Castlevania (Netflix)

[School of Everything Else 2021]

One of the best shows on Netflix and one of the finest animated series, very specifically tailored for an adult audience. Castlevania achieves, philosophically speaking, what so many other lesser shows set out to accomplish and find themselves still wanting.

It's surprisingly softly spoken, mostly concerned with establishing and developing characters. It's dark and sad and seductive and consistently funny. It's about power-plays and loneliness. And the soul of humanity is always on trial. 

In this episode we go through the four seasons, covering the major characters in a roughly chronological order. We discuss some of the major story beats, so if you want to watch the show knowing nothing you might want to do that first. Seasons 1 & 2 are 12 episodes altogether and form their own full and dramatic story. Seasons 3 and 4 elaborate upon that, forming a longer second half which gets even richer and more explorative. 

Guest:

Toby Jungius of Through the Wind Door @TJungius 

Gravity Falls (Show 3: Episodes 13-20)

[School of Everything Else 2020]

Part 3 of 6

The third of three shows on Season 1 of Gravity Falls. Season 2 will be covered in 2021.

We round off the first batch of episodes with a showcase of villainy, as a crazed piglet who holds small-town America in his thrall seeks unlimited power for himself. And on the other side of the reality curtain, a chaotic yellow triangle man hatches his schemes.

There's also a hilarious take on boy bands which was in fact creator Alex Hirsch apologising to his sister Ariel for being such a scornful bounder, admonishing her musical taste when they were tweens. 

Episodes Covered: Boss Mabel/Bottomless Pit/Carpet Diem/Boys Crazy/Land Before Swine/Dreamscapers/Gideon Rises

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch 

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

From Sequentially Yours  Kaoru Negisa  @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse  @bastet8300

Gravity Falls (Show 2: Episodes 7-12)

[School of Everything Else 2020]

Part 2 of 6

The second of three shows on Season 1 of Gravity Falls. Season 2 will be covered in 2021.

We return to one of the best animated series' to grace the TV screen. A rich, hilarious, fast-paced puzzle-box of twisty mysteries and subversive, genre-savvy capers. Tween twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are staying with their Grunkle Stan for the summer, at his combination gift-shop and rube-trap. But strange things are both out there in the woods, and inside the wooden walls of the Mystery Shack.

Both seasons are available on Disney+ And if you have already finished it and want something similar but haven't yet sunk your beak into The Owl House, that's what's for dessert. 

Episodes Covered: Double Dipper/Irrational Treasure/The Time-Traveller's Pig/Fight Fighters/Little Dipper/Summerween

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch 

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse

From Sequentially Yours  Kaoru Negisa  @Moonpanther22

and Debbie Morse  @bastet8300

Gravity Falls (Show 1: Episodes 1-6)

[School of Everything Else 2020]

Part 1 of 6

Throughout the year we will be releasing episodes covering one of our very favourite animated shows, now available worldwide on Disney+ which is why we waited until now. Most people haven't seen this, so you can watch along with us. We won't spoil any later episodes and the podcasts won't release all at once. Next week the Spielberg Season continues with E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. 

The elevator pitch for this one is "The Simpsons meets Twin Peaks". A pair of twins, one of them fascinated by strange and mysterious things, the other determined to have fun at all times go to stay for the summer with their grotty con-man of a Great Uncle Stan. As it turns out; Gravity Falls, this sleepy Pacific Northwestern Town is filled with both strange and mysterious things and fun!

Episodes Covered: Tourist Trapped / The Legend of the Gobblewonker / Headhunters / The Hand that Rocks the Mabel / The Inconveniencing / Dipper vs. Manliness

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch   

Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse   

From Sequentially Yours  Kaoru Negisa  @Moonpanther22 

and Debbie Morse  @bastet8300 

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

[School of Everything Else 2020]

A completely spoilerific discussion on all five seasons of the modern, second version of She-Ra. I honestly don't know how much someone who has never seen the show will get out of this one, but if you've finished it you'll be in hog heaven.

We have eight minds and voices gathered, and they are all going to talk about 25+ characters over a tightly focused two and a half hour runtime.  It may sound too strictly controlled, but I marvelled at how incisive everyone managed to be under these restrictions. This is quite a feat of podcasting.

This episode was commissioned by Zac Malm, Carsten Immel and James Glass . 

Guests:

Maya Santandrea

Lyra Shaw

Lauren Yeomans

Mel Curtis

Holly Dotson

Collin of The Cinema Cephalopod 

Red Dwarf V

Gen:Lock (Season 1)

[School of Movies 2020]

It's going to feel like we're teasing you with our cast-in-stone No Anime rule. However, there are various factors at work here. 1. This has an American writing team, so it's closer to Avatar and The Dragon prince. 2. It had a great first episode which we watched to decide whether we could talk about the rest. 3. It has an amazing cast. 4. At 8 quick episodes it's about the length of a long movie, rather than RWBY from the same team, which currently weighs in at 92 episodes and what we watched did not appeal. And 5. it was a commission, and we occasionally bend the rule with those.

All that said, you are in for a treat here, as the spiritual successor to both Pacific Rim and in a way RoboCop delivers dazzling visual treats with a progressive, inclusive and fun cast of colourful characters. It is absolutely worth checking out. You can either listen to our show first or afterwards. We do detail plot movements but I hope our discussion enriches rather than spoils the process of witnessing them for yourself, because you get some bonus perspective. 

Well done, Rooster Teeth.

 And many thanks to the commissioner: David Schuttenhelm 

The Good Place

[School of Everything Else 2019]

One of the most compulsive and mind-expanding TV shows in recent years, The Good Place is an unfolding exploration of philosophy and morality which takes the brightly coloured appealing form of comedy frozen yogurt. 

If you've not seen it, the best summation is that a woman named Eleanor Shelstrop dies and is welcomed into heaven by a kindly angel-type named Michael, only to realise she shouldn't be there because she's a rotten, selfish wretch and Michael thinks she's a much better person also called Eleanor Shelstrop. Her attempts to not be found out and maybe slip through the net, aided by her soulmate, a nervous Professor of Moral Philosophy named Chidi are just the beginning of an afterlife adventure that questions human behaviour.

In this episode we cover the first three seasons, which are all currently available on Netflix. We have to go full-spoiler because so much keeps getting revealed every season that our discussion would be supremely limited otherwise. 

Next Week: Our long-promised episode on The Matrix is finally here, just in time for its 20th Anniversary. 

Bojack Horseman [Seasons 2, 3 & 4]

[School of Everything Else 2017]

We delve deeper into the broken minds of this occasionally famous horse and his supporting cast of human beings and other animals.

Each season is covered in turn and we keep spoilers on later seasons for their section. But we strongly recommend you watch all four seasons and then listen. It is a HARD show to watch sometimes, and a lot of the gags and scenarios feel too real to laugh, but it's relentless, engaging, hilarious, sensitive and smart to a degree few other animated shows can match on a consistent basis. 

Guests

Kaoru Negisa & Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours

Maya Santandrea of Hollywoo 

Bojack Horseman [Season 1]

[School of Everything Else 2017]

This is the first of several episodes on the fantastic Netflix animated show Bojack Horseman. Next week will be an episode on seasons 2 & 3 and at some point we will probably do season 4.

It starts off as a black adult comedy about show business and Hollywood and you could be forgiven for lumping it in with Family Guy, however, it quickly establishes itself as a drama about various deeply flawed, human characters.

Unlike Rick and Morty, though, the core of the existential dread isn't the bleakness of everything, but our desperation to be better, worthwhile people, even as we fail over and over.

It is so worth your time.

Joining us are our good friends Kaoru Negisa and Debbie Morse of Sequentially Yours, and genuine stunt actress Maya Santandrea, who brings her insight as to what the business of filming is frequently like.