Kaiba’s final episode begins with the plant that is its namesake extending its tendrils through space, eager to consume all memories, to devour everything humanity has fought for and built. It is an omen, a warning, and perhaps an inevitability: if we do not tend carefully to the cultivation of human experience, if we do not seek to share what we have and create an edifice that can last into the future, all of our achievements will eventually collapse into the dirt. We will be as the ghosts of that abandoned moon, or even worse – simply an absence where our feet once tread, where we once strove and yearned for eternity, or merely for a better tomorrow. With the powers currently at our disposal, our capacity for self-destruction seems like it will naturally, inevitably overwhelm our capacity for self-preservation.
Star Driver – Episode 21
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to Star Driver, after an episode that graciously drew back the veil obscuring the prior generation of would-be Cybody pilots, revealing some clear parallels with our current group in the process. Ryosuke and Tokio make for an odd contrast with Takuto and Sugata; though both pairs are defined by their competition regarding a shrine maiden, Tokio’s Takuto-reminiscent role as societal outsider stands in contrast with his obsession with mastering the Cybody system. In that, he is more like Sugata, while the insider Ryosuke’s antipathy towards this whole order makes him more like Takuto. And that’s before you get to the question of Takuto’s parentage, and the pocket watch connecting all six key players.
It’s been nice to have so much of this island’s history clarified, but to be honest, episode twenty’s revelations didn’t actually change our understanding of the ongoing conflict. Star Driver has been focused on clear personal dramas and equally clear thematic concerns from the outset, the strictures of tradition and call for personal agency set in conflict through both the love triangle at its center and hormonally charged scaffolding of its science fiction inventions. Rather than obscuring the truth, its metaphors have emphasized the clarity of its philosophy, painting adolescent identity-forming as the crux of apocalypse or revolution in the manner of many anime classics, including a number penned by Enokido himself. Let’s see how our young lovers fare in a fresh episode of Star Driver!
Hugtto! Precure – Episode 42
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into Hugtto! Precure, where I’m frankly hoping for some kind of irreverent, nonsensical side adventure, perhaps one starring our former villains and the hamster villagers or something. After the one-two punch of Traum’s reunion with Lulu and Emiru’s grappling with this story’s conclusion, I’m just not sure my heart could take much more of the heavy stuff. Can’t we just hang out and maybe beat up an Oshimaeda or something?
Of course, given last episode’s allusions to Henri’s physical injuries, I imagine we’re actually on the verge of a heel turn by our young ice skater. And to be honest, I’m actually fine with that. I’ve long felt that Henri’s character and arc embodied Hugtto’s most thoughtful instincts, exploring not just the difficulty of defining yourself outside of society’s expectations, but also the challenges of aging out of your preferred self-image, and grappling with the frequently undesirable changes of puberty and adulthood. Henri carries Hugtto’s general focus on finding hope for the future into challenging, deeply personal territory, and him stumbling here would serve as a natural continuation of the world-weary ambiguity that has always attended his episodes. Let’s see what’s in store in a fresh episode of Hugtto!
Winter 2024 – Week 5 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week I am feeling perhaps inordinately proud of myself, as I march ever closer to currency on my ambitious reader-funded projects. That once-imposing “Outstanding Projects” header has been whittled down to a mere handful of features, with only the imposing specter of Evangelion’s second half remaining to keep me up at night. In the meantime, my house’s adoption of a weekly film genre cycle has continued to reap interesting dividends, ranging from a unique exercise in ‘80s animation trends (courtesy of “Muscle Monday”) to a viewing of Miyazaki’s penultimate film (via the questionably titled “Sanimation Saturday”). Let’s see what treasures await in the latest Week in Review!
Witch Hat Atelier and the Confidence of Youth
We find Qifrey bound in herbs as we return to Witch Hat Atelier, ensconced in the tools of his trade on the title page. He is at peace, and why wouldn’t he be? Though we often see practice as an imposition or chore, it is the only route through which we can achieve mastery, and mastery is the font of confidence, self-knowledge, and self-determination. In this world where our efforts are so often abstracted from our results, where the interconnected complexity of modern society robs us of tangible accomplishments, the mastery of a craft is a route back to an honest, immediate connection with the world. What’s more, it is like the cradle in which Qifrey is suspended – it provides us shelter and security made of our own hands, the skills that no changes in external fortune can steal from us. When we have nothing else, we still have all that we’ve learned – through practice and mastery, we make a hearth of our hearts, a smith of our hands, a library of our minds, and an atelier of our bodies, our burnished instruments working in marvelous unison.
Spy x Family – Episode 28
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today seems like a perfect day to treat ourselves to some cozy Spy x Family, so that’s precisely what we’re going to do. Our last episode provided an equal portioning of Spy x Family’s two principle offerings: ludicrous spy drama shenanigans and heartfelt family drama. Of course, Endo’s always gotta be mixing it up, so each of those courses were provided by an unexpected server, with Bond headlining the spy mission while the unfortunate Damien learned a thing or two about community and friendship.
Damien’s unhappy family situation, and the way the lessons of his father have filtered down into his classroom social dynamics, have unsurprisingly made him one of my favorite characters in Spy x Family. While the Forger house is pretty close to idyllic, Damien embodies the consequences of family constructed as a strict hierarchy, where only deference and scholastic accomplishments might earn you the favor of your allegedly loving parents. Seeing both his peers and caretakers push him towards embracing ordinary, unconditional happiness has been one of the most satisfying arcs within Spy x Family, and I’m anxious to see where his journey leads next. But whatever’s coming, I’m sure we’re in for an altogether lovely time with this eminently likable production. Let’s get to it!
BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! – Episode 10
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, for the very simple reason that I cannot wait another moment to find out what happens to these goddamn teenagers. MyGO was riveting enough as a richly characterized drama about pulling a mismatched group of musicians together, but now that Soyo is threatening to destroy the group, it has become a truly un-put-downable page-turner. Tomori is in despair, Anon is blaming herself, Taki is ready to throw hands, and Raana is… well, probably enjoying a parfait somewhere, blissfully unaware of the maelstrom spinning overhead.
Raana aside, Sakiko’s unambiguous denial of any CRYCHIC reunion has laid bare the insecurities and deceptions undergirding our group’s sunny surface. Anon finds herself facing the precise combination of disconnects that prompted her to flee home from England: an inability to keep up with the group’s technical ability and a failure to parse the “language,” here articulated as the unspoken bond of the former CRYCHIC members. Tomori has discovered that Soyo is just like all the others, smiling to her face while secretly engineering ways to avoid her discomforting presence. Taki is once again grasping at straws, seeking a closeness with Tomori that she can only articulate as misdirected anger and redoubled physical commitment. And Soyo might be unhappiest of all, having resigned herself to the superficial high school experience and false smiles that Anon once saw as her only future. It’s an absolute mess at the moment, but such frictions often force us to be our best; when we cannot abide our current circumstances, we have nothing to lose, allowing us to fling ourselves bravely towards a better future. Let’s see how our band fares!
Winter 2024 – Week 4 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’ve got a distinct pep in my step, as my D&D party convened for our first adventure since goddamn November, and exciting adventures were had in my fantastical riff on an SCP containment center. Though things have more or less settled since the apartment fire, having our party split across three apartments instead of one has certainly complicated D&D logistics, so this return to relative normalcy was greatly appreciated. As it turns out, life comes at you fast, and though my plan for a “final month” of sessions has now ballooned into the majority of a year, it seems like we might just conclude my Dalelands campaign after all. That in turn has got me thinking about returning to fiction of my own, and perhaps dusting off those short story-writing muscles and trying to get something published. I’ll attempt to institute some dedicated weekly writing time and get back to you all on that, but for now, let’s run down the week in film!
Fragments of Romance: In the Mood for Love
“I keep what I can of you; split-second glimpses and snapshots and sounds.”
– The National
In the Mood for Love begins with a title card, a tidy explanation of the drama to come. “It is a restless moment,” the film informs us. “She has kept her head lowered to give him a chance to come closer. But he could not, for lack of courage. She turns and walks away.”
It is an odd description of a film narrative, odder still in its inclusion before the film it describes. The words seem to describe a slight, likely inconsequential interaction, a momentary meeting of two bodies in transit. And indeed, attempting to describe the overt drama of In the Mood for Love almost necessarily results in such a dismissive summary, for the film is largely about things that almost happen, futures that might have been. In the Mood for Love is a film of lingering feelings hanging in narrow hallways, of dreams unspoken until their hope of fulfillment has long passed, of words that flash in the eyes but never pass the lips. It is precisely measured in its form, achingly romantic in its substance, and ultimately ephemeral in its passage. It is the essence of love unfulfilled.
Call of the Night – Episode 1
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be checking out the very first episode of a new project, as we explore the recent adaptation of Kotoyama’s supernatural romantic comedy Call of the Night. The show got some solid buzz two years ago, with audiences generally praising its strong atmosphere and charmingly silly cast. That sounded about right for me, given my experience with Kotoyama’s previous work Dagashi Kashi. Though Dagashi’s hook is “crazy-eyed girl lustily explains the merits of various snack foods,” the show’s greatest strengths were actually its evocation of small-town boredom and understanding of listless youth – two qualities that I imagine will carry on gracefully into Call of the Night.
As for the anime adaptation, I can’t imagine a better choice of director than Tomoyuki Itamura. After Tatsuya Oishi left the Monogatari TV series to go sculpt Kizumonogatari, it was Itamura who picked up the torch, serving as the series’ primary director from Nisemonogatari all the way through Owarimonogatari Part II. The aesthetic he sculpted in that time was one of lust and austerity and nightmares, featuring a world that felt cold and alien even in broad daylight, one which naturally reflected the preoccupations and emotional tensions of its anxious young occupants. He basically cut his teeth on this era’s premier supernatural romantic drama, making him perfectly suited for a production like Call of the Night. That basically covers my preconceptions, so let’s get on with the dang show!