Wednesday, September 23, 2026

T5W#580-Top 5 Worst Resident Evil Movies

Well I’ll be damned.  Despite my continued skepticism, Zack Cregger’s Resident Evil reboot made a splash at the box office this past weekend and scored the highest ratings of any Resident Evil film released to date.  I guess I’ll have to get around to seeing if this movie is worth the praise and money’s it’s netted at some point but clearly, it’s not nearly as bad as some of the many stinkers in the various Resident Evil film series.  Be they canonically animated or live action, the Resident Evil franchise may be the highest grossing Video Game Adapted series on record but they can hardly be called masterworks and even the best can only be passable.  Anyway, a few years back in preparation for my playthrough of Resident Evil 4 Remake, I did a Top 5 on the Best Resident Evil Movies and initially had this ready as a follow up, only for it to fall by the wayside into stand by mode.  Well, stand by mode disengaged as we look at the Top 5 Worst Resident Evil Movies on today’s Top 5 Wednesday.

Monday, September 21, 2026

KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Part 3 Episodes 7-9

Megumin’s grand adventure isn’t off to the best start.  Short on money and stuck in Arcanretia, the prodigy of the Crimson Demons finds herself in a tug of war between two warring churches and a diabolical mystery surrounding the towns beloved hot springs.  To make things worse, Arnes is still searching for her supposed Demonic mistress who may or may not be Megumin’s pet cat, Chomusuke…who has also shown up with Yunyun in tow.  But Megumin’s determined to get to Axel and begin her adventures with a party of her choosing and she will get there…no matter what terrible deed or despicable tactic she needs to use to get there.

Schools out and its onto the open road for the penultimate chapter of Megumin’s explosive origin story.  As sort of sad as it is to leave the classroom setting (and the wacky teachers) behind, it’s nice to see Megumin have some actual adventures before her inevitable meet up with Kazuma and the gang.  Said adventures included returning to one of my favorite spots from the original series and a caravan under constant demon attack.  It feels a bit too familiar at times but I’m still enjoying the ride and the change in the status quo.
 

Friday, September 18, 2026

FIF#263-Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia

Young slave Sitara was welcomed into a home of learning, acceptance and love.  But when the Mongolian Empire came, they tore down her home, her family and her future.  Sitara survives and now finds herself serving in the heart of the Empire that took everything from her.  But Sitara isn’t an ordinary girl.  She has a knack for learning and might just be able to study her enemies close enough to be their ultimate downfall.  It will take time but Sitara isnt about to let the lessons imparted to her go to waste.
 
Today’s FIF comes as a recommendation from a friend and I’ll be honest, I’m surprised this one isn’t getting a lot of buzz this season.  This is the first of two Anime that are set in a very not Japan region of the world we’ll be looking at over the next couple of weeks and really, I wish more Anime were taking advantage of that.  Jaadugar not only looks to have a very compelling story to tell but it also shown off in one of the most beautiful artstyles I’ve ever seen, proving that Science Saru is not a studio to ever be underestimated. 
 

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

T5W#579-Top 5 Reasons Why Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is the Feel Good Anime of 2026

2026 has not been a slouch when it comes to mega entertaining Anime titles (though maybe not quite as on par with the cultural zeitgeist that was a Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man movie breaking box office records left, right and center).  Jujutsu Kaisen made it’s triumphant return.  Bleach is actually closing in on it’s proper finale.  And the newest iteration of Ghost in the Shell has gotten some of the most positive buzz the franchise has had in a long time.  However, there is one title that is standing out amongst the rest, not for its spectacle or action but for its more down to Earth realism, honesty and, above all, genuine kindness while enjoying a favorite pastime.  I’m talk about Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You.  Somehow a show with a premise so simple (the title mostly covers it) has become one of the most talked about and widely praised of the year.  Heck it’s one of the few I’m personally keeping up with as close to when new episodes air as I can.  So today on Top 5 Wednesday, we’re gonna chill a little bit and talk about the Top 5 Reasons Why Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is the Feel Good Anime of 2026.
 

Monday, September 14, 2026

KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Part 2 Episodes 4-6

As graduation draws near, Megumin and Yunyun find themselves with just enough points to attain their magical dreams.  That could be a problem though with Dark God Monsters stepping up their attacks on their village.  When Komekko and Yunyun find themselves in trouble, Megumin sees the chance to seize her destiny and release the power within: the power of Explosion magic.  Soon the demons of the world (and her village) will feel her fury.  This is where Megumin’s legend truly begins.

The second week of the KonoSuba Megumin Prequel covered a lot of ground this week, a surprising amount actually.  I mean In know this is only supposed to be 12 episodes but wow you’d think things were wrapping up after only 6, which is both a good and not 100% bad thing.  I’m happy we still have time left to spend with Megumin’s origins but I’ve gotta say, seeing everything come together and seeing Megumin take her first major steps towards the maniac mad bomber Kazuma somehow relies on put a huge smile on my face.
 

Friday, September 11, 2026

FIF#262-Lupin the Third vs. Detective Conan (The Special)

The assassination of a prominent world leader brings her daughter and heir to Japan, where she’ll unknowingly cross paths with two iconic figures.  One is the greatest thief in the world.  The other is a genius detective trapped in the form of a child.  Normally they’d be at odds with each other but if this Princess is to survive another attempt on her life, can Lupin the Third and Detective Conan put aside their differences long enough to save the day?
 
The Gentlemen Thief and the Teen Detective stuck in the body of a child and refuses to get unstuck for whatever reason.  On paper matching these two up is pretty interesting.  Conan’s a genius investigator and Lupin is the genius thief who’s skill and wit can help him out of any situation. It’s quite the match and thanks to a short snippet I checked out at Otakon a few weeks back, I can say it might just work better than I thought, especially coming from a guy who hasn’t been super big into either of these characters or their franchises.
 

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

T5W#578-Top 5 Ways King Ghidorah Could Return in Godzilla Minus Zero

Ohhhhhh this just got so good.  In what could very well be the last trailer before the movie drops in November, Godzilla Minus Zero revealed one of its biggest surprises for the much anticipated sequel.  Sure there were some red herring splintered in throughout all the chaos.  But then the screen cut to black and a very familiar creature sound was heard…followed by Godzilla being dropped from the sky to the ground.  That’s right folks: KING GHIDORAH IS BACK!!!!!  Godzilla’s most famous rival returns to challenge for the right to be called King on November 6th in what will be their first true on screen Japan  showdown since…well I guess either 2001 with GMK or 2004 with Final Wars though technically that was Kaiser Ghidorah (and we’re not counting Legendary’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters cause that’s on the US side).  The question I’m sure is on everyones mind, including my own is, well, how is the Three Headed Monster being folded into this new iteration of Godzilla’s story.  Well in todays Top 5 Wednesday Dear Readers, that’s what we’re gonna chat about.  These are my theories for the Top 5 Ways King Ghidorah Could Return in Godzilla Minus Zero.  Full Disclosure: Some of these will be very farfetched and mostly just excuses to talk about how Ghidorah has been presented in the past.  I put nothing past Takashi Yamazaki, especially if he can integrate it into the narrative as well as anything in Godzilla Minus One.
 

Monday, September 7, 2026

KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Part 1 Episodes 1-3

When she was just a small girl, Megumin of the Crimson Demons witnessed a feat of magic so incredible, it’s all she wants to have.  Now, Megumin has come to the Red Prison Magical Academy.  Here she will meet friends who want to be rivals, out of control teachers, and group of classmates who think that Explosion Magic is a joke.  But it’s no joke to Megumin and there’s no one who can stop her from learning the spell that will become her claim to fame.

It’s been a minute since we’ve visited the wacky world of KonoSuba.  While we wait for the announced Season 4 of the home series, this month we’ll be looking at the only (so far) franchise spin off focusing on everyones overdramatic goddess of destruction: Megumin.  Incase you didn’t tell from the synopsis, this is a Megumin origin story centered on how she came to acquire explosion magic and become the megaton delivering maniac she is.  KonoSuba spin offs aren’t a bad idea, especially when you pick the right character to follow in their own adventure.  The question here is: can Megumin handle her own tale without the back up of her fellow adventurers?  That’s what we’re going to find out this month as we begin KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!
 

Friday, September 4, 2026

FIF#261-Clevatees

The Four Beast Kings: Monsters of unfathomable power, borderline invincible foes.  Alicia Glenfall learned this the hard way when she fell in battle along with other brave souls at the hands of Clevatees.  Alicia did not expect to be resurrected to assist the Demon with an unexpected task: raising a baby named Luna.  Neither know of the childs true destiny and where the path of this experiment in human understanding leads, even Clevatees himself does not know.
 
I’ve never been one for Dark Fantasy.  Between growing up hearing just how nightmare inducing the final of the original Berserk was to how unsettling the first episode of Goblin Slayer surprised everyone, I’m cool with letting others enjoy them, even if they are beloved tales (a la Berserk).  I’m not sure what about Clevatees gravitated me to it but go figure, it might have something to offer thanks to the titular beast himself. 
 

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

T5W#577-Top 5 Best Peter Cullen Toonami Promos

We’ve sadly lost a lot of popular icons within the span of seemingly days and the losses aren’t getting any easier.  While the loss of Tim Curry and Dolly Parton still feels unreal, for me, the most heart wrenching departure of a famous and beloved human being is still Peter Cullen.  For many of us, he is forever immortalized as the voice of one of the greatest heroes in science fiction: Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots in the Transformers franchise. But for those of us who didn’t grow up with his awesomeness as a voice actor in the 80s, the Toonami age saw Cullen’s vocal talents brought to a whole new generation.  Alongside Steve Blum’s Tom, Cullen provided the hype for virtually every single show on Toonami’s line up in dozens of promos across Toonami’s ongoing lifespan.  It’s just not going to be the same hearing him announce the arrival of a new title or remind us when an awesome show like Bleach or Naruto is coming up next.  Heck, how many Anime did Cullen bring to our attention in the same way he narrarated the epic opening for Voltron?  Well today that’s how I’m going to honor a hero whose loss did as much a number on me as losing Leonard Nimoy.  Today on Top 5 Wednesday, we honor the voice of multiple generations with the Top 5 Best Peter Cullen Toonami Promos.  Rest well in The Matrix old friend, Til all are one.