Author Archives: mistahlistah

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About mistahlistah

I've inhabited this planet for thirty years, teach high school English, enjoy reading and writing, play the occasional video and tabletop game, and am completing my thesis over the teaching and censorship of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

Tuesday Top Five: Favorite Final Fantasy Protagonists

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Original Publication Date: 11/29/2016

By:  Andrew Lister

Welcome to the next installment of a new articles series,Tuesday Top Five! From time to time I’ll be coming up with a Top 5 spanning a number of geeky topics. This week we celebrate the release of Final Fantasy XV with an article chronicling my favorite Final Fantasy protagonists.

Greetings, fans! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Top 5 article, but I’m back with a promise of several Final Fantasy themed articles. Final Fantasy XV dropped today, and a lot of people have been eager to get their hands on the game. I may try it myself, but for the first time ever I’m not rushing out to get it on Day 1. Perhaps I was burned by every game after Final Fantasy X-2.

The first of several weekly articles will be my personal top 5 playable characters from the history of the series. I can tell you right now that my list is probably going to be VERY different from your own. As always, let us know what your own list is in the comments section below!

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Bonus Episode: Mushi-Shi, Episodes 1 & 2

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Welcome to Tooning Japanese, a podcast where three dudes in their 30s talk about Japanese anime!

Listen to Bonus Episode: Mushi-Shi, Episodes 1 & 2

This week we are featuring an episode requested by our good friend Yata over at the Reanimetor Podcast! Yata donated to our show (see our Patreon link below), and as part of that donation he requested we watch and review the anime Mushi-Shi. To be honest, none of us over here had even heard of it, and we were a bit skeptical going on. However, by the end all three of us loved it! Join Andy, Bill, and special guest Thurk as they talk about the first two episodes of Mushi-Shi, “The Green Seat” and “The Light of the Eyelid.”

Watch Mushi-Shi on Funimation!

Listen to Tooning Japanese on Spotify! Yes, we’re finally on Spotify!

Check out our brand new series, Tooning RPG, on YouTube!

We are now part of a brand new media network!  Check our Questionable Endeavor today for other amazing podcasts, articles, and streams!

Help support the show on Patreon!

Tuesday Top Five: Best Final Fantasy Games

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Original Publication Date: 8/30/2016

By:  Andrew Lister

Welcome to another installment of Tuesday Top Five! Each week I’ll be coming up with a Top 5 spanning a number of geeky topics. This week, I’m going to rank my favorite video games from the Final Fantasy series.

Out of all my NES games, the one I treasured the most was my copy of Final Fantasy. This JRPG from Square was published in 1987 and was supposed to be the very last video game for the failing company.

I am a child of the Nintendo era. Growing up, I owned the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES for short), and I would lose myself in its many worlds, such as The Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule. The games had simple graphics, but many of them were insanely difficult to play and master.

That being said, it turned out to be a massive hit, and as most people know, it spawned a number of other games in the series. Most of these games are not sequels, but many of them had similar themes and mechanics that evolved alongside the hardware of new consoles.

Trying to rank my Top 5 this week was extremely difficult, and I’m sure those of you out there may disagree with my list.  If you do, leave your own list in the comments below. We may read your comments on a future episode of the Tooning Japanese Podcast!

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Tuesday Top Five: Most Interesting Anime Villains

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Original Publication Date: 8/22/2016

By:  Andrew Lister

Welcome to the next installment of a new articles series, Tuesday Top Five! From time to time I’ll be coming up with a Top 5 spanning a number of geeky topics. This week, we tackle the world of professional wrestling.

What’s a good story without an even better antagonist? To me, a good villain needs to not only be a difficult challenge for the hero, but they must also be motivated by more than simply wanting to do evil. Sauron was pretty badass, but we never see much depth in his character beyond his wanting to rule over all of Middle Earth. Scary and powerful?  Yes. An interesting, developed character? No.

The same criteria goes for anime as well. There have been so many great shows and memorable villains that making a list of the best baddies may seem like a tough task. That being said, I’ve assembled my Top 5 Most Interesting Anime Villains, and I want to hear what you think by leaving a comment below.  We may even read your comments on a future episode of Tooning Japanese!

Please keep in mind that there may be spoilers below. You have been warned!

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Bonus Season 2: Episode 7 – I Think He Dead

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Welcome to Tooning Japanese, a podcast where three dudes in their 30s talk about Japanese anime!

Listen to Bonus Season 2: Episode 7 – I Think He Dead

The moment we’ve been dreading has arrived. We’ve reached the end of Bonus Season 2. Bill and Andy recap the finale of the Record of Lodoss War OVA, and the feelings are bittersweet. Even though they’re sad it’s over, they had a great time rewatching the show and dissecting all of its Dungeons & Dragons goodness! Join us to find out what happens to Deedlit, Parn, Ashram, and Wagnard. Will Parn profess his love for Kashue? Will the dragon fight actually be cool? Will Wagnard t-bag all of Lodoss? Listen and find out!

Watch The Record of Lodoss War OVA on Funimation!

Listen to Tooning Japanese on Spotify! Yes, we’re finally on Spotify!

Check out our brand new series, Tooning RPG, on YouTube!

We are now part of a brand new media network!  Check our Questionable Endeavor today for other amazing podcasts, articles, and streams!

Help support the show on Patreon!

Season 4: Episode 17 – Conga Line Up to Paradise

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Welcome to Tooning Japanese, a podcast where three dudes in their 30s talk about Japanese anime!

Listen to Season 4: Episode 17 – Conga Line Up to Paradise

We’re back to just Bill and Andy, but we cannot wait any longer! We’re so close to the end of Season 4 that we had to march on, regardless of how short the episode ended up. At least both of our intrepid hosts agreed that Episode 24 of Wolf’s Rain, “Scent of a Trap,” was really good. Everyone finds their way closer to Jaguara’s Keep, but only one wolf seems to have her true attention. This one ends with a bit of a cliff hanger! Join us for another discussion of Wolf’s Rain!

Watch Wolf’s Rain on Funimation.

We are now part of a brand new media network!  Check our Questionable Endeavor today for other amazing podcasts, articles, and streams!

Help support the show on Patreon!

We are now releasing new episodes every Thursday!

Season 4 will be our review of the anime Wolf’s Rain!  E-mail the show at TooningJapanese@gmail.com!

Bonus Season 2: Episode 6 – Cocktails & Demon Resurrections

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Welcome to Tooning Japanese, a podcast where three dudes in their 30s talk about Japanese anime!

Listen to Bonus Season 2: Episode 6 – Cocktails & Demon Resurrections

We’re just about done with our second bonus season, and this time around Andy and Bill have two very different episodes leading up to our grand finale. Shocking and confusing moments abound as 2/3 of the hosts review Episode 11 of the Lodoss War OVA, “The Wizard’s Ambition,” and Episode 12, “Final Battle: Marmo – The Dark Island.”

Watch The Record of Lodoss War OVA on Funimation!

Listen to Tooning Japanese on Spotify! Yes, we’re finally on Spotify!

Check out our brand new series, Tooning RPG, on YouTube!

We are now part of a brand new media network!  Check our Questionable Endeavor today for other amazing podcasts, articles, and streams!

Help support the show on Patreon!

Season 4: Episode 16 – The Correct Amount of Bones

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Welcome to Tooning Japanese, a podcast where three dudes in their 30s talk about Japanese anime!

Listen to Season 4: Episode 16 – The Correct Amount of Bones

We’re back with a new double review of Wolf’s Rain! This time around Josh tells us all about the infamous walrus fight (oh, anime…), which is Episode 22, “Pieces of a Shooting Star.” Then Andy breaks down the story of two horny skater boys…and our main cast of characters in Episode 23, “Heartbeat of the Black City.”

Watch Wolf’s Rain on Funimation.

We are now part of a brand new media network!  Check our Questionable Endeavor today for other amazing podcasts, articles, and streams!

Help support the show on Patreon!

This week’s opening and closing clips are amazing covers of “Sk8er Boi” by Jonathan Young & Lee Albrecht and “Pokemon Theme” by Anthony Vincent.

We are now releasing new episodes every Thursday!

Season 4 will be our review of the anime Wolf’s Rain!  E-mail the show at TooningJapanese@gmail.com!

Movie Review: Dragon Ball Super: Broly

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Welcome to Tooning Japanese, a podcast where three dudes in their 30s talk about Japanese anime!

Listen to Movie Review: Dragon Ball Super: Broly

Whoa, is Tooning Japanese actually reviewing something new and topical? Join us on this newly trod road of explosions, screaming, and raising power levels. Yes, Andy and Ray are reviewing the brand new Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie! Spoiler…they both absolutely loved this movie. Go watch it in theaters now or pre-order it on Blu-Ray! Not that Blue Ray…the disc-based medium. You know what I mean. Just go watch it!

Listen to Tooning Japanese on Spotify! Yes, we’re finally on Spotify!

Check out our brand new series, Tooning RPG, on YouTube!

If you enjoy this episode, go visit our website, and more importantly, become a Patron today!

You can also find our show and other great podcasts on The Questionable Endeavor Network.

Bonus Episode: 2019 Announcements

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Welcome to Tooning Japanese, a podcast where three dudes in their 30s talk about Japanese anime!

Listen to Bonus Episode: 2019 Announcements

Well, there’s no new episode this week. However, we have a couple of really big announcements! I’ll let you listen to the episode, but I suppose there’s spoilers right below this paragraph. We’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. Until then, stay warm, and thanks for all your continued support!

Listen to Tooning Japanese on Spotify! Yes, we’re finally on Spotify!

Check out our brand new series, Tooning RPG, on YouTube!

If you enjoy this episode, go visit our website, and more importantly, become a Patron today!

You can also find our show and other great podcasts on The Questionable Endeavor Network.