Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 10

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Get ready everybody, it’s time for another episode of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha! Nanoha’s last episode was a thrilling demonstration of all of Nanoha’s strengths, from Nanoha’s own compassion and convictions to the uniquely engaging mechanics of this show’s magical world. Rising from relatively genre-standard early episodes, the show has successfully combined magical girl trappings, shonen action, and scifi worldbuilding to arrive at something unique and influential, an aesthetic that would go on to inspire many other anime properties. It’s also just gotten very good; influential nature of its narrative choices aside, Nanoha is delivering consistently engaging visual spectacles and satisfyingly nuanced emotional moments, all building towards Nanoha finally connecting with the long-suffering Fate.

We’ve also built up a relatively robust thematic stew at this point, though it all sort of hinges on “the importance of human connection.” Nanoha’s compassionate conversations with her family present one ideal of connection, while Fate’s painfully well-observed conversations with Arf demonstrate another very valid kind of family. It is the fact that Nanoha has not just been supported, but genuinely trusted by both her friends and family that has instilled her with such personal strength; it is the view of both Nanoha herself and Nanoha the narrative that she could do nothing more righteous with that strength than share her trust with another. Whether through the family we’re born with or the family we choose, everyone needs that sense of trust and support. Let’s see if Nanoha can finally connect with her beleaguered rival!

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Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 43

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Folks, it is absolutely time for more Ojamajo Doremi. After basically gorging myself on the show for two weeks following a windfall of Doremi funding, I have at this point taken a week and a half off from the production, which I feel is more than enough time to grant me the perspective of distance. And what this perspective of distance tells me is: Doremi kicks ass. The show has been a visually engaging, charming, and emotionally rich production from early on, but the introduction of Onpu actually seems to have taken the show to a whole new level. Recent episodes like the level four exams and the sentai spectacular of last episode stand among the best in the series to date, alternating between beautiful magic world adventures and sensitive personal dramas.

Though Doremi still struggles with each new exam, we’ve at this point moved past our leads generally failing to use their magic effectively. Their magic actually works now, and though magical stage’s solutions are often a little circuitous, the growing competency of Doremi and her friends is enabling more and more ambitious and fanciful stories, as they pull off tricks like summoning an entire friggin’ kaiju. Between that and Onpu’s growing prominence, I’m very excited for whenever our young witches actually clash. But whether we’ve got that, Doremi’s exam retake, or something else entirely coming, I’m pumped for more Doremi. Let’s get right to another episode of this lovely show!

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Bloom Into You – Episode 4

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Hey folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m thrilled to continue our journey through Bloom Into You, a show that’s only been impressing me more each episode. Bloom Into You has already convincingly sculpted both of its leads into flawed, multifaceted, and totally sympathetic characters, each with their own compelling sources of insecurity and reasons for relying on the other. Their relationship is based on a give and take that feels totally understandable – Touko’s support gives Yuu the confidence to accept her own nature and become a more generally expressive person, while Yuu’s trust gives Touko a place where she can admit to all her insecurities, letting down the mask she bears around everyone else. The two of them are stronger together for convincing and well-illustrated reasons, and possess a chemistry that makes them inherently fun to watch together.

Beyond that, there’s plenty else to enjoy here, from the show’s thoughtful reflections on how narratives shape our personal expectations, to its visual elegance and compassionate engagement with sexual identity. And with Touko having won her student council race, it feels like the show may just now be settling into its principle dramatic mode. Let’s see what’s in store for our hapless teens in the next episode!

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Fall 2018 – Week 11 in Review

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We’re nearly at the finish line now, folks! With all of this season’s various contenders handing in their eleventh or twelfth episodes, it was climax time for this week in anime… or at least, it would have been, if two fifths of my viewing schedule weren’t continuing into the winter, and Tsurune basically adhering to its own personal two-weeks-late timetable. Nonetheless, we still had plenty to celebrate all through this week’s episodes, from the subtle pleasures of Run with the Wind and Tsurune to the bombastic insanity of Thunderbolt Fantasy and JoJo. I’ve actually got a whole bunch to talk about, so let’s skip the lengthy preamble and get right to it. It’s time to run down another Week in Review!

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Why It Works: Anime Every JoJo Fan Should Watch

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Today on Why It Works, I’ve got a pile of recommendations for lovers of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures. While I’d recommend any of these shows on their own merits, the first two in particular feel so precisely JoJo that I genuinely feel if you’re watching any of these three, you’d almost certainly be a fan of the others. Whatever your feelings on idols or puppets, Symphogear and Thunderbolt are JoJo As Fuck, and deserve your full attention.

Anime Every JoJo Fan Should Watch

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 9

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Buckle up folks, it’s time for another episode of Nanoha! The show actually seems to be moving towards its endgame at this point, as Nanoha joins up with the space force and Fate recommits to gathering those dang jewel seeds, each of them all the more strongly resolved to succeed. It frankly feels like we’ve only been with these characters for a very brief time, but Nanoha has never been a show that’s busy with overt narrative happenings – it focuses steadily on a variety of small, incidental moments, and tends to only have one major “plot event” per episode. That’s a perfectly reasonable narrative style, and last episode’s phenomenal conversation between Fate and Arf easily demonstrated its value.

Arf’s efforts to save Fate from her mother’s abuse have turned out to be Nanoha’s most poignant and well-observed material so far, offering a stark and well-written counterpoint to Nanoha’s own happy and mutually trusting family. Meanwhile, Nanoha’s recent engagements with the space force have expanded the show’s dramatic scale, and established a universe so primed for adventure that it seems strange we’re almost at the finale. Obviously shows actually get sequels because they turn out to be successes and the investors decide a second season’s worth the effort, but Nanoha’s world in particular feels like a story that’s practically begging for sequels. But before we can get to any of that, we’ve got Fate and Nanoha’s epic clash to witness. Let’s get right to it!

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Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 42

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Get in the car losers, we’re watching Doremi! Doremi’s last episode saw a return to the show’s most classic and venerable form, where Doremi and her friends use their magic to help some classmate solve an important personal issue. Taniyama’s passion for shogi was relatively specific, but his struggles with his parents were universal, and as usual, the show’s solutions turned out to be sensible and sympathetic throughout. Leaning on their teacher Seki-sensei for a problem that involved changing the minds of a classmate’s parents was an excellent choice, and the use of a Bad Card meant that magic was only necessary to solve magical problems; for the personal problems of their classmates, simply being a good friend and supporting their passion was the key.

Episode forty one was classic Doremi all around, but I’m guessing we’ll be returning to witchier conflicts now – not only are Onpu and Majo Ruka still up to no good, but Doremi also has to make up her level three test. The level three test episode was one of the most visually inventive and generally engaging episodes of this show so far, so I’m ready for a reprise whenever Doremi is. Whether it’s sympathetic classmate stories or fanciful magic adventures, Doremi always offers something worth celebrating. Let’s see what this week’s episode has to offer!

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Princess Tutu – Episode 18

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A beautiful shot opens Princess Tutu’s eighteenth episode, as our latest fairy tale opens on an array of candles and swords, a shrine framed with the silhouetted town in the distance. The first words of our framing tale imply this will be a Fakir-focused episode, as we learn that “once upon a time, there was a knight.” Sworn to protect his kingdom, the knight “never faltered in his duty, no matter what it was. He did not even falter in taking the life of his lover. That was what he took pride in. But the knight could not do anything but carry out his duty, and even after his death, he still seeks a duty to carry out. They say the knight, who became a ghost and now haunts this world, holds in his hand the blood-stained sword that pierced his lover’s breast.”

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Fall 2018 – Week 10 in Review

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As we wind towards the end of the fall season, I’m happy to report this was another very strong week in anime. Though I’ve come to expect consistent greatness from Gridman and Thunderbolt Fantasy, it was actually my sports dramas that most impressed me this week. There have been times when I’ve felt a sense of distance or reservation regarding both Run with the Wind and Tsurune, largely because of their sometimes strict loyalty to genre convention. But between Tsurune’s perpetually captivating, beautifully realized tone and Run with the Wind’s consistent character development payoffs, this week saw both of them demonstrating they are indeed exceptional examples of the form. When a week in anime’s weak link is friggin’ JoJo, you know you’re in a pretty good spot. Anyway, all those thoughts and more as we scroll further down this very page, and sail through another Week in Review!

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Why It Works: Five Star Anime Directors of the Coming Season

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Today on Why It Works, I was hard at work hyping up some of the most exciting shows of the winter season. Though every season has its all star directors and staff, I felt this coming season was particularly stocked with S-tier directors, and so decided to highlight these terrific artists specifically. And hey, any excuse to use One Punch Man in order to trick people into reading about Kemono Friends and Rakugo is a good one. Here’s the piece!

Five Star Directors of the Coming Season