Tag Archives: Anime

Spy x Family – Episode 17

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager as heck to get back to the adventures of the Forger family, having finally posted enough of my existing writeups to feel justified in jumping back to the series. Spy x Family has indeed become one of those shows that I can’t help but gorge myself on given the opportunity, and thus I’ve had to ration my viewing as judiciously as possible. Well, the rationing has transpired, and at last we’re here!

Our last excursion with the Forgers proved to be Yor’s finest hour, wherein the basic gag of “Yor can’t cook” was somehow expanded into an exploration of how food, family, and memory are naturally entwined, concluding with Yor finding a crucial link between her time with Yuri and her days with the Forgers. Touching on her core anxieties, her feelings about the past, and her dreams for the future, episode sixteen offered some vital texture to Yor’s personality, while further emphasizing her thematic alignment with the rest of the Forgers.

With Yor’s anxieties assuaged and Bond settling into the family home, I imagine we’re in for some Anya adventures over at the academy. But Spy x Family is full of delightful surprises, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever madness awaits. Let’s get back to the Forgers!

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Spring 2023 – Week 1 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week we’re greeting the spring anime season, and wouldn’t you know it, there’s actually a couple shows I’m interested in checking out. Both Tengokyu Daimakyou and Hell’s Paradise look pretty interesting, and from last season I’ve still gotta catch up on Tsurune and Vinland Saga. Having concluded Dragon Ball (don’t worry, we’re covering that today), I’m also continuing my personal journey through missing classics with Dennou Coil, a show I’ve been meaning to get to literally since I first plotted out my key anime gaps almost a decade ago. And yet, among all the tumult of fresh anime and anime gone by, I still managed to fit in a fresh stack of feature films. You ready? Let’s do this. It’s time for the Week in Review!

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The Demon Girl Next Door S2 – Episode 8

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to dive back into The Demon Girl Next Door, and at last enjoy the spoils of our hard-fought sense of genuine normalcy. After a first half-season that saw Shamiko and the gang racing through the entirety of their established conflicts, ending in both the discovery of Sakura Chiyoda and a dramatic declaration of love from Momo, it seems like things are finally calming down around Banda Terrace. Shamiko is learning to assert herself, Momo is learning to embrace vulnerability, and both of them are looking forward to a significantly less stressful fall semester.

I imagine some new conflicts will emerge to muck up all this peace and quiet, but I’d frankly also be happy to just marinate in the peace for a moment. Shamiko and Momo have been so busy accomplishing things that they haven’t really had much chance to put their new declarations into practice, and figure out how their relationship works now that they’re being so much more honest with each other. I tend to find the day-to-day practice of a relationship more interesting than the theatrics of courtship, and this production has always been uniquely perceptive when it comes to small changes in character dynamics, so I’m eager to check in on our awkward couple. Let’s return to The Demon Girl Next Door!

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Tsurune S2 – Episode 2

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to get back into the second season of Kyoto Animation’s Tsurune, a production which has already leapt beyond the standard set by its impressive predecessor. From the premiere’s remarkably seamless storyboard to its personality-rich animation, to say nothing of the graceful composite drawing it all together, Tsurune S2’s first episode was a tiny masterpiece of animated drama. Though anime is often renowned for facilitating individual artist voices within a larger work, a show like this demonstrates just how powerful a unified production can be, with all of Kyoto Animation’s talented artists straining in the same direction, hoping to achieve something both simple and nearly impossible to convey: the felt experience of a human life.

Throughout that first episode, I felt the rush of emotions as the arrow’s song brought memories to the fore. I knew the frustration of not being able to convey my intent through my clumsy hands, and the elation of realizing a slight adjustment in form was all I needed. I shivered with impatience as I consented to delay kyudo practice, and sprang up with excitement as an impromptu practice session emerged. My favorite studio has woven its familiar magic again, and I’m delighted to be caught in its spell. Let’s see what wonders await in the next episode!

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Anju to Zushiomaru

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Hello friends, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to announce we’ll be returning to the Toei Doga film catalog, as we explore the followup to Saiyuki: Anju to Zushiomaru, also known as “The Littlest Warrior.” This film is based on a 1915 short story by Mori Ogai, which was also adapted into the acclaimed 1954 film Sansho the Bailiff. The story follows two aristocratic children who fall on hard times, and are eventually sold into slavery.

Compared to the boisterous fantasy of Saiyuki, I’m told this film is a more grounded human drama, offering plenty of opportunities for character animation flourishes like Yasuji Mori’s stunning Saiyuki sequence of Rin-Rin collapsing in the snow. I’m also told that the film’s main animators, Mori included, essentially disavowed the film right upon release, and that its themes are a dubious mix of “accept suffering and don’t seek to raise your station,” “might makes right,” and “the ruling class knows what’s best for us.” As such, I’m expecting an intriguingly lopsided viewing experience, with gorgeous character animation working in service of seriously dubious values. Let’s get to it!

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Dear Brother – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am absolutely beyond eager to get back into Dear Brother, and at last find out however Nanako handles the imposing Sorority sisters. I’ve frankly been consumed with anticipation ever since I watched the last episode; I could try and feign some critical distance here, but the honest truth is this show has already swept me up, and I’m eager to simply know what happens next. I know, me caring about plot developments? It’s a strange affair to be sure, but Ikeda is proving herself a master of hooks and momentum, and Seiran is such a fantastical venue that it feels like anything is possible.

Last episode saw Nanako racing towards her destiny with renewed determination, as Misaki’s schemes forced her to abandon her comfortable passivity, and actually fight for her position in the Sorority. Her personal growth was accompanied by a variety of ingenious new visual tricks from Dezaki, ranging from the glimmering motes of light used to convey sunset’s glow, to the aggressive screen partitioning and negative space used to foster a sense of growing entrapment. Nanako’s already changed to such an extent that she’s unwilling to reveal her transformation to Dear Brother, but I imagine it’ll take even more calluses than that to survive the trials of Seiran. Let’s get to it!

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Bocchi the Rock! – Episode 4

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Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into the drama of Bocchi and her Kessoku Band, which most recently acquired its long-awaited singer (and prospective rhythm guitarist). And though this was a great victory for Kessoku Band at large, it was even more of a victory for Bocchi personally, who actually spearheaded the operation to get Kita into the group. By observing this new friend, Bocchi has come to realize that even extraverted people suffer from anxiety and imposter syndrome, and thus gained a touch more courage in facing her own fears.

This has all been delightful for Bocchi and the show at large in a character development sense, but I’ll admit I have a more selfish reason for cheering Kita’s arrival. After that excellent first episode band performance, I’ve been hungry for more sequences of the gang actually playing music together, and the appearance of our long-awaited singer seems like the perfect chance. Regardless, I’m sure we’ve got a charming and luxuriously animated experience ahead of us, so let’s dive back into Bocchi the Rock!

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Winter 2023 – Week 12 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am at last feeling optimistic about spring’s theoretically imminent arrival; in fact, I’m actually sitting here typing this in my running shorts, waiting for the thermometer to inch its way up into the fifties. I know I really should get a gym membership or something for the winter months, but it’s just hard to beat the convenience of stepping outside my door and jogging off in whichever way I choose. Anyway, I’ve finally written up some of those recent anime I’ve been yammering about, so today you all get some thoughts on Outlaw Star and Berserk in addition to our usual cinematic ramblings. Our assault on classic anime shows no sign of stopping, either; we’re currently charging through Dragon Ball at breakneck speed, which has been both a delight in its own right, and also a welcome education in the roots of modern shonen convention. More to say on that later, but for now, let’s run down the features of the week!

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Rilakkuma and Kaoru – Episode 5

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The long evenings of summer are perfect for horror movies. After the constant bustle of a day in the sun, I find little more satisfying than curling up with a spooky movie, and letting someone else deal with All The Problems for once. It’s a feeling much like sitting by a fire and looking out the window at a storm; a “grass is greener” in reverse, with only the stark alternative revealed by some window or screen allowing us to truly appreciate the security of our home. It’s perhaps not the noblest instinct to only feel secure when we see how we could have it worse, but that’s human nature for you – our first instincts are often more petty than we’d prefer, making both self-reflection and forgiveness all the more essential. 

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Spy x Family – Episode 16

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into Spy x Family, and see what further madness Anya gets up to now that she’s acquired a precognitive steed. The limiting factor on Anya’s capacity for mischief has always been her tiny legs, so now that her mobility is improved by a factor of one big floofy dog, I imagine some profound chaos is in order.

Last episode seemed to mark the end of this dedicated Bond arc, so I’m guessing we’ll be returning to Anya’s school drama in force this time, and once again attempting to secure Damian’s friendship. The relatively open canvas of the school setting makes it an easy venue for episodic larks like the dodgeball episode, but I’d also be happy to dig more deeply into Damian’s situation, and give Anya some clues regarding his home life. It appears they’re setting up Damian’s home life as the inverse of Anya’s: while Anya lives with an allegedly fake family that actually love each other, Damian lives with an allegedly real family that’s utterly lacking in familial love. You all likely know I’m a sucker for that “family is who we choose to love” theme, so I’d be happy to either pick at those intricacies or just marvel at some hilarious episodic madness. Let’s get to it!

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