You have to be THIS SWOLE to hear

People commemorate December twenty fifth yearly for some purpose or one other (I have never seemed into it) however this 12 months, on the very least, I’d like all of us to mirror on the thirtieth anniversary of a very distinctive franchise in online game historical past: Chō Aniki

What’s Chō Aniki you ask? Don’t really feel neglected if you happen to’ve by no means heard of it; that is what we’re right here for! The first sport, a scrolling area shooter with a wacky aesthetic, launched in 1992. While many sequels and spin-offs dropped within the years that adopted, only a few ever noticed the sunshine of day exterior Japan.

If the collection hasn’t discovered a worldwide viewers, why commit an English-language podcast to Chō Aniki? That’s the place issues get fascinating; regardless of virtually no worldwide releases, Chō Aniki developed a status for its frequent utilization of bodybuilders, phallic imagery, and simply an all-around homoerotic vibe. This drew ridicule and even disgust from Western media shops, inadvertently exposing Chō Aniki to thousands and thousands of avid gamers who would have by no means seen it in any other case. And a few of them favored what they noticed!

This week, host Diamond Feit and visitors Danny and Alex of Retro Pals (try their Twitch channel and YouTube archives) reclaim Chō Aniki from the straights to rejoice its relentlessly queer presentation. We’re not above making jokes, in fact, as a result of the collection is supposed to be humorous, however I’d prefer to assume we’re laughing with Chō Aniki, not at it. And if our descriptions pique your curiosity and also you wish to truly see what Chō Aniki seems to be like, there is no higher introduction than this video which Danny & Alex made themselves. Fair warning: none of that is “secure for work” until your boss is a protein-chugging bodybuilder from one other planet.

Description: It’s raining males (and mechs and bombs and protein) on the podcast this week as host Diamond Feit welcomes Retro Pals Danny & Alex to recap a one-of-a-kind franchise, Chō Aniki

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Artwork for this episode by Leeann Hamilton and modifying thanks go to Greg Leahy.