Welcome to the first of hopefully many weekly roundups. Here you’ll find recommendations and suggestions of the best media that I’ve found out there over the past week. Overall, the holidays and some family obligations have cut into some of my media consumption time, but even so I’ve made it through a lot of items. In the past week I was able to get through

• 2 movies

• 2 episodes of television

• 10 comic updates

• 16 podcasts

• 18 online videos

• 26 chapters of manga

• 33 web articles

If what I got through is an omen for the year to come, 2025 should be a bright time for media. That’s something to look forward to when the rest of the world seems to be falling apart. But if you don’t have time to get through reading this whole piece, check out the movie Hundreds of Beavers; the podcast Weird Little Guys, and this excellent article from Luke Plunkett over at Aftermath.

If you are sticking around, here are the five best pieces of media I’ve found in the last week.

1)Hundreds of Beavers (2022) (1hr 48m)

One of the most creative movies I’ve ever seen, a Looney Toons cartoon brought to life. Hundreds of Beavers ostensibly follows a down-on-his-luck applejack salesman as he tries to woo a merchant’s daughter, but along the way comes into conflict with the local beaver population. This movie is so densely layered with intensely physical comedy, and was made on a shoestring budget. It’s available for free on hoopla, kanopy, or prime video, free with ads on youtube and tubi, and available for purchase on amazon video. This movie had a very limited theatrical release, so odds are most were not able to see it in theaters. Do yourself a favor and GO SEE THIS FILM.

2)Rose Tide Rising Episode 77: Worth (roughly 20 pages)

Rose Tide Rising is my favorite thing in comics right now. As a whole, the series follows a Princess, Rose, who’s been told all her life that she’s fated to die if she leaves the palace. Following a chance encounter with a pirate, Roha, Rose is able to flee the palace and is surprised to find that she is in fact still alive. In the most recent update, Rose has gotten herself into pretty deep trouble, and in his worry, Roha’s darker side is beginning to slip out. I certainly wouldn’t recommend jumping straight into this episode, but the series as a whole gets a full-hearted endorsement from me. The author of this comic, Boin Day, has such an incredible grasp of the medium. Scenes flow seamlessly into each other, and there’s a jaggedness to the art that I adore. Expect RTR to be a frequent mention in this list. You can find it for free on Webtoons.

3)Weird Little Guys-”The Klansmen’s Twin: Dennis Mahon Pt. 3” (1hr 9m)

Weird Little Guys is an excellent podcast by Molly Conger about right-wing extremists. In this week’s episode, Conger took a detour from focusing on her current character, Dennis Mahon, to take a look at his identical twin brother, Daniel Mahon. From exploring the origins of workplace affinity groups, to discussing how Daniel (unsuccessfully) sued his employer for anti-white discrimination, this episode has a bit of everything of what makes this series great. I always appreciate when Conger calls out how often media outlets uncritically take what extremists say at face value. Sure, if someone is boasting about being a Klan member or partaking in a crime, logic says they are probably telling the truth. But many times extremists aren’t following the logic of an ordinary person, they’re trying to signal to other extremists, be that for clout, to act as an inspiration, or merely because these people can be extremely stupid. I recommend most episodes of the show, but this one is a great jumping off point because of it’s focus on a singular character. Find it here.

4)Aftermath - Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Is A Loving Tribute To Cinematographer Douglas Slocombe- by Luke Plunkett (1,150 words)

Have I played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? No. But have I seen other people play this video game? Also no. Well surely I’ve heard people talking about it. Technically yes, but honestly not that much. But the good thing is that none of that is needed to appreciate this incredible article from Luke Plunkett. This piece does a great job of describing the process of filmmaking, and how creative projects change and grow due to the impact of key figures. I had no idea that Indiana Jones was originally supposed to be film noir, and hearing about the importance of light and shadow when it comes to setting things like direction and tone seem so obvious, but many of us fail to consider when passively consuming media. As a big fan of both movies and videogames, I’m always excited when I see or hear about the mediums learning from each other, and it sounds like Machine Games latest effort did just that. There’s a lot to learn from this piece, be it film history, filmmaking, or video game creation. For as detailed as the article is, it’s a fairly quick read and approachable as well. Find it here.

5)Dandadan Chapter 179: This Seems Kinda Deadly (19 pages)

Dandadan keeps it status as one of the most interesting manga in the business right now. A story that’s part enemies to lovers, but even more so an x-files style romp, main characters Momo Ayase and Okarun find themselves thrust into a world of spirits, demons, and aliens. In this current arc, Momo has found herself shrunk smaller than a finger, and her friends have to find a way to get her back to normal. Simultaneously, an ominous figure is working in the background to steal the spiritual powers and techniques from individuals all across Japan. This chapter features the climax of a battle between Granny Seiko and a henchman of our mysterious villain. I certainly wouldn’t recommend jumping into the story here, but it’s an entertaining chapter that features the frenetic action, excellent art, and emotional story beats that make Dandadan so excellent. You can find the manga through the Shonen Jump app if you find a subscription, but it’s not hard to find elsewhere. There’s also a pretty good anime adaption that’s just starting its run that can be found on Crunchyroll for free with ads or Hulu with a subscription, which is a very convenient jumping in point.

If You’re Interested in More Comics

Gunnerkrigg Court just finished a recap series as it prepares to enter its final arc, The Golden Boar is just coming off a holiday haitus, and I’ve been really digging a new Webtoon series Dagger to the Heart.

If You’re Interested in More Movies

I already recommended my best movie of the week, but if you’re looking for a mildly entertaining action comedy, I give a half-hearted endorsement to Boy Kills World. It’s a messy movie with some pretty solid action, some middling comedy, and a pretty poor story. If however you would like help finding good movies, the always excellent Christ Stuckmann shared his favorite movies of 2024 both on youtube and letterboxd. I ended up having a pretty different list than he did, partially because we have different tastes and partially because I watch a great deal fewer movies, but the way he breaks down why he enjoyed the films he chose is insightful, and he’s certainly more knowledgeable on the topic than I am.

If You’re Interested in More Manga

Shinobi Undercover gave a masterclass in its most recent chapter (chapter 16) on motion in comics. While I’m not the biggest fan of this manga overall, I thought this chapter was a highpoint for the series. The giant that is One Piece is doing an excellent job of building tension in the recently started Elbaf arc. It’s probably too late to just jump in at this point, but if you have the time, starting One Piece is something that I will always recommend. Akane-Banashi, one of the most underrated works out there right now, just finished its first act. It’s hard to say, but jumping in at act two may be doable if catching up on the current 141 chapters seems too daunting. I would still recommend it though, as Akane-Banashi is one of the best things coming out of Shonen Jump right now. All three series can be found on the Shonen Jump app.

If You’re Interested in TV

I’m afraid I don’t have much to share on this front. I’ve been bumping back and forth between Cross on Prime Video and Will Trent on Hulu. Neither series has really grabbed me yet, and while they both seem to be good police procedurals, they also have all the problems that come with being a police procedural. I should have more to share next week once my sitcoms are back from break.

If You’re Interested in More Podcasts

NeverPost did a fun quiz show to wrap-up 2024, celebrating the weirdest and wackiest internet moment of the past year. Better Offline somehow managed to nail down an interview with FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan to discuss some of the high points of her tenure, but also to discuss the work that still needs to be done to improve not just the tech markets, but the consumer experience more generally. I also relistened to this excellent 404 Media Podcast from August about how the ringleader of a sex trafficking ring disguised as a porn site was eventually found by a group of dedicated security experts acting outside any sort of official law enforcement capacity.

If You’re Interested in Videos

I’ve been really digging the recent series of youtube legend NorthernLion playing a game called the Bazaar. The strangely antagonistic relationship he has with his Twitch chat throughout helps to really make the videos entertaining. Adam Millard did a breakdown of 20 great games from 2024. Having not gotten to many games in the past year, it was interesting to hear his perspective and breakdown some of the most creative games (rather than necessarily the best games) that came out over the last year. Lastly, I watched Binging with Babish rank 20 burgers from Bob’s burgers. As a fan of cooking, burgers, and Bob’s Burgers, I’ll admit that I was biased to get a kick out of this.

If You Interested in More Articles

I read to amazing 404 Media pieces this week: One about how AI books are harming the lacemaking community and another about a Right to Repair guru who managed to reverse engineer 3-D printing an i-Phone. In his newsletter BIG, antitrust expert Matt Stoller breaks down why recent FTC regulations are important and why we should fight to keep them under a new administration. If you’re looking to add some new podcasts into your rotation in the new year, I finally read a Podcast the Newsletter piece covering 2024 podcasts with one standout episode.

That’s all for this week. I hope things calm down a little and I return more to my usual pace over the next week, but that’s already looking unlikely. Next weekend you can expect to see my top manga of 2024 and another week’s worth of recommendations.

See you then,

Soma