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On this week\u2019s show, Nadira Goffe sits in for Julia Turner. The hosts first begin by exploring an updated cult classic: Mean Girls, the movie musical version of the Broadway show based on the iconic 2004 film. The 2024 iteration stars Rene\xe9 Rapp as Regina George and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron. Then the three head to 17th century Edo-era Japan and review Blue Eye Samurai, an animated Netflix series about an ambiguously gendered, half-Japanese, half-white samurai (voiced by Maya Erskine) hell-bent on exacting revenge on the man responsible for their \u201cmonstrous\u201d existence. Finally, consider the plight of January, a recent New York Times essay implores. The panel debates the merits of America's least-loved month and whether they agree with the assertion that the first 31 days of the year are the best.\xa0\n\nIn the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discloses what books to read for self-reinvention, including Letters to a Young Poet and Nadira\u2019s favorite Toni Morrison work. The conversation is based on Chelsea Leu\u2019s piece for The Atlantic, \u201cWhat to Read If You Want to Reinvent Yourself.\u201d\xa0\n\nEmail us at culturefest@slate.com.\xa0\n\nOutro music: \u201cLonely Calling\u201d by Arc De Soleil\n\nEndorsements:\n\nNadira: Embracing her tradition of endorsing music favorites, Nadira\u2019s been loving Depression Cherry by Beach House, the indie duo\u2019s 2015 studio album that\u2019s dreamy, surreal, and comforting, and Cynthia Erivo\u2019s sensational cover of \u201cAlfie,\u201d performed live at the Kennedy Center Honors for 2023 honoree Dionne Warwick.\xa0\n\nDana: At the onset of every year, Dana chooses a mammoth book assignment for herself, and in 2024, that book was Middlemarch by George Eliot. She especially enjoys listening to the audiobook while hiking, which is narrated by the English actress Juliet Stevenson.\xa0\n\nSteve: Steve learned to Travis pick on the guitar! Thanks to a wonderful YouTube tutorial by Mike\u2019s Music Method for the song \u201cBlues Run the Game\u201d by Jackson C. Frank. (And maybe if enough listeners request it, he might perform it for us\u2026)\n\nPodcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong.\xa0\n\nIf you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You\u2019ll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices