The Ringer-Verse - Ringer-Verse Recommends: February 2026 (Featuring ‘Frieren’ and a Massive Month for Anime)

Episode Date: February 28, 2026

Short month, long episode! First, Ben Lindbergh and Charles Holmes extoll the virtues of one of their favorite fantasy stories, the anime series ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey's End,’ touching on its themes, influences, and characters, as well as why it makes a great gateway show for non-anime fans. They also discuss some other highlights of a peak period for anime (including ‘Journal With Witch’ and ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’), preview a few coming attractions, and take a detour with discussion of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu.’ After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts, friends, and listeners salute unsung releases to top off another monthly roundup of fandom favorites from TV, anime, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond that were released recently, but not yet covered in depth on a full-length episode. Intro (00:00) ‘Frieren’ (03:04) ‘Journal With Witch’ (25:34) ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ (37:15) Van's recommendation (50:15) Steve's recommendation (51:55) Miles's recommendation (54:37) Daniel's recommendation (56:21) Devon's recommendation (58:30) Arjuna's recommendation (59:32) Matt's recommendation (61:29) Listener nomination (69:03) Recap of picks (71:13) Host: Ben Lindbergh Guests: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Devon Renaldo, Daniel Chin, Miles Surry, Arjuna Ramgopowell, Matt James, Steve Ahlman Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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So just to be clear as the mud, you're inevitably going to step into the summer. You don't need weather tech unless you plan on doing summer. Visit weathertech.com today. Well, hello and welcome into the Ringerverse, your nexus feed for all things fandom. I am Ben Lindberg, senior editor for the Ringer, buttonmash host, and also your host here at Ringerverse Recommends. Rejoined this month by Grumkin the Great, my companion and co-host, who is absent for last month's edition. I was in the office. Now I'm back home, and so is Grumkin, and we are bringing you the February 2026 edition of Ringerverse Recommends. as is often the case with February this month seems to be over before I knew it.

And we had plenty of nerd culture content to discuss on our various feeds. But as always, some excellent releases slipped through the cracks, and that's where Ringiverse Recommends comes in to pick up the slack. So today I will be talking to your friend in mine, Charles Holmes, one of the midnight boys, one of the midnight men. And as we all know, he is the anime master. I am but the learner, but today he will be schooling me. And actually, he has already changed my life by introducing me to the show that we will be featuring on this month's edition, Freerun Beyond Journey's End, which I am head over heels in love with is one of my favorite fantasy stories ever.

It's an anime adapted from a manga. You can see the first two seasons on Crunchyroll. The second season is airing now. The first season is also on Netflix. And if you're not a huge anime head, that's okay. I wouldn't describe myself as one either. But Frearin is perfect for you in that case. And it could even be a gateway to more.

So Charles and I will talk about why we love Freeran, how it relates to other fantasy stories you might be more familiar with. And we'll also recap some other highlights of what has been an absolutely fantastic time for anime. The past couple months have been incredible. So we'll be getting into Journal with Witch. We'll be talking about Jiu-Jitsu Kaizen. Charles will mention some other shows he's been enjoying and also some shows that he's looking forward to the rest of this year.

We'll talk about manga to anime adaptations and how he consumes them. We'll also take an unexpected detour into the Mandalorian and Grogu. So stay tuned for that. Afterward, I will have a cavalcade of clips, our usual collection of Ringiverse hosts and Friends of the Ring of Reverie. We'll chime in with what they've been watching or playing or enjoying in various media. And I will be back at the end of the episode to recap those picks and also to deliver this month's listener nomination, which I would encourage you to submit to ringerverse recommends at gmail.com.

While you're at it, feel free to weigh in on what you would like us to focus on on the next few editions of Ringaverse recommends because we've got a whole lot of options. We've got a cornucopia of nerd culture content. Depending on what we feature on House of R and the Ringiverse, we could be choosing from Paradise Season 2, a favorite of mine. For All Mankind, Season 5, another personal favorite, Star Trek, Starfleet Academy, One Piece, Season 2, Darth Mall, Shadow Lord, Invincible, Season 4, Hopper, and plenty of other stuff that's also in the Hopper.

if you do have a strong preference there, please write in and let us know at ring reverse recommends at gmail.com. And of course, check the timestamps if you'd like to skip ahead to any of our other guests' recommendations. Those should be there for you. And I hope that you will enjoy this conversation with Charles Holmes. Okay, I am joined now by Charles Holmes, the ringer's resident weeb, my anime sempe, my first, Class anime, mage, Anna Mage. Chuck, welcome to Ring of Burse recommends.

Yeah, I'm honored because we're about to talk about one of the shows that I think the first season was one of my favorite of that year. The second season is going to be my favorite, one of my favorites of this year, man, I'm overjoyed. Yeah. First and foremost, I just have to say, thank you. Thank you for being my vector into Furin. because it is one of my favorite fantasy stories ever.

I don't think that's too high praise. You recommended Freerin on the very first edition of Ringaverse Recommends. Is that true? It is true. You led off with Freerin. It's all been downhill since then. But April 2020, you recommended Freeran. And I would have been aware of Freeman, what Freerun one way or another,

but had you not recommended it and had I not heard your pitch, I don't know that I would have checked it out. I don't think I would have when I did. And so this is the power of Ringiverse recommends in action. This is how it's supposed to work. Should I repitch Feren for the people who might have missed it the first time around? Yes, please. That's the purpose of this conversation.

But now I will second everything you say. But yes, by all means, give the pitch, give the synopsis. So Ferian is the Japanese manga, really. in 2020 that I remember vividly because my brother is really, really into manga. And he handed me the first Tonkabon. And he's just like, I don't think you're going to like this. I didn't like this. But it was during the pandemic.

But he was just like, this is going crazy in Japan. It was something that was like catching on. And my brother wasn't saying that he didn't like it because there was anything wrong about the series. It was more so because fear in what you realize is kind of the genius about it, is that It's this fantasy story. And to me, it's almost Isakai adjacent, which was why I was a little bit like, like usually Isakai, for those that don't know, is a story where someone from like modern times goes back,

usually in time to like think about like Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and it's all about how are they going to survive. There's elves, there's works, it gets weird. Fearing is not that. But when I first read it in Taco Bonn form, I'm like, I don't know if I get it. This is very slow. And it seems like not much is happening. And sometimes a lot of times what anime will do is that in adapting,

they will almost super, super, super pitch and condense what makes something special. And it wasn't until I watched the first couple episodes where I was like, oh, no, the slowness and the patience and the peacefulness and the rest of fearing is the point. It's about this elf who's a part of this party. who is supposed to kill the demon king. And the problem with it is that fear in the elf, who is one of the most powerful mages on Earth, I would say she doesn't necessarily feel emotion

in the same way that humans have. And all of her original party ends up dying from old age. They're heroes and everything like that. But we basically have two stories where we're telling the past of the first hero party, and then she gets a new party. and we're almost learning in real time how this elf and this super powerful mage in this world

is realizing maybe she didn't know that she was in love with someone in the series. Maybe she didn't cherish the moments as much as she should. And with this new party of people, I think she's getting to relive a lot of those moments, be a maternal figure. I know that might sound boring,

but in practice when you watch it, I don't like comparing every, anime to Miyazaki, I think it is very, very, like... Yeah, it's pretty reductive. Yeah, low-hanging fruit. But I think the thing that when you watch a Miyazaki movie where you're like, oh, no, I'm calm and I'm collected and I'm... It's so soothing.

It suits myself. Is that a fair... I know I do... But is that a fair way to kind of describe the emotion of watching this show? Yeah, I think so. And Miyazaki movies obviously can be disturbing sometimes. and there's a deep emotion and a sadness to them sometimes, which is also in Freeran.

But it just sort of centers me when I watch Freer. It's just so calming. And it's partly the aesthetics because it's a beautiful show. And it's got an incredible soundtrack, which I just listen to regularly now, even when I'm not watching Fearen. So it's partly the aesthetics, but it's also the storytelling and the characters.

and the full title is Frearin Beyond Journey's End, and that kind of gives away the clever conceit here, which is that it inverts the typical hero's journey or the typical climax of the quest is when you beat the boss, you fight the Demon King, the ring gets cast into Mount Doom, whatever it is, and in Fearen, that all happens before the series starts. And then you pick up,

It's essentially as if Lord of the Rings started at the end of Return of the King when you go back to the Shire or you go to the Grey Havens. And it's like, well, what do we do now? I mean, but also the genius of it is that even though this is a flashback heavy show, what they show is the flashbacks, it is rarely the show trying to show you how they defeated the Demon King. It's almost the best parts of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, which was the small character moments, staying at the inn, like, think about the way like Aria and the Hound and them traveling or Brian and Jamie, like those moments where like, oh, the sitcom elements of these two characters in this situation is almost why I'm here.

And I think what Fear does so well is that whether they're talking about the original party that defeated the Demon King or this new party, it's not a show that is very plot-driven in terms of these characters. meet to fight this villain and everything is leading to that. It's more so how does this journey change us fundamentally? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Decades have gone by since the original quest. And Feryrin is trying to reconnect with her former adventurers by going to the end of the world, essentially, way up in the north to try to connect to their spirits in particular. Himel, the leader, the hero, who slew the demon king. And that's the goal. That's the long-term objective. But it's a long, winding adventure. And there are a lot of side quests along the way, which is, it's the highlight, really. Like, last week's episode, half of it was devoted to unearthing this centuries-old liquor.

And this, you know, dwarf has just been searching for centuries to try to find it. And they take a few months out from their journey to try to find this. liquor that's been hidden away. And that's the constant- It's like the best side quest of an RPG. Like some episodes are just like, oh, what if this side quest was actually just as entertaining as the main quest?

Yes. And if you like a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and you're looking for something to fill that void, I feel like this is it. Because this gives you the fantasy setting, but the lower stakes, the focus on character and comedy and humor, and also just warmth,

Not that a Night of the Seven Kingdoms didn't get gory and bloody at everything, too. And Furin typically doesn't to that same extent. But it does give you that same sort of sense of just like we're a wondering hero. We're just finding what will come next. We don't know what's over the next hill and we're going to discover it together and we're going to bond along the way. And it's just so delightful, really. I mean, go ahead.

Are we underselling to your point where it's like a night of the seven, kingdoms, I think we all loved it because of that sitcom, like, quality of just like we get character moments. We get people hanging out. These are our buds every Sunday. But there was action. And I do think Fyering, when the story progresses and when there is action or something big happens, it's almost like, oh, you almost forget, you've been on so many side quests, you forget the main quest. And then when they have an episode where Furen or Furn are showing you actually how powerful they are

and how they can use their magic and why Fierin was part of the group that defeated the Ziba King, you're like, oh, this is interesting. This is phenomenal. Yeah, when there's combat, there's like actual strategy to it and tactics. And just the animation

is pretty impressive, I would say. And I like a magic system in a fantasy story that has a little more heft to it. There's just a little more exploration of how it works. It's almost like a logical, mathematical kind of thing. Like Patrick Rothfuss's books, which may or may not ever be finished, the King Killer Chronicles, which I really like. It's kind of that just delving into the mechanics of the magic. And I really, I enjoy that. And so in the world of Freerun,

you know, I guess it's kind of like Lord of the Rings where there are different ages of men and elves. and this is sort of humanity has come to the forefront because it has embraced magic and has devoted itself to researching magic, which used to be taboo. And so it's sort of a, it's an art, it's a science, it's magic, but there's sort of a logical basis to it. And that's part of Freeran's quest.

Like what Freeran cares about most of all is expanding her repertoire of spells. A grimroes. She loves a grimoire and she's a dicted. And that is the genius of the show to me, is that the conceit for most episodes is so dumb, which is like the same way that like Ed, Ed and Eddie always need to get a jawbreaker.

Or, you know, you think of anything like Plankton wanting to get like a crabby paddy. Buren is that way about grimwar's. And what I think you said that is so special in why one of the reasons I love manga, love anime. For true nerds, for fantasy nerds, for people who love battle shonen, for the type of people who go on YouTube

to have breakdowns of like Spider-Man's powers and how they work and blah blah blah blah fearing is that type it scratches that nerdy itch of like oh part of the world building is seeing what makes these people so powerful and there's also different philosophies in magic which I'm like oh this is such a well-thought-out world

but besides that now we have to get into I've I've been saving this I didn't want to ask you over text. Who's your favorite character? Man, that's tough because I love them all. But I mean, I guess maybe Haiter, who is... Really?

He's the corrupt, drunk priest in Freerun's original party, who is seen as a younger man in the flashbacks and in an older man when the series starts. but it's really hard to say because they all work so well together and getting just like the curtain pulled back bit by bit on the original quest and the interactions among the party

because the key here is that they're essentially retracing the steps of Free Wren's original quest. They're going back to the same place 80 years after the Demon King was defeated. And so everywhere they go, it triggers memories and flashbacks and here's what happened that time. And there are these overlaps and just this really kind of emotionally resonant moments

where you can see that Fearon is learning and has become a different person because she is sort of a sociopath in the past. I would say on the human scale, I think for elves, elves, because they live so long, have a different relationship with time and emotion. And I think part of the sadness of the series, is realizing that fear in, she did not take her original party for granted at all. But maybe she was not as present

because it did not dawn on her how important these people would be to her by the end of the journey. And it also didn't dawn on her that she would have such a fleeting time with them because to her, it's, hey, I'll see you in a century. And that's basically the blink of an eye. She's close to immortal.

And yet these humans were, were so dear to her, and she didn't even realize it. She didn't appreciate it in the moment, I think, because she just thought, this is one moment among so many moments and we'll have many more moments in the future. Even though she knew human lifespans or not elven lifespans, I think it just didn't hit home. And so she's looking back now and thinking about how she'd do things differently

or just reinterpreting really the significance of those moments to her and also trying to apply them now to her. new party and the mage that she has trained, Fern, whom you mentioned, and she's trying to be more of a mentor and almost maternal and be a friend and be present in a way that usually she wouldn't because her typical time span and lifespan is just so long. So that's, it's really affecting. And I think also it to me, if you've lost someone, if you've lost a person or a pet, or it reminds me very much of that. I think it's a show that kind of like makes me feel better in a way about like people I've lost,

you know, losses in my life, like looking down, looking back, cherishing those moments and looking back not just with sadness about what you lost, but joy for what you learned and the time that you had. And so, you know, we're not elves and we do not live forever. And yet I think there are actual life lessons here that really resonate with me. I am not. I will admit, Ferran has made me cry. And I think you hit the nail on the head.

I think a lot of shows about grief are so consumed with the moment during death, maybe the pain before and then right after. And Fearing does a good job where it was one, it was a show that when I watched it, I was like, oh, this is a show about grief. But to your point, it's illustrating the. beauty of the journey. And I think that is like as a theme, as something as using what we know fantasy storytelling to be and like what we know about elves and how long they live, using

that as a way to instruct people and show them like life is beautiful. And the powerful thing about grief is like it just shows you how potent the love is. And there's a love, there's multiple love stories at the core of this. And honestly, my favorite character is. Fern. I just have to shout out Fern. Team Fern. She's great. I love her. If anything happens, I'm canceling my Crunchyroll subscription, protect Fern at all cost. I honestly, I'm so glad we're talking about this because it's one of those rare. It's such a popular anime, but I feel like for my friends, they're like, you want me to watch an Alf anime about her being heartbroken and

grief. I was like, no, no, no, it's so much more, guys. It's so much more. Yeah. Well, let's be really, you're never canceling your crunchy roll subscription. But beyond that, yes, it's true. And even though it is about grief and loss on one level, it's a really lighthearted show from moment to moment. And there's a lot of comic relief and it's funny and it's exciting and it's just all these mix of emotions. And that's the thing is that if you're having trouble selling someone on this or if you're

listening right now and you're thinking, I don't know, fantasy, anime, it's not my typical thing. this isn't exactly my typical thing either. And so let my experience be the guide. Like I'm not, you know, I'm quite casual when it comes to anime. And, you know, I mispronounced Sempai when I introduced you. And I was conscious of that in the moment. And it was too late.

But apologies for any other mispronunciations. Because, yeah, this is not my wheelhouse. Like I could probably just list all the anime that I've watched in my life very quickly, you know, not counting. anime inspired or anime adjacent, you know, Avatar and Blue Eye Samurai and stuff like that. But this is a good starter anime. I would say if you're like on the bubble,

like I think if you're looking for a show, I honestly watch Furen kind of before bed. It's like such a soothing show where it's like if I've eaten dinner and I'm just like, I don't have anything to watch every week. I'm like, ooh, I have like, like if you want to binge, I think if you're like, oh, I've been going through something.

I just need something that's super easy to watch, super easy to follow. Maybe you can help me follow asleep, fearing is a perfect show. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I watched Full Metal Alchemist back in the day. I watched some Cowboy Bebop. Love Miyazaki. You know, love, like,

Suzume and your name and some baseball anime. Gorett Senni, Money Pitch, is a favorite of mine, but I wasn't like... You're into baseball anime. Which ones? Goret Teni is the one that I really like the most. I've watched and read so much

baseball. I've watched more baseball anime and read more baseball manga than I've watched actual baseball than actual baseball. Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. But the point is, you don't have to have a long, extensive history of anime to jump into Fyrian. And maybe it'll be a gateway to you for other shows, or maybe you'll just love Friar and that's fine too. But that's the thing.

You'll recognize other things that you love in Friarin. You know, we're talking about Lord of the Rings, and it reminds us of this. and that. And you talked about it as like the RPG comp, just the JRP, you know, as a gamer, that's something that there are just echoes of that everywhere here. And I guess it's, it's tough to untangle the influence of RPGs from D&D or from More of the Rings. But like, this is, it's essentially an RPG. It's kind of, you know, it reminds me of RPGs that I played around the turn of the century, like Skies of Arcadia and Grandia 2 and it's, you know, dragon quest and trails.

And it's so clearly inspired by that because, you know, you're in a party and you're wandering around an overworld basically and you're stopping at inns and you're going to towns and you're loading up on your supplies. And then you're going into the field and you're having random encounters with monsters. And then there's like a battle theme that kicks in, you know, and you're taking turns to attack. And then sometimes there are dungeons and there are bosses of the dungeons. and their chests and their mimics.

Even there's little stuff. It was like an episode or two ago where it's like they found this magic rock that could make them so much money. But for some reason, they could not carry it. And it just reminded me of a video game of being like, oh, I just found this. Oh, I don't have enough room.

I can't care. And I was just like, oh, this person is so steeped into this culture. Yeah, yeah. I'm just out of inventory space. Got to leave it lying in the chest. Yeah. But that's also because Freeran doesn't care at all about money, right?

She's not in this for, she's just in it for love of the game. She just wants to collect spells. Love of the spells. And she's charmed the most by a spell that like you can scratch an itch on your back, you know? It's like a super specific, you know, it's not like this is the spell that I used to beat the demon king, but this is a spell that I can use to clean a statue or something. And so you'd think that she's basically thousands of years old or whatever. she would have amassed some riches by now,

but she doesn't even think about that. And that's the mixture in her character of like she's this almost eternal, all-powerful being, and yet she is extremely childlike. It's almost like that young, old mixture, like a Yoda sort of, where, you know, when he's around the younglings or he's on Dagobah when he meets Luke, he's just like a little imp, but then at other times he's super powerful and wise.

and Freeran is the same. Like, when she sleeps, there's like a running bit in the series about how she just sleeps late and you can't wake her up and she's like sleeping half on the bed and half on the floor. Fern has to make her hair.

And yes, Fern has to braid her hair. She's obsessed with grimouars. She falls for every mimic, every fake treasure chest, even though she has been doing this forever. So there's this like childlike, innocent aspect to her, even though she is this like age old being who has seen everything.

It's guys not only do need to try Feuren. I also want to recommend while I'm here. I think top three anime of this season, Journal with Witch. I don't know if you got a chance to watch it. I did. I watched the first couple episodes. Yeah.

But I think for if Fearing is also about grief, Journal with the Witch as well. And this was something that I had just put on one day. I didn't really know much about it, Andy blew me away. It's this story of this novelist who I don't know if they ever mentioned maybe what it is she has, but the best way I can describe it is she internalizes emotions differently than everybody else. She's neurodivergent in some respect. In some respect.

Did the show? Because it's been a while since I watched the first episode. Does the show so far ever kind of locate what it is? No, it's all just sort of shown and not told, I would say. But I feel like the show does such a good job because basically this woman who's a novelist, her sister and husband die. And there's questions about who will take care of the niece. And this novelist who needs to live alone has trouble connecting with people.

decides to take this girl in. And basically they're both dealing with, in the novelist side, a lack of grief where she had such a trouble relationship with her sister, feelings of just like I feel nothing. And then this teenager who's feeling everything. And so much of the, once again,

I think it's a series that answers questions about grief that a lot of times are pushed, like rushed past or fast-forwarded, where it's like, what happens when someone who, a teenager, hormonal, loses their parents, loses their place in the world, what happens when a person who feels everything runs into a person that struggles to feel anything? Or at least when they feel something,

it might not be in the way that you think is typical. And I just think it handles that so beautifully. The animation is beautiful. The storylines, I think the first or second episode, I ended up legitimately tearing up because I'm like, this is emotional and almost more mature than I would expect from your typical seasonal anime. Yes, I think this is going to be, now that I've cut up to Freerun, this will be my watch. I just started it in preparation for this pod, and I'm already pretty invested.

So this is exciting. And I'd also say that it's a real relief to see long seasons again. Yeah. You talked about Freeran being a great binge, and it's true. I started watching it with my wife, who also loves it. And by the way, this is not a, like, get past the first seven episodes and then it gets good. No, like, you'll get hooked from the beginning in either of these shows that we're talking about. But we were instantly into Freeran.

And then we look, and we got 28 episodes in the first season. Hell yes. Like, I'm so used to every season of TV now being, you know, eight episodes. or six episodes or whatever it is, and it ends and it feels like it's just getting started, here you can actually settle in and you can spend some time. We started watching this, I guess, you know, around the beginning of the year,

and I just caught up now. So it'll take you some time. But each episode is super digestible because these are like sitcom lengths, you know, kind of typical for anime, I guess. It's just like 20 minutes, you know, when you take out the credits and the previously on. And so really bite-size. You know? And so it's the perfect combination of like, I can watch this when I have half an hour, 20 minutes to kill. But also, I will be watching this for weeks. And it'll just be my constant companion, my found family. And that's the best. The only downside of fear in season two is it's only 10 episodes, which I think is because the manga is on indefinite hiatus right now, just like for the health of the artist and the creator. And they were really turning it out. And so they've taken some breaks. And,

They don't want a Game of Throne situation where they get ahead of the source material. So fair enough. I mean, same thing is happening with One Piece. One Piece has been a weekly show. I don't even know how many episodes they produce. They produce a lot in a year and they're about to catch up. So it's been like, oh, okay, we have to slow down. Full Metal Alchemist, very famously.

The first anime that I feel like we grew up with that was coming out on Tsunami basically has a completely different story than the manga. And then Full Metal Alchemist, Brother. was them doing the faithful adaption of it. So I do think I would say that is always a fear that I have with anime, which is I'm just like, dog.

They are very, or these animas are just like, anime is exactly like American TV sometimes where I'm like, I'll be watching something. I'm like, damn, I love this season. We knock out another one. Yeah. Freeland you guys,

Fearin is so popular. They're going to finish the series. Don't worry about it. But yeah. So I would say, you guys need something. Fearing is just top. I recommend it to everyone. Journal with Witch is phenomenal.

If you want to see, you're just like, why does Charles Love Anime so much? Watch Journal with the Witch and you're like, oh, yeah, everything is not Yu-Gi-O, everything is not Dragon Ball Z. This is an art form. This is a medium. And you can get very, very adult stories.

If you could kind of get over the hurdle of just thinking that it's just all yelling Japanese boys talking about brotherhood in French. Another cop I wanted to make is to the legend of Zelda, which we talked about on But Mesh last week. There's a lot of Zelda just the world design, the music, the dungeons, the dungeon maps, the fighting dark versions of yourself and the traveling around.

The only time where Feuren got a little slow for me was toward the end of the first season, where there was an arc where they're inside a dungeon for several episodes. and it was kind of cool, but also I like the show where they're just itinerant. They're moving around. They're having different encounters every week. Also, Stark, who is the young frontliner, who's part of Freerun's current party and kind of the will they or won't they with Fern was sort of sidelines during that because it was like a mage exam and he's the warrior. So that part, it sort of bogged down a little bit.

I like the mage exam. I like when Fearen basically she's in the dungeon and it's like one of the best animated episodes. I think it might be either the penultimate where she's almost has to face herself in battle during a trial. I won't spoil it, but like that episode was so great. But to your point,

the mage exam did great on me from the vantage point of them. Like the series works so well when it is Fearing, Stark, and Fern. that when they go away from me, I'm a little bit like, I don't care about these other people as much. Am I being a hater?

No, no, I don't think so, not at all. It's just such a core, strong dynamic. I know you haven't read all of the manga. You've read some of it. But now that I love this show and these characters in this world so much, I'm thinking, well, do I need to go back and read? So I wonder what you think of this

as an adaptation based on what you've read. And also just like generally, When you watch the anime adaptation of a manga, do you think you were mentioning, often they compress a lot and you're losing a lot in translation there? So do you think I'm missing out, should I go back,

or is this a fairly faithful translation? And what's your typical approach? Do you like to read first and then watch, watch first and then read? So it's all, it's all, how do I put this? Because this is a very good question. it's case by case.

So Fiorin is something when I read the first volume, I was just like, this is not something that I like reading in manga format. But when I watched the anime, I was just like, this is something that I would like to watch the anime of. And then what I will do is I will go back and read the manga. Because a lot of times,

what you have to realize is a manga and anime, it's not a one-to-one, it's not a one-to-one thing. And I think the similar thing is just like, Game of Thrones, where it's like the Game of Thrones books are not something that I usually read in terms of like I'm not a big fantasy reader, but I love watching fantasy, where it's like you take something like JJK, Jiu Jitsu Kizen is the biggest anime of the season. I love the Jiujitsu Kizen manga. I love the anime. If I was going to be on a desert island, I would rather have all of the volumes because I think the manga is better than the anime, even though the anime is superb.

I really think it's like, the best way I can describe it is you need to understand what type of reader you are. So, Fioring to me is not like a page turner. Fearing is just like I'm going to like get a cup of tea. Like, it's like the show where it's like reading. It's cozy. It's incredibly cozy. Reading something cozy versus watching something cozy is different. I think honestly the manga from what I read, I was just like, oh, no, this is great.

It's not just for me where it's like JJK is a page turner. JJK is just like, because it's a boys manga made for middle schoolers and elementary schoolers, every week there needs to be a page turn. Everything, something has to happen. There's a new big boss. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I think it's honestly, if you fought, because this will happen a lot, you'll find an anime the first season that you really, really love. And maybe it doesn't get renewed. And I always tell people, I'm like, go read the manga.

Like, it's going to scratch the same itch. It's not, one isn't better than the other. it's just, yeah, it's like, do you like watching the Game of Thrones show? Or we kind of like, fuck that show. I'm just doing the Martin books, you know? Yeah. And since you brought up JJK, so Furin is super popular, the manga sold like 35 million copies.

JJK's sold like 150 million or something. You know, it's a phenomenon. And I just checked out the first couple episodes of the show. And then also the fourth episode of the current season, which you had recommended to me, because it's an animation showcase. So I was completely lost going from season one to season three. I have no idea what's happening, but it was pretty impressive.

It was extremely bloody. I like the set up the hook for anyone who hasn't seen Jadisukai's high school kid is trying to conquer a curse by absorbing this demon essentially. There's a lot of demon slaying that happens not just in Demon Slayer, but also JJK, also Freerun, for that matter. and he's like a vessel for this curse, but also is hunting down this curse and training and all that, right? So I am not as immediately hooked by this, I think, as I was by Freerun, for instance. Like, it's a very different vibe, obviously. There might be demon killing as a comparison, but beyond that, it's a very different kind

of show. But I see the appeal, but tell me what you think for the many people listening who probably Appleby are watching the current season. How are you feeling about it? This new season is crack. It's one of the greatest things of my eyes have ever witnessed. Jiu-Zucin is one of my favorite things

that I, one of my favorite stories that I've ever had the honor of watching. But here's the thing. Nothing you said, Ben. How old are you, Ben? I'm 39. You're 39. Yeah.

I tell people all the time. J.J.K is for the sick of us. Like, if you did not, like, JJK, if we're talking about back, battles systems, there is an episode in this season of JJK that it's just a PowerPoint. That is just them describing the most asinine tournament arc in just the, like, there are JJK, the best way I can describe is like, if you're the type of person, because Gagee, who wrote the original manga, if you're the type of person who loved Hunter Hunter or

bleach or any of these series, I think that they, about JJK is if you watch, if you're just watching the anime, it starts off in a very generic place. You're like, I've seen this before. There are high schoolers. There's a curse. They're fighting Satan. This is like every other battle shonen. But I think what you have to realize about the beauty of battle shonen, whether it's Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, JJK, Demon Slayer, is that rarely is it about how it starts because they are taking something in a genre that is released weekly. And it's more so being like how can this person basically start a small business that is basically selling the same thing. They are selling burgers and fries.

Like you know what you're going to get. Yeah. And the best of them are like, you thought that this was burgers and fries, but you've been with me for a year. I've learned how to cook the lay mignon. And if you watch the beginning of JJK, the anime, compared to season three from a story structure, from the anime, like the quality of the animation, same thing. if you do in the book volume one of JJK versus, I don't know, 15, 16, 17, the joy of it is being like, oh, this person figured out how to make a gourmet mill. And we started at a McDonald's, which is not me shitting.

This is just part of the process. I think superhero movies honestly have a same type of thing where it's like, if you watch the first event, Josh Whedon's Avengers, you get the charm of it. But then you get to like Infinity War and Endgame. you're like, how did we get? Like part of the joy is like, how did we get here? How this many heroes, these many villains, this, like, I care about them all. The best battle showed intent to have that jump.

But also if you did not like this shit at a very young age, it will make no sense. It's like the W. When my friends are like, watch the WWE. I'm like, I just, it's. Yeah, you got to start young, which I got to start with WWE. But it's hard to get it on boards. I've had friends. I've had girlfriends who are just like, they'll be like breaking down like the rivalries

and the fights and the 90s and this and that. And I'm like, oh, yeah. You needed to be like 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and really be in the trenches to understand this. Yeah. And you're just eating well right now when it comes to anime. This is like peak because I know the past couple years have obviously been big for anime, manga, mainstream, international box office records,

Boy in the Hair and One Piece on Netflix, Demon Slayer movie, etc. But right now, it seems like the consensus is the best time for, like, this winter, basically the past couple months is just like,

people are overwhelmed. Your cup is running over. Like, there's not enough time to watch the great shows that came back. Yeah. Not only do we got, Fearing JJK, Journal with Witch. We got J.J.K. Madulo,

releasing weekly crap. Are you an Oshinoco guy? All right. All right. All right. I am. Oshinoco is fissing me off. You know I'm a couple episodes behind. I'm an Oshinoco guy. Okay. Like, I read the manga and I watch the show. I'm in these trenches, bro.

Kagabachi, killing him. E.C. The Witch. Killing them. One piece. We're finally at Elbath. Killing them. One piece, Elbath arc is like in the anime is about to start. Like, dog, we are eating fucking good, okay?

Like, we're about to run the world. Yeah. Yeah. Anything else on your radar for the rest of the year that you're looking forward to that you want to highlight here, which you might feature on a future episode of Ring averse Recommends? I think I already dropped it, but I'm almost positive. One Piece Elbath season is coming.

Like, Loki is coming. Guys, if you don't read the manga, read the manga. Like, we are, like, One Piece is in end game territory. And being an end game territory for one piece could mean it runs for another 15 years. Like, Oda's like, it's almost over. And then five years later, I'm just like, that was my whole college experience. And you almost said this is over. And now I am a 33-year-old man.

But I'm still fucking hooked. All right. So like, keep out for one piece. But guys, support for your support. Please. Please do. All right. Yeah, we're six episodes through the 10 episode season.

But take your time. You didn't. favorite. I didn't realize it was 10 episodes because I don't like to look at the episode count anymore because it depresses me. I'm just like, what you said, it was 10. I was like, I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you.

It's disappointing. It really is. But I just, I have to decide what's going to be next for me, basically, because now that I'm so into this, it's like, you know, there's the Seinfeld episode where Jerry works out the menagerie twas with the girl he's dating and her roommate. and then he decides not to go through with it because he's like, I can't be an orgy guy, you know? Like I'd have to dress different, I'd have to act different, I'd have to grow a mustache, I'd have to get all kinds of robes and lotions

and new curtains and orgy friends. And it's like, can I be an anime guy or can I just dip in and enjoy a series here, a series there? Here's a thing. Let me pitch you. Because everybody's like, Charles, you're a weed. Charles, you're a master.

They don't understand. No, I am a cultured TV watcher where it's like as an older gentleman, you just can't be watching anime all day. No, fuck that shit. I don't be doing that shit. Anime to me is like a dessert. It's like a, it's an hors d'oeuvre. It's an amosh-bush.

You know what I'm saying? Sometimes if I'm like, oh, Night of the Seven Kingdoms Sunday, just watch that. You need to come down a little bit. You know, Baylor, everything that's happening with my man. Let me put on a little fearing. You know what I mean? It's the high and low.

It's like, hey, I might watch some random A-24 flick on HBO Max, but we got to mix a little JJ Ken. JJK, you need the high, you need the low. Like, what's your, what's your diet like? What's your TV watching diet? Do you have any room in it for something that's a little bit more light-hardy? Yeah, look, I love animation, so there's no reason why this should be a barrier for me.

I might have to switch to a different app, but that's okay. So I'm tentatively, like, I want to use this as a springboard, I think, to be in my anime era more so than I have been. And maybe I'll just go back through your previous recommendations, which meant nothing to me at the time. But now that I'm an anime guy, Delicious and Dungeon is one that you recommended, which sounded intriguing to me at the time. And I want to check that out. You would love Delicious and Dungeon. You would love, if people, Delicious and Dungeon. engine, Bochy the Rock

is also a great one if you're into music. Yep. So Bochie the Rock. Also, before I go, really, really quick, I have to, I got you on the mic. You've probably already talked about it before. People are saying I might be hating. Give me, give me your,

give me your quick thoughts on Mando and Grogu. Are you excited? Are you, like, are you, you're just like, this is just for my kids. Like, are, do, like, I haven't gotten your kind of like Star Wars. take. Give it to me. My daughter does love Grogu.

You can probably see Grogu behind me there. Hell yeah. So yes, hopefully it's something I can watch for her. I think the last trailer was the most promising for me. Okay. And sort of raised my hope somewhat. We still don't really know what it's about or what the stakes are. And so, you know, 70% of the marketing thus far has been, isn't Grogo cute, which he is.

Don't get me wrong. But is this a toy tie-in, or is there an actual story here? Or look, are we getting back to the early days of Mando before it became about the Mandoverse? And we're incorporating every character from the Falloniverse. And it was just, we're having an adventure of the week. You know, it's a procedural. It's my buddy Mando, my buddy Dinn and his little buddy baby Grogu.

That, I think, if we get back to that vibe, that could actually be a good thing. I think the problem with it is it's Star Wars return to the big screen for the first time in seven years and the stain of the rise of Skywalker. We have to unlearn what we have learned. We have to put that aside, I think, and not saddle it with the expectations of this is what we usually expect when we go to the multiplex to see a Star Wars movie. Maybe it'll just feel like this should have been a season of TV, which it was originally. I mean, that's the vibe I'm getting. And I guess a little bit of my prickliness is just like to your point.

You said exactly what I've been saying, which I'm like, I still don't know what the movie is about. And not, I don't like to know. I don't need to know until I see it. You know, I don't want to know. I'm fine with not having anything revealed for now. I am the type of movie viewer. I don't like big teasers. Like, I don't like you teasing everything.

I don't want to see everything. I do would just like to know I'm like, so is there like a villain? Or is there like a situation? or to your point, I was like, because part of me is I'm like, I think it would be healthy and good if Mando was a little bit more a Knight of Seven Kingdoms,

went back to its roots as like a procedural, like, you know, but I guess part of me is I'm like, well, that's a season of TV. I don't know, like, I'm a little scared. I'm like, I don't know if that makes for a compelling movie. Like, a compelling movie is just like, oh, this is a movie that is 90 minutes to two hours,

has a story to tell, could only tell it in this. media. And each time I watch the trailers, I'm just like, that's the question. Right. Does it end up feeling like they wrote a season of TV and then they figured out, oh, we got to make

this into a movie or we got to sideline what we had and then does it feel kind of awkwardly compressed into that space? And is it just hey, we're vibing with our boy, Din and we're roaming around the galaxy with Baby Yoda and that could be fun. I guess it's just, it depends on, does

this feel like they're out of ideas? and all they have is Grogu mugging for the camera, which is cute, don't get me wrong, but we need a little more substance to go along with that. Or is it just, hey, this is a fun time? Is this like a side quest on Freeran, but for Star Wars, I'm in. A pallet cleanser, potentially of like,

we brew we can make a movie that does not start a culture war. Like, we could just make a movie where you're just like, okay, like, I think. A fun time at the movies, you know. We'll have some popcorn. We'll put the tastes. the aftertaste of the rise of Skywalker out of our mouths. And I'm trying to get there.

Fresh start. Yeah. I'm trying to get to the point where I'm like, oh, it's okay if this is just a pallet cleanser. And I'm like, I will say if this movie is over a seven at a 10, I'll be happy. Like if it's just like, if it is over a seven at 10, I won't complain. Yeah. If it's under that, I'm worried. Okay.

Well, look, I love to hear you talk about anime because your enthusiasm is so infectious. And it's just, it's fun to hear you be so excited and to enjoy what you're watching this much. And clearly, it has, it has rubbed off on me. So you're a man with, with a lot of mana, and I trust your judgment, and you have not led me astray with Freeran. So I have you to thank for one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. And also, I will thank the creators of Freeran. But you too, because if not for you, I would not have discovered their work. thank you and may you continue to guide me and many others on our NMA journeys. Thank you, Charles.

This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Business. Fast, reliable internet means everything for your business. And even this podcast, that's why I trust Spectrum Business to keep companies of all sizes connected with internet, advanced Wi-Fi, phone, TV, mobile services, plus 24-7 US-based support. Millions of business owners already trust Spectrum business. So visit Spectrum.com slash business to learn more. Restrictions apply. Services not available in all areas. 100 free events. 6,000 kids, one mission. Clinic Kids is using sports and evidence-based wellness coaching to help kids build competence, resilience, and the tools they need for life's challenges and opportunities. Up through August 2026, they're running 100 free sessions for school

and community-based organizations near you. Learn more at clinickids.com. slash 100 KK. That's Clinic Kids is registered 501C3 nonprofit. This episode is brought to by Nass Energy. Every ounce of dirt, sweat, and gears, every checkered flag and trophy raised, every lap, every race, every hard-fought place. They're all jammed inside every can of Nass energy. High-performance energy for burning the midnight oil in the garage and pedal to the metal human horsepower for the streets. Go ahead, crack open a can of Nass energy and get after it. Okay, big thanks to Chuck, and by the way, we didn't specify, but it should go without saying, subs, not dubs. Now, let's get to the rest of our recommendations. That was animation. Now, Vanimation.

Take it away, Mr. Lathen. What's up, it's Van. My Ring ofverse recommends for the month of February is the season two premiere of Paradise. Okay. Watch it. If you don't like it, you're stupid. I don't, I'm not with you. you don't like it. It's three-episode premiere picks up where season one leaves off.

Okay? You have Sterlingay Brown's character who is now left the bunker in Colorado to find his wife. You think that you're going to start there, but you don't. You start with this really brilliant pilot episode or first episode for the second season. It has Shailene Woodley, it has Graceland, and it has Rolls. exploring explorers looking for stuff in the wasteland that has become the United States. Big, big gear for wastelands. You know what I'm talking about if you listen to our coverage of Fallout. Written by Dan Fogelman, Paradise is one of the best shows on television.

It was in its first season, and in its second season it's exploring all of the intercombed. connections between these characters and the fate of an imperiled human race after this mass global catastrophe even deeper in three episodes. Three episodes has managed to puncture some death, even more depth. Telling you guys right now, watch Paradise. That is my recommends. If you don't like it, I don't like you. What's up, Bringerverse?

Steve Allman here for the month of February on Ringervis Recommends. I'm going to be recommending comic books this month. This month is going to be the breakout smash hit from Image Comics called Dork by Brett Bean, illustrating and writing, and some great colors as well. I think the biggest thing that I can recommend about Dork is for the people that like easy and breezy and fun comic fantasy, this is for you. It's about a fun-loving character who is, half orc and half dwarf, and he is embattled in this magical land where he is trying to make

a name for himself as an adventurer, and he has this wonderful talking shield with him. That's a giant eyeball, and this is like this sort of like plucky comedic duo that is adventuring throughout this wonderful land. I really liked this first episode. The reason that this is so hyped up is because illustrator and writer Brett Bean has returned to comic books after so long, and it's kind of been setting the publishing world on fire. Both issues one and two have massively sold out their first printing, and they've rushed to print, like, three other printings. It's really, really fun. It's an easy, breezy type of read. You don't have to worry about any sort of, like, pre-established world or other canon. This is a

brand new story. It's very wonderful and fun and easy to pick up. The illustrations are wonderful, as you could see as I'm throwing up right now. I really, really, really, liked it. And there's another one that I want to sneakily recommend. This is the image comics as well from their Universal Monsters line. They've been having a wonderful run of bringing back the old universal monsters, Frankenstein, the mummy, creature from the Black Lagoon, et cetera. But the one that I want to highlight that came out this month is the issue one of Phantom of the Opera. Now, this has nothing really to do with the massive musical that Andrew Led Weber came out with, but more so the horror film that came out in the 1920s.

This is a continuation of the story that came out from that silent film era and is really a sort of like re-examination of that character and it's sort of gothic roots that come in the early ages of French opera. And it's kind of incredible. The art is beautiful. I am really, really excited for people to read it. I picked up a wonderful variant cover from the great artist Dan Quintana. I kind of really love this.

This is going to be like hanging on my wall. This is a beautiful, beautiful book. So check that out. But my main recommendation for you guys is Dork. Hi, I'm Ringerstaff writer, Miles Surrey, and for this month's Ringerverse recommends, I'd like to recommend good luck, have fun, don't die. The title's a bit of a mouthful,

so I'll just call it Good Luck for short. This is the latest film from Gord Rubinski, the eccentric autour behind the parts of the Caribbean trilogy, Rango, and My Childhood. favorite mouse hunt, which I'd also recommend if you haven't seen that. Goodluck is about a man played by Sam Rockwell who claims to be from the future and needs to recruit six patrons from an L.A. Diner to help them save the world from a rogue artificial intelligence. As you might expect from the premise, Good Luck is a little wacky, and as far as

sci-fi properties go, it kind of feels like a weird blend of The Terminator, everything everywhere all at once and Black Mirror. What's particularly strong in the film are a series of flashbacks featuring different characters from the diner and how technology is already upending their lives, including a couple teachers who have to deal with high schoolers becoming literal zombies to their phones. Good luck isn't a perfect movie,

and at times the anti-tech commentary is a little like boomerish on the nose. Old men you'll get clouds coated. But as someone who's long enjoyed for Binsky's movies in hopes that one day, a cure for wellness will be appreciated as the deranged masterpiece that it is, it's great to see that he hasn't lost his fastball after nearly a decade away from filmmaking. So if nothing else, if you want to have an unforgettable time at the movies, check out. Good luck. Have fun. Don't die.

Hey, everybody. This is Daniel Chin. And for this month, I'm recommending season two of Monarch. legacy of monsters. This Apple TV plus show is returning after more than a two-year hiatus, and during that time, NSOWI had her Emmy Award-winning breakout in FX's Shogun, and she's back to lead this cast, which also includes Kurt and Wyatt Russell, who play the same character across multiple timelines, which is always fun. If you haven't seen this show before, it's set in the Monsterverse, which I know is a pretty bad name for a cinematic universe, But it is Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures, monster movies that often center on either Godzilla or King Kong or sometimes Godzilla and King Kong.

Luckily, if you haven't seen those movies, you'll be fine for this show. And if you have, it fills in a lot of fun details because it does center on Monarch, which is the organization that follows the Titans and that's central to a lot of these movies. and it gets into the founding members as well as their descendants across the multiple timelines. But really, this show is just exactly what you expect it to be, and that's what I like about it. It gives you everything you could want out of a series like this. It's all the fun of having all the CGI monsters on the big screen. It's still a lot of the same level of quality that you'll get from that, even though it's just a TV show. It's certainly not prestige television.

It has a lot of flaws. There's so many frustrating plot points or character of elements that happen. But it's just a lot of fun, and it's an easy escape at the end of the day. And with season two, it's a lot more of the same. There's more monsters. There's even some King Kong appearances here and there. So, I mean, if you haven't seen season one, it's a perfect binge watch. and if you are all caught up for season two,

definitely tap back in if you want to see more of the same. Check it out. What's up? It's producer Dev of Buttonmash here to recommend one thing, one thing only. It wouldn't be right if we went this whole episode and didn't wish Pokemon a very happy 30th birthday, very dirty 30, Pikachu, I see you. There's a lot of Pokemon content,

so much so that Button Mash is doing ours next week. So next Friday, you can hear Ben, and some special guests talk about Pokemon Pocopia. In the meantime, if you actually want to play Pokemon Fire Red or Leaf Green, you can. They are now exclusively available on Switch and Switch 2. You really don't need both games. They're pretty much the same, but it all comes down to which Pokemon you're going to catch. So if you want all 151, you're going to need to shell out about $40, $20 per game.

I probably won't be playing those. I'm going to go analog on this thing and play Pokemon Yellow, which unfortunately, didn't get a special exclusive release, but that's okay. We still love Pokemon. I actually got to go catch some, so I'm going to catch you later, but we'll see you next week, only on Button Mash. Hey, everybody. This is Arjuna here with my February Ring of Verse recommends, and I'm going to

recommend The Muppet Show. That's right. The Muppets are back. They had the 2026 special with Sabrina Carpenter, executive produced by Seth Rogen, on Disney Plus earlier this month. And I gotta say, they absolutely nailed this. It was a capture of classic Muppets that I think has been kind of sorely lacking from the franchise over the last 10 years or so. I was a big fan of the Jason Siegel movie.

I feel like that came out 15 plus years ago now. But ever since then, you know, the sequel, a lot of kind of failed TV shows, the office style TV show, a couple of the Disney Plus things. They didn't necessarily really hit the same way. this felt like a real return to form, something that just didn't feel like it was, you know, trying to be something that it wasn't. It really, really captured the essence, I think,

of what the Muppets are, while still modernizing it in a way that I think old fans can really appreciate and hopefully new fans would like to. So it seems like the special did really well, and hopefully we'll get more of that, but I definitely recommend checking it out on Disney Plus. I really enjoyed it. If you're a fan of the Muppets,

check it out. Even if you're not, it's 30 minutes. It's really not a big investment. It's kind of fun. It's off the wall. It's random, which is what the Muppets are. And it's just, you know, there's something nostalgic about the puppets kind of doing their thing and, you know, seeing that again and again. And seeing it in the classic kind of style that the Muppets has been, right? This isn't a, you know, like I said, an office style reimagining or a movie or even like a different type of special where they're trying to do something that they haven't been. This is a real return to form. So check it out if you haven't. Let us know what you think. You know, hit us up on the socials if you like it, if you don't, and whatnot.

Hey, Ringerverse. It's Matt James, frequent button-mash guest and deputy art lead here at the Ringer. As per usual, I have a video game recommendation for you this month. It is God of War, Sons of Sparta, for the PlayStation 5. People have been hating on this game online, but I really loved it. I thought it was great. God of War's Sons of Sparta was surprise dropped at the end of PlayStation's state of play presentation a couple of weeks ago.

It is a 2D retro-style Metroidvania that follows Cretus and his little brother as they're growing up in Sparta, learning what it means to be Spartans. And I understand that most fans of God of War are not looking for a 2D retro style Metroidvania. A god of war famously has made its name on just outstanding action combat. And maybe that, along with its very spotlight positioning in that state of play, just outright triggered a lot of very negative sentiment online. Plus, plenty of people just look at it and say they hate the way it looks. And that's very subjective.

I look at it and I think it looks great. It has a really cool pixel art style to me. I vibe with the stylized color palette. As a Metroidvania, Sunsusparta does start a little bit slow. It does take a while to get going, but it just gets better and better and better as it goes along. The combat is serviceable. It's not the absolute best. And I think, you know, for God of War, that's a little bit of a shame.

But everything else about the game really kind of makes up for the combat, which, again, is not bad. The exploration and the build customization are wonderful. There's tons to do in the game. There's memorable characters and bosses, varied locations, tons of quests and side quests. And they're unlockable quality of life improvements too. There are, by the end of your time, there are fast travel points everywhere.

They have that great feature from the Lost Crown, Prince of Persia, where you can take a screenshot at any point and it's automatically affixed to your map so you can reference it later without having to go all the way back there and see what was going on. It does a lot of things right. I rolled credits on this after 35 hours,

and then I went back in to explore some more. As a god of war game, I thought it filled in an unexplored section of Cretos's life pretty nicely. Cretos is raised in a Sparta that has a very particular way that everyone should live their life. And this story is really about the moment that Cretus's upbringing

and his sense of what is right and just are suddenly at odds. And I think they tell that story pretty well. If you're a fan of the Metroidvania genre, or if you're a God of War fan that's looking for that Cretos origin story, I think it's worth checking out. It's 30 bucks, which maybe is a bit steep. maybe it should be 20. But that's really the only, you know, knock against it.

I have. It's maybe a little too expensive. Maybe wait till it's on sale. But the headline here is the haters, as it turns out, are not always right. All right. It's Ben back again with you one more time to present this month's listener nominations and also recap all of our selections. I actually have three listener nominations for you this month,

all of which were sent to Ringervors Recommends at gmail.com, where we welcome your nominations. for future months. And one of this month's submissions was actually recorded via video and sent in. That's right. It's a ringerverse recommends first.

You can do that. Exciting stuff. So stay tuned. We will get to that in just a moment. But first, I know we've talked a lot of anime today. Can we talk anime for one more moment

because I did receive this selection from listener Pearson Erey who writes, 2026 is the year of the horse. So there's never been a more perfect time to watch the first of multiple fantastic horse-related anime that will be coming out this year, Umamusume Pretty Derby beginning of a new era in North

American theaters February 27th. That's right, nearly two years after its Japanese release in May 2024, beginning of a new era is finally coming to theaters stateside. While horse girls racing anime sounds a bit unhinged on paper, this movie is legitimately one of the best sports anime films I've seen. It has no business being this good. The film follows Jungle Pocket, a free-spirited Uma Musume, who dreams of winning the Triple Crown after witnessing the legendary Fuji Kaseki race. What starts as a straightforward sports story becomes an incredible psychological drama when she faces off against Agnes Takion, a scientifically minded rival who's less interested in winning races and more obsessed with understanding the nature of what makes Uma Musume

run. What's particularly interesting is that the film reimagines the actual 2000-2001 Japanese horse racing season, taking real events and real horses and integrating them in the into an emotionally complex story. The rivalry between these two characters is top-notch, and the film explores themes like imposter syndrome and the cost of pursuing perfection. The animation from Cy Games pictures is electric. It has some of the best Sakuga I've ever seen in a sports anime film.

I'm talking Makoto-Shingai-level visuals, but with anthropomorphic horse squirrels. Shinkai himself said he was, quote, stunned, end quote, after watching it. They're out there racing and breaking the budget every time they push themselves beyond their limits as they enter what can only be described as the speed force. The sound design is great, too, from the score to the trampling of hooves, to the broadcast team. Another thing that really makes the film work is how earnest and sincere it is.

I found it to be very inspirational and emotionally resonant. And here's the best part. There's no homework required. You don't need to know anything about the Uma Musume franchise to enjoy the film. It's a complete standalone story with no relation to other anime entries or the mobile game. So if you're looking for something to watch in theaters, give Uma Musume a pretty derby beginning of a new era, a shot. One more nomination, this one from Kevin Fenter, who says,

Hi there, for a game recommendation this February, I wanted to pass along Monster Train's new DLC, Destiny of the Rail Forged. For those unfamiliar, Monster Train is a spin on the deck-building roguelike, where you're trying to protect your train's pyre from invading hordes of corrupted angels and monsters. Monster Train 2 introduces equipment, rooms, a deployment phase, and five new clans to the game's original five clans. The downloadable content is adding a new clan, the rail forged, alongside the returning Wormkin, from the first game's DLC. Each clan in the game has a few mechanics that are unique to them, but it doesn't become overwhelming, and they've done a really

good job balancing everything since the launch of the game. Each clan has a new way to break the game and become super powerful, which is always fun. The game scratches the deck building itch for me, and I figured I'd pass it along. Thank you, Kevin. And last but not least, our final listener submission is, well, you know what? I'll let her tell you herself. This one comes from Marquita Reese, longtime listener. And if I'm not mistaken, the tip of the tail of her cat in the corner of the frame makes a cameo. Now, this is not a new release, but it's timely. And look, she made a great video. So what am I going to do? Not play it. Marquita, take it away. Roll the tape. Hello to the Midnight Mob and the Midnight Riders. This is Mariquita, Miss Congenial.

of the Ringervverse Facebook group, here with a Black History Month recommendation. A trio of friends, including a World War I veteran, live in the Jim Crow South, battling the KKK and supernatural beasts that feed off of pain and hatred with a pivotal encounter at a juke joint. They're guided by a woman who practices

ancient West African mysticism to ward off evil spirits. If you're thinking you saw this movie last year, you didn't, because I'm talking about a 2020 historical fantasy novella written by P. Jelly Clark called Ring Shout. I'm recommending this because if you, like me, were a fan of Southern Gothic like sinners, Lovecraft Country, or Watchmen, all available on HBO, or you like powerful female chosen ones like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marie from Gen V, or Rosalind from

The Chilling Tales of Sabrina, both played by Jazz Sinclair, then you'll like this story. Ring Shout has everything that I love about fantasy, a magical sword that our lead character can summon, trees that act as portals to the undead world, and nine-foot-tall creatures, called Ku Kluxes in this story, that turn to dust when killed. Ringeshout takes the real-life sociopolitical impact of 1915's birth of a nation and spins it into a supernatural force that puts white Americans under an evil spell with deadly consequences. It's an empathetic and entertaining social commentary. For a little bit of background on the author, P. Jelly Clark is of West Indian background with roots in New York and Texas. He has a doctorate in African American history and is a current

professor at Yukon. This novella won the Nebula Award, the British Fantasy Society Award, and the Locus Award in 2021. It was also a finalist for the Hugo Awards and the World Fantasy Award. I borrowed the audiobook version of this story, which is energetically performed by Channey Waite, from my local library. It's a great listen. I highly recommend. Piu-Pew. Thank you. That was awesome. Marquita, thank you very much. And that's a great reminder that, yes, you can send me an email, but you can also, in addition to, or instead of text, send me a video, send me a voice recording. We will take it. Just get it to ringerverse recommends at gmail.com. Now, let's recap all of our selections for ringerverse recommends for February

2026. First, of course, me and Charles, we recommended Freeran Beyond Journey's End on Crunchyroll and Netflix, and also a bunch of other anime, but mostly Freeran, don't miss it. Then recommended Paradise Season 2 on Hulu. I'll second that nomination. Steve recommended Dork, the Image Comics, comic as well as a few other comics. Miles recommended Good Luck, Have Fun Don't Die in theaters. Daniel recommended Monarch Legacy of Monsters season two on Apple TV. Arjuna recommended the Muppet Show special on Disney Plus, which my whole family also enjoyed. Devin recommended Pokemon, Fire Red, and Leaf Green, just re-released on Switch and Switch 2. And Matt recommended God of War, Sons of Sparta for PlayStation 5.

Finally, from our listeners, Uma Musume Pretty Derby, beginning of a new era, anime movie in theaters now. Monster Train 2, Destiny of the Rail Forged DLC, available for all gaming platforms. and finally from Maraquita the novella ring shout by P. Jelly Clark. Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this episode. We've got so much more coming for you in March. We've got Project Hail Mary. We have Daredevil Born Again Season 2. I could go on, but you know what?

Stay tuned to the Ringiverse and House of R. And also stay tuned to ButtonMash on the Ringervverse feed. We will be covering Marathon and Pokemon Pocopia. on Button Mash next week. Thanks to Steve Alman and Arjuna Ramgo-Pow for producing, managing, and also recommending. Thanks to you for listening. And until next time, I hope you'll recommend the ringerverse. What's the difference between butter and butter made from real California dairy?

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