all the male characters here,
40:29
but there's not a lot of interesting females to pick you.
40:33
And that's very 90s anime as well.
40:38
Every. Time there's a fight because
40:39
when Fan and Alan first meet up, it's just like, it's kind of
40:44
like they have like a jewel where they're trying to escape
40:47
from his castle and he's just like, look, I'm not going to let
40:50
you go. I'm in a mech thing, You're in a
40:52
mech thing. Let's have a little fight.
40:55
If you lose, you have to stay here.
40:56
If you win, you can go. It's fine.
40:59
And when they're doing that, like, oh woman, can you just
41:02
stay back to the side a bit while the men have the choice?
41:07
Can we literally sideline you even though you're technically
41:12
the main character? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:16
And if you've noticed, every everyone looks after her as
41:19
well. Yeah.
41:23
And really, that's. I mean mole man.
41:26
Doesn't do Mole man doesn't. Yeah, but I'll.
41:32
I'll leave that there. Yeah, it's best to leave it
41:35
there. We don't want to get into mole
41:37
Man. He's creepy.
41:39
I do. Also, it does have some good
41:41
villains. Like you Find out the guy who's
41:43
piloting the invisible mech. It's a guy called Dylan.
41:48
Dylan Dal Albertow. Rolls off the tongue.
41:54
Rolls off the tongue. Some of the names of this are
41:56
wild. And he's kind of he's fun in
42:03
that that like classic, like just pure crazy villain.
42:08
Like his, his motivation is largely I've just got a bit
42:12
insane. And I kind of like that.
42:14
Sometimes you don't want the complex, the complexity.
42:19
Sometimes you just want a guy who's just got a bit insane.
42:23
Do you want us? I find myself myself liking that
42:25
a bit more and more now, but it's just like, I'm going to.
42:28
They're like, oh, he was beaten as a child and he was trapped
42:31
like shit. Or he's just a bit of a bastard.
42:34
I like that. He's just a bit.
42:35
Sometimes people are just a bit mental, yeah.
42:39
He's just angry at the world. Yeah, the world hasn't gone his
42:44
way and he's mad about it. So from from you recommending
42:51
this and we'll keep it going. It's all right because we've
42:57
said nothing good about it really.
42:59
And I've I've tried to get there.
43:00
What made you recommend it? Like what were you highly of
43:04
watching this? But by far the best bits are the
43:08
guy Malef fights Mex, the Mex fighting.
43:14
And because I remembered some of these other story beats that you
43:17
don't get to in the first 3 episodes that I was like, Oh,
43:20
yeah, no, that's quite. That's quite cool.
43:23
Maybe Chris would like that. Yeah.
43:26
But because we have, because we do this, and I think it's a fair
43:29
rule, three episodes in, you get 3 episodes to like, sell it.
43:37
Sell an anime. Yeah.
43:42
Eddie, come here. Come here.
43:44
See. I didn't know.
43:45
It threw a lot of information that, yeah.
43:48
I mean, not a lot happened, but when stuff did happened, it
43:51
happened a lot. There's loads of law.
43:53
You get chucked in the different worlds and that.
43:55
Oh, yeah. There's other places as well in
43:57
the. That's that's where you live.
43:59
The Blue Moon way or the Blue Pearl.
44:00
Yeah. And it's like, well, how did
44:02
they know about them? And the people on Earth don't
44:04
know about this. Oh, yeah.
44:05
We used to travel there. We'll just run past this and
44:08
talk about big robots for a second.
44:09
Then we'll talk about yeah, yeah, this lineage, and then
44:13
we'll talk how about this? Then we'll cut to the body,
44:15
who's got a lot of plot. Do you know what one of the
44:18
things as I was watching it, I was like, this is the thing I
44:20
like about it. It feels a bit like AD and D
44:22
campaign. It has the same kind of
44:25
craziness that your friend, your friends throw out during the
44:29
middle of AD and D campaign. But the world building feels
44:32
like someone sat down and gone. What's a fun place for us all to
44:36
play together? And just like just gone a bit
44:38
mad with it. And I can't.
44:40
And that I actually do quite like.
44:41
And I like the, you know, the it's and like the fact that
44:46
everything has a slightly twiddly name and it's like
44:48
they've got Atlanteans and fate machines and that sort of stuff.
44:52
Like the world building and the setting is good.
44:55
I would quite like to see another story in this world, but
45:00
written. I'd like to see it overhauled I
45:03
think. In in what way do you think like
45:07
faster pace or better animation? Add more all of those very I
45:16
think I think you're right. The the style of it is very
45:18
dated. I'd love to see it in a kind of
45:21
a more like, I'd say more classic, but more like timeless
45:29
anime style. This feels like you could place
45:31
very easily. You can place when this was
45:33
made, whereas I think with something like I think even like
45:40
Gundam or the what's it called Vash with the Stampede Trigun.
45:50
Trigun, yeah. Yeah, that.
45:53
Holds up the new style animation.
45:56
Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing it in the new style animation where
45:59
where you can be more dynamic and you can be more fast-paced
46:03
and you can really lean into the fun battle scenes.
46:07
I'd love to see that. And I do think that the the
46:10
world has merit, even though the story is maybe it may be quite
46:13
too dated for for me now as a 35 year old.
46:18
Yeah, I think I agree and I think that's what saved it for
46:22
me instead of me switching off after episode 1 and pretending
46:26
that I watched it, did actually watch it because if the little
46:31
Nuggets of law for the world, like I'm like, why is there a
46:34
village of cat people into their covenant later?
46:37
What's this God emperor fate machine thing?
46:41
This sounds interesting and it leaves you little stuff like
46:44
that where I was kind of like, I want to hear more about that.
46:48
I want to see more of this world or the different.
46:50
They did go at different paths, didn't they?
46:52
Oh, it's. Different yeah, yeah, yeah well,
46:54
and and they have they definitely have different races
46:57
at one point. There's like a wolf, like a
46:59
village of wolf people that they go to and there's like there
47:03
there is there is cool fun stuff in this.
47:08
I just think it takes a bit too long to get to it.
47:10
That's, that's the, that's one of the things that I think if
47:14
you change, if you just altered the pacing of it.
47:18
Also with it being from 1996, he can tell just by looking at the
47:23
screenshot. I was trying to find things for
47:25
the for the thumbnail and the and the the background for this
47:30
video and that is the best that I could find, which was ahd
47:34
rebake from I don't know when. And it was like, it's either
47:37
that or it looks fuzzy and horrible in your eyes.
47:39
Yeah. So I wouldn't mind an update.
47:43
Do not kind of like how they do in one piece, whether redo than
47:47
that with clean animation and a bit more streamlined story.
47:50
I would like that less. I mean, you kind of get rid of
47:53
the the weird boy thing, but a bit more updated where it's like
47:58
it's not as dwelled upon. But I think it shows promise and
48:04
I would liked, I would like to see the rest of it.
48:07
I might stop after a couple more episodes, but I would like to
48:10
find find out that answers some questions.
48:13
Yeah, there there is also a film which takes a very different
48:17
storyline, but it's like it's like they've set it in the same
48:20
world, but they've just given it a completely different story and
48:24
like condensed a lot of the themes into this one overarching
48:29
story. And I and I think if you enjoyed
48:32
the world building, maybe try the film instead of sticking out
48:36
the T It's up to you. It's it's it's very different.
48:39
It's very, very different. Like it has a completely
48:41
different ending. It's she still gets a piece of
48:46
kind. I think I and I, but also I
48:49
can't remember if the film is as boy crazy.
48:53
So because I'm like, genuinely, that is a thing that I just, my
48:56
mind had just not latched on to the boy craziness.
48:59
And there is something of like realizing I probably watched
49:04
this before I had understood my own sexuality and looking back
49:11
through my like my lens now I'm like, oh, there are some things
49:14
that are just blanked out because they were not of
49:16
interest. So that could still be a problem
49:19
with the film. Yeah, it's fine.
49:23
I'll, I'll, I'll have a look at it because I might just go for
49:27
the film instead, because I think it does have a lot of
49:29
promise. I could maybe enjoy it.
49:33
I think I didn't think much about.
49:35
I didn't think it was really bad, but I didn't.
49:38
I was looking for things to keep us interested in it.
49:42
It might be one of those sleepy animes that you watch your bed.
49:45
That's OK. That's one piece at the minute.
49:49
Oh well. That's fine, because you know it
49:54
takes forever to get to a fight in that too.
49:59
At least they're not as bored crazy.
50:01
Then no, they're girl crazy in in One Piece.
50:09
Yeah. Do you think?
50:11
And it is One Piece is far superior to Escafloni.
50:13
I'll, I'll say it now. Just don't, don't come for US
50:17
One Piece fans. Do you know what Do you know
50:21
what I did really like about this Yeah.
50:24
Then the the sections of them getting into the mix.
50:28
Sorry the so I keep. Forgetting guy molefs.
50:31
Guy Molefs. Yeah, so they actually take the
50:34
time to animate. It's starting up because it's
50:37
it's very mechanical. It's not like a, it's not like a
50:40
Evangelion kind of, it works because it works or whatever.
50:45
It's literally like things start turning.
50:47
You see the hands go into the bits that control the arms and
50:51
you can see them moving. It's got the things that go over
50:55
and it's got spinny bits and clacky bits.
50:58
And I've quite enjoyed that because.
51:01
I took the time. Yeah, they, they took the time
51:05
to animate it and like, think about it as opposed to just him
51:09
going in and maybe he's a puff of spork.
51:11
And it's like, yes, now I'm in it.
51:13
Yeah, I also like that in in this, there's an element of you
51:17
earning your guy like that. It's not that they have a full
51:21
consciousness, but they have that kind of like nightly.
51:25
It's like in old Arthurian legends where the Knights form
51:31
bonds with their weapons and all the swords have names and the
51:34
Spears have names. I've been doing like, folk tale
51:37
research for something else that we're doing in October.
51:41
And and like, all of them have like, you know, they have like a
51:45
named spear that almost is a character in its own right.
51:49
And I think the Gaimolefs get the same treatment.
51:52
And you have this element of the people piloting it almost have
51:55
to earn the Gaimolefs respect and have like this kind of bond
52:02
with it. I saw it similar but like with a
52:06
a knight and a horse. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
52:10
I say no Eddie woman, just jump on his back and ride it.
52:13
It's going to kick you off or or you'll not control it right.
52:18
Yeah, yeah, that. And I think that if I was going
52:22
to carry on watching this, I would be.
52:23
It is the it's the Mex for me that really do like, I know
52:28
we're joking that I watch it for the Mex, but actually I do think
52:31
the Mex in this are very cool. They're a very cool example of
52:34
like a different way to approach big fighting robots.
52:38
Yeah, so. Yeah, it's weird because you
52:42
messaged me saying the contrary. You said you only wanted to
52:44
watch The Boys. But anyway.
52:50
You must be getting mixed up with your Co host.
52:52
That sounds like something Lee would say.
52:55
Lee would never watch an anime that wasn't One Piece of Dragon.
52:58
Ball Lee only wants to Lee only wants to watch anime that has
53:04
thousands of episodes. That's why he's never gone on to
53:07
any other anime. This this is like 12 episodes
53:12
long or something, isn't it? It's really short.
53:15
Yeah. That's another saving grace, to
53:18
be fair, if you just want. It's at least it's short at.
53:25
Least it's short, although if you want something that has like
53:27
a good self-contained arc that one of the things that I find
53:31
unsatisfying about Escafloni as well as the ending because it
53:34
feels like it's not quite wrapped up.
53:38
It's deliberately a bit like oh not sure about that.
53:41
It feels a bit like the ending of His Dark Materials in that
53:44
you're like, well, but what happens to the cat?
53:47
Like you just. It just doesn't give you
53:49
resolution, which is a choice. Yeah.
53:53
Yeah. But it's not really satisfying
53:55
because sometimes it pulls off all right, this It doesn't feel
53:59
overly satisfying. So again, if you want good mech
54:02
with excellent storytelling and a satisfying conclusion, go
54:08
watch Gundam Wing. Go watch our episode of Gundam
54:12
Wing on the Up North YouTube and then watch it for yourself.
54:19
Exactly. So I know you've said it doesn't
54:24
a lot, but do you think it holds up in 2025?
54:28
No, imagine you've just been. I was like, actually, yeah,
54:35
forget what I've said for the past hour.
54:39
I just have to ask you. Yeah, yeah, I know.
54:42
It's because it's on the, it's the question we always ask each
54:44
other. But no, no, I don't.
54:47
I think it's, I really don't. That's fair.
54:53
Yeah. See, I'm, I'm glad.
54:54
I I'm glad I experienced it. I can see that.
54:57
I've watched the first 3 episodes of Vesica Flooring.
55:01
I don't think so. You gave it a go?
55:03
Yeah. That's I'm saying, I don't think
55:05
you can see if you like or don't like something unless you try
55:09
it. Exactly, exactly.
55:12
And we were always going to try lots of different anime, so this
55:15
is one that just. Yeah, didn't hold up.
55:19
That's OK, It's not for everyone.
55:21
Do. You think we should wrap up this
55:23
Esca, Florian Visions of Esca? Florida, what are we going to
55:28
do? Let's close that vision.
55:30
What are we going to do next week?
55:32
We did we talk about this. We didn't.
55:34
What do you ever? Do no, no, no.
55:38
I was wondering if you would want to watch a film.
55:42
So at the moment what we're doing is that we're we're
55:46
filming a whole load of like special guests, which is very
55:49
exciting in the background, but it also means we're having to
55:53
double watch anime. So I was like, maybe we do a
55:56
film. How do you feel about Steamboy?
56:01
Yeah, I've got it. I can't remember watching it,
56:04
but we'll see. Hasn't that got Jean Rude Picard
56:07
in it? Has it?
56:10
I know Lap Peter Carson in the Sky does keep talking.
56:15
So Lap Peter Carson in the Sky definitely has Patrick Stewart,
56:18
and he plays the main girl's uncle.
56:22
It might do. He's done, voice.
56:23
Patrick Stewart is it, so I'm not going to say it's got the
56:26
fab. It's it's got weird sticker on
56:28
but. Yeah, it's got a discount
56:31
sticker on it. Anna Paquin, Alfred Molina and
56:35
Patrick Stewart. The Paquin.
56:38
Amazing. I've also been True Blood and
56:43
she plays Rogue in the X-Men films.
56:46
Oh, he he looks like the guy from Akira.
56:49
He does look like the guy from Akira.
56:51
Actually. I think it's the same.
56:52
I think you'll find it's the same studio that made Akira.
56:59
Chapters in DVDs. Yeah, that's what I'm talking
57:04
about. Let's watch.
57:07
Should we watch Steamboat? And I think let's not watch the
57:11
extended version. Let's just watch the the cinema
57:14
released, not the director's cut.
57:18
That looks like the normal 1, not the director's cut.
57:22
Just not for rental. So, but yeah, that'll be fun, I
57:29
think. Steamboy.
57:32
Between Boy and Then, stay tuned for December when we're going to
57:34
have a whole load of guests. It's like a anime advent treat.
57:39
To be honest, I I really love doing this because I'm I'm not
57:43
bothered about people's followings or like what they're
57:47
interested. I just love having people on
57:49
watching. You are enthusiastic, Yeah.
57:53
And we've also been getting some people who have been
57:55
recommending stuff that we wouldn't have probably picked
57:58
ourselves, Like tomorrow we're recording with someone who's
58:02
picked Detective Conan, which is not one that I've ever really
58:06
has crossed my radar. So yeah.
58:11
But you'll have to wait for months to find out what we
58:13
thought so. And why?
58:17
Why that? So if you haven't already,
58:19
subscribe below. So we've pre recorded these
58:23
guests for December, right? So we're going to have a
58:25
Christmas off with our families and stuff.
58:27
It's going to be weird. In November we'll be like, Oh
58:30
yeah, and next week we're starting the guests and stuff.
58:33
And then in January, we're both going to be like this.
58:36
From yeah, we'll be Jar Jar. Yeah.
58:46
And yeah, yeah, that's not who I meant either.
58:50
Yeah. Jabba the Hood.
58:51
That's I meant Jabbering. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
58:58
But yeah, the next week, Steam Boy, and I think that's.
59:01
Steam Boy. For coming and commenting
59:05
everyone, don't be a don't. Be a flow name.
59:10
Be an ask a flow name.