The Demon Girl Next Door – Episode 3

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to dive back into The Demon Girl Next Door, whose first two episodes were as charming as is legally permissible. Yuko and Momo have already proven themselves to be excellent heroines in their own right, and far greater as a matched pair. Yuko’s confident spirit and profound incompetence slot her into a long and distinguished line of anime gremlins, while Momo’s deadpan affectation is a fun twist on expectations that make her a perfect foil for Yuko. Momo seems genuine in her support for Yuko’s ambitions, but also can’t help but tease her adorable demon friend, making for a wonderful central dynamic.

Of course, along with that strong character chemistry, I’ll also be keeping an eye on this show’s intriguing perspective on magical girls more generally. Like Madoka Magica before it, Demon Girl seems interested in how magical girls can be used as a signifier for society’s expectations about women. In these worlds, righteousness is not something we embody, but something we are assigned, and must perform as the eye of society wills it. Demon Girl gestures towards the limits of this philosophy even with its lead’s personalities: Yuko’s chipper disposition makes her a natural magical girl type, while Momo’s cool, imperturbable affectation is more regularly assigned to villains. But here they are, trying to do their best with the roles they’ve been given, and propping each other up in spite of society’s demand for blood. Let’s see how our perfectly mismatched heroines fare!

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Fall 2021 – Week 11 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. I have to admit, my film viewing hours have been diminished as of late, due to one obvious and embarrassing cause: Darkest Dungeon is taking over my life. I am not one of those people who plays a videogame casually, logging in a few minutes here and there throughout the week. Either I bounce off a game almost immediately, or I let it consume me entirely, thinking of little else until my trials are complete. My mind is now perpetually half-occupied with hardy adventurers and the trials thereof, but I fortunately managed to sneak in a sturdy collection of film viewings in the margins of the week. With a healthy mix of artistry, indulgence, and straightforward violence ahead of us, let’s dive into the Week in Review!

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Shadows House – Episode 1

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m reaching deep into our bag of outstanding projects, as we check out the first episode of the recent production Shadows House. I know very little about this production, beyond the fact that its source material seems relatively well-liked, and that the adaptation received a modest but altogether consistent degree of praise. 

Director Kazuki Oohashi cut his teeth on a variety of SHAFT productions, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see some degree of the post-Shinbo school’s signature tricks represented here. After that, he storyboarded and directed several episodes of the Persona 5 anime, meaning he’s also spent time with that irrepressible stylist Masashi Ishihama. Given this combined education, I’m expecting ornate scene-setting, a strong focus on overall layouts, and a general disregard for naturalism as a cinematic goal. Ishihama is one of very few directors who can pull off horror in animation, so I’m eager to see if Oohashi brings some of that style to this production. Without further ado, let’s dive into Shadows House!

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Eureka Seven – Episode 9

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Yeah, no, we’re not doing another five year break between episodes. Eureka Seven has been a delight to return to, and I’m eager to learn more about Holland’s mission and history. The conclusion of last episode seemed to promise we’ll be digging into Holland and Talho’s shared past, but whatever this episode brings, I’m content just to luxuriate in this show’s overwhelming bounty of character animation and background design. We just plain don’t get originals of this scale and quality anymore; the market has moved towards single-cour light novel adaptations as a rule, with only an occasional Deca-Dence or Sonny Boy slipping through the cracks. It’d be easy to lament this transition, but every era of anime production has its own pleasures and pitfalls, and I’d rather celebrate the good in each of them. Let’s explore the wild bounty of the ‘00s then, as we return to the skies of Eureka Seven!

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Oregairu S3 – Episode 8

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Alright Hachiman, how are we doing this? Last episode saw our quasi-hero taking clear steps towards establishing his anti-prom, as he conscripted a bunch of former allies to his planning committee, and even got Jazzhands hyped about a potential multi-school collaboration. Of course, all of his plans have been theoretical so far; he hasn’t even raised the possibility of a second prom to any school officials, meaning his greatest battles are still ahead of him. At some point Hachiman will have to face Yukimom directly, and I’m eager to assess the bloodshed.

Meanwhile, Hachiman’s personal life is such a clusterfuck that I barely have the strength to untangle it. Iroha will make it out of all this with her usual grace, but Yui is being set up for some kind of Fated Tragedy, which frankly feels terribly unfair. It was Yui’s kindness and generosity that essentially taught Hikki and Yukino to be decent people, and to desire the kind of sincere friendship they initially distrusted. But Yui isn’t some ethereal saint with no desires of her own; she instigated this whole situation because she actually likes Hikki, and having her bow out to ensure the others’ happiness would just be a repeat of the same self-sacrificing behavior she hates to see from Hachiman. I’m not sure how this show will make Yui happy, but I’m ready to hold it accountable if it fails. I’ve got my eye on you Watari; if you make Yui unhappy, I’m getting on a plane.

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Fall 2021 – Week 10 in Review

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Boy oh boy have I got a pile of film thoughts for you today, ranging across nearly a full century of cinematic history. We’ve essentially run through both the first- and second-tier films of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, meaning our current selections tend to group into two categories: film classics I seek out myself, or random crap that my housemates put on before I can convince them to watch a classic. This on the whole results in a fairly balanced film diet, as I have much less trouble agreeing to watch garbage than intentionally putting it on myself. Plus, it seems you sickos actually enjoy watching me tear stuff apart, so I suppose this works out best for everyone. Without further ado, let’s charge through some fresh films!

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Dead Dead Demons and the Banality of Apocalypse

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Late in Dead Dead Demons’ first volume, its boisterous heroine Ontan stares out over the city of Tokyo, a vast alien mothership hanging silently above. In spite of the imminent threat, the city is quiet. After months of frantic news reports, the mothership has become just another feature of the skyline, an accepted feature of the modern age. Ontan has news for her complacent city. “Everyone seems to have forgotten what happened that day, and are living their peaceful lives as if it’s a given. But I have something I’d like to tell them: there’s no such thing as an endless summer break!”

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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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