14. October 2018

Episode 60: All Might makes right

The hosts dive head-first into the giant Anime leaf-piles of fall in the Sneak Peek and bring you their opinions on all the hot premieres they checked out. After that it’s time to return to UA Academy and its many colorful heroes in another amazingly strong outing of My Hero Academia.

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Sneak Peek: (1:30)

Conception (2:27)

Radiant (7:27)

Goblin Slayer (11:22)

Ace Attorney – Season 2 (15:04)

Double Decker! Doug & Kirill (17:18)

Senran Kagura: Shinobi Master (19:48)

IRODUKU: The World in Colors (23:18)

Bloom Into You (27:10)

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (29:41)

Boarding School Juliet (33:01)

Release the Spyce (35:54)

Sword Art Online: Alicization (38:02)

Golden Kamuy – Season 2 (45:02)

Space Battleship Tiramisu Zwei (46:17)

SSSS.GRIDMAN (48:20)

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san (51:46)

Run with the Wind (54:03)

A Certain Magical Index III (56:40)

Zombie Land Saga (1:03:18)

Karakuri Circus (1:08:04)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind (1:11:03)

Review:

My Hero Academia – Season 3 (1:15:13)

ANN – This Week in Anime: The Highs and Lows of MHA’s License Exam Arc

Sakuga Blog: My Hero Academia 61 (And General Season 3) – Production Highlights

Anime Feminist: [Feature] Gender Inequity in My Hero Academia

Kotaku: My Hero Academia Is Superhero Anime For People Tired Of Superheroes

30. September 2018

Episode 59: Dr. Franxx N. Furter

The boys kick off this episode by talking about the shows from spring season that couldn’t hold their interest in the Chop ‘n’ Drop. Then CC tears into the raging dumpster fire that is Darling in the Franxx and explains why the highly anticipated series couldn’t deliver on any of the grande expectations set for it. Finally, the gang ends on a postive note, by dishing out their chosen favorites of spring in Best of the Season.

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Chop ‘n’ Drop (1:30)

Review:

Darling in the Franxx (10:34)

Darling in the Franxx – Heavy Ending Spoilers (36:56)

Best of the Season (47:09)

Related Links:

ANNCast (Everything with Franxx in the title)

ANN – This Week in Anime: DARLING in the FRANXX Has Only One Thing on its Mind

ANN: When Mechs Equals Sex

ANN – This Week in Anime: What the Hell is Happening in Darling in the FRANXX?

Mother’s Basement: How Darling In the FranXX Wrecked its Worldbuilding

Mother’s Basement: DARLING in the FRANXX – What the HFIL Happened?!

Crunchyroll: TRIGGER’s Hiromi Wakabayashi Answers Burning DARLING in the FRANXX Fan Questions in Reddit AMA

24. September 2018

More site tweaks

Things be cooking y’all. (Sorry)

ANYWAY, we added a couple more things to the site.

As you can see there is now a menu bar at the top. This will come in handy for navigating the site, especially when using a mobile device.

We also added a section with our episodes listed by episode number.

That’s it for now. The final episode of this season is due for the end of this week.

Until then, take care everyone.

20. September 2018

We now have a Review Index

Hey Everyone,

we have two new sections on our site, accessible from the sidebar to the right of the page.

First there is the Review Index where you can find links to all of our Reviews (excluding Sneak Peak and Chop ‘n Drop), listed in alphabetical order.

Also there is the Video Features section, which for now only contains John’s Top 10 Anime OPs of 2016, but depending on demand and time available, it might get some more content over time.

We hope this will make navigating the site and finding the stuff you’re looking for more convenient.

Greetings,

Your ABF hosts

16. September 2018

Episode 58: High-Flyers, Straight-Shooters & Low-Riders

CC kicks off this episode by reviewing Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan, discussing its many flaws and why the show couldn’t live up to its potential. Then John talks about the Sword Art Online Spin-Off Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online and lists the many ways in which this show manages to surpass the original series. Riding thistrain of positivity into the station, CC wraps up the show with a hype-laden rant about Yowamushi Pedal and explains why this franchise is one of the best Sports Anime series in existence.

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Reviews:

Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan (1:09)

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online (40:44)

Yowamushi Pedal – Season 1-4 (1:06:41)

Sakuga Blog: Dragon Pilot – Hisone & Masotan Production Notes 02

ANN – This Week in Anime: Is the New Gun Gale Online Better Than Sword Art Online?

ANN Interview: The Staff of SAO Alternative Gun Gale Online

Crunchyroll: The Secret Charms of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Crunchyroll: Logging Into the Fascinating Post-Apocalyptic Setting of Gun Gale Online

Crunchyroll: How the New Sword Art Online Captures the Appeal of FPS Games

Crunchyroll: The Author and Leading Lady of SAO Alternative Talk Gun Gale Online

Crunchyroll: The Redemption of the Underdogs in Yowamushi Pedal

2. September 2018

Episode 57: Kitchen Knights

The gang once again dives headfirst into the world of Shonen Action series and covers two very different representatives of this particular genre. First CC talks about The Seven Deadly Sins and why this colorful mix of the classic shonen battle formula and a medieval setting might not be one of the greats, but delivers a thoroughly enjoyable experience nontheless. Then the hosts return to the kitchen together with Soma and his compatriots in the third season of Food Wars and try to explain how the series manages to surpass itself on a regular basis.

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Reviews:

The Seven Deadly Sins (1:09)

Food Wars! The Third Plate (25:18)

Sakuga Blog Production Highlights – The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments 19

ANN – This Week in Anime: Why You Should Watch Food Wars!

ANN – This Week in Anime: What the Hell is Happening in Food Wars!?

Crunchyroll: Food Wars! The Third Plate Has the Perfect Ingredient for Romance: An Egg!

19. August 2018

Episode 56: Battlegrounds

On this episode our hosts stand their ground on three different planes of conflict. First CC travels to the stars, to cover the epic space war story of Legend of the Galactic Heroes – Die neue These. Then John descends on Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and discusses the trappings of a completely different battlefield: romantic relationships between full-blown nerds. Last but not least, CC celeberates the flawed but definitely welcome return of an old favorite of his: Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory.

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News:

RIP Unshō Ishizuka (1:18)

Reviews:

The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These (4:25)

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (29:29)

Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory (44:49)

ANN – This Week in Anime: What is Legend of the Galactic Heroes About Anyway?

Crunchyroll: Meet the Tactical Titans of this Season’s Grand Space Opera!

ANN – This Week in Anime: Wotakoi is the Relatable Otaku Love Story We Need

ANN: The Beginner’s Guide to Full Metal Panic!

Crunchyroll: When War Comes Home: The Loss of Innocence in Invisible Victory

4. August 2018

Episode 55: Mixed Bags of Gold

CC kicks off this episode by stepping into the ring with the bionic slugfest Megalobox to explain why he liked that show even though it lacks actual entertaining boxing matches. Then John tears apart Caligula and talks about the many shortcomings of this confusing mess of a video game adaption. Last but not least both hosts dig for gold in Golden Kamuy and unearth a thoroughly enjoyable show that manages to shine despite its janky animation.

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Review

Megalobox (1:30)

Caligula (18:02)

Golden Kamuy (34:09)

ANN – This Week in Anime: Rocking and Socking with MEGALOBOX

ANN – This Week in Anime: Joe’s Rough Road to Megalonia

Crunchyroll: The 50-Year Legacy Leading up to MEGALOBOX

Crunchyroll: Megalo Boxing is Even Better than the Real Thing

Crunchyroll: MEGALOBOX and the Musical Legacy of Cowboy Bebop

Crunchyroll: Tomorrow Beyond Death: Death and Rebirth in MEGALOBOX

Crunchyroll INTERVIEW: “MEGALOBOX” Composer mabanua and Sound Director Keiichiro Miyoshi

Crunchyroll: The True Soul of MEGALOBOX

Sakuga Blog: Production Highlights – Megalo Box 01

Sakuga Blog: Production Highlights – Megalo Box 02

Sakuga Blog: Production Highlights – Megalo Box 03

Crunchyroll: Caligula’s Secret Connection to Persona

Crunchyroll: Caligula Takes Us to a Digital Nightmare Controlled by a Virtual Pop Star

Crunchyroll: The Magic and Mystery of Caligula’s Anime Adaptation

ANN: The True History Behind Golden Kamuy

ANN – This Week in Anime: Can Golden Kamuy’s Anime Do the Manga Justice?

ANN – This Week in Anime: The Rowdy Rogues’ Gallery of Golden Kamuy

Crunchyroll: Golden Kamuy is a Riveting Story of Survival, Treasure, and Warmth

Crunchyroll: Golden Kamuy Dives into an Overlooked Period of Japanese History

Crunchyroll: Why Golden Kamuy Should Be One of the Most Popular Anime of the Year

Crunchyroll: Festering Wounds: The Nature of Violence in Golden Kamuy

22. July 2018

Episode 54: Thug Life

It’s a cruel, cruel summer, so our hosts do their best to battle the unwielding heat wave with a barrage of cool Anime premieres in the Sneak Peek. After that, they dive into the absurd adventures of a Yakuza forced into the role of surrogate father and his telekinetically powered adopted daughter in Hinamatsuri.

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Sneak Peek

Attack on Titan – Season 3 (2:18)

Overlord – Season 3 (3:56)

Free! -Dive to the Future- (4:44)

Cells at Work (7:23)

Music Girls (9:18)

Seven Senses of the Re’Union (12:29)

Island (15:15)

Angels of Death (18:14)

Planet With (21:22)

Chio’s School Road (23:27)

Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion (27:14)

Banana Fish (29:32)

Harukana Receive (35:12)

Hanebado! (38:22)

Revue Starlight (42:20)

Sirius the Jaeger (45:45)

Review

Hinamatsuri (49:05)

Related Links:

ANN: Catching Up With Free!

ANN: Homelessness in Japan and Hinamatsuri

ANN – This Week in Anime: Just How Weird is Hinamatsuri?

ANN – This Week in Anime: Why Hinamatsuri Was the Best Comedy of the Season

Crunchyroll: The Three Big Faces of Hinamatsuri

Crunchyroll: Family is What You Make of It in HINAMATSURI!

Crunchyroll: How Anzu Gives HINAMATSURI Its Heart

Sakuga Blog: Production Highlights – Hinamatsuri 01

Sakuga Blog: Production Highlights – Hinamatsuri 02-04

24. June 2018

Episode 53: Hail to the King

It’s finally time for our Kame-Hame-Hosts to talk about one of the most prominent and longest running franchises in Anime history: Dragon Ball. John and CC have a long chat about their experience with the series, which culminates in their Review of the newest iteration in that franchise: Dragon Ball Super. Of course, as it is the Season Finale of Anime Brain Freeze, there is also the Chop ‘n’ Drop and both hosts pick their favorite reviewed show in the Best of the Season segment.