Category Archives: Episode Writeup

The Demon Girl Next Door S2 – Episode 11

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to be stopping back in with The Demon Girl Next Door, after an episode which saw Shamiko accomplishing the last thing I expected: actually committing to a magical training regimen, and earning some clear results. Having already defeated her first magical adversary during her mountain spring date, Shamiko continued to improve her mastery of magical mayhem, taking another clear step towards becoming a shadow mistress worthy of Momo’s allegiance.

Although this is a first for our demon lord, it’s not exactly a surprise. Though Shamiko has frequently (and humorously) been defined by her incompetency, that incompetence was largely just a result of starting from zero understanding of this world with next to no magical energy. Though there have been many setbacks along the way, Shamiko has nonetheless been consistently exercising and expanding her powers, maintaining a positive attitude in spite of her anxieties. And with the committed support network of her family, ancestor, Momo, and Mikan behind her, it’s little surprise that consistent effort has at last borne meaningful results.

It is very in keeping with Demon Girl’s focus on the gradual process of improving yourself for the person you love that Shamiko’s training would follow a similar pattern. Just like attempting to shift your mindset or personal habits, attempting to master a new skill is a practice you must commit to, not simply a choice, and Demon Girl is all about illustrating the active practice of personal growth. With her magical powers clearly developing, let’s see if Shamiko’s earned a reward from Momo as we return to The Demon Girl Next Door!

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RahXephon – Episode 1

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re checking out the first episode of a series I haven’t watched in decades, the mysterious and majestic Rahxephon. I can still vividly remember scanning the shelves at Suncoast (back when that was a thing), and picking out this show’s first DVD purely based on its fantastical cover art. You really didn’t know what you were getting as a teen spending your allowance based on cover vibes, but I chose well that time, as fragments of Rahxephon’s fanciful imagery and quiet sense of longing have stuck with me ever since.

Given Rahxephon’s remarkable mecha designs, it should be no surprise that director Yutaka Izubuchi is primarily famous for his character and mechanical design work, with credits ranging from Gundam to Patlabor to Kamen Rider. It was his friend Masahiko Minami (president and co-founder of Bones) who suggested he direct something of his own, and the resulting production was further blessed with a rogue’s gallery of ‘00s legends, including future Eureka Seven director Tomoki Kyoda as assistant director, Masahiro Ando and Mitsuo Iso directing individual episodes, and writers like Yoji Enokido and Chiaki J. Konaka tackling scripts. The resulting show is as stately and dreamlike as you’d expect from such an assembly, and a pillar of Bones’ golden era. Let’s check it out!

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Yuki Yuna is a Hero – Episode 2

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Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d check back in on the trials of Yuki Yuna and her companions, who most recently found themselves trapped in some kind of time-stopped void arena, squaring off with a faceless monster from god knows what dimension. It was an unexpected turn to be sure, but Yuna was not about to let this chance for heroism go to waste, and seemed to swiftly master the fundamentals of magical girl combat.

All of this was pretty classic magical girl premiere material, with perhaps the only note of distinction being how much time the episode spent on Yuna’s mundane life before revealing its trick. That’s not really a bad thing; given the constraints of twenty minute episodes and the need to conclude with some kind of genuine hook, it’s no surprise that first episodes tend to follow certain structural formulas. It’s only with that hook established that we can truly see what Yuki Yuna is all about – are we going to prioritize personal character journeys, is there some sort of theme or metaphor being illustrated through this world’s approach to magic, or are we just here for Symphogear-style spectacle? With the first battle behind us and explanations clearly in order, let’s find out what truly drives Yuki Yuna is a Hero!

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Tsurune S2 – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to step back into the sumptuous world of Tsurune, following the conclusion of this exceedingly generous season’s first tournament. After a troubling performance on the range, Minato has been given a shocking order from his coach: no archery for him until he rediscovers what is truly essential to team kyudo. And with the national tournament fast approaching, Minato better get to discovering quickly.

Given last episode’s employment of that persistent ribbon motif, it seems obvious enough that what Minato needs is to rediscover his identity as a member of a larger team. At the same time, the novel paths of his two rivals emphasize that each team has its own internal rhythm, and that strictly following a template set by his teacher won’t necessarily lead him to his own form of kyudo. Therefore, he must find his own unique place within this unit, trusting in and supporting his team while still charting his own path. It’s a tricky, nigh-contradictory challenge, but I’m sure Takuya Yamamura’s team will illustrate every step with outrageous beauty and thoughtful storyboarding, attesting again to Kyoto Animation’s singular mastery of visual storytelling. Let’s get to it!

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The Legend of Vox Machina S2 – Episode 8

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I must confess I’m still a little shell shocked, as my apartment caught fire early yesterday morning, resulting in one of the most exhausting days of my life. Fortunately, I’ve still got a bed and I’ve still got my laptop, so goddamnit, the show must go on. Nonetheless, I’ve decided to at least treat myself to a comfort food project: a fresh episode of Vox Machina, wherein our heroes last found themselves stranded across multiple planes, the gnomes and Grog muddling through the mortal plane while our other heroes braved the Fey Realm.

With Grog having lost his strength and the twins nearing a transposed elven city, it’s clear we’re pushing forward on a variety of personal arcs in satisfyingly character-appropriate ways: Grog must learn how to define himself outside of his power, while Vex and Vax must grapple with whatever regrets still linger regarding their flight from home. As for my own campaign, things have been proceeding more or less smoothly through the second act finale of my overarching storyline.

With most of a year’s worth of sessions behind them, my players have now developed all sorts of bonds with the various NPCs of this world, facilitating sequences like an in-game wedding and a teleporter-facilitated pan-continent siege defense. It’s an odd thing to say, but it’s nice to have reached the point where killing off a particularly well-liked NPC prompts some legitimate fury and despair from my players. They care! They really care! Anyway, I’ll have more to say on that soon, but for now let’s get back into the drama of Vox Machina!

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Spy x Family – Episode 21

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Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today seems like the perfect chance to stop in with the Forger clan, and see what our favorite spy-slash-assassin-slash-telepath-slash-precog family has been getting up to lately. For the moment, the show appears to have settled into a comfortable rhythm of episodic Anya school challenges embellished with some spy action lunacy by either of her parents, but as I’ve said before, one of Spy x Family’s most interesting qualities as a sitcom is the inherent momentum implied by its premise. The show rarely sits still for long, and so I imagine we’ll soon be either introducing a new variable (perhaps through elaborating on that spy associate of Loid’s from the opening), or drawing closer to the Desmond clan.

As for me, I’d be happy with either that sort of narrative push or simply an affirmation of how much closer the family has grown. Since their last meaningful group outing, we’ve received a steady breadcrumb trail of tender moments: Yor sharing her region’s cuisine with the others, Anya proving she can fend for herself academically, Loid consoling Yor regarding her overeager parenting. The steady friction of these accumulated moments has been eroding Loid’s professionalism inch by inch, and I’d quite enjoy some sort of narrative reflection on how far they’ve come. But regardless, I’m sure we’re in for a cozy and gag-rich adventure. Let’s get to it!

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Thunderbolt Fantasy S3 – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to check back in on the explosive theatrics of Thunderbolt Fantasy, as our gallant hero Shang faces off with his former ally Wan Jun Po. Having been disillusioned with the selfish, chaotic orders of our murder princess, and with Shang refusing to use his sorceress sword index to interfere with the affairs of the mortal plane, Wan Jun Po made the most sensible choice he could think of: join forces with the Order of the Divine Swarm, that his evil master’s cleansing light might bring peace to this world.

Yes, it does indeed seem a little extreme, but I’m happy to see Wan Jun Po taking his place in the extensive pantheon of “I’ll take this evil upon me for the good of the world” Urobuchian heroes and anti-heroes. Season three had up until now been pretty light on Urobuchi’s usual moral quandaries, and if we can jumpstart the themey-wemey stuff while getting a duel between friends turned rivals in the process, all the better. Let’s jump right into the swordsmanship and sorcery of Thunderbolt Fantasy!

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Bocchi the Rock! – Episode 8

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. The day of Kessoku Band’s long-awaited second performance has dawned cold and gloomy, a torrential rain greeting our would-be rockers. To Bocchi, this is clearly a sign of a doomed performance to come, and it’s certainly undeniable that awful weather makes folks less likely to get out and about. But Starry is a niche club with a reliable clientele, and a little rain never hurt anyone; they may not get as much foot traffic, but those tickets they sold will surely earn them some spectators.

Regardless, the big question here is not whether anyone will show up, but rather if Bocchi and company are truly ready to perform for them. The band was frankly a wreck the last time they performed, and though Nijika’s sister is accommodating, she’s not going to torpedo her club for the sake of her sister’s idle ambitions. As such, this performance will serve as a referendum on exactly how far our protagonists have grown. Are Ryo and Nijika at the point where they can trust their bandmates, and not just play in their own little world? Has Kita mastered the guitar sufficiently that she can both play and sing at once? And most of all, will Bocchi be able to look up from her guitar while playing with confidence, and experience that incomparable rush of communicating your heart’s voice to a crowd, and being met with love in return?

This concert being a disaster seems like it’d be a bit mean-spirited even for Bocchi, so I’m excited to see how all our rockers conduct themselves. The great trick of music dramas is that they can harness the power of musical performance as narrative, character-reflective statements, resulting in expressions of selfhood as powerful as the impromptu jam sessions of Kids on the Slope, or the rambling performances of On-Gaku, or the transcendent climax of Liz and the Blue Bird. All of those moments count among my favorites in animation, and I’m eager to see what Bocchi can pull off. Let’s get to it!

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The Demon Girl Next Door S2 – Episode 10

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to be returning to The Demon Girl Next Door, following up on one of the series’ warmest and fuzziest entries so far. Though Momo and Shamiko’s zoo date ended up sabotaged by their so-called friends, the ensuing trip to Sakura’s shrine proved just the romantic excursion they were hoping for, with Momo embracing greater honesty in expressing her feelings and Shamiko embracing more horniness all around. Plus she won her first demonic battle! A tremendous victory for Shamiko.

On a metaphorical level, Momo’s issues purifying and regulating her magic serve as a fine echo of her personal difficulty in opening up to Shamiko, and figuring out how to orient and define herself as someone within Shamiko’s life. Momo’s life of isolation has taught her to be self-sufficient, and she was comfortable enough doting on Shamiko as a helpless project, but learning how to exist as equals, with all the emotional vulnerability that implies, has been a difficult process. “Who am I when I’m with you” can be a difficult question for young lovers to answer, and for Momo, that question is lent further urgency via the harsh consequences of melding magic. Let’s see how our young couple is faring!

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Yasuo Otsuka’s Joy of Motion

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Hey folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be exploring a film that falls a touch outside our usual wheelhouse, but which nonetheless seems like an absolutely essential viewing. Today we’ll be watching Joy in Motion, a documentary about the impeachable animation legend Yasuo Otsuka. Otsuka was a crucial figure right from the beginning of anime’s film history, making key contributions to the early films of Toei Doga, and championing a style of animated unreality that would go on to influence countless future animators.

Along with making iconic contributions to early films like Saiyuki and The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon, Otsuka would also prove to be an essential mentor to the next generation of animators. He served as animation director on Isao Takahata’s landmark film debut Horus, Prince of the Sun, and also worked on early Hayao Miyazaki productions like Lupin III and Future Boy Conan, nurturing two talents who’d come to define prestige anime film productions. His credits stretch across a literal half-century, and his influence even further; rather than inspiring specific individual techniques, it might be more accurately said that Otsuka’s style helped define what cinematic anime would look like in a general sense. Anime would not be what it is without Otsuka, and I’m eager to hear the man himself drop some knowledge on us all. Let’s get to it!

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