Tag Archives: Anime

Big Windup! – Episode 26

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to the field for a fresh episode of Big Windup!, in the wake of Nishiura’s upset victory against their top-seeded Tosei opponents. Hard-fought wins over ostensibly superior opponents are of course shonen and sports drama’s stock in trade, but rarely has the process of achieving that win been illustrated with such thought and precision, with practically every aspect of the field, players, and emergent competitive dynamics ultimately contributing to their desperate yet wholly believable triumph.

In the wake of that game, Big Windup! has been eagerly reminding us that it is far more than a tactical simulator, and that its core strength still rests in its ability to thoughtfully illustrate the psychological interplay of its young leads. With Mihashi still incapable of fully believing in his own worth, it came down to his teammates to stop on by, eat all his leftovers, and reassure him that he is a valued member of the Nishiura lineup. Even our persnickety Abe showed some welcome development, helped along by a team that have at this point learned when to step in and vouch for their admittedly frustrating pitcher. Izumi’s reflection that “we’re not especially nice people” might well sum up this production’s strength; characters here are neither good or bad, but they are extremely human, demonstrating compassion, irritation, and all the other contradictory feelings that make up any one identity. With the wind now at their backs, let’s see how they march towards the next stage of the summer tournament!

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Umamusume: Pretty Derby S2 – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re heading down to the racecourse, as we return to the injury-fraught drama of Umamusume’s second season. Having first been introduced to the triumphant Tokai Teio at the peak of her rookie season glory, we watched as she was struck low by a fractured ankle, and forced to sit out the conclusion of her original dream. But having diligently trained her body back into fighting form, she now stands ready for a comeback tour, following on the heels of her triumphant rival McQueen.

In spite of its inherently fanciful concept, the show’s mostly been sticking to sturdy sports drama fundamentals so far, digging into the daily grind of training your body, and marinating in the disappointment of being forced to reassess your professional ambitions. It’s also done a fair job of honing Umamusume’s sprawling roster into a parsable cast, emphasizing a rivalry between teams Spica and Canopus that facilitates both comic digressions and incidental personal narratives. Adapting Umamusume into an ensemble drama basically necessitates grappling with the fact that most athletes won’t achieve the glory they’ve imagined, so I’ll be interested to see how our leads continue to find solace and motivation as they seek that distant crown. Let’s get to it!

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CITY the Animation – Episode 11

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m feeling altogether on top of my various professional responsibilities, and thus feel I’ve earned some sunny urban shenanigans. That’s right, it’s time for another episode of CITY The Animation, as Nagumo and her eccentric neighbors do their best to navigate adolescence, adulthood, and that awkward bridge in between. Our journeys may be wandering and our destinations uncertain, but as that irrepressible OP says, I’m sure we’ll all meet again eventually, laughing and smiling just like this.

Our last episode certainly offered plenty of reason for laughter, united under the thematic banner of “experiencing an idyllic summer vacation.” For our older trio, this involved a carefree trip to the beach ending in tsunami-strength meteorological devastation – for Tatewaku Makabe, it meant roaming the globe in pursuit of his beloved Izumi, encountering a variety of dubiously canonical hazards along the way. And all of this served as a sort of meta anti-climax, terminating in the absurd punchline that our local baseball team had not just competed in, but actually won the vaunted summer Koshien. But I suppose the feeling of missing out on a perfect youthful summer is in its own way the essence of youth, and I’m sure CITY will offer more similarly slanted wisdom in the episodes ahead. Let’s see what else this production has to teach us as we return to the streets!

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Birdie Wing – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to the course at a moment of high drama and rank duplicity, as it appears Eve’s handler Rose has done… something to ensure Aoi misses her last putt. Has she hollowed out the earth beneath the final hole, and stationed an army of children in the cavity to adjust the lay of the course? Is she controlling a giant fan that’s only just off screen, manipulating its mighty blades to ensure Eve’s victory? I don’t rightly know, but the fact that neither of those hypotheses sound wholly improbable means we surely must be returning to the delightful, delirious Birdie Wing.

Our last episode saw Eve and Aoi at last competing in a full eighteen rounds of golf, even if they were technically positioned in two separate sub-groups. The production was nonetheless able to create a solid sense of tension through Aoi essentially “chasing” Eve across the course, all while both establishing Eve’s existing limitations as a player and illustrating how Aoi is already leading her towards a more positive, uplifting relationship with golf itself. It’s clear that Aoi and Rose have fundamentally incompatible hopes for our young golf mercenary, and regardless of how that plays out, I’m eager to see whatever preposterous worldbuilding flourish Birdie Wing offers next. Let’s get to it!

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Fall 2026 – Week 3 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. My march through the year’s anime highlights continued this week, as I ran through the charming throwback Goodbye, Lara. I’m thinking my next investigations will concern either Sparks of Tomorrow or the spring season’s Nippon Sangoku, but I’m certainly open to other pitches regarding this year’s bountiful productions. Perhaps A Hundred Scenes of Awajima? I initially overlooked that one, but learning it came from the author of Wandering Son has definitely piqued my interest. Anyway, I’ve clearly got plenty of work ahead of me, but there are far worse problems than having too much good anime to sort through. And rest assured, I have not let this deluge of animation prevent me from watching altogether too many goddamn movies. Let’s get to it!

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Kemonozume – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to announce we’re returning to Masaaki Yuasa’s bold full series debut, as we explore a fresh episode of the dazzling Kemonozume. Maintaining the fluidity of form and sharpness of concept that defines much of his early work, Kemonozume has offered an alternately whimsical and brutal tale of star-crossed lovers, as reluctant hunter Toshihiko and repentant Flesh-Eater Yuka seek a place where their love can bloom.

Each episode so far has offered a vivid procession of angular, evocative compositions, realizing the hopes and fears of our heroes through the ecstatic beauty and shadowy contours of their living world. Upon that grand stage he has laid a narrative rich in implications regarding gender, identity, and familial obligation, complimented by an evocative mythology that turns the eternal journey towards mutual understanding into a life-or-death source of prejudice and paranoia. This world is a powder keg set to blow, and I’m eager to bask in the beauty of its funeral pyre. Let’s get to it!

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HeartCatch Precure! – Episode 3

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into an absurdly charming new adventure, as we return to the vividly illustrated HeartCatch Precure! Our first two episodes saw young heroine Tsubomi doing her best to integrate into life in Kibougahana, making some faltering efforts to abandon her introverted ways, and ultimately finding herself utterly overwhelmed by her new neighbor Erika. And if that wasn’t enough, she was subsequently conscripted into some sort of supernatural defense of Yggdrasil, with two ridiculous crystal-pooping fairies demanding she transform and face off against the nefarious Sasorina.

Thus Tsubomi evolved into the gallant Cure Blossom, and saved Erika in spite of maybe technically being the weakest Precure in history. We’ve got a hearty stew of narrative variables a’brewing here, from the unique mythology of this universe to the mysteries concerning Erika’s grandmother, the fate of Cure Flower, and the identity of that scarf-clad stranger. But on a more immediate level, HeartCatch has been an absolute embarrassment of visual riches, showing off the dynamic appeal of fully powered Umakoshi designs, and also letting director Nagamine flex his action boarding talents. All that plus the wondrous gremlin that is Erika have made for a superb start to our journey, and I’m eager to see how she torments Tsubomi next. Let’s get to it!

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Ojamajo Doremi Sharp – Episode 19

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am delighted to announce we’re checking back in on Doremi and her fellow ojamajos, as we explore a fresh episode of the conveniently titled Ojamajo Doremi Sharp. Whether it’s offering a poignant personal lesson, exploring the distinct lives of Doremi’s classmates, or simply reveling in its aesthetic flexibility and fantastical worldbuilding, each episode of Doremi offers a barrelful of fresh treasures, demonstrating the universal appeal of great children’s entertainment at its very best.

Our last episode was an admittedly embarrassing one for Doremi herself, as her bad attitude and sense of entitlement prompted an exodus by her fairy Dodo. This of course turned out to be a prime opportunity for Doremi’s animators, who indulged themselves with all sorts of goofy Dodo expressions, including the unforgettable Sukeban Dodo. And ultimately, the episode served to underline one of this production’s most enduring themes – its understanding that better behavior is a practice we must continually recommit to, not a stable fact of our unchanging identities. Even the adults in Doremi are works in progress, serving as a testament to its compassion and breadth of emotional insight. Now let’s see what nonsense the girls get up to today!

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Fall 2026 – Week 2 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. The fall season is churning along at this point, accompanying a general dulling of the sky and dimming of the sun as we slip into another year’s depressive winter huddle. That bleak transformation has served to underline the urgency of my annual catch-up process, which has most recently seen me diving into the charming and nostalgic Goodbye, Lara. Bold anime-original dramas are precious gems in our demon-haunted era, and so far Lara is impressing on a variety of fronts, from its cel-aping aesthetic to its charming cast to its gentle interrogation of various forms of love. I’ll surely have more to say on that when I get deeper in, but for now, let’s run down the week in films!

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Thunderbolt Fantasy S3 – Episode 10

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to a banquet of sorcerous scheming and subterfuge, as we continue the ever-shifting third season of Thunderbolt Fantasy. At a rough count, the Divine Swarm’s conspiracy now incorporates insect-worshipping cultists, insane cyborg priests, a demon witch and her sword sister (also a demon witch), a disgraced general and his increasingly suspicious retinue, and also the friggin’ Enigmatic Gale. Between them, they harbor roughly as many animating motives, being aligned almost solely through their equal animosity towards our poor Shang of the Sorcerous Sword Index.

Meanwhile, Shang and his buddy Lang have found themselves flung through time, utilizing the power of Xing Hai’s void crystals to return to prior moments of promise and crisis. For Shang, this means witnessing the event that informed his life’s purpose: the creation of the calamitously powerful Sword Index itself. And for Lang, it means revisiting the moment of his greatest failure: the blinding of Mu Tian Ming at the hands of Huo Shi Ming Huang, the mysterious leader of the Divine Swarm. Altering the course of this event could both restore her sight and avert the present-day crisis, but such bold revising of the past would surely lead to further, potentially disastrous consequences. There is no such thing as a free lunch in an Urobuchi narrative, but given Lang’s current torment, I have a feeling he’d pay whatever cost this transgression against causality might infer. Let’s see how our time travelers fare as we return to Thunderbolt Fantasy!

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