B3 - The Boston Bastard Brigade | Video Game Reviews, Pop-Culture Musings, Sports and more!

Misread band names? Cute crocodiles? Pandas doing stuff?! An overpacked anime season?!! It's all in a day's work on Duck Amuck in Japan! A plethora of topics are on the table on this week's show!...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/05/duck-amuck-in-japan-16/

Since its beginning, Call of the Night has asked itself a question: “What does it mean to be a vampire?” Throughout the adventures with Ko and Nazuna, readers have gotten a good idea on what ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/05/call-of-the-night-15-review/

Sometimes tragedy can result in comedy. In many stand-up routines, a comic will tell of a scary and harrowing time of theirs, and warp it into a way that makes it funny. But in some cases, the da...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/05/show-ha-shoten-4-review/

When Shelly Harrison made her debut eight years ago in Bombshell, the top-down adventure was met with shrugs. It wasn’t until she entered the first-person shooter realm with Ion Fury where her ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/05/phantom-fury-review/

One of my favorite albums from 2023 was the self-titled release from Quiz Show. Originally known as the hardcore band Shudder to Think, guitarist Chris Matthews and bassist Jesse Krakow went back...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/shameless-tuesdays-141-quiz-show/

Whenever I roam around Tokyo with a hungry stomach, I have a choice I can make. Sometimes, I go for a katsudon or okonomiyaki, something fancy and filled with many flavors. Other times, I just bi...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/gokurakugai-1-review/

As a certain candy bar tagline goes, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Quests in the name of food can often lead towards chaos, as the likes of Harold, Kumar, Yukihira Soma, and Gordon...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/chicken-for-linda-review/

In the 1980s, there was a soap opera called Dynasty. Story-wise, it wasn’t anything to write home about. However, the slap fights amongst the aristocratic ladies made it a cult sensation. Rose ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/rose-camellia-collection-review/

There’s a lot of hidden mystery within Fly Me to the Moon. Most of that is geared towards Tsukasa’s past, whose centuries-long life has given her the chance to experience a plethora of things...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/fly-me-to-the-moon-22-review/

King Baby Duck isn't the one traversing this time, nor is it AFLM. Nay, it's our very special guest Ladybeard! Hear about his and his BABYBEARD partners-in-crime's time at this year's Anime Bosto...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/duck-amuck-in-japan-15/

It was quite the nail biter in the previous volume of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. We all thought Shizuka was a goner, after she experienced a nasty zombie bite. But in Volume Thirteen, a fl...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/zom-100-vol-13-review/

If you ever find yourself trying to remember something, ask a janitor. With their way around buildings and with an ear to the ground, janitors are perhaps the best to recall even the most trivial...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/sakamoto-days-10-11-review/

Drills are no stranger to video games. Many of us have experienced the classics like Dig Dug and Mr. Driller. But I can’t remember the last time a video game came around where drilling was the ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/pepper-grinder-review/

Within the foggy swamps of New Orleans resides The Palace of Tears. Despite the harrowing vocals from LV Darkling, tears won't be flowing from your eyes. Instead, her and her multi-instrumentalis...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/shameless-tuesdays-140-palace-of-tears/

I pity the studio who’ll be put in charge of Choujin X’s inevitable anime adaptation. The first four volumes of Sui Ishida’s follow-up to Tokyo Ghoul have been a wonder for the eyes. But in...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/choujin-x-5-review/

Yusei Matsui is in a class all in his own. Ever since Neuro: Supernatural Detective, his visual style has been one filled with uniqueness and beautiful detail. But it’s in his work The Elusive ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/elusive-samurai-10-review/

It’s a fact that when a TsuShiMaMiRe song hits your ears, you can’t help but concoct some mayhem. For twenty-five years, the trio has smashed, kicked, and even danced their way through clubs ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/tsushimamire-mizumono-review/

Visions of Dr. Mario run through King Baby Duck's head, as he and JonStar chat about the other Tetris clones that they could be champions of. But of course, this is not what this episode of Duck ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/duck-amuck-in-japan-14/

Let’s just say that you’re the creator of a manga. For example’s sake, let’s say the manga is Chainsaw Man. You know that your audience wants carnage and over-the-top violence. So what ha...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/chainsaw-man-14-review/

When a person gets transferred, it can be hard to stay in touch with your old comrades. Of course, it’s a lot harder if it’s due to you having the ability to change into a monster, but good o...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/kaiju-no-8-vol-9-review/

Sometimes I’m surprised by which anime is brought to the Western. Often times, there will be a show that’s brimming with something that only those who live in Japan would understand. After al...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/snack-basue-review/

Stitches isn’t the first time authors Hirokatsu Kihara and Junji Ito have collaborated together. Years back, Ito had taken Kihara’s Mimi’s Tales of Terror compilation, and added his own twi...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/junji-ito-stitches-review/

As we’ve come to find out in the last couple of volumes of Rooster Fighter, demons have been misunderstood. In fact, they want to do their best to help out humans. The reason why many have been...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/04/rooster-fighter-5-review/

It’s mission time. The Yozakura Family have infiltrated Tanpopo on Skeleton Island. Stopping Kawashita’s Seed-Sowing Project is their top priority, but the spies have their hands full with th...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/mission-yozakura-family-9-review/

Is life worth throwing away if it’s used to save another? In all honesty, not really. While it’s noble to sacrifice one’s self to protect another, making it your goal to die during a rescue...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/tales-of-the-tendo-family-1-review/

Great albums aren't just a treat for the ears; they're also gateways to mind-blowing journeys. Toronto's The Shadow Majlis takes listeners on a worldly trip on their latest album The Departure. W...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/shameless-tuesdays-139-shadow-majlis/

Many women who grew up watching Pretty Cure could only wish that being a magical girl was an actual job. You get to save the world and beat up evil villains, all while looking cute doing it. But ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/magilumiere-magical-girls-inc-1-review/

“Win using only Jugemu.” With that condition from master Shiguma Arakawa, Akane Osaki set off to become victorious in the Karaku Cup. As the third volume of Akane-banashi showcased, our shin�...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/akane-banashi-4-review/

I both love and hate snow. On one hand, snow is good for warming up at the fireplace with hot cocoa and cuddles with your gal. But if you’re a Bostonian like me, then you’ve had to deal with ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/hokkaido-gals-super-adorable-review/

If you were given the chance to relive your life, what would you do differently? Would you avoid the mistakes you made in the past? How about seek your life friends early and avoid the toxic ones...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/undead-unluck-14-review/

EliteFourDerek returns to the Duck Amuck in Japan fold, as he shares what he's discovered in Florida. But then, the gang looks back at the legacy of Akira Toriyama, who passed away this month. He...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/duck-amuck-in-japan-13/

Now this is how I pictured Record of Ragnarok! For awhile, I had been a tad bothered by some of its storytelling structure. After all, when a badass fight between human and god is about to commen...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/record-of-ragnarok-9-review/

For over three decades, the anime series Chibi Maruko-chan has captivated audiences all across Japan. The creation of the late Momoko Sakura, the series focuses on a family living in 1970s Shizum...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/chibi-maruko-chan-review/

“Today’s otaku don’t know how good they have it,” thinks Megumi Sato, a forty-two year-old single mother and focus of Nico Nicholson’s My Lovesick Life as a ‘90s Otaku. And to be fair...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/my-lovesick-life-as-a-90s-otaku-1-review/

Feeling hot and sweaty, Sun Atoms burns into listeners' brains plenty of desert-worthy mirages. Their latest single "Ceiling Tiles" zaps us into the stratosphere, with the destination set for the...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/shameless-tuesdays-138-sun-atoms/

It’s a hell of a good sign when reading through nearly 200 manga pages goes by in a breeze. After all, when it comes to action series, the fights absolutely should be fast-paced. In the case of...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/dandadan-6-review/

In the years since their mothers declared they could beat Nirvana, Electric Eel Shock have accomplished a lot. Acclaimed records, nods from Bruce Dickinson & Mastodon, legendary shows at Roskilde...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/ees-heavy-metal-black-belt-review/

There’s a warmth to Kanna’s Daily Life that can’t be found in the main Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid series. While Coolkyousinnjya’s series has a great sense of hilarity and sweetness, t...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/kannas-daily-life-11-review/

It's a whole lot of random on this week's Duck Amuck in Japan, with topics ranging from award shows and metal concerts to art galleries and cute gyarus! But first, King Baby Duck shares an incide...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/duck-amuck-in-japan-12/

Once again, I find myself asking the same question I did with the tenth volume of Fist of the North Star: Where do we go from here? Only this time, it’s with the fourteenth volume of Moriarty t...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/moriarty-the-patriot-14-review/

I honestly can’t remember the last time I was completely wowed by a volume of Jujutsu Kaisen. Looking back, the last time I gave this series a perfect score was Volume Ten in August 2021, right...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/03/jujutsu-kaisen-21-review/

When one seeks information from an enemy, the best possible means is via making someone break. This can involve a heaping of pain, heavy threats, and even the occasional use of water. But sometim...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/tis-time-for-torture-princess-review/

When Circolo Vizioso hits the speakers, the world around you turns to black & white. The duo of Tony Scafidi and Paul Geigerzaehler craft hip-shaking grooves meant for the deepest underground clu...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/shameless-tuesdays-137-circolo-vizioso/

A few months ago, I had the privilege of seeing a Fist of the North Star exhibition in Roppongi. (You can hear my thoughts on it in this episode of Duck Amuck in Japan.) In it were the original d...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/fist-of-the-north-star-11-review/

I can’t help but love when a manga volume lets its readers have their cake and eat it too. Despite some flaws with how this cabin arc got started in Fly Me to the Moon, it has certainly found a...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/fly-me-to-the-moon-21-review/

From Suicide Girls and Powerpuff Girls collaborations to virtual gamings and starting their own record label, TsuShiMaMiRe have accomplished a lot! Now King Baby Duck sits down with the art punk ...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/tsushimamire-25th-anniversary-interview/

For six years, King Baby Duck, AFLM, and JonStar have had horse girls on their minds. Now, the head of Duck Amuck in Japan bears witness to Uma Musume: Pretty Derby in-person! Hear about the rece...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/duck-amuck-in-japan-11/

Bad news for Mashle: Magic and Muscles fans: Mash is still out of commission. Like, for real, not even a month’s supply of cream puffs will get the poor guy out of the space between life and de...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/mashle-14-review/

When finding that right significant other, it’s best to find some common ground. Perhaps it can be a shared hobby or interest, or maybe it’s a favorite author or film director. But when it co...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/pass-the-monster-meat-milady-1-review/

You can always count on anything regarding KonoSuba! to bring big laughs and unexpected twists. Be it the original light novel, the manga adaptation, or the hugely popular anime series, the story...

http://www.bostonbastardbrigade.com/2024/02/konosuba-clothes-of-desire-review/