Catch Up with Kai and Cowen

Catch Up With Kai and Cowen

Two pretty average guys trying to navigate life, one hangout at a time. A chill space to slow down and vent - from mental health to culture - through the eyes of two 30 year old adults. Some weeks we’re deep in our feelings, other weeks we’re talking about whatever’s happening in the world and how it’s messing with our heads. If you’ve ever felt a bit lost, a bit bored, or a bit hopeful all at once, tune in because you’re not the only one.

  1. 43m ago

    ABC 2 | Free Magic and Hard Politics

    In this episode, we dig into Coco’s apprentice test and why the show’s attention to tools and technique makes the magic feel tangible. From there, we spiral into big worldbuilding questions. If magic is basically ink plus drawing skill, is it too “free”? Should there be an equivalent exchange, a personal cost, or a clearer drawback? And when the Brim Hat Society shows up calling Coco their “hope,” we start throwing out theories about what they actually want and whether the “villains” are more nuanced than they look. Then we switch gears to Nippon Sangoku episodes 3 and 4, where time skips rocket the story forward into military roles, court factions, and a puppet emperor who can’t hold the room. We debate the underwhelming “get the general to his knees” payoff, talk through a brutal justice scene that actually lands, and unpack the power plays around “Fatso,” plus the rising threat from Sei and its tiger-themed leader. We also get into the show’s distinct art style, jazz touches, and why the absurdist humor sometimes undercuts the stakes. Send us Fan Mail Support the show

  2. 2d ago

    Making Real Memories and My Incel Diagnosis...

    What does it say about your friends if they're too cool for social improv games?  What does it say about your family if they're envious of influencers?  What does it say about you if your social feeds are full of incel memes?  One thing's for certain: none of it will matter once we save the Hidden Leaf Village in the upcoming Naruto live-action. Believe it! Send us Fan Mail Support the show

  3. Jul 16

    ABC 1 | Kickoff

    Two brand-new series; two totally different kinds of tension. We’re launching our anime book club by watching the first two episodes of Witch Hat Atelier and Nippon Sangoku and then going beat by beat through what actually worked, what felt mid, and what made us instantly want more. Witch Hat Atelier pulls us in with storybook visuals, pop-up-book transitions, and a rules-based magic system where spells are literally drawn. We talk about Coco’s kindness, her mom’s harsh shutdowns, and why that tension feels so real. Nippon Sangoku swings hard in the opposite direction: post-collapse Japan split into three factions, modern references layered over old-world politics, and a grim opening that doesn’t wait to hurt you.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show

  4. Jul 14

    Reckless Ben and Canada's World Cup

    Why do months disappear when regular school routines end? Why does the same week repeated 40 times feel like it never even happened? Why does everyone care about the World Cup? These are the questions we answer as Cowen shares what Vancouver feels like when it's humming with international fans and Kai complains about the struggles of following volleyball... Unexpected injuries on Canada Day, RecklessBen and the hunt for the missing Lego, and yelling at kids to get off the lawn; it's been quite an eventful summer so far, and we just might be starting to find our stride.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show

  5. Jul 10

    Join Our Chill Anime Book Club

    What's the point of doomscrolling all day? Let's watch anime together instead. We're starting an anime book club(which is chill) and you're invited! Here's how it's going to go: two anime at a time, with two episodes each per week. To make our picks, we go through the top anime of spring 2026, skipping multi-season continuations so that anyone can jump in without extra backstory homework. From there, we read through the summaries of each anime and get into what makes a show worth the time: strong premises, clean animation, and stories that don’t rely on cheap drama.  Our draft turns into a real decision as we compare a post-collapse Japan military drama, Nippon Sangoku, with the visually stunning magic mystery of Witch Hat Atelier. Along the way we detour into romance, rom-coms, Boys Love comedy, and why some genres land differently depending on tone and tropes. Send us Fan Mail Support the show

  6. Jul 7

    Your son said WHAT!?

    A sibling finally snaps and says the quiet part out loud: “Maybe you’re depressed because you do nothing.” That line kicks off a raw, opinionated conversation where we try to separate what’s true from what’s cruel, and what’s understandable from what’s enabling. We’re reacting to three AITA stories pulled from social media, but the real topic is bigger: mental health, family boundaries, and what responsibility looks like when someone is struggling.  First up, we talk depression, isolation, and the way an online life can become a feedback loop where Discord, video games, and avoidance slowly replace real-world momentum. We dig into agency and accountability without pretending depression is simple, and we also call out how family systems and well-meaning parents can accidentally reinforce helplessness when every consequence gets softened. Then we shift to disability caregiving and caregiver burnout after a parent’s stroke, where the moral math gets brutal fast: you deserve a life, but your mom also deserves care, and the missing siblings change everything.  We close with a parenting story about racism that hits like a gut punch. A 13-year-old makes a racist joke at a Chinese delivery driver, mom forces a real apology plus homework on culture and stereotypes, and dad tries to wave it away as “just a joke.” We break down why that minimization is dangerous, why consequences teach values, and why adults have to intervene when they hear racist comments, especially around kids.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show

  7. Jul 2

    Butchering the Decades of Anime

    Decade lists are supposed to be neat and objective, right up until you actually start arguing with them. We pick up our anime conversation by using a Top 10 anime by decade list as our roadmap, then we immediately start detouring into the stuff that really decides a ranking: what we watched first, what hit at the right age, and what still holds up when the nostalgia fades. We talk early anime history and how the 1970s and 1980s lean so hard into space exploration, mecha, and long-running sci-fi epics, then move into the eras we know best. That’s where the takes get louder: Dragon Ball vs Dragon Ball Z, why Cowboy Bebop can be both iconic and “maybe overrated,” how Berserk’s reputation differs between anime and manga, and why some beloved shows are hard to revisit for reasons that have nothing to do with animation quality. Send us Fan Mail Support the show

  8. Jun 30

    Yes, You Missed a Funeral for a Dance Recital

    A grandma-in-law unfortunately passes away suddenly. The dance recital is scheduled. They chose the recital. We're talking about the parent who skipped a funeral for their kid's performance and why we think they were kinda mean for this. Plus two more stories: a parent who punished his kid for essentially bullying another student, and a groom disinvited his best friend's wife from his wedding. Send us Fan Mail Support the show

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About

Two pretty average guys trying to navigate life, one hangout at a time. A chill space to slow down and vent - from mental health to culture - through the eyes of two 30 year old adults. Some weeks we’re deep in our feelings, other weeks we’re talking about whatever’s happening in the world and how it’s messing with our heads. If you’ve ever felt a bit lost, a bit bored, or a bit hopeful all at once, tune in because you’re not the only one.

Information

  • Creator
    Catch Up With Kai and Cowen
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Catch Up with Kai and Cowen
  • Show Website
    Catch Up with Kai and Cowen