joyofcrime-elinorhigh - Tumblr blog

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 4 years

Text

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt, and legacy can be an fascinating thing in regard to animation. Since cartoons are made with the intent of being seen years or even decades after they're created, it can be interesting to see how the general consensus people have about a series can change over time. One day you can be on top of the world, and your series is loved by critics and audiences alike. But then, something happens. Sometimes it's a specific episode. Other times a season. Maybe it's a controversy within the fandom. But whatever it is, something happens that causes peoples opinions to turn. And suddenly your show has gone from being universally praised to becoming much more divisive. And when something like that happens, it can be hard to recover. It happened to Steven Universe. It happened to Rick and Morty. And it happened to Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

Created by Daron Nefcy, Star vs. The Forces of Evil premiered on the Disney Channel and Disney XD in 2015, and quickly became one of the hot cartoons that everybody was talking about. It makes sense, as it came outright around the time where more continuity based fantasy series were really starting to take off, so it's natural that it became a hit. While the series was generally well regarded upon its debut, as time went on the series became much more of a "love it or hate it" type of show. And while that's not too uncommon for any show that amounts a large flowing, what makes Star vs. so interesting is that it seems like nobody can seemingly agree when the show got bad, if it did at all. Some people say the quality dipped after the first season. Others say the third. Some say the fourth. Others say that the show was good until the finale. And some say that the show was solid throughout. This divide among fans is why I feel confident calling Star vs. The Forces of Evil one of the most divisive shows of the 2010's, even if the debate around it isn't nearly volatile as other series. But now that the series has ran its course I have to ask, does it hold up? Did the show really go down hill, or is the hate undeserved? That's what I'm here to find out.

I feel like I'm in an interesting place to talk about this series because, while I tend to try to keep up with all the big name animated show coming out, I actually didn't watch most of Star as it was running. I watched the first season until my family cut cable right before the finale of season one (You know, around the time people started to care about the show.) And only caught up with the show in the last year or so while doing research for my "Top 30 Cartoons of the Decade" list. So I went into the series mostly blind with the exception of a few spoilers. I just felt like this was important to point out as I feel it may have an effect on my view of the show.

Also, while I usually try to go spoiler free when I do a general overview of a series, for this review I may have to go into some spoiler territory. Since this series features an ever changing status quo, as well as a lot of major characters who aren't introduced until late in the series' run, doing this review completely spoiler free would be difficult. So I'm going to be doing this review under the assumption that anybody reading this has already seen the show, and are just curious to hear my take on it, or don't care about being spoiled. So if you wanna go in blind I suggest you sign out now.

But to everyone else, let's dive in and talk about Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hJ5ecrpp8k

Star vs. The Forces of Evil stars (He, get it. I'm funny.) Star Butterfly. A princess from the dimension of Mewni who, upon her fourteenth birthday is given a wand of unbelievable magical power. However, after causing nothing but trouble with her new found powers in her world her parents decide to ship her off to Earth, where she can be somebody else's problem. There she befriends a human boy named Marco Diaz and the series mainly follow these two as they go on all sorts of magical adventures as they battle all sorts of evil monsters and ne'er-do-well who want to take the wand and use its power for themselves. Or at least that's how the series goes at first. As the series goes on it begins to focus more on the world building, as Star and Marco discover that the kingdom of Mewni isn't as great as they first believed, and are forced to battle political corruption, conspiracy within the royal family, and the generation spanning systemic racism against monster kind.

The best place to start when talking about the show are the characters. Lets start with the main leads.

We got Star, your typical fun-loving, ditzy, hyperactive action girl. Which seems to be a common trend in Disney Channel cartoons now that I think about it. But she does enough to stand on her own. She's a fun character, and an overall good lead for the series. I admit that her bratty nature and general stupidity could turn some people off, and there are times where it can get a little annoying, but I never minded it all that much. I think that's kinda suppose to be the point of her character. She's a royal, and spent her whole life with a silver spoon in her mouth. So it makes sense she would be a bit selfish and be unaware of the world around her. And she does improve over the course of the series, as she begins to take her job as a princess more seriously and spends much of the series actively fighting against monster prejudice. Though I'd be lying if some of these less desirable elements of her character don't continue to pop up every now and again, even later in the series and especially in the last couple of episodes. Also she's kinda a sociopath. Like especially early on in the show there are like...a lot of casualties to Star's antics. I'm kinda surprised Disney let them get away with that.

Also, can I just say that I am sick and tired of people asking "When is Disney going to include their first LGBTQ+ princess, completely ignoring the fact that Star is bisexual as fu*k. Like, come on now!

Marco is also a good lead. He's a neurotic, responsible, karate student who often acts as the straight man to Star's antics. However, I like the fact that he's not a total stick in the mud. Sure he's more cautious than Star is but he's still capable of getting in on the adventures as well. He comes across as a realistic teen with his own set of flaws. Namely his insecure nature and general social awkwardness. I also like that due to his expertise with karate he's able to hold his own in a fight even without magic. He always feels like Star's equal and never like a sidekick. He and Star have a great dynamic in general, and the two play off each other well. They contrast with each other and It feels like the two really cover each other's flaws. And it's kinda refreshing seeing two characters who are so different manage to genuinely get along with each other.

But of course, we also have the forces of evil that the shows title so clearly mentioned. Each season focuses on a different villain, and something that I really like is how all four major villains are introduced relatively early on. So the show doesn't suffer from that "Dragon Ball Z" type thing where it's like "Haha! I know you just defeated the villain, but now's there's an even BIGGER villain who we just haven't happened to mention until now!" They've always around in the world, and many of them even start out as joke villains only to become more serious later down the line. And they manage to do that in a way that feels very believable.

The best example of this is the shows first villain, Ludo. Who upon introduction is portrayed as a completely comedic villain who Star could easily take in a fight. But things change when a new more serious villain, Toffee, usurps him as the season one antagonist. Stealing his castle and army in the process. Come season two and Ludo is left alone, having lost everything, and is forced to toughen up in order to get back what he once had. He builds a new army, stronger than his first. He finds a new castle to form his base in, and becomes a genuine threat to our cast. Scrappy underdogs villains who lost everything might be one of my favorite tropes in fiction. Other examples of this trope used effectively would be Peridot in Steven Universe and Jamack in Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeast. However, while those shows use this trope as an opportunity to have these villains go through a redemption arc, Star goes the other way and uses it as an opportunity to make a character become more of a threat. That said, he never loses the comedic charm that made his fun to watch in the first place. Part of me honestly kinda wish that Ludo stayed the main villain of season two, instead of being usurped Toffee yet again. That said, the episode "Princess Quasar Caterpillar and the Magic Bell" does a good job giving his arc a satisfying conclusion.

Speaking of antagonist, let's talk about Tom Lucitor. Star's demon ex-boyfriend. While not a season spanning villain like Ludo or Toffee, he has several appearances early on as a recurring antagonist only to go down the more traditional "redemption arc" route later on. And I just want to say upfront, Tom is one of my favorite characters. Not in the show, but in fiction in general. It would of been so easy to make Tom your generic "toxic boyfriend" arch-type but even early on it's made clear that even though he's an antagonist, he isn't pure evil. His love for Star is genuine, but the problem is that he hasn't earned it. He tries to improve himself and become a better person but his own anger issues and jealousy keeps getting in the way. Specifically jealousy of Marco because he seems him as a romantic threat. But as time goes on, he does become better. He learns that he and Marco have a lot in common and eventually accepts that he can't make Star love him, and lets her have her space. And that, ironically, causes Star to becoming willing to open up to him again. They become friends and eventually get back together. But what I like is that while he has gone through efforts to improve and work through his problems, they still persist throughout the series. He's still very insecure and is looking for constant approval from Star. He still is jealous of how close Star and Marco are even though he has become friends with both of them. And it's shown several time that Tom tends to put his own problems above the problems of others. It shows that even though he wants to change and is willing to change, that doesn't mean that change come easy. It takes time and can be a long process. These are realistic character flaws that make Tom such a more complex and relatable character in my eyes. I relate a lot to Tom with his desire and constant struggle to improve as a person, and I feel like it's a struggle that's easy for a lot of people to relate to. Also...he's just such an edgy dork. He's...he is good boi.

Another fantastic character is Eclipsa. Introduced about halfway into the series, Eclipsa was a former Queen of Mewni who was imprisoned in crystal due to dabbling in dark magic and for running away from her arranged marriage and marring the King of the Monster, Globgor. The show builds up mentions of Eclipsa early on, with characters talking about how evil and dangerous she was. Eventually she becomes free from her prison (cause lets be real, whenever there's a villain sealed away somewhere you KNOW they're going to get out.) But surprisingly, when we see her she actually doesn't seem that evil. She's polite, kind, and is even willing to go through the proper legal channels to prove that she isn't as bad as people say she is. She is an excellent example of a morally ambiguous character cause for the first several episodes we the audience don't really know if she is actually a good person who's just been judged too harshly by society or if she is actually evil and this is all an act. As even as the show goes on and it becomes clear that Eclipsa is a good person at heart they still manage to keep the audience guessing. Much like Star, Eclipsa can be kinda selfish and impulsive, making her a bit of a loose cannon. Despite the shows title "Star vs. The Forces of Evil" Eclipsa goes to emulate one of the shows major themes. That life isn't that black and white.

The show deals a lot with shades of gray when it comes to its characters, as all characters have there own motives and backstories and relations with each other that can make them either allies or enemies depending on the circumstances. An example of this is the Magical High Commission, a group that monitors magic across all the dimensions. throughout the series it is shown that they stand on the side of Mewni. So in season two when Mewni is being conquered by Ludo and Toffee they're good guys. But just like most most people in Mewni they hate monsters and believe that Eclipsa is evil. Making them antagonist in seasons three and four. Their motives stay the same, but their role in the series changes.

However despite my praise not all the characters are great. In fact the show can be kinda hit or miss with their cast. The characters that are great are really great, but then you get characters like...

(Art by JelloApocolypse)

You know what, I have to be honest. I kinda like Pony Head. I know a lot of people say she's annoying and selfish and contributes next to nothing to the plot...and they're right. But I also just kinda like her. I think what makes her more bearable to me is that she's kinda disliked in-universe. Even Star, who is Pony Head's best friend, often times get sick of her crap. Real talk though, can we all agree that Pony Head is basically just a discount Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time? Like, they're nearly the exact same character.

A character who I don't like as much though is Glossaryck, the magical spirit guide that lives in Star's spell book. I never really got his deal. Sometimes it seems like he likes Star and genuinely wants to help her become a better magic user, while other times it doesn't seem like he really cares. He dies in the beginning of season three only to come back a few episodes later acting like a wild animal and yelling "Globgor" over and over again without any explanation as to how or why. Than at the end of season three it's revealed that it was all an act and he was fine the whole time. Like...why? We later learn that is a highly recognized historical figure in Mewni. Why is he yelling his name? And why does nobody question why he's doing this? I can buy that Star and Marco might not know who Globgor is but most everybody else seems to. I keep expecting that moment for his motivations to click. Where it's revealed how everything he's done was all an elaborate ploy to help Star or something, but it never really happens. Though my opinion of him does slightly increase in season four, but that's just because Keith David took over the role of voice actor. And adding Keith David can make anything better.

Some characters can even change in quality between seasons. Janna is this edgy punk girl who joins the main cast in season two as a new friend to Star and Marco. I liked her well enough in season two even if some of her more abrasive elements could be somewhat obnoxious. She's more or less absent for most of season three. Then come season four she returns and I found her more annoying. I don't know if her character got worse or if it was just the fact that her character didn't work as well in later episodes after the show had become more dramatic. But near the end of the season, they give her some long overdue character growth. Not a lot, but some. And I found myself liking her more.

There are other characters in the series as well, and they tend to vary. Star's mom, Moon is a BAMF and I like Buff Frog a lot. Jacki and Kelly are fine characters, though I admit there's not that much to them outside of being love interests for Marco, though they still have there own personalities. King River's kinda annoying but I've seen worse examples of the "dumb dad" trope and Alan Tudyk gives a great performance.

And since I don't have time to go over my thoughts on EVER character in this series, I'll do what ever online review does when they don't have time for nuance. Create a tier list!

If It's not apparent by now, the characters in this show run the gambit. With the best ones being some of my favorite characters of all time, and the worse one's just being generally annoying. However, if there's one thing that this show excels at is not painting things as black and white. No character is evil without a reason and all the heroic characters have un-heroic flaws to their characters with unique motivations that make sense for their characters. (For the most part anyway.)

The shows animation is also really good. Featuring thick outlines and a lot of nice coloring on the characters. (Even if some of the background colors can be a bit drab at times.) Most of the first season is done in flash, but it's good flash, which does well to accentuate the character expressions and the fluid action scenes. Part way through season one though the show's animation changes to more traditional animation. I think there is a bit of a divide on which style people consider to be better, but I personally prefer the look of the later seasons. The bouncy look of the early season one episodes look good, but I don't know how well that would of worked in the more dramatic and somber moments that happen later on.

I also appreciate the world building. The first two seasons are set mostly on Earth in the town of Echo Creek, but the last two seasons changes things up and focus much more on Mewni, allowing us to explore both settings. I know some people don't like the change as it resulted in several of the characters introduced earlier being written out of the show but I never really minded that. I think Mewni and the cast of characters who inhabit it are on the whole more interesting than the people of Echo Creek. (I mean does anybody really miss Sensei Brantley?) Plus the change in setting allows us to get a bit of a role reversal with Marco being the fish out of water, and Star having to show him how her world operates. And even if you do prefer the Earth setting we still cut back to it on occasion. And when you add it all up the total series runtime between the two setting is fairly evenly.

I like how characters can kinda come and go in this series, as it shows that the world doesn't revolve around Star and Marco. And it allows the writers to see which characters people gravitate to and focus on them while keeping less interesting characters out of the way. It also allows for character arcs to actually have conclusions, without the need for them to be drawn out just for the sake of keeping characters around longer.

Let's talk about themes for a moment. Specifically the main theme of prejudice and systemic racism in the show. It's handled...okay. It's kinda standard stuff and it doesn't go super complex on the issue, but for what it is it works though. That being said the show can be a bit confusing in terms of what counts as "monsters" and what are just regular races in this world. Which can make the metaphor a little muddled. I get that the idea is that there is no difference, and that monsters are only deemed as bad as an excuse for mewmans to justify their mistreatment of them, but it can still be confusing as to who's oppressed and who isn't and to what extent. I feel it would be even more confusing for a younger children watching who might not understand all the nuances of this stuff. However, the way the show tackles this isn't bad either. And the fact that the show tackles this element at all is admirable.

But who cares about systemic racism! That's not the real reason people are watching this show! We all know that everybody is really here for the shipping!

Yeah, as the series went on the shipping seems to become a much more major element within the series. So much so that to many the increased focus on the shipping is often cited as one of the main elements that caused the show to go down hill. However I never really minded it. I mean Star vs. has always been a bit of a love letter to the shojo/magical girl genre and romance is a very important element to those types of shows. So it makes sense that it would be used here. And I think it's used pretty well here overall. These are just kids struggling through these types of feelings for the first time, So it makes a lot of the stupid decisions that they make feel a lot more believable. But if this kind of thing isn't your cup of tea, it might end up bothering you. Because they do devote a good amount of time on it.

But you're probably wondering, who do I ship? Am I team Starco or team TomStar? And honestly, while shipping has never been something I've ever gotten too invested in, if I had to pick I would probably have to say team Starco. Which may be surprising as I previously went on and on about how Tom was one of my favorite characters of all time. But this is the way I see it. Tom's whole arc is about learning how to get over his jealousy and controlling nature regarding his relationship with Star. And it's shown that even after he's dating Star, and has everything he thought he wanted, he still couldn't fully get over his hangups. Even though he loves Star and Star loves him, it's clear that the relationship still isn't exactly the most healthy. And it's clear that they are going in different directions in their lives. Tom knows what he wants. To be with Star. But Star doesn't know what she wants. Not all relationships have to end because one person does something wrong or because one of the parties involved is a bad person. Sometimes two people just aren't compatible in that kind of way. And seeing Tom be the one to break up with Star shows just how far he's come as a character. Plus, like I said earlier, Star and Marco have great chemistry. And I do genuinely see them working as a romantic couple, beyond the fact that there the two main leads.

Besides, StarTom is technically incest so....

*record scratch!*

Oh wait, you didn't know about that.? Yeah, according to the official "Star vs. the Forces of Evil Magic Book of Spells" Star's Great Great Great Grandmother Rhina Butterfly was in a relationship with John Roachley, a second cousin to the Lucitor's. Now granted that would mean that Star and Tom aren't THAT related. But still. Incest none the less. Not that it even matters anyway since all of the Mewmans are descended from like five random people!

Seriously, this is some Ishigami Village levels of incest we got going on here.

But despite how heated the flames wars can be, I think we can all agree that Tomco is the best ship anyway. Like come on now.

So yeah, even the shipping elements didn't bother me. To be completely honest, while the show did have some problems here or there, I found myself enjoying the show well into the fourth season. But I knew it was coming. Since I was watching the show months after the series had concluded, I had heard things about the finale. A finale that figuratively "cleaved" the fan base. But in order to talk about the finale we have to go a few episodes back and talk about the episodes leading up to it. Obviously spoilers ahead.

To briefly recap, at this point in the series Eclipsa had become Queen of Mewni along with her husband Globgor after Star relinquished the crown to her. And many of the Mewmans are upset by Eclipsa's new "pro-monster" policies had left to live with the former Queen Moon. Meanwhile Mina Loveberry, a legendary monster fighter from generations far gone, had begun building up an army to invade Eclipsa's castle and take Mewni back from the monsters. A lot of people I hear don't like Mina as a final villain, but honestly I was surprised by how threatening they were able to make her despite how goofy she is. And her backstory about basically being a magically altered super solider driven to the point of insanity really helped to make her sympathetic. (Like I said, in this show everyone is painted with shades of gray. Even genocidal lunatics.) She invades with a Solarian Knight, a giant magic powered mech and it takes all of our heroes working together to barely defeat it. Until it is revealed that it was only one of many. It's an amazing twist that really leaves you wondering "How are or heroes going to get out of this one." Up to this point I was digging this final arc. But that's when I finally got to it.

To me, the moment where Star vs. the Forces of Evil got bad was the moment it was revealed that Moon was working with Mina to reclaim the thrown from Eclipsa.

It just doesn't fit Moons's character to do this. While it is shown throughout the season that Moon does not agree with Eclipsa more extreme policies, It was still shown that while Moon may be against Star's decision to give the crown to Eclipsa, she acknowledges that since Star was queen at the time and was within her right as queen to decide what was best for the kingdom. And in previous episodes she seemed generally happy not having the responsibility that comes with being queen anymore. But now she suddenly wants her kingdom back? If she wanted it back, all she had to do was say so from the start. At the start of the season most Mewmans still hate Eclipsa. It would not be that hard to stage a coup if she really wanted, especially since the magic high commission and all of Mewni would be on her side. Why would she work with Mina, who Moon knows is insane and racist even by Moons standard? Sure Moon and Eclipsa definitely don't see eye to eye on a lot of things but Moon still wouldn't want her dead, and Moon knows that Mina wants to kill her. I know she thought she could control Mina's army but that's still a big risk. It seems uncharacteristically reckless for a character as intelligent as Moon to make these choices.

So then, after it turns out that Moon can't control Mina's army, our heroes are basically screwed and are forced to hide out in a special tavern located at the edge of the universe to wait things out while Mina begins rounding up all the monsters in Mewni. They are all trying to figure out a plan on how to possibly defeat Mina's army when Star suddenly goes on a rant about how magic is bad. And this idea had been brought up a few times in the series, but overall had never really been portrayed as a major aspect. But suddenly the show treats this as if it's all the magics fault, and that everything would be better if it was gone. And that's when Star comes up with the genius plan to use go to the magic dimension to destroy all the magic. Thus making Mina's forces useless. And while I admit that yes, they are very much been pushed to a wall here, this has to be one of the most overkill ideas they could of possibly think of!

Now, I've seen a lot of people online saying that by doing this, Star would be committing mass murder on a multiverse scale, potentially destroying many universes. And I think that is a bit of a reach. From what we see in the series, it seems to me at least that magic is kinda a rare thing in the universe. That's why so many villains are trying to steal the magic wand away from Star. And I see very little implying that there are whole universes that are reliant on magic outside of Mewni. THAT SAID THOUGH, this would result in the deaths of a lot of innocent people. But Star really only seems concerned with the fact that once magic is destroyed, all people who come from parallel universes will return to their home universe, meaning she won't be able to stay with Marco. Which makes Star seem beyond selfish and generally pretty horrible.

Hekapoo, one of the high commission members, despite being made of magic and knowing that she will die from this, is totally on board for this plan because plot. And our heroes travel to the magic dimension to destroy all the magic. Which they do. Defeating Mina's forces and leaving her powerless. She still manages to escape however because nobody decides to actually, you know, try to arrest the person who just committed a political coup and nearly whipped out an entire race. They just let her walk off, because she's powerless now. I mean what's the worse she could possibly do, right?

So yeah, Mina is defeated, but everybody is sent back to their home dimensions. But somehow, through the power of love I guess, the universes of Earth and Mewni begin to merge. Thus allowing Star and Marco to be together. Happy ending, I guess? I don't know. Like Star and Marco being together is treated as a good thing. But we also see humans screaming as there world have now been overrun by monsters. Is this suppose to be a joke? A bittersweet ending? I'm not really sure.

In concept the idea of a universe merge is actually a pretty interesting idea. As it feels like a natural progression of the shows themes of racial tolerance and mutual understanding. Now that we've gotten semi-tolerance between monsters and mewmans we could now have an arc about trying to bridge the cultural gaps between the humans and the mewmans. Plus it would be a good way to appease both the people who enjoyed the earlier seasons focus on Echo Creek, and fans of the later seasons who preferred the stories set on Mewni. It's not a bad idea, but it needed to A.) be set up better and B.) needed more time to be fleshed out. I get that it's designed to be a sequel hook, but it's not like this is something that the series had been building up to to the point where we the audience can put together what happens next. As is, it's just weird.

So yeah, the last couple of episodes of Star vs. where a total mess. It's fitting that the finale to Star happened to come out the same day as the finale of Game of Thrones. While I'm not going to act like there weren't some parts I liked or some good ideas sprinkled throughout, this finale was pretty bad. How do you have a show that preaches acceptance and equality and end it with a genocide?! But hey, genocidal problems call for genocidal solutions am I right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ufmrn7BCuA

My God, It's Dragon Ball Super all over again.

And the worse part is that the series didn't have to end this way. Cause the show actually had a pretty good episode about half way through the season, "Cornonation" which would of acted as a great series finale! With the series ending with Eclipsa as Queen and ruling with Globgor by her side, with the mewmans finally accepting monster kind. You'd have to change a few things, like rap up Mina's plot and put Star and Marco together, but other than that it could of really worked. Admirably it may end up feeling more like a finale for Mewne as oppose to a finale for Star but it would thematically fit with the message of the series. Or if you really wanna keep this finale more in tack just don't have Star destroy the magic. Just have Star, Moon, and Eclipsa go off and do the one thing the three of them had never tried doing. Working together. And have them defeat Mina the old fashion way. They even allude to this idea in the tavern episode before Star goes on her whole "We gotta destroy the magic" kick.

It is a bit ironic to think that a show that's whole message is about unity could end up being so divisive with it audience. I genuinely believe that had the show ended on a better note, people would look back on the show more fondly. Despite the flaws. To the people who don't like Star vs. The Forces of Evil, I can understand where you are coming from. Even if you ignore the finale there are things to not like. A lot of things aren't very well explained and the show has its fair bit of plot holes. The series can be repetitive with its frequent shipping and "racism is bad" episodes. And some of the characters can be a bit annoying, including our main lead at times.

That being said though, I have to say, I can't bring myself to hate this show.

I don't know what it is, but I just found myself getting really invested into this series. Maybe it was due to me hearing so much bad things about the later seasons that I had low expectations, and while that may be part of it I don't think that's the whole reason. When you watch as many cartoons as I have, and for as long as I have, it becomes harder for things to impress you. Sometimes it can feel like your just checking shows off of a box, which is something that I've been trying to improve upon. But watching this show, it brought me back to the way I felt back in the early 2010's when I first started getting into these types of series. For all of Star's flaws, and trust me there are many flaws, it felt like it was doing something unique. Like it was in it's own little world that wasn't quiet Adventure Time and not quiet Steven Universe. And the series stuck with me after I finished watching it, which is surprisingly kinda rare. It's why I became interested in doing this review in the first place.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil is a flawed show. Very flawed. But I'd rather have a flawed show that's unique than a perfect show that's something I've seen a million times. And while I may not be a fan of how it ended, I don't think that should completely take away from all the good that this show has to offer. This show isn't going to be for everybody, and If you somehow made it this far into the review without seeing the show than I hope I've said enough to help you figure out if this show is right for you. But for me, despite everything, the series still has it's magic.

What did you think of Star vs. the Forces of Evil? I really genuinely want to know on this one. Did it go downhill and if so than when? Leave those thoughts in the comments down bellow. Please fav, follow, and comment if you liked the review. And have a great day.

#Star vs The Forces of Evil

6 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 4 years

Photo

Juju and “Osone” from O Maiden in Your Savage Season.

Follow me on Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyofCrimeArt

#O Maiden in Your Savage Season #araburu kisetsu no otome domo yo

2 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 4 years

Text

THE BEST! CHARMY FOREVER!

121 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 4 years

Conversation

More SU questions to ask ur pals

1. What episode of Steven Universe got you hooked on the show?

2. Are you the type to watch episodes as they air, or do you just get your fill of Steven Universe online?

3. What's your favorite quote out of the entire show? (it can be a funny joke or some inspirational shit, doesn't matter)

4. In what ways has Steven Universe inspired you?

5. Has Steven Universe actually taught you lessons?

6. Favorite character design and why?

7. Has the show ever gotten an intense emotional reaction out of you? (ex - crying, fear, anger)

8. Do you associate any songs with any characters in Steven Universe?

9. Gush about your all-time favorite episode real quick. Just go on a long, rambling tangent about how much you love it. Do it. We're listening.

10. Gush about your all-time favorite SU character real quick. Just go on a long, rambling tangent about how much you love them. Do it. We're listening.

11. What fusions do you want to see in the show, and who would you like them to be voiced by?

12. Which episode do you think has the best aesthetics?

13. List any headcanons you have about any characters.

14. Favorite arc out of the show? Why?

15. Have you ever made any jokes based on the show? Which ones were the funniest?

16. Most misleading episode summary of all time?

17. Has Steven Universe inspired any creative ideas of yours?

18. If you are a fanartist, which SU character is the easiest for you to draw?

19. If you are a fanartist, which SU character is the hardest for you to draw?

20. If you are a fanfic writer, which SU character is the easiest for you to write?

21. If you are a fanfic writer, which SU character is the hardest for you to write?

22. Have ever practiced voice acting using SU characters? If so, which character can you do the most successful impression of?

23. Have you ever sang along to SU songs? Which one is the easiest for you to sing along to?

24. Have you ever imagined any of the human characters as gems?

25. Are you big on AUs? Have you created any yourself?

2K notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 4 years

Photo

Signed Steve Blum Piece

He seemed really surprised when I handed it to him and even more excited when I had a second copy for him to keep. As someone whos voice I’ve heard since basically middle school it was pretty cool.

65 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 4 years

Photo

I love Young Justice...but...

#young justice #young justice outsiders

26 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 4 years

Text

RWBY V7E1 REVW: (Tumblr Exclusive REVIEW)

Chapter One: The Greatest Kingdom Qrow, you okay? You sound different? You got a cold or something? The episode begins with our heroes arriving in Atlas only to see that the city has become a police state after the fall of Beacon thanks to Ironwood and Winter. I can't wait for all the not so subtle Trump-allegories I'm sure they'll work in. The Atlas military wants them to land because...you know, they stole an airship. Worried that they won't be able to talk to Ironwood if they give themselves up, they try going down to the city in order to find a contact that Maria knows who may be able to help. They meet Dr. Pietro, a "wheel"chair bound Atlesian scientist who not helped construct Maria's artificial eyes but was also the scientist who built Yang's prosthetic arms. He apparently has ties to Ironwood and is willing to help. But unfortunately they are interrupted by a Grimm attack. I mean it wouldn't be a season premier of RWBY if there wasn't a long fight with generic Grimm to remind the audience that this show has good animation. Luckily this fight is a lot pithier than fights in earlier season, so it doesn't overstay it's welcome. The fight is interrupted but the unexpected arrival of Penny! Turns out that Pietro is Penny's creator, and was able to rebuild her after recovering her core. I'm not sure how I feel about this to be honest. I mean, I think we all expected Penny to come back in some shape or form. I mean she is a robot and this is the same company that gave us Red vs Blue after all! But to have her back just completely fine, it feels like it cheapens the gravity of her death a bit. I mean between Penny surviving being shredded, Neo surviving falling off a zeppelin with an frickin' parasale, and Cinder surviving the fall in volume five, it's starting to feel like the series is losing the "anyone can die" edge volume three worked so hard to establish. I'm half expecting Adam to show back up at this point. I feel like it could of been more interesting if they came and found that Dr. Pietro made a new Penny or something. And they would have to deal with the moral and ethical ramifications of that. But I am willing to see where they go with it. The reintroduction between Ruby and Penny is pretty though nice, though I feel like they could of made it feel a bit grander. I do love Penny's redesign though. Penny has to run off, as she now works for the Atlas military.

BRUH! This is RWBY in a microcosm. As seems well and good until our heroes are captured by the Atlas special forces. The Ace Opps. That one...that one hurt. And the episode ends with them being arrested, for crimes they totally one hundred percent did.

Oh crap, there in the intro?! That means there going to be important aren't they?! RWBY please, stop adding new characters. You can't afford to feed the ones you have.

#RWBY #RWBY7 #RWBY7Spoilers

5 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

Red vs Blue REVIEW: (With RacoonnBroVA)

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt. I know I talk about them a lot but it still never ceases to amaze me how much of a juggernaut Rooster Teeth has become. And this year has been huge for them. RWBY’s _gotten an official Shonen Jump manga series that’s fans seem to be loving, and a comic book by DC on the way. And _Gen:LOCK’s also proven pretty successful, having recently been acquired by _[adult swim] _to air on _Toonami! _That’s such a huge step for not just Rooster Teeth but web animation as a medium. Man, it’s like there’s nowhere for Rooster Teeth to go but up-

_ … Tucker did it. _

But yes, with all the success and controversy Rooster Teeth has gotten over the years, it can be hard to remember just how it all started. Before they were the massive entertainment company we know today, Rooster Teeth started out from humble beginnings. As five guys just making fun of video games. And while _RWBY _might of been the series that launched the company into the relevance it has now, it may not have even made it off the ground if it wasn’t for a little series called Red vs Blue.

_**Knock! Knock! Knock!

**_

What? A knock? How is there a knock in a review?

Oh, right! I forgot I installed that window in the middle of this never ending black void that I’ve found myself living in. I wonder who it is?

_What? RaccoonBroVA from RaccoonBroVA at Deviantart.com? AND THEY SAID INFINITY WAR WAS THE MOST AMBITIOUS CROSSOVER OF ALL TIME! _

**Yes, it is I you fools! I’m here to talk about my favorite web series of all time, and I’ve got a boner for murder to prove it. Thanks for having me on the review man!****

No problem, man.

** How easy it is to forget the phenomenon that truly put Rooster Teeth on the road to success. RWBY may have brought RT mainstream attention, but RvB laid the groundwork. Even better, this show is actually good!**

Man, it just hit me that Rooster Teeth seems to have a thing with naming there shows after colors don’t they? Any who, let’s dive right into Red vs Blue. Also, given that this is a continuity driven show, we’ll be trying not to spoil anything major events that occurs. As a way to encourage you all to check the series out for yourself.

Red vs Blue is a machinima series created by Burnie Burns that began running in 2003 and is still running to this day. Making it the second longest running web series of all time. Machinima, for those who are unaware, is basically the practice of creating animations using re-purposed video game footage. Think of it like the precursor to those source film maker videos you see all the time on Youtube. Machinma was fairly popular in the early internet days, and Red vs Blue stood atop as the most popular series to implement this animation style. Using footage from and being loosely set within the universe of the Halo _video game series. Luckily though, the series manages to act as it’s own completely self contained narrative that even a casual gamer scrub such as myself was able to follow despite never having played _Halo. Though from what I can tell, if you are familiar with _Halo _franchise there are a few nods and references that I imagine would add to the experience.

The plot of Red vs Blue, at least in it’s early days, is about as simple as they come. It’s a parody of Halo and follows two teams of soldiers stuck in an unending stalemate in the middle of a boxed canyon. Most of the run time is spent with characters standing around and talking, something this show has lampshaded multiple times. But as the series progresses we keep getting new characters, settings, stakes, and even gasp plot! Surprisingly complex plot at that.

** **That’s honestly one of my favorite elements about the series. The tone is all over the place, yet somehow never ends up feeling jarring. The series starts out as a pure comedy with parody elements but as time goes on it gains a more serious tone. Adding in elements of action, drama, and genuine sci-fi adventure. But even as the show becomes more serious it never loses the original comedic elements that the show had in the beginning. Creating a tone that is really hard to describe, but manages to feel really unique. I don’t think it can really be compared to anything else that I’ve seen at least. The series is divided into six sagas. “The Blood Gulch Chronicles.” “Recollection.” “Project Freelancer.” “Anthology” “The Chorus Trilogy” and “The Shisno Paradox.” While each season has it’s own separate story and tone, none of them feel out of place. (Well mostly…we’ll get to that later.) They’re all linked together with a common theme about learning to let go of your past, and not letting it define who you are. A theme that really resonated with me on a personal level. But story and tone is one thing, how are the actual characters?

On one side of the canyon we have the Blue Team, unofficially lead by Leonard Church. The sarcastic, cynical, loud mouth jerk of the group. He’s acts as the straight man for the Blue team, due to him being SLIGHTLY more level headed than his peers (Though even calling him competent would be a stretch.) There’s also Private Tucker, Blue Teams second in command and hotblooded wannabe ladies man. And finally there’s Caboose, the lovable idiot with a habit of befriending non human entities. He acts as not only the comedic relief but also the heart of the series.

** On the other side of our quaint little canyon is the Red Team. They’re led by Sarge, a war obsessed zealot who loves yelling at his subordinates and killing Blues. Simmons acts as second in command and never misses an opportunity to brown nose. Griff is a lazy slob who would rather be anywhere but here. Donut is a new recruit who progressively gets more and more… let’s say flamboyant whenever he’s onscreen. And Lopez, a cynical, deadpan robot who can only speak Spanish. Get used to that joke.**

** And that’s not even mentioning the several other miscellaneous characters. Like Doc, a purple clad medic who works on both sides and devotion to pacifism makes him be seen as a liability by both sides. **

**O’Malley, a dangerous AI who is bound to Doc most of the time and is essentially a Saturday morning cartoon villain from the way he talks to his plans of taking over the world with a weather machine. **

**Tex is a badass freelancer who gets hired by the Blues and even used to date Church. Since Church is an asshole, it’d make sense that his ex is a bitch. But hey, bitch is the new black as they say. **

There’s also the freelancer’s Washington and Carolina introduced in “Recollection” and “Freelancer” respectively. Both are these cold calculated soldiers of questionable morality who act in complete contrast to the incompetent Reds and Blues. As time goes on though they become more and more involved in the story till they are basically main characters with their own struggles and character arcs.

Many of the characters at first don’t start out seeming like much. And for a while they seem pretty one dimensional. And I do admit, the series is pretty slow paced when it comes to character growth. It takes several seasons before the characters really start to change in any meaningful way. But as the series goes on they really do become very well defined and developed characters with their own individual arcs. From Church’s arc of learning to let go. Tucker and Donuts arc of learning to step up and become real leaders when situations force them to. Caboose learning to accept misfortune and move on from it. Washington and Carolina learning to open up to each other. Grif learning to actually care about the comrades he use to hate. Simmons and Sarge…okay they don’t really get as much development. But we love them anyway.

** And as I’m sure many of you won’t be surprised by this, it’s time for me, RaccoonBroVA, to talk about the voice acting.**

This is the part of the show that keeps me coming back no matter what kind of lows the series hits. For most cartoons, a lot goes into making each character expressive and distinct from the rest of the cast. It takes facial expressions, personality, designs, and voices all working in tandem. But Red vs Blue doesn’t have this luxury. Because everything is in machinima, everyone looks essentially the same model wise (with a couple exceptions like Carolina and Caboose who have unique armor). This means that the only reason we’re able to identify with these characters at all is through their voices.

** Considering how little actually happened in the first few seasons other than just talking about the plot, Red vs Blue could honestly be a radio play and lose very little when it comes to presentation. With all that being said, you’d think Red vs Blue would be a really boring a** show. Well, it isn’t now thanks to the colorful cast behind the helmets! With all these limitations, each and every actor is required to put as much as they can into each character to make sure we can immediately identify anyone at any given moment. And with so many characters, you’d think this would be impossible.**

** Nope! Every character has a distinct voice that illustrates everything we need to know about who they are. Caboose’s slow pace and odd articulations shows us how stupid he is. Simmons’ nasal shows what a big nerd he is. Sarge’s rasp and tendency to yell is perfect for his over the top method of combat. And so on and so forth. The voices are so distinct to the point where we associate each Halo color with their respective characters. Hearing Church’s voice come out of a red player model would be distracting to say the least.**

** Even during dramatic scenes where the camera closes in on a character’s non existent face, I still get hit with the feels because of how impressive everyone’s acting chops are. The crappy mic quality doesn’t even distract me at this point. Oh yeah, that’s another example of this show working with its weaknesses. The guys are in a war, everyone’s always wearing their helmets, so let’s just say our bad microphones are the characters using their radio headsets. What more can I say about this show’s handling of the voiceover work? It’s nothing short of ingenious in my humble opinion.**

The comedy of Red vs Blue is also something that I want to hit on. This show is one of the funniest series I have ever seen. And that’s not something I say lightly. The show’s comedy relies on a lot of sharp, witty, dialogue based humor with several running jokes and call backs. Most of the show is just people standing around talking, which you’d think would get stale, but it never does. The characters are distinct enough that just seeing them bounce off of each other is all the fun you need.

Even several centuries from now, this show will still be as funny as it was when it first came out. There’s a reason marketing posters for each character is filled to the brim with memorable quotes from the show. This approach to comedy even applies to exposition. For example, when we learn about how these two teams have been in the middle of a boxed canyon for years, we aren’t just given boring exposition. We also learn about each of the characters’ personalities and how they interact, while also getting some really funny jokes. Red vs Blue found a way to make exposition entertaining people! This show’s comedy lives and dies by the flawless chemistry between each team.

Exactly. I believe this dialogue heavy style of comedy was birthed from necessity. With such a limited budget early on and being confined mostly to the Halo engine, you are limited in terms of what you can do with the animation. So the best way around these limitations is to have a more dialogue centric approach that doesn’t rely so heavily on it. This style of comedy was really big in the early 2000’s with not only a lot of web series but with some lower budget main stream shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. This style of comedy is something I really gravitate to, as it has more of a chill vibe to it. Watching Red vs Blue now gives off a bit of a retro feel, as its comedy still feels the same way as it did in 2003 even all these years later.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about the animation. Animation is hard to talk about when it comes to something like a machinima cause the series is limited to whatever game it’s using footage from. The earlier seasons that use footage from Halo 1 and 2 obviously look kinda dated. However newer seasons that use footage from Halo’s 3, 4, and 5 obviously look a lot better. But what Red vs. Blue has over other machinima series is that it also incorporates action scenes using motion capture. With fights in the Recollection and Freelancer sagas being animated by this little known name in the animation circle known simply as…Monty Oum. Not sure if you heard of him. He created and animated the fights in RWBY. He’s basically the John Wu of web animation. Fun fact, his work on Red vs Blue is actually what got him his job on RWBY in the first place. His animations are just as off the wall insane in Red vs Blue as they are in _RWBY, _only mixed in with Red vs Blue’s comedy.

Let’s also not forget his other works that put him on the map like ****Haloid and Dead Fantasy. What puts his style of action above so many others is the way he uses any environment to its max potential. Having a fight in a warehouse? Let’s incorporate anything and everything that could be in there from teleporters to rocket launchers. A fight in the tundra? Let’s throw in some bombs so that we can showcase the characters jumping from one falling rock to another Bayonetta style. A fight on the highway? Please, that practically writes itself.

As the show entered the Chorus Trilogy Monty left to go work on _RWBY _and the fight scenes became a lot more grounded in reality. A lot of people say that this is a downgrade, and while these fights aren’t as impressive as the ones that Monty could do, I feel the more grounded actions fits well with the tone the Chorus Trilogy was going for. And there is an in-universe explanation for why people aren’t dropping literal skyscrapers on each other anymore, so I don’t mind the change.

** I agree. And it’s not like we haven’t gotten impressive fights since Monty left. Carolina and Wash vs the mercenaries, Doc vs Donut, any fight from season 14, etc. At the end of the day though, even if you don’t like the new fights as much, it doesn’t really matter because Red vs Blue, at it’s core, has never really been a show about over the top action. Even during the more complex story driven seasons, RvB has never lost what it was, and will always be at it’s purest core. A dialogue heavy character driven tale that came about from humble beginnings. I’ve always seen the action as merely a bonus feature.**

Plus the mocap isn’t just used for fight scenes. It’s also used to allow for more character expression and movement for both sentimental and comedic scenes. As well as allowing characters to do things that they could never do in the _Halo _engine. It honestly looks pretty good. They even have some characters who are animated entirely in house without any use of the game engine and it looks-

_OH GOD! THEY FLEW TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN! WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY’S VERSION OF ALFRED HITCHOCK MIXED WITH GRU FROM DESPICABLE ME?…AND THAN MICROWAVED? _

** Let’s all be glad that this was merely a phase and that later seasons stuck with the good ol’ fashioned Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor V. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The day we see any of the Red or Blue teams’ faces will be the end of the show. And also probably the internet.**

The nightmarish old man jowls aren’t the shows only problem though. Like everything, Red vs Blue has it’s fair share of flaws and nitpicks that are worth discussing. As mentioned earlier the audio quality and some of the animation early on was pretty rough. It’s excusable given the time it came out, so it’s kinda hard to judge it, but it does make binging the earlier seasons a little awkward to say the least.

This is an understandable curse when it comes to any show on the internet from that time period. Back in those days, people didn’t care as much about trying to be cutting edge or hopping on trends to gain popularity. It was normally just independent artists with an idea who just wanted to have fun. It’s how Arin Hanson and Eddsworld got so popular, and both of those creators have plenty of works that are a little hard to watch as well. But honestly, that’s kind of the charm if you ask me. That being said, seeing how far this show has come while still maintaining it’s roots is beyond admirable.

The show has some issues with pacing. Some elements and story lines feel like they can kinda be retreaded. It’s kinda hard to explain without going to spoilers though. Admittedly they are done in new ways but a lot of the time, but it sometimes feels like we see the characters come to the same realization several times before it sinks in. Also, the show often feels like it’s padding for time a lot with lots of filler that contributes next to nothing to the overarching story. (Like remember that time Simmons joined Blue Team? Or that other time Simmons joined Blue Team?) However, this isn’t that much of a problem because the characters are enjoyable enough that even the filler is enjoyable.

The show also has an issue when it comes to character focus. The Blue Team is given a lot more character growth and straight up just things to do while the Red Team is mostly comedic with only bits of character growth sprinkled here and there. I know their reason for doing this is probably to try to balance the comedy and drama, but I feel like it does hurt the characters of Red Team in a bit. And GOD help you if your favorite character is Donut, or ESPECIALLY Doc and Lopez. The show seems to go out of it’s way to write these three out of the show whenever they have the opportunity. However, I will say that the “Shisno Paradox” saga has done a lot to balance out the screen time of a lot of the characters. Giving a lot of members of Red Team, especially Donut, some much needed and deserved screen time.** **

**_ _ I’ll be the first to admit that those are all valid points indeed. When you have so many characters, it’s only natural that some are gonna get more screen time than others. It all comes down to what the writers feel works best, and for the most part I believe it’s worked out. True, the Red team doesn’t get as much important screen time as the Blues, but not only has this been lampshaded a couple times, it’s not like the Reds could be written out of the story entirely. All these characters are so entertaining, and the show wouldn’t be the same without them. It’d be like cutting the other spider people from Into the Spiderverse. Sure, they don’t get that much development or screen time, but they also bring their own style of humor and emotion to the table, and it’s part of why that movie is so beloved. **

As for characters getting slow development, I chalk that up to the art of the flat character arc. This is when you have a character who changes very little throughout the run time of a story. That way writers need not focus on how much the characters can change, but instead on how said character can react to or change the world around them. For example, Wash and Carolina receive the most development in this series. But they only go through these changes after having met the Reds and Blues. Same goes for other characters like the inhabitants of Chorus. There are subtle changes, such as Sarge being more open to working with the Blues and Tucker becoming a leader, but at the end of the day these are still the same characters we remember back in ‘03 days. And for a show that has gone on as long as Red vs Blue, the flat character arc is imperative in keeping the audience’s interest and making sure these characters don’t become stale.

There’s also “The Shisno Paradox.” I’ll try to explain the best I can without going into spoilers. Basically, the Chorus Trilogy ended on the perfect note for Red vs Blue to possibly end on. Then they did a season of anthology shorts which was sorta hit or miss, but there were still more good than bad in my personal opinion. But then the show came back with a new story driven season and the show really started to go down hill. The show wasn’t bad per say, there were still a lot of good elements to it. Like I said earlier, the new seasons had a much more even balance between Red and Blue Team, as well as some fan favorite minor characters making a return. The comedy was still VERY on point, with some of my personal favorite comedic scenes being from the saga. But some things about the seasons just felt…off to me.

The characters felt like they had regressed from where they were previously. The story took on this much larger and grander scope that felt like too much of an escalation compared to the smaller, more personal plots of seasons prior. And the new characters that where introduced were mostly either forgettable at best or annoying at worse. The seasons weren’t bad per say. They just weren’t as good as they were before. I think part of the problem is a lack of direction. With most of the earlier plot points wrapped up and no end it sight for the series the show doesn’t feel like it has any firm direction to go. I don’t wanna be to harsh, cause there are good elements, but if the series has ended after Chorus or Anthology Red vs Blue could of been one of those rare shows to end at their high point.

** And this is exactly the trap I was talking about that the show managed to escape for such a long time. But due to the nature of the ending of season 13, the writers wrote themselves into a corner. How can you possibly follow up an ending like THAT?! So the only thing they could do was essentially start from scratch and introduce more characters so that the Reds and Blues could have something to do. Most of them were indeed hit or miss. **

** However, that doesn’t even come close to season 16. Hot damn was this one stupid. I’m not gonna spoil anything, but here’s the gist of it. The plot device they went with is one that any writer can tell you will always end in anguish. Most of my favorite characters felt like they were being written by different people. The humor felt more childish than usual. And probably most of all was that it didn’t feel like Red vs Blue anymore. Because Rooster Teeth has a bigger budget now, they feel the need to push the boundaries of how RvB can present it’s stories. What makes Red vs Blue so charming is how they’re able to tell such investing stories with so little resources. Limitation breeds creativity after all. But by making all these new environments and broadening the scope somehow beyond space, the show lost it’s identity. And that’s the biggest sin any long running show can commit.**

However, both of the new show runners in charge of the newer seasons have seemed pretty open to the criticism they’ve received. The newest season honestly wasn’t that bad on it’s own. So maybe the show will be able to find it’s footing again. Only time will tell.

However, none of these flaws I mentioned can take away from all the good that Red vs Blue has to offer. This series was a lot better than what I was expecting it to be when I started watching it. And it ended up becoming one of my personal favorite series. The comedy and drama are on point while balancing each other out. The characters are memorable. And the themes are strong. Sure it has it’s flaws, but that can be said for any show. I highly recommend you check Red vs Blue out for yourself if the show sounds at all appealing to you. I know the archive panic can turn some people off, but it’s a series that’s worth diving into. RaccoonBro, you have any parting words?

I feel like I ended on a bit of a bummer note there, so allow me to bring the positive mood back before we sign off. Red vs Blue is not only my favorite web series, but it’s also one of my favorite shows period. Definitely in the top 10 or even 5. The characters are all memorable and distinct despite literally just being generic video game avatars. The voice acting has so much personality, and all the emotions feels raw and real. The dialogue is intelligent and has near-perfect pacing. There’s a reason we still quote lines from this show 16 years later. But what I love most about this show is just how humble it feels. Everything is taken straight from the games, and even the animated segments take some inspiration from Halo. It’s so damn fascinating to see how much this team was able to create with so little to work with. I may have been harsh on season 16, but that’s one season out of many. Season 17 even managed to fix a bunch of the gripes I had by bringing back the focus of the story to the characters themselves as opposed to how ‘epic’ the story is. I don’t care if you call it a space opera or a cheap hangout between buddies. To me, at the end of the day, it will always be a quaint tale no one saw coming about some lovable charac****ters who stand around and talk all day. At least, that’s the reason I’m here.

Very well said. Now get out of my house before I call the cops. ** **

_ Budda bup budda bye!_

The whole series can be watched on RoosterTeeth.com and Youtube has all but the most recent season. The first thirteen seasons can also be streamed on Netflix, formatted to play like thirteen long movies.

** Also, if you’re watching the show on Netflix, make sure to also go to the RvB YouTube page so you can catch some miniseries that have significance to the plot. Why they’re by themselves, I honestly can’t tell ya.**

I SAID GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!

So that’s our thoughts on Red vs Blue. If you have any thoughts or opinions we’d love to hear about them in the comments down bellow and get a conversation going. Make sure you check out RaccoonBroVA’s page to if you are so inclined. He’s a good review and voice actor and I think you’ll like what he had to offer. Please fav, follow and comment if you liked the review and have a great day.

(I do not own any of the images or videos in this review. All credit goes to there original owners.)

My Reviews:

RWBY REVW:

Camp Camp REVIEW:

RacoonnBroVA Review:

Aladdin Review

My Little Reviews/Episode 1

#Red vs Blue #RvB #RoosterTeeth #review

0 notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

Dragon Ball Super: Future Trunks Arc REVIEW:

(Warning: This review contains spoilers.)

Far from now, in a distant time.** I, Zamasu, immortal lord of the Kai’s, UNLEASHED AN UNSPEAKABLE EVIL! But a foolish Saiyan warrior, wielding a giant sword, step forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck he tore open a portal in time, and ran away from the future, where my evil was LAW! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Zamasu!

Gotta get back. Back to the past, stop Goku Black. Wa-Watch Out!~

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt, and it’s been…a while since I talked about Dragon Ball Super. Long enough that my plan to review the arcs as the English dub comes out are pretty much dead. But I’m here now, and ready to review the next chapter in the Dragon Ball saga, the “Future Trunks” arc. Which honestly, is a stupid name cause we already had a “Future Trunks” arc. It was called the Android and Cell saga. Why didn’t they just call it the “Goku Black” arc? But whatever. With each arc in Super surpassing that previous one up to this point, will this arc be able to continue the trend? That’s what I’m here find out. Also, given that this arc is a bit longer than the previous ones, I’m going to skim over or abbrev certain things for the sake of time. (Trust me, when we get to the Universe Survival Arc you’ll be glad I’m doing this.) But with all that said, let’s dive in.

The arc begins in Future Trunk’s timeline years after he defeated the androids. And…things are somehow even worse. That’s right, there world has had TWO apocalypses in the span of about thirty years or so. The few remnants of humanity have been forced into hiding as a small resistant stands to fight against this new threat. This resistance, consisting of Future Trunks, Future Bulma, and a future version of Mai of all characters, has one mission in mind. Rebuild the time machine and travel back in time to get help from the past, to help them stop this new enemy. And who is this new enemy? It’s none other than Goku. Or at least, an evil villain impersonating Goku, known as Goku Black. A name that probably sounds a lot better in Japan than it does in a country that has with a sizable black minority, like America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDYJO-1IhN8

…Big oof.

But let’s talk about Goku Black for a minute. Now, the idea of making a character that’s designed to be an evil Goku isn’t really anything new. (I mean look at Turles.) However what makes Goku Black, and this whole arc in general, really stand out is the mystery aspect. The whole first half of this arc is all about figuring out who, or what, Goku Black really is and where he came from? And they’re are clues hidden thought that hint towards a larger picture. While Goku Black sounds like Goku, even being played by Sean Schemmel, his cadence is nothing like Goku. His speech is more polite and flowery. Also he refers to Trunks as “mortal” and even “Saiyan” at several points, implying that he is none of those things. It opens questions and allows the audience to speculate. And speaking of voice, Sean Schemmel does an amazing job voicing Black in the dub. Managing to make it sound like Goku while also making it feel distinctly it’s own thing. It’s a really great performance.

Just as Trunks, Mai, and Bulma are about to finish the time machine, Black shows up and attacks. He kills Bulma and injures Mai, but Trunks is just barley able to escape. And while all of this is going on we keep cutting back to wacky hijinks in the present timeline. Things like the Pilaf Gang in school and Goku and Piccolo harvesting lettuces…which really clashes with the incredibly dower tone of what’s going on in Trunk’s timeline. Regardless, Trunk’s time machine arrives in Bulma’s yard. However, they’re not in the clear yet as Goku Black was able to follow them back, briefly, using a magical object known as a time ring.

Goku goes and battles Black. The fight is pretty one sided with Goku holding back, not going beyond Super Saiyan so he can gauge Black’s power and have a good fight. I want you all to remember this, as everything bad that happens in the rest of this arc wouldn’t have happened if Goku had just gone all out on Black from the beginning. After a bit of a brawl Black’s time ring flings him back to the future. But not before he’s able to damage the time machine. Whis notes that the time ring gives the wearers ability to travel between timelines, and are only meant to be worn by Supreme Kais. Not only that but Black’s energy feels remarkably similar to a Supreme Kai in training that exist in universe ten. So with this lead Goku, Whis, and Beerus head off to universe ten, leaving Trunks to explore the present.

When this arc was first announced, I have to admit I wasn’t really looking forward to it. It felt like it was just going to be a rehash of the Android and Cell arcs, with Trunks going back in time to stop another apocalypse. personally, I was fine with the idea of never seeing Future Trunks again, as it felt like his story was over. However, what kinda turned me around on this is all of these neat little interactions that we get to see, which we could only get by having Trunks travel to the “Super” era of the Dragon Ball timeline.

One of these great interactions is between Trunks and Kid Trunks. Kid Trunks forms this almost sibling-esq rivalry with his future self, which is honestly pretty fun to see. And we get the most elaborate two person love triangle ever devised. You see Kid Trunks has a crush on Mai, who’s actually a forty year old woman trapped in a child’s body. (But Kid Trunks doesn’t know this.) Mai, being an adult mentally, has a crush on Future Trunks. Meanwhile, Future Trunks has a thing for Future Mai, who’s is actually a middle aged woman trapped in a young adult body. So…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SC-KleaUBc

We also get to see interactions like Trunks learning that Krillin married Android 18. As well as Trunks getting to meet adult Gohan. Now keep in mind, the last time Trunks saw Gohan he just unlocked Super Saiyan Two and had just completely decimated Cell. And this is what he sees when he meets him here.

Let me explain why this image is the best scene ever. We got Trunks on the left, representing all the Gohan fans out there. We got Videl being all like _“MAI BAE!” _And then we have Mr. Satan who just looks like he’s completely high on Quaaludes and is just here for the ride.

Meanwhile, Goku arrives in universe ten they meet the universes Supreme Kai, Gowasu, along with his apprentice Zamasu. Zamasu was the former North Kai of universe ten, and is now being trained to take up the role of Supreme Kai when Gowasu eventually dies. Whis senses that Zamasu’s energy feels very similar to Black’s, but they don’t wanna tip there hand just yet. So Goku challenges Zamasu to a friendly fight to see if they’re fighting styles are similar, without telling him about Black. Zamasu is hesitant to battle a mere mortal, but he complies.

Now let’s talk about Zamasu. I’ll be honest, one of the main reasons for me doing these Dragon Ball Super retrospects in the first place was just so I could have an excuse to talk about/make fun of Zamasu. Zamasu is great, and let me tell you why. Zamasu is very different from other Kai’s in a multitude of ways. Unlike the generally peaceful Kais, Zamasu has a massive disdain for mortals. He believing that they are sinful by nature, and only cause destruction. As such. he also believes that the Kai’s should take on a more hands on approach to running the universe. When you really look at it, He’s not wrong in his assumptions. The Kai’s are pretty useless in general, and it seems like SOMETHING’S always putting the universe in danger every other week or so. So his way of thinking comes from a fairly rational place.

That being said though, it’s pretty clear from the beginning that something isn’t right with Zamasu. While he doesn’t seem outright evil, he definitely doesn’t seem nice either. And given the fact that he is the only suspect in the Goku Black mystery (and the fact that he is featured so prominently in the arcs theme song.) It’s pretty clear that he is involved in one way or whatever. Usually something like this would ruin the mystery, but it actually works here. We know Zamasu is somehow tied in with Goku Black and is probably up to no good, but we don’t know exactly how. The mystery is less about finding out WHO the culprit is is as it is figuring out HOW the culprit is committing the crime, and finding proof. It’s also a refreshing change of paste to have a villain with somewhat noble intentions, at least at the start. Most antagonist in this franchise are just evil from the start for no real reason, but it’s nice seeing a characters decent into darkness. But it’s not the motivation or the mystery that makes me love Zamasu as a character. _I LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE’S SUCH A FRICKIN’ EDGE LORD! AND THE SHOW ACKNOWLEDGES IT! _Zamasu is that emo kid who thinks he knows everything about the world and believes that he is above it all. “Cause he isn’t blinded like the other idiotic mass! He’s deep man!” And it’s just to great!

Zamasu is voiced by James Marster. At first I didn’t really like the voice, as it sounded a lot older than what I was expecting. But it really grew on me as time went on. James Marster has been a massive Dragon Ball fan for much of his life. Even agreeing to play Piccolo in the Dragon Ball Evolution movie. So to see him get a chance to finally be in a piece of Dragon Ball medium that’s actually…good. He does a really stellar job, capturing the pompousness and the insanity of the character really well. His performance is one of the arcs highlights.

Zamasu fights Goku and Goku is able to beat him in his Super Saiyan 2 form. Zamasu is disgusted that he was beaten by a mortal, and silently swears revenge on Goku for besting him. However, Goku isn’t able to make any firm connections between him and Goku Black. So he, Beerus and Whis head back to Earth.

With Trunk’s time machine was destroyed Bulma and the Pilaf gang began working on repairing Cell’s old time machine from all the way back in the Cell saga, which Bulma had kept in capsule form for all these years. As they wait for the time machine to be prepared it allows Trunks and Vegeta to do some good old father-son bonding.

_See everybody, Vegeta’s great at helping people as long as he can do it by punching and threatening them!

_ While all that’s going on Beerus and Whis get a message from none other than the Omni-King himself. And for some reason, he wants to see Goku. The two are obviously worried as Zeno is capable of whipping out entire universe in an instant and Goku…is Goku. But with no real option Goku, Whis, and the Supreme Kai head off to Zeno’s palace to see what he wants. They are greeted by Zeno’s Grand Priest, who Whis confirms is one of the five strongest people in the multiverse. He leads them down to Zeno’s throne room where Zeno tells Goku what he wants. He wants a friend.

The gods are shocked, but really it makes sense. Zeno is just a little kid, and it must get lonely at the top. All the other deities fear the Omni-King due to the sheer amount of destructive power that he possesses. But Goku is the only one who’s ever treated Zeno like an actual person, due to just how kind and thick headed he is. This lack of hesitation has earned him the Omni-Kings respect. Goku tells Zeno that he can’t play with him right now, since he’s a bit preoccupied at the moment. But he says that when he’s done, he’ll find Zeno a friend that’s even better than he is. Zeno agrees and gives Goku a button that can summon him directly once Goku finds this friend. Goku puts this very obvious Checkov’s gun in his pocket for latter and arrives on Earth just as Bulma is finishing the time machine.

Now that it is fixed, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks hop in the machine to face Black head on. They arrive and find they’re way to the resistance HQ, where Trunks is reunited with the Future Mai. But it doesn’t take long for them to encounter Goku Black, who through a combination of zenkai boost, and getting a better handle on Goku’s body, is much stronger than he was during his first encounter with Goku. He’s even able to transform into his own twisted version of Super Saiyan Blue known as Super Saiyan Rose.

Vegeta, ready to beat up anyone who looks like Goku, attacks Black. And as we know, every time Vegeta fights the arc’s main antagonist, it-it usually goes really well for him, so we shouldn’t have anything to worry about-

_VEGETA! You’re suppose to learn from your past mistakes! _

And if all that wasn’t bad enough, a time portal opens up in the sky revealing Zamasu. Or at least, a future version of Zamasu with potara and a time ring. That’s right, Zamasu isn’t Black, he’s working with Black. (Or so it seems at least.) The three try to battle the duo in a really well done fight scene, but they notice something about this version of Zamasu. No matter how much damage they inflict on him, he just heals from it seconds after. He’s somehow invincible. This, coupled with Goku Black’s new power, is simply to much for our heroes to handle. Luckily, they’re able to just barley about the escape in the time machine in the nick of time due to Mai distracting Zamasu and Black.

Meanwhile, the present version of Zamasu is becoming more and more fascinated with Goku. Gowasu is as well, and even does some research on him on Godtube. The actual thing that actually exist in this universe and is an important plot point. That’s right, apparently the entire Universe Six tournament was actually live streamed this entire time!. Though I can’t speak to the validity of Godtube as a platform. Heard they’re copyright system is pretty bad.

Dang it, Toei!

Zamasu see’s Super Saiyan Blue Goku’s fight with Hit and is furious that a mortal like Goku is able to achieve such Godly powers. And it’s at this point that you realize that Zamasu is really just the Frank Grimes of the Dragon Ball franchise. And Goku is _Homer. And I’m okay with that…

_But this is where Zamasu learns about the Super Dragon Balls. He goes to Zuno (The all knowing alien from the last arc.) and demands information from him. And this is where Zamasu comes up with his plan. He’ll use the Super Dragon Balls to swap bodies with Goku, than use the time rings to travel to a different timeline, and team up with a parallel version of himself. Then THAT Zamasu will use the Super Dragon Balls in order to wish for immortality. Than they will begin they’re plan to whip out all mortal life from the multiverse. Convoluted enough? But hey, at least unlike other villains he plans on wishing for immortality BEFORE engaging our heroes.

But before he can do this, he needs to kill Gowasu first. As only a Supreme Kai can use the time rings. Goku, Whis, and Beerus begin to figure out this plan. (They figure parts of it out later, but I’m abbreviating this for the sake on length.) They travel to the tenth universe and catch Zamasu in the act of murdering Gowasu, but Whis uses his time rewind powers to save him. It’s honestly a clever and unexpected twist. Seeing the ability again here makes it feel less like it was something only invented to get our heroes out of a jam in the Resurrection ‘F’ arc. Even if it still most likely was.

Beerus, being sick of having nothing to do this arc, destroys Zamasu. They return to Earth to tell Trunks about the good news. Trunks tries to explain that time travel doesn’t work that way in this universe, but Beerus just wants this arc to be over with and buggers off. Trunks, Goku, Vegeta, and even Bulma decide to go to the future and see if everything’s all right. Now, I know what your probably thinking. Shouldn’t they have some kinda plan to fight Zamasu and Black just in case they are still in the future? Or at the very least, do some training first? But, y'know, they’ll probably just cross that bridge when they get to it.

_GOKU! You’re suppose to learn from your past mistakes!

_ Things come to a head when Black and Zamasu point out that all of this has been a self fulfilling paradox. If Trunks never went back in time in the first place, Goku would of never met Zamasu, Zamasu wouldn’t have become Black, and the future wouldn’t of been destroyed. And since I didn’t know where else to point this out, I just wanna praise that that fact that everything that has happened in this art does follow the rules of time traveling that the story established. Given how losey goosey Dragon Ball can be with it’s own lore and consistency, I was sure there would be some kind of plot hole regarding something as elaborate as time travel. But, surprisingly, they went through the effort to keep everything consistent. They forgot what color hair Trunks was suppose to have, but they got this right. So kudos.

Trunks is furious when Zamasu and Black point out that, in a way, this is all his doing. He has a breaking point as the two mock him. And in his anger, he develops a new transformation. Super Saiyan…they never name it in the series proper. I know that it’s called Super Saiyan Anger or Rage or whatever the translation is, but they never name it in the series or explain what exactly it is beyond a form that is formed via anger. _AKA: ALL THE NON GODLY SAIYAN FORMS, CAUSE THEY’RE ALL FUELED BY ANGER! _

That being said though, despite the lack of real explanation on how it works and the fact that it doesn’t really add much to the plot, I have to say it’s one of the coolest looking forms in the series. Like Super Saiyan Blue Kai-o-Ken it has two aura’s, as well as incorporating elements from Buff Super Saiyan form used in the Cell saga. I wish they elaborated on it more, cause this design feel way too cool to be this quote unquote generic.

Trunks holds Black and Zamasu off while the rest of the group travel back in time on more time in order to find a way to actually STOP Zamasu and Black for good. Goku goes to Roshi in order to learn how to do the Evil Containment Wave, in hopes of being about to seal away Zamasu rather than kill him. Meanwhile Vegeta goes to train for twelve hours in the hyperbolic time chamber. They return to the future to have they’re final rematch with Black and Zamasu.

While this is going on Beerus realizes that he’s failed to kill Zamasu and actually feels bad. Not bad enough to go and help, but bad enough to send Gowasu and Shin to help in his place.

They arrive in the time machine, which Black immediately destroys, also damaging the jar they were planning on sealing Zamasu in. See, unlike other villains, Zamasu and Black are actually proactive. I like that. It’s up to Trunks, Mai, and Bulma to fix both the time machine and the jar. Fighting ensues as Vegeta just wails on Black. Black realizes that anger can result in him getting more strength, so he channels that anger into…a scythe…that he uses to open a portal in space time, that creates clones of himself….being angry did this. Ah, whatever, the arc’s almost over. Who cares?

_So, could Vegeta and Goku do this too? I can’t think of any logical reason why they shouldn’t be able to.

_ While Goku and Vegeta are busy with the clones of Black, Zamasu heads for Trunks. The only hope is for Trunks to preform the Evil Containment Wave. Luckily Bulma has a video of it on her phone for Trunks to use as a reference. Bulma goes out to buy him some time by trying to seduce Zamasu in one of the greatest scenes ever put to television, and Trunks is able to successfully preform the move, trapping Zamasu in the jar forever…

Or at least he would of if Goku hadn’t forgot the seal! _TWICE! TWICE GOKU FU*K UP IN STOPPING THE VILLAINS! _Since Zamasu’s free, he realizes that it’s time to take these mortals seriously. So using the potara earrings he fuses with Black, becoming FUSED ZAMASU! Who manages to somehow be even more of an edgelord than he was before!

_AND THIS…IS TO GO…EVEN FURTHER…BEYOND! IT’S SUPER SAIYAN EDGE!

_The three of them simply aren’t strong enough to stop Zamasu in this state. They’re only hope is to use the potara themselves and fuse into Vegeto! Which is retconned into only being permanent with Kais. Cause fusions are popular and they’re going to milk it for all it’s worth. Even though they could of had them return to normal without the need for a retcon cause it’s been established that the dragon balls can undo a fusion…but who cares? Now they only stay fused for an hour, but the more energy they use, the shorter amount of time they can be fused. They fuse and go Super Saiyan Blue and we get one of the best fights we’ve had in the series thus far, despite it only being about two minutes. The fluidity of the animation is done in a way that Dragon Ball has never really done up until this point, and resembles a fight from _One Punch Man _more than Dragon Ball.

It’s during this fight that they discover how to beat Zamasu. While Zamasu was immortal Goku Black wasn’t. When Zamasu took Goku’s body he also inherited many of his Saiyan traits, including lust for battle and his desire to have a proper challenge. As such he never wanted immortality and now that he and Zamasu are fused together, he isn’t wholly immortal anymore, and his body begins going into flux. Unfortunately they burn up they’re energy to quickly and defuse before they’re able to kill Zamasu. Unable to even transform anymore due to how depleted they are, it’s up to Trunks to stop him. All the resistance members cheer Trunks on, and they’re hope and belief in him forms into a mini spirit bomb that he channels through his sword. He uses this energy to defeat Zamasu by slicing him in half. Dick first no less.

This ending seemed to be a bit divisive when it first came out, with many people saying it was a Deus ex Machina. And I have to say that I kinda agreed with a lot of the criticism when I first saw it. Trunks learning the Evil Containment Wave so fast via just one video he saw was one thing, but the spirit bomb is literally a move that he never learned. Nor even really had an opportunity to learn. However, while it doesn’t make sense logically, this ending does work really well in a thematic sense. It ties in to the arcs, and even all of Super in general, theme of mortals rising up to reach a power beyond the Gods. It shows that, when all of humanity works together for a common ideal, they is no limit to there power. Cause in the end, humans where able to do what the Gods couldn’t. Beerus’s plan to kill Zamasu failed. Shin and Gowasu’s plan with the potara’s failed. Even Goku and Vegeta’s plan of using God Ki failed. In the end it was all of humanity, giving they’re power to Trunks, they’re one hope, that was able to defeat Zamasu once and for all. And it shows that Trunks was able to save his own future, without needing to rely on Goku and Vegeta or Gohan or anyone else. Zamasu and Black where his problem, and he had to be the one to stop them.

So that was my review of Dragon Ball Super: Future Trunks arc. So what are my final thought…and wait. What do you mean they’re one more episode left?…

…Oh no…

So Zamasu, being truly immortal, isn’t killed by his body being destroyed. He simply transforms into an ethereal state, in honestly one of the most horrifying things Dragon Ball has ever done. He turns into Gygas from Earthbound and in one attack levels the Earth and whips out all of humanity minus our heroes. Without a body there’s nothing for our heroes to fight, and all hope seems loss. Until Goku remembers Zeno’s button and calls him for help. This summons the Future Zeno, which is weird cause you’d think God would be like beyond the confines of space and time, but apparently he isn’t. Zeno see’s all the damage Zamasu has done and decides to deal with this by destroying the timeline completely. The gang escape in they’re time machine before being erased too. You know, I was joking around with the Samurai Jack comparisons at the beginning, but that’s basically what ends up happening. Goku returns to the void that was once Trunks timeline and grabs the Future Zeno and brings him to the present. He goes to present Zeno and tells him that he’s found his new friend. We also learn that the Grand Priest is Whis’s dad.

After returning to Earth, our heroes discuss what to do now. Whis mentions that when Beerus killed the present Zamaus it created a new time ring, and that Trunks and Mai could use that to travel to a new future. One that never had Zamasu in it. That’s right, they’re taking the Rick and Morty approach. “Close enough, right?” They fly off in the time machine together and then the arc ends.

Now, I will say this. Having the guts to have an arc like this end on such a bittersweet note is definitely a ballsy move. In a world where so many problems can be solved by just collecting the Dragon Balls, I like the idea of their actually being serious consequences that can’t be fixed. But because this all happens in the last episode of the arc, there’s no time to let this sink in. And the ending is just to depressing. The arc basically ends on-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ufmrn7BCuA

Everyone in Trunks timeline is dead. Not just dead but erased from existence completely. Trunks failed to save his future, making not just this whole arc pointless, but the Android and Cell saga pointless too! Why even go to a new timeline at all? Why not stay in the present timeline? At least you know these people! Everything Trunks said about the power of humanity working together was wrong. Humans couldn’t stop Zamasu. They needed the power of a God to save them. And the entire DESTRUCTION of an entire timeline could of been avoided if Goku hadn’t summoned Zeno. Or if he had just brought the dang seal. Or, you know, if he defeated Black in their first fight!

So yeah, in conclusion, I feel very mixed on this arc. There are a lot of pros. Zamasu and Black are both fantastic villains who in my opinion deserve more recognition. Also it’s refreshing just to have a new Dragon Ball villain, as appose to all the other arc antagonist who are rivals or…Frieza again. I appreciate the darker tone and the feeling of actual stakes, which is something the last two arcs felt particularly lacking in. And I also enjoy all the fun moments we get seeing Trunks interact with the older Z fighters. But man, does the ending kill a lot of what the arc had going for it. Also the arc drags a bit in parts, as personally I feel you could cut out at least one of the trips to the future. Overall, I think I’d say the arc is still the best arc the series has had so far, but it’s defiantly a case of higher highs and lower lows. But at least we don’t have any evil Goku’s to worry about.

Cause the one we have is enough trouble as it is.

So that was my review of the “Future Trunks” arc of Dragon Ball Super. What did you think? Feel free to leave any thoughts you have in the comments down bellow. I’d love to hear them. Fav, follow, and like the review if you’d enjoy and have a great day.

(I do not own any of the images or videos in this review. All credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Dragon-Ball-Super-Future-Trunks-Arc-REVIEW-793870861 DA Link

#Dragon Ball Super #Dragon Ball #Future Trunks #Review #Zamasu

5 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

2018 Year in REVIEW: Part 2

Hello everybody, JoyofCrimeArt here, and it's time to wrap up Deviant-cemnber by finishing this recap. If you're just joining us I'm going over all the events that happened to the cartoon community thought the year of 2018. I'm also ranking all the new series from best to worse, and deciding which network was the quote unquote "winner" of the year. If you haven't seen part one, you can check it out here. 2018 Year in REVIEW: Part 1 But for everyone else, let's get on with the review. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So at the end of the last part, we had to deal with that whole "Thundercats CalArts" debacle. Not exactly the most "positive" stopping point. So why don't we start this part with something light? Oh hey, look, people are talking about Butch Hartman! He's always good for a laugh. What's he up too?

Oh no...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBOMlWl7fFk

So Butch Hartman, America's dad, started a Kickstarter for his own streaming service. It's called Oaxis and is suppose to be a family friendly streaming service with original programming along the lines of Netflix. Butch asked for 250,000 dollars in order to get the basic groundwork for the site up and running. That's a lot of money to ask for, so there's no way he could actually...Holy crap, he actually did it! The madman pulled it off! Now, there's a lot to unload here. Butch Hartman's streaming service initially was met with controversy due to how vague everything about it was. There were a lot of unanswered questions. We didn't know what kind of shows it would have outside of a few failed pilots that Butch had pitched to various networks in the years prior. Were there other creators had plans to affiliate themselves with the project? All of these unanswered questions lead a lot of people to think that this was all just a big scam. If I had to make a guess, I have a feeling that part of the point of the Kickstarter was to act as a proof of concept. A way to show investors that there was an interest in the service. While a quarter of a million dollars is a lot, that's still not anywhere NEAR enough to run an entire new entertainment platform. However, I wanna be devil's advocate here. Butch Hartman has some experience in this field.The Noog Network, is an app that he developed that specializes in family friendly animated and live action shorts all created by Butch Hartman himself. Not exactly the same as a streaming service, but still. And consider that Butch has ties to people in the industry, and has experiences running a business in the form of his nonprofit charity The Hartman House, MAYBE he could pull it off? Maybe? Possibly... But that's not where the controversy ends however! As footage leaked of old Butch-y boi speaking at a church event promoting Oaxis. Here he made several claims that many found to be a bit disconcerting. Such as claims that his streaming service would feature "Christian values" which is something not at all mentioned in his Kickstarter. As a Christian myself I've always thought of Christian values as things like kindness, generosity, respect. All things that aren't necessarily exclusive to Christianity. So maybe he meant like that. However, the fact that he was invited as a special guest to a church to speak about the service...It's definitely a little bit suspect. There's nothing wrong with making a streaming service aimed at Christian families, but you should at least mention it in the Kickstarter. That way people know what they're donating too. He later specified in a tweet that while the service wouldn't inherently be Christian themed, but since Butch Hartman is a devout Christian himself, that would always carry over into his work no matter what he does. It should be noted that in the same speech he list his previous shows as containing the same "Christian values" and I don't think anybody was ever converted to Christianity by T.U.F.F Puppy. I don't know. Man, between this and last years Castlevania, I love being forced to talk about my religious views in a article that's suppose to be about dumb cartoon shows. He also made a controversial claim saying that suicides are more common now of days because of peoples addition to cell phones and technology. Saying that because of these technology people not talking to their parents as much as a result. I'm not a researcher on this, so I have no idea if this is actually true. I could definitely see that could at least be partially true with things like cyber bulling and the lack of communication with parents COULD possibly be a factor in the increases of suicides. But it defiantly feels like a disservice to just ignore issues like mental health being a factor. I can defiantly see how people could of taken offense. All of this backlash lead to everyone's favorite 2018 game! "Attack people online until they apologize!" Cause as we all know, nothing makes an apology more sincere than when it's forced out of them by an angry mob! But eventually all the heat died down when all the "Butch Hartman Rant" videos stopped getting views, I mean, when there was nothing left to talk about. Overall, I think that the situation was just bad on all fronts. Butch should of said something to explain himself, and not be so vague in his goals. But also, we live in a day and age where I honestly wonder if that would of been the smartest move. It feels like once people have their opinion set, there's no going back. I mean how often to celebrity apologizes even work? Still though, smart or not, it would of been the right thing to do. However, I would like to point out that all of this hate started simply because he reached his goal. All the stuff about the church and his suicide comments all came after he was already getting hate for being a scam artist. But the thing is, we don't even know if he is a scam artist or not. Sure, the fact that he's barely talked about Oaxis at all since the Kickstarter was funded doesn't bode well. But from what I could fine, he's given out most of the rewards he promised. And on the Kickstarter page he says the site wasn't expected to launch until mid 2020. Do I think Butch will be able to pull this off? Probably not...but I hope he does. I want Oaxis to be a thing, cause I am interested in some of the shows he's talked about putting on there, like Elf Detective. And if you hate Butch and hope for Oaxis to fail, that's your prerogative. But if you are hoping for it to fail, than you're hoping that nearly thirteen hundred people got scammed out of their money. Just saying. Ugh! I'm sick of this drama. I want more uplifting Kickstarter news! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rMCkNgHa3c

Homestar Runner was one of the first big web series that existed B.Y. Before Youtube. The series has been running off and on for about nineteen years now. And the creators, The Brother Chaps, decided to make a Kickstarter campaign to make a tabletop board game based on one of there series most popular characters. Trogdor, the Burniator. A poorly drawn dragon with an affinity for burning down cottages. The Kickstarter was set up for a goal seventy thousand dollars. Which feels like a lot for a board game, but hey, what do I know. While Homestar still has a very loyal fanbase, the series defiantly is nowhere near as popular as it was in the early to mid two thousands. And seventy thousand is a pretty hefty goal? Would a board game based on an outdated internet meme from 2004 really be able to make that kind of money? It reached it's goal in less than a day. And by the end they ended up making over one point four million dollars! I don't know what exactly The Brothers Chaps are going to do with all that money, but it's nice to know that the Homestar fanbase is still alive and well after all that time. And it's also nice to just see a Kickstarter that reached it's goal, delivered everything it promised, and didn't get into any major controversies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyway, back to controversy. Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon since 2006, resigned. And people hate her because of some...controversy. Something about unions I think? Yeah, I didn't bother looking into this one. Between the Thundercats Roar drama and Butch Hartman stuff, I just couldn't go through all of this again. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, so I'm perfectly happy to be the ostrich with it's head in the sand on this one! However, like I said last time, it'll be very interesting to see what happens to Nickelodeon in the next couple of years. Without Butch Hartman, Dan Schneider, and now Cyma Zarghami I feel like Nickelodeon five years from now could be something completely unrecognizable from what it is today. And hopefully it'll be in a good way. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But hey, this year wasn't all drama though. I mean look at all the new shows we got. Like Pinky Malinky.

DELAYED! Okay, well at least we finally have Young Justice season three...

DELAYED! The new Harley Quinn Cartoon...

DELAYED! FXX's Deadpool?

CANCELED! TBS's Close Enough from Regular Show creator JG Quintel?

WHO THE FU*K EVEN KNOWS AT THIS POINT? Seriously, what's with this year? It's like everything has been delayed! What the heck? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nickelodeon announced that they're making a reboot for the Rugrats. And just...why? Money- Yes, I know it's money! But it's a show about babies! When you make a reboot of something, the entire point is to update it. But when your show is about babies, how are you suppose to do that? Babies today are still doing the same things that babies did back in 1991. And with the first show having one hundred seventy two half hour episodes. What stories are left to tell? Then again, anything can be good. That Muppet Babies reboot (Which I didn't watch and isn't on this list) seems to be pretty well received. So maybe it could work. I don't know. I've never seen to much Rugrats growing up, so it's hard for me to get excited for this. But I'm sure someone will enjoy it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So Netflix decided to drop all of their new series all at the end of the year. Their first one is Matt Groening's Disenchantment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp_RnJcb8Ig

The series follows Bean, the princess of the magical kingdom of Dreamland. She's a bitter snarky alcoholic, cause AGAIN, NEVER SEEN THAT CHARACTER DONE BEFORE! The series follows her, as well as her personal demon Luci and her elf companion Elfo through various misadventures. Think what Futurama did with Sci-fi but with a fantasy setting and you have this show. Only...Comedy Centeral era Futurama. I didn't really enjoy the first seven or so episodes of this show that much. The show wasn't bad per say, but it wasn't really anything great either. This show is aimed slightly more towards adults than Matt Groening's previous works, having a TV-14 rating instead of a TV-PG. The humor is a bit darker and edgier, and it lead to this very mean spirited feel over the entire show. The cast aren't particularly likable, and Dreamland just isn't a fun setting to be around. One thing I did like however was the fact that the show had an on going continuity and changing status quo. This is refreshing considering that Matt Groenings other shows (mainly The Simpsons) are famous for almost always returning to their status quo. But here's the weird thing, starting with episode 8, the show suddenly has this MASSIVE spike in quality out of nowhere as all the plot points that have been building over the course of the season all start to pay off. The characters all become a lot more likable. The stakes are raised. Like, it's weird how different these last three episodes are. I'd go into more detail, but unfortunately I can't due to spoilers, but trust me, the show gets better. It's not "classic Simpsons" or "classic Futurama" good, but still. It's not THAT far off. This sudden spike in quality makes it hard for me to decide how to rate this show. But since most of the run is pretty sub par, I kinda just have to average it out. Unfortunately due to the continuity you can't just skip till the end. It all really depends how patient you are. But even the bad stuff isn't awful or anything. It's just kinda bland. The show was picked up for a second season and I am looking forward to seeing where this show will go. I think that season two could be something great, but just talking about season one, it's...okay. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey, it feels like it's been a while since we had a controversy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZSOGZFfSDk

It seems recently there are so many streaming services out there creating there own original series, it's hard to keep track. You got Netflix, Hulu, DC Universe, Soon they'll be Disney+...Oaxis- So it only made since for a site like Cruchyroll to start making they're own exclusive content. You'd think they would just hire some anime studio to make originals for them like Netflix does. But no, they decided to go with a more American styled series. High Guardian Spice. The trailer doesn't reveal much about the show, but plot wise it sounds eerily similar similar to RWBY. About a group of girls all named after different spices going to school to become "Guardians." Whatever that means. There were a lot of reason people were upset. From it be a more Americanized looking series. To the fact that Cruchyroll's (from what I hear) site having some interface problems that some people would rather have them devoting the money on fixing. But the main reason people were upset was because of the series trailer spent more time talking about the diversity of the crew and characters than they did the show plot. Outrage was also sparked from the fact that they use the fact that they have an all female writers room as a sign of there "diversity." Even though having a writers room were everyone is the same gender isn't actually diverse. I have no problem with diversity in my stories. But the fact that they chose to focus on it as a highlight when they talked so little about the story of the characters is what has me worried. It makes me worried that the crew aren't confident enough in the series premise and characters to carry the series on it's own. It's better to make a story that's good first, and diverse second as oppose to the other way around. When you do it the other way, you end up with Ghostbusters 2016. I think. I never saw it, but I hear it's "okay" at BEST. People don't like things shoved down there throats, even if it's something they agree with. Most people support diversity. But when you tell them that they HAVE to support it, that's what makes people start to hate it. Humans are very spiteful creatures in that regard. However, despite all of that, I'm still kinda excited for this show. I LOVE the art style. And you all know by now that I love me a good girly cartoon. And many other shows that boast about their diversity (Like Steven Universe and She Ra, which I'll get to in little bit) still manage to be good. It can be distracting when you see a cartoon and know what ideals the creators are trying to push. I get it. But sometimes you just have to take the death of the author approach, and just see the show for what it is on it's own. You might be surprised by what you can enjoy. We'll have to wait to see how this show pans out. But if they're able to include some Mike Toole, I'm sold.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It seems like every year we have one BIG cartoon finale. 2016 had Gravity Falls. 2017 had Regular Show. And now after eight long years, it's time for Adventure Times Grand Finn-ale. ...I'm not sorry. Adventure Time ended with an hour long episode "Come Along with Me." I'll try to not spoil the special TOO much for those who haven't seen it, but if you want to go in completely blind I suggest skipping down to the next segment cause this is your SPOILER WARNING. The special revolves around the Gum War between Princess Bubblegum and her Uncle Gumbald. A plot that had been slowly growing all season. On top of that, Betty and Normal Man are trying to find a way to turn Ice King back into Simon. The things I do like about the finale is just the sheer number of callbacks that were made. While I think a few did go over my head, as there are a few episodes of Adventure Time I've never gotten around to seeing, it's nice to see so many returning concepts and characters. I'm glad they included things from the entire series run, instead of just the "classic" episodes that most people would recognizes. It rewards fans who stuck around for the long haul. It was also nice seeing most of the series lingering plot points wrap up. And we finally got to see the kiss that we've all been waiting years for. And kudos to CN for allowing them to do it. It was very brave of them. I am of course talking about LSP and Lemongrab, baby! Wooh!

There's also the ending. Which is just a montage set to the end credits song showing where all the characters end up after the series. I love endings like this so damn much, and while it didn't hit me as hard as Regular Show's finales montage, it still hits the feels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIkS8eGCKOU

The special does have it's flaws though. The Gum War really felt like an anti-climax and the shift to GOLB felt very out of left field. Also the fate of Uncle Gumbald left a very bad taste in my mouth. It kinda felt like they went against the whole point they tried to make. I admit that I didn't enjoy this finale as much as I did the Gravity Falls or Regular Show finales, but it's still sad seeing Adventure Time go. It defined cartoons of the 2010's. And I don't think they'res been a show since that's been quite like it. Even though the later seasons weren't as good, Adventure Time will always have a special place in my heart. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Netflix continues to pump out series after series with another new series, Dragon Prince.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWEtCsi3Eo8

Dragon Prince is a series set in a fantasy world in the midst of war. On one side is the humans, and on the other side the Elves and Dragons. The series follows two human princes, Callum and Ezran as well as a elf assassin named Rayla, as they go on a quest that will hopefully bring peace to there world. The series features a lot of crew and voice actors who previously worked on Avatar: The Last Airbender. And it shows. I mean both shows follow a group of kids traveling through a fantasy world in the middle of a war. The seasons are called books, and each book based on a different element of the magic system. I was worried this show would falls end up being just a carbon copy of Avatar. But luckily, the show does manage to have it's own feel despite having a lot of stimulates. The animation is a bit of a mixed bag. It's cel shaded CGI, similar to RWBY. But despite the series being made by a company much bigger than Rooster Teeth, the animation is so much more lag-y. Something about the frame rate seems off at times. Also I noticed background characters being copied and recolored a few times in my watch. But none of this took me to much out of the experience. The characters and writing are all really good for the most part. One of the best parts of Avatar was how it showed that both sides of the war had normal people. And Dragon Prince takes this element and brings it one step further. Neither side of the war are depicted as wholly right or wholly wrong, with both sides committing terrible acts. That's a lot of complexity for a show that's aimed at children. However, there is a villain who, while I won't reveal who he/she is, feels very cartoonishly evil for this otherwise complex world. Like, you could make this character complex very easily. A lot of the villains goals and reasoning makes sense, and are even justifiable. But the methods used are just the most mustache twirling ways of achieving these goals, even when there are less evil ways of accomplishing the same thing. It's weirdly out of place. However, despite the flaws, Dragon Prince is a really good show that manages to feel similar to Avatar while still being it's own thing. I highly recommend you check it out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaking of Avatar, Netflix is making one! Particularly a live action reboot. And just...Why? Money- Yes, I know it's money! But everybody already love the original Avatar! What is there to change? What needs to be updated? And what can be done in live action that can't be done in animation. It feels like all these live action remakes only exist in order to "legitimize" their animated counterparts. Cause God forbid something animated be watched by adults. I dunno. There's a very good chance this could be good, but I doubt it'll be better than the original series. I have no interest in this. Netflix, you have Dragon Prince! You don't need this! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But Netflix isn't done yet! Cause we also have Hilda! Based on the series of graphic novels of the same name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCojP2Ubuto

Hilda follows...Hilda. A young adventurous girl who spent her whole life living in a magical forest with her Mom. That is until one day her Mom decides to move to the city of Trolberg. Now Hilda has to learn to adapt to her new surroundings in the city, learn to make friends with normal humans, and deal with magical creatures. Cause despite the fact that Trolberg has a wall designed to keep magical creatures out, the city really sucks at doing so. This shows really cute! The art style reminds me of a cross between Steven Universe and The Loud House. But with any series involving kids interacting with magical creatures the comparisons are going to be brought up. Is Hilda the next Over The Gravity Garden Falls? Seriously, ever video on Youtube about Hilda brings up this comparison. And really, outside of the premise of "adventurous child exploring magical forest" Hilda isn't really like either of those shows. Hilda is a lot lighter in tone than those two series. The monsters aren't as scary and the humor is a lot less snarky. There aren't really that many "jokes" in Hilda as the series relies more on overall pleasantness. Also there isn't any real overarching mystery element in Hilda. It's more slice of life. Why can't Hilda just be the next...Hilda? It's a quaint show. From the animation, to the tone, to the voice acting, it all just feels so cozy. I also love the creativity with all the different creatures they come up with. It's has a unique charm to it, and it's fun seeing a world where everyone just knows magic exist and society has integrated with it. If I had to point out a few flaws, I'd say that the subplot they have with Hilda's best friend Frieda wasn't very good. I really have no idea what they were going for with that. And the show can be a bit repetitive at times, but that might just be because I had to binge it in order to finish it in time for this review. But overall this is a really nice show. Check it out if you can. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK KO is well known for it's crossovers from Captain Planet to Mighty Magiswords. But this year, they created the ultimate crossover. And if we could just appreciate the dedication to the past that the crew for OK KO clearly had when making this crossover? You all know what I'm talking about right? OK KO meet Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School Baby! That's right, the crossover that we've all been waiting for.

... AND THEY SAID AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR WAS THE MOST AMBITIOUS CROSSOVER OF ALL TIME! They were even allowed to use the original Hannah-Barbara model sheets. This is notable as I think it's the first time OK KO has ever actually used a model sheet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey, everybody loves Fallout 76, right? While we all agree the game is a flawless masterpiece, I just wish there was a way to somehow make it even better. Like, what if we got the twitch streamer Ninja, The rapper Logic, and RICK AND MORTY to all live stream the game together? Now THAT would be a lot of IQ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMZhhTOF4l8

... aNd ThEy SaId ThAt AvEnGeRs: InFiItY wAr WaS tHe MoSt AmBiTiOuS cRoSsOvEr oF AlL tImE!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I swear, Netflix won't be satisfied until they make at least one thousand original animated series a year. Here's She-Ra and the Princess of Power. Not to be confused with She-Ra: Princess of Power. That's the 80's show. Good job naming your show there, Netflix!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuFQxsRzUws

This is the cheesiest theme song ever, I love it so much! Now, from what I understand, a lot of OG She-Ra fans don't like this reboot because it changed so much from the original. However, as someone who knows next to nothing about She-Ra or He-Man, I'm can't really comment on any inaccuracies. So I'm going to have to judge it as it's own thing. She-Ra follows Adora, a child solider serving as force captain in The Horde army. But one day, after finding a magical sword in the forest, she gains the ability to transform into the Hero, She-Ra. Not long after that she finds out that, shock of all shock, the army that's literally called THE HORDE are actually the bad guys. so she defects from the Horde, and joins the Rebellion with her new friends Bow and Glimmer. Now Adora, along with a growing army of magical princesses, must find a way to fight back against the Horde. Meanwhile The Horde, specifically Adora adopted sister/possible...lover Catra try to bring her back to her "home." I like this show. It's not amazing or anything. But it's a fun, girly action series. That's something I like about Netflix, it's one of the only channels out there that's not afraid to do action series. While the characters aren't that complex, they're fun and all have good chemistry together. Everybody feels like a real person. And this applies to both the Rebellion and the Horde. The show does a good job of juggling a lot of characters, while still keeping focus on the main cast. AND YOU WANNA TALK SAD, LONELY LESBIANS! THIS WHOLE SHOW IS A SAD LONELY LESBIAN! Though did anyone else find it a bit strange that Adora's relationship with Catra seemingly bounces back and forth between "sister" and "lover." Like, I don't care which way you go with, but you really need to pick one or the other... I know a lot of people are annoyed by the fact that a lot of classic designs and characters were changed to make the show more diverse. I didn't mind this to much. Adaptations change race, sexuality, and body types all the time. And I can only think of one time where it ever felt distracting, and even then it was brief. I never found it to bothersome. Downsides though, the tone is kinda wonky at times. Nothing to noticeable, but sometimes it seems like the show is trying to be a serious action adventure, while other times it feels like it's trying to be campy like the 80's series. There's an episode called "Princess Prom" and it's one of the turning points in the season. Like, how am I suppose to take this seriously. But luckily it never gets that bad. I think the show is somewhat aware of a wink and nod nature to the show. It's a fun series. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And unfortunately, we have to end the year on a downer note. As Stephen Hillenburg, creator of Spongebob, passed away at the age of 57 from ALS. I don't know what to say. I hate taking an entire human beings life and acting like there art is all that mattered. But as I don't know the man personally, I'll just say that he created one of the most well know fictional characters of all time. Spongebob is the first thing most people think of when you say Nickelodeon. And it's one of the few characters that I think will be remembered even a hundred years in the future, along the likes of Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and Popeye. Even in death, his legacy will live on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And with that, we end 2018 year in review! It's been a hell of a wild ride! But how does the year rank overall? First, we'll start with my old favorite. Ranking the series in a way that'll end up regretting in a month! Keep in mind this is a rough list. List aren't really my specially, and each show offers and is going for it's own unique thing. So sometimes it's hard to compare them. Also these rankings could change in the following year as new episodes come out. But if I had to rank them... 9. Apple and Onion 8. Craig of the Creek 7. Final Space 6. Disenchantment 5. Nomad of Nowhere 4. She Ra and The Princess of Power 3. Ballmastrz 9006 2. Hilda 1. Dragon Prince And keep in mind that, due to both a lack of time and lack of cable, there were a lot of shows I wasn't able to check out or just wasn't interested in discussing. Like these! (Big City Greens, Harvey Street Kids, Mega Man: Fully Charged, Muppet Babies, Our Cartoon President (HAHA! Trump jokes! Never seen those before!), Paradise PD (Cause we definitely need another show from the makers of Brickleberry!), Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars Resistance, Summer Camp Island, Super Drags, The Adventures of Kid Danger, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, The Hollow, The Shivering Truth, Total Dramarama) As for the grade, it's a bit tricky. If I had to go just by the shows, I'd give it a B. They're weren't many shows I LOVED but they're weren't many shows I outright hated. Most shows this year were "good." But if we decide to count all the drama, that would drag the year all the way down to a C. There was just so much drama that, along with a few other personal reasons, I found myself kinda falling out of the animation community as a whole this year. And when the drama actually starts making you wonder why you entered this community in the first place, that's not a good thing. So take that for what you will. As for best network, I once again have to give it to Netflix. I know it's kinda unfair since I didn't watch any Nickelodeon or Disney shows this year. But with so many more shows and channels watching a show from each is getting harder and harder. And Netflix is just pumping out series after series. And most of them are pretty good. It feels like the people at Netflix are really given free range to do whatever they want over there. And we get some really unique series as a result. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 may not have been the best year for animation, but I really think that 2019 is going to be a really good year. I mean just with what's already been announced we've got so many good series to look forward to! There's Infinity Train, Owl House, Amphibia, Los Casagrandes, Victor and Valentino, Gen: Lock, Harley Quinn, Young Justice Season Three, Theoretically Close Enough! Plus a lot more! Seriously, next year I'm either going to have to cut out a lot of anticipated series or make this a three part-er. Which would you prefer? And what did you think of 2018 for animation? What series were the best, and which were the worst? Leave any thoughts in the comments down bellow, I'd love to hear em. Fav, Follow, and comment if you like the review. And have a great new year. And let's all hope that 2019 can have a little less drama. Um, isn't Thundercats Roar and High Guardian Spice coming out next year too? 2019 is going to be the biggest dumper fire ye- Have a great day. (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review. All credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/2018-Year-in-REVIEW-Part-2-779673316 DA Link

#Dragon Prince #She Ra #High Guardian Spice #Hilda #Adventure Time

27 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

2018 Year in REVIEW: Part 1

Doing these list was a lot easier back when I actually had cable...

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt, and another year has come and gone. And with 2019 is right around the corner, I think it's time to once again continue the annual tradition. That's right, I'm talking about my end of the year recap! Cause 2018 was a huge year for the cartoon community!-

Oh wait, that's a picture of a dumpster fire. Don't know how I mixed those two up... If you've been following my page for a while now, you'll already know how this works. But for any newcomers, I'll be going through a list of several of the most notable events and animated series that happened over the course of the year. I'll be going over these events is roughly chronological order (Though I may swap a few things around to keep similar topics together) all while giving my own personal thoughts and opinion on each one. Anime and theatrical films will be exempt from this list, as it's already long enough as it is. I'll mostly be focusing on TV series and animation news. And while OBVIOUSLY I won't be able to cover everything I'm try to hit you with the highlights, along side some things that may have gone under the radar. And when I'm done I will count down my favorite series of the year from worst to best, give the year a grade, and decide which network "won" the year. I would also just like to be transparent here and say this concept is stolen directly from the anime youtuber Gigguk. I liked the concept, and wanted to apply it to something I loved. Also, if you want to check out my previous years in review, you can do so here. (2016 Year in REVIEW: Part 1) And here. (2017 Year in REVIEW: Part 1) But with all that out of the way, let's get into 2018 year in review. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And what's a better place to start with than with everybody's favorite cringe lord. That's right, I'm talking about the Christian Minecraft Server himself, Butch Motherfluffin' Hartman! Who announced that he...would be leaving Nickelodeon. Which is just weird to think about, y'know? Butch Hartman has been working at Nickelodeon for close to two decades. And now he's just gone seemingly out of the blue. Sure, not all of his shows were great, but you can't argue his impact. He helped define the network and was one of the channels biggest tent-poles along with Dan Schneider. In other news, Dan Schneider has announced that he would be leaving Nickelodeon. Which is just weird to think about, y'know? Dan Schneider has been working at Nickelodeon for close to two decades. And now he's just gone seemingly out of the blue. Sure, not all of his shows were great, but you can't argue his impact. He helped define the network and was one of the channels biggest tent-poles along with Butch Hartman. ...Wait? Yeah, these are massive hits for Nickelodeon. But honestly, it might be for the best in the long run. If you look at Nickelodeon for the last twenty years or so, it's always been dominated by shows from the same handful of creators. So maybe losing these two will force the channel to take some chances on some fresh talent, rather than relying on the same people over and over again. For good or for bad, I think we're going to see some big changes for the network within the next couple of years. I just wonder what these creators are going to do going forward. Especially Butch Hartman, I hope he has some kind of project planned. If he did I think a lot of people would be really excited for it, y'know? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In other news, it was announced that My Little Pony Friendship is Magic would be canceled in the year 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOtGi2McE6A

I never watched much My Little Pony, only seeing the first season and a handful of episodes from the second. So this news isn't that big of a deal to me, but I know that it is for a LOT of other people out there. I mostly just feel bad for Hasbro honestly. Cause let's be frank here, when they do make a G5 My Little Pony series...people will crucify it. It doesn't matter what the series is like. The reaction will be knee jerk, as THIS series is what people consider to be the definitive interpretation of MLP. If they change things people will be mad, and if they keep things the same people will find it to be a rehash. There's no real winning. I would suggest that Hasbro holds back on rebooting the series for at least a couple of years after this. Let the series die down a bit before starting something new. But I know there not gonna do that. They're going to want to make a new series as fast as possible in order to capitalize on the massive fandom. But still, nine years, that's a pretty good run for a show I think everybody was expecting to suck when it was first announced. Even though the show was never my cup of tea, I can still respect the show for the impact it's had. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, Cartoon Network decided to grace us several new cartoons this year. The first of which is Apple and Onion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A9YzON11nw

The series follows a pair of food, Apple and Onion, as they begin life as adults living in the big city in a world of other anthropomorphic food people. The series is created by George Gendi, who has worked as a storyboard artist on both The Amazing World of Gumball and Sanjay and Craig. And that's exactly what this show feels like. A cross between The Amazing World of Gumball and Sanjay and Craig. This show is nothing that you haven't really seen before. It's the pair of naive but optimistic idiots who get excited about everything around them. They annoy the people around them, but always find a way to make for it in the end. They're childish. They constantly break out into these in-prob raps, which I think is a trend that Adventure Time and Regular Show started. It's that kind of show. They're not really much difference between Apple and Onion besides Apple being a little bit weirder and Onion being a little bit more neurotic. Something that this show does do that different is the delivery. In most of these types of series the characters would always be yelling and shouting slang and stuff. But the deliverer here is pretty dry and subdued. The dryness coupled with the somewhat odd looking character designs honestly makes this show feel less like a Cartoon Network series and more like an [adult swim] show with all the raunchiness taken out. There's something just unnerving about this show, and I can't tell if it's intentional or not. Despite the shows flaws, I do kinda enjoy the elements about moving out and tackling adulthood. Both characters grew up in a very sheltered environment, and don't know much about the real word. We see them with relatable worries. Things like missing their parents on their first night alone, or being desperate to make they're first friends. But most of these moments are really only in the first episode and after that the show just goes back to following the typical "dude bro" formula. Which is a shame. The show has a really base to work off of, but it didn't do anything with it. And instead just became something cliche. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TBS began creating it's own original animated series. Seemed like an odd move given the fact that TBS is owned by Turner, which already owns [adult swim]. Would TBS be able to find a way to differentiate itself? Well, to find out the answer to this question, let's have a look at the show that TBS seems to be most heavily pushing. Final Space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EHbt_kSkG8 Final Space follows the adventures of Gary Goodspeed. A space criminal who has spent five years in solitary confinement aboard a prison ship filled with nothing but robots. But just a few days before his release he encounters an alien creature that he names Mooncake and decides to adopt it. But it just so happens that an evil alien empire happens to also be looking for this exact alien in hopes of using it's powers for universal domination. So Gary, along with a ragtag group of friends he meets along the way, have to work together to protect Mooncake and save the universe from said evil empire. This show is something very unique, and there really isn't any other show I can think of that I can really compare it to. Not only is it one of the only "lore shows" that are aimed at adults, but it also one of the only american adult cartoons I've seen to really incorporate not just comedy but also drama and action as well. One one hand, I love the combination of it all. It's all a combination I've never really seen before. Nearly all adult cartoons are comedies. And while that's not bad in any way, It's great seeing an adult cartoon tackle a more complex story. The show also manages to have really high stakes, with an adventure story with the entire universe potentially being in jeopardy. The series main villain, Lord Commander, shows just how much scarier a villain like say Bill Cipher or White Diamond could be if they were allowed to kill people onscreen. There is a sense anybody can die, which I really appreciate. The show also has a lot of heart...ehhh, for the most part. It is really refreshing when most adult cartoons rely on dark, cynical humor. Again, not that it's a bad thing, it's just nice to see an adult cartoon with a more optimistic viewpoint is all. "Cynical" does not automatically equal "adult." However, there is a big problem I have with the series. While all the show's individual elements all work, they really don't all gel together very well. I don't mind a show tackling drama, comedy, action, ect. in fact, I tend to enjoy stories more when they're able to do more than one thing. But there isn't much easing these different elements into each other. And as a result the tone is all over the place. Every time something serious would happen Gary would end up making some kind of dumb joke that kills the mood. Even though the shows stakes are high, it feels like it's not until the last couple of episodes where Gary starts taking anything seriously. And it ends up making Gary seem really annoying. The show will be mostly light hearted, but then will throw out absurdly dark jokes out of nowhere that feels like they belong in Rick and Morty.While every element of the show is strong on it's own, it feels like they're all at odds with each other. It feels like the show wanted to be everything at once, but ended up being the jack of all trades, master of none. I admit these problem does begin to get a little better as the season goes on, but it still ends up kinda killing my enjoyment of the show as a whole. I don't want to be to hard on this show though. It's clear that a lot of people really seem to like this show a lot. And you can tell from the interviews that the creator, Olan Rogers, feel very passionately about the series. And while I wasn't as crazy about the show as a lot of people were, I still admire the ambition and am glad that it exist. I'm glad that TBS is really promoting it, cause it is something that is unlike any other adult cartoon out there right now. And if this is the direction that TBS's original animation is going to do moving forward, than I think it defiantly will have it's own space separate from all the other adult cartoon channels out there. Olan Rogers has been very open to criticism of the show on twitter, so I am cautiously optimistic for season two. If the show can iron out some of these problems in season two, I think it could have the potential to be something really special. But as it is, it feels like great ideas with meh execution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So Infinity Trained got picked up, and-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBNxGZP49ls

Sure, you're all hyped now. But just wait till Infinity Train has it's first "filler" episodes! Than you'll turn your back on it faster than you did with Steven Universe! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roster Teeth gave us a new animated series in the form of "Nomad of Nowhere." A show that it felt like they didn't promote nearly as much as there other series. Which is a shame cause the show is actually pretty good.

The series follows The Nomad, a magical immortal being with the power to bring any inanimate object to life. In this world magic is feared and forbidden, with only the king and his top governors allowed to hoard the power. The series follows The Nomad as he travels town to town, helping people with his powers, all while being hunter down by various people trying to capture him. The show has a real Samurai Jack vibe, which makes sense as the people behind the show listed Jack as a main inspiration. Both series follow quiet, or in The Nomads case mute, protagonist traveling around helping people all while dealing stalked by bounty hunters. But the series does manage to differentiate itself to not just a ripoff. While someone like Jack is a stoic badass who's driven by a mission, the Nomad is just a bumbling goofball who really just wants to survive and help people. Nomad of Nowhere also benefits from recurring antagonist who get there own character development in the form of Toph and Scout. Two characters who come close to approaching Steven Universe levels of "sad lonely lesbians." And THAT is quite and accomplishment!

The series has a bit of a slow start, but gets better as the season goes on. The animation, while not fantastic, is "pretty good" and about on par with other 2D Roster Teeth series like "Camp Camp." One complaint I do have with the animation is with the way the objects that the Nomad brings to life are animated. They're just given stick arms and googly eyes, and I feel like the could of gone a bit more creative with that. The series is nothing mind blowing or anything, but it is fun. It definitely deserves more attention than it's gotten, as I feel it's been pretty overshadowed by Rooster Teeth's other works. Check it out if you haven't. It's all on Youtube for free. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cartoon Network decided to give us another new series, created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin of Steven Universe fame. And that series is Craig of the Creek.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIflRLSjzH8

The series follows a young boy named Craig and his two friends Kelsey and T.J. as they just kinda...live life. More specifically it follows there adventures around the creek, the top hang out for all kids in there town. It's a fairly quaint series just following the life of these kids as they deal with all the different cliques that occupy the creek. It's one of those shows where they most mundane things as incredibly importance. Despite the show being made mostly by people who worked on Steven Universe, I'd say that the show is more comparable to something like We Bare Bears. However, there still are some elements of the show that are VERY Steven Universe. You can also tell the people who made this show worked on Steven Universe because anime references...

(Image source KnowYourMeme.com) Also the sad lonely lesbians.

Seriously, what's the point of making character who are ambiguously gay if you're going to make it so obvious! Why not just have them start out as a couple! And why can't a lesbian couple ever just be happy in one of these cartoons! Why are they always sad and lonely!? This show...is fine. There's nothing wrong with it, but I have to admit that I couldn't find myself getting that into it. While it is funny enough, I just don't think there was anything in this series that felt particularly stand out. Craig feels like the same "naive but kind fun loving" hero it feels like every Cartoon Network show seems to have right now. The shows art style is INCREDIBLY similar to most other Cartoon Network shows, (specifically Steven Universe.) Like, nearly the exact same. I know that they share a lot of the same crew, but so does OK KO, and that has it's own style. Even the concept feels like a toned down Clarence. Everything about this show just feels like something I've seen before. All of this wouldn't be a big deal if the show had some kind of unique quirk or execution or something. But it really doesn't. The show isn't bad but it's incredibly... average. It's the most average show of the year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [adult swim] made several new shows this year, too. One of these series is Ballmastrz: 9009. A show that I didn't know much about and wasn't too interested in before I saw the trailer. But when I saw the trailer-oof, man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4OaHcvzPh8

What the FRICK is this madness?! Ballmastrz 9009 follows Gaz Digzy, an athlete living in the post apocalyptic future. She's a star player in a futuristic sport known simply as "The Game." However, after a drunken bender she ends up being kicked off her team and is forced to play on the worst team in the league, the Leptons. If she can help the Leptons win just one game, she'll be given permission to return to her original team. The world of this show is pretty much the OK KO universe after a nuclear apocalypse. There is a TON of anime influences and references going from the obvious to the obscure. I also like how the show get's right to the point with establishing it's lore, instead of dragging it out. The series manages to have an overarching continuity that rewards people watching it in order, while also having episodes stand on there own for people to jump in at any time. And OH MY GOD the animation. This is probably one of my favorite looking TV shows out right now. I love the sketchy look of it. The animation varies from comedically bad to INCREDIBLY fluid. It just adds to the anime aesthetic. The show is made by creator of Superjail. I've never seen that show, but from my limited knowledge I do have to say if your expecting the same level of gore you're not going to get that much. There's some gore, as this future has just invented immortality apparently, but there is a surprising lack of carnage compared to what I was expecting given the creators reputation. The show isn't perfect however. The biggest flaw is actually the characters. There not bad, but there not great either. Gaz is an alcoholic, drug attic, sex crazed snark machine who uses these vices to make up for the fact that her life feels empty. As she, being the best at her profession, has become bored. Cause y'know, I've never seen that character done ANYWHERE else before.

In addition to Gaz, we also have Baby Ball. A robot ball who is just Master Shake from Aqua Teen in both voice and personality. There's also Ace, who is the typical "friendship loving shonen protagonist" played by Jessica Dicicco. These three are the only characters who really get much screen time. The rest of the Leptons all pretty much stick to there one personality trait, maybe an episode about them if there lucky. I wish the show focused more on the team as a unit instead of just three of the characters. The series also ends on a bit of a joke ending, which feels a bit unsatisfying for a show with a continuous continuity. The plot they set up in season one pretty much wraps up, so I don't know what the show is going to do if it gets another season. But I really hope it does. The show isn't perfect, but it's a fun ride through and through. The whole series is up for free on [adult swim's] website, no cable login in requires. I would highly recommend checking it out. It's like OK KO, just with more raunch and less propaganda aimed at children. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And while we're on the topic of [adult swim] decided to renew Rick and Morty...FOR SEVENTY MORE EPISODES! Like...oh my God! The show has been running for five years so far, and has only aired thirty one episodes. If they continue at that pace, that means Rick and Morty will be on until...2031, give or take. Rick and Morty will outlive us all...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUpsKsBqqwE

Play all three videos at once for maximum IQ) But it's okay. It's all fine. Unless, Rick and Morty has some kind of drop in quality sometime within the next SEVENTY episodes. Y'know, like a lot of fans say it's already has. But then again, I already don't like this show, so I'm not the best person to comment on this. I'm sure a lot of people are excited about this announcement. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disney decided to move all of there original animated series off of Disney XD and back onto Disney Channel. A move that honestly just makes sense. Disney XD is a secondary channel that not as many people have. But for some reason for the last several years Disney always treated it as the top channel, with episodes of cartoons not airing on Disney Channel proper until MONTHS after they had already aired on Disney XD. With more and more people cord cutting each year, it just doesn't make much sense to have so many shows premiere on a channel that a lot of people do not have. Many people have said this is the end for Disney XD. And while it is probably the end of it being a "big channel" it'll still be there along side channels like "Boomerang" and "Nicktoons." At least Disney XD still has originals like the Marvel cartoons, anime like Pokemon, and reruns of older Disney shows. There's an audience for that, even if it's not as huge. I mean, where else can you watch Fillmore in the year 2018? That's what I thought. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ace is in the Gorillaz.

... And they said Avengers: Infinity War was the most ambitious crossover of all time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And finally, I have to ask you all...do you know what a Thundercat is?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qi41rHz4ps

My God...just, my God. In the several years I've been in the cartoon community I have never, EVER, seen a clusterfu*k quite like this. Powerpuff Girls 2016 WHO? Teen Titans Go! WHAT? Nah, man. This is the real tea right here, sis! So, Thundercats is getting a reboot coming out next year. It's called Thundercats Roar. And the internet...has opinions on it. If you compare the actual percentages of likes to dislikes on both videos, there is actually a higher percentage of people who liked Youtube Rewind 2018 than the Thundercats Roar trailer. Yeah... So what are people so upset about, exactly? Well, there are several reasons. One of which I've seen several people in the comments list is the creators man bun. Guys, come on. We all agree that man buns are a sin against God and nature, but let's leave the mans appearance out of this, alright? Many people are also mad at the seemingly more comedic tone that this series seems to be going for, saying that it's another example of an action cartoon being rebooted as an eleven minute comedy. I mean that does seem to be a trend as of late. From 2017's Ben 10, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and of course Teen Titans Go! I mean just look at the titles. Teen Titans GO! Thundercats ROAR. The comparison seems easy to make. There are also people who are upset about the fact that we're getting a new Thundercats show instead of a continuation of the previous series, Thundercats 2011. I've never seen that show, but from what I understand it was a really well received action cartoon that got mistreated by the network and got cancelled without resolving a lot of the plot threads. It can seem like salt in the wounds when your mature, serious action series ends on such a note only to be replaced with a kiddie comedy. As a Young Justice fan, I've been there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNp8JQJjKAw

But the biggest reason I have seen for the outrage is...the CalArts style. Hoo Boy... So let's go over some history. CalArts is a school that was founded by Walt Disney and a lot of other people. A lot of famous animators have got there starts at CalArts. Everyone from Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig Mccracken, Pendleton Ward, JG Quintel, Pat McHale, Alex Hirsch, Butch Hartman, and many many others. The CalArts style however, is a term that has come to refer to what is often considered the way "modern" cartoons tend to look. Distinct features include thin outlines, really noodle-y arms, the "bean head" shape, and large eyes without colored irises. And boy oh boy, do people have OPINIONS on this style. First off, I wanna clear away some misconceptions. Not everything that people label "The CalArts style" is actually made by people who went to CalArts. Steven Universe, Gumball and Undertale, two series are often listed as having the "CalArts style" are both made by people who didn't attend CalArts. And obviously not everyone who went to CalArts draws in the "CalArts" style. However, and this might get me some hate but I have to say it, I do believe that there is an argument to be had that there definitely is a "modern" art style that is prevalent in animation today. I'll continue to refer to it as the "CalArts" styles since that's what everyone else calls it, but I believe the better term would be the "2010's style." And this is nothing new. In the 2000's everything had the "knock off anime" style. And in the 90's everything had the "thick outline UPA inspired style." And in the 80's everything has the "Macho Man Action Figure " style. However, I have seen a lot of people use this as an argument on why you shouldn't complain about the CalArts style. And that's something I disagree with. There are a lot more cartoons coming out now of days compared to the past, and people in general expect more from them. And this is a good thing cause it forces the medium to evolve. You shouldn't come accept something you consider sub-par just because it was deemed okay to do so thirty years ago. And this is coming from someone who doesn't hate the CalArts style, but does feel it to be a bit overused at this point. But also a series art style should match the story there telling. The creators say that Thundercats Roar will have both action and comedy. And while we won't know for sure till the series airs, but these designs don't look like they're very tailored made for action. The designs don't look like they have any weight to them at all. Lion-O looks small, and the lighting on his body is very bright and stretchy looking. Almost like he's made of plastic. He looks like a chew toy. But still, I'm not going to judge the show until it comes out. (So look forward to that in 2019 Year in REVIEW.) However, I'd be lying if I said I was particularly looking forward to this. Even if there is some action in it, I've simply grown tired of these more comedic superhero shows. They're just so many at this point. Even the good ones feel done to death for me at this point. But this is all just such a big deal for a show Cartoon Networks probably going to dump at 7:30 am anyway. If you hate the show, don't be a jerk and make bomb threats to CalArts, which is something that somebody actually did! It should not need to be said that doing that is bad. And if you're excited for this show, don't be pretentious and claim that anyone who doesn't like the style is just a man child who doesn't know anything about the animation process. People can like or dislike whatever art style they like. And the least productive thing to do is to say that someone else's argument is "invalid." And when this show does finally comes out, what will probably happen is that people will freak out for a few episodes, and then move onto the next thing. This segment is longer than most of the show reviews and this series isn't even out yet! AHHHH! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And that's where I'm going to end this part. But do not worry, we still have several more stories and series to get to before we get to the end of the year! So come back in hopefully a few days, as we go over the second half of 2018 for animation. What are your thoughts on the shows that I talked about here? What are your favorite series of 2018? Tell me all that and more in the comments down bellow. Please fav, follow, and comment if you liked the review, and let's all hope we can get through the second half of the year without any more huge controversies, okay?

I'll be the round....about.... Have a great day. (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review. All credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/2018-Year-in-REVIEW-Part-1-778591454 DA Link

#Final Space #Thundercats Roar #Rick and Morty #Nomad of Nowhere #craig of the creek

34 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

Top 10 Obscure Christmas Specials II:

Guys! Guys! I'll get to the review proper in a second, but remember last year when I talked about A Cranberry Christmas? I said that it was lost media. WELL IT'S BEEN FOUND! HALLELUJAH! [link]

Hell-ho ho ho everybody! My name is JoyofCrimeArt, and it's that time of year again! Christmas time is upon us, and there is no escaping it! The radio is playing the same ten Christmas songs on loop (nine if they've already banned Baby, It's Cold Outside.) The feeling of kindness and generosity shared between you and your fellow man. And best of all, their finally airing all those weird ass Christmas and holiday specials. I love Christmas specials! Even the not very good one's usually have SOMETHING good about them! Whether it be some kind of festive ambiance, a good message, or just being very easy to make fun of. Sure, everybody knows about the classics Christmas specials. Frosty the Snowman, The Grinch, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, ect. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. But with Christmas being such a massive holiday, There are THOUSANDS of other Christmas and holiday specials out there that mostly go unnoticed every year! And while most of these specials go unnoticed for a reason, some are actually worth a watch, and act as hidden gems. And that'd why I'm here. To count down five more of these weird, bizarre, and unknown Christmas specials, that way you can check them out before the holidays are over. This is 5 Obscure Christmas Specials You Should Watch Part II. Now, I've done this before last year. (Link here if you haven't seen it. Top 5 Obscure Christmas Specials You Should Watch:) As such I'm going to be following the same rules as I did last time. I'll be ranking these specials not by quality, but by how much you should watch them! Because sometimes a bad or cheesy Christmas special can provide more entertainment value than a really good one. But don't take the number ranking to seriously. This is mostly just a showcase of bizarre specials that you might not have heard of, and the actually number rankings aren't really the focus here. But with all that said, let's get this started with... Number 5: Neo Yokio: Pink Christmas (2018) (Oh, the Cringe!) Just like to remind all of you that this is still running while Daredevil is canceled. Anyway, Jaden Smith is back! Just in case six episodes just wasn't synergy for you, now there is a Christmas special. Neo Yokio's Pink Christmas. This sixty-six minute long movie continues the story of Kaz Kaan, Neo Yokio's second most eligible bachelor and top demon hunter. The special opens with him having a cold around the holidays as his robot butler, Charles, tells him an original Christmas tale to make him feel better. Said tale follows Kaz as he has to prepare for the Neo Yokio top bachelor secret Santa contest. He finds out that he has to find a gift for his arch rival, Arcangelo. Being uninteresting in giving his rival a present, he hires a shopkeeper named Herbert Sims to handle the secret Santa contest for him. And while this is all going on he also has to deal with his Aunt Angelique visiting Neo Yokio for the holidays. But when both demonic forces and Arcangelo have plans to ruin Christmas, it's up to Kaz to set things right. If you've seen season one of this show, this special is more of the same. However, It is a bit more refined in it's doing so for the most part. I feel like there is more INTENTIONAL comedy overall compared to the first season. And I do like how this special manages to balance both the demon hunter and the bachelor aspect of Kaz's character. As oppose to the first season, where it felt like the show forgot half way through that it was suppose to be about demon hunting. We even get some more backstory and world building on the history of Neo Yokio and the Great Demon War, which is definitely a welcome addition. And Arcangelo, much like in season one, continues to be one of the highlights. He's like a cross between Phantom Blood's Dio Brando and Jake Paul. I love him. So I like how this special has him in a more major role. I also like some of the themes presented in the "message" of the special. How corporations around the holidays essentially try to monetize anti-materialism for there own benefit. "Sure, we'll air specials like the Grinch and Charlie Brown. Specials that are meant teach you that Christmas isn't about consumerism. Just as long as you sit through all the ads we place in the middle. It's a legit and kinda smart message that I haven't really seen tackled before. But like Neo Yokio season one I don't really know where the show stands on this topic. Is it pro or against capitalism? Maybe it's trying to show that there's no right or wrong answer, but it ends up feeling more confused than anything else. However, what does annoy me about this special is *Spoiler Warning?* the whole thing is, presumably, not cannon. I know that from the beginning we know that it's all a story told by the butler. But I was expecting some kind of twist where everything we heard would have actually happened somehow. Like Kaz would say "Wait, didn't that all happen last week Charles?" or something. Like a joke. Cause you know, this show is supposedly a comedy. But no, it's all just a story. So all the lore and world building that was actually somewhat interesting serves absolutely no point! *Spoiler Warning Over* I can't believe I let Jaden Smith trick me yet again. In conclusion, what you see is what you get here. If you want to see a Jaden Smith anime Christmas special, than Neo Yokio Pink Christmas is the special for you. Check it out for the clout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLVazo8J9uE

You know what, I change my mind. Screw "There About to Warp!" this is my new favorite Toonami promo. Number 4: Crunchyroll's Christmas Special (2015) and Crunchyroll's Holiday Special (2017) (Oh, the Cringe!) Now this is as bizarre and obscure as it comes. Just in case Neo Yokio wasn't enough for you to get your fill of vaguely anime themed Christmas nonsense, we have not one but TWO different Holiday specials brought to you from the lovely people of Crunchyroll. For a company as big and professional as Crunchyroll, you would think that any kind of special that they would make would have to be at least somewhat well produced, safe, and marketable, right? But that's not what this is at all. What we basically got here is two half hour long "variety show" style specials that were released on both Crunchyroll and Youtube. Both specials are pretty much the same in terms of content. There both just a smorgasbord of random sketches, out of context anime clips, straight up ads for their own service and merch. All themed around the holidays and anime. This special has a real [adult swim] vibe to it, relying on a lot of surreal humor and anti-comedy. In fact, it might of even out [adult swim]'d [adult swim] in it's sheer bizarreness. It's honestly pretty hard to describe without just telling you to see the special for yourself. Both specials are hosted by some guy named Mike Toole. I don't know who this guy is, but he's one of the best things about these special. He's just portrayed as this bumbling goof who's just unfazed by everything but really loves Christmas and anime. He has some really good comedic timing and his dry but cheerful delivery is a consistently funny thought both specials. The specials aren't perfect however. Not all of the skits land and some of them go on for WAY to long. But that's kinda what happens with any sketch show. You gotta take the good with the bad. But do you know what you should do if you want REAL otherworldly experience? Watch the Neo Yokio Christmas special, but pause it at random intervals and watch this special. Treating the sketches like the bumpers you would get in between the ads of a TV show. It's a horrible idea that I'm not willing to try, but I feel doing so could lead somebody to either madness or true enlightenment. And I want someone else to be the guinea pig for that. If you're a fan of both anime and weird surrealist humor then I would actually recommend checking these specials out. There both up online for free, so what do you have to lose?

Number 3: The OTHER Charlie Brown Christmas Specials (1992, 2002, and 2003) So everybody knows about a Charlie Brown Christmas. It's like, one of the most famous Christmas special of all time. Charlie Browns sad. They hold a play. Snoopy kisses Lucy on the mouth without her consent #MeToo. Linus gives a speech about Jesus to an empty auditorium cause adults don't exist in this world. Everybody sings. THE END. Timeless classic, we all know it. But many are not aware of the OTHER Peanuts holiday specials. There are three. 1992's It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown. 2002's Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales. And 2003's I Want a Dog For Christmas Charlie Brown. Like all the Peanuts specials made after Charles Schulz's death, these are all just a collection of random Peanuts comics that were animated. As oppose to the original Charlie Brown Christmas special that had an original story written by Schulz's himself. All three of these specials are just little vignettes based around the Peanuts gang celebrating Christmas. While none of these specials are as ambitious or as heartfelt as the original special we all know and love, I don't think that their trying to be. While the first Charlie Brown Christmas special tries to tell an important message about the true meaning of Christmas, these other specials are pretty much just jokes without much plot or sentiment. But, given that they are just adaptation of Charles Schulz's writing, you know that there going to be funny. I always forget how much of a little shit Sally is, and these specials remind me. However, sometimes the transitioning between scenes can be a bit wonky. They clearly just copied the strips, without putting much thought in how it would work when put together in a sequence. While It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown and Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales are pretty similar. But I Want a Dog For Christmas Charlie Brown takes a bit more of a different approach. It focuses mostly on Linus's little brother Rerun, and has much more of an overall plot. (Though a lot of it is still just mini vignettes.) However, while I do admire the risk, I'd say it's the weakest of the three. Rerun just isn't that interesting of a character compared to the rest of the Peanuts gang. And that one has an hour long run time, which causing the special to drag a bit. But there still are some fun highlights. If you are a fan of the Peanuts comic strips or specials, I would highly recommend these specials. They're light fluff, but They're good light fluff. They might not give you that warm Christmas feeling, but they will make you laugh. And sometimes that's all you need.

Number 2: Olive the Other Reindeer (1999) 1999's Olive the Other Reindeer use to be a holiday tradition for Cartoon Network every year right long side such other TIMELESS and BELOVED holiday classics as Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer and Legend of Frosty the Snowman. But now, it's seem like it's kinda fallen into obscurity. Which sucks, cause this special is actually really good. The special follows Olive, voiced by Drew Barrymore before her magnum opus Freddy Got Fingered. Olive is a dog who isn't very good at doing traditional "dog" stuff. She's so un-dog like that she actually begins to believe that she might in fact not be a dog at all, but a reindeer. And when one of Santa's reindeer's get's injured right before Christmas, Olive believes it's up to her to trek to the North Pole and save Christmas by flying Santa's sleigh. Despite the fact that she isn't a reindeer and can't actually fly. This is just a nice special, and a lot of that comes from Olive herself. Olive is a precious cinnamon bun who I WILL PROTECC! She's just such a kind and lovable lead, and Drew Barrymore's voice talent really helps extenuate this. But it's not just Olive, there are several other fun supporting characters too. Like Martini, a con artist penguin who accompanies Olive on her journey. There's also a evil postman (played by Dan Castellaneta) who acts as the specials main antagonist. His goal is to ruin Christmas because he hates all the extra work he has to do around the holidays. It's an interesting motivation for a villain, but they kind of ruin it in the last act by adding in a cliche "was always on the naughty list" element to his backstory. But regardless he's a fun villain. Between this and Robot Devil from Futurama Dan Castellaneta really knows how to ham it up as a villain who sings. What, you thought he wouldn't have a villain song? How naive of you. While the special is based on a children's book the adaptation was headed by Matt Groening, which I never realized as a kid. Though that does explain why Dan Castellaneta is here. The special is a departure from his usual style, with art based more on the book instead of his usual Simpson style. The special is done in CGI surprisingly, despite the characters looking entirely flat. I don't really get the point of this. Why go through the effort of trying to use CG to make something look 2D, when you could just animate it in 2D to begin with. But whatever the reason, I do appreciate the pop up book look this special provides. The special also carries a bit of that more adult humor, without going to far. Kind of like Murray Saves Christmas, a special that I talked about last year and also featured a lot of recurring staff members from Futurama. However, the world of this is special is weird. Santa is a known person who does radio interviews, but I guess that makes sense if we are assuming a world where Santa really exist. But then there are other oddities, like how Martini mentions how he use to work at the zoo until he got fired. But we also see Monkey's trying to escape the zoo. If being in the zoo is there job, why are they escaping? Aren't they there willingly? And why does Olive have an owner, but also a pet flea? Is this show set in the same universe as The Moxy Show? These are all questions that need to be answered. The special is cheesey and some parts are just there to fill up time. But overall it's still a really nice special featuring some likable characters and some really funny jokes. While no means perfect, I still recommend you give it a watch if you can.

Ahhh, nothing says Christmas like Santa, Pope John Paul II, Ultraman, and Quasimodo. Number 1: Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999) And to end this countdown, let's end on a Christmas special that just screams wholesome. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas. Probably the best direct to video product Disney has ever made. (Not that doing so is very hard.) This special is pretty simple. It's three different Christmas specials stitched together to equal an hour long movie, each staring a different Disney character. We got Huey, Dewey and Louie wishing on a shooting star hoping for it to be Christmas everyday. We have Goofy trying to prove to Max that Santa is real in what I guess is a prequel toGoof Troop? And then we have Mickey and Minnie reenacting the Gift of the Magi. All these segments are linked together by a narrator voiced by Kelsey Grammer. His voice is so warm and cozy in this special, and really helps add to the mood. Sure, none of these stories are that original, but that's fine because there well executed. There's just such an earnest sensitivity to this special that it's hard not to not feel all Christmas-y while watching it. The animation, while nothing that fantastic, is good for direct to video. And it manages to do both cartoon-y slapstick and warmer more emotion moments pretty well. The special isn't perfect. Some of the segments can feel a bit longer than they need to be despite the fact that the films so short. They're written like TV episodes but most run close to thirty minutes instead of twenty two. Also the last segment, with Mickey and Minnie, while not bad, is probably my least favorite. So it kinda ends on it's weakest note, though I get why they ended with it. Mickey just isn't my favorite of the Disney cast. I personally prefer the cartoon-y antics of Donald or the kindhearted nature of Goofy more in this special. Goofy is also a precious cinnamon bun who I will protecc. And I ship him with Olive. There was a sequel, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, released in 2004. I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember it not being very good. It's goes for five shorter stories instead of three more focused ones, and I remember there being less of a warm Christmas-y essence to it. It was more jokes and less sentiment. Also, they replace the beautiful 2D animation for CGI. In 2004. With a direct to video budget. I can commend the ambition, but that probably wasn't the best movie. But if you want a nice wholesome Christmas special that the whole family can enjoy, than Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas an underrated pick I highly recommend you check out this holiday season.

And so there we have it. five (or technically eight now that I think about it) obscure Christmas specials that I highly suggest that you look into this holiday season. But again, there are WAY more underrated specials that just these out there. So I may have to revisit this idea again at some point in the future and do a part three. What would you all think of that? And what weird, obscure, underrated Christmas specials do you guys watch every year? I'd love to hear all about em in the comments down bellow! I'm always looking for new specials to watch! Please fav, follow, and comment if you liked the review. And I hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah (Even though that ended a week ago) Happy Ramadan (Even though that ended in June) Or whatever holiday you celebrate. Life Day? Regardless, Happy Holidays to you all! May your days be merry and bright! Now if you excuse me, I have to go work on 2018 year in review. Have a great day, and see you then! (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review. All credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Top-5-Obscure-Christmas-Specials-II-776656208 DA Link

#Christmas #Cartoon Review #Olive the Other Reindeer #Crunchyroll #Mike Toole

4 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

RWBY REVW:

** Disclaimer: When I do reviews, I make it my mission to point out both the good and the bad in whatever I'm reviewing. And I want to make it clear that me doing so is in no way meant to be taken as disrespect to anybody who worked on the show, especially the late Monty Oum. He was a visionary animator and it's a tragedy that he was taken from this world so soon. Anyway, with all that out of the way, let the regular review commence. **

** **Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt, and I've always had a particular fondness for web series. There's just a certain charm to online content that I don't think can be repudiated with other more conventional mediums. Unlike other mediums, web series have the most creative freedom to do whatever the heck they want. They don't have to adhere to studio notes, focus groups, or censorship guidelines. It's just a group of people, or sometimes even just one person, deciding to put something out there into the world. Simply because they want to see said thing exist. And I think that the freedom that can comes from that can result in some very unique and creative piece of entertainment that may not have been approved if they had been pitched to a more "main stream" outlets. Not to mention the fact that web series, when compared to film and television, are definitely the underdog. And who doesn't love a good underdog story?

I've talked about several web series before, (like _Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared _and _Camp Camp) _and I'm defiantly going to talk about more in the future. However, today I wanna talk about a certain web series that managed to do something that very little other web original series have done. And that's break into main stream through sheer force of will. And that series is RWBY.

RWBY, created by the late Monty Oum and produced by Rooster Teeth, is an anime inspired online series that premiered in 2013. Now in the middle of it's sixth season (Oh, I'm sorry. Not seasons. Volumes? Cause we have to be all different all of a sudden.) it is still going stronger than ever. Now Rooster Teeth had always been one of the biggest companies out there for online content, and have had plenty of success with their very popular Red vs Blue machinima series, along with other projects. So RWBY doesn't exactly have the same underdog story as most other web series out there. It was made by a studio, and had a decent budget behind it from the start. However, the thing that I find noticeable about the series, and the thing that drew me into the series in the first place, was just how different it looked compared to so many other web series out there.

Animated web series as a genre is very much a dying breed. Sure, they were all the rage back in the early 2000's on sites like Newgrounds, and with shows like Homestar Runner and Eddsworld. But ever since the rise of Youtube and the algorithm shift they've become a bit of a dying art. (Outside of the "Animated Storytime Video" genre but that's kinda it's own separate thing.) Why spends weeks or even months on a three to five minute animation when you could just record a let's play or vlog in a fraction of the time, and get way more views in the process? And if you do decide to devote yourself to web animation than you gotta find a way to make it cost effect. This usually means short, comedic, easy to animate sketches. Often with some kind of parody element included to help get the viewers in. That way the series would (hopefully) become financially viable enough that more animations could be made. (Like How It Should of Ended as an example.) And this isn't necessarily a bad thing. There's nothing wrong with the shows that follow this formula. But I bring this up to show how much of a contrast RWBY is by comparison.

A fully original action anime inspired series, not based on any pre-established i.p, where the animation was the main focus. Rather than being animated in flash it was animated with motion captured CG. And despite all of that the series had new episodes coming out on regular basis and getting millions of views with every released. This series broke every rule in the book, and somehow ended up becoming insanely popular in the process. There wasn't very many web series like it. Now, I've brought up this series several times in other reviews. Sometimes I praised it, other times I made fun of it. Which is why I think it's time to finally put the jokes aside, and give my honest on RWBY.

Now there is a lot to go over with this series. Like, I said earlier, there are six sea-VOLUMES out as of the writing of this review. And given that this is a story based show with a changing status quo, it makes reviewing the show a bit tricky. And since I wanna have this review act somewhat as a introduction to the series for people who are on the fence about watching it or not, I'm going to try to keep spoilers somewhat light. But there will be some things I'll have to talk about, so if you want to go into the series COMPLETELY BLIND without knowing anything, you should probably drop off now. And if there's enough support in the comments (or if I just decide to at some point) I may come back to this series at a later date and do a more spoiler heavy review focused on events of the newer volumes. But with all that said, let's dive right in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x9zjk2MgVQ

The plot of RWBY is actually pretty simple. (GASP!-)

The series follows a young teenager names Ruby Rose. She's a protege when it comes to the art of combat and dreams of being a huntress. What a huntress you may ask? Well hunters and huntresses are warriors who's job is to protect humanity from the Grimm? What are Grimm you may ask? Well Grimm are monsters that are manifestations of humanities negative emotions. Try to keep up. Anyway, Ruby, along with everyone else in this world, has aura. aura is used to channel there semblances. _WHAT ARE SEMBLANCES you may ask?! _Well there basically superpowers powered by aura used by hunters to fight Grimm. But then there's also Dust, which is not the same thing as a semblance or aura and is DEFINITELY not magic. Magic is a whole separate can of worms that comes up later. Dust is energy (not aura though) that hunters put into there weapons to fight Grimm. RWBY semblance is super speed and her weapon is Crescent Rose, which is a scythe that's also a gun. Understand that? Good, cause that's just the first three minutes. Don't worry, it's all very well explained, and not convoluted in the slightest. Anyway-

Basically, the world functions like an JRPG. That's all you really need to know. There are random monsters everywhere, everyone has weapons and abilities, and they can equip the weapons with special elemental attributes attributes. After a chance encounter with some mysterious villains Ruby, despite only being fifteen, is selected to attend the worlds top school for hunters and training. Weapon Meister Academy, I mean Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, I mean UA Academy, I mean Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, I mean Beacon Academy! Yeah, that's the one!

Ruby ends up getting sorted into her house-err, I mean-sorted into her team, Team RWBY. (convent, I know.) where she is joined by her half-sister Yang Xiao-Long, and her new teammates Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna. _Can these rag-tad team of huntresses in training learn to harness there abilities, and just maybe learn friendship along the way?! _Well if you've ever seen a piece of fiction before, you probably know the answer.

Now, I know I just got done taking a ton of jabs at the shows premise for having so many similarities to so many other popular piece of media. But all jokes aside, I don't think that any of that is actually a problem. As they say, there are no original ideas. So taking some inspiration from other works isn't really an issue as long as you have your own unique execution and spin to it, which RWBY thankfully does. RWBY has this unique style and flair to it that's all it's own. And it really does help it stand out as it's own thing. Also, since it borrows from so many different genres and franchise, the series ends up being this really bizarre melting pot of concepts that I haven't really seen done in tandem before. There's elements of action, drama, fantasy, magical girl, superpowers, coming of age stories, giant robots on at least one occasion...and THAT'S pretty original.

It's like the people at Rooster Teeth decided they wanted to make an anime, but couldn't decide on what kind of anime they wanted to make. So they just said, "Screw it!" and decided to do them all, And while that might sound like a criticism, it really isn't. I love how over the top and crazy this show can get. It's kinda part of the charm.

Now let's talk about the characters. I've seen a lot of people (mostly hard core anime fans) argue that the characters in this series are cliche and uninspired. And in my opinion at least, there both kinda right and kinda wrong. It's true that a lot of the cast do fall into the somewhat standard "anime" tropes. Ruby is the typical wide eyed genki girl who's greatest skill is her kindness and optimism. Weiss is the stuck up snob tsundere from an upper class family who has to learn the power of friendship. Blake is the quite bookish girl with a dark and mysterious past who learns to open up. and Yang is the hot blooded action girl slash cool older sister archetype. Basically, there's a waifu for every flavor.

But like the series itself, the series makes up for some of these more cliche elements by adding more elements to the characters as the series goes on. These developments start fairly basic with things like "Oh, Ruby has to learn responsibility and leadership" or _"Oh, Weiss has to learn to stop being a fu*king BITCH for like the fifteenth time this week." _But as the series goes on we get much more complex and serious themes. From Ruby's history with her dead mom, Yang's struggles with PTSD, Weiss' broken family, or Blake' history of racial predigests. These are all themes that are tackled, and they are tackled well...for the most part. For a show that starts out pretty light it ends up in some dark places. But despite this it never deviates so much that it loses it's root, and becomes unrecognizable from where the series started. The series ages with the audience and the characters.

In addition to Team RWBY we also have Team JNRP (Juniper). They're kinda like the "B-Team" of the series. However, they become more important as the series goes on, and are basically main characters in their own right too. They're's Pyrrha, a prodigy huntress, gifted with natural talent. She's smart, kind, popular, and a skillful leader, and is literally selected as the objective best student by the school's headmaster in volume three. But she's not a Mary-Sue or anything...she has problems! Like how people are intimidated by her because she's so perfect and...she's not a Mary-Sue I swear! We also have Jaune, the leader of the team. He's a pathetic loser who has no skill, no semblance, and literally had to lie his way into the school. So of course he's the one who Pyrrha has the hots for. Because wish fulfillment. There's Ren, a stoic but sensitive ninja warrior who, judging from his hair and season four redesign, really seems to like the color pink despite being...y'know, a ninja. And Nora, a hyperactive genki girl who's job is to hyperactive and generally genki when Ruby's not around. Also, there all named after cross-dressers for literally no reason.

Like Team RWBY, while they all start kinda cliche they become more and more interesting as the series develops and we get more into there development. From Jaune's arc (Heh, get it?) of becoming a competent warrior to protect the people he cares for. To Ren and Nora connected tragic upbringing. To Pyrrah...being too perfect. Y'know, all good character arcs that really helps develop the cast.

I don't know why I keep making fun of Pyrrha. I really do like her as a character, and her arc with Jaune is very captivating...She is a Mary-Sue though.

These arcs end up being just as interesting as the arcs the members of Team RWBY go through, an help make these "side characters" all the more interesting and human. Even if there not the stars of the show, I ended up finding this team just as interesting as our main protagonist, if not more so on certain occasions.

And sure, the characters may rely a bit on common tropes, but it's all about the execution of these tropes that determine the quality. I'm not going to act like their the most complex characters ever made or anything, and a lot of the darker themes I talked about before have been explored better in other series. But that doesn't mean the cast is bad, by any sense. I was still invested in there stories, and felt suspense for them when I was suppose to. There's a real comradely with the teammates, and they good chemistry with each other. They feel like real friends, and that's what matters the most.

Let's talk about the animation. I've seen a lot of people either really love or really hate the animation of the series, and I noticed that the difference seems to often be based on what standard it is being judged by. People who judge RWBY as a web series seem to be really impressed with the visuals and action scenes. While people who judge it as an "anime" seem to think that the show looks cheap and uninspired. And while I can understand the later viewpoint I do tend to find agreeing more with the viewpoint of the former. RWBY isn't an anime...

_-**YES IT IS! SHUT UP! **_

...And while Rooster Teeth is a big company, but it's still not as large as other major anime productions. They obviously were on a budget, especially early on. And they were taking on a project on a scale much larger than anything they had done before. It's an all CG motion capture web series, featuring entirely new and original assets that had to build from the ground up from scratch. So yeah, or course it's not going to look as good as other animes. But I don't think that should be held against it to much, given the circumstances. Plus honestly, it's still probably one of, it not the, best looking web series I've ever seen. It's definitely one of the most ambitious.

That being said though, I'm not going to be one hundred percent nice here. Looking back at early episodes, yeah, they look kinda rough. They still look good, especially by the standard of web series. But you can definitely see the budget show in some parts. It's clear they were biting off a bit more than they could chew in some respects. That being said though it is remarkable to see how much the shows animation has improved overtime. By the time we get to volume four, where a new animation engine was introduced, the show goes from "looking good by web animation standards." to "looking genuinely good by animation standards in general." I honestly really like the shows visuals a lot.

And don't forget the action scenes! This is the part of the show that you can tell the most amount of effort was put into, and the part that the shows original creator, Monty Oum, was the most personally involved in. From the animation to the choreography, the action scenes are what gives the series it's sense of style. The action scenes are over the top, flashy, stylish, and such an array of pure insanity, and it's hard not to be blown away by them. And in a time where so many western cartoons are so comedy oriented, it's really a breath of fresh air to see an american action show with fight scenes as hype as the ones this show presents.

The voice acting is also pretty good. Starting out with a cast mostly reusing actions known from Rooster Teeth's other works. I admit that there were some growing pains early on with the cast, but they really did grow into there roles pretty fast. And as they series goes on they get a lot more "high profile" actors. From the likes of Vic Mignogna, Aaron Dismuke, Chris Sabat, Yuri Lowenthal, and Cherami Leigh among others. All the actors do really good jobs preforming there characters, for the most part. If I had to nitpick any performances though, and these are nitpicks mind you, would be the performances of Ruby and Pyrrah. Maybe it's just me, but I never felt like either characters sounded like the ages they were suppose to be. Regardless, these are nitpicks, There more of just an observation rather than a "fault" in the series.

So the show has good animation, good characters, amazing action scenes, and a pretty all star voice cast. Sounds like the show is pretty awesome show, right? Sure they've been some nitpicks and complaints here and there, but it's mostly been over all pretty minor stuff. Nothing that would impact the show that much.

So, Let's talk about the shows writing.

So remember when I said that this show was convoluted? This is a serious problem. Things in this show are often not explained very well. For example, in most stories where a character has a special powers, there powers would be shown off or explained right when the characters are introduced. We'd learn how they work, and what there limits are. There are several characters in RWBY who's semblances I still don't fully understand. Like Ruby's super speed. Does Ruby turns into roses peddles when she uses her super speed or is that just an artistic license thing? And there are some characters who we don't even figure out what there semblances do until WAY late into the series. Ren for example, who's introduced in volume one, semblance isn't shown until volume four! And it's not like he only unlocks his powers in volume four or something, he's always had them. It's just never mentioned or came up before, and you'd think it would be. Things like "How are characters powers work." are things that should be established early on!

The show is also REALLY bad at set up. (Don't @ me!) They'll have these moments where a "big twist" is suppose to happen that's suppose to catch the audience off guard. And they do, but only the twist are set up in such minute ways, there's no way the audience can realistically be expected to see it coming. I know the idea is to help make these twist surprising, but they don't give the audience enough hints to piece things together. They'll be a minor, one off line in one episode, that'll be a major plot point volumes down the road, with nothing to imply that said line was significant. And since these twist aren't set up very well, a lot of these twist just end up feeling like, "um, okay. This is a thing now." I know it's probably all planned out from the beginning, but it's not properly set up. It sometimes feels like the people behind the show are just like "Hey, you know what would be cool?" and just throw things at the wall until they stick. This can work sometimes but other times it just feels random. The shows acts like "They got us." when really it's a problem with their own writing.

The show also has a major problem with focus. I listed Team RWBY and Team JNPR as the main characters. That's EIGHT different characters to divide focus between, which is already a lot when you only have twelve to fourteen episodes per volume to work with. And while those eight character are the closest thing the show has to "definitive main characters" there are so many other side characters who that I didn't mention in order to keep this review spoiler free/not ten thousand words long. addition to Team RWBY and JNPR, there's also _(Slight Spoiler Warning) _Team SUNN, Ozpin's circle, Cinder's group, Salem's group, the White Fang, Raven's tribe, the various teachers at the school, the characters extended families, That useless rabbit girl that the fandom likes for some reason. etcetera. (Spoilers Over) There's just too many characters to keep track of! And while there's nothing wrong with having a large cast, (personally I tend to gravitate more to shows that do.) it can defiantly be hard to juggle all that screen time. Sure these side characters are often interesting, but they end up distracting focus and taking time away from the main cast, and side characters shouldn't do that.

Often, characters will only have a few moments per volume to really shine, due to just how much screen time they have to share. And sometimes it can make big character moments feel a bit undeserved, as there just isn't enough build up to make the moments feel as powerful as they should. And this is a problem that has gotten more and more prevalent overtime as the series has become more ensemble. But I'm hopeful that, given the series extending it's length from twelve episodes per volume to fourteen, as well as the episodes getting genuinely longer, this problem may be able to be fixed in the future. Maybe. Please...

So to sum up, is RWBY a perfect series? No. It is a very flawed show. VERY FLAWED. Particularly in the writing and the story department. However, I do not think that the show is as bad as a lot of the more vocal hatedom seems to think it is. Just because a series is flawed, doesn't mean you can't enjoy the elements that do work. Even when the flaws are extremely glaring. And that's how I feel about this show. Sure it has problems, but in my opinion the positives out-way the negatives. The action is still done very well, the characters are all pretty fun to be around. The world, while a bit overly complicated at times is interesting. And more importantly, the series never feels like it's being lazy. You can feel the passion that went into the series, and the show can be a lot of fun. There are just some parts where you might need to turn your brain off for a bit. There are plenty of worse series out there that don't try as hard and provide a lot less. But overall, the element I think I enjoy the most about RWBY is what the show represents.

What RWBY shows is that it is possible for a web animated series to hit the main stream. You can get RWBY T-shirts and merch easily, not just online, but in actual retail stores without much effort. The series can be watched on Netflix and Cruchyroll._ _There are not one, but TWO tie in manga's. There's a spin-off comedy series that's on it's third season. It's one of the four franchises represented in _Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle! _And most importantly it is partially responsible for transforming Rooster Teeth from a fairly successful internet company known for video game parodies, to a studio that is seen in the same light as the likes of more main stream television outlets! Never in my life had I seen a web animated series see this level of success. And sure, you could say that all that just means that the show is just good at selling out or whatever, but I like to have a more positive perspective. I think the show deserves to be respected for it's accomplished.

And to me, that's inspiring. It's like the weeb equivalent to the American dream! And that's why I have a RWBY poster hung over my work desk. As a reminder that there is no limitations to how far an online content can go. With just some hard work, determination, a studio of about three hundred employees, a stellar marketing team, a close connection to the anime dubbing industry, and a ton of money, you too can make your dreams a reality. And that's motivational...I think...maybe. And if they can make it, maybe I can make my own weeaboo dreams a reality...

_ **SPIRIT WARRIORS COMING OUT TWO THOUSAND AND NEVER!~

**_ So that's my review of RWBY. What do you think of the series, and would you like me to do another review of the series in the future? Maybe on volume six or something, kinda like what I do with my Dragon Ball Super reviews? Tell me all this in the comments down bellow. I'd love to start a conversation, even if you disagree with my points I made here. Please fav, follow, and comment if you liked the review and have a great day.

(I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/RWBY-REVW-775726477 DA Link

#RWBY #Rooster Teeth #Ruby Rose #Review #anime inspired

8 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

Teen Titans Go To The Movies REVIEW:

Ahem

"I DON'T KNOW WHO CREATED...TEEN TITANS GO!....BUT I'D TRIED TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE GET THEM TO HAVE TEEN TITANS _GO. TO. THE. POLLS." _ *Beat*

"I'm with her!"

** **Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt, and it's time to finally put this to rest. I've already gave my very...very...very extensive thoughts on Teen Titans Go! in my last two reviews.

Oh my gosh, why didn't I call those reviews "Teen Titans Go! is Garbage and Here's Why?!" It was probably long enough and would of gotten way more views!

But back on topic. To summarize my thoughts though I think Teen Titans Go!, while I do think that there are some good elements and even good episodes of the series, I didn't end up finding it to be a very good series on the whole. However, it is a series that I do enjoy watching in a weird, ironic kinda way. It's a very love hate relationship. It's a bad show, but I will be sad when it ends, cause it has impacted my life that much. So when word of a movie came to be, it immediately grabbed my interest as well as my curiosity. What could a show like Teen Titans Go! possibly do with a movie? Teen Titans Go's! whole "thing" is that it DOESN'T do big superhero stories. Wouldn't making a film kinda go against what the whole show was about? And the show typically had trouble stretching there plots out for eleven minutes, let alone ninety. But as more trailers came out, I started seeing a lot of people genuinely getting excited for the film. Even I had to admit I was kinda getting a little bit hyped by the trailers. And when the film finally did get released it actually succeeded in getting over a ninety percent on rotten tomatoes! Yes, you heard right, CRITICS WERE LIKING TEEN TITANS GO! Could this movie actually be....good? Or would it end up being as obnoxious as the series that it was based on? Well, it's time to find out. Consider this your **SPOILER WARNING, **as we dive right to Teen Titans Go To The Movies.

I both love and hate that title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9WhJyyTtqo

The film begins with a giant balloon monster attack Jump City. And right off the back, I wanna praise the animation of this film. I admit, compared to other tv to film adaptations, it's nothing that _fantastic. However, there is a definite improvement from the series. The backgrounds are very fleshed out and detailed, chock full of little references and Easter eggs here and there. And the animation on the actions scenes (Yes, this film has those) is actually really good and surprisingly fluid. I admit though, this may just be slight bias because I'd pretty much praise any form of theatrical 2D animation now of days because COME ON, HOLLYWOOD! WHY WON'T YOU MAKE MORE 2D FILMS ALREADY!!!

_ We get a scene that manages to, in a very quick and effective manor, establish the films tone as well as show off all five of our main characters and establish there powers. Really impressive stuff. Is what I would say, If it didn't also includes an overly long fart joke, and a rap. Wow, six minutes. Is that a record for "kids film?" Guinness..can we verify?

When the Titans, in typical Titans fashion, fail to stop the villain. This results in the Justice League to show up and stop the villain for them. And NICHOLAS CAGE plays Superman! YES! Okay movie, you get points for that. I'm fair here. That's also another thing this movie has over the series. Not all the side characters are played by Scott Menville or Tara Strong! They have like, MORE than five voice actors to pull from. Amazing, I know. The Justice League chastise the Titans for there general incompetents at everything, and bring up the fact that if they were real heroes they would have there on movie by now.

As I mentioned in my previous reviews, Teen Titans Go! is at it's best when it's meta. And with so many superhero movies now of days, the Teen Titans Go! movie not only acknowledging this trend, and incorporating it in it's plot feels like a natural progression from the type of plots featured in the show. So I think this was a good direction for the film to take. There are a ton of jokes bashing not just DC films, but Marvel and Fox movies as well. And these jokes tend to be the highlights. When I first saw the trailer I was worried that these jokes would quickly get old, seeing how many of them are in the trailer. But in the film proper, they mix it up and spread them out enough to keep them enjoyable. So kudos on that.

The Justice League fly off to go to the world premiere of Batman's newest film and the Titans decide to sneak into the red carpet premiere themselves. As they show up the films director, Jade Wilson (played by Kristen Bell), get's up on stage and starts revealing the slate for the next several DC movies. And just like in real life, there all Batman spin-off properties! Robin sits there in anticipation, hoping that a movie will be announced. But we get this, instead.

See, the thing about this that is funny is that THERE ACTUALLY DOING THIS. I doubt the people making this movie knew that at the time. But neither the less, it's happening, and I have proof.

After a few more trailers Robin ends up jumping on stage thinking that his movie is going to be next only to discover that there is no plans for a Robin movie. All the other heroes laugh him off stage until all the Titans run out of the theater. The other Titans try to consul Robin, but Robin is adamant that if he doesn't get his own superhero movie he'll never be seen as a real hero. Raven suggest that if he wants a movie, first he'll need an arch nemesis. And just as she says that a crime occurs and the Titans go to investigate.

The crime is being committed by none other than Slade, now voiced by Will Arrnet instead of Ron Perlman. And he is there to steal some kind of "mind gem." I like Slade in this movie. Sure, he's absolutely NOTHING like Slade from the original series, but that's okay cause he is his own unique take that fits the tone that the movie is going for. Also Will Arrnet is great casting for a more comedic take on Slade. I mean the creators of the original Teen Titans show said in interviews that they wrote Slade to be an evil Batman. So who'd be better to voice him than Lego Batman himself. My only gripe, and it is a minor one, is that while the film makes a big deal about Slade being a "serious villain" that only a "serious superhero" would have as an arch enemy. But he's only _slightly _less silly than the Titans. And while this isn't that big of a deal since Slade is funny here, it does seem to kinda go against the narrative that Slade is suppose to representing.

Also, when Slade and the Titans meet, and neither seem to know who each other are, with the Titans believing that he is Deadpool. Even though in the series the Titans have acknowledged Slade in the series before, and even battled him before. (off screen, but still.) How does this all fit-

Slade easily defeats the Titans, and mocks them for there incompetence. The Titans go back to there tower where Robin begins to feel sorry for himself, believing that he will never be a real hero. What? _Character conflict?! _The next morning the Titans get Robin and bring him to a "world premiere" of a Robin movie they made for him, complete with a cardboard limo and everything. _What? Something touching...no, that's not right. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL TITANS!?

_ I do wanna touch on this. In this movie the Titans act very out of character from how they do in the show. But that is actually a good thing, cause the Titans in the series...are awful. In my previous Teen Titans Go! review I talk about how the original series Titans felt like a family, while it felt like the Go! versions just hated each other. But in this movie all the characters are way more likable. (Mostly, we'll get to that later.) And there feels like a real sense of connection between the characters. Sure there still goofy, and they make fun of each other, but they really do feel like a family. And this goes a LONG way with making me feel invested and actually rooting for our heroes to succeed in there goals.

Robin watches the film, but turns it off when the movie makes fun of his "baby hands" (A running "joke" from the series.) The other Titans try to get him to finish the film but he's uninterested. _Man, I'm sure that won't be brought up again. In the films climax when the characters are at their lowest point! _Robin is hard set on believing that he'll never be seen seriously as a hero, but the other Titans encourage him to buck up and head down to Warner Bros. and DEMAND that they make a movie about him. And they do so in song.

This seems like a good of a time as any to bring up that this movie is a musical. Possibly the first superhero musical? The song themselves, while nothing THAT amazing, are a step up from most of the songs in the series. i.e) They actually seem like they were written. (And that's not me being hyperbolic. A lot of the songs in Teen Titans Go! are made up on the spot! Look it up!) But what I really appreciate is how for several of the songs there is an art style shift, and that's really neat to see. Especially with a theatrical budget.

The Titans go down to Warner Bros and go up to Jade Wilson and demand for a film. But she turns them down, saying that she would only make a movie about them if they were the last heroes on Earth. And that's exactly what the Titans decide to do! They decide to use time travel to go back in time and undo all the other superheroes origin stories so they'll be the only superheros.

Yeah, this is the direction we're going. It's Spongebob: Sponge Out of Water all over again.

And they can't use there time machine from the series cause it's "broken." So Raven just magic ups some time tricycles. WHATS THE POINT OF THE TIME MACHINE EVEN BEING BROKEN THEN IF RAVEN CAN GET MAKE NEW ONES NO PROBLEM? They could of made some joke where they like, steal Booster Gold's time machine at least. You just wanted a dumb "Back to the Future" reference didn't you? DIDN'T YOU! And while playing "Take on Me" makes me forgive you A LITTLE BIT, this whole situation is still stupid.

In fact this whole "bit" is still stupid. And I say "bit" cause this whole time traveling section contributes nothing to the plot, and is only like, ten minutes long. The Titans go back in time to undo all the superhero's origins. (And end up murdering Aquaman as a child.) They come back to the present to see that villains have taken over the world. And then they go back and undo everything they already undid. (Including blowing up Krypton and frickin shoving Bruce Wayne's parents into Crime Alley as young Bruce watches!)

_That's his adoptive grandma he's watching get shot down... _ And I know you can say "Oh, it's comedy" or whatever, but this movie was actually doing a good job making me like the Titans. And maybe it's just because I've always had issues with the "main characters nonchalantly murder people" trope. But considering that this whole time travel thing literally adds nothing outside of stretching the film up _just _enough to reach ninety minuets, I can say it does nothing but hurt the film.

Also, Baby Superman gyrate his infant crotch while pointing at it, in this film aimed at children.

As someone who's defended the Powerpuff Girl reboot's twerking scene numerous time I suppose it be hypocritical to complain. So instead, I'm just going to list movies that have a lower rotten tomato score than Teen Titans Go to the Movies. For...unrelated reasons. Ahem

_Lilo and Stitch. The Kung-Fu Panda Trilogy. Princess and the Frog. Tangled. Frozen. Coraline. The Lego Batman Movie.... _

Anyway after all that, the Titans go off to try to stop Slade from committing another robbery. And this time the Titans are sure they'll beat him. We get an actually good fight scene and some Raven-Beast Boy ship tease that comes out of nowhere and contributes nothing. I know it's a thing from the show, but nothing in this movie setting it up. And it doesn't lead to anything. The Titans are able to get the "Mind Gem" that Slade stole earlier away from him and they put it in the Titans tower vault, but Slade still escapes.

But the next day, the Titans are suddenly seen as real heroes for stopping Slade's plan. They head back to the film set and are greeted with a much warmer welcome. Jade decides that she does want to make a Teen Titans movie after all, and Robin is ecstatic. However, the other Titans don't take the gig as seriously and all go goof off, getting Robin into hot water with Jade.

It all comes to a head when the other Titans see the Justice League building some kind of doomsday device, and assume that Jade is up to no good. Which is dumb because they have no reason to assume that it isn't just a prop for the film. But whatever. However, Jade reveals that this doomsday device is actually just a machine to launch there new streaming service. The device would broadcast DC films across all screens all over the word, with the Teen Titans movie being the first film they would release for the service.

You're telling me that Jades launching a DC superhero based streaming service, and the only thing it will have at launch is Teen Titans? Pfft! _That's totally ridiculous, and completely unrealistic..._DC Universe didn't have Titans at launch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJF7k5cFQEQ

Jade gets angry and decides to fire the Titans. But says that she would be willing to make a solo Robin movie, since he didn't do anything wrong. Robin chooses to go with Jade and leave his friends behind. I admit, this is where the movie does start to become a bit predictable. You've seen this story arc before, the friends vs fame thing, and it goes exactly where you think it's gonna go. But I do like how there isn't a huge fight like you'd see in other movies. Both sides are upset that it's come to this, but clearly don't wanna hurt the other. Again, outside the earlier genocide of an entire planet, the Titans are pretty likable in this film.

Robin and Jade begin working on the film, and it ends up being everything Robin wanted. But he's still beginning to feel some regret. However, Jade convinces him to buckle through it and film the last scene. A reenactment of Robin putting Slade's mind gem in the Titans vault. But right as he's about to enter the code a stage light knocks him out. He awakens and decides to finish the scene anyway. Jade telling him to make the scene look authentic. And again, it's pretty obvious where this is going.

Robin puts in the code and the safe opens. Jade took Robin to the real tower while he was knocked out and reveals herself to be Slade in a Lupin III style latex mask! Okay, maybe that last part wasn't too predictable. But even ignoring the name JADE WILSON, It was telegraphed pretty obviously that Jade was evil since the scene where she made Robin chose fame over his friends.

But hey, it's still a better twist villain than Frozen.

Slade steals the mind gem and plans on using it in tandem with Robins film and the streaming service to mind control the entire planet to do his bidding. He handcuffs Robin to the tower walls and activates a series of bombs, leaves him to die. But Robin escapes thanks to his baby hands. A twist that is just as unexpected as it is stupid. The tower is destroyed but Robin survives, and realizes the error of his ways. He calls the other Titans and all is forgiven because they are a team.

The Titans now head to the film studio to stops Slade's plan, but they are unable to stop him before he uses Robin's movie to mind control the entire Justice League. Robin goes after Slade while the rest of the Titans have to face down the Justice League. There's a short action scene that could of been longer in my personal opinion. Then Raven just uses her OP magic powers to trap the entire Justice League in a portal.

**NOW YOUR THINKING WITH PORTALS! **That's..that's the meme, right? I-I haven't ever played_ Portal._

Robin confronts Slade, but Slade surrounds Robin with monitors all playing his movie. Robin becomes tempted to view his movie and gets mind controlled. In a nice (though juries still out of if it was intentional) callback to the original series, Slade commands Robin to attack his friends and he complies. But wait, remember that obvious Chekhov's gun from earlier in the film? It's time to pull the trigger! The Titans play the movie they made for Robin, but this time they get to the end where they all talk about how much Robin means to them as a leader. The power of friendship frees Robin from Slade's mind control.

But Slade has a mech now! This was not set up at all, but who cares at this point. _Mechs are cool damn it! _Slade once again mocks the Titans, asking how a team as goofy as them could possibly stop him now. But Robin and the rest of the team realize that they don't need to be "legitimized" or seen as "real heroes." They just need to stop the bad guy in there own way. We get a reprise of the rap song from the beginning as the Titans defeat Slade in their own silly way. They destroy the mind control device and the Justice League go back to normal. The movie ends with the Titans realizing that they truly are heroes and...wait a minute...something is off here. It's 2018...and this movie doesn't end with a dance party! Teen Titans Go!, the show that is known for random dance sequences, is actually one of the few modern films not to end with a dance party ending?! What the hell?

But we do get our post credits scene!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F06HJTyB17c

Is this it? Is this the preview for Teen Titans Season 6?!

Not quite! Rather it's just setting up an upcoming "Teen Titans Go! vs Teen Titans" crossover, that's rumored to be heading direct to DVD with a new crew working behind it. You what that means right? It isn't over. My job isn't done yet. There's still more to talk about! THE RIDE NEVER ENDS, BABY! I'M GONNA KEEP TALKING ABOUT TEEN TITANS GO! UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwDIZT3XbjQ

While Teen Titans Go To The Movies didn't do that great at the box office, the film had a low enough budget to end up making a pretty substantial profit. Which is more than most DCEU films can say. I doubt we'll see the Titans on the big screen anytime soon, but it wasn't a bomb critically or financial. But what is my final verdict here?

The film in a lot of ways solves a lot of problems I had with the series. For one, the Titans are all a lot more likable, which goes a long way in helping me get invested. And while the show seems to conflate "conflict" with "serious" this film manages to have a plot and story while still keeping it's comedic tone the entire way through. More technical issues the show had like animation and reusing voice actors are near non-existent here. And the film manages to do what I think episodes like "The Return of Slade" tried and failed to do. It celebrates it's own silliness and imperfections, but does it in a way that isn't just "attacking the haters." Like I said, Teen Titans Go! is best when it's meta. But the film has it's problems too. The plot points at times can be kinda predictable. There are a lot of scenes that really don't add anything to the story beyond stalling for time. And there are a lot of points where the humor falls back into the same loud, juvenile, mean spirited jokes that the series is known for. Also, while Robin is my favorite of the Titans, I would of liked the other characters to have a larger role. For a film that's whole climax is hinged on the idea of a Robin solo film being a bad idea, but that's what the film can kinda feel like at time.

Overall, the film is about what I thought it would be. It's okay. It's up there with the best of the episodes of the show, but not really going that far beyond it. (In fact, I'd say their are a few episodes from the main series that are better than this film.) It's good, but I wouldn't call it 91% on rotten tomatoes good. If you like Teen Titans Go! you'll like this movie if you're willing to put up with a little more drama. If you hate Teen Titans Go! you'll like the movie if you are able to just turn your brain off and put up with some more childish jokes here and there. And if you can't do either of those things...watch Lego Batman. It's better than this film anyway, regardless of what rotten tomato says, and has a similar vibe about it.

And with that, I can finally put Teen Titans Go! to rest**. For now! **What did you think of the movie? Was it "You're new favorite film?" or was it just as bad as the many people said it would be? I'd love to hear your thought in the comments down bellow. Fav, follow, or comment if you liked my review or have a suggestion on what I should talk about next. And tune in next week as deviantcember continues! Have a great day.

(I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Teen-Titans-Go-To-The-Movies-REVIEW-774742614 DA Link

#Teen Titans Go To The Movies #DC Universe #Teen Titans #Teen Titans Go #review

1 note · View note

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

Teen Titans Go! REVIEW: (Part 2)

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt and welcome to part two of my Teen Titans Go! retrospective! Or should I say my Teen Titans.....................................................................................................................No....retrospective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzKJ4HX4Fuk

Get it? because the show isn't that good! Okay, remember to click that bell icon and turn on notifications to- So in case your just joining in, this is part two of my Teen Titans Go! retrospective/review. If you haven't seen part one than I highly recommend that you check it out before going forward. To sum up the point I made in my last part...I didn't like this show that much. WHAT?! A CARTOON CRITIC ONLINE WHO DOESN'T LIKE TEEN TITANS GO?! WHAT A NEW AN UNIQUE TAKE- But for THIS part we are mostly going to step away from the show itself, and focus on the more meta aspect of the show. So really this part isn't even a review of Teen Titans Go! and more of "A review of elements that are tangentially related to Teen Titans Go! and the conversation around it." But since that title won't fit in the Deviantart title box and it's not "clickbait-y" enough, we're going with this instead. So I just want to re-emphasize that, for the most part, none of the things I clique here are actually the fault of the shows crew or creators or anything. But I think it's still important to discuss these points because, as I stated last time, I think the conversation around the show is far more interesting than the show itself. So let's dive in. We'll start with the elephant in the room. Let's talk about the shows handling of critics. This is one of the most notorious elements of the series. Now, I'm just going to say this...I kinda get where the creators are coming from. For real. While there are MANY legit reasons to dislike the show, (Around 4,000 words worth according to my last review alone.) However, out the gate, Teen Titans Go! got hate from ALL cylinders. Young Justice fans bitter about there show being "replaced." Old school Teen Titans fan upset this wasn't season six. People who just wanted action shows. And I'm not going to be high and mighty, as I said last time, I was one of these people. (However, I never made long curse filled rants on Youtube or called for the creators to be shot or anything crazy like that.) Some people say that reboots are "lazy and easy" because you get a built in audience with zero effort. But I believe the total opposite. Making a reboot sounds like a nightmare. People are much more unforgiving when it's an i.p they love and often times will hate you for the littlest things and won't give you a chance. Just look up how many Powerpuff Girl 2016 rants there were BEFORE any footage of the show was even released. People who are in these positions have it rough, and deserve more appreciation. I can't imagine the amount of hate the two show runners must get on a daily basis, which is probably why they don't seem to have social media accounts. HOWEVER this is where we get into what I think is one of the biggest problems in society today, and that's strawmaning. And I feel like I shouldn't have to say this, but here I go. And this can apply for anything. JUST BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE WITH AN OPINION ARE ASSHOLES DOESN'T MEAN THAT EVERYBODY WITH SAID OPINION ARE ASSHOLES! I'm not going to act like there aren't people out there who take Teen Titans Go! WAY to frickin' seriously. That's just factually wrong. But not EVERYONE who has issues with the show are loud obnoxious neck beards who are mad that there "childhood was ruined." And that's how the show and some of the more hostile defenders of the show try to paint "all the haters." Some people just have legit criticisms that they want to get out into the world. When most people write a review of Teen Titans Go!, I don't think there doing so expecting the creators to see it and change the show for them. (I know some do, but again, don't mix the rude jerks in with the rest of us.) They're doing it because they feel passionately, and want to share there opinions with others. Or because they see wasted potential. There's a difference between criticism and hating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Ai4G6ccfA

And the thing is...and this is something that I think I'm in the minority opinion on, but I don't think you HAVE to listen to every piece of criticism you get. I've noticed this trend as of late, where people expect that if they criticize something, the author or creator is obligated to change it. And if they don't then there just "not taking the criticism." But that's not how it works though. For example, if someone where to tell me "You're reviews are too long." I would definitely take that into consideration, and I would appreciate the input. However, I like overly long analytical reviews, and that's what I'm going to keep doing because that's the type of reviews I wanna make. I might try to shorten them a LITTLE bit, but I would never just start writing few hundred word reviews, cause that's not the art I wanna create. In the same vain, if Teen Titans Go! doesn't wanna except any of there criticism, that's fine. If the show wants to just go about doing it's own thing, more power to it. But when it does these criticism tackling episodes it's breaking the first rule of the internet. Never let people know when something bothers you. And yeah, I think if a TV show goes out of it's way to tell the critics "you suck" than the critics have the right to say it back. And I know you could say that the show has the right because they started that. But I don't know, there's just some part of me that believes that as the content creator, you have a responsibility to be the bigger person. If that makes sense? This show basically is "Dab On The Haters: The Animated Series." Really, all the criticism tackling episodes can be summed up like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnd6WLi3TWk

And the thing is, Teen Titans Go! really doesn't need to defend itself so hard. Because the show is a huge hit! It's clearly super popular with a large group of kids and adults alike. Why be so fixated on pleasing the people who you know your not going to please, when you can focus on the people who love you just the way you are? You don't see shows like Powerpuff Girls or Ben 10 reboots attacking the "haters" like this, and those shows don't even have the added advantage of being that popular. As it stands, Teen Titans Go! is a show that reeks of insecurity. And as much as I shit on the show last time, it shouldn't be. Clearly the show is doing something right if it lasted this long. Teen Titans Go! the show that taught me how NOT to handle criticism. And honestly, I thank the show for this. I'm a sensitive guy, and I can be very harsh on myself. Without Teen Titans Go! acting as an example of what NOT to do, I could see myself becoming that kinda guy, who mask his insecurities with a faux ego.

Hey...did you see the way I just casually used the word "faux." Oh, I'm great and anyone who think otherwise is dumb... However, I will give Teen Titans Go! this. I do think that when the humor goes "meta" it's when the shows comedy is at it's best. Because the people behind this show clearly know what this show is. They know it's reputation and it's status among other works of superhero fiction. Plus, as I said, the conversation around the show is far more interesting than the show itself. So when the show tacking these more interesting aspects the episodes tend to be more interesting as well. It's rare to find a show as self-aware of it's own status, and they take advantage of every opportunity that this presents. I just wish it could do so without insulting me is all. But do I even have the right to be criticizing this show though? I mean it's for kids, and kids clearly like it. Who right do I, a fully grown adult, have to stop kids from enjoying what they like. Why do I have to stand here and push my radical pro-Steven Universe agenda?! That has been an argument I have been seeing a lot lately. And honestly, there are some aspects I actually do agree with. If you are reviewing a show with the hope of convincing someone to hate something that they previously liked, just because you hate the show, than in my personal opinion you are reviewing the show for the wrong reason. If you like Teen Titans Go! and somehow made it this far in the review, I want to be clear, you have the right to like whatever you want to like. Whenever I do a negative review of something, it's never with the intent of trying to stop someone from enjoying something they like. I just want to express why I don't like it. As for the kid show argument, in some instances I agree with that argument too. Kids and adults are different. They have different taste and different things that they relate to. And shows are, from a business standpoint, targeted at a specific age demographics. I don't know why it's okay to call a show an "adult cartoon." but if you call a show a "kids show" it's deemed as an insult to the medium. Why is it wrong to say that I enjoy things aimed at kids? But getting back to the point, adults and kids look for different things in a show. Like, a kid obviously wouldn't be able to relate to the theme's presented in Bojack Horseman, and an adult would likely be board to tears by something like Peppa Pig. However, the difference here is that Teen Titans Go! airs on Cartoon Network. And thus, it should be held to the same standard as other Cartoon Network shows are held to, since all CN shows are pretty much aimed at the same general age range. Not only that, but the show is rated TV-PG! i.e.) The same rating as Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Regular Show, and Over the Garden Wall. Technically speaking, kids aren't even suppose to watch this show without an adult. So I think it's fair to say that this show SHOULD be made with kids and adults in mind. If this show was truly intended only for kids, and adults shouldn't watch it, than why are there so many 80's references and scenes that feel very...um....

Totally Spies...If you know what I mean. Basically, my point here is that it is, in my opinion, completely reasonable to cirque this show. And it's weird because the whole "It's for kids" and "Don't like, don't watch." arguments are usually seen as a joke argument. (even though I personally feel like both arguments do apply in certain situations.) But with this show, I see people using these arguments a lot. And to each there own, I'm not going to stand her and say your argument is "invalid." But I think it is odd that this show seems to be the only show where these arguments is deemed "acceptable." Also, if you watch Cartoon Networks live feed on a regular basis, it's hard to follow the "Don't like, don't watch." rule because the show is on so frickin' much!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyxX3ix2jp8

What makes this ad worse is how much this kid looks like Logan Paul... Cartoon Network spams this show. And while I'm sure that this show would still very much be hated regardless of the scheduling, I think the scheduling is a major factor in how this show manged to stay a relevant topic of conversation in the cartoon community for over five years at this point. Humans, in case you haven't realized this by now, are very stubborn and spiteful creature by nature. If you shove something down someone's throat, or in this case tell that that it's there new favorite show, there bound to have an adverse reaction. Regardless of the actually quality of the product. Also, the show wasn't even "new" when that ad campaign started! However, I do want to point out that it isn't Teen Titans Go's! fault that it's being spammed so much. It's Cartoon Networks scheduling departments. Traditional television is dying, and channels need to air what gives them ratings. Cartoon Network has always been in last place rating wise, when compared to there rivals Nickelodeon and Disney. They need to air what gives them ratings. And Teen Titans Go! is that. I get it. However, and keep in mind I'm not an expert on any of this and have no idea what I'm really talking about, I feel like eventually this will come back to bite them. EVENTUALLY Teen Titans Go! is going to end. Even if it's after we're all long dead and buried, the show will die. It's already been running for five years, which is an eternity in kid cartoon time. And when this show does end, CN is going to need something else to keep people coming back. Because as of now, this show and Gumball (which is ending soon.) are the channels only main draws with the ratings. CN, as of it stands now, needs this show. And when this show does end, they'll need some kind of back up series if they hope to survive in this modern, cord cutting climate. This cash cow can't be milked forever. R-right? P-Please God, tell me it can't last forever!

...Again with the Totally Spies. But while I'm on the topic of Teen Titans Go! success, I have to ask the question of why? Why do kids gravitate more towards this show, in particular? Because as I stated in the last part, the idea taking an establish i.p and making a more comedic slice of life reboot may have been fresh back in 2013, but now of days we are over saturated with shows just like that. Show's like Powerpuff Girls 2016, Ben 10, and to a lesser extent Justice League Action and Be Cool Scooby-Doo are all more comedic versions of there respected brands, but none of those shows are nearly as successful. (And this isn't me saying those shows are bad because they follow TTG's mold. It's all about execution and I'm trying to make a point.) What does Teen Titans Go! have that these other shows don't? The way I see it, the reason why Teen Titans Go! is popular while those other "Teen Titans Go-esq shows" (Even the really good ones like Justice League Action.) aren't has to do with intent and execution. Those other shows only chose to become more comedic because it was deemed "more marketable." And while I'm sure that was a factor in why Teen Titans Go! was pitched as a comedy, I feel the difference is how the shows chose to treat itself. Those other shows are made to be safe and marketable. They want fans new and old to like the show, so people will be more likely to buy the merch, which in turn will fund more seasons. Teen Titans Go! on the other hand, doesn't care about playing it "safe." It'll do whatever crazy and messed up things it wants to. The show revels in it's inaccuracy to the original. A marketing team and a bunch of executives think Teen Titans Go! is successful because it's a comedy based on a beloved brand. But the reason I think it's popular is because it doesn't give a fu*k! To people who like this show, that's why they like it. And that's why the show is so interesting to talk about. Also there a lot of elements in Teen Titans Go! appeals to kids. It's full wish fulfillment. Who doesn't want all the power and none of the responsibility. Who doesn't want to not have to worry about school or work, and just sit on a couch eating food all day. The show is loud, crazy, and colorful. It appeals to kids, and some adults, on a base level. It appeals to our more lazy and selfish aspects of our personalities that we all have, but chose to keep buried inside out of fear of social consequence. And while all that may sound harsh, I really don't mean that as an insult. There's nothing wrong with a show appealing to those aspects of our subconscious, because it can allow us to express those feelings without acting upon them. It's the same reason why people like characters like Bender from Futurama, or Rick from Rick and Morty. Teen Titans Go! is that for kids, and there's nothing wrong with that. Especially in a time where so many other kids shows are so nice and non-cynical. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, to wrap everything up, Teen Titans Go! might just be one of the most fascinating and influential shows of the 2010's? But do I recommend it? Well, despite EVERYTHING I ranted about in part one, from the lackluster comedy, horrendous writing, lazy reusing of voice acting and animation, and the lack of basic understanding when it comes to telling a story...I surprisingly actually do highly recommend it.

Listen, just hear me out here. While this show in all technical aspects is a frickin' train wreck. But sometimes, you just want to watch a train wreck unfold. It's fascinating to see just what this show is going to do next. What crazy, half backed decision it'll do. And honestly, it's hard not to admire how much the show just goes for it, even if "it" isn't something that you should go for. The show has this element of "watch-ability" even if I know the show itself isn't technically "good." It's a show worth watching, if for no other reason than to have an opinion on it. I think it's pretty obvious who will love this show, who will hate this show, and who will ironically love it. Maybe it's just Stockholm syndrome, but I will be genuinely sad when this show does come to an end. But I want to end on this note. If you hate this show with a fire-y passion, feel free to do so. You have the right to like or not like whatever you want. Don't be afraid of giving your opinion just because your worried that people will think that your a "hater" or that it's "cringy to still be talking about Teen Titans Go! in 2018." Value your thoughts and share them with the masses. Just don't be a jerk about it. Don't assume that "everyone who likes Teen Titans Go! are mindless sheeple." or complain that this show "ruined your childhood." Because forcing your opinion down other peoples throats will get you nowhere. And remember that no show last forever. In ten years from now this show will most likely be forgotten about. Think about how many people HATED Johnny Test just a few years ago, and complained about how much CN spammed that show. When was the last time anyone talked about that show? Meanwhile the original Teen Titans, a show that originally aired fifteen years ago, is still getting prime time reruns on Cartoon Network as recently as early 2018. And honestly, without Teen Titans Go!, there's a good chance that the interest in the original Teen Titans wouldn't have risen to the point where it is today. So you should thank TTG for that. And to the people who defend Teen Titans Go!, I get it. It can be rough loving something when EVERYBODY online hates it. I went threw a similar thing when the Powerpuff Girls reboot came out. It sucks feeling like you're in the minority opinion, but remember that just because something is hated online, that doesn't translate to actually results. There's a reason this show is on it's fifth seasons and got a theatrical film. And if you love this show, if it really is your new favorite show, enjoy that fact that a show you love is as popular and influential as it is. But don't be a jerk about your opinion either. Don't belittle people for feeling passionately about a series and remember that not EVERY person who hates the show isn't some kinda "hater." Never assume that the worse people in a group represents the whole group. And never let other people force you to hate something you love. You're taste make you the individual you are, and never forget that. I want to end this review with a line from Teen Titans Go! A line that I believe the show sadly forgot about, but is a message that I think is very important. Especially given the current climate of the cartoon community.

This applies to all sides. Hopefully this review was able to add something new to the table. What do you think of Teen Titans Go? Leave any thoughts you may have in the comments down bellow. I love love to hear all opinions from both sides of the aisle, and start some conversations. Maybe help people gain some new perspectives. Also what did you think of the format of this review? Would you like more deep dive retrospects in the future? Please fav, follow, and comment if you liked this review and have a great day.

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Teen-Titans-Go-REVIEW-Part-2-755898579 DA Link

#Teen Titans #Teen Titans Go!#Cartoon Community #Cartoon #Review

2 notes · View notes

joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

Teen Titans Go! REVIEW: (Part 1)

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt and God damn it! I said I wanted something better next time!

So it's come to this. Talking about Teen Titans Go! is kinda like talking about politics. In so far as it's rarely pleasant, it brings out the worst in people, and you're pretty much guaranteed to get hate regardless of what your opinion is. But like politics, I think it is something that it is worth taking about. Because Teen Titans Go! is a very interesting specimen of a series. Teen Titans Go! is, by far, one of the most talked about series in the cartoon community. Almost EVERY reviewer has talked about the series at one point or another, to the point to where talking about the series almost feels like a semi-rite of passage for any wannabe cartoon critic. If I were writing this review a few months ago I would say that the series was almost universally despised on the internet. However, in the past few months I have noticed this very vocal population of Teen Titans Go! defenders out there. And to those people I have to say...where were you for the last five years? Love it, hate it, or love to hate it, one thing is clear. This show is a show that many people feel passionately about. Not only that, but the show is successful! The series has been running for over five years, accumulating over two hundred episodes including two mini-series. It's almost always the most heavily aired and promoted series on Cartoon Network getting marathons for almost every holiday. INCLUDING AN EIGHT DAY ONE OVER CHRISTMAS 2017 THAT I'M STILL BITTER ABOUT! It's been promoted as "You're new favorite show." It's gotten it's own blocks. And when Cartoon Network didn't have enough new episodes to air, they created there own "Musical Cliptastic Countdown" style clip-show and advertised those as new episodes. But all of that pales to the shows biggest feat. A theatrical movie, TEEN TITANS GO TO THE MOVIES! Which is coming out in just a few weeks as of the posting of this review. I have seen nearly every episode of this show, at least once. Most episodes, more than once. (Cause hey, that's what happens when you watch the Cartoon Network live broadcasts.) I've been wanting to cover this series since I started reviewing two years ago. But I knew I only had one chance at it, and I wanted to make sure I did it right. I wasn't ready then. But with a movie on the way, it seems like now is as good of a time as any to finally tackle Teen Titans Go! But the question remained, how do I go about doing this? Teen Titans Go! has been talked about so much. What could I possibly add to the conversation? I admit this was something I worried about, but I think I have found a solution.

I want to do this right. I want to tackle nook and cranny of the show in a deep analysis, like I did all the way back in my Powerpuff Girls 2016 retrospect. I wanna cover the show honestly, the good and the bad. But for this review I also wanna do something a little different. Normally when I review something I try to cover just the series itself, and my reaction/experience with it. However, for a show like this, I wanna do something I normal avoid doing and talk about the more "meta" elements of the series. Because honestly, I think that stuff is just as if not more interesting than the show itself. And if I ignored these elements completely it would feel like I would be denying a lot of context in the Teen Titans Go! discussion. But since these are more "meta." elements and not AS connected to series itself it made more sense to me to relegate that all to a different review. So that's what I'm going to do. This part will be me analyzing the series on it's own merits. And then part two will be analyzing the series wider influence and the fan reactions to the show. I think separating the these two elements is important, as I believe it would be unfair to judge a series for things outside of the creators control, and I want to be as fair as I possibly can. This is going to be a deep dive. And it'll probably be a long one, but there's a lot to cover. If your okay with that, than let's jump right in and talk about Teen Titans Go! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think it's important that before we discuss Teen Titans Go! I talk about my thoughts leading up to the show. Just for the sake of transparency. As a young kid, I watched the original Teen Titans cartoon and remembered liking it quite a bit. But by circa 2013 I didn't really have much memories of the show of the original series beyond "remember liking it" and a few stand out moments. I never went back and re-watched the series in the six years since it had ended. Since then I have re-watched some of the original Teen Titans, and while having it's own issues, on the whole it's really fantastic. If you haven't seen it you should really give it a watch. It has a great combination of comedy, action, and drama. And it's one of the best examples I have ever seen of teenage aged characters who actually FEEL like real teenagers I've ever seen on television. Prior to Teen Titans Go! release a series of Chibi Teen Titans shorts were released on the DC Nation action block. This was a sorta in-between phase between the original and Go! and these shorts were...fine? I guess? They had the problem all DC nation shorts had, being only ONE MINUTE LONG, they didn't have much time to set up jokes. But for what it what they were they were...passable. I bring all this up because I think it's important to note that I was both KINDA a new fan, entering the series with no prior knowledge of the original. And also KINDA an old fan seeing a series I loved get rebooted. So I could kinda experience both sides of the spectrum. However, there was something else that effected my view of the show. It was Young Justice.

I was a BIG fan of Young Justice, and if you watched that show than you will know that it was not treated the best. The show aired at a crummy time slot on Saturday mornings, was never advertised, went on random month long hiatus's BEFORE that was the norm for cartoons. And to see this show being treated so bad, only to be replaced a month later with ANOTHER comedy during a time where action shows were dying out. And airing in a much better prime time time slot to boot? It was hard to not feel a little bit cheated. And I think this (in addition to Teen Titans season fives infamous cliffhanger.) was a major factor in why so many people were so against the idea of Teen Titans Go! right out the gate. However, Young Justice ended in February 2013, and Teen Titans Go! didn't come out until April. And during that month in between I began to think a little more positively. I went into the show with low expectations, but hoping I would be proven wrong. It wasn't Teen Titans Go's! fault that Young Justice had ended. Plus Teen Titans had comedy in it, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Oh, poor, young, stupid JoyofCrimeArt. Um-I mean, let's look at the results, shall we?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9ep34ULG3w

First just to get it out of the way, I'm briefly going to talk about how this show compares to the original. And I say briefly because, honestly, there isn't much point to it. When you think about it, Teen Titans Go! is a really odd and probably risky move for Warner Bros to make. Taking an action show that was several years old and turning it into an eleven minute comedy with a whole new demographic in mind? Now of days that's super common with examples ranging from Ben 10 to the upcoming Thundercats Roar! but in 2013 this was not a common occurrence. Super hero comedies were pretty rare, and even the ones that did exist still were usually at least action/comedies. So right from the get go it was going to take some time for audiences to adjust. There are some people who say that you shouldn't make any comparison to the old show cause, hey, it's a reboot. This is something I disagree with. Obviously they wouldn't attach the Teen Titans brand to the show if they weren't hoping to attract fans of the old show. Especially given that most kids in this shows target demo probably weren't even aware of the original Teen Titans. And given the fact that there using the same characters from the 2003 series, brought the voice cast back, and frequently imply that certain events from the old show had happened in this continuity, it becomes confusing on how to judge this show. Is it a sequel?.....Reboot?.....Cash grab? The point is, to do this show justice, I'm going to talk about the show both as a reboot and as it's own thing. Cause the faithfulness or a reboot doesn't always equate to the series overall quality. However, I honestly feel that if they had gone full reboot, with new voice cast, character designs, and maybe even different characters on the team the show might have been able to stand on it's own more and people might have been less harsh to it. I'm not saying it doing that necessarily improve the final product, but I do feel like it would of helped the show be received better by older fans. But I get why, from a marketing standpoint, they didn't do that. But regardless, let's talk about the characters. Well when the show started, they seemed mostly like they were in the old series. Just a bit exaggerated, which wasn't to big of a deal because yes, when doing a full comedy, your bound to exaggerate some things. Robin was the strict know it all leader. Starfire was the naive innocent. Beast Boy and Cyborg were fairly interchangeable idiot comic relief characters. And Raven was the sarcastic cynic. Traits were played up, like Robin's egotism, or Beast Boy and Cyborg's idiocy, but the basic structure of the characters from the old show was still visible.

But as the show progressed, the cast became progressively and progressively flanderized into characters that are not only completely unrecognizable from there 2003 counterparts, but completely unrecognizable from season one counterparts as well. And the big problem is that as the show goes on, they all become basically the same character, with a few caveats. By season two or three all the Titans pretty much act identical. They all yell all the time, they're all lazy and selfish, and they're all idiots. All the characters are pretty much interchangeable except for one or two small differences. Online anime reviewer SuperEyepatcheWolf once said something in a video that always stuck with me. [link] He was quoting a line from Tina Fays book "Bossypants" and it was something along the lines of "The key to good characters, is to have it to where if they're all in a situation each character would have a different response to the situation." That was a quote that I always remembers, and is something I keep in mind when coming up with characters myself. I bring this up because Teen Titans Go! does not follow the principle at all. And by having all the characters act the same it not only becomes less accurate to the thing that the series is suppose to be adapting, but more importantly it limits the potential for character driven comedy. And when your series is all comedy limiting the kind of comedy you can do is never a good thing. The only character who is okay is Robin. He's the only character who (mostly) acts consistently. He's also the only character who acts as a foil to the rest of the Titans, and is the only character who has a reason for his behavior. He has an inferiority complex due to being the only Titan who was a sidekick. So he uses narcissism to mask his insecurity. He's also obsessive because he was raised by BATMAN. As odd as this sounds, Robin actually is a full realized and fleshed out character. And I know, saying Teen Titans Go! has a fleshed out character is really weird to say. (Also, as ashamed as I am to admit it, I kinda relate to Robin in some aspects.) However, just because he's fully realized doesn't mean he's necessarily likeable. Nobody in this show is likeable. They are all jerks with no sympathy for others. While in the original series the Titans really had this feeling of a family unit. Here, they all seem to just hate each others company. This element, in my opinion, hurts the series. I think this could of worked if they just toned it down just a bit. it seems like almost every other kids cartoon right now more or less follows the same "nice, optimistic, adventurous but naive" young hero archetype. So it's nice to see a show that is a little bit more cynical just for the sake of seeing something different. But I believe they go to far the other way with it makes it hard to root for our "heroes" when they literally are just jerks, and don't really even have reasons for being jerks or ever learn to be better. And without likeable or distinct characters it's really hard to become invested. As for the side characters, they all feel very underutilized. Especially in the case of the villains. Like, I know this show isn't about the crime fighting, but that doesn't mean you can't incorporate the villains in a comedic way. I mean if you look at other superhero comedies like Powerpuff Girls, the villains are usually the best part. Now, I wanna give credit where credit is due. Some villains like Trigon, Control Freak, and especially Brother Blood are great in this show. Other villains like the H.I.V.E and the Brain are nothing fantastic, but are serviceable. But what I wanna know, is that if this show is a comedy why don't they use any of the villains that are actually GEARED towards comedy. Mumbo was only used in a meaningful way in ONE episode. Mad Mod has yet to have any actually lines in the series. And Larry hasn't shown up at ALL. And the thing is that there are a lot of episodes where having more minor villains from the old show would make sense but they don't do it. Like in the episode "Puppets, Whaaaaat?" where the Titans get turned into puppets. Why not include Puppet King. Or in the episode "Hot Salad Water." where the Titans are mind controlled by the Queen of England? Why not use Mad Mod instead? It feels like such a wasted opportunity. But y'know the show isn't about the characters! It's about the comedy! Is the show at least funny? For the most part...not really? While obviously comedy is subjective I just am not to much of a fan of the humor of this show. Like I said, since the characters are more or less identical there's no chance for character driven comedy to shine. So all the humor of the show is pretty much just loud goofy random humor. It's all just kinda...obnoxious. The humor just lacks any form of nuance, and after two hundred episodes jokes have become very predicable. Honestly, Teen Titans Go! is at it's best when it does just go for it. When you throw a billion jokes at the wall, somethings bound to stick. The funniest part of the show is just watching to see what the hell it'll do next, And I wanna give the show credit, that's not in any way an insult. The show is honestly most enjoyable if you look at it from the perspective of a giant shit-post. And while that sounds harsh, I think on some level that's what the creators of the show were KINDA going for? I have no proof of this, but that is just the vibe I get from both the show and the creators during interviews. So...props to you I guess? The show also excels at meta humor, though we'll dive more in the next part. Part of the issue that Teen Titans Go! has is that it puts comedy so FAR in the forefront, that it feels like everything else is just an afterthought. And granted, there are plenty of other shows like that. However, the downside to this strategy is that if you don't find the show funny, there isn't really anything there for you. Like take other CN show comedy's for example. If you don't think We Bare Bears is funny, you can still appreciate the shows charming atmosphere. If you don't think that The Amazing World of Gumball is funny, you can still appreciate the show's breathtaking visuals. But with Teen Titans Go!, what you see is what you get. And unfortunately, I don't see much here I haven't seen before. Well okay, how about the writing? Is the writing good?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy-7q8vmrXM

Half the time character's just do whatever the writers want them to do just to make the plot work! And the other half the times the characters seem like there actively trying to avoid the plot like it's some kinda horrific virus! Take the episode "Booty Scooty" where the Titans Tower has been bought land developers, who want to tear the tower down to build a mini-mall. But none of the Titans sans Robin care. Cause hey, they like shopping. So the episode grinds to a halt as Robin has to explain to his team why losing there homes is a bad thing, and tries to convince his team to do the plot. It's like the show is purposefully trying to avoid anything interesting. I know it's a comedy, but comedies still need conflict. Everything's a joke in this show, so it's hard to get invested in anything. There are shows that can pull that type of thing off. But to do that the comedy HAS funny enough to excuse the lack of tension. And to me at least, Teen Titans Go! doesn't pass this threshold.

Also, the show is really repetitive. Half the episodes follow this follow this basic formula

Titan A gains some new hobby/interest and converts the other titans into said hobby/interest

Titan go along with it. Except for one member (Usually Robin.) who warns them that getting into this hobby/interest will have "dangerous consequences."

Titans ignore the warning and become obsessed.

Some supernatural Regular Show style BS happens.

Raven reviles that the only way the fix this is to go on some kinda "quest."

Plot is resolved.

And the other half of the series is just about food. Seriously, there are like...fifteenth billion episodes devoted to food.

But hey, a show doesn't need characters, comedy, or writing to be good....maybe it can be saved by the animation? Like RWBY.

I will say this. The animation itself isn't as bad as a lot of other flash shows. The characters are all distinctly shaped and colorful. And I love the thick outlines. You can tell it's flash, but it's not BAD flash. And when the show want to the animation can look downright incredible, and even have some outstanding action scenes believe it or not.

But like I said. "When the show wants to." For the most part the show looks good, but there are some glaring animation shortcuts that are often used, and are very noticeable. The show is, for the most part, always set in the same five or six locations. And that gives the show an element of blandness to it. The show uses stock photos as backgrounds. Which is a trend I've noticed a lot in a lot of modern cartoons...and I think this trend sucks. Gumball, so far at least, is the only show I've seen do it in a unique and creative way. Every other time I've seen it just looks jarring. And the show reuses animation fairly frequently, and it's not subtle. However, the show has toned this down a bit recently, but still. The fact that a show as popular as this that ISN'T Dragonball Super would so blatantly reuse animation in such an obvious way seems like either a sign of just corner cutting, or a sever lack of time given to the crew. Because of these short cuts the animation just sorta levels out to...slightly above average-ish? Also I have to comment on the character designs. Like this is more of an observation than a flaw, but why does everyone have such GIANT heads and such tiny necks and bodies? I mean, who would design characters like that?

... How dare you? Let's talk about the voice acting. EVERYBODY says that the voice acting in the show is the one redeeming quality. And the voice acting...varies. And while I know just saying that will cause me to be struck down by the unholy wrath of Tara Strong herself, but just hear me out! Almost all of the voice actors from the 2003 series are back to reprise there roles. But the issue is...they don't sound the same. Everyone's delivery is so much louder and more over the top compared to the original. Not to mention all the annoying verbal tics like Beast Boy's "White rapper-esq" slang or Starfire's "Saying all the the's." Both minor elements from the old show that have been escalated up to eleven in this series. Raven's voice in particular seems to vary scene to scene from "fairly close to the old show's Raven." to "Tara Strong just doing Twilight Sparkle." I have no problem with the cast going in a different direction with there delivery. I just don't understand what the point of getting the old cast back is if there not going to sound like the original. And this is coming from someone who honestly wouldn't of minded that much one way or another if they didn't get the original voice actors back. What is more of an issue is that the five actors who play the Titans ALSO voice, like, almost every other minor or one shot character in the show. If they weren't in the original series, there's a good chance that one of the five main voice actors play them. Some of the voice actors, like Tara Strong and Khary Payton have a decent voice range, and so it isn't to noticeable. Others, like Scott Menville and ESPECIALLY Greg Cipes have no range whatsoever, and ever time I hear them trying to sound different I just wanna stab my ears out with a rusty spork. And even for the actors who ARE good at hiding the fact that it's them, after two hundred episodes you become able to spot them at a moments notice. Basically, this show has completely ruined my ability to ever hear any of these voice actors as "not there voice actors." However, before I'm lynched, I just wanna say that this probably isn't the voice actors fault. It probably is more an issue with casting and the voice directing crew. And to be fair I don't think that there are ANY voice actors who could come up with new voices for two hundred episodes without making it sound noticeable. And they do give it there best effort. Yes, that is one positive I will give the voice acting. They go for it. There's a kinetic energy to the performances, and it sounds like the voice actors had a lot of fun. And with a lot of the voices you can tell the actors are trying there hardest, and sometimes these deliveries actually succeed in making an other wise unfunny line funny just through the levels of ham presented. So I have to commend them on that. So hopefully that praise at the end will keep me safe from Tara Strong's unholy dark powers for a least a little while longer...

The show also has songs! A lot! These songs vary in quality. And that is because, according to official interviews, some of the songs are written and some are given to the cast to ad-lib on the spot. And I don't really know how to respond to that. If you put a voice actors on the spot "put a song here." then yeah, it probably isn't going to sound good. Many of the "improved" songs tend to just have one A,A,A,A rhyme scheme, simple chorus, and generic lyrics. I'm not blaming the voice actors though, I couldn't do better. I'm blaming the people who thought this was a good idea! Though I will admit that a lot of these "bad songs" are fairly catchy. Which I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. BUT some of the songs are great! "The Night Begins To Shine." is the obvious example, but there are other good ones too. "Fade Away" "BBRae" and "Take it Down Low." being some of my personal favorite. It's a bit of a mixed bag all things considered, but when the songs hit they really hit. So I can commend the show for that... But the four "all musical" clipshow episodes are still stupid. I don't think this show was doomed to fail. Other shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and RWBY Chibi...season one, prove that you CAN make a completely comedic spin-off of a more serious property, and do it well. But what I think those two shows, and other series like those shows, have that TTG doesn't have is the heart. It really like the creators of this show, really don't care about or even like the original 2003 series. This may not be the case, but that's how it feels. As I said ALL THE WAY back in my What Makes a Good Reboot Cartoon Thought, one of the major keys to making a good reboot is respect, or at least an understanding, of the source material. And honestly, it sometimes feels like the creators of this show didn't even want to make a Teen Titans show. This show feels like another unrelated superhero comedy, with the Teen Titans put in last minute. And maybe that would of been better overall. Sure, the series wouldn't of gotten the initial "bump" it got if it wasn't connected to a well known i.p. But clearly the people who like this show don't really care about it being like the old show anyway, and the show would probably be hated a lot less if it wasn't connected to something that many people consider a modern classic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So overall, that is my rundown on Teen Titans Go! as a series as a whole. But we're not done yet. Come back NEXT WEEK, as we are going to analysis the more "meta" elements of Teen Titans Go! I'm going to talk about the reactions to the show, and the reaction the show has towards it's critics. And the impact Teen Titans Go! has had on both Cartoon Network and television as a whole. I think that important to bring these things up because I think these elements in particular have the greatest impact on Teen Titans Go's! reception. But what do you think of Teen Titans Go!? Love it or hate it I'd love to hear from you in the comments down bellow. If it's not obvious by now, I find this show fascinating and love hearing other peoples opinions on it, cause I think there is a lot to talk about. Leave a fav, follow, and comment and come back next week...as we get to the bottom of this case.

I'll be the round....about.... Have a great day. WE INTERRUPT THIS JOURNAL FOR AN IMPORTANT SELLING YOU STUFF... Hey there, I'm JoyofCrimeArt. Famous internet boi. Have you ever had a review that you wanted me to do? Or a review you want to happen, but don't want to do yourself. Well whatever you reasoning, you can now COMMISSION ME for reviews! It's just like any other art commission, you give me a show, movie, or whatever you want me to review. You give me a SMALL donation of money, somewhere between 5-8 dollars US, and I give you a "quality" review. If this at all sound interesting to you, there's more information here. REVIEWING COMMISSIONS OPEN (Will Review for Food) Have a great day, for real this time. (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners. All credit for the Spongebob "3 am" meme template goes to https://www.deviantart.com/francisjeremyxavyer )

DA Link: https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Teen-Titans-Go-REVIEW-Part-1-754797330

#Teen Titans #Teen Titans Go!#Review #animation #cartoon network

0 notes