Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Though it is technically the end of the spring anime season, the summer heat is currently reducing my cat to a sad puddle, and I am not faring much better myself. I have been attempting to beat the heat by preoccupying myself with essential anime viewing, and have so far made it just over halfway through Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. The show has been an interesting watch so far, more educational than fully entertaining, but certainly a worthy sort of education. Watching Nadia, it is easy to see elements that Gainax would reiterate in Neon Genesis Evangelion, but also hard to believe how they jumped from this show’s proudly rudimentary characterization to the thoughtful interrogations of its successor. I’ll have more thoughts on that when I finish, but for now, let’s burn through a fresh selection of films!
Phoenix – Volume 1
I’ll admit I know embarrassingly little about Tezuka’s life and work, beyond the obvious impact he had as both one of the pioneers of manga and the originator of TV animation. There was short-form anime before Tezuka, but it was the cutthroat bargain he struck in terms of “limited animation” that allowed anime to be in any way financially viable as a weekly television medium. And to be honest, his bargain was itself a pretty loose interpretation of “financially viable,” a labor-heavy yet nonetheless bare-bones adaptive method that still has repercussions in how animators are criminally underpaid today.
Blue Reflection Ray – Episode 3
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d check back in on the drama of Blue Reflection Ray, on the precipice of our first formal magical girl battle. With Miyako’s life hanging in the balance, blue and red Reflectors are squaring off in a kaleidoscopic nightmare realm, intent on either saving Miyako from her self-hatred or conditioning her into a pure avatar of suffering. Can Hiori handle these foes, and will Ruka rise to the challenge and join her!?
Well, probably, though I imagine we’ll be in for some bitter struggles on the road. Personally, I’m intrigued both to see how this show handles a full-on battle, and also just eager to get back to the banter between our leads, particularly if Miyako’s about to join them. Her bitter snark seems like the perfect counterpoint to Ruka’s timidity and Hiori’s false cheer, and I’d love for her to encourage Hiori to really feel mad about her unhappy family life. The show appears to be establishing a binary of positive and negative emotional powers that seems ripe for immediate deconstruction, and with our leads’ circumstances largely established, I’m eager to see more of the show’s actual hand. Let’s get to it!
Trigun Stampede – Episode 2
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d return to the action-packed Trigun Stampede, for the simple reason that I greatly enjoyed the first episode and am hungry for another one. The always-reliable Studio Orange are outdoing themselves in terms of this production’s energetic storyboarding and expressive faces, and the underlying material has so far offered a confident blend of scifi trappings and western drama. I may have missed the original Trigun during its heyday, but I’m happy to be getting a second swing at this beloved universe.
So far, we’ve received an intriguing mix of narrative variables, with the ambiguous idol of scientific progress appearing central to the story’s thematic ambitions. Scraping by in the ruins of a futuristic empire, the humans of Noman’s Land find what relief they can in the fragments of the old world, with Vash and Knives descending like angels offering either salvation or damnation. I’m intrigued to see how far this “mythology of science” thread stretches, and also on a more basic level eager for more goofy Meryl faces. Let’s see what new hazards await us in Trigun Stampede!
Spring 2024 – Week 11 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week I’m riding high on the back of another successful DnD session, as I lead my players through a post-campaign island adventure with a clear Indiana Jones coat of paint. It’s becoming a tricky thing to provide meaningful challenges for my party of heroes; DnD is reasonably well-balanced from around level four to level twelve (the point where Baldur’s Gate 3 wisely caps you), but after that you reach the point where rogues simply can’t be discovered, warriors can barely be harmed, and magic users can either fly or teleport past any physical hurdle.
As a result, old standbys like pit traps and pressure plates start to become more endearing than genuinely threatening, forcing me to come up with inventive new ways to either kill the party or trick them into killing themselves. Basically all of my experiments in this regard were successful, so I’m feeling more confident than ever that I can maintain a stream of worthy challenges for my near-demigod-level players. And of course, there was also plenty of time dedicated to screening whatever film features caught my fancy. Let’s check ‘em out!
Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 22
A full moon draws us back to earth after an episode of painful revelation. After spending so much of this series guessing at the intent behind Gendo and his compatriots’ actions, the reveal of NERV’s origins proved more harrowing than we could have imagined. Not because the goals of this group are so ominous or esoteric; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. By drawing back the veil cloaking Seele, Gehirn, and NERV, Evangelion has revealed that its architects are driven by motives just as petty and human as the rest of us.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You – Episode 5
Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d return to the trials of Rentaro and his soon-to-be hundred girlfriends, and see how the happiest harem in history is coming along. Having won over the diminutive Shizuka, tsundere Karane, and charmingly oversexed Hakari, Rentaro has clearly proven himself a lover beyond compare – so is it time now to adopt a fourth member of the flock, or are we off on some other bizarre adventure?
Regardless, our last episode served as a fine demonstration of one of the most important ways 100 Girlfriends distinguishes itself from other harems. First, as I’ve discussed previously, it’s crucial that Rentaro himself is profoundly likable – that he’s as much of a catch as any of his lovers, and thus actually, convincingly deserving of their love. But secondly, it’s also crucial that Rentaro’s girlfriends are also each other’s girlfriends, that they appreciate and care about each other as much as they love their darling boy.
If these girls were only bonded via their mutual love of Rentaro, he’d still have all the power here – and frankly, such a situation would profoundly limit the effectiveness of future drama, as many “everyone knows the hero, but barely know each other” stories have proven. For 100 Girlfriends to remain a charming ensemble drama, the girlfriends must be a part of each other’s lives as much as they are a part of Rentaro’s, and last episode’s getting-to-know-you shenanigans more than demonstrated Rikito Nakamura’s dedication to fostering such bonds. With Nakamura’s sage understanding of harem dynamics proven once more, let’s see what awaits for Rentaro and his merry maidens!
One Piece – Episode 1089
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today’s project is a bit unusual, as we are neither touching down on a new production nor continuing one of our existing journeys – instead, we’re plunking down right at episode 1089 of the long-running One Piece. As any followers of my twitter account likely know, I’ve spent the last few years diving ever-deeper into One Piece, and ultimately coming to appraise it alongside Hunter x Hunter as a superior and frankly incredible shonen production. The story’s scope, skill of execution, and constant creative embellishments make it a source of continuous wonder; it embodies the essence of cartooning while also succeeding as a grand fantasy epic, and I would recommend anyone who’s curious about it to at least check out the manga.
As for our current assignment, episode 1089 marks the transition from the long-lasting, feudal Japan-themed Wano arc to the current Egghead arc, which the anime production accompanied with a wholesale reimagining of the One Piece aesthetic. Gone are the formidable line weights and bright colors of Wano, replaced by delicate lines and pastels that harken back to One Piece’s original look. It’s a transition with a clear thematic intent: after the high dramatic peaks of Wano, Egghead is partially intended as a nostalgic return to form, a reminder of the freewheeling “what will the next island hold” spirit that once characterized this production. From their arrival at the second half of the Grand Line through Wano, Luffy and his companions’ course was largely directed by their alliance with fellow pirate Trafalgar Law – but now that the goals of that alliance have been achieved, the Straw Hats are again free to sail wherever the winds might take them. Let’s get to it!
Spring 2024 – Week 10 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. This week my housemate at last finished his rampage through Critical Role’s second campaign, featuring The Mighty Nein as reluctant would-be saviors of the realm. The campaign left me with increasingly mixed feelings throughout; while the actual cast of player characters was engaging, it felt like most of their arcs were left unresolved, and the party was so conflict-averse that they largely avoided the big dramatic setpieces their DM had planned. By the end, the campaign felt almost like a cautionary tale regarding the necessity of DM supervision, and I’m curious to see if the announced animated adaptation significantly improves the story, by actually including the conflicts (continent at war, emergence of elder gods) that the players chose to ignore. Regardless, having that campaign behind us has left plenty of time for film screenings, so let’s dive into the Week in Review!
Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 21
After twenty episodes of increasingly claustrophobic drama, with our perspective perpetually honing closer into the psychological disarray of Shinji and his companions, Evangelion’s twenty-first episode offers an unexpected broadening of the camera’s frame. No longer must we guess and wonder at the motivations inspiring Gendo, Fuyutsuki, or Ritsuko Akagi; episode twenty-one brings us right back to the beginning, charting a course from the Second Impact through the formation of NERV and the first Eva tests. At last, the grand mysteries of Evangelion will finally be revealed!