The long evenings of summer are perfect for horror movies. After the constant bustle of a day in the sun, I find little more satisfying than curling up with a spooky movie, and letting someone else deal with All The Problems for once. It’s a feeling much like sitting by a fire and looking out the window at a storm; a “grass is greener” in reverse, with only the stark alternative revealed by some window or screen allowing us to truly appreciate the security of our home. It’s perhaps not the noblest instinct to only feel secure when we see how we could have it worse, but that’s human nature for you – our first instincts are often more petty than we’d prefer, making both self-reflection and forgiveness all the more essential.
Author Archives: Bobduh
Spy x Family – Episode 16
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into Spy x Family, and see what further madness Anya gets up to now that she’s acquired a precognitive steed. The limiting factor on Anya’s capacity for mischief has always been her tiny legs, so now that her mobility is improved by a factor of one big floofy dog, I imagine some profound chaos is in order.
Last episode seemed to mark the end of this dedicated Bond arc, so I’m guessing we’ll be returning to Anya’s school drama in force this time, and once again attempting to secure Damian’s friendship. The relatively open canvas of the school setting makes it an easy venue for episodic larks like the dodgeball episode, but I’d also be happy to dig more deeply into Damian’s situation, and give Anya some clues regarding his home life. It appears they’re setting up Damian’s home life as the inverse of Anya’s: while Anya lives with an allegedly fake family that actually love each other, Damian lives with an allegedly real family that’s utterly lacking in familial love. You all likely know I’m a sucker for that “family is who we choose to love” theme, so I’d be happy to either pick at those intricacies or just marvel at some hilarious episodic madness. Let’s get to it!
The Legend of Vox Machina S2 – Episode 3
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to The Legend of Vox Machina, and see how our heroes are fairing in their quest to regain the important magic doohickeys. From a point of initially, emphatically demonstrating that Vox Machina lack the strength to fight these dragons, Mercer has steadily guided the party from “we need to gather an army” (Whitestone) to “no army is willing to assist you” (Vasselheim) to “only the Vestiges of Divergence can stop these dragons” (Slayer’s Take). By splitting these directives among multiple characters and separating them by travel and trials, he’s effectively masked the inevitability of this quest, arriving at that sweet alchemy of the players collectively “choosing” to do the only thing you had written out for them anyway.
It’s a good thing I’m taking notes, as I’m at roughly the same point in my own players’ campaign. Just a few hours after I write this article, we’ll be conducting our second session since picking back up, wherein I plan to guide my party through a destroyed city and into a riff on Seven Samurai. I’m not sure my party’s feeling quite the same sense of urgency as Vox Machina, so I’m eager to see how Mercer maintains momentum and perspective as the gang wanders off on this new adventure. Let’s get to it!
Winter 2023 – Week 11 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I hope you’re all doing well and acting suitably wary on this Ides of March, whether you’ve attracted the enmity of the Roman senate or not. Personally, I’m feeling close to the opposite of perforated with treacherous daggers: work on articles has been proceeding smoothly, our movie screenings have been largely rewarding, and my house is continuing to munch through episodes of supplemental anime in between the feature films. With Berserk now concluded, we’ve been charging full-time through Dragon Ball, and I’m thinking I’ll next add Dennou Coil into the mix. Catching up on One Piece was truly a game changer; where I once would have taken months to get through one of these personal enrichment projects, I can now happily sit down and watch through ten episodes without fidgeting. I’ll have more collected thoughts on these supplementary anime soon, but for now, let’s break down some feature films!
Thunderbolt Fantasy: Bewitching Melody of the West
It is always a delight to return to Thunderbolt Fantasy. The production’s puppet theatrics are genuinely entrancing, and Gen Urobuchi is to my mind one of the greatest writers to ever work in anime. His stories of mankind rallying against brutal architectures of despair, be they oppressive governments or supernatural phenomenon, are always brimming with thoughtful arguments, hard-tested themes, and engaging characters. But as a show like Thunderbolt Fantasy demonstrates, Urobuchi is also perfectly comfortable outside of those questions of human nature and utilitarianism, weaving thrilling tales of swordsmen and wizards that are also enriched by his intelligence and wit.
Star Driver – Episode 17
Hello friends, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am basically inconsolable, as my favorite character in Star Driver has picked up roots and left for the coast, perhaps never to be seen again. That’s right, our former shrine maiden Mizuno has left Southern Cross Isle, taking my heart and her inconsistently defined spirit sister alongside her. Where I once might have hoped Mizuno would actually take over this narrative in its second half, I can now only gaze regretfully out towards her retreating ferry, clinging to the memories we shared.
All right, that’s more than enough of that. Anyways, with Mizuno and Head’s blue-haired maiden out, it would appear we’re now down to Kate and Wako as the last remaining shrine maidens. Considering Kiraboshi’s repeated attempts to recruit Sugata, I’m guessing they intend him, bearer of the King’s Pillar, to “unlock” Wako’s shrine gate, echoing their formal engagement via the island’s unique mechanical properties. Of course, given Kate has always loved Sugata and resented Wako, I imagine she has some private plans to interfere with the inevitability of Sugata and Wako as a couple; considering she herself is also a shrine maiden, I’m guessing she’ll attempt to replace Wako in some way. With fault lines widening both within and beyond Kiraboshi, I’m eager to see how the narrative evolves in this third act. Let’s get to it!
Tsurune S2 – Episode 1
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be embarking on a new project that’s also a bit of a homecoming, as we explore the second season of Kyoto Animation’s Tsurune. Tsurune was the last drama Kyoto Animation produced before the 2019 arson attack, and therefore the last show they produced in the mode that essentially drew me back into anime. Back in 2012, Hyouka was one of the first anime to rekindle my interest in the medium, after I’d largely fallen out of watching anime during college. That was followed by poignant, delicately animated dramas like Sound! Euphonium and A Silent Voice, all of which collectively solidified Kyoto Animation as my favorite anime studio, and the studio that best exemplified what I found compelling about the medium.
When Kyoto Animation suffered that attack, my hope for anime’s future, as a medium that prioritizes intimate human stories and captures life as it is truly experienced, was nearly extinguished. The years since have largely proven my fears correct; though other studios have tried, only Naoko Yamada’s own Heike Monogatari has achieved the level of brilliance embodied by KyoAni’s best productions. Anime has been significantly poorer for KyoAni’s absence, but with a new season of Tsurune, it seems like we’ve reason to hope again. After far too long away, let’s see how our young archers are faring!
Winter 2023 – Week 10 in Review
Hey folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am frustrated to admit that spring still offers no sign of its allegedly imminent arrival, but I’ve been making do the best I can, and putting all this time inside to work on various media projects. Admittedly, one of those projects was just “play the shit out of Pokémon Violet,” but I’ve also been dedicating myself to several more reputable endeavors. Alongside our usual film viewings, we’ve also started on two more anime projects: the original Dragon Ball, as well as the ‘97 adaptation of Berserk. Both have been engaging in their own ways, though Berserk’s unrelentingly grim tone has made for necessarily staggered viewing. Fortunately, what Berserk lacks in cheer is more than made up for by Dragon Ball, which has so far proved itself to be just as joyful and significantly more horny than I remember. Anyway, I’ll likely have more to say about those journeys once I’m further in, but for now let’s run down the week’s feature films!
Toradora! – Episode 10
Toradora’s ninth episode was, if anything, a bit of a backslide or regression for our luckless heroes. After the eighth episode saw Taiga passionately acknowledging her connection to Ryuuji, the allure of a summer trip and its attendant opportunities found both our leads slipping back into old habits, and attempting to contrive some ghostly encounter that might push each into the arms of their destined love. Not only have they failed to recognize the mutual affection they already possess, but they’ve also returned to seeing romance as some sort of solvable logic puzzle, wherein love flowers not from the steady march of shared time and meaningful experiences (like, say, Ryuuji and Taiga’s desperate episode eight training), but through the engineering of some arbitrary situation that flips some theoretical “love switch,” jetting its participants from awkward acquaintances to comfortable lovers in one turbulent motion.
The Demon Girl Next Door S2 – Episode 7
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into The Demon Girl Next Door, which most recently surprised me with what felt very much like a mid-season season finale. Pretty much all of our immediate narrative concerns were addressed and to some extent resolved by our last episode, whether we’re speaking in terms of the characters’ overt task or their emotional trajectory.
As far as the “save Sakura” quest goes, Sakura Chiyoda has been discovered nestled safely in Shamiko’s heart, serving as her magical protector until Shamiko is strong enough to stand on her own. And Shamiko’s private vow to make Momo smile has reaped stunning rewards as well: not only has Momo earned that treasured genuine smile, but it was even in the context of Momo pledging that “make Shamiko happy” is her new goal to strive for, just hours after Momo embraced the darkness to save Shamiko from bad dreams.
Such definitive conclusions would generally mark the end of a series, which makes me all the more intrigued about what comes next. How will Momo act now that she’s free from the stress of saving Sakura, and will all these relational milestones crossed help Shamiko realize that she and Momo are already dating? Let’s find out!