OTR Debate

With his new Robert Pattinson-starring Mickey 17, Korean director Bong Joon Ho displays his knack for blending genres and entertainingly covering sociopolitical and interpersonal themes. Mucci thinks he hasn’t done that better than Okja, an adventure-thriller-heist-comedy with strong animal welfare themes. Lando, on the other hand, advocates for the dark and dreary serial killer mystery that is Memories of Murder, with strong chara...

We at OTR had several mini debates that we couldn't resolve amongst ourselves going into C2E2, so we took the questions to the cosplayers of the convention! Huy and Mucci had a quiet dispute over the chillest anime, Mucci and Lando went into the convention fighting over Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, and Lando and Huy could not agree on the best X-Men or their coolest mutant powers. Luckily, we had several cosplayers who were re...

Two iconic magical girl franchises are back in the zeitgeist, as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live continues its US tour and the fourth Madoka movie, Walpurgisnacht Rising, inches closer to its release…sometime in 2025! Huy details Sailor Moon’s lasting influence, its iconic theme song, and the bizarre character renamings in the English dub. Mucci vouches for the short and sweet Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a 12-episode ser...

We hope you're hungry for anime that distill the essence of RPGs, because on the menu this episode are Solo Leveling and Delicious in Dungeon! Lando takes us through an E-rank hunter's quest for strength and other stats as he levels up into a formidable fighter. Huy spins a yarn about a journey of a party of adventurers as they try to resurrect the hero's sister and cook delicious creatures along the way. Will Mucci'...

Join us, True Believers, as we face off with our picks of the best people to have ever worn the Captain America suit! Huy picks two different characters named Steve Rogers (including the most famous one) as well as Kiyoshi Morales, or Commander A. Mucci assembles Bucky Barnes, Isaiah Bradley, and Roberta Mendez from the far-off year of 2099. Judge Lando will have to decide: Which Caps have the better stories? Which ones are stronge...

We start season 4 by diving into the PlayStation Plus monthly games for February 2025: High on Life and Pac-Man World Re-Pac! Lando advocates for the Rick and Morty humor of High on Life, with star voice actors such as JB Smoove and Tim Robinson. Mucci vouches for the wholesome family classic of Pac-Man World and this worthy remake version. Will Huy be swayed by raunchy comedy and find Pac-Man derivative of other platformers like K...

From Billy Madison to Spaceman, Adam Sandler’s career has run the gamut from comedy to drama to thriller to sci-fi. This week, Lando and Huy must give Mucci their three picks of Adam Sandler movies to introduce to aliens, to give them an idea of what comedy is all about. Would the aliens prefer his Drew Barrymore romcoms to an action fantasy black comedy film featuring the Devil’s son? Is it important to showcase his dramatic roles...

Can anyone make Malört, the controversial Chicago wormwood liqueur, taste good? Classically a shot you have unsuspecting Chicago visitors try, maybe paired with an Old Style for a Chicago handshake, Malört has been described as tasting like bug spray or gasoline. Lando walks us through some of the history of the company, before Andy and Mucci make some cocktails to try to see if they can make Malört taste good (or hide its bite a l...

Happy Halloween from OTR Debate! Of course for us, that means a nerdy debate on the two biggest horror video game franchises! Andy, appearing as a pro se litigant and fresh off playing the Silent Hill 2 remake, directs us through deep and horrifying atmosphere and story of the Silent Hill games, including Hideo Kojima's P.T. that elicited a...certain reaction. And Mucci walks us through the fixed camera angles and intersecting stor...

OTR rings in October with some horror anime! Huy advocates for a horror comedy that is a bright and colorful zombie apocalypse, which the main character may prefer to the hell of working life. Lando details the dread viewers can experience watching the Saw-like tests of Death Parade. But this is anime, so it may all come down to which opening theme is an absolute banger. And in our Recess segment, Quiet in Court, both counsels try ...

OTR's battle of fast food titans is underway! But is it a battle of Americanized versions of cultural cuisines? Huy takes us through the history of Glenn Bell without trying to advocate for cultural appropriation. Lando takes us through the positivity and fun of Panda Express and its "funny" ads. Mucci insists there's no collusion, but he is drinking Beer for Tacos...And for our Recess segment, it's Contempt Proceeding, where we ta...

You've heard of Alien VS Predator, but with Alien: Romulus and Terminator Zero having just come out, we debate Alien VS Terminator! Mucci advocates for the iconic xenomorph design and the stamp directors such as David Fincher, James Cameron, and of course Ridley Scott put on the franchise. Speaking of James Cameron, Lando details perhaps his most iconic franchise, with Arnold Schwarzenegger's most iconic role and the classi...

We discuss how you can make your gatherings magical and revel in the splendor of an enjoyable time with your friends, as we debate board games versus trading card games! Huy advocates for the approachability of board games and their wide breadth of complexity, from simple games like Life to modern classics like Catan and Scythe. Mucci argues for the collectable nature of trading cards and the versatility of going against other peop...

Happy Umbrella Academy season 4 release! To celebrate, we're having Netflix's comic adaptation face off against Amazon Prime's (at times loose) adaptation of The Boys. Lando advocates for Gerard Way's Umbrella Academy and the uniqueness of its characters and premise. Mucci vouches for the wide-ranging satire and positive changes made to Garth Ennis's sometimes edgelord-y comic. Will Homelander or Five draw Huy o...

A trial takes place in the Kingdom of Hyrule. Princess Zelda herself is suing Nintendo's number one plumber, Mario, for defamation. Particularly galling is the comment that Mario's games are better than Zelda's, which the princess argues is patently untrue. Mucci represents Zelda and advocates for the open-world nature of The Legend of Zelda since its first NES entry and the strength of its story and lore. Huy, represen...

C2E2 is this weekend in Chicago, and we're starting our duo of special C2E2 episodes with a face-off of sidekicks from video games and other nerdy media! Huy and Lando present their balanced teams of characters that represent brains, muscle, and loyalty. Will Lando's team of Falco Lombardi, Diddy Kong, and the dog from the Fable series win out? Or will Huy's squad of Knuckles, Pikachu, and Aku Aku knock us out (with a F...