Space Battleship Yamato 2199 – Episode 6

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The schemes of Commander Schultz have borne wicked fruit, sending the Yamato careening into the seas of Pluto. Humanity’s last hope now rests beneath a frozen tundra, while elsewhere, the fighter squadron surges forth on a mission now doomed to failure. Will this be the end of the Yamato’s grand voyage, and will the earth be resigned to its awful fate? Is this our punishment for choosing vengeance over salvation!?

That would certainly make for an unexpected conclusion, but for now, I have my doubts about the Yamato’s alleged destruction. Playing dead under Pluto’s surface should provide a perfect opportunity for repairs and new strategies, while the fighter squadron is presumably far too nimble for Schultz’s mirror tricks to work. However the battle develops, I expect Yamato to maintain its confidence of execution and mythic tone as we spar with Gamila’s advanced guard. Let’s return to the (currently submerged) deck of the Yamato!

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Spring 2021 – Week 12 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Our house was back on the movie train this week, as we screened an unimpeachable classic, a dubious new release, and a vague point in between. I’ve also been watching just as much One Piece as ever, which in New World terms means I’ve broken the halfway point of Dressrosa. With a good fifty or so episodes left to go as our heroes race towards the villain, I’m guessing the other shoe is about to drop; for now, I’m happy just to marvel at Oda’s ever-evolving ability to weave multiple narratives, and dedication to ensuring all the Straw Hat crewmates feel genuinely valuable. Without further ado, let’s storm through the Week in Review!

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Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Detonation

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am both eager and a little intimidated to return to the Nanoha franchise, as we at last check out the followup to the action-packed Nanoha Reflection. Reflection picked up right where A’s left off, introducing us to a fresh set of villains who still embody the franchise’s perennial thematic concerns. As with Fate and Hayate’s family, Kyrie is fundamentally driven by a desire to protect her family, and thus rallies against the arbitrary cruelty of fate. And just like in the first two seasons, Nanoha is forced to stand against that sympathetic instinct, and caution that joy brought about through the suffering of others is a hollow victory.

The films essentially serve as a condensed third season, lacking somewhat in the intimate character work that elevated its predecessors’ drama, but making up for it with bountiful action animation for all our favorite characters. As Symphogear’s direct predecessor, Nanoha well understands the value of dramatic excess, and I’m looking forward to some spectacular fireworks in this story’s second half. Let’s get to the action!

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Adachi and Shimamura – Episode 6

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to Adachi and Shimamura, where the tension is heating up as we approach their Christmas day utterly platonic friend-cherishing celebration. Though Adachi wanted to ask Shimamura on a genuine date, a combination of her own fear and Shimamura’s clear hesitance prompted her to append some qualifiers to the invitation, and assure Shimamura that this is purely about not wanting to be alone. And for her part, Shimamura was happy to embrace that deception, rather than risk fracturing their fragile bond.

Both of their fears are completely understandable, but it is also clear that their current dynamic cannot last. In spite of her anxieties, Adachi is steadily moving towards admitting her romantic desire for Shimamura. In contrast, Shimamura isn’t even sure if she wants a romantic relationship, or what Adachi truly means to her. This mismatch of desires is making it harder and harder for each of them to feel satisfied with their relationship, and is furthermore creating an unequal power dynamic, where Adachi must subvert her own desires in order to keep Shimamura from abandoning her. Though it’s been framed as a platonic outing, I have to imagine this Christmas meetup will only exacerbate the tension of their unequal desires, offering us plenty of that painful friction that makes character dramas so satisfying. It’s time for some emotional fireworks, so let’s get to it!

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Hugtto! Precure – Episode 23

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Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Y’all ready for some Precure? Considering last episode featured the original Precure tumbling out of a wormhole because Baby Said So, it would seem presumptuous to offer any kind of confident predictions about what happens next. That said, it does seem like we’ve reached a turning point in the narrative. Our full Precure team has at last been assembled, and with Emiru having resolved her immediate anxieties, it’s looking like they’re ready to turn towards the future. At the same time, Popple’s defeat clears out the initial wave of Criasu Corp antagonists, and opens the door for her mysterious benefactor’s actual debut. Given all that narrative board-clearing, I’m actually expecting this episode to be a light one, and serve as a sort of palette cleanser before we get into the next major arc. The crew has assembled and there’s evil afoot, so let’s dive right back into Hugtto!

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Spring 2021 – Week 11 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I’ve got a very old-fashioned Week in Review for you today, as this week, I basically watched nothing but anime. Not airing anime, of course – that’d be too simple, and too likely to actually promote my brand among the recency-addicted anime fandom. Instead, I flew through one of the highlights of last season, SK8 the Infinity, along with a classic anime film and the requisite double-helping of One Piece. This is turning out to be an exceptional year in anime so far; I’ve been thoroughly impressed by Wonder Egg, ODDTAXI, and SK8, and I still need to follow up on shows like To Your Eternity and Megalobox: Nomad. I’ll get to those soon enough, but for now, let’s barrel through some fresh cartoon highlights in the Week in Review!

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Dorohedoro – Episode 12

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Oh god, how can this season already be over? I feel like I’ve just gotten settled into the world of Caiman, En, and their various compatriots, and now the party’s about to end!? C’mon, at least let me stick around for one more feast, or festival, or something! Obviously this is the fate of all adaptations of continuing manga, but Dorohedoro has established its local schedule as so packed with festivities that I already feel like I’m missing out. Damn you Dorohedoro, how dare you be so entertaining.

Anyway, yes, we’ve arrived. It’s clear we’re still in the early phases of Dorohedoro’s overall narrative; En’s motivation has only just been revealed, and Caiman’s quest isn’t even close to a resolution. But this does at least feel like a reasonable resting point, as the tension of Nikaido’s sorceress nature has also served as one of Dorohedoro’s slow-burning narrative fuses, and it seems like it’s about to blow. Nikaido cares about Caiman, and at this moment, I could see that concern leading her to wound him deeply, in order to ensure he doesn’t return to the world of the sorcerers. But  whatever happens, the one thing I’m certain of is that after this, I’m picking up the goddamn manga. Without further ado, let’s finish off the endearing, intriguing, and vividly realized Dorohedoro!

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Bodacious Space Pirates – Episode 12

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You folks ready to explore a ghost ship? Having outwitted Serenity’s forces and survived a goddamn rip in space itself, the Bentenmaru and her crew have at last arrived on the golden ghost ship, and are preparing to disembark. As we recently learned, the ghost ship is in fact a generation ship, housing countless bodies that may yet be held in cold sleep, just waiting to be revived. Of course, that reveal only prompts a handful of further questions, like why exactly all these residents of Serenity agreed to this voyage, or why the true nature of this ship has been so successfully obscured. Even Gruier has yet to reveal her motives here, though it’s not hard to imagine how the sudden reappearance of millions of Serenity citizens might impact the nation’s succession conflict. With the answers presumably lurking within the bowels of this mighty ship, let’s not waste any more time, and step onboard the golden ghost ship of Serenity!

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ODDTAXI – Episode 3

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to the site. Today I am both eager and nervous to return to ODDTAXI, a show which has so far proven itself to be exceptional beyond any reasonable expectation, and elevated by some of the best dialogue in recent memory. It’s such a smart, deftly executed show that it’s frankly a little intimidating, but that’s a feeling to be embraced – within art, it is the works that genuinely surprise you which expand your horizons, and broaden your understanding of what art can be.

So far, I’ve been learning that art can be Kemono Friends and Twin Peaks at the same time, and also that the two might not have possessed that much separation in the first place. ODDTAXI’s disarming character designs are doing their best to keep things light, but there is darkness seeping in through every seam of this narrative, be it the conventional malaise of adult disappointment, or the sharp prick of a gun in your back. Odokawa has largely remained on the periphery of this narrative’s central mystery, but with the presumed killer in his backseat and Shirakawa awaiting his return, he may end up involved in spite of himself. Whatever comes, I’m sure it’ll be executed with the same confidence of storytelling, maturity of perspective, and distinctiveness of voice that all make this show special. Let’s return to ODDTAXI!

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Spring 2021 – Week 10 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. It was a productive week over at my house, as we marched through a sequence of acclaimed films, and also powered all the way through One Piece’s first post-time skip arc. The Straw Hats have been attempting to reach Fishman Island for over two hundred goddamn episodes now, having first set sail for it at the end of Enies’ Lobby before being interrupted by Thriller Bark, scattered at Sabaody, and eventually implicated in a little light treason. I can’t imagine what that wait felt like at a weekly episodic pace, but given the island’s ultimate complexity, I could believe Oda’s been slowly drafting its story for that entire span. We’re gonna go deep on that arc at the end of this article, but let’s start off with some lighter attractions, as we explore some high quality cinema. Without further ado, it’s the goddamn Week in Review.

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