Author Archives: Bobduh

Summer 2019 – Week 11 in Review

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We’re arriving at the season’s endgame now, as all of our summer contenders marshal their forces for their assorted finales. As misunderstandings are cleared up and final stakes are clarified, shows often reveal their most fundamental natures here – the conflict, relationship, or central idea they hold most closely, and are willing to stake their last and most consequential episodes on resolving. Given has turned out to be most fundamentally a romance, surprising no one, while Carole & Tuesday continues to use its efficiently sketched human characters to reflect on modern society in general. And Granbelm, well…

I guess we should start with that one.

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Why It Works: It’s Time to Get Caught Up For Next Season’s Chihayafuru!

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With one of my favorite goddamn shows premiering in just a few short weeks, it seemed about time to sing the praises of the endlessly entertaining Chihayafuru. It’s hard to summarize Chihayafuru’s appeal in just a few hundred words, but I did my best to highlight how it’s one of those rare and wonderful shows where your investment in the tactical mechanics of sports drama is always rewarded, often in ways you’d never expect. Here’s the piece!

It’s Time to Get Caught Up For Next Season’s Chihayafuru!

Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 13

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Neon Genesis Evangelion’s thirteenth episode opens on a shot of the NERV offices in disarray, as we pan across a desk stacked with loose papers, scattered electronic apparatus, and a worryingly placed coffee cup. The pan concludes by settling on the source of this disorder: Ritsuko Akagi, NERV’s chief technology officer, currently in the midst of a maintenance check on NERV’s Magi supercomputers. Ritsuko praises her assistant Maya for her efficient system checks, but when she notices an error, she takes over and demonstrates a typing speed and mastery of engineering far exceeding her star-struck assistant. The two central axis of this episode are thus immediately set: NERV’s physical layout and electronic mechanisms, and the brilliant technical chief who rules over these machines.

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The Big O – Episode 2

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Heck yeah everybody, let’s get back to The Big O. This show’s first episode was a terrific mix of evocative art design and snappy thriller storytelling, combining gothic and art deco architecture with an angular, shadow-heavy visual aesthetic, along with some striking layouts and unique robot designs. Though he’s technically a “negotiator,” Roger Smith’s first adventure cast him as something more like a resigned gumshoe in a noir thriller, putting his violent past to work as a private detective, haunted by vague and distant demons. Roger’s life was disrupted by Dorothy, an android on the hunt for her “big sister,” a quest that culminated in Roger sending a hyper-powered robotic piledriver into that sister’s chest.

We were left on the most precipitous of cliffhangers, with Dorothy I and The Big O tumbling down on top of Dorothy II in the midst of a decaying, domed city. I ended up enjoying that first episode far more than I expected to, and am already taken with a variety of this show’s key features – its unique and often beautiful art design, its efficient storytelling, its overarching sense of melancholy, and especially the developing relationship between Roger and Dorothy. I’m a sucker for a good partnership, and particularly fond of their classic “smooth talker is perpetually deflated by their deadpan assistant, but there’s romantic tension there???” dynamic. Let’s see if Dorothy has been flattened into a pancake!

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Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s – Episode 13

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The moment is finally at hand, everyone. With the Tome of the Night Sky fully separated from the Book of Darkness’s defensive programs, and those defensive programs having literally been shot into space in order to be obliterated by a giant laser, Nanoha and the rest of her friends have clearly earned a full episode of blessed, tearful denouement. Unfortunately, before anyone can actually relax, it seems some lingering element of the Book’s curse must still be extracted from Hayate’s body. Though to be honest, I don’t think this is actually going to be a problem Nanoha and her friends can solve through magical exertion – I’m pretty sure this is just the lead-in to the show returning Hayate to partial paralysis.

“Paralyzed character is rewarded with magical healing” is a common style of resolution that rarely sits right with me; it feels cheap, and overly dismissive of the reality of disabilities, as if disabled people need to be “fixed.” Hayate didn’t need to be fixed – she’s already a strong person who serves as the emotional rock of her family, and though her disability is a part of her, it absolutely doesn’t define her. One of Nanoha’s most central themes is learning to coexist with your past trauma, and accepting that although the past is still a part of our identities, we can choose to embrace a happier sense of self. Fate’s recent goodbye to her sister embodied that idea of acknowledging the past while facing the future, and I’m guessing this episode will be Hayate’s turn. But either way, this has been a terrific season of Nanoha, and I’ve greatly enjoyed seeing the cast filled out by Hayate’s adorable family. Let’s see how it all turns out in Nanoha A’s final episode!

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Summer 2019 – Week 10 in Review

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We had two hits and a miss for this week in anime, and boy do I ever have a lot to talk about. While Granbelm continued to flounder in its attempts to make sense of its own wibbly-wobbly worldbuilding, both Given and Carole & Tuesday turned in truly astonishing performances, with Given in particular offering the episode we’ve been awaiting all season. I’m pretty sure both of those shows are going to end up in my top five anime of the year, and I’m loving the fireworks as each of them move towards their hopefully satisfying conclusions. Apparently Given is actually based on a still-ongoing manga, but I could easily see at least this arc resolving itself somewhat cleanly; meanwhile, Carole & Tuesday only seems to exude more and more confidence as it strides towards its end. Let’s get to it and break down some shows!

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Why It Works: Announcing the Contenders of This Season’s High-Stakes GRANBELM

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Today on Why It Works, I had a great deal of fun writing another in-universe flavor article, this time about GRANBELM’s many ferocious heroines. I always really enjoy writing these sorts of pieces, which is one reason I tend to write so many Crunchyroll articles about My Hero Academia and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures – they’re both universes that invite tactical speculation, and embody a specific authorial tone that’s really fun to emulate. GRANBELM occupies a similar combination of tactics and tone, and has been keeping me fully stocked on satisfying action even as the season’s ostensible shonen front-runners have faltered. Let’s get to it!

Announcing the Contenders of This Season’s High-Stakes GRANBELM

Scorching Ping Pong Girls – Episode 9

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Buckle up folks, we’re watching some goddamn Ping Pong Girls. Our last episode of taut table tennis tension managed to stuff two full matches into twenty minutes, as Hokuto’s close defeat at the hands of the sadist Yuragi led into a joyous doubles match featuring the team moms. That match served as a celebration of pretty much everything this show cares about – bombastic, JoJo-esque sports melodrama, genuinely well-constructed tactical action, and a cast who are all head-over-heels in love with each other.

The match’s drama was smartly constructed around Munemune remembering to trust Kiruka’s instincts, though it also demonstrated Ping Pong Girls’ so-graceful-it-seems-effortless approach to tactical drama. The degree to which Kiruka and Munemune compliment and elevate each other was clear not just in their overt expressions of love, but also in the synergy of their play; Kiruka’s consistent, efficient movements control the battlefield, setting Munemune up to rattle their opponents with a devastating power swing. Scorching Ping Pong Girls has always offered a mix of sports action and lovey-dovey slice of life, but last episode was the first time those two instincts merged on the same side of the table, making for an extremely endearing spectacle.

And yet, for all that, it’s only now that we’re getting to the real payoffs of this tournament. With our team against the ropes and fighting a 2-1 score deficit, Agari and Koyori will each have to defeat one of their enemy’s strongest players, as Zakuro and Kururi at last take the field. Let’s see what madness awaits in one more Scorching Ping Pong Girls!

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Ojamajo Doremi Sharp – Episode 5

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Settle the fuck down everyone, we’re watching more Ojamajo Doremi! Doremi’s been offering us some truly stunning episodes recently, as a two-episode star turn by famed director Shigeyasu Yamauchi served as a demonstration of both his distinct talents, as well as Doremi’s own consistent strengths. Yamauchi’s layouts are always beautiful, and consistently evoke a sense of otherworldly mystery (and at times even terror) that merges wonderfully with Doremi’s increasingly tense adventures. From his alienating portrayal of Doremi’s insecurities to his fanciful depictions of the witch world and Maho-dou, Yamauchi really made his presence felt these last couple episodes, and I can’t wait to see his work again.

On the narrative end, the introduction of Hana-chan has continued to force our leads to mature and accept responsibilities well beyond the concerns of the first season. Onpu has demonstrated consistent strength and wisdom in the face of this challenge, while both Pop and Doremi have risen to this responsibility in their own ways. It’s been great to see these characters grow, but frankly, I also wouldn’t mind a super farcical episode as a palette cleanser, perhaps one featuring Doremi, Loyal Dog. But hey, whatever happens, this show is great, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. Let’s watch some more Ojamajo Doremi!

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The Big O – Episode 1

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be embarking on an entirely new journey, as I explore the first episode of the widely acclaimed The Big O. Though The Big O enjoys a generally positive reputation among western fans, I’ve never actually seen the property before now, which might not be a surprise if you know me particularly well. Giant robots aren’t really a draw for me in anime – you might as well tell me “this show’s characters wear a lot of sweatshirts” for all it’ll grab my attention. Additionally, “this show is like a western superhero story” is a pretty strong anti-draw for me, and I’m far from enamored with Batman’s “billionaire decides the route to societal justice is to individually punch muggers until they stop committing crimes” mythology, which is often the first reference point people highlight when trying to pitch The Big O.

But as I’ve since learned, those pitches are more a product of their typical resonance in the wider fan community than an accurate reflection of The Big O itself. More recent pitches, coming from people who actually know me, have seized on much more alluring details – like how director Kazuyoshi Katayama was an animation director on Giant Robo, or how it’s written by Chiaki Konaka, a veteran of both Princess Tutu and Serial Experiments Lain. And visual echoes of Batman: The Animated Series (a very good show, my antipathy for Batman himself notwithstanding) aside, The Big O’s gothic arches and lumbering beasts feel naturally evocative, and clearly reflective of Katayama’s Giant Robo past. I enter The Big O with as few preconceptions as possible, and simply hope to have an interesting time. Let’s get to work!

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