Did You Have To?

This week: We're back!

On this new episode Kate and LaNeysha review Netflix’s CG anime series, RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness. The ladies have a lot of thoughts, questions, and notes on this CG limited anime series. They get into to it into it all from the zombie rats, thin ponytails, and various plot holes.  

RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness is based on canonical elements from the games but also tells an all new original story. The limited 4-episode series is created by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, animated by Quebico, produced by TMS Entertainment, and is directed by Eiichiro Hasumi. The series also includes a story by Shogo Mutoha and Hasumi with Tony Ishizuka serving as creative advisor and Yugo Kanno as the music composer.

On episode 57 of Did You Have To? podcast the ladies review the supernatural anime Trese. Coming back from hiatus LaNeysha and Kate return to review and discuss their thoughts on the supernatural anime that combines a crime thriller with horror. Trese is a supernatural crime thriller based on the award-winning Filipino komik written by Budjette Tan and with art by KaJO Baldisimo. Tan and Baldismo are the series showrunners with Filipino American Jay Oliva serving as the series’ Executive Director and is written by Tanya Yuson, Zig Marasigan, Mihk Vergara. 

The Netflix Original Anime series combines Filipino folklore with a thrilling crime horror story. The series takes place in Manila, Trese’s world is one where the mythical creatures of Philippine folklore live and hide in plain sight amongst humans. In this world, detective Alexandra Trese finds goes head to head with a criminal underworld composed of supernatural beings. Where Ghosts commit crimes and creatures hold roundtable meetings.

The voice talent for the series stars Liza Soberano in the Filipino language version and Shay Mitchell in the English language version, as the respective voices for Alexandra Trese. Other voice talent for the series includes Darren Criss, Manny Jacinto, Dante Basco, Nicole Scherzinger, Lou Diamond Philips, and Steve Blum rounding out the series English dub cast.

Trese is now currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.

Announcement

We are so excited to announce that But Why Tho? A Geek Community is now an official affiliate partner with Right Stuf Anime! Right Stuf is the largest of North America’s anime-specific retailer and distribution companies. They are your store for anime, manga, figures and more. If you enjoy our show, and the But Why Tho Geek Community you can help show us support, when you use our affiliate link to shop at Right Stuf Anime!

This week, Kate and LaNeysha are back to review the final season of their favorite Western anime, Castlevania. The ladies are thrilled to review the Western anime produced by one of their favorite studios, Powerhouse Animation. This episode full of tons of spoilers as the women of Did You Have To? discuss the plot of Castlevania's final season, the oh-so-satisfying character arcs, awesome callbacks from previous seasons, and ultimately how this series raises the bar for how to end a series.

We are so excited to announce that But Why Tho? A Geek Community is now an official affiliate partner with Right Stuf Anime! Right Stuf is your store for anime, manga, figures and more. 

If you enjoy our show, and the But Why Tho Geek Community you can help show us support, when you use our affiliate link to shop at Right Stuf Anime!

They’re back! After a life forced hiatus Neysha and Kate excited to be back talking all about Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train . Finally in the states, the film has smashed record s in Japan and the United States. While Neysha has been on the Demon Slayer Train for 2 years, Kate decided to hop on right before the film’s release and it now reading the manga. In this episode, the women discuss the Mugen Train, what they love about the series, and ultimately why the film hits hard.

Episode 54: We Gotta Talk About Blue Flag is sponsored by Yaoi Crate, a BL subscription box offering exclusive items from merch and manga to doujin. Order your November box today at yaoicrate.com

This week, we finally get to talk about our favorite shounen-ai: Blue Flag. In this episode we talk about the romance of the series, how it captures the authentic and messy relationships of high school life, and ultimately how shonen-ai series like Blue Flag can open the conversation for those learning their sexuality. While we've talked a lot about yaoi as a genre, the queer romances often highlighted in those manga are explicit in nature and tend to get shoved into the back of the manga section. But with shounen-ai being distributed through a major publisher like VIZ Media and available on the Shonen Jump app, like Blue Flag, there is an ease of access that can help many looking to see themselves in the medium. 

Everyone loves a good non-human crush. Maybe it's a demon, a kaiju, an archduke of Hell, you know, a monster. This week we dive into our favorite sexy monsters from anime and manga with the help of Aisha (MommaLuvsManga), content creator and all-around expert on thirsty manga, and Ty, self-proclaimed "monster fucker" and Founder/EIC of Uppercut. As you can guess from the name, this episode isn't to be listened to around the kiddos.

Earwig and the Witch aims to continue Studio Ghibli's tradition of pushing the boundaries of animation and storytelling. While the gets close, it feels unfinished. Directed by Gorô Miyazaki, written by Keiko Niwa and Emi Gunji, and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki, with planning from Hayao Miyazaki, the film is based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, the author behind the source material for Howl’s Moving Castle.

This week, we're back to live-action adaptations, and this time it's the wholesome BL drama Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! Now, at the time of recording, we hadn't watched all 12 episodes and obviously only have access to the English volumes of the manga. We talk about the importance of BL stories, how Cherry Magic! hit our hearts, and how it really showcased the depth of the BL genre. We talk about why we love the characters, consent, and more.

We've gone around the sun another time and while 2020 was not a good year in the world, it was a great year for anime. To close out the year we have this bonus episode that dives into our favorite series, the series that got us through things, the best boy of the year, waifu of the year, best OT, and more. Beyond that, we talk about how anime helped us get through the year and our accomplishments this year. So let's jump into 2020 in anime. 

This week on Did You Have To? we dive into hentai. Now, we've been talking about the possibility of this episode for a long time and now with the help of Aisha (MommaLovesManga), host of the The Yaoi Shelf and Yuircast we have an open discussion about the genre but also what it means to be open about it. 

It should go without saying that while this discussion isn't explicit in nature - i.e. we don't get into specifics - it's probably best to listen with some headphones and away from the kiddos. 

Like Aisha (@MommaLovesManga)? Make sure to follow her on Twitter and check out her YouTube channel! You can also find her podcasts The Yaoi Shelf and The Yuricast by clicking on the links.

Episode 48: Let's Talk about Endeavor is sponsored by Fun.com, the one-stop-shop for pop culture exclusive merch from clothing to toys and more. Get 15% off now with our link here!

We've done a lot of talking about My Hero Academia on this podcast. We've talked about Deku's strength and vulnerability, Bakugo's growth into a leader, and now, we're going to talk about Endeavor. More specifically in this episode, we talk about Endeavor, the purpose of redemption arcs, and ultimately is there a difference between redemption and atonement. We dive into Kohei Horikoshi's writing of Endeavor and break down how the mangaka doesn't just focus on making Endeavor likable like most redemption arcs in media. Instead, Horikoshi continually reminds the readers of the abuse that Endeavor has committed and doesn't try to apologize for it with backstories of tragedy. Instead, Horikoshi turns this into a story of atonement and one where Endeavor doesn't expect forgiveness and with some people doesn't receive it.

This episode of Did You Have To? is sponsored by Yaoi Crate, a BL subscription box offering exclusive items from merch and manga to doujin. Order your November box today at yaoicrate.com

This week, we're finally tackling one of our host's favorite genres: Yaoi. In this episode, Kate and Neysha break down what Yaoi is and what it isn't by diving into all the terms used to discuss the genre. BL series can range from the tamer shonen-ai titles, which focus on a younger demographic of readers and resembles the more traditional shojo romances in the will-they-won’t-they kiss sort of way to the more explicit titles that put sexual intimacy at the forefront. That said, these terms tend to be fluid in fandom, and both yaoi and shonen-ai fall under the BL umbrella.

We also talk about our favorite BL series, webcomics, and offer up some recommendations for newcomers to the genre. Now, this is just the first of multiple episodes we'll be doing on the topic, so consider this your 101 course. So buckle up and get ready to become proud fujos by the end of the episode. 

Since its announcement Lupin III: The First has had a special place on this podcast. Finally, we got the chance to watch and review the film, which is distributed by GKids Films in the United States. In it, Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, that highlights exactly why he is our favorite "gentleman thief." Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich. Highlighting the very best of heists and adventure film treasure hunts, Lupin III: The First knocks everything out of the park. The gang undertakes trap-filled tombs, aerial escapades, and daring prison escapes with the trademark wit and visual finesse that has made LUPIN THE 3RD one of the most storied animation franchises in the world, in a thrilling new caper that is sure to delight fans old and new.

This episode is sponsored by Yaoi Crate.

After Deku's big moment in season 4 of My Hero Academia we needed to talk about the sweet baby boy's journey. Now, after My Hero Academia Chapter 285 of the manga, we have to talk about Bakugo. In this episode, we dive into Bakugo's origin and his growth from bully in friend and hero. While Bakugo is a character that can be polarizing, this episode focusses on how Kohei Horikoshi, the mangaka behind My Hero Academia has gone to great lengths to show Bakugo's guilt and progression towards a teammate and friend that is looking for Deku because he won't look out for himself. 

With My Hero Academia Chapter 285 we get a chapter of the manga that shows fans Bakugo's true connection with Deku and seals his growth, and puts him in danger. Just so you know, this is a spoiler filled episode. The women don't hold back and things get a little intense as they discuss the vitriol in the fandom towards Bakugo. While he was a bully he is a child, and Horikoshi makes that clear and as such children deserve the space to grow from their actions. 

We had the pleasure of covering Fantasia Fest 2020. By attending the virtual international film festival based in Montreal, we got the rare chance to watch a variety of manga and anime adaptations. The first of our coverage began with Wotakoi and now, we're reviewing the live-action original story: Kakegurui. Based in the world of the manga, published in English by Yen Press by Homura Kawamoto and Toru Naomura of the same name, which was also made into a Netflix Original anime. The Kakegurui live-action had a lot on its shoulders and in this podcast review, our hosts dig into how it succeeded and where it could have improved.

If you've listened to this podcast then you know that our hosts LaNeysha and Kate are in love with mangaka FUJITA's Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, a manga published in English by Kodansha Comics USA and an anime currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Now, the wholesome geeky romance is a live-action film. While the film released in Japan earlier this year, it hadn't made it stateside yet which made the Fantasia Fest 2020 International Premiere even more special! 

This week, LaNeysha and Kate dive deep into the themes of the Netflix Original anime: Japan Sinks 2020. Based on the 1973 novel, Japan Sinks by Sakyo Komatsu. From Science Saru, the studio behind Devilman Crybaby, this is a disaster anime that takes the genre to a whole new level. In the series, an ordinary family is put to the test as a series of massive earthquakes throw Japan into total mayhem, and leads the country to sink. From director Masaaki Yuasa, the series delivers gutwrenching moments that keep its audience on their toes and doesn't allow them to distress over the course of the 10 episodes. 

Anime is in the American pop culture mainstream now, and how it got there is a long story. In his new podcast with Crunchyroll, Anime in America, Yedoye Travis chronicles the rise of anime and its journey from Japan to Saturday-morning cartoons in America. Yedoye is a comedian, actor, and writer from Atlanta, GA. A host for Get in the Robot, he is also the creator and host of the Dark Tank podcast, which AV Club called “one of the most deliciously daring shows of the moment.” Named a New Face at the Montreal Just For Laughs festival in 2017, he has appeared as a guest on networks like BET and Comedy Central, and as a writer for Viceland and Netflix.

In this interview, LaNeysha and Kate talk with Yedoye about his anime origin story, Anime in America, and of course whether or not he thinks Neysha will finish all 1000 episodes of One Piece by December 31, 2020. We also get into a discussion about gatekeepers, and why anime is for all of us. 

Follow Yedoye on Instagram @ProfessorDoye and on Twitter @YedoyeOT

In this episode our host dive into the latest Netflix original anime, BNA: Brand New Animal by Studio Trigger. They get into deep discussions on how this anime is a great message for all ages as it explores race, prejudice, and microaggressions. The amazing animation of the action scenes, their favorite characters, and much more. In addition to how the Netflix agenda to turn anime fans into furries continues as Kate and LaNeysha thirst after the handsome white-haired collared leading man of the series. 

Today in Weeb:

Our new mini-podcast, Manga Trash!  Hosted by Kate and LaNeysha, this is 10-minute podcast is designed to help all of y'all join us in the manga trash bin. Each episode, they pick one trashy/streamy/totally can't talk about on the TL manga title each and review it! Reward tier on the But Why Tho? A Geek Community Patreon 

God of High

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon 

Our new show art was created by the amazing @Jzmnflwr.