Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 48

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today it is too damn cold outside, as it will remain in my state for roughly eight months, before suddenly becoming habitable again sometime in late May. Accordingly, I have already developed my seasonal sniffle-cough, which will be accompanying me for the entirety of this megawinter, regardless of my personal choices. Going out for a jog is now a laborious process; heck, even stepping outside for some fresh air no longer provides that vitalizing rush of warmth and sunlight. Winter is a plague visited upon me for reasons unknown, a gentle reminder that the universe is frequently cruel for no reason.

As you may have gathered, I am not thrilled about winter’s onset, and could very much use a reprieve from its encroaching grasp. As a result, I am extremely pleased to announce that today we’re returning to Sun and Moon, and staging a tactical retreat into the sun-drenched isles of Alola. There are few things that can rally my spirits like a dash of Pokemon, and I hope many of you also enjoy these cheerful adventures. For all I tend to focus on art’s ability to inspire or provoke, providing simple comfort and cheer is also one of art’s great callings, and Sun and Moon absolutely excels at it. Let’s venture on back to the islands of Alola!

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Big Windup! – Episode 7

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am pleased to report that we’re returning to the dugout and loosening our shoulders for a fresh inning of Big Windup! This production has more than proven the merits of its sports drama/psychology combo, harnessing the unique dynamics of baseball to essentially construct a unique psychological subgame. Abe must use his players as board pieces to outmaneuver his opponents, carefully managing their emotions to essentially “trick them” into playing better than their own instincts would dictate. Simultaneously, he must carefully manage the expectations of his opponents, using their own preferences against them through manipulation of Mihashi’s precision pitches.

All of this would likely work if Abe were playing some strategy video game. Unfortunately, this is real life, where the emotions of others are never fully within your control, and your opponents have just as much opportunity for tactical innovation as you do. Mihoshi’s coach concocted a maneuver that actually put his team in the lead, and with two innings left, Mihashi is on the verge of an emotional spiral that may end his pitching career altogether. With Abe’s plans in tatters, could it finally be time for Mihashi to step up, and for Abe to trust his pitcher’s instincts? Let’s find out!

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Fall 2021 – Week 9 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I have a confession to make: I am currently typing to you from some point in the indeterminate past, having watched so many recent movies that I’ve actually developed a “Week in Review buffer.” Look, it’s not my fault: first we ran out of new One Piece episodes, and then we beat our Playstation 5 games, and now we’re back to relying on the endless bounty of cinematic history to keep us distracted. I’m currently writing this introduction while gazing in horror at the list of films I’ve already got to review for next week’s post, so I suppose you can all be assured that The Content Will Flow for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, please enjoy this fresh set of film reflections, and know I’m hard at work excavating the content mines of the future!

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ODDTAXI – Episode 11

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The lines are taut and bait is set; all that is left is to spring the trap. In spite of his professed desire for a simple, solitary life, Odokawa has found himself at the center of a deadly conspiracy, with the lives of half of ODDTAXI’s weary souls on the line. Though he claims indifference to fame and fortune, his concern for the lives of others would put self-professed “hero” Taichi to shame, while his understanding of justice far outstrips the insecure Little Daimon. He has seen the true face of his city, suspended in that liminal space between departure and destination, where their masks slip for a moment and their fears breach the surface. He has seen the faces we hide behind our social media avatars, and he has accepted them. Though he is gruff and impersonal and rude, he expects nothing more from his passengers and friends; his poise offers the quiet promise that we can learn to accept each other, even without our airbrushed profile pictures.

Other characters have begun to receive their honorable discharges, as they fly too close to social media glory and have their wings melt back to wax. Kakihana claimed wealth beyond his means, and was robbed for his trouble. Taichi claimed a hero’s mantle, and learned what happens to old heroes in turn. When you wish upon the monkey’s paw of social media, you must learn to live with the results; and now, it’s Iwai’s turn to either escape or pay the parasocial piper. Let’s begin Operation ODDTAXI!

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Hugtto! Precure – Episode 26

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re diving right back into Hugtto! Precure, in the wake of Harry finally revealing his troubled past. It turns out Harry was actually a former employee of Criasu Corp, along with his ragtag hamster companions. When confronted by his old friend Bishin, Harry was briefly consumed by Criasu’s negative energy; fortunately, Homare was there to remind him that we are not defined by our regrets, and that he is not alone.

It was an excellent climax for a variety of reasons, as one of Hugtto’s most closely-guarded secrets (Harry’s past) collided with one of its strongest emotional threads (the bond between Harry and Homare). As the unofficial group parents, it’s been delightful watching them support each other in times of trouble, and this served as the most resounding affirmation of their friendship so far. Meanwhile, the reveal of Harry’s former associates promises a whole new host of “villains” to defeat and befriend, as well as more information about Criasu Corp itself. What can you tell us about your old friend George, Harry? Let’s find out!

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Horimiya – Episode 6

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be diving back into the delightful drama of Horimiya, where our leads just recently Did The Thing, and admitted they have feelings for each other. Heck, Hori even announced that Miyamura is her boyfriend! Admittedly, that announcement was mostly intended to make her embarrassing father shut up, but I’m still counting it as a confession. Either way, our leads are now in an actual relationship, putting Horimiya wildly ahead of the pack in terms of its dramatic momentum.

Anime romantic comedies/dramas rarely get to the point of portraying ongoing, active romances, both because the journey towards romance provides such a clear dramatic template, and also because such experiences are likely to be a bit less relatable to their teenage viewers. But in truth, the give and take of an active relationship provides a fascinating venue for drama, while also allowing for the steady dopamine hits of watching characters you love express their love for each other. Horimiya is now uniquely equipped for the dispensation of warm fuzzies, and I’m hoping it will take this opportunity to utterly melt our hearts. Let’s get to it!

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Fall 2021 – Week 8 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. It is now officially too cold to comfortably go outside, which signals the beginning of my six-month griping session about the misery of living in New England. I believe I’ve basically had enough of seasons all together at this point, and would move to someplace nice and perpetually temperate like Los Angeles – it’s just, you know, all my stuff is here. But fortunately for you all, the advent of the Suck Months has also left even more time for movie screenings, which I have dutifully translated into an unwieldy tower of random reflections. Let’s warm ourselves with the magic of the cinema, as we ramble through another Week in Review!

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Symphogear XV – Episode 6

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to return to Symphogear, where we last left our team in what experts refer to as “some deep shit.” Still bearing the guilt of her recent concert-massacre, Tsubasa lost control during her last battle, and ended up scorching the city while imagining Milaarc around every corner. Meanwhile, the real Milaarc was off terrorizing the group’s most helpless members, as she hunted down Miku and Elfnein. All told, this has not been a proud day for the wielders, and it seems like things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.

That’s all to be expected, though; we’ve hit the halfway point of Symphogear’s final season, so it’s clearly time to put our team through the ringer. With only half a season of Symphogear to go, I’m guessing these episodes will be diving into the show’s most fundamental character conflicts, as we reaffirm the bonds between Hibiki and Miku, Tsubasa and Maria, and Chris plus the babies. At the same time, we also need to square off with the architects of the divine relics, and might even find time for one last high-five with Fine. Our schedule of narratives to resolve is stuffed to the brim, so let’s not waste any more time, as we return to the explosive drama of SYMPHOGEAR!!!

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Bodacious Space Pirates – Episode 15

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At long last, the moment has finally arrived. From its very first episode, Bodacious Space Pirates has been promising an absurd mixture of high schoolers and space derring-do, echoing the heady and largely anime-specific combination exemplified by titans like Girls und Panzer, or like a dozen different ‘80s cybercrime OVAs. “Cute girls and scifi stuff” might stand as anime’s most enduring promise – directors across anime history have noted the necessity of “mecha and moe,” whether they’re lauding this trend or raging against it.

Rather than an absurdist stretch, Bodacious Space Pirates is actually one of the more grounded examples of the form. Frequently, it’s just sort of a default anime assumption that everyone is going to be young, beautiful, and wildly out of their depth, with only the occasional Evangelion wondering why this is the state of affairs. But Space Pirates’ own characters are surprised and amused by its improbable turns, lending the show a sense of realistic weight and self-effacing humor that amplify its distinct appeal. Space Pirates never indulges in the pandering its title might imply; it is as respectful of its female characters as it is of its hard scifi mechanics, drawing deadpan comedy out of the contrast between its concept and execution. The show’s straight-faced tonal contradictions are never more prominent or hilarious than when Marika is leading the yacht club to glory, so I’m eager to see her new crew board the Bentenmaru. Let’s get to the action!

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86 – Episode 6

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m immensely eager to dive back into 86, given how its last episode upended everything we thought we knew. First off, we at last learned the full truth regarding what happened to Lena’s father, as well as her connection with Shin’s brother Rei. The consequences of Lena’s childhood journey to the front lines basically set the course of her life until now – having lost her father, but gained a lift debt to the 86, it seems only natural that she’d attempt to live up to Rei’s example.

But as it turns out, Rei is also still guiding Shin’s actions, in the most morbid way possible. As the episode’s second half revealed, the Legion have been using the brains of dead soldiers to replace their mechs’ aging processing units, and thus prolonging their fighting capacity. As a result, the Alba’s confidence in the Legion’s obsolescence is entirely unfounded, and they’re quite likely on track to lose this war. And on a more personal level, it seems clear that Shin’s brother is serving as one of the “Shepherds” with fully working brains, directing the battle against his own former teammates.

At the moment, Shin seems determined to live only long enough to ensure his brother can rest in peace. He has no unrealistic pretensions of escaping his fate as a soldier, and no hope of this war ever ending. Shin’s perspective is frankly reasonable – but in a situation like this, you sometimes need an unreasonable person like Lena to keep you going. Her entirely unwarranted optimism and idealism are a precious resource, a hope flowering in the most inhospitable soil. With so much of their past now revealed, I’m eager to see how Lena and Shin’s relationship develops from here!

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