Steel Sponge

30. What If...Nickelodeon Owned the SBC Spin-Offs? One year...nobody knows what year it was exactly, but it marked a point in history in which Viacom decided that if they were going to keep Nickelodeon afloat, they were going to have to act fast. Well, except for the whole part of this company being called Viacom, because as of this writing, they are now referred to as ViacomCBS...oh wait, that still isn’t right? For fuck’s sake. Anyways, Paramount... – actually, you know what? This is a hypothetical story anyways, and we don’t want to get sued, so let’s make some last minute changes. ViacomountCBSSkydanceKonamiSiliconValleyIKEA, shortened to Viacomount to make it sound less annoying (or shortened to just Viacom because that’s what we all still call them), saw dwindling viewership for Nickelodeon. They have been so busy building up their own personal Marvel universe with their most successful IP, SpongeBob SquarePants, while throwing everything else to the wolves, and yet their network wasn’t doing so hot. Even after the Nicktoons channel rebranded to NickSpongeBob, it wasn’t good enough. A lot of people say it’s due to the oversatuation of their IP, while others theorized that the Quiet on Set documentary was somehow still powerful enough to get them cooked. Whatever the means, they were growing desperate to find ways to create new content. That was when they discovered the SpongeBob Community and its spin-off library, and just like that, everything about to change… SBCers were alarmed by the news that the people down at Viacomount had purchased the rights to their spin-off library without any notice. To make matters worse, the members were forced to erase their stories so as to not leave evidence that these new spin-off ideas were being taken directly from a certain fan site. As a compromise, Viacomount promised to give the creators of the shows that they greenlit some creative control. These were the end results… One-Time SpongeBob Characters: Where Are They Now? In the current climate of the main series bringing just about every one-time character back as nostalgia pandering to the growing annoyance of its viewers, there were mostly high hopes for this upcoming spin-off. Wumbo, the creator, wanted the first season to focus mainly on the residents of Squidville – the clarinet trio, the Squids playing croquet, the turkey sandwich that someone heard better comebacks from, the canned bread, and of course the fire hydrant that Patrick assumed was Squidward. Instead, the executives at Nick insisted the season focuses mainly on Bubble Bass, therein by making it a glorified Bubble Bass spin-off. The series was canceled after one season, with Wumbo’s only contribution, while credited as ‘Squidward Tennisballs,’ being an episode where Bubble Bass kept screaming about a Mermaid Man credit card. Squnschpunsch Prez was clearly excited when Nickelodeon laid on him the news that they were going to turn his beloved crossover Squnschpunsch into a real series. The excitement fell short as there were some conditions that Prez wasn’t all too satisfied with. Nickelodeon chose not to recast Rick Jones as Maurizio and also suggested having Jacob being voiced by an AI of the late Harry Hill. After some meddling, Chris Pratt was cast as Maurizio while Jacob was voiced by an actual raven that was perched within the Nickelodeon animation studio and sometimes uttered “Nevermore.” Rodger Bumpass remained the voice of Squidward, but the state of the show’s strong promises had diminished. The humor of Squnschpunsch was reduced to bare-bones Squidward torture and gross-out. Even though Nickelodeon lived up to one of the wishes of Prez by having Glass Animals perform “Heat Waves” in one episode, they couldn’t make him happyorr naaaaooooo. It was canceled after one season. Pisces Moon Two spin-offs created by Steel Sponge were greenlit – The Adventures of No Name, which ended up being an unsold pilot, and Pisces Moon, the latter in which Nickelodeon boasted would be their very own Star Wars, to the point where J.J. Abrams would take over in the middle of production, making swift changes to some of the characters, such as giving Sandy an unexplained hatred for sand, and Titan an unorthodox fascination with boxes. Steel’s most notable contribution was including a cameo of Lisa Simpson (or rather, Asil Nospmis, to avoid copyright lawsuits) looked to the camera and said “A company notorious for letting down its consumers reaches out to you to salvage their business, and the very next moment, they sell you down the river. What can YOU do?” before staring at the viewer for five minutes until the episode ends. This, of course, would be the thirteenth and final episode before the series was dropped due to the network not having the budget to let it continue. The Silly Adventures of Patrick Star Despite Nickelodeon already having a Patrick-focused spin-off on their line-up, they thought that one wasn’t enough and decided to greenlight JCM’s own Patrick show. Although things were looking up this time, an abrupt change in management stifled the show’s quality when a production company going by the name of United Seasponge Studios took over. The spin-off ended its run prematurely on the Nickelodeon channel, but it would continue airing on the Skibidi Toilet Kids channel. Skodwarde Skodwarde, created by OMJ, and one of the most popular long-running series in the SBC spin-off archive, was picked up, but a lot of changes had to be made. In order to make Skodwarde more TV-friendly for the network, 4Kids was revived to take up the strenuous task of Bowdlerizing the series until it no longer resembled Skodwarde. All the past edgy and raunchy humor was traded in for puns, the titular character now reads “Eat, Pray, Love” and sings the national anthem in his past-time, the Krusty Krab served jelly donuts instead of Krabby Patties, SpongeBob was given an unexplained Brooklyn accent, and instead of Scotty (the new name given to the title character) using his god powers for evil, he uses them to teach basic and religious morals. Despite all of these drastic changes, OMJ would still manage to include some potshots towards Nick by way of sneaking in caricatured cameos of disgraced former Nickelodeon creators Dan Schneider, Butch Hartman, and John K. to keep the spirit of the original Skodwarde alive. The rights to Skodwarde were then given to Funimation, who were told by Nickelodeon to ‘do whatever the hell you want with it.’ Jjs’ Riffing Theater 3000 Despite Jjs’ wishes for an animated version of Scooter’s Paradise, and despite not being a SpongeBob-inspired creation, the executives of Nickelodeon picked up the Riffing Theater for a full series, as they saw greater opportunities with the format. One of those opportunities being allowing SBC members to react to characters from their other shows reacting to their show being canceled (“Bye Bye Beavers” is finally televized to the public as a result). The riffers focused solely on riffing the network itself that forced this on them than on the material being presented to them, and needless to say, they showed no kind words for their bosses. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when one of the subjects of the riffing was footage of Tiny Chef having a half-hour mental breakdown. Even though Nickelodeon wanted this to continue, they still ended up pulling the plug due to all of the riffers quitting. There was a proposal to implement actual SB characters in the series as riffers, but no one wanted to take up the job of mocking Rock from Rock Paper Scissors coping with the cancellation of his show by stress eating pints of ice cream, among other sadistic creations from the Sponge. SpongeBob’s Host Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, wait, you thought I was being serious with this one? Several other failed spin-offs later, and it would be announced that Nickelodeon will go off the air for good, as ViacomountCBSSkydanceKonamiSiliconValleyIKEA would then later file for bankruptcy. The spin-off rights would eventually go back to the respective SBC members and were re-archived on said site. Even though the answers were abundantly clear, when a few former Nickelodeon executives were asked about what went wrong, they would all say they never understood why their versions of the SBC spin-offs failed. When the SBC members were approached about their experiences working with Nick, they didn’t seem to have so much to say… Jjs: Well, you know what they say in Brooklyn – early to bed, early to catch the worm. ...Or, is it the bagel? JCM: Maybe the real spin-offs were the friends we’ve made along the way. Except Skibidi Toilet Kids, they’re not my friends. Steel: I may have gone too far in a few places… OMJ: I was hoping they’d let me make a show about SpringBoob SquirePin. Wumbo: I’m my own man. Prez: It was okay I guess, but that pesky raven still owes me $100. (Quoth the raven: Nevermore.) After all was said and done, the SBC members have all went back to their own normal lives. Whatever remained of Viacom now can’t help but wonder how a ragtag bunch of netizens from an internet community dedicated to a cartoon about a sea sponge could have such a stranglehold on real life events. But hey...that’s just a theory...A SPIN-OFF THEORY! HELLO, INTERNET!- [MatPat was found and subsequently evacuated from the SBC What If’s… studio.]

STEEL'S TOP 100 MUSIC ARTISTS (#100-#91)

hey guys, i'm still alive. Will actually start this pretty soon, otherwise if i don't, you all have the right to beat me with hammers.

I get needing to add something to the discussion, but this is definitely not a good way to approach things unfamiliar to you. Good list btw.

Sorry I'm late, but here is the complete playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5NwESBeD7QKlpsOAtW2bFM?si=51a5d58cb35745d3

I'll be lazy and stick with what my current pfp is (Lisa Simpson).

Hey, everyone. It has been a while, so I hope you're all doing well. I decided now would be a good time for the Block Party playlist to return, and the theme for this one will be... RENAISSANCE FAIRE For those who don't know what this is...let me explain. Renaissance fairs are social gatherings that are dedicated to the world's anciest history, may it be the English Renaissance or the medieval era generally, and they are held most usually during the spring. Renaissance fairs are tribute to a time of knights, castles, kings, queens, bows and arrows, and much more, and as well as to the more fantastical elements like dragons, witches, wizards, and magical beings. Anyways, the main idea of this theme is to make a playlist of music that you think would be suited for this kind of occasion. Currently, the deadline to submit for this will be on May 10th. So for the time being, let's get our costumes ready for Queen Elizabeth's party. The rules as usual: -You must pick three artists and three songs for each of them. -It's another 'anything goes' type of submission, but please stay consistent with the theme. -No joke or troll entries. -No repeat entries. Once one particular artist has been taken, it's no longer up for grabs. -Once again, the deadline is May 10th. Submissions:

Squirrel Jelly is based, actually.

We Are Fucking Fucked - Muse

The Day The Earth Blew Up

SPECIAL: Chemist Bob's First (and Only) Nostalgia Critic Riff-tacular Steel: So…it’s been awhile since I last mentioned the Nostalgia Critic…okay, no, that’s a lie. Even though I’ve said numerous times that I’ve wanted to move on from NC or that I’ve had, I haven’t really. Nostalgia Critic, and as well as Doug Walker, the very person behind that moniker, has been an endless source to SBC’s own entertainment, so it would come to no surprise that you get this feeling that you’d want to...well, check on someone, may it be an old friend, an old enemy, or…someone who happens to be be both of those things to you. There’s been a renewed interest in discussing the Nostalgia Critic, and because of that, let me just say...this might be the worst time for me to rip off the bandage and disclose the nature of this one-time riff, but… This will not be me dragging Doug/NC through the mud. I’ve done that already for Riffing Theater and on my own top 20 worst NC reviews analysis and I don’t need to do that again. But also keep in mind that this is not Doug/NC rehabilitation either. So what will this be then? This will just be me poking fun at the Nostalgia Critic for old time’s sake, and I’m going to keep things mostly lighthearted with my roasts. Now the question here is why am I doing this? Over the course of The Critic Chronicles, my riffs towards the Nostalgia Critic have been mostly bitter remarks towards Doug and the series that I’ve grown to regret being a fan of after the #ChangeTheChannel drama. I’ve had my retribution from when I looked back at The Dark Side of the Herd as badly-written NC posturing, in which it caused my growing hatred of NC at the time, but now…I’m willing to move past that grudge. And yes, I know, it’s way too late for me to make this course correction when I don’t have to commit to it, but I have come to terms that I’ve held a little too much vendetta towards NC and Doug Walker and I feel like the most mature thing to do in looking back at NC now is to go back to one of his older videos without all the bitterness, as a way of properly making my peace with him. Now don’t get the wrong idea, this isn’t necessarily revisionism for my old NC riffs. Like I have said before, I may not be proud of everything I wrote for it, but what’s done is done. The Critic Chronicles was a collaborative project that brought us all together, so of course I can’t show any regrets for taking part in it. In fact, Doug Walker himself has actually shown to have a good sense of humor and that does suggest that he wouldn’t be so mad about all the potshots I’ve made towards him. With all that said though, and as hard as it may be to believe in terms of Doug and the Nostalgia Critic, a lot can change in seven years. I’m not going to write off any of Doug’s wrongdoings behind the scenes and I’m still going to hold his worst reviews on a pedestal, but I will openly say that I can’t deny the impact he’s had, or dare I say…I have nostalgia for the Nostalgia Critic. And I think wanting to take a different approach in mocking the NC speaks to me of how I’ve become somewhat of a different person than I was during the time where I just hated Doug’s own guts and really wanted to tear him to shreds. FFS, the biggest critic of Doug/NC that I knew ended up being way more unhinged than him, and perhaps a worse person than him, and it really made me think a lot of times if I ever came off as unhinged with my past riffs on NC. From Doug Walker’s cameo on Smiling Friends, to the Critic being explicitly referenced in one particular episode of The Patrick Star Show (both of which I definitely ate up), to me still continuing to crack jokes about NC’s dumbest moments to this day…I can’t keep pretending anymore that I stopped caring about him. So, of course, this is going to be my pull game here: No obsessing over Doug’s/Critic’s past, no being viscerally angry towards the Nostalgia Critic’s stupidity, no personal attacks on Doug himself, may it be for his reviewing ability or for his appearance, no trying to put a particular bad review on a higher shelf than his other bad reviews, and no trying to one-up him (the live-action Jungle Book riffs where I tried to show my acquired knowledge for the book as “gotcha!” moments, nagging him for constantly using the word ‘but’ in his counter-arguments, and making a no-effort drawing of Chemist Bob giving him the middle finger was pretentious Steel Sponge hours in hindsight, I’m sorry). All that I will pretty much do is poke fun at the review itself – to which I’m going to do just this once. And I chose an interesting NC episode to riff on – and that is his AOSTH/Sonic SATAM double review. I chose that review specifically because it happens to be the first Nostalgia Critic review that I was ever exposed to. It didn’t leave me feeling enamored by the series at first, so I did propose this review as a potential candidate for Riffing Theater. Now that I do have my own riffing series, that leaves me with the grand ol opportunity to riff it, and here’s the catch: I’m not going to be the one riffing it. In the classic Nostalgia Critic tradition, I’m going to let a character, who of course resembles too much like me to be considered a character, to do the riffing here. So if I can just drag him over here for a second… Chemist Bob: ...No, I don’t want to-! …UUUGH. As it seems, my creator has gotten me attached to mocking the Nostalgia Critic. I’ve definitely heard of him, but until recently, I never gave it the thought to devote my time to any of his reviews. I can tell that he’s also not very well-liked at all. Surely, that will make for some very interesting commentary. Let’s see what he has to say about the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons. (NC sits in his room, horrified. After a long pause, he begins without his opening line.) Oh...um, did a cartoon about an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog really break him this much? I was told he usually started his reviews with “Hello, I’m the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it, so you don’t have to!” Come on, say the line! NC: (quietly) I consider myself a man of decent logic. A man who has a fairly firm grasp on the perceptions of reality. A man who's down to Earth, and lives in the realms of the real world. From what I could guess, Sonic the Hedgehog was so bad that you lost your grasp on reality, gotcha. (Another short pause, then inhales deeply and speaks in a much firmer tone) UNTIL TODAY, when that reality was CHALLENGED by a blue, tinted hedgehog and his flying fox… (calms down) with two tails. Not sure what’s so devastating about a blue hedgehog and his fox buddy that you had to make us sit down for this, but…proceed. (Relaxes, and speaks in a normal tone) This...is the gateway to madness...that the world of children's programming has chosen to call...The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Well...whatever harm this show could have done to make you feel this sort of way, I’m afraid you’ve already lost me. (Cut to the title screen of the DIC series, followed by a montage of clips from the show played to the opening theme music, which is a combination of the opening Sonic theme from his first game, and the classical pieces In the Hall of the Mountain King and Flight of the Bumblebee.) And let’s not forget about “Last Friday Night” either… NC (vo): Imagine coming across a mentally disabled person who was not only criminally insane, but was also drunk, high and had a whole-frontal lobotomy leaving little to no intelligence left in his brain. ...How about we don’t? NC: (loudly and affirmatively) He would be NORMAL compared to The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. ‘The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog transcends being mentally insane’...is certainly a take. So, what's wrong with this show? (beat) What's right with this show!? That's the shorter answer! Pingas. But that’s my relatively short answer to your rhetorical question. (Cut to another montage of clips with the theme music.) NC (vo): It's actually hard to come up with words to describe how bat-shit crazy this show is, it is that crazy. So all that you’ve already said about The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog bending the rules of logic by every means, that wasn’t words being used to describe this show? NC: So, rather than talk about it, let's go ahead and try and watch it. The key word being "try". Fine by you, I wasn’t planning on trying to take your critiques any seriously anyway. (Cut to the beginning of the show's opening sequence, where Sonic the Hedgehog & Miles “Tails” Prower wake up from bunk beds and rush around, even surprising the Sun itself which has a face) MR. SUN CAME UP AND HE SMILED AT ME- Oh wait, I forgot the memo from my creator that the Critic delves into referential humor. I should probably lay low on that. NC (vo): So here's the opening of the show, which I suppose is supposed to sum up what the show is about. Yes, that’s exactly what all television title sequences do. Unless you're Regular Show. (Flows into a fast-paced edit of the opening sequence showing all the times Sonic or his name appears in it. When he or his name appears on-screen, NC responds.) NC (vo): (mock-excitedly) Look, it's Sonic! Sonic! We got a lot of Sonic! Hello, Sonic! Sonic! Hey, lots of Sonic, lots of Sonic! Hey, Sonic! Sonic! C'mon we all love Sonic, Sonic. NC: (sarcastically) Well, that explained everything. Well yes, but you forgot about the flying fox and the egg-shaped man and his robots trying to catch him. (Cut to a montage of clips featuring Sonic running, Sonic running alongside Tails flying, a robot bounty hunter ripping the wall off a house, a panoramic scroll of inside Robotnik's fortress, a chili-dog stand robot rising on a metal pole and a street full of crooked buildings.) NC (vo): So the show takes place in Who-Gives-a-Shit-Land.* I call it that because clearly you look at the backgrounds, knowing the creators just threw up their arms and shouted "really, who gives a shit?" To be fair, when you’re working on a cartoon that’s on a bit of a shoestring budget with an order of 65 episodes for a one-year syndicated run while the rest of the budget is put into the other Sonic cartoon…you may as well have every reason to materialize Who-Gives-a-Shit-Land into existence. Actual name of the show’s setting is Planet Mobius Thank you script writer for the information for the show’s setting that may as well actually be Who-Gives-a-Shit-Land. (Cut to a clip of Sonic and Tails stopping atop a small hill to look at a small collection of buildings in the distance.) Sonic: Civilization! Tails: Boy, I thought we'd never find it. NC: Civilization? Where? What, you mean those couple of... (Cut back to the view of the city.) NC (vo): ...building blocks in the distance? That's supposed to be a city? Did you expect any less from Who-Gives-a-Shit-Land? NC: Oh, yeah, one of the great architectural designs of cinema. (cut to a view of Gotham City from Batman (1989)) Gotham City, (cut to a view of the Castle of Gondor from Lord of the Rings) the Castle of Gondor, (cut back to AoStH's city) shitty-ass bricks. (sarcastically) I can't wait to see more! Oh yeah…a city that appears to be a real cityscape used as a set for a live-action superhero flick and very detailed-looking live-action architecture for a movie that came out nearly 10 years after AOSTH...all pitted against the animated backdrop of a city out in the distance from a shoestring-budgeted cartoon. Definitely a fair comparison! The proper name is Minas Tirith. Gondor is the country the castle is in. Given the thought process that the Critic had to compare that to “shitty-ass bricks,” I guess I wouldn’t be surprised that he wouldn’t know the proper name. (Cut to another montage of clips from the show featuring Sonic speeding into the distance, Sonic knocking over some robots, Sonic and Tails running away from a pack of robots, a pack of robots interacting and then running to the left and Scratch and Grounder performing a ring-around-the-rosie victory dance whilst cheering "we did it, we did it".) He must hate this show so much if even a clip of two robots making merry together is making his blood boil. NC (vo): Now I know what you might be thinking. "Aren't you just showing the opening of the show again?" Nope, this is literally all the show is, just chasing and yelling. It's like a cartoon for kids that have Tourette's syndrome. Yikes…you already suggested that this show is below having any shred of mental capacity, but you didn’t have to take it out on a group of people who do have mental disorders. (Cut to a zoom-in of Sonic talking to Tails.) NC (vo): So the show stars Sonic, duh, And all this time, I thought he was talking about Knuckles the Echidna. fresh (cut to the title screen of the video game Sonic the Hedgehog) from the hit video game off the SEGA Genesis. (cut to several clips of Sonic talking to Tails) He's voiced by none other than Jaleel White. That's right, (cut to a picture of White as Urkel) Urkel from Family Matters. (Cut to a clip of Sonic and Tails taunting towards the camera.) Sonic: (tauntingly) I seeeee yooooou! NC: (sarcastically) Oh, yeah, 'cause Urkel's voice was such a delight to listen to, wasn't it? Hey, if you think that’s bad, Sonic Underground has Jaleel voicing all three of the main characters. (Cut to an edited clip of Sonic confronting Scratch and Grounder, with Sonic's lines being dubbed over by Urkel's voice.) Urkel: (from Family Matters) All I care about in this park is the safety of the kids! I shall be forced to verbally castigate you in front of your peers! Kids, there’s nothing more cool than- (Cut to clips of Sonic interacting with Tails.) NC (vo): He's accompanied by his sidekick Tails, a little fox who can fly around because he was born with two tails. NC: (slowly, confused) Makes sense to me. It’s Sonic the freaking Hedgehog! It’s not supposed to make sense! (Cut to clips of Doctor Eggman (called Doctor Robotnik in the West for the first few games and shows, including this one.)) No, it’s okay, transcript writer, you can call him Doctor Robotnik. NC (vo): They're out to stop the evil Robotnik, who seems to live in a house (cut to an exterior shot of Robotnik's fortress) designed by Frank Lloyd Wrong. Ha-ha, it’s supposed to be Frank Lloyd Wright, but you said Frank Lloyd Wrong, I get it. (cut to a clip of Robotnik) His evil plan is to -- you guessed it -- take over the world. (Cut back to NC's room, where he looks annoyed.) NC: (dismissively) No, I'm not going to do it. I'm sick of that joke. Y'know, it was funny at first, but now it's just getting annoying. Oh, so this guy had already run one of his own jokes to the ground before this review? That doesn’t seem like a good sign. So you are never going to hear that joke ag- (Suddenly the Bison "Of course" clip tries to push its way in from the left, but NC pushes it aside. The clip then tries to push itself in from the bottom, but NC pushes it away with difficulty.) Hehehe, it's going to take more than that to stop - (The clip drops down from the top and lands on NC, and then plays.) Bison: OF COURSE! NC: (offscreen, muffled) Fucking joke. You see, the joke is that the Critic got tired one of his old jokes that he doesn’t want to repeat it, so the joke is rebelling and doing its thing against his better judgments, but you see, the Critic is also self-aware that he’s pitted this on himself! Don’t you just love unsubtle self-referential hypocritical jokes like this!? (Cut to clips of Robotnik.) NC (vo): So Robotnik isn't really as much a dictator as much as a comic foil for Sonic to make fun of. But what do you expect when you dress like Santa Claus' sadomasochistic gimp brother? You mean Robotnik has never looked like Santa Claus’ sadomasochistic gimp brother in any other Sonic media? (Clip of Robotnik pacing on a stage.) Robotnik: One trouble-making teenager has made me tear every hair from (indicates his head) my beautiful head! (Robotnik presses a button on a remote control and curtains part to reveal a picture of Sonic to the booing crowd.) NC (vo): (as Robotnik bares his teeth at the camera revealing the word "HATE" before they crack and shatter to pieces) Wow, he hates him so much that he actually tattooed the word "HATE" right on his very teeth. NC: (impressed) That's a lot of hate. That was my initial reaction over you being excessively angry over a cartoon about the wacky hi jinks of a running blue hedgehog. (Cut to clips of Robotnik and his army of robots.) NC (vo): He tries to stop him by building robots that are designed to kill and destroy. (panoramic scroll of the robot army) These machines are so lame, I'd doubt they'd make it (cut to the stage select screen of Mega Man 3) as half-baked Mega Man villains. (Suddenly the level intro begins with one of Robotnik's robots jumping into the center, with the name "Do You Even Care?" appearing below it.) Is There Anybody Who Cares? That’s the shorter answer! NC (vo): (cut to a clip of Robotnik with his henchmen) Two of the robots created are a (cut to clip of Scratch) robotic chicken named Scratch, and... (cut to a clip of Grounder)... whatever the hell this is...named Grounder. (cut to a clip of Scratch and Grounder) And if you thought Sonic's voice was annoying, just listen to this ear sodomy. (* The voice actors are Phil Hayes and Garry Chalk.) Thanks for the heads-up, transcript writer. Scratch: Hey, fastdraw, you missed!! BA-HA-HA! Grounder: (holding his glue gun to Scratch) I'll glue your yap shut! (Cut to NC, who puts his fingers in his ears and groans.) NC (vo): How do I describe the voices of these two? You ever tell your side of a story where you're trying to make the other person you're talking about sound really obnoxious? NC: (voice slightly deeper) So I'm sitting there, just talking to my friends, when suddenly, the teacher walks in and is like... (mocking Scratch, wagging finger) What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class? Plot twist: His teacher happens to actually be Scratch. Scratch: He made me persistent. He made you too dumb to quit! NC: And then my idiot friend is like, (mocking Grounder) Duh, I don't know. I thought it started later. Hey, that’s a pretty good Grounder impresssion, Critic! Grounder: Yeah, the chase is over! NC: You make them sound annoying for a reason. (beat) THEY ANNOY YOU!! NC (vo): There's also a monkey named Coconuts who wants to capture Sonic on his own, often declaring war on the speedy little hedgehog. Coconuts: I declare open season on hedgehogs! NC: I don't know why, but this vengeful war-hungry monkey always reminded me of George W. Bush. (Shows Coconuts next to a picture of President Bush.) Maybe it's the cowboy hat. I don't know. Ah yes, because when I think about a robot monkey wearing a cowboy hat trying to hunt down a blue hedgehog, the image of George W. Bush always springs to my mind. Rumor has it that Coconuts was based on his very likeness. Coconuts: You can run, but you can't hide, hedgehog! NC: (imitating George W. Bush) He's got weapons of mass acceleration. And let's not forget my personal favorite quote from Dubya Bush, “This shit is bananas!” NC (vo): The way Sonic always gets out of their traps is by running, of course, and putting on several disguises, as the bad guys never seem to realize there's a lot of blue overdressed hedgehogs in the neighborhood recently. I reckon Who-Gives-a-Shit-Land is exceedingly populated with blue hedgehogs. Very simple yet common mistake. Sonic: (dressed as a circus ring leader) Don't crowd. Don't push. Admission is free. (Sonic opens the tent and the bad guys run in, only to fall off a cliff. Sonic walks to the edge to confirm they fell over.) NC: (sighs) Well, that came out of nowhere. NC (vo): I love how he actually winks to the audience to point out that it's him under that costume. Because he's such a master of disguise that we really needed the extra hint. I don’t know about you, but he would’ve had me fooled too. (Cut to a clip of Sonic with a bad guy robot. Sonic runs up to the robot.) Sonic: I'm over there. (Sonic points in opposite direction, the robot looks as Sonic runs away, leaving the robot to scratch his head.) NC: How does that work? With all fairness, why even keep questioning the logic of a cartoon that clearly has none whatsoever? I don't care how stupid you are! If you just say, "I'm over there", nobody's gonna go, "Oh, he's over there!" Sonic is clearly a master of disguise and deception, so I shouldn’t question that either. Even the mentally ill aren't that stupid! And you need to stop bringing mental health into the conversation. If there’s anything more annoying or tedious than the cartoon itself, it’s that. (Cut to clip of the show, now focusing on the animation.) NC (vo): Look at this animation, by the way. There is no thought, focus or structure to any of it. This isn't animation, it's fucking doodling. I don't want to watch something that's less entertaining than something I drew on my desk in high school. Allow me to see your high school desk drawings and then we’ll have this talk on whether or not the animation had less effort put into it. Sonic: Guess you guys won't be staying for a second show. NC: (smiling) You got that right. Since we still have more than half of the review to go through…I’m pretty confident that the Critic is going to eat his own words later on. NC (vo): So the whole show is pretty much just evil robots trying to set up traps to catch Sonic and how the traps always seem to backfire. Gee, does that sound familiar at all? (Cut to a screenshot of Wile E. Coyote who brandishes a sign that says "Lame" on it.) I’m afraid to inform you that Wile E. might be directing this towards you, Critic. NC (vo): Unlike the Road Runner, though, this show has the misfortune of having people speak; obviously, a very big mistake. Well, of course. If you take out the whole dialogue aspect of AOSTH, there'd be no point in making it about Sonic when you can just make it about the coyote and Road Runner. Scratch: Look, here comes the hedgehog! Get ready to nab him! (Sonic and Tails run towards Scratch and Grounder. A fight cloud erupts.) Grounder: I got him! (The smoke clears and Grounder and Scratch are in their own traps.) Grounder: I thought you had him! Scratch: I thought you had him! NC: Oh, God. Tom and Jerry had a plot compared to this. "You know, this reminds me exactly of those classic dialogue-less cat and mouse cartoons, but way worse!" NC (vo): As you probably gathered, this show has absolutely no basis or logic or reason, I know you know! I got it. I got the concept. After all these times you’ve addressed this point, you don’t need to keep hammering it in, but do proceed to tell us why you think a show that has no basis or logic or reason drives you up the wall because of its illogicality. but there are just really some things that go beyond the boundaries of comprehension. (Cut to another scene of the show with Sonic and Tails napping under a tree.) A blue hedgehog and a two-tailed fox...napping under a tree!? Blasphemy! Nonsense beyond the bounds of comprehension! NC (vo): Like watch this scene as they try to setup yet another trap. (Grounder comes around the corner and blows into his hand to produce in his other a pumpkin.) NC: (VERY confused) What?!?! Pumpkin?!?!? P-pumpkin?!?!? What?!?!? What?!?!?! What?!? (beat) Pumpkin, what??!?! I take it that you’ve never seen or heard of a pumpkin before? NC (vo): I DON'T CARE WHAT DRUG-INDUCED LAND YOU'RE IN, you cannot blow in your hand and come up with a pumpkin. I don’t know about you, but I would like to able to blow into my hand and make a pumpkin appear. How did you even come to that conclusion?! Honestly, I think the bigger question here is why of all ideas for a plan to catch a speedy blue hedgehog, why did Grounder come up with blowing into his drill for a hand and making a pumpkin? But then again, it’s Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. OF COURSE it’s not going to make sense. The pure nonsense of Alice in Wonderland would’ve given you a heart attack. NC: I mean, what's next? He's gonna blow into his hand and a beautiful woman is gonna come out?! (...Which Scratch, pulling a string on his hand, then proceeds to actually do, which actually does look quite disturbing. NC is just as stunned as before.) NC: WHAAAAAAAA...?! Hey, you asked if he could blow into his hand and make a woman and you got your answer. NC (vo): How can you blow into your hand and make a woman?! Why are you even chasing hedgehogs if you could blow into your hand and make a woman?! I suppose any other job in Who-Gives-a-Shit-Land that offers payment to employees who can blow into their hands to make a woman don’t pay well enough as Dr. Robotnik does, and yet he verbally abuses his two robot henchmen every time they mess up. And besides, you got to take advantage of a hedgehog’s horniness somehow… It does NOT ADD UP! NC: My God! How do you even advertise a show like this? I mean, what did the commercials look like? What didn’t the commercials look like? That’s the shorter answer! (The opening is shown with the Critic narrating over it.) NC (vo): Hey, kids! Ren and Stimpy making too much sense for ya? You know, that comparison actually isn’t so far off once you notice that some of the people who worked on R&S also happened to have once upon a time worked on this show in particular after Games Animation took over production on R&S, including Vincent Waller, who worked as a storyboard artist on AOSTH. Then put on The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. You'll love this cosmic out-of-body raping of your senses. It's like a Japanese show in English, only you still have no idea what's going on. I can tell why this ad was never approved for television. You must be at least this high to watch. (A picture of Chester A. Bum is shown when the Critic says "this high.") So in other words, in other to be able to enjoy AOSTH, you must be an actual Nostalgia Critic character. Gotcha. NC (vo): One of the running jokes, I guess, is that Sonic always has a thing for chili dogs. Running gag? Do you mean character trait? Tails: Where are we? Sonic: A long way from the nearest chili dog stand. Two chili dogs to go! Tails: Can we find some more chili dogs? Sonic: Two dozen chili dogs. Coconuts: You've munched your last chili dog! Sonic: ...buy chili dogs from that guy. NC: You know, at least with other cartoons, there's some sort of rhyme or reason: I think the reasoning here is that Who-Gives-a-Shit-Land has more chili dog stands than people. Bugs Bunny with carrots, Winnie-the-Pooh and honey...a blue hedgehog, and chili dogs? What's the connection? Yeah, you’re right! We need to go back to when food preferences of cartoon characters used to make sense, like fat orange cat and lasagnas….and radioactively super-powered teen-aged turtles and pizzas, and uhhhh….a Peruvian bear and marmalade sandwiches…? Okay, so they didn’t always make sense back then, but the fact of the matter is that the show needs to make a blue hedgehog’s love for chili dogs make sense! Oh, and by the way, carrots aren’t usually the favorite food of rabbits. That would be cabbage. Excuse my pedantry, but it’s true. NC (vo): My guess is it's what gives him his supersonic speed, that is to say I'm sure he's fast on his feet, but nothing can breathe fire like a gas-producing bean product that makes you want to shit more than a Metamucil cocktail. Now that wasn’t so hard to come up with logic or reason for a show without any of it, was it? Sonic: Gotta roll, troll! NC (vo): Even in the realm of its own insanity, it doesn't make any sense. Okay, but didn’t we already have this conversation with the drill-handed robot blowing into his hand and propping up a pumpkin and with a robot chicken blowing into his hand and making a woman? Like, look at this scene when they're trapped in a cage and there's a trapdoor slowly opening up. Sonic: Aaaah! NC: First of all: TAILS CAN FLY! Why doesn't he just pick up Sonic and lift him off the ground? ...Because they’re trapped in a cage? And because Tails has limited flight, like in the games? NC (vo): Second: Are you seriously telling me that you can't fit through those bars? You could drive a fucking pickup truck through those giant gaps! If the pickup truck was as thin as a rail, then sure. Sonic: Don't you realize the terrible villain is about to destroy this entire place- Mole: Nope. Don't pay no never mind to current events. Sonic: Maybe you should consider a career in politics. NC (vo): Oh, come on! I've seen Fruity Pebbles commercials funnier than this. Maybe you should consider a career in politics. NC: This is torture! This is madness! (A clip of the film 300 is shown). King Leonidas (voiced by NC): THIS! IS! SONIC! ‘Member when was this meme was repeated to death in the late 2000s? Pepperidge Farm ‘members! NC (vo): And just when you think you've seen the lamest part of the show, Sonic actually has a moral to teach at the end, 'cause I really want a blue hedgehog who eats chili dogs to be my children's teacher. … ...Yeah, I may have to agree with you on that. Tails: We're surrounded, Sonic. Call 911! Sonic: No way, Tails. This is nothing. 911 is for real emergencies. As much as I’d appreciate that you’re saying ACAB, Sonic, that shouldn't be the appropriate time for you to say it. NC: (imitates Sonic) That's right, kids. Don't call 911 if you're being attacked by people who want to kill or kidnap you. Only call for important things, like if the cable goes out and you can't watch The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. That's what's important! NC (vo): But even the messages are weird. I mean, there's the usual stuff, like learn to share and eat your veggies, but some of these are just...strange. Sonic: Believe it or not, every year, some ignorant kid takes a ride in a clothes dryer just like this one. If you think it's smart to climb in a dryer, you're really all wet. NC: ...Really? Kids climbing in the dryer is such a national problem that they had to devote the entire end of an episode to that? Were you expecting Sonic to do a PSA about the horrific consequences of war? Just google ‘kids hiding in dryer deaths’ and you’ll be somewhat surprised to know that such a preventable issue still occurs at any given time. You know what? Given the intelligence of the people who watched this show, this is probably a good thing to teach. Is it a first world problem? Sure. But it’s still a real safety issue that may have needed to be addressed so the viewers get the impression that the wacky blue hedgehog cartoon can teach them something important and that they don’t have to be dumb as bricks to enjoy it. When the cartoon has the decency to show that it has some ounce of intellect, even if the PSAs themselves were clearly mandated, you got to give it some credit for that. Because my guess is that when they're not trying to operate heavy machinery with their BUTTCHEEKS... NC (vo): ...they're probably trying to do something stupid like this! With the way you’re consistently touting around your own high IQ in comparison to AOSTH’s general stupidity, don’t you think it would’ve taken you up until this point for you to come to the realization that this cartoon was not really meant to be taken all that seriously, let alone to put a heavy emphasis on ‘BUTTCHEEKS’? NC: I mean, what else could you possibly teach that would be as stupid as that?! Sonic: Even you can learn something from a sloth. (NC nervously stares for a few seconds, then snaps, pulls out a gun and shoots the characters.) ...I’m guessing he really doesn’t like sloths very much. NC: FUCK THIS SHOW! (Shoots at Sonic and his head is blown off) FUCK THIS SHOW! (Shoots at Tails) This is what we need gun control laws for, people – Sonic Sez! FUCK THIS SHOW! (Shoots Scratch) I don’t think a bullet from a gun is what kills a robot. (He shoots Dr. Robotnik, then proceeds to shoot some more while repeating the line, before “Who Gives-A-Shit Land” (*ACKSHUALLY, THE SETTING IS NAMED MOBIUS-) is briefly seen before completely exploding!) At least he had the decency to spare Grounder from the whole bloodbath? NC: This is crazy! In every possible meaning of the word! But you shooting all of its characters to death is supposed to be comparatively normal? Nothing about this show makes sense! It's PURE BULLSHIT! Bullshit...in Who-Gives-a-Shit-Land? Whouda thunk? NC (vo): It's the kind of movie they would show Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange to break his mind! You call it torture, but given how you framed it, I’m not quite sure how it would be considered as anything other than just nonsensical brain rot. So no, I’m sure Malcolm McDowell or, ahem, Alex DeLarge, would consider this tame. (Cut to a scene from A Clockwork Orange, with Alex tied to his seat, eyes wide open, with the intro to the Sonic show seen in them.) Alex DeLarge: Aaaah, stop it, stop it, please! I beg you! Critic Sez – Watching The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is a higher form of torture than being waterboarded! (Cut to a promo picture featuring the cast of Sonic SatAM.) For the love of Christ, please don’t shoot them too, critic of nostalgia. NC (vo): Now if you can believe it, there was actually another show about Sonic that came out the exact same time. They even got the same actor, Jaleel White, to play the lead. Because one Sonic show wasn't enough to piss us off, I guess. The show was called Sonic the Hedgehog, but later got the name Sonic SatAM. Why? Because it came on Saturday mornings, I guess. That is true, but the ‘SATAM’ was originally coined by the fanbase iirc, so people wouldn’t mistake it for, well...the other Sonic cartoon. Now, isn't that kind of stupid? Isn't that like calling the title of a show "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Eastern Standard Time"? You mean I’ve been saying the title of the TMNT series wrong the whole time? Look, I know it's customary to release the show after some time has gone by, but within the same fucking year? NC: That's as crazy as the rest of the bullshit I've had up with today! Well, forget it! I give up! I don't even wanna think about the idea of this show procreated. There's no way in Hell that any show connected to this character can possibly be good! I am done...done...DONE! Given how much the other Sonic cartoon rot your brain well enough to appreciate the adventures of a talking blue hedgehog, I suppose you can’t be trusted with the other one. (We then suddenly see the opening to Sonic the Hedgehog, while Critic looks more and more excited as it progresses, also being moved to tears at one point.) Oh wait, I forgot, there's still more of this review. Singer: ♫ Sonic! He can really move! / Sonic! He's got an attitude! Sonic! He's the fastest thing alive! He's the fastest thing alive! He's the fastest thing alive! ♫ I know Sonic is fast and all, but I wouldn’t call this such an eye-opener that I would be moved to tears over it. (A triumphant chorus is heard as NC raises his hands in surprise and joy.) NC: Effort! Honest to God effort! Well, uh...that’s quite the unexpected turnaround. Seeing how much venom this critic was spewing towards the other Sonic cartoon, I wouldn’t have expected his heart to grow three sizes at that moment. (A clip from Nine to Five, showing a door opening to a bright light, is shown, and the title screen of “Sonic the Hedgehog” fades in place.) NC (vo): I mean, talk about the complete opposite. This show takes a relatively bright, plotless video game story As far as I’m concerned, the original trilogy of games did have a plot, but since you’re happy talking about Sonic for once...do proceed. and turns it into a dark, edgy, and actually kind of epic show. Its setting was stylish, its plotlines developed, its characters surprisingly complex, but surely, you can’t take something as silly-looking as Robotnik and make him the least bit intimida- (A clip of an angry-looking Doctor Robotnik from the show suddenly appears with his eyes glowing red.) NC (vo): Jesus! Man, even Robotnik is cool. In fact, he may be one of the coolest villains ever. Just listen to that kick-ass voice. Note that the voice actor is Jim Cummings, the Critic is not aware of this. Thank you once again, transcript writer, for the extra information that isn’t necessarily relevant to the review. Doctor Robotnik: Ooh, that’s good. That’s very good indeed. NC (vo): It’s like he’s orgasming on every word he says. Now we know why he’s named Jim Cummings. ...Sorry, that was bad. Robotnik: A very nice touch. Well, well, well. This is good. NC: (imitating Robotnik) Ooh. that’s good. That’s very good. Oh, wait, wait, wait. Lower. Lower. Lower! (makes a face that looks like he just had an orgasm) Oh, that’s just delicious! Robotnik: It warms the cockles of my heart. NC: Okay. The less I know about your cockles, the better. Yeah, I don’t want to know about his…burrowing bivalve mollusks either. NC (vo): Still, this was a pretty nasty bad guy. Certainly a lot different from (shows a clip from The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, causing NC to sigh) that other show. The difference between the two Robotniks may be night and day, but I won’t accept any slander for Long John Baldry. (Cut back to "Sat AM") The story is actually inventive, too. Unlike the other show where Robotnik's trying to take over the world, in this show, he pretty much already has. Everything is robotocized. The city, the animals, everything. And it’s just Sonic and a secret group of freedom fighters who try to stop this industrial takeover and bring the green back to the forest. NC: Wait, wait, wait, wait. I can’t comprehend this. An environmental message that’s… subtle? (This word appears onscreen. The Shock Horror sting plays.) Oh my god, I can't believe this! NC (vo): Yes, apparently, there is subtlety in this Sonic cartoon unlike (shows another clip from “Adventures” and sighs) that other show. I mean...if you were expecting subtlety from AOSTH, you might’ve been expecting way too much from it. (Cut back to “Sat AM”) Sonic’s not alone in this battle, though. He has a team of animals that are kind of like the Care Bears, Ewoks, and Smurfs all rolled into one. If you gave them weapons. You got Tails, of course, but thankfully, he’s kind of downplayed. The other characters are Antoine, a cowardly Frenchman... Antoine: I am hating to be a, oh, how you say, such a worry-worm, but this terrible place it’s- it’s not so good for our health. We go home, yes? NC: (imitating Antoine) In fact, why don’t we just surrender? ‘Cause that’s all we French know how to do, right? Surrender, make love, and be unbelievably snooty. Now where’s my French beret, accordion, twirly mustache, and striped shirt? (beat) ...Oh shoot, the camera is still rolling! Quick, list some more imaginary French stereotypes! A-Jerry Lewis. A-Jerry Lewis was definitely my favorite Sonic character. NC (vo): A half-animal, half-machine named Bunnie Rabbot...yeah, I know. I hate the pun, too. Bunnie Rabbot: And the big, ugly old wolf says “The better to see y’all with my dear.” Tails: That wolf is nasty, huh, Bunnie? Bunnie: Nasty as a one-eyed snake sugar. NC (vo; imitating Bunnie): I wish I had a one-eyed snake come after me. Too bad my vagina eats people. What, with it being robotocized and all. ...Uh, sure, if that’s the kind of furry fantasy that you’re into, I won’t judge you for that. NC (vo): And last but not least, Princess Sally, the face that launched a thousand furries. Aaaand speak of the devil, from the utterance of Bunnie Rabbot’s vagina eating people and being down bad for a one-eyed snake to admittedly being self-aware of people lusting over Sally Acorn, it sure does seem like there’s something that the Critic just isn’t telling us. What’s a furry, you may ask? Um, long touchy story. Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this review to transition from critiquing a cartoon starring a blue hedgehog to becoming a straight-up furry fandom lecture. If that’s how you want to cook, then I’ll let you cook. (Clips from Critic’s Space Jam review play) Let’s just say in my Space Jam review when I said there weren’t people out there who’d wanted to fuck bunnies, I was wrong. NC: Turns out I was the one who wanted to fuck bunnies! (Back to “SatAM”) Oh, okay, that’s a harsh generalization. But from what I can tell, it’s people who are fascinated by half-animal, half-human creatures. But for some reason, centaurs are never on there. What’s up with that? Just keep doing your own research and you’ll find a sizable group of people who would have a fixation towards centaurs too...unless you want to come forward and say that you’re part of that fandom, which yeah, once again, I won’t judge. NC: What do you got against the centaurs, huh? Are you anti-“centites”? Huh? HUH?! Not sure if I’m supposed to pronounce that as ‘anti-cen-tites’ or ‘anti-cen-titties.’ NC (vo): I don’t know. But either way, I found out this character has kind of a cult following. But here’s my question: if she’s a princess, where’s the king? I think the better question is ‘Where’s the queen?’ Wherever the king is though, I’m sure he’ll be back with the milk later on. They talk about him sometimes, but they mostly hint at the fact that he’s probably dead. So shouldn’t she be in charge now? Sally: I know he’s alive. I just don’t know where. NC: You’re not really a princess! You just took the title ‘cause it sounds cute! Take some authority! You’re a queen! Queen it up, bitch! She would probably have to wait until she’s old enough to marry first, though. They all don’t have to look like Elizabeth II; you can still be pretty. But start moving forward and take some responsibility! The furries will respect you for it. Okay, but I just don’t think Sally would want your respect, though. NC (vo): This is a really cool-looking world, too. It’s very gritty and harsh, with more threatening robotic minions, unlike (shows clip from “Adventures”) THAT OTHER SHOW! If it’s of any consolidation, the AOSTH robots can blow into their hands and make a woman. Can the robots from this show do that? (Back to “SatAM”) In fact, these settings are so detailed, I keep thinking that they stumbled onto a Star Wars movie half the time. (Sally jumps down from a landing.) Darth Vader: (from The Empire Strikes Back) The Force is with you…but you are not a Jedi yet. Darth Vader: With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy. The furries will respect you for it. NC (vo): But perhaps the biggest upset for most people is the last episode. Not because it was so bad, but because it was too good. Robotnik creates a doomsday device, half the freedom fighters are captured, Sonic and Sally discover some sort of ultimate power; they destroy the device, wipe out the city, Robotnik retreats forever, his wormy sidekick escapes in a pod, Sonic and Sally confess their love for each other, and they all live happily ever after… I never had a problem with it, but I do now that you’ve spoiled it for me. I’ve been meaning to watch it with fresh eyes, but now I can’t anymore. Thanks a lot. NC: Or do they?! Snively: (laughs) Well, don’t celebrate too soon, hedgehog. Now, it’s my turn, and I’m not alone! (A pair of red eyes comes out from the darkness). NC: Holy shit! What is that?! Oh, my God! I can’t wait for the next episode! What the hell’s gonna happen?! ("Cancelled" appears on the screen in bright red letters.) NC: (pauses) FUCK YOU!!!!!!!! (Starts shaking uncontrollably) Steel: Yeah...I know that feeling, man. NC (vo): Why is it video game spinoffs never learn? (Shows clips from the original Super Mario Bros. movie and Mortal Kombat to demonstrate his point.) Leaving us on a cliffhanger doesn’t guarantee a sequel. It just pisses us off. And even if you do have a sequel, it doesn’t always mean that it’s gonna be good. Just be self-contained. (Footage of “Sonic SatAM”) Oh, well. That being said, this really was a great show. In fact, it’s actually better than I remember it. Maybe I should have put it somewhere on the Top 11 Animated Nostalgic TV Shows, just consider it the number 12 spot, I guess. Hey, why go one step beyond when you can take two steps? It literally took nothing and turned it into something. Look, I don’t care if you didn’t play the original games, but you should’ve at least tried to come to a basic understanding about how it lead to the creation of two Sonic cartoons before saying claiming that there was no takeaway from them. Unlike (footage "Adventures"; sighs disgustedly) THAT OTHER FUCKING SHOW! NC: They took nothing and turned it into even less than nothing! In fact, you know what it’s like? It’s like two students who turned in two separate projects for a class. NC: (now wearing his tie and just a T-shirt and sounding calm and respectful) Hey, there, teach. Here’s my project. (Footage of "Sonic SatAM") I tried to add as much character and psychological development as possible, given the guidelines. But, I think I came up with a pro-environmental show that will actually make kids enjoy the forest without, you know, shoving it in their faces. NC: (back to Critic with his normal clothes on) Well, this is very well put together. Strong story, good character, working beyond the material given to you. A+. (Title card of "Sonic Sat AM" shows A+.) NC: Now where’s my other student, Fuckup McDumbass? If that’s the name their parents actually gave them, then I would feel pretty bad. NC: (This time he sounds obnoxious and his clothes are all messed up) Hey, teach! Here’s my project. (Footage of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog) And it’s awesome! It’s got a lot of running! A lot of… chili dogs! It’s got a monkey, and a chicken, and they just yell all the time, and went blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It’s totally awesome! NC: (regular clothes and with a pissed off look on his face) McDumbass, did you put any effort into any of this? Say what you will, but I think Fuckup McDumbass might have a brighter future ahead of him. NC: (messed clothes) No, I just got high. (Title card of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog with an F is displayed.) NC: I’m the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don’t have to. Well…if he’s going to send it off like that, then I might as well do that too. I’m done with the review. See you all next time when I finally riff Season 2 of Guru Gakuto in 2029 or whatever… Steel: You know how at the end of the review, the Critic compared the two Sonic shows like two separate assignments being handed in to a teacher? The feeling I got from this review is pretty much the same energy, except this feels more like if the Critic handed in a bad critical evaluation essay and was asked to either rewrite the whole paper or add something he liked to compare and contrast to offset the hyperbolic critique he previously gave to the former so he could get a passing grade. In other words, this Nostalgia Critic review wasn’t him at his F-game or at his A-game. It was a definitive C-game type of review. The underlying issue with the first part of the review is as clear as day – Doug, as his Critic character, took the first Sonic cartoon way too seriously, and that’s when I knew that I was better off not doing the same towards his commentary, because otherwise I’d look like CinemaSins or his Douchey McNitpick character in comparison, and it’s especially baffling when you remember that he went up to bat for Ren & Stimpy, which was its own breed of nonsensical. But then there’s the curveball with his critique of Sonic SATAM, where he praises it up the wazoo, and I think that’s something to admire because we have stereotyped Doug and the Critic before of not mustering up the effort or time to find the appeal of something that he’s generally unfamiliar with or look at it from a fan’s perspective. You’d expect Doug to not understand Sonic in any shape or form when he was so closed-minded towards the other Sonic cartoon, but he still praised it, and by making some solid points. Is it obvious why the NC’s approach to reviewing these two shows the way it was? I mean, yeah, one (AOTSH) was clearly made for the younger kids while the other (SATAM) was intended for the older kids. And maybe the review would’ve been handled better if Doug fully grasped that notion. On the other hand though, a part of the Critic’s charm back then was, even if it was absolutely dumb and ridiculous of him to be viscerally angry over a cartoon that wasn’t for him, Doug still made that unbridled anger entertaining because of how hyperbolic his reactions were. Now, of course, the review had its fair share of edgy jokes that clearly did not age well (like I’d say, 2009 was a different time), but still, they are far from Doug’s biggest boners as the Nostalgia Critic. And suppose he was just only hamming it up, then I’d still say that’s no excuse for veering off-course from the review aspect of the, well...review. I can come to the basic understanding of why AOSTH had its fans and how it found its place in the zeitgeist of internet memes, there’s no believing that this cartoon is so incomprehensibly insane that it could “break” him. The biggest takeaway from this review, however, is that even with the Critic as his more tolerable self, it’s still fun to make fun of the Nostalgia Critic and he’s still worth plenty of material for riffing. Is this the last time that I’ll ever engage with anything NC-related? Probably not. In fact, I feel like I might become comfortable enough to revisit his old reviews at some later point in time, granted if Doug doesn’t take a more critical blow to his rep than he did from the #ChangeTheChannel drama. For the time being, this is where my NC retrospective journey really ends. With that out of the way now, CBC3 will continue with the last batch of Guru Gakuto episodes later this year.

"Squidward Commits Tax Evasion" was my favorite of the season.