Fade to Lack

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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, May 24, 2022

Weekly Suit Gundam #53 – Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt & Twilight Axis Reviews & Discussions

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.

Today we settle all Gundam business by reviewing two ONA (original net animation) series that are the last mainline Gundam titles we’ve yet left un-reviewed. Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, based on the manga by Yasuo Ohtagaki, aired from 2015 to 2017 and was collected into 2 films, December Sky and Bandit Flower, and it’s a fascinating, frequently rousing production, if also one that’s messy and incomplete. With detailed over-the-top action scored to incredible jazz music by Naruyoshi Kikuchi and a series of faux-pop oldies representing rival protagonists Io Fleming and Daryl Lorenz, Thunderbolt is a synesthetic marvel – but it’s also barreling through 7 volumes of manga in a scant 2.5 hours, and with no new episodes in 5 years, it’s an entirely unfinished project. Twilight Axis, on the other hand, is finished – but it’s very slight, a series of short ONA episodes collected into a 26-minute movie, loosely adapting a series of light novels into an impressionistic-at-best, confusing-and-vestigial-at-worst short film.

Enjoy, and come back on June 10^th for our Weekly Suit Gundam 3^rd Anniversary celebration, where we’ll be ranking ALL the shows in the Gundam franchise.

Time Chart:

Thunderbolt: 0:00:00 – 1:22:47

Twilight Axis: 1:22:47 – 1:44:25

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The Weekly Stuff Podcast #429 – Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt & Twilight Axis Reviews & Discussions

Jonathan shares his rankings of all 13 Star Trek films following an inexplicable completist run through all of them, which Sean mocks him roundly for, and then it’s time to settle all Gundam business by reviewing two ONA (original net animation) series that are the last mainline Gundam titles we’ve yet left un-reviewed. Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, based on the manga by Yasuo Ohtagaki, aired from 2015 to 2017 and was collected into 2 films, December Sky and Bandit Flower, and it’s a fascinating, frequently rousing production, if also one that’s messy and incomplete. With detailed over-the-top action scored to incredible jazz music by Naruyoshi Kikuchi and a series of faux-pop oldies representing rival protagonists Io Fleming and Daryl Lorenz, Thunderbolt is a synesthetic marvel – but it’s also barreling through 7 volumes of manga in a scant 2.5 hours, and with no new episodes in 5 years, it’s an entirely unfinished project. Twilight Axis, on the other hand, is finished – but it’s very slight, a series of short ONA episodes collected into a 26-minute movie, loosely adapting a series of light novels into an impressionistic-at-best, confusing-and-vestigial-at-worst short film.

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:38:39

Gundam Thunderbolt: 0:38:39 – 2:00:26

Gundam Twilight Axis: 2:00:26 – 2:21:51

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Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Weekly Suit Gundam #52 – Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE Review & Discussion

In the most pleasantly surprising qualitative whiplash we’ve ever seen, Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE follows the franchise low-point of Gundam Build Divers with a smart, soulful, exciting, and all-around excellent anime that is nearly as great as the original show is bad. Following a new group of characters – the BUILD DiVERS, distinguished by one lowercase ‘i’ – Re:RISE immediately distinguishes itself with a deeply human and compelling protagonist, Hiroto Kuga, and a fantastic group of supporting characters, all on a wild adventure that combines the video game isekai tropes the first show tried but failed at, a more traditional fantasy isekai journey to another world, and even dashes of other non-Build Gundam shows with heroes, villains, and major life-and-death stakes. Along the way, it tackles issues of grief, trauma, identity, and how we mediate relationships and experiences between the virtual and ‘real’ worlds, all in a handsome package that is equal parts entertaining and moving. Re:RISE is the last full Gundam show made to date, and we couldn’t ask for much more of the series that catches this podcast up to the franchise’s present day.

Enjoy, and come back next week for our review of the Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt anime with the movies December Sky and Bandit Flower!

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The Weekly Stuff Podcast #428 – Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE Review & Discussion

Before ‘diving’ into this week’s Gundam discussion – yes, it’s still a pun – Sean talks about finally upgrading to a new smartphone (after being on the iPhone 6S for over half the life of this show), asks Jonathan why he’s inexplicably watching through all the Star Trek movies including the very bad ones, and Jonathan gives impressions of the excellent indie adventure Tunic on Xbox. Then it’s time to talk about Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE, the most pleasantly surprising qualitative whiplash we’ve ever seen. Following the franchise low-point of Gundam Build Divers, Re:RISE is a stunningly smart, soulful, exciting, and all-around excellent anime that is nearly as great as the original show is bad. Following a new group of characters – the BUILD DiVERS, distinguished by one lowercase ‘i’ – Re:RISE immediately distinguishes itself with a deeply human and compelling protagonist, Hiroto Kuga, and a fantastic group of supporting characters, all on a wild adventure that combines the video game isekai tropes the first show tried but failed at, a more traditional fantasy isekai journey to another world, and even dashes of other non-Build Gundam shows with heroes, villains, and major life-and-death stakes. It’s the last full Gundam show made to date, and we couldn’t ask for much more of the series that catches this podcast up to the franchise’s present day.

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:33:01

Gundam Re:RISE: 0:33:01 – 3:05:31

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Tuesday, May 10, 2022

The Weekly Stuff Podcast #427 – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review

It’s a very ‘strange’ podcast this week – haha, get it? – as we review the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness! Directed by the great Sam Raimi – and featuring WAY more of his characteristic humor, scares, distorted camera work, and cartoon violence than we expected – it’s one of the most unique, imaginative, and downright fun films Marvel has made so far. To put it simply, the film kicks ass. We also got news this weekend about the casting of the 14^th Doctor on Doctor Who, to be played by 29-year-old Ncuti Gatwa, who will become the first black actor to play the iconic part, and discussion of this exciting announcement rounds out the episode.

And finally, in recognition of the overwhelming threat to reproductive rights bearing down on the United States this week after it became clear the Supreme Court was poised to overturn

Roe v Wade, we are encouraging listeners to make donations, if able, to local abortion funds in their area. Jonathan will be donating to the Iowa Abortion Access Fund in Iowa, and Sean to the Lilith Fund in Texas, but we encourage you to donate wherever will do the most good in your community.

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro & Stuff: 0:00:00 – 0:21:29

Doctor Who News: 0:21:29 – 0:32:32

Doctor Strange 2 Review: 0:32:32 – 1:50:21

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Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Weekly Suit Gundam #51 – Gundam Build Divers Review & Discussion

After the highs of Gundam: The Origin, we’re going very far in the opposite direction to scrape the bottom of the Gundam barrel with 2018’s Gundam Build Divers, in contention with G-Saviour as the worst thing we’ve yet discussed on Weekly Suit Gundam. Capitalizing on the Sword Art Online-inspired Isekai craze of the 2010s, Gundam Build Divers takes the Gunpla action out of the real world and into a very boring virtual reality, without really understanding what makes Isekai shows or the prior Build Fighters series fun in the first place. With amazingly low stakes, wildly inconsistent world building, nary an interesting character in sight, and a final arc that goes from zero to bananas in record time (and not in a good way), Gundam Build Divers is the nadir of animated Gundam. It’s a show you absolutely shouldn’t watch, but it makes for a fun podcast you should listen to even if you haven’t.

Enjoy, and come back in two weeks for our review of the follow-up series – which you’ve all promised us is better – Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise.

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