DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence (Success!)

[dmandagiraffe]

9 hours ago, 4EverGreen said:

While "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends" was a good cartoon show, I think it probably could've been even better, if they had STUCK with Bloo's INITIAL portrayal as being an Imaginary Friend who was nice but naive in the three part pilot movie, instead of being mostly a condescending jerk who actually DOES know better but chooses NOT to be (depending on the writer). That being said, most of the show is pretty good, except for "Everyone Knows It's Bendy" and pretty much ANY episode segment involving Cheese. Enough said!

b-

but cheese is godly though...

[Steel Sponge]

10 hours ago, 4EverGreen said:

While "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends" was a good cartoon show, I think it probably could've been even better, if they had STUCK with Bloo's INITIAL portrayal as being an Imaginary Friend who was nice but naive in the three part pilot movie, instead of being mostly a condescending jerk who actually DOES know better but chooses NOT to be (depending on the writer).

This is a fairly hot take, but if that were how Bloo's character ended up being for the rest of the series...he would pretty much be a rather boring character. I mean, you can make an interesting character out of someone nice, Bloo's jerkish behavior can be hard to sit through sometimes, and even despite the fact that Bloo acted relatively nicer compared to his characterization for every other episode after that makes very little sense, I still wouldn't have him any other way. Bloo is not a likable character; he's a jerk, but I think that's the main point of his character. IMO, sometimes he's character that I love to hate, but most other times, his antics are what make his character stand out. Not everyone should have to like Bloo and I can definitely see why most people who have watched Foster's don't feel the same way that I do, but keep in mind that if you would want a main character who is nice but naive, series creator Craig McCracken would eventually give us something much like that years later with Wander from Wander Over Yonder.

Also worth noting, Phineas from Phineas & Ferb would've originally been written to be a huge brat before the creators decided that he should be very likable. Whether that made him an interesting character or a bland "his only trait is that he builds lol" type of character is up to debate, but I think it was a good decision on the creators' parts.

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that was... something. What it was, we won't discuss. Thankfully, today's show is one that he is more than happy to talk about!

 

 

#22: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends "House of Bloo's, Part 1"

[August 13, 2004]

 

I loved this show. I mean, who didn't? I remember sitting in front of the television back in Indiana, waiting for the theme song to play, which, let's be honest, was a banger. Just try to listen to it without being filled with a sense of joy. I would be able to watch Destination Imagination over and over on DVR and it would never get old. I have so much love for the show, most of which could be stored in a mix of nostalgia and pure wonder. Having that going in, I expect none of that to have faded with time. This is one of many talk-abouts I was the most excited for. Let's revisit Foster's for old time's sake, shall we?

The episode begins with Mac and Bloo (Mac's blue-colored imaginary friend) being chased/tortured in their apartment by Mac's older brother, Terrence. He ends up catching the two, forcing them to break household items so he can blame them later, but Bloo tricks him and knocks him out with a vase. At that very moment, their mom gets home, signaling Terrence to tell a fake sob story (which she doesn't fall for). However, she realizes that Terrence isn't the only one at fault, so she talks to Mac alone about getting rid of Bloo, because she thinks Mac, being eight years old, is too old to still have him. She makes this decision final, much to Bloo's dismay and Terrence's approval. That night, Bloo finds a commercial for Foster's while channel surfing, piquing his interest. He takes Mac there the next day, where they are greeted by Mr. Herriman, a large monocle/suit-wearing rabbit. He asks about their reason for showing up to no reply, but before he can end their conversation, Bloo explains the state of living him and Mac are in, with some (if not a lot of) exaggeration. He ends up agreeing to give the two a tour of the building.

Oh wait, did I say "he"? Actually, no. He puts Frankie (or as he calls her "Miss Frances"),  the caregiver/worker of the household and founder's granddaughter, to the job. However, she get interrupted right before she can start and asks another resident, Wilt, to show them around instead. Wilt just so happens to be an overly tall, red creature with one arm and a googly-like eye in place of his left eye. After a moment of Mac and Bloo being awestruck by his height, the tour begins. He takes them through multiple rooms and hallways, where the two learn more about the home, its history, and residents such as Coco, a green-haired bird that can only say her name, Duchess, a self-absorbed creature that has a cubism-esque appearance, and Eduardo (BEEP BEEP TOM KENNY ALERT), a purple-colored creature with a Latino accent whose appearance seems menacing, even though he's usually timid and shy in actuality. At the end of the tour, Mac feels fine with having Bloo stay at the home. Before they can ultimately decide however, Frankie tells them Foster's isn't a boarding house, but a foster home, meaning Bloo will live there until he is adopted by a new kid, and from then Mac will likely never see him again. Mac decides to go home to think of what to do, leaving Bloo behind. Although Mac promises his return before another kid can adopt Bloo, Mr. Herriman doubts him, as he's seen this happen time and time again with other kids, and they never come back. The episode then ends on a "to be continued..." tagline.

Yep, this show hasn't faded in my mind either. I may need to rewatch a bunch of episodes again just to relieve those old memories. It's been too long, y'know. The episode was funny, entertaining, occasionally dark, and at the best of times, heartfelt. I can tell there was a lot of passion put into this show. Best parts included a pair of scissors ALSO voiced by the man himself, the channels Bloo switches through early on (especially the one about the Grand Canyon), and the multitude of Powerpuff Girls references (not surprised, that show was created by McCracken as well). Now, excuse me while I watch the other two parts of this special.

And 37 more episodes.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: I can't see anyone hating this show. Just like a house full of imaginary friends that kids everywhere created at one point, there's something here for everyone.

RATING: 9/10 (a clear standout)

 

Alright wheel, I'm prepared for whatever you've got! LAY IT ON ME!

 

Spoiler

Wow. I didn't think we'd get here so soon.

Two talk-abouts ago...

"Up until 2010, only three shows achieved [the TV-PG] rating: this, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and one more, which will DEFINITELY be an interesting one to talk about. Ohhhh boyyyyy..."

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

Edited July 10, 2019 by Jon Snow

[4EverGreen]

I've never even HEARD of THAT show before!  Well, we will find out soon enough what it is all about. Enough said, true believers! 

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that filled him with such a sense of nostalgia that he set out to watch more episodes in the show's extensive library. Today's show however, has a library that doesn't even come close to "extensive" in the slightest...

 

 

#26: Sunday Pants "Dangerous Situations"

[October 2, 2005]

 

Before 2014 or so, I legitimately think no one knew that this show existed. Even nowadays, barely anyone knows about it, outside of a small group of lost media enthusiasts. Other than a certain other show we'll get to, this is the most obscure show in the CN original library. And if we're talking about how forgettable it is compared to obscurity, this is as unknown as it gets. So what is this show, anyway? Sunday Pants is an anthology show consisting of various animated shorts by different creators, similarly to stuff like Liquid Television, KaBlam, and What a Cartoon (wink wink). Given my appreciation for those three shows, then I'll be bound to like this one too, right?

Because of the format of this show, I'm going to review each short as its own thing and then give a collective score on the overall episode. Let's jump right in.

In "The Brothers Pistov", dog brother Anton attempts to save brother Gregor's life to be even with him. (7/10)
In "IMP", the imp and Bob plan to conjure up a plague of locusts but ultimately have to improvise. (7/10)
In "Periwinkle Around the World", Periwinkle the duck (it's Tom again) gets himself into skiing hijinks with a dog taxicab driver. (8/10)
In "Weighty Decisions" a man's shoulder angel and devil get into an argument while convincing him whether to jump off a ledge or not, even if he's not in danger. (7/10)
In "Travel Logs", two complaining logs visit Colorado, where several mishaps occur on the slopes. (6/10)
In "History According to Noodle", Noodle the caveman demonstrates fire to his roommates. (7/10)
In "Oogloo and Anju", the two discover both the wonders and dangers of the ice-cream fish. (7/10)
In "Monstories", two creatures try to keep a flower healthy and out of an unkowing mole's harmful reach. (7/10)
In "Bernard", Bernard the bear gives hang glading a try, to mostly disastrous results. (7/10)
In "Crazy Demands", a man lets a monster borrow a five dollar bill. (5/10)
In "The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers", the namesake brothers attempt a jet-skiing stunt, but get interrupted by a whale inbetween the ordeal. (7/10)
In "The Topside Rag", a man gets more than he asked for when he provokes a chained dog. (6/10)
In "Show and Tell", Anthony dresses as his super hero alter-ego in front his classmates and his teacher, also voiced by our lord and savoir, Tom Kenny. (6/10)
In "News Channel Station News U.S.", a reporter goes to the shady parts of town to continue his own news segment. (6/10)
In "Jean-Luc and Dondoozat", one creature learns a valuable lesson about stealing toys at the other's expense. (6/10)

...my brain is dead. Maybe I'm just tired, but things seemed to get less interesting as the show went on. I mean, just look at the ratings I put. Sunday Pants is a weeeeiiird show. It felt like a fever dream. That doesn't mean it's bad, it's just... oh... it's something else, alright. This feels like an Adult Swim show more than a Cartoon Network original. Maybe it was always meant for Adult Swim anyway, because guess what? They get away with saying "hell" in later episodes! Yes, that's right. I watched more than one episode of this. It stays on about the same level of decency throughout. Nothing really shines, but nothing really crashes and burns either. As the ratings show, "Periwinkle Around the World" was my favorite (probably for the Chowder-esque animation and constant action), and my least favorite was "Crazy Demands" (it's 15 seconds and nothing really happens). I really don't know what to say except... lost... kenny... ah hell... drowning............

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: sunday pants more like sunday ok i guess

RATING: six sundays/out of ten (i really wanted to give this a seven but ehhhhhhhhh whatever hell kenny tom pants)

 

hey yo wheel bring me out of sunday funday kenny hell ahhhhhh greijfn venvadcansoinoncinoinva

 

Spoiler

hmm needs mor pants pleas

 

stay tune for dmanno's next sunday bashign glipglop

Edited July 10, 2019 by Jon Snow

[4EverGreen]

Just a little side note, "Bernard" eventually got its OWN cartoon series on a different network, because it originally came from the United Kingdom. And I actually DO remember "Show and Tell", just not as part of "Sunday Pants". Anyways, "Apple and Onion" is one of TWO cartoon shows that got ROYALLY shafted by Cartoon Network (the other is "Robotomy"), and left Cartoon Network actually WONDERING why its NOT doing better than Nickelodeon or Disney in the ratings war. Enough said, true believer! 

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that was...sunday...kenny...drowning...tom...or something along those lines. Will today's show be any better, or will it send him into another six-year-long period of inactivity on this thread (that lazy mofo)?  

 

 

Damn, the opening narration really didn't have to do me like that...

So...yeah. After all this time, I'm finally gonna try finishing this thing again. I apologize that it's taken me so long to make another update in this thread, but as of now I have too much time on my hands and my mind drifted to this old project, so I figured "why not?". Let's talk about some toons. I still won't be covering anything after 2018, because by then we'd be getting to shows that I haven't even watched once and know little to nothing about. Of course, that's also not saying that I've extensively watched every show I put on the original list. For example...

#55: Apple & Onion "A New Life"

[February 23, 2018]

 

If I remember correctly, this was the first new show to air after I made my thread for talking about CN originals on SBM. This was also around the time where I stopped keeping up with the channel in general. I know I saw one episode of this show on TV at least, but I think that's it. I don't know what else to say here, so let's go ahead and dive on into Apple and Onion's world. Welcome.

The episode begins with the titular characters leaving their homes for new lives. Both of them have their own mantras in the form of a song, Apple's being about taking things one step at a time, and Onion's being about making new friends. Eventually they both make it to the city, which is filled with a wide variety of food residents. Apple attempts to reach the address given to him by his parents, but unfortunately he's easily distracted. On his way he stops by an ice cream truck and buys $65 worth of ice cream, not noticing he left his backpack (address with it) on the truck's side mirror. He realizes this too late as the truck drives off, but before he can chase it down he uses his ice cream to cool off a visibly exhausted woman on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, Onion arrives at his new job with some ice cream he bought from the same truck, the intention being to give it to his new boss and make a good first impression. Unfortunately, it melts inside the office and he gets the mess all over his boss's suit, who demands that he get it dry cleaned if he wants to keep his job. It seems like his goal to make friends isn't panning out so far, huh? Anyway, we cut back to Apple. While reminding himself to take things one step at a time, he is once again distracted. He thinks he hears the ice cream truck, but it turns out to be a phone ringing, belonging to a nearby scam artist. He uses the rest of his money to pay for a self-portrait from the artist (who insists that Apple pays before he can see it), but much to his surprise Apple ends up really liking it. In the meantime, Onion arrives at the laundromat to get his boss's suit cleaned up. He notices an athlete struggling with his washing machine, so Onion offers to let the athlete share his own machine. He sets the temperature to hot, which certainly won't be a mistake. Getting back to Apple, he helps some kids by dislodging a basketball that was caught in a hoop. However, he throws both of his shoes to do so and now has only socks to walk in. And back to Onion, he gives the suit back to his boss only to discover that it has shrunken and is now red like the athlete's jerseys. He is fired and left homeless as a result, and to add insult to injury he loses his shoes to some wet cement on the way out. Gee, sounds familiar.

Finally, Apple and Onion cross paths at a shoe store. After singing their mantras to themselves, they notice each other and quickly become friends. Apple offers Onion to come live with him, though first the duo must retrieve the address from Apple's backpack, still hanging from the ice cream truck. Their new shoes invigorate them and they run outside, where their good deeds throughout the day begin to pay off. The woman Apple helped cool down gives them the gift of speed, the athlete Onion shared his washer with gives them the gift of flight, the artist Apple gave appraisal to gives them the gift of inspiration (okay), and most helpful of all, the kids that Apple helped in the basketball situation gives them the call of the children, which gains the attention of the ice cream truck driver. Apple finally retrieves his backpack, and the athlete offers to drive him and Onion to the address. In the end, Apple and Onion move in to their new apartment, write positive letters to their parents, and tell each other their names for the first time (although it wouldn't have been too hard to figure out by looks alone). The end.

I wasn't sure what to think of this going in, but you know what, it wasn't too bad. In fact, as far as this episode went, I kind of liked it. The singing had me worried at first, but thankfully they're either very short moments or are interrupted a la the "Welcome Home Sandy" song; that part with the train conductor made me crack a smile. There's also a certain feel of social awkwardness throughout this show that I can relate to, even if at points it gets weird even for me. My other favorite moment was during the laundromat scene where Onion jokes with the athlete, who proceeds to give him an overly detailed death stare, before it changes to a smile upon Onion offering to share his washer. So yeah, I thought this was neat. There's nothing here that wowed me or was new, but I enjoyed myself during the time I had watching it. I may watch a few more episodes to get a more solid opinion on this one, but for now this first episode left a good impression on me. Unlike certain other people in this episode.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: Though it doesn't include anything I haven't seen before out of a slice-of-life show, Apple & Onion is still pleasant enough to sink your teeth into. Goodbye.

RATING: 7/10 (decent)

 

Big news: I've decided to finally give Wheel Decide a rest from these threads. Forever may you be at peace, sweet angel. Instead, say hello to Wheel of Names! Alright new wheel, don't mess this up for me...

 

Spoiler

Wow, another one I barely watched when it was on.

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about...even if it takes another six years.

[dmandagiraffe]

Wait, we're doing this for real? Alright, dope! Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", this thread was given a new life when dman talked about the episode "A New Life" from that show about sentient food (no, not the orange one, it doesn't exist), and he found it pretty alright. And today's series is just as much a toss-up as that one...

 

 

#54: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes "Let's Be Heroes"

[August 1, 2017]

 

I remember back when the "Lakewood Plaza Turbo" pilot was new, and pretty much everyone I saw who talked about animation online expressed a desire to see it be made into a series. As for me, I never watched that pilot. But I won't deny that it looked pretty intriguing, especially with the artstyle they chose. Then lo and behold, four years later it was greenlit as a television series, and I barely watched any of it. All I remember is my brother and me getting partway through an episode before ultimately deciding the show wasn't for us. But it's been almost eight years since then, maybe my outlook on this one will have changed. OK K.O., let's give your show another shot.

The episode begins with K.O. and his mother Carol driving to her workplace, as K.O.'s babysitter is fighting the flu (literally). As they drive there, K.O. is looking through a binder of trading cards, or "hero cards", that contain the likenesses of the residents in their town, and we get a glimpse of the fantastical world the show takes place in. There's a lot to see!...really. K.O. dreams of becoming a hero himself one day, although he still has some ways to go before reaching that point. Right on cue we are introduced to Mr. Gar, a high-level hero and the manager of the plaza's bodega. It's implied that he and Carol have history together, but for now it isn't touched on and instead she and her son head to her fitness class. K.O. turns out to be a distraction to Carol's class, so she gives him some errands to run, leading him to Gar's Bodega.

On his way there, he recognizes several heroes from his card collection walking about. This hypes him up upon entering the bodega, where he messes around with various hero gear, making a mess in the process. This leads to K.O. meeting Radicles (aka Rad), an alien who works at the bodega and has quite a high opinion of himself. As K.O. goes in line to checkout, he also meets Enid, the bodega's unenthused cashier. That being said, K.O.'s polar opposite attitude brightens her up, if only a little.

As K.O. walks outside with his new gear, a robot, Darrell, drops from the sky and begins wrecking havoc across the plaza. We learn that "Boxman" sent this robot, and that sending robots to destroy the plaza is a common occurence for them. Against Rad and Enid's judgement, K.O. is confident enough to take on Darrell by himself. Surprisingly he almost manages to win, before unsurprisingly he is woken up by a bystander. K.O. is told that he was immediately KO'd (couldn't resist), meaning most of the fight he had was a dream. As Rad and Enid hold Darrell off, Gar drops from the sky and finally defeats him. Awestruck and humbled, K.O. vows to learn how to become a hero by working at Gar's Bodega. The end.

Welp, so far this is the most torn I've been over a show I've talked about in this thread. There are elements I liked here; the line delivery of "DO YOU HAVE ANY GUM?" was funny, I can relate to working in customer service, and there are other good jokes scattered throughout. That said, my big issue is that this show moves at such a breakneck pace that I barely get to appreciate any of it. Every time one thing ends, it immediately leads to another. There's practically no place to rest throughout the entire episode and it ends up feeling much longer than 11 minutes for me. Maybe since this is the start of the series it'll settle itself out in the next few episodes, I don't know. I might find out for myself, but as for this episode, I'll have to keep my opinion from years ago that it's not really my thing. Honestly, my favorite part didn't even have to do with the episode itself: as a logo nerd I found it cool how the variant of the CN Studios logo for this show is an homage to the Hanna-Barbera logo from the mid-90s. Very nice.

[Sidenote: I watched the second episode after this just to be sure of my opinion, since I realized this was a two-part premiere. I did like it more than the first episode, but not enough to impact my rating or thoughts.]

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: There are things to appreciate here, but in my experience it was more overstimulating than enjoyable. It's...OK.

RATING: 6 (leaning toward a 6.5)/10 (debatable)

 

Alright Wheel of Names, what's in store for me next time?

 

Spoiler

cue the wheel giving me a bunch of Ben 10's in a row like on SBM

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that he was mixed on before ultimately finding it passable. Will today's show be an improvement?

 

 

#45: Ben 10: Omniverse "The More Things Change, Part 1"

[August 1, 2012]

 

Whoa. That's the same airdate as the last show I covered, but five years before. What a coincidence! Anways, Ben 10. I remember watching the original from 2005 a lot as a kid, before tuning out a little more with each new series. By the time we got to this one I already had stopped giving it my attention, but the new art style they went with felt too off for me to even give it a watch (which will be funny in hindsight once we get to 2016). Since this is a very plot-driven show, I had to seek out the help of Wikipedia for parts of this one. Let's see what this omniverse has to offer.

The episode begins with an 11-year old Ben (as Four Arms) fighting off Malware (not like on a computer, that's the name of the...whatever, you get it). Eventually, Malware manages to disable the Omnitrix, turning Ben back to his human form. However, it's only temporary, so Ben is quickly able to turn into another alien (Feeback). This allows him to overpower Malware, before we flash foward to five years in the future. Ben, cousin Gwen, and friend Kevin are chasing down Zombozo (the name leads me to assume they're a zombie-clown hybrid), a villain stealing brains from a brain bank (okay, definitely a zombie at least). He looks like he's about to escape until Ben (as Lodestar) and Kevin work together to defeat him. A little later in the day, it's revealed that Gwen is splitting off the team to further her education, and Kevin is also moving to the area she will be near, leaving Ben to go solo. He is confident that he can hold his own, though Zombozo tries to plant doubts in his head. Afterwards, Ben heads into a secret base to meet up with Max, his grandfather. He tries to share something important with Ben, but they are interrupted by an alarm, warning them of something happening on the surface. Against Grandpa Max's judgement, Ben decides to investigate the problem alone. He discovers a destroyed building, and unbeknownst to him a bounty hunter, Khyber, is watching from inside the wreckage. We see him attaching a device to Zed, his dog-like pet. The device in question is the Nemetrix (basically a bootleg Omnitrix, but it gives the bearer similar transformation power). We see this in full effect as Zed becomes a different alien (Crabdozer), gaining Ben's attention. Ben responds by attempting to turn into Humungousaur, but the Omnitrix fails and he becomes Spidermonkey instead. Not the best choice for this fight...

Zed is easily able to overpower Ben, but right as it looks like the fight will end Khyber calls Zed back, having seen what he needs to see. After returning to human form Ben then meets Pakmar, an alien hiding in a toilet among the wreckage. He believes his toilet emporium was destroyed by criminal aliens who force shopkeepers to pay them for "protection" (and if not...watch out). Intrigued, Ben goes to Mr. Baumann's shop to question him about this, and he offers to blend in so he can observe/stop the criminal aliens. Initially Mr. Baumann wants nothing to do with this (as Ben always ends up wrecking his shop), but he reluctantly agrees. Unfortunately, Ben transforms into the bulky Cannonbolt and immediately damages the shop in various ways. The criminals arrive shortly after and plant a bomb in the shop, which is when Ben decides to interfere. They fight for a while, and one of the criminals sets the bomb to go off. Ben tries to stop it, but he reverts back to human right before he crashes into it. Out of nowhere, an alien who was hiding amonst the shopgoers comes out of the shadows to fight the criminals. He reveals himself to be Rook Blanko, a new partner that Max sent for Ben. Ben still believes he can work alone, so he turns into a new alien (Bloxx (he's made of legos AHAHAHAHA)) to stop the criminals...but at the same time asks Rook to disable the forcefield protecting the bomb. Unfortunately, the shield's code is too complex to break in time, so they resort to hurling the bomb away from the populous. The explosion's crater reveals an underground city, which the criminals run into leaving human Ben and Rook to chase after them. On the surface, Khyber and Zed appear again and Zed follows the group into the crater, leaving us on a cliffhanger for part 2.

It's been a while since I watched any action shows, but this helped scratch that itch. That being said, compared to the original episodes I don't think this has the same charm to it, and that's likely going to be a theme that holds with most of Ben 10's continuation series. On the other hand, the action here was as captivating as ever and fun to watch. And that's not to say that the action was the only redeeming quality, some of the comedy here works too (shoutout to Rook's responses to "don't mention it" and "call me Ben, dude"). I might even watch the next part of this to see how it ties the first part up, but I don't know if I'm going to touch the rest of the series at this point in time. To reiterate, I'd be much more willing to go back to the older episodes, but that's not to take away this series's strengths. Maybe I was too quick as a kid to dismiss this one, I enjoyed it.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: It may be the fourth series in a pretty drawn out franchise, but it still manages to do well at what it has historically done best.

RATING: 7/10 (decent)

 

What do you think, Wheel of Names? Wanna give me another Ben 10 like Wheel Decide did back on SBM?

 

Spoiler

You really like bunching shows that are near to each other, huh?

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that he expected to not care for, but surprisingly found it to be a decent time. And once again, today's show is as much a mystery as the last...

 

 

#56: Craig of the Creek "Itch to Explore"

[March 30, 2018]

 

Okay, we're now at a late enough point in CN's history where I can say that I haven't seen some of these shows on television at all. With shows like OK K.O. or Apple & Onion, I may not have watched them regularly but I remember seeing bits and pieces of them airing. Craig of the Creek is a show that I don't remember seeing air once, although that's less out of a lack of airtime and more that I was growing out of CN by this point. So yet again, we have a show that I'm going in blind on. Joy. I've heard some positive things about this one though, but I've also heard it takes some time to get going. I really have no clue what's in store for me with this one, so I'm just going to start watching and see what happens. Let's go exploring, shall we?

The episode begins with Craig planning to draw the most comprehensive map of the creek that he can. Just one problem- there's no place in his house for him to do it. His brother kicks him out of the dining room so he can work on a report with his classmate, his sister annoys him out of the TV room, and his father in the (I assume) basement is working out too intensely for Craig to get any work done. As a result, he moves his materials outside to the creek. There, he meets up with his friends Kelsey and J.P., and they observe his progress so far. J.P. notes an unmapped spot on Craig's map, but it's in the dead center of Poison Ivy Grove...yikes. So the group acquires some supplies (trash bags and tape as armor, lotion just in case) for protection against the ivy, and after using some fishing line to mark where they entered the grove, they set off. Right away J.P. gets distracted and ends up tangled in some branches, but his friends free him and no damage is done...for now. This is far from the end of their troubles; once they are a good distance into the grove the fishing line mysteriously snaps, leaving only the map to help them find their way back. Worse, the group begins to hear strange sounds before a log comes swinging toward them. After a narrow dodge Craig and Kelsey come out unscathed, but the trash bag covering J.P.'s chest now has a sizeable tear. The two rush him out to the creek to apply some lotion to his quickly forming rash, only to discover that it is missing. Upon seeing footprints in the dirt leading back to the ivy, they assume that someone- or something- has stolen it. Suddenly, an unseen creature begins chasing them through the ivy. The group climbs into the trees to run, causing a lot of damage to their armor and effectively trapping them. In an act of self-sacrifice, Craig decides to jump down to get help, while exposing himself to the ivy. However, he bounces right back up to the tree, revealing there to be a trampoline in the center of Poison Ivy Grove. They have fun for a bit, before the creature chasing them is shown to be a young boy who, somehow, is immune to poison ivy. He explains to the group how this is the only place he has to himself, hence why he tries so hard to protect it from outsiders. Craig relates to him on this, and just as the boy reluctantly allows them to show the public his secret place, Craig decides to leave the spot on the map unmarked, much to the boy's delight. Since the group can't leave the grove by walking, the boy decides to help them get home via some high bounces on the trampoline. The group then lands back in the neighborhood, completing their mission and giving them minor injuries from their fall. The end. 

It's not that high a bar, but so far this is my favorite of the shows I've covered since the revival of this thread. The sense of adventure and danger throughout the episode was pretty captivating, and the chemistry that our three main characters have was a success I'd say. There looks to be a lot to find in this world, and I'm all for discovering more. There are a few drawbacks for me, though. Firstly, there wasn't that much comedy-wise here. Some of the line delivery bordered on that, but nothing pushed me over the edge. And secondly, the show feels just a bit too milquetoast. It reminds me of some episodes of Clarence in particular, except that show had a special brand of weirdness to it that made it fun to watch. Craig of the Creek feels like the average slice-of-life show, at least from this first episode. That's not a terrible thing, it's just that a cartoon like this is gonna have to provide me with something else to keep me invested long-term. Maybe that'll happen in the later episodes? I wouldn't be against finding out. Also shoutout to the concept of this episode being about mapmaking; anyone who's seen me on SpongeCraft knows that I have a lot of fun with that.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you want an adventure that's fun (albeit nothing new); check this one out. I'll be sure to return to it after my bones heal.

RATING: 7 (leaning toward a 7.5)/10 (decent)

 

Once again it's your time to shine, Wheel of Names! Maybe consider giving me a less recent show this time around?

 

Spoiler

...sure, that works.

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that he had never seen on television before. Today's show is a similar case...

 

 

#24: The Life and Times of Juniper Lee "It's Your Party and I'll Whine if I Want To"

[May 30, 2005]

 

It's about time I'm talking about a show in this thread that I already covered in the SBM topic! Originally I wasn't going to bring this up at all, but a lot changes in a few years. As a result, I'll be linking posts to that thread so you can look at my old talk-abouts and see how much has (or hasn't) changed, but I'll be writing new material here. Apologies if I repeat myself with anything I said in that topic. Either way, not much has changed since then. I still find it weird how I never saw this show airing, despite having vivid memories of catching other shows from the same year multiple times (Sunday Pants excluded because, well duh). The only thing I have to add is that I've seen people compare this one to Disney's American Dragon: Jake Long, almost to the point of calling it a knockoff, but considering I never really watched either show it shouldn't be a problem for me. Let's see what Juniper's life has to offer.

The episodes starts by outlining the premise of the show: magic exists in our world in the form of monstrous creatures, although it's invisible to everyone but a select few. One person of that few is Juniper (aka June), who alone has the duty of keeping the "evil" monsters from disrupting the balance between them and humans. After she scares one of these creatures off, her brother Ray Ray comes out of nowhere to annoy her even further. Cue the theme song. I like this intro, it's a ton of fun! That doesn't have to do with the episode, but I thought I would bring it up anyway.

After that, we see June and Ray Ray preparing for a party for June's best friend, Jody. Their dog Monroe, who inexplicably has a Scottish accent, is keeping them company. June gets a call from her goth friend Ophelia, who tells her that missing Jody's party will likely break her internally, especially with June's tendency to say she will appear at events then not show up. The two decide to take Monroe with them to the party since they know everyone loves him, and they make their way off. Or at least they would, until a jar drops out of June's backpack and a genie (momentarily) escapes. This will become important later. At the party we see Roger, another one of June's friends, acting weird as usual. Some party hijinks ensue, until June is interrupted by a hippy-like leprechaun, Jeff. I love that name! After she yells at him, resulting in everyone thinking she's insane (keep in mind they can't see Jeff), he informs her that a creature known as the Racatan has escaped from their clutches. So, June tells Ray Ray and Monroe to stay at the party in her place while she takes care of business. She asks her grandma (aka Ah-Mah) to help her out so she doesn't miss the party, but she tells June that being the Te Xuan Ze (oh, so that's what it's called) is her burden to carry alone. Worryingly, upon the mention of the name "Racatan", her Ah-Mah sends her out of the house, telling her to take care of it as soon as she can. June finds the creature out in the forest, instantly angering it. They engage in a duel for a bit, and in the process June realizes that she accidently switched backpacks back at the party. Thankfully, Ray Ray and Monroe arrive right on time, releasing the genie from earlier. Turns out he exclusively attacks evil beings, so it easily takes care of the Racatan. Afterwards, June heads back to Jody's to apologize for missing her party, and to give her her present. All is forgiven as everyone heads inside for cake, while Jeff appears again to bother June for some cake and she ditches him. The end.

Yeah, it's about the same quality as I remember from however many years ago I first covered it. The animation is still very 2000s-coded, the expressions do get crazy at times, and the comedy itself is still pretty chuckle-worthy (I completely missed how funny the clown character was the first time around). The show doesn't go the extra mile in any department, though. It seems like the kind of thing that'd be nice to have on in the background as a kid. Kind of like Jake Long... huh. Maybe I did watch this show after all, and I just didn't remember it. Who knows...as for now, it's good enough for me.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: While not earth-shattering, this show is wild and fun enough to deserve some watchtime. Let's not have this one go completely invisible.

RATING: 7/10 (decent)

 

What's next on the docket, Wheel of Names?

 

Spoiler

Hmm...this should be interesting, to say the least.

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

 

Original post:

Spoiler

https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/dman-attempts-to-talk-about-every-single-cn-original-in-existence.60413/post-1280335

Quote

"This is the first of a few shows that I don't ever remember catching on television. I don't know exactly why that is, but it definitely is odd. I remember a good amount of the shows from 2005 such as Camp Lazlo, Ben 10, etc. being on the air (I even remember watching the former's premiere), but not this one... Anyway, let's get to the episode in question.

The episode starts with a brief introduction on the driving plot of the show: magic is all around (and in the form of monstrous creatures, both neutral and harmful) but said magic is invisible to almost everyone except for some, including Juniper, the obvious protagonist. Not only can she see these creatures, she's meant to stop them from disrupting the human-magic balance. And it is her only, because it's just one of those things that passed down from generation to generation, and her grandma (Ah-Mah in the show) recently passed it down to her. While fending of some creatures in the park, her brother "Ray Ray" shows up, being the most annoying thing ever. And with that, we've covered most of the main characters' roles and the intro plays.

After the intro finishes up, we see the two preparing for a party held by a friend of Juniper's (her name's Jody). Also, their talking dog Monroe is coming with them as well, because all the people apparently love him. Soon Ophelia, one of Juniper's friends who is also a goth, talks to her about the party and that Jody will likely be disappointed if she doesn't show up. On the way, Juniper explains that she doesn't want anything weird to happen during the party, so she tells Ray Ray and Monroe to act normal. And at that exact moment, she drops a jar with a genie that briefly escapes. Why is that important? You'll see. When they get there, several things happen. One, we meet another one of Juniper's friends, Roger, who is absolutely weird. Not Clarence weird, but still. Two, everyone terrorizes Monroe's well-being because despite his opposition, he's a dog and normal people can't hear him talk. And three, a hippie leprechaun thing shows up to tell Juniper that a creature called the "Racatan" has gone loose from them. And because she yells at what is seemingly thin air to everyone else, people think she's crazy. So she tells Ray Ray and Monroe to keep normal while she's gone.

Back home Juniper asks Ah-Mah if she can help her this one time, but she tells Juniper that it's her mission to take care of the burden alone. Also, at the mention of the name "Racatan" she becomes nervous and tells Juniper to hurry and take care of business as quickly as possible. When she finds the creature, she pokes it and it instantaneously becomes enraged. After an extensive duo, Ray Ray and Monroe pop out of nowhere and Juniper uses the genie from earlier to fend off the Racatan. Problem solved. Juniper goes back to Jody's house, apologizes for missing the bulk of the party, and hands her present to her. They go inside for cake, and the leprechaun creature from earlier requests some cake from Juniper and she ignores him for the time being. The end.

Let me get this out of the way: the animation in this show SCREAMS 2000s. It simply could not have existed at any other time. Also, the show isn't afraid to be outright deranged with its animation. Secondly, the comedy wasn't that bad. (Shout out goes to the leprechaun in its entirety and everyone misunderstanding the dog.) Honestly, I was reeeeeeeaaally not looking forward to covering this show, but surprise! It actually turned out to be decent. Nothing notable, but still pretty good.


THE BOTTOM LINE: This show is just as average as any other. It won't be brought up again any time soon, but it's OK and possibly a little bit too forgotten.
Final Rating: 7.5/10"

 

 

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that he had never seen on television before...again. And today, he's talking about yet another show he didn't see on television! Will it ever end?

 

 

#41: Robotomy "Frenemy"

[October 25, 2010]

 

At least this is a more interesting case of a show I haven't seen. I can make reasonable excuses for the other shows I didn't catch, be it I was too young, or too old. For this show...well, it premiered during my peak years of watching CN. I was 9 years old when this started airing, definitely old enough to remember it. Especially considering I have fond memories of a similarly short-lived show that aired around this same time, but we'll get there. In the case for this show, somehow I never saw it once. Not even an advertisement. I guess it makes sense considering this was CN's shortest running show (besides Sunday Pants, of course), but still. After discovering its existence, it always remained in my head as a curiosity, though I never took time out of my life to give it a watch. Until today! All I can do is cross my fingers that it wasn't short-lived for a good reason...

The episode begins in a high school populated by, you guessed it, robots. The main characters, Thrasher and Blastus, are having lunch before local nerd Weenus engages in conversation with them. He tells them about the trendy social media website known as "Frenemy" and how using it makes him feel more popular, though the main robots are skeptical about using it themselves. However, it doesn't take much convincing for them to give all their information to Frenemy and make their own accounts. Things start off great as they immediately get a friend request!...from Weenus. After that, they don't get any more requests. Not even in 2000 years' time. So they warp back to the present and write an angry message on the website, and to their surprise the site itself offers to be their friend. He warps himself into their house, and the trio goes out to party like the friends they are. The fun even continues well into the next school day, making it impossible for Thrasher and Blastus to pay any attention. We then find out that Frenemy might be getting a bit too clingy, as he wakes Thrasher up to tell him to reply to a post only he and Blastus would care about, and apparently starts blocking other friend requests from the two's reach. Another robot warns them about this side of Frenemy and urges them to use Squeeker, a different social media site, instead. But before they can sign up, Frenemy murders Squeeker and reveals Thrasher and Blastus's embarrassing secrets to the whole school. Fed up, the two set off to disable their Frenemy accounts. After scaling Mount Frenemy and attempting to state their intentions, Fremeny is just about ready to murder them too. This doesn't happen however, as Thrasher and Blastus get everyone online to spam Frenemy's feed, causing him to self-destruct. Ultimately they decide to give up social media and try dating sites instead, but cut to two days later and they end up destroying a website for the second time. The end.

First of all, this is without a doubt a CN show from the early 2010s. Everything from the humor to the animation to even the shortened theme song is dripping with that time's trends. Secondly, and unsurprisingly, I am all for it. The show's urban yet apocalyptic style is a treat for the eyes, the jokes consistently hit (shoutout to Squeeker being an obvious stand-in for Twitter and the convenience of the mountain's shuttle bus), and the whole thing feels like something that would fit on Adult Swim, even nowadays. Maybe that's part of why the show didn't last long? No idea, but I've gone from 9 years to 24 years in the time since this aired and I say it's quality. Yeah I had fun with this; I'm putting it on the list of ones that I'll be coming back to in the future.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Often insane, but always funny, it isn't one to miss despite its short run...wait, is the title supposed to be a play on "lobotomy"?

RATING: 8/10 (pretty good)

 

Finally another 8 under my belt, and in the most unexpected of places. Work your magic again, Wheel!

 

Spoiler

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

[4EverGreen]

"Robotomy", if there was ANY justice in this world; that show would've lasted for at LEAST four seasons, and "Teen Titans Go" would've been cancelled after only 13 episodes! (Waits for the inevitable amount of HATE comments that will come after this one).

[Dill Clyntin]

This isn’t a hate comment, I'm just ready for you to watch yet another underrated CN classic.

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that he had never seen on television before...and this time he really enjoyed it! Today's show breaks the pattern of ones he hasn't seen, albeit barely...

 

 

#30: Class of 3000 "Home"

[November 3, 2006]

 

Remember that time when André 3000 had his own cartoon? Pepperidge F- I remember...somewhat. There are bits and pieces of episodes in my head, but by far what stands out the most is this particular song. I saw it just once on television, but the catchiness accompanied by the characters dancing across the real-life visuals was enough for it to remain in my head for years. Even now, it's the first thing my brain jumps to when thinking of this show and it still gives me good doses of nostalgia. I mean considering André wrote all the songs for this, it's not surprising it ended up so sticky. So the music is good, but how good is everything else here? We're about to find out; school is now in session.

I should also mention- this is a double episode. I was considering just covering the first part like I did with Foster's, but since Wikipedia labels it as episode "1-2" and the mp4 I have is also all 40 minutes, I'm going to cover the whole thing. Slight spoiler, but this show deserves it.

The episode begins at a concert for famous musician Sunny Bridges (voiced by André himself) alongside his backing band, but most importantly in the band is his idol, Lil' D. He's living his dream, and those words couldn't be truer because he wakes up from said dream to go to school. He gets on the bus, talking with the driver for a moment about their dreams before the bus becomes even more cramped. We cut to Sunny, in a similarly cramped situation due to his excessive staff, though he's on the way to a concert in Tokyo instead. Back to Lil' D, he meets up with classmate and flower girl Madison before heading to his performing arts school, and we see it has quite the diverse student body. His rich friend Eddie (glad to have you back, Tom Kenny) calls him into their classroom as he is setting up a live feed for the concert. At said concert, Sunny becomes more and more uncomfortable with his omnipresent, overbearing staff, along with how hot of a commodity he is becoming. Back at school, the twins Kim and Kam and the inventive Philly Phil appear, and the latter shows off his device that allows the students to be projected onto the concert stage. The aggressive Tamika then shows up, meaning everyone in class is accounted for. Ready for the concert to begin, everyone is shocked when Sunny walks off the stage without having even played a note.

The rest of the world is just as shocked as the kids are, and during the commotion they notice their teacher hasn't shown up yet. The principal informs them that their teacher, Mr. Gone, is gone. Madison wonders if he's gone to expand his music career as he always wanted to "break into rock", and it turns out she's right...in the worst way possible (their teacher is in prison; getit?). Since the school's budget is stretched thin as is, the principal selects himself to be their replacement music teacher, but he doesn't exactly inspire awe in the students. As he goes to deal with other problems, the kids break out into a song about life without music. I suppose the song itself is fine; it certainly supports the downtrodden mood, but the real star here is the varied animation. I'd also be remissed to not mention the line against downloading songs. Ah, 2006 was a different time. The kids decide the best way to raise money for a new teacher is to hold their own benefit concert, but no one's willing to support their cause. After everyone leaves him and it starts raining, a dejected Lil' D heads into a pawn shop, where he unexpectedly meets Sunny Bridges and promptly faints.

Recovering quickly, Lil' D heads back to his classmates to tell them that Sunny will help them raise the funds for their cause. It seems too good to be true...and once again it is; it's another dream sequence. Lil' D is filled with questions for Sunny, and he answers as to why he walked off the stage: he wanted some time back home to recharge. The answer initially confuses Lil' D, as he wants nothing more than to get away from his home. This results in Sunny showing Lil' D around the neighborhood to get him to try and see all its features and characters in a new light. Once Lil' D asks him to join their benefit concert, Sunny refuses, restating that he's taking a break from music, and he leaves in his Jaguar. Lil' D, for real this time, tells his classmates that he met Sunny, but Tamika doesn't believe it and wants him to prove it. And so, using the advice he heard earlier, Lil' D "follows the music" to try and find Sunny's house with his friends...out in the woods. Just as night is about to fall and the gang feels like giving up, they stumble across a house and begin exploring its many rooms, especially the music room. As soon as the jam session begins, it is interrupted by a displeased Sunny. Lil' D invites him to join them, and he responds by kicking them out of his house.

Back at the school, the kids are as unmotivated as ever with the principal as their music teacher. Out of options, they go outside to hold their benefit concert despite not having sold a single ticket. This gets the attention of Sunny, currently in the pawn shop giving away his instruments, as he recognizes the sound of his drum machine that Lil' D accidently kept hold of after being kicked out. He admires the kids' passion for music, but also acknowledges that they have a lot to learn, leading into the next musical number. And THIS one is a bop; it probably would've gotten stuck in my head too if I actually saw it on television. Either way, through this song Sunny provides the extra spice the kids need for their music. Remembering that Sunny wants to keep a low profile, Lil' D offers him to be their music teacher, but Sunny is immediately scooped away into a limo by his staff, disappointing the kids. The next day, they are surprised to find that the principal has hired Sunny as their music teacher. He explains how he sees his past self in the kids, and not wanting to do any further touring, he is willing to be their teacher as long as he also gets to be home. The students are ecstatic, and to cap things off we get a short reprise of the last musical number. The end.

According to Wikipedia, this show never re-aired after its run was over. I don't know the specific reason why (Google says high production costs vs. low ratings), which explains why I barely remember any of it. However, watching this episode makes me wish it had more of a chance, because this was fantastic. The animation style is unique and vivid (the high production cost makes sense at least), the story was fun to follow along with, but by far my favorite aspect was the comedy. I had to leave out SO many jokes in that summary, but here are some of my favorites:

• The "Sunny sat here" sign both on the bus and in the classroom.
• "Ka-Bong!"
• The newswoman interviewing three people from different parts of the world, later revealed to all be in the same multicultural theme park.
• "My life ain't got no meaning now."
  "That's okay, your life had no meaning before!"
• Everyone ditching Lil' D by saying their "mom" is calling, and each one becoming increasingly more phony than the last.
• Lil' D being asked if he confused Sunny with a bear:
  "Not unless it was a bear driving a Jaguar."
  A bear drives by.
  "That, was a Lamborghini."

And that's just a few of them. So yes, Class of 3000 is very cool. It's nice to finally have things that I enjoy watching again! How long this will last? Hopefully long enough for me to not want to stay away from this thread like Sunny is with concerts...but for now, this is the second hit in a row. Also shoutouts to the show taking place in Atlanta; the home of CN itself, the place of OutKast's origin, and the nearest big city to me and a place I have visited many a time.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: Good music, great animation, hilarious comedy, this one impressed me in ways I never would have expected out of it. Gone far too soon.

RATING: 9 (leaning on 8.5)/10 (a clear standout)

 

And with that talk-about, this is now the most consecutive posts I've made in this thread without having to take a months (or years)-long break inbetween! I am officially Back in the Game. I'm so hyped for this next show; Wheel of Names, show me what you've got!

 

Spoiler

*sigh* Back on the Ben 10 grind...

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an episode of a show that finally brought us back to 9/10 territory! How long will this period of quality last?

 

 

Happy Easter and weed day! What do you say we check up on an old familiar friend?

#37: Ben 10: Ultimate Alien "Fame"

[April 23, 2010]

 

Back on the Ben 10 talk, it seems. I mentioned in the Omniverse post that I had stopped watching the show by that point, but that's not the case with this one. That being said, I wasn't watching this one too much either. I may have seen one or two episodes on television, but never really got too into it because, well, it was 2010. Adventure Time had just premiered, sending CN into a renaissance and defining much of what 2010s cartoons would become. Shows like it took up all of my attention at the time, leaving straightfoward action toons like Ben 10 by the wayside. Of course that doesn't mean that this will be bad; I didn't have high hopes for Omniverse but it still surprised me. So let's go ahead and see what Ben has in store for me this time.

The episode begins with a news report about alien life on Earth. Apparently someone connected the dots and found out all these aliens are really Ben, deciding to reveal it for the world to see. Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are watching this broadcast, thus making them aware that everyone else is aware too. Ben walks outside, immediately greeted by paparazzi blocking his path. Gwen and Kevin suggest that he lay low at Julie (his girlfriend)'s house for a while, but Ben has a different plan for getting outdoors. He turns into Humungosaur, scaring off the crowd and allowing him to get to Julie's. When there, they watch another news station featuring a reporter who is...not particularly fond of Ben, thinking that the notion of him being a "hero" is ridiculous. Taking a break, the two go out for a drive, eventually running back into Gwen and Kevin. Kevin tells them that he found out who exactly pieced together Ben's identity, and he, Ben, and Gwen decide to go pay them a visit. Certainly nothing bad is about to happen!...well, especially not after it's revealed their "mastermind" is just a young superfan, Jimmy. He shows the trio several pictures he's collected of Ben's various alien forms, and tells them how he naively thought the world would be better knowing they all came from one man- er, boy. However, they notice one alien that is not connected to Ben. Jimmy says all sightings of it are in Orlando, and after showing them a video, the three set out on Kevin's newest jet to get there. Gwen pinpoints the location of the video to be at a secret NASA facility, but before they can get there they fly into restricted airspace. After Kevin destroys a jet and the pilot's parachute catches fire, Ben ejects and turns into Jetray to save him. After landing, the guards get a hold of Ben and he is jailed.

He's freed after Gwen and Kevin show the guards their badges, and one of the officers tells Ben they have a problem of their own that he might be able to help settle. You see, the high-tech ship they're building keeps having pieces stolen by an unknown creature, so the trio decide to help put a stop to it. Unfortunately, Ben's Ultimatrix begins failing on him, and Gwen and Kevin have a struggle fighting the alien. Thankfully, all it takes is Ben scanning this new alien's DNA to make the Ultimatrix useable, so he turns into Chromastone. Even Ben is not powerful enough to defeat this alien however, and he makes it out with another piece of the ship. Worse, this piece just so happens to be the engine which doubles as a nuclear bomb. They manage to locate it underwater, and after using Gwen's powers to get there, they discover that the alien is using the stolen pieces to repair his own ship. The alien has no qualms launching said ship, even if its engine will destroy a large section of Florida (do it lol!). After incapacitating Gwen and Kevin with a live wire, Ben turns into (Ultimate) Spidermonkey to fight the alien, and this time succeeds in defeating him. Kevin stops the ship's launch, and the alien finally reveals his identity as Bivalvan from the Andromeda galaxy. He, along with four others, were kidnapped by another alien, Aggregor, but they managed to temporarily escape and end up on Earth. The trio vow to get him and his associates back to their home planet, even if they aren't fully trusting of him yet. The next day, Ben goes to school to face his classmates for the first time after the news about him broke out, and to his surprise, they give him a round of applause for all the good work he's done. We then cut back to Bivalvan, who unfortunately has been found by Aggregor, and the episode ends with the former screaming for help. Damn...

Yep, this is definitely more Ben 10. You can basically copy/paste the same things I said about Omniverse here; my thoughts are not that radically different. It's an enjoyable experience while it's on, but it's not the kind of thing I'm going to binge anytime soon and it feels a little lacking in comparison to the original. I guess I'll give a quick mention of my favorite joke: during the scene when Ben and Julie are watching the news, the reporter starts a poll: "Ben Tennyson: Threat or Menace?". We later find out that only 26% chose menace, which relaxes Ben a bit, before Julie reminds him that means 74% chose threat. But yeah, that's all I've got for this one. It's more Ben 10, what do you expect?

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: Ben.

RATING: 7/10 (decent)

 

Here's something interesting to note; with this talk-about I've now covered every series of Ben 10 across both the SBM and SBC threads. Of course, that still leaves the three reduxes for this thread, but we'll cross those bridges when we get to them. Maybe sooner than I think...whattya say, Wheel of Names?

 

Spoiler

Have y'all noticed that the wheel keeps landing on the red and blue slices? Just me? Okay...

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about Ben again. Today, he is not talking about Ben again. But it is another show about children trying to protect their world!

 

 

#17: Codename: Kids Next Door "Operation: I.-S.C.R.E.A.M."

[December 6, 2002]

 

Back when I was young, this show was the SHIT. When you have a story about a society of rebellious children fighting back against the rest of the populous, what kind of kid wouldn't find that cool? Well, again, at least I did. That one episode with the pizza box and the various animation styles still sticks out in my mind, and that's only scratching the tip of the iceberg with this show's creativity. That being said, I haven't watched this one in years and now I, myself, am an adult. How tragic. So is this one going to hold up like it did so long ago? Only time will tell...

The episode begins with some kids waiting for the ice cream truck, but to their disappointment it speeds past them. Further down the road, a different group of kids jump on and hijack said truck. Two of the kids, Nigel (Numbuh 1) and Abby (Numbuh 5), confront the ice cream driver, demanding answers as to why they constantly drive by ice cream-desiring kids. At that moment Wally (Numbuh 4), who is currently driving the truck, notices they're being tailed by multiple ice cream trucks. They get into a scuffle involving various ice cream-themed weaponry, and eventually the kids manage to evade their pursuers, but at the loss of the ice cream machine Kuki (Numbuh 3) was holding on to. Numbuhs 1 & 5 get back to business, getting the ice cream man to blab the password that'll allow the kids to access the ice cream they're hoarding at the factory. Suddenly, the remaining ice cream men form a roadblock in their path, and the kids go driving off a cliff. Thankfully, Hoagie (Numbuh 2) is able to save them with the help of the flying vehicle known as M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H. As they escape, it's revealed that the ice cream men are in cahoots with the Delightful Children From Down the Lane, one of the major villains of the rest of the kids. It's also revealed that the password given to the kids might not be as helpful as they thought. Uh oh...

While the kids are on their way to the factory, they have to dodge the attack from some ice cream catapults. Numbuh 1 enters in the password, disabling the factory's defense. Numbuh 2 stays behind in the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H. while the other four kids breach into the factory. While they look for the tank containing the soft-serve ice cream, Numbuh 3, unhappy with the factory's cold temperature, heads off to look for a thermostat. Once they find the right tank, Numbuh 2 use's the vehicle's mosquito-like protrusion to suck up the ice cream. Unfortunately, this is where they are ambushed by the DCFDtL, and a giant ice cream monster lands on the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H., causing it and Numbuh 2 to crash into the factory. The kids run, but they can't hide. Numbuh 1 gets pinned to the wall with ice cream cones, Numbuh 5 is entrapped by a vanilla glob (complete with cherry), and Numbuh 4 is covered in magic shell fudge. All seems hopeless, but right at that moment Numbuh 3 finds a thermostat, turning it up to eleventy billion something degrees. This causes fire to shoot out of the A/C system, melting the ice cream monster and sending a tsunami of ice cream outside. The children waiting outside at the start of the episode also get caught up in the huge wave, and instead of complaining, everyone cheers as the wave carries them off into the sunset. End transmission.

Well, it may not have been as hype as it was when I was a kid, but this was still pretty dang fun. A lot of it is so over-the-top for such a simple concept that it's hard not to get caught up in how silly it is, but that being said, this show is still cool in a way that no other CN show quite matches. Also I completely forgot about how there are a million acronymized terms in this show, even down to the episode titles. I'm a fan of good ol' mnemonic devices! It's also neat how diverse the cast is; every one of the main five has a different nationality, something I never noticed way back when. And of course, the humor is great too. My favorite bit has to be when Numbuh 3 enters the password wrong multiple times, but only because she isn't listening to Numbuh 1 and typing "i love parties" over and over ("You doo too?"). True child behavior, no? I've also got to mention "Who puts a heater in an ice cream factory?". Anyways yeah, this was nice. I'll never get to experience the past in the same way again, but this was a welcoming flashback.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: Whether you're a kid or an adult, this one is a B.L.A.S.T. (Big Laughs, Action, Sure Thing).

RATING: 8/10 (pretty good)

 

Alright Wheel, show me what you've got!

 

Spoiler

Sequential order, yay!

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

[4EverGreen]

Mandy's introductions in some of those episodes could get downright WEIRD, like: "Happiness is a waxen, three-headed baby". Where would you even FIND one of those?!!!

[dmandagiraffe]

Last time on "DMAN re-attempts to talk about every single CN original in existence", dman talked about an old nostalgic favorite from his past. Meanwhile, the show of discussion today had no chance to gather nostalgia, as it was banned in his household...!!!

 

 

So...this one is an interesting case. As some of you know, this series really started airing back in 2001 as one of two segments included in Grim & Evil, before they both split off into their own shows in 2003. As such, I won't be covering the "true" first episode of the show here, and it'll be the same deal for the Evil Con Carne talk-about. Instead, I'll save the first segment of each show as a 2-for-1 package when the time comes for me to talk about Grim & Evil. Exciting, no? Anyways, the first episode to come out after the show split is...

#18: The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy "Toadblatt's School of Sorcery"

[June 13, 2003]

 

Yes, this is the second show I've mentioned so far that was banned from my eyes as a child. There's only one more after this, and I doubt anyone will be able to guess it. Go ahead and try! Anyways, I unsurprisingly don't have much to say about this one. I didn't watch it at all growing up, and I didn't even watch it that much when it was airing on Boomerang, unlike Courage. I guess it just didn't capture my attention at the time? Who knows. But hey, Courage surprised me with how awesome it was, so there's no stopping this show from doing the same! I just hope I don't lose my head in the process...

The episode begins with Billy (the idiot) and Mandy (the cynic) dreading their incoming summer, seeing as both of them are being sent away to camps that they will no doubt end up hating (Billy is going to a math camp, and Mandy is going to a happiness camp). Grim decides to help them out by magically changing their pamphlets to the eponymous "Toadblatt's Summer School of Sorcery". They board the bus to the school, and once the woman at the front desk (I can't confirm but I'm 95% sure this is Tom Kenny) says the new students have arrived, they are introduced to Dean Toadblatt himself. He gets right to business, putting the "squid hat" on the new students' heads to determine which houses they will stay in. The first three all get the same one, Gunderstank. The squid notices how empty Billy's headspace is, determining it's best to put him in Weaselthorpe, and after some threatening remarks from Mandy, he is too terrified to sit on her head and settles on putting her in Weaselthorpe as well. Finally, Toadblatt notices Grim and makes him the prefect of Gunderstank as he is appreciative of his work. Meanwhile, Billy and Mandy are inducted into Weaselthorpe by its members, mainly de facto leader and "genius" Nigel. Upon his mentioning of the house championship that Gunderstank always wins, Mandy is quick to suggest the idea of sabotage. They ruin a potions class by switching ingredients, use "Gunderstank Dragon in a Can" to wreck Toadblatt's castle, and flip around some signs during an outdoor activity, causing Toadblatt to be dragged into a cave and experience pure misery. This results in Nigel proudly announcing to his housemates that they have won the house championship thanks to his idea, giving Mandy none of the credit. However, upon seeing Toadblatt walk in, she tricks Nigel into revealing to her how he sabotaged Gunderstank. This enrages Toadblatt, and he subjects Nigel to the giant one-eyed-dwarf. The rest of the school watches in delight, and Billy proclaims this as the best summer ever.

There's not as much to break apart this time since the episodes in this show typically run for about 7 minutes, but hey, it made good use of its time. If it wasn't obvious, the whole episode is supposed to be a Harry Potter parody, all the way down the the L-shaped scar on Nigel's forehead. (WELL, THE YEARS START COMIN' AND THEY-) And even with that short length there were plenty of comedic moments throughout; the whole sorting squid bit in general was great, and Mandy's constant deadpan delivery led to a lot of highlights ("take credit where credit is due."). It definitely has the feeling of starting in the middle of the series (what do I expect?), but we'll get to the beginning point one day. Even then, I enjoyed this one. Not as much as Courage (to make that comparison once more), but still worthy of my time. And because I couldn't find a smooth way to mention it earlier, I'm pretty sure one of the Gunderstank students is also voiced by Tom, so there.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: It's fun when things are dark and demented, and this show delivers that in spades. There's a good reason it stuck around for as long as it did.

RATING: 8 (leaning on 7.5)/10 (pretty good)

 

Now's your chance, Wheel! Wanna keep going sequentially and give me Con Carne next?

 

Spoiler

Remember when I complained about the wheel only landing on red and blue slices?

I take it back.

 

Stay tuned for dman's next talk-about.

[Dill Clyntin]

 

Spoiler