Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I come to you with a fresh pile of films and more besides, as my house has just recently concluded our screening of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. The show ended up falling significantly below my expectations in terms of overall quality, but it was nonetheless quite interesting to see GAINAX struggling through their first television production, establishing many of the concepts that would go on to inform Evangelion, and otherwise fumbling through an oddly lopsided mixture of Lupin, World Masterpiece Theater, and Space Battleship Yamato. With Nadia done, I’m guessing we’ll be continuing our Gundam journey with Victory Gundam, and also finishing off the surprisingly addictive League of Legends: Arcane. But for now, let’s run down the spoils of our latest Week in Review!
Tag Archives: Anime
Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 23
Darkness looms over Misato’s apartment as we return to Shinji’s caretaker, now cocooned in the repetition of a painful, desperate ritual. Instant ramen cups lie unattended and spoiling on the floor, beer cans stack up around her bed, and a familiar voice hangs in the air: Kaji’s final message, Misato’s last connection to the man she loved. His encouragement to “go forward without any hesitation” rings bitterly hollow as Misato hunches over her desk, happier to hunch in this loop of familiar feedback rather than strike out into the cold, lonely world.
The Big O – Episode 20
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning once more to the city of Paradigm, as Roger Smith attempts to divine what fragments of his past identity he can use to construct his future self. As external invaders continue to pierce the veil of Paradigm’s manufactured reality, Roger himself is coming to doubt the role he has been assigned, knowing full well that his control of the megadeus is not an expression of agency, but a fulfillment of his “father” Rosewater’s wishes. So then, as Roger himself recently asked, “who is my real enemy?”
Well, that’s a complicated question. The easy answer would be “Rosewater,” as he’s clearly the one currently pulling the strings behind Paradigm’s current age of amnesia. But Rosewater himself appears to be channeling his energies towards fighting some external threat, the survivors of a world gone mad attempting to puncture the bubble of Paradigm’s security. Mankind’s hubris will always lead us towards forbidden knowledge, whether it’s the technology that wrecked the world or the sins that were buried forty years ago. Like many men, Roger is a hammer in search of a nail; he play-acts an agent of truth and justice as a “negotiator,” but the secrets he uncovers may prove themselves more dangerous than any of the foes he’s dispatched. Let’s see where his fraught path takes him as we return to The Big O!
Anne of Green Gables – Episode 15
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to Anne of Green Gables, as we catch up on Anne in yet another moment of crisis. Having initially taken to her schooling like a fish to water, she was then blindsided by the arrival of the hated Gilbert Blythe, who had the audacity to not only stare at a strange woman, but also pull her hair! Clearly this would not stand, and so Anne swiftly commenced a retaliatory operation, refusing to engage with either the detestable Gilbert or her teacher Mr. Phillips. And now, her war has come to this: she will not be returning to school ever again, for her pride and very soul demand that she see this injustice righted.
Well, at least that’s presumably how Anne sees it. Marilla is currently tolerating this rebellion purely because she assumes it won’t last the week, and that seems like a perfectly sensible approach at the moment. This is essentially a battle between Anne’s pride and Anne’s curiosity, and though she is indeed fiercely proud, she is even more curious about the world around her. As far as the staff goes, this episode sees the return of the legendary Yoshiyuki Tomino on storyboards, so I’m looking forward to more evocative layouts reminiscent of that whole Marilla’s Brooch saga. Let’s get to it!
Spring 2024 – Week 12 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Though it is technically the end of the spring anime season, the summer heat is currently reducing my cat to a sad puddle, and I am not faring much better myself. I have been attempting to beat the heat by preoccupying myself with essential anime viewing, and have so far made it just over halfway through Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. The show has been an interesting watch so far, more educational than fully entertaining, but certainly a worthy sort of education. Watching Nadia, it is easy to see elements that Gainax would reiterate in Neon Genesis Evangelion, but also hard to believe how they jumped from this show’s proudly rudimentary characterization to the thoughtful interrogations of its successor. I’ll have more thoughts on that when I finish, but for now, let’s burn through a fresh selection of films!
Blue Reflection Ray – Episode 3
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d check back in on the drama of Blue Reflection Ray, on the precipice of our first formal magical girl battle. With Miyako’s life hanging in the balance, blue and red Reflectors are squaring off in a kaleidoscopic nightmare realm, intent on either saving Miyako from her self-hatred or conditioning her into a pure avatar of suffering. Can Hiori handle these foes, and will Ruka rise to the challenge and join her!?
Well, probably, though I imagine we’ll be in for some bitter struggles on the road. Personally, I’m intrigued both to see how this show handles a full-on battle, and also just eager to get back to the banter between our leads, particularly if Miyako’s about to join them. Her bitter snark seems like the perfect counterpoint to Ruka’s timidity and Hiori’s false cheer, and I’d love for her to encourage Hiori to really feel mad about her unhappy family life. The show appears to be establishing a binary of positive and negative emotional powers that seems ripe for immediate deconstruction, and with our leads’ circumstances largely established, I’m eager to see more of the show’s actual hand. Let’s get to it!
Trigun Stampede – Episode 2
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d return to the action-packed Trigun Stampede, for the simple reason that I greatly enjoyed the first episode and am hungry for another one. The always-reliable Studio Orange are outdoing themselves in terms of this production’s energetic storyboarding and expressive faces, and the underlying material has so far offered a confident blend of scifi trappings and western drama. I may have missed the original Trigun during its heyday, but I’m happy to be getting a second swing at this beloved universe.
So far, we’ve received an intriguing mix of narrative variables, with the ambiguous idol of scientific progress appearing central to the story’s thematic ambitions. Scraping by in the ruins of a futuristic empire, the humans of Noman’s Land find what relief they can in the fragments of the old world, with Vash and Knives descending like angels offering either salvation or damnation. I’m intrigued to see how far this “mythology of science” thread stretches, and also on a more basic level eager for more goofy Meryl faces. Let’s see what new hazards await us in Trigun Stampede!
Spring 2024 – Week 11 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week I’m riding high on the back of another successful DnD session, as I lead my players through a post-campaign island adventure with a clear Indiana Jones coat of paint. It’s becoming a tricky thing to provide meaningful challenges for my party of heroes; DnD is reasonably well-balanced from around level four to level twelve (the point where Baldur’s Gate 3 wisely caps you), but after that you reach the point where rogues simply can’t be discovered, warriors can barely be harmed, and magic users can either fly or teleport past any physical hurdle.
As a result, old standbys like pit traps and pressure plates start to become more endearing than genuinely threatening, forcing me to come up with inventive new ways to either kill the party or trick them into killing themselves. Basically all of my experiments in this regard were successful, so I’m feeling more confident than ever that I can maintain a stream of worthy challenges for my near-demigod-level players. And of course, there was also plenty of time dedicated to screening whatever film features caught my fancy. Let’s check ‘em out!
Neon Genesis Evangelion – Episode 22
A full moon draws us back to earth after an episode of painful revelation. After spending so much of this series guessing at the intent behind Gendo and his compatriots’ actions, the reveal of NERV’s origins proved more harrowing than we could have imagined. Not because the goals of this group are so ominous or esoteric; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. By drawing back the veil cloaking Seele, Gehirn, and NERV, Evangelion has revealed that its architects are driven by motives just as petty and human as the rest of us.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You – Episode 5
Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d return to the trials of Rentaro and his soon-to-be hundred girlfriends, and see how the happiest harem in history is coming along. Having won over the diminutive Shizuka, tsundere Karane, and charmingly oversexed Hakari, Rentaro has clearly proven himself a lover beyond compare – so is it time now to adopt a fourth member of the flock, or are we off on some other bizarre adventure?
Regardless, our last episode served as a fine demonstration of one of the most important ways 100 Girlfriends distinguishes itself from other harems. First, as I’ve discussed previously, it’s crucial that Rentaro himself is profoundly likable – that he’s as much of a catch as any of his lovers, and thus actually, convincingly deserving of their love. But secondly, it’s also crucial that Rentaro’s girlfriends are also each other’s girlfriends, that they appreciate and care about each other as much as they love their darling boy.
If these girls were only bonded via their mutual love of Rentaro, he’d still have all the power here – and frankly, such a situation would profoundly limit the effectiveness of future drama, as many “everyone knows the hero, but barely know each other” stories have proven. For 100 Girlfriends to remain a charming ensemble drama, the girlfriends must be a part of each other’s lives as much as they are a part of Rentaro’s, and last episode’s getting-to-know-you shenanigans more than demonstrated Rikito Nakamura’s dedication to fostering such bonds. With Nakamura’s sage understanding of harem dynamics proven once more, let’s see what awaits for Rentaro and his merry maidens!