Episode 501: Cho Aniki (Patreon)

At the risk of tooting my own horn, ever since I (Diamond Feit) received clearance to prepare and host my own episodes of Retronauts, I've set a quiet goal for myself: Make the show gay. This week, I'd like to think I've taken one small step for podcasters and one giant leap for mankind towards that goal by detailing the legacy of a shooter series infamous for its usage of homoerotic imagery, Cho Aniki.

Far too often, Cho Aniki has been a punchline in the video game world, something for journalists and YouTubers outside Japan to point and laugh at, treating the series as if its very existence deserves to be ridiculed. Yet these fiercely unique video games warrant a discussion on their own terms; just because a work features a nearly-naked man or two (or hundreds), that's no reason to deride it.

That said, we have a lot of fun on this episode, because the people who made Cho Aniki must have had a blast coming up with wacky concept after wacky concept. So please enjoy as I welcome Danny and Alex from Retro Pals onto the podcast to follow the series' flight path from "straight" science-fiction to the realm of pure camp.

Art by Leeann Hamilton, edits by Greg Leahy. Music in this episode:

• 08:03 - Cho Aniki (PCE-CD): Aniki Without Duty
• 15:34 - Wings of Wor (Genesis): Boss Theme 2
• 25:24 - Cho Aniki (PCE-CD): Sexy Dynamite
• 34:05 - Ai Cho Aniki (PCE-CD): Je t'aime mon amour
• 48:49 - Cho Aniki Bakuretsu Ranto-hen (SFC): Dark City Skyline
• 56:48 - Cho Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko (PSX): The Big Brother
• 1:05:20 - Cho Aniki: Seinaru Protein Densetsu (PS2): Stage 06 Boss
• 1:13:25 - Cho Aniki Zero (PSP): Character Select
• Closing - Cho Aniki Zero (PSP): Aniki 00