Solo Leveling: Recent Episodes
Beata
Let's watch and talk about movies, tv, and other stuff together! This is a reaction and commentary podcast for people who like commentary tracks and hearing a voice to watch stuff with. Thank you for choosing my voice this time! You can find me @XiaBeata on Twitter and my writing on clearsummers.wordpress.com
I keep track of the media I do commentary for here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11755gwqOzLIgCBZtf50yvzbx2hSqfKSqRMHE3qu60zc/edit?usp=sharing
This is a reaction track for you to sync your own copy of the show with.
About Vinland Saga S2
A new millennium begins in the southern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. Thorfin was bought by the landowner Ketil as a "slave" and engaged in land reclamation work on his farm. Thorfinn meets a young man there, Einar, who was also a slave like him. The encounter of Einar led Thorfinn to face the sins he had committed and began to find meaning in life. On the other hand, Canute, who became the King of England, attempted to extend his territory for the establishment of "the promised land."
This is a reaction track for you to sync your own copy of the show with.
About Vinland Saga S2
A new millennium begins in the southern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. Thorfin was bought by the landowner Ketil as a "slave" and engaged in land reclamation work on his farm. Thorfinn meets a young man there, Einar, who was also a slave like him. The encounter of Einar led Thorfinn to face the sins he had committed and began to find meaning in life. On the other hand, Canute, who became the King of England, attempted to extend his territory for the establishment of "the promised land."
This is a reaction track for you to sync your own copy of the show with.
About Vinland Saga S2
A new millennium begins in the southern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. Thorfin was bought by the landowner Ketil as a "slave" and engaged in land reclamation work on his farm. Thorfinn meets a young man there, Einar, who was also a slave like him. The encounter of Einar led Thorfinn to face the sins he had committed and began to find meaning in life. On the other hand, Canute, who became the King of England, attempted to extend his territory for the establishment of "the promised land."
Content Warnings for Cackle by Rachel Harrison
Content Warnings for Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty
Time stamps:
Cackle review: 30 secs in
Sons of Darkness review: 16:10 secs in
Song credit: MARINA - Venus Fly Trap
--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
This is a reaction track for you to sync your own copy of the show with. Sorry for the slight sniffles folks, I think I'm getting a cold lol.
About Akiba Maid War
The innocent Nagomi Wahira has always admired the cute girls serving at maid cafes. Hoping to fulfill her dream of becoming one, she moves to Akihabara to work at the maid cafe Ton Tokoton.
Nagomi's first day seems completely normal—until she has to run an "errand" at a rival maid cafe along with her fellow recruit, the mature Ranko Mannen. There, things quickly go south, and Nagomi soon gets her first taste of Akihabara's violent maid wars. As she watches Ranko calmly battle her way through a horde of gun- and knife-wielding maids, Nagomi realizes that maid cafes are drastically unlike what she had envisioned.
While struggling to reconcile her expectations with the harsh reality she finds herself in, Nagomi searches for the enjoyment she once saw in the lives of maids.
--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
These are my immediate impressions after finishing Fonda Lee's The Jade Setter of Janloon, set in the same universe as The Green Bone Saga. Spoilers: it isn't great!
Content warnings: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4f54c93c-7366-4090-a748-2d4dd86365f3/content_warnings
Intro & Outro credits: Imagine Dragons - Enemy
Heeeeey everyone!
Hope the heat has been alright on you folks and that your month has been going well. Here's a roundup of all the things I read this month.
Timestamps
- The General Zapped an Angel - 30 secs
- Silence of the Girls - 10:35
- To Strip the Flesh - 25:51
- Heart of Dracula (Immortal Soul, #1) - 34:33
- The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea - 41:41
- Violets - 45:36
Beata talks about Snotgirl Issue #1 and Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li this episode. I really enjoyed one and uhhh did not love another.
Snotgirl is written by Bryan Lee O’Malley, who also wrote Scott Pilgrim, and illustrated by Leslie Hung. It follows 25-year-old fashion blogger, Lottie Person, as she recovers from a bad breakup and is beginning to face the fact that she’s lonely and has no friends. A chance encounter with a woman one day changes her life as her night out with her new friend, nicknamed Coolgirl, takes a strange turn.
Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief, a lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums, about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity.
“Do the right thing : Mainstream Museums and Galleries need to end their racist and elitist practices and become genuinely inclusive institutions, argues Carlos Tortolero”: https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/867636#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-2001%2C-206%2C6551%2C3666
OP & ED: Marina - Venus Fly Trap
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
This is an audio commentary track for Arcane, Episodes 1-3. Sync up your own copy and enjoy!
Timestamps:
Episode 1: 40secs
Episode 2: 44:32
Episode 3: 1:21:55
Amidst the escalating unrest between the rich, utopian city of Piltover and the seedy, oppressed undercity of Zaun, sisters Vi and Jinx find themselves on opposing sides of a brewing war over clashing convictions and arcane technologies.
Tune in for the rest of my March reads! The watchalong this month will be for Netflix's Arcane 😔🔥 (Ep 1-3 up by April 8)
Intro & Outro song: Enemy (Imagine Dragons and JID)
Timestamps:
1:36 Keeper of Night
3:28 The Mask of Mirrors
9:31 My Wandering Warrior Existence
18:07 Kaiju No. 8
25:11 Booth
36:18 Your Throne
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Sync up your own copy and enjoy this audio-only commentary!
Intro & Outro: The Incredibles (Soundtrack) - Life's Incredible Again
Married superheroes Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) are forced to assume mundane lives as Bob and Helen Parr after all super-powered activities have been banned by the government. While Mr. Incredible loves his wife and kids, he longs to return to a life of adventure, and he gets a chance when summoned to an island to battle an out-of-control robot. Soon, Mr. Incredible is in trouble, and it's up to his family to save him.
Tune in for the rest of my February reads and the two books I read so far in March!
Timestamps:
Creepy Catt (Vol. 1): 20 secs
The Maleficent Seven: 1:28
The Violin Conspiracy: 5:40
Little Bird: 11: 40
12 Bytes: 14:07
Nevermoor Trials of Morrigan Crow: 16:57
Parallel Hells: 21
*Note: This is my 4th time recording this so if I sound tired, please know it's not because I hate the book
This is a roundup on most of the books I read in February, with a quick non-spoiler review at the beginning then a spoiler-filled section afterwards.
Timestamps:
Dead Silence (DNF): 5:16
I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! Vol. 1: 6:14
The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 1: 17:16
Dahlia in Bloom Vol. 1: 21:44
The Paris Apartment: 37:15
Annihilation: 46:28
Mermaid: 48:54
Intro & Outro song: Maxine Nightingale - Right Back Where We Started From
*Note: I meant Arthur instead of Lancelot when discussing the cave scene
This is a roundup of the books I read in January, with a quick non-spoiler review at the beginning then a spoiler-filled section afterwards.
Timestamps:
The Excalibur Curse: 57 seconds in
Good Rich People: 10:23
Anatomy: A Love Story: 16.43
The Hunting Wives: 27.21
Intro & Outro song: The Hellacopters - By the Grace of God
This is a roundup of the books I read in January, with a quick non-spoiler review at the beginning then a spoiler-filled section afterwards. Pt 2 will be up next week!
Timestamps:
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: 2:01
The Lies of Locke Lamora: 8:17
A Psalm for the Wild-Built: 41:40
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina: 47:40
Lewis is a brilliant young inventor who sets off on a time-traveling quest to save the future and find the family he never knew. With the help of the wonderfully wacky Robinson family, Lewis learns to keep moving forward and never stop believing in himself.
Sync up your own copy and enjoy this audio-only commentary!
CW: There are some pretty violent scenes in this show. Here is a link to a guide with warnings for each episode: https://www.carleton.edu/student/orgs/anime/content-warnings/a-l/baccano-2/
On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality. Based on the award-winning light novels of the same name, Baccano! follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but are part of a much bigger story—one of alchemy, survival, and immortality.
Opening and ending credits: Gun's & Roses by Paradise Lunch
*Note: Sorry guys, I forgot to record Episode 12 and will upload that as a separate podcast episode!
Happy fall, guys! So excited that summer and the heat is over and it's time for my favorite season. To begin fall, let's watch the incredibly atmospheric Over the Garden Wall 🎃
Somewhere, lost in the clouded annals of history, lies a place that few have seen. A mysterious place called The Unknown... Two Brothers, Wirt and Greg find themselves lost in the strange woods, adrift in a time. With the help of a shadowy Woodsmen and a foul-tempered bluebird named Beatrice, they travel through the foggy land in Hope of finding a way home.
Opening and closing music credits: Over the Garden Wall - Into The Unknown (Theme Song - Full Version )
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Music credits: Seishun no Enbu (青春の演舞)" by Centimillimental
Shoutarou Futaba has always loved sports, but he never became more than a benchwarmer on his middle school baseball team. After noticing a group of gymnasts practicing in the park, he decides to watch a rhythmic gymnastics tournament on a whim. The demonstration of skill captivates Shoutarou, and he decides to enroll at Shoushukan in hopes of joining the team despite having no background in the sport. The club recruits him alongside Ryouya Misato, a prodigal gymnast who was the runner-up in a junior tournament.
Now with a full six-man roster, the team sets out to compete in the upcoming Inter-High tournament. As he strives to accomplish this ambitious endeavor, Shoutarou must learn and master the basics of rhythmic gymnastics all while working in tandem with his new teammates if Shoushukan wants to stand a chance at claiming the title.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
CW: There are some pretty violent scenes in this show. Here is a link to a guide with warnings for each episode: https://www.carleton.edu/student/orgs/anime/content-warnings/a-l/baccano-2/
On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality. Based on the award-winning light novels of the same name, Baccano! follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but are part of a much bigger story—one of alchemy, survival, and immortality.
Opening and ending credits: Gun's & Roses by Paradise Lunch
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
CW: Blood and gore, suicide (mention)
Opening credits: A Murder Scene from Seance
Closing credits: Spooky Trap (Trailer Mix Bonus Track)
Camille Meadows is the new girl at the prestigious Edelvine Academy for Girls. Soon after her arrival, six friends invite her to join them in a late-night ritual, calling forth the spirit of a dead former student who reportedly haunts the halls. But before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving the others wondering what they may have awakened.
*That beeping 14 minutes in is not you, it's my dishwasher!
CW: This anime deals with topics like depression, bullying, and abusive families
Opening and ending credits: BUMP OF CHICKEN「アンサー」
Rei lives by himself, his parents and younger sister died in an accident, he is estranged from his foster family and has scarcely any friends. Among his acquaintances is a family consisting of three sisters—Akari, Hinata, and Momo Kawamoto—who also keep several cats. As the story progresses, Rei deals with his maturing as a player and as a person, while developing his relationships with others, especially the Kawamoto sisters.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Music credits: Seishun no Enbu (青春の演舞)" by Centimillimental
Shoutarou Futaba has always loved sports, but he never became more than a benchwarmer on his middle school baseball team. After noticing a group of gymnasts practicing in the park, he decides to watch a rhythmic gymnastics tournament on a whim. The demonstration of skill captivates Shoutarou, and he decides to enroll at Shoushukan in hopes of joining the team despite having no background in the sport. The club recruits him alongside Ryouya Misato, a prodigal gymnast who was the runner-up in a junior tournament.
Now with a full six-man roster, the team sets out to compete in the upcoming Inter-High tournament. As he strives to accomplish this ambitious endeavor, Shoutarou must learn and master the basics of rhythmic gymnastics all while working in tandem with his new teammates if Shoushukan wants to stand a chance at claiming the title.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
CW: There are some pretty violent scenes in this show. Here is a link to a guide with warnings for each episode: https://www.carleton.edu/student/orgs/anime/content-warnings/a-l/baccano-2/
On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality. Based on the award-winning light novels of the same name, Baccano! follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but are part of a much bigger story—one of alchemy, survival, and immortality.
Opening and ending credits: Gun's & Roses by Paradise Lunch
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
CW: This anime deals with topics like depression, bullying, and abusive families
Opening and ending credits: BUMP OF CHICKEN「アンサー」
Rei lives by himself, his parents and younger sister died in an accident, he is estranged from his foster family and has scarcely any friends. Among his acquaintances is a family consisting of three sisters—Akari, Hinata, and Momo Kawamoto—who also keep several cats. As the story progresses, Rei deals with his maturing as a player and as a person, while developing his relationships with others, especially the Kawamoto sisters.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
*These eps have background static, sorry! While editing, I kept thinking I was saying "Hanukkah" instead of Hanako lol
Music credits: Seishun no Enbu (青春の演舞)" by Centimillimental
Shoutarou Futaba has always loved sports, but he never became more than a benchwarmer on his middle school baseball team. After noticing a group of gymnasts practicing in the park, he decides to watch a rhythmic gymnastics tournament on a whim. The demonstration of skill captivates Shoutarou, and he decides to enroll at Shoushukan in hopes of joining the team despite having no background in the sport. The club recruits him alongside Ryouya Misato, a prodigal gymnast who was the runner-up in a junior tournament.
Now with a full six-man roster, the team sets out to compete in the upcoming Inter-High tournament. As he strives to accomplish this ambitious endeavor, Shoutarou must learn and master the basics of rhythmic gymnastics all while working in tandem with his new teammates if Shoushukan wants to stand a chance at claiming the title.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
CW: There are some pretty violent scenes in this show. Here is a link to a guide with warnings for each episode: https://www.carleton.edu/student/orgs/anime/content-warnings/a-l/baccano-2/
On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality. Based on the award-winning light novels of the same name, Baccano! follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but are part of a much bigger story—one of alchemy, survival, and immortality.
Opening and ending credits: Gun's & Roses by Paradise Lunch
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
CW: Assault and nudity in ep 10
Beastars will be replaced with 3-gatsu no Lion*
Opening and ending music credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqNrbDS84U&ab_channel=SteveHansen
In a world where beasts coexist, a gentle wolf awakens to his predatory urges as his schoolmates deal with a murder in their midst.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
TW: Sexual assault, suicide, and domestic violence
The short story I mentioned: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/cat-person
I cut out a long review of the movie afterwards because of sound quality, and I just felt very emotional at that time. Maybe I'll write something on it, because it's a great movie with a very divisive ending.
Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be -- she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past.
Music credits: Seishun no Enbu (青春の演舞)" by Centimillimental
One cool men's rhythmic gymnastics video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BJlnieWYmE
Shoutarou Futaba has always loved sports, but he never became more than a benchwarmer on his middle school baseball team. After noticing a group of gymnasts practicing in the park, he decides to watch a rhythmic gymnastics tournament on a whim. The demonstration of skill captivates Shoutarou, and he decides to enroll at Shoushukan in hopes of joining the team despite having no background in the sport. The club recruits him alongside Ryouya Misato, a prodigal gymnast who was the runner-up in a junior tournament.
Now with a full six-man roster, the team sets out to compete in the upcoming Inter-High tournament. As he strives to accomplish this ambitious endeavor, Shoutarou must learn and master the basics of rhythmic gymnastics all while working in tandem with his new teammates if Shoushukan wants to stand a chance at claiming the title.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
TW: Sexual assault in ep 9
*The reaction for ep 9 has static in the background, sorry
Opening and ending music credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqNrbDS84U&ab_channel=SteveHansen
In a world where beasts coexist, a gentle wolf awakens to his predatory urges as his schoolmates deal with a murder in their midst.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
CW: There are some pretty violent scenes in this show. Here is a link to a guide with warnings for each episode: https://www.carleton.edu/student/orgs/anime/content-warnings/a-l/baccano-2/
On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality. Based on the award-winning light novels of the same name, Baccano! follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but are part of a much bigger story—one of alchemy, survival, and immortality.
Opening and ending credits: Gun's & Roses by Paradise Lunch
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Music credits: Seishun no Enbu (青春の演舞)" by Centimillimental
Shoutarou Futaba has always loved sports, but he never became more than a benchwarmer on his middle school baseball team. After noticing a group of gymnasts practicing in the park, he decides to watch a rhythmic gymnastics tournament on a whim. Although displaying an exhilarating performance at the competition, the Shoushukan High School's Rhythmic Gymnastics Club places second-to-last due to penalties acquired from not fielding a full six-man roster.
The demonstration of skill captivates Shoutarou, and he decides to enroll at Shoushukan in hopes of joining the team despite having no background in the sport. The club recruits him alongside Ryouya Misato, a prodigal gymnast who was the runner-up in a junior tournament.
Now with a full six-man roster, the team sets out to compete in the upcoming Inter-High tournament. As he strives to accomplish this ambitious endeavor, Shoutarou must learn and master the basics of rhythmic gymnastics all while working in tandem with his new teammates if Shoushukan wants to stand a chance at claiming the title.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Ep note: If you know good Beastars fanfic hit me up on Twitter
Opening and ending music credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqNrbDS84U&ab_channel=SteveHansen
In a world where beasts coexist, a gentle wolf awakens to his predatory urges as his schoolmates deal with a murder in their midst.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Seventeen-year-old Mark Grayson is just like every guy his age, except that his father is Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on the planet. As Mark develops powers of his own, he discovers his father's legacy may not be as heroic as it seems.
Opening and closing music credits: DJ Shadow - Rocket Fuel (feat. De La Soul)
CW: There are some pretty violent scenes in this show. Here is a link to a guide with warnings for each episode: https://www.carleton.edu/student/orgs/anime/content-warnings/a-l/baccano-2/
On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality. Based on the award-winning light novels of the same name, Baccano! follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but are part of a much bigger story—one of alchemy, survival, and immortality.
Opening and ending credits: Gun's & Roses by Paradise Lunch
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Reaction actually starts at 3:30 (you can skip some rambling)
Seventeen-year-old Mark Grayson is just like every guy his age, except that his father is Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on the planet. As Mark develops powers of his own, he discovers his father's legacy may not be as heroic as it seems.
Opening and closing music credits: DJ Shadow - Rocket Fuel (feat. De La Soul)
Opening and ending music credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqNrbDS84U&ab_channel=SteveHansen
Beata watches and reacts to the fourth and fifth episode of Netflix's anime, Beastars. Sync your video and enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Horimiya has been dropped for now and replaced with Baccano! I'll pick it up if I get interested again
Intro and outro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSJ8hiOlyIE&ab_channel=LeonAlex
Beata watches and reacts to the fourth and fifth episode of Horimiya, a comedy-romance following two classmates who become close after discovering each other's "secret self." Sync your video and enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
cw: there is brief depiction of blood around 1:14-1:23 in the episode runtime
Intro and outro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSJ8hiOlyIE&ab_channel=LeonAlex
Beata watches and reacts to the third episode of Horimiya, a comedy-romance following two classmates who become close after discovering each other's "secret self." Sync your video and enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Beata watches Bridesmaids, a 2011 comedy. Sync your video and enjoy!
Annie (Kristen Wiig) is a single woman whose own life is a mess, but when she learns that her lifelong best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), is engaged, she has no choice but to serve as the maid of honor. Though lovelorn and almost penniless, Annie, nevertheless, winds her way through the strange and expensive rituals associated with her job as the bride's go-to gal. Determined to make things perfect, she gamely leads Lillian and the other bridesmaids down the wild road to the wedding.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Beata watches and reacts to the second episode of Horimiya, a comedy-romance following two classmates who become close after discovering each other's "secret self." Sync your video and enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Beata watches and reacts to the first episode of Horimiya, a comedy-romance following two classmates who become close after discovering each other's "secret self." Sync your video and enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Opening music credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqNrbDS84U&ab_channel=SteveHansen
Beata watches and reacts to the third episode of Netflix's anime, Beastars. Sync your video and enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Opening music credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqNrbDS84U&ab_channel=SteveHansen
Beata watches and reacts to the second episode of Netflix's anime, Beastars. Sync your video and enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Opening music credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqNrbDS84U&ab_channel=SteveHansen
Beata watches and reacts to the first episode of Netflix's anime, Beastars. Sync your video and enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app