7. January 2021

Episode 105: Hoops and Baskets

The gang shoots the wretched year of 2020 into the sun by loading its rocket with the final two reviews from Summer. First, CC tackles the basketball series Ahiru no Sora, which makes up for lacking production values with potent character development. After that, the hosts return to the cursed household of the Soma family, to discuss the second season of Fruits Basket and gush about its great heart-wrenching drama and stunning plot revelations. And of course, the Chop ‘n’ Drop and Best of the Season are present in this season finale as well.

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Chop ‘n’ Drop/The Quick and the Dead (1:31)

Reviews:

Ahiru no Sora (9:14)

Fruits Basket [2019] – Season 2 (52:32)

Best of the Season (1:47:47)

ANN – This Week in Anime: The Messy Drama of Fruits Basket

Anime Feminist: “A Man Who Can Experience His Feelings”: Fruits Basket, toxic masculinity, and mental health

ANN: Best Fruits Basket Characters

Crunchyroll: Animal Zodiac Mochi from Fruits Basket | Cooking with Anime

19. December 2020

Episode 104: Cardboard Cons

CC pretends to be a critic and reviews the con comedy Great Pretender to explain why this almost 10/10 show didn’t stick the landing. After that, the hosts return to the cursed virtual landscapes of Sword Art Online and fight their way through the avalanche of nonsense that is War of Underworld.

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Reviews:

Great Pretender (1:30)

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld (33:29)

ANN: Great Pretender and Robin Hood: The Appeal of the Outlaw Hero

ANN – This Week in Anime: Does Great Pretender Stick the Landing?

ANN – Interview: Wit Studio

Mother’s Basement: Great Pretender is Con ART

ANN: How An Animator From Massachusetts Worked On Sword Art Online

7. December 2020

Episode 103: Bullets, Buffets, and Blanks

John dives back into the Raildex franchise and explains why A Certain Scientific Railgun T was a breath of fresh air, following the disappointing third season of A Certain Magical Index. After that, CC slips into his trenchcoat and strolls through the noir cityscape of No Guns Life, to find out if this slow burn of a cyberpunk detective story is worth a watch. Last but not least, the gang tackles the final two seasons of Food Wars and discuss if one of their favorite shonen series stuck the landing.

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Reviews:

A Certain Scientific Railgun T (1:30)

No Guns Life (26:52)

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma – The Fourth & Fifth Plate (43:23)

Crunchyroll Collection: Kuroko vs Mitori | A Certain Scientific Railgun T

ANN – This Week in Anime: Is No Guns Life a Sure-Fire Hit?

ANN – This Week in Anime: No Guns Life Takes Aim at Real-World Corruption

Mother’s Basement: No Guns Life – Deep AND Dumb

Anime Feminist – Women in the Kitchen: The unequal treatment of professional chefs in anime and beyond

Crunchyroll: Behind The Scenes of FOOD WARS | The Making of an Anime

Comicbook: Food Wars Fans are Having Mixed Feelings About the Series Finale

23. November 2020

Episode 102: Racing Gears of War

CC unleashes his post-apocalyptic side and reviews the Attack-on-Titan-like (with a twist) Deca-Dence. After that, John takes over the wheel and both hosts discuss the antics of the whacky racers from Appare-Ranman!

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Reviews:

Deca-Dence (1:20)

Appare-Ranman! (38:13)

ANN – This Week in Anime: Time to Get Decked

Crunchyroll: DECA-DENCE Director Yuzuru Tachikawa Talks Making Original Anime, the Big Twist, and More in Reddit AMA

Sakuga Blog: The Road To DECA-DENCE: Project History & Production Notes 01-05

Mother’s Basement: Don’t Sleep on Deca-Dence

ANN – This Week in Anime: Appare-Ranman Is Off to the Races!

Funimation: The Eccentric Anime of P.A.Works: From Angel Beats! to APPARE-RANMAN!

Mother’s Basement: Appare-Ranman! is Cooler Than Whatever Anime You’re Watching

23. October 2020

Episode 101: God bless the Ring

The crew starts the new season as usual, by giving you their impressions on all the fresh new fall premieres in the Sneak Peek. After that they get into the ring with the fighters from The God of High School and explain why this visually stunning but shallow nonsense is well worth a watch.

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Sneak Peek:

Assault Lily Bouquet (1:37)

Hypnosis Mic (4:52)

Dropout Idol Fruit Tart (7:53)

Ikebukuro West Gate Park (10:10)

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (12:54)

TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You (15:57)

Akudama Drive (19:50)

Warlords of Sigrdrifa (23:00)

Wandering Witch (26:55)

Talentless Nana (30:56)

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (32:55)

Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (36:50)

Haikyu!! To The Top S5 (40:16)

Golden Kamuy S3 (42:02)

Jujutsu Kaisen (44:17)

Burn The Witch (49:50)

Review:

The God of High School (53:49)

ANN: The Real High-Flying Martial Arts of God of High School

ANN – This Week in Anime: Is God of High School Living Up to the Hype?

Crunchyroll – IN-DEPTH: How The God of High School Revealed the True, Weird History of Taekwondo

Crunchyroll – FEATURE: Check Out the Anatomy of an Action Scene in The God of High School

Crunchyroll – FEATURE: Anime vs. Real Life, The Real-World Locations of The God of High School

15. October 2020

Episode 100: The definitive picks for Best Anime of the Decade

In this very special 100th episode of Anime Brain Freeze, John and CC discuss their favorite Anime from the past decade.

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Introduction (0:26)

Best of the Decade (6:10)

6. September 2020

Episode 99: Renaissance Woman

John & CC wrap up this short season by reviewing Arte, a series about a young woman in 16th century Italy, trying to walk her own path as a painter. As usual they also discuss the shows they stopped watching in the Chop ‘n’ Drop and pick their personal favorite in Best of the Season.

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Chop & Drop (1:30)

Review:

Arte (17:27)

Best of the Season (1:07:32)

Mp3 Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/animebrainfreeze/AnimeBrainFreeze099.mp3

Wikipedia: Artemisia Gentileschi

23. August 2020

Episode 98: Secret Father

The hosts return to drop some truth bombs on the audience. First CC uncovers the hidden underbelly of a city of Beastmen in his review of Brand New Animal. After that John details the hardships of a young father trying to hide his chosen profession from his innocent daughter in Kakushigoto.

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Reviews:

Brand New Animal (1:20)

Kakushigoto (29:37)

Related Links:

ANN – This Week in Anime: BNA

ANN: BNA: Brand New Animal: A Racism Allegory That (Mostly) Works

ANN: Promare, BNA, and the Outrage of the Oppressed

ANN – This Week in Anime: Kakushigoto is the Go-To Cushy Show of Spring

2. August 2020

Episode 97: Mobile Moe on the Menu

Due to recent pandemic events, this Anime season offers slim pickings in terms of premieres, but the hosts talk about all the fresh new shows they were able to sink their teeth into regardless in the Sneak Peek. After that, they review the rare breed of a mobile game Anime adaption that doesn’t suck, in the form of Princess Connect! Re:Dive.

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Sneak Peek: (1:20)

SUPER HXEROES: “H”EROES SAVE THE WORLD (6:57)

Gibiate (11:43)

Sword Art Online: Alicization War of Underworld Part 2 (17:18)

The God of High School (21:11)

Rent-A-Girlfriend (26:35)

Japan Sinks: 2020 (30:45)

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax (34:05)

Fire Force – Season 2 (39:54)

Deca-Dence (41:48)

Review:

Princess Connect! Re:Dive (47:29)

15. July 2020

Episode 96: Tempting Fate

The hosts bring winter season to a close by reviewing the newest entry in the massive Fate franchise (with an appropriately massive title): Fate/Grand Order -Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia-. As usual they also talk about the shows they gave the axe in the Chop ‘n’ Drop and their personal favorites in Best of the Season.