Hello and welcome. You are listening to the pilot
episode of the After Hours Arc, your new anime
podcast. My name is Antai. I'm going to be your
host. And I am sorry. I know we don't need another
anime podcast, but I need a hobby. And I figured
why not combine the love of anime that I have
and the random constant jumble of all the shows
that I've watched that are just rolling around
in my brain. So I figured that would be a fun,
good little outlet for myself. And I do think
there are a ton of fantastic anime podcasts out
there already. So I'm not looking to compete.
You know, I have zero budget, no sponsors, and
I'm not really trying to be anybody. I have no
idea what I'm doing, honestly. And I'm probably
not even qualified to give my takes on these
series. You know, nine times out of ten, I am
pretty sure I'm gonna mispronunciate the characters'
names. So I will apologize for that in advance
as well. But this is something I am really excited
to get started. So hopefully this is something
that entertains or interests you as well and
again this is my first time doing anything like
this and i'm hoping you'll be kind so my goal
for this is i want a very chill vibe i just want
to review shows and talk anime and pretty much
not too much in between i want to really keep
it to anime and Getting along with that, I'll
give you a little backstory of my anime history,
sort of speak. So I do consider myself to be
a little bit of a late bloomer when it comes
to it. You know, I was definitely in early middle
school, and I had a friend named Mike, and he
was totally into it. Like, he had figurines and
manga and, you know, obsessed. He was probably
one of the only people in my circle that would
have been the one to introduce me to anime, I
think. And, you know, he was watching shows like
FLCL, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in a Shell,
like classics. And I do find it kind of funny
that I didn't quite get into it then. I was more
of a Toonami boy. Like, I grew up watching Pokemon
and Digimon, and at night, you know, I fell in
love with Inuyasha, and, you know, we had Gundam.
And I can't honestly remember what else was there
that was so long ago. And, you know, I'm in my
30s now, and I'm a stoner. I can't remember that
far back. But that was more of what I was watching
when I was getting into it. But back then when
I was a kid, you know, I'm hanging out with my
friends. We're not watching TV. Like we might
be playing some video games, but, you know, my
generation was actually going out and like causing
trouble. So it really wasn't until I had my own
place that I got really into anime. And, you
know, it's because at this point now I can watch
whatever I want and whenever I want. And so that's
exactly what I did. And so that's basically how
I got into it and what shows I was kind of introduced
to. So where I'm at now, I think winter 2026
has been phenomenal for me, for the shows that
I watch. You know, it hasn't been so great for
the weather, though, because I'm out on the East
Coast and we have been getting plummeted with
snow this winter. So I will say it is very nice
to have so many shows to watch. And again, with
working overnight, I have the ability to watch
them the day they air before I go to work. So
then I'm not having shows like Jujutsu Kaisen
ruined for me thanks to TikTok because I'm scrolling
on my lunch. So that always pissed me off. So
I'm very happy. what days everything is placed
I do usually have to watch them twice though
I have to watch before I go into work and then
I usually watch it when I get home you know that
way I'm not rushing out the door the only one
I really watch twice is Jujutsu Kaisen but that's
because I mean it is a little bit confusing so
you do have to pay attention and you know I can't
just be getting ready for work and glancing at
the screen as they're going over the calling
game rules. You know what I mean? So now what
I think I'm going to do is I'm going to list
the four animes that I am currently watching
that are currently airing. And they just so happen
to be on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
So not only do I have four shows that are new,
I am watching them back to back. And it's so
good. Two of those days I don't work and it feels
like I have hit the jackpot. JJK putt. Who knows?
But when it comes to the current seasons, I am
watching the Isoke office worker. The other world's
books depend on the bean counter. And Wednesdays,
I'm watching Jack of all trades. Party of none.
Thursday. We have Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, which
I'm sure there isn't anybody not under the sun
who isn't watching that. And I do plan on doing
some reviews and recaps on that series. I'm probably
not going to get too much into that on this episode.
You know, there is so much to talk about and
cover, and I really don't want to spoil it in
this episode. I want actual spoils. podcast episodes.
So I plan to do them on Fridays so that the day
after I can give you my take. So we will see
how that goes. But that's on Thursday. And Friday
is free from season two. So I'm going to start
by going into the Tuesday one. And I'll just
go in order of the week. So this one is a BL.
And I wasn't sure if it was going to be. But
I saw some reactions of people on TikTok and
that is what actually made me want to check it
out. It wasn't on Crunchyroll for too long. I
think there was like two episodes. So I didn't
miss out on too much. But, you know, I was hooked.
It is not your typical isekai because, you know,
this main character, Saichiro Kondo. he accidentally
gets summoned to this other world with this girl
who is this world's holy maiden. You know, it's
basically a ritual that they've been doing forever.
And, you know, it's like any typical isekai,
you know, where they're summoned to another world
to save the day. And, you know, Kondo, this guy,
he was a tag -along. And unfortunately for him,
Because of that, I mean, he is so not equipped
to live in this world, like physically, because
he has no resistance or little to no resistance
to magic. And they have what they even call magicules.
So like even breathing is basically killing him.
And he is, you know, in his 30s. And as somebody
in my 30s, I have to say, He looks rough. I mean,
he's got bags on bags and he's a workaholic.
And even the Holy Maiden described him, which
was basically just based off of what she knows
of him in this brief encounter. Because again,
like I said, they're strangers. He wasn't supposed
to come here. So she says that he is a work drone
and, you know, he's just a fucking machine. And
they offer him lodging and money because, again,
you know, this is an inconvenience. And it's
not like they can send him back because, like,
that would be way too easy. So instead of that,
he wants to work, which, I mean, that tells you
everything you need to know about this dude right
away. Like, this is his identity, you know? And
unfortunately, he's been drinking these like
energy elixirs. And I mean, he's able to bang
through all this accounting work. And he continues
to move up in rank and within the anime as this
outsider. But in the beginning, I mean, he gets
really sick. He ends up overdosing on those elixirs
because again, he has like no resistance to magic.
You know, cut to the main love interest of the
series, who is this commander who's in his 20s.
And as the season has progressed, I love this
man so much. He has grown on me. I didn't think
he was that interesting in the beginning, but
there is a 10 year age gap between them and you
can really see it. So I think they did a fantastic
job with that. But, you know, he is this like
hunk of a man, especially compared to Soichiro.
He is built and he is part of third order and
they can use magic and it's a very high rank.
And, you know, it gets very, very into that lore.
which I love. I am a sucker for fantasy, anything.
So it's kind of really adorable to see a relationship
of some sort start to bud and blossom, you know?
And I just watched the last episode that came
out and it was so funny. I don't want to ruin
too much, but it was just the delivery of this
commander character. I was grinning ear to ear
the whole episode. It is fantastic. It is a great
BL. It was not quite what I was expecting. This
has been a very slow burn type of romance. And
I will say it is a little spicy, but I mean...
Like, it's not Junjo Romantica, you know what
I'm saying? Like, there's no giant age gaps,
and there's no, you know, forced anything. Like,
I mean, even in the beginning, he asks him for,
like, consent, and I won't explain for what,
because I think you should check out this BL
if you're into them. But when I watched the scene,
I was just like, wait. What did he just say?
Because again, I am used to like early 2000s
BLs and you know, there's so much less of a filter
with those. So that's what I'm watching on Tuesdays.
And on Wednesdays is Jack of all trades, party
of none. And okay, so this one really excites
me. And I am pious because I'm a bit of a nerd.
So I grew up playing a text -based multi -user
dungeon RPG. And one of my main characters was
an enchanter. And that is who the main character
of this series is. And I feel like I don't see
enough of enchanters represented in guild animes.
And I mean, like, I know they are. But I feel
like with this one, I think they did a fantastic
job showcasing at least how I feel an Enchanter's
magic should look. And kind of how they should
act, you know, like what their role is. And this
story follows this Enchanter, Oran. And, you
know, he was actually a swordsman. Which is even
more impressive because that means he literally
switched his class. And, you know, if you've
played games, if you want to play a different
class, you either have to delete or just start
over with a new one. So I think right off the
rip, that is impressive as fuck. Like, I was
so excited to see what he could do. And, I mean,
he ends up getting banished from his hero's party.
You know, typical trope. And I usually love all
those animes. There's one scooped up by an S
-ranked adventurer. And I must have seen it like
12 times now. I really, really enjoy re -watching
animes. And that is one that I have watched so
much. It is definitely a feel -good anime for
me. But even then, you know, the main character
of that one is a white mage. And that seems to
really be the role that gets portrayed in a lot
of these animes. Is this still support character,
but they're mostly like a healer. And my enchanter
couldn't heal. I could do so many other things.
But I feel like the representation of what an
enchanter should be is portrayed very accurately
in this show. And again, at least just from my
gaming experience. But you know, so Auron and
the hero, whose name is Oliver, I mean, like
they grew up together. So I have a really hard
time that he was just okay with banishing like
his best friend. The other party members are
obviously the ones who were pulling the strings.
But I think at the end of the day, he should
have put his foot down. I really don't understand
how he caved so easy. I didn't think he would
just be like, you gotta go. But he does. And,
you know, we really get to see Auron and what
he's made of. You know, he ends up soloing like
these dungeons. And, you know, because he's a
swordsman, he has those skills already. But also
being an enchanter, he is able to cast that support
magic that accelerates him and can boost his
other stats on him and his weapon. He can cast
multiple spells. He has created original magic.
He is beyond comprehensible in this magic world.
And I know he sort of knows that, which... is
something that I really enjoy about this anime.
Because one thing that I cannot stand is when
the overpowered character has no idea they're
overpowered. And like, I love... strong powerful
characters and it doesn't even need to be just
the main one you know you can all be strong and
powerful the more merrier and i hate when they're
so strong but they're dumb like you don't know
how strong you are are you fucking kidding me
so that really pisses me off The only person
I would give an exception to, and again, this
is from Scooped Up by an S -ranked adventurer,
would be Lloyd, who is that main white mage character.
But I'm probably going to review that series
at some point, so I really don't want to ruin
it. It is so good. So I'll get into that another
point, but he gets a pass from me. But you know,
it is one of those situations where he gets banished
and you really get to see him shine. you know,
and he ends up joining up with this guild, but
not like permanently, at least not where we're
at right now in the series. He's there to help
them train their younger generation. And I'm
not going to say who the guild is or any of those
details. Again, I'm going to try my hardest to
not spoil anything in this episode, but it is
quite the experience and I really recommend it.
I will say it definitely feels like a different
perspective on your typical guild style animes
that I feel like we're used to. Like the last
couple of episodes really showcased how important
enchantment magic is, you know? So I'm very excited
to see what the remaining episodes of this season
are going to produce because they were really
good at... leaving semi -cliffhangers, which
is fine because, you know, things work out, but
they still have resolutions that don't get resolved.
And, you know, that is what I think draws me
to not wait for the next episode. So that show
is definitely become one of my favorites to be
diving into at this current point in time. So
Thursdays, we of course have Jujutsu Kaisen Season
3. And like I said, there probably isn't anybody
who isn't watching this. And again, I have to
watch this before I go to work because TikTok
is literally the worst with that specifically,
at least for me. And, you know, if I wanted it
spoiled, I would go read the manga. But the only
reason I don't is I'm lazy. I will say, this
is probably the first anime that made me want
to read the manga. Mainly because I'm impatient.
I have been wanting to just binge season 3, and
I can't. And especially with those two episodes.
It was like a tease. But with this season, I
don't want to get too much into it in this episode.
But I will say, I was immediately captivated.
by like the visuals you know i thought their
animation was stunning you know the colors were
so deep and vibrant and like they drew me right
in and i really really enjoyed the opening fight
with naoa and chozo because and i know everybody
hates him because noi is pretty much a piece
of shit but You cannot deny how hot he and Chozo's
fight was. Like, you know, he's just throwing
punches while brushing back his hair. Like, it
is no big deal. I thought it was so cocky and
I was fucking here for it. I loved every second
of their fight. And I know I've been seeing all
these TikToks of, you know, hairdressers or bakers
and, you know, other people doing like their
job one handed while brushing their hair back.
And I think it is just so funny. But I know a
lot of people hate him. So hopefully I don't
get a lot of hate for... complimenting his cuntiness,
so to speak, you know, because I mean, he was
serving it for sure. But again, with this season,
I don't want to get too much into it because
I am going to be doing full on spoilers for this.
So we'll do that. And I mean, honestly, I feel
like they deserve their own dedicated episodes.
There's just so much to unpack. And, you know,
this anime easily became. One of my favorites
to have gotten into. And I didn't think that
was necessarily going to be the case, you know.
And especially with this current season's lineup,
that was not the one I was most excited for.
And I mean, I was looking forward to it, don't
get me wrong. But the one I was really excited
for was Free Written Season 2. And, you know,
and that's on Fridays. And listen, this one is
perfect for me because when I get home from work,
it actually airs in like my time, I think like
10 a .m. So, you know, I don't have to rush to
watch it. By this time, I've been home. I am
plenty baked. I am plenty tired. I'm just chilling
on the couch with my cat vibing out. And so that
is a very enjoyable way to get ready for bed.
I will say this is on me. It's not on the Japanese
voice actors. But when I watched season one,
I had watched it and fallen in love with the
English dub. And, you know, I think her name
is Mallory. I love everything that she has been
in. Her voice is so soothing. It's very unique.
I don't even know how to describe it. But, like,
as free -written, it is just even more so. And,
you know, her softness and, like, the melancholy
of her, like, voice, it just does so many things
for me. And, I mean, the Japanese version is
not bad. And I did know what to expect, so...
I was playing the solo leveling Arise mobile
game and downloaded it for my PC. I don't play
it anymore because I ended up getting the Arise
Overdrive on Steam. If anybody wants me to talk
about that, let me know and I might do an episode
on that. But in the mobile version, they had
done a collaboration with FreeRid. So when I
was fighting with Stark and his Japanese voice
came on the screen instead of the English dub
that I was used to, I was so surprised because
I wasn't expecting it. And I mean, so because
of that, I was familiar with their voices. So
it wasn't like, who are these characters? That
is usually my issue if I start watching an anime
dubbed, is I get attached to the characters and
their voices and the vocal mannerisms, you know.
But with this, I just feel like it didn't give
me what season one first gave me, you know. And
I mean, you can tell that they have way more
money in this budget because, I mean, the colors
are fucking stunning. And just like Jujutsu Kaisen,
the opening scene was just breathtaking. And
it was just visually amazing. And, you know,
I do think that those two, at least in my opinion,
were going to be some of the most anticipated
winter releases that we had. So again, I'm not
actually surprised about the quality. But with
Free Rin, I don't feel like I'm on the journey
with them. At least with the Japanese voice actresses.
And I mean, I think they work, but I think the
dubbed version to Fern, like her bratty personality,
as much as she annoys the shit out of me for
that reason, it does fit her a lot better. Like
when watching season two. I couldn't tell that
there was like weird tension, or at least it
wasn't as obvious as it is in the English dub.
There was a lot more attitude, I think. So, you
know, I did watch the episode one that had come
out on Crunchyroll dubbed, finally. And I mean,
it was perfect. So I'm just going to suck it
up and keep watching. Because again, I don't
want it ruined. I tried to do that with Gachi
Akuda. And there was just no way. That one was
just way too good for me to just wait. And again,
TikTok was so bad that it was killing me. And
so again, the only issue I had with Gachikuda
was probably Ruto. But, you know, I got over
that pretty quick because everyone else, their
voices are like perfect and animated. And, you
know, I preferred over the dub. You know, this
kind of is one of the first animes that didn't
quite hit the mark for me with subtitles, at
least. And that's okay, because, you know, I'm
the lazy one here. You know, it's my fault. It's
not theirs. I'm the one who likes to listen to
dubs, and it's mainly because I'm lazy. So, you
know, I really can't hold this against them.
But those are what I am currently watching that
are airing. And I did just finish Bungo Stray
Dogs. And let me tell you, it was so good. And
I'm going to do a recap and almost deep dive
of season one and season two. I'm going to do
them together because season one is really just...
a meet and greet and that's fine it's kind of
necessary but you know season two really got
me hooked to that show so that is what i'm excited
to talk about but you know i have this co -worker
and she is really into anime and like novels
and manga and you know way more than than me
you know and she like follows the studios like
hardcore like it's so impressive i learned so
much when i talk with her but when i brought
up that i was watching bungo stray dogs she fucking
meerkatted she loves the series and you know
it was just so funny to see her just dive right
into the conversation so i mean i do have somebody
that I can talk to about anime with for, I don't
know, like 40 minutes, like once a week. And,
you know, because I only work with somebody maybe
like 40, 50 minutes, you know, just under an
hour. I pressured her into finishing season two
of Jujutsu Kaisen because I needed somebody to
talk about season three with. So luckily it did
work out. I won. And she's completely current.
So I'm really excited about that. But I think
that is pretty much the premise of the After
Hours arc. This is what I'm looking to gain.
I just want to hang out, shoot the shit, talk
anime. I'm not sure what else. Like I said, this
is a brand new project. I'm just here for the
ride. So hopefully you will tune in again and
I'll catch you later.