Toonami Absolution

Alyx loves Bungo Stray Dogs. Jon and Sam have not seen it. Can they understand Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple, a movie that comes after season 2? One that features an evil fog, Fyodor Dostoyevsky rambling about crime and punishment, and a man who lives in a massive evil tower that is randomly in the middle of a major metropolitan area.This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple (2018), the theatrical film produced by Bones, set after the events of Season 2, and a film that has sparked a lot of fan debate as to its meaning and position in the franchise (yet Jon and Sam are doomed).Six years after the Dragon's Head Conflict, a white-haired man named Tatsuhiko Shibusawa triggers the appearance of a strange fog in Yokohama, one that separates an ability from its user and manifests it as a physical entity with a single goal, destroy the person it came from. The more users die, the stronger Shibusawa becomes, feeding on the collected abilities. The Armed Detective Agency is commissioned by Ango Sakaguchi's Special Division to capture Shibusawa before the city is destroyed.At the same time, Fyodor Dostoyevsky is acting as Shibusawa's right hand man, pushing him to do something that he claims will make Shibusawa better, but in reality will just make Dostoyevsky stronger. All the while, Nakajima is going through a crisis of confidence, one that will turn out to be very relevant to the overall story and may hold the key to getting rid of this fog once and for all.We discuss how the film works as a standalone movie versus as a companion to the series, whether Dead Apple's plot actually makes sense, and why Bones are somehow able to get away with this mess thanks to their amazing animation.🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Toonami and Adult Swim's most iconic anime films and series!

Fuu's purse being stolen by a thief who turns out to have a completely sympathetic reason for what he's doing, but that won’t mean there are not consequences. The other episode is about Jin being challenged by a singing swordsman who has hired two beatboxers as his travelling accompanists.This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 7 and 8: "A Risky Racket" and "The Art of Altercation.""A Risky Racket" opens with Fuu's purse being stolen by a young thief named Shinsuke who is stealing to fund his ailing mother's medical treatment. This puts Fuu in an awkward situation as Mugen and Jin are keen to get their money back and likely won’t see the funny side. Plus, Shinsuke has also angered the mafia, meaning that his nobility might be his undoing.Then "The Art of Altercation" arrives with a different energy entirely: a swordsman named Inuyaka, who sings as he fights, has been challenging every bespectacled samurai he can find in search of Jin. He becomes infatuated with Fuu, who accidentally leads him right to Jin, finally giving us a little hint at the backstory that Jin has worked so hard to hide, one that paints him in a totally different light.We discuss why "A Risky Racket" might be anime’s best anti-capitalist story, what "The Art of Altercation" tells us about Jin that the series hasn't shown directly yet, and why Samurai Champloo is at its best when its messing with the audience.🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Samurai Champloo from the very beginning!📌 Topics covered this episode: – Samurai Champloo Episode 7 "A Risky Racket" recap & review – Samurai Champloo Episode 8 "The Art of Altercation" recap & review

A weird scientist who reads too much Lewis Carroll and has developed mind-control technology, decides its time for tea. The Batman gets locked up in Arkham Asylum, while the Scarecrow poisons the water supply. It is an odd week all round.This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 27 and 28: "Mad as a Hatter" and "Dreams in Darkness,” the final episodes of Batman: The Animated Series Volume 1."Mad as a Hatter" introduces Jervis Tetch (voiced by Roddy McDowall) a scientist at Wayne Research who has developed microchip technology capable of controlling anyone wearing it. He is also, in his private life, completely consumed by Alice in Wonderland and desperately in love with his colleague Alice. When he learns Alice has a boyfriend, he snaps and decide to use his new tech to cause chaos around Gotham and claim her for himself. What’s especially weird about this episode is that Hatter doesn't have an external origin, no accident, no betrayal, no tragedy, he’s just broken from the start, and despite what Paul Dini and Bruce Timm say, he’s in no way sympathetic. Then "Dreams in Darkness" sees Batman get sprayed with Scarecrow’s newest fear gas, something that leads to him crashing his car and ending up in Arkham Asylum. So, now he has to find a way out of Arkham before Scarecrow can pollute all of Gotham’s water supply, which is under Arkham Asylum for reasons that make zero sense.We discuss what McDowall brings to the Mad Hatter, question why all of the production notes call the Mad Hatter sympathetic, and question if "Dreams in Darkness" is really the best way to end a volume of the show.🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing episode-by-episode watch-through of Batman: The Animated Series!📌 Topics covered this episode: – Batman: TAS Episode 27 "Mad as a Hatter" recap & review — the Mad Hatter's debut – Batman: TAS Episode 28 "Dreams in Darkness" recap & review

A rich dude decides that the best way to celebrate his kid’s birthday is to have Mr. Satan punch a load of aliens. Goku watches this whole thing from heaven. The movie never quite finds a plot its happy with.This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993), the ninth DBZ film, the only one set after the Cell Saga, and the one where Gohan is finally, properly the main character.Mr. X.S. Cash is funding an intergalactic martial arts tournament as a birthday present for his son, one where 200 fighters compete for the chance to go one-on-one with Mr. Satan. Naturally, Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, Future Trunks, Tien, and Piccolo all enter, surprising Mr. Satan despite the fact all these people do is enter fighting tournments.Even worse, the aliens X.S. Cashed hired are taken out by Bojack, a massive, green-skinned pirate lord sealed away by all four Kais before the series began. A pirate who was released when Goku's decision to teleport Cell to King Kai's planet broke the seal. Thus, Gohan is forced to step up and follow in his father’s footsteps by giving Bojack a fight he’ll never forget.We rank Bojack against the other DBZ films, discuss why this film makes no sense, and try to work out exactly what accent Bojack is meant to have.🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of the DBZ film catalogue!

Fuu gets recruited to model for the most famous ukiyo-e artist in Edo Japan, only to nearly end up being sold into slavery. Then a red-haired foreigner who may or may not be allowed to exist under Edo-period law ropes her and her buddies into a sightseeing tour of Japan. For a show that says it isn’t a period piece, Samurai Champloo is featuring some historical deep cuts.This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 5 and 6: "Artistic Anarchy" and "Stranger Searching.""Artistic Anarchy" opens with the trio broke and unable to afford ferry passage, scattering to find work separately. Fuu is approached by a charismatic man who identifies himself as Hishikawa Moronobu (a real historical figure and one of the most celebrated ukiyo-e painters of the Edo period, art fans!) who offers her money if she’ll model for him. She agrees. Alas, turns out that Moronobu is working for a trafficking ring and his interest in Fuu isn’t all it first seems. At the same time, Mugen and Jin each try to solve the gang’s money problems in their own unique ways.Then "Stranger Searching" introduces a red-haired, blue-eyed foreigner into the mix at a time when Edo-period Japan's sakoku policy officially banned foreigners from setting foot on Japanese soil. After Mugen and Jin lose their swords in an eating contest, this man promises to retrieve them, providing they take him on a tour of the local landmarks. However, it soon turns out that this man loves Japan for a very specific reason.We discuss what "Artistic Anarchy" does with its historical grounding, what "Stranger Searching" reveals about the show's willingness to engage with the actual political context of its setting, and how progressive Samurai Champloo is. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Samurai Champloo from the very beginning!📌 Topics covered this episode: – Samurai Champloo Episode 5 "Artistic Anarchy" recap & review – Samurai Champloo Episode 6 "Stranger Searching" recap & review

A guy with no powers, no weapons, and no particular physical skill is somehow one of themost dangerous antagonists Batman has ever faced. Then, Batman heads back to the street that started the whole story to protect it from a greedy developer. This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 25 and 26: "The Clock King" and "Appointment in Crime Alley.""The Clock King" introduces Temple Fugate, a efficiency-obsessed man, whose entire life ran on an exact schedule, until Gotham Mayor Hamilton Hill convinced him to take his coffee break five minutes early, something that ruins his life. Seven years later, and Fugate still blames Hamilton Hill, and decide to turn Gotham’s schedules into the ultimate weapon, doing everything he can to crush Hill’s chances at reelection. Then "Appointment in Crime Alley" brings in Roland Daggett for the last time, as he hires arsonist-for-hire Nitro to burn Crime Alley to the ground so he can redevelop the land. At the same time, Batman is racing to reach Leslie Thompkins, the elderly physician who comforted a nine-year-old Bruce Wayne in the street the night his parents were shot, leading to both of them getting tangled in Dagget’s scheme. We discuss what makes the Clock King such a memorable (if silly) villain, why "Appointment in Crime Alley" doesn’t quite work despite its lofty ambitions, and if Bruce Timm can ever be truly happy. 🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing episode-by-episode watch-through of Batman: The Animated Series!📌 Topics covered this episode:– Batman: TAS Episode 25 "The Clock King" recap & review– Batman: TAS Episode 26 "Appointment in Crime Alley" recap & review

The rules of Otokoyo are simple: seven children go into an abandoned city after dark. They are hunted by demons, and some will go missing.This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek (2004), the 25-minute cel-shaded short film written and directed by Shuhei Morita, and one of the most atmospheric pieces of anime horror ever made in a single sitting's runtime.The film takes place in a derelict, neon-lit corner of Tokyo that has been quietly quarantined by the supernatural, a Kowloon-inspired labyrinth of crumbling tenements and flickering signs where children have been disappearing for as long as anyone can remember. Seven children gather here to play a supernatural game of hide and seek, where the children are hunted by demons, and those who get caught vanish forever.We discuss how well Kakurenbo uses its limited runtime, how the industrialization metaphor lands, and how much we miss Adult Swim attempting to freak you out if you watched it in the early hours of the morning.🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Toonami and Adult Swim's most iconic anime films and hidden gems!

Mugen and Jin, bored and irritated by Fuu, split off at a fork in the road. Both immediately get recruited as bodyguards by the two yakuza clans currently fighting over a small town. Things quickly escalate and go horribly wrong for everyone involved.This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover "Hellhounds for Hire (Part 1)" and "Hellhounds for Hire (Part 2),” Samurai Champloo's first two-parter, and the episodes where the show begins demonstrating exactly how much it can do within a single contained story."Hellhounds for Hire (Part 1)" opens with Mugen and Jin announcing they are leaving Fuu at a crossroads, having concluded she is too bossy and the sunflower samurai quest too vague.Mugen wanders into a gambling district and is immediately hired as muscle by the Shiobara clan. Jin arrives in the same town, is immediately hired as muscle by their rivals, the Nagatomi clan. Neither knows the other is in town. However, when the two clans go to war, the two dudes with swords find themselves in the middle. Especially as they’re both keen to make sure that they’re the one who gets to take the other one down, even if it means turning on their side.We discuss what the two-parter structure lets Samurai Champloo do that the single-episode format can't, what the Nagatomi-Shiobara conflict says about the show’s treatment of social issues, and the specific pleasure of watching Mugen and Jin work separately toward the same chaotic conclusion.🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Samurai Champloo from the very beginning!📌 Topics covered this episode: – Samurai Champloo Episode 3 "Hellhounds for Hire (Part 1)" recap & review – Samurai Champloo Episode 4 "Hellhounds for Hire (Part 2)" recap & review

Harvey Bullock is under arrest for kidnapping a witness. The evidence against him is damning. Batman doesn't believe it for a second, and not because he likes Bullock. Also, Scarecrow decides that he wants to take up sports gambling.This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 23 and 24: "Vendetta" and "Fear of Victory.""Vendetta" opens with the disappearance of Spider Conway, a small-time crook about to testify against Rupert Thorne and several other mob bosses, from a boat on the Gotham River. Harvey Bullock, who arrested Conway years earlier and is suspected of corruption, is immediately the prime suspect. Batman, despite hating Harvey Bullock tries to find the truth, which leads him to Killer Croc, the wrestler turned alligator who hangs out in Goham’s sewers.Then "Fear of Victory" sees Robin get his second Batman: The Animated Series outing. We also find that, after escaping from Arkham Asylum, Scarecrow has decided that he wants to spend his time defrauding bookies via rigged sports betting, which is a weird character trait, but one we find utterly hilarious. Also he looks like a potato now.We discuss the weirdness of Killer Croc's introduction, how Robin fits into the Batman: The Animated Series formula, and if Gamblin’ Scarecrow is the best version of the character.🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing episode-by-episode watch-through of Batman: The Animated Series!📌 Topics covered this episode: – Batman: TAS Episode 23 "Vendetta" recap & review – Batman: TAS Episode 24 "Fear of Victory" recap & review