Thunderbolt Fantasy S3 – Episode 9

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m happy to announce we’re diving back into Thunderbolt Fantasy, as a half-dozen nested schemes stand ready to collapse into open violence. While Shang prepares to return from the demon realm to the Void Junction, each member of the Divine Swarm’s alliance stands with daggers bared, ready to either charge their collective foe or simply kill each other.

And of course, much of the credit for this fraught state of affairs goes to our friendly neighborhood wizard, the Enigmatic Gale. Having somehow insinuated his way into the company of villains, Lin has swiftly planted an entire sowing season’s worth of doubt-seeds, manipulating the understandable apprehensions underlining this alliance of cultists, witches, demons, madmen, and well-meaning yet severely misguided soldiers. Their mutual enmity towards the sword-sealing, fun-spoiling Shang has kept them tenuously aligned so far, but with Xing Hai’s scheme on the verge of fruition, it’s clear either Jun Po or Lou Zhen is about to crack. Let’s see what allies become enemies and enemies become allies as we return to Thunderbolt Fantasy!

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Kamiina Botan – Episode 2

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m feeling a need for some solid stress-relieving shenanigans, and thus feel it’s a perfect time to check back in on Kamiina Botan. Having at this point settled into the peculiarities of dorm life, Kamiina has already forged friendships with her RA Ibuki and post-grad senpai Gujo, drawing together the standoffish inhabitants of her cozy home. Of course, this is Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, so that process has necessarily involved a fair amount of whiskey, red wine, and sake, alongside some decidedly unsubtle advances from our dear Kamiina.

Director Takashi Sukuma’s team have so far done an excellent job of bringing Kamiina’s world to life, offering inviting watercolor backdrops and plenty of dynamic character acting. The show has thus been a pleasant watch on the whole, though I’m still hungry for a bit more of a hook, be it through the show’s interrogation of different liquors or perhaps the progression of its central relationships. Drinking as a concept just doesn’t offer as much of an aesthetic payoff as music or dance or exploring the countryside; nonetheless, given the show’s generally exceptional execution, I imagine it’s still got plenty of visual pleasures in store. Let’s not waste any more time then, and get straight to lounging!

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Summer 2026 – Week 4 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Summer’s passing us by with alarming speed, but I’m doing my best to make the most of it, having recently discovered some excellent new jogging routes around my neighborhood. It’s been a bitter pill to swallow that diet and exercise are indeed the truest routes to physical and mental health, but I’m at least working to complement such disappointingly mature revelations with plenty of cartoons and videogames. As far as that goes, I recently screened the excellent Gunsmith Cats OVA series, and have also been bashing my head against Mina the Hollower for a couple of weeks now. The game is clearly made with love, but it often feels like the developers take their love of “old-school design sensibilities” to a self-defeating extreme; I like many hard games, but I have no patience for obtuse design as a shortcut to difficulty, and I feel like Mina too often strays over that line. And of course, there have been plenty of our regular movie screenings, so let’s get started on the week in review!

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Blue Reflection Ray – Episode 15

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to the fast-evolving drama of Blue Reflection Ray, as blue reflectors, red reflectors, and reflectors of indeterminate denomination all spin and collide through the buildup to another imminent apocalypse. Having learned that Mio abandoned her family and friends because the outcome of their collaboration was certain destruction, our blue reflectors must now find a way to ensure this repeat convergence resolves in a happier outcome, all while fending off the malicious meddling of Shino and her masochistic minion Uta.

Of course, Blue Reflection Ray is fundamentally more about individual human emotions than apocalyptic fantasy, and our most recent episode offered plenty of that, as we dug into the bond between newcomers Ryoka and Amiru, as well as the guilt that has driven Niina to believe she is unworthy of happiness. Ryoka and Amiru embody a common second-act magical girl convention, with the increasingly complex fantastical drama being echoed through the introduction of characters who themselves seem more complex and world-weary, new foils to shepherd our protagonists through their own evolving emotions (as Ryoka demonstrated through her talks with Ruka). Meanwhile, Niina at last seems like she might be willing to forgive herself, assisted greatly by our reliable ball of sunshine Hiori. It’s a complex stew of variables we’ve got cooking here, and I’m eager to see how our core team handles all these new arrivals. Let’s get back to the battlefield!

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HeartCatch Precure! – Episode 1

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to announce we’re starting off on a new journey, and watching the premiere of a production I’ve been curious about for years now: HeartCatch Precure! I had an absolutely phenomenal time watching through Hugtto with you all, and from what I hear, HeartCatch stands among the very best entries in the Precure catalog. It’s frankly been kinda depressing not having a Precure to be working through, and I’m eager to see what this storied entry in the franchise has up its sleeve.

Based on its main staff alone, it’s easy to see why this entry is so acclaimed. Director Tatsuya Nagamine is a Toei legend, who before his tragic passing handled both Dragon Ball Super and One Piece’s absurdly accomplished Wano arc. Meanwhile, our character designer is friggin’ Yoshihiko Umakoshi, the legend responsible for Ojamajo Doremi’s marvelous designs, alongside such other distinguished projects as Casshern Sins and Mushishi. Beyond that, we’ve got the tantalizing promise of Rie Matsumoto’s debut film awaiting down the line, the project that preceded her triumphant Kyousogiga. I’m eager to see what this dream team has cooking, so let’s not waste another moment, and get on with the Precure!

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The Apothecary Diaries – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to return to the imperial palace, and check back in on the continuing adventures of our dear drug-dealing Maomao. Having ingratiated herself into the rear palace’s upper echelon through her apothecarial know-how and generally keen intellect, she now finds herself in the unfortunate position of being Jinshi’s top field operative, an agent he can employ in situations too delicate for his own imposing presence.

Of course, Maomao being Maomao (gosh her name is fun to say), she’s still going to bring her own rebellious spirit and sense of moral responsibility to her assignments. Thus she ended up holding her tongue through the conclusion of last episode’s drama, as Concubine Fuyou demonstrated the unique peculiarities of back palace politics. By suffering the “disgrace” of being offered to a soldier as a gift, Fuyou was actually able to find freedom with the man she loved, while avoiding the greater sin of directly refusing the emperor’s company. Power works in interesting ways here; like Maomao herself, the concubines are both elevated and imprisoned, fearful of drawing either too much or too little attention. It’s a delicate balance of social performance and backstage plotting, and really the perfect venue for Maomao to strut her stuff. Let’s see what she gets up to next!

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Summer 2026 – Week 3 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I hit a nice personal milestone this week, as I finally reached the end of my annual “get off your ass and out jogging” progression chart, meaning I am apparently qualified to run a 5k. This feels nice in an intellectual sense, even if it conflicts with my own physical impression of my body as a rancid, decaying husk, and I’m gonna do my absolute best to keep that energy going through the months to come. Meanwhile, my house just finished up Magical Knight Rayearth, leaving us once again in search of a worthy legacy production. Given my last two summers were shared with Sailor Moon and Slayers, whatever comes next has some big shoes to fill, so I’d appreciate any recommendations regarding classic (or recent, I’m not picky) anime to munch through. In the meantime, let’s burn down the week in review!

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1000xRESIST – Chapter 2

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to an intriguing new interactive project, as we explore the second chapter of 1000xRESIST. Our first excursion provided a diverse stew of variables to chew on, setting us in an apparent post-apocalypse where variably purposed clones of an overseeing ALLMOTHER pushed back against the OCCUPANTS, spectral giants that have seemingly destroyed most of humanity. After meeting our protagonist “Watcher,” we were introduced to fellow sisters like “Healer” and “Bang Bang Fire,” as well as the apparently rebellion-fomenting “Fixer.”

Alongside this present-day narrative, we were also tasked with sifting through the memories of Mother, which took the form of an intimate story of connection and betrayal at a Canadian academy. As a teenager, our mother Iris sought to assimilate and separate from her Hong Kong heritage, a process complicated by her friendship with fellow expat Jiao. We also learned a great deal about Iris’s own domineering mother, and received a number of hints regarding the tear-prompting plague that preceded the apocalypse. It’s a credit to the game’s confidence and clarity of execution that these two spheres of drama seem so naturally linked, and I’m eager to see whatever catastrophes shaped the insecure Iris into the all-knowing Mother. Let’s get to it!

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Rock is a Lady’s Modesty – Episode 11

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Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re checking back in with Lilisa and the gang for a fresh episode of Rock is a Lady’s Modesty, as the band solidifies in the wake of their semi-successful stage performance. Though they didn’t end up resonating with the crowd, their opponents in Bitter Ganache were nonetheless forced to concede that Shiro was exactly where she belonged, tethering her exceedingly selfish bandmates to something resembling a stable melody. Thus our initial lineup is apparently set, with dueling guitar and drums restrained by an overwhelming bass while Tina just plinks away having a merry time of her own.

It is indeed a lopsided group, one whose dynamic speaks to the spirit of individualist rebellion embodied by Otoha and Lilisa. But as Shiro noted last episode, this too can be a form of earnest friendship or even solidarity, the tonic of sincere critique in a lifetime of mealy-mouthed prevarication and under-the-table social sniping. Our girls have found a place where both their sharp edges and secret passions can be cherished; now let’s see how they continue to corrupt Lilisa’s beloved stepsister!

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Monogatari Off/Monster Season – Episode 13

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we are returning to Monogatari’s Monster Season, as Araragi and his companions greet the newly revived Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-Master. Having journeyed across heaven and hell for an antidote to Deathtopia’s decrepitude, the party now prepares for a combined reunion and interrogation, with the vampire who gave Acerola her very identity now on trial for the attacks on Kanbaru’s old basketball team.

This arc has certainly offered Isin plenty of opportunities to indulge his love of ciphers and mysteries, while also serving as both a thematic reprise of Kizumonogatari and a referendum regarding Araragi and Shinobu’s growth over the past year. The prior sturdiness of their partnership was exemplified through how easily they’d banter about disowning each other; now, with Araragi facing aspects of Shinobu’s past he had never previously considered, it is an open question as to whether this single year of solidarity can measure up to a half-millennium of austere isolation.

Can a teenager just past the crest of adolescent identity-forming truly relate to an ageless vampire? Is their current happy collaboration a mere quirk of circumstance, or a reflection of how they have truly come to find consolation and community in each others’ presence? In truth, even their current fears speak to how well they understand each other, and it’s frankly gratifying to see them indulge in that most rare and precious of practices: honestly communicating their anxieties, that they might come to better understand and support each other. Now let’s see what Deathtopia makes of all this emotional growth as we get back to the Suruga estate!

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