Tag Archives: Anime

Oregairu S3 – Episode 4

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today, we are at long last returning to Oregairu, where things are currently going so well that it’s making me nervous. Normally, watching Oregairu is a sensation not unlike being tortured on a medieval rack, where each new episode’s awkwardness and drama stretches your limbs just a few centimeters past their breaking point. But recently, pretty much all of our principal characters have been getting along, and supporting each other with their various endeavors. What does this mean? 

It’s pretty simple, actually: these kids are finally growing up. Yukino is learning to set aside her brittle pride, Hachiman is becoming more comfortable admitting he cares, and Iroha is earnestly committing herself to the projects she’s passionate about. The crew have grown so much that they might not even need Yui to act as a social moderator anymore – a fact that Yui herself is keenly aware of. With the end of high school approaching, the artificial closeness of the Volunteer Service Club will soon end as well – and at that point, our stars will have to decide what they truly mean to each other. Let’s return to the rich drama of Oregairu!

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Symphogear XV – Episode 4

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At last, our grand mastermind has been revealed! After several seasons of blustering for a return to Imperial Japan and being a general dick to all of his relatives, Fudou Kazanari has revealed himself to be an even more heinous figure than anticipated, and an outright traitor to the Symphocause. This time, victory for our heroes might demand outright rebellion against the Japanese government, as warmongers at home and abroad squabble over the fruits of alchemical research, and the terrible relics left by those who came before.

In structural terms, this reveal aligns the whole Symphogear organization on a dramatic axis the franchise has been favoring from the start: the perpetual conflict between duty and desire, as your orders contradict your human emotions. Most of Hibiki’s allies joined her after discarding the shackles of duty, and even many of her enemies have walked that same path, regardless of whether they joined the team or evaporated in a cloud of narrative-simplifying mist. Now it looks like the Symphogear team as a whole will have to shed the patriarchal bonds of its Japanese stewardship, in order to… join the larger, chosen family of our global alliances? Yeah, I’m pretty sure that metaphor works. Anyway, we’ve got punches to get to, so let’s not waste any more time poking at Symphogear’s thematic architecture. LET’S GET TO THE BATTLES!

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The Girl in Twilight – Episode 12

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Heads up fuckers, Asuka and Yu are in love and there’s nothing you can do about it. Last episode’s conclusion was all I could have hoped for and more, as Yu and Asuka’s emotional journeys reached their destined ends, and the show reaffirmed their relationship in the best way possible.

First off, the explanation for both Asuka and Yu’s current emotional stasis turned out to be a graceful reflection of this story’s inspiring incident. Kyo’s disappearance had shaken both of them to the core, driving a rift between them that no amount of time could really repair. For Asuka, choosing a future beyond her home would feel like a betrayal of her brother, and so she refused to think about the future. For Yu, her frustration at being unable to reach her friend would eventually build into an emotional wall, where she’s willing to joke and hang out with Asuka, but unable to truly speak her mind. With a little help from her less-inhibited self, Yu was at last able to break through that wall, and admit she loved Asuka – and with Yu’s love supporting her, Asuka was then able to love herself, and forgive herself for losing Kyo.

It was a perfectly crafted culmination of both their arcs, and a testament to The Girl in Twilight’s consistently elegant narrative structure. But as structurally sound as it was, that sequence wouldn’t have landed without Twilight’s equally compelling character work, or its charming, convincingly naturalistic dialogue. Asuka and Yu have sounded like an old married couple all season long, constantly bickering, but always acting with a clear understanding and respect for the feelings of the other. It’s easy enough now to see them as romantically coded – I simply didn’t expect The Girl in Twilight to break that barrier, and make their relationship explicit. Well, it’s explicit now, and I couldn’t be happier for these two idiots. Let’s defeat the King of Twilight with the power of love, heroes!

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Summer 2021 – Week 6 in Review

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Hello folks, and what the heck is up. Personally, I’ve been feeling pretty good about my progress getting back into regular jogging – there were a disappointingly sedentary couple of years there, but I’ve recently been sticking to three runs a week, and feeling both physically and emotionally better for it. Anyway, we’ve got an excellent set of films to run through today, ranging from a David Lynch classic to some actual goddamn anime. Meanwhile, I’ve still been plugging away at One Piece, and recently wrote up a Whole Cake-centric exploration of family. I’m frankly not emotionally prepared for One Piece to exit my life, and you’ll be getting an article soon about how that feels as well, but for now I’m enjoying Wano with all the passion I can possibly muster. In the meantime, let’s peruse some fine film selections, as we sort through another Week in Review!

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ODDTAXI – Episode 7

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A storm is brewing in ODDTAXI, one whose clouds loom over every soul we’ve met so far. As episodes have stacked up, odd points of connection have emerged all across the cast, from Atsuya and Nikaido’s relationship to Yamamoto’s murky ties to Dobu’s employers. In a show that’s so thematically preoccupied with the alienation of the modern world, it feels like a kind of cruel irony that its cast are so oddly connected – not in such a way that they might comfort each other, but more in the way dominoes are linked yet separate, bonded only by their mutually assured destruction. A tragedy anywhere in our cast would send ripples through the entire ensemble; and with the danger ratcheted up to its current fever pitch, such a tragedy is beginning to feel inevitable.

Such a sense of unease is common in the noir traditions ODDTAXI draws upon. Rather than hoping for genuine salvation, noir heroes seek only to avoid the flood, and perhaps save an innocent or two along the way. Traditionally, the darkness of these stories was fomented in the ravages of post-war trauma; for ODDTAXI, the stratified, performative nature of social media and modern capitalism provide more than enough horror, allowing characters like Tanaka to drown in the dissatisfaction of modern living. In a world like this, clinging to the connections you can truly count is likely the best we can hope for – and with Odokawa demanding that Dobu let Shirakawa go, it seems like this show’s most precious bond might still be intact. I’m holding on hope for ODDTAXI’s painfully human lost souls, as we enter the second half of this magnificent production.

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Space Battleship Yamato 2199 – Episode 7

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The Yamato is free! After unraveling Shultz’s nefarious schemes, our intrepid crew launched a counterattack on the Gamalian base, saving not just their own ship, but the innocent citizens of earth as well. At last, no more bombs will fall from our celestial neighbors. Mankind has struck a crucial blow against our oppressors, and now our great hope has broken free of the solar system, its crew buoyed up by our collective dreams. Godspeed, Yamato – where you go, so go the aspirations of all humanity.

Gosh, Yamato is almost as fun to describe as it is to watch. Whether it’s the show’s bombastic style, imaginative narrative, or crisp execution, there’s plenty to enjoy about Yamato 2199, and I’m eager to see how the story develops now that we’re out in the far reaches of space. Let’s return to the bridge for another episode of Space Battleship Yamato 2199!

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86 – Episode 3

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Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to last season’s 86, which had a bit of a rocky start script-wise, but then proceeded to impress me with an all-around excellent second episode. I’m still not sold on the larger strokes of this show’s worldbuilding, but it’s more than made up for that with the character moments so far, which have convincingly illustrated the human bonds between the 86, as well as Lena’s distinct perspective. 

Lena is absurdly naïve about the nature of her own country, and basically everyone around her knows it. But at the same time, her optimism, good intentions, and high competency as an operator still seem destined to win over Undertaker’s crew, even if they know too much to echo her feelings. My biggest concern now is what will happen when Lena’s optimism slams into the brick wall of her government’s perspective. The 86 have been intentionally dehumanized in order to provide a steady source of disposable soldiers – by walking around saying shit like “we all look up at the same stars,” Lena is deliberately undercutting her country’s propaganda efforts. In 1984, the response to such a threat to the class system was “reprogram the irritant” – I doubt 86 is going that route, but it also seems hard to believe they’ll just let her do what she wants. Whether her reckoning comes through learning the truth about her nation or being outright sanctioned by it, I’m eager to see where her story goes. Let’s get to it!

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Summer 2021 – Week 5 in Review

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Buckle up folks, we’ve got a pile of films to get through and not much time to do it! The house was pretty darn productive this week, with our viewings ranging from mid-century horror to modern family films, along with a delightful garnish of One Piece. We are at this point in full savoring mode for Wano, consuming only an episode or two at a time, and making the most of what we have left. After all, when each sequence of episodes offers a few highlights like this, it feels like it’d be disrespectful to rush through. In the meantime, we’ve actually been turning back to catch up on all the filler episodes we initially skipped past, and enjoying the low-stakes nostalgia of conflicts like “Sanji’s gotta win a cooking contest!” It’s been a cheery week on the whole, and I’m eager to share my findings with you all, so let’s get started on the Week in Review!

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Big Windup! – Episode 5

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You folks ready for some baseball? The match between Mihashi and his previous team, Mihoshi (yes, it’s a little confusing), is finally heating up, as Mihoshi’s players begin to realize this isn’t the pitcher they’re used to. With Abe’s tactical and psychological support, Mihashi is striking out batter after batter, and gaining the confidence in his play that he’d been denied for years. With every ball Mihashi throws, he is developing into the weapon his team needs, a pitcher who could truly carry them to glory.

Unfortunately for our heroes, they’ve so far been benefitting from the fact that their opponents aren’t trying very hard. Most of Mihoshi’s players don’t take Mihashi seriously, and those who weren’t around for the middle school drama have even less incentive to care about this practice game. So it went for ace hitter Oda – but with pitcher Kanou having now begged him to actually commit, and the rest of the team presumably realizing they’re in actual trouble, I’m guessing Mihoshi’s engines will now be kicking into gear. Can our heroes take down Mihoshi’s best, and help their pitcher gain the confidence to succeed? I don’t know why you’re asking me, let’s just watch the damn episode!

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Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 45

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Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. I’ll be perfectly frank: I am tired right now, and in need of something comforting to get me back in positive spirits. Last week I came down with some awful illness that had me basically horizontal for three days straight, followed by another day or two of begrudging, sniffly recovery. After a year of careful quarantine best practices, it felt like the world cursed me with a plague the moment I dared to step into sunlight. And of course, it’s not like my responsibilities took a time-out to let me get back in gear; thus most of that recovery time was also spent writing articles, and making up for the time I decadently afforded myself for being too sick to move. Today is the first day I’ve felt more-or-less healthy in a week, and in the spirit of maintaining that health, I’m treating myself (and you all, hopefully???) to an episode of Sun and Moon.

When we last left off, Sun and Moon appeared to have finally commenced its actual plot. Starcloud, Lusamine, and Alola’s legendary pokemon were key to the Sun and Moon game’s narrative from the start, but given we’ve spent forty glorious episodes just faffing about, I was beginning to wonder if Sun and Moon would even have a plot, at least beyond the island pilgrimage. I frankly wouldn’t have minded that, but I’m also happy to see Lusamine pop in to fawn over her daughter in the most embarrassing way possible, and also see our heroes trade blows with some genuinely threatening opponents. Sun and Moon’s ultra beasts represent Pokemon at its wildest and weirdest, so I’m guessing the next few episodes have some dramatic turns in store for us. Let’s get to it!

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