As winter approaches my drafty New England apartment, there’s nothing I’d like more than to escape to somewhere warm and sunny, where the beaches are plentiful and the Pokemon always happy to see you. Pokemon Sun and Moon’s anime has been a relaxing and very charming adventure so far, and really does feel like a little slice of anime vacation. The show’s first three episodes have possessed little sense of urgency, and I actually really appreciate that; instead, the show has held closer to something like a slice of life tone, simply reveling in Ash’s process of getting to know the Alolan residents, and going on adventures with his new friends. The show’s narrative trajectory embodies its ethos: enjoying Pokemon is not about winning or losing, but about the fundamental joys of friendship, discovery, and competition. Let’s see what new adventures await in the next episode of Sun and Moon!
Category Archives: Episode Writeup
Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 13
Folks, it is wonderful to see you all again. After an end of December dominated by family activities and an early January consumed by the preview guide, I can at last return to my regularly-scheduled reader projects. And you know what that means: it’s time for more goddamn Chihayafuru.
When we last left off, Chihayafuru’s two most senior competitors had each pulled off victories of inches, just barely defeating their much younger opponents. But along with speed and reaction time, youth also blesses us with tremendous stamina – and as Harada and Haruka’s own stamina is used up, their chances of securing a second win become that much slimmer. Harada’s response to this reality is to immediately forfeit the second round, thus giving himself a chance to recover his strength for the deciding match. That leaves Haruka to face Megumin alone, as her anxieties about aging, guilt regarding her children, and complicated relationship with her own professional legacy all collide.
Haruka has become this season’s breakout star, with her and Harada’s feelings expanding Chihayafuru’s emotional scope from the pains of adolescence to the compromises and disappointments of adulthood. Her fear of aging out of karuta is palpable, and though this season has consistently emphasized that change is inevitable, I can’t help but really really hope she wins. Let’s see how she fares against Megumin in the second round!
Rilakkuma and Kaoru – Episode 3
June arrives in Rilakkuma and Kaoru, heralded by a torrent of cool, unending rain. Though most narratives are guided by the course of their protagonists’ journeys, Rilakkuma and Kaoru instead follows a month-by-month schedule, a choice that can feel either comforting or anxiety-inducing, depending on your perspective. Adult lives don’t necessarily follow “protagonist’s journeys,” or really clear narrative arcs in general. After a first act defined by the guiding trajectory and lofty promises of education, we are thrust out into the world, and forced to accept that we are no longer main characters.
Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 12
Alright folks, buckle in for more Chihayafuru! We’re a week behind after I foolishly took a week off for holiday affairs, and the challenger tournament finals won’t wait. Chihayafuru’s last episode set us up for a fairly unusual pair of matches, with the contrast of eastern and western representatives also neatly falling upon generational lines. In the east, two separate generations of older karuta players are fighting to demonstrate they’re still just as talented as any of their younger peers. Dr. Harada must battle not just his opponent Arata, but also his failing knees; meanwhile, Haruka’s attention is unavoidably divided by her obligations to her family, and as Sakurazawa noted, her reaction time and game sense can’t match her talent in her prime.
Over in the western corner, we’ve got a pair of snot-nosed upstart kids who should really accept they’ve got all the time in the world to become champions, and let their long-suffering elders take the crowns this time. Both Arata and Megumu are obviously sympathetic characters in their own right, but neither of them need this the way Harada and Haruka seem to, and both of the older contenders are such sympathetic characters that it’s hard not to root for them. Regardless of how the matches play out, we’ve got a thorough understanding of the strengths of all of today’s contenders, and I’m eager to see how their styles collide. Let’s get back to Chihayafuru!
Simoun – Episode 21
Let’s return once more to the troubled skies of Simoun! The show’s previous episode was one long, somber dirge, as all of Chor Tempest struggled with Mamiina’s death in their own ways. With the actual, senseless consequences of war made so inescapably clear, Tempest seemed on the verge of dissolution. The team’s theoretical rocks, Aaeru and Para, both blamed themselves, while Neviril sank into the familiar grief she’s been struggling with all season, and Floe decided to leave altogether.
What ultimately saved them was not their own ability to rise out of tragedy, but instead the uniting influence of a common enemy. The military’s callous discarding of Mamiina’s remains brought the team together in rage, before Onashia’s gift of Mamiina’s braid reminded them that ultimately, the only support structure they can now rely on is each other. Once protected by their religious status, military importance, and inherent class advantages, the sybilla have discovered that as Simulacrum society disintegrates, none of their old guards can now be trusted. The only people still at their side are their fellow sybilla; the squadmates they once bickered with, but now realize are their only true friends. Let’s see how Neviril’s team hold together through one more episode of Simoun!
Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 11
Pile in folks, it’s time for more Chihayafuru! When last we left off, the Masters qualifiers had just ended on a surprising conclusion: Arata and Harada would be competing for the challenger seat. Taichi fought his hardest, but his run through the qualifiers was ended by one more luck of the draw, and he was forced to shuffle off to Kyoto in total defeat.
Where this leaves the overall Chihayafuru narrative is a bit of an open question. Taichi had seemingly planned on treating the Masters tournament as his karuta swan song, but I can’t really imagine him happily submitting to his mother’s wishes from here out; additionally, his struggles over the course of that tournament also seemed to indicate he might be moving towards a more positive and fulfilling relationship with karuta, and not just seeing it as an avenue to get closer to Chihaya. Meanwhile, Chihaya seems to have possibly realized that Taichi is love with her, while Arata has discovered that acknowledging that fact prompts feelings of jealousy.
And over all of this, Suo’s strange prediction still looms, dictating that Arata will be the Master one day, but not the next Master. Does that mean that Harada actually has a chance here, or will Suo remain unchallenged for another year, and only fall when Taichi takes the crown? Either way, the Harada-Arata match hovers in the distance, and I can’t wait to see Chihaya and Taichi awkwardly stumbling through their new relationship dynamic. Let’s get to it!
Hugtto! Precure – Episode 11
I’ll let you folks in on a secret – at the time of writing this article, Huggto’s eleventh episode wasn’t actually funded yet. Normally I try not to push ahead of the funding on specific projects, even if I’m fairly sure they’ll get there, because I’ve already got more than enough projects to work on – but today, I feel like I just need some Huggto! It’s been a long week, I’ve accomplished more work than I have in over a month, and I think I’ve earned the right to spoil myself with some charming magical girl adventures. We’re checking in with Hana and the gang, and that is final.
When we last left Huggto!, I was actually feeling some uncertainty about our current arc. Hana has always served as a beacon of optimism within the group, essentially embodying the “hope for the future” that this season’s enemies are trying to destroy. Having her lose that hope simply by seeing her friends competently serve as waitresses felt a little abrupt, narrative-wise – though of course, Hana is young and impressionable and far less certain of her identity than an adult would be. At times like this, you need friends who can build you back up, and personally, I’m hoping this situation provides a chance for Emiru to return to the narrative, and maybe even pay back Hana for her support before. Look, I’m a simple and very anxious person, “The Magical Girl With Anxiety” is an easy sell for me. Either way, let’s see what awaits in the next Huggto! Precure!
Texhnolyze – Episode 4
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we return to a series I actually haven’t touched for several years now, at an oddly appropriate moment. With Hiroshi Hamasaki’s adaptation of Blade of the Immortal currently demonstrating the unique range and appeal of his style, today we look back at Texhnolyze, one of the shows that initially solidified his aesthetic and built his reputation.
Many elements of Hamasaki’s style have remained consistent over the years, from his clear fondness for light saturation, to his love of layouts that act more as hyper-focused tonal signifiers than coherent scene-setting. His stories are always drenched in an oppressive white light, and his regular use of uncomfortably extreme closeups and symbolism give his shows a sense of disorientation and alienation, as well as the sense that there’s some greater conspiracy or logic at work. Some works are perfectly suited to this style, while others are not; he was the ideal choice to direct Steins;gate, but a very weird one for a show like Orange. As it turns out, Texhnolyze might be the most resoundingly “Hamasaki-esque” show of all time, and its first three episodes have let him utterly indulge in his love of slow-burning, aesthetically driven theater.
To be honest, Texhnolyze’s visual style has been stronger than its narrative so far. The story being very slowly revealed here seems like a pretty familiar tale of future-tinted gang violence, with the ultimate question of “what do you become when you rebuild your body with mechanical parts” striking me as extremely quaint in 2019. But Texhnolyze is more a mood piece than a thematic treatise, and it is a goddamn effective mood piece. Let’s see what awaits in episode four!
Chihayafuru S3 – Episode 10
Folks, it is undoubtedly time for more Chihayafuru. We return to the ongoing drama in the midst of a tumultuous transition period, as both Taichi and Arata are grappling with their true reasons for playing karuta. The unsustainability of Taichi’s simultaneous deference to his mother’s wishes and dedication to karuta came to a head at the Masters qualifier, where Taichi bet everything on winning the Master’s crown, and lost everything in one more tragic luck of the draw. That loss forced Taichi to at last honestly grapple with the hopelessness of his current situation, but his joy at watching Harada ascend to the finals seems to imply he may find a way out of this emotional swamp yet. Taichi really does like karuta, and he is also extremely good at it – if he can somehow divorce his healthy passion for karuta from his unhealthy infatuation with Chihaya, he might actually be able to convince his mother to let karuta be a part of his life.
Elsewhere, Arata seems to finally be engaging with his own feelings regarding Chihaya, while Chihaya herself seems to be grasping the nature of Taichi’s own feelings. And at the same time, Harada is still locked in desperate battle, about to face Sudo for a chance at fighting the Master himself. We’ve got a whole bunch of urgent, paradigm-threatening balls hanging in the air, and I’m eager to see where they all land. Let’s get back to Chihayafuru!
Girls’ Last Tour – Episode 11
Hey folks, let’s watch some more Girls’ Last Tour. You’ve already funded me through the end of this season and the conclusion of the manga besides, so I think it’s safe to say at least some of you are enjoying this series, and for that I’m glad. Like Yuu and Chi’s own journey, Girls’ Last Tour seems like an experience that’s best shared, and though you’re not all technically here beside me, it still feels nice to ramble about this very pleasant show with the Theoretical You. And though you folks don’t also get to appreciate this, it also feels very Girls’ Last Tour-appropriate to channel something I’d already want to do into theoretically “useful labor,” since this is also my job. Though I’m often too busy to watch anime on my own time, perhaps an even greater hurdle to personal viewing is that nagging voice in my head that demands I Must Be Producing all the time, that if what I’m doing isn’t productive or moving towards a greater end, I’m going the wrong way.
That voice in my head is pretty stress-inducing, but it’s also one of the things that helps me keep pushing forward. But you can’t just have the Chi voice – if you’re perpetually trying to put the world in a clear and coherent order, and act upon that stable order in the most sensible and productive manner possible, you’re going to burn yourself out. The world is chaotic, and though pursuing a greater purpose is admirable, you also need to be able to rest, appreciate the chaos, and enjoy the world that’s already around you. Yuu is extremely good at, as she bluntly put it, “getting along with the hopelessness,” and I think you all help me in a similar way – I know what I’m doing is productive in terms of my job, so I can get my Chi voice to shut up for a bit, and fully appreciate each moment for its own sake. So thank you all for helping me get out of my own head for a bit, and let’s see what’s in store in one more Girls’ Last Tour!