Pack it in folks, we’re watching more friggin’ Pokemon. I’m currently stationed at the cold, wintery boundary line of 2019, watching this hell year come to a close with all the composure I can still muster, and I’m eager to watch something bright and joyous. Sun and Moon has turned out to be some incredibly tasty comfort food, bringing to mind many fond memories of my own childhood experiences with the Pokemon show and games, but also succeeding as a very well-executed children’s anime in its own right. Sun and Moon’s narrative pretensions aren’t particularly ambitious, and it’s not rife with diverse life lessons in the style of something like Ojamajo Doremi, but its aesthetic strengths, energetic pacing, alluring worldbuilding, and eminently likable characters all combine to make for a resoundingly pleasant, inviting, and relaxing experience. With my own Galar pokedex pushing towards the three hundred mark, I’m currently basking in Pokemon saturation, and couldn’t be happier about it. Let’s check out another episode of Sun and Moon!
Category Archives: Episode Writeup
Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 21
What the heck are we even doing now, folks? Following its initial tournament and the Chihaya-Taichi faceoff, basically all the rest of season three has so far been dedicated to the leadup and dramatic battles of the Master and Queen challenger matches – and now, those matches are over. Both Harada and Haruka proved themselves unable to defeat the defending champions, and the gauntlet has already been thrown down for Arata and Chihaya’s next-year challenge. But that challenge is still twelve friggin’ months away, and in the meantime, Chihayafuru’s stars will be navigating their last year of high school, and deciding where their lives go from here. After a long, long segment of purely tournament-focused drama, Chihayafuru is at last raising its head back out of the sand, and acknowledging a wider world once more. So where do its characters go from here?
For Taichi, the next step seems to be “reclaim confidence through seizing more tournament victories.” Taichi’s ideas of self-improvement all generally end up being some kind of self-flagellation, and with his mother now actively aware he’s been disobeying her, it surely won’t be long until he has to directly confront their differing perspectives on his future. For Chihaya, the end of this tournament means the questions she’s been delaying answering return to the foreground: what steps will she be taking to actually become a teacher, and how is she planning to answer Arata? And for Arata himself, well, he’s always been the wildcard – though having now challenged Suo directly, I imagine he’ll soon be consulting with Harada, or perhaps powering through more tournaments of his own. Whatever happens, the narrative gates have been opened wide, and I’m eager to see where this story now goes. Let’s get to it!
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – Episode 7
Hello folks, and welcome back to Why It Works. Today we’ll be continuing 2020’s brightest new anime star, the endlessly inventive Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, as Asakusa and her compatriots work to create their own giant robot anime. Last episode was all about plotting out the larger points regarding scenario and character design for this new project, so I expect the team to be in full production mode this time around, and am eager to see how they manage the increased needs for coordination presented by this ambitious collaboration. But either way, I’ve been putting off watching this episode for five whole days now, which makes me the art critic equivalent of a half-starved animal about to be set upon some artistically riveting domestic sheep. With that confusing image in your heads, let’s dive into the latest episode of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 20
Folks, it is Chihayafuru time, and we do not have a goddamn minute to lose. After nearly a full goddamn season of building up the Master and Queen challenger matches, I at this point feel like a finely squeezed orange, my emotions entirely drained out of me, nothing remaining but a bruised shell of a human being. Haruka has been built up into one of Chihayafuru’s most distinctive, sympathetic characters so far, and last episode saw her defeated by Shinobu, and step off the professional stage for what is likely the very last time. My only consolation regarding that match is that, now that it’s over, the trials of competition can’t hurt Haruka or Shinobu anymore.
Over on the Masters’ side, Harada and Suo’s grueling faceoff is ending on one more goddamn luck of the draw. I definitely feel these recent matches have abused luck of the draws enough to result in some diminishing returns, but I also can’t deny that they’re one of the most powerful dramatic tools in karuta’s toolbox, and furthermore seem particularly appropriate for a match that may influence karuta’s overall destiny as a sport. Let’s see how this brutal battle ends!
Land of the Lustrous – Episode 3
Land of the Lustrous’ third episode opens with vivid colors in a shimmering visual stew, as Phos is seemingly digested by a great creature’s stomach acids. The scene is simultaneously beautiful and horrifying, capturing the contradiction at the heart of all this show’s many transformations, and demonstrating Land of the Lustrous’ own greatest visual strengths in turn. In conveying the roiling emotions of its gemstone heroes, Land of the Lustrous is often at its best when it leans into abstraction like this – angular shapes and colors spilling over each other, rather than direct, neutral visual representation.
Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 19
The Master and Queen matches have evolved into an emotionally and physically exhausting battle for the future of karuta, with all four contenders playing as though their very lives were at stake. And in a way, they are – all four of these competitors have given a great portion of their lives to karuta, and all four of them are hoping to honor that time, and validate the karuta philosophy that has carried them this far.
For Harada, this match represents his last, best chance to become the Master, before his body is no longer up to the task of holding out for full tournaments of competition. He cannot possibly match Suo in physical dexterity, but what he lacks in youth, he’s making up for in endless tactical invention, as he deploys new weapons for each separate round of play. For Haruka, her approaching third child means this is her last chance as well – and she’s fighting not just for herself, but for anyone who’d hope to balance both karuta and family life.
On the defending side, the reveal of Suo’s vision problems may imply he’s facing a physical clock as unforgiving as either of his opponents’, while simultaneously standing on the precipice of adult life and its time-sapping demands. And yet, in spite of the stress-inducing finality of all three of these positions, it might actually be Shinobu who needs this win the most – Shinobu, who has chosen never to compromise on her passion, and who has instead worked to wrap herself entirely in karuta, and build her identity solely out of love for the sport. Shinobu is strong, but her single-mindedness also makes her fragile, and her fate in this tournament may ultimately rest on those human connections she’s so long denied. However these matches end, the landscape of Chihayafuru is sure to be forever altered as we enter the final battles!
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – Episode 6
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am beyond excited to continue our journey into Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, as I’ve once again put off my first viewing of this episode until this very moment. Last week, Eizouken managed to turn a topic I don’t actually have much interest in (giant robots) into another essential exploration of the creative process, as the show explored the finer details of seeking inspiration for new projects, dealing with difficult clients, and finding common ground within creative collaborations.
Asakusa and Mizusaki are in large part a strong team because they bounce so easily and happily off each other – in contrast, their negotiations with the robot club were far more tense, but still ultimately resulted in a design everyone was happy with. That negotiation process also highlighted some of the natural disconnects that tend to exist between audiences and creatives – in particular, how audiences often seek a “perfectly real” fantasy that can only exist as a personal feeling, and which becomes an impossible contradiction when introduced to sunlight. A great part of the artist’s job is to massage the sharp edges of that contradiction – to present a fantasy that is technically impossible, but still feels “real” and emotionally impactful, due to the many clever tricks of presentation Eizouken has so thoughtfully explored. Whatever creative design stone Eizouken wishes to unturn this week, I’m eager to return to this charming, beautiful, and incredibly generous production. Let’s get to it!
Bodacious Space Pirates – Episode 2
Heya folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I’m currently feeling sick as a dog, having spent most of last night coughing and sniveling in the throes of my first winter cold. Fortunately, today we’ve got a sunny, energetic new project to explore, which will hopefully help me put my own bodily dysfunctions out of mind: Bodacious Space Pirates.
Bodacious Space Pirates’ premiere powered through the first part of Marika Kato’s call to adventure efficiently and with a great deal of charm, as she rapidly discovered that space pirates exist, her mother actually was one, and her father’s death has left her as the improbable heir to a legal pirate ship. In narrative terms, Marika’s story seems to echo old adventure serials, along with a healthy dash of school drama tropes, like the mysterious transfer student. In aesthetic terms, the show is quite pretty on the whole, with solid CG and fairly expressive characters. I’ll be interested in seeing if that unique visual sequence while Marika was having her history explained is a persistent trick, but on the whole, I’m ready for whatever this charming show offers. Let’s get to it!
Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 18
We return to Chihayafuru in the midst of the challenger matches, with both Haruka and Harada having fought through difficult first rounds to arrive at luck-of-the-draw conclusions. Harada actually succeeded in beating Suo in that faceoff, but it remains an open question whether Suo is merely letting Harada win in order to prolong his final match as Master. While we’ve gotten a closer look into Suo’s psychology over the past several episodes, basically none of that context has made him more likable in any way – he’s proven himself to be not just selfish, but genuinely invigorated by toying with his opponents. And given how much of a physical toll just two rounds with Arata wrought on Harada, defeating an even stronger opponent who’s determined to drag this out across five rounds seems next to impossible.
Meanwhile, Haruka lost her own first round, but given the emotionally turbulent nature of Shinobu’s post-match experiences, it’s hard to say how future rounds will play out. Shinobu entered this match on an emotional high, energized by the knowledge that her grandmother actually supports her decisions – but after the first round, her mother stole that energy, by cruelly stating that her grandmother was just using her as an advertising prop. That blow was followed by a second, accidental jab courtesy of Chihaya, who unthinkingly admitted she’d prioritized her class trip over karuta, thereby proving in Shinobu’s mind that they don’t actually share the same passion. Will all this betrayal rattle Shinobu, or will it actually clarify her self-image, and return her to an unmatchable kinship with the cards themselves? I mean, I don’t know, but I’m guessing this episode will probably clarify that pretty soon. LET’S GET TO IT!
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! – Episode 5
Hello everyone, and I hope you’re ready for another episode of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Today I am consumed by even more anticipation than usual, as unlike every other episode since the premiere, I actually haven’t watched this one myself yet. Yes, scandalous, I know.
Eizouken’s fourth episode seemed like a clear endpoint for the “first act” of this production, as our three young creators both created and debuted their first finished work, earning themselves an actual club budget in the process. “Hold That Machete Tight!” was a stunning demonstration of all three of their talents: Asakusa’s evocative designs, Mizusaki’s fluid and personality-infused animation, and Kanamori’s ability to wrangle her unfocused and overly ambitious friends into working on something they can actually finish. Their production managed to simultaneously embody all the shortcuts they had to embrace to actually finish, while also demonstrating the indescribable magic of seeing your creative ideas come to life. I imagine the team will be setting their sights even higher for their second production, and I can’t wait to see what dark corners of the creative process this show illuminates next. Let’s get back to Eizouken!