This week, Alex, Matt, and Katherine tackle the Mario box-office, the MAX news, and dive into video games prices for their main topic. Game prices have been slowly moving to a $70 USD as a the standard after what felt like decades of a $60 rule — how does it impact critics, fans, and everyone in between?

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This week Alex, Adrian, and Charles are talking all about filler episodes. Are they good? Are they necessary? Has the word lost all meaning? 

The long-awaited sequel to Respawn Entertainment and EA's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order expands the world of the first game through expanded combat, customization, and traversal mechanics. We got the chance to sit down with Respawn's Jeff Magers and Blair Brown who serve as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Design Director and Senior Producer respectively. In this Jedi Survivor interview, we get into the game's expanded world and features, how it feels to create a Star Wars memory, and how Respawn has designed Jedi Survivor with every player in mind.

This week we talk about the new Little Mermaid trailer, the upcoming Creed-verse, and have a conversation about Villains. Why do people want villains to be sympathetic? Can it be done well? Why were you mad that Kang is a bad guy? Kate, Alex, and Neysha get into it in this episode. 

This week we are talking about the some news that caught our eyes, including Pokemon day announcements and the new stop-motion animated film by GDT to come from Netflix. And, of course, or topic of the week is a doozy: fans versus critics - the good, the bad, and the twitter of it all

This week, we're diving into: The new Little Mermaid Trailer, Twitch Con location announcements, and password sharing — should we do it? Does it hurt creators? Does Netflix's new restrictions hurt consumers?

This week we are talking about THE news that caught our eyes this week which was: DC’s film/series announcement from James Gunn. Plus, our topic this week is Reboots vs Remakes vs Revivals.

This week we are talking about the some news that caught our eyes including: The Mandalorian trailer and director line-up, The Legend of Vox Machina Musical Recap, and our main topic this week is trailers - the lying, the trailers for the trailers, and trailer culture. 

This week, Aaron, Kate, and Neysha talk about Renfield, the news that Michael Giacchino directing a reboot of the monster movie ‘Them!,’ and The Last of Us Press Tour. More specifically, they unwrap the comments made by the creators of The Last of Us video game suggesting that live-action storytelling is the pinnacle medium for audience engagement.

This week we are talking about the latest trailers, and news including: the Barbie Trailer, Into the Spider-Verse: Across the Spider-Verse, and Tom Cruise, Tom Cruisin’ off a cliff. Our main topics this week is all about our tops of the year, Kate, Matt, and Neysha talk about the games, movies, series, and more that were their absolute favorite of 2022.

Director Janeen Damian and her husband and co-producer Michael Damian of The Young and the Restless and Broadway's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat talked with But Why Tho? about their most recent Netflix Original Christmas romcom, Falling for Christmas. This sweat affair stars Lindsay Lohan in her grand return to film. Janeen and Michael share what it felt like to sign onto a movie knowing Linsday was attached and how working with her and the rest of the cast shaped the movie Falling For Christmas would become.

This week we are talking about the latest trailers, and news including: The Last of Us, The Witcher: Blood Origin, Honorable Mentions, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and The Dark Tower series coming to Prime Video with Mike Flanagan. Our main topic this week is all about the rise of D&D in movies and film and more.

This week we are talking about the latest trailers, and news including World Cup and The Game Awards. After that, our weekly topic covers the release Pokemon: Scarlet and Violet and whether or not fun should outweigh a broken game.

This week we are talking about the latest trailers, and news including House of the Dragon Season 1 ending, Ant-man and the Wasp Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and James Gunn and Peter Safran being tapped to lead DC Studios

Our weekly topic covers the need for an industry change to incentivize, and praise the work of animators and VFX artists, and at the forefront of this change? Guillermo Del Toro of course.

This week we are talking about the latest trailers, and news including:

Netflix is officially launching an ad-supported tierBlade loses its director and is on delay

Our weekly topic covers the Alan Moore interview in the Guardian where he discusses in great length about the danger of superhero stories.

And lastly, Kate, Matt, and myself will give some thoughts on some of the great things we’ve been watching lately including Grounded, Hellraiser, and more.

This week we are talking about the latest trailers, and news including Mythic Quest Season 3 announced, Ted Lasso and Richmond FC are now playable in FIFA, and The Last of Us Trailer

Our weekly topic focuses on the Resurgence of Cyberpunk 2077 from the help of Cyberpunk Edgerunners

And lastly Kate, Matt, and Aaron myself will give some thoughts on some of the great things we’ve been watching lately

This week we are talking about the latest trailers including: The top trailers from D23, Nintendo Direct and the Playstation’s State of Play.

Our weekly topic focuses on the current state of visual effects throughout the industry and the stark differences from She-Hulk to The Rings of Power.

And lastly, Kate, Neysha, and Aaron will give some thoughts on some of the great things we’ve been watching lately

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This week is hosted by Aaron with Adrian and Neysha. This week we are talking about the latest trailers including:

• Weird - The Al Yankovic Story
• Wendell and Wild
• Facebook Gaming has come to an end (we didn’t even know it had begun!)

Our weekly topic focuses on the BOOMING success of HBO originals such as The House of the Dragon even amidst criticism about the prior series and all of the controversy at HBO Max / Discovery merger

This week we are talking about the latest trailers including:

• • Wednesday Trailer
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities Trailer
  • Rick and Morty Season 6

Our weekly topic focuses on HBO Max removing a TON of content from the streaming platform seemingly overnight. Which will dive more into later.

And lastly Kate, Matt, and myself will give some thoughts on some of the great things we’ve been watching lately

Phenomena: The Golden City of Eyes is the first book in a new YA graphic novel series by Brian Michael Bendis and André Lima Araújo from Abrams Books. It's an art-forward story of three desperate characters in our world after something strange and universe-changing took place. We sat down with its creators to discuss how their collaboration came to be, what makes this book special for them as creators, and how taking an art first, dialogue minimal approach lent itself to making such a satisfying journey.

This week, Kate, Adrian, and CJ talk about Andor, Cyrberpunk Edgerunner, Wakanda Forever, and Samaritan

Our weekly topic is talking about what exactly makes a GOOD prequel with Prey now available to watch on Hulu

Dragon Ball Super: SUPERHERO, is the second film in the Dragon Ball Super franchise, will premiere on August 19 in the United States. There has been a lot of buzz around the film since its initial anouncement and trailer dropped. Ahead of the upcoming release of Dragon Ball Ball Super: Super Hero, we got the chance to sit down with the English dub cast, Kyle Hebert, the voice of Gohan, Aleks Le, and Zeno Robinson, who voice Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 respectively. 

Jujutsu Kaisen has been a smash hit and a lot of that is due to its dynamic cast including Yuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki, and Satorou Gojou. At this year's Crunchyroll Expo, which marks the convention's return since the beginning of the pandemic and its first outing since Crunchyroll was bought by Sony, we got the chance to speak with the incredible English dub voice actors who bring those characters to life. Here, we get into the hype for the severe emotional damage that is Shibuya, the acting process, the importance of their characters, and some of their favorite experiences voicing for the series.

We got the chance to cover Fantasia Fest 2022 as a team and oh boy did we find some amazing films. Kate, Ricardo, and CJ share their top 5 films with some quick reviews as to why you should look out for them!

You can find all of our coverage at the link below:

https://butwhytho.net/tag/fantasia-fest-2022/

This week we are talking about the latest trailers including:

• • The Rings of Power
  • Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
  • The Boys spin off GEN V
  • American Gigolo

Our weekly topic focuses on comments made by Eric Kripke talking about traditional TV show runners' approach to streaming shows vs modern streaming show runners. It’s a good one, don't miss it.

And lastly Kate, Matt, and myself will give some thoughts on some of the great things we’ve been watching lately

This week Ms. Marvel wrapped up its first season on Disney+ and we get into it. Marvel Studios’ “Ms. Marvel” is a new, original series that introduces Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, Kamala is a Super Hero megafan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel. Yet Kamala feels like she doesn’t fit in at school and sometimes even at home—that is, until she gets superpowers like the heroes she’s always looked up to.

Life gets better with superpowers, right? 

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This week we are talking about the latest trailers including Harley Quinn Season 3, Paper Girls, The Woman King, and Clerks III.

Our weekly topic is talking about the new lease of life for the Star Trek franchise through their various television shows.

Lastly Adrian, CJ, and I will cover some of the shows/movies we’ve been watching that we think you should check out!

Outfest LA Film Festival 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the queer film festival as it celebrates and preserves the history of queer cinema and invites and shapes its future. I spoke with Mike Dougherty, Director of Festival Programming about what live and virtual attendees can expect this year, from big names to darling features. Outfest LA 2022 runs from July 14-24, with nearly two-thirds of its programming available online as well for those not in Las Angeles.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds saw the return of Captain Christopher Pike and brought us on new adventures with a lot of nostalgia mixed in. Find out why this is a must-watch series for Star Trek fans and folks new to the series alike.

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Hosts this week: Aaron, Kate, Neysha, and Matt

We're here with EPISODE ONE! First, we run through the latest trailers and announcements including Gretta Gerwig's Barbie movie set photos, Ana de Armas in Blonde, Stranger Things S4 Part 2, and more. 

Then we dive into a discussion about "badass" movie characters being allowed to just be a badass and not need layers of sympathetic storytelling. Boba Fett? John Wick? We go down the list and ask for more. 

Finally, we wrap up the coverage from around pop culture over on But Why Tho? including reviews for Kabuki with Toma Ikuta, Lightyear, Spiderhead, Loot, Physical, For All Mankind, Stranger Things Season 4, The Quarry, Shredder's Revenge, Diablo Immortal, and more! All of which you can find on butwhythopodcast.com

Music & Editing by Jason Flatt.

Obi-Wan Kenobi has wrapped up, so we wrangled together our most passionate Star Wars fans to share their thoughts on it! Watch Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ with our

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We're back with a bi-weekly podcast! While we will be keeping the "why" part of the podcast, we'll be focussing on covering pop culture news, reviews, and what we're watching, reading, and playing now. 

With a new host line-up and bringing in our writing community to guest consistently, we're excited to jump back into podcasting regularly with this official podcast from our team. 

Tahara is a queer, Jewish coming-of-age film from director Olivia Peace and writer Jess Zeidman. I saw myself profoundly in this movie, and after spilling hundreds of words and much of my heart into my review, I had the chance to speak with Zeidman about how the movie came to be, the people that went into making it, and how life as a queer, movie-loving Jew shaped the movie in the end.

19:05 Spoilers The newest prequel for the Toy Story saga is here, and we have some thoughts about it!

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Jurassic World: Dominion has roared its way to theaters, but we aren't so sure that it has true dominion.

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Star Wars Celebration 2022 has come to an end, and brought some incredible news along with it! Here is what our impressions were. 

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Spoiler-lite Starts: 10:36

Plot Synopsis: Dr Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens a portal to the multiverse. However, a threat emerges that may be too big for his team to handle. 

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This week, we reviewed and dove into Marvel's Moon Knight. Check out our spoiler-lite discussion and why we think you should watch it! IF you're looking for a deeper dive, head to our Twitch channel to watch these happen live. 

Moon Knight follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life. Steven discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc's enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.

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Nic Cage is here with what is possibly the most Nic Cage movie ever, and we think you should watch it!

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This week, we're starting our new review podcast. On But Why Tho? Reviews, our critics get together to talk about what they're watching, what they think about it, and ultimately why YOU should hit play or hit skip. This week, we're talking about Heartstopper. The Netflix Original that is all about love, friendship, and most importantly, queer joy.

Have you ever wanted to step into a Jane Austen novel? Date in Regency England maybe? Well, the newest reality dating series is taking you there. We got the chance to sit down with two of the series' suitors Mr. Lewis Echavarria and Mr. Alex “Achilles” King to talk about their experience in winning the heart of the heroine Ms. Nicole Rémy. 

Alex Molodkin and his partner Tay Kuznetsova are the duo behind Weasel Token, an indie game developer based in Kyiv, Ukraine. They are currently making a game  Puzzles for Clef, a peaceful 2D puzzle adventure with a treasure hunt at its core. We spoke with Molodkin about his experience in Kyiv, what this means for Ukrainian game devs, and what people can do to help.

The RSS feed will be kept up, so new folks can listen to our 200+ episodes. That said, the RSS feed will also change. You can expect more audio reviews of content from us and more interviews as well. Additionally, the site will continue, our other podcasts will continue, and we would love to see you all on social media. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. To everyone who tuned in over the years, we couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you, and we’ll see you around.

Dani Colman is the author of The Unfinished Corner, a middle-grade graphic novel illustrated by Rachel Petrovicz, colored by Whitney Cogar, lettered by Jim Campbell, and published by Vault Comics. Dani sat down with But Why Tho? to discuss the graphic novel, how it managed to squeeze 4000 years of Jewish storytelling tradition into one book, and just what makes Jewish storytelling so powerful. The following interview is edited for brevity and clarity. The full interview can be heard on the But Why Tho? The Podcast.

Atomika, originally published as individual issues between 2005-2011, is receiving a Kickstarter campaign to publish a complete omnibus. But Why Tho? sat down with Artist Sal Abbinanti to discuss what went into making this unique tale of old and new gods in Soviet-era Russia. The following interview is edited for brevity and clarity. The full interview can be heard on the But Why Tho? Podcast.

.Self is a brand new ComiXology Original series written by Christopher Sebela, artist Cara McGee, colorist Rebecca Nalty, and letterer Aditya Bidikar. In a near future, new technologies allow humans to upload their every memory and emotion to a cloud that can be downloaded into a blank body after your death to let your family have closure. But what if that server was hacked? What chaos might ensue?

Author Christopher Sebela joined But Why Tho? to discuss .Self, what makes the series tick, and whether trust is worthwhile or just a trap. The following interview is lightly edited for clarity and brevity. The full interview with Christopher Sebela can be heard above or on the But Why Tho? Podcast feed.

Specter Inspectors was an unexpectedly pivotal moment in my queer journey this year. It was quite literally the moment I first truly came out to myself. But, it turns out, even the authors' sense of self and identity were shaped by creating this comic series from BOOM! Studios' imprint BOOM! Box. I sat down with Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto to discuss Specter Inspectors, queerness, and finding your own identity.

New Zealand-based comedy trio Viva La Dirt League has been making people laugh for a decade now with thoughtfully hilarious takes on gaming. Their series Epic NPC Man, Game Logic, PUBG Logic, and more have been able to connect with gamers and non-gamers alike. Now, the comedy group has a new live-action D&D-focused series set for 10 episodes. I got the chance to sit down with Adam King and Robert Hartley about scripting the series, their hopes with it, and even get their recommendations for playing your first D&D game.

Last year, there was no shortage of content based on Greek mythology. Whether it was Netflix series, webtoons, or video games, 2020 was perfect for fans of the Greco-Roman mythological world. And while each title put its own spin on the myth, Supergiant Games' Hades emerged as the most beloved. Not only did Hades build up a loyal fanbase with its stunning use of roguelike mechanics and its hot gods, but it also showcased mythology that we don't usually see. We got to see Nyx, the Furies, and of course, the son of Hades. I got the chance to sit down with Greg Kasavin, Creative Director at Supergiant Games whose past work includes Transistor and Pyre. We discuss Hades's storytelling, inspiration, and ultimately how the game adapts Greek mythology by looking at the classic interpretations, not the modern ones.

In 2017 Anthony Griffin, better known as his online persona LongBeachGriffy, took the world by storm with his original comedic sketches rooted in observational humor. The California native has made his fame from his short skits that range from everyday occurrences such as "when they call you by accident" to topics like race and politics.  Despite many of his videos being provocative by nature, LongBeachGriffy has had an uncanny ability to bring realness and perspective to his content. Whether he is talking about politics or dubbed vs subbed anime, the comedy is nearly always accompanied by underlying commentary that brings light to the ridiculousness of the times we live in.

Dream Con has always made it a point to bring in the best voice actors in the business. In 2019, the convention saw various Dragon Ball Z voice actors including Linda Young (Frieza), Chuck Huber (Andriod 17), John Burgmier (Tien), and Kyle Hebert (Adult Gohan). Post-COVID, it was unclear what kind of guests they would have as Naruto English voice actor Maile Flanagan was announced to only be participating virtually. However, Dream Con 2021 was able to book one of the godfathers of shonen anime, Sean Schemmel.

Dream Con would not be complete without hearing from the minds behind the convention, RDCWorld1. From a YouTube channel started nearly ten years ago to put on one of the most diverse conventions in the country, the RDCWorld1 team has accomplished more than anyone would have thought in such a short time. They truly are a manifestation of their namesake, Real Dream Change the World as these content creators of color aim to bring other people of color together in a convention all its own.

We're back from some much-needed rest and relaxation - or moreso just catching back up with life. And to kick it all offer Adrian and Kate dive into a spoiler-filled review of Black Widow, the latest edition to the MCU from Disney and Marvel Studios. 

We talk Taskmaster, why it's better than the MCU's first female superhero solo, and how much better it could have been if we had only gotten it sooner - and you know, not when Nat was already "retired." We dive into it all!

This week we cover one of the defining heist films of the 2000s: Oceans 11 — and the franchise it launched. Oh, and Kate talks Oceans 8, and it doesn't go like you think. We dive into how this launched heist films of the 2000s while embracing the film it's based on which starred the Rat Pack. We talk about the way the film evolved into a franchise, how influenced American heist films after the fact, and how we just really want to go back to a good heist film. 

This week, we're celebrating the release of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition by diving into why Mass Effect Matters. We talk its history, its controversy, but the most important elements – the impact that this franchise has had on video games, pop culture, and beyond. And we do it all with the help of Josh, founder of Bear Punch Media and host of Massively Affected. 

This week, we revisit Game of Thrones to celebrate its 10th anniversary. We specifically dive into Seasons 8, the records and hearts it broke, and the future of the franchise. With two years of distance from one of the most talked-about and arguably hated finales to a series in television history, we take the time to talk about what we loved about the series, and ask ourselves: did the finale ruin the whole journey there? And, we do it with the help of Danny from Next Issue Podcast. So listeners, Game of Thrones still matters? Plus we talk about what's next, the series we want to see and the ones that we don't.

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Castlevania is a phenomenon. It's a favorite for anime fans, gamers, vampire fans, and more. As one of the standard-bearers for Netflix Original Animations, Castlevania has come a long way from a four-episode first season. Bust just as the season episode length has been slowly increasing, so have the character arcs. Now, just two weeks out from the release of Castlevania Season 4 –which is also the series' final season– we got the chance to sit down with Samuel Deats (Director) and Adam Deats (Associate Director) to discuss the series' journey. In this interview, Sam and Adam discuss their extensive roles as directors, how they came on board the project all those years ago, and how the series found its unique aesthetic.

Iconic mangaka Akira Toriyama turned 66 this month, and to celebrate, we're diving into why he matters. While we dig deep into the creative process and how the Dragon Ball franchise came to be, we also map out how Akira Toriyama actually played a big role in some of the games you love. We talk about our love of his work, the critiques some of it has received, and how his character design style came to be the standard for 90s shonen and well, Japanese RPGs. From Dragon Quest to  Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball, we discuss it all! And we even talk about that time he designed a car, all with the help of Alex Paterno from Frightday.com.

Mortal Kombat is getting it's next live action film later this week and to celebrate, we're diving deep into why Mortal Kombat Matters to gaming, culture, and well, court cases. This episode we talk about how MK became one of the largest fighting games in the world, competing directly with Japanese fighting games and how it rose to outselling long-lasting franchises Street Fighter and Tekken. Made by a four-person team, Mortal Kombat Matters because of it's palette switches (and roster), it's unique take on game art by digitizing real actors,  and of course the fatalities. And we do it all with the help of CJ from Into the Spider-Cast.

So I Was Thinking is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Kate and Matt. In it, they choose different topics they've been thinking about and discuss them. Think of this as a peak into how the two discuss topics in their kitchen. With little editing and even fewer notes, the two talk about working from home. In this episode, the two discuss how they used to work from home and how that's changed now that it's forced instead of wanted. They talk work-life balance, company expectations, and wonder if we'll ever go back to old work models.

Other So I Was Thinking topics include "Director's Cuts," "Scooters in the City," "Friends After the Pandemic," "Anime," and more!

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Four years ago we reviewed Justice League - and y'all loved it. And for whatever reason, we're back here again to review Zack Snyder's Justice League. With the help of Alex. We talk about the length, ancient lamentations, why The Flash slowly touching the face of a woman he just met is beyond creepy, large music video shots of people standing, water bubbles, and at least why this one is better than the Joss Whedon's version. 

It's not all bad though, we talk about what the Snyder  Cut does with characters that improve them, like with Cyborg and Wonder Woman, and about why the Amazon scene still slaps. At clocking in at just over two hours, this version of our review isn't ALL of it. If you want to hear the But Why Tho Cut of this review - which is about 45 minutes more of content we cut out, head on over to our Patreon. You can subscribe and listen to the audio version OR watch our video - and get to see Adrian making his ancient lamentations in stunning definitely not 4k. 

This week to celebrate the release of Monster Hunter Rise we're devoting episode 172 to talk all about why Monster Hunter matters. In this episode, with the help of Techniq, we dive into this history of Capcom's best selling property, it's impact on RPGs, and why it took so long to take off in the United States. Don't worry, we talk about Monster Hunter World.

In this episode we break down the beloved shonen manga and anime series: Hunter x Hunter. Whether you pronounce the “x” or you don’t, we talk all about the series’ long history, the hiatuses, and ultimately why the fandom around the series only keeps increasing despite having no new media since 2019 in the United States and even longer in Japan. Plus, we talk all about what separates this shonen from others, including the protagonists, the villains, the themes, and of course the sprinkle of murder from every character – including our hero Gon.  And, we do this all with the help of DataDave, content creator, voice actor, and Twitch Ambassador.

With the recent release of Tom and Jerry on HBO Max, it's time to dive into one of the oldest cartoons still kicking around today.

On Episode 169, we're looking at the whole company, good, bad, and ugly. From Warcraft to Overwatch, even if you've never played their games, you have probably heard of them, and if you've played any RTS or MMO, you've certainly felt their lasting effect. Blizzard is an often problematic fave, but they are also firmly among the most influential and popular video game companies ever.

This year, Tomb Raider turns 25! To celebrate the anniversary of the iconic franchise and its main character we dive into the history of Tomb Raider and how Lara has impacted gaming and beyond. With Kate leading the way, Lara Croft is in the spotlight once again. While her game franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, Lara will always be an absolute icon in all of her iterations. In this episode, we chronicle Tomb Raider's development journey, the bad marketing choices behind the original games, and ultimately why Lara Croft still resonates today. Plus, we dive into the films and the new series from Crystal Dynamics. While we've covered the topic in the past, we're bringing in a new lens.

This week, we're celebrating Weekly Shonen Jump, the manga magazine that pretty much holds the keys to every one of our shonen favorites and the Toonami generation. With titles from Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and Yu Yu Hakusho to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Haikyuu!, and Death Note, the variety of the series that the magazine has published has showcased shonen's range. With help from special guest LaNeysha from Did You Have To? And So, Here's What Happened, we dive into the impact the magazine has had on pop culture, it's English language counterparts, and the series in ti that we love dearly. And Matt reveals the reason why he isn't a weeb. 

King of the Hill is the anime of Texas. Yes, that's the meme, but while this slice of life adult comedy may seem like a large hyperbole of the state and its people, truth is, it's pretty spot on. In this episode, we dive into the importance of the series, its success, and talk about why it hits the nail on the Texas head. And we even discuss how the series looks at the more conservative elements of Texan culture through a lens of growth.

Hitman 3 is out now and we're celebrating by diving into the history of the IO Interactive franchise. We tackle the rights issues, the impact of a suave Agent 47, and how it's gameplay is put to use by players. In short, we tell you exactly why Hitman matters.

If you're unfamiliar with the video game stealth-adventure franchise, Hitman helped revolutionize the stealth video game genre, and while it may have floated under folks' radar the past few decades, the upcoming release of Hitman 3 warrants Agent 47's celebration. Whether you like to sneak your way towards targets or go in guns blazing (Kate), the franchise has remained versatile over its years of developer drama. The plot throughout the series' history has also been impressively thick, and we're not just talking about how good Agent 47 looks in suits (Kate).

Crunchyroll started as an illegal streaming site where fans could upload their fansubs of their favorite anime series - and a Starcraft vid or two - but now it's an anime platform worth over a billion dollars. In the wake of the announcement that Funimation owner, Sony would be buying Crunchyroll and the internet's communal "anime is worth how much?," we dig into the history of Crunchyroll. We talk about how its model and acquisition of simuldubs of Naruto from TV Tokyo pushed the industry to innovate digital platforms, expanded the kinds of anime available in the United States, and ultimately created the current anime streaming landscape that we know today.

This episode is sponsored by MANSCAPED.com, use code BUTWHYTHO at check out for free shipping and 20% off.

This weekend One Piece hit its historic 1000th chapter. Created, written, and drawn by mangaka Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a member of the original Big Three manga and has shaped a generation of weebs. From the horrible 4Kids localizations and beyond, One Piece is a cornerstone of anime and at just under 1000 episodes of anime, we talk about it all. We talk about how Oda brought real pirate history into his vast world, how there is an island made of cake, and how this absurd pirate fantAsy adventure also touches on salient topics. And we do it all with the help of our resident Straw Hat, LaNeysha.

Episode 163: One Piece Matters...But Why Tho? is sponsored by MANSCAPED. Head to MANSCAPED.com and use code BUTWHYTHO at check out for 20% off and free shipping!

It's the end of 2020 - Thank bob. We've made it through it and in this episode we review it, well the pop culture aspects at least. We dive into our favorite films, television, games, and of course moments we've experienced on the podcast. Plus, it wouldn't be us if we didn't get into the biggest overrated things too.

This week, we head to Bel-Air with the sitcom that handled real issues, brought a lot of laughs, and brought Will Smith to stardom: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. With the reunion show airing on HBO Max, it seemed like the perfect time to jump into the production history of the series, the records it broke, and the series' impact. We talk about how we connected with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and how it represented one of the first series that we could see ourselves in. And of course, we also discuss Smith rise during the tail end of the show and what has happened after. 

Episode 161: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Matters...But Why Tho? is sponsored by Fun.com, the one-stop-shop for pop culture exclusive merch from clothing to toys and more. Get 15% off now with our link here!

This week we dive into the long history of The Muppets. In October, we raised over $4,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and one of the rewards for hitting a fundraising amount was for the audience to pick the episode - and you all chose The Muppets! In this episode, we explain their long history from late night show guests, sketch comedy shows, movies, and how they somehow managed to become a show that made a pilot geared towards adults into a children's staple. But most importantly we talk about the impact that Jim Henson has with the creation of the Muppets, where they interact with Sesame Street and more.

This episode was sponsored by Fun.com, the one-stop for exclusive pop culture gits, toys, and clothing from your favorite brands and franchises.

We covered Mario last week, so now it's time to cover his brother! This week, we're talking all things, Luigi. We dive into the character's personality, his stand-alone games, John Leguizamo, and how when he won a trophy we learned that Mario is a bully. And we do it all with the help of our producer and senior editor Jason! If you somehow have not heard of the famous Nintendo brother, Luigi was created by designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and is portrayed as the slightly younger but taller brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario franchise, often as a sidekick to his older brother. Whether you played him because you were player two or because you liked the color green, we explore why Luigi matters to games and fans beyond. 

This week we travel to the Mushroom Kingdom and dive into the history of Mario. In this episode, we talk about Mario matters to pop culture and beyond while mapping out how the Italian plumber from New York became Nintendo's official mascot, one of the most recognizable icons in the US, connect multiple generations of gamers, and even get his own theme park. Now, it has to be said that there is a lot to talk about when it comes to Mario. From the games to the manga that has alone grossed over $1 Billion, there is a lot of history and we're already set up to do a part two. So, if we don't cover your favorite thing about Mario, don't worry, we have more coming.  (Like a Luigi episode next week) We do all of that this week with the help of our show's producer, Jason - he also just really loves Mario.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is Ubisoft's latest game and newest IP. Developed by Ubisoft Quebec, the game is set in Greek mythology on the Golden Isle, home to the gods. You play Fenyx, a shipwrecked storyteller who is thrown into a battle between the gods and the most terrifying of the Titans: Typhon. With humanity turned to stone, it's your mission to save both the gods and humanity. In an effort to create what he views a the perfect world, Typhon has separated the gods from their essences, which he deems as the chaos that makes the gods unworthy of overseeing humanity. As Fenyx, you must unite the gods with their essences which will take overcoming heroic trials and more. We got the chance to speak with Jeffrey Yohalem, the game's Narrative Director and Lead Writer about creating Immortals Fenyx Rising. 

We get the chance to discuss the creative process in writing about Greek mythology, which serves as the base for much existing pop culture franchise, and how the team behind the game made it unique. With a fresh and humorous take on the Greek gods, Jeffrey Yohalem details his inspiration about the choice to make the game humorous and using that humor to tell an impactful story about the importance of embracing your imperfections. Additionally, Jeffrey Yohalem explains his favorite mythological elements to work into the narrative and why they chose to make Fenyx a character that you create and not just one that you're given. 

Hit play on the audio player above to hear the entire interview, and learn more from Jeffrey Yohalem about the depth of Immortals Fenyx Rising and how the team aimed to blend humor and emotion for one exciting game. 

Immortals Fenyx Rising is a new IP from Ubisoft Quebec. Set in the world of Greek mythology itself and not just a world with Greek mythology, the open-world action-adventure RPG is a sharp departure from Ubisoft's hyperrealistic worlds of its existing franchises. We got the chance to speak with Thierry Dansereau, the game's Art Director about bringing the world of Immortals Fenyx Rising to life.

Developed by Auroch Digital and published by The Irregular Corporation Mars Horizon is a strategy simulation game created with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency. In Mars Horizon, you take control of a major space agency, leading it from the dawn of the space age through to landing astronauts on Mars. Guide your agency through the space race and write your alternate history of space travel - any of the agencies can be the first to land on The Moon if you make the right choices. The games' timeline starts at the beginning of the space age in January 1957 all the way through landing the first astronauts on Mars. The game was designed with the intent to be as real and authentic as running your very own space agency in an educational way. This includes learning about the history of space exploration, the technology involved, and more. This week, we got the chance to speak with Tomas Rawlings, CEO of Auroch Digital, about the game, its inspiration, and all the science that goes into it. 

Netflix and Powerhouse Animation's Blood of Zeus has become a quick fan favorite and critically acclaimed animated series in the short time since its debut on October 27th. Set in a post-mythological age, and telling a story lost through the Greek oral storytelling tradition, Blood of Zeus seems like a story we've seen before on the surface. Heron, our demi-god hero, is the bastard child of Zeus and Hera is mad about it. But, there is much more to this story than a wife's revenge or Zeus' infidelity. At its core, the series offers a nuanced take on anger and how it relates to power. Additionally, we see a more vulnerable and fatherly Zeus and a more independent and powerful Hera. And, we have showrunners Charley and Vlas Parlapanides to thank for that.

I got the chance to speak to the creative brothers about their work on the series, how it began, and where it will go should Netflix greenlight another season.

Hit play on the audio above to hear the interview in full. To stay up to date on Blood of Zeus, follow the series on Twitter and Instagram at @bloodofzeus.

This week, Kate talks with Alison Araya, who plays Tía Victoria in Netflix's Julie and the Phantoms. They discuss why this character resonates, how Araya got into acting, and the importance of tías in our lives and on-screen.

This week, we're keeping with the horror themes by talking about all the reasons that Jordan Peele matters. We discuss Peele's history in television, film, and production. From the comedy years, time with Keegan-Michael Key, and most importantly how Peele has been reshaping horror. We cover how his directorial debut Get Out with Blumhouse has set the tone for horror going forward, changing its face, and forcing companies to realize that diverse stories, and in particular Black stories matter in the genre. Additionally, we discuss how his filmmaking has also caused a resurgence of social horror, and how his production company, Monkeypaw Productions has been moving the genre forward with films like Candyman and the HBO series Lovecraft Country which he produced with Bad Robot.

And we cover it all with the help of LaNeysha from So Here's What Happened and Did You Have To?, who you can follow on Twitter @NeyshaPlays.

This week, we have a special episode for you all, an interview with Zachary "Zach" Whitten, from St. Jude PLAY LIVE and how they use gaming for good by partnering with content creators to help raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We talk about how St. Jude PLAY LIVE got started, how they work with creators, and we learn more about the lifesaving mission of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital: Finding cures. Saving children.^® 

This episode dives into the work that St. Jude does and most importantly, how you can help contribute. But Why Tho? A Geek Community was founded because we believe that pop culture matters. It’s because of this that we believe pop culture fans should use their fandom to do good. This October, we're raising money for St. Jude, in partnership with St. Jude PLAY LIVE.

Donate to St. Jude at stjude.org/butwhytho

We're continuing spooky month by focussing on one of the leading production companies in horror today: Blumhouse Productions - and their other studios. We cover how the Blumhouse model of filmmaking has helped get films that are deemed "high risk" made and how its direct to streaming path has helped them survive COVID-19 closures that has hurt many other production companies. Now, with "Welcome to the Blumhouse" having aired four diverse horror films in an anthology format, it's important to call out how the production company's impact has affected the faces of horror both in front of and behind the camera.

To donate to our St. Jude Children's Research Hospital campaign, you can head to: stjude.org/butwhytho

It's October so it's all about spooky things! But, we decided to move away from our R-rated titles this time around and move towards the more family-friendly scares with Casper. Led by Adrian, this episode dives into the surprisingly long history of the friendliest ghost around. We take a look at his afterlife in comic books, video games, television, the one 1995 movie we all know you still love today, and the subsequent direct to home-video titles that Kate defends as Matt pulls Rotten Tomatoes scores. But it wouldn't be us if we didn't also dive into how this one property serves as a good way to help parents talk about grief and explore tougher issues with their kids. 

We're kicking off the spooky season with an episode all about the guy who defined scaring theater audiences throughout the 2000s and 2010s: James Wan. In this episode, we dive into why James Wan matters to film as a whole, horror, and now superheroes. Also, we have to note that a lot of his genre-defining work as a director was done with the help of Leigh Whannell as a writer and the two of them share in a lot of the successes we talk about in this episode. We talk about how Saw brought the wave of ultraviolence into the United States and spurred the American filmmakers in the "Splat Pack" and how Insidious brought haunted houses (that aren't found footage) back to the forefront and spurred a revival of theater horror and how that film defined an era of "wan-re." Oh, and we defend Dead Silence as an underrated gem and all-ages and PG-13 horror.

Cinemax's Warrior was one of my favorite series last year as a fan and as a critic. Based on an original concept by Bruce Lee, the show was created by Jonathan Tropper and Justin Lin and blends drama, the Old West, and martial arts. Set during the Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19^th century. it follows martial arts prodigy Ah Sahm, a Chinese immigrant who arrives in the City of Lights under mysterious circumstances. Once he proves his prowess as a fighter, Sahm becomes a hitman for one of Chinatown's most powerful organized crime families. That said, while Ah Sahm is the central character of Warrior, he is surrounded by powerful female characters that push the story of the series farther and offer up a look at the intersections of race, gender, and class. This is no truer than in Ah Toy, the most powerful businesswoman in Chinatown, who just so happens to be a madam. Portrayed by Olivia Cheng, Ah Toy is a powerful woman who understands how the world sees her, both within her Chinese American community and among the white men she deals with.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak with Olivia Cheng before the launch of Warrior Season 2. In this interview, we discuss the series' relevancy during the current rise of anti-Asian hate crimes and how the series introduces audiences to Asian American history. Warrior does this in multiple ways, but referencing specifical historical moments to Ah Toy herself, a character based on a real woman of the same name. A self-proclaimed history buff, Cheng explains how she knew the history of San Francisco ahead of shooting the series, but dove even further into by learning more about Ah Toy, of which there isn't much written from her perspective.

This week, we're celebrating the legacy, relevance, and important of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In this episode we dive into why this series that is often overlooked, matters to the history of Star Trek, science fiction in general, and pushes forward Gene Roddenberry's vision for the future by showcasing the difficulties of achieving it. We dive into issues of race and representation and how Deep Space Nine tackled actual issues based in our very human identities without using aliens a proxy for the conversation. Additionally, the series offered up commentary on religion, colonialism, and mental health. 

While we talk about why the series has hit a new relevancy today, we also discuss how setting a Star Trek series on a singular station rubbed some Trekkers the wrong way. We confront the criticism and meet it with our own as we contextualize Deep Space Nine within the larger history of science fiction and Roddenberry's vision. And we do this all with the help of Alexander Brazie. 

Brazie is professional game designer from World of Warcraft, League of Legends and most recently Ori and the Will of the Wisps. He now runs his own game design educational site called gamedesignskill.com. While The Next Generation was his first, Deep Space Nine is his favorite. You can follow him on Twitter here. 

Last Friday Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 released and we've all had the bird man on the brain. So, to celebrate the return of one of the best sports games ever made we decided to talk about why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater matters to gaming and culture more widely. In this episode, we drop into the long history of the franchise, its development, and how Tony Hawk aimed to create a video game that immersed the player in a real representation of skate culture. We talk about what happened when Neversoft closed and we also break down how Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is marking a triumphant return. But one of the things we didn't know would happen is a deep conversation about representation and how despite its predominantly white roster, the Pro Skater franchise never felt like it excluded people of color, specifically with its music from De La Soul to Ozomatli and its in-depth create-a-skater feature.

We talk about the genre-defining mechanics and of course discuss the wide-ranging impact of the game's soundtrack and how it impacted our own personal tastes. Oh, and how Matt still dresses like his create-a-skater to this day.

While we recorded this episode before the news from DC FanDome that DC Comics would be bringing back the Milestone heroes, including Static and Icon, Dwayne McDuffie matters to comics and beyond. This episode, with the help of John (aka Sceritz), creator of Scorpio, we dive into Dwayne McDuffie's history in comics from Marvel and trading cards, to co-founding Milestone Media, and how his work in animation defined the beloved DC Animated Universe. We dive into the heroes he created, their backgrounds and how they broke the mold, and we also cover the scathing letter he sent to Marvel to make his point on the representation of Black communities in comic books. We also detail the issues Dwayne McDuffie dealt with from DC leadership which led to the shuttering of Milestone Media and why he was removed from working on the Justice League in the 2000s.

This week we're hitting a the big 1-5-0. We're done so many episodes over our three years of podcasting, so it's AMA time! We open the floor once again to answer questions about pretty much anything form our community. After episode 100's drinking game which definitely left us with hangovers, we didn't come up with rules this time. Granted, everyone does have a drink, but this time you can hear us grief each other's bad opinions sober.

A super special thanks to friend of the show and our guest LaNeysha for coming on to herd the cats that are our hosts when they don't agree on things. 

The lore for Warcraft is expansive and has captivated the minds of fans for over twenty-five years. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands looks to expand that lore this fall with the expansion of the ever-popular MMORPG. Sylvanas Windrunner has shattered the crown of the Lich King and opened a rift over Azeroth, the Horde is splintered, and the Alliance is on the hunt for the former leader of the Horde. New adventures loom but before then, fans can read the latest tie-in novel for the expansion, Shadows Rising by Madeleine Roux. 

In this interview, Adrian got to sit down virtually with Roux to talk about her process with expanding the lore in a franchise that she has been apart of since the vanilla version of World of Warcraft. Here, Roux dives deep into her love of the franchise and how her fandom connects to her writing process. She also discusses how writing a book for an established franchise works, how she had to adjust certain elements of her writing (Anduin almost had a tattoo), and how she got to bring LGBT+ representation to Azeroth, which was a priority for Blizzard. Additionally, we get the chance to learn more about Roux's fandom in general and how she got flex her horror muscles in certain aspects of the novel.

This week we're talking about one of the foundational authors of science fiction: Isaac Asimov. We dive into his series, his academic career and ultimately the three laws of robotics and how they set the stage for not only sci-fi but for robot ethics in the real world as well.  And we do it all with the help of our producer and sr. editor of But Why Tho?. Jason!

This episode is sponsored by MANSCAPED. Head over to manscaped.com and use code: BUTWHYTHO at checkout to get a great deal on a great way to keep yourself clean. 

This week with the arrival of The Last Dance on Netflix, we're talking about His Airness himself, Michael Jordan. In this episode, we dive into the history of the iconic basketball player both on and off the court. We talk about he became the greatest player of all time, his move to baseball, some of his controversies, how he essentially created Nike as a streetwear brand as well as an athletic one. Plus we have a deep conversation about competition, sports, and what it takes to become the GOAT. Press play and learn all about why Michael Jordan Matters. And, we do it all with the help of LaNeysha from So Here's What Happened and Did You Have To? podcasts.

This week, the gang does a podcast and talks about why It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Matters. We dive into the history of the FX Original series, how it picked up where Seinfeld left off and made it darker, and why after all these years it's a series that still holds on tight. In the same vein as our Archer episode, we have a conversation about shows about bad people doing bad things and how it works as a comedy when it's done right.  There is even a little Day Man. 

This week, we're diving into the life, history, and career of Chicano icon: Danny Trejo. In this episode we break down why Danny Trejo matters to film, fans, and why his status as an icon is not only incredible after his journey but life-changing for those he meets. While this isn't one of our longest episodes, we get the chance to dive into an icon, discuss our favorite movies of his and show just why Danny Trejo Matters.

Even if you're unfamiliar with Danny Trejo, you probably know what he looks like. Long hair, thick mustache, brown skin, and a tattoo of a woman in a sombrero on his chest. He began his career consulting on a set to help an actor train as a boxer after he was recognized by Eddie Bunker, who remembered him from his time in San Quentin. This one consultative job led to him starring and consulting Heat, and other films. We walk through parts of his filmography and explain how his role in Rober Rodriguez's Spy Kids opened more doors for him.