Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Though anime season scheduling would disagree, it is clear we have reached the end of summer at this point, making my every humble attempt to go for a jog now a struggle against the vicious winter elements. My feud with the concept of seasons is well-established at this point, but every fall has me wondering afresh why I still live in New England, when there are so many other regions less afflicted by dreaded seasonal conditions. In spite of this lamentable state of affairs, I have been doing my best to keep busy for you all, and at this point have once again brought myself up to date on outstanding reader projects. This puts me in the thrilling, terrifying position of actually having some free time to work on my own short fiction, something I haven’t done since just after college. I’ll let you all know how that goes soon, but for now, let’s break down the week in films!
Tag Archives: Anime
Trigun Stampede – Episode 3
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to return to Trigun Stampede, and see how Vash and his companions are faring. It certainly hasn’t been an easy road for them; although Vash possesses tremendous destructive power, he is loath to use his abilities to harm others, even if those others have every intention of harming him. This has made for a difficult trek across this sand-blasted planet, as every mercenary and their mother is intent on capturing him, to which he can generally just offer a lopsided “can’t we just be friends?”
Descending from the heavens alongside his twin and shadow, Vash is clearly being framed as a messianic figure, a savior whose infinite charity might counterbalance the selfishness and violence of mankind. But in a cruel world, there is often little choice but to be cruel ourselves; though Vash possesses the strength to stand by his pacifist philosophy, he cannot single-handedly save this world, cannot transform it into a place where the necessities of life are so plentiful as to facilitate such effortless charity among the rest of us. Of course, this is all assigning him a thematic significance I’m sure he’d find lofty and embarrassing; as a person in his own right, he seems mostly concerned with not becoming the “weapon” that others see him as, a tool whose only purpose is destruction. The contrast of these two perspectives, alongside the inherent thrills and charm of this lushly appointed production, have made for a thoroughly satisfying meal so far. Let’s get back to it!
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You – Episode 7
Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d stop back in with Rentaro and the gang, as we explore the trials and triumphs of their increasingly unwieldy family. Last episode’s water park trip served as a natural celebration of how absurd this show has become, with one girlfriend after another suffering some disastrous complication on their group date. Karane was assailed by insecurities about her figure, Nano and Hakari ran into those inescapable letches that always hang around anime pools, and Shizuka was lost at sea entirely. By all accounts, it was a date that could easily have ended in disaster.
Of course, in the end, their pool trip served as an affirmation of their collective concern and growing mutual trust. Yes, there were the requisite swooning swimsuit pans, but the actual meat of the episode concerned things like Nano learning to trust in Rentaro’s affection, Karane taking pride in her body, and Shizuka expressing herself in her own voice, knowing that her prince would surely come. While 100 Girlfriends opened by leaning on the inherent absurdity of applying swooning romantic iconography to multiple simultaneous romances, it has by this point morphed into something far more strange and unwieldy, a towering testament to the fact that Love is Love, a force that brightens your life in whatever form you find it. Let’s see what nonsense we’re in for next!
Anne of Green Gables – Episode 17
Hello friends, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am sorry to report that we are returning to Green Gables in a moment of absolute crisis, with no clear path forward for our poor Anne. Having already sworn off schooling on account of the contemptible Gilbert, Anne has since found herself isolated from her one and only bosom companion Diana, on account of an ill-fortuned bottle of currant wine. The hills and valleys that once seemed alive with youthful promise have turned ominous and alien; in fact, it seems more than likely that Anne shall never again enjoy a moment of peace upon this earth.
Well, at least that’s how she’d likely phrase it. In truth, I’m guessing the Currant Wine Catastrophe will be just the kick in the pants Anne needs to return to her schooling, and it’s about time too. In the meantime, I’ll be happy just to bask in the character-rich dialogue and gorgeous scenery accompanying each episode of this delightful show, certain that Lucy Maud Montgomery and Isao Takahata have us in the safest of hands. Let’s get to it!
What We Do To Bond: Eva 3.0+1.0
The world did not need more Evangelion. The original series and its capstone film still exist, and are still phenomenal; the Rebuild series could not recapture that lightning in a bottle, nor could it meaningfully improve on the artistry with which Gainax and their collaborators first brought their ideas to life. The original Evangelion was a masterpiece that permanently altered its medium, for better and for worse. The Rebuilds can only hope to echo or augment their predecessor, whatever power they might possess existing largely because they are positioned on the shoulders of a colossus.
Galaxy Express 999 – Episode 3
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eager to hop back aboard the Galaxy Express, which most recently made its departure from the lonely dunes of Mars. Initially propped up as a tourist destination after one hundred years of atmospheric adjustments, Mars was ultimately abandoned for more exotic pastures, its soil barren and inhabitants left to waste away among the ashes of their dreams. The planet is now little more than a dust-strewn graveyard, a waystation embodying the scope and callousness of mankind’s hubris.
That’s how it seems to go within Tetsuro’s mournful odyssey. Though Galaxy Express is full of imaginative scifi wonders, each new vista comes with it a promise of societal interrogation and personal sorrow, each planet in some way reflecting how our grand ambitions often conceal a fundamental apathy to the fate of our fellows. It’s a vivid mixture, like a space-faring collection of somber fairytales, and I’m sure there are many more wonders ahead of us. Let’s see what station is up next!
Yuri is My Job! – Episode 2
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d check back in on Hime’s part-time adventures, as we explore the second episode of Yuri is My Job! Having forcibly established a “Schwestern” bond of sisterhood with her coworker Mitsuki, Hime has solidified her place in the cafe’s kayfabe dynamic while simultaneously earning the enmity of Mitsuki herself. Though Hime is accustomed to performance, she has little fluency with the unspoken rules of engagement here, and seems poised to trample over any number of sacred traditions in her acclamation to life at Liebe Academy.
Of course, tangled as it is, that’s only the first layer of drama we’re dealing with here. Through its transposing of Class S traditions to this maid cafe-reminiscent venue, Yuri is My Job! is also naturally interrogating how the aesthetics of personal liberation can themselves become a new kind of limiting convention, as well as how performances of selfhood can either mask or facilitate emotional sincerity both in fiction and our own lives. Can these genre-born rituals convey genuine personal truths, offering vectors for feelings that must otherwise remain unspoken? And how does that hope square with the expectations of the audience, their insistence on performances that abide by strict models of personal expression? This show’s concerns stretch beyond the specific confines of Cafe Liebe’s performances, exploring the new realities of intimacy in an age where confessions are also Content, and finding a perfect vehicle for the universal in the specificity of the yuri boarding school’s narrative conventions. It’s a fascinating stew, so let’s not waste any more time talking around it, and get right into the action!
Big Windup! – Episode 12
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re checking back in on the team with a fresh episode of Big Windup!, as our boys prepare for the first round of the summer tournament. It certainly won’t be an easy trial; our luckless captain Hanai managed to draw an immediate matchup with last year’s champions, meaning no matter how hard our team practices, they’ll still be laboring under a substantial experience deficit, facing players who’ve bolstered their profound natural talents with superior facilities and an arduous long-term training regimen.
That’s all lousy news for our players, but certainly an easy pitch (pun slightly intended) for us in the stands. Big Windup!’s fundamental hook is navigating the complex intersection of athletic ability, group psychology, and competitive strategy, exploring how the mindset with which we approach the game can be just as consequential as our mechanical abilities. Stacking the deck against our players is an excellent way to push the limits of schemers like Abe and Momoe, so I’m eager to see how they grapple with this fresh misfortune. Let’s get to it!
Call of the Night – Episode 6
Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d check in on the nocturnal escapades of Kou and Nazuna, wherein Kou has just been presented with his most intimidating challenge yet: give a massage to fatigued office worker Kiyosumi Shirakawa, as Nazuna is feeling lazy and just wants to play videogames.
It’s a predictably low-stakes challenge for this charming production, which has so far offered a pretty even mix of romantic comedy shenanigans and more general reflections on modern ennui. Though Nazuna claims to be an avatar of the night’s allure, as we’ve already seen, the night is actually pretty boring when you don’t have someone to share it with. Kou, Nazuna, and Akira are all most fundamentally seeking a sense of purpose and community in a world that’s less validating and more atomized by the day. It is as of yet unclear whether playing Street Fighter at 3AM is the solution to our crisis of modern alienation, but goddamnit, these kids are gonna try. Let’s get to it!
Spy x Family – Episode 33
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to Spy x Family, wherein it seems we’re galloping towards the conclusion of its cruise liner arc. While Anya provides cover and Loid works on his Normal Man impression, Yor has been fending off a procession of devious assassins, each more cunning and lethal than the last. At the same time, her growing bond with her targets has led her to question the meaning of these missions, and whether she still needs this Thorn Princess persona at all.
Granted, I don’t expect her to actually abandon her duties as a result of these questions. Spy x Family’s conceit relies on a delicate balance of comically contradictory circumstances that doesn’t really allow for that much personal reinvention (even the very title is a riff on “spy vs spy”), at least until Tatsuya Endo decides to aim for the endgame. At the same time, its best personal drama tends to involve chafing at the edges of this paradigm – Loid favoring Anya over the “greater good” of his professional duties, Anya risking exposure by flagrantly using her powers, and now Yor questioning whether she has outgrown her Thorn Princess role, as she has found in the Forgers the stable family life she once saw her secret identity as protecting. Regardless of her conclusion, Yor challenging her own unconsidered beliefs has made her feel significantly more substantive as a character, and I’m eager to see how this story ends. Let’s get to it!