Always a Catch! Episode 7 – “The Fists of the One That Got Away”
Having two simulcasts to watch each day is crazy, because what do you mean that after this week's simulcast episode of the other series that I watch on Wednesdays having such a serious ending I suddenly have to turn around and watch this series? I literally put off watching this episode for a while because I needed the ending of that other episode to sink in! Anyway, here's your regularly scheduled Always a Catch! writeup. For the recap section of the episode, instead of recapping the […]https://saratalksanime.com/2026/05/14/always-a-catch-episode-7-the-fists-of-the-one-that-got-away/
"This hair ornament of the Annovazzi, a clan famous for their unarmed fighting techniques, and which looks just like a knuckle duster, holds a secret!"
...
"It's a knuckle duster".
Always a Catch! Episode 6 – “How the One That Got Away Fought With Her Father”
Okay, I think I figured out why this "the one that got away" thing to refer to Mimi is bothering me so much. The first time the phrase "the one that got away" was used in this series (Episode 2), it was clearly in reference to Renato. While one could argue that Episode 4 could be referring to Renato in that instance as well, Episode 5 is when the naming scheme stopped making sense. Why is Mimi being referred to as "the one that got away"? Wouldn't it make more sense to keep calling Renato […]
Still, Mimi wouldn’t be Mimi WITHOUT a family like that to explain it…
Welp.
Mimi’s family is… interesting.
In the sense that the residents of #MaisonIkkoku or the Saotome dojo are… interesting. Or the maintenance squad in #Patlabor.
I could listen to the Annovazzi family banter at the table for hours. Very well written and acted.
Anime Doesn’t Have A Problem with Girl Bosses!
Recently while puttering around on Youtube, I found a whole bushel of videos about why “Girl Bosses” don’t work in a story whether it’s a movie, comic book, or novel, and why they seem to be so hated among all genders. To sum up most of the videos, the problem is that these characters are very one dimensional. They are the Mighty Woman!, and nothing else. Honestly I have to agree, these are both silly and boring characters that most people don’t like.
One side note that some of the video’s hosts mentioned was that most of these “Mighty Women” to show just how mighty they are, become more or already are more masculine. They are “Just One of the Boys”, but isn’t that in itself an insult to women? It’s assuming that women are inherently weak and that feminine couldn’t be strong. Often times in these stories the “Mighty Women” will go so far as to mock and belittle women who choose to be more girly, as if being feminine was shameful or a show of weakness.
I was kind of shocked when I heard this. Until the video hosts pointed out this common story element, I had honestly never even noticed it. But once they brought it up, that common Western story trope was glaring and seemed to be everywhere. It kind of blew me away at how many Disney TV movies I had seen growing up where the “Girly Girl” was the villain and the tomboy girl was the strong, smart, hero of the story. Never mentioning that both were totally fine and that the Girly Girl could be strong and smart too.
After this mind boggling revelation, I went and watched some of my seasonal anime, and what should be the first thing that I watched? . . .
There’s Nothing Wrong with being a Strong Lady!
Always a Catch! Is a delightful anime about the girl heir of a martial arts noble family that, after her little brother was born so she was no longer in line for the head of the family, was ordered by her father to go forth and find a good husband! She has spent her entire childhood training as a martial arts master, and now she suddenly needs to be a lady and attract a noble gentleman. And yes, silliness ensues! The main character Mimi has the heart of a knight, so the first few episodes are about her protecting her soft spoken and gentle cousin. But though she can throw down with the best guards and knights of the realm, it’s not like she doesn’t want to be a lady too. She wants to know how to wear dresses and look fancy. She wants to make lots of lady friends. She wants to get along with the queen and go to tea parties. And in this anime, neither is wrong. The people around her are awestruck by her ability to take on half a dozen kidnappers herself, and are delighted when she tries her best to use proper etiquette at a tea party. She’s never shamed for being too strong or to fussy.
There’s Nothing Wrong with Fighting with Your Head Instead of Your Fists!
In the anime The Apothecary Diaries, though the main character Moa moa doesn’t have big muscles, doesn’t know martial arts, nor carry around a giant sword, she certainly isn’t weak. She might be small and unassuming, but with her sharp analytical mind and clever street smart know how, she deftly navigates the treacherous environment of the royal court of ancient Asia. Her ability to assess other people’s character and motives have gotten her out of lethal danger plenty of times, and solved many a mysteries. Sherlock Holms was never considered weak in his stories, and neither is Moa moa. Anime understands that you don’t need to punch someone in the face to beat them.
There’s Nothing Wrong with Having Big Power and a Big Heart!
I wrote this part almost specifically thinking of Captain Marvel from the movies. There’s a reason very few viewers enjoyed the Captain Marvel character. The movie’s story wasn’t that bad, but the main character was just so cold, unpleasant, and arrogant it was hard to root for her. She might have had amazing powers, but she had no heart. And for anime’s counter character I give you . . . Sailor Moon! Or really any magical girl story. In maho shojo, these girls and young women have gained amazing magical powers. They can summon the powers of the moon and other planets, they can blast power beams, they can even stop time! But by far the strongest power they possess, each character had before they got magic-a-fied. It was the power of their hearts. It was their compassion and empathy that made them strong, not weak. And that’s why generations of fans have been marveling over Sailor Moon, while Captain Marvel will likely inspire generations of cringing and groaning.
#AlwaysACatch #anime #animeDoesnTHaveAProblemWtihGirlBosses #hollywoodVsAnime #Japan #JapaneseCulture #magicGirls #mohoShojo #paranormalAnime #SailorMoon #theApothecaryDiaries
Always a Catch! Episode 5 – “How the One That Got Away Visited Home”
The episode naming structure for Always a Catch confuses me. Episodes 1 through 3 were named things along the lines of "How I..." which, okay, fair, we know those are talking about Mimi, since she's the main character. Starting in Episode 4 and persisting into this episode and the next one, however, the episode naming structure has gone into "How the One That Got Away..." from the very simple "How I..." we had in Episodes 1 through 3. And I'm just confused what "the One That Got Away" means […]
Mimi is a MENACE. I APPROVE.
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