Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Today we’ll be returning to the rootinest tootinest reality in all of the multiverse, as we continue The Girl in Twilight’s exploration of modern fantasy cowboy Japan. From the relatively straightforward social commentary of Twilight’s first arc, the show has now bounded forward into wild, fantastical farce, presenting a world that is as unique as it is hilariously anachronistic.
At the moment, Mia is doing her best to succeed as a new deputy, while her friends Chloe and Nana have found themselves hogtied and captured by Bounty Hunter Asuka, and our own Asuka and Yu are being convinced to rob a bank. In total, it seems like we might have members of the main crew from four different realities all represented here, between our original party, the Cowboy World locals, the missing Seriousuka, and the Yu who actually summoned the girls into this world. I’m not sure precisely how many Asukas any given world can handle, but I’m eager to find out as we continue this seriously entertaining production!
Episode 5
Even the base geography of this timeline has shifted dramatically from the the first two – their whole town is surrounded by giant sandstone buttes, like they’ve been transported to the center of Monument Valley. We’re taking a seriously loose approach to “new timelines emerge from potential points of separation,” particularly considering this Monument Valley town still contains all the exact same people who live in their own town
I don’t really have a problem with that, of course – though the fact that the show actually made a big deal out of explaining how its multiple timelines work does create some friction here. I’m generally fine with shows introducing fantastical elements without explaining them (frankly, I think a lot of stories could do with a lot less explanation), but if you explain your story’s rules and then immediately break those rules, you threaten losing the audience’s trust and immersion
Mia is doing her best to chase down a criminal. I like the shop names in the background – “Wells Fargoa” and “Horse Hotel” are excellent
Mia catches him, with an assist by a paint can and a horse’s butt
Sexy Yu flips Asuka’s skirt and flirts with her insatiably, while our Yu looks on in horror
“What is wrong with you, Me!?” “Ugh, the fact that that’s the thing I say in this situation is so me, and so boring.” Interesting – so even though this other Yu has a wildly different personality, she herself understands that her own personality is very far from the “default Yu”
This version of Yu also has a very different outfit – it seems almost steampunk styled, and far more expensive than the outfits this timeline’s characters are wearing
Nana mentions that she and Chloe used to have a benefactor in this world, and then Sexy Yu shows up on a goddamn motorcycle
No Asuka, DON’T BE CONVINCED BY THE MOTORCYCLE. DO NOT ROB A BANK
You can tell even Bounty Hunter Asuka is still Asuka, because she mocks Nana by just repeating her phrases back at her
Ooh, this conversation is fascinating. Apparently, our own Mia initially wanted to be a “hero of justice,” but around elementary school, the students around her started assuming she liked cute things, because of her appearance and demeanor. Just as the context of Marriage World deeply impacted the personalities of the core group, so has the context of our own world prevented Mia from pursuing her initial dreams, and instead forced her to live up to the expectations of the people around her. In contrast, while Cowboy World is a terribly violent place where gentleness is largely stamped out (as Bounty Hunter Asuka explained last episode), it is those very expectations of strength that has allowed this world’s Mia to embrace her dream of becoming a defender of the weak. Even adverse circumstances can have unexpectedly positive results, depending on how those circumstances impact your own identity
Mia staring into a hand mirror as she reflects on her selfhood is probably the closest this show is going to get to meaningful visual storytelling, so you better enjoy it!
This gruff sheriff is a surprisingly sensitive therapist
Ah, so that’s how Mia joined the group. Asuka just propositioned her “want to be the hero who saves the radio broadcasting club,” likely because they needed more signatures to make the club at all. I appreciate how The Girl in Twilight has consistently illustrated the ramshackle nature of this group, and the unique ways each of its members found their ways to this friendship
Unsurprisingly, Asuka is not a particularly good bank robber. I very much appreciate Yu, who was against this bank robbery from the start, now chastising Asuka for not robbing the bank correctly
Asuka is at this point fully on board with Sexy Yu’s adventures
Oh my god, of course Bounty Hunter Asuka named her horse Chikuwa
Oh no, Nana and Chloe’s escape route is about to be sabotaged by Nana and Chloe!
TOTAL BETRAYAL BY SEXY YU
And then the sheriff arrests two Asukas, Chloes, and Nanas, along with a bonus Yu
Oh my god, neither of the Asukas can stop themselves from talking back to the judge. This show is so good
Mia gets a harsh lesson in how policework actually happens, as the sheriff reveals that this farce of a trial and execution is actually “his brand of justice”
Fortunately, Seriousuka has at last arrived, just in term to save multiple dimensions’ worth of idiots from themselves
This is a very clean way to bring this world’s narrative to its natural endpoint, centering on Mia embracing the “non-cute” sides of herself in order to rescue her friends. The show has effectively isolated her from her friends, while also putting her in a position of authority where she can embody the heroism she’s always wished to pursue
And then she gets hit by panties in the face
Seriousuka unveils her plan, broadcasting a tape revealing a conspiracy between the judge and sheriff. Even when the girls aren’t transforming into power suits, tape recorders are still incredibly powerful in The Girl in Twilight!
Both the judge and sheriff reveal their true Clutter nature, and promptly explode into bunnies
The judge and sheriff-themed costumes are a lot of fun. I like the judge’s legal text shoulderpads and giant gavel weapon
Mia: “I am strong, just not like you!” Though the sheriff helped her discover her own identity, following his justice was as much of a crutch as simply remaining the meek follower in her original group. Through pledging to find her own path, Mia at last unlocks her power
“Mia Extreme! I’ll keep the peace of this here world!” Bless you, Mia
Ahaha, her bandoleer straps are actually a missile array. They’re having a lot of fun fusing the tropes of westerns and mecha action
Very nice of the bank to forgive our girls for robbing it
And Done
What a fun, utterly ridiculous arc that was! Contrasting versions of the cast from four separate realities, The Girl in Twilight managed to actually put together a concise little western narrative, complete with a bank robbery and dramatic duel. Though the social commentary felt somewhat lighter in this arc (which isn’t surprising, considering this one was mostly about comedy and action), I really enjoyed how Mia’s arc acknowledged that “our Mia” is as much a product of her environment as “Marriage-universe Yu” was, with a much harsher world actually becoming the catalyst for her to embrace a happier self. Bounty Hunter Asuka was also an absolute gift, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she manages to be her ridiculous self in all sorts of other worlds!
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