KnockBack, Episode 66: My Neighbor Totoro (Patreon)

It can't be overstated how unusual it is that so-called "Nerd Culture" has taken over the world. Not too long ago, it was completely unthinkable that something like Game of Thrones or The Avengers could be the biggest entertainment properties in the world. But along with the mainstream popularization of fantasy, superheroes, and the like has come a quieter revolution that we definitely take for granted: The influence of Japanese media, particular when it comes to its animation. It seems incredible to think that we're only a few years removed from anime itself being a truly underground phenomenon, but it's true. And one of films that help popularized Japanese animation in the west during its more niche days was My Neighbor Totoro, the gorgeous Studio Ghibli picture that hinged on a unique sense of eastern post-war nostalgia the likes of which only a master like Hayao Miyazaki could capture. This episode of KnockBack is dedicated entirely to Ghibli's 1988 classic, and all of the conversation, points of interest, and even conspiracy theories that come along with any thorough analysis.