Fade to Lack

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Friday, February 18, 2022

PERSONA 5 ROYAL – The Complete Weekly Stuff Spoiler-Cast Discussions

It’s time for a very special bonus episode of The Weekly Stuff Podcast with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman, a weekly audio show that explores the worlds of film, television, and video games. You can subscribe for free in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

In 2017, we discussed Atlus’ landmark JRPG Persona 5 so exhaustively that we collected all our conversations into a single 10-hour super-podcast that become our most listened-to episode ever. Since Persona 5 Royal – the updated, reworked version of the game – released in 2020, we’ve gotten countless requests to update our magnum opus, and after recording another 4 hours of discussion on The Royal, we’ve done just that! This 14.5-hour mega-podcast contains all of our original Persona 5 discussions – re-edited and remastered from the original audio files – plus 4 additional hours of discussion on Persona 5 Royal, all edited into a new epic-length spoiler-cast that delves into every possible facet of this masterpiece in excruciating detail!

This podcast consists of eight parts. In Part 1, Sean and Jonathan introduce Persona 5 Royal, talk about exactly what this episode and project is, and also discuss at length something we never got to talk about the first time around, which is the brilliant Japanese vocal cast of the game. Then in Part 2, we’ll be jumping back in time to 2017 for our original series of podcast discussions on Persona 5, with each segment from Parts 2 through 5 discussing two palaces or story arcs apiece, as we dive deep in discussing every facet of the story and gameplay along the way. In Part 6, we give what were in 2017 our final wrap-up thoughts on the originally released version of Persona 5, and then in Part 7, we jump over to The Royal, and discuss all the changes to gameplay mechanics this version introduces. And finally in Part 8, we go deep with the new story material and characters of Persona 5 Royal, and fully reflect on this new, definitive version of this masterpiece of a game.

And it's all so long that if you're watching/listening on YouTube, they've made us split it into two parts! Part 1 is at the top of this page - here's Part 2:

We are truly proud and excited to share this behemoth of an episode – you won’t find a more exhaustive spoiler-cast discussion of Persona 5 Royal anywhere else on the internet. Enjoy.

Time Chart - Part 1:

Opening: 00:00:00 – 00:04:26

I. Intro & Cast Discussions: 00:04:26 – 01:20:39

II. Palaces 1 & 2: 01:20:39 – 04:10:13

III. Palaces 3 & 4: 04:10:13 – 05:30:29

IV. Palaces 5 & 6: 05:30:29 – 07:40:24

Part 2:

Opening: 0:00:00 – 0:01:58

V. Palaces 7 & 8: 0:01:58 – 2:15:48

VI. Original Version Wrap-up: 2:15:48 – 4:09:39

VII. The Royal Discussion – Mechanics: 4:09:39 – 4:50:46

VIII. The Royal Discussion – Story: 4:50:46 – 6:52:44

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The Weekly Stuff with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman is a weekly audio podcast, and if you subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts, episodes will be delivered automatically and for free as soon as they are released. Visit www.weeklystuffpodcast.com for a complete archive of streaming and downloadable episodes.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

The Weekly Stuff Podcast #416 – Nintendo Direct News & Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin Part V Review

This week brought the first Nintendo Direct presentation of 2022, and if it wasn’t the most earth-shattering event ever, it sure brought a lot to love for fans of obscure JRPGs and/or sports games. We discuss all the news in depth, talk a little more Genshin Impact, and even spend a good 15 minutes gushing over the recent run of classic Doctor Who Blu-ray sets, before diving into Part V of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. “Clash at Loum” delivers not only the OVA’s finest episode, but one of the single most memorable and powerful installments in the 40-year history of Gundam. Dramatizing Zeon’s disastrous colony drop operation, Sayla Mass making a stand at Side 5, Ramba Ral and Crowley Hamon bemoaning the loss of a world that’s passed them by, and Char Aznable taking the final, ultimate step towards becoming the legendary Red Comet, this episode is absolutely overflowing with pantheon-level sequences that are among the greatest Gundam has ever given us, all combining to paint a deeply affecting portrait of a world spun entirely out of control. This is as good as it gets.

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:04:47

Stuff: 0:04:47 – 0:33:45

Nintendo Direct: 0:33:45 – 1:19:02

Gundam Origin V: 1:19:02 – 3:15:44

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Weekly Suit Gundam #48 – Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin V – Clash at Loum Review & Discussion

It’s time for Weekly Suit Gundam, a show exploring the world of Mobile Suit Gundam from The Weekly Stuff Podcast with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman. You can subscribe for free in iTunes by following this link.

With Part V of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin – Clash at Loum – this outstanding OVA delivers not only its finest episode, but one of the single most memorable and powerful installments in the 40-year history of Gundam. Dramatizing Zeon’s disastrous colony drop operation, Sayla Mass making a stand at Side 5, Ramba Ral and Crowley Hamon bemoaning the loss of a world that’s passed them by, and Char Aznable taking the final, ultimate step towards becoming the legendary Red Comet, this episode is absolutely overflowing with pantheon-level sequences that are among the greatest Gundam has ever given us, all combining to paint a deeply affecting portrait of a world spun entirely out of control. This is as good as it gets.

Enjoy, and come back next week for the dramatic conclusion to Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin – Rise of the Red Comet!

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Friday, February 11, 2022

The Weekly Stuff Podcast #415 – The PERSONA 5 ROYAL Episode

It’s time for a very special BONUS episode of The Weekly Stuff Podcast with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman, a weekly audio show that explores the worlds of film, television, and video games. You can subscribe for free in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Nearly five years ago now, Atlus’ Persona 5 released in the United States and took our hearts, compelling us to record several weeks’ worth of spoiler-cast discussions on the game that we later compiled into a 10.5-hour mega-podcast that quickly became our most popular episode ever! Since Persona 5 Royal – the updated, reworked version of the game – released in 2020, we’ve gotten countless requests for a Royal-specific follow-up episode. And now that we’ve both finally had time to sit down and play all 120+ hours of this absolute behemoth of a game, we’re back with just that: A solid 4-hour review and discussion of Persona 5 Royal, breaking down everything new – including the tremendous new extra arc, reworked ending, and new and reworked characters like Yoshizawa, Maruki, and Akechi – and reveling in what very well might be the greatest video game ever made. It’s been too long since we devoted an entire episode to Persona, but we hope we’ve made up for the wait with this extra-long bonus episode!

Enjoy!

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Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Weekly Suit Gundam #47 – Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin IV – Eve of Destiny Review & Discussion

Eve of Destiny, Part IV of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, is a messier installment than others in this series, failing to find as clear or compelling a through-line as prior or upcoming episodes, and taking a weird jump in the middle that feels like a key piece of story is missing. That said, it’s still a highly entertaining part of this terrific series, featuring the first meeting between Char and Lalah, a powerful ending scene with Amuro and Fraw Bow, and an absolutely dynamite centerpiece action sequence on the moon, where mobile suits go into combat for the first time in the history of the Universal Century. There’s more than enough here to discuss and enjoy, even if it’s all something of a stepping stone to some of The Origin’s best material yet to come.

Enjoy, and come back next week for Part V of The Origin, Clash at Loum!

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The Weekly Stuff Podcast #414 – Sony Buys Bungie & Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin Part IV Review

This week saw another major acquisition in the world of gaming as Sony, makers of PlayStation, purchased Bungie – the original makers of Halo, Xbox’s most iconic franchise – for a cool $3.6 billion. We discuss the implications of this deal for the future of PlayStation and Destiny, but that’s not the only Halo-adjacent talk this week, as we also make fun of the awful new trailer for the Halo TV series and revisit the anemic, struggling Halo Infinite multiplayer a few months after release. Sean also review the Violet Evergarden movie now streaming on Netflix, and we gush some more over Genshin Impact before diving into our next Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin review. Part IV, Eve of Destiny, is a messier installment than others in this series, failing to find as clear or compelling a through-line as prior or upcoming episodes, even as it contains plenty of great moments including the first meeting between Char and Lalah, a powerful ending scene with Amuro and Fraw Bow, and an absolutely dynamite centerpiece action sequence on the moon. There’s more than enough here to discuss and enjoy, even if it’s all something of a stepping stone to some of The Origin’s best material yet to come.

Enjoy, and come back this Friday, February 11^th, for a very special bonus episode containing our long-awaited, extremely belated, 4-hour-long review and discussion of Persona 5 Royal!

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:03:54

Genshin Impact: 0:03:54 – 0:14:26

Sean Talks Violet Evergarden: 0:14:26 – 0:21:00

Halo Infinite Multiplayer: 0:21:00 – 0:38:02

News: 0:38:02 – 1:12:24

Gundam Origin IV: 1:12:24 – 2:41:50

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Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Weekly Suit Gundam #46 – Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin III – Dawn of Rebellion Review & Discussion

A legend is born in Part III of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin – Dawn of Rebellion, which sees Casval Rem Deikun adopt – er, violently steal – the identity of Char Aznable, and gradually develop the colorful, calculating persona made so iconic in Gundam ’79. It’s one of the most entertaining episodes in the history of Gundam, an archetypal military academy story built on the foundation of Char’s twisted friendship with Garma Zabi, and all leading inexorably towards the horrors of the One-Year War. This is an hour full of moments we’ve been waiting literal years to talk about, and it couldn’t be more satisfying to finally discuss the installment in which Gundam’s greatest character fully steps into his own destined role in history.

Enjoy, and come back next week for Part IV of The Origin, Eve of Destiny!

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