Sym-Bionic Titan

Sym-Bionic Titan, made by the creator of other highly regarded shows such as Samurai Jack, appears to be one of the most heralded cartoons in recent years. I have seen it on more than one occasion being called "the American counterpart to Neon Genesis Evangelion," which, if you don't know, is popularly regarded as the greatest Japanese Anime and one of the best TV series of all-time. So how could I not give this show a chance?

However, on the internet you can find people with irrationally enormous devotion to anything. Even I have my pet "classics" to champion (12 oz Mouse being probably the most irrational among them). First of all, comparing Titan to Evangelion is unambiguously the most off-point parallel I have ever encountered. Aside from a few superficial allusions to Eva, there is nothing about Sym-Bionic Titan that connects it to Evangelion. I'm convinced the individuals who have equated the two shows were employing some exceedingly straight-faced satire. The level of character development in Titan isn't any different from the rest of the shows in its ilk. To compare it to Evangelion based on a few occurrences of character development is asinine.

What it is, in reality, is a show in the ilk of Danny Phantom or My Life as a Teenage Robot. It may also connect closely with some of the other action/comedy cartoons that Cartoon Network shows, of which I am not extensively familiar. You can tell what the Sym-Bionic Titan's disposition will be before you even watch. In the US, more story-driven action shows are generally given stronger, more realistic animation, and episodic comedies are given looser, goofier and simpler animation. Like the rest of its genre, this show combines cartoon school drama plots with super-human fighting. It's a pretty satisfying show to watch, and I'd probably put it up there with Danny Phantom, which is quite decent praise.

In the best episode, our team befriends this unimaginably adorable little living time bomb of ultimate destruction. Awwww...

It's a quality show, but it's a show like Gargoyles, i.e. I think people must rate it with a different scale than I do. I guess I just don't appreciate the cartoon sitcom + action combination genre as much as some. In my mind, a good action show necessitates an immutable emphasis on an overarching story and ethos, which is exceedingly rare to find in a sitcom. And on the sitcom level, the action seems pointless and takes time away from more sitcommy pursuits. Sym-Bionic Titan is a charming show that I enjoy watching, but it's not about to enter my tv pantheon.

Normally I wouldn't write a review about a show that I don't rate highly (if I wrote reviews for all the 3 star shows I watch, my blog would be covered top to bottom in them.) But given the hype around this show, I just wanted to have my say. I wouldn't take my ranking very seriously per se', since this isn't an area of expertise for me. Now when I talk about live action sitcoms, or adult cartoons, or Neil Young songs... I'm at least in a position to judge them with an adequate knowledge base. I do watch a lot of shows in this action/comedy cartoon genre, but I've never stared at them with the critical eye crucial for genuine assessment.

Todd McFarlane's Spawn

About nine months ago I acquainted myself with a 90s cult-classic action cartoon called Gargoyles, which for a time ran alongside the venerable X Men: Animated Series in syndication. It was gothic and cool, and it managed to accomplish a few fantastic moments. Ultimately though I found the series promising and admirable, but flawed. However, as soon as Gargoyles ended its initial run in early 1997, a new series began whose premise apparently was "let's take the best things about Gargoyles (modern gothic disposition, alienation themes, et. al.), and make them ten times better." They even went so far as to pluck from Gargoyles its most powerful asset: the glorious voice acting of Keith David, who plays the lead in both shows.

The "action cartoon" is a genre very near and dear to my heart, but it is also the single genre I am most exhaustively discerning with. You could argue I'm very accepting and forgiving towards sitcoms and adult cartoons, but I have the strictest standards for action cartoons. I have major qualms with even my top favorites in the ilk. My collection is riddled with the DVD corpses of shows that failed to impress. So I hope you will take me seriously when I say with confidence that Spawn is one of the greatest action cartoons I have ever seen. It consistently impressed me and frequently left me stunned.

Spawn

Spawn is the story of a Government assasin who, upon death, strikes a deal with the devil to return to life, in the hope of seeing his wife again. But the devil has his own intentions, and sends Spawn back to humanity as a grotesque corpse, estranged from his wife and imbued with superhuman strength with which to do his master's bidding. Spawn deals with the existential fallout of his new life in the gutters and status as a living monster, while Hell subtley compels him to fulfill his duty of reaping souls (by killing people) so as to embolden Hell's army for the final battle against Heaven.

Unlike the haphazard Hollywood hot mess that was the Spawn live action film, Todd McFarlane's Spawn had perpetual involvmenet from the comics' creator, and valued story over glitz. The show was bankrolled by HBO, and features all the beautiful artisan craftsmanship you would expect from them. Also in line with HBO's code of conduct, this is perhaps the first action cartoon I've seen that is unambiguously aimed at adults, with gruesome blood-covered murder scenes and ricocheting swear words all around. Even a little bit of nudity. While these things aren't necessary for a good action cartoon, they're much appreciated, and help embellish the strength of atmosphere and integrity in Todd McFarlane's Spawn.

The animation is beyond divine, with an utter ocean of neo-noir gloom and a staggering supply of gorgeous, slow-panning cinema-worthy shots of grim city skylines and dark alleys. Perhaps to its deepest credit, the story remains focused and maintains an overarching sense of consequence. There's nothing I value more highly in this type of show than a focus on story of episodic considerations, andeven when Spawn verges on episodic it is always engorged on the bigger picture in the end.

The religious subtext of a battle between Heaven & Hell are calm and understated enough to be deeply inticing without boiling over into the hokey. It's not unlike how Neon Genesis Evangelion implied some sort of heavenly confrontation without ever showing us a bearded guy in a robe sending monsters off to fight. Also like Evangelion, it boasts some highly decent and compelling themes.

Issues

I have only two qualms with this show. The chief flaw of this series is that such an astounding program was given so little time to grow. Granted, these three 6-episode seasons were able to accomplish an incredible bit (it's 9 hours of content, after all), and the series ends at a decent cut-off point. But there's so much more story left to tell. Granted, it may have been a mercy killing, I've heard the later issues of the Spawn comic devolve into a bit of a mess. But with such good writers here on the show, I suspect they could have sorted out any wanderlust from the comic. Such a succinct and well-handled show? Imagine what they could have done with 40 episodes. Or 60.

The other blemish is the trajectory of season 2, which was a bit of a misstep. While it housed many important moments, it focused more on Fitgerald (the least interesting character) and demoted Spawn to secondary main characters status -- observing from the shadows and only ocassionally interfering. But season one and three are both immaculate, and season two is excellent, if not strictly flawless.

But I digress. Spawn is an immaculately-written, beyond impeccably animated, and intelligently intriguing show, as well as one of the most ceaselessly well-made action cartoons ever comitted to the screen. I know we're a bit out of season, but it's also a perfect spooky show for the halloween month. Be sure to watch it with the lights off, the intros in season two and three are chalk full of the deadly old school cool from Beyond Bizzare & ilk.

Ian Abercrombie, forever in our hearts.

11 September 1934 - 26 January 2012

Rest In Peace

It's sad how these things happen. Just a couple months after JoePa's last game, he leaves us, and just weeks after Wizards of Waverly Place airs its final episode, Professor Crumbs passes on. If you know me, you know Crumbs was one of my favorite characters. I love the venerable master types and Ian Abercrombie played his role with both humor and wisdom. He's known for appearances in cult horror films, as well as a recurring Seinfeld character as Elaine's eccentric boss. He will live on in our hearts, as well as on our TVs, for decade and decades. I mean, Seinfeld and Wizards of Waverly Place? They'll play forever -- even if they end up on some classic TV channel. 

Wizzy wizzy wizzy! Oi! Oi! Oi!

The Case For Cam & Jori

I never even knew what shipping was before I got into the iCarly fandom. But Carly and Sam balanced each other's personalities out so perfectly, I had to ship them, once I found out I was supposed to choose sides. Then in Victorious came Jori, the spitfire couple with the classic antagonist chemistry and overflowing romantic tension. It's such a great pair that they've become the #1 most popular ship in Victorious. Plus, since I can be a bit of a misandrist and a heterophobe at times, I tend to ship almost exclusively gay and lesbian couples...

But of couse, we all know those will never happen on a kid's network like Nickelodeon. That's what we all say. And we're probably dead right. But to everyone who says that it specifically can't happen on Nickelodeon, I would contest that. It's a long shot, it's unlikely, it'll probably never happen and nobody in their right mind denies that. But it's not strictly unthinkable, and it's not beyond the realm of possibility, no matter how slim the astronomically small chance is.

The Dynamics of Television Evolution

After my recent trip down memory lane with Ren & Stimpy, I'm particularly well aware of the way TV boundaries evolve over time. As a matter of fact, TV boundaries have been habitually pushed back for a while now. The examples are numerous. Today words like "bitch" and "shit" are a-okay to say on TV, in the past this was not so, no matter what a show's demographic was. In the 90s the Xena girl/girl almost-kiss was considered groundbreaking, but today we've seen more than that even on Nickelodeon.

And the best example is with adult cartoons: in the 90s Butt-head became forbidden from saying the word "fire" after a kid burned his house down. But today Peter on Family Guy can blow up children's hospitals, kill people and things, an endless parade of gruesome things. Though, to be fair, the genre of adult cartoons has taken a specific amount of concentration on and delight in pushing boundaries, so they've evolved at an excellerated rate. The point is that the boundaries are being pushed and thereby lessened.

When it comes to gay civil rights, there may never come a day when everyone is accepting of homosexuality. But just like with interracial marriage, there will come a day when the open express of dissent will be socially and culturally shunned. Today there are interracial couples on both Nick and Disney. Some day there will be gay couples on Nick and Disney. There is no question of whether or not it will happen, the only question is when.

When we look at how much hatred and ignorance is still alive and well in our country, it's clear that we probably won't see a gay couple on Nickelodeon for quite some time. Braindead religious housemoms would be in an uproar over it, and it might hurt Nickelodeon's ratings. Nobody here is saying that Jori is going to happen on Victorious.

All I'm saying, is that it's not enitrely inconcievable. Because the fact is, this is a boundary that will eventually be struck down. Someday, somewhere down the line, a kids' TV writer will decide to put gay characters in their show, and network executives will decide to air it. It's easy to think that it can't happen just because it's not okay for it to be shown on a kid's network yet, but the way that it will eventually become okay to show is by it being shown. Could Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon be the ones to do it? Yes, potentially, if they make that choice.

Reasons why Nick could decide to break this boundary:

- A Nick companion network, called The N or Teen Nick, created and showed for three seasons an original drama called South of Nowhere. Groundbreaking not merely for a Nick affiliate but for TV in general, it was the first program to feature gay teens as the show's primary main characters. While Teen Nick shows a vast plethora of things that would not be okay on Nick, the existence of South of Nowhere proves two important points: (1) That the corporate powers behind Nick are not categorically apposed to showing this type of content, and (2) that those same forces are, in fact, interested in pushing those boundaries (as SoN did not just for Nick, but for TV in general).

- While the threat of boycott is troubling, controversy also makes for unending publicity and ratings. Breaking this boundary would unquestionably bring accolades to Nickelodeon from the LGBT community. I could envision Dan Schneider seeking a place in history with this move. Even in the most cold-hearted executive terms, homosexuality is becoming more "popular;" more palattable and more profitable in the entertainment sector, as well as in public opinion at large.

Examples in the past of Nickelodeon (the main network, not Teen Nick) taking controversial steps in the right direction:

- In the Drake & Josh episode 4-1 "Josh Runs Into Oprah," Drake and Josh kiss. It's for comedic rather than romantic reasons, but these are not only two men but also brothers!

- In the iCarly episode 3-18 "iPsycho" the recurring villian Nora grabs a girl at her party and kisses her on the mouth. This was also shown for comedic reasons, but Nora's motivation for the kiss is unexplained, it seems to be some level of romantic interest would be the logical conclusion.

- Dan Schneider's shows make frequent and often unambiguous allusions to same-sex relationships. They habitually feature cross-dressing, as well as often pair same-sex characters up in fantasy scenarios like plays and skits.

Again, I'm not saying Jori will happen. It almost definitely won't. But is it possible? Yes. And the longer Victorious continues, the stronger (however slightly) the chance gets, as society continues towards making homophobia a culture-wide taboo.

On our end, we've been trying to coax Dan Schneider to acknowledge the large gay fan constituency for his shows. So far he has unfortunately declined to comment, despite commenting on damn near every other trend iCarly or Victorious scores. But getting Jori to trend worldwide is still a victory for us Jori shippers. Here's the trend we got last night, we even got it pretty high.

The Seinfeld Reunion

Came across this the other day. I had never seen it before. A couple years ago I heard about Curb Your Enthusiasm planning a season revolving around trying to put together a Seinfeld reunion, but I figured it would never get off the ground (in the show). Turns out it did!

If you're not familiar, Larry David created Seinfeld with Jerry Seinfeld. The character of George, in fact, was based on Larry. And for the last many years, Larry David has been making and starring (as himself) in his own show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, with pretty much the kind of humor you'd expect from both Seinfeld's co-creator and the origin of George. Season 7 of Curb revolves around trying to put together a Seinfeld reunion, and in the finale you actually get to see some scenes from the in-universe Seinfeld reunion. In typical Seinefldian meta fashion, even though it's a fictional reunion show that only fully exists in Curb Your Enthusiasm's universe, it is of course also entirely real....




I can't tell you how overjoyed I am to see this. It's fantastic! Seinfeld is one of the greatest TV shows of all-time, pretty much indisputably the top network sitcom ever devised. And to see these guys together again, doing Seinfeld again, is pure magic.

As a bonus, here's a fantastic scene where Larry David has a cameo in Hannah Montana!

The Ren & Stimpy Show

The Ren & Stimpy Show

Since I'm an avid fan of the genre called "adult cartoons" (and sort of fascinated by its evolution) as well as a proud connossieur of kids' TV, I figured I was overdue to revisit Nickelodeon's early-90s cult-classic Ren & Stimpy. I probably hadn't seen the show since I was 6 years old.

Coming into it, I expected to be severely underwhelmed. I fear the mythology surrounding the show is mostly maintained by people who, like me, haven't seen it in 15 years. Everyone venerates the shows from their formative days, but it's typically nostalgia without substance.

Before even watching, I knew it couldn't be as raunchy or adult-oriented as legend would have you believe. The world was a different place circa 1993, this was a time before South Park, before Family Guy, before Adult Swim. Butt-head wasn't even allowed to say "fire." 90s kids shows couldn't dream of the kind of adult innuendo in Dan Schneider's latest work.

But Ren & Stimpy did push the envelope, and it was extremely innovative. When I revisited the series, I found that there was indeed substance to the hype, it's an incredible show with an impressive place in history. It's just not quite the raunchy adult cartoon that people in their late-twenties incorrectly remember it as.

Rather than lecherous, what Ren & Stimpy really was, is surreal and flippant. The naughtiness and violence naturally stood out to kids, but that was far from the show's cornerstone. At its best moments, Ren & Stimpy managed to be 15 years ahead of its time with its bizarre, impeccably crafted stoner comedy. The inventive pacing and exuberant psychedelic animation, the preposterous storylines and equally insane character designs, the prototypal sarcastic dialogue of antisocial abandon, and the flawlessly placed, immaculate soundtrack of classical music, all work together to create this Nickelodeon gem of well-deserved cult-classic status.

Though preempting most of its successors by over a decade, Ren & Stimpy would feel right at home alongside similarly random, snarky cartoons like 12 oz. Mouse, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Brak Show and Superjail. In fact, I'll bet my hat that the Williams Street crew (progenitors of most of Adult Swim's original content) are diehard R&S fans to the end.

Regarding 'Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon'

The existence of Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon is an intriguing moment in television history because it's a dream come true for TV geeks like me. It's a common wish for any number of classic shows in the kid & teen genre to be recast for their now-adult audience. I'm still pining for Daria to be remade by Aaron McGruder (with heavy involvment from Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn, of course). Heck, we iCarly fans frequently fantasize about getting the show on a different network in order to explore its more dramatic and adulty tendancies.

But, of course, Adult Party Cartoon was a doomed outing. The new Ren & Stimpy was near-universally panned, and it was cancelled after only a couple of episodes. And the reason it sucked so bad, is because Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi followed the mythology of grossnesss that surrounds the show, rather than its reputation for black comedy and psychedelics. Adult Party Cartoon is a parade of crude cliche's and poop jokes, ironically (and unintentionally) equating adulthood with immaturity and presenting a program less than half as witty or intelligent as the one that aired on Nickelodeon.

It's not surprising that some powerlines were crossed in converting a show aimed at kids into a show aimed at adults. But as a devout fan of shows aimed at both audiences, I think I understand exactly what happened.

Striking down the restraints around Ren & Stimpy killed the sense of fun and wonder around its antics. Instead of being a smart, dangerous kid's show lording over the likes of Rugrats and Doug, it became a banal, uninspired adult cartoon that could never dream of competing with ten to fifteen years of oneupsmanship from South Park and Family Guy.

It's the same with iCarly. Watching how far they go over the line is part of the fun, the 'adult' content is part of why kids like it so much. But crossing the line for kids and crossing the line for adults are two entirely different categories. Nobody in their right mind wants to see iCarly make the kind of boring, gaudy, one-in-a-billion dick jokes you get from its "adult" counterparts in the sitcom world like Two And A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. With both iCarly and Ren & Stimpy, skirting the line of acceptable kid content is part of the fun and adventure, and it spurs much more clever, stealth-equipped sex jokes. When the restraints are gone, the danger is gone, the fun is gone, and the writing tends to get lazy.

Focusing the new version of Ren & Stimpy on gross-out raunchiness instead of the original program's irreverent weirdness and nihilistic approach to storytelling ensured that it would be 100% outclassed at every turn, by shows that have been pushing the limits of what you can show to adults (not kids) since they began. It's like bringing a knife to a gunfight, and every bit as cliche.

The sad thing is, if John Kricfalusi had a better understanding of his own show, a new adult-oriented Ren & Stimpy could have been both critically applauded and commercially successful. A decent Ren & Stimpy remake would have categorically outclassed 90% of what Williams Street puts out on Adult Swim. As probably the all-time original stoner/hipster cartoon show (predating Cartoon Network's seminal Space Ghost Coast To Coast by three years, and Beavis and Butt-head by two), it would have coasted past all but the best of its ilk on name recognition alone. That is, if the show was at least watchable. You gotta give us something.

Anyway.... Cartoons of this nature aren't necessarily my forte. Even with Adult Swim's best work, I only indulge sparringly. This satirical, ironic brand of comedy is brilliant in small doses but can quickly become grating. In any case, I'd definitely watch the original Ren & Stimpy if it ran in an accessible slot, like in place of Phineas & Ferb in the afternoon. And I say that as a man who thoroughly enjoys the ocassional Phineas & Ferb.

Wizards of Waverly Place, we hardly knew ye.

Wizards of Waverly Place. October 12, 2007 – January 6, 2012 

Rest In Peace

Yesterday, the series finale of Wizards of Waverly Place aired. This is no time to be sad, it's the time to celebrate how good of a show it was. For any show to last this long is impressive, but especially in the kid & teen market where turnover can be markedly extreme. Yet I can't help but to feel a bit of regret, since I was really just beginning to get into this show. When I started watching Disney Channel again, WOWP was this modern legend, with a hefty and respected reputation -- and ironically, that turned me off from it, since I'm more interested in exploring exciting new things. With over a hundred episodes and a TV movie, I didn't know where to start, but the more I saw of it, the better and better it got. With fun plotlines and a handful of excellent recurring characters, it's not the first super-power themed sitcom but it may well be the best of its ilk. Disney doesn't release many DVDs of their shows, so if I want to continue exploring Wizards I'll have to do so on the computer. But it was a great show and I'm happy I was around to see it the curtain call.

When I returned to Disney Channel last year, they were just about finished showing Hannah Montana reruns. Which means we should have about 6 months left to enjoy Wizards before it's gone forever! Gone into our memories, that is. And... the internet. Bye, Wizards! <3

Goodbye, Wizards of Waverly Place! We will miss you.