Why It Works: The Beauty and Excitement of Exploring New Art

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I’ve got a big Why It Works piece this week, all about the benefits of expanding your artistic horizons. I feel like people often see this process as something like homework, so I tried to focus on both the satisfaction and the immediate benefits of branching out, rather than framing it as any kind of obligation. Bringing great but lesser-known works into the light is one of a critic’s highest callings, so I hope I did right by my duties this time, and also that you all enjoy the piece!

The Beauty and Excitement of Exploring New Art

Symphogear XV – Episode 2

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Hello all, and welcome the fuck back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re continuing to barrel through Symphogear, as you can’t really stop a season of this show once you’ve started it. I knew this to be true, and thus scheduled myself some space between the fourth and fifth seasons, but the time for recuperation is clearly over – now is the time of Burning Hearts, Fighting Spirits, and Blowing Up The Goddamn Moon.

So far, Symphogear’s fifth season has proceeded in a much similar way to its predecessors: there’s some supernatural menace, the wielders kick its butt, and then we learn that menace was just an appetizer for the true threat. This time, that threat will presumably be the “custodians” that Adam warned about, though it also seems we’ve still got a crew of alchemists running around, who will presumably first clash with and ultimately be befriended by the indomitable Hibiki. One funny consequence of this being Symphogear’s final season is that the show no longer has to worry about cast bloat – there’s no need to find roles for any new cast members in future seasons, so Hibiki is free to befriend as many foes as she wants. That’s sure to come, but for now, I’m mostly just hyped to see another beautifully choreographed and ludicrously well-animated transformation sequence. Let’s not waste a moment longer, and get right into the Symphogear!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 43

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Hello all, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am thrilled to dive into a Sun and Moon episode that I’ve been assured is a scorcher, featuring an actual gym battle with Ash’s old companion Misty. Sun and Moon has been relatively light on gym battles as a whole, which has suited its slice of life style nicely – but when they do appear, the production holds nothing back, and dazzles with action animation that any show would be proud to call its own.

As for this episode in particular, the credits couldn’t possibly be more stacked. The animation director is Satoshi Nakano, one of Sun and Moon’s actual character designers, and the series’ chief animation director, who along with this episode only handled key animations on the OPs, as well as Sun and Moon’s final episode. Normally, Nakano is reserved for animation direction on actual Pokemon movies – something he shares in common with this episode’s overall director, Masakatsu Ijima. This is one of only three episodes where Ijima handled not just the storyboard, but directorial duties as well, so we can be certain this episode will possess a holism of art design and fluidity of animation that’s the rival of anything in the series. We’re in for riches I can’t even begin to imagine, so let’s not waste a moment more, and get back to Sun and Moon!

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Big Windup! – Episode 3

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to the site. Today I’m eager to return to Big Windup!, whose last episode ended with Abe at last agreeing to try Momoe’s practice methods. Is Abe actually capable of the humility necessary for genuine teamwork, or will this just reaffirm his belief that all his teammates are idiots?

Abe and Momoe have made for an interesting contrast over Windup!’s first two episodes. Rather than attempting to genuinely connect with his teammates as human beings, and cultivate their skills into well-rounded baseball players, Abe has essentially been trying to fool his players into winning in spite of themselves. He’s not bothered by the fact that Mihashi is skittish and unbalanced; those qualities make him easier to manipulate, so Abe considers them a plus. In contrast, Momoe wants her team to be well-rounded, confident, and resilient, with each player carrying their own weight, and knowing they can trust their teammates to support them. The two butted heads over Windup!’s first two episodes, but it’s already become clear that Mihashi is dedicated to genuinely improving, and that Abe is losing his grip on his pitcher. With Momoe having assigned Abe the task of actually speaking honestly with Mihashi, let’s see how our battery fare in episode three!

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Spring 2021 – Week 9 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Having largely munched through the Ghibli catalog at this point, this week my house wandered through a different animation legacy, as we checked out the first and last feature films of a certain Don Bluth. Many of Bluth’s films have a profound nostalgic pull for me; his weird, frequently dark films resonated with me more strongly than Disney’s offerings, and thus I still have fond memories of The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and even A Troll in Central Park. This week I at last checked out his masterful Secret of NIMH, along with the unfortunate Titan A.E., as well as a host of other films and shows. We’ve got plenty to get through, so let’s dive right into the Week in Review!

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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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Spring 2021 – Week 8 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to the show. I’ve got a bit of an oddball collection for you today, driven by my housemate’s tendency to essentially throw darts at the dartboard of our various streaming services. As a result, I watched a couple films that were not on and would likely never approach my radar, along with the requisite pile of One Piece, and at least one genuine classic. I’ve also been watching some actual airing anime, and have so far been thoroughly impressed by ODDTAXI – I just recently wrote up the first episode, and will have another piece coming soon. I’ll be trying to fit in Dynazenon as well over the next few weeks, but for now, let’s run down the week in films and One Piece!

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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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