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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Summer 2026 – Week 2 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. It’s been a productive week over in my neck of the woods, as I’ve munched through movies, reader articles, and novel-writing with equally dogged determination. I’ve nearly broken the two hundred page mark on my current manuscript, and though it is indeed a piece of garbage with no redeeming features to speak of, I’ve grown quite fond of it all the same. My house’s eternal march through anime history has also continued in earnest, with the first third of Magic Knight Rayearth proving an enjoyable (if fairly formulaic) fantasy yarn. I’d prefer if it deviated a bit more from magical girl staples into less rigid fantasy drama, but the cast are fun and the look is great, so it’s tough to be too disappointed. I’ll likely have a final report on that one in short order, but for now, let’s burn down the week in films!

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Yuri is My Job! – Volume 7

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The hits keep coming, folks. After Yuri is My Job!’s fifth volume concluded with the reveal of Mitsuki’s secret hopes for her Cafe Liebe persona, its sixth found Hime interrogating that secret, and perhaps uncovering more than she bargained for. Pursuing the ailing Mitsuki back to her own apartment, Hime demanded her old friend explain herself – and after a fair amount of prodding, cajoling, and negotiating, that is exactly what Mitsuki did.

She was ashamed of her honest thoughts, in truth, and afraid that revealing her ungenerous feelings would ruin things again. She wanted to be close to Hime, and disliked that Kanoko might share a similar closeness with her. She knew that wasn’t fair, but our honest feelings rarely are – underneath all the façades and niceties and Liebe-like performances, we are in truth often selfish creatures, rabid in our hungers and petty in our resentments. Mitsuki wanted to spare Hime from her ugliest feelings, but Hime’s demands made that impossible. And when it came down to either denying her friend or revealing her shame, she chose to put her faith in Hime’s kindness, and reveal her own lack of the same.

That alone might not have torn a rift between our leads; Hime certainly didn’t enjoy hearing Kanoko slandered, but was willing to admit she preferred an ugly truth to a nebulous denial. But as it turns out, Hime’s interpretation of Mitsuki’s dual personas wasn’t the only misunderstanding between them. Drawing Hime close just before their parting, Mitsuki sealed her desire for a renewed closeness with a kiss – a gesture which Hime seemingly responded to only once they returned to Cafe Liebe, by announcing her retirement from the salon.

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Dear Brother – Episode 16

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I hear the bells tolling coldly from a distant tower, and feel a rush of wings as pale birds blot the sun, meaning it can only be time for a return to Dear Brother. Our last episode struck at the heart of Seiren Academy’s psychological sickness, as the return of exam results and resulting Sorority pleasure cruise brought Nanako closer than ever to the imperious Miya-sama. Having banished poor Junko for failing due to her ill health, Miya-sama then attempted to corral Nanako’s rebellious spirit, offering both an apology and a warning to cut off her contact with Dear Brother himself.

It all served as a blatant display of manipulation and cruelty, and fortunately, Nanako has now gained the confidence and independence of spirit to recognize Miya-sama’s games. As such, when Junko came to thank Nanako for being the sole student to stand up for her, Nanako was quick to agree with her perspective, and acknowledge the terrible cruelty of the Society’s dictates. After the briefest interval of feeling at peace with Seiren’s eccentricities, Nanako stands ready to challenge Miya-sama’s authority, or at the very least undercut it through her own compassionate stance. Let’s see how this delicate duel commences as we return to Dear Brother!

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Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – Episode 19

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to the snow-topped peaks and lush vales of Frieren, as our indifferent mage is roped into competing for her first class mage driver’s license. The arc at large is proving a natural test of her priorities; as someone who lives many hundreds of years, she’s seen little benefit in flattering the human organizations that claim to define and validate magical proficiency. And frankly, I get it; between freelance work and simply existing in the modern world, there are few phrases I dread more than “we’re adopting a new portal/platform/processing service.”

Nonetheless, such indulgences are the cost of existing in a world defined by common societal rules, and Frieren’s willingness to subject herself to this nonsense is an obvious demonstration of her growing integration into the lives of others. Having been separated from Fern and teamed up with two girls whose mutual concern is as obvious as it is oblivious, she’s found an opportunity to test her increasingly personable nature with neutral players, and proven a far warmer, more inquisitive person than the mage Himmel first called to adventure, or even the one he parted from beneath the fireworks. With only two days left to acquire a supersonic sparrow, let’s see how our trio is faring!

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Summer 2026 – Week 1 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. The summer anime season appears to be an absolute deluge of quality cartoons, but in characteristic fashion, I have so far not sampled any of them. Look, I spent most of a decade writing for ANN’s preview guide, I feel like I can be forgiven for my temporal obstinance when it comes to new shows. Nonetheless, even I feel tempted to check out such enticing propositions as a new Naoko Yamada show or fresh Kyoto Animation adaptation, so I’ll likely be diving in myself in short order, presumably when enough episodes have been released to make a proper meal of any of them. In the meantime, my house has been knocking off film viewings and supplementary series with uninhibited abandon, so let’s see what treasures await in the Week in Review!

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Shoushimin Series – Episode 11

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to Shoushimin Series, as our two leads attempt to truly, finally kick their antisocial habits. Having accepted that they will likely always enable each other’s allegedly abnormal tendencies, Osanai chose to break off their relationship altogether, ending the ambiguity of their ill-defined bond with the finality of “we are no longer anything to each other.” And thus the two continue their wandering high school lives, each finding new opportunities in the wake of their separation.

Normally, this is where I might talk about how denying your passions only hobbles your potential, or how the anxieties they’re currently experiencing are largely reflective of the identity-forming panopticon that is high school, and what they truly need is to embrace their own truths and seek out the people who genuinely relate to them. All of that is generally true, but here’s the thing – Osanai just committed a litany of crimes in order to falsely frame an old enemy of kidnapping her for ransom, all while making Jogoro and Kengo unwitting accomplices in her conspiracy. That’s not really on the “harmless eccentricity” end of personal quirks; Osanai is quite frankly a danger to herself and everyone around her, and it seems unclear at this point if she could sculpt her lust for revenge into something compatible with civil society. Of course, I don’t engage with fiction to watch morally pristine characters engage in socially laudable behavior; I love the messy shit, and Osanai’s passion being so difficult to pacify or integrate only makes it all the more compelling. Let’s see how normal our leads are becoming today!

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Apocalypse Hotel – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d take a walk through the ruins of Tokyo, and stop by the prestigious Gingarou Hotel. In spite of humanity’s apparent decline, Yachiyo and her fellow robotic staff members have been doing a fine job of keeping the beds made, cupboards dusted, and shampoo hats in proper working order. And lately, their diligent efforts have actually been paying some dividends, as they’ve entertained both plant-based lifeforms and alien tanukis in a mere fifty-year operating span.

Though it’s been a fine show from the start, it felt like Apocalypse Hotel really hit its rhythm with the introduction of Ponko and her tanuki family. With Ponko on the staff, Yachiyo now has a sounding board for her philosophy, one of those classic guileless characters who through their sincere ignorance can often arrive at unexpected wisdom. And with the cast now fully furnished, I’m hoping the show will return to some of the vivid melancholy of its premise, that poignant search for meaning in a world with no apparent future. Are they just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, or is there something vital and worthwhile in this staff’s struggles, even if just for their own sake? Let’s see what guidance their hotel directives can offer as we check back on Apocalypse Hotel!

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The Mighty Nein – Episode 3

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to check back in on the adventures of The Mighty Nein, who as of yet mostly don’t actually know of each other’s existence. Critical Role have taken an exceedingly bold approach to adapting their second long-form campaign, revising and restructuring in order to better fit their stories to this animated format. As such, we haven’t actually reached The Mighty Nein’s original first episode yet, and have instead been documenting the group’s individual adventures across Wildemount, as they circle and converge in the leadup to their fateful union.

And personally, I’ve been absolutely loving the changes. It’s certainly harder to critique this season in terms of direct reflections on its DnD-rooted dynamics, but that is itself a great sign, an indicator that the production team are less interested in animating precise tabletop sequences than in taking the raw material of the Mighty Nein and reconstructing it into its most satisfying, visual drama-native form. Tabletop campaigns have many virtues, but polished narrative coherence is generally not one of them; the format inherently resists the sort of dramatic inevitability that defines traditional fiction, encompassing a lot of circling and getting sidetracked and general reveling in the off-kilter indulgences of collaborative storytelling. Nonetheless, there is the seed of a powerful traditional narrative in the arcs, bonds, and conflicts of the Mighty Nein, and it is clear this production team is determined to make it flourish. Let’s see how our heroes fair as we return to the table!

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