As you may or may not have noticed, I'm back to posting stuff again. That is because I was able to pay all the required bills, so me, my brother, and my roommate get to stay out the apartment for another month. That is the good news.
The bad news? That's exactly it - a month. I simply no longer have the means of paying the next bill. And with the recent happenings of Youtube shutting down various channels and videos (like Nostalgia Critic) for reasons unknown, I too have been affected by it, which makes my income earning much worse. Tried setting up a Patreon account, but ended up zilch due to some issues.
My other two roomies are doing what they can to find a new source of income on short notice to get things back to normal. But my hometown isn't known exactly for providing work. I have to expect having to move out and find another place to live - an option I really don't have.
So the clock is ticking and I'm pretty much in the pinch. I am hoping some luck would turn up from now until the end of February. But I must be ready for the worst. Until then, it's business as usual.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Disney's "Star Darlings" Series Debut
"Star Darlings" is the latest Disney IP with the plan to expand it as a multimedia franchise and will have its TV debut tomorrow as an Animated Special, with a second special coming in March. Not exactly Gravity Falls, mind you.
Return of The Ninja Rangers
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, the Super Sentai series that was the basis for the 3rd season of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, will be released in its original Japanese format on DVD in the US. Previous Sentai shows Zyuranger and Dairanger, the basis for the first two seasons of MMPR respectively, are also available on DVD.
A Gritty Scooby-Doo in Comics
Entertainment Weekly reported that DC will publish a series of new titles based on Hanna-Barbera, with acclaimed writer/artist Jim Lee handling Scooby-Doo among others.
Not too surprised at this mainly because Hanna-Barbera and DC are under the WB banner, which is why we have shows like Teen Titans GO on Cartoon Network, and a handful of Hanna-Barbera characters making appearances on DC comics/shows. Another good thing when it comes to comics is that you can change the tone and scenery of the content to almost anything you like and rarely get flak for it.
As an example, the characters from the Archue Comics line have been killed off in more ways than one. Some more gruesome than others. And we're talking young, innocent teens here like Betty and Jughead.
This is also DC's attempt to find a way to overthrow Marvel, who has been dominating comic book sales by a huge margin for most of 2015. DC's "The Dark Knight 3" was the only DC comic that went Number 1 in all comic book sales and in the month of November.
Not too surprised at this mainly because Hanna-Barbera and DC are under the WB banner, which is why we have shows like Teen Titans GO on Cartoon Network, and a handful of Hanna-Barbera characters making appearances on DC comics/shows. Another good thing when it comes to comics is that you can change the tone and scenery of the content to almost anything you like and rarely get flak for it.
As an example, the characters from the Archue Comics line have been killed off in more ways than one. Some more gruesome than others. And we're talking young, innocent teens here like Betty and Jughead.
This is also DC's attempt to find a way to overthrow Marvel, who has been dominating comic book sales by a huge margin for most of 2015. DC's "The Dark Knight 3" was the only DC comic that went Number 1 in all comic book sales and in the month of November.
Viacom Reports Huge Losses. Possible Merger/Buyout.
Pretty much business news, but the short version is this: Viacom (Nickelodeon's Parent Company) is losing money, and a LOT. And it's almost (ALMOST) to a point that it can be bought with the right money, or at least merge with other entities (AMC, Amazon, and China's Alibaba come to mind).
And yes, they're aggressive campaign against Youtubers actually made them lose more money than they could ever gain through lawsuits.
Still, those representing Viacom will tell you they are going strong and beating the competition and showing the usual reason why that's the case - Spongebob.
And yes, they're aggressive campaign against Youtubers actually made them lose more money than they could ever gain through lawsuits.
Still, those representing Viacom will tell you they are going strong and beating the competition and showing the usual reason why that's the case - Spongebob.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Batman: Bad Blood - Spoiler-Free Review
Warner Bros. and DC kicks off 2016 with premieres of a bunch of superhero stuff like new episodes of Supergirl, Arrow, and The Flash; the premiere of Legends of Tomorrow; trailer for the upcoming Suicide Squad movie; and more stuff coming from the DC Cinematic Universe. Another heapful serving is the upcoming animated direct-to-video movie, Batman: Bad Blood as part of its New 52 line of animated films. Here is my spoiler-free review:
In Bad Blood, Bruce Wayne remains missing for weeks after the incident in which he aided Kate Kate, the Batwoman, from a criminal gang led by the mysterious Heretic, a tall muscular character that sports a Batman-like garment. This has forced Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing and the first Robin, to assume the role of Batman in Bruce's absence while finding clues as to the whereabouts of the original Dark Knight.
Batman: Bad Blood is unique in which Batman himself plays a minor role and giving the spotlight to other members of the Bat Family, similar to the movie Assault on Arkham, which is part of the Batman: Arkham games. Besides Nightwing, we also have the Batwoman; Damien Wayne, the current Robin; and Luke Fox, the son of Lucius Fox and who will become the character Batwing.
Bad Blood is loosely based on the several arcs of the New 52 comics, starting with Bruce Wayne's apparent death and resurrection, towards franchising the Batman name to fight crime on a global scale, forming "Batman Incorporated". Despite this, Bad Blood's plot involving Bruce Wayne is more akin to the plot from the movie "The Manchurian Candidate". If you're not familiar with that movie, then it's similar to the episode in Gravity Falls where the Pine Twins mind-control Grunkle Stan to run for mayor of Gravity Falls.
Without giving too many spoilers for this review, while I admire the other Bat characters taking center stage, I hate the fact that the plot twist involving the main villain is a character from the previous films turning a full 180 because, well, just because. And it makes the overall role of one of the Bat characters a little less sense why that said character exists in the first place. I'm sure those who follow the comics know the character I'm referring to. While charater deaths in the New 52 movies aren't uncommon, the deaths of the characters in Bad Blood seemed forced and totally unneccesary.
Bad Blood has a LOT of fight scenes than in the previous Batman and New 52 films and the choreography and animation is superb. The animators really want you to see how each combat move is executed and the flow is seemless without skips or blurs like you would see in most fighting Animes. They do have to make up their mind as to whether or not they'll include blood in not just this film but in future New 52 films. There are scenes in which a character gets wounded and you see blood, but if it's a fatal wound, or an insant death, no blood at all! What the hell?!
Phil Bourrassa continues his role as character designer for the New 52 movies and as such, does the designs in Bad Blood. My criticism for his designs on this one, however, is that the practice of designing all the characters from one base model, rather than cleanup the design so you won't notice the difference, is very much noticeable. This was the case when I mistook Heretic as Batman because the two share the same base design. And again when I mistook Luke Fox as Victor Stone, aka Cyborg, for the same reasons.
Batman: Bad Blood is the most action-packed of all the Ne w 52 films, with a those of humor thrown in. It suffers however from a plot that makes a little less sense and seemingly forced incidents and a few animation issues. It's still not a bad film overall, and if you're a huge Batman fan, or want to see lots of animated action, then Bad Blood is worth your money. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Batman: Bad Blood, a 3 out of 5.
Monday, January 25, 2016
First Look: Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3
I'll admit, I like the new character designs. Now I'm hoping Toei will not screw this up with more animation errors and horrid writing like in Dragon Ball Super. But this is Toei, so.....
Sunday, January 24, 2016
So, This Happened.....
As you may or may not have noticed, I've been virtually inactive for several days. Some of you who know me already knew why this was the case, but for those who haven't, without giving too much detail, I will explain the situation.
I, along with my brother, share a small apartment with a roommate that's located on top of a Pizzeria, of which the other two work as employees. While we all have to deal with living at temperatures of 104 egress Fahrenheit (40 egress Celsius) during the summer ( because right below us is literally a giant pizza oven), the benefit is having to pay little to almost no money at all when it comes to rent and utilities as most of which are paid for by the Pizza Restaurant itself (also free Pizza and drinks whenever I want to).
Unfortunately, due to bad management from the shop's owner, the Pizzeria had to be shut down. And that's when things start to get really bad really fast. Although I've been doing well as a full-time YouTuber, I lack the financial means of paying off the stack of bills that must be paid, which are huge (it's a Pizzeria, after all). The bills fall onto me for the simple reason I'm the only one with a source of income while everyone else is literally broke. I have until the end of January to get everything paid for or risk eviction.
There is some progress and I may be able to pay off the rent so at least there's a roof on our heads for another month until we sort this out. I am currently doing some small-time work for some money to come in for the basic necessities. Hopefully, everything would be settled before the deadline and things can go back to normal. For now, my activities on this blog, Facebook, and YouTube among others will be very much limited. I will try to be around and catch up when I can.
I, along with my brother, share a small apartment with a roommate that's located on top of a Pizzeria, of which the other two work as employees. While we all have to deal with living at temperatures of 104 egress Fahrenheit (40 egress Celsius) during the summer ( because right below us is literally a giant pizza oven), the benefit is having to pay little to almost no money at all when it comes to rent and utilities as most of which are paid for by the Pizza Restaurant itself (also free Pizza and drinks whenever I want to).
Unfortunately, due to bad management from the shop's owner, the Pizzeria had to be shut down. And that's when things start to get really bad really fast. Although I've been doing well as a full-time YouTuber, I lack the financial means of paying off the stack of bills that must be paid, which are huge (it's a Pizzeria, after all). The bills fall onto me for the simple reason I'm the only one with a source of income while everyone else is literally broke. I have until the end of January to get everything paid for or risk eviction.
There is some progress and I may be able to pay off the rent so at least there's a roof on our heads for another month until we sort this out. I am currently doing some small-time work for some money to come in for the basic necessities. Hopefully, everything would be settled before the deadline and things can go back to normal. For now, my activities on this blog, Facebook, and YouTube among others will be very much limited. I will try to be around and catch up when I can.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Fairies Can't Beat The Cub From The Jungle
In spite of the hype for the Season 10 Premiere of The Fairly Oddparents, it remains shy of the Top 30 most watched programs Friday Night, scoring a 1.2 Million in Total Views with a .22/.27 in key demo for boys and girls.
Adventure Time continues to steadily climb the charts with the King's Ransom episode landing at No. 17 with 1.1 Million Views and a .31/.32 in the key demo.
Disney Jr's The Lion Guard is the most watched cartoon on that day, landing at No. 9 and scoring 1.278 million views with a .41/.56 in the key demo.
Source: Showbuzz
Adventure Time continues to steadily climb the charts with the King's Ransom episode landing at No. 17 with 1.1 Million Views and a .31/.32 in the key demo.
Disney Jr's The Lion Guard is the most watched cartoon on that day, landing at No. 9 and scoring 1.278 million views with a .41/.56 in the key demo.
Source: Showbuzz
Quick Thoughts on the Suicide Squad Trailer
Seen it and I really wanted to like it, but it feels....off. The only thing I like is Jared Leto as the Joker, but I don't feel impressed by Will Smith as Deadshot or Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.
Squirdward Busted for DUI
LA Times reports Voice Actor Rodger Bumpass, (Squidward Tentacles, "SpongeBob SquarePants,") was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Burbank, CA. He is however released and is expected to appear in court. It is unknown at this time if this incident will have any impact on the Nickelodeon show.
Dragon Ball Creator Slams Toei's Quality of Dragon Ball Super
So shortly after my last video on my review of the Resurrection F arc in Dragon Ball Super, Twitter user M1806B posted a screenshot highlighting creator Akira Toriyama's message to fans of Dragon Ball in the recently published Dragon Ball Super History Book. The Super History Book, as the title suggests, features the history of the Dragon Ball franchise since its debut in the 1980s. The book also includes a long interview with Toriyama and his thoughts on the franchise in the last 30 years and what he thinks of it now. Among the things he openly expresses are his thoughts on the recent Dragon Ball Super Anime series.
The translation comes from the DBZ board on reddit and it writes the following:
"Dragon Ball once became a thing of the past to me, but after that, I got angry about the live action movie, re-wrote an entire movie script, and now I'm complaining about the quality of the new TV anime, so it seems that Dragon Ball has grown on me much that I can't leave it alone."
Just to put his statement into detail, the live action movie Toriyama's talking about refers to the Hollywood film "Dragon Ball Evolution" from 2009 by 20th Century Fox. The very same movie studio behind the terrible Fantastic Four movie from last year. So you can't put two-and-two together. If you haven't seen Dragon Ball Evolution, don't. It's just plain awful.
About rewriting an entire movie script, he's referring to the movie version of Battle of Gods. Now I personally do not have the details of Toriyama having to rewrite the script for the movie. But I assume the initial draft didn't go very well either by him or from the brass at Toei that resulted in the rewrite, and again for the TV arc in Dragon Ball Super.
Finally, the last part of his statement obviously refers to the overall quality of Dragon Ball Super. And he's not alone here. Shujiro Hamakawa, one of the Animators behind Dragon Ball Super, has also expressed his frustations on the lack of quality control over the series. Again with the translation from reddit, he writes:
"Dragon ______, where I'm working at the moment, is beyond help. The animation director can only check the layout for the next 10 days. No matter what, the quality can't be guaranteed. Who messed the schedule up, and when?"
So you have it straight from the creator's mouth that Dragon Ball Super pretty much sucks. Having said that, there's really not much Toriyama can do about it. Although he is indeed the man behind the Dragon Ball franchise, legally speaking, he doesn't own Dragon Ball at all. It is Toei's Intellecual Property. It's just like how Stan Lee, despite being the creator of many superheroes from Marvel, no longer has any creative control over them. Marvel does. Same with George Lucas. He created Star Wars, but Disney now owns it and the company can do whatever they want whether or not Lucas likes it.
As far as Toei is concerned, Toriyama's comments means nothing and they can continue to do Dragon Ball, with or without Toriyama's seal of approval. We've seen this before with Dragon Ball GT. Still, it is not everyday that a creator of something like Dragon Ball criticizes the company for not putting any effort on the quality of the product. At the very least we know Toriyama's stance on this and what we should expect when the Champa Arc in the Dragon Ball Super Anime begins.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Justice League vs Teen Titans DVD
Yeah, you heard it right. There will be a Justice League/Teen Titans crossover coming to DVD this spring.
Worth noting that this crossover is not Young Justice and classic Teen Titans. Rather, the characters from the upcoming DVD are from the ongoing New 52 line of DC movies that began with Flashpoint. The Nightwing and Robin featured above are the ones from the Son of Batman and Batman vs Robin movies.
Worth noting that this crossover is not Young Justice and classic Teen Titans. Rather, the characters from the upcoming DVD are from the ongoing New 52 line of DC movies that began with Flashpoint. The Nightwing and Robin featured above are the ones from the Son of Batman and Batman vs Robin movies.
Dragon Ball Super Resurrection F Arc Review
So after around 10 weeks or so, the Resurrection F arc of Dragon Ball Super has come to a close, and boy was I relieved it was over. The last several weeks has been a huge debate within the Dragon Ball fanbase with regards to the harsh criticism the show has been receiving. I happen to be among those critics. Hell, I've been called a Dragon Ball hater among other things because of my criticism of Super alone, despite the fact that I grew up watching the entire Dragon Ball franchise! Just because I am a fan of Dragon Ball doesn't mean I am biased in saying Dragon Ball never has any flaws. It does, and in the case of Super, it's big and it's very much hard to not ignore that it's there.
I've discussed my issues with the show before in my review of the Battle of Gods arc and I'm going to express it again, but more expansive and in detail - just like the two arcs being an expansive version of the movies.
The first biggest criticism I have with the show is its Animation. You cannot deny how surprisingly bad the Animation of Dragon Ball Super is, because simply put, it's so noticeable and frequent. The reasons for this have been discussed to death, but the factors surrounding this are among the following:
1) Toei is producing a lot of projects, some simultaneously. Besides Dragon Ball Super, there is One Piece, Robot Girls Z, World Trigger, Digimon Adventure Tri, Buddha, PreCure (or Glitter Force for those who watched it on Netflix), Sailor Moon Crystal, which just picked for a third season, and the upcoming Anime version of Miraculous Ladybug. I'm sure there are more that I haven't mentioned.
2) With regards to 1), Toei's resources are being spread thin. On a business perspective, Toei understandably chooses to focus a good chunk of their resources on their most popular IP that will give them a good chunk of profit - that IP is One Piece. To be fair, One Piece also has its own share of bad animation, but considering it's been running for 17 years now and over 700 episodes strong, there's no point to talking about One Piece as it's like The Fairly Oddparents, The Simpsons, etc, in which that show will keep going even if I had grandkids.
3) Today, new Anime are being produced for TV each year by the HUNDREDS (not counting ongoing series, movies, and direct-to-video releases) in Japan than they were decades ago. This is no joke. There is simply a huge surplus of Anime out there all dying for our attention. So the competition is fierce. Toei, being one of the biggest Anime Studios in Japan, simply won't yield against the other smaller studios, and with a recognizable brand name like Dragon Ball, they are milking it for what its worth, irregardless of the product's quality. Why? Because Toei knows the franchise has a huge fanbase that will pay for any Dragon Ball material no matter how bad.
4) The working conditions within an Animation Studio in Japan are well documented to be quite harsh, with staffers working overtime hours just to meet the deadline and with very little pay, compared to the conditions in other places like the United States. Word has it this practice was the unintentional consequence made by Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy, in which he chose to work overtime and cut his salary as he was determined to meet the scheduled deadline for Astro Boy's broadcast.
5) This is just a conspiracy theory I made up, but the bad animation not just in Dragon Ball Super, but in several other Animes were likely intentional so they can be fixed in the Blu-Ray release to increase the value of those BDs. Home video releases remain a key factor in Japan that determines an Anime's success or failure, as opposed to viewership ratings. Note that there are some Anime Studios where the bulk of their revenue comes from things other than BD releases.
Some of you will say "So what? We don't watch DBS for the Animation. We watch it for the story!" Well, the second criticism I have with DBS is the writing, which is inconsistent and done with very little effort to make the progress of the story interesting and instead is written just to meet with the episode order. One major highlight of this is how the show writes off Gotenks to participate in the battle against Frieza by having his Fusion run out shortly after ramming against Ginyu, now in Tagoma's body. Feel free to explain how Gotenks, who is able to go around the world several times in mere seconds, took so long to get to Ginyu?
It is worth noting that unlike other Anime series, DBS does not have a season break, unlike Sailor Moon Crystal. Should DBS be given season breaks, then probably, PROBABLY, the overall production and presentation of DBS would have been better because there's more time to refine it.
Having said that, the final episode of the Resurrection F arc is done quite well. The episode gives time for Vegeta to beat up Frieza real good before the latter destroys the Earth. They did try to make the scene a little more impactful by showing the other characters get caught in the blast. That would have worked if the Earth and everyone in it were not destroyed before by Kid Buu.
The only other change from this episode that's different from the movie version is the epilogue, in which Gohan, having realized how much he was badly nerfed, asks Piccolo to train him again. Now a LOT of people complain of Gohan's huge nerf in Dragon Ball Super. I find it ironic since back when Dragon Ball Z was new, it was the exact opposite. Now some think Gohan would also attain the Super Saiyan Blue form, based on the dialogue Goku made in which Vegeta was able to reach it without having to go through the ritual that would turn him into a Super Saiyan God first. Worth nothing this is a reference as to how Goku and Vegeta both achieved their first Super Saiyan forms differently.
It's a little hard for me to grasp the idea of Gohan also achieving Super Saiyan Blue without the ritual of becoming a Super Saiyan God first, and furthermore not possessing God Ki. I can only think that during the ritual to make Goku a Super Saiyan God, traces of God Ki may have been left upon the participants. That would most likely explain Vegeta achieving Super Saiyan Blue, and not only makes it possible for Gohan, but for Goten, Trunks, and even Pan as well. But that is quite a stretch.
Will Gohan after his training with Piccolo play a vital role in the Champa Arc? Who knows. And speaking of which, that's what I, and everyone will be looking forward to, as the Champa Arc finally begins. I don't expect much in terms of technicality, but I do hope that the problems I have with the first 27 episodes of Dragon Ball Super would be mitigated, if not completely gone.
The Champa Arc in Dragon Ball Super begins January 24th at 9 am Japan Time as part of Fuji TV's "Strong 9" Anime Block alongside One Piece.
Deadpool Banned in China
The Merc with The Mouth may have talked more than he should as the Deadpool movie is banned in China.
As China is THE place to earn box office money, it's huge blow to Fox. While I can predict that Deadpool will be a box office hit in the US, more money is more money. And with China denying Deadpool, that's a lot LESS money to be earned.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Project X Zone 2 Demo
Those who have a Nintendo 3DS (I sadly don't) can get the demo of the upcoming "Project X Zone 2" game January 26 before the full version comes out next month. Project X Zone 2 is s tactical-RPG game featuring various characters from Bandai Namco (Tekken, Xenosaga), Sega (Virtua Fighter, Yakuza), Capcom (Street Fighter, Mega Man), and Nintendo (Fire Emblem)
Upcoming X-Men TV Series Not Tied to Films
Despite the upcoming "Legion" series based on the son of X-Men's Professor X, the FX produced series has no ties at all to the X-Men Film series.
Considering I'm not that deep into Marvel lore, anyway, as do most casual viewers, this may not be an issue. But for those that do know a lot about Legion and the X-Men, it could be a bit of a concern. I do hope, for Fox's sake they learned their lesson after the Fantastic Four fiasco.
Considering I'm not that deep into Marvel lore, anyway, as do most casual viewers, this may not be an issue. But for those that do know a lot about Legion and the X-Men, it could be a bit of a concern. I do hope, for Fox's sake they learned their lesson after the Fantastic Four fiasco.
Final Fantasy Illustrator Does David Bowie Art
The late, great David Bowie drawn by Yoshitaka Amano. Video Game fans will recognize Amano for his work as character illustrator for the Final Fantasy series. Anime fans also know Amano for his character designs in Vampire Hunter D.
To see more of Amano's artwork of David Bowie, you can read the short story by Neil Gaiman here.
Friday, January 15, 2016
The Fairly Oddparents - The Big Fairy Share Scare Review
So the much hyped (for good or bad) Season 10 premiere of The Fairly Oddparents is finally here. For the record I used to be an avid viewer of the Fairly Oddparents, enjoying its humor, likable characters and designs, and a coming-of-age storyline. That's until all of that were stripped away and the series has been nothing more but a shell of its former self.
The Channel Chasers movie in 2004 serve as the eventual end-game for the series, showing a now adult Timmy Turner living a normal life, while his children becomes to the new clients for Cosmo and Wanda. Over the last 12 years, several changes were made to the show so much that the events of Channel Chasers no longer exist.
At first I was fine with that, in part because I prefer more of Timmy ending up with Trixie than Tammy, and thought that would be the case after the 2009 movie Wishology. But once again, changes were made to the show that I've since given up for a closure to the series and moved on.
15 Years since the first Fairly Oddparents aired, we now have a brand new season introducing a brand new character to share the spotlight with our eternal 10-yr old.
As explained in the new opening and in the season premiere, Chloe Carmichael arrives not only as Timmy's new neighbor, but also his classmate. As Crocker puts it, Chloe is the exact polar opposite of Timmy Turner - smart, caring, rich. Essentially the perfect girl. Chloe's perfection irritates Timmy, yet comforts himself that he still has his godparents. That is until Jorgen arrives to report there is a fairy shortage and Timmy has to share Cosmo and Wanda with another kid - who turns out to be Chloe.
For the rest of the episode, Timmy uses his wishes in an attempt to keep Chloe from Cosmo and Wanda, but fails miserably and is forced to submit that he has to share. Chloe's first wish is for the world to share everything. As Timmy suspects, things end up bad with the world becoming quite chaotic. Chloe tries to undo the wish but Cosmo and Wanda lost their Fairy Wands to the center of the Earth. As everyone hides from the Mole People, it is revealed that Chloe isn't exactly the perfect girl as what it seems to be her caring good intentions turns out more harm than it should.
Timmy and Chloe then worked together to reclaim the wands and Chloe was able to reverse her wish after two attempts - the first because of Cosmo. Timmy and Chloe both accept one another (hint: Chloe is Timmy's possible new love interest) and agree to continue sharing the fairies.
Ever since Chloe was announced as a new character in the series, I suspect that, based entirely on her character design, that she is quite essentially a gender-bent Timmy Turner. And for the most part she is, only coated with having a perfect persona that's the opposite of Timmy's. She even sounds a bit like Timmy despite her voice being done by Kari Wahlgren and not by Tara Strong.
That made me wonder if secretly, Nickelodeon plans to make Chloe as the new protagonist and getting rid of Timmy Turner. Then again, the premiere focuses mostly on Timmy and not so much on Chloe. Do I like Chloe as a character? Well, I don't like Chloe on the basis that she is a copycat Timmy Turner, but there is room for character development for Chloe. That is, if there's even one on the show. Personally, I think it would have been a lot more interesting if Jimmy Neutron was the one chosen for Timmy to share faeries with, because of Jimmy's devotion to science. So his disbelief that magic exists would make some great stories.
The rest of the premiere still feature the show as the shell of its former self, though it is noticeable that Poof, the child of Cosmo & Wanda, and Sparky, the Fairy Dog, are nowhere to be seen. It's almost as though the show was returning to its roots like Adventure Time is doing, that is until Foop, the anti-Faerie of Poof, pops up. Vicky is also reduced to a cameo appearance. There is nothing funny in the episode as pretty much the whole presentation is your typical Fairly Oddparents episode.
So does this new season of The Fairly Oddparents bring me back? Not really. I'll leave the show to its own devices. The show may knock on my door again when they have an ACTUAL plot going on that leads to its endgame.
Adventure Time - King's Random Review
King's Ransom rounds up the week of premieres for Adventure Time and the start of an ongoing story arc that will continue in the episodes to come. It begins with Ice King raiding the Treehouse and accusing Finn & Jake of kidnapping Gunter. Now to be clear, the Gunter in question is THE Gunter that was Orgalorg in the Season 6 finale.
Finn & Jake decided to help out the Ice King and went to the Ice Kingdom for clues. They found a random note, telling the Ice King to surrender the Crown in exchange for Gunter. Finn & Jake initiate a stakeout to find the perpetrator, using the Crown as bait. A fox grabs the Crown, and Finn pursues it, only for the fox to meet with the other foxes and reveal several fake crowns as a distraction. As Finn & Jake go after all the foxes to find the real crown, Ice King visits the home of Mr. Fox and threatens to take some parts of the bed away. Mr. Fox told Ice King that someone was rounding up foxes to get the Crown and it was done via a makeshift telephone using a tin can and string.
Meanwhile, Gunter's kidnapper carefully examines the circuitry of the Crown and does a series of experiments on Gunter. You may recall that the Crown was made with a combination of magic and technology by Evergreen.
Finn, Jake and Ice King found the makeshift telephone and follows the string, only for Jake to screw it up and cut the line, losing the trail. The duo then discovers that the farther the crown is from Ice King, the shorter his nose gets, and the closer, the more his nose returns to his normal size. Using the Ice King's nose as a compass, they reach a Lava Cave, where they believe the kidnapper is. Ice King insists he goes alone while Finn & Jake step back.
Despite not having Ice Powers, the Ice King managed to cross the lava and meets the kidnapper, who happens to be Betty, now the new Magic Woman. Ice King doesn't recognize her but is enamored by the fact it's a woman, and offers to give both the Crown and Gunter in return for a hug. Betty tricks Ice King to close his eyes while she leaves, leaving the Crown and Gunter behind. Ice King felt something different upon wearing the Crown again, but nonetheless is happy he has it back along with Gunter, to which Finn & Jake saw the whole thing.
This episode is storyboarded by Andrew Salaff and Hanna K. Salaff did work on Regular Show and made the pilot "Ridin' with Burgess", while Hanna K is one of the new storyboarders for the show and did episodes for the Stakes mini-series, as well as writing and drawing the Spooktacular prequel comic.
As I mentioned in the start of this review, King's Ransom is the start of an ongoing story arc, with Betty taking the Crown and conducting experiments for reasons unknown, which will eventually be revealed later in the season. So speculations away.
I personally think that Betty may have some piece of her sanity left after being the new Magic Woman and is likely trying to tinker the Crown for clues, possibly to find away to cure the curse placed on Simon, and perhaps for herself as well. It's also possible Betty's attempts to tinker with the Crown may lead to the Ice Thing in the far future, as what we've seen in Graybles 1000+
And speaking of Betty, it's worth noting that Betty in this episode uses the tin can to alter her voice, done by Tom Herpich, as opposed to her natural voice originally by Lena Dunham. Not to talk about a conspiracy, but I think the reason Dunham didn't play Betty this time is probably due to the controversy surrounding her book "Not That Kind of Girl". I'm not gonna provide details into that, but you can find out by Googling it. It's also possible that Dunham simply wasn't available to reprise her role, or the AT staff couldn't afford her, much the same way the Steven Universe staff couldn't afford to pay Nicki Minaj to reprise her role as Sugilite, which is likely why we don't see the character much anymore.
All in all, King's Random ended with such a tease that I just want to know what happens next. I would personally place Bad Jubies and Angel Face as my top faves for this AT-Bomb, while Porpoise being my least favorite. Great work for the AT staff and a great week of premieres. Looking forward to its return alongside Steven Universe in the weeks to come.
And so this ends my review of this week's AT-Bomb. I'd like to personally thank everyone for subscribing to my Facebook group Animation Nation, which has a surge of members in the last few days. I truly appreciate it. I will, of couse, work very hard to provide news and views in the world of Cartoons, Anime and beyond.
So if you haven't visted Animation Nation yet, please visit it as well as Mastertoons Assembled on Facebook. If you don't have Facebook or prefer to check my news elsewhere, you can visit my Toon Inferno blog. Also check out the Mastertoons Podcast channel on Youtube. Links to all of these are in the video description, and finally, if you enjoy my videos, please subscribe.
Again, a huge thank you to all my viewers and subscribers for your support. As always, this is Ryoga316, thanks for watching guys, and hope to see you all next time.
Finn & Jake decided to help out the Ice King and went to the Ice Kingdom for clues. They found a random note, telling the Ice King to surrender the Crown in exchange for Gunter. Finn & Jake initiate a stakeout to find the perpetrator, using the Crown as bait. A fox grabs the Crown, and Finn pursues it, only for the fox to meet with the other foxes and reveal several fake crowns as a distraction. As Finn & Jake go after all the foxes to find the real crown, Ice King visits the home of Mr. Fox and threatens to take some parts of the bed away. Mr. Fox told Ice King that someone was rounding up foxes to get the Crown and it was done via a makeshift telephone using a tin can and string.
Meanwhile, Gunter's kidnapper carefully examines the circuitry of the Crown and does a series of experiments on Gunter. You may recall that the Crown was made with a combination of magic and technology by Evergreen.
Finn, Jake and Ice King found the makeshift telephone and follows the string, only for Jake to screw it up and cut the line, losing the trail. The duo then discovers that the farther the crown is from Ice King, the shorter his nose gets, and the closer, the more his nose returns to his normal size. Using the Ice King's nose as a compass, they reach a Lava Cave, where they believe the kidnapper is. Ice King insists he goes alone while Finn & Jake step back.
Despite not having Ice Powers, the Ice King managed to cross the lava and meets the kidnapper, who happens to be Betty, now the new Magic Woman. Ice King doesn't recognize her but is enamored by the fact it's a woman, and offers to give both the Crown and Gunter in return for a hug. Betty tricks Ice King to close his eyes while she leaves, leaving the Crown and Gunter behind. Ice King felt something different upon wearing the Crown again, but nonetheless is happy he has it back along with Gunter, to which Finn & Jake saw the whole thing.
This episode is storyboarded by Andrew Salaff and Hanna K. Salaff did work on Regular Show and made the pilot "Ridin' with Burgess", while Hanna K is one of the new storyboarders for the show and did episodes for the Stakes mini-series, as well as writing and drawing the Spooktacular prequel comic.
As I mentioned in the start of this review, King's Ransom is the start of an ongoing story arc, with Betty taking the Crown and conducting experiments for reasons unknown, which will eventually be revealed later in the season. So speculations away.
I personally think that Betty may have some piece of her sanity left after being the new Magic Woman and is likely trying to tinker the Crown for clues, possibly to find away to cure the curse placed on Simon, and perhaps for herself as well. It's also possible Betty's attempts to tinker with the Crown may lead to the Ice Thing in the far future, as what we've seen in Graybles 1000+
And speaking of Betty, it's worth noting that Betty in this episode uses the tin can to alter her voice, done by Tom Herpich, as opposed to her natural voice originally by Lena Dunham. Not to talk about a conspiracy, but I think the reason Dunham didn't play Betty this time is probably due to the controversy surrounding her book "Not That Kind of Girl". I'm not gonna provide details into that, but you can find out by Googling it. It's also possible that Dunham simply wasn't available to reprise her role, or the AT staff couldn't afford her, much the same way the Steven Universe staff couldn't afford to pay Nicki Minaj to reprise her role as Sugilite, which is likely why we don't see the character much anymore.
All in all, King's Random ended with such a tease that I just want to know what happens next. I would personally place Bad Jubies and Angel Face as my top faves for this AT-Bomb, while Porpoise being my least favorite. Great work for the AT staff and a great week of premieres. Looking forward to its return alongside Steven Universe in the weeks to come.
And so this ends my review of this week's AT-Bomb. I'd like to personally thank everyone for subscribing to my Facebook group Animation Nation, which has a surge of members in the last few days. I truly appreciate it. I will, of couse, work very hard to provide news and views in the world of Cartoons, Anime and beyond.
So if you haven't visted Animation Nation yet, please visit it as well as Mastertoons Assembled on Facebook. If you don't have Facebook or prefer to check my news elsewhere, you can visit my Toon Inferno blog. Also check out the Mastertoons Podcast channel on Youtube. Links to all of these are in the video description, and finally, if you enjoy my videos, please subscribe.
Again, a huge thank you to all my viewers and subscribers for your support. As always, this is Ryoga316, thanks for watching guys, and hope to see you all next time.
Mario & Link in Film/TV, finally?
Twitter news that the new President of Nintendo plans to expand their brand towards other mediums from theme parks to smart phone and even TV and movies.
Super Smash Bros. The Animation when?
Super Smash Bros. The Animation when?
First Trailer for Digimon Adventrue Tri Part 2
First Trailer of the 2nd Digimon Adventure Tri movie, coming March 12.
Digimon Adventure Tri is a 3 part movie series serves as a continuation to the first two seasons of the Digimon (Digimon Adventure 01 and 02) to celebrate the Anime series's 15th Anniversary.
Digimon Adventure Tri is a 3 part movie series serves as a continuation to the first two seasons of the Digimon (Digimon Adventure 01 and 02) to celebrate the Anime series's 15th Anniversary.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Adventure Time - Bad Jubies Review
"Bad Jubies" was actually previewed at the San Diego Comic Con in 2015 and is one of the few episodes from the series done by a guest storyboarder and/or animator, such as David O' Reilly's "A Glitch is A Glitch", and Masaaki Yuasa's "Food Chain". Bad Jubies is written and directed by Kirsten Lepore, known for her stop-motion shorts from 2008 to 2013, as well as working in animated segments for MTV and the Nick Jr show "Yo Gabba Gabba".
I've provided links in the video description for some of the work Lepore has made, including some advice when making stop-motion animation. So check those out.
In Bad Jubies, a what I would describe as an "Apocalyptic Storm" is on its way to Ooo that would last a month. So Finn & the gang decided to create a bunker for them to live until the weather clears itself. Jake, however, having a weird epiphany, chooses not to help Finn and the others to build a bunker.
The bunker is finally built and the gang went in to wait the storm out. LSP, being LSP, consumes all the food and water, which starts a ruckus within the group. Jake tells everyone that ever since the news of the storm, everyone's acting so negative, or the 'Bad Jubies', and revealed he was working on making various sounds of nature. The storm finally arrives and reveals to be sentient, ready to pound on Finn and the gang. The gang then do the nature sounds as the only way to defeat 'Bad Jubies' is with 'Good Jubies'. The storm stops its rampage and chose to be a breeze to enjoy the wonders of nature and life. Jake gives the storm his notebook of sheet music as it leaves. Everyone then commends Jake before an Eagle swoops LSP away.
This is one of the most beautifully made stop-motion animation I've seen and Lepore simply delivers. And good timing too, since the stop-motion film Anomalisa is also out in theaters to rave reviews. I'm just saddened that in the end credits, they did show some bits of how the episode was made, but due to time constraints, and the fact that Cartoon Network ditches the end credits scene for promotions, we can only see like 10 seconds of it.
Actually, I do notice that the end credits go much faster than in the previous seasons. I guess they did deliberately for the reasons I mentioned earlier.
Now because this is a guest-made episode, it is a stand-alone one and is not part of the continuity, which is fine because it is so well made both visually and in the narrative. LSP's persona adds to the comical element and Jake's optimism adds those good feelings or "Good Jubies" into the episode, which adds a positive message for the young viewer.
Like "A Glitch is A Glitch" and "Food Chain", "Bad Jubies" is another success for the show in giving creative freedom to guest animators and would like to see more of this in the near future. Wonder what it would take for the AT staff to lend the episode to Studio MadHouse or Studio Trigger? I'd pay top-dollar for an action packed Adventure Time episode from the studio behind One Punch Man, or Kill la Kill.
I've provided links in the video description for some of the work Lepore has made, including some advice when making stop-motion animation. So check those out.
In Bad Jubies, a what I would describe as an "Apocalyptic Storm" is on its way to Ooo that would last a month. So Finn & the gang decided to create a bunker for them to live until the weather clears itself. Jake, however, having a weird epiphany, chooses not to help Finn and the others to build a bunker.
The bunker is finally built and the gang went in to wait the storm out. LSP, being LSP, consumes all the food and water, which starts a ruckus within the group. Jake tells everyone that ever since the news of the storm, everyone's acting so negative, or the 'Bad Jubies', and revealed he was working on making various sounds of nature. The storm finally arrives and reveals to be sentient, ready to pound on Finn and the gang. The gang then do the nature sounds as the only way to defeat 'Bad Jubies' is with 'Good Jubies'. The storm stops its rampage and chose to be a breeze to enjoy the wonders of nature and life. Jake gives the storm his notebook of sheet music as it leaves. Everyone then commends Jake before an Eagle swoops LSP away.
This is one of the most beautifully made stop-motion animation I've seen and Lepore simply delivers. And good timing too, since the stop-motion film Anomalisa is also out in theaters to rave reviews. I'm just saddened that in the end credits, they did show some bits of how the episode was made, but due to time constraints, and the fact that Cartoon Network ditches the end credits scene for promotions, we can only see like 10 seconds of it.
Actually, I do notice that the end credits go much faster than in the previous seasons. I guess they did deliberately for the reasons I mentioned earlier.
Now because this is a guest-made episode, it is a stand-alone one and is not part of the continuity, which is fine because it is so well made both visually and in the narrative. LSP's persona adds to the comical element and Jake's optimism adds those good feelings or "Good Jubies" into the episode, which adds a positive message for the young viewer.
Like "A Glitch is A Glitch" and "Food Chain", "Bad Jubies" is another success for the show in giving creative freedom to guest animators and would like to see more of this in the near future. Wonder what it would take for the AT staff to lend the episode to Studio MadHouse or Studio Trigger? I'd pay top-dollar for an action packed Adventure Time episode from the studio behind One Punch Man, or Kill la Kill.
Legion of Superheroes in Arrow/Flash/Legends?
A 'hint' of the Legion of Superheroes will pop-up in the Arrow-verse.
Some of you may remember this from the animated series back then that featured a young Superman stuck in the far future. The Legion of Superheres were also featured in Bruce Timm's Justice League: Unlimited, where Supergirl chose to stay with them in part because she and the future Braniac were lovers.
Some of you may remember this from the animated series back then that featured a young Superman stuck in the far future. The Legion of Superheres were also featured in Bruce Timm's Justice League: Unlimited, where Supergirl chose to stay with them in part because she and the future Braniac were lovers.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Adventure Time - Blank-Eyed Girl Review
Somvilay and Seo are back in this one with the episode "Blank-Eyed Girl". It begins with Starchy's program announcing it is now in its 5th Anniversary. COincidentally, it's also around that long ago when Adventure Time first aired on Cartoon Network. In one of Starchy's segments, he talks about various appearances of a mysterious girl with blank eyes, hence the title. Jake dismisses the claim, however.
In typical horror-style fashion, as Finn & Jake return to the Treehouse, they did encounter the Blank-Eyed Girl, which got them screaming. Finn then reports of the sighting to Starchy's program. Starchy suggests to not invite the girl inside, as per the Vampire Rules to avoid being a victim. (Kinda weird since Marceline is always welcome in the Treehouse)
When that didn't work and the girl was inside, Starchy suggested using Fairy Rules by offering Cream in a Saucer Plate. And when THAT didn't work, they tried playing the Clarinet, which invited other Blank-Eyed Girls in the treehouse. When Starchy thinks the Blank-Eyed Girls are the undead, he suggested bringing a chicken. But Finn notes their chicken ran away. (This is a referrence to episode "BMO NOire" where BMO questions the chicken Lorraine regarding Finn's missing sock before Lorraine left) So Jake has play the part, much to his chagrin.
Jake has had enough of Starchy's suggestions, so he and Finn head for Turtle Princess's library to find a solution. Finn figures that the Blind-Eyed Girls were "Tulpas" - physical manifestations of concentrated collective thought, which all began when Starchy first reported of the Blank-Eyed Girl 5 years ago. Ironically, Finn learned it all from Starchy's show.
So the only way to deal with the Blind-Eyed Girls is to not believe they exist. But the girls were too much to ignore for Jake, to which he gave up. In the end, the girls are revealed to be actual spirits in disguise before leaving Finn & Jake alone, wondering what was that all about.
While not as good as "Angel Face", Blank-Eyed Girl does have a creepy factor that would've counted it as a Halloween episode. Blank-Eyed Girl also provides references to previous episodes. When Finn argues that they have seen a lot of weird stuff despite Jake's criticism of Starchy's program, it refers, in part, to the events of Stakes among others.
Another is when they encounter the Blank-Eyed Girl for the first time, notice that there's already piles of loot in their Treasure Room. You may recall Finn & Jake spent pretty much all but one gold coin in the episode "Furniture & Meat". So it's safe to say that since then, Finn & Jake re-accumulated all of their loot back.
You know, that I mention it, I guess it's pretty easy to earn Gold and other stuff in the World of Ooo. Makes me ALMOST wish I was there so I can be rich. I said 'ALMOST". Though an Adventure Time game in the style of RPGs like Diablo where you can get random loot to keep or sell would be a good idea and something I would play.
There's also an animation error that's clearly visible. When they received a box of pizza, the camera pans to Finn & Jake for a moment, and when we return to see the counter, the pizza box was gone. Quite a visible one, but it doesn't affect the episode in any way.
Also I find it weird to Finn & Jake's reactions to the real forms of the Blind-Eyed Girls, considering it's not the first time they've encountered spirits. Still overall, not a bad episode and I enjoyed it.
In typical horror-style fashion, as Finn & Jake return to the Treehouse, they did encounter the Blank-Eyed Girl, which got them screaming. Finn then reports of the sighting to Starchy's program. Starchy suggests to not invite the girl inside, as per the Vampire Rules to avoid being a victim. (Kinda weird since Marceline is always welcome in the Treehouse)
When that didn't work and the girl was inside, Starchy suggested using Fairy Rules by offering Cream in a Saucer Plate. And when THAT didn't work, they tried playing the Clarinet, which invited other Blank-Eyed Girls in the treehouse. When Starchy thinks the Blank-Eyed Girls are the undead, he suggested bringing a chicken. But Finn notes their chicken ran away. (This is a referrence to episode "BMO NOire" where BMO questions the chicken Lorraine regarding Finn's missing sock before Lorraine left) So Jake has play the part, much to his chagrin.
Jake has had enough of Starchy's suggestions, so he and Finn head for Turtle Princess's library to find a solution. Finn figures that the Blind-Eyed Girls were "Tulpas" - physical manifestations of concentrated collective thought, which all began when Starchy first reported of the Blank-Eyed Girl 5 years ago. Ironically, Finn learned it all from Starchy's show.
So the only way to deal with the Blind-Eyed Girls is to not believe they exist. But the girls were too much to ignore for Jake, to which he gave up. In the end, the girls are revealed to be actual spirits in disguise before leaving Finn & Jake alone, wondering what was that all about.
While not as good as "Angel Face", Blank-Eyed Girl does have a creepy factor that would've counted it as a Halloween episode. Blank-Eyed Girl also provides references to previous episodes. When Finn argues that they have seen a lot of weird stuff despite Jake's criticism of Starchy's program, it refers, in part, to the events of Stakes among others.
Another is when they encounter the Blank-Eyed Girl for the first time, notice that there's already piles of loot in their Treasure Room. You may recall Finn & Jake spent pretty much all but one gold coin in the episode "Furniture & Meat". So it's safe to say that since then, Finn & Jake re-accumulated all of their loot back.
You know, that I mention it, I guess it's pretty easy to earn Gold and other stuff in the World of Ooo. Makes me ALMOST wish I was there so I can be rich. I said 'ALMOST". Though an Adventure Time game in the style of RPGs like Diablo where you can get random loot to keep or sell would be a good idea and something I would play.
There's also an animation error that's clearly visible. When they received a box of pizza, the camera pans to Finn & Jake for a moment, and when we return to see the counter, the pizza box was gone. Quite a visible one, but it doesn't affect the episode in any way.
Also I find it weird to Finn & Jake's reactions to the real forms of the Blind-Eyed Girls, considering it's not the first time they've encountered spirits. Still overall, not a bad episode and I enjoyed it.
BEHOLD! MEWTWO IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!
Seriously, the Church of England thinks Mewtwo is a Christian Role Model. As a Roman Catholic, I cannot for the life of me, fathom what my 'brothers' are thinking.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Adventure Time - President Porpoise is Missing Review
President Porpoise is Missing is actually three different plots in one episode. The story begins when news came out that President Porpoise, the dolphin who Jake video chats from time to time, has gone missing. The duo and BMO head out to find the President, with Banana Man and Ice King, who happen to be hiding inside the Treehouse because they're lonely, tagging along.
Apparently, Ice King and Banana Man aren't the only ones hiding.....
Although a party of five, Finn, Jake, and Banana Man were the only ones heading out underwater, while BMO is tasked to distract the Ice King on the beach doing their own imaginary adventure, which sets up the first subplot.
Deep underwater, a council of sentient marine life have a meeting over President Porpoise's disappearance, and the Vice President Blowfish insisting he succeeded as the new president. Finn & Jake crashed the meeting and offered their services to find President Porpoise. Banana Man meanwhile, struggles to socialize until he meets Representavie Sybil, one of the council members. The two then hang out, setting up the final subplot of the episode.
The episode alters between the three plots - Finn & Jake suspect Blowfish had something to do with Porpoise's interference; BMO and Ice King continue to pretend they're in a submarine on the beach; and Banana Man doing a song number of how much he's in love with Sybil.
In the end, President Porpoise returns to the council, revealing he was on a three-day vacation and that his disappearance was a misunderstanding. Ice King decides to go home, while Finn & Jake remain trapped in the submarine unable to figure out the controls, because Banana Man is still hanging out with Sybil.
The episode is both a hit and miss for me, personally. On the one hand, it had a lot of comedic moments that were laugh out loud funny. On the other, all three stories were flat out bland. The song number performed by Weird Al Yankovic didn't help elevate the episode at all. It is worth noting that Finn in this episode is no longer afraid of the Ocean and is able to travel underwater without incident.
Word has it that chronoligcally speaking, this episode is set some time before the events of Stakes. Now I am unsure of that is true, but even if it did, it's irrelevant as this episode is pretty much a stand alone, unless Banana Man's relationship with Sybil is something that will be referenced in a future episode.
All-in-all, I'd watch this episode just for the funny parts, but it is skippable thanks to its bland story, and not so impressibe musical number, even from someone as great as Weird Al. It's a bit disappointing considering Kent Osbone is the co-storyboarder of this episode. Osborne is one of the most senior storyboarders of the show and did the episodes "My Two Favorite People" and "Jake The Brick" - both episodes won accolades. That said, not every episode boarded by Osborne is top of the line, and this is just a "bump in the road", so to speak.
Apparently, Ice King and Banana Man aren't the only ones hiding.....
Although a party of five, Finn, Jake, and Banana Man were the only ones heading out underwater, while BMO is tasked to distract the Ice King on the beach doing their own imaginary adventure, which sets up the first subplot.
Deep underwater, a council of sentient marine life have a meeting over President Porpoise's disappearance, and the Vice President Blowfish insisting he succeeded as the new president. Finn & Jake crashed the meeting and offered their services to find President Porpoise. Banana Man meanwhile, struggles to socialize until he meets Representavie Sybil, one of the council members. The two then hang out, setting up the final subplot of the episode.
The episode alters between the three plots - Finn & Jake suspect Blowfish had something to do with Porpoise's interference; BMO and Ice King continue to pretend they're in a submarine on the beach; and Banana Man doing a song number of how much he's in love with Sybil.
In the end, President Porpoise returns to the council, revealing he was on a three-day vacation and that his disappearance was a misunderstanding. Ice King decides to go home, while Finn & Jake remain trapped in the submarine unable to figure out the controls, because Banana Man is still hanging out with Sybil.
The episode is both a hit and miss for me, personally. On the one hand, it had a lot of comedic moments that were laugh out loud funny. On the other, all three stories were flat out bland. The song number performed by Weird Al Yankovic didn't help elevate the episode at all. It is worth noting that Finn in this episode is no longer afraid of the Ocean and is able to travel underwater without incident.
Word has it that chronoligcally speaking, this episode is set some time before the events of Stakes. Now I am unsure of that is true, but even if it did, it's irrelevant as this episode is pretty much a stand alone, unless Banana Man's relationship with Sybil is something that will be referenced in a future episode.
All-in-all, I'd watch this episode just for the funny parts, but it is skippable thanks to its bland story, and not so impressibe musical number, even from someone as great as Weird Al. It's a bit disappointing considering Kent Osbone is the co-storyboarder of this episode. Osborne is one of the most senior storyboarders of the show and did the episodes "My Two Favorite People" and "Jake The Brick" - both episodes won accolades. That said, not every episode boarded by Osborne is top of the line, and this is just a "bump in the road", so to speak.
My Hero Academia Anime Airdate Announced
My Hero Academia is based on the manga of the same name by Kohei Horikoshi and is of an ordinary boy attending a school of superpowered beings in hopes of becoming a hero himself.
Personally, I see this as way to satisfy my cravings for Superhero Animes until One Punch Man returns.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Adventure Time - Angel Face Review
First up, we have Angel Face storyboarded by the duo of Somvilay Xayaphone and Seo Kim. It begins with BMO making a bunch of Special Sentient Sandwiches for Jake to eat, in exchange of becoming a horse for BMO's Live-Action Role Play (or LARP) of the Robot Cowboy 'Angel Face' hunting down the outlaw 'Jackrabbit Johnson', played by Finn.
Unbeknownest to BMO and the others, an actual bounty hunter mistook Finn as the real outlaw and attempts to turn him in for the reward. BMO nonetheless continues her role play and it was revealed that the person who kidnapped Finn was none other than Me-Mow himself.
(Or was it herself? I don't think Me-Mow's gender was ever stated other than the character is voiced by Kyla Rae Kowalewski, also known as the voice of Anais in Gumball)
Thanks to BMO's quick thinking, he was able to free Finn while keeping Me-Mow distracted, allowing Finn to knock the former assassin out. Me-Mow is then imprisoned in the Candy Kingdom and vows revenge as Finn, Jake and BMO head home. But not until they encounter an armadillo who also mistook Finn as an outlaw.
The current season of Adventure Time continues its trend of returning to its roots and allowing more comedy and adventure for the dynamic duo, though in this case, the adventure part is on BMO, but it's all good. It's also nice to see a familiar face back again after a long time. In addition to Me-Mow's return, NEPTR also made an appearance explaining where he's been the last time we saw him in the show.
At first I was a bit worried that BMO may have created another personality after Football, but this one does seem as though BMO is simply role-playing the entire time. The episode also has a short song number, and while it's not written and composed by Rebecca Sugar, it's not bad at all.
I am surprised that the opening scene shows BMO making these living sandwiches that will end up being eaten by Jake. Strangely, the sandwiches kept on smiling as they get eaten alive. This isn't one of those subtle messages the staff at Adventure Time use to bypass the censors. This is completely out in the open that a living being is being eaten! I guess considering that in Gumball, Anton gets eaten a lot for comedic effect, the same applies here with the sentient sandwiches.
All-in-All, great episode and a great start for this week's "AT-bomb". Looking forward to the next one.
Unbeknownest to BMO and the others, an actual bounty hunter mistook Finn as the real outlaw and attempts to turn him in for the reward. BMO nonetheless continues her role play and it was revealed that the person who kidnapped Finn was none other than Me-Mow himself.
(Or was it herself? I don't think Me-Mow's gender was ever stated other than the character is voiced by Kyla Rae Kowalewski, also known as the voice of Anais in Gumball)
Thanks to BMO's quick thinking, he was able to free Finn while keeping Me-Mow distracted, allowing Finn to knock the former assassin out. Me-Mow is then imprisoned in the Candy Kingdom and vows revenge as Finn, Jake and BMO head home. But not until they encounter an armadillo who also mistook Finn as an outlaw.
The current season of Adventure Time continues its trend of returning to its roots and allowing more comedy and adventure for the dynamic duo, though in this case, the adventure part is on BMO, but it's all good. It's also nice to see a familiar face back again after a long time. In addition to Me-Mow's return, NEPTR also made an appearance explaining where he's been the last time we saw him in the show.
At first I was a bit worried that BMO may have created another personality after Football, but this one does seem as though BMO is simply role-playing the entire time. The episode also has a short song number, and while it's not written and composed by Rebecca Sugar, it's not bad at all.
I am surprised that the opening scene shows BMO making these living sandwiches that will end up being eaten by Jake. Strangely, the sandwiches kept on smiling as they get eaten alive. This isn't one of those subtle messages the staff at Adventure Time use to bypass the censors. This is completely out in the open that a living being is being eaten! I guess considering that in Gumball, Anton gets eaten a lot for comedic effect, the same applies here with the sentient sandwiches.
All-in-All, great episode and a great start for this week's "AT-bomb". Looking forward to the next one.
NEW Fairly Oddparents Theme Song
Oh. God. No.
And no, this isn't a joke. This new theme song has been available for viewing on the Nick website.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
'Monster Hunt' to be released in the US
You can check out the official US trailer here.
CW Seed's 'Vixen' Season 2 Announced
So Yahoo reported that the animated mini-series 'Vixen', a spin-off of the Arrow series, is to get another season.
I am a fan of 'Arrow' and 'The Flash' on the CW, but I could never enjoy this spin-off, as I explained in my short review here. Since Season 2's coming, I'm only hoping for the show's sake it fixes all the problems in the previous season, which is EVERYTHING.
I am a fan of 'Arrow' and 'The Flash' on the CW, but I could never enjoy this spin-off, as I explained in my short review here. Since Season 2's coming, I'm only hoping for the show's sake it fixes all the problems in the previous season, which is EVERYTHING.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Steven Universe - Log Date 7 15 2 Review
There is a section of this review in brackets of which I've chosen to emit in the video version in part due to time constraints and I was so per-occupied with other things that I thought it would be a waste to feature the segment.
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Log Date 7 15 2 is the last episode of the current Stevenbomb before the show goes into another hiatus. It chronicles Peridot's everyday life in the days after the events of Message Received. Aside from understanding the world around her, a key element of her log is her relationship with Garnet, and the two show quite a chemistry. Garnet was so proud of Peridot's progress as a Crystal Gem, that she even offered to fuse with her. Although the fusion never came to be, the two did became more friendlier than ever.
I am betting $5 fans will be calling for more Peridot / Garnet pairings. Perinet? Garidot? I don't know. Some even think that the fusion of Garnet and Peridot would be something like 'Jade'. All we know for now is that Peridot and Garnet are getting along very well, so we can expect a fusion from them somewhere down the road.
This is also what I've been wanting to see in the show ever since they hinted that Peridot, Lapis, and even Jasper would become part of the regular cast - the slice-of-life scneario. Now to be frank, slice-of-life, or slightly twisted depiction of everyday life in a series, is not exactly my favorite type of genre. In fact, I get super bored with slice-of-life shows like Lucky Star, for example. There are a few exceptions, such as Robot Girls Z, and though not exactly a slice-of-life series, but has elements of it, Cromartie High School.
The reason why I favor slice-of-life in Steven Universe, even though I ain't a fan of it, is that it actually fits the current and upcoming storyline of these other gems trying to adjust to life on Earth. I just find it interesting how Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper would interact with the new world while Steven and the main Crystal Gems serve as guides. Adding comedy to the mix, just as we see in this episode with Peridot, all the more makes this idea more interesting to watch, for me at least.
With the exception of 'It Could Have Been Great', this is quite an interesting bomb and a fun one at that. Furthermore, Peridot has now established herself as part of the regular cast, and pretty much provide more than enough to be a very likable character. I also commend the staff for making good interactions with Peridot and the rest of the cast, though I am disappointed Peridot didn't get to interact with Connie.
Sadly, with the end of the bomb means another hiatus for the show, which is expected because they can't produce these episodes fast enough. Nor do I want the staff to make them quickly, unless you want the show to end up like Dragon Ball Super. But take heart. There's plenty of other shows from Cartoon Network and beyond that will satisfy our appetite until Steven Universe returns.
Thank you guys for sticking around for my review of this week's Stevenbomb. As always, for news and views on Cartoons, Anime, and beyond, check out my blog site Toon Inferno; also check out Animation Nation, and Mastertoons Assembled on Facebook, and the Mastertoons Podcast channel on Youtube. Links are in the video description. And if you enjoy my videos, please subscribe.
This is Ryoga316, thanks for watching guys. And hope to see you all next time.....
------
Log Date 7 15 2 is the last episode of the current Stevenbomb before the show goes into another hiatus. It chronicles Peridot's everyday life in the days after the events of Message Received. Aside from understanding the world around her, a key element of her log is her relationship with Garnet, and the two show quite a chemistry. Garnet was so proud of Peridot's progress as a Crystal Gem, that she even offered to fuse with her. Although the fusion never came to be, the two did became more friendlier than ever.
I am betting $5 fans will be calling for more Peridot / Garnet pairings. Perinet? Garidot? I don't know. Some even think that the fusion of Garnet and Peridot would be something like 'Jade'. All we know for now is that Peridot and Garnet are getting along very well, so we can expect a fusion from them somewhere down the road.
This is also what I've been wanting to see in the show ever since they hinted that Peridot, Lapis, and even Jasper would become part of the regular cast - the slice-of-life scneario. Now to be frank, slice-of-life, or slightly twisted depiction of everyday life in a series, is not exactly my favorite type of genre. In fact, I get super bored with slice-of-life shows like Lucky Star, for example. There are a few exceptions, such as Robot Girls Z, and though not exactly a slice-of-life series, but has elements of it, Cromartie High School.
The reason why I favor slice-of-life in Steven Universe, even though I ain't a fan of it, is that it actually fits the current and upcoming storyline of these other gems trying to adjust to life on Earth. I just find it interesting how Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper would interact with the new world while Steven and the main Crystal Gems serve as guides. Adding comedy to the mix, just as we see in this episode with Peridot, all the more makes this idea more interesting to watch, for me at least.
With the exception of 'It Could Have Been Great', this is quite an interesting bomb and a fun one at that. Furthermore, Peridot has now established herself as part of the regular cast, and pretty much provide more than enough to be a very likable character. I also commend the staff for making good interactions with Peridot and the rest of the cast, though I am disappointed Peridot didn't get to interact with Connie.
Sadly, with the end of the bomb means another hiatus for the show, which is expected because they can't produce these episodes fast enough. Nor do I want the staff to make them quickly, unless you want the show to end up like Dragon Ball Super. But take heart. There's plenty of other shows from Cartoon Network and beyond that will satisfy our appetite until Steven Universe returns.
[On that note, while we wait, I might as well recommend some Anime for you guys to watch, if you haven't seen them already as these play a vital role in inspiring the creation of Steven Universe.
First off, you may notice a good chunk of the Steven Universe cast are female (nevermind the Gem part). With the exception of Connie, none of them have any romantic feelings towards Steven. This is a subversion of the Harem trope, where the protagonist gets surrounded by other people who all want to make out with the protagonist - and are willing to fight for it. So my first recommendation is the "No Need For Tenchi" franchise, or "Tenchi Muyo" in Japan, which made the Harem trope popular, if not started it. There are several versions of Tenchi Muyo over the years, but I prefer the Original Animation Video or OAV series that started it all, but the TV version is also worth checking out, for 'family-friendly' reasons.
The second is Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira", which inspired the episode 'Cat Fingers'. Akira is hailed as one of the greatest animated and science fiction films of all time, and many well known Hollywood works, such as the Matrix Trilogy. are inspired by Akira. I do recommend the manga over the film as it expands the story further and is a much better experience as to what made Akira great.
Finally, if you're a fan of giant robots, then here are two mecha Anime that also inspired Steven Universe. First up, the ending scene from the episode 'The Test' was clearly based of the TV version of Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of the all time Anime classics. Another is Garnet's use of her Flying Fists, which is taken from the famous Rocket Punch attack of Mazinger Z. Now the original Mazinger Z Anime from the 70's is quite hard to get, but you can check out the 2001 OAV series MazinKaiser, and the 2009 TV series Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact. Both are available on DVD.]
Thank you guys for sticking around for my review of this week's Stevenbomb. As always, for news and views on Cartoons, Anime, and beyond, check out my blog site Toon Inferno; also check out Animation Nation, and Mastertoons Assembled on Facebook, and the Mastertoons Podcast channel on Youtube. Links are in the video description. And if you enjoy my videos, please subscribe.
This is Ryoga316, thanks for watching guys. And hope to see you all next time.....
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Goodbye, Pacific Rim
Another sad blow for Guillermo del Toro as the sequel to Pacific Rim is shelved indefinitely.
I honestly feel bad for the guy as he's gone through a string of bad luck lately. Silent Hills canceled, Crimson Peak not a box office hit, not involved in Justice League Dark, etc. I do hope things turn around better for him soon and we get to see Pacific Rim back in some form.
I honestly feel bad for the guy as he's gone through a string of bad luck lately. Silent Hills canceled, Crimson Peak not a box office hit, not involved in Justice League Dark, etc. I do hope things turn around better for him soon and we get to see Pacific Rim back in some form.
Steven Universe - Message Received Review
"Message Received" continues where the last episode left off. Steven is heartbroken that Peridot remains loyal to Yellow Diamond and is determined to finish her mission of destroying the Earth. Steven then grabs the diamond Peridot acquired back at the moon, which gives a direct line to Yellow Diamond and chaos ensues. I know it's supposed to be a bit of an action sequence, but I was just laughing throughout the whole ordeal.
We then finally get to see Yellow Diamond for the first time, along with her Pearl, which I dig because of how her persona is far different from Crystal Gem Pearl, and the one from Blue Diamond. I've actually seen Yellow Diamond from the preview so all I can say is that she's DEFINITELY a giraffe with that weird long neck of hers. As Peridot is about to give her report, she suddenly have a change of heart (do Gems have hearts? I don't know) and proposes to stop the Cluster from destroying the Earth. This infuriates Yellow Diamond to which Peridot tells her off and terminates the conversation.
In Mission Impossible fashion, the diamond communicator is to self-destruct in a few seconds, of which Garnet quickly disposes of it. Everyone then celebrates Peridot now officially being part of the Crystal Gems - whether she likes it or not.
For an episode where everything comes to a head, it turned out to be amazingly quite funny and entertaining. There's also lots of images in the episode that will definitely be used as memes. In fact, as I was doing this review, I've seen much of social media already making use of images of Yellow Diamond and the Yellow Pearl by the hundreds - I kid you not.
All and all, I'd pick this as the best of this week's Stevenbomb. Definitely an enjoyable episode.
We then finally get to see Yellow Diamond for the first time, along with her Pearl, which I dig because of how her persona is far different from Crystal Gem Pearl, and the one from Blue Diamond. I've actually seen Yellow Diamond from the preview so all I can say is that she's DEFINITELY a giraffe with that weird long neck of hers. As Peridot is about to give her report, she suddenly have a change of heart (do Gems have hearts? I don't know) and proposes to stop the Cluster from destroying the Earth. This infuriates Yellow Diamond to which Peridot tells her off and terminates the conversation.
In Mission Impossible fashion, the diamond communicator is to self-destruct in a few seconds, of which Garnet quickly disposes of it. Everyone then celebrates Peridot now officially being part of the Crystal Gems - whether she likes it or not.
For an episode where everything comes to a head, it turned out to be amazingly quite funny and entertaining. There's also lots of images in the episode that will definitely be used as memes. In fact, as I was doing this review, I've seen much of social media already making use of images of Yellow Diamond and the Yellow Pearl by the hundreds - I kid you not.
All and all, I'd pick this as the best of this week's Stevenbomb. Definitely an enjoyable episode.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Steven Universe - It Could Have Been Great Review
Before I get to review today's episode of Steven Universe. I'd like to give some quick thoughts of a recent event regarding the show. Earlier this week, there's been numerous complaints from fans of the show, more specifically those within the LGBT community, over the censorship of the episode "We Need To Talk" for the UK broadcast.
The scene in question is where Rose and Pearl do their dance in order to fuse into Rainbow Quartz and at one point, the two were very close to each other almost as though they were about to kiss. Cartoon Network's UK division felt that scene was a bit too inappropriate and edited it out. Now there's a petition to ask Cartoon Network's UK branch to reinstate the scene in future broadcasts.
For the record, I'm a lefty, but I can see the reason for it to be edited out from a conservative point of view. And to be fair, only that scene is cut while everything else is intact. So Pearl's affection towards Rose remains nonetheless. It's just that, from the censors' perspective, it's a bit much seeing two characters that are seemingly of the same gender into a position like that.
Now I said 'seemingly' because Rebecca Sugar and the rest of the Steven Universe staff has said time, and time again, that the gems in Steven Universe are genderless because, quite simply, they're just space rocks. They are given female characteristics and pronouns for the sake of simplicity. Feel free to see the relationship between Pearl and Rose, and Ruby and Sapphire, as a metaphorical representation of love between those of the same gender. But as far as the narrative of Steven Universe is considered, the gems are primarily genderless that chose to take female form, again for simplicity's sake. They can, if they want to, take the form of males as we see with Amethyst.
With that said, while I am disappointed that that scene was cut from the UK broadcast, it does virtually no impact at all to the overall narrative of the episode, the show, or its characters. Furthermore, this is not the first time a CN Original gets censored in the UK as there have been numerous other shows that receive the same treament. Rating systems differ from region to region. So what is considered appropriate in Japan, for example, may not be as much in the US or Europe. So this really is not surprising. At the very least, these censorships are not as heavy as the Austalian versions as Australia is notorious for making HUGE edits of shows from Cartoon Network and broadcasting these versions throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Now that I mentioned it, I did not hear anything about the Australian broadcast doing any editing as far as Steven Universe is concerned, nor does the UK broadcast edited any intimate scenes involving Ruby & Sapphire. So this case of a small edit in "We Need to Talk" could be an isolated incident and therefore, I find it not really that much of a big deal.
Ok, now that's settled, the next segment after the break is my review of today's episode of Steven Universe. Like the previous two, it has spoilers, so stop the video right now if you don't want to get spoiled. Otherwise, my review begins right after the break.
-----
"It could Have Been Great" takes the series back the ongoing story arc involving Peridot. To be honest, this entire episode is just a setup to the next episode "Message Received". The episode only provides supplemental information of the world of Steven Universe, namely how different is Earth in the show from that of our own, who really rules Homeworld, and what would happen if the Gems did have their way with Earth.
So in short, the episode is a whole lot of nothing happened yet and the real plot is in the next episode. So I'll use this time to give my rant on something else.....
-----
So today, Frederator, the studio behind Adventure Time and The Fairly Oddparents, has announced in their official Facebook Page of the latter starting its 10th Season on January 15th on Nickelodeon. When asked about the status of season 3 of Bravest Warriors, the Frederator Facebook Page replied that Bravest Warriors will return AFTER all episodes of Bee & Puppycat are out.
~Are~~~~~
~~You~~~~~
~~~Freaking~~~~~
KIDDING ME?!
I. Am. Apalled. That one of the most anticipated web series is now at the mercy of another web series with an absolutely horrible management. Say what you want about Bee & Puppycat, but the fact that the 5th & 6th episodes of Bee & Puppycat has only been released EXCLUSIVELY to Kickstarter members and has yet to be available to the public, and STILL NOTHING about the final 3 episodes. This is BS Level Over 9000, folks. And I'm simply done with Bee & Puppycat and its management. And I'm ending it right here.
The scene in question is where Rose and Pearl do their dance in order to fuse into Rainbow Quartz and at one point, the two were very close to each other almost as though they were about to kiss. Cartoon Network's UK division felt that scene was a bit too inappropriate and edited it out. Now there's a petition to ask Cartoon Network's UK branch to reinstate the scene in future broadcasts.
For the record, I'm a lefty, but I can see the reason for it to be edited out from a conservative point of view. And to be fair, only that scene is cut while everything else is intact. So Pearl's affection towards Rose remains nonetheless. It's just that, from the censors' perspective, it's a bit much seeing two characters that are seemingly of the same gender into a position like that.
Now I said 'seemingly' because Rebecca Sugar and the rest of the Steven Universe staff has said time, and time again, that the gems in Steven Universe are genderless because, quite simply, they're just space rocks. They are given female characteristics and pronouns for the sake of simplicity. Feel free to see the relationship between Pearl and Rose, and Ruby and Sapphire, as a metaphorical representation of love between those of the same gender. But as far as the narrative of Steven Universe is considered, the gems are primarily genderless that chose to take female form, again for simplicity's sake. They can, if they want to, take the form of males as we see with Amethyst.
With that said, while I am disappointed that that scene was cut from the UK broadcast, it does virtually no impact at all to the overall narrative of the episode, the show, or its characters. Furthermore, this is not the first time a CN Original gets censored in the UK as there have been numerous other shows that receive the same treament. Rating systems differ from region to region. So what is considered appropriate in Japan, for example, may not be as much in the US or Europe. So this really is not surprising. At the very least, these censorships are not as heavy as the Austalian versions as Australia is notorious for making HUGE edits of shows from Cartoon Network and broadcasting these versions throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Now that I mentioned it, I did not hear anything about the Australian broadcast doing any editing as far as Steven Universe is concerned, nor does the UK broadcast edited any intimate scenes involving Ruby & Sapphire. So this case of a small edit in "We Need to Talk" could be an isolated incident and therefore, I find it not really that much of a big deal.
Ok, now that's settled, the next segment after the break is my review of today's episode of Steven Universe. Like the previous two, it has spoilers, so stop the video right now if you don't want to get spoiled. Otherwise, my review begins right after the break.
-----
"It could Have Been Great" takes the series back the ongoing story arc involving Peridot. To be honest, this entire episode is just a setup to the next episode "Message Received". The episode only provides supplemental information of the world of Steven Universe, namely how different is Earth in the show from that of our own, who really rules Homeworld, and what would happen if the Gems did have their way with Earth.
So in short, the episode is a whole lot of nothing happened yet and the real plot is in the next episode. So I'll use this time to give my rant on something else.....
-----
So today, Frederator, the studio behind Adventure Time and The Fairly Oddparents, has announced in their official Facebook Page of the latter starting its 10th Season on January 15th on Nickelodeon. When asked about the status of season 3 of Bravest Warriors, the Frederator Facebook Page replied that Bravest Warriors will return AFTER all episodes of Bee & Puppycat are out.
~Are~~~~~
~~You~~~~~
~~~Freaking~~~~~
KIDDING ME?!
I. Am. Apalled. That one of the most anticipated web series is now at the mercy of another web series with an absolutely horrible management. Say what you want about Bee & Puppycat, but the fact that the 5th & 6th episodes of Bee & Puppycat has only been released EXCLUSIVELY to Kickstarter members and has yet to be available to the public, and STILL NOTHING about the final 3 episodes. This is BS Level Over 9000, folks. And I'm simply done with Bee & Puppycat and its management. And I'm ending it right here.
Stan Pines leaves Gravity Falls for.....Springfield?
Variety reports that Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch is now officially working on a new series on Fox.
A bit bummed Hirsch didn't go to Cartoon Network. That means no more mock crossovers between Gravity Falls and Rick & Morty.
A bit bummed Hirsch didn't go to Cartoon Network. That means no more mock crossovers between Gravity Falls and Rick & Morty.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Steven Universe - Steven's Birthday Review
Steven's Birthday is basically what the episode's about. Everyone's at the barn to celebrate Steven, who has turned 14 in this episode, much to the surprise of Connie. As we see in So Many Birthdays, because of Steven being a half-gem, he can pretty much decide how old he wants to be. This puts Steven into pressure of trying to be as human as he can be and decides to use his shape-shifting powers just so he could look and act his age.
Much like So Many Birthdays, Steven's attempt to get older backfires, and this time he shrinks to a baby. Despite this, Connie expresses how she's committed to care for Steven no matter how old or young he is. This eventually led him to revert back to his old self, though with a noticeable piece of facial hair growing out of his chin.
So, in a nutshell, this episode is pretty much like So Many Birthdays, only less traumatic and a bit more into the cute factor thanks to Baby Steven. But I like this episode not because of the plot, but rather it allows the opportunity for Zach Callison, the voice of Steven, to talk in his normal voice, as opposed to the high pitch tone we're so used to in the series. Zach Callison, according to Wikipedia, is currently 18. in which he shares the same age as Jeremy Shada, the voice of Finn from Adventure Time.
I do wonder how long Callison will continue to play Steven. Even with some special software that may help alter his voice, he can't remain voicing a kid forever unless he's like Thurop Van Orman. Otherwise, the crew has two options for the show to continue in the long term - either they do allow Steven to get older so Callison can continue playing him (just like Shada's case in Adventure Time); or have Steven played by a differnt voice actor. They can either do it cermonously like what happened in Gumball and TMNT, or just go ahead and change the voice as though nothing happened.
We know that Steven Universe has been ordered for a third season. Will there be a fourth? Will Callison continue beyond Season 3 if his voice is able? Who knows. Like Greg in the episode, we'll just have to wait and see.
Another thing I want to talk about is Connie's resolve that she will care for Steven no matter what. I remember there was a fan art of Steven and Connie growing up through the years and when Connie passed away from old age, Steven reverted himself back to a kid and rejoined the Crystal Gems. I find the idea that Steven will probably live as long as the Crystal Gems a bit sad, with regards to Connie. Which is probably why Connie said what she said in this episode, showing she's committed to sticking with Steven until the very end.
Maybe at some point they would find a way so that Connie would no longer have to grow old and can live as long as Steven; Or maybe permanently fuse into Stevonnie and spend the rest of their lives as such, like Garnet; Or perhaps somehow make Steven give up his half-gem power or something and allow him to be a full human being. I have no clue and the series is still far from over. We'll just have to wait and see, like Greg said. ....
Much like So Many Birthdays, Steven's attempt to get older backfires, and this time he shrinks to a baby. Despite this, Connie expresses how she's committed to care for Steven no matter how old or young he is. This eventually led him to revert back to his old self, though with a noticeable piece of facial hair growing out of his chin.
So, in a nutshell, this episode is pretty much like So Many Birthdays, only less traumatic and a bit more into the cute factor thanks to Baby Steven. But I like this episode not because of the plot, but rather it allows the opportunity for Zach Callison, the voice of Steven, to talk in his normal voice, as opposed to the high pitch tone we're so used to in the series. Zach Callison, according to Wikipedia, is currently 18. in which he shares the same age as Jeremy Shada, the voice of Finn from Adventure Time.
I do wonder how long Callison will continue to play Steven. Even with some special software that may help alter his voice, he can't remain voicing a kid forever unless he's like Thurop Van Orman. Otherwise, the crew has two options for the show to continue in the long term - either they do allow Steven to get older so Callison can continue playing him (just like Shada's case in Adventure Time); or have Steven played by a differnt voice actor. They can either do it cermonously like what happened in Gumball and TMNT, or just go ahead and change the voice as though nothing happened.
We know that Steven Universe has been ordered for a third season. Will there be a fourth? Will Callison continue beyond Season 3 if his voice is able? Who knows. Like Greg in the episode, we'll just have to wait and see.
Another thing I want to talk about is Connie's resolve that she will care for Steven no matter what. I remember there was a fan art of Steven and Connie growing up through the years and when Connie passed away from old age, Steven reverted himself back to a kid and rejoined the Crystal Gems. I find the idea that Steven will probably live as long as the Crystal Gems a bit sad, with regards to Connie. Which is probably why Connie said what she said in this episode, showing she's committed to sticking with Steven until the very end.
Maybe at some point they would find a way so that Connie would no longer have to grow old and can live as long as Steven; Or maybe permanently fuse into Stevonnie and spend the rest of their lives as such, like Garnet; Or perhaps somehow make Steven give up his half-gem power or something and allow him to be a full human being. I have no clue and the series is still far from over. We'll just have to wait and see, like Greg said. ....
Zootopia International Trailer
Official Japanese Trailer for Zootopia. I can expect more barking from Furry haters on this one.
Voltron Returns yet Again - On Netflix
I was unaware that DreamWorks owns the Voltron brand now and is working on another reboot series made for Netflix.
Voltron, however, has a poor track record when it comes to new content based on it. Can't be helped when the original series GoLion is a on-off. Still, I do hope DreamWorks does well with their version of Voltron.
Voltron, however, has a poor track record when it comes to new content based on it. Can't be helped when the original series GoLion is a on-off. Still, I do hope DreamWorks does well with their version of Voltron.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Steven Universe - The Answer Episode Review
The Answer gives us a flashback as to how Ruby and Sapphire first met. Sapphire was an aristocratic gem sent to Eartn to settle the rebellion caused by Rose Quartz. Three Rubies were assigned to Sapphire as bodyguards for this mission.
Sapphire, being able to see the future, knew Rose and Pearl would attack and essentially finish her off and the Rubies and was willing to accept her fate. Rose and Pearl did arrive on scene and destroyed the two Rubies. The surviving Ruby however defied Sapphire's fate and saves her from Pearl, causing the accidental fusion into Garnet. Rose and Pearl escape and Blue Diamond, fuious on not only Sapphire's botched Future Vision, but also the fusion of her and Ruby, ordered Ruby destroyed. The two then escape to Earth.
Skip to near the end where Garnet encounters Rose and Pearl again, Garnet asks why Sapphire's vision didn't go as planned and why her fusion happened. The episode ends with Garnet telling Steven that the answer was "love".
So a couple of things. We learn from this episode that Fusion is essentially used primarily for battle, and if the fusion are gems of the same type, it essentially becomes a larger version of itself. The flashback also confirms of multiple gems of the same type, as Blue Diamond is clearly seen with a Pearl on her side. In addition, the society of Homeworld has a caste system depending on the gem. In this case, Ruby is a low class common soldier, whereas Sapphire is a high class aristocrat.
All this made me look back at the Full version of the 2nd Intro to the show, and what's Garnet's reason for protecting the Earth. Based on what I've seen in The Answer, I can interpret that Garnet's goal is to break down the barriers of the caste system, knowing that Homeworld will never accept a Fusion like herself. If you choose to see it as metaphorical representation of the struggle for equality, whether race, religion, gender, etc., you can do that too and it's quite acceptable.
Two things I don't like about this episode. One, the entire flashback and pace seems rushed, with not much time to develop Ruby and Sapphire and their eventual love for one another. I understand they can't do it in such a small timeframe, so in this case, the 'Love at First Sight' trope applies. Still, I've seen a number of works where in a few minutes we get to know a lot of a certain character and see that said character develop in such a short time, and pretty much we get hooked.
The second is the song number. Somehow I felt the entire song was forcibly added just for the sake of it, rather than to advance the story and further develop Ruby and Sapphire's feelings for one another. It was also obvious from the way the song is presented that Charlene Yi has trouble singing, so her lines are mostly just dialogue. I would prefer just a soothing background music and some clever dialogue to have these two hook up rather than this.
I'll throw in a third issue, which is the explanation why Sapphire's vision wasn't accurate and the reason being the love between her and Ruby. It's a little hard for me to grasp because I get the impression that Sapphire's love for Ruby, and in turn, Garnet's love for Steven, is the reason why the use of Future Vision can't sometimes be accurate, or doesn't work at all throughout the series. Is it because of love that Garnet didn't foresee Steven making multiple versions of himself in Steven and The Stevens, or his Accelerated Aging in So Many Birthdays, or that he'd find out the Test was rigged?
The staff of Steven Universe, particularly former director Ian Jones-Quartey, made it clear that it's just a cartoon and therefore, we shouldn't think too hard on what's going on. True, but Steven Universe is not Gumball, where in the latter, things aren't supposed to make any sense - it just does what it does and we sit back and enjoy. Inconsistencies in a structured narrative like Steven Universe is inevitable, but I do hope it's minimal and not as big and noticeable as, dare I say, Dragon Ball Super.
Sapphire, being able to see the future, knew Rose and Pearl would attack and essentially finish her off and the Rubies and was willing to accept her fate. Rose and Pearl did arrive on scene and destroyed the two Rubies. The surviving Ruby however defied Sapphire's fate and saves her from Pearl, causing the accidental fusion into Garnet. Rose and Pearl escape and Blue Diamond, fuious on not only Sapphire's botched Future Vision, but also the fusion of her and Ruby, ordered Ruby destroyed. The two then escape to Earth.
Skip to near the end where Garnet encounters Rose and Pearl again, Garnet asks why Sapphire's vision didn't go as planned and why her fusion happened. The episode ends with Garnet telling Steven that the answer was "love".
So a couple of things. We learn from this episode that Fusion is essentially used primarily for battle, and if the fusion are gems of the same type, it essentially becomes a larger version of itself. The flashback also confirms of multiple gems of the same type, as Blue Diamond is clearly seen with a Pearl on her side. In addition, the society of Homeworld has a caste system depending on the gem. In this case, Ruby is a low class common soldier, whereas Sapphire is a high class aristocrat.
All this made me look back at the Full version of the 2nd Intro to the show, and what's Garnet's reason for protecting the Earth. Based on what I've seen in The Answer, I can interpret that Garnet's goal is to break down the barriers of the caste system, knowing that Homeworld will never accept a Fusion like herself. If you choose to see it as metaphorical representation of the struggle for equality, whether race, religion, gender, etc., you can do that too and it's quite acceptable.
Two things I don't like about this episode. One, the entire flashback and pace seems rushed, with not much time to develop Ruby and Sapphire and their eventual love for one another. I understand they can't do it in such a small timeframe, so in this case, the 'Love at First Sight' trope applies. Still, I've seen a number of works where in a few minutes we get to know a lot of a certain character and see that said character develop in such a short time, and pretty much we get hooked.
The second is the song number. Somehow I felt the entire song was forcibly added just for the sake of it, rather than to advance the story and further develop Ruby and Sapphire's feelings for one another. It was also obvious from the way the song is presented that Charlene Yi has trouble singing, so her lines are mostly just dialogue. I would prefer just a soothing background music and some clever dialogue to have these two hook up rather than this.
I'll throw in a third issue, which is the explanation why Sapphire's vision wasn't accurate and the reason being the love between her and Ruby. It's a little hard for me to grasp because I get the impression that Sapphire's love for Ruby, and in turn, Garnet's love for Steven, is the reason why the use of Future Vision can't sometimes be accurate, or doesn't work at all throughout the series. Is it because of love that Garnet didn't foresee Steven making multiple versions of himself in Steven and The Stevens, or his Accelerated Aging in So Many Birthdays, or that he'd find out the Test was rigged?
The staff of Steven Universe, particularly former director Ian Jones-Quartey, made it clear that it's just a cartoon and therefore, we shouldn't think too hard on what's going on. True, but Steven Universe is not Gumball, where in the latter, things aren't supposed to make any sense - it just does what it does and we sit back and enjoy. Inconsistencies in a structured narrative like Steven Universe is inevitable, but I do hope it's minimal and not as big and noticeable as, dare I say, Dragon Ball Super.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Disney's "Moana" First Promo Footage
Not much to see as it's just a few seconds while the rest is some teenagers from Disney talking, but it's what we've got on the upcoming movie so far featuring the voice of The Rock. Also Blogger's search engine for Youtube videos suck because even if you give the EXACT name of the video, it still won't pop up.
Bloody Lucky Australians
(Incomplete) CN Premiere Schedule for January 2016
Tentative information schedule of Cartoon Network Premieres for the month of January 2016 (credit to ToonZone's Forums):
Cartoon Network - January 2016 Premieres
[from January 1 to 31, 2016]
Adventure Time
Thu Jan 07 - 7:30pm - 716 - Summer Showers [NEW TIME]
MON Jan 11 - 7:30pm - 717 - Angel Face
TUE Jan 12 - 7:30pm - 718 - President Porpoise is Missing
WED Jan 13 - 7:30pm - 719 - Blank Eyed Girl
Thu Jan 14 - 7:30pm - 720 - Bad Jubies
FRI Jan 15 - 7:30pm - 721 - King's Ransom
Thu Jan 21 - 7:30pm - 722 - Scamps
Thu Jan 28 - 7:30pm - 723 - Crossover
The Amazing World of Gumball
Thu Jan 07 - 6:30pm - 416 - The Apprentice
Thu Jan 14 - 6:30pm - 417 - The Hug
Thu Jan 21 - 6:30pm - 419 - The Wicked
Thu Jan 28 - 6:30pm - 420 - The Traitor
LEGO Nexo Knights
WED Jan 13 - 5:30pm - 103 - The Power of Merlok [SERIES PREMIERE]
THU Jan 14 - 5:30pm - 104 - The Knights Code
FRI Jan 15 - 5:30pm - 105 - Fright Knight
*the first two days of this week-long are a re-broadcast of the two-part sneak peek
Supernoobs
MON Jan 04 - 4:30pm - 122 - Parent Teacher Noobs
TUE Jan 05 - 4:30pm - 123 - Super Natural Noobs
WED Jan 06 - 4:30pm - 124 - Zooper Noobs!
THU Jan 07 - 4:30pm - 125 - Noob It or Lose It
FRI Jan 08 - 4:30pm - 126 - Noob Sitters
Steven Universe
MON Jan 04 - 5:30pm - 222 - The Answer
TUE Jan 05 - 5:30pm - 223 - Steven's Birthday
WED Jan 06 - 5:30pm - 224 - It Could've Been Great
Thu Jan 07 - 5:30pm - 225 - Message Received
FRI Jan 08 - 5:30pm - 226 - Log Date 7 15 2
Teen Titans Go!
Thu Jan 07 - 6:00pm - 320 - Squash and Stretch
Thu Jan 14 - 6:00pm - 321 - Garage Sale
Thu Jan 21 - 6:00pm - 322 - Secret Garden
Cartoon Network - January 2016 Premieres
[from January 1 to 31, 2016]
Adventure Time
Thu Jan 07 - 7:30pm - 716 - Summer Showers [NEW TIME]
MON Jan 11 - 7:30pm - 717 - Angel Face
TUE Jan 12 - 7:30pm - 718 - President Porpoise is Missing
WED Jan 13 - 7:30pm - 719 - Blank Eyed Girl
Thu Jan 14 - 7:30pm - 720 - Bad Jubies
FRI Jan 15 - 7:30pm - 721 - King's Ransom
Thu Jan 21 - 7:30pm - 722 - Scamps
Thu Jan 28 - 7:30pm - 723 - Crossover
The Amazing World of Gumball
Thu Jan 07 - 6:30pm - 416 - The Apprentice
Thu Jan 14 - 6:30pm - 417 - The Hug
Thu Jan 21 - 6:30pm - 419 - The Wicked
Thu Jan 28 - 6:30pm - 420 - The Traitor
LEGO Nexo Knights
WED Jan 13 - 5:30pm - 103 - The Power of Merlok [SERIES PREMIERE]
THU Jan 14 - 5:30pm - 104 - The Knights Code
FRI Jan 15 - 5:30pm - 105 - Fright Knight
*the first two days of this week-long are a re-broadcast of the two-part sneak peek
Supernoobs
MON Jan 04 - 4:30pm - 122 - Parent Teacher Noobs
TUE Jan 05 - 4:30pm - 123 - Super Natural Noobs
WED Jan 06 - 4:30pm - 124 - Zooper Noobs!
THU Jan 07 - 4:30pm - 125 - Noob It or Lose It
FRI Jan 08 - 4:30pm - 126 - Noob Sitters
Steven Universe
MON Jan 04 - 5:30pm - 222 - The Answer
TUE Jan 05 - 5:30pm - 223 - Steven's Birthday
WED Jan 06 - 5:30pm - 224 - It Could've Been Great
Thu Jan 07 - 5:30pm - 225 - Message Received
FRI Jan 08 - 5:30pm - 226 - Log Date 7 15 2
Teen Titans Go!
Thu Jan 07 - 6:00pm - 320 - Squash and Stretch
Thu Jan 14 - 6:00pm - 321 - Garage Sale
Thu Jan 21 - 6:00pm - 322 - Secret Garden
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