Podcast

This week, Nigel and Tazziii go pink to take on the patriarchy as we’re joined by content creators Saskia Cole and Gael Level for a deep dive into Greta Gerwig’s thought-provoking take on the pop culture icon that is Barbie (starting at 23:13).

The discussion this week is wide-ranging, from the origins of the famous doll and previous attempts at a movie adaptation to the narrative itself. We delve into this story’s use of familiar film tropes as we compare Barbie to the Matrix, and give our take on the deeper meaning of the film including the issues of feminism and the female perspective. This week’s storytelling tip is all about delivering a message through your narrative as a creator.

Other stories we’re enjoying include: Someday Maybe, Call of Duty, Starfield, The Penthouse, The Flower of Evil, Beau Is Afraid, Primal, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Little Nightmares 2, Winning Time, Fruit Basket.

This week, Nigel and Tazziii get to grips with a time mechanic as we’re joined by Bish from GAL Podcasts for a deep dive into Mamoru Hosoda’s The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (starting at 31:14).

We salute the effective messaging delivered in this short runtime as we examine the themes on display and the way they are delivered through the light and humorous use of time manipulation. Tazziii is also on hand to help us navigate the mind of an adolescent girl discovering feelings of romantic love for the first time! In this episode’s storytelling tip, Nigel discusses how to create significant meaning in your story through low stakes.

Other stories we’re enjoying include: Chivalry of a Failed Knight, Lollipop Chainsaw, The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague, Blue Beetle, Sakamoto Days, Dr. Stone, and One Piece (Live Action).

This week, Nigel and Tazziii get to grips with a time mechanic as we’re joined by Bish from GAL Podcasts for a deep dive into Mamoru Hosoda’s The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (starting at 31:14).

We salute the effective messaging delivered in this short runtime as we examine the themes on display and the way they are delivered through the light and humorous use of time manipulation. Tazziii is also on hand to help us navigate the mind of an adolescent girl discovering feelings of romantic love for the first time! In this episode’s storytelling tip, Nigel discusses how to create significant meaning in your story through low stakes.

Other stories we’re enjoying include: Chivalry of a Failed Knight, Lollipop Chainsaw, The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague, Blue Beetle, Sakamoto Days, Dr. Stone, and One Piece (Live Action).

This week, Nigel and Tazziii roll a D20 to determine whether the podcast will happen or not. Joining us on our deep dive into Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (starting at 23:00) are Session Zero Sorceress BillieTrixx and Game Designer James Wallis.

We delve into this latest attempt at capturing the D&D Zeitgeist, and thankfully, this is a much more successful effort than in 2000! The heist format makes for a great structure to tell a D&D-inspired narrative, and we examine the narrative decisions that allowed what was once a niche hobby to be brought to mainstream audiences. In this episode’s storytelling tip, Nigel talks about creating a reactive protagonist.

Other stories we’re enjoying include: Divergent, Manifest, Zombieland Double Tap, Vita Nostra, The Sword Defiant, Fruit Basket, Rent-A-Girlfriend, The Proposal, One Piece, Lookism, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Primal, and Marlon.

This week, Nigel welcomes Mori Mori Studio Co-founder Mandy Wong to discuss her journey into the world of animation. We delve deep into her upbringing in Hong Kong and how she used her artistic skills to communicate and express herself in a new country.

We then explore the path that led her to create the pre-school show Millie and Lou. Mandy explains how the impact of early friendships influenced the story being told today. Additionally, Mandy reveals what she learned from multiple rejected pitches and how she navigates having a significant other as a business partner.

This week on the podcast, Nigel and Tazziii search for the Christmas Spirit in Tokyo and take a deep dive into Tokyo Godfathers (starting at 28:09). We discuss the surprisingly relatable themes in Satoshi Kon’s most grounded and realistic work. The film delivers a wonderful mix of complex and nuanced subtlety in its themes, as we have come to expect from the late Kon’s work. In this episode’s storytelling tip, we focus on making the narrative location a central character in your story.

Other stories we’re enjoying: The Castle of Otranto, The Hourglass, Honkai: Star Rail, Demon Slayer, One Piece, Ted Lasso, Good Omens, Platonic, Little Witch in the Woods, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Lookism, Robin Robin, and Primal.