Hello all, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. We’re just about due for another trip to Alola by my watch, so I hope you’re all prepped and ready for more adventures on Akala Island – thermoses filled, compasses secured, and tiny ball-bound creatures prepped to smack the holy terror out of each other. Last episode was a ridiculous highlight, as Lana once again proved her power and ferocity by personally besting the Lord of the Lake. In the wake of that victory, Lana earned both a Z-crystal and the wrist guard for it, as well as a new move for Popplio. Given all that Lana powerleveling, I’m expecting the story to transition to another member of our team this time – but wherever the story takes us, I’m happy to return to Sun and Moon!
Top Anime of 2020
It’s been a year, huh, folks? Trapped inside by a pandemic, tormented by the xenophobia and callousness of our own governments, and hurtling towards a climate change precipice, 2020 has been a year where thriving is utterly out of the question, and just surviving is worthy of applause. In light of the extreme conditions of the world at large, it’s no surprise that anime studios suffered a strain as well, and thus it’s been a relatively light year in anime. But that’s only half the story – personally, this has been a year of change for my relationship with the medium, too.
Fall 2020 – Week 13 in Review
This week-numbering system doesn’t really make any sense at this point, huh? Initially, they were supposed to match the “weeks” of each anime season, though of course that itself is a vague concept, considering the unique release schedules of various shows. But then it lost what little sense it made after I stopped centering it around seasonal anime, and now we’re not even in a real “anime week,” since shows don’t generally come out in the last week of the year. But it’d be even weirder to switch to a system that just numbers all the weeks of the year, right? I dunno, something to think about.
Anyway! Ambiguous titling aside, I did indeed consume some media this week, along with putting together my Top Anime of 2020 post. That’s coming on Friday, but for now, let’s break down some films and games in 2020’s very last Week in Review!
Why It Works: Worldbuilding, Storytelling, and Weaving a Song
For this week’s Why It Works, I pulled together an old-fashioned “philosophy of storytelling” essay, centered on the relationship between worldbuilding and dramatic structure. As usual, this was initially prompted by my perpetual annoyance at people Doing Stories Wrong, but I think it ended up in a fairly approachable place. Exploring the give-and-take of drama and narrative structure is just absolutely fascinating to me, and I’ll be happy if I can spark that fascination for anyone else out there. Here’s the piece!
Worldbuilding, Storytelling, and Weaving a Song
The Big O – Episode 10
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’d like to return to The Big O, if that’s okay with you all, as I feel this show is one of the most rewarding projects I’m currently working on. The show is just such a complete package – I’d be happy enough simply to marvel at its terrific architecture and use of visual geometry, but it also succeeds as a polished, tightly written noir drama, somehow finding a natural meeting point between mystery, horror, and giant robot drama. As for this episode, it apparently features a storyboard by Kazuyoshi Katayama himself, the series’ overall director, and also the architect of its first three storyboards. If anyone has a natural fluency in The Big O’s aesthetic mix, it’d be Katayama, so let’s see what he has in store for us in episode ten!
Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 33
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You all okay with some leisurely Sun and Moon today? I’ve been scrambling to catch up on work this week, and I could personally use a dose of unconditional Good Feelings. Sun and Moon has been remarkably effective at lightening my mood over these past few months, and considering I’ve started to get cranky comments whenever Saturday isn’t accompanied by a Pokemon post, I assume I’m not the only one.
When we left off, Lana had once again proven her clear supremacy over her classmates, by defending a savage Stoutland with such courage and distinction that it had no choice but to reward her with a Z-ring. Lana now joins Kaki and Ash in her wielding of Alola’s nuclear-grade Pokemon accessories, but I have hopes that Mallow and even Lillie might one day join them – though Sophocles is probably asking a little much. We’ve also gotten a better grip on Olivia’s teaching style, which reflects her own personal pokemon magnetism by encouraging students to develop a closer relationship with their critters. What we have yet to see is a whole lot of Akala Island, so that’s what I’m hoping for as we return to our crew. Let’s see what adventures await on Akala!
Yuyushiki – Episode 1
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Today we’re checking out something new, as we explore the first episode of Yuyushiki, a show I know virtually nothing about. In fact, I know so little about Yuyushiki that it’s probably time for a little research, just to see what I should be looking out for. Back in a moment!
Alright, I’m back. SO. Yuyushiki is a 4koma adaptation by Kinema Citrus, a smaller studio created by former members of BONES and Production I.G., whose relatively brief history includes such highlights as Scorching Ping Pong Girls, Made in Abyss, and Revue Starlight. Yuyushiki in particular is directed by the mysteriously attributed “Kaori,” whose work on shows like Endro!, How to Keep a Mummy, and Ping Pong Girls would seem to make her a perfect fit for these sorts of clubroom shenanigans. And with an equally accomplished series composer with a strong degree in Aikatsu, and animation directors who’ve spearheaded projects like Heaven’s Feel and Macross Delta, it seems like Yuyushiki is equipped with excellent key staff on all fronts. I still don’t really know what it’s about, but that’s not really the point of slice of life, is it? Let’s dive right in!
Fall 2020 – Week 11 in Review
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Once again, I ran through a messy grab bag of media this week, featuring some classic horror selections, as well as a few movies I mostly just saw over my shoulder as I played more Slay the Spire. The big prize this week was Mythic Quest, the new comedy spearheaded by a good portion of the Always Sunny crew, which was so consistently excellent that we finished it in maybe three days flat. Let’s start with that then, as we run down the highs and lows of another week in the media jungle!
Why It Works: Gen Urobuchi’s Puppet Masterpiece Returns This Spring!
Hey folks. I think you can figure this one out by the title – Thunderbolt Fantasy’s on the way back, and so I am conscience-bound to hype it to all hell, and make sure at least a few more skeptical anime fans check out Urobuchi’s most hilarious production. If any of you haven’t seen it, I’d strongly urge you give Thunderbolt Fantasy’s first episode a try; the script is terrific, and the puppet art design has a tendency to grow on you, if you’re not already on board. Here’s the piece!
Gen Urobuchi’s Puppet Masterpiece Returns This Spring!
Brand New Animal – Episode 2
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be continuing our exploration of Studio Trigger’s latest production, the characteristically high energy Brand New Animal. BNA’s first episode had some clear strengths and weaknesses, and they broke down largely how you’d expect, given the staff involved. Hiroyuki Imaishi himself offered a dynamic storyboard, full of the angular, energetic compositions he’s known for, and elevated by Trigger’s remarkable collection of in-studio animators. It’s still a joy just to see this post-Gainax crew bring characters to life; their sense of cartoonish energy is second to none, and felt like the strongest part of that premiere.
On the negative side, this show is still being written by Kazuki Nakashima, meaning the plot felt simplistic and predictable wherever it didn’t feel disjointed or incoherent. Nakashima has handled series composition on nearly every Imaishi production, and his writing has disappointed me on all of them. He has no understanding of character writing beyond hot-blooded energy and basic tropes, he has only the barest understanding of narrative structure or momentum, and he never gives an indication that he’s thought deeply about anything, or grappled with the idea of thematic intent on a level beyond “wouldn’t it be cool if this happens.”
Nakashima has made it this long because he generally writes shows whose narrative is “what if the protagonist punched everyone,” so pairing him with a production that’s clearly attempting to discuss societal prejudice seems like an incredibly dicey proposition. But we’ll see how it plays out, as we explore another episode of Brand New Animal!