Short month, long episode! First, Ben Lindbergh and Charles Holmes extoll the virtues of one of their favorite fantasy stories, the anime series ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey's End,’ touching on its themes, influences, and characters, as well as why it makes a great gateway show for non-anime fans. They also discuss some other highlights of a peak period for anime (including ‘Journal With Witch’ and ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’), preview a few coming attractions, and take a detour with discussion of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu.’ After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts, friends, and listeners salute unsung releases to top off another monthly roundup of fandom favorites from TV, anime, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond that were released recently, but not yet covered in depth on a full-length episode.

Intro (00:00)

‘Frieren’ (03:04)

‘Journal With Witch’ (25:34)

‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ (37:15)

Van's recommendation (50:15)

Steve's recommendation (51:55)

Miles's recommendation (54:37)

Daniel's recommendation (56:21)

Devon's recommendation (58:30)

Arjuna's recommendation (59:32)

Matt's recommendation (61:29)

Listener nomination (69:03)

Recap of picks (71:13)

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Devon Renaldo, Daniel Chin, Miles Surry, Arjuna Ramgopowell, Matt James, Steve Ahlman

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

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Ringer-Verse Recommends: February 2026 (Featuring ‘Frieren’ and a Massive Month for Anime)