But Why Tho? The Podcast

This week, we're celebrating a master horror: Junji Ito. In this episode, we dive into why Junji Ito matters to the horror genre, manga, and beyond. We go into a history of how he started as a mangaka, who he was inspired by, why he sees himself as an inheritor of horror and not an innovator, and of course how his journey into horror uses common fears. Plus, we do it all with booktuber, writer, and Ito fan, Cidnya!  Keep up with Cidnya's work on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram as @CidnyaReads on all platforms.  

Red Heaven, an official SXSW 2020 selection, is a  documentary film from filmmakers Lauren DeFilippo and Katherine Gorringe. the documentary follows six people who live for a year on "Mars," a secluded NASA experiment in Hawai'i made to simulate the isolation, terrain, and life that would be expected from a human on Mars. The goal of the experiment? To see what happens to humans when they are isolated from Earth. The subjects film themselves over the course of the mission and capture what happens when people are pushed to their limits in an exploration of our most fundamental needs as human beings. Read Heaven intimately captures the crew as they're pushed to their limits in an exploration of our most fundamental needs as human beings. From near injury to science experiments, physical milestones, and suppressing boredom we get the full details of what happened over the lifetime of the experiment.

Vida is entering its third and final season this weekend. The hit STARZ series focuses on two Mexican-American siblings from East Los Angeles who return home after the death of their mother. While their relationship is the focal point of the show, there is another pair of siblings that showcase different familial and cultural dynamics and are just as vital: Johny and Mari. Played by Carlos Miranda and Chelsea Rendon respectively, the pair have a bond that has been tested over the past two seasons through love and loss. I got the chance to speak with Miranda and Rendon about their roles as siblings, the impact of Vida, and how the series has showcased brown talent behind and in front of the camera. 

It's the long-awaited episode about the one system that gets brought almost every episode: The Dreamcast. As Sega's last console, the Dreamcast had to dig the company out of the financial hole the Sega Saturn had put it in and it aimed to do so with the latest technology and incorporating the internet. As the first console of the sixth generation. In this episode, we talk about why this all mattered, how it created the foundation that Xbox Live was built on. And we do it all with the help of Charles, a friend of the pod with a background in games and love for the Dreamcast and Shenmue. This episode is sponsored by MANSCAPED. Head over to www.manscaped.com and use code: BUTWHYTHO at checkout to get a great deal on a great way to keep yourself clean. 

This week, we're heading to Hyrule to talk all about why The Legend of Zelda matters. For more than 30 years, The Legend of Zelda has over 30 different games, selling over 75 million copies, and has become a pop culture staple. You may not have played the game, but we can bet you know what the triforce symbol is, or you've used a meme like "It's dangerous to go alone." In this episode we break down how the iconic franchise stands the test of time with its multiple timelines, timeless mechanics, and a play-style that pushed players to together to learn more about the game itself. Plus, we do it all with the help of Emory, you know, just a guy who helped write a book on Zelda. Specifically, Emory contributed a chapter in The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series.

Published by Cerberus Interactive, Atlas Empires is a location-based multi-player strategy game that takes Augmented Reality (AR) gaming to the next level by fusing the classic strategy experience with location-based technology. Inspired by classics like Civilization, Atlas Empires expands on the beloved empire-building genre by carefully layering AR components. I got the chance to speak with Sami Khan, Cerberus' CEO and Co-Founder about the game, its innovations, and how his company aimed to appeal not just to the gamers already using AR, but the strategy players on PC too. 

This week, we celebrate the release fo the Final Fantasy VII Remake by covering one of the most beloved RPG franchises in history: Final Fantasy. We break down how the original Final Fantasy VII shaped how we think about distribution, talk about best girls, and some of us make the claim that FF XIV is the best of the series. And we do it all with the help of Grant from Gilmore Ball Z.

In honor of the CBS All Access wrapping its first season of Star Trek: Picard, we decided to devote an entire episode to why Jean-Luc Picard matters. In this episode, Kate brings us through the creation of the character and all the red tape and stereotypes that went with it. We break down how the bald British classically trained actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, went from the person likely to play Data, to the man who defined a new kind of masculinity and leadership. To do this, we compare him to the rest of the Captains in the Star Trek pantheon and explain why no one, truly, leads like Picard.  Walking down memory lane and getting in "best captain" debates along the way, we detail why Picard matters with the help of Aaron, host of the Nerd Social Club podcast and writer for our very own butwhythopodcast.com. 

"Doom Matters" is sponsored by Podcorn* This week, we're celebrating the launch of Doom Eternal with a deep dive into the Doom Slayer, the franchise, the movies, and answer why Doom Matters all these years later. We discuss how id Software's Doom paved the way for 3D shooters, inspired a wave of Doom-clones, and has succeeded with multiple relaunches of the series across time.  *Want to sign up for podcorn? Head over to  podcorn.com and start monetizing your podcast today!

The Dead Lands is the Shudder Original co-production between the AMC genre streaming service and New Zealand's TVNZ. The series is an immersive fantasy grounded in Maori belief and culture. From traditional martial arts to rituals, The Dead Lands blends the horror, fantasy, and adventure genres by building this traditional hero narrative and Maori traditions. In this interview, I got the chance to sit down with showrunners Tainui Stephens and Glenn Standring and discuss the inspiration between the series and the process of translating sacred rituals and ideas to the screen.

Most of the time an interview only has one host asking questions, but for this special occasion all of the But Why Tho? crew joined the conversation. After covering Guildhall Studios' Sea of Legends at PAX South 2020, Kate, Adrian, and Matt couldn't wait to speak with the creative director of the studio, Ryan Schapals. If you're unfamiliar, Seas of Legends is a narrative-driven sandbox table-top where you get to play in a group as a pirate. For the gamers listening, it's Sea of Thieves as a board game, and for the initiated it's like Above and Below and Western Legends put together.

In honor of Valve's VR game Half-Life: Alyx continuing the groundbreaking and iconic series, we're covering Half-Life. Find out why it matters, how it was developed, and how it came to define Valve as a company.  Episode 132: Half-Life Matters...But Why Tho? is sponsored by Podcorn  

IFC Film's Swallow hits limited theaters and VoD on March 6th. We got the chance to speak with the film's writer-director Carlo Maribella-Davis about the film.  Maribella-Davis breaks down how he created the provocative and squirm-inducing psychological thriller, explaining his connection to the story and how he went about constructing an intimate story of a woman unraveling as she struggles to reclaim independence in the face of a patriarchal system. A story told in pastels and trauma, Swallow is a film the forces viewers to understand the trauma and pressure that triggers disorders, a choice made in how Maribella-Davis presents the narrative. You'll even get to hear about the woman who fainted during the Tribeca Film Festival where it won Bennett won Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film.  Click play on the audio above to hear our conversation about how Maribella-Davis created Swallow, with the intention of telling a larger story about the patriarchal pressures of society. A film closely aligned to

This episode is sponsored by Podcorn* My Hero Academia has exploded quickly over the last four years. From the pages of Shonen Jump to the English translation from Viz Media and the distribution of simuldub episodes on FUNimation, this superhero manga and anime has taken over weeb hearts everywhere. In this episode, in honor of its second feature film My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising releasing today! In this episode, with the help of Dr. Emory (the man with the honor of being the only guests to have more degrees than our hosts), we break down what makes My Hero Academia the heir to the shonen throne, how it reshapes the genre, and even break down why the fights in this franchise are so much more than punching. We even get into our favorite heroes, share some hot takes, and Kate preaches the word of why Bakugo deserves loves in a postseason 3 fandom. BE WARNED, there are spoilers galore in this episode. *Want to sign up for podcorn? Head over to  podcorn.com and start monetizing your podcast today! Want more of

Dead End Kids, was one of the breakout indie hits of 2019 with the first issue alone when one to sell more than 7000 copies over two printings. From writer, Frank Gogol, the series was a coming-of-age story that resonated with many readers. Now, with his second miniseries, No Heroine, Gogol is exploring deep themes of addiction, responsibility, and ultimately the everyday struggles of recovery. But, he's making this exploration through the lens of a Buffy-inspired heroine's journey.  Hit play on the interview above to hear about how Gogol aims to subvert the expectations we have for our heroes and those who are suffering in our life. We even talk about the future of Dead End Kids.  You can check out Frank Gogol at C2E2 for Source Point Press, Booth #707, and to stay up to date with his work, you can follow him @frankgogol.

Eddie Martinez stars as Vic Soto in USA Network’s series, "The Sinner," as a former Marine and rising star detective who works alongside Ambrose (Bill Pullman) at the Dorchester Police Department.  Martinez was originally born and raised in Colombia, but his family relocated to the United States when was nine years old and grew up in New York City. In this interview, Martinez talks about his began his acting career and he started acting in live theater. Martinez’s first break was getting a role on Law & Order and he has television credits include guest star roles on Orange Is The New Black, Narcos: Mexico, Hawaii Five-0, Colony, and more. Additionally, we get to hear more about how he gets into his roles, why it was important to play a traditionally "good" character, and why he connects to Vic Soto. Plus, we get into talking about his ideal roles, representation, and he even shares excitement for Netflix's Gentefied since he stared in the original web-series it's based on. Want to follow Eddie Martinez's

With the Star Wars animated series, The Clone Wars, saved and coming back for it's seventh season this Friday on Disney+, we thought it was time to dedicate an episode to the series. Set between the events of Episode II and Episode III, The Clone Wars began as an other series than the one we know today and a film. Now, it's one of the most beloved pieces of Star Wars media and has given us one of the most notable characters in the new canon: Ahsoka. For this episode, we're joined by Aaron from the Nerd Social Club podcast as we dive into the history and the future of the animated series. 

In honor of Survivor's 40th season premiering tonight, we're celebrating and dissecting the pop culture phenomena that changed the face of reality TV. From tribes to challenges and controversies, here's our take on it all, led by Kate, our Survivor superfan.

We're back! It's been a nice hiatus but now it's time to talk about the little blue hedgehog with super-fast red shows: Sonic. With the new movie hitting theaters later this month, we thought it was best to discuss the character that built SEGA and led them to be the only console to top Nintendo in the 16-bit era. This episode we talk about platforming, characters, fan devotion, and of course the redesign for the movie that led to it being pushed back. 

It's been three years since our paths crossed with the military gaming charity Stack-Up. Back then the podcast was still in it's first year, on its first episode, and they were recording in the middle of a hallway on the last day of PAX South 2017. Now, at PAX South 2020, the leading military gaming charity has been featured at The Game Awards, been included as a veteran resource in the national database, and have created a partnership with the CDC to help lower the high number of suicides among the veteran community. We got the chance to speak with CEO and founder Stephen Machuga about the growth his team has had since we last spoke with him three years ago. As Machuga explained, the years since have been filled with growth, most specifically in the charity's mental health arm since it was a awarded a grant by the CDC. Through that program, Stack-Up found that they could meet people where they are, using games a distraction, and allowing veterans and civilians to open up.