Tag Archives: Anime

Journal With Witch – Episode 3

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m happy to announce I’m feeling pretty darn emotionally stable, which puts me in fine shape to survive an episode of Journal With Witch. The show has so far done a commendable job of psychologically demolishing me with both of its first two episodes, digging into the intersection of grief, self-realization, and creative expression with nuance and acuity. Makio is one of the most sharply drawn characters I’ve seen in years, and through her awkward navigation of adulthood, parenting, and professional writing, Journal With Witch is constructing a human portrait as raw and incisive as its titular journal.

Our last episode saw Makio consulting with allies regarding the Asa question, conferring with first her close friend Nana Daigo, and then her ex-boyfriend Shingo. Unfortunately, as is often the case in such matters, they mostly just served to affirm things she already knew: that she couldn’t put off managing her sister’s personal effects, that her life would be changing rapidly now, and that in spite of it all, she would still remain her standoffish, singular self. Personal growth is both a practice and an inevitability; sometimes pledges turn to practices and then to habits through conscious effort, and sometimes we look up and have to blink at the figure in the mirror, uncertain how we assumed some strange new shape. Regardless, the fundamentals of the isolated creative life remain constant – we dig deep within and excavate our embarrassments, throwing them onto the page in hope of connection, simultaneously praying and fearing to be truly known. Perhaps next time, that hot stovetop might offer the validation we need, the certainty that we haven’t wasted our life in letters. Perhaps not, but what else is there?

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Eureka Seven – Episode 19

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am pleased as punch to announce we are at last returning to Eureka Seven, after far too long a leave of absence from Renton and the Gekkostate crew. There’s really nothing like that particular era of ambitious ‘00s originals, and believe me, I’ve looked. Not to say that the era I grew up with was the best era of anime production – that’s just nostalgia talking, obviously. But every shift in the medium’s output offers its own pleasures, and I am exceedingly fond of these sweeping, go-for-broke combinations of insular personal narratives and globe-trotting fantasy, particularly when Dai Sato or Igarashi and Enokido are involved.

When last we left off, Renton had received a melancholy reminder of home in the form of the old miner Brittany, who remained convinced that just two more meters of digging would strike the motherload that would revive his town. Seeing his own grandfather in this man’s struggles, Renton was happy to make himself useful, until Brittany’s obsession eventually put the whole Gekkostate crew in danger. Thus this brief flash of nostalgia only served to remind him how far from home he was, and how disconnected he remains from the strange, violent world he now occupies.

Renton’s conflict embodies the synergy of Eureka Seven’s surfer crew/revolutionary dichotomy, with Renton essentially experiencing the same disillusionment as a young reporter following a spiraling rock group, or a boy who abandons his home to join the circus. The Gekkostate crew are not here to provide him with a purpose; they are mired in their own troubles, barely getting by, and far from the ideal mentors for a boy seeking to find himself. But no one ever matures under ideal circumstances, and now that the glow of chasing his dream has dimmed, Renton might at last begin the unglamorous process of learning to live with both his triumphs and his regrets. Let’s return to the skies!

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Big Windup! – Episode 23

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to the field at the top of the ninth, after an eighth inning that saw both Nishiura and Tosei securing one more run. Unfortunately for Nishiura, this means they’re once again behind their first-seeded opponents, with only a single inning left to first tie and then surpass their opponents. What’s worse, Tosei’s pitcher Takase has clearly shrugged off his early-innings slump, making it all the harder for our boys to run those bases. It seems all hopes rest on Nishiura’s cleanup hitter Tajima – but with Takase at full capacity, will Nishiura survive long enough to let him swing?

Yep, it’s time for more friggin’ Big Windup!, as we return to Nishiura’s absolute nailbiter of a first summer tournament game. Having earned the misfortune of facing off against the first-seeded Tosei players, Abe and his teammates have employed every possible trick to gain an inch of advantage, and at this point might understand the quirks of Takase’s pitching better than he himself does. To win in baseball requires a combination of hard-trained athleticism, ingrained coordination, opponent-specific preparation, in-game analysis, and luck; throughout this match, all of those factors have risen and woven together, demonstrating the exhilarating heights of mechanically grounded drama. Fight on, Nishiura!

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Umamusume: Pretty Derby S2 – Episode 1

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’ve got a somewhat unorthodox piece for you all, as we touch down at the beginning of Umamusume: Pretty Derby’s second season. I actually reviewed the first two episodes of the original Umamusume back when they premiered, and apparently had a laundry list of critiques: the slice of life material felt by-the-numbers, the sports side failed to create tension, and the concept was so absurd that I could never achieve the buy-in necessary to engage with it emotionally. However, I have consistently heard that Umamusume’s second season is a vast improvement on the original, and am thus prepared to have another go at its fantastical horse girl world.

From what I hear, this second season apparently tunes down both the slice of life interludes and preposterous “also they’re idols” contrivance, honing in on the franchise’s sports drama fundamentals. That seems like a sturdier foundation than the first season’s mix, so while this is still pretty far outside my usual wheelhouse, I’m gonna do my best to keep an open mind about everyone’s favorite horse girl idol drama gambling app tie-in franchise. Let’s get down to the track!

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Trigun Stampede – Episode 10

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to check back in on Vash and the gang, as we race towards the climax of Trigun Stampede. Through the winding adventures of Vash and his companions, Stampede has set up something resembling a theological parable, a question of what we owe to each other, the planet, and the quasi-gods above. Million Knives is our old testament arbitrator, eager to wipe the slate clean, and fundamentally contemptuous of humanity’s struggles for survival. In contrast, Vash may well serve as our redeemer, witnessing the sins of generations and yet perpetually struggling to save our frail, fractious species.

In between these two poles, our last episode reintroduced Zazie as an avatar of the planet itself, a collective organism potentially incompatible with humanity’s rapacious hunger. Mankind’s better instincts will always face an uphill battle; it is far easier to destroy than it is to rebuild, and as this journey has shown, desperation can drive even the best of us to tribalism and hatred. But so long as one soul remains committed to a brighter, kinder future, I imagine Vash will stand alongside them, still loyal to the compassion his precious guardians have taught him. If we can help raise a being as fundamentally decent as Vash, perhaps we might be worth saving after all. Let’s find out!

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CITY the Animation – Episode 8

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to take another stroll downtown, and see what new fever dreams are cooking among the preposterous inhabitants of CITY the Animation. The show has recently been hard at work demonstrating that continuity need not imply coherency, as Mr. Makabe’s adventures with dining out have risen to new heights of lunacy, and Niikura has proven herself some kind of midnight food demon (no doubt at the insistence of her six or seven shoulder devils).

So basically business as usual for these wacky characters, alongside those steady apportionings of genuine mutual support and comfort that provide such a winning foundation for their variable antics. Life is a funny thing, full of moments of glory or sorrow that seem almost willfully disorienting in their senseless distribution. Through its various vignettes, CITY captures the absurdity of life with humor and compassion, providing an exaggerated yet still recognizable portrait of the unexpected trials and triumphs of the everyday. We’re all in this nonsense together, so let’s do our best to make our collective journey a pleasant one!

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Birdie Wing – Episode 1

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to announce we’re embarking on a fresh new journey, as we explore the action-packed world of high-stakes golf drama. That’s right, it’s time for motherfucking Birdie Wing, which I know by reputation as a proud entry in anime’s distinguished “sports are basically DBZ battles” subgenre. Having greatly enjoyed such delightful genre forebearers as Scorching Ping Pong Girls and Sk8 the Infinity, I am eager to see how this production elevates what is generally agreed to be a sedate, largely retiree-aimed sporting passion.

Apparently our heroine’s origin story is “competes in unlicensed golf challenges to earn money for underprivileged youths,” which is a statement of such simultaneous absurdity and confidence that I’m already hooked. Our director Takayuki Inagaki is a seasoned veteran, having done key work on productions ranging from Desert Punk to School Rumble to Chio’s School Road, meaning he definitely has the comedy chops for this sort of thing. Meanwhile, screenwriter/series composer Yōsuke Kuroda seems even more appropriate for the project, having proven both his sports and melodrama cred through works like Big Windup!, BASTARD!!, and Gundam Build Fighters. All signs point towards an exceptionally executed slice of birdie-seeking absurdity, so let’s get right to the action of Birdie Wing!

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Kamiina Botan – Episode 1

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re checking out a fresh new production, as we screen the first episode of the currently ongoing Kamiina Botan, or in full adapted parlance “Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk.” The show follows a university student who is apparently introduced to the joys of drunken revelry when she moves to a new dorm, and befriends her alcohol enthusiast dorm leader Ibuki Tonami.

That’s not really much to go off! By premise and tags alone, it seems like we’re in for either college-oriented iyashikei or yuri romcom, with both director Takashi Sakuma and composer Yōko Yonaiyama possessing sturdy but relatively unexceptional credentials. Things get a bit more intriguing when we run down to the animation department, which appears stuffed with strong new-gen animators who’ve lent their talents to all sorts of acclaimed productions. That all seems like a fine combo to me, so let’s see what’s in store for us with Kamiina Botan!

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Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Hero Chapter – Episode 6

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we are returning to the field for one more challenge against God, as the brave champions of Yuki Yuna is a Hero face the potential destruction of their entire world. After three hundred years of stewardship, the Divine Tree is nearing the end of its life, and requires (surprise surprise) the sacrifice of a maiden “bride” to restore itself. Of course, even this wouldn’t result in the continuation of their current world – it would result in humanity joining the “land of the gods,” which sounds a whole lot like some instrumentality-adjacent death of human consciousness.

But really, have we come to expect any better from the Divine Tree or its intermediaries? As Nogi bitterly put it, truly embracing this cause demands a surrender of all human sentiment, of the small acts of charity and precious personal connections that define all that is good, all that is worth saving. This reorientation towards a denial of human consciousness is really nothing new for this faith; all along, the Divine Tree has sought to transform the brightest lights of humanity into fuel for its own perpetuation, seeing this as the highest calling to which humans might aspire. Thus stasis is maintained through the surrender of humanity itself, a variable which has no value in the Divine Tree’s cosmology, and which is accordingly drained from those who most fully embrace its divine purpose. But to live without humanity is to be an animated corpse, a semblance of consciousness with no greater conscience. It is the mission of the best of us to reject such a cynical ethos, and magical girls are the best of us made manifest, the living prayer that “if anyone says there’s no reason to hope, I’ll prove them wrong every single time.” Let’s get to proving!

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The Apothecary Diaries – Episode 3

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m thinking we could all do with some thorny palatial intrigue, meaning it’s likely time for a fresh episode of The Apothecary Diaries. The show has proven an absolute delight so far, in large part due to its preposterously charming heroine. Combining a keen intellect and curious mind with a variety of more grumpy, gremlin-reminiscent qualities, Maomao fits into a proud tradition of reluctant detectives, running from modern favorites like Oreki Houtarou all the way back to the indifferent, self-medicating Sherlock Holmes.

With Maomao as our guide, life at the palace has proven a treacherous and fragile balance, a continuous negotiation of loyalties spiced with the threat of venomous betrayal. It’s becoming oddly understandable how Maomao might find comfort in poisons; poisons might harm, but they rarely lie, generally revealing themselves through odor and texture and a certain stiffening of the limbs. In contrast, the nobles of the court are born liars, and that bastard Jinshi the least trustworthy of them all. Let’s see how Maomao navigates this nest of vipers as we return to the palace!

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