Symphogear XV – Episode 12

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Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Are you ready for the penultimate episode of Symphogear!?!? Yes, it has been a long and frequently minigun-pockmarked road, but we’re at last nearing the conclusion of this modern action classic. Standing proudly on the shoulders of giants like JoJo and Nanoha, Symphogear is proud to answer every call of “too much?” with a resounding “not enough,” and has somehow found a way to outdo itself for five seasons straight. But all good things must come to an end, and it would be an utter tragedy for Symphogear to ever fall into predictability, so I’m happy to see the show concluding at the peak of its powers.

When last we left off, a computer containing the soul of a Sumerian deity had just explained to our heroes that the villain is now both a language and a DNA sequence, making directly punching her a little trickier than usual. But I have confidence that Elfnein will ramble off several sentences of nonsense that everyone else nods gravely at, eventually resulting in Shem-ha transmuting into a more punchable body. Let’s see what everyone’s favorite pint-sized scientist has cooking, as we barrel towards the conclusion of SYMPHOGEAR!!!

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Star Driver – Episode 6

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d take a trip back to Southern Cross Isle, where the heroes of Star Driver most recently faced off with their predatory school nurse. Last episode basically felt like a classic Igarashi comedy episode, with a single ridiculous concept leading a parade of goofy expression work and improbable punchlines. He’s directed more than his share of such episodes over the course of Sailor Moon and Ojamajo Doremi, but of course, given Star Driver’s unique preoccupations, the tone here was just a smidgen different. Igarashi has been involved in some of the most poignant and thematically rich anime in history, but he still finds time for goofiness in all of them, and for that I am thankful.

Given the proud irreverence of the entire previous episode, I’m expecting this one will steer us back into murkier waters, perhaps elaborating on the odd bond between Wako and her “fiancé” Sugata. We know troublingly little about Sugata considering his centrality to the narrative, but to be honest, we know troublingly little about basically everything at this point. More data is clearly required, so let’s break out our thematic notepads and settle in for another episode of Star Driver!

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The Demon Girl Next Door – Episode 9

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be checking back in on The Demon Girl Next Door, where we most recently met an old friend of Momo’s, the luckless Mikan. Though Mikan is also a magical girl, she suffers from some sort of curse that brings calamity whenever she’s in emotional distress. And given the actual nature of a magical girl’s day-to-day activities, that presumably means she’s more or less constantly showering her companions in garbage and other variable debris.

In terms of the overall comedy dynamic, Mikan has already proven herself a welcome addition to the cast, and gotten in some truly ferocious dunks at Shamiko’s expense. Additionally, her prior relationship with Momo is serving to clarify our understanding of Momo’s own character. Rather than just feeling sorry for Shamiko in particular, it’s clear that Momo is someone who strives to judge others by their intentions – Mikan’s curse might create complications, but Momo would never condemn her for something outside her control. And with Momo’s weakened condition revealing her own vulnerability, we are now seeing Shamiko motivated by something much more meaningful than her arbitrary assignment as a demon girl, as she seeks to become the kind of person Momo can rely on. Let’s see how that journey fares as we return to The Demon Girl Next Door!

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Summer 2022 – Week 4 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week I’ve got an offering of surprisingly timely features for you all, as we actually watched a couple new releases alongside the usual temporal grab bag of selections. I still haven’t checked out Nope, but the film’s universal acclaim is really testing my plague-era aversion to theaters; I compromised for The Northman, and I might just have to compromise for Peele as well. Along with that, I’ve got a wildly impressive action film, a scattering of the usual horror fare, and also a political thriller that prompted some feisty/fatigued reflections on our terrifying political climate. It’s a very strange thing, watching films from back when people had faith in our political institutions, and those institutions were kept in check by a free and respected press. But we can save those reflections for later – let’s start off with something spooky and satisfying, as we burn down the latest Week in Review!

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Sherlock Hound – Episode 3

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d take in a fresh episode of Sherlock Hound, largely because I am having a delightful time with it, and am eager to see more. But don’t worry, I’ve also got a more technical excuse for diving back in: we have arrived at last at the first episode actually directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and will be enjoying his directorship for two more straight episodes to come.

Even without Miyazaki actively directing, it feels like the show already bears a great number of his signatures. He was the show’s initial chosen director, and only left the project when rights issues sent it into development hell, meaning he was likely responsible for establishing a great deal of the show’s aesthetic, narrative style, and tone. The results of this seem clear in its every aspect: the slightly steampunk, ramshackle technology, the celebration of turn-of-century European urban spaces, the Lupin-derivative physical comedy, the design and personality of our heroine Barbara. Only Holmes’ personality seems to push against the general Miyazaki tone, though you could perhaps draw a line from him to Miyazaki’s curmudgeonly Porco Rosso.

Given we’re already seeing so much of Miyazaki in Holmes’ design philosophy, I’m eager to see how the show executes in his hands. Episode three was not just directed, but also storyboarded and even written by Miyazaki, so if any episode might give us an indication of his vision, it would be this one. Let’s see what the master has in store for us, as we explore another vivid episode of Sherlock Hound!

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Eureka Seven – Episode 15

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Hello everyone, and welcome to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be diving back into Eureka Seven, because goddamnit, I want to know what happens next! You can’t just stop your screening on a recap episode, that’s ridiculous. I need some action!

Granted, last episode’s series of Dai Sato-scripted monologues certainly helped flesh out our understanding of Eureka Seven’s wider world, relaying a great deal of exposition that would be difficult to integrate into active conversation. On Stoner’s side, we learned the Coralians are creatures of such awe and complexity that human language is simply incapable of describing them. That led into a discussion of the impossibility of fully conveying any felt experience, emphasizing language’s general inability to express all of the infinite facets that make up any moment or feeling. This impossibility is essentially the conflict that drove Neon Genesis Evangelion, though it feels less central to Eureka – Renton generally doesn’t have much difficulty expressing his feelings, it’s only the ostentatiously strange Eureka he has trouble reaching.

Dominic’s material was fittingly more practical than Stoner’s, and mostly focused on the interactions between the Corallians, military, and Gekkostate. We crucially learned that the LFOs were found rather than created, implying that they are also products of the Corallians. And we were also introduced to a former Holland who seemed far more competent and self-assured than our current leader, raising the question of what precisely happened to him between then and now. With all of these new thoughts to ponder, I’m eager to move into the second act of Eureka Seven. Let’s get to it!

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Spy x Family – Episode 3

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Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be diving back into Spy x Family, where the dreaded family interview is nearly upon us. Having at last secured himself a wife, Loid now possesses all the prerequisites to begin his mission – that is, so long as this absurd performance of a family can fool the school board.

Spy x Family has more than demonstrated its chops in terms of both celebrating and skewering its tongue-in-cheek premise, seeming equally confident at both comedy and genuine spy-on-spy action. And with Yor now in the mix, I’m beginning to see how this admittedly farcical set of characters might evolve into a genuinely loving family. Though Loid and Yor’s mutual bafflement at normal human behavior is exaggerated, it comes from an understandable human place: both of them had the opportunity to live normal lives robbed from them, exist on the fringes of society as observers, and essentially only know how to play-act conventional human behavior. And with Anya also generally basing her behavior on the mind-read desires of those around him, it feels like the entire Forger family only knows how to “perform,” rather than to simply be.

Though they each entered into this agreement for pragmatic reasons, I can easily see this makeshift family becoming the first place where any of them are valued merely for being themselves, rather than for performing the behaviors necessary to get them close to their targets. As Loid himself acknowledged, Anya’s success on the exam was the first time he can remember genuinely relaxing, and actually letting his guard down around another human being. I’m eager to see them continue to change each other, but in the meantime, I’m plenty excited for more of Spy x Family’s hilarious, beautifully executed everyday drama. Let’s get to it!

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Summer 2022 – Week 3 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You all bearing this absurd heatwave okay? I’m currently spending my time migrating between a pair of temperature-controlled rooms, treating every sojourn into the outer world as something akin to a moonwalk through a deeply hostile alien landscape. Which, to be honest, is a regimen I’ve already become familiar with due to COVID – so I guess, just, this is what the future is from now on? We’ve surrendered the outer world to unmitigated climate change and pandemic waves, and just sort of have to accept this as the new normal. Delightful! But even if humanity cannot unite in solidarity to save itself, we can at least come together to rant about some movies. Let’s get right on with that then, as we charge through the latest Week in Review!

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Toradora! – Episode 9

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Toradora!’s eighth episode found our leads fumbling around an emotional breaking point, unable to admit their feelings to either themselves or each other, and more fundamentally uncertain of what those feelings are. Taiga’s proclamation that “no one could understand me. After all, I don’t understand myself” basically embodies their feelings at this moment – having gone past the point of collaborating purely for the sake of their romantic goals, they are now closer to each other than anyone else in their lives. They are each other’s confidant, and even though their understanding of romance is still informed by the lofty dreams that push them towards their chosen crushes, their experience of romance is all contained in this odd dynamic they alternately call a partnership, a friendship, or something in between.

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Zoku Owarimonogatari – Episode 3

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Alright Araragi, what the fuck are we doing here. When last we left off, Nadeko had just offered the team a succinct explanation of what this mirror world represents. Rather than simply “reversing” characters in the manner of a traditional mirror, this reality is presenting the “other side” of the characters we know. In effect, what this means is we’re being introduced to other personal and psychological paths that all of our heroes could have taken, whether it’s Kanbaru being totally consumed by the Rainy Devil, or Sodachi enjoying a healthy adolescence as Araragi’s houseguest.

In true Nisio Isin fashion, this revelation also serves as a rejoinder to the entire thematic trajectory of Monogatari. Where the original Monogatari emphasized that self-knowledge and self-love were the route to happiness and connection with others, Zoku is quick to reply that the “self” is a mutable and contextual organism, not an ironclad set of personal attributes. It’s a thematic expansion appropriate to Zoku’s general broadening of this story’s scope; while our experiences and opportunities throughout adolescence are limited enough to support some fantasy of a “true self,” the open canvas of adult life presents myriad opportunities, and thus myriad possible future identities.

In the face of such broad opportunities for defining the self, it’s understandable that Araragi is suffering a little decision paralysis. Ultimately, what Araragi needs to realize is that it’s okay to be scared or uncertain. Though we all wish we could identify the most fruitful possible path forward, the truth of it is that life is brimming with crossroads and opportunities, and it’s impossible to min-max all of them. Though Zoku’s additions complicate Monogatari’s message, they do not alter its ultimate takeaway: whatever path you choose, the important thing is to find peace with your decisions, and to love the person you’ve become. Let’s see if Araragi can inch closer to that peace, as we return to Zoku Owarimonogatari!

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