Category Archives: Episode Writeup

Hugtto! Precure – Episode 14

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Hello all, and a warm welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am thrilled to be returning to the world of Hugtto! Procure, after altogether far too long of a break. We’re even returning on a particularly exciting moment – having finally connected with Lulu emotionally during the climax of the previous episode, we might finally be due for charming odd-couple bonding between the ever-exuberant Hana and the literally robotic Lulu. Classic sitcom shenanigans, here we come!

Tonal expectations aside, Lulu’s arc has been foreshadowed through moments of hesitation and doubt since nearly her first appearance. Having been presumably built by Criasu Corp, and spent her whole life within their corporate, hierarchical structure, Lulu’s liberation feels like Hugtto’s most dramatic example so far of its principle theme: that our current circumstances are not our destiny, and that we can transform ourselves to become the adults we want to be. Simultaneously, rescuing Lulu will also stand as Hana’s most dramatic expression of her signature power: the ability to inspire others through her faith in them, and help them arrive at a happier self-image. Let’s enjoy more of these two’s adorably goofy relationship as we return to Precure!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 12

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to be returning to Pokemon Sun and Moon, and also pleased to report that I have no real clue what we’ll actually be doing this episode. Given Ash just recently completed his first Grand Trial, followed by Kaki’s somewhat delayed focus episode, my assumption is that we’ll be getting the gang back together this time, and enjoying another ensemble episode with the whole class. Beyond that, it’s also been quite some time since Team Rocket made anything but a cursory appearance, so I’m guessing we’re about due for another of their dubious schemes. But however things play out, I’m sure the sun will shine brightly, waves will lap gently, and pokemon will battle fiercely through another Alolan day. Let’s get to it!

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Kaiba – Episode 3

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Past shimmering stars and an aurora of souls, Kaiba has fled. Pursued by Vanilla, the cruise liner’s bloodthirsty head of security, Kaiba has run through cities and slums, stowed away in luggage compartments, and fired off in an escape pod, seeking a reunion with the one he loves, or perhaps just an escape from this world’s injustices. But in a world like Kaiba’s, there is no true escape from violence or injustice; with capitalism having even claimed dominion over our bodily autonomy, violence and injustice are woven into the system itself. Even in our own world, homes can be stolen, families ripped apart, and lives destroyed, all with perfect legality and systemic support. In a world where even your body isn’t yours to keep, where can you possibly run to, and what can you consider home?

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Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – Episode 11

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Hello everyone, and welcome back once more to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll at last be continuing our journey through Masaaki Yuasa’s joyous and beautiful Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, as our crew struggle to complete an alien invasion anime celebrating their unique hometown. Though they’ve endured persistent interference courtesy of their school administration and meddling parents, Kanamori has held this team together, the siren allure of capitalizing on her friends’ talents keeping her dedicated even as the whole world conspires against them.

Meanwhile, her friends aren’t really making things easier for her. Last episode saw them joining Doumeki on a sound-gathering expedition largely because it sounded fun, and Asakusa still doesn’t have a clear overall storyboard, and still hasn’t clarified the designs of the townsfolk’s defenses relative to the alien attackers. I don’t expect this episode to be twenty straight minutes of Kanamori shaking her by the shoulders until a plan falls out, but we’re getting pretty close to that point. With panicked brainstorming and major crunch time on the horizon, let’s get back to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

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Symphogear AXZ – Episode 3

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to Symphogear AXZ, as our team stands on the brink of battle with the nefarious Bavarian Illuminati. Granted, that’s not really saying anything, considering our team has either been on the brink of or fully engaged in battle for basically every single moment of this season so far. AXZ’s first two episodes have been one continuous, ever-escalating action sequence, as the show seemingly attempts to construct an entire season with the no-brakes pacing and rolling action setpieces of your average Symphogear premiere. The show will undoubtedly have to catch its breath eventually, but right now it is soaring like a majestic eagle, scattering narrative tidbits like “the illuminati want to control history” or “Chris’ childhood trauma still haunts her” in the margins between its true passion: illustrating Symphogear users and alchemists beating the ever-loving crap out of each other. I salute Symphogear in its noble mission, and support its efforts to make a season-length run-on sentence out of one continuous action scene. LET’S GET TO THE FIGHT!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 11

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Folks, I am watching more Pokemon and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me. While I did indeed only recently watch Sun and Moon’s previous episode, that episode turned out to be entirely taken up by Ash’s first Grand Island Trial. And while I certainly enjoyed watching Ash compete in his first major battle of the series, twenty minutes of straight action meant I’m still feeling criminally deficient in the style of slice of life, vacation-centric shenanigans that I actually love most about this show. Sun and Moon has an incredibly charming core cast, a beautiful aesthetic, and a fundamental understanding that Alola itself can serve as an inherent dramatic reward, whether we’re exploring its towns, beaches, or mysterious jungles. Wherever this episode takes us, I’m hoping the show finds some new ways to celebrate its inviting setting and terrific ensemble cast as we return to Sun and Moon!

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The Girl in Twilight – Episode 3

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Hello all, and welcome back to Why It Works! Today we’re exploring more of The Girl in Twilight, a show whose first episode intrigued me and second episode impressed me, which makes me eager to see how it expands from here. Using the handy motif of shifting between radio frequencies, Twilight has established a world where disruptive choices create branching parallel worlds, with each potential choice forming its own ongoing reality. But rather than get swamped in the nitty-gritty of scifi minutiae, Twilight has immediately directed its conceit towards questions of identity and society, through first shifting our heroes to a world where all women are assigned a marriage partner at the end of high school.

I was excited to see Twilight using its fantastical elements to immediately explore such a charged and identity-shaping concept. The greatest strength of Twilight’s first episode was how quickly and convincingly it established the dynamic personalities of its main characters, as well as the distinctive relationships they share. With that bedrock already set, the show is now able to explore how culture actually shapes identity – how it conditions us to see certain concepts as laudable or alien, and in this particular world’s case, how oppressive societal mandates can essentially grind down our individual personhood.

All this social commentary and reflections on identity are precisely my sort of shit, but we’ve also got a more urgent problem to deal with: Nana, who has indeed been granted her wish of “a universe of hot guys,” and now may not even want to come home. This place is strange, but she is wanted here – in contrast, she already feels like an outsider in her own original home. Let’s see how her friends deal with her current predicament!

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Kaiba – Episode 2

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Kaiba’s second episode opens on a monologue that serves as both a description of its world, and an articulation of its central question. “Are memories one’s soul, or one’s spirit? This is a world where memories can be turned into data, and stored.” The age-old question of where our fundamental “identity” resides is further complicated by the next line, as the narrator explains that in this world, “bad memories are deleted, while fun memories are downloaded.” If memories can be altered, it seems inappropriate to consider them our “soul” – but if we are nothing but that collection of memories, being altered and bartered and passed from body to body, what other selfhood could we be said to possess?

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Symphogear AXZ – Episode 2

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You folks ready for some goddamn Symphogear? I know I certainly am! Season four’s first episode didn’t so much conclude as it ran out of frames mid-sentence, with the Main Gears still in the midst of battle with some nefarious alchemists, while the Auxiliary Gears squared off against a giant magical sand worm. The gang hasn’t faced a giant magical sand worm yet, but I suspect they’ll approach it using a tried and true method: singing about their feelings while beating the shit out of it with various weapons, possibly with a transformation sequence or two tossed in there for flavor. Now that we’re all back on the same page, let’s dive right into the continuing adventures of SYYYYMPHOOOOOGEAARRRRRRRRRRR!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 10

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! It has been far too long since we visited the islands of Alola, at least from my perspective, and I’m eager to dive into another episode of Pokemon Sun and Moon. And we’ve got a genuinely climactic episode in store for us, as Ash at last takes on his first Grand Trial, and hopefully completes the first major step of his island pilgrimage. Last episode saw Pikachu and Rowlet teaming up to conquer this island’s Totem Pokemon, offering perhaps the strongest demonstration yet of this production’s ability to turn the rigid, turn-based combat of the Pokemon games into energetic, tactically rewarding action scenes. Given how well this show’s art design has elevated even its slice of life material, I’m eager to see how the show illustrates its major battles, and also just happy to check in with this show’s charming cast again. Let’s get to it!

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