Category Archives: Episode Writeup

86 – Episode 2

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Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be returning to the spring production 86, a war drama about a world where the citizens of the eighty-five known districts are supported by the suffering of the eighty-six, an underclass that they don’t even really see as humans. So far, my feelings on the production are somewhat mixed. The direction is generally excellent, and seems far more ambitious in terms of its visual storytelling than most productions; unfortunately, the writing so far has been pretty simplistic, with both the worldbuilding and the individual line-to-line dialogue lacking in much nuance or voice.

The show’s vision of prejudice feels too abstracted into fantasy to really bite as human drama; but there’s obviously plenty of time to get to know these characters as people, such that their conditions might cut with the sharp edge of emotional investment. The finale of the first episode was able to evoke a sense of personal tragedy with a remarkable economy of scene-setting, so I’m hoping things continue to improve throughout the second episode. Let’s get to it!

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Symphogear XV – Episode 3

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Hello folks, and welcome back to the site. You all seated and securely fastened? You better be – this train’s not stopping once it starts, and today we’ll be traveling at the speed of SYMPHOGEAR. XV’s second episode served up an absurd buffet of animated action greatness, offering two separate battles that each measured up to Symphogear’s best, alongside an entire goddamn Tsubasa-Maria concert. It was actually even more impressive than the season’s premiere, and while I don’t expect that trend to continue across every episode… I mean, it might? This is Symphogear’s confirmed final season, a season that was greenlit alongside its predecessor, and thus likely benefits from particularly generous scheduling. 

Either way, the show hasn’t wasted any time in introducing its latest villains, and given the last episode featured Kirika/Shirabe and Tsubasa/Maria facing off against the lieutenants, I’m guessing it’s time for Hibiki and Chris to fight their leader. The rhythm of a Symphogear season has gotten pretty familiar at this point (see what I did there), but familiarity isn’t necessarily a bad thing – Symphogear is intended to be action-packed comfort food, and knowing the refrain just makes it easier to sing along. Let’s raise our voices in chorus then, as we return to the dazzling Symphogear!

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Horimiya – Episode 5

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Hello all, and welcome back to the show. Today I am eager to get back to Horimiya, which appears to have reached a critical juncture courtesy of last episode’s final scene. After two episodes of wandering around their feelings for each other, and lamenting the approaching end of their domestic happiness, Miyamura finally Did the Thing. Having assured Hori that he would stay so long as she wanted him to, he ended his visit with a tossed-off “I love you,” leaving the ball firmly in Hori’s court.

By only admitting his feelings to Hori’s silent back, Miyamura intentionally left her an exit route: “if you don’t feel the same way, you can just pretend you didn’t hear me.” But Hori does feel the same way, and at this point, it’s become clear that their bond reflects more than just enjoying each other’s company. Both Hori and Miyamura responded to their isolated, unhappy childhoods by becoming self-sufficient individuals, but both of them still bear a sense of profound loneliness and uncertainty, something they cannot admit to their general classmates. Each of them has found a confidant in the other, someone they do not have to perform strength for, and someone who understands their fear of isolation. One of Horimiya’s finest features is its refusal to draw out personal drama, so I’m hoping for some romantic fireworks as we enter episode five. Let’s get to it!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 44

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Hello everyone, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to relax with some Sun and Moon, and hope you all don’t mind if we just chill out in Alola for a while. After last episode’s absurd animation spectacle, which essentially compressed twenty years of animated passion into twenty glorious minutes, I’m not expecting a similar feat this time – and I’m actually quite okay with that. Animation highlights are fun and all, but Sun and Moon’s perennial attraction is the simple, peaceful joy of hanging out with this crew, and going on rambling adventures across their beautiful home. Sun and Moon is a place of rest and recovery, where you’re always welcome to just chill out for a while, and I hope you all appreciate that peace just as much as I do. Whether we’re finding a new pokemon or just lounging on the beach, let’s ease right into another day under the Alolan sun!

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Space Battleship Yamato 2199 – Episode 6

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The schemes of Commander Schultz have borne wicked fruit, sending the Yamato careening into the seas of Pluto. Humanity’s last hope now rests beneath a frozen tundra, while elsewhere, the fighter squadron surges forth on a mission now doomed to failure. Will this be the end of the Yamato’s grand voyage, and will the earth be resigned to its awful fate? Is this our punishment for choosing vengeance over salvation!?

That would certainly make for an unexpected conclusion, but for now, I have my doubts about the Yamato’s alleged destruction. Playing dead under Pluto’s surface should provide a perfect opportunity for repairs and new strategies, while the fighter squadron is presumably far too nimble for Schultz’s mirror tricks to work. However the battle develops, I expect Yamato to maintain its confidence of execution and mythic tone as we spar with Gamila’s advanced guard. Let’s return to the (currently submerged) deck of the Yamato!

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Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Detonation

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am both eager and a little intimidated to return to the Nanoha franchise, as we at last check out the followup to the action-packed Nanoha Reflection. Reflection picked up right where A’s left off, introducing us to a fresh set of villains who still embody the franchise’s perennial thematic concerns. As with Fate and Hayate’s family, Kyrie is fundamentally driven by a desire to protect her family, and thus rallies against the arbitrary cruelty of fate. And just like in the first two seasons, Nanoha is forced to stand against that sympathetic instinct, and caution that joy brought about through the suffering of others is a hollow victory.

The films essentially serve as a condensed third season, lacking somewhat in the intimate character work that elevated its predecessors’ drama, but making up for it with bountiful action animation for all our favorite characters. As Symphogear’s direct predecessor, Nanoha well understands the value of dramatic excess, and I’m looking forward to some spectacular fireworks in this story’s second half. Let’s get to the action!

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Adachi and Shimamura – Episode 6

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to Adachi and Shimamura, where the tension is heating up as we approach their Christmas day utterly platonic friend-cherishing celebration. Though Adachi wanted to ask Shimamura on a genuine date, a combination of her own fear and Shimamura’s clear hesitance prompted her to append some qualifiers to the invitation, and assure Shimamura that this is purely about not wanting to be alone. And for her part, Shimamura was happy to embrace that deception, rather than risk fracturing their fragile bond.

Both of their fears are completely understandable, but it is also clear that their current dynamic cannot last. In spite of her anxieties, Adachi is steadily moving towards admitting her romantic desire for Shimamura. In contrast, Shimamura isn’t even sure if she wants a romantic relationship, or what Adachi truly means to her. This mismatch of desires is making it harder and harder for each of them to feel satisfied with their relationship, and is furthermore creating an unequal power dynamic, where Adachi must subvert her own desires in order to keep Shimamura from abandoning her. Though it’s been framed as a platonic outing, I have to imagine this Christmas meetup will only exacerbate the tension of their unequal desires, offering us plenty of that painful friction that makes character dramas so satisfying. It’s time for some emotional fireworks, so let’s get to it!

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Hugtto! Precure – Episode 23

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Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Y’all ready for some Precure? Considering last episode featured the original Precure tumbling out of a wormhole because Baby Said So, it would seem presumptuous to offer any kind of confident predictions about what happens next. That said, it does seem like we’ve reached a turning point in the narrative. Our full Precure team has at last been assembled, and with Emiru having resolved her immediate anxieties, it’s looking like they’re ready to turn towards the future. At the same time, Popple’s defeat clears out the initial wave of Criasu Corp antagonists, and opens the door for her mysterious benefactor’s actual debut. Given all that narrative board-clearing, I’m actually expecting this episode to be a light one, and serve as a sort of palette cleanser before we get into the next major arc. The crew has assembled and there’s evil afoot, so let’s dive right back into Hugtto!

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Dorohedoro – Episode 12

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Oh god, how can this season already be over? I feel like I’ve just gotten settled into the world of Caiman, En, and their various compatriots, and now the party’s about to end!? C’mon, at least let me stick around for one more feast, or festival, or something! Obviously this is the fate of all adaptations of continuing manga, but Dorohedoro has established its local schedule as so packed with festivities that I already feel like I’m missing out. Damn you Dorohedoro, how dare you be so entertaining.

Anyway, yes, we’ve arrived. It’s clear we’re still in the early phases of Dorohedoro’s overall narrative; En’s motivation has only just been revealed, and Caiman’s quest isn’t even close to a resolution. But this does at least feel like a reasonable resting point, as the tension of Nikaido’s sorceress nature has also served as one of Dorohedoro’s slow-burning narrative fuses, and it seems like it’s about to blow. Nikaido cares about Caiman, and at this moment, I could see that concern leading her to wound him deeply, in order to ensure he doesn’t return to the world of the sorcerers. But  whatever happens, the one thing I’m certain of is that after this, I’m picking up the goddamn manga. Without further ado, let’s finish off the endearing, intriguing, and vividly realized Dorohedoro!

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Bodacious Space Pirates – Episode 12

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You folks ready to explore a ghost ship? Having outwitted Serenity’s forces and survived a goddamn rip in space itself, the Bentenmaru and her crew have at last arrived on the golden ghost ship, and are preparing to disembark. As we recently learned, the ghost ship is in fact a generation ship, housing countless bodies that may yet be held in cold sleep, just waiting to be revived. Of course, that reveal only prompts a handful of further questions, like why exactly all these residents of Serenity agreed to this voyage, or why the true nature of this ship has been so successfully obscured. Even Gruier has yet to reveal her motives here, though it’s not hard to imagine how the sudden reappearance of millions of Serenity citizens might impact the nation’s succession conflict. With the answers presumably lurking within the bowels of this mighty ship, let’s not waste any more time, and step onboard the golden ghost ship of Serenity!

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