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Toonami Absolution

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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21 episodes
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Avg 32 min
English

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Yesterday · 30 min
57-2 - Samurai Champloo - Episodes 17-18
Lullabies of the Lost wraps up. Then Mugen learns to rap. The show contains multitudes. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 2)" and "War of the Words,” Episodes 17 and 18 of Samurai Champloo. "Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 2)" picks up the three separated threads: Fuu's involvement with the traveller reaches its climax, Jin deals with his past again, and Mugen questions what it means to be alive. The episode's closing sequence, set to a rare one-time-use piece from the Nujabes score, is one of the more quietly beautiful moments in the series. Then "War of the Words" is the show doing a comedy episode in a way that’s oddly moving: Mugen admits that he can’t read, and a local teacher drags him off, declaring that a man without words isn’t a man at all. At the same time, Jin and Fuu end up in the middle of a contest between two graffiti artists, both of whom are also struggling to communicate. We discuss what the Lullabies two-parter ultimately delivers on and where "War of the Words" fits in the show's catalogue of confident nonsense. **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Monday · 30 min
57-1 - Space Ghost: Coast To Coast - Season 3 Episodes 9-10
The Council of Doom throws Space Ghost a birthday party. Matt Groening wants to know which specific part of Space Ghost is a ghost. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Surprise" and "Glen Campbell,” Episodes 9 and 10 of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast Season 3, the last two of the season and the densest in terms of guest count. "Surprise" is Space Ghost's birthday episode, organised by Moltar and Zorak, who invite the Council of Doom to help, which, given that these are Space Ghost's arch-enemies, tells you something about the planning. The episode holds the record for most guests in a single episode of the show, stuffing in an extraordinary cross-section of mid-90s cultural figures including Cameron Diaz, Method Man, Les Claypool, Bobcat Goldthwait, Ben Folds, Juliana Hatfield, and Judy Tenuta, all appearing in increasingly rapid succession. Then "Glen Campbell,” despite the name, actually has Matt Groening in it, the creator of The Simpsons, which was airing on the same network, asking Space Ghost what exactly he is a ghost of, noting his resemblance to Casper. Moltar escapes the studio during this episode and takes a bus to Jacksonville. 📌 This episode covers: – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E9 "Surprise" (feat. Cameron Diaz, Method Man, Les Claypool, and many others) – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E10 "Glen Campbell" (feat. Matt Groening) **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Friday · 34 min
56-3 - Tim Burton's Hansel and Gretel
Disney commissioned a 30-minute Halloween special. Tim Burton delivered a live-action fairy tale with an all Asian-American cast, kung fu fights, nunchucks, a gingerbread house with a face, and a candy-cane-nosed witch. Disney aired it twice at Halloween in 1983 and then dropped it right in the bin. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Tim Burton's Hansel and Gretel (1983), piece of formerly lost media that is exactly as strange as it sounds. Shot on 16mm for just over $100,000 during Burton's time as a conceptual artist at Disney, Hansel and Gretel is a loose adaptation of the Brothers Grimm story with a distinctly Japanese aesthetic throughout. The toys in the father's workshop prefigure the design sensibility of every Burton film that followed, the forest is an abstract stage set, and the gingerbread house is a practical construction that melts into oozing candy at the end, and the climax involves nunchucks. Burton has described the Japanese design obsession as central to why the film looks like it does, and the film is legible as early-Burton in almost every frame even when it doesn't quite cohere. Disney executives were alarmed enough by the finished product to ensure it never aired again after its two Halloween night screenings. We get into why this is worth tracking down, what it tells us about where Burton was before Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and question why there are nunchucks. **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 14 · 33 min
56-2 - Samurai Champloo - Episodes 15-16
One episode: the trio fish a bag of gold out of a river and are immediately pursued by people who want it back. The next: the group splits up and nothing goes well for anyone. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Bogus Booty" and "Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 1)" — Episodes 15 and 16 of Samurai Champloo. "Bogus Booty" is one of the show's looser, more comedic outings: a bag of gold retrieved from a river turns out to belong to increasingly dangerous people, leading to Mugen and Jin getting entangled in a massive conspiracy, all because they wanted some female companionship. Then "Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 1)" takes a heavy turn: after an argument, the group genuinely separates. Fuu meets a wanderer who is carrying heavy burden, Mugen meets some soldiers who want to track down a murderer, and Jin meets another figure from his past. All three stories are sad in their own way. We cover what "Bogus Booty" is actually doing despite its lightweight premise and what the Lullabies two-parter sets up for the series' endgame. **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 12 · 31 min
56-1 - Space Ghost: Coast To Coast - Season 3 Episodes 7-8
A man named Commander Andy wants to read a list of demands. Space Ghost has an evil twin with a beard. These are separate episodes but they have very similar energy. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Freak Show" and "Switcheroo,” Episodes 7 and 8 of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast Season 3. "Freak Show" introduces Commander Andy, a twentysomething Cartoon Network superfan who still lives with his parents. He has hijacked the broadcast to read a list of demands at Space Ghost. Space Ghost tries to conduct his interview with yodeller Wylie Gustafson and Green Jelly's Bill Manspeaker but no matter what he does Commander Andy persists. Then "Switcheroo" reveals that Space Ghost has an identical twin brother named Chad Ghostal, differentiated only by a beard, who keeps appearing on set while Space Ghost is called away on increasingly flimsy pretexts to flirt with guests Susan Olsen and Elvira. When Space Ghost returns and confronts Chad, their mother calls and tells them to stop. Then a third Space Ghost appears, removes its mask, and is revealed to be Lokar in disguise. It’s that kind of episode. We discuss Commander Andy as a recurring piece of lore, why the Chad Ghostal framing device works, and if the show finally knows how to use framing devices. 📌 This episode covers: – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E7 "Freak Show" (feat. Wylie Gustafson & Bill Manspeaker) – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E8 "Switcheroo" (feat. Susan Olsen & Elvira) **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 9 · 33 min
55-3 - Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku
Before Dragon Ball. Before Goku. There was Bardock, and he could see the future, and it did not help him at all. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku (1990), the first DBZ TV special and the prequel that fills in the origin of the entire franchise. Bardock is a low-class Saiyan soldier, scrappy, ruthless, not particularly sentimental about anything, including the newborn son he dismisses as weak before shipping him off to Earth. After his squad destroys the last survivors of a planet called Kanassa, one surviving alien ambushes Bardock and gifts him the power of foresight as a curse. Bardock starts seeing Planet Vegeta explode. He sees Frieza. He sees his own death. He tries to warn the other Saiyans, who laugh at him. He charges Frieza's fleet alone. Frieza uses his Supernova. Everyone already knows how this ends, and the special earns its tragedy entirely from watching Bardock catch up with the audience and accept his place in the Dragon Ball Z timeline, in some of anime’s most impactful dramatic irony as he sees his son as a grown man, facing Frieza on Namek. We get into why Bardock works so well as a protagonist despite being the opposite of Goku in almost every way, what the special adds to the franchise's mythology, and how the various dubs hold up. **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 7 · 33 min
55-2 - Samurai Champloo - Episodes 13-14
Mugen has a history. His history has found him. It brought friends. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Misguided Miscreants (Part 1)" and "Misguided Miscreants (Part 2)," Episodes 13 and 14 of Samurai Champloo, and the first two-parter that digs seriously into Mugen's backstory. The group reaches the sea, and Mugen encounters Koza. a woman from his childhood on the Ryukyu Islands, and her associate Mukuro, a pirate who was once Mugen's closest ally and is now running a gang of sea raiders. Mukuro has a job for Mugen: help rob a government ship. Mugen agrees. The job goes wrong in ways that feel personal and deliberate, because they are. "Part 2" reveals the full shape of Mukuro's betrayal, sends Mugen closer to death than almost any episode has managed, and ends with Mugen catching a glimpse of his own past, the island, the violence, what he survived, before deciding to keep walking leading to a moment with Jin that suggests they’re slowly starting to like eeach other. We discuss what these episodes add to Mugen as a character, how his dynamic with Koza differs from Jin's with Shino, and what this episode does right. 📌 This episode covers: – Samurai Champloo Eps. 13 - Misguided Miscreants (Part 1) – Samurai Champloo Eps. 14 - Misguided Miscreants (Part 2) **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 5 · 29 min
55-1 - Space Ghost: Coast To Coast - Season 3 Episodes 5-6
One episode is a tribute. The other is Bill Nye asking Space Ghost to prove he exists. This week has a lot of mood whiplash. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Sharrock" and "Boo!" Episodes 5 and 6 of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast Season 3. "Sharrock" is the show breaking its own norms, dialling it back to present a genuinely touching tribute to a fallen friend. Sonny Sharrock, the avant-garde jazz guitarist who composed the Coast to Coast theme, died in May 1994. The episode aired nearly two years later and takes the form of an extended tribute, the opening theme runs long, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth appears in character as a musician named Fred Cracklin, and the whole thing is structured less like a talk show and more like a music video. Then "Boo!" pivots to comedy: Michael Norman, a ghost expert and author, hopes to use Space Ghost as a subject for scientific study. Space Ghost is not cooperative. Bill Nye the Science Guy also appears, expressing concern that he may never be able to determine what exactly Space Ghost is, a reasonable concern, scientifically. We discuss what "Sharrock" accomplishes as a piece of television that is mostly vibes, what Bill Nye does with a role that gives him almost nothing to work with, and Sonny Sharrock's legacy. 📌 This episode covers: – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E5 "Sharrock" (feat. Thurston Moore as Fred Cracklin) – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E6 "Boo!" (feat. Michael Norman & Bill Nye) **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 2 · 36 min
54-3 - Batman (1989)
Before the Nolan trilogy. Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe changed the landscape entirely. There was Tim Burton, Michael Keaton in a rubber suit, Jack Nicholson in clown makeup, and a film that genuinely changed the entire game. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Batman (1989) this week, Tim Burton's gothic blockbuster, the first instalment of the initial Warner Bros. Batman film series, and one of the most culturally consequential superhero films ever made. Crime boss Carl Grissom sends henchman Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson, clearly having the time of his life) to a chemical plant, where a confrontation with Batman goes wrong and Napier falls into a vat of chemicals. He emerges with bleached white skin, a permanent grin, and a personality that has resolved all of its internal conflicts into pure chaos. Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne is a genuinely unusual piece of casting that turned out to be inspired: he plays Wayne as a distracted, slightly alien figure who seems most comfortable when nobody is looking at him, and most himself when he's underground. The Joker takes a romantic interest in photojournalist Vicki Vale and uses her as leverage against Batman, leading to one of the most epic showdowns in movie history. Danny Elfman's score does approximately forty percent of the emotional work in any given scene. Prince wrote the soundtrack, which exists in a different genre from the film it accompanies and is amazing, because its Prince, and that man could do literally anything. We dig into the film’s wild production history, discuss what Burton's interpretation gets definitively right about Batman, how Keaton's performance compares to every Caped Crusader that followed, what the film meant in 1989 and where it sits in our personal Batman rankings. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of the DC Animated Universe, the Batman live-action legacy, and everything in the Toonami lineage! **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 30 · 26 min
54-2 - Samurai Champloo - Episodes 11-12
"Gamblers and Gallantry" is the episode where Jin falls in love and Mugen trains a rhinoceros beetle for competitive fighting. These two boys couldn’t be more different. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 11 and 12 of Samurai Champloo this week: "Gamblers and Gallantry" and "The Disorder Diaries." "Gamblers and Gallantry" starts when Jin, wandering aimlessly, encounters a woman on a bridge named Shino who is about to begin working at a local brothel to cover her husband Hanjiro's gambling debts. Jin quickly falls in love with Shino, and uses Jin winnings to pay for Shino's company. In the morning, he arranges her passage out and the whole group fights off the brothel staff so she can get on a boat, leading to one of most tear-jerking episodes of the show. Then "The Disorder Diaries" arrives as a both a breather episode and a way to save money: Mugen steals Fuu's travel diary, triggering an episode-length recap of the journey so far as filtered through Fuu's opinions of both Mugen (rude, terrifying, useful) and Jin (quiet, capable, annoyingly handsome, she admits this in writing) and the food they’ve eaten on the way. 🔔 Subscribe for our episode-by-episode watch-through of Samurai Champloo from the beginning! **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 28 · 31 min
54-1 - Space Ghost: Coast To Coast - Season 3 Episodes 3-4
"Lovesick" and "Transcript." One episode about Space Ghost losing the love of his life. One episode that is almost entirely a Jonathan Richman concert. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Space Ghost: Coast to Coast Season 3, Episodes 3 and 4 this week, and it's worth noting upfront that "Lovesick" exists because the show's creator Mike Lazzo went through a breakup. "Lovesick" aired on Valentine's Day, 1996, which tells you everything about the intent. Space Ghost has been dumped and refuses to engage with the show in any meaningful way. Carrot Top appears to do Carrot Top things. None of us here understand how Carrot Top was able to sustain a career in comedy, so if you understand Carrot Top, please send an email to the usual address. Then "Transcript" is its own strange thing: Jonathan Richman, founder of The Modern Lovers appears on the show and plays songs and has very weird conversations with Space Ghost. The episode is called "Transcript" because it essentially is one, a fairly faithful record of whatever happened between George Lowe and Jonathan Richman on the day of recording. It’s one of the oddest episodes of the show, especially if you’re not familiar with Jonathan Richman. We discuss what Coast to Coast is doing right in season 3, why "Transcript" is one of the show's most interesting episodes, and debate if Carrot Top is a way of punishing us. 📌 This episode covers: – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E3 "Lovesick" (feat. Carrot Top) – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E4 "Transcript" (feat. Jonathan Richman) **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 25 · 32 min
53-3 - Is Lupin Still Burning?
One OVA to celebrate fifty years of Lupin III. With two resurrected villain who drop Lupin into his own past only to learn what makes Lupin and his friends so special. This is a very specific kind of anniversary special. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Lupin the Third: Is Lupin Still Burning?, the 2018 OVA made to mark fifty years of the franchise, directed by Jun Kawagoe with Monkey Punch himself serving as general director. (Oddly, this is the only Lupin movie to end up on Toonami or Adult Swim, no idea why). The setup is a direct callback to the very first episode of the original 1971 Green Jacket series: Lupin is participating in a car race at the Hida Speedway, hosted by the supposedly dead Mr. X, while Zenigata is also in the race and Fujiko is attempting to steal from a vault on the premises. Mr. X turns out to be very much alive, and is in business with the time-manipulating villain Kyosuke Mamo, who displaces Lupin from the present timeline and sends him ricocheting through pivotal moments in his own history. The OVA's conceit is that Lupin, bumbling through his own timeline, is accidentally unwriting the relationships that define his entire life, and has to find a way to correct them without Mamo noticing. Zenigata follows him through all of it, apparently completely unaware that the timeline is shifting, because Zenigata is simply built differently. The ending leans hard into the idea that the Lupin gang is essentially cosmically inevitable, that no amount of interference can actually keep them apart, which is exactly what a fiftieth anniversary special should be doing. We discuss where the OVA sits in the wider Lupin III catalogue and how it works both as a standalone entry and as a dense bundle of franchise references. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing coverage of the Lupin III franchise and everything else in the Toonami lineage! **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 23 · 28 min
53-2 - Samurai Champloo - Episodes 9-10
Episode 9: Forged travel documents. Prison sentence. Mugen fetch quest. Forest full of bandits. Warrior monks. Large quantity of weird burning plants. Hallucinations. Chase sequence. Episode 10: Jin does the housework, while Mugen recreates Samurai Showdown on the NeoGeo. It’s a week of contrasts. Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Beatbox Bandits" and "Lethal Lunacy" this week, Episodes 9 and 10 of Samurai Champloo, a pair of episodes that are basically polar opposites. "Beatbox Bandits" is told in flashback by an elderly checkpoint guard named Yamane the Ogre, reflecting on the one day in his career he never wrote into the official logbook. Mugen, Fuu, and Jin get caught with forged travel permits at the Hakone checkpoint, are sentenced to death, and Mugen is offered a deal: deliver a package through a nearby forest of bandits by sunset, or his friends face the consequences. The forest turns out to contain warrior monks who are plotting to overthrow the government. Mugen naturally tries to fight them, but when their crops set on fire things quickly take a turn for the weird. Then "Lethal Lunacy" is another episode built around Mugen. A Shaolin-trained swordsman who has developed a technique powerful enough to split a boulder is looking for someone worthy to fight. He finds Mugen, and the two prepare for an epic duel. Jin, meanwhile, has decided to get domestic. We discuss the specific genius of "Beatbox Bandits'" framing device, how "Lethal Lunacy" uses its fight to say something about the difference between Mugen's style and any trained tradition, and why Jin might be the best househusband ever. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing episode-by-episode watch-through of Samurai Champloo! **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 21 · 29 min
53-1 - Space Ghost: Coast To Coast - Season 3 Episodes 1-2
Season 3. New Seaon. Same Ghost Planet. Lokar is trying to steal Moltar. Space Ghost is about to replace his entire production staff with a machine, this can only go well? This week, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Explode" and "$20.01,” the first two episodes of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast Season 3, a season where Coast To Coast finally works out what it wants to be. "Explode" opens with a subplot that would feel at home in a soap opera: Lokar, a villain from the original 1960s Space Ghost cartoon, has been recruiting Moltar to come work for him instead, At the same time, Space Ghost is jointed by Terry Jones of Monty Python fame, and Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket, a band name that will mean nothing to you if you were born after the year 2000. Then "$20.01" arrives with a very specific premise, an episode long parody of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Space Ghost fires both Zorak and Moltar and replaces them with MOE 2000, an emotionless computer director voiced by executive producer Keith Crofford. Joel Hodgson, creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Penn & Teller are the guests, and as you can likely guess, Space Ghost quickly finds that his automated show plan isn’t going to go as smoothly as he would hope. We get into what Season 3 is doing differently from what came before, why the Lokar subplot is a perfect encapsulation of how Coast to Coast uses lore without committing to it, and question why Joel Hodgson struggled in his interview, despite previously writing episodes for the show. 🔔 Subscribe and follow along as we cover every episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast in order! 📌 This episode covers: – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E1 "Explode" (feat. Terry Jones & Glen Phillips) – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S3E2 "$20.01" (feat. Joel Hodgson & Penn and Teller) **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 19 · 37 min
1 Year Anniversary Special!
It has been one year. We have watched a lot of things. Some of them were great. Some of them were Tony Hawk In Boom Boom Sabotage. It is time to hand out some awards. This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam mark one full year of episodes with a special retrospective, a cross between an awards show and a group therapy session, looking back over everything we've covered from the very beginning, from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast to Bojack Unbound, and handing out awards for the best and worst of what we've seen. We're giving out awards across a range of categories, from good ones like Best Movie, the Miyazaki Handicap Award (for movie we didn’t expect to enjoy as much a we did), and Best Episode. To bad ones like Worst Movie (its Tony Hawk, it will always be Tony Hawk), the Bruce Timm Award for thing we loved but the creator hated, and Worst Space Ghost guest (the Jerky Boyz, naturally). A year ago we started with the goal of watching the entire history of Toonami and Adult Swim. Since then we’ve expanded to go on numerous tangents (remember that month we watched a load of Resident Evil, just because we got overly fixated on Leon? Good times). We have barely scratched the surface, but we are having a great time. Thank you for watching with us. Let’s hope the next 52 weeks are just as good. (Let’s also hope that nothing is worse than Boom Boom Sabotage) 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Toonami and Adult Swim's greatest shows, films, and the things that surprised us more than they had any right to! 📌 Anniversary awards categories include: -Best Movie Of The Year -Worst Movie Of The Year -Miyazaki Handicap Award [Movie You Liked, Despite Not Expecting To Going In] -Favourite Episode -Yamcha Of The Year [Character We Talk About Way Too Much] -The Bruce Timm Creator Award [Something we liked that the creator didn’t] -Monster of the Year [Favourite monster/monster adjacent thing] -Worst Space Ghost Guest/Worst Guest Star -Weirdest Episode Of The Year **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 18 · 33 min
52-3 - Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple
Alyx loves Bungo Stray Dogs. Jon and Sam have not seen it. Can they understand Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple, a movie that comes after season 2? One that features an evil fog, Fyodor Dostoyevsky rambling about crime and punishment, and a man who lives in a massive evil tower that is randomly in the middle of a major metropolitan area. This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple (2018), the theatrical film produced by Bones, set after the events of Season 2, and a film that has sparked a lot of fan debate as to its meaning and position in the franchise (yet Jon and Sam are doomed). Six years after the Dragon's Head Conflict, a white-haired man named Tatsuhiko Shibusawa triggers the appearance of a strange fog in Yokohama, one that separates an ability from its user and manifests it as a physical entity with a single goal, destroy the person it came from. The more users die, the stronger Shibusawa becomes, feeding on the collected abilities. The Armed Detective Agency is commissioned by Ango Sakaguchi's Special Division to capture Shibusawa before the city is destroyed. At the same time, Fyodor Dostoyevsky is acting as Shibusawa's right hand man, pushing him to do something that he claims will make Shibusawa better, but in reality will just make Dostoyevsky stronger. All the while, Nakajima is going through a crisis of confidence, one that will turn out to be very relevant to the overall story and may hold the key to getting rid of this fog once and for all. We discuss how the film works as a standalone movie versus as a companion to the series, whether Dead Apple's plot actually makes sense, and why Bones are somehow able to get away with this mess thanks to their amazing animation. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Toonami and Adult Swim's most iconic anime films and series! **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 16 · 33 min
52-2 - Samurai Champloo - Episodes 7-8
Fuu's purse being stolen by a thief who turns out to have a completely sympathetic reason for what he's doing, but that won’t mean there are not consequences. The other episode is about Jin being challenged by a singing swordsman who has hired two beatboxers as his travelling accompanists. This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 7 and 8: "A Risky Racket" and "The Art of Altercation." "A Risky Racket" opens with Fuu's purse being stolen by a young thief named Shinsuke who is stealing to fund his ailing mother's medical treatment. This puts Fuu in an awkward situation as Mugen and Jin are keen to get their money back and likely won’t see the funny side. Plus, Shinsuke has also angered the mafia, meaning that his nobility might be his undoing. Then "The Art of Altercation" arrives with a different energy entirely: a swordsman named Inuyaka, who sings as he fights, has been challenging every bespectacled samurai he can find in search of Jin. He becomes infatuated with Fuu, who accidentally leads him right to Jin, finally giving us a little hint at the backstory that Jin has worked so hard to hide, one that paints him in a totally different light. We discuss why "A Risky Racket" might be anime’s best anti-capitalist story, what "The Art of Altercation" tells us about Jin that the series hasn't shown directly yet, and why Samurai Champloo is at its best when its messing with the audience. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Samurai Champloo from the very beginning! 📌 Topics covered this episode: – Samurai Champloo Episode 7 "A Risky Racket" recap & review – Samurai Champloo Episode 8 "The Art of Altercation" recap & review **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 14 · 33 min
52-1 - Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 27-28
A weird scientist who reads too much Lewis Carroll and has developed mind-control technology, decides its time for tea. The Batman gets locked up in Arkham Asylum, while the Scarecrow poisons the water supply. It is an odd week all round. This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 27 and 28: "Mad as a Hatter" and "Dreams in Darkness,” the final episodes of Batman: The Animated Series Volume 1. "Mad as a Hatter" introduces Jervis Tetch (voiced by Roddy McDowall) a scientist at Wayne Research who has developed microchip technology capable of controlling anyone wearing it. He is also, in his private life, completely consumed by Alice in Wonderland and desperately in love with his colleague Alice. When he learns Alice has a boyfriend, he snaps and decide to use his new tech to cause chaos around Gotham and claim her for himself. What’s especially weird about this episode is that Hatter doesn't have an external origin, no accident, no betrayal, no tragedy, he’s just broken from the start, and despite what Paul Dini and Bruce Timm say, he’s in no way sympathetic. Then "Dreams in Darkness" sees Batman get sprayed with Scarecrow’s newest fear gas, something that leads to him crashing his car and ending up in Arkham Asylum. So, now he has to find a way out of Arkham before Scarecrow can pollute all of Gotham’s water supply, which is under Arkham Asylum for reasons that make zero sense. We discuss what McDowall brings to the Mad Hatter, question why all of the production notes call the Mad Hatter sympathetic, and question if "Dreams in Darkness" is really the best way to end a volume of the show. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing episode-by-episode watch-through of Batman: The Animated Series! 📌 Topics covered this episode: – Batman: TAS Episode 27 "Mad as a Hatter" recap & review — the Mad Hatter's debut – Batman: TAS Episode 28 "Dreams in Darkness" recap & review **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 11 · 37 min
51-3 - Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound
A rich dude decides that the best way to celebrate his kid’s birthday is to have Mr. Satan punch a load of aliens. Goku watches this whole thing from heaven. The movie never quite finds a plot its happy with. This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993), the ninth DBZ film, the only one set after the Cell Saga, and the one where Gohan is finally, properly the main character. Mr. X.S. Cash is funding an intergalactic martial arts tournament as a birthday present for his son, one where 200 fighters compete for the chance to go one-on-one with Mr. Satan. Naturally, Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, Future Trunks, Tien, and Piccolo all enter, surprising Mr. Satan despite the fact all these people do is enter fighting tournments. Even worse, the aliens X.S. Cashed hired are taken out by Bojack, a massive, green-skinned pirate lord sealed away by all four Kais before the series began. A pirate who was released when Goku's decision to teleport Cell to King Kai's planet broke the seal. Thus, Gohan is forced to step up and follow in his father’s footsteps by giving Bojack a fight he’ll never forget. We rank Bojack against the other DBZ films, discuss why this film makes no sense, and try to work out exactly what accent Bojack is meant to have. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of the DBZ film catalogue! **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 9 · 33 min
51-2 - Samurai Champloo - Episodes 5-6
Fuu gets recruited to model for the most famous ukiyo-e artist in Edo Japan, only to nearly end up being sold into slavery. Then a red-haired foreigner who may or may not be allowed to exist under Edo-period law ropes her and her buddies into a sightseeing tour of Japan. For a show that says it isn’t a period piece, Samurai Champloo is featuring some historical deep cuts. This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 5 and 6: "Artistic Anarchy" and "Stranger Searching." "Artistic Anarchy" opens with the trio broke and unable to afford ferry passage, scattering to find work separately. Fuu is approached by a charismatic man who identifies himself as Hishikawa Moronobu (a real historical figure and one of the most celebrated ukiyo-e painters of the Edo period, art fans!) who offers her money if she’ll model for him. She agrees. Alas, turns out that Moronobu is working for a trafficking ring and his interest in Fuu isn’t all it first seems. At the same time, Mugen and Jin each try to solve the gang’s money problems in their own unique ways. Then "Stranger Searching" introduces a red-haired, blue-eyed foreigner into the mix at a time when Edo-period Japan's sakoku policy officially banned foreigners from setting foot on Japanese soil. After Mugen and Jin lose their swords in an eating contest, this man promises to retrieve them, providing they take him on a tour of the local landmarks. However, it soon turns out that this man loves Japan for a very specific reason. We discuss what "Artistic Anarchy" does with its historical grounding, what "Stranger Searching" reveals about the show's willingness to engage with the actual political context of its setting, and how progressive Samurai Champloo is. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Samurai Champloo from the very beginning! 📌 Topics covered this episode: – Samurai Champloo Episode 5 "Artistic Anarchy" recap & review – Samurai Champloo Episode 6 "Stranger Searching" recap & review **** Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you. From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball. **** See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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