Are Fun Things Fun?
Are Fun Things Fun? is a podcast dedicated to discussing Manga Time Kirara, a Japanese manga magazine known for its slice-of-life and moe-themed series. Hosted by Mallory and Ranka, the show positions itself as the leading Kirara-focused podcast in the Western anime community. Each episode covers manga titles from the magazine, offering commentary and analysis for fans of anime and manga.
Episodes
Episode 55 - Extra-Special K-ON Movie-Along!!
we watched a movie and we are making YOU watch a movie but YOU HAVE TO DO IT!!!!!!!lol
Episode 54 - Yama no Susume S1 + S2
A show so small we've covered it all! No thats a lie we onlky did like a thuird of it. i justbnwanted to rhyme im so.rr,y
Episode 53 - Kofuku Graffiti (feat. Mercedes)
the food bitches are back to cook up a frickin episode. get ready for lots of bad jokes
Episode 52 - Non Non Biyori (feat. Cherry Scampers)
oh my god its only a bloddy legend of the streamer rats its Chezza here to discuss Non Non Biyozza with Mazza and Razza. im outnumbered by brits help me
Episode 51 - Urara Meirochou
look into my crystal bawl...
Episode 50 - Free! Iwatobi Swim Club feat. Søren
a special friend for a special show... a step through the KyoAni looking glass...
Episode 49 - Yuru Camp S2, Movie, and S3 (feat. Piss)
we are back with a brand new track. yuru camp for you to vamp
OVA 11 - Spring 2024 Recap (Girls Band Cry discussion)
yeah another OVA sue us. more stuff soon xoxo
OVA 10 - Season 4 Rankings
we are back!!! seasonal roundups soon xoxo
Episode 48 - KinMoza Spectacular (S2 + Extras)
Finally, yet again finally, we are back from the Month of Mysterious Circumstances to discuss the remainder of the Kiniro Mosaic franchise. Tune in for our thoughts on KinMoza, what we've been up to for a month, and the latest opinions on the Drake-Kendrick beef!
OVA 9 - Winter 2024 Seasonal Catchup
WOW WHAT A BIG SEASON!!! So many heavy hitters! There was the gay show, the gay show, the dyke show, the other gay show, and then 15 other shows we watched too! MahoAko, Bucchigiri, Bravern, Metallic Rouge and Many Many More!!!!!!!!! Tap in!
Episode 47 - GochiUsa S2
We're back with a... maybe not brand-new track. Also this one is short lol enjoy
Episode 46 - New Game!! (S2)
more of this extra exclamation point nonsense... its S2 and we're here to see if the show is finally good or not
Episode 45 - RPG Real Estate
this one has a spoiler section i have a timestamp in there enjoy the episode<3
Episode 44 - Love Lab
Controversy time..... Tap in
Episode 43 - Hoshikuzu Telepath feat. @Beamposter
Its still a "seasonal" episode because we are in a "Season" called Winter. Thanks for waiting <3 We talked a lot about eating raw eggs in this one for some reason?
OVA 8 - 2023 Fall Wrap-up (Year In Review) feat. Iris @Beamposter
first of two episodes from our positively epic sesh with the delightful and insightful Iris (@Beamposter). we actually did a year end episode finally thats cool huh!
Episode 42 - Tamayomi
Baseball season! Not yet lol but holy fuck did you hear about that guy with the $69000000000 contract what the hell??? Tamayomi is a cool show please enjoy this episode <3
OVA 7 - No More Kiraras
Surprise! Funny episode
Episode 41 - Hidamari Sketch x Hosshimitsu (Season 3)
back again with that HidaSketch sauce. 10/10 podcast 10/10 cohosts 10/10 off-topic banter 10/10 release schedule adherance
OVA 6 - 2023 Summer Seasonals Showdown: Bang Dream vs. Love Live
Holy moly! Which of these idol franchise titans will produce the better anime! Probably the one with a history of doing so! Still a fun comparison. Sorry for the late upload!!!!! Enjoy
Episode 40 - Anima Yell
Cheerleaders are HERE-leaders!!!!! Thanks so much enjoy
Happy 2 years of AFTF :D
Episode 39 - Castle Town Dandelion
What would a royalty-focused drama be without intrigue, insurrection, and perhaps even a little interest? In what might be our dodgiest recording yet, enjoy 2 hours of Castle Town Dandelion fun-finding with Mallory and Ranka.
Episode 38 - Anne Happy
Time for an happy episode of the podcast!! Stay tuned til the end of a fairly short but fun episode for one of our greatest puns of all time. Mailbag heavy, is that a good sign or a bad sign? Who can say..
Episode 37 - Doujin Work
Wow are we a local Toronto pizza chain that is less sub-par than you would expect from the branding? Cause this episode is a 2-for-1!! We discuss the 14-minute episodes of Doujin Work (the Kirara manga adaptation) as well as the 10-minute episodes of Momo-chan & Kimi-Kimi's Doujin Waku Waku (this one is freakin weird). Which was better? Which was even tolerable? Find out inside!
OVA 5 - Spring 2023 Wrapup & AFTF Season 3 In-Review
It's here! The culmination of so much anime watching -- the AFTF Seasonal Roundup and Podcast In-Review!
Rankings, ravings, rantings and rambunctious rambling abound inside. A classic "Mallory and Ranka Argue A Lot" episode for true die-hards to enjoy.
There's a lot of spoiler segments but I mention them as they come up and I hope that's good enough for you <3
Start to 50
Episode 36 - Gakkou Gurashi
Returned once again with another (hopefully) (somewhat) well-known Kirara title to close out the season! Gakkou Gurashi sure turned a lot of heads with its gotcha bait-and-switch when it dropped in 2014, but is it really just all shock value? Did it only turn heads or did it turn Ranka and/or Mallory into zombie revivalist believers? Listen and discover <3
BTW this show has ACTUAL SPOILERS! so
Episode 35 - Shorts Spectacular
Several shows just for you!! Wakaba Girl, Komori-san wa Kotowarenai, Ooya-san wa Shishunki, Pan de Peace, Mangirl! and Aiura
Wow, that's 6 whole shows!! Wait they're how long? Aw beans!!! Ok well enjoy lol
Episode 34 - Hanayamata
We return!!!! Thank you all for suffering the long long wait but: AFTF Fridays is back yet again with a bona-fide Kirara! Does Hanayamata stick the landing on its unique blend of SoL and shoujo-esque drama? Any jokes in this one? Anything at all? Do you guys know who the author is on this one? We didn't!! These and many more surprises inside. Enjoy!!
Episode 33 - Winter 2023 Seasonal Recap
Surprise! It's not Hanayamata!
We did a double-recording to tide you over while Ranka is out of town, and we wanted to talk about the latest crop of seasonals before it became even less timely and/or relevant. Hanayamata next episode!! Enjoy!
Episode 32 - Nichijou feat. Iris (@Beamposter)
The legends return with a suitably legendary anime. Yet again fallen off of the Kirara train, here we are talking about perennial favourite Nichijou! You've seen it right? Of course you have. Or at least you've seen the gifs. The much-vaunted Iris joins us for a thoughtful conversation on a show so big no one has bothered to record a podcast about it yet. Lucky us!
Episode 31 - New Game! feat. @burgeroise
We got a REAL LIFE game dev to come on to talk about New Game! was gonna be the pitch for this episode but does New Game even talk about game dev?? A fun chat about mostly yuri and the trials and tribulations of Kirara middery. Enjoy!
Episode 30 - Blend S feat. @mostlynopal
Clock in wagies let's get that bread!! A cafe-set romcom sounds like a Slam dunk! Can it Stick the landing? How many S words can we think of? Luckily we brought S-word expert* Mercedes in to help! Enjoy two bonafide food workers bullying Ranka for more or less no good reason.
*Not a euphemism just an unfunny rush job
Timestamps:
Start to 25:00 - Intro & Cast/Crew
25:00 to 57:40 - Show discussi
Episode 29 - Ochikobore Fruit Tart
AFTF returns with another never-before-seen (by us) Kirara Manga Time anime adaptation! As self-professed experts in the "high octane nonsense yuribait," "comedy jokes," and "idolshit" genres, will Mallory and Ranka find entertainment with the resident artists of Mouse House or will they graduate the entire unit of washed-up losers with extreme prejudice?
Episode 28 - Do It Yourself!! & Fall 2022 Season
Oftentimes, we end up having to do it for ourselves. But what if... that was a good thing? Join us as we discuss a unique studio original from Pine Jam, Do It Yourself!! as well as the remainder of the Fall 2022 anime season as well as the remainder of your mailbag questions!
Timestamps:
Start to 1:03:50 - Intro and Fall 2022 Discussion
1:05:35 to 1:49:00 - DIY!! Discussion
1:50:30 to End - Mailba
Episode 27 - Bocchi the Rock
In our most exciting bout of attention-whore clout-chasing yet, to kick off 2023 we get to discuss a bona-fide Kirara anime which is also relevant in the anime-viewing popular culture!! A true New Year's treat!!
We will be discussing the rest of Winter 2022's shows next episode, as there were a ton of shows people watched (including us).
Timestamps:
Start to 4:40 - Intro
4:40 to 20:40 - Cast
Episode 26 - Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru (feat. Lianna)
It's cold outside, and yet... the podcast still moves! Join us for an extended analysis on a somewhat overlooked Studio Shaft classic, and stay with us for a deep dive into one of the most beloved manga runs of the 21st century, notes on adaptation, and the finest textbook on communication ever printed. Featuring special guest and long-time collaborator, Lianna the Yuripig! Find her works here: ht
OVA 4.2 - AFTF's Season 2 Rankings + Mailbag
IT'S HERE!!!! WE RANKED EM SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!! COUNT TO 12 BACKWARDS WITH US!!!
Mailbag starts at 1:13:45
OVA 4.1 - Summer 2022 Recap and Autumn 2022 Preview (feat. Lycoris Recoil Discussion)
Time for our quarterly report! We discuss everything we saw last season and dig into Lycoris Recoil in particular. Lotsa stuff!
I should probably timestamp all this but I won't. Lycoris Recoil discussion starts at 1:16:20, everything before then is every other Summer show we watched. There's a spoiler alert at like 50 minutes in when we talk about Cyberpunk. Have fun!
Episode 24 - Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? Season 1
Season 2 of AFTF comes to a close as Mallory and Ranka finally visit one of Kirara's most popular properties in recent memory, GochiUsa! WIll this magical-realism ambiguously European slice-of-life deliver the right drinks (jokes and a fun time) to the right table (our brave hosts) or do the cafe wenches of Rabbit House need some extra sessions with the Demon Trainer? Pour yourself a hot cup of AF
Episode 22 - Acchi Kocchi
The rarest of Kirara rarities: a hetero romance. It is absolutely the first thing, but is it at all the second thing? Let alone, is it even a fun thing?? Enjoy as Ranka and I try our hardest to make a compliment sandwich for Acchi Kocchi, and then settle on a compliment tartine, or maybe more of an hors d'oeuvre, or a canape. I'm having a turkey sandwich right now; very underrated deli meat. Such
Episode 21 - Stella no Mahou
That Kirara show about video games? Yeah you know the one. No not that one. It's Stella no Mahou!! In one of our most heartfelt and intellectual conversations thus far (for real), we gush over Stella's love and attention to the doujin creation and doujin market scenes while waxing nostalgic on our own convention experiences. Genuinely one of my favourite episodes we've done yet, please enjoy!
Thre
Episode 20, Part 2 - Azumanga Daioh Mailbag (feat. Aurora & G)
The pod returns. Azumanga returns. You asked one billion questions. We answered all of them. Just under 2 hours. Have a grerat time
It's all mailbag so no timestamps. There's a break at like 1:05:00 or something
Episode 20, Part 1 - Azumanga Daioh (feat. Aurora & G)
It's finally here! Our actual, for realsies, biggest episode to date! We tackle the legendary comedy of the modern era, Azumanga Daioh! Aurora (@request_healing) and G (@no_stunts) come in as our pinch hitters to discuss the legacy and cultural impact of one of the most enduring comedy animes of all time. Part 1 covers our entire show discussion, whereas Part 2 will reach your feeds shortly, with
Episode 19 - Machikado Mazoku 2nd Season & Spring '22 Season Wrap-up (& also Healer Girl)
Another season passed! Time to talk about upwards of a dozen shows we watched. That's so many!! Don't worry, one of them is Machikado Mazoku Season 2!! And another one of them is Tomodachi Game!? Discover the rest inside <3 Mwah
This episode is huge, here's a bunch of timestamps so you can skip around:
Timestamps:
Start to 54m -- Seasonals discussion
54m to 1h14m -- Healer Girl discussion
1h14m
Episode 18 - Dream Eater Merry
A very special episode, dedicated to all of you who have been clamouring for us to discuss a long-forgotten shounen series that randomly happens to fall within our Manga Time Kirara purview! Yes, that's right, it's finally here, Dream Eater Merry! The inexplicably Kirara-published battle series packs a visual punch and mild dramatic/romantic intrigue, but is that enough for us to actually like it
Episode 17 - Sakura Trick
It's finally here, for real this time! Mallory and Ranka argue incessantly over what might be the #1 yuri-anime-you've-seen-people-post ever, Sakura Trick! Who liked it and who hated it? Who is this show for? How off-topic can the mailbag possibly get? All this and more, right behind the play button!
Episode 16 - Comic Girls feat. @AtashiBastard
An anime about manga? What the hell are they going to think up next... Kirara's stab at the shockingly autobiographical leaves Mallory and Ranka with mixed reactions and a lot of hilarious material to talk about. Thank god for that, cause I think we're about to get audited...
Longer one, so it's been broken into 3 segments! Enjoy!
OVA 3 - Hand Shakers feat. Piss @TsukihimeDemake
Not much to say about this one! Hope you like kino, kuso, and kusokinography!
IMPORTANT INFO: We are not only returning to the bi-weekly Friday uploads, we ALSO are delaying Sakura Trick temporarily, thus next episode on June 3rd will be on Comic Girls instead! Please wait warmly!! I love you<3
Episode 15 - Koisuru Asteroid (and Hakozume)
We talk a lot about the yuri elements of the SoL genre and of Kirara-published manga, but what if a series both leaned into and away from this at the same time? Enter Koisuru Asteroid (Asteroid In Love), a more recent entry into the catalogue that brings with it a heaping pile of ambition crammed into just one cour of televised anime. Does Doga Kobo pull off such an aggressive adaptation? Or does
Episode 14 - Slow Loop
Fish Friday, Good Friday, Food Friday; no matter what you call it, here we are! We discuss our first ever freshly aired anime, Slow Loop, as well as the rest of the Winter season that passed and what we're looking forward to in Spring! A long episode awaits filled to the gills with fish facts and knowledge! Enjoy heartily along with your Abrahamic religious holiday of choice!
Timestamps below:
Sta
Episode 13 - Hidamari Sketch x 365
Join us as we kick off Season 2 of the podcast with Season 2 of Hidamari Sketch! If you're wondering how we could possibly cover more of a show we've already done 4 hours on, you don't know us well enough! Between Ranka's careful YunoMiya note taking and Mallory's obsessive and smothering love for all things HidaSketch, we have a 3-hour follow-up on our hands! If you heard us talk about the myster
OVA 2 - Season 1 Rankings
Episode 12 has come and gone, and this (somewhat arbitrarily) marks the end of our first cour of the podcast! We thought it'd be fun to go back and do an Official Ranking of both our individual favourites and also a combined Podcast Official List to clarify which shows are worth your time, which come with caveats, and which are outright skips. We honest to god thought this would be a shorter episo
Episode 12 - Yurucamp feat. @TsukihimeDemake
Wow. Wow wow wow. Has it really, truly, only been 12 episodes? Time sure flies when you're deciding if fun things are fun. Loyal listener, you have reached the finale of our humble podcast's first cour, and as a reward we have a meaty one for you! This finale is another one of our 4-hour spectaculars, featuring special guest Andrew a.k.a. Piss a.k.a. @TsukihimeDemake from excellent anime podcast N
Episode 11 - A-Channel
As we approach the end of the first season of the podcast, we continue to aim for anime we consider to be quintessential Kirara-core, and instead find a show that no-one particularly remembers or likes. Is this us finally showing our age here? Has A-Channel been entirely superceded despite its insane traits of 'having Yui from K-On voice a girl with even less social intelligence', 'making an obses
Episode 10 - Sansha Sanyou
"Three Leaves Three Colours" ? Where are they even FINDING these shows? Are you sure this is real??? Yes we are! Not only is Sansha Sanyou a real show, we've got good news regarding its quality! Discover another forgotten gem that left the Fun Finders pleasantly surprised. Our most tangent-filled episode yet, prepare yourself for delightful rambles and archbishop-level bants as we try our hardest
Episode 9 - Kiniro Mosaic S1 & Winter 2022 Seasonal Review
England. A fabled country somewhere in "the Europe". Some say every single woman there is blonde, and they are all the height of maybe a small rabbit. At most they stand 3 to 4 apples tall. What if we told you there was an anime which looked into the specificities of such a country? But before we get ahead of ourselves, we must first contend with how much Englishness is even in Kiniro Mosaic; the
Episode 8 - Kanamemo
Happy New Year!! Fridays have returned, and on this first Friday of 2022, we have returned in kind! This week we discuss Kanamemo, the most forgotten of the early(ish) Kirara adaptations, not to mention one of the only Kirara-published manga to have a Yuri Hime certified author. We discuss its depictions of found family, on-screen homosexual activity, alcoholism and the rare case of the 'slice of
OVA 1 - AFTF Video Games Round-Up
Whoa! It's not Friday?! Hell, it's Monday!! And we have something special for you! During Ranka's stay over at my place earlier in the month, we got together some roms of some JP-exclusive games, and wouldn't you know it, all these games are from our Essential Three Pillars (K-ON, HidaSketch and Lucky Star) that we've covered on the podcast! So we thought it might be nice to play each one for abou
Episode 7 - Harukana Receive
We ask quite often (every episode, really!) if fun things are fun... but are sports things sporting? Are we even allowed to cover a sports show? It's Kirara-published, so can't we just do what we want?! Sounds good! Join us for an exciting reach outside of our wheelhouse as we discuss the #Rare Kirara sports series, Harukana Receive. Full disclosure that this episode will, by the nature of this an
Episode 6 - Lucky Star feat. @no_stunts
It's here! Our third and final pillar! Or... is it? In this installment, our Fun Finders are joined by an intrepid expert of the KyoAni oeuvre (and Lucky Star in particular) @no_stunts AKA our friend G, AKA the Fandem Mandem, AKA the Hound of Barkerville. Join us three in our discussion of what is undoubtedly one of the most important shows to the modern era of otaku culture, let alone anime, let
Episode 5 - Machikado Mazoku
In our fifth episode, the fun finders explore what can only be called the 9/11 of the magical girl demon corruption romcom genre - Machikado Mazoku (The Demon Girl Next Door), one of the more popular recent Kirara offerings with a second season on the way. Faced with a series with things like 'actual narrative stakes' and 'character development', we discuss whether the usual Kirara analysis method
Episode 4 - Hidamari Sketch (Season 1)
In our fourth episode, we return to our roots with a look at the foundational work of the modern slice of life anime, Hidamari Sketch - a show that is near and dear to both of the hosts' hearts. Does it withstand its eighth rewatch by Mallory? Can Ranka prevent themself from writing Yuno x Miyako fanfic live on air? And how does Shaft's unique visual treatment of the series provide an insight on c
Episode 3 - Slow Start
This week we tackle something of a hidden gem in CloverWorks' studio debut, Slow Start! In our first true going-in-blind episode, we toss around some poignant observations on ship dynamics and discuss what happens when a true doom yurihead starts writing her own manga! Is Slow Start iconic from the beginning, or does it take some time to warm up? If you're ready to hear several iterations on that
Episode 2 - Yuyushiki
Time for the second selection! In an effort to ease themselves in, Mallory and Ranka have watched Yuyushiki, one of Mallory's favourites. Does it hold up like she remembers? Does Ranka love, like, or even tolerate it? What does it even mean for an anime to even be a slice-of-life anime? And what does Norm MacDonald have to do with all this, anyway? Discover all these answers in Episode 2: The Fun
Episode 1 - K-ON! (Season 1)
Welcome to the first episode of Are Fun Things Fun? Podcast, where we seek to find out if fun things are truly fun. Join Mallory and Ranka for 2+ hours of discussion: first, on the history and legacy of Manga Time Kirara and what makes something "slice-of-life," then we dig into discussing season 1 of K-ON! as we tease out what made it such a defining pillar of the genre.
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