Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be continuing our exploration of 2018’s The Girl in Twilight, where we last witnessed the disastrous conclusion of Nana Nanase’s short-lived betrothal to her celebrity idol. Though Nana claimed she was breaking things off due to her very sensible desire to not be called Choco Banana, in truth, it was coming to terms with her mother’s remarriage, and realizing her stepfather was genuinely concerned for her, that helped Nana comfortably embrace her old life. And ultimately, she ended up getting a sweet battle suit in the bargain, so I suppose all’s well that ends well? Either way, the resolution of Nana’s arc has returned The Girl in Twilight to its neutral position, and I’m eager to see what character insights or social commentary our next dimension-hopping trip offers. Let’s get to it!

Episode 4

We open on a video of an old fashioned western, complete with blurry video quality and a great deal of graininess in the film. Storytellers, like anybody, tend to have not just consistent thematic interests, but also consistent random fascinations and hobbies that often filter into their works – like how Mamoru Oshii’s works have an unusual density of basset hounds. In Twilight’s case, between this grainy video, the cassette tape power activators, and the various crystal radios, it seems like Kotaro Uchikoshi has a general fascination with niche or outdated media apparatus

Of course, outdated media apparatus has an inherent sort of thematic resonance in a story about jumping between worlds. Devices like these present a “portal to another world” in the form of the media they play, but that portal is inconsistent and fraying – the limitations of these devices emphasizes the danger and artificiality of their connection to other worlds

I expected Asuka to get excited about these kinds of stories, but seeing Mia get equally hyped about shooting outlaws is a charming surprise. Time for her arc, then?

“All these guns and killing, that’s no good.” Like Nana, it seems Mia’s personality isn’t really appreciated by her family, and thus she doesn’t quite fit into the “Mia role” that life has assigned her

Asuka heads out to beat up whoever’s stealing from their shed, but it’s just Seriousuka

“The Magnificent Five, or Eleven.” Oh shit, are we actually doing a western arc now? The change to Nana’s world wasn’t all that significant, but I’m game for a bigger switch

Don’t bully Seriousuka, Asuka

There’s a message from “Lovey-dovey Asuka” on the radio, who says “let’s go West!” So I’m guessing the person who sent them off into Nana’s world was also an Asuka, and now either that or another Asuka is pushing them into Cowboy World. Goddamnit Asuka

“Was that you?” “Nope, my radio name’s Chikuwasuka.” Of course it is

Once again, mysterious robed figure is enjoying the hell out of their journey into another world

This show is so goddamn funny. All the other girls berate Asuka for clearly lying about the radio broadcast, and even though she’s not actually lying, she completely agrees with their critiques. “I can be a real handful sometimes, huh?” I’m so glad Tomoyo Kurosawa got this role

The girls don’t even really have a reason to be visiting this new world. They’re just bored

And yep, Mia becomes the link

Their town is now Western Town. It seems like we’re taking this whole “parallel worlds emerge from potential divergence points” thing pretty loosely, as it’s difficult to imagine any diversion point that would have resulted in modern Japan looking like the American frontier

Octave is now a saloon, of course

Oh my god, I entirely forgot about the best part of this scenario: all the other girls already have copies here, meaning we’re now meeting Rootin’ Tootin’ Cowboy Asuka

Asuka is the bounty hunter, while Nana and Chloe are the wanted bandits. I could one hundred percent believe Nana turns to a life of fabulous crime in basically every dimension she can

Apparently this world also has its own cars, bikes, and even cellphones

Mia is apparently the bar’s bouncer, which is clearly the perfect role for someone as intimidating as a kitten wearing a safety cone

Ah, she’s actually the deputy

Our Asuka has accepted her designation as “Chikuwasuka,” given there are now too many Asukas for her to just be the default Asuka

This world is certainly a lot goofier than the first one. The versions of characters like Nana here don’t actually seem that different from our own versions, just stuck in cowboy outfits and assigned cowboy roles

Wonderful comedic timing for everyone collectively noticing everyone else. This show’s direction is mostly just functional, but it knows how to cut for effective comic anticlimax – which is pretty important, as this is a story whose appeal rests largely in the fun verbal dynamic between its leads

Chloe and Nana clearly do not enjoy being hogtied. Great expressions here

“I hate this Asuka!” You’re not particularly nice to your own Asuka, Nana

Chloe says “this Asuka is stubborn and rude,” to which the Asuka in question replies that you have to be tough to make it in this world. And it’s true – a difficult life tends to harden a person, and make them suspicious of charity or vulnerability. It is actually pretty easy to be fun-loving and kind if the world has only ever been generous to you; as they say in Parasite, “rich people get to be smooth and kind, with no hard edges at all”

Apparently everything here is decided by duels

Yu and Asuka continue to have an incredibly natural rapport. Yu naturally ribs on Asuka, but Asuka is able to hold her own – they’ve got a level of comfort that makes it clear they’ve been friends for an extremely long time, unlike Asuka’s more recent and thus less comfortable relationship with someone like Nana

Their cowboy duels do not take place at high noon in the middle of the street, as that would be disruptive and dangerous. Instead, they take place in the massive Cowboy Colosseum, because this is a civilized country

“Judge Hiishi’s trials are usually interesting, but lately they’re right boring.” Also these duels are televised as entertainment, and there are judges who preside over them as lead entertainers? I take back what I said about this world being thinly conceived – they’ve clearly put a lot of thought into the mechanics of this wild alternate reality, even if the end result is “cowboys in full cowboy regalia working the cameras at a cowboy colosseum”

Apparently duels are mostly for civil disputes, thus you still need sheriffs for obvious lawbreaking

“Some judge who only cares about attractin’ audience members can’t deliver any true justice.” Well yes, Sheriff – the goal of attracting viewers has absolutely nothing to do with the dispensation of justice, and can only result in a justice system that is inherently compromised by its preference for spectacle over sober analysis. You live in a pretty stupid world

I guess if any member of the main crew needed to be toughened up, it’s Mia

Kinda sucks for the actual Cowboy World Mia that her entire training period is getting stolen by our Mia, though

A pan across a series of photos reveals this world’s Asuka had a little brother, too

This world’s Mia “wanted to change the world so the weak would have a chance.” In a world as cruel as this, Mia was actually inspired to action, rather than maintaining a relatively passive role as in our own. Hardship can harden people, but it can also help temper them into their strongest selves – and it is those who have personally experienced weakness who are often in the best position to understand what it means to feel powerless, and help others like themselves

This is a really neat idea – being inspired not by some other person in this world, but by what you hear about the person you yourself could have been

This world’s Chloe and Nana are taking care of a bunch of orphans, because of course a world where all civil disputes are decided by duels to the death would be absolutely brimming with orphans. Goddamn this cowboy world is stupid

But enough chitchat, you girls wanna rob a bank?

It turns out “Lovey-Dovey Asuka” is actually a version of Yu, and she also wants them to rob a bank? Is this Yu even from this reality? Perhaps she’s the “eleventh” of the episode title, then

And Done

WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON AT THIS POINT? It’s clear that the Yu we’re currently dealing with was the same Yu who actually prompted their visit into this world – meaning she herself isn’t actually this world’s Yu, and is instead the Yu of a different timeline that we haven’t even visited? Does that mean she also has other companions with her, and one of them is taking the role of a person in this world, since this world’s Yu is still working at the tavern? As I should probably have expected from a story about multiple timelines, conflicts in Cowboy World have escalated into identity-questioning madness, and meanwhile, it’s looking increasingly likely that Asuka is going to be convinced to rob a bank, and perhaps even get shot by Also Asuka. Unlike Nana’s relatively straightforward narrative and clear social commentary, it’s hard to say where they’re going with any of this lunacy – but The Girl in Twilight has only been getting funnier and more inventive by the episode, so I’m eager to find out!

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