Crunchyroll’s everywhere, our awards takes are simmering, dandadan is stuck in our heads, and Flavors of Youth goes down smooth. 🎧🔥
Blu3 and TehWrongGuy return with Episode 15—starting with why Crunchyroll is suddenly inescapable (Funimation merger vibes, R.I.P. comments section), then diving into the Crunchyroll Anime Awards: love, hate, and the eyebrow-raisers. We spar over Ninja Kamui winning anything, debate Best Continuing (Demon Slayer vs Bleach/MHA), and argue Best New Series (Solo Leveling’s hype vs Frieren’s heart).
We vibe-check Dandadan (opening/song of the year energy), celebrate Solo Leveling’s soundtrack and Jinwoo’s glow-up, and gush about comfy watches—Konosuba S3, Shangri-La Frontier boss fights, and Slime S3’s dungeon arc (plus the chill Slime Diaries spinoff). For our movie pick, we go spoiler-light on Flavors of Youth (Netflix): three gentle shorts, gorgeous noodles, sisterhood, and cassette-tape romance—complete with our scores. We detour into Toonami nostalgia (TOM forever), then hit the news: MangaDex takedown fallout and MyAnimeList getting scooped by a blockchain company (uh… NFTs, anyone?). Big opinions, bigger coziness, and plenty for your queue.
00:00 — Cold open: “Why is Crunchyroll everywhere?” (Funimation merger, player vs. player, bring back comments!)
02:46 — Intro: Welcome to Anime Ignite 🎙️
03:00 — Crunchyroll Awards: fan-voted love… and our gripes
04:50 — “Ninja Kamui” winning? Blu3 says dumpster fire 🗑️
06:05 — Best Continuing: Demon Slayer wins; Bleach/MHA snub talk
08:57 — Best New Series: Solo Leveling vs Frieren (hype vs surprise)
11:30 — Kaiju No. 8 manga hype check
12:10 — Delicious in Dungeon shoutout (wholesome watch with TWG’s kid)
13:35 — Dandadan: starts weird, lands amazing (OP + song = certified banger)
17:05 — Best Score: Solo Leveling’s “Dark Aria” goosebumps moment
18:18 — Best MC: Sung Jinwoo’s grind vs “plot armor” discourse
22:00 — Webtoon rec: The Gamer (game systems done right)
22:41 — Best Isekai: Re:Zero wins; love for Konosuba & Shangri-La Frontier’s boss fights
25:03 — Slime S3 dungeon-building joy; S2 demon lord ascension still top tier
27:08 — Konosuba S3 favorites (heist bracelet arc, Kazuma competence cameo) + specials/movie notes
30:05 — Pass on Suicide Squad Isekai (rough start)
30:31 — Support cast W: Fern (Frieren) and other category wins
31:39 — Global Impact: Attack on Titan finale thoughts (CGI quibbles, epilogue praise) + “Red Swan” shout
36:19 — Film of the Year: Look Back (adding to watchlist)
38:10 — This week’s movie: Flavors of Youth (Netflix) — setup & format
40:47 — Story 1: Rice Noodles (memory, family, food = tears)
44:35 — Story 2: A Little Fashion Show (sisters, industry pressure, healing)
48:37 — Story 3: Love in Shanghai (tapes, timing, missed chances)
58:10 — Scores: 7.5 (TWG) & 7.8 (Blu3) — watch for the vibes, especially the first two
59:43 — News: MangaDex down; scan sites vs paid models; why legit access still matters
1:06:01 — News 2: MyAnimeList acquired by blockchain firm (tokenomics??) + what it might mean
1:10:08 — Wrap & sign-off
💬 Got takes, recs, or rage about the Awards? Drop them at animeignite.com — the official home of the podcast.