Alright folks, let’s check out another episode of The Woman Called Fujiko Mine! This show has been steadily winning me over all throughout its early episodes, with its unquestionable stylistic strengths, clear thematic aims, and general narrative polish giving each of its first four episodes a strong fundamental appeal. Along with Saya Yamamoto’s terrific aesthetic vision and contemplation of female power, the show’s most recent episodes have been further buoyed by a sense of humor and vulnerability that’s given it a clear emotional appeal. That’s been great news for me – while I certainly respected the craft of Fujiko Mine’s first two episodes, its heavy focus on ornamented style and hard-boiled noir storytelling didn’t really give me much to invest in emotionally. For me, character vulnerability is my avenue towards engagement, and both Fujiko and new friends like Goemon have given the most recent episodes a welcome emotional touch. Fujiko herself is a fascinating badass whose fatigued negotiation of an inherently male-oriented world feels more sadly relevant every day. Let’s see whose butts need kicking or jewels need stealing in episode five!
Tag Archives: Anime
Winter 2019 – First Half in Review
Well folks, we’ve finally arrived at the winter season’s halfway point. Last year’s winter season turned out to be that year’s best by far, and though I don’t think this year is quite measuring up to that standard, it’s still been a terrific season by any metric. The crown jewel of the season is clearly Mob Psycho 100, which has actually improved substantially from its already-terrific first season, but we’ve got great continuing shows, great anime-originals, and a pretty diverse genre distribution on the whole. For better or for worse, the age of CG has arrived, and though shows like Kotobuki and Kemurikusa aren’t necessarily the most visually impressive, they’ve consistently demonstrated that fundamentally strong storytelling always shines through. I’ve personally fallen off The Promised Neverland for the moment, but that’s not really a knock on its quality – its production just seems pretty specifically aimed at new viewers, with its focus on cliffhangers over atmosphere making it a little slow for someone who’s already experienced this story. And with JoJo powering through one of its strongest segments altogether, I’m basically guaranteed that any given week in anime will at the very least not be boring. It’s a bumper crop this year, and I’m happy to take stock of the highlights so far. Let’s get to it!
Why It Works: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Has Crossed the Line
Today on Crunchyroll, I’m celebrating one of JoJo’s strangely iconic qualities – those times when its solution to some particular narrative riddle is so absurd or convoluted you just have to say “no JoJo, that’s bullshit.” I genuinely love those moments, and feel JoJo tends to pretty gracefully dance between sequences that are given enough tactical grounding to feel genuinely tense, and sequences that are so laughably ridiculous they’re entertaining purely as fantasy. Let’s get to celebrating some of JoJo’s most absurd turns!
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Has Crossed the Line
Bloom Into You – Episode 8
GUYS, WE GOTTA WATCH MORE BLOOM INTO YOU. I’ve been enjoying this show ever since the first episode, and it’s had consistent peaks all along, but HOLY CRAP episode seven. That episode by itself jumped this show from “extremely good character drama” to “turn on the next episode you fuckin’ nitwit,” neatly illustrating both the consequences of oppressive social assumptions, and the counterbalancing necessity of mentors or representational figures that validate your identity. In one neatly composed episode, Bloom Into You demonstrated one of art’s highest callings – weaving an intellectual argument into an emotional narrative, and through doing so making the consequences of some political reality tangible in an immediate, felt sense.
It is one thing to be told “gay people are harmed by a culture that solely embraces limiting, voyeuristic media portrayals of people like them,” and another to see Sayaka living with the consequences of that culture, doubting her own feelings and desperately wishing she were someone different. Most people just aren’t that great at imagining the lived experience of people unlike themselves – through media like this, that lived experience can be made clear, with sympathy hopefully ensuing. Without ever feeling didactic or insincere, Bloom Into You thoughtfully illustrated the close relationship between our media environment, our support structures, and our own sense of self, building Sayaka up as a genuine emotional force in the plot all the while. I can’t wait to see what this terrific show does next!
Ojamajo Doremi – Episode 49
Settle in everybody, the Doremi train is about to get moving. We’re actually right near the end of the show’s first season now, with the two-parter finale just ahead of us. Doremi has been a wonderful ride so far, offering charming and sympathetic characters, surprisingly nuanced narratives, plenty of unexpected dramatic turns, and a beautiful, highly expressive aesthetic to bring it all together. The show approaches its young intended audience with profound respect and honesty, and the result is a show smart, pretty, and poignant enough to appeal to any audience.
Great, family-friendly children’s entertainment doesn’t have to divide its focus between simplistic narratives for kids and occasional gags for adults – as long as the emotional throughlines are clear, it can craft narratives relevant to all people, and reflect on topics as heavy as the lingering scars of divorce, our limited ability to truly impact the world, or even coming to terms with death. By portraying such tales with unvarnished honesty and world-weary perspective, Doremi regularly eclipses the emotional and philosophical reach of more violent or escapist anime, all while maintaining an inherent sense of joy and a clear sympathy for its heroines. At this point, I’m mostly just sad this show apparently never received a dub – it genuinely feels like one of the best piece of kids’ media I’ve witnessed in any language, and its lessons are timeless. But I too can only do so much, so I’ll do what I can to raise the profile of this wonderful, utterly heartfelt show. Let’s explore another episode of Ojamajo Doremi!
Hugtto! Precure – Episode 6
Folks, it is absolutely time for more Precure. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this journey through one of the modern anime institutions, and am eager to see how the dynamic shifts now that Homare has joined the team. I frankly don’t know how that dynamic is going to shift – Precure is a franchise that has established its own rhythms and assumptions over close to fifteen years now, but as a newcomer to the franchise, I’m basically in your care in terms of getting to know this series. Is there a specific pattern to acquiring team members? Will we experience a few episodes settling the dynamic before filling out the roster? Like with my Nanoha watch series, it’s very fun for me to finally get to experience works that so many of my friends and readers have such a strong attachment to, especially a work so earnest and kindhearted as this one.
So far, Hugtto’s fourth episode has been the clear standout so far, elevated through gorgeous compositions and plentiful fluid animation that all helped bring Homare’s story to life. I’ve been informed that can be credited to Yuuta Tanaka, one of Precure’s premiere directors, but the show in general has demonstrated a compelling aesthetic sensibility and a surprisingly keen eye for composing fight scenes. Hugtto’s manipulation of scale and momentum during its big battles puts a lot of straightforward action shows to shame, and I’m excited to see how these battles shift as our heroes grow into a real team. Let’s see what awaits us in another episode of Hugtto! Precure!
Winter 2019 – Week 5 in Review
Terrific news, everyone – the anime wasn’t universally great this week, and so for once, I actually have something to talk about in this opening blurb. It’s frankly gotten harder and harder to come up with new ways to say “these cartoons kick ass, everything is awesome” every week, so I’m grateful for a little inspiration courtesy of this week’s contenders. While Run with the Wind and Kemurikusa pulled off a pair of their strongest episodes yet, Mob Psycho took a narrative turn that seemed weirdly out of sync with its prior material, and The Magnificent Kotobuki basically coasted on its fundamental strengths. Neither of those are particularly serious Anime Crimes, but in a season that features three of my favorite directors and JoJo besides, I’m going to take whatever quibbles I can get. Let’s get on with the grumping then, as we run down another week in anime!
Why It Works: The Magnificent Kotobuki and Its High-Flying Director Have Arrived
I’m guessing a lot of readers probably knew what this week’s post would be the moment “The Magnificent Kotobuki is now on Crunchyroll” was announced, and I’m happy to prove them right. Tsutomu Mizushima’s work has been bringing me great joy for years, and I had a great time celebrating his career with this week’s column. Let’s get to the piece!
The Magnificent Kotobuki and Its High-Flying Director Have Arrived
Girls’ Last Tour – Episode 1
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be embarking on an entirely new adventure, as we make our way through the first episode of Girls’ Last Tour.
I remember enjoying Girls’ Last Tour well enough while it was airing, though I didn’t actually follow it to the end. That’s not necessarily the show’s fault, though – it’s quite frankly just tough to find time for non-Crunchyroll shows in my schedule, as the demands of a weekly column mean I pretty much always have to be looking for new subject matter. The show was a lovely little production in its own right though, and struck firmly in that “quiet, intimate joy in the face of existential despair” niche occupied by shows like Sound of the Sky or Planetarian. I tend to love that particular tonal combination – “the world is a profoundly harsh and unforgiving place, but we still have hope and each other” might well be my general philosophy on life, and so I’m always up for narratives that temper an unflinching approach to illustrating life’s traumas with clear, emphatic sympathy for their central characters. When you couple that with the show’s beautiful environments and consistently evocative tone, you end up with an anime that I’m very happy to return to. Let’s see what there is to discover in the first episode of Girls’ Last Tour!
The Tatami Galaxy – Episode 2
After a rambling, almost stream-of-consciousness first episode, The Tatami Galaxy follows up with one that essentially gives the game away. We soon learn that our protagonist Watashi is stuck in some kind of loop, a Groundhog Day-esque cycle that keeps him forever repeating the first two years of college. This is bad news for Watashi, but likely a necessary conceit from our perspective; after all, in a story this scattershot, fast-paced, and circuitous, it’s necessary to have some structure for the audience to hold onto. And so we find ourselves hanging desperately from Watashi’s shoulder, as he moves from the tennis club and prank-related infamy to his school’s illustrious film club.