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PODCAST

Bento Radio

Alex Holt-Cohan

After more than two decades of devouring every shonen, shojo, seinen, and josei anime he could find, this seasoned oldtaku is still watching—week to week, episode by episode—and he’s not stopping anytime soon. Join him every week for fresh takes on your favorite series, hidden gems you’ve never heard of, and the kind of anime reflections only years of obsession can bring.Follow the host here:BlueskyInstagramYouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All Episodes

44:36

Sentenced to Be a Hero

Bento Radio ·

2026/03/26

This week on Bento Radio, I’m diving into Sentenced to Be a Hero—a seasonal fantasy that ended up being way more interesting than I expected.At first glance, it looks like another light novel adaptation, but the deeper you get, the more it reveals a surprisingly dense world built around penal heroes, divine contracts, and a system that’s clearly broken at its core. Every character feels shaped by that system in a meaningful way, and the show never really stops expanding what you understand about its

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46:48

Live action One Piece season 2

Bento Radio ·

2026/03/20

The One Piece Season 2 trailer is finally here, and yeah… I had to sit with this one for a minute.In this episode, I break down everything the trailer is hinting at—from the bigger direction of the story to the smaller details that might end up mattering way more than they seem. It feels like Netflix isn’t just continuing the series—they’re scaling it up in a real way.We’re talking new characters, deeper into the Grand Line, and what looks like a shift in tone that could make Season 2 hit a lot

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41:00

Yokohama Shopping Trip Log

Bento Radio ·

2026/03/12

Today on the show I’m talking about one of the calmest, strangest, and most quietly beautiful OVAs from the late 90s: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.This is one of those anime that almost feels like it exists outside of time. It’s set in a future where the world hasn’t ended with explosions or war—civilization has just slowly faded. The sea levels are rising, cities are disappearing, and the few people left spend their days living simple lives in a quieter world.At the center of the story is Alpha, an

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26:10

Twilight Q

Bento Radio ·

2026/03/06

This week on Bento Radio, I’m talking about Twilight Q, a strange and largely forgotten anime OVA from 1987 that came out during the height of the experimental OVA boom.The two standalone episodes take very different approaches. The first, “A Knot in Time,” is a quiet time-loop mystery about a girl who discovers a photograph of herself that she has no memory of taking. The second episode, “Mystery Case: File 538,” was directed by Mamoru Oshii years before Ghost in the Shell, and watching it today

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38:17

Outlaw Star

Bento Radio ·

2026/02/27

In 1998, anime changed forever.The same year that gave us Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and Serial Experiments Lain also gave us Outlaw Star — a sci-fi space western that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those classics… but rarely is.In this episode of Bento Radio, I revisit Outlaw Star and break down why it still works nearly three decades later. From Gene Starwind’s unapologetically messy character arc to the show’s dense, ever-expanding worldbuilding, Outlaw Star feels lived-in in a way

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44:27

INU-OH

Bento Radio ·

2026/02/20

This week on Bento Radio, I take a deep dive into Inu-Oh — the electrifying historical rock opera from Science SARU.Set in 14th-century Japan after the fall of the Heike clan, Inu-Oh follows two outcasts — a blind biwa player and a physically deformed Noh performer — who transform forgotten war stories into explosive, rebellious stage performances. But beneath the glam-rock spectacle and surreal animation lies something sharper: a story about disability, censorship, power, and who gets to control

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46:17

Cosmic Princess Kaguya

Bento Radio ·

2026/02/13

This week, I’m breaking down Cosmic Princess Kaguya!, a hyper-stylized sci-fi fairy tale that feels like a collision between Hosoda-era digital optimism and modern influencer anxiety. From VR contact lenses and disco moons to AI identity and parasocial pressure, the film is packed with ideas—and not all of them fit cleanly into its runtime.We talk about the film’s take on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, its Gen-Z sensibilities, expressive animation, and surprisingly strong emotional beats, especially

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52:11

Love Through a Prism

Bento Radio ·

2026/02/06

In this episode, I talk about Love Through a Prism, a historical anime romance that surprised me by being far more about art, ambition, and loss than love alone.Set in early-1900s London, the series follows a group of art students navigating class, obligation, and creative pressure as they try to define who they are and what their work means. I walk through how the show portrays art school as lived experience—critiques, competition, impostor syndrome, and the quiet fear of falling behind—while

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42:50

100 Meters

Bento Radio ·

2026/01/30

n this episode, I break down 100 Meters (Hyakuemu), a Netflix anime film that challenges nearly every expectation of the sports anime genre. Unlike traditional sports anime focused on destined champions and inspirational victories, 100 Meters explores burnout, athletic pressure, and the emotional cost of chasing excellence.This episode examines how 100 Meters uses track and field—specifically the 100-meter dash—to explore ambition, identity, and the limits of raw talent. I analyze the film’s

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40:09

Kekkaishi

Bento Radio ·

2026/01/23

n this episode of Bento Radio, I’m revisiting Kekkaishi, a mid-2000s supernatural shonen that aired on Toonami and somehow became one of anime’s most overlooked gems. It’s a series I didn’t fully appreciate the first time around—but on rewatch, it surprised me in all the best ways.I dig into what makes Kekkaishi feel so different from its contemporaries: its tight 50-episode runtime, its focus on a single haunted location, and its refusal to bloat itself into endless arcs. We talk about spiritual

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40:30

FLAG

Bento Radio ·

2026/01/16

In this episode of Bento Radio, I dive into FLAG, a largely forgotten anime from 2006 that feels uncannily ahead of its time. Originally released as one of the earliest ONAs, FLAG experimented with web-first distribution, documentary framing, and POV storytelling long before streaming became the default way we watch anime.What really drew me back to FLAG wasn’t just its war-torn political thriller plot, but the way it centers photography, journalism, and the ethics of image-making. The series tells

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34:45

What I'm Watching for winter 2026

Bento Radio ·

2026/01/09

Winter 2026 anime is already shaping up to be something special.In this episode of Bento Radio, I walk through what I’m actually watching this season—and why this lineup feels like a real shift in the air for anime.I talk about returning heavy-hitters like Jujutsu Kaisen, Frieren, Hell’s Paradise, and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, along with the one new adaptation that completely caught me off guard after seeing it at Anime NYC. This season feels confident in a way anime hasn’t always allowed itself

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54:10

Gachiakuta

Bento Radio ·

2026/01/02

In this episode, Alex examines how modern shonen has shifted from the perpetual optimism of Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach to darker, system-conscious stories like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Gachiakuta. After a brief return from hiatus, Alex introduces Gachiakuta’s stratified floating city that discards both waste and people into an abyss, then hands the mic to Ai for a tight plot rundown following Ruto—an orphan taught to repair and respect objects—who is framed, cast down, and

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30:25

As an assassin obviously exceeds the hero's

Bento Radio ·

2025/12/19

In this episode of Bento Radio, I dig into As an Assassin, My Skills Clearly Outrank the Hero—an anime that looks stunning but left me frustrated once the story kicked in. On the surface, it delivers polished production, old-school fantasy character designs, and a visual style that feels lifted from classic ’90s anime. But beneath all that? A familiar, hollow isekai power fantasy that struggles to justify its own plot.I use this series as a jumping-off point to talk about a bigger issue facing

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50:20

Ranma 1/2 Remake Season 02

Bento Radio ·

2025/12/12

n this episode, I dive into Netflix’s reboot of Ranma ½, starting with a breakdown of Ranma’s wild curse, his explosive chemistry with Akane, and how the show blends slapstick martial arts, romantic chaos, and gender-bending comedy. I talk about the show’s massive “toy-box” cast—Shampoo, Ukyo, Kuno, Haposai, Ryouga, Moose—and why the domestic moments, like school life and home scenes, give Ranma its unique hangout vibe.From there, I zoom out to look at Rumiko Takahashi’s legacy—across Urusei

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47:36

The whole A.I Dub Mess

Bento Radio ·

2025/12/05

AI has been a looming threat on the horizon of anime for a while now, however, with the hype cycle of the AI bubble intensifying and the opportunities to make money inside of that hype cycle in increasing Amazon has made a huge, although not the first attempt at using AI to eliminate people’s work in the process of English dubbing of several major shows. The results are beyond subpar, and under no circumstances should audiences ever accept this kind of integration of AI tools into a creative

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40:09

Hajime No ippo

Bento Radio ·

2025/11/28

In this episode, Alex dives into Hajime no Ippo, blending a thoughtful plot overview with personal reflections from his own time training at a boxing gym. After a brief update on Bento Radio’s schedule, site, and artist interviews, he hands the mic to his assistant for a succinct synopsis of Ippo’s rise—from bullied kid helping his mother’s fishing business to a disciplined featherweight contender shaped by Coach Kamogawa’s guidance and the influence of rivals like Miata and friends like Takamura

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1:16:45

Ruri Rocks

Bento Radio ·

2025/11/21

In this episode, Alex examines Ruri Rocks through the lens of Studio Bind’s mission-driven production, tracing the studio’s origin—built by White Fox and Egg Firm for Jobless Reincarnation—to its off-season projects and niche-first strategy. Alex unpacks the rise of “softly horny” media and how Ruri Rocks pairs a sports/hobby framework with an unapologetically gaze-heavy portrayal, creating outsized reactions in a climate where mainstream sexualization has receded. He introduces

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43:49

Secrets of the silent witch

Bento Radio ·

2025/11/14

In this episode of Bento Radio, I take an in-depth look at Secrets of the Silent Witch, one of the most underrated fantasy anime of the year. If you’re searching for anime analysis, anime reviews, best fantasy anime, or hidden gem anime recommendations, this episode breaks down why Secrets of the Silent Witch deserves a spot on your watchlist.I explore Monica Everett as a protagonist, the Seven Sages, and how the series handles genius, trauma, social anxiety, and character growth in ways that set it

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1:00:46

A Conversation with Illustraitor and concept artist...

Bento Radio ·

2025/11/07

I talk with Andrewcockroach, a brilliant concept artist and illustrator whose work blends anime-inspired design, experimental color, and raw emotion. We dive deep into his journey — from studying music and sound engineering to becoming a full-time artist working with major studios like Supercell.Andrew opens up about how he found his artistic voice, what it’s really like building a career in concept art, and the mental side of being a creator in the social media era. We also talk about art books,

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