Tag Archives: Anime

Monogatari Off/Monster Season – Episode 1

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to announce we’re returning to the Monogatari franchise, the series that more or less began my journey as an anime critic. I’ve written about Monogatari for reddit, twitter, Crunchyroll, Anime News Network, and you folks here, and yet the series still manages to surprise me, offering fresh psychological insights and aesthetic flourishes after all these years.

It’s little surprise this series means so much to me. Monogatari embodies anime’s unique capacity to project our internal lives as ecstatic visual theater, combining a thorough exploration of human psychology with playful visual storytelling and Nisio Isin’s profound talents for thematically resonant drama and character voice. Monogatari’s characters feel both alive and compelling in a way few works of animation can match, and his insights regarding our ability to understand ourselves, each other, and the nature of a “life well lived” inspire me to seek such thematic richness and humanism in my own work.

Monogatari’s central narrative regarding the self-actualization of Koyomi Araragi has at this point concluded – though of course, as Nisio Isin is quick to assure us, everyone is a work in progress, everyone is “learning how to be happy” at their own pace. Nonetheless, Araragi’s resolution of his immediate psychological block, his long-time refusal to engage with his own self-destructive nature, has left the stage clear for Monogatari’s many other compelling characters to take the lead, and demonstrate the playfulness, compassion, and insight with which all of them have been brought to life. Let’s see what rambling adventures await in the off season!

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Galaxy Express 999 – Episode 5

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am impatient to continue our journey aboard the Galaxy Express, and see what wonders await us as the edge of the solar system. Our last adventure featured an impromptu trainjacking by the Great Space Pirate Antares, who actually turned out to be a perfectly reasonable sort of guy. All he really wanted was to steal luxury items from the rich and catch a ride home, which Tetsuro and Maetel were ultimately happy to assist in. In this harshly stratified universe, the have-nots must band together if they are to survive; and as that last episode made clear, the Galaxy Express itself is not just an impartial observer of the cosmos.

The loneliness of space, the impersonal bloodlessness of a metal body, and the desperation for, if not a good life, at least a proper death – Galaxy Express 999 is as melancholy as it is marvelous, offering a vision of the future whose substance is as grim as its surface fantastical. It’s an intoxicating mixture that quite understandably stoked both the imagination and social consciousness of a generation of viewers, and I feel fortunate to explore it with all of you. Let’s hop aboard!

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Yuri is My Job! – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to return Yuri is My Job!’s fanciful Cafe Liebe, and see how Hime attempts to disentangle her latest foot-in-mouth insertion. She was actually doing quite well last episode, with the accidental reveal of her private performance ultimately resulting in a moment of genuine honesty between her and Mitsuki. Hime was even driven to admit to the past trauma that had convinced her only a flawless, all-encompassing social performance could prevent her from being despised and abandoned; unfortunately, it turned out Mitsuki herself was precisely the person who instigated that trauma, prompting a fresh rift between them.

Nonetheless, even this new conflict seems like a healthy step forward for both of them. Coming to truly know about others’ feelings will inevitably invite friction, the kind of friction that might prompt you to hide within a loveable facade like Hime, or gravitate towards ritualized performances of intimacy like the Cafe Liebe crew. But it is only by continuing to invite that friction that you might find true, earnest companionship, and discover that everyone else is muddling through just as awkwardly as you are. We cling to scripts when we believe everyone else already has one; the truth is, everyone engages in a combination of performance and sincerity every day, all of us seeking an emotional safe harbor for our flawed, imperfect perceptions of self. As with the initial reveal of her performance, Hime has once again ripped off the band-aid accidentally, leaving a raw mark to tell of her painful prior experiences with Mitsuki. This leaves them both more vulnerable than before, but it is only through embracing vulnerability that we might arrive at genuine mutual trust. Let’s see how spectacularly they fail to manage it!

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Passion in Motion: A Handful of Favorites

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Hello friends, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I recently received a request to write some sort of “sakuga article,” meaning an article relevant in some way to the exemplary individual cuts of animation we anime stalwarts refer to as “sakuga.” This has been a source of some consternation to me, as I don’t generally consider myself particularly studied or well-informed when it comes to the specific craft of animation in the abstract. I know enough to describe why a cut feels evocative or impactful to me, but my specialties are first and foremost writing-related, followed by filmic technique, with animation following behind.

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Yuki Yuna is a Hero (Washio Sumi Chapter) – Episode 2

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re continuing with the journey of Togo, or “Washii” to her new friends, as she and her companions fight bravely in defense of the Divine Tree. Having defeated their first Vertex with only moderate difficulty, the trio have since bonded over some delicious mall gelato, where Nogi assigned Togo her fateful nickname. Thus our long march off a short pier continues, our only assurance being that things will soon get much, much worse.

I’m already steeling myself for that blow, but in the meantime, I’m also quite enjoying this season’s distinct conception of the relationship between heroes and the Divine Tree. Rather than the oblivious Yuki and her friends, Togo’s group have been fully briefed on their responsibilities, and are seen as heroes by their fellow students. Given what’s coming down the line, I could imagine that their fates actually resulted in the dismantling of this hero preparatory academy system; after all, if their classmates can directly connect the deterioration of their friends’ bodies to their work as heroes, it seems far less likely they’d be similarly inclined to sacrifice themselves for a faceless god. Let’s see if that prediction bears fruit as we return to Washi Sumi Chapter!

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Dear Brother – Episode 9

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today the sun is shining and bells are tolling atop Seiren Academy, as we return once more to the gorgeous and obscenely entertaining Dear Brother. Our last episode saw this drama’s insanity ratcheted up to heretofore purely theoretical levels, as Nanako was invited to her dear friend Shinobu’s birthday party. Upon arriving, she realized Shinobu had rented out a hotel’s dining room entirely for herself, her mother, and her eternal bestie Nanako, and things only got more unnerving from there. With the night ending on Shinobu’s friendly declaration to “kill you and then myself” if Nanako ever left her, Nanako was left to flee Shinobu’s home in tears, traumatized anew by her terrifying classmate.

For all the absurdity of that gathering, given the course of Dear Brother’s drama so far, it actually felt perfectly in line with my expectations for a Shinobu birthday party. Possessive desperation has been the girl’s MO this entire journey, with her initial apparent confidence in Seiren’s quirks and traditions swiftly clattering to the ground, revealing itself a mere embellished frontispiece introducing a tomb of madness. And that’s really how it’s gone for most of Seiren’s standards, from the false dignity of the Sorority to the fragile public personas of characters like Saint-Juste and Miya-sama. I frankly don’t know how anyone makes it out of this school alive, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Let’s get back to class!

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Fall 2024 – Week 7 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. We’re truly nearing the end of the year at this point, which means it’s getting to that time when I must actually examine the animated year in retrospect, and catch up on any key productions I might have missed. Uzumaki fell apart and Dandadan’s second episode still failed to grab me, but there’s still plenty else I need to check on, from the Dead Dead Demons adaptation to the latest installments in the Monogatari and Sound! Euphonium franchises. Between those, Delicious in Dungeon, and the year’s superb film crop (Naoko Yamada and Kiyotaka Oshiyama!), this is looking to be an altogether laudable year in anime, before we even get to backlog personal projects like Sailor Moon. I’ll be starting on all that shortly, but in the meantime, I have of course continued sampling whatever films either catch my fancy or rudely invade my screen via my roommate’s craft-neutral curiosity. Let’s break ‘em down!

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Spy x Family CODE: White

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m happy to announce that we’re checking back in on the Forger family, as we explore their first full-length cinematic adventure. Spy x Family is pretty ideally positioned for these sorts of original tie-in films; the manga itself is mostly episodic and gag-based, balancing comic spy shenanigans, warm slice of life vignettes, and the occasional longer excursion into a major mission by Loid or Yor. Aside from the steady deepening of the family’s bonds, there’s no real continuity for such a film to exist outside of, and every reason to expect a focused, independent tale might capture the franchise at its peaks.

Outside of the immediate, obvious pleasures of seeing this family be their ridiculous selves, Spy x Family is lent further allure through that consistent lurking pitch of the Forgers working in concert, their diverse talents aligning to take down some grand, implacable obstacle. Tatsuya Endo wields this hook judiciously, maintaining its status as lure by ensuring we never take it for granted – in fact, so far we’ve only seen it realized twice, during the bomb scare and then again during the cruise. I’m guessing we’re about to witness our third pan-Forger venture, and with Code Geass scribe Ichiro Okouchi handling the script, I have every confidence it will be an energetic and charmingly stupid venture. Let’s get to it!

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Hugtto! Precure – Episode 46

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today’s one of those days where I’m feeling all the pressures of life bearing down on me, the kind of day where I could really use a break from the manifold anxieties of modern living. As such, I’m declaring this the ideal time to return to Hugtto! Precure, and find some peace in the charming adventures of Hana and her friends. Hugtto’s eminently likable characters, lush and warm art design, and consistent poignancy of perspective feel like a sanctuary for viewers of all ages, offering a clear expression of art’s ability to guide, comfort, and unite us.

When last we left off, the girls’ collaboration with friggin’ Santa Claus had culminated in a cozy Christmas party for all our companions, with Traum sharing a close moment with Lulu, and even Gelos escaping from the mercenary shadow of Criasu Corp. With Gelos now looking forward to a happier future, I imagine we’re diving straight into Hugtto’s endgame for these last four episodes. And though I’m quite sad to leave Hugtto behind, I’m also eager to see our heroes step towards their futures, guided by the confidence in tomorrow’s fortunes that this series has worked so hard to cultivate. Let’s return to Hugtto Precure!

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Eureka Seven – Episode 18

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am delighted to announce we are continuing Renton’s adventures with the Gekkostate team, as we return after far too long to the skies of Eureka Seven. The early ‘00s were one of the truly great eras in anime production, brimming with ambitious post-Evangelion originals, and elevated through brilliant creators like Eureka’s own Dai Sato. Eureka Seven embodies the passion and style of the era while also calling back towards prior eras, standing as one of the last examples of the once-common four-cour original, and demonstrating with its every episode how such a format can breathe life into a world and its characters.

When last we left off, Renton and the team had enlisted the services of the skyfisher Neal, who helped them secure the necessary supplies for repairing the Gekko. This adventure served a variety of dramatic purposes, offering chances for both Eureka and Renton to grow – Eureka through getting in touch with her feelings of jealousy and displacement regarding Renton’s growth, and Renton through coming to appreciate the variability of identity, how Neal (or, more pointedly, Holland) can seem like entirely different people depending on how and where they are framed. Additionally, it emphasized Renton’s emerging psychic link with both Eureka and the Coralian, as these creatures that have allegedly doomed the planet seemingly attempted to communicate with our hero.

With the Gekko now in fine fighting shape, and several episodes of heavy introspection behind us, I’m guessing the energy will be amping up as we return to the skies. But whatever’s ahead, I’m sure we’re in capable hands, and eager to see what adventures await. Let’s get to it!

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