Skip and Loafer – Episode 2

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I think I’m gonna treat myself to another episode of Skip and Loafer, a show whose premiere proved delightful in basically every respect. Our protagonists Mitsumi and Sousuke are already demonstrating themselves to be both inherently charming and satisfyingly multifaceted characters, endearing apart and adorable as a unit, each with clear lessons to learn from the other’s example. Rather than simple, formless infatuation, it feels like we’re moving towards that “each provides what the other lacks” sort of relationship that tends to define the best anime romances, from Toradora to Spice and Wolf to Oregairu.

And alongside the show’s strong writing and characterization, director Kotomi Deai’s production is providing a perfect aesthetic compliment to the show’s narrative fundamentals, offering art design and animation flourishes as nonchalantly accomplished as the show’s character drama. The color work is light and inviting, the character acting is playful and expressive, and even the sound design is working hard to accentuate the key emotional moments. Skip and Loafer is proving itself as charming and skillfully realized as I could hope for, and I’m eager to get back to it. So let’s do that!

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Skip and Loafer – Episode 1

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re embarking on a brand new adventure, as we explore the first episode of last season’s highly regarded Skip and Loafer. I’ve had a few friends single this production out as my sort of thing, a school drama that takes unusual and welcome care in elucidating the nuances of its characters’ personalities, and also simply a particularly charming romantic comedy.

As for the production, I find myself immediately struck by the resume of director and series composer Kotomi Deai. Alongside episode director and storyboard credits on productions as diverse and distinguished as Flip Flappers, House of Five Leaves, and Kids on the Slope, she also served as the overall director for the enchanting Rolling Girls. Rolling Girls’ late-season stumbles and generally oddball nature have sadly dimmed its profile over the years, but the show’s joyful energy and fanciful visual style secured it a permanent place in my heart, with Deai’s personally directed first episode standing as one of the best premieres I’ve ever seen. Deai’s one of those top caliber talents who’s never quite gotten the recognition she deserves, so I’m eager to see how she brings this drama to life. Let’s get to it!

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