J.R.: [00:00:00] Hello, everyone, and welcome back to One Thousand Gurus, where we share the stories and life lessons from people of all walks of life. I'm your host, J.R. Yonocruz.

Today, we have a return guest, Travis Trinh, back on the show, our resident fitness and bowling expert, as well as Gunpla and fellow anime enthusiast.

This is kind of a hybrid episode in that we start off by catching up in what Travis has been up to the last 14 months since his first recording, but we also went into a handful of pre-planned topics, but leaving the structure a little bit open so that we can see where the conversation unfolds.

Huge, huge spoiler, we talk a lot about anime and discuss the endings and plot twists for some of our favorite anime. So if you're not caught up with these and don't wanna get spoiled, highly recommend skipping that section. I'll mark them off with chapters.

Other than anime, we discuss Travis' process for his annual summer cut before Anime Expo, his potential cosplays, and we end with a deep dive into the technical side of bowling since we didn't really get into that last time.

Overall, such a great conversation. It was so much fun to record, and I'm looking forward to re-listening to it once [00:01:00] this is live.

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Travis Trinh. 

Hello everyone, and welcome back to One Thousand Gurus. Travis, welcome back to the show. 

Travis: Oh, thanks for having me back, JR. 

J.R.: Yeah, thanks for hopping back on. I appreciate it. I think the first episode was a lot of fun. We're just kind of waiting for the right time to have you back on, and it seems like we have a lot of updates and things that we can talk about.

Your last recording was March 2025, so of course we'll start this off... We have our planned topics, but I wanted to start this off as usual, kind of like getting your life updates, recent happenings, or things that you're currently into. So what you been up to, man? 

Travis: For sure. For sure. Well, yeah, March 2025, that's a good like year, over a year and like about two months.

And yeah, so recently, you know, just really busy at work. Still working at the same company, but really they're pushing production of this new product line, so I've been really focused on work throughout the day. Been working through [00:02:00] lunches later hours and stuff like that. Yeah.

Kind of not the fun stuff. But outside of work everything's been pretty chill, pretty normal. Still gyming. Became a new Dodger fan, I guess, you could say. Oh, yeah. Yeah, kinda kinda got inspired by watching the World Series last year. Never really paid attention to baseball until the Dodgers and the Blue Jays put on absolute cinema during their the World Series.

So I'm like, "Oh, this is kinda interesting." And now I'm starting to see the little battles inside the game, the stuff I normally see in soccer, 'cause I play soccer, but now I see in baseball too. So even though they're not scoring or not a lot of stuff is happening, I'm finding interesting little things in baseball.

So that's cool. And I've been working on a lot of Gunpla. You can see my desk is still riddled with this stuff right now, and my, Yeah ... back there, my display case. But a lot of Gunpla, new Dodger fan. Is that new? You've 

J.R.: been doing that, you've been doing that Gunpla?

Travis: I think ever since... I've been doing it since I was, like, in high [00:03:00] school, but I stopped for a long time.

Mm. I think it was two Christmases ago or Thanksgivings ago, I started back up, and I do it a I have a huge backlog. You talked about your backlog of episodes, I have a backlog of Gunpla, and- Mm ... yeah, it's basically most of my free time is working on this stuff when I'm at home.

When I'm not at the gym, when I'm not at work and I have some chill time, it's working on this stuff. 

J.R.: Mm-hmm. Dang, so it's for you it's pretty focused in on work, gym doing that, and then sometimes I see you'll go skiing, snowboarding, something like that? Like 

Travis: during the ski- Yes, yes, yes.

Yeah. Yeah, during ski season or snow season, Yeah ... yeah, Tracy and I we go snowboarding a lot with- Yeah ... different groups of friends. But this year we went to Colorado hit up Winter Park for the first time, and just typically we're up in Mammoth. You'll be able to find us up there.

We actually started planning out for next winter already potentially going back to Asia for some snowboarding. ... And just planning out the winter season, saying, [00:04:00] "What's the best season to go on an Asia trip so we don't miss out on too much snowboarding and stuff too here?" 

J.R.: So when you guys do go snowboarding for that season, like the winter season, h- what's the, how often do you go?

What's the- 

... 

J.R.: Schedule? 

Travis: I would say we're trying to make use and our Ikon pass is worth it. That's basically like a season pass for multiple ski resorts. Yeah. And to make it worth it, it's like at least five days worth of snowboarding, because- Mm-hmm ... the pass is almost like $1,000.

And the... Each lift ticket per day now is about 200, so about five days worth. Dang. Yeah. So we try to go at least one trip a month during the season, if not more. Like Mammoth is relatively close. It's just like a four to five-hour drive. But we'll try to do like a further travel trip once a year too.

J.R.: Okay. How long is the season? 

Travis: Oh, the season goes for a while. Technically if I wasn't here right now, I could be up in the mountain. The season- Yeah, yeah ... ends Mammoth officially closes the season this [00:05:00] year next week, actually. A week from today, the 31st. 

J.R.: Oh. So, okay. So what... So if I was to buy one of those passes, like, when is it active?

What months? 

Travis: Well, technically whenever there's snow. Whenever the ski resort opens. Mm-hmm. Yeah. They typically shoot to open for i- end of November. Oh, okay, okay. And it'll just keep going until the sea- there's no more snow. 

J.R.: Oh, interesting. So it's based on the actual snow rather than just like- Mm-hmm

we always open November and then we close in May or whatever. It's always based- Yeah ... on the weather. Interesting. Well, that makes 

Travis: sense. It's kinda like a... Ex- exactly, yeah. It's kinda like a gamble, 'cause there could be seasons where there's like no snow, and even though this- Ah ... it's like season it's like really bad snow or really manmade snow.

So- Yeah ... you know, heading up to Mammoth is not really worth it when it's you know, not great snow. But you'll have some really good seasons that'll go super long. I believe- Yeah ... last year went until Or two years ago, went until August. 

J.R.: Okay. [00:06:00] Mm-hmm. Okay, so if you go about once a month and you try to go at least five times, and that's for the whole weekend, or is it like one day?

And then you said a daily pass is like s- a couple hundred or something? 

Travis: Yeah, so we talked about days. So if I went up on a trip, I typically would go to board for at least two days. So- yeah, yeah ... head up Friday night, board Saturday, Sunday, and come home. So that would be like- Mm-hmm ... two days of visiting pass.

Mm-hmm. So I would have to do three trips to do six days total, and that would be like- Mm-hmm ... 100 or $1,200 worth of lift ticket, you know? 

J.R.: Okay. That makes sense. Mm-hmm. So you try to hit that amount, but also it depends on you know, when you can plan the trips and also like how the weather is, whatnot.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 

That's cool. Okay, so a- and you still bowl, right? Or is that like seasonal?

Travis: I still bowl. Bowl- bowling goes- Okay ... year-round. Forgot about that too. Okay. But- Yeah, yeah ... I only bowl right now once a week 'cause my league is only once a week. But, ... yeah, every Tuesday out here in Northridge or up in Northridge, I bowl [00:07:00] with my team right now, and yeah.

Gonna be heading to- Mm-hmm. Cool ... in the summer, right after AX, I'll be heading- Yeah ... to Vegas for a bowling tournament. That's an individual event, though. Oh. 

J.R.: Is that is that the one you go to every year or is that special? 

Travis: It's the one I try to go to every year, but it conflicts with Anime Expo usually.

J.R.: Oh, I 

Travis: see, I see. But yeah, this is the one year that Anime Expo, like Fourth of July weekend is like the first weekend of the bowling tournament. Mm-hmm. So the second weekend of the bowling tournament where I'm in Vegas, I can be there. Last... I think last year I didn't go at all, and the year before I went by, I went the first week of the tournament.

Mm-hmm. And then Anime Expo was the second weekend of that week, and it just wasn't... No, I had no friends or no teammates up there with me, so it wasn't as fun. 

J.R.: Oh, I see. Mm-hmm. Interesting. That's cool. Okay. That's... So it seems like a lot of the same things minus the Dodgers so that's pretty cool.

Is there... My last follow-up question [00:08:00] for this life updates, is there anything that's been on your mind recently that you think about often or deeply? I'm just curious.

What's at the forefront of Travis's mind, besides all your activities? 

Travis: Yeah. No, I'm just like super busy. Forefront, I guess something that's kind of like I think about once in a while is my dance, right?

That's how we met. That's how we know each other. I know you're still active-ish, right? 

Yeah. And for me the dance team or crew that I was, like, you know, more active in they're not so active anymore. So I'm just basically a free agent waiting for a call, you know, if anyone needs someone in a project.

Uh-huh. But with everyone being so far away now, because I live in Burbank, I like not getting recruited as much. I'm like, "Hmm, so what's going on with my dance now? Am I... Do I need to practice more by myself? What's going on?" You know. So still wanna keep it up, but yeah, just not a lot of opportunity right now.

J.R.: Okay. I was gonna ask, so what are your dance goals? So [00:09:00] I know you just mentioned keeping it up, and if there are kind of projects where they need people, you'd be like down. But what are your objectives or goals with dance? 

Travis: I think I just wanna maintain, right? Okay, okay. It's like a skill set and like a hobby and passion that I had.

That's how like I said, we met, right? Yeah. And a good friend group that I had or have with, you know, the dance community. But feel like I'm falling out of touch with it because I'm not part of these projects where everyone else is getting together, practicing, Yeah ... doing these covers and then release parties and stuff.

But, you know, I'm over here in Burbank. 

J.R.: Yeah. Are you still into K-pop and dance? And second follow-up to that is are there projects that you would want to do? You know, as- aside from those gr- the active people kind of doing their own thing, is there something that you would want to do that you're like waiting for?

Travis: Yeah, I mean, I still follow K-pop, still follow dance. Still a big fan of Aespa and LE SSERAFIM, stuff like Twice [00:10:00] and guy groups, you know, Seventeen, and I watched Bank Chella, you know, that was sick. But yeah, there's been, like, songs and covers that I would want to do. Like, ATEEZ Adrenaline, when that came out, that was like, I was all over that song.

Mm-hmm. But, you know, just not, you know, I can't do it myself, you know? Like- Yeah ... you know, a cover is team of seven and, you know, don't have the resources to lead and pull people up here for it. So I was- Right ... kinda seeing and kinda putting feelers out there, see if anyone was doing that cover to see if, you know, maybe I could join them.

But yeah, nothing hooked, like nothing hit. Mal is still down for like second gen covers. Those are like pretty fun. Yeah. If anyone wants to do those, right? But, you know, nothing's come up, nothing's come my way, so. 

J.R.: Hmm, okay. We'll put it out there f- at least anyone who's watching this show, Travis is open, especially second gen covers.

So if you guys are- For sure ... thinking about it and then depending on the song, I might also be down, so. Let's go. Just throwing that out there. 

Travis: Let's go. 

J.R.: Sweet. Okay, cool. All right. Yeah, thanks for all the updates. So let's go into [00:11:00] our planned sort of topics, but this will kind of be like a free form conversation.

Mm-hmm. So you're currently in your sort of annual summer cut fitness and then cosplay era. I think that's right. It's usually around this time. I think you've been- Yep ... doing it sort of annually. Mm-hmm. So how has that been like, and I guess what is the, what is your process for people who don't know? 

Travis: Got you.

So every year sometimes it fluctuates two months or three months before Anime Expo I start my cut and just the basic rundown of what I do like annually is I start limiting my calories. First I just focus on calories, and then I transition to focusing a little more on macros too, carbs, proteins, fats.

Keep my proteins high, lower my carbs slowly, and then it goes down to maybe like the month before, I'm like super, super low carbs. And then that's my typical cut. Last year was a, to me, like a down year in terms of how well I cut. I got down [00:12:00] to about 14% body fat, where previous years I've been around like 11%.

So I was like, "Oh, what happened last year," right? And I think I started my cut a little too late and a little too loose with it. So this year I started three months ahead to make sure that I can cut down. I actually weighed my, or measured my body fat towards the beginning of my cut this year to see where I'm starting at, and then s- I'm gonna measure it again right before Anime Expo to see where I got to see okay, when I cut for three months like this, how much body fat am I gonna lose, things like that.

And I'm also using a new app to help track my macros and stuff. And it's been like pretty helpful 'cause it's tracking like my weight trend to help me like track macros better, easier and stuff too. So kinda like listening to that right now of you know, what my macros should be, and it's actually giving me more wiggle room with carbs so a little happier there.

J.R.: Hmm, okay. So, hmm. A lot of jumping off points. So I know that you [00:13:00] have a good understanding of, like, how your body reacts to certain macro distributions, and you generally have an idea of your base maintenance calories, and then when you've been doing these cuts, you have an idea of okay, what you're trying to aim for.

But this time you're using an app to help you kind of track those things. Mm-hmm. I'm wondering I'm wondering what the variance is, because you said in previous years maybe you were more dialed in and you started sooner. Last year, maybe you started too late and also you were loose with it.

Mm-hmm. So wouldn't the solution just being, like, more strict for those two or three months for what you what you know you need to hit? Or is there- Mm-hmm ... something else there? 

Travis: Well, I think also being more strict could have also been a little detrimental to my cut before, too. As I, you know, get older your body and metabolism stuff changes.

So last year, Like some life, life events happens to where it's harder for me to be [00:14:00] super, super strict, you know? I wasn't the only one that was kind of like determining what I wanted to eat, right? So, at that point, I was kind of considering oh, if I just eat the calories and stuff like that it'll be better.

And also I spent the first month having a calorie count higher, right? More like baseline, and then started- Mm-hmm ... dropping 200 at a time, and I might have dropped too late, you know? And just stayed at that baseline a little too long. I think using this app has kind of given me more of a median between going super, super strict and just okay, I know if I go super hard cut, it's gonna work, versus okay, if I just do what I think I might be able to typically follow, it's gonna be okay.

Obviously, one was too crazy and one was, you know, not good enough. 

J.R.: Mm. 

Travis: And this app is kind of giving me another cross-reference of saying, hey, or more like justification I think my calorie [00:15:00] deficit should be, like, 200 calories, and the app is telling me the same thing, and it's actually tracking not just my weight, like on a Google Sheets, right?

It's tracking it and using statistics to do to account for variation, and it's giving me a trend of my weight rather than just the actual numbers. So it's showing me that, yeah, even accounting for a variation, you're trending down. And I think it's actually been helping pretty good because I'm about halfway through my cut, and just visually already I can see a big difference.

J.R.: Okay. So, so the app does a better job than when you were tracking more manually of seeing the visually the average or...? 

Travis: I think what the app is, the most benefit from the app right now I'm getting- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: is a little more flexible with my calorie counting. Okay. 'Cause before when I was manually counting, it was- Yeah

Hard. So I had to basically do meal prep everything myself, and if I ever ate [00:16:00] out, like- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: my estimations weren't as good. Whereas this app- Right, right ... has, like, AI. I could take a picture, I could scan barcodes. Oh. All the stuff that I couldn't do before, Yeah ... I can now, so it's giving me more accurate tracking.

And also the app is giving me more, like I said, more carbs than I'm used to giving myself, and it's basically showing me that, okay, you can have carbs and still cut rather than just straight up cutting out carbs totally. 

J.R.: Oh, I see. Okay. Mm-hmm. Interesting. So it's giving you kind of a more holistic and also kind of AI-powered suggestion that's not as like- strict regimen, but still effective.

Travis: Mm-hmm. It kind of goes back to my original mindset too, of you wanna set a program that you can follow, right? 

J.R.: Right, right. 

Travis: So now with the AI, it's actually setting an easier program than I would've set for myself. I see. And it's much easier to follow than, you know, following a super strict one that I set.

J.R.: Yeah. [00:17:00] I think that's super cool because as someone who I consider you to be, like, very knowledgeable in fitness and nutrition, that even you are like, "Oh, well, actually this app makes it not only easier, but it's also giving me insights," whereas I'm kind of learning that there is more flexibility too.

I think that's pretty cool. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: Mm-hmm. What's the app called, just so I can link it if you don't 

mind sharing?

Uh, 

MacroFactor. MacroFactor. Yeah. 

Travis: Not sponsored, but Yeah, yeah, 

J.R.: yeah. Not sponsored. How did you find it, or did someone recommend it? 

Travis: I found it through sponsored YouTube videos. 

J.R.: Gotcha, gotcha.

You're like, all right. Yeah. Well, they're doing well enough to pay for the sponsored ad, so Yeah, like 

Travis: they, Might as well try it out ... yeah, not ads, but they, there's a bunch of YouTube fitness influencers- 

J.R.: Okay ... 

Travis: that, you know, Tracy and I just happen just to watch on YouTube when we're bored, and they do- Yeah

Fun fitness challenges and stuff like that. Oh. And there's you know, part of the video they're like, "Oh, I wouldn't be able to do this without MacroFactor," you know? Yeah. So I was like I heard it so many times I'm gonna check it out. So yeah. 

J.R.: Yeah. [00:18:00] That's cool, and it's been working.

Well, what is the- Mm-hmm ... what is the price point, if you remember off the top of your head? 

Travis: I'm curious. I think it's like $6 a month. 

J.R.: Six per month, okay. That's not bad. 

Travis: Yeah. If you pay for the whole year, it's cheaper, but yeah. 

J.R.: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Of course. I'll note this off. I'll check that out, Yeah

see if I wanna do that. Okay, so fitness, summer cut. I'm curious, my personal curiosity, is there anything that you've learned in the past year that has added on top of your either nutrition approach and or fitness approach? 

Travis: Yeah. A couple things. So- Definitely since using MacroFactor and kind of like doing more research in the industry of my cut.

J.R.: Mm-hmm. 

Travis: Before I was very kind of anti-carbs. Okay ... and now it has kind of reset to be.. It kind of reset to being like, okay, so caloric deficit is the number one thing, but you can still get cut with carbs. You just have to make sure that your proteins are high enough and the [00:19:00] carbs are gonna feed you energy.

That's coming from, you know, not just research and watching other you know, industry people online, but also coworkers. I have a coworker who's a Olympic weightlifter. Okay. Not in the Olympics, trying to be in the Olympics, but the sport of Olympic weightlifting. Yeah. And he's like, "Bro you need carbs or else you're not gonna be able to work out as well," 'cause that's your energy, right?

J.R.: Right. 

Travis: Now, if you go into full ketosis, that's fine, but it... You're gonna lose some weeks there trying to get into ketosis because your body- Oh ... has to transition into using fats instead of carbs for energy. 

J.R.: So it's... So ketosis can still work and being on- Mm-hmm ... like high, low carb high fat, but it, that whole adjustment two-week process will kind of set you back time-wise.

Is that what you're saying? 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: Okay. 

Travis: Yeah. And like at this point I guess I'll know at the end of this cut, but- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: is ketosis really necessary to cut, you know? 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: It worked for me before, but is it [00:20:00] necessary? 

J.R.: Yeah. I remember you saying that before when we chatted about this. In previous cuts you were very ketogenic and it worked, and then the last year you were like, "Okay, well, I also learned that I can now eat more carbs and still have a, you know, generally the same cut," which is I think ideal because ketosis is pretty strict or it's really hard to maintain- Mm-hmm

you know, sustainably. Mm-hmm ... and then you said it mostly worked, but then at least as of last year you're like, "Okay, I could have been a little bit better, started earlier," et cetera. But now you're really- Yeah, yeah ... kind of leaning into okay, let me really see if I'm not strictly ketogenic how this can really work out, right?

Travis: Yeah. Because I think even last year that was when I wasn't super keto. Yeah. But it was more of a caloric deficit thing last year, I think, where I wasn't, you know, quick enough on my caloric decline- ... and was kind of like sat around my baseline caloric deficit for too long. 

J.R.: I see. 

Travis: What, what was the- That's my assumption.

J.R.: Yeah, of course. What was the... What's the benefit of sitting at your baseline for longer? What was the rationale, as [00:21:00] opposed to just starting it right with your cut, you start at that- Mm-hmm ... minus 200 or whatever? 

Travis: Got you. I think, so what happened was the previous year when I did a three-month cut I got super, super cut right before a month out already, you know?

Yeah. So I was, like, a month out and I was, like, super shredded and I was like- Oh ... I'm still a month out, so maybe I spend the first month of my three-month cut of just sitting around baseline to get used- Yeah ... to, you know, tracking calories again and then going to my cut. Oh. Yeah. 

J.R.: I see. Okay. So it was like, okay I got the results really early, so now next time maybe I'll use that first month to just kind of acclimate and then- Mm-hmm

do the cut for the two. Gotcha. Okay. And then so now it's you're going into this with... Sorry, just to go back. So your learnings was you, now you can do carbs or at least more than before to hit your goals and if ketosis is really necessary. Anything else that you've learned or have trying to implement that's new?

Travis: Something [00:22:00] that I will try to implement just because I don't want to mess up with my caloric burn rate right now- Yeah ... and it will... I'll implement it post AX, is switching up my workout split from a push-pull leg split to a- Yeah ... lower-upper split. So- Okay ... yeah. So instead of doing- Why is, why is that?

Yeah. So push-pull legs only really works if you go to the gym six days a week, which I am- Yeah ... right now. Yeah ... and it is kind of favoring your upper body a little more, which is totally okay. But it really makes you go to the gym six days a week. And when you're going to the gym six days a week, you're not giving yourself a lot of rest and is your...

Maybe your muscles are resting because you're only hitting you know, your chest twice a week. You have a two-day gap to where it can recover, but your central nervous system just of being pushing your body every day might not- ... get a chance to recover. So I'm thinking of going to lower-upper, so I'm still hitting all body parts twice a week but really focusing [00:23:00] on giving myself a little more rest.

And coming from, you know, the research I've done and also from just coworkers and people I've spoke to at the gym and stuff like that, they say, yeah, I actually made a lot of improvement when I implemented more rest into my regimen. So I really wanna try that to see if that's gonna help, you know, me make more gains.

J.R.: Mm. Okay. So in push-pull legs, that's six days a week, but in upper- Mm-hmm ... lower, what does that look like for the week? 

Travis: It would look like, you know, let's say Monday lower body, Wednesday upper body, then you can go Saturday, Sunday for lower-upper again, right? Or Friday, Saturday. So there's only four days a week.

J.R.: Okay. Instead of- Oh, so four days a week. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: Okay. Gotcha. As opposed to six days, push-pull- Mm-hmm ... legs times two. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. Interesting. Yeah, so lower-upper, it would be lower-upper times two which is four days. 

J.R.: So you think that, so going from six to four days to get more rest to see how that works for you or how- Mm-hmm

your [00:24:00] gains might improve. Okay. That's cool. Mm-hmm. I like that. I've seen... Obviously I've- I'm familiar with these different splits too. Mm-hmm. And I've seen another version where it's like a hybrid, where it's let's say Monday, Tuesday is upper-lower, and then rest on Wednesday, and then Thursday, Friday, Saturday is push-pull legs or something like that.

Mm-hmm. And they'll kind of cycle that as, like, a five-day-a-week sort of thing. So I thought that was interesting. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: But yeah, I'm curious to see how that'll work out for you since you're, like, you know, you're so used to what you do now. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: Okay. So fitness, nutrition, I think we covered that unless we missed anything.

So now cosplay for AX at 4th of July weekend, right? You- you were mentioning- Yep ... how you are looking for... You're trying to do four different cosplays. You have two set, if I'm not, if I'm not getting that wrong, and you're trying to look for two more? 

Travis: Yes. At least one more, because I could have- Okay ... like a chill day, but- preferably two more. 

J.R.: Yeah. So what are 

Travis: you currently- Yeah, especially- 

J.R.: Go ahead. 

Travis: Oh, yeah. Es- especially since the two [00:25:00] that I already chose are pretty chill. The other two I would like to look more you know, more involved cosplays.

J.R.: What are so what are the two that you have now? 

Travis: Okay. So, number one, just because I was talking to other people who cosplay and said, "You should just do what you like, you know? Do what you want." Yeah. Don't care about relevancy too much, don't care about what other people will say. Yeah. So I'm like main character from Rent-A-Girlfriend.

J.R.: Of course. Your- Yeah ... your current favorite anime, right? 

Travis: My cur- I would say... Okay, current- 

J.R.: Okay ... 

Travis: favorite anime that I'm currently watching because it's- 

J.R.: Sure, sure ... 

Travis: this is flow season right now. Yeah. 

J.R.: Right, right, right. 

Travis: Yeah.

J.R.: Interesting. 

Travis: Yeah. So- So, 

J.R.: so you're just gonna, just to wait, what is... his outfit is just clothes, right?

Or- 

Travis: Yeah, it- ... 

J.R.: do you have something specific in mind? 

Travis: Well, I I'm getting his clothes, right? 'Cause he has a very per season he does change clothes, but there's a look that's his. You know, it's what's like a Naruto shirt. Oh. It's like an orange [00:26:00] T-shirt- Yeah ... with a spiral here. Yeah.

But then he has a black long-sleeve under like this, and then white pinstripe pants, and then I'll get a wig to get his hair color and everything. But that's basically it, and it's like- Okay, okay ... not very on character for me because you're like, "Travis, your clothes is on." That's- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: weird.

J.R.: What are you doing? You're wearing too mu- you're wearing too much clothing. What's going on? 

Travis: Yeah, you're wearing too much. You cut for three months just to wear clothes? Like... 

J.R.: That is kind of funny. 

Travis: Yeah. So I chose that one. Why 

J.R.: not like a, why not like a sexy version of that? Like a topless version or something or a shirt-open 

Travis: version?

I could, I could, I could. I mean, they do go to they do go to a a beach resort in the- Oh ... you know, recent episodes. But- Yeah ... I think the point of his character is he's not supposed to be that sexy, cool character, you know? Right. That's the, kind of the point of Rent-A-Girlfriend.

Yeah. So it would kind of defeat the purpose of me being sexy- Yeah ... kazuya. Right, 

J.R.: right, 

Travis: right. But- 

J.R.: Okay. 

Travis: I get that ... i, that's also one I'm gonna pair up with Tracy. Mm. 

J.R.: For 

Travis: th- for those of you guys who don't know, Tracy's my girlfriend. I [00:27:00] keep saying her name. But, That's- ... she's also gonna be cosplaying the re- the main girl, main protagonist girl- Mm

from that. So we'll be paired up for that one.

J.R.: That's cute. That makes sense, 'cause I was being like, okay, so your character, it would make a lot of sense if you were to pair up and, 'cause it's oh, okay, I see. That's the, it's a, like a duo. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. Yep, yep. So that's my first cosplay, and that kind of came about, like, when my friend was like, "Why does it have to be, like, one of these requirements that you set for yourself?

It should just be something that you like." And I'm like, "You know what? That's the anime I watch the most right now." Yeah. Or one, one animes I watch the most right now, so just do it, you know? 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: Yeah. Cool. And what's the second one? And then the second one we were kind of talking pre-show about, like, how to pick a cosplay for me, and this one was...

I was actually shopping, browsing for soccer jerseys because, you know, World Cup's coming up. My favorite soccer team, Manchester United, just released a new kit, so I was, like, just browsing. And I'm like, [00:28:00] "Oh, the Japanese jersey from the World Cup, you know, that's gonna be happening in about three weeks."

I was like, "That looks clean. The World Cup will be happening during Anime Expo." Mm. Last year I cosplayed a Blue Lock character who's you know, a soccer character. What if I cosplayed as the same Blue Lock character, 'cause I already have the wig and all that stuff, but he actually made it to the Japanese soccer team.

So I'm wearing the official Japanese jersey and clothes- Mm ... with his name and number on the back, 'cause you customize the jerseys. So I'll be him, but on the actual soccer team, who's gonna be here in America playing in the World Cup. Mm. I'm like, that just kind of lines up, you know? 

J.R.: That's cool.

Travis: The relevancy, I like the character I can understand how to play the character, and it's kind of, relevant and cool and kind of out-of-the-box thinking, you know? 

So that's how I kind of stumbled upon my second cosplay. Again with a shirt on though, [00:29:00] so Yeah. 

J.R.: What, why even cut, man? Why even go to the gym?

Travis: I know. I know, right? 

J.R.: That's cool. 

Travis: So yeah, that's leads me at the dilemma I have now of I need help picking at least one or two other cosplays that will show my results at the gym, you know? 

J.R.: Do you have a shortlist of potentials? 

Travis: I do. Just 'cause it kinda repeats from Demon Slayer, Sanemi, the Wind Hashira.

J.R.: Hmm. 

Travis: I really like the wig I have for him. I like the outfit. It's easy to wear. I would just need help- Yeah ... with makeup for all the scars and stuff like that. That's- Yeah ... like high up there on my shortlist right now. And then also from the same anime Inosuke, but I do Inosuke too much. I try to limit him to at least every other year, and I just- Yeah

did Inosuke last year, so don't really wanna do him. Wow. His pig head is right here behind me that I could- Oh, nice ... pull out. But yeah, so I'm leaning more towards Sanemi. 

J.R.: Okay. So one of those two? 

Travis: Yeah, probably one of those two. [00:30:00] 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: And then- and then something else. 

J.R.: Anything else on a shortlist of potentials?

Travis: No. That's why I need help because normally I pick a character. So my requirements- Yeah ... I talked to my cosplay friend before. I was like, "I like to pick a character that I like or an anime that I like," because I don't wanna be a character and someone you know, another cosplayer comes up to me and tries to interact with me- Yeah

like character to character, and I'm like- 

J.R.: It's true ... 

Travis: who are you? I don't know who you are, you know? 

J.R.: I don't know who I am. Yeah. People- I just put 

Travis: a cloak on. Exactly. I'm just here, you know? People- Yeah ... suggested me be Zoro. Zoro? Zoro from- Zoro ... one Piece. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: And they're like, "Travis, you could be a great Zoro."

I was like, "I could be." if I knew who he was, you know? Ah. I just know he has three swords, like one in his mouth and, like- Ah ... you 

J.R.: know. So you don't really, you don't really watch or know of much of One Piece then, 'cause Zoro's the second most popular character. 

Travis: Yeah, I know who he is. I know, like- 

[00:31:00] If I see him, I know who he is, but- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: I don't know his story. I don't know his- Yeah ... characteristics of, like, how he talks or how he acts- Yeah ... and stuff like that, so I couldn't be a good Zoro without doing some research first. 

J.R.: Yeah, that's fair. I will say, though, Zoro is my favorite character, and he's always been my goal to pl- to do it at AX, is just Zoro, topless Zoro.

But he is a, he's a pretty straightforward character if you ever end up doing the research. He's just very disciplined, very kinda stoic and is no, no nonsense. But the quirky thing is that he just has a bad sense of direction, so that's pr- he's pr- that's pretty much it. He's just a badass- Gotcha

who trains a lot but he also sucks at direction. But generally that... He's pretty straightforward. There's nothing too deep- Gotcha ... about it. Mm-hmm. Which is cool. But I was gonna say on the One Piece thing, I know you don't really watch One Piece, but Ace, if you... I don't, I gue- I'm assuming- Mm

you've never done Ace before, but you know- Mm-hmm ... he's fully topless, so I think he would fit your criteria if you watched, if you watched One Piece. 

Travis: Yeah. I, he's Luffy's brother, right? 

J.R.: Yeah, yeah, yeah, his older brother. 

Travis: Yeah. I know a little bit about it. I just don't know [00:32:00] his background and character too much.

J.R.: Yeah, yeah. 

Travis: Same with, like, Zoro. Yeah, he can be stoic and chill, but what's his relation with other characters? So if someone comes up to me cosplayed as- Yeah ... like, Luffy, how would I- Yeah ... act with that Luffy cosplayer, you know? 

J.R.: Yeah, that's true. Dang. Okay, if you ever do get around to this, I could definitely help coach you on the personalities, 'cause yeah-

Ace is... Just the TLDR for the the audience, so, like, Ace is Luffy's older brother. He's very- Mm ... chill, but very independent, but very fire type very ambitious. He's the son of the former King of the Pirates, so Gold Roger, he's his son that he never really knew. and his main motivation in the whole thing bef- up until he leaves the series is that, he just wants to find a family that loves and accept him as he is because he always thought he was, like, a burden because his father, who was the King of the Pirates, was hated. And so if anyone found out that he was the son of the King of the Pirates he'd be attacked. And so, his whole search of being a pirate was to find a family to just love him as he is, and then his character arc [00:33:00] ends with him realizing that Luffy and his whole crew, the Whitebeard Pirates, like- sacrificed their lives basically, put their lives on the line to save him.

And so that's kinda like his whole motivation, which is great because he's also the, you know, the older brother figure to the main character. So he's like- Mm-hmm ... a very compelling character. Yeah. And 

Travis: Luffy knows that Ace is his brother? 

J.R.: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So they've been brothers since he was, since Luffy was seven and Ace was 10, I think.

But he just, they just kind of, they have been out of touch for the last three years until they re- they met again when Luffy started becoming a pirate. So- Mm-hmm ... they're kind of like very independent people, but when they see each other it's like that whole brotherly vibe. So I think to the point of let's say in the future if you were to ev- ever be Ace, you would only really need to know how to interact with Luffy's, Uh-huh

because he doesn't really talk to anyone else besides them- Okay ... in the main cast. Yeah. So I think that's very interesting. 

Travis: Got you. I can do that. But yeah. That's not too bad. I've seen Ace- Yeah ... cosplays around. He wears like a hat, right? 

J.R.: Yeah. Yeah, it's just it's just that hat and then shorts, and that's pretty much it, [00:34:00] or shorts and shoes.

But- Okay ... and then he has like a long necklace sort of deal, and he has these cool tattoos, but es- essentially he's just topless. So I think it would look good. 

Travis: Does he have the long black hair too, like this?

J.R.: I don't rem- he's, it's usually wearing his hat. He has black hair, but I don't think it's long- Okay

if I'm not remembering, mistaken. 

Travis: Okay. 

J.R.: But yeah. Yeah, anyone who goes to the- But do- Sorry, go ahead. 

Travis: Oh, sorry. Go for it. 

J.R.: Yeah, no, I was like anyone who's been to like any sort of convention or something probably has seen Ace because he's, again, one of the top 10 favorite characters.

Travis: For sure. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: we recently heard- 

Travis: Definitely think it's doable without a wig, I think. 

J.R.: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. If you had the hat, I think you can get away with it, with your hair. 

Travis: Okay. Cool. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: Nice. Then maybe I'll consider Ace.

J.R.: Yeah, definitely- You, honestly the there's a shortcut.

Obvi- I don't think you're, you would do it, but in the future there, you could just watch certain episodes. I'm sure there's a compilation of Ace episodes, 'cause he's not a lot. He's not a main character. So then you could get [00:35:00] the gist of it and then just do a quick Wiki search and be like, "Okay, I think I can do this character."

'Cause he's not- Yeah, true, true ... super, super main. He's a- Uh-huh ... very peripheral character. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: Yeah. But 

Travis: anyways. Is this your way as a One Piece fan to get me to my- 100% ... gateway entry into One Piece? 

J.R.: I am, I am definitely always evangelizing One Piece whenever I 

Travis: can. Just like every other One Piece fan out there, I have three coworkers- Yeah

who love One Piece, and they're just like- Mm-hmm ... "Watch it, watch it, watch it." And I'm like, "It's 10,000 episodes. I can't watch this." Yeah, 

J.R.: yeah, of course. There was a... I have a friend of mine who, she recently got into One Piece, and as she was watching the first two, 300 episodes, or the first 200 episodes, she was like, "Oh, I like, my, my new favorite character is Ace."

And I'm like, "Oh, really? Get back to me in, like, 200 more episodes and let me know if he's still your favorite character." Uh-huh. And she's like, "What does that mean?" I'm like, "I don't know, just..." "Let me, let me know if this changes." So yeah, that's pretty funny. 

Travis: That's awesome. 

J.R.: Cool, cool, cool. Yeah. Okay. Anything else?

So you're between that and maybe, I think [00:36:00] we were mentioning off camera you kinda go based off feeling. Okay, if it clicks and if there's some sort of thing there, you might go for it, but- Mm-hmm ... in lieu of that you think it's just you'll kinda stumble upon it if you come up to that, with that fourth character?

Travis: Hopefully. Because right now yeah, I kinda stumbled upon the Japan national team Nagi cosplay. Yeah. But I think these last two are a little more strict just because I do wanna do something that shows my gym progress, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. I do wanna be able to wear it comfortably without not knowing the character, right?

Yeah. So if I did my research in the next two months about Ace, then I would consider it for sure. Yeah. S- and then the third one that my friend kinda not berated me, but kinda questioned me like, kinda like a relevant anime, right? And then they're like, "Why does it need to be a relevant anime?"

Like- Mm ... "Just do what you like." And I'm like- 

J.R.: Yeah, 

Travis: yeah ... good point. Of 

J.R.: course. 

Travis: Yeah. But to me the relevancy helps with if I was going with, let's say we were going together, right, and we had a whole group of people going we could be, like, Mario Kart for all I [00:37:00] care, right? 'Cause I have a- Yeah

group, my squad- Mm ... of Mario Kart people, and we can just be- Mm ... running around Anime Expo. But if I'm usually going alone and I'm looking for kinda, like- Not to fit in, but like some interactions, right? Someone actually recognizing me being, "Oh, hey, nice," you know? "Hey, yo, Ace," you know, "let's take a picture."

You know, and it's like Luffy and Ace or something like that. And then there's like- Yeah ... an actual meetup. I like to have that, you know, camaraderie with like other cosplayers. Yeah. Because if you're wearing like a random, you know, out of the park cosplay, no one's gonna be like- Yeah ... "Oh, yeah, you know, let's take a picture together," or "That, nice cosplay for... you're my brother."

J.R.: Yeah, yeah, 

Travis: yeah. Yeah. 

J.R.: I wanted to ask about now anime. Okay ... current favorites, why. I know you mentioned Rent-A-Girlfriend, and then we were kinda chatting about the same ones that we both watched. What do you wanna start with first? 

Travis: We could chat about the same ones that we both watch.

J.R.: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, okay. Yeah, I think I, I mentioned this in when we [00:38:00] were chatting, but I kind of will have... There's the big anime that I almost rarely ever catch up on, and then there's the staples, like the My Hero Academias that I'll catch up on, like, all at once. And then there are, like, those small one-season ones that I'll be like, "Okay, well this looks like it has good reviews," and I'll kinda just go through a 12-episode one-season one, and then sometimes they'll have a second season.

And then you have ones like Chainsaw Man or JJK or whatnot- Mm-hmm ... or like I mentioned Wind Breaker or like Dr. Stone that you also watch, that you kinda just catch up on as you go. Mm-hmm. So I've, in my, my, my subscription, I kinda just every two or three weeks I'll do one or two short one seasons, and then I'll just kind of do other things and go back to it.

But what is what is your current anime watching sort of cadence been? 

Travis: Yes. But right now it's basically only been the old animes that I've been following whenever the new seasons come back, so like Rent A Girlfriend. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: And also things that I'm like, maybe it's like a new series but same genre.

So like Digimon [00:39:00] is the other anime I watch right now. And it's a completely new series new characters and everything, but since I'm, like, very familiar with Digimon, I'm just kinda checking it out. And it's not too much I don't have to think too hard and follow it too much, you know?

It's just like- Yeah ... you know, 30 minutes of Digimon, you know, every Saturday or something. So it's relatively easy. I guess I have been kind of watching other anime by listening to it because a lot of my free time is coming towards this Gunpla stuff. So if it is dubbed, I'll watch it. I'll just put it on my, on in the background and I'm listening and I'll look over when something crazy is happening, you know?

But it's more like background. That's why I would watch it dubbed. So if something like One Piece was dubbed, which I'm pretty sure it is I could just put that in the background and just let it roll. 

J.R.: Yeah, yeah. I'm the same way too because I'll be multitasking. Mm-hmm. And so if it has a dubbed version, I'll go into that.

But if it's like super new or there's too much action going on and not a lot of dialogue, then I'm [00:40:00] like, "Okay, let me watch it." But then now I'm so used to the dub, I'm like, "Oh, this is fine." Like I get the general thing. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: So yeah, just a... It's kind of like an efficiency, practicality sort of thing, right?

Travis: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Like I'm similar with you. Like the big ones, My Hero Demon Slayer, JJK, all those things, like I, I already follow it so like I feel like I have more- Yeah ... of an urge of what happens next, so I have to watch it, right? Yeah, yeah. But if someone recommends me, which I'm sure they'll be great animes, right?

But if it's like a new one to me, I don't have as much of a drive to be like, "Okay, let's set aside some time to watch this anime" because- Mm ... I don't have the what happens next type of feel to it. 

J.R.: Yeah, definitely. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: I wanna ask about, since we both watched the Chainsaw Man movie and Demon Slayer movies that came out semi-recently, but one recommendation I want to throw your way if y- to put on your list is Wind Breaker.

Have you heard of it? 

Travis: I've heard of it. It's like the high school- Yeah ... fighting one, right? 

J.R.: Yeah. It's like a, it's like a high school [00:41:00] delinquent sort of fighting one, and it's pretty popular. When I went to Japan last year, there was like promo stuff going on about it. I'm like, "Oh, I didn't know it was this big."

Mm-hmm. 

But I think you'll like it, especially since you're like a Cobra Kai fan. 

Yeah. 

It is... has that sort of fighter essence anime to it. But it's a newer, right, like a new gen sort of anime, so they kind of do a really good job I feel like with the characters, the plot, and the total, like the overall vibe.

It's a little f- it's a fresh take on a sort of tried and true trope of the delinquent fighting a- like high school anime. Mm-hmm. I 

Travis: think you'll like it. Is there shirtless characters?

J.R.: Y- I, I think so Okay I mean, they're all, I think they're all pretty f- relatively buff but see, everyone wears uniforms, so like they typically have clothes on. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: But I don't doubt, I don't remember, but I don't doubt there's at some point they get topless, but I don't think anyone is specifically always topless.

Travis: Okay. 

J.R.: But maybe I'm wrong. 

Travis: Okay. 

J.R.: And it's only two seasons, 12 episodes each or something like that. 

Travis: Okay. 

J.R.: I think you would like it, though- Okay ... 'cause I really enjoyed it for that. And it's not like that's my favorite genre, [00:42:00] but anyways. Okay, so Chainsaw Man movie, Demon Slayer movie. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: You're, you've caught up and watched both the animes, right?

Travis: Yes. 

J.R.: Okay, okay. So what thoughts, overall thoughts, or how do you feel like it fit in, or how well did they do for the movies? 

Travis: So for the movies, I think I like the Chainsaw Man movie better than the Demon Slayer movie. Mm-hmm. One, because I felt like the Demon Slayer movie was literally like five episodes of an anime, and- 

Since it is like a three-part trilogy, there's no good ending to it, right? It's still going. And it didn't really, format itself well, in my opinion, as a movie. Here's the beginning, here's the middle of all the conflict, and here's the end, right? It's kinda like really episodic of here's this fight, here's this fight, here's this fight, and there's more fights to come.

And it didn't really feel like a movie. Whereas Chainsaw Man, they put the whole arc [00:43:00] as the movie. Mm-hmm. So you have the introduction of these characters. You don't know what the real issue is yet, and then then you realize, okay, here's the main pro- problem, here's the antagonist, and then there's resolution of what happens at the end.

And even though it's still like an anime where it leads to something else, you finish the whole arc in the movie, and it was definitely more like- Mm-hmm ... artistic. There's whole scenes of you know, more visual and audio not so much just like your typical episode of a shonen. 

J.R.: Yeah, I totally agree.

It feels more like a complete story- Mm-hmm ... like a, how movies should be, like a complete thing even if it's a part of a larger narrative or a larger story. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: Chainsaw Man, it was cool that they did a whole arc in one and however they had to fit that in, but yeah, it was nice. And then, and I think movie-wise overall, like the music, the arts, the pacing, the action, everything, like I...

From all the analysis channels that I even watched too, ev- generally people loved it. Uh-huh. The Demon Slayer movie, I think the same. From what I heard, because they're trying to [00:44:00] adapt basically the last arc into three movies, if you split it by a season, like 12 episodes or whatever, then each movie is basically four episodes or something.

Mm-hmm. And to your point, I think that's what it feels like. It feels oh, they just played four episodes or whatever, and now it's like a mid ending of this movie, but I leave the movie feeling like, okay, I know there's more, but it didn't feel a complete experience. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: So I totally get that.

Travis: Yeah. And it's not like Demon Slayer can't make good movies. We all watched Mugen Train. Yeah. And Mugen Train was, like, amazing. But I think Mugen Train also did a thing where it was a whole arc, right? The whole train battle, the whole arc was beginning to end and had you know, a pretty dramatic and satisfying ending to that movie.

Even though the arc continued a little bit after I think the Mugen Train Demon Slayer movie was much better than Infinity Castle Part One. 

J.R.: Yeah. Don't you think it, it's also a little bit difficult though because that that last season arc or whatever, Infinity Castle, is like there's so many different plot points going on that [00:45:00] there is no one cohesive story arc of beginning, middle, end sort of three-act system where it's like there's a main boss that you're trying to fight against- Mm-hmm

and then you, you overcome it with resolution and climax. Because it's like an ongoing full season story, do you think it would be possible to make it, make those into actual cohesive clear movies?

You know what I mean? Like- Yeah ... there's so many parallel things going on, it 

Travis: seems like. Yeah, no. Yeah, even with the three fights in this movie, it was like kinda like parallel, right?

And- Right. Yeah ... I definitely think it's difficult, and maybe when all three movies come out and I watch them all back to back to back it'll be fine. 

J.R.: Right. 

Travis: But yeah, just as, like, just one part- The experience itself ... yeah, it wasn't, like- Yeah ... all there. And I'm not sure if I'm answering your question, but yeah, I'm not really sure if it's possible to kind of make like the Infinity arc- Yeah

Infinity Castle arc all one movie. You know, it's kinda hard 

J.R.: to see Yeah. Or like cohesive three or three cohesive movies, right? Mm-hmm. Like clear... Yeah, I get [00:46:00] ya. 

Travis: Yeah. '

J.R.: Cause I mean, obviously that was a direction that they wanted to go in because of probably money, right? 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: I assume.

Travis: Yeah. And also they- Yeah ... I do appreciate that they're trying to give each fight a little more substance and respect it more. And be like, "Hey- 

J.R.: Mm ... 

Travis: this deserves like a big screen, like 45 minutes worth of fighting." But yeah. I mean, the art the animation, the drawing was amazing.

It's just kinda like the story itself was like, is that like it? I don't feel like satisfied, right? 

J.R.: Yeah. Yeah. And another big thing for the Demon Slayer movie is like what a lot of people were mentioning was how it felt super im- imbalanced because the first two fights, right, were like super short, and then that last one was like half- Oh, yeah

the movie. 

Yeah. 

And you're like, okay, that... I get why, and that was like the headliner fight or whatever. 

Mm-hmm. 

But when you look at it holistically as like a, whatever, two-hour experience or whatever how long it was- [00:47:00] Mm-hmm ... you're kinda like, it felt really unbalanced. Like these two lightweight division fights took like five minutes, and then this heavyweight one took like a full hour.

You're like, "That was weird, but okay." 

Travis: Yeah. Yeah, no, I was about to say that. I was saying like, you know, the... I appreciate how they gave like all the fights like their time, but then I remember- Yeah ... like, yeah, the second fight was like super short. Like literally, like it was a epic moment, right? But compared to the whole like Hakuji fight,

J.R.: Yeah

Travis: it was like super short. But also like the way that they paced it too, like it was intense fight, fight, fight, fight, fight. And then a huge- Right ... like 45 minutes of backstory, you know? Which was a very- Yeah, the flashback. 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: exactly. And it was a very touching and heartwarming backstory. Like I really...

made me tear up a little bit, but it just felt weird, like- Right ... if I were to watch this, yeah. 'Cause the pacing's just 

J.R.: so weird. Like the energy was weird 'cause it was just like a break. Even though it was well done and it was necessary, but it felt like in a movie context you're like, this feels like a weird sort of side tangent.[00:48:00] 

Travis: Yeah. It's kinda if you were to watch like the abridged version of the series, right? Do- Mm-hmm ... people care enough to not skip over his backstory? Which I think is very important, for sure, but maybe it could've been like a shorter section. Again, it's also like one of my favorite parts of the movie, so it's hard for me to say that too, but it just felt a little out of place or like unproportional.

J.R.: Yeah, I agree. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: Two things now I wanna ask after this is My Hero Academia, I wanna know your thoughts on how you felt like it ended or I guess the series overall. And then two Rent-A-Girlfriend, we, that we wanna talk about. So I know you're a big fan. Just to get your... I don't think we talked about it last time, but, like, why are you g- a big fan?

I did watch your recap video just now, especially when we were off, but- ... I was like, okay, now I kind of remember what's going on. But yeah, so, what was the first one? Yeah, My Hero Academia. My Hero. 

Travis: Thoughts. 

J.R.: Yeah. Yeah. 

Travis: Good story, good ending. You know, this kid, no powers, [00:49:00] you know, finally got powers, became the best hero in the world, ended up sacrificing the thing he wanted the most to become the greatest- Yeah

hero of all time, I guess, or one of the greatest heroes to save the world. So I think it's very- Yeah ... like full circle. And it was nice that- Yeah ... he just wasn't screwed at the end, where he was like, "All right, well, have fun friends. I have no powers anymore." And they kinda gave him the- Yeah ... power suit to still hang out and fight crime.

So I think it was, like, a nice ending. Great episodes leading up to it. Great... All the fights and everything. Bakugo come... I don't know, care about spoilers talking here? 

J.R.: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Travis: Everyone's seen it, right? Yeah, 

J.R.: yeah, yeah. Go ahead. 

Travis: Yeah. Him and Bakugo were like- Yeah. 

J.R.: Spoiler alert for everyone. I'll put a spoiler alert in the beginning, so go 

Travis: for it.

Okay. For sure. For sure. So yeah, Bakugo coming back to life, you know, and just coming in- That was crazy ... that was insane. Bakugo was like MVP. 

J.R.: That fight w- where he was, yeah, where he was fighting All For One, dude, I re-watched those- Yeah ... those sequences so many times. Mm-hmm. I was like, "Fuck, this is crazy."

Travis: Yeah. And like I, out, out of My [00:50:00] Hero my favorite character has always been Todoroki, but even me as a Todoroki stan towards the end, I was like, bro, Bakugo and Deku are killing it right now. The way that they're fighting and the animation is amazing. So like- 

J.R.: Mm ... 

Travis: much, very, and very much enjoyed the the ending of My Hero.

J.R.: Yeah. I was gonna ask because I know there were mixed reviews on the ending, so but you generally just liked it. You're like, "Oh, that was perfect. I like the way it ended it." Mm-hmm. You didn't, you didn't feel like they could change anything? 

Travis: I don't think so. I think it was, like, a nice full circle.

Like, did he end up beating him with a little you know, talking powers, you know? Maybe, you know. A 

J.R.: little talk no jutsu. Yeah. 

Travis: Yeah. Talk no jutsu. But I mean, that's what it was all about. Like Deku, yeah, he's strong, but what really defined him as a character was his personality, right? He has the best powers in the world and maybe not as strong as All For One, but he could have really decimated All For One and destroyed Shigaraki at the [00:51:00] end.

But he knew he always wanted to save that little boy inside the whole time, and it kinda killed him a little bit at the end, or not killed him, but it hurt him, knowing that he had to basically kill Shigaraki. Shigaraki was cool with it, right? He was like, "Hey, free me from this because I'm stuck," and that was, like, his struggle the whole time, right?

So- 

J.R.: Yeah. Yeah. Lots of childhood trauma to address in there, I remember. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And then they had the whole what's it called? The epilogue episode too. I think on My Hero Academia More. I don't know if you watched that. Yeah, 

J.R.: yeah. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: I don't remember. I know what happens, but I don't, I don't know if I watched the episode.

Yeah. 

Travis: They j- Or did they come out- They released it, like, beginning of May. Oh, okay. 

J.R.: Oh, okay, I definitely didn't watch it then. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's like a eight-year time skip after, like- 

J.R.: Mm ... 

Travis: like the couple month time skip after the, during the actual series. And, Yeah ... it's cool. There's not real action or stuff to it.

I think someone made a joke towards the end- It's just to tie, tie, tie up loose ends, [00:52:00] right? Yeah, tie up loose ends, see who ends up with who. You know, all the ships- Yeah ... confirmed or denied. Yeah, 

yeah. 

And yeah. It was pretty cool. Yeah, I liked it. You should check it out. See what happens- Yeah, yeah

with all the characters. I think 

J.R.: I... Yeah, I know what happens from the manga, I just didn't watch that episode yet. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: So I'm like, okay, I know where all the ships end and everything. 

Yeah. 

I was gonna ask, I, I thought one thing that was interesting is how All Might is the, is the, the wise old sort of mentor figure, but he survives.

Uh-huh. Which is crazy, because in most anime, that guy dies, like- Oh, yeah ... in order for the hero to go into his fullness, right? 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: And so I thought that was very interesting and unique for My Hero is that, like, All Might is still alive. I'm like, damn this dude's kicking. 

Travis: Yeah. Yeah, I think I think that's what My Hero does...

They're pretty light on death. No one super important actually ever dies. Yeah, yeah ... the only person I can think of off the top of my head is Night Eye. Is that his name? [00:53:00] Oh, 

J.R.: yeah ... 

Travis: All Might's 

J.R.: sidekick. Yeah. Yeah, that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I forgot his name. 

Travis: Yeah. In, like, the third season or something.

J.R.: Well, no, wait. Some of the teachers, the, some of the teachers died too in the final conflict.

Travis: Who? 

J.R.: L- like that one teacher who has like the poison gas or whatever. 

Travis: Oh, Midnight? I forgot her name. 

J.R.: Is 

Travis: that her? The, the one who peels off the skin, right? Or the, her clothes and the, it leaks like the air out, the gas. 

J.R.: Oh, may- yeah, yeah, yeah. Isn't it her? She died, didn't 

Travis: she?

Something Lady Midnight. Didn't she die? S- 

J.R.: I swear she did because they were like, "Bro, we got wrecked, and like our teachers are dead." 

Travis: Maybe she died. 

J.R.: I swear, I swear her and a couple others died. Obviously, there were some close calls like the little needle guy, and then- Yeah ... the gene guy.

Travis: Uh-huh. 

J.R.: Best genus. But like I, I swear it was her and someone else who di- like other people who died in that final sort of rampage. 

Travis: I know- ...

what's his name? 

Oh, shoot. I can't remember. Yeah, I can't remember right now. I totally lost my train of [00:54:00] thought. But- 

J.R.: Mm. 

Travis: Someone got close to dying and didn't die. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

But you're right, yeah. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: No, no, yeah, but you're right. I think a lot of people that you would expect to die did not. 

Travis: Oh, Toga 

J.R.: died. But there are some people who did. To- who's Toga again?

Was that her 

Travis: name, 

J.R.: Toga? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The one who shapeshifts. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: Sucks the blood. Yep, yep. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She for sure died. 

Travis: Yeah, yeah. 

J.R.: Yeah, I'm trying to remember now. Anyways yeah, you're right. I agree. There's not as lot of death as I'd expect, but there are also some deaths I would definitely did not expect, so.

Mm-hmm. Super spoiler, I guess. 

Travis: Yeah.

But yeah, I feel like there are like- Let's see, I can't- You're right. If you think about Naruto, right? Jiraiya had to die for Naruto to kinda- Yeah ... kinda grow up and get to Pain level, you know? Beat Pain at that point. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: And I'm trying to think of other animes like that, like- 

J.R.: Yeah, that, that trope is pretty common.

I can't think of anything now, but it's always like the wise old mentor and then he has to die essentially in order to- Mm-hmm ... pass along that [00:55:00] and it's, I just always thought that the fact that All Might is still alive, I was like, that is usually very rare. Mm-hmm. 

Travis: I agree. 

Would it made him, do you think- Yeah

it would make it better if he died? 

J.R.: I mean, I personally like that he's still alive. Mm-hmm. I don't know if it would've made it better. I think it would've been expected and like, "Okay, he died and now we can live on in his memory." But the fact that he's still alive and can give back in his own way, I think to me means a lot more because it means like for anyone out there- Mm-hmm

if you are in that role where it's like you are a hero and then you help the next generation- Mm-hmm ... even if your job is done, you can still give back in that position even if you have no powers, and I think that's what I enjoy about him. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, like that's basically what All Might did and then what Deku's doing now, right?

Like he doesn't have powers- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: but he's giving back- Yeah ... to the next generation by being like a teacher to these like the next generation of heroes. 

J.R.: And isn't that also the reason why they both survived is because they didn't have quirks, and so therefore they could survive the One For All, something like that?

Travis: I think so. I think [00:56:00] it was something like, yeah, you need to be like quirkless to basically survive One For All. 

J.R.: Yeah. Yeah. So I think that's... I mean, I think that's interesting and I like that. Again, I think I- Mm-hmm ... just appreciate that he's still alive 'cause I don't think he needs to die, whereas you know, usually mothers in anime have a really bad- Oh, yeah

like they have the mother syndrome where they'll just die for no reason. Mm-hmm. And you're like, "Okay, well, clearly you need to die because the adventure needs to go..." It's like a very One Piece theme as well- Mm-hmm ... where it's like mothers don't survive because as Oda the author says, like mothers are the opposite of adventure and you need the moms to die.

Ah. In some sort of way that the mothers need to die so that the characters can go and live their life because mother is like the home, you know? 

Yeah. 

Which is so tragic 'cause you're like, oh, and there's like right now in One Piece there's a backstory or, or sorry, in the last year's worth of manga, they were like the so far three moms have died, possibly a fourth will die-

because they're all flashback moms and you're like, okay- Oh, no ... usually people don't survive flashbacks, but the fact that we've [00:57:00] had three or four moms in flashbacks in the last year is not a good sign. 

Travis: Oh, dang. 

J.R.: Yeah. Mortality rate for moms are pretty high in One Piece, yeah. 

Travis: Dang. Yeah. Don't be a mom in anime.

J.R.: Exactly. Especially One Piece. Don't be a mom in anime, especially d- especially, yeah, and especially don't be a mom with that one haircut where it's like a braid, but it goes down one side of your like shoulder. 

Travis: Oh, 

J.R.: yeah. That mom haircut is very lethal. Like if you- ... if you look like that as a mom, you are gonna die in the next chapter.

You're 

Travis: toast. You're toast. 

J.R.: It's so funny 'cause it's like a totally a meme and it's totally true. 

Travis: Yeah. Next time I see a mom like that I'm like, "Well, GG's." 

J.R.: No. 

Travis: Thinking about that though- Yeah. Don't have any shot of- There is one mom- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: who survived forever with that haircut. I think it's that haircut.

Ash's mom from Pokemon. 

J.R.: Oh, that's true. Well- 

Travis: I think she has that... I don't know if it comes out one side ... people die in Pokemon. 

J.R.: Huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. She has that vibe. But no, but there's no- Yeah ... is there deaths in Pokemon? I'm not really, I don't really watch. 

Travis: I don't think [00:58:00] there's deaths in Pokemon.

That's why, but- 

J.R.: Yeah. Okay. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: People in Pokemon don't die. So that's probably why. She, yeah, she lives in a safe universe, I guess. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: But other fight battle shonen- Oh, yeah ... it's very tough. 

Travis: Yeah. Like 

J.R.: Eren's mom from Attack on Titan. Any, any with 

Travis: violence. Huh? 

J.R.: Oh, yeah. Everyone. Yeah. Any, yeah, everyone, especially in the v- in the fighting animes.

Travis: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Attack on Titan, the mom dies first episode. 

J.R.: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Bleach.

Travis: Oh ... 

J.R.: Naruto. Mm-hmm. 

Travis: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Bleach a bunch of moms die. 

J.R.: Oh, yeah, of course. Very lethal. Yeah. The mom disease. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: Yeah, One Piece most moms are dead. What are the other big ones? 

A lot of them basically.

I think a lot 

Travis: Yeah 

J.R.: Y- y- either you're born an orphan or your mom dies 

Travis: Yeah. Your mom dies giving 

J.R.: birth 

Travis: to you.

J.R.: Yeah, of course yeah. 

Travis: Yeah 

J.R.: That you have to, or she can't, you can't be the main character of the show 

Travis: Mm-hmm 

J.R.: Okay. I think that's all the things I wanted to ask about the movies. So what about [00:59:00] Rent-A-Girlfriend now?

So again, I've watched the first three seasons, not the fourth one. Mm-hmm. But what are your general thoughts and/or I'm just very curious, like why are you so hype about it? 

Travis: So it's like one of those shows that are like, some of my non -anime friends calls it like, you know, just like TV trash or TV garbage that you consume because not much going on, but people like seeing drama.

Yeah. Like shows like- Mm-hmm ... Love Island or what's that Korean one? Singles Inferno, you know? 

J.R.: Mm-hmm. It's 

Travis: like drama that's not yours, but you like watching it, so kind of something like that. So I pair it to kind of like my guilty pleasure of something like a Singles Inferno thing.

But- Right ... I think what really drew me to it at first was, first it was this random ep- random anime I put on to go to sleep, and next thing I know, I watched the first five episodes like in the middle of the night. Of course. Because I was like, wow. It like pulled me from episode to episode, like what happens next, right?

J.R.: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm ... 

Travis: but also I think I see a little [01:00:00] parallelism of the main character and me, like growing up. Like before I started dancing and getting a little more self-confidence from going to the gym and just performing on stage and stuff, I was like a shy dude, you know? So the main character in Rent-A-Girlfriend is kinda like a loser.

And that's what they make him out to be, like either a loser, like socially a loser, or you know, not... Well, that's the best way. But as a person, like on the inside, like he's like a good guy in general, you know? He might have some weird like fantasies that pop up because the anime is the anime, but it- Mm-hmm

like at the core of it, I think the main character is you know, soul. He's like a, just a good guy. You know, he's doing stuff to help other people and not to hurt other people, and that's like his thing. So I kinda saw oh yeah, this good guy, he's an underdog. I'm rooting for him. I'm watching this anime to see if [01:01:00] he, has a good ending, right?

That's what's kinda drawing me to, to Rent-A-Girlfriend. 

J.R.: Yeah, I can see that definitely. I as I was, as you were saying that, I'm thinking like, are there any other anime-- I feel like there are, where there's like the loser guy and and to be, and for transparency, like I do like some of those slice of life sort of romance- Mm-hmm

like anime as well, like here and there and be- in between the whole fighting ones. It's like the, oh, this is just a, like a love drama sort of thing. So I do like those as well. But like- Mm-hmm ... are, are there any other animes that follow that trope that you're saying of a loser sort of dude and then but he's a good person?

Travis: One that I haven't watched, but I've talked to some people at work about it to compare it to Rent-A-Girlfriend, is My Dress-Up Darling 

J.R.: Oh, that's right. Yeah. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: I watched the first season of that. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. He is a generally a good guy. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. Good guy. Not so much of a loser, but more like socially awkward introvert, right?

J.R.: Yeah. And then 

Travis: they- But 

J.R.: he's passion- he's passionate about what he does. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. So [01:02:00] again, I know a lot My Dress-Up Darling has gotten a lot more positive feedback than Rent-A-Girlfriend.

And I think- Yeah ... that's more so because of what happens outside of the actual anime of Rent-A-Girlfriend.

The I think the author of Rent-A-Girlfriend's a little like sus in the anime industry. So that's why people- Oh, interesting ... are, like, seeing more negatively see Rent-A-Girlfriend versus My Dress-Up Darling, you know? 

J.R.: Hmm. 

Travis: But I think they're both very similar animes. 

J.R.: You're right. As I was watching it, as I was watching My Dress-Up Darling, I was like, "Oh, I can see the appeal of this."

Okay, so I have now my take on this, and it's not to take away from anything, totally valid perspective. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: I think the reason why I really didn't like Rent-A-Girlfriend, but I'm completely committed to finishing it, of course is from what I remember, he... Yeah the drama is cool, and I like the main girl.

She's super badass. But I didn't like the main character because what I like about main character guys is there's something redeeming about them aside from just being nice. And what I [01:03:00] think I did not like about him was, like, he's so wishy-washy. Mm-hmm. And whenever there was those times to make a decision, it's like, "Dude, just choose a girlfriend."

He just doesn't, he just can't do it- Yeah ... and it really annoys me. And he's so useless until the end of the second season, and then the third season he's helping make the movie. I'm like, why did it take you three seasons to become useful for once? 'Cause I'm not rooting for you at all. In fact, I don't even want you to be here.

I think the girl should just stay single, and all these other girls should stay single. And I get it, it's like a harem type- Yeah ... and so of course they're gonna like him for some reason. But I'm like, for all these other animes, I can see why even the awkward types, I like them. Mm-hmm. But for him, I was like, "I don't like you at all."

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: And I was like, okay, finally third season you're getting some... But then even at the end, I think he drops the ball in the third season, and I was just like, ugh, whatever. All right. Mm-hmm. Well, I mean, I'm already invested in the drama, and I wanna see how this pans out, and I like the girl characters, but this is the first time where I really don't like the guy character.

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: And I think I'm very clear on why. I'm like, I just don't resonate with him at all. I'm like, just man up and, like, do, like... E- even those, even those whiny sort of characters who are start off as losers- 

Travis: Mm-hmm ... 

J.R.: [01:04:00] what redeems them in my opinion is usually because they grow a pair, but they also are resolved in something and, or they're passionate about something- Mm-hmm

and that sh- sort of shines. And that's why the girls who are way out of their league like them- Mm-hmm ... is because they're like, "Oh, you're actually a kind person and you're somewhat competent, or you're passionate about something in this sort of area." 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: So that's just my qualms, I guess, if that makes sense.

Travis: Yeah. No, it totally makes sense, and I've definitely heard that before too, where the character's just so annoying. The main character is he can't, like you said, wishy-washy. He doesn't ever commit or make up his mind, right? Like- Yeah, yeah ... just go for it, you know? And I think part of it is the author's writing trying to draw it out.

Because- ... trying not to spoil, but if you watch it, you'll see more stuff happen, right? Mm-hmm. But at the same time I feel like the author is writing these out, drawn out specifically. He keeps the main character wishy-washy because- Oh ... he wants to draw out the anime. 

J.R.: It's like the reality TV show where it's like you gotta keep the tension [01:05:00] going 'cause that's what keeps people- 

Travis: Yeah

J.R.: I see. '

Travis: Cause imagine if he manned up, grew a sack, or grew a pair, and, like- ... confessed to her first season, you know? 

J.R.: Yeah, because, 'cause then at that point you'd have to become a better writer and figure out ways to keep the story moving. 

Travis: Yeah. It's like, if you, if you, if he confessed right away and- 

J.R.: Yeah

Travis: the girl's either gonna say yes or no, right? And then it's kinda okay, where do I go from there, right? But the whole time- Yeah, yeah ... it's like, I really wanna tell her. I wanna tell her, but I can't because it's gonna ruin our relationship. And it's like that the whole time, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's like the first whole ep- whole first season.

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: but yeah, you saw, like, the third season he does stuff, right? And he does show- Yeah, yeah ... some redeeming qualities of he was, like, basically a project manager, producer for that whole movie, right? And he, like- 

J.R.: Yeah, yeah ... 

Travis: was there. And then yeah, if you watch that season, season four is kinda split up in two parts.

It's still going on right now, but it gets like- Season four pushes it to [01:06:00] where stuff has to happen, right? And- 

J.R.: Finally ... 

Travis: yeah, it like, it- Has to ... it like has to, right? And- But you- That's 

J.R.: what I was saying the first two seasons. I'm like- Yeah ... when is... Usually near the end of the first season, you- there's some sort of flip of "Okay, now I like you."

Travis: Uh-huh. 

J.R.: But yeah. 

Travis: Yeah. I will say without spoiling too much the cast of characters that they assemble in this situation forces something to happen, and then something- Okay ... might happen, right? 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: So you gotta figure out- Yeah ... see and watch out. 

J.R.: Yeah. That's also my same qualms with ugh, what is that movie?

Tokyo Ghoul, where he's, Have you watched? 

Mm-mm. 

You know what it's about? Okay. Well, I think people love the manga, but the anime for me, I didn't read the manga, but the anime for me was like, yo, this dude is like a whiny piece of n- does nothing right and is not cool, and he just complains. And then it was like the last one or two episodes of the season, he gets his powers [01:07:00] and you're like, "Okay, you're kind of cool now I guess, but not-

by your own volition. It's because you were forced upon these powers were forced on you. 

Uh-huh. 

And now you're somewhat redeemable." But I'm like, all you did was whine and cry the whole season. I'm like, I don't like you at all. Uh-huh. And I finished it, but I'm like, "Ugh, why, why do people like this?"

And then my friend was telling me yeah, in the manga it's a little bit better, like the, just the development of the character, whatever, but he's like, "Yeah, totally first season." And I'm like, "Ugh, well that's unfortunate," 'cause everyone- Gotcha ... loves or a lot of people love that anime. 

Travis: Yeah. No, especially like you said, like if the character's whiny and just annoying and does nothing, it's like, why are you the protagonist?

You know, I watch- Yeah ... 

J.R.: anime 

Travis: too. 

J.R.: Like 

Travis: I wanna root 

J.R.: for you. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: They said you wanted to root for him, but he's just annoying, right? 

J.R.: Yeah, yeah. That's what for me, like just my own like preferences. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: What I love about anime is when I'm, when I like the character and I'm rooting for them- Mm-hmm

because of s- it has to be for some reason, like at the very core, the biggest overused trope is that they're a good person. It's like, okay, this dude is whiny, [01:08:00] whatever, but people like him because he's a good person, and that's really uncommon in this universe, and that's fine. 

Mm-hmm. 

But for me, I would like them to at least be competent at one thing or have some sort of...

You know, there's the trope of the secret like master, and he's kind of just low-key, but he's r- actually really OP. That's fine too. Mm-hmm. And there's the one where it's oh, there's hidden potential, but he's actually just a child of destiny and his parents are super OP, and then he unlocks it over time.

Mm-hmm. 

Or there's the you just are a loser, and then you kind of build up to it over the season and we're rooting for you because we see your potential. 

Mm-hmm. 

But like after the first season or two, and if it's I'm like, even after the first five episodes, I'm like, "Why do I, why am I supposed to like you?

Because there's nothing I like about you- 

Travis: Mm-hmm ... 

J.R.: other than the fact that you're whiny." And then some, there's some really worse anime out there where it's okay, this is like a harem sort of anime, so all the girls are supposed to like you. But I'm like, "Bro, there's nothing about you that I would like."

Yeah. You're just the main character, and that's the reason, only reason why people like you right now. And I'm like, "Ugh." 

Travis: Yeah. It's like you're only popular because you're the main character. 

J.R.: [01:09:00] Exactly. You have the plot, the plot charm, I guess. The 

Travis: plot armor. Is that 

J.R.: plot armor or plot charm? The plot armor 

Travis: charm.

J.R.: Exactly, pl- plot charm. Mm-hmm. That's what I was thinking. But yeah, that's cool. Yeah, it's definitely on my list of, it's at season four. Okay, anything else on anime? I guess all the planned stuff that I wanted to ask you about- 

Travis: Yeah. Other than I mean, I know you have a pretty massive backlog, but, you know, what are you gonna tackle next?

J.R.: Good question. Yeah, I need to catch up on some of these things, but also, Oh, I was gonna say, I've been getting into this. Well, I don't know why, maybe it's my Crunchyroll algorithm, but I've been watching these... A specific sort of niche genre of imagine a solo leveling sort of vibe where it's like solo main character, and for some reason he's overpowered, but he's very low-key and no one really knows the full- extent of his OP-ness. 

Yeah. 

And so the first one that I watched was, like, Eminence in Shadow. 

Yep. 

And then there's other ones like How Not To Summon A Demon Lord, and then Jack Of All Trades, Party Of [01:10:00] None, and then My Status As An Assassin Obviously Exceeds The Hero's. They're all the same guy. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: But essentially they're all the same person.

Mm-hmm. But I'm like, I like it because of the whole Sung Jin-woo sort of vibe where it's like- Mm-hmm ... okay, he's on a mission, he's focused, he's disciplined, he's getting better, he's very low-key, he's not flashy- Mm-hmm ... and he's very a shadow character. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: But he pulls through, and it's kind of cool to see that because to your point as well, it's like I see myself a lot in those sort of characters of that's my personality type is is to, you know, what's it called?

Level up and add skill points to my attributes and whatnot, and kind of be not like the focus or like the l- like main center, like limelight- Mm-hmm ... but to just kind of build myself slowly and deliberately and diligently over time, like the Zoro sort of characters. 

Yeah, yeah. 

So I'm like, "Oh, I kind of like the..."

And depending on the story, and depending on the universe and the magic system, it can be better or worse. 

Mm-hmm. 

But I've been really liking that sort of trope. And because I've been liking those, Crunchyroll just sends me more of them. I'm like, "Okay, whatever." Yeah. So, and they're usually one [01:11:00] season, two seasons or whatever, and so I'm like, that's why I'm kind of not caught up on my other ones.

Travis: Got you. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: Yeah. I felt like, one of my coworkers recommended me Shadow of Eminence, and he said it's really good. Mm-hmm. So I-I'll think- Mm-hmm. Yeah ... is that one on Crunchyroll or is that somewhere else? I, I forgot. 

J.R.: It is, Actually, it might not be. I think I might have watched it somewhere else, but- I think it 

Travis: might be Hulu or something, 'cause I was trying to 

J.R.: watch- 

Travis: Yeah, man.

I watched- ... on Crunchyroll and it wasn't there, I think. 

J.R.: Yeah, you're right. It might be somewhere else. I think I watched it on another platform. But that one's really good. That one- I think that one does the best at that trope- 

Travis: Mm-hmm ... 

J.R.: because of the power system, and the characters are really compelling.

But he's just super nonchalant. Like- 

Mm-hmm ... 

all of his followers are, like, these really badass OP women. 

Mm-hmm. 

And they obviously love him because they're like, he's like their master, but he's like, "Ugh, I'll, I'll see you guys later." And he's just- Yeah ... doing his own thing. I'm like, "Damn, what a fucking boss."

Yeah, yeah. Like, he's just like, all these girls are, like, in love with him, and they're, like, generals in his army. Mm-hmm. But he's kind of like the aloof master of the... It's very quirky because he lied to them and was like, "Oh yeah, there's this sort of evil [01:12:00] organization out there."

And they're like, "Oh God, we gotta fight them." And so these girls go off and kind of do their own thing and become super OP and are fighting this organization. He's just doing his own thing. 

Mm-hmm. 

And years later- They're like, "Oh we've, we're making progress on fighting this evil organization."

He's like, "Oh, good job." And he's like, "Wait, they exist?" Yeah. And so it, that's the whole thing is he made up this thing and it's actually a real thing and they're fighting him, and he's the head of it. And they, they say he's like a genius when in reality he has no idea what's going on. 

Travis: Uh-huh. 

J.R.: But also subtly he is a genius because he's like super OP power-wise.

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: So it's a weird, weird quirky take on that trope. I don't know. Yeah. I recommend it. 

Travis: I for sure. I'll check out that too. 

J.R.: 10 out of 10 for me. 

Travis: All right. All right. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: Yeah, for 

J.R.: sure. Okay, so we're at an hour and a half, so if you don't mind, I would like to go into bowling- Let's do it ... to see before we get to that one before we wrap up.

Mm-hmm. Okay, so bowling, you mentioned some things like practice, form, shooting better, technology, like the bowling balls, and then your bowling journey. Anywhere- Mm-hmm ... you wanna start first. 

Travis: Well, I'll start... Let's do technical, [01:13:00] right? Because we talked about bowling a little before this. Okay. 

J.R.: Yeah.

Travis: We were talking about your scores and how you're starting to- Yeah ... seeing, you know, how the lane conditions can affect you, and you kind of be able to read lane conditions now, even though you're using house balls and stuff, right? So, maybe you can go over a little bit you know, your idea of bowling, and then I could kinda say, "Okay, see, what you're seeing here is this, and- Yeah

here's why I would do it. Here's why things are like kinda happening," right? Yeah. With your own bowling. 

J.R.: No, that's a... Yeah, that's a good starting point Coach Travis. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: Yeah, I guess, the TLDR is, so, I kinda bowl seasonally, and I enjoy it, and it's fun, but I've never been trained. Super amateur.

I have no technique. I just kind of... Over the years, I'm just trying to get more consistent and better with my scores. I don't have my own bowling balls, but I'm using the house balls, and my excuse for that is okay, well, I don't know if I'm... I- I'm, like, need... I feel like I need to invest in my own bowling balls, but my also weird justification is okay, if I [01:14:00] just get used to the house balls, no matter where I bowl, I can be fine and not need to have my bowling ball.

And so it's like a partial practicality sort of thing- Mm-hmm ... even though I know it's gonna cap my score because I'm not as consistent with my rolls. Mm-hmm. And so I'll have my own bowling shoes, but I'll be sandwiched between actual bowlers with their own bowling balls, and I'm like, okay, well, I'm just gonna do my best.

Mm-hmm. Low expectations. Hopefully, no one thinks I'm actually good. So then when I do suck at that game, people don't expect anything. Oh, he's using the house balls. 

Travis: Yeah, 

J.R.: yeah. But if I feel like if I have an actual bowling ball, they're like he's okay." Not that anyone really cares, right? Mm-hmm. But so for me, I'm like, okay, let me just see how consistent I can be, and then also forces me to adapt, be one, like I mentioned to you.

I can tell during the time of day if my lane is oiled or not, 'cause I'm like, okay, yeah, this is definitely like, catching too early or it's hard curving. Mm-hmm. Whereas some days when it's more oiled, I can tell it'll flow where I want it to go. So even today, in the morning before I went to the gym, it was, like, definitely not oiled, so it kept catching.

So I had to readjust by turning a little bit more- Mm-hmm ... throwing a little bit more straight, and then curving a little bit less. And so my scores weren't really that good- [01:15:00] 

Travis: Mm-hmm ... 

J.R.: but compared to the days where it's more consistent. But yeah, that's kinda where I'm at now. 

Travis: Nice. So you can definitely read the lane, right?

You can kinda see, okay, the lane's a little drier now, or lane's- Mm ... a little more flooded with the oil, right? Yeah. You have a good perspective of- Using house balls you can basically go from house to house and still have a, you know, consistent ball at least, right? And that kind of starts off with- Yeah, 

J.R.: that's, that's my thinking.

Travis: Exactly. And that s- goes back to the main part of bowling is consistency. So you wanna make sure that your swing's consistent, your release is consistent, your approach is consistent, and we're not even touching on that part yet, but at least using a consistent ball is giving you part of that, right?

... 

Travis: Your score will always cap with a house ball around 180, like your average, right? 180 to- Yeah ... 200, in my opinion, right? 

J.R.: Yeah. No, that, that's pretty accurate from what I've been tracking. I'm like, yeah, I don't ever really go more than 180-ish. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: Which is like, you know, whatever. Yeah. 

Travis: I'm not competing.

No, 180's pretty good for your amateur bowler that's just [01:16:00] out there using a house ball. If I saw- Yeah ... someone consistently shooting 180 with a house ball, I'll be like, "That's impressive." Because the thing is, this kinda touches on the technology part of it too, a house ball is basically just almost like pretty much a solid ball, right?

There's nothing special inside it. It's the perfectly spherical weighted ball, center of gravity around the middle and stuff like that. Drill finger holes in it. The cover of the house ball is not super strong. It doesn't really absorb oil like a sponge. It'll just-

go, right? That's why a lot of people use, or some people use house balls as spare balls.

Even in a league, they'll use their strike ball to get strikes, and then when they try to shoot spares, they go pick up a house ball and know that it's just gonna go straight. If you throw it straight- Yeah ... it'll go straight. It will, it won't hook randomly on you, right? So that's why I would say your score, if you're a really, really good bowler using a house ball, you'll be shooting 190s all the time.

Because- ... you probably wouldn't strike often enough to chain [01:17:00] strikes. So if you think about the game- Yeah, that makes sense ... nine spare, nine spare, nine spare, nine spare, you're getting 19s all the way across, so 190. Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: So that's where you're kinda capping for, in terms of using a house ball.

But I think your ability to already read the lanes will help you adjust and change your, where you stand on the lane to shoot more consistently into the pocket, right? Mm-hmm. But yeah. Do you know how consistent you are on the other things of bowling? Like your approach your release, things like that?

J.R.: I don't know how to judge it, but I'm always very aware of my steps are very consistent 'cause I'm-- that's intentional. I'm like, "Okay, one, two, three, four. One, two, three, four." Mm-hmm. And then, like, how I'm swinging. Obviously, I have to adjust based on where I'm trying to hit. If it's I'm trying to hit the corner left or corner right or something like that, or if it's like I need to aim a little bit more or curve less, curve more- Mm-hmm

then I'll sort of slightly adjust. But I [01:18:00] generally try to m- my first roll will always be that consistent sort of, swing or roll or whatever. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: So I'm very cognizant of that. It's only when I have to adjust. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. So I think-- I don't know, do you want homework or tips or something like that to help improve your game with the house ball?

J.R.: Yeah. I mean, yeah, I'm open to anything. 

Travis: For sure. So- I'm here to 

J.R.: learn. 

Travis: Next time you bowl you have your own shoes, so that's great. When you line up for a shot, right, look down and see what board you're lining up on. Oh, 

J.R.: yeah, yeah. That's what I try to do. I s- I start on the same spot each time, especially my first roll.

Travis: Okay. So you start in the same spot, right? Do you- Yeah ... end on the same spot when you throw the ball? Do you even 

J.R.: look? Generally, yes. 

Travis: Okay.

J.R.: I don't know if I... Yeah, I don't, yeah, good point. I don't know if I generally look, but I think I'm, because I'm taking the same steps, like my steps are fairly consistent when I've seen videos of myself.

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: So I think I'm ending in the same spot, 'cause my steps are generally the same. 

Travis: Yeah. So when I say end, I mean like left and right, right? Your steps [01:19:00] forward and back. Oh, oh. Yeah. Gotcha, 

J.R.: gotcha. Yeah. 

Travis: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So that's what we call drift. Mm-hmm. In bowling, doing your approach you want your drift to be consistent because what really matters is where your ha- the ball leaves your hand at the foul line, right?

J.R.: That makes sense. 

Travis: Yeah, so people have the tendency to walk away from the gutters. So let's say you're lining up on five board, right? 'Cause as right-handers, we count from right to left. Mm-hmm. Five board being the fifth board away from the right gutter. 

J.R.: Is that s- how close? Is that center or where is that?

Travis: Each, so the bowling lane is made up of 40 boards. 

J.R.: Oh, okay, okay. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: So it's like leaning towards the right. Yeah. Like 

Travis: close 

J.R.: to the right. 

Travis: Well, it's like pretty much dead right. Five board's like- 

J.R.: Oh, okay, okay ... 

Travis: like five inches over from the the gutter. 

J.R.: Gotcha, okay. 

Travis: Yeah. So yeah, the middle is like 20 board, and then all the way to the left- 

J.R.: Mm

Travis: for us would be 40 board, right? 

J.R.: Gotcha, gotcha. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. And if you ever wanna do something really funny or really put your mind in sp- p- perspective of [01:20:00] how hard bowling is, draw a bowling lane to scale, knowing that the lane is 40 inches across and 60 feet long. 

So if you draw it to scale on a piece of paper, you'll see how hard what you are doing actually is.

J.R.: Oh, I see. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: That makes sense. 

Travis: Yeah. But fact is like next time you bowl, see where you line up with your feet, right? With like- Mm ... you're right-handed, so where your left foot is, and then after- Mm ... you throw the ball, look down and see where you ended up with your left foot. Typically I look to the- Yeah

inside edge of my toe, and then see if your drift is consistent. Is it you're starting on five board and end on 10 board, or you're starting on like- Mm ... five board ending on 15 or 20? Like is it consistent? Because based on- Mm ... where you slide is gonna be based on where your ball is gonna leave your hand, right?

So you wanna make sure that- Right ... your approach is consistent so your goal is gonna be targeting the same thing. 'Cause for you, you know- Yeah ... I want to [01:21:00] get the ball out there. It's gonna hook, and it's gonna come back into the pocket. Yeah ... and targeting is a whole different thing. I use the arrows. My teammates use just down lane break points.

But if you're targeting something but your drift is inconsistent, the path that your ball is taking is gonna be different every time, so you're not gonna get the same reaction. 

J.R.: Right. Right. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: That makes a lot of sense. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: Yeah, I'll take notes for that next time. I wanna say that when I ... Like, I do try to keep everything cons- like, where I'm walking, where the drift is- 

Mm-hmm

uh, how far, and then where my arm is releasing. 

Mm-hmm. 

'Cause I'm trying to get the... A- as I'm doing four games in a row, I'm trying to get those feedback loops of, okay, my swing is consistent. Yeah. That's where I wanted it to be. That's where it usually goes. This one was not consistent, that's why I get the, got the gutter or went too far one direction.

Mm-hmm. 

But yeah, I'll be more c- I'll be more intentional about looking at at least where they are. 

Mm-hmm. 

And I know, I know sometimes because I, because in the second roll, if I need to adjust for what I'm trying to hit, it'll be more inconsistent [01:22:00] because I'm like, okay, I need to adjust a little bit to the left, and then I don't know, really know where it's gonna release at that point, 'cause I'm just trying to go off a feeling of- Mm-hmm

what I feel like I need the ball to go based on the, you know, h- after doing so many rolls, you kind of get a feeling of, like, where you need to throw it. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: But it's not scientific and it's not methodical. It's more just okay, let me get thousands of reps in- 

Yeah ... 

so that I can get a muscle feel of where I...

And then for the most part, as an amateur, as a non-trained person- Mm-hmm ... it does the, does a good job. 

Mm-hmm. 

So yeah. So yes, that's a great tip. And also, it's even for today, I'm like, okay, I think I would do better if these fucking lanes were oiled better because- Yeah ... it's just throwing off my whole groove.

But yeah, I, but yeah, that's a good tip. 

Travis: Yeah. That's also the thing, too, is dry lanes versus oily lanes, you're not gonna have the same- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: launching point at this every time, right? You have to be able to change- Yeah ... your release point to hit a different target- Yeah ... down the lane.

J.R.: Right

Travis: but if you start off let's say you normally line up on 10 board, and you throw the ball from 15 and out to the right [01:23:00] side and it hooks, and that's what you need when it's oily. And then it's dry, so now you're forced to move, right? Y- you wanna- Yeah ... know that when you line up on 25 board, you're still drifting the same amount, or else your calculation is gonna be all off when you're you're on the lane.

J.R.: Yeah, that makes sense. 

Mm-hmm. 

That's very helpful. You know one other thing that I've been jokingly experimenting with is my music playlist. 

Travis: Ah. 

J.R.: I kind of posted this on my story. 

Travis: Uh-huh. 

J.R.: Because it's just for fun, right? Mm-hmm ... but last season I found that for some weird reason, I got really, really consistently high scores when I was listening, when I was, like, playing with my playlist, and I trimmed it down to seven or eight specific TVXQ ballad songs, Japanese.

Yeah. And I was like, every time I listen to these specific songs in these, in this order- Mm-hmm ... I don't know why, compared to higher energy songs or these different sort of K-pop songs or whatever, that these songs do really well. Mm-hmm. And I was like, dang, by the end of the season my averages were about 170, 180- Uh-huh

for, like, consistent. I was like, damn, this is really good. [01:24:00] And so this time around, since this is the first week of the season pass, I'm like, "Okay, let's try Michael Jackson," old Michael Jackson up until r- new ones, like, my favorite ones. Uh-huh. All groove funk. 

Mm-hmm. 

And so I'm like, okay, let me just vibe and dance because I'm really into this music, and I kind of, do little wiggles in between rolling.

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: And I've been doing pretty good consistently. I'm like, okay, let's see how Michael Jackson pans out for the next month. 

Travis: Nice. 

J.R.: If I, if I sort of vibe with it, and it's, I kind of like the comfort of having the same playlist of like- Uh-huh ... okay, I start with this song, and I end with this song, like last season.

Mm-hmm. So, that's just my own weird tangential experiment. 

Travis: Yeah, I think that has some scientific, and it kind of correlates to bowling a little bit my bowling experience. Something that's- Yeah ... groovy and a little, s- you know, more chill, one, it relaxes you, loosens you up, right? So your- Yeah

swing is more consistent because when you try to muscle it- Yeah ... and force everything- Yeah ... it's super tight and not consistent. So doing little wiggles and stuff before definitely help. And also ballads, TVXQ, stuff like [01:25:00] that, nice and slow and relaxing versus upbeat- That's 

J.R.: my, yeah

Travis: high BPM. 

J.R.: That was my theory. I was like, maybe it's because it's so ca- not calming, but you know what I mean? Like, it's aside from like high energy EDM, fast-paced BPMs, like- Mm-hmm ... it was very like, you know what I mean? And so I was like, maybe because it's relaxing me. 

Mm-hmm. 

And that was my working theory, and I'm like, "Well, I don't know why, but it's working."

Oh, yeah. And so I'm like, "Okay, now let's shift into groovy dancey." 

Mm-hmm. 

And even when I have bad days this week, like when I had bad games, I'm like, "Well, I'm still having fun because I love this music." Mm-hmm. "I'm dancing-" Yeah ... "and I'm also rolling." And then typically I'll have some, somewhat better scores.

It's not consistent yet, but it's like still good because I'm like, "I'm having fun. I'm getting my steps in. I'm getting some s-" 

Travis: Mm-hmm ... "

J.R.: some sort of cardio." 

Travis: Oh, for sure. Yeah, getting your- Yeah ... having fun and relaxed, like even if you're not bowling well, but you're having fun with it, you're relaxed, it's gonna end up being better.

Yeah. You know, when you start tilting- That's what I 

J.R.: tell myself ... 

Travis: that's when it's bad. Yeah. 

J.R.: Yeah. I'm like, look, as long... If I have a shit s- shit score, at least I'm having fun. I'm not wasting my [01:26:00] time. And so that's why I try to re- Because I think in past seasons when I would get into that negative spiral of like, "Ugh, why is it not going where I need it to be?"

Mm-hmm. And all this other stuff. And I'm like, okay, well, now I'm just not having fun. And so I'm like, I'm committed this season to just have fun no matter what. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: And of course, I'll try to improve systematically and deliberately. 

Travis: Yeah. That takes me back to my last week's league.

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: I, like, got super frustrated.

I exact- I forgot exactly why. Either I missed an easy spare or something, and I never do this, but I straight up kicked the wall. Like, I was bowling- Oh, gee ... on the lanes at the end during league. 

J.R.: Yeah, 

Travis: yeah, yeah. And we weren't bowling against other people luckily, 'cause the team that we were against- Yeah

like blinded out for the week. But I, like, got super frustrated. I forgot why. Either I stuck or I missed or something, and I, like, turn around, I'm walking back, and I kicked the wall, and totally out of character. And then I sat down, and my teammate was like, "You know Jerry's was watching you the whole time, right?"

And Jerry's the owner of the bowling alley. He was bowling next to us. And I was like- 

J.R.: [01:27:00] Oh, shit ... "

Travis: Okay, well-" Oops. "... the rules say that you can get disqualified for hitting, purposely hitting bowling equipment, and the wall's not bowling equipment." Okay. So, as I said, at least I didn't kick the ball return.

J.R.: Yeah. Technicality, yeah? 

Travis: Yeah, yeah. But yeah. 

J.R.: So, yeah. What was your... Did you have any sort of reflection after that? 

Travis: Again, out of character. Or you're just like- I typically don't- Yeah ... do that. I forgot why that one specifically frustrated me so much.

... 

Travis: But it kind of goes back to your thing of having fun, relaxing, don't tilt, right?

The moment you tilt and you try to get super stressed and force everything, you're gonna keep rolling, you know? Mm ... and not in a good way. You're, just, it's gonna spiral downhill. So- 

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: yeah. 

J.R.: Maybe that's an important lesson or takeaway is you know, ath- athletes or all sports- Mm-hmm ... yeah, it's a physical aspect to it, but your emotional, mental side of it will affect obviously your performance.

And for something like bowling, like tangibly, if you're more tense, [01:28:00] relaxed, stressed out, it will affect your consistency of how you're rolling, your swing and whatnot. 

Mm-hmm. 

And so, yeah, dude, even if I just miss an easy one or I just straight up gutter twice in a row, I'm like, "What the fuck was that?"

Yeah. And I'm still like just dancing. All right, well, I love this song, so let me just- Yeah ... let me just vibe out. 

Travis: For sure. 

J.R.: And it's not care, 'cause n- no one cares, no one's looking. Even if people on the next lane are like, even if they're thinking about something, which they're probably not, I'm like, "Dude, why am I, why do I care?

I'm just here to have fun." Yeah. And if I get a good score, great. If I don't, I'm having fun, right? 

Travis: Yeah. Exactly. That's what I 

J.R.: try to tell myself. 

Travis: You gotta have a short memory. A good enough memory to remember and adjust, but don't carry- Yeah ... those emotions from one shot to the other shot. It can be a great shot, it could be a bad shot.

But if you let that hype you up or brings you down, it's going to kinda not give you consistent results. 

J.R.: Yeah, definitely. 

Travis: Yeah.

Do you have any weird habits spe- like, on your approach? You know how like a basketball player,

J.R.: Yeah ... 

Travis: they always do the same thing before every free throw?

J.R.: Yeah. I don't know if it's a weird habit, but I do have the same setup. Mm-hmm. Like, meaning, you know, I find my [01:29:00] place, and I hold it in my left arm, and then I'll sit into it to my right, exhale, and then, you know, do my regular roll. So, like, I have a consistent sort of okay, here's the process, right?

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: I think. But then, yeah, I don't know if there's anything weird, but I'm definitely trying to have fun and relax in between each roll. Mm-hmm. And it's like, yo, that, that was a bad roll. Who cares? Just have fun. Roll to the next one. Uh-huh. That's the new habit I'm trying to get into, is like, no matter if I get a strike, spare, whatever, hit the one I was going for, is just to relax and do a little victory dance no matter what it w- Yeah

like, I miss completely, victory dance. Sure. Strike, victory dance no matter what. Mm-hmm. So it's like, I think that's, that's what I'm trying to do now. 

Travis: Yeah. No, definitely. 

J.R.: It's like- I 

Travis: don't know. 

J.R.: But what about you? 

Travis: But I do this thing, and I don't know if it actually does anything, but I breathe. I definitely exhale, but I exhale into my bowling ball.

Like- Oh ... I saw I think when I was bowling collegiately, I saw some people they breathe into their thumb hole because it adds- Interesting ... a little humidity, so you're, you get a little more grip. [01:30:00] Okay. Right? I don't use my thumb. Yeah. So I breathe into my finger holes- Yeah ... which are already rubber.

So in my mind- Yeah ... like, oh, that's a little more grip. But I don't really need it 'cause I have my second hand on it. But I'll, like- Yeah ... literally line up, and then I'll, like exhale into my finger holes and then put my ha- fingers into the ball and- 

... 

Travis: I do it every time. And people who don't know- Mm

like, they're like, "Are you kissing your bowling ball on your approach?" 'Cause from the back it literally looks like, like- 

J.R.: Yeah, 

yeah. Yeah. Mm. 

Travis: Yeah. I'm like, "You gotta kiss the bowling ball, make it like you so it goes where you want it to go, you know? That's how I get all my strikes." 

J.R.: I love that.

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: It's 

Travis: like 

J.R.: mwah, mm. All that dirt and oil on my 

Travis: face. Exactly, yeah. It makes me like when we go bowling together and I have my own stuff, I'll do it with house balls too because it's- Yeah, yeah ... my habit, right? And I'll like literally- Right. Yeah ... go up there and I'll be like breathe, exhale into the ball.

And I was like, oh- Yeah ... this is like a house ball. It's like, yeah. But yeah. 

J.R.: I think the one thing that I'm trying to be consistent with is my breathing. Mm-hmm. Like, you know, like everything starts with breathing, right? And so I'm like, [01:31:00] okay, make sure my, the pace and when and where I breathe is consistent when I do my setup.

Travis: Mm-hmm. So 

J.R.: that's what I really try to focus on, and then when I don't have that breathing pattern, like it doesn't line up, I'm like, ah, this is... And as I'm rolling, I'm like, oh, this is not gonna be good. Yeah, yeah. And it's not. So yeah, I always try to get those things down too, but it's interesting. 

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. 

One other thing I was gonna ask you so obviously the vibe of going bowling by yourself versus teammates or if I go with random friends- Mm-hmm ... is different. And for me, but it's kind of like when I go to the gym by myself versus when you go with someone, it's obviously a completely different vibe.

Travis: For sure. I think, so just like hit on different environments total, right? Like when you go by- Yeah ... yourself or when I would go by myself, I don't do it so often anymore, it's practice, right? Yeah. You're in the zone, like you're focused on you and you don't have to worry about anything else.

Like it's just you. That simple. I actually don't like bowling with friends as much anymore because the expectation is so high. Like- Ah, yeah. ... they're [01:32:00] like, "Travis, you bowl every week, right? You have your own stuff. If you don't smash us by like 200 pins, what are you doing?" You know? Like the expectation is there.

It's like I don't want to be like that guy who'd be like, "Yeah, I bowl every week." 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: And then I show up like- Yeah ... I think it happened on your birthday a couple years ago. We were at like round one- And like we're bowling and I'm like, "I can't bowl. I don't have my shoes." Like I'm sticking on the floor.

And then like we got Ed back there heckling me. He's like I never wanna hear from you ever again about missing dance practice for bowling, because obviously it's not working, you know? I'm like- 

J.R.: Damn. 

Travis: Damn. Yeah. So like- 

J.R.: Damn ... 

Travis: so when I bowl with friends, yeah, I, like, there's an expectation of me to be really good, but it's totally different, you know?

Yeah. And that's why I get your vibe. Like, when I'm bowling with friends, it's just having fun, you know? I'm gonna try random shots, and if I do some trick shots or I get a decent score, that's totally fine, but I do not expect to [01:33:00] bowl like at my top level. But bowling with teammates is different, because- Mm-hmm

everyone's there for the same reason. We, I only bowl once a week right now, so no real practice or anything, but I'm bowling compet- every time I step on the lanes, it's competitive. So usually the team is there, and we're all cheering for each other or giving each other tips. It's like a sport, right?

You're paying attention to your teammates, they're paying attention to you. It's like, "Oh, what happened there?" And it's like, "Oh yeah, like, I, like, lost it at the bottom of my swing," or, you know, "Hey, I think the right, right lane's hooking a little more than the left lane." And we're, like, kind of focused there.

Now, now it's bowling, a little more casual. We're not at a tournament. Mm. So we're, like, on our phones and having fun, you know, they're drinking beers, eating food and stuff. But we do cheer and high-five for people every, like every shot, our team and the other team, 'cause it's like- Mm ... you know, even though we're competing, we're all there together.

So we're always like, "Oh yeah, good shot, man." You know, fist bump or high fives. "Oh, you'll get it next time. Easy spare." Stuff like that. So I think you should try [01:34:00] bowling in a league. You'll be in an environment where the people around you and the people you're bowling with are also focused on bowling, and I think you'll have a different vibe compared to bowling with friends who don't normally bowl, right?

I think that's your next step. 

J.R.: Yeah. 

Travis: Could 

J.R.: you- Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Definitely. I, yeah, I definitely think it's the next step. I think, so I think last season I tried to do one of those open house joining a bowling league and seeing the availability- Mm-hmm ... of, like, when they go and stuff like that.

I think one thing that kind of stopped me, and this is just a little excuse, was, like, the timing was a little bit weird, so it didn't work out. And then also the, when there's the different teams, I guess or whatever at, at my bowling alley, where it's like, "Oh, this one's for seniors," or, "This one's for women," or whatever.

Mm-hmm. I'm, like, looking around, I was like, okay, well, there's probably one, I think, out of these that might fit, but I don't know. I was kind of just, like, didn't have enough activation energy to go out and join and sign up for one. But that is on my vision board of okay, join a bowling league and having that sort of community, 'cause I do wanna eventually get to that point where I'm like, I have a friends, bowling friends to [01:35:00] go with.

Mm-hmm. 'Cause right now it's a one-player game. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: But it's nice 'cause I get to bring friends once in a while. But yeah, you're right. It's that, and also obviously getting my own ball is the next step, so we'll see how long I'm in this in-between transition period. Yeah. 

Travis: I have a lot of bowling balls I could sell you for cheap.

Two finger bowling balls 

J.R.: Oh, yeah, yeah 

Travis: Yeah 

J.R.: See, I have to figure out, I have to also figure out that whole thing too, is like when I do get a bowling ball of the type and getting it customized and the weight and everything, so- Mm-hmm ... it's another... I think because there's all these things I need to consider, I'm just like, "Ugh, let me just, I'm just gonna go today, just roll the house balls and just-" Mm-hmm

do my own thing," you know? It's like working out. It's super convenient to go by myself. Mm-hmm. But if I have to schedule it, it's just a little extra layer of friction, and that's just the excuse I'm telling myself. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: But yeah. Like- I, I'm excited to do that eventually. 

Travis: Yeah. Definitely not gonna fit in this whole timeframe right now, but if you ever need any help with bowling stuff, the technical stuff- Yeah

I'll, like, I get, I got you. Like,

yeah, for sure. 

J.R.: Thank you ... 

Travis: yeah. It's whether or not we end up practicing together at some point or you just [01:36:00] need help choosing a ball or how to figure out how to drill it I'm basically a pro shop operator, but- ... now you know. I just don't have- Dope ... the drill press to drill the ball, but yeah.

J.R.: For sure. Cool, man. Yeah, thanks. Appreciate that. Mm-hmm. I'll... You'll definitely know when I, when I get to that next level- Yeah, for sure ... I'll be like, "Travis I'm serious about this now. I'm about to- ... about to go pro." No, I'm kidding. Yeah. So yeah, that'll be, that'll be fun. Okay, I think, I think that's it.

I kinda wanna wrap this up. We're almost at two hours unless- Yeah ... is there anything else that you had you wanted to talk on? 

Travis: I think we're good. 

J.R.: Before we land the plane? 

Travis: I, yeah, I think we're good. Yeah. We talked about you know, a good, good, like, a lot of topics. We had little technical difficulties in the middle, but,

J.R.: Yeah, yeah

Travis: yeah. Overall yeah, we hit up anime. I'm glad that we were able to talk and catch up. Bowling, for sure. I mean, I think we could go on so much more bowling. We'll do a live stream of Travis and J.R. at- Yeah, down ... at a bowling alley. 

J.R.: Wait, you're onto something. That's, that sounds hella fun, actually.

I've been thinking about, I'm like, "Dude, I'm always here all the time." It would [01:37:00] be... in a weird genie magic lamp sort of thing, I'd be like, "What... Can I just be, like, a professional live streamer where I can just do the things I'm normally doing but just- Mm-hmm ... be, like, a presence online? Working out or bowling or something like that."

Mm-hmm. And I'm like, "That would be kinda fun." You know what I mean? Like, I'm already doing this thing, and I just interact with people. 

Travis: Yeah, yeah. 

J.R.: But I think the easier step to that is if we ever do a sort of live stream with us for a random game, that'd be fun. 

Travis: Yeah. Definitely there's a lot, I got one or two influencers that bowl in my league, so I see it all the time. Oh. People set up their cameras. Oh. They're bowling. They're talking- Yeah, yeah ... to the stream. I join their streams- Yeah ... just to, like, heckle them, you know, 'cause I'm right, right next to them, and it's pretty fun. Yeah, yeah. There's definitely opportunities to do that out there.

It's not weird. 

J.R.: Mm. 

Travis: But yeah, it'd definitely be cool. 

J.R.: Yeah. Oh, man, I gotta think about that. Okay. Well, within the next one or two years, maybe that'll be on my back burner of ideas. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: But yeah. Cool. All right. If nothing else then we'll wrap this up. Well, first ending questions. Travis, gratitude, what are you grateful for?[01:38:00] 

Travis: I am grateful for my current boss. Nice. My he's he's not gonna watch this, so it's not even brown-nosing, but I feel like your boss really matters, and not that my old bosses were bad but my current boss is really pushing my limits well, but in a comforting way. Like, he'll push me- Mm

and motivate me and make me a better engineer more knowledgeable but not just super harsh, like cracking the whip type thing, right? So I, I do appreciate him a lot helping me grow in my professional career. Definitely grateful for you know, everyone in my life actively, you know, Tracy my parents my, my friends around here.

Like, I see them every day or all the time, and it's cool to be able to, you know, have people to go and talk to because I'm busy otherwise, right? It's work, gym, home. But then if I can mix in some, you know, my friends from work, you know, and all that [01:39:00] stuff it's really nice. So yeah.

J.R.: Nice. I love that. Do you have any final ask from the audience or any takeaways from this, you know, random conversation? 

Travis: Final ask. Let's all go bowling together with J.R., you know? Let's get, let's get like a, a go a, you know, J.R. family, 1000 Guru- Yes ... family bowling session, you know?

J.R.: Ugh, okay, maybe.

You know, you know, having a birthday party at the bowling alley is on my list. It is on my very short list of birthday ideas. Do it. Since I did movie theater and Round1 before. 

Travis: Mm-hmm. 

J.R.: All right. Okay, that's another push from me.

Travis: Do it at a real bowling alley, not Round1. Yeah, 

J.R.: yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. 'Cause Round1 was, like, kind of like a, you know, we're just hanging out and doing stuff, but- 

Travis: Mm-hmm ... 

J.R.: okay, cool. And then where can we find you? I'll link your social media, your Instagram. Is that the best place if they wanna check out what you're up to? 

Travis: Yep, Instagram. I post stories every time I go to the gym, so that's basically it.

J.R.: Sweet. 

Travis: Yeah. 

J.R.: Your cuts. 

Travis: My cuts. 

J.R.: And, and being chunky. 

Travis: Yes. On camera I look super small in this shirt, so I don't [01:40:00] know, maybe post working. 

J.R.: Nice. All right, cool. Thank you, Travis. I really appreciate it. It's always nice to talk with you, catch up. It's nice to talk to someone who f- I feel like, you know, birds of a feather.

We have similar sort of hobbies and- Mm-hmm ... mindsets. And the anime thing was really fun for me because it's... I've been wanting to talk about anime with someone else as well- ... on the show. So hopefully we can do more- Yes ... special episodes like this, and then maybe bowling as well, so. 

Mm-hmm. 

Appreciate all of that.

And all the fitness stuff too. Super... You're like a wealth of information and a mega coach for all these things since I'm also trying to do these things as well. So appreciate you. Thank 

you, thank you. 

And I'll do my final sign-off for the audience before I stop recording. So thank you guys for being here.

I really appreciate it. Be sure to like, follow, subscribe, five stars on whatever platform you're listening to. Be sure to leave us love in the comments, leave Travis love in the comments. Reminder to always be kind to other people, especially yourself, and remember that you can always learn something from someone if you take the time to listen.

So thank you guys for being here.