Category Archives: Episode Writeup

ODDTAXI – Episode 2

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am thrilled to be getting back to ODDTAXI, a show whose premiere impressed the hell out of me. ODDTAXI’s dialogue is simultaneously naturalistic and idiosyncratic, reflecting an author who’s clearly attuned to the quirky nuances of everyday conversation, but still has a strong voice of their own. The show’s wry, deadpan sense of humor evokes a world-weariness that I can strongly relate to, and its characters have not just quirks, but also voice and perspective – clear worldviews and distinct ways of expressing them.

As a medium that generally involves expert animators adapting stories written for an adolescent audience, writing tends to be anime’s weakest component – but ODDTAXI’s dialogue has both a distinctiveness of style and grace of delivery that caught my ear from the start, and I’m eager to see where this story goes. On top of that, the show’s direction seems to draw deeply from film drama and noir, accenting the understated script with some expressive flourishes, employing graceful transitions that keep the drama flowing, and generally letting the cold beauty of this world filter through.

Finally, ODDTAXI’s overarching story is being conveyed with refreshingly confident pacing. There’s no rush to get to the gory details; instead, the underlying not-quite-rightness of this scenario seeps in through the cracks, as incidental conversations are ornamented with new details about the missing girl. Pacing like this reflects an author who trusts their audience to pay attention, rather than one who is desperate to keep their focus. The author trusts that we can embrace this story for its distinct voice and grace of delivery, rather than demanding a parade of shiny narrative baubles until we’re emotionally hooked. As a result, the work feels more like an organic, living organism, portraying life without ornamentation until the key narrative beats arrive. It’s an expression of faith you generally see more in art cinema than anime, but I’m always delighted to be treated with this sort of authorial respect (see also: every Tomihiko Morimi adaptation). I’ve probably gushed enough at this point, so with my feelings so far made abundantly clear, let’s get right back to ODDTAXI!

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Horimiya – Episode 4

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to dive back into Horimiya, as it seems like we’re rapidly approaching a turning point in Hori and Miyamura’s relationship.

So far, they’ve essentially been enjoying the comfort and familiarity of a long-term domestic partner without any clear romantic strings attached. Both of them seemed relatively happy with that relationship, but as their third year of high school begins, it’s becoming impossible to deny that the status quo cannot last, and that they will either begin a relationship in earnest or eventually drift apart. Ayasaka’s interference forced Hori to realize that while she might not be actively considering Miyamura in a romantic way, she still doesn’t want anyone else to date him – and after that, their mutual praise for each other’s “beautiful hands” made it pretty clear that they’re on the same page here. I expect Horimiya’s structural/pacing quirks to continue, but you know I’m a sucker for earnest romance, and Horimiya seems right on the verge of its confession moment. Let’s get to it!

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Adachi and Shimamura – Episode 5

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Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be continuing our journey through the achingly anxious courtship of Adachi and Shimamura, two individual messes who somehow get exponentially messier in each other’s vicinity. Last episode, Shimamura managed to drag Adachi along on a karaoke expedition with her other friends, though it really didn’t do much to break the ice between them. Instead, Adachi learned a very different lesson – that Shimamura herself is somewhat distant from her friends, in spite of their generally easy rapport.

Though they genuinely enjoy each other’s company, Shimamura and her friends are more friends of convenience and proximity, the sort of friends you naturally accumulate in high school, but tend to drift from as you grow into your adult self. Shimamura’s friends embody the liminal stasis that she has recognized in herself, while Adachi sits on the other side, drawing Shimamura towards a new potential identity. Shimamura is scared by this process, but still enchanted by Adachi; though Adachi is too insecure to focus on anything outside her own feelings, her presence is forcing Shimamura to grapple with these emergent feelings, and perhaps discover who she truly wants to be.

For now though, I presume they will continue to flail past each other in their hapless, adorable way. Without further ado, let’s dive into another episode of Adachi and Shimamura!

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Space Battleship Yamato 2199 – Episode 5

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Hello brave sailors, and welcome aboard. We return at a moment of crisis, as the Yamato approaches the outer reaches of the solar system, inviting the wrath of the waiting Gamilans. Last episode, our heroes found a sober monument among the frozen moons of Saturn: a broken-down vessel, and the final resting place of Kodai’s brother. With great bravery and the timely support of Akira Yamamoto, Kodai and Mori survived this ordeal, and returned to a Yamato now fully stocked with Cosmonite 90 (you know, that stuff they needed to harvest out of a moon mine). With clear hearts and shining eyes, our intrepid explorers now turn their gazes outward, towards the far reaches of known space, and beyond. Friends and crewmates, let’s buckle in for another episode of Space Battleship Yamato!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 42

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Hello everyone, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. You all ready for some Sun and Moon? It’s been a few weeks on my end since I last indulged in a pokemon episode, and life’s troubles have been dutifully piling up on my back in the meantime, so I think it’s past time I let down my burden, and just let Sun and Moon be good for a while. The show’s last episode was a delightful tribute to Speed Racer, and also a celebration of the humble Charjabug, as Sophocles received his requisite level-up episode to match Lana, Kaki, and Mallow’s recent adventures. Given how these cycles go there’s a fair chance we’ve got a Lillie episode approaching, but Sun and Moon is full of surprises, and they’re pretty much all pleasant ones. Let’s not waste another moment then, and dive right back into Sun and Moon!

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86 – Episode 1

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Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll once again be watching an actual ongoing show, as my generous supporters (that’s you guys!) are keen on facilitating some more timely criticism. This time we’ll be checking out 86, a show that I’ve heard has some pretty solid production chops, but whose light novel origins stopped my interest cold. I’ll admit it, I’ve basically called a personal moratorium on watching light novel adaptations; I generally find their writing sophomoric and frustrating, and since I no longer have to watch every premiere or review seasonal anime, I no longer have to deliberately watch things that I know will frustrate me. That said, the volume of praise this adaptation has been receiving did pique my interest, so it feels worth checking in on how exemplary this production is; I have my own media preferences, but am always open to being wrong about something (I mean, it’s in the site title). Let’s see what everyone’s been talking about, and stroll through the first episode of 86!

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Big Windup! – Episode 2

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Today I’m eager to get back to a property that’s lain dormant for far too long, the intriguing baseball drama Big Windup! Though my initial excitement for this property was centered on Tsutomu Mizushima’s presence as the director, Big Windup!’s first episode proved the core material being adapted is already brimming with punchy, narrative-friendly ideas. Rather than focusing on a team of idealists all trying to Do Their Best, Big Windup! has so far been driven by the whims of Abe, a psychological mastermind determined to manipulate his team into greatness. Abe’s perspective offers a unique tactical twist on the sports drama standard, and the show’s already promising some intriguing tension between his and captain Momoe’s perspectives. Beyond that, it’s too early to tell where this series may lead, so let’s get right to business then. Onward to Big Windup!

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Dorohedoro – Episode 11

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Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Are you ready to storm En’s goddamn mansion!? After a season’s worth of Caiman and Nikaido hunting Risu, while En and his enforcers hunted them, Nikaido has at last been captured, and even forced to sign a partnership contract with En. It’s hard to imagine we’ll be veering back into baseball episodes and zombie festivals anytime soon; Nikaido’s capture has made for a major paradigm shift, and until this situation is resolved, all eyes are on En’s compound.

It’s hard for me to imagine how Dorohedoro might return back to its “neutral state” after this arc, but this show has demonstrated an unusual capacity to normalize seemingly impossible narrative shifts. I thought Caiman having his head chopped off would probably shift things up; his head had regrown by the next morning. I thought going into the world of the sorcerers might finally push Caiman and Nikaido’s journey forward; that ended in failure and a hard reset, too. This situation is certainly different, in that we’re now resolving one of the conflicts that has driven Dorohedoro from its beginning, but I could easily believe that after all of this, both En and Caiman’s associates end up happily sharing a meal together. Of course, that would resolve one of the major sources of tension that’s been driving Dorohedoro from the start, so the question then becomes – what replaces that conflict?

To answer that, I think we need to know why En has been so desperate to get his hands on time magic. That’s the puzzle piece I’m hoping for from this episode, but Dorohedoro clearly delights in subverting expectations, so I’m happy to play it by ear. Let’s uncover some new secrets in the world of Dorohedoro!

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ODDTAXI – Episode 1

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re checking out another currently airing show, as I’ve been hearing all manner of wild things about Odd Taxi. Sources have reported that Odd Taxi’s dialogue and structure put it squarely in “how the hell was this ever greenlit” territory, and I’m always down for an anime that’s artistically ambitious and relentlessly unmarketable. Even the show’s staff is profoundly strange: Odd Taxi’s director Baku Kinoshita has no other anime credits, yet has handled every single storyboard for the show so far, along with its character designs. My only expectations so far are “refreshingly human conversations between genuinely adult characters,” so with that frustratingly rare treasure in mind, let’s dive right into the show. What’s your deal, Odd Taxi?

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Horimiya – Episode 3

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’d like to dig back into Horimiya, which has so far proven to be a compelling but lopsided production, with some clear strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, the show’s character writing has proven quite good so far, with its main cast offering nuanced, multifaceted personalities that incorporate not just goals and attitudes, but also a variety of personal quirks, interests, and anxieties. Combined with the show’s refreshingly grounded dialogue and general avoidance of melodrama, the overall package feels remarkably true to life, an earnest and unpretentious exploration of adolescent feelings.

On the negative side, the adaptation so far has felt awkwardly disjointed, with clear break points delineating each episode’s mini-conflicts, rather than any sense of congruity or ongoing, escalating drama. Because of this, it’s hard to really sink into the fiction of their daily life; it frequently feels like they’re performing a set of skits, rather than simply living through day-to-day interactions. Additionally, while Masashi Ishihama is doing a fine enough job directing, it’s becoming clear that Horimiya will offer far fewer opportunities for his expressive compositional flourishes than something like From the New World. Ishihama might simply be better suited to works he can storyboard from the ground up, rather than adapting manga panels; either way, this adaptation’s conservative approach is limiting it in a few ways, so I’m hoping the staff embrace a little more flexibility going forward. With all that in mind, let’s poke through the third episode of Horimiya!

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