Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Bodacious Space Pirates – Episode 7

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Hello everybody, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be returning to Marika’s journey through the stars, as she continues to adjust to life as the legal captain of the Bentenmaru. Last episode was fully dedicated to speeding us through this transition, and actually accelerated the show’s pacing considerably, relative to its methodical first act. We sped through the legal portion of the procedure, and moved swiftly into her training on board, culminating in her successfully leading her first boarding operation.

That climax, framed more as a theater performance than a heist, left me with a number of questions about the nature of piracy in this universe. Pirates were initially offered Letters of Marque due to being conscripted as mercenaries in a local war; but after all the planets in this sector were swept up into the Galactic Empire, their role seems to have shifted more to something like “preserving local heritage,” taking advantage of the Empire’s decision to respect local rules of governance. In light of that, I’m not really sure who the pirates are working “for” at this point, and their cultural role seems to mostly be a kind of local flavor, a performance you enjoy because you know every single thing on a cruise ship is heavily insured. That’s an interesting role to play, but I’d be the first to admit that my understanding of the overall politics of this situation is still pretty tenuous, and I’m eager to learn more about Marika’s strange world. Without further ado, let’s get right on that, and check out a new episode of Bodacious Space Pirates!

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Dorohedoro – Episode 2

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Hello everyone, and welcome the heck back. Today I’m eager to continue our exploration of Dorohedoro, one of 2020’s most compelling productions, and the adaptation of a manga that’s been beloved for two decades now. Since watching the first episode, I’ve learned that Dorohedoro creator Q Hayashida actually worked as an assistant for Tsutomu Nihei, which makes perfect sense – Nihei’s vast, crumbling cityscapes are the closest manga touchstone I could think of for Hole’s squalid beauty. But rather than use a setting like that to tell a story of alienation and decay, Hayashida instead has chosen to embrace it as a home; both of them clearly have a great love of grand, intricate architecture, but they employ that fascination in entirely different directions.

All that said, I wouldn’t want to give the impression that Dorohedoro is anything but Q Hayashida’s own invention. She started on this series in her early twenties, and worked on it for eighteen years, refining a cast and world that already seem thoughtfully composed and full of ideas. The gorgeous backgrounds, the alluring, messy systems of magic, the charming bond between Caiman and Nikaido – Dorohedoro is offering a diverse buffet of strengths, and I’m eager to see how it fleshes out its unique world. Let’s get to it!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 20

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Hello everybody, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. The summer’s starting to wind down over on my side of the screen, and with the horror show that has been 2020 showing no signs of relenting, I think it’s well past time that we took another Alolan vacation. Sun and Moon’s last episode was actually one of its most technically impressive so far, with Ash’s rematch against Kapu-Kokeko standing as perhaps the most dynamically storyboarded and fluidly animated battle yet. Rather than relying on some of the banked attack animation that Pikachu frequently employs, this fight was all about spacing, speed, and physical contact, lending a tremendous sense of urgency and immediacy to Ash’s toughest fight so far.

Coming out of that battle, I’m expecting this next episode to likely recenter Ash on his Island Pilgrimage quest, springboarding off the renewed focus he exhibited while training. But whether Ash is pursuing fortune and fame or just lounging at the beach, I’m eager to get back Alola, and simply spend more time with this charming cast. Let’s get to it!

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The Big O – Episode 7

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to return to the shadowed streets of Paradigm, and enjoy another finely crafted episode of The Big O. I’ve got a bit of a natural bias against robot shows, or as I’d personally protest, I have no particular bias towards them – the fundamental concept of robots moving or fighting isn’t inherently interesting to me, and thus a lot of scenes in a lot of giant robot shows fall flat, predicated as they are on the inherent grandeur of robots in motion.

Not so for The Big O – when this show wants its robots to feel grand, it is impossible to deny their terrifying, strangely beautiful presence. The Big O’s robots combine the lumbering, not-quite-right scale of kaiju or early super robots with a street-level perspective born of the show’s noir roots, resulting in battles that consistently feel like the end of the world. With last episode’s musical drama having reaffirmed Roger and Dorothy’s relationship, I’m eager to see them continue to unlock Paradigm’s secrets. Let’s get to it!

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Hugtto! Precure – Episode 16

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to be returning to the always-charming and frequently visually dazzling Hugtto! Precure – in fact, I’m even more excited than usual, given just how good Hugtto’s previous episode was. That episode saw Emiru returning in a blaze of glory, teaming up with Lulu to teach her about music and friendship and stuff. Emiru rocketed to the top of my favorite characters within her very first opponent, and pairing her with the ostensibly emotionless Lulu was an inspired choice, as Lulu was able to learn from Emiru’s passion and sensitivity, while Emiru gained a bit of necessary self-confidence from Lulu’s support.

Along with last episode’s rich character chemistry and consistently excellent humor, it was also one of the show’s most visually impressive episodes so far, with Emiru in particular being brought to life through plentiful character acting and goofy expression work. But most importantly, while I was busy raving about last episode on twitter, I received a number of responses telling me to keep on watching through the next episode, since they’re apparently a matching, equally accomplished set of episodes. The wait from there to the point where I actually had the next episode funded was agony, but it’s over now, and we’re all set to dive back into Precure. Let’s see what the sequel to Emiru & Lulu’s Big Day has in store!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 19

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Right now, I’m still mired in what I believe is known as the dog days of summer, where it’s too hot and humid out to even appreciate the sunshine. Meanwhile, with COVID preventing any sort of group outing that might distract from the heat, my current Survival Strategy is to sit within an air-conditioned room, silently staring at the blistering heat outside. This is not a particularly enthralling summer vacation experience, but fortunately, I know a place where the summer heat is always just right – Alola, a special archipelago that just so happens to also house a diverse menagerie of friendly, collectable creatures.

Last time on Sun and Moon, we joined Mallow in her quest for the perfect Alolan soup, a journey that ultimately resulted in Bounsweet evolving into the powerful high-kicking Tsareena, as well as the acquisition of aforementioned perfect soup. After a fair stretch of episodes that have all been episodic adventures, I’m somewhat expecting us to return to Ash’s island pilgrimage today – but if not, I’m also absolutely down for some kind of wacky one-off again, perhaps involving hot air balloons or an angry Miltank. Whatever’s in store, Sun and Moon is always a good time, so let’s dive right into our next episode!

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Symphogear AXZ – Episode 8

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The ancient rites have been completed and the door to eternity is cracking open, so I hope you folks are ready for another episode of SYYYYMPHOOOOGEAAAAAR! Last episode was mostly just a continuous series of battles from start to finish, but we did end up learning more about the internal dynamics of the Bavarian Illuminati – namely, that everyone except Tiki thinks Adam sucks, and are actually loyal to St. Germain. However, with Prelati potentially having been destroyed outright by the young Symphogears, and Adam now asking St. Germain to sacrifice her one remaining follower, it’s looking like the time for any potential leadership struggle may already be passed.

That’s generally how it goes with Symphogear, though – the enemy team starts with maybe a half dozen or so individual members, and gets whittled down over the second half of the season, leaving us with a climactic confrontation with whoever the biggest bad guy is. Structural forecasts aside, what I’m actually most looking forward to is seeing whatever new power mode Hibiki and her friends synthesize out of the “Fool’s Stone” that they’ve been seeking. Let’s hit the ground running with another episode of SYMPHOGEAR!

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The Girl in Twilight – Episode 6

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Hello everyone, and welcome back. You all feeling ready for some The Girl in Twilight? So far, this show has proven itself to be absolutely full of surprises, as it shifted from the relatively grounded and thematically concise Nana arc, to the absolutely fantastical and often just-plain-ridiculous Mia arc.

Not to say Mia’s arc was bad in any way – it was actually a very entertaining ride, and Mia’s own journey was convincingly executed. Using this world of cowboys and outlaws to illustrate Mia’s desire to be more than “cute” was a neat trick; not only was it a fun way to explore her character, but it also neatly illustrated how the conditions of our own world can be just as limiting as any other, further emphasizing how there is no such thing as a “neutral” or “true” self. We are all reflections of our environments in myriad ways, and coming to terms with that is a necessary process both for learning to understand ourselves, and learning to coexist with others.

That aside, Cowboy World was also just an incredibly fun, silly adventure, and made great use of this show’s charming cast and their various duplicates. The Girl in Twilight’s excellent character writing has proven to be not just a welcome asset, but the show’s foundational bedrock – it is our understanding of the initial main cast that makes these what-if versions so compelling, and it is their overall chemistry that makes their adventures so fun. I’m eager to see what world we visit next as we continue this strange and hilarious journey!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 18

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I have just concluded my duties on the summer season’s preview guide, meaning I am treating myself to another fun-filled episode of Pokemon Sun and Moon. I hope you’re all enjoying this journey as much as I am; while I often ramble at exhaustive length about the visual beauty and thematic poignancy of anime’s most ambitious productions, a great deal of anime’s importance to me comes down to how soothing and rewarding it is to settle down with a show as comforting as a good friend or a long, lazy nap.

As someone who watched a great deal of anime growing up, the art form’s fundamental modes of visual and emotional expression feel a bit like home to me. And when you combine that with the artistry and affectionate characterization of a show like Ojamajo Doremi, or Chihayafuru, or Sun and Moon, you end up with productions that aren’t just pleasant to watch, but a genuine source of stability and emotional support. Supporting people through difficult times is one of art’s greatest callings, and I can only hope that joining me on these journeys has given some of you that sense of support, as well. I’m glad you’re all here with me, and eager to get back to the adventure, so let’s dive into another episode of Sun and Moon!

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Big Windup! – Episode 1

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re embarking on a new journey, as we explore the first episode of 2007’s baseball-focused drama, Big Windup! I didn’t really know anything about Big Windup! before starting this project, save for a general familiarity with its character art, so I of course went to work checking out the staff and such to get some picture of what I’m in for. That led to me discovering this was directed by Tsutomu friggin’ Mizushima, and with that, my anticipation for baseball action was thoroughly primed.

If you’re not familiar with Tsutomu Mizushima, I’d describe him as a workmanly director with a particular mastery of editing, meaning his shows usually benefit from both high-paced narrative momentum and phenomenal comedic timing. His shows are defined less by specific visual signatures than a general sturdiness of form and lightness of tone, and his recent catalog is brimming with fine shows like Girls und Panzer, Shirobako, Witch Craft Works, and Prison School. Both Witch Craft Works and Prison School clearly demonstrate he’s able to augment his style to match the aesthetic of his source material, and beyond that, I’m also excited to see an award-winning sports manga by a female mangaka.

As a final point, this first episode is directed by Mizushima himself, with animation direction by the show’s character designer and Chief AD Takahiko Yoshida, meaning we’re undoubtedly in for a blueprint of the show’s intended style going forward. With all that established, let’s check out the first episode of Big Windup!

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