051: 5 centimeters per second & why lingering hope hurts | cryable anime with gabe (pt. 1)
This week, we're joined by Gabe (@daemoncorps), a cartoonist and letterer with "too many opinions on anime," for the first installment of our two-part cryable anime series.
Gabe shares his journey re-discovering himself as an artist—including an anime convention horror story that accidentally made him go viral on YouTube—and how he found his authentic voice publishing video essays online.
Nins then takes us through 5 Centimeters Per Second, Makoto Shinkai's heartbreaking animated film about first love, distance, timing, and the quiet grief of growing apart. Together, our hosts unpack Shinkai's melancholic storytelling, how nostalgia can become its own kind of heartbreak, and why longing for the past can stop us from living in the present.
Note: this is part 1 of 2. Next episode, Arns brings her own anime to sob over. :')
050: olivia rodrigo's "drop dead" & "the cure" on dreaming, hurting, & healing + celebrating 50 episodes
We're celebrating our 50th episode (!!) the only way we know how: by crying over Olivia Rodrigo.
Arns unpacks the iconic "Drop Dead" music video, exploring why filming at Versailles was so culturally momentous, what it means to watch a fellow Filipina take up space, and how someone else's audacity can give our inner child permission to dream big, too.
Nins dives into "The Cure," acknowledging the painful belief that love from another person can fully heal us. While relationships can support us, the song and music video remind us that no one else can build up our self-worth—that journey begins with loving ourselves first.
From Filipino identity and representation to self-worth, healing, and the emotional brilliance (devastation?) of Olivia Rodrigo's songwriting, this episode celebrates the Pinay pop-punk princess who feels as deeply as we do—while also celebrating 50 episodes of crying, laughing, and growing alongside our crybaby community.
049: how to take a chance on yourself | dr. nicole garlit on entrepreneurship, burnout, & self-belief
This week, we welcome our first ever guest (!!): Dr. Nicole Garlit, physical therapist, entrepreneur, and founder of her own private practice.
Nicole joins Nins & Arns to talk about the emotional reality of building a business, navigating uncertainty, and learning to trust yourself when there's no guaranteed path forward. From chronic stress showing up physically in the body to the fear of leaving stability behind, Nicole shares the moments that pushed her to take a chance on herself and shape a career aligned with her values.
Together, we explore entrepreneurship, burnout, perfectionism, emotional health, asking for help, self-trust, motherhood, physical therapy, and the courage it takes to build something of your own.
048: heated rivalry (part 2) + the spoiler moments that destroyed us
Nins & Arns return for a follow-up episode on Heated Rivalry that absolutely no one asked for (because one emotional breakdown over yearning, hockey, and devastating eye contact was clearly not enough!!).
After finally bingeing the series, Arns comes prepared with a spoiler-filled PowerPoint presentation covering the scenes, confessions, relationships, and tiny emotional moments that wrecked her. Together, the hosts spiral through Scott & Kip, Shane & Ilia, coming out scenes, public love, emotional repression, and why this show made domesticity feel romantic as hell.
047: justin bieber’s “everything hallelujah”, lilo & stitch, & choosing joy anyway
Nins unexpectedly develops Bieber fever after hearing Justin Bieber’s “EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH” and spirals into a wildly emotional deep dive on healing, fame, survival, gratitude, and brushing your teeth while depressed.
Arns revisits Disney’s Lilo & Stitch (2002) and fully crumbles over found family, loneliness, belonging, and the devastating realization that Stitch just wanted to know he deserved love, too.
Basically: two stories about choosing joy anyway.
046: "sunflowers" by harry baker / heated rivalry
Arns dreams of funerals and living in the now through poem "Sunflowers" by Harry Baker. Nins translates the unspoken in the sports romance television series Heated Rivalry.
045: "st. clarity" by the paper kites / my birth story
Nins bubbles over the tranquil sights and sounds of the song and music video "St. Clarity" by The Paper Kites. Arns pushes through the retelling of her birth story.
044: filipino american smithsonian exhibit / fighting with my husband
Arns journeys through Filipino migrant memories at the Smithsonian exhibit How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories. Nins spills the tea on her last fight with her husband and the realizations she came to after they made up.
043 (throwback): PMDD / queen charlotte
Nins & Arns choose each other's stories in this special throwback episode. Arns chooses ep 003: periods are hard, where Nins shares her struggles with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Nins chooses ep 011: a bridgerton (sob) story, where Arns reminds us that love is a choice through Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
042: cry categories
Nins and Arns take turns picking "cry categories" out of a jar and sharing what brought them to tears.
041: f1 champion lando norris / titanic
Arns races through Lando Norris' 2025 Formula 1 championship win. Nins sinks into the iconic 1997 film Titanic.
040 (vday special): how to end a love story by yulin kuang / the women by kristin hannah
In this special Valentine's Day collab with A Novel Affair: Romance Bookstore, Nins & Arns share two books that made founders Yung & Julie cry. Nins takes it one step at a time in her reading of How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang. Arns witnesses the Vietnam War through the eyes of an army nurse in The Women by Kristin Hannah. And both, of course, come to the same realization: that there's no love greater than self-love.
039: we live in time / modern love: when the doorman is your main man
Arns finds beauty in every moment of the film We Live in Time starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. Nins opens the door to platonic love in her watch of Modern Love's "When the Doorman Is Your Main Man".
038: a chat with the cat / grown up glow up
Nins softens at the message her pet cat shares with animal communicator Jenny from Bluebird Animal Communication. Arns pursues a different kind of glow up as inspired by Leila from @mykindofglow_.
037 (throwback): puppy love / life's a blur
In this throwback episode, Nins & Arns bring it back to an oldie but goodie from season 1. Arns reminisces about her puppy of 16 years, Cosmo, and accepts that true love means letting go. Nins uncovers a deeper meaning behind "Blurry" by JP Saxe and recounts how she stayed anchored during one of the hardest seasons of her life.
bonus ep: get 2 know us (Q&A!!)
Who are Nins & Arns, even??? Get to know your fave crybabies in this lil Q&A sesh.
036: piano peace / shoutout sweet treats
Arns is gripped by classical pianist Yumeka Nakagawa's performance of Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude. Nins delights in a sweet story about her latest bake.
035: will she or won't she / delightful delays
Nins wills herself to unpack the dual interpretations of the song "Higher" by Tems. Arns finds magic in the mundane during a 6-hour flight delay.
034: a wicked ghost story
In this week's Halloween special, Arns spooks us to tears with 1990 romantic thriller Ghost starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. Nins dances through the Ozdust Ballroom in her coverage of the 2024 blockbuster film Wicked.
033: klay in the bay / good grief
Nins sails through the highlights of Klay Thompson's career with the Golden State Warriors and his welcome back tribute during his first game against his former team. Arns reminisces about her grandparents’ enduring love as inspired by a viral TikTok of a man visiting his wife's grave.