Category Archives: Episode Writeup

86 – Episode 3

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Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to last season’s 86, which had a bit of a rocky start script-wise, but then proceeded to impress me with an all-around excellent second episode. I’m still not sold on the larger strokes of this show’s worldbuilding, but it’s more than made up for that with the character moments so far, which have convincingly illustrated the human bonds between the 86, as well as Lena’s distinct perspective. 

Lena is absurdly naïve about the nature of her own country, and basically everyone around her knows it. But at the same time, her optimism, good intentions, and high competency as an operator still seem destined to win over Undertaker’s crew, even if they know too much to echo her feelings. My biggest concern now is what will happen when Lena’s optimism slams into the brick wall of her government’s perspective. The 86 have been intentionally dehumanized in order to provide a steady source of disposable soldiers – by walking around saying shit like “we all look up at the same stars,” Lena is deliberately undercutting her country’s propaganda efforts. In 1984, the response to such a threat to the class system was “reprogram the irritant” – I doubt 86 is going that route, but it also seems hard to believe they’ll just let her do what she wants. Whether her reckoning comes through learning the truth about her nation or being outright sanctioned by it, I’m eager to see where her story goes. Let’s get to it!

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Big Windup! – Episode 5

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You folks ready for some baseball? The match between Mihashi and his previous team, Mihoshi (yes, it’s a little confusing), is finally heating up, as Mihoshi’s players begin to realize this isn’t the pitcher they’re used to. With Abe’s tactical and psychological support, Mihashi is striking out batter after batter, and gaining the confidence in his play that he’d been denied for years. With every ball Mihashi throws, he is developing into the weapon his team needs, a pitcher who could truly carry them to glory.

Unfortunately for our heroes, they’ve so far been benefitting from the fact that their opponents aren’t trying very hard. Most of Mihoshi’s players don’t take Mihashi seriously, and those who weren’t around for the middle school drama have even less incentive to care about this practice game. So it went for ace hitter Oda – but with pitcher Kanou having now begged him to actually commit, and the rest of the team presumably realizing they’re in actual trouble, I’m guessing Mihoshi’s engines will now be kicking into gear. Can our heroes take down Mihoshi’s best, and help their pitcher gain the confidence to succeed? I don’t know why you’re asking me, let’s just watch the damn episode!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 45

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Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. I’ll be perfectly frank: I am tired right now, and in need of something comforting to get me back in positive spirits. Last week I came down with some awful illness that had me basically horizontal for three days straight, followed by another day or two of begrudging, sniffly recovery. After a year of careful quarantine best practices, it felt like the world cursed me with a plague the moment I dared to step into sunlight. And of course, it’s not like my responsibilities took a time-out to let me get back in gear; thus most of that recovery time was also spent writing articles, and making up for the time I decadently afforded myself for being too sick to move. Today is the first day I’ve felt more-or-less healthy in a week, and in the spirit of maintaining that health, I’m treating myself (and you all, hopefully???) to an episode of Sun and Moon.

When we last left off, Sun and Moon appeared to have finally commenced its actual plot. Starcloud, Lusamine, and Alola’s legendary pokemon were key to the Sun and Moon game’s narrative from the start, but given we’ve spent forty glorious episodes just faffing about, I was beginning to wonder if Sun and Moon would even have a plot, at least beyond the island pilgrimage. I frankly wouldn’t have minded that, but I’m also happy to see Lusamine pop in to fawn over her daughter in the most embarrassing way possible, and also see our heroes trade blows with some genuinely threatening opponents. Sun and Moon’s ultra beasts represent Pokemon at its wildest and weirdest, so I’m guessing the next few episodes have some dramatic turns in store for us. Let’s get to it!

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ODDTAXI – Episode 6

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Oh ODDTAXI, what a tangled web you weave. The lives of its disparate characters are now twisting together in all manner of subtle ways, even as their everyday experience promises nothing but isolation and disappointment. The eraser that Tanaka once coveted now rests in the hands of Odokawa, a gift from the mysterious Shirakawa. The dash cam footage of Yamamoto’s charge is now equally desired by Dobu, and may well solve the riddle of the mob daughter’s disappearance. And Mitsuya’s phone is presumably still lodged in Odokawa’s backseat, a glimmering key that may unlock the secrets of Yamamoto’s organization.

As a slow-burning mystery narrative, ODDTAXI is an airtight creation, using its focus on offhand conversations to gracefully seed all of its narrative turns. Clues pop up incidentally over the course of thoughtful, naturalistic dialogue, setting wheels in motions without ever drawing attention to themselves. The show is fascinating as a narrative puzzle box, yet all the more impressive for the fact that it isn’t even driven by that narrative.

Instead, the show burns most brightly during its rambling dialogues, full of character-rich personal details and poignant reflections on modern living. I could watch ODDTAXI’s cast grumble about their day for hours – with dialogue this insightful and authentic, it feels like a privilege to watch such vibrant, resonant characters in action. Good characters feel like people you could know – great characters remind you that we are all ultimately unknowable, recognizable sure, but capable of actions that feel simultaneously surprising and true to our nature. ODDTAXI is managing to soar on a narrative, character, and thematic level without shortchanging any of them, and I’m thrilled to see where it takes us next. Let’s get on board!

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Adachi and Shimamura – Episode 8

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to that utterly hopeless couple Adachi and Shimamura, as the two do their best to navigate the perils of Valentine’s Day. Adachi raised the specter of Valentine’s Day through what has become her signature romantic gesture: asking Shimamura to hang out on what she frames as an arbitrary day, and then reacting with shock when she learns this day is apparently Christmas or something. Her gambit is obvious, adorable, and kinda sad all at once, but at this point she’s two for two on tricking Shimamura into dates, so something must be working.

As for Shimamura, it seems like she may have reached a genuine turning point in her emotional struggles. Shimamura has spent most of this series in a depressive haze, seeing no color or joy in the world around her, and mostly just going through the motions of high school life. With nothing to inspire her passion or drive her forward, she felt detached from the world around her, and too distant to reciprocate Adachi’s feelings. Now, having long grappled with the fear of Adachi disrupting her sense of self, she is beginning to see the world in color once more. Adachi has begun the work of restoring her passion, and I’m eager to see if this date will represent another step forward. Let’s get to it!

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Bodacious Space Pirates – Episode 13

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we are presented with a vast and glittering starscape, offering a call to adventure as insistent as anything in fiction. There is no trepidation now, no fear of the unknown; Marika has won the support of her crew, and now has an improbable fairy tale of an adventure under her belt. Instead, this is the calm, comforting peace of the professional lull, as the Bentenmaru and her crew prepare for the storms to come.

With the Golden Ghost Ship arc now completed, I’m guessing we’ll be returning to Sea of the Morningstar, and reuniting with both Chiaki and the yacht club. The last set of episodes have served as a fine introduction to the Bentenmaru’s crew, and now that we’ve got a feel for these characters in their natural habitat, I’m eager to see them try and negotiate with Marika’s high school friends. Marika’s greatest talent might be her ability to naturally integrate into any community, and actually make the people around her feel more comfortable for her presence – but that gift certainly won’t extend to characters like Coorie or Schnitzer, so I’m expecting some charming awkwardness ahead. Either way, the slate is empty and the skies are clear as we return to Bodacious Space Pirates. Let’s see what the heavens hold!

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The Big O – Episode 14

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to The Big O, where we last left Roger staring out at an approaching wave of Megadeus. After a full season of slowly chipping away at the vast mysteries of Paradigm, The Big O’s first season ended in a flurry of ambiguous revelations, and ultimately offered far more questions than answers.

And for two years, that was it. With the producers discouraged by poor viewership numbers, The Big O’s original 26-episode run was cut in half, leaving only this open question of a finale. It was only two years later, buoyed by additional funding from Cartoon Network, that The Big O would finally reach its conclusion. Based on the show credits, it appears that The Big O’s second half might be shifting in an even more cerebral, ambiguous direction over its second half – after all, Chiaki Konaka wrote every script for the second half, rather than splitting duties with a variety of other writers. Fortunately, the show’s surfeit of excellent directors remains, with this first episode featuring Ikuro Sato, a Sunrise/BONES mainstay who also directed The Big O’s first season premiere. I don’t know what to expect and I couldn’t be happier for it, so let’s not waste any more time, and dive into The Big O’s second half!

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ODDTAXI – Episode 5

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Well Odokawa, what will you do now? In spite of the man’s apparent desire to lead a quiet life, trouble just keeps managing to find him. This latest catastrophe isn’t even his fault, really; after all, could any of us be blamed for wanting to escape the grey doldrums of their daily life, and spend some time with a friend like Shirakawa? But purposefully or not, Odokawa has now attracted the undying hatred of Tanaka, a man who, having failed to acquire his dodo jpeg, truly has nothing to lose.

ODDTAXI’s last episode was a tapestry of alienation, a character study as pointed and convincing as anything in the medium. In a show that’s already captured the loneliness of modern society from a half-dozen angles, Tanaka’s story felt like a journey to the heart of darkness, the dislocation of a story like Taxi Driver transposed to the predatory mechanics of mobile games. Tanaka’s antisocial tendencies, addictive personality, and inferiority complex all latched onto Zooden with glee, dragging an already-unhappy man to the point where his self-worth lived and died alongside a digital dodo. When you’re as emotionally distanced from the world as Tanaka, simply becoming an instrument with purpose can seem like salvation – and with his dodo gone, the blue flame has awoken in Tanaka, telling him his purpose is Odokawa’s destruction. Let’s see how all these lonely souls survive another gripping episode of ODDTAXI!

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The Girl in Twilight – Episode 11

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We’re truly in it now, folks. After already having consumed Seriousuka’s home dimension, the Emissary of Twilight has journeyed on to Asuka’s own world, and revealed itself to be a third Asuka altogether. Except this Asuka is tiny, so I guess that makes it Chibi Asuka? Smolsuka? I like Smolsuka, I’m going with that.

Anyway, as my cavalier attitude might indicate, I’m not terribly worried about how this whole King of Twilight conflict plays out. The show itself has rarely hung much dramatic weight on its scifi trappings; instead, we get goofy stuff like Cowboy World, playful venues for our heroines to go on adventures. The solidity of the fantastical trappings has been consistently loose because the show’s dramatic bedrock lies elsewhere: in the utterly convincing friendships between Asuka and her friends, and in its consistent reflections on what it means to assume a mature identity. One by one, Asuka’s friends have had their preconceptions about their identities challenged, and emerged stronger for it – but for Asuka, embracing a new self feels like a betrayal of her lost brother. At this point, I’m holding out for Yu still somehow reaching her – but either way, I’m eager to see how her journey ends. Let’s get to it!

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Hugtto! Precure – Episode 24

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At last, our mysterious villain has shown his face. With the ultimately sympathetic Popple having been defeated and rehabilitated, Criasu Corp has extended its claws further than ever, introducing both Doctor Trauma and its actual president, George Criasu. As expected, the mystery man who’d always been accompanied by such evocative visual fanfare was George himself, a man determined to halt unhappiness and injustice by locking the world in a perpetual stasis. Fortunately, just as our nefarious foe unveiled his plan, Hana unlocked her own potential: the ability to end stasis, and drive the world into forward motion through the same cheerful, unerring support she’s always offered.

Hugtto as a whole is a story about the natural insecurities of growing older, deciding who you want to be as an adult, and taking steps to achieve that dream. This process is difficult and frightening, and there are times when all of us doubt our path or potential, falling into static cycles rather than progressing forward. In the face of this universal experience, Hana stands as the ultimate champion of forward progress, someone principally defined by her ability to encourage others and push them onward. With Hugtto’s narrative and thematic cores now fully aligned, I’m looking forward to seeing Hana embrace this power, while hopefully teaching her friends to offer the encouragement that she cannot offer herself. Can Hana truly accept that she is just as valuable and strong as all the friends she cheers for? Let’s find out!

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