Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Episode 501: Cho Aniki (Patreon)

Published:
2022-12-12 12:00:08
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Downloads

Content

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

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

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

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

08:03 - Cho Aniki (PCE-CD): Aniki Without Duty

15:34 - Wings of Wor (Genesis): Boss Theme 2

25:24 - Cho Aniki (PCE-CD): Sexy Dynamite

34:05 - Ai Cho Aniki (PCE-CD): Je t'aime mon amour

48:49 - Cho Aniki Bakuretsu Ranto-hen (SFC): Dark City Skyline

56:48 - Cho Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko (PSX): The Big Brother

1:05:20 - Cho Aniki: Seinaru Protein Densetsu (PS2): Stage 06 Boss

1:13:25 - Cho Aniki Zero (PSP): Character Select

Closing - Cho Aniki Zero (PSP): Aniki 00

Files

Comments

John Simon

“How so we describe Cho-Aniki using our human words?” Uh oh. “This was a labor of love for … someone.” Uh oh. First I’d ever heard of this series was from this article on something awful (lol front page) and the caption “ALL ABOARD THE MAN TRAIN” https://www.somethingawful.com/rom-pit/cho-aniki-bakuretsu/ In the yearly 2000’s it was Pretty wild to have twenty years of roms dropped on your head with no context and then to come across this. The series always felt like a giant elaborate shit-post that got more out of hand as time went on. Anyway, thanks for covering it because it’s always been one of those “Ah yes, this exists” kind of things.

Radio Free Cybertron

Just got the notification in my email and was like "No ****ing way." Can't wait to listen.

Jeremiah Jones

I haven't even started the episode yet and I know it's gonna be a good one

Clint Keene

In the roundtable they said "with this wonderful format we can do an episode on every entry of some iconic franchises." Very next episode: Cho Aniki I love it.

WARIODROME

this episode gave me the power to do more & heavier leg presses at the gym 😳 love queerer perspectives on games + highlighting our history in the margins!! thanks ♥️

Dave Dalrymple

I LOVED the PC Engine original on the Virtual Console, even as it got punishingly difficult around level 3 or 4. I remember the PS1 game (available via PS3 store) being pretty poor; IIRC, it was licensed by a different developer. And I saw the fighting game on Broken Pixels. I was never a fan of those Dragon Ball Z style 2D fighters that let you fly freely around screen.

littleterr0r

That Stage 06 Boss music just became my favorite cat-based tune of all-time 😸

Gayest Episode Ever

This was great, and extra thanks to Diamond for making a queer space to talk about a queer franchise.

Alex R

Thank you, Diamond, for this episode, I can’t wait to listen to it! Cho Aniki was absolutely fascinating to me as a young queer person with a dial up modem and a copy of ZSNES, so I can’t wait to learn more.

Stephane Ruscher

I laughed loudly in the street repeatedly hearing this episode, and had to go play the original game on the Coregrafx mini when I got home and watch playthroughs of the other games. It was so cool hearing you describing each game and trying to picture them (I knew nothing about Cho Aniki, except I had one game on that console) and then realising it was even better/worse than what I was trying to picture. Very entertaining episode ! Do more about wacky series !

Tom Andrews

Every time I thought this series couldn’t get more bizarre and unhinged, Diamond described something that surpasses what came before. Great episode and I think now I need to experience Cho Aniki.

About to Happy

A fun episode! As for the final question: Evidence that the series is gay can be found in Bakuretsu Rantouhen, with two stage backgrounds in particular (both of which can be viewed on the HG101 article page: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/cho-aniki-bakuretsu-rantouden/ .) One of them features rather sapphic rotating statues inside a muscle church, and the other has muscle men with fairy wings, which may just be more absurdity, but may also just be incredibly on the nose. My first encounter was definitely a blurb+screenshot in EGM about the PS1 game being a "homoerotic shooter" and one of the worst games someone had to review. Never played any of them until that Virtual Console release, and now have a cart of BR. Apparently there's a CD that came with it when it was new? Several auctions on eBay had it for a not terrible price back when I bought my copy, but it was always just a bit more than I wanted to pay. Haven't looked for one in a while.