Author Archives: Bobduh

Spy x Family – Episode 30

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re gonna be hopping back over to Spy x Family and checking in on those wacky Forgers, because goddamnit, I’m in the mood for a cheerful and very silly time. Our last sojourn was classic Spy x Family all over, as Anya waged war for The Cookies That Make You Smarter while Yor assisted in a preposterous cat-hunting expedition. Not exactly the most revelatory adventures, but nonetheless vintage Spy x Family, making innovative use of Anya’s telepathy and Yor’s agility to add a flourish of insanity to their everyday lives.

As for what’s to come, it appears we’re now in for a Yor-focused multi-episode arc of some kind, which sounds perfect to me. Yor has always been the weakest link in Spy x Family’s main cast, due primarily to two main factors. First, she lacks the multifaceted motivation of someone like Loid; his internal battle between pragmatic, “greater good”-focused spy training and increasing prioritization of individual children gives him both a compelling origin story and a clear evolutionary path, and Yor learning to forgive herself for her “failings” as a mother can’t really compete with that. Secondly, her active characterization tends to frame her as a total ditz, making it difficult for her to learn, grow, or express complex feelings about her various escapades. These might seem like serious detriments, but in truth, the line between insufficient and satisfying characterization in a dedicated comedy like Spy x Family is pretty thin, and one good arc with her would go a long way towards resolving her scripting issues. Let’s see if this new arc can manage it as we return to Spy x Family!

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Spring 2024 – Week 2 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. It seems like spring is actually getting off its ass and into some sort of motion at this point, as we’ve finally escaped the chills and showers of early April. I’m thus looking forward to sneaking in a run sometime this afternoon, but in the meantime I’m happy to report that both our film viewings and tabletop adventures are proceeding smoothly.

I’m attempting to maintain a somewhat tricky balance in our current campaign, as I’m both the most comfortable speaking entirely in-character, but also aware of my necessity as a player who actually pushes the party towards their next objectives, rather than simply riffing or waiting for something to happen. As such, I need to be mindful of making sure neither my characterization nor mechanical prodding becomes too overbearing; I’m leading from the back here, but working to make sure Tilly (my nervous goblin cleric) doesn’t overwhelm either the personalities or agency of my allies. D&D is often a process of attempting to construct a coherent fantasy drama out of potentially incompatible base materials, but with a full campaign as DM at my back, I’m doing whatever I can to make sure this one succeeds, and that we collectively embrace a greater degree of in-character drama than ever before. Also, films! Let’s get to those!

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Goodnight, Punpun – Volume 3

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Goodnight Punpun’s third volume begins and ends in resignation. Its front cover largely defines the drama to come: Punpun lost in a bustling crowd, just one (admittedly bird-like) face among many. In elementary school, Punpun marveled at the infinite wonder of the universe, thinking there might be a destined place for him out among the stars. In middle school, he grappled with a hyper-awareness of his own feelings, lost in the sordid anxiety of first self-consciousness. He was lonely, but he was distinct. Now he doesn’t feel like anyone at all.

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Scum’s Wish – Episode 8

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today it seemed like the perfect time to return to the tangled drama of Scum’s Wish, as I doubt even Hana’s storming emotions can dampen the glory of this fresh spring day. Though to be fair to our poor girl, it actually seems like she’s finally making some positive personal decisions. Her misguided quest to find satisfaction in the possessive, amoral cruelty of Akane has ended; just as Moca has begun to embrace her more mature instincts, so has Hana remembered that she is still innocent in many ways, still wishing on shooting stars and hoping for a fairy tale romance.

As a result of last episode’s awkward twin dates, both Hana and Mugi have come to a decision: before the summer is out, they will confess their crush to the actual object of their affections. Obviously there is no way those confessions can go well; Hana’s relationship with Kanai is more one of a surrogate little sister than an equal lover, while Akane seems too incapable of empathy to genuinely love anyone. But nonetheless, ripping off the bandaids of their lingering obsessions can only be good for their future relationships, so I can only hope summer doesn’t offer some fresh reason to conceal and marinate in their hopeless feelings. Let’s get to it!

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Skip and Loafer – Episode 6

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Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m thinking we’re due for a return to the charming drama of Skip and Loafer, wherein Mitsumi has most recently adopted her most prickly companion so far. In spite of initially distrusting Mitsumi’s sunny disposition, Mika eventually found it impossible to resist sheltering our guileless little duckling, and even training her for the big field day volleyball tournament. And for her own part, Mika also added some welcome friction into this altogether cheerful narrative, emphasizing how many people simply lack the natural disposition to succeed in the ways Mitsumi has. Mitsumi navigates the invisible social minefield of high school by largely ignoring it; to someone like Mika, who had to change her look, her interests, and even her personality to fit in, it’s understandable that Mitsumi’s success would feel “unearned” in some way. 

Of course, the truth is that sincerity simply works. Some people will scorn you for being simplistic, some people will doubt your intentions, but if you stick to your own truth, you’ve a good chance of finding people who actually like you for who you are, and appreciate your earnest embracing of life’s pleasures. Most of us don’t have such instantly winning personalities as Mitsumi, but we’re not monsters; all we can do is speak as honestly as we can, share what compassion we can offer, and accept that we can’t please everyone. And fortunately for people like Mika, the Mitsumis of the world will always be there to lend a hand, if only we can keep ourselves from resenting them for being so dang upbeat and likable all the time. Let’s get to it!

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Spring 2024 – Week 1 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Spring has apparently sprung at this point, though you wouldn’t know it by the grim, cloud-haunted spectacle outside my window. Still, even if we can’t measure the season in beautiful spring days, we at least have the inexorable march of anime production to help us keep the time. Apparently Tsutomu Mizushima’s got another original show this season, which may well raise me from my slumber to the point of actually watching an airing production. And beyond that, I’m also beginning my fashionably late consumption of recent favorites, with Frieren and Delicious in Dungeon currently at the top of my list.

After watching through Zeta, ZZ, Char’s Counterattack, 08th MS Team, G Gundam, War in the Pocket, Stardust Memory, and Unicorn, I’m feeling a little Gundamed out at the moment, so I’m looking forward to balancing things with some fantasy – and of course, if you all have suggestions regarding classics I’ve missed, I’m always looking for new favorites. Anyway, that about covers my anime state of the union, so let’s press onward to the film screenings!

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Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 17

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Rather than referring to some psychoanalytical concept or opaque descriptor of the drama to come, Neon Genesis Evangelion’s seventeenth episode is named, quite simply, “Fourth Child.” It is a name that refers to NERV’s conceptually vague yet tonally specific designations for the Eva pilots – Rei is the first child, Asuka the second, and Shinji the third, implying a fourth pilot has finally been secured. Like the use of “angel” as the designation for humanity’s enemies, explicitly referring to the pilots as children carries a certain implication; it frames their battles as something like a meeting of innocents, the curious yet inherently destructive angels reaching out towards the untested, unmolded fruit of humanity. As the previous episode revealed, it is unclear if these angels even mean direct harm to their opponents, or if they simply lack a vector for expressing their intent. If true, they are little different from Shinji himself, who has so much difficulty finding a common language even with his fellow human beings.

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Tsurune S2 – Episode 6

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to stop by the kyudo range, and see how the boys of Tsurune are coming along. After an embarrassing performance at their recent competition, our team has been forced to reassess not just their approach to kyudo, but also their self-image and personal ambitions more generally. Of course, this is nothing new for Tsurune; kyudo has long served as a metaphor for the bumpy adolescent process of finding your young adult self, whether that involves rising above the past like Minato, or reaffirming what you’ve always valued like Nanao and Kaito.

Those two spent the last episode battling it out in search of a new normal, having grown beyond the childhood roles each served in the other’s life. What they found was perhaps not surprising; as it turns out, their friendship was built on more than just offering each other protection, as their years together had sculpted each of them into an essential part of the other’s life. You can’t follow a simple equation to deduce the value of a personal bond – time spent together will inherently change us, and any bond we’ve cultivated will possess inherent, lasting meaning. As such, the question of who was “following” the other ultimately proved irrelevant; they’ve always valued each other’s presence, and having their hobbies be dictated by each other’s interests proved not a sign of deference or codependence, but of how much each was enriched by the other.

So yeah, Nanao and Kaito seem to have figured their shit out, meaning I’m guessing it’s time for Kyouhei and Minato to grasp towards a new relationship with kyudo of their own. Let’s get to it!

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BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! – Episode 12

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And so the perilous journey of MyGO’s musicians continues. Having weathered CRYCHIC’s calamitous breakup, Tomori, Taki, and Soyo have reunited in a group defined by genuine emotional sincerity, with even Soyo admitting to the desire for community that has long guided her awkward, earnest compatriots. And they’ve gained new companions along the way, friends who may lack the paralyzing magnetism of Sakiko or Ophelia-tier melancholy of Mutsumi, but who nonetheless contribute crucial dosages of stability and chill to their anxious collective.

Anon in particular has proven herself a crucial binding agent, in spite of both Soyo and Taki’s initial indifference to her presence. In a story brimming with rich characters haunted by the scars of the past, Anon’s “I am feel uncomfortable when we are not about me” ego and simultaneous sensitivity to the feelings of others made her an unexpectedly ideal mediator, her brash pursuit of self-centered ends almost immediately giving way to genuine concern for her would-be bandmates. The duality of Anon reflects the thoughtfulness of MyGO’s characterization more generally; none of these characters are a stable set of behaviors and desires, they are forever suspended between their best and worst instincts, their past hopes and present ambitions. Let’s see how they weather their second performance, as we return to the outstanding BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!

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Winter 2024 – Week 13 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am floating on air, as the second session of our third formal DnD campaign ended up sprawling into a seven-hour extravaganza of dynamic roleplaying and haunted house exploration. After two campaigns where the drama was almost entirely provoked by external narrative elements, my group has finally reached the point of in-character confidence for us to spend an hour or so figuring out if our rogue is constantly lying to us, and another hour building up my poor goblin Tilly’s confidence enough to serve as an effective cleric. As you all know, I believe engaging character writing is the heart of emotionally resonant storytelling, and so at last achieving the improv confidence necessary to truly have the party members lead the action has been a thrilling revelation. We’re bickering, revealing our histories, setting up long-term character growth arcs – it’s all that crunchy stuff that I love so much in fiction, here executed on the fly as we beat on ghosts and vampires. Anyway, that was the highlight of my week, but we also ran through some films as well! Let’s run ‘em down!

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