Through the course of their plaintive journey, Phos has tried again and again to reinvent themself, and reshape themself into some form that might be of use to their society. In spite of all their efforts, perhaps the only lesson that can be drawn from their journey is “not all change is good change,” as last episode clearly demonstrated. After having failed to be of use as a warrior even with their newly empowered legs, that episode saw Phos suffering yet another unjust separation from their companions, as they discovered their new body structure no longer required the low-light hibernation cycle employed by their fellow gems. Instead, they were forced to embrace a new degree of isolation as the unwanted apprentice of Antarcticite, the one gem assigned to protecting their sleeping companions.
Author Archives: Bobduh
Spy x Family – Episode 19
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be stopping in with the Forger family, and seeing what fresh madness is brewing in the world of Spy x Family. Last episode saw the franchise at its most delightfully farcical, with Loid being forced to play damage control for the worst spy in Ostania. Dashing superspy Daybreak immediately proved himself one of Spy x Family’s most entertaining side characters, and I hope he’ll return to torment Loid again soon.
As far as actual character development goes, the threat of Anya’s midterms ended up facilitating both Anya and Loid’s personal growth. Inspired by Yuri’s pragmatic framing of education, Anya began to understand that school is not an obstacle to her advancement, but actually the vehicle through which she might grow into the secret agent she’s always dreamed of being. And though Loid took every measure possible to ensure Anya would pass, he was ultimately forced to concede that Anya worked hard and succeeded on her own, which will hopefully engender a little more faith in his daughter. The Forgers are growing both individually and as a unit, and I’m eager to see what lunacy awaits them next. Let’s get to it!
Simoun – Episode 25
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m happy to report we are at last returning to the skies of Simoun, and discovering the ultimate fate of all our brave pilots. Chor Tempest currently stands on the brink of dissolution, having surrendered their vehicles to foreign pilots and proceeded to the spring that will decide their fate. There, they find not Onashia, but their companion Yun – for having been inspired by Rea’s words, she has decided that saving Onashia is the purpose she has sought.
Yun might be one of the lucky ones. For all of its limiting strictures, the order of Simulacrum at least promised certainty, a knowledge of what you are and what you must do. But with their military superiority and religious authority crumbling at once, the people of Simulacrum are being forced to recognize their beliefs were ultimately arbitrary, the calcification of power and doctrine concealing the core truth of the simouns’ nature. And of course, none feel this shift more acutely than the sybillae, who have transitioned from living avatars of faith to redundant markers of a lost age.
It is entirely in keeping with Simoun’s thoughtful narrative approach that this be our final conflict – not the great battle for the fate of Simulacrum, but the painful necessity of moving on in its wake. With their past discredited and future uncertain, let’s bear witness to Chor Tempest’s final mission.
Spring 2023 – Week 8 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week has seen me and my housemates positively gorging on Tears of the Kingdom, losing ourselves in the realms of Hyrule at every possible opportunity. The game still seems plainly unrealistic; game worlds can’t be realized with such simultaneous breadth of experience and effortless nuance of character interactivity, all of these systems can’t possibly feed into each other to encourage such a robust and satisfying play loop, and jury-rigging machines together couldn’t ever feel so seamless, natural, and joyful. And yet it is, they do, and making weird contraptions has proven itself the natural evolution of Breath of the Wild’s call to creative action. They’ve even addressed what issues did exist in Breath of the Wild, from weapon durability (now you can always craft your own high-quality weapons) to rain (say hello to sticky tonics). It’s been hard to pull myself away, but don’t worry – we still found time for our scheduled film viewings. Let’s get into it!
Sanctuary, Destiny, and The Deer King
If you were to make a list of the most distinguished animation directors of all time, Masashi Ando would be one of the first names included. In spite of never serving as a director himself, Ando has collaborated with and elevated the works of practically all the greatest film directors of the past thirty years. Ando has worked as character designer and animation director on some of Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon’s most esteemed films, and has continued to cement his legacy by collaborating with the next generation of talent, with his guiding hand on animation direction contributing to Your Name’s global success. As such, when it was announced that Masashi Ando was working alongside fellow Ghibli alumni Masayuki Miyauji in directing a feature film, at least a touch of hyperventilating was in order.
The Legend of Vox Machina S2 – Episode 6
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to be diving back into The Legend of Vox Machina, and seeing how our ragtag heroes are faring in the wake of their battle with an active volcano. Keyleth’s literal trial by fire proved an excellent vehicle for improving her confidence, with the distinctions in form between this task and the Briarwoods arc demonstrating the importance of tailoring your conflicts to the players they’re prioritizing.
Percy’s trial spanned a full arc, involved a massive amount of active roleplaying, and resolved in more of an emotional victory than a tangible, mechanical one: an ambitious demand for any player, and thus a challenge that could only be set before a particularly confident one. In contrast, Keyleth’s victory was more sidequest than main arc, its challenges mostly involved performing well in combat, and its conclusion was marked by the super-tangible awarding of fire mastery, all choices better-suited to a player who needs some encouragement, and perhaps doesn’t want to be put on the spot for big speeches. You can theoretically apply a generic adventure to any party, but the best adventures involve meeting your players where they’re most comfortable, and giving them the tools needed to shine in their own way.
Well, that’s the theory, anyway. I’ve been doing my best to apply that logic to my own campaign: my lore-focused player has been deeply integrated into the political tides of the region, my mechanics-focused player has been given lots of flexible combat abilities to express himself with, and my shy player has been afforded more skill-based abilities so they don’t have to roleplay as much. My only real problem at the moment is the player who thinks DnD is a comedy improv hour, and we’re, uh, working on that. But enough about me, let’s get back to Vox Machina!
The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into the annals of anime history, as we explore another of Toei Doga’s classic films: The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon. A loose retelling of Susanoo’s battle with Yamata no Orochi, the film is considered a standout among Toei Doga’s films, featuring uniquely modernist art design and bountiful, beautiful cuts of animation. This was also the first film to formalize anime’s approach to an “animation director,” here handled by the incomparable Yasuji Mori (who previously animated all of the animals in Panda and the Magic Serpent, that touching Rin-Rin scene from Alakazam the Great!, and much else besides). With Toei Doga’s team in top form animating a story that’s genuinely worthy of them, The Little Prince has retained a reputation as one of the true masterpieces of anime, and I’m eager to see it in motion. Let’s explore!
Spring 2023 – Week 7 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I come to you after hours of scribbling about movies, having been forced by article scheduling to skip last week’s standard movie-scribbling time. It’s so far been a week of catchup in general – with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arriving on Friday, I essentially did the temporal version of pushing all your stuff into a closet and hoping the door locks, and have been paying for my adventures in Hyrule ever since. Fortunately, I’m now all caught up on my responsibilities, meaning I can now push a whole new set of responsibilities forward to make more time for Zelda. The game is just straight-up bottled joy – I was wondering how they’d make a new adventure in the same world feel fresh, and every minute I play is filled with delightful, intriguing answers to that question. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about Zelda once I’m decently into it, but for now, let’s run down the films I snuck into the margins of the week!
Bocchi the Rock! – Episode 6
Hey folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to the continuing trials of our long-suffering Bocchi, who has found herself in yet another moment of crisis. After the brief elation of learning their band was good enough to perform at Starry, Bocchi was hit with a terrifying new trial: selling five tickets of her own to promote the concert. With some quick mental math proving she indeed lacked the requisite family members to keep this in-house, Bocchi is now faced with the terrifying prospect of talking to someone she hasn’t talked to before, and convincing them that Kessoku Band is worth their time.
It’s a big step up from the rigidly structured interactions of working the Starry concession stand, and will likely demand Bocchi act like she actually believes in her music around strangers. That’ll certainly require some strained performance, but to be honest, that’s a lot of what personal growth in terms of social development actually is. We fake confidence until we realize we’re not faking it anymore, flinging ourselves out into the world one wild, uncertain leap at a time. Bocchi’s already grown enough to feel comfortable around her bandmates, and with that bulwark beneath her, I’m eager to see her vault new seemingly impossible hurdles. Let’s sell some tickets, Bocchi!
Big Windup! – Episode 9
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be returning to Big Windup!, for the most simple and pure reason of all: I really, really want to know what happens next. With Mihashi’s initial insecurities about joining a new team at least mitigated, if not resolved, Big Windup! has swiveled its focus outwards, introducing close to half a dozen new rivals, and floating the upcoming summer tournament as the crucible that will bind them together. It was certainly compelling watching Abe navigate the potholes of Mihashi’s battered psyche, but now that they’re a genuine battery, I’m eager to see our team face off against all manner of nefarious foes.
Of course, it’s clearly not going to be quite that simple. Mihashi is still largely commanded by his insecurities, and with last episode having introduced Abe’s previous star pitcher, I’m guessing our anxious ace will need some consoling. At the same time, this new arrival offers an opportunity to dip into Abe’s own history, and perhaps reveal why he’s gained such a distrustful disposition. Either way, I’m sure Big Windup!’s delightful mix of psychology and tactics will carry us through the drama to come. Let’s get to it!