MAYvel 2021 (Streaming edition); Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Thank you for the traumatizing image of Culson with his exposed brain begging to die Joss...

 Remember when Marvel was doing T.V. shows tied to the MCU before Disney+ happened? Oh, you thought I would do the Netflix stuff first? They're on my list; they need a month to themselves. No, this was chosen because of content coming up, both an upcoming review and a character joining the MCU that may tie into what was introduced here (however that is very unlikely). While there are seven seasons available, I'm choosing to focus on two for now, mainly because these were made for public television and, therefore, harder to binge for review. Welcome, to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

 

The primary plot for the seasons mainly revolve around Skye (who would later be known as Daisy), as she becomes an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. for season 1, learning from the full agents like a revived Agent Culson (back when death didn't mean anything in the MCU, just like the comics). The first season would eventually lead to a tie into Captain America: The Winter Solider, as S.H.I.E.L.D falls to Hydra and is taken back in what feels like a surprisingly short amount of time (however that could be me misremembering the Hydra take over in Winter Soldier. For season 2, the plot shifts to build up the Inhumans, thanks to a push by Isaac Perlmutter during that time which would be too long to explain here, though it is a fascinating story. While those are the big overarching plots, due to the show being made for traditional television, most of the episodes follow contained stories, with only small pieces used to build up to the finale. The show was intended to be viewed over 22 weeks, not a few days; you'll get bored trying to binge it because of how repetitive things are in the show. "A good guy turning out to be a back stabbing bad guy" is interesting in the proper context, but it gets boring when it feels like every new addition to the cast is going to backstab somebody. 

 

One thing that worked to the show's advantage in Season 1 but really did not work for Season 2 and likely onwards was the effects. The show's made on a T.V. show budget, and the effects aren't going to look as good as they do in the movies or the recent streaming shows. I've got no issue with the budget, as when it's focusing on spy stuff, the budget works. When it focuses on the Inhuman related content, though, and the more complex power sets of other heroes that come with it, it doesn't look good at all. To me, a good effect can still look cheap, but an effect that feels cheap will never look good, and none of the effects for the Inhumans look good. It's not the worst of it, though, that will come next week... maybe, I haven't seen the episodes yet when writing this, but I have heard horror stories. Spies and espionage can be done well on a small budget, not so much for superpowers. They try to somewhat cover up the shortcomings by making the powers and transformations not very drastic a lot of the time, but that makes the transformations and more effects-heavy powers stand out more. I'm not sure if it's addressed in later seasons. Still, one thing that was very questionable about this show regarding the Inhumans is an issue that's always plagued the Inhumans, the Mutants, and other similar power-based characters. The MCU's a world where the Avengers are praised. So why are the Inhumans looked down on as if they're, well, inhuman? Some with physical changes I can somewhat understand, but the ones that otherwise look and act normal?

And now, you get to have this image in your head too

 

So, why did I review this and put Fantastic 4 off for even longer? Well, curiosity. Ms Marvel, Kamala Khan, is in the comics an Inhuman (at least she was last time I checked). When writing this, unless a leak has come out that I've missed, we don't know how she'll get her powers in her upcoming Disney+ series. Considering how long Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D went on, even after the point when Joss Wheedon was taken out of the inner circle of Marvel Directors (hence why I'm only reviewing the two seasons set between the first two Avengers films). Do I think any of this will be followed up? No, but it's at least interesting to look at one of the black sheep of the MCU, even if it's only a taste for what's to come. If you want to watch it, watch one a week. Don't binge it as I did. See you next week, for Inhumans.

Young Justice: The less edgy, and better looking Titans

Before anyone tries it, that comment is aimed more at the costume design rather than the casting.

By now it should come as no surprise that, while both have their ups and downs, I tend to lean more towards the animated side of DC's catalogue when it comes to watching shows and movies related to DC, the highs have been higher, and even some of the low points can still loom over parts of their Live action films, and shows at times. One that many held in high regard was Young Justice, a show focusing on a team made up of sidekicks and younger versions of league members handling more covert ops missions, which was at one point cancelled, then brought back on DC's new streaming platform. Was it for a good reason though?

TMNT Marathon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012: The fandom must REALLY hate Venus

I'll explain that point later.

And so we come to the end of January, and the end of the TMNT marathon, while thankfully avoiding the Bay turtles for now. However, something tells me I might not be able to do that next time I try and tackle this franchise. We've gone to the 80's, we've seen the 2000's grit, and now we come to a point in time where the ones who own the franchise is... the house of the annoying sponge. I'm honestly kinda surprised it took this long to get back to Nickalodian, and that my next review of theirs wasn't going to be Spongebob Squarepants. But alas, t'was not meant to be, and the sponge's time is not today. Join with me as we go back to the sewers of New York one last time (for now) as we tackle the 2012 reboot of the Turtles.

TMNT Marathon; TMNT: Why are the turtles fighting Bulk Head alongside Captain America, Uncle Iroh and Captain Pickard?

I never thought I'd say that about this movie, or any movie for that matter.

Allow me to take you back to Autumn 2007. I was 11 turning 12,  my Uncle and Step Aunt were preparing to get married (in fact we saw this movie right before we went to look at the limo they were hiring for the event), my excitement for the first Transformers was growing as it would be out next school holidays, and myself, my parents, my sister, my cousins and aforementioned uncle and step-aunt went and saw TMNT 2007. Our reactions to it back then were... mixed at best, though I haven't gotten the opinions of most people who saw it with me. I'll admit that I wasn't a fan of the movie back then, but by the end of that year, I saw the first Transformers movie several times to take that with a grain of salt. I'll admit its one of the reasons I got out of the series, aside from going to High School in 2008 and last weeks review not really getting much air time of free tv. This is the first time in almost over 10 years I've seen this movie, and in that time many things have changed, for better or for worse. So, how does it hold up in the eyes of a 22-year-old compared to what it did in the eyes of an 11-year-old? One way to find out.

TMNT Marathon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003): Ow, the edge

Gritty, realistic, anime like in style. Three things you wouldn't associate with something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would you? An argument could be made on those first two and the movies, but that would depend on if a Michael Bay movie matches the description of the word "realistic". I will give him this, his version of realistic is better than some video game definitions. From the late 80's to the early 2000's, allow me to look back at the series that got me into the Turtles originally with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003... and here I thought Transformers was bad with reusing the name "Robots in Disguise".

To get into some backstory here, while I once owned these episodes as a child, I have not seen them since watching next weeks review subject when it was in cinemas. While vague memories did clear up, they were vague enough for me to basically be going into these blind.

TMNT Marathon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987): Yikes, this has not aged well

And already from that title, some will see it as going from insulting one original generation of fans to another. Well, let's just hope that some will actually let me explain myself. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, something that continues to linger around in pop culture, and one that will try everything it can to get your money, even if it makes absolutely no sense for it too. No joke, I've seen TMNT Transformers, and some of those old toy commercials for them make you go "what were they smoking when they designed that?". I won't lie, I was into the Turtles as a kid, not from this series, but from the next one in the Marathon because funnily enough, in research for this marathon, there haven't actually been many different TV shows, just that those shows last a really long time. With the turtles joining the roster in Injustice 2 soon, let's see how they've faired over the years, starting with the original series. And before anyone asks, no, I'm not reviewing the Bay Movies in this marathon.

CNtober; Ben 10: No this is not the reboot, put the pitchforks down

Before anyone asks, no I have not seen the reboot.

How's this for a story idea. A grandfather and his grandchildren are on a trip around America for summer vacation. The grandson has a special alien watch that can temporarily change his DNA to other alien species, the granddaughter is learning magic from a spell book stolen from two evil magicians, and the grandfather is a member of a secret army (of sorts), knows a lot about alien weapons, and is always packing heat when it comes to weekly dangers from aliens, mutants, magicians and more, wanting the watch stuck on the grandson's arm. Would you watch that show? Well I did growing up, and now I'm going to review it because its something I've been meaning to for quite some time now, and so I'm going to use this marathon as an excuse to talk about it.

CNtober; Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: A license to go nuts

Now we get into the eras of Cartoon Network that I grew up with, that I remember watching as a kid, or in this case the constant reruns of the same season 1 episodes, which probably explains why when I want to watch a show now, I until I can binge watch it. But, as we move into this period of Cartoon network, the eras kinda start to blend together a bit which is why this review, and next week's review from me could be argued either way for if they count as different eras. For me, I just wanted to do them because I've been meaning to review next weeks material for a while, and I wanted an excuse to look at this weeks. So with that, let's look at Foster's.

CNtober; Dexter Laboratory: FOR SCIENCE!!!

Sorry this took so long, around four hours of travel for work can do things to you. As to why I don't do writing in travel... I actually get motion sick on busses...

Dexter's Laboratory, a very fondly remembered show from Cartoon Network... that I've never really seen before until now. I don't know why, but it just never appealed to me when I had Foxtel the first time. It may just be that it was never on at a good time for me. But, I have finally been able to sit down and watch it (it was why I wanted to do it for the marathon, the site was founded on trying new things after all). So in the midst of a busy week, how did Dexter hold up?

CNtober: G.I Joe; A Real American Hero: Is there anyone here actually called Joe?

I'm back! I'm rested, hardware's not fixed, but hey, it can be worked around. And with me, we bring a marathon. With at least one exception coming this Sunday (because I hate myself), all the reviews this month have been aired on Cartoon Network during one of its many eras. Why? Because neither of us thought they'd do anything to celebrate other then more Teen Titans Go. Both myself and Marissa have a review a week planned out for this month, with both of us looking at one show per era. For this week, let's start off with the era where it all began, the point in time when Cartoon Network first launched, and all they had were the rights to other cartoons, development on original content hadn't started yet. Now while this might not have been one of the staples of that era, I feel the Hanna-Barbera cartoons are something best left for another day. So before jumping to another overly militarized bit of US entertainment, let's jump back to a time when a militarized show could be aired and not be called a racist show. G.I Joe: A real American Hero.

To get one thing out of the way first, these are some of the weirdest armies I have ever seen.

The plot for the show can be summed up pretty quickly. G.I Joe are the good guys, Cobra are the bad guys. The plot overall revolves around Cobra wanting to concur the world with some sort of super weapon, and its up to G.I Joe to stop them. Remember, this is the time period for cartoons where the priority wasn't making quality entertainment, it was selling more toys... the original time at least, even though that trend never really died... Point being, the story is pretty basic overall with plot really coming from the episode to episode story, there's no real continuity except for multipart episodes (which the show opens with two 5 part specials). Best thing I can compare it to is Generation One Transformers, where the overarching story wasn't a thing overall.

Another strong comparison to Generation One Transformers is in the characters and technology, as stories had to revolve around selling toys. But that's kinda where that "weirdest armies" line from before comes from. Granted, I'm assuming the hardware is faithful to the toys, but the military equipment for both the Joes and Cobra look really stupid seeing as they're supposed to be "realistic"  (kinda) for the time, in terms of the show. The vehicles do however have a level of charm to them, and look like they're animated versions of the toys, including cockpit windows being the point of entry for the pilots, and tanks with exposed drivers. As for the characters... you know how most depictions of armies have one or two key figures and then the rest are nameless grunts? Well while that's more of an issue for the Cobra grunts, it seems like they tried to give personalities to all of the Joes and... who uses spears and a crossbow in a modern day army? Who names themselves (I hope it wasn't there parents) Sergent Slaughter, Shipwrecked, Spirit, ect. Granted those names sound awesome, but its where I'd kinda like the setting to be more futuristic then modern day, separate it a bit more.

I think the constant comparisons to Transformers Generation One is actually the main reason why I find myself really liking the show. Animation and soundtrack is similar to G1 Transformers, and the stupidity of some of the plots have a weird charm to them. Is it good? No, there are genuine flaws here which will boil down to "Can you accept a cartoon that exists to sell toys?" If you can and you're looking for a show that's 100% army themed without making it depressing or realistic, then you'll like the show. If not though, then trust me, stay away. You'll save yourself a headache. From one army glorifier to the next. Come Sunday... ugh... I'll be tackling Transformers: The Last Knight.

Transformers Marathon II; Robots in Disguise 2015: They really should stop using that subtitle

Whereas Transformers Prime was a combination of Animated and Bayformers, Robots in Disguise 2015, its direct sequel, was a combination of Prime and Rescue Bots (next week). Doing this one early as I have been keeping up with RID 2015, so unlike Rescue Bots, it’s the perfect thing to review while I’m at the Tech Games Fest during this week. So with that out of the way…

Opening Adventures; Rick and Morty: Time for a science question...

This show is aimed more at a maturer audience, airing on Adult Swim. As such, the language used in this review is meant for a more mature audience.

What do you get when you mix Back to the Future, with crude humor? You'd basically get this. I've had this on my radar for a while now, ever since December 2014, always with teh intent on giving this a proper look. I still haven't, but hey, that's what Opening Impressions are for, judging how well the opening episodes of a show work to sell the show. So let's see how well this show does it.

This is a Fan poster by 3FrogBoy on Deviantart.
Link found here: http://3frogboy.deviantart.com/art/Rick-and-Morty-Fan-Poster-562269021

Superman: The Animated series: Now with 100% less bloom lighting

While there are more shows in DC's old animated universe, at the moment, I want to focus on the main shows, the ones that got the most attention, and the ones that people still talk about to this day. I do plan to cover the other shows, but they are for another time. In the mean time, let's take a look at Superman: The animated series, and see if it holds a candle to its predecessor. I should say though that due to time limitations, I haven't been able to complete a full season of the show at time of writing. I want to give this more time, but isn't meant to be, and thankfully, is a statement not shared by next weeks review and hopefully the week after. Feel free to consider this an Opening Impression if you want.

Batman: The Animated Series: For reals this time, honest

I couldn't resist doing an April Fools this year, and I'm both sorry, and not sorry for the lame joke. I do however admit Rising Rainbow came out better then the Rick Roll. That one was last minute after all,

I've stated a few times now that I personally prefer DC's animated projects over their Live Action ones, and while I do plan to cover more in the future, for now, lets take a look at some that many remember from their childhoods... I don't because I was too young at their prime, but still. Up first, the one that started it all, and one of the cartoons that has probably helped inspire much of children's television to this day, Batman: The Animated Series.

Star Wars; The Clone Wars: Who needs a cast when you have CGI?

A common complaint people have with the prequels is the amount of CGI in use, barely any of the movie was actually on set. So a few years after the prequels had come out, and news of a new Star Wars movie was on the way excited people... until they herd that it was going to be all CG, and it was a prequel for a show by the same name, and that it was still during the prequels. Yeah, that went over well... Well, speaking from a more outsider perspective, as my knowledge of Star Wars is limited to the films, current shows, and The Force Awakens games, this was the first Star Wars movie I ever saw at the cinema, and at the time, I enjoyed it. Does it hold up? Well one way to find out. The focus of this review is the movie, however a lot of it can be applied to the show, and I will be covering aspects of the show, just not in as much detail.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra: New Tech, same powers, and a very PC questionable post

With the success of The Last Airbender show, a sequel was bound to show up eventually. And with a sequel comes another chance to delve into the world of Avatar. But how has the world changed, as this is set 70 years after the fall of the Fire Lord. Time to investigate The Legend of Korra.

Sadly this intro only plays once

Avatar: The Last Airbender: With inner peace comes the ability to USE THE PLANET TO BEAT EVERYONE...

No, this is not the movie.
To me, its rare to see something like this. A show that's 10 years old now, that many people has said it's aged well for its time, praise from everyone, viewers and critics alike, successful attempts at other mediums and a movie... that was awful, ok so it hasn't all been perfect. This is a show that has interested me more as I've grown up rather then at the time of its original air, as when I first saw it on live TV, it suffered from "Australian TV syndrome" and that it was nothing but out of order reruns, which to this day pisses me off, though that's more of the fact that people still insist watching them even though its a rerun they saw recently.... Moving on, let's see how this series is. Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Opening Impressions: Adventure Time: Time to get ready for round 2 of this

On Twitter, I mentioned that this post wouldn't be ready because of the fact that I didn't have the time to complete it this week, and that's partially true, however there's more to it. The other main reason is that, a lot of the problems I have with this go back to Steven Universe's problems, in by that just the lack of any world building. However, there are some unique things to this, so time to conclude this mini marathon with Adventure Time.

Opening Impressions: Gravity Falls: "Where's my phone? I need to call them"

I swear this wasn't intentional, considering as a 3DS game has been announced for this series recently.

Round 2 of the Adventure Time art style marathon, and today we travel to Disney. With the amount of stuff they've done, I don't think there's a person alive who hasn't seen a Disney show or movie in some form. So let's see what child friendly Disney does in this style, as we travel to Gravity Falls.

Opening Impressions: Steven Universe: "I'll take your word on this..."

So for those who saw the montage, you'll notice that there were a few cartoons and an anime in there. Yeah... this month is going to have a lot of Opening Impressions again, though unlike last time, this time it'll be paced out.

As the medium evolves, new technology and new styles arise, there was 3D animation... which looked awful at the time, Flash animation, which lead to a influx of awful cartoons made as quick and as cheep as possible to make a quick buck (something I wouldn't mind online, but they gained footing on national Television). While those were more of the tech and people behind them, now the trend is style, by way of "Adventure Time style". Smooth 2D imagery embracing the cartoons of old, but not afraid to pull some more mature humor, some more so then others, one of which I'm still contemplating putting in here, which is why it wasn't in the montage. I intend to do Adventure time last, due to its sheer popularity in comparison to the others, but for now, lets start with the one I got asked to do on camera, Steven Universe.