Tag Archives: Anime

The Big O – Episode 9

Posted on by

Hello all, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am eagerly awaiting our continued explorations of The Big O, a show that has impressed me anew with almost every new episode, marrying gothic grandeur and neo-noir smolder to dazzling effect. I say “almost” there as a specific nod to the show’s last episode, which was unfortunately a bit of a step down from the show’s standard; a little more monster-of-the-week than usual, and also a bit less impressive in terms of its overall storyboarding.

But of course, as we hopefully all understand at this point, an anime production isn’t really a singular, cohesive organism; it is a composite of many individual artists, all of whom tend to leave a definable signature on their work. And in this case, one of those artists happens to be Akihiko Yamashita, co-architect of the astounding Giant Robo, and one of The Big O’s most accomplished storyboarders. With him on boards and series mainstay Ikuro Sato on direction, I’m expecting great things from The Big O’s ninth episode. Let’s get to it!

Continue reading →

Fall 2020 – Week 7 in Review

Posted on by

Oh man, it has been a productive week this time, folks. I ran through live-action classics, horror standouts both cult and critical, and even continued my journey through Hayao Miyazaki’s remaining films. I also put in the ridiculous amount of work necessary to pull together a fresh Evangelion writeup, so you can look forward to that coming down the pipeline soon. I also re-stringed my guitar for the first time in longer than I’m comfortable admitting, so the echo of Mountain Goats songs has once again been haunting my housemates at all hours of the day. Getting a little off track here, so let’s loop back to the subject at hand – from Hollywood’s golden era to Canadian slashers to world cinema classics, it’s time to break down another Week in Review!

Continue reading →

Why It Works: One Perfect Moment – Atmosphere as Drama in Anime

Posted on by

For this week’s Why It Works, I discussed anime’s laudable focus on atmospheric storytelling, and its ability to convey emotional truths or the precise tension of a moment through careful scene-setting. This also serves as a general “becoming a more active media consumer” lesson, as I once more encourage people to connect with art in ways aside from the purely plot-focused. I’ve come to accept I probably won’t singlehandedly instigate a sea change in how fandom engages with art, but I think I’m okay with encouraging just a few people to think just a little differently about storytelling. Anyway, let’s get to it!

One Perfect Moment – Atmosphere as Drama in Anime

Oregairu S3 – Episode 3

Posted on by

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. We return to Oregairu at a particularly improbable moment, as the show establishes a point of connection between two deeply incompatible people: Yukino and Iroha. Yukino is a brittle pillar of integrity, determined to embody her ethos by living as a righteous example – meanwhile, Iroha is an incorrigible gremlin, always eager to foist her work on others, and most comfortable hiding her feelings behind an insincere smile.

At least, that’s who they used to be. Over the course of Oregairu’s first two seasons, Yukino has learned to be far less judgmental, and gained a sense of humility and closeness among her friends that has disarmed her originally unapproachable nature. Meanwhile, Iroha has realized she’s genuinely good at a lot of things, learned to take pride in her efforts, and decided she too wants the genuine connections Hachiman is seeking. Through each of their journeys, they have arrived at a point where Yukino can recognize Iroha’s shared desire to assert her competency and independence, and want to help her achieve her dreams. Whether attempting to organize a prom while also renegotiating her familial duties is wise is another question entirely, but Yukino’s tendency to overexert herself isn’t likely to disappear overnight. Without further ado, let’s see what our crew get up to next!

Continue reading →

Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 29

Posted on by

It’s currently raining outside my house; a cold, grey rain that promises no clear skies or emotional catharsis, but simply the inevitability of more storms, as I endure one more damp and dreary New England winter. Rain is a useful dramatic tool, but a lousy weather condition; though perhaps that’s a contradiction in terms, as it is only our personal experiences with rain that give it such strong narrative resonance. Either way, the short of it is that the weather here sucks, and I am once again employing that as an excuse to ship off to the shores of Alola, where it only rains when the drama absolutely demands it. Without further ado, let’s see what Ash and his companions have been getting up to this week!

Continue reading →

The Girl in Twilight – Episode 7

Posted on by

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to one of our more unusual projects, as we explore the next episode in the hilarious and highly imaginative The Girl in Twilight. So far, the show has turned out to be a unique mixture of some very disparate priorities. On the one hand, it’s a high-concept timeline-hopping science fiction adventure… but in practice, the show frequently seems less interested in exploring the mechanics of its timelines, than it is in simply celebrating the personalities and friendships of its main cast, as well as the ways different worlds play off their “natural” temperaments.

As someone who generally cares a whole lot more about characterization than worldbuilding, this has been absolutely all right by me – and with endearing, multifaceted characters and a great script, The Girl in Twilight has consistently made the most of its unique dramatic balance. Additionally, Tomoyo Kurosawa is just plain killing it as our heroine Asuka, and proving she clearly needs more starring roles as soon as possible. However the secrets of our current world play out, I’m looking forward to spending more time with these idiots in another The Girl in Twilight!

Continue reading →

Why It Works: Ojamajo Doremi and the Magic of Children’s Animation

Posted on by

Heck yeah, writing about Doremi on Crunchyroll. I’d likely never have gotten the chance if not for this upcoming film, so count that as another reason I’m so excited this revival project exists. Beyond that, this article is more generally about how children’s anime tends to actually inhabit a more mature, thoughtful perspective than late-night anime, largely because it’s written to help kids grow, rather than to make teens feel badass. Let’s get to it!

Ojamajo Doremi and the Magic of Children’s Animation

Pokemon Sun and Moon – Episode 28

Posted on by

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. It’s friday for me right now, and though the particular conditions of my employment mean I don’t have a “work week” so much as an unending stream of content production responsibilities, it still feels nice to end the theoretical week with something lighthearted and fun. And I’m guessing you all know what that means: we’re heading back to the Alolan islands, back to the Pokemon school, and back to the adventures of Ash and his exuberantly animated friends. Last episode finally introduced Gladio into the show’s lineup, progressing the show’s actual, overarching narrative enough to clearly earn a retreat back into goofy episodic shenanigans. But whether this episode offers comfort or continuity, I’m confident we’ll all have a resoundingly pleasant time. Let’s get back to Sun and Moon!

Continue reading →

Symphogear AXZ – Episode 11

Posted on by

You folks ready for some Symphogear? When last we checked in, Hibiki and Kirika had concluded this season’s “let’s do some off-brand Symphogear pairings” conceit with fabulous fury, as Kirika unleashed a Climax Song in order to protect St. Germain from her betrayal-happy superior. We always knew Adam and Tiki were huge assholes, but at this point their dickery has exceeded even my most jaded predictions, and I am beyond ready to see our team initiate some countermeasures.

In terms of narrative structure, it also feels like we’ve at this point basically resolved all of this season’s individual character conflicts. The season’s first half was essentially dedicated to Maria and Chris’s struggles with accepting their former lives; Maria resolved that through her trial with Elfnein, and then paid that assistance forward by assisting Chris with her conflict with Sonia. Then Shirabe and Kirika each received a boost from Tsubasa and Hibiki, leading us to a point where the cast can hopefully communicate more confidently and honestly among themselves. Hibiki herself has actually taken a bit of a backseat in terms of emotional development, but given she carried the bulk of season three’s drama, it makes sense to put her on the backburner for the show’s penultimate season. But anyway, that basically catches us up to now – let’s dive on in then, and explore a new episode of Symphogear!

Continue reading →

Fall 2020 – Week 5 in Review

Posted on by

Hello all, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. I ran through a fresh bevy of films this week, with some fresh horror picks in keeping with the season, along with a classic that had been sitting on my list for months. There was some “how many horror classics have you seen” quiz going around on twitter a couple weeks ago, and when it turned out I’d only seen around fifty-five or so of the one hundred entries, I felt consumed by a deep shame, and determined to improve my ratio. So of course, I ended up watching a couple no-name horror flicks with no lasting cultural legacy whatsoever, but hey, one step at a time here. Incidentally, I also watched some actual goddamn anime this week, so you can look forward to at least a few words in that direction, too. All this and… well, yeah, pretty much exactly this, as we run down one more Week in Review!

Continue reading →