Category Archives: Episode Writeup

The Girl in Twilight – Episode 10

Posted on by

Well team, I don’t think we’re doing so great. The group’s journey to Seriousuka’s home dimension played out in the worst possible way; not only did they fail to prevent the King of Twilight’s attack, but it was actually Yu herself who let their enemy in, leading to the wholesale destruction of Seriousuka’s sanctuary. Now Asuka and her friends have to carry the weight of failing an entire dimension on their backs, have lost their most competent ally, and are still no closer to preventing the corruption of the multiverse. I have a feeling the time for dress-up tea shop digressions is entirely behind us.

Things may be going terribly for our heroines, but in narrative terms, all these disasters sound like great news to me. So far, Asuka has spent this entire series running from responsibility. Her personal character journey of taking adulthood seriously has been mirrored by the larger scifi narrative, as each of her friends in turn come to some key realization about their goals and identity. In the face of all this growth, Asuka has steadfastly held on to her childlike identity – but now that this girl who was like a sister to her has suffered because of her team, can she really continue to take things so lightly? You know I like putting characters through the crucible, so I’m ready for an identity crisis of some kind as we storm towards the finale. Let’s get to it!

Continue reading →

Hugtto! Precure – Episode 22

Posted on by

Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m happy to announce we’re returning to Hugtto! Precure, though frankly, I’m a little intimidated by the kind of episode we’ve presumably got coming. Apparently the franchise is celebrating its ten year anniversary, which in practical terms means the original Pretty Cure have just popped out of the sky, ready to celebrate their formidable legacy. Unfortunately, I haven’t actually watched any of that legacy, so I’d ask you all to please bear with me, as I’ll likely be out of my depth for any major callbacks to earlier seasons. That said, given this franchise’s general focus on accessibility, I’m sure there’ll be plenty to enjoy even for the more recent Cureheads in the audience. Let’s check in with the Precures of Old, and learn what wisdom we can glean from their vast Precure knowledge!

Continue reading →

The Big O – Episode 13

Posted on by

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m pretty much bubbling over with excitement, as we’re about to explore the original “final” episode of The Big O. Though the production was slated for twenty-six episodes from the start, poor viewership numbers in Japan forced them to cut back to a lean thirteen. It was only a couple years later, after a successful Toonami run resulted in Cartoon Network co-funding the followup, that The Big O’s second half was produced; because of this, I assume this original thirteenth episode is going to attempt to serve as a “conclusion” to a story it cannot possibly conclude.

Roger has barely learned a thing about Paradigm’s history, and the last episode only just introduced the idea that Megadeus have some intrinsic connection with the city, and a will of their own. Fortunately, considering this is a noir-soaked property that delights in ambiguity, I imagine there won’t be any clumsy rush to tie up loose ends; I’m mostly just eager to see how such a talented team handled this unfortunate reality of the industry, and what Chiaki Konaka chooses to leave us with. Let’s return once more to Paradigm!

Continue reading →

Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 41

Posted on by

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I’ve spent the first half of today proofreading and messaging and formatting and emailing, and goddamnit, I’ve earned some Sun and Moon. As much as I love my work, the busywork inherent in being a full-time freelancer can get pretty stifling; fortunately, the upside of this is that my actual “core labor” mostly involves laughing and clapping at Pikachu. I’m eager to get back to that critical business, and hope you’ll join me for whatever delights Sun and Moon shares with us next. With most of Ash’s other companions having experienced some sort of trainer powerup over the last set of episodes, my idle prediction is that it’s Sophocles’ turn – but Sun and Moon is never in any narrative rush, so I could just as easily see us simply enjoying a day at the beach. Either way, the sun is out and the pokemon have been fed, so let’s go sample the sights of Alola!

Continue reading →

Symphogear XV – Episode 1

Posted on by

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Are you all ready for some goddamn SYMPHOGEAR!? I took a little break after season four to catch my breath, but my tanks are more or less refilled at this point, and I’m ready to Blast Off Into The Starry Tomorrow of Forever’s Yesterday, or whatever other preposterous seasonal subtitle comes next.

Given that Symphogear’s fourth and fifth seasons were greenlit at the same time, it’s no surprise that season four ended us on a serious cliffhanger. As Adam was atomized by Hibiki’s fists, he warned that the “custodians will soon be descending,” implying some higher power that he, Fine, and others have actually been battling against. But the worldbuilding justification of More Punching was probably the least important thing about that finale – more relevant to the show’s own goals is that it’s already established an antagonist before the season starts, thus leaving more time in-season for roaring and punching. Let’s see how this delightful show tops itself next, as we soar into the final season of Symphogear!

Continue reading →

Horimiya – Episode 2

Posted on by

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to one of the year’s most compelling productions so far, as we check out the second episode of Horimiya. Horimiya’s first episode impressed me on a few fronts, with the most expected of them clearly being Masashi Ishihama’s excellent direction. Ishihama has tuned down his frequently aggressive style a bit for this laid-back production, lightly employing the post-processing and collage-like elements he tends to favor, but his excellence is clear in Horimiya’s abstract visual flourishes, as well as its terrific OP. Meanwhile, the actual story is demonstrating a welcome nuance of characterization, neatly sidestepping cliche dramatic beats through its characters’ willingness to actually, honestly communicate. There’s a lot to enjoy so far, and I’m eager to see where this story goes. Let’s dive in!

Continue reading →

Bodacious Space Pirates – Episode 11

Posted on by

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the bridge. Everyone strapped in and securely fastened? I’d certainly hope so, considering we’ve been traveling through a perilous nebula for several episodes now, and just came under fire from a squadron of Serenity attack ships. That’s right, we’re returning to Bodacious Space Pirates, as Marika and her crew seek the Golden Ghost Ship of Serenity, at the command of their runaway princess!

Last episode was ultimately all about that runaway princess, as Gruier was forced to truly contend with the reality of this situation. Up until now, her adventure has likely felt more like an exciting field trip than a political ploy; she’s far from home, sure, but still vaguely certain that everything will work out okay. Confronted by hostile Serenity ships, Gruier was forced to confront the truth: she is now a princess in exile, and the ships and symbols which once promised security have all turned against her. Marika did her best to ease Gruier through this realization, but it is a difficult thing to learn that your home is gone. With no choice but to surge onward through the storm, let’s return to the bridge of the Bentenmaru!

Continue reading →

Backflip!! – Episode 1

Posted on by

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’ve got an unusually timely article for you all, as I’ll be exploring a show that’s airing this very season: Bakuten!! (or Backflip!!), an anime-original production centered on a group of gymnasts. All anime-original productions tend to deserve at least a glance, for a variety of reasons. First off, productions that are designed from the ground up for animation unsurprisingly tend to lend themselves to animation quite well – issues of translating still manga panels or heavy exposition are irrelevant, as the narrative is designed for movement from the beginning. Additionally, in this current era of media mix productions, an original anime with less tie-in potential generally implies confidence, or even prestige; the production’s funders have faith that the work will sell itself, rather than selling the source material, and this faith is generally predicated on trusted key staff with a clear artistic vision. Lastly, anime-original works are generally written by professionally vetted writers, rather than folks riding the novice-to-published manga/light novel pipelines. This generally means the writing, characteristically anime’s weakest element, is at least of professional quality.

When you wrap all this together, it’s easy to see why anime-originals at least have the potential to shine, however their fortunes may turn. And for Backflip!!, we also have some impressively animated PVs to sort through, attesting to at least the first couple episodes’ visual splendor. My main concern going in is how well this show will be able to maintain animation quality in depicting such a visually demanding sport, but I suppose that’s a problem for the show itself to answer. Let’s check out the first episode of Backflip!!

Continue reading →

Adachi and Shimamura – Episode 4

Posted on by

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You all ready to enjoy some Adachi and Shimamura? Well, “enjoy” might not be the appropriate word for this show. After all, the bulk of its running time is frequently comprised of Adachi and Shimamura coexisting in uncomfortable silence, while Shimamura reflects on how this relationship might be reshaping her self-image, and Adachi screams GIRL HOT GIRL HOT internally at the highest possible volume.

They make for an interesting pairing; Adachi’s understanding of her emotions is so limited that she’s basically running on feral instincts, while Shimamura is deeply self-reflective, but not so mature that she can actually reach healthy, productive conclusions from her personal reflections. Ultimately, each of them are fascinated by the other, but possibly more afraid of getting hurt than they are enticed by the idea of being loved. It’s precisely the kind of messy, honest emotional disconnect I love to dig into, and it’s been too long regardless since we last checked in with these anxious kids. Let’s dive back into Adachi and Shimamura!

Continue reading →

Dorohedoro – Episode 10

Posted on by

Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into Dorohedoro, even though at this point, I’m well aware that any predictions about our trajectory are destined to be mocked, subverted, and turned into a meat pie. Dorohedoro winds where it wills, and it’s actually part of the story’s strength that it so resolutely avoids any pat, convenient narrative arcs. Just as the world of Hole is a sprawling and unknowable place, where strange rituals and unfamiliar faces lurk around every corner, so is Dorohedoro’s narrative a twisting, undefinable construction. How else could slice of life and horror coexist so casually, without either undercutting the other? Perhaps today you find the villain you’ve long been seeking, or perhaps you simply make a new friend, and enjoy some muffins together. Or perhaps this is the day you die.

Within this labyrinthian sprawl of treasure hunts and mysteries, a few truths are starting to emerge. The person in Caiman’s mouth is Risu, and the sorcerer he seeks most likely Ebisu – though how those two are connected, we’re not quite sure. On the other side, the time-manipulating sorcerer that En seeks is undoubtedly Nikaido, and he’s already making his move. Whether we follow up on any of that, join Fujita and Ebisu for a trip to the park, or check in on Caiman’s part-time labor, I’m sure Dorohedoro will somehow make it a thrilling experience. Let’s get to it!

Continue reading →