Tag: Somvilay Xayaphone

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“Hug Wolf” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: May 14, 2012

Written & Storyboarded by: Somvilay Xayaphone & Bert Youn

I’m pretty sure anyone who has seen this episode before knows it as the “rape analogy episode” and to be fair, that’s not a bad way of remembering it. The hug wolves and concept of hugging quite strongly allude to how sex, which is considered virtually good, can be twisted for very violent and inappropriate causes. It’s surprising a kid’s show is tackling a subject like this, but even more surprising to me that it’s a pretty light and humorous episode otherwise. It’s not a “very special episode” or completely dark and serious, but rather tackles a relatively heavy subject matter with plenty of silly and enjoyable scenes to carry it through.

The quest at the beginning I think is a really awesome and energetic start. Feels very mythological, while also incorporating some nice fast-paced intensity as Finn shakes off the Hug Wolf. The allusions to sexual harassment are there in the very first scene, as Finn states that the Hug Wolf “didn’t even ask for his name.”

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It’s actually kind of amazing to me just how much they do with the “hugging” conflict in this episode. You have Finn, who is a relatively simple and good-hearted guy, that is completely altered once he gives into his desires, or “curse.” There’s the Candy Baby, who asks his mother why Finn is locked up because “hugs” are considered nice (much like sexual relationships themselves, and how they can turn very toxic in cases where consent isn’t involved) and his mother, who just silences him because he’s too young to understand the weight of the issue. Then there’s Cinnamon Bun, who, despite being opposed to getting hugged by Finn, constantly goes against himself, presumably because he’s lonely and enjoys the attention and idea of being loved. And throughout the episode there’s brief lines like “No hugging! Without consent!” and “uhhh, I have a wife,” that drive the whole metaphor further. These are all very realistic depictions of societal reactions and behaviors to sexual harassment that are kept brilliantly subtle and intriguing by just how many references there are, but as I mentioned, it’s made even better by the fact that all of the examples I listed are still pretty hilarious because all of them deal with hugging. No matter how heavy the implication, the idea that Finn is hugging people without their approval is just hilarious in it’s own right.

BMO’s pretty adorable in this episode, and I love the bit where he’s hiding from Finn and, instead of comforting him, Jake just simply replies “well, that plant’s not gonna protect you.” It’s a pretty hilarious one for Somvilay, with a lot of great touches when it comes to his obscure sense of humor. Like the bit where Finn’s slouched under the bridge, and we briefly see Princess Bubblegum chasing after a cat. What the fuck is the story with that?? I’m guessing that they needed a reason to not include PB in this episode, so that was their excuse. She was chasing a cat. Wonder what the story behind that was. There’s also the fly that lands on Jake’s head in the library and just chills there for like, a full 30 seconds. The reason behind this was so Jake’s expository dialogue wouldn’t seem boring, and it strangely sort of works. I dunno, that gets an odd chuckle out of me.

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There’s other great moments in this one, mainly deriving from the victims at Finn’s expense. Mr. Cupcake’s monologue about his frosted drink directly before he gets attacked really cracks me up; Dee Bradley Baker rarely fails to get a laugh out of me when voicing the debonair cupcake man. I love the Pen Ward-Candy dad that protects his daughter with a candy cane gun, and most of all the general stupidity of the other Candy People. There’s the one guy that is mad at Finn but doesn’t feel like walking under the bridge, and then the fellow that solely agrees with the “last guy”, even though the last guy only said, “yeah!” It’s one that’s constantly amusing throughout, and really highlights the goofiness of the Candy People.

The ending closes on a perfect note: as Finn and the alpha hug wolf reunite, they literally “hug it out” and return to normal. The resolution of two people who have similar desires and act on them in consensual and loving way was a pretty great message to me. By the end, Finn and the woman have no intention to carry out their desires in an unhealthy way on other people because they were able to find that healthy balance that hugs are supposed to be intended for. And of course, there’s the very abrupt callback to the beginning where the woman randomly turns back into the Tree of Blight. Another great “what the fuck” moment to close it out.

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As mentioned in the commentary for this episode, what the fuck is that green guy supposed to be? Apparently he is a Candy Person, but what candy is green and hairy? Maybe he’s “under your car seat” candy.

I do quite enjoy Hug Wolf for a majority of the reasons I mentioned above. It doesn’t take itself too dramatically; it balances metaphorical writing with silly jokes and characters very impressively. It even kind of works as some decent folklore, with a pretty spooky mythical feeling, dark purple and gray colors, and a complementary apprehensive atmosphere. It’s an episode that has a lot going on at once, and one that I think works well on several different levels.

Favorite line: “When you see the wicker devil in tree afterlife, tell ‘im Jake says, ‘hello.'”

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“Dream of Love” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: April 23, 2012

Written & Storyboarded by: Bert Youn & Somvilay Xayaphone

Interesting how we got a bit of a taste of the cons of long-term relationships last episode, while this episode heavily focuses on some of the issues involving infatuation when it comes to partners who become acquainted very early on. And while I’ve seen a bunch of people really voice their general distaste for the last episode, this is one I’d consider pretty bottom-of-the-barrel. It’s the first Tree Trunks-centric episode that completely retcons her ability to hold an episode on her own, and pretty much stays consistent from this point on. I do still really like Tree Trunks, there’s a part of me that will always have a soft spot for her. But it’s entirely difficult for me to argue that she really isn’t able to carry a story on her own, much like LSP, and her connection to Mr. Pig only really emphasizes those issues to me.

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TT and Mr. Pig work fine as a couple overall, I suppose. I’m not really the biggest Mr. Pig fan; I think his voice actor is very talented and has played some very funny roles, but they never really give Mr. Pig much to work with. He doesn’t really have a clear character besides the fact that he’s quirky and slightly reserved. His connection with Tree Trunks doesn’t really make him any more interesting, and there’s plenty of moments of him in this episode that just feel completely dry and humorless. The only real laugh I got out of him was his brief line about returning to eating criminals, which is a pretty silly callback to Apple Thief. Besides that, his character doesn’t do much for me, so it’s a bit difficult to be able to put him in center-stage and not feel generally uninterested in the situation at hand.

While Finn and Jake we’re pretty heavily involved in the last story and really rounded out the melodrama surrounding them, they just don’t do much that’s noteworthy in this one. They try and mend the situation, but ultimately are pretty much what drive the main conflict, which also isn’t a very compelling one. They work as the mediator between the two characters in trying to mend their relationship, and while they give in to the characters’ desires by the end of the episode, I can’t help but feel that we were slightly cheated out of a decent lesson when it comes to romance. I mean, I get it, Tree Trunks and Mr. Pig shouldn’t have to hide their love in front of the eyes of others for approval, but they were legitimately invading the privacy of bystanders and taking attention away from other people. From practically ruining PB’s concert to making out in a mother’s baby carriage, they were doing some pretty shitty stuff that should’ve been addressed, and I would’ve liked it a lot better if they maybe set boundaries by the end of it that still worked for the relationship. The notion that everyone was just generally wrong for being pissed off by Tree Trunks and Mr. Pig wasn’t really a well-crafted resolution. Granted though, some of the Candy People did act like legitimate dickholes, and that only really brings down the episode further for me. I mean, being uncomfortable is one thing, but there’s a lot of other obnoxious moments with the Candy People screaming and wailing at the sight of TT and Mr. P, and their brief moment of celebration when the two are being separated. It really see’s both sides of the situation, but arguably in the worst way possible that just really makes me dislike both parties in this scenario.

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And then there’s the song, which really just goes on for waaaay too long in my opinion. It’s a full two minutes out of the episode, and it just feels so obvious and generic to me. It’s not even that catchy or visually interesting, it just drags on and on, and when you think it’s about done, it keeps on going and going. One of my least favorite songs in the entire series without a doubt, and just drives the episode to a complete halt. You pretty much know where it’s gonna go from the first lyric, so there’s no point in drawing it out unless they just wanted to kill time.

I can’t really think of anything particularly funny in this one either. There’s the scene where Finn is replicating the sounds PB is producing through her xylophone, which is pretty amusing. Then there’s also the movie clip with the Gingerbread actor ordering people to look at different cups, but that’s about it. It feels pretty humorless, and there’s not even different aims at anti-humor or visual gags that feel new or unique.

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It’s just a misfire in my opinion. I’m not really sure what I was supposed to get out of this one, but whatever it was, it just didn’t happen. There’s an intended message of allowing yourself to do what makes you happy, but it’s squandered by the two main characters consistently invading the privacy of other people in their actions. I just didn’t buy into Tree Trunks and Mr. Pig’s love at all; it seemed like very tradition infatuation, and the direction that their relationship takes later on only furthers my belief that these feelings were very much exaggerated. It’s one that feels very lifeless for a romantic tale, and one that doesn’t utilize any of the characters to their best advantages. I’m usually fairly forgiving with a lot of episodes that seem to be very unpopular in the fandom, but this one in particular just kinda rubs me the wrong way. Certainly not one of my favorites.

Also, what was up with that sequence at the beginning with Finn and Jake rolling on the grass and Lady Rainicorn who appears and disappears out of nowhere? I like to believe she kept on rolling for like, a whole week.

Favorite line: “Look at this cup! Now, look at this cup! Look at this one!“

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“Paper Pete” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: January 16, 2012

Written & Storyboarded by: Kent Osborne & Somvilay Xayaphone

Paper Pete is perhaps one of, if not the most forgettable episode of Adventure Time for me. It’s not a particularly horrendous one, but it poses a premise and characters so bland that it never really has a chance to be significant in any form.

The idea of Jake studying a Rainicornocopia is a pretty cool concept, even before the Rainipups themselves were actually born. I like Jake’s heartfelt interest and compassion for Lady to go out and educate himself on something that’s important for the both of them. It’s also fitting that Jake wouldn’t be able to even get past the first paragraph, and even more logical considering he has no idea how Rainicorn children work when he eventually has five of his own.

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Somvilay’s bubbly design of Finn in this one is cute!

As for the plot itself, I think it’s somewhat of a frustrating, yet commonly used story for animated and live-action series alike. I think the idea of Finn “making up adventures” is a bit of a weird argument from Jake, considering it isn’t a common aspect of Finn’s character in general. It works primarily as a plot device for this one, and it’s slightly annoying to watch Jake blatantly ignore what’s right in front of him. Jake vs. Me-Mow had a similar plot, and that episode did it much, much better in my opinion. It’s hard to pull off that story in general without causing some form of frustration for the viewer.

Paper Pete, voiced by Peter Browngardt, makes his first and only appearance in this episode. Usually AT side characters stick out in their own absurd and quirky fashion, but Paper Pete doesn’t really have any strong character traits. He’s not particularly funny, interesting, or even well-designed. It’s a bit odd they got Peter Browngardt for this role. Besides the name, Peter Browngardt is known for his over-the-top and ludicrous characters, namely Uncle Grandpa. It’s a weird pairing for a character who kind of feels like an afterthought, despite having an entire episode named after him.

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The two main conflicts are pretty thin, with one being treated as amusingly ineffective, and the other just being quickly resolved in the end without a ton of time devoted to it. Considering they’re both treated as very minor issues, the conflict almost seems somewhat nonexistent. It’s harder to pull through as a competent episode when there’s no compelling struggle to carry onward, whether it be humorous or thrilling. And the episode ends as it does on every rewatch: with me almost entirely forgetting what I just saw.

I know I’m ripping this episode a new one, but honestly, I’m being a bit harsh on it. It’s nothing terrible: the writing isn’t bad, the animation isn’t bad, the characterizations aren’t bad. There’s a few enjoyable aspects, namely the background artwork. The library setting isn’t really visually interesting, but the detailed backgrounds and just how many shelves upon shelves they can squeeze in is pretty dope to look at. There’s a few good jokes in this one, though scarce. I do like Finn’s general uninterest with the pagelings, and how his main goal is really to just shove his proof in Jake’s face. It’s pretty funny to watch him react to the ineffectual environment, and even his mild annoyance with Paper Pete. Also, Turtle Princess seeing Finn with his shirt off was fucking priceless. So, it’s not bad, but it’s one of AT’s most forgettable efforts for me. This is Kent and Somvilay’s last episode for a while together; Kent began exclusively as a story editor for a while up until season five. Although this wasn’t a perfect episode to leave off on, the two would come back stronger than ever a couple seasons later for one of their best episodes yet.

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Favorite line: (in regards to relating to his future children) “Eh, I’ll just fake it.”

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“Holly Jolly Secrets (Part I & II)” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: December 5, 2011

Written & Storyboarded by: Somvilay Xayaphone & Kent Osborne

Ice King has certainly gone through some major developmental stages during the past season. He’s almost completely transitioned from a villain to Finn and Jake’s creepy, annoying neighbor, and while that characterization has proven to be successful all season, it does risk a chance of being repetitive over time. Unless Ice King was at some point going to transform into a complete hero, it’d be awfully boring to just watch him attempt to capture princesses over and over again, or just endlessly try to be Finn and Jake’s best buddy. Holly Jolly Secrets is the one that changes everything. Everything we thought we knew about the Ice King up to this point was ultimately rendered moot, and an onslaught of new questions and mysteries arose. This introduction to Ice King’s backstory is also pretty much a turning point for the entire show: Adventure Time generally has become darker, more ambitious in its storytelling, and persistent in adding continuing bits of lore and mysticism in its ever-growing world.

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I guess I’ll kick-off this review by talking about its most crucial aspect: the videotape revealing the past life of Simon Petrikov. This portion of the episode is absolutely brilliant. It’s one of my top five favorite moments in the entire show, period, and I often forget how chillingly solemn and ominous it really is. There are so many nice little details, between the progression of time throughout each video journal to the brief existence of pre-Mushroom War propaganda. There’s a plane that flies by, which can honestly be taken as a sign of impending warfare (a later scene leads me to lean more towards this theory) and even the existence of a (presumably) Catholic Church. It really shows humanity and early society in the most explicit, uncut way that adds a bit of subtle lore to the existence of the post-apocalyptic world and how some aspects were generally lost in translation. I love all the subtle changes as Simon slowly becomes the Ice King; one aspect I really enjoy is how Simon’s first appearance in the video seems generally unaltered, yet his eyes are actually white and rounded much like the IK’s, rather than dotted and black like most human beings are shown to possess. It’s a nice bit that shows you just how doomed Simon was from the start, and how even before he lost his sanity, the crown had already claimed its victim. The exploration is fascinating; Simon’s transformation is often compared to Alzheimer’s, and while that correlation is quite accurate, it almost feels like a drug addiction in these video entries. Despite the way it’s destroying his life and pushing away the one he loves most, Simon continues to put on the crown, simply because of his failure to resist the feeling of power and strength it gives him. It’s some really tough stuff to get through, and the connection between his fiancee Betty and the Ice King’s desire to capture princesses is absolutely heartbreaking.

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Somvilay added this banner in to keep the viewer’s attention. A strange bit of meta-humor that AT typically strays away from.

The monologue was provided by Patrick McHale, who came up with the idea of Ice King’s tragic backstory. It really feels like a one-man play, but Pendleton Ward himself has compared it to the likes of a radio drama. The speech really shows what a fantastic voice actor Tom Kenny is; he’s so well-known for his portrayals of zany cartoon characters, but the dude can really pull off a legitimately serious and poignant role, and I think that’s a part of his abilities as an actor that’s sadly overlooked. The straight-forward fashion in which he reads these lines, without even slightly sounding phony or forced, is really impressive. It’s a very strong and powerful read through that really adds to this sequence being one of my favorite moments in the entire series. The monotone dialogue is surprisingly what keeps you so drawn to the screen.

However, with all that said, I honestly think the rest of the episode is just okay. The entirety of the episode is padded with quirky video diaries of the Ice King, and truthfully, they don’t do it for me. Like, at all. There’s a few funny lines readings, such as “good morning, you’re watching the evening news,” and IK’s hilarious rendition of Marceline’s Fry Song, (FORESHADOWING) but none of the other tapes do it for me in the slightest. I get it, the episode needed to be stretched out for the purpose of building up to the massive drama bomb, but I wish those tapes and time used at least incorporated more humor and entertainment. The tapes are purposefully boring, but end up slowing down the entire episode to the point where it feels like it takes an eternity to get to the actual meat. There’s an extended scene of BMO fastforwarding one of Ice King’s tapes, and it goes on for like, a solid minute. It’s another one of those episodes that showcases Somvilay’s odd approaches at anti-humor that just simply makes the experience a relatively dull one.

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The original pitch for this episode called for Finn and Jake to watch old Christmas specials, but Pen thought that the idea was awful in hindsight because it destroyed the fabric of the universe that the crew worked so hard at creating. While I can’t say that idea would’ve been better, I do think that the first 18 minutes of this two-parter should’ve been padded with something a little easier to chew on. I feel like it’s incredibly hard for me to think of anything noteworthy about Holly Jolly Secrets that isn’t the big reveal. The characterization of Finn and Jake isn’t that strong; they’re just sort of there to blankly observe until the ending. Even the Ice King isn’t that funny throughout this episode, and coming off the heals of great episodes like Still and Hitman, that’s no excuse.

After the video sequence does end, we do get some legitimately good moments as well. I love the IK’s delusional belief that the most significant thing about the tapes is the fact that he used to wear glasses. It’s a tonally appropriate moment to cap-off one of the heaviest scenes yet with a completely tasteful joke. Finn and Jake’s empathy for the IK is really great, too. It’s a nice moment for Finn to simply just give the Ice King back his tapes; I know people are always a bit annoyed that F&J don’t do more to help out Ice King, but really, what can they do? It’s completely out of their control and knowledge to be able to fix a pretty much unsolvable problem, so even showing him a bit of compassion and sincere appreciation is really sweet. Even though Ice King’s attempts at humor were considerably weak in these episodes, his characterization does come in strong when you realize that he actually hasn’t done anything wrong throughout. All he wanted to do was hang out with Finn and Jake, and when he completely forgets the fact that the two boys even watched his tapes, he rewards them with unusual gifts. It’s such a delightful view of his character that only makes the videos more effective and tragic. The second part ends on a perfect note, as all of the major and minor characters, including a booger and excluding Marceline (FORESHADOWING) sit together by a fire and essentially celebrate Ooo’s first Christmas.

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So yeah, I’m a bit half-and-half on this one. There’s some moments that are absolutely incredibly, yet others that are bafflingly mediocre. It’s safe to say that Simon’s backstory is more than enough to justify Holly Jolly Secrets’ existence, and that it still stands as a very crucial two-parter in the general expansion of the series. The Ice King only gets increasingly more interesting from this point on, and any story arc that was adapted from his backstory can be drawn back directly from this first episode. Holly Jolly Secrets isn’t a two-parter I happen to revisit as a whole a lot, but you can rest assured that I’ll continue coming back to Simon Petrikov’s story for years to come. It’s an emotionally scarring holiday special for the whole family!

Favorite line: “My alarm says it’s time for Finn’s bath. Finn, get naked.”

 

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“Still” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: August 22, 2011

Written & Storyboarded by: Somilay Xayaphone & Kent Osborne

Still is simply one of the funniest developmental Ice King episodes of all time. I can’t think of a single episode I’ve rewatched up to the point that I’ve laughed at as much as this one. There’s a lot of great one liners, gags, character interactions, and just a really hilarious story that carries through till the very end.

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Not a particularly interesting screencap, but who is that dude in the picture frame with Finn?? Is that supposed to be Jake?

It’s funny because this episode could’ve easily just worked as a sequel to the ending of Hitman, and it fits with the general tone of continuing to experiment with Ice King’s admiration of Finn and Jake. It’s funny because, while he’s completely insane and actually comes off as somewhat threatening for freezing F&J, he shows that he legitimately has general knowledge about the duo’s interests and aspirations, including Finn’s love of meatloaf (a recurring character trait of his) and Jake’s incapability to express his emotions genuinely. It actually makes him more sympathetic because, while he has no idea how to be a true friend to anyone, he actually does truly care about Finn and Jake and has more interest in their lives than they would ever have about his. Even though Jake notes that the IK has tried to kill them “like, four times” but of course, that’s only because the two boys are constantly “princess blocking” him. Any guy would do the same!

A good majority of the episode, however, is just the very quirky interactions between the Ice King and the boys that takes place exclusively in the tree house. From this point, it’s a pure romp of nonstop laughs. Ice King dressing like Finn and pretending to be him is both really creepy (imagine if you were witnessing him doing this in real life) and truly hilarious. Actually, creepy and funny are themes mixed quite a bit in this episode. I’m not sure if the IK taking pictures of his penguins’ body parts is more uncomfortable or really funny, but maybe I just have to settle for both.

I really love any episode of any animated series that deals with general annoyance with another character, and Jake’s reaction to the Ice King throughout the episode is just priceless. John DiMaggio does a really standout job of giving Jake a very angry yet deadpan tone, and the drawings coincide perfectly with some really humorous facial expressions. I was literally gasping for air laughing at the breakfast scene: “Well, how ’bout I make us some omelettes?” “That sounds pretty good, actually.” “I’m gonna put my foot in it!”

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The other chunk of the episode is Finn trying to connect with an astral beast, which later turns out to be his spirit animal, a butterfly. It’s equally as amusing as the main plot to watch Finn continually shout in an artistically pleasing setting about channeling this beast through his mind. It’s also somewhat of a star episode for Gunther, who was called to “act like a cat” in the outline of this episode (Somvilay even drew him as a cat in the early storyboards). It’s just really cute watching him roam around and play with his surroundings, though I still never know how to feel about the blatant scene where he’s dry humping Jake’s face. The staff jokes about this in the commentary by saying “Gunther’s got some really great dance moves.” Y’all know what you did!!

The episode ends on a perfect note as well. Ice King learns a thing or two about what being a true friend means and the fact that he isn’t going to get anywhere by forcing his two buddies to love him. Considering he never pulls a stunt like this again, I really think Ice King begins to grasp a bit of an understanding of how friendships and love work, and the idea that his misconception is causing him more bad than good. It’s a bit of a crucial moment because of how difficult it is to get through to Ice King. He’s certainly trying to improve his life on one way or another and, despite his craziness, he is learning to be just a smidge more sane day by day. Even though he ruins it in the end by purchasing the wrong unfreezing potion. I really wonder how the three of them got out of this pickle.

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My only lingering question from this episode: where is BMO? It seems like a bit of a contrivance that he’s just completely missing because, obviously if he was there, this plot wouldn’t hold much water. I’m just gonna go with the excuse that he was at soccer practice or something, and later came back to unfreeze his friends.

Aside from that minor detail though, this episode cracks me up. It’s continuously funny from beginning to end, and I really just love the consistent characterization of Ice King throughout this season. Season three really is Ice King’s star season of the show, putting him in many of the series’ funniest episodes, as well as some of the most poignant, and those types of episode would only increase in quality from hereon in.

Favorite line: “Jake, sometimes you don’t cry because you’re afraid of real emotion. It’s okay, let it out.”

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“The Monster” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: August 15, 2011

Written & Storyboarded by: Kent Osborne & Somvilay Xayaphone

Besides Trouble in Lumpy Space, LSP has taken on very minor roles since her debut episode. This is her main return to the spotlight, and arguably has an even bigger role than the episode aforementioned. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not the biggest fan of LSP when it comes to her more prominent roles, and this episode is somewhat of a true testament as to whether she’s able to hold a story on her own. Does she succeed? Well, let’s see…

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My overall favorite part of the episode is the beginning with Finn and Jake singing their little tune about themselves, which is both really endearing and funny, made even funnier by Finn’s outburst of “PIZZA!” as the song finishes. Somvilay boarded the first half of the episode, and he really does a standout job in this one. There’s a few great Somvilayisms: the tiny people falling down one-by-one and forming a map to the monster, Finn, Jake and LSP abruptly pulling up seats before LSP tells her tale, and just some of the really nice dynamic shots. One of Somvilay’s biggest strengths are his very in depth looking scenes, including the ones of Finn and Jake trodding through the woods and LSP frantically traveling through a forest. Also, he continues to be the master of telling jokes without actually telling jokes. There’s plenty of sight gags within this episode that are so easy to miss if you simply blink.

What this episode really comes down to though, is a good chunk of it being Pendleton Ward talking in his LSP voice for nearly five straight minutes. Lumpy Space Princess’s valley girl accent is worth a laugh if it’s used very sparingly, but hearing it for almost an entire episode is really grating. When it comes down to it, her situation with the wolves just isn’t that funny to me either. I enjoy watching her pretending to speak as the wolves, but aside from that, I can’t think of anything else that really even got a chuckle out of me. It’s classic LSP reading too far into drama, but nothing we haven’t seen before and just really drags on and slows down the general pacing of the episode a lot.

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In addition, the conflict of the episode really isn’t that compelling at all. I don’t really care if Lumpy Space Princess moves back into her house with her parents, which is even completely retconned later on. Why would they even include this somewhat emotional reunion if LSP just ends up choosing to be homeless in later episodes? It’s a resolution that I really have no reason to care about, and Finn and Jake being chucked to the sidelines only weakens the episode’s chance of succeeding.

The only other noteworthy aspect is that Lumpy Space King and Lumpy Space Queen’s design was revamped in this episode. I admittedly sort of liked the more grotesque and detailed design from the first two seasons, but Pen Ward labeled it as “too gross” so they simplified it a bit. It somewhat feels a bit drastic of a change from what they looked like before, but it’s a cute redesign, so I really don’t mind that much.

Aside from that, there really isn’t much else for me to discuss. It’s just slow moving LSP-centric episode that doesn’t do much to help develop or strengthen her character.

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Favorite line: “Yeah, we didn’t really do that much.”

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“Belly of the Beast” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: April 4, 2011

Written & Storyboarded by: Kent Osborne & Somvilay Xayaphone

Belly of the Beast poses an interesting argument: is it better to remain ignorant or aware of your surroundings? With the many scary possibilities and dangers in the world around us, many would argue that it is better to ignore the world around you and just live your everyday life. AT delivers this with ambiguous results when Finn and Jake try and save a group of bears who love to party in a monster’s belly, but risk being converted into feces. The series leans more towards Finn and Jake’s understanding of the situation, but also does so without making the other side look like a bunch of idiots. Finn and Jake may be trying to help these people, but at the same time, the bears are just trying to live life and make a party out of it. And there ain’t no party like a beast’s belly party!

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One of the bears they do meet along the way is Party Pat, who is voiced by Andy Samberg and, as Pendleton Ward claims, “is basically Pat McHale.” Party Pat’s a delightfully odd central character for this episode; he seems like a really chill dude, but at the same time, I feel as though he could drug someone’s red solo cup at any given point. Samberg gives Pat that ominous and enigmatic feel, and he’s almost unrecognizable as this character. Why they wanted Samberg specifically for this role, I’m not sure. But hey, he does a great job, so why not? And speaking of voice roles, Jeremy Shada’s performance as Finn is hilarious in this episode. Shada has been getting more experimental and having more fun with his character as of lately, delivering some of his funniest bits of dialogue yet.

The animation in particular is really superb. I seriously have a tough time focusing on the main episode because of how many unique dance moves are being performed in the background. Ian-Jones Quartey provided a lot of the drawings of the bears in this episode, and specifically tried to make every bear’s dance routine different and have a specific cycle, which is really reflected in the final product.

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Like I mentioned above, the core of this episode is the debate of whether or not the bears should stay in the beast’s belly or not. The episode sort of takes some unusual turns in its execution, however. Although Finn and Jake help everyone to settle down through a humorously depressing song about dying food items (RIP milkshake, RIP donut) the bears ultimately decide to stay in the beast’s belly in the end. This poses a couple of plot holes: Wasn’t the original dilemma that the bears would be digested if they stayed in the monster’s stomach? Nothing has changed since they decided to return, so how does that resolve the central conflict? And if the beast is so concerned with having his mouth scorched by fireworks, then how is he unaffected by drinking lava?? They’re a couple of oddities that make this episode seem a bit uneven. It does help the general tone of the episode that the literal party animals would return once more to where the party all started. Although it may seem bleak for some to be living in a perilous situation, Party Pat and his crew know how to enjoy life and are able to deal with any given issue because of their lifestyle. It’s not for everyone, as Finn and Jake have displayed, but hey, when things get tough, why not party? It’s also an important trial for Finn, as he learns that he simply can’t help those who don’t want to be helped. It’s depressing to see his general disappointment in his failure to save the party crew, but he learns the hard way that he simply can’t force his beliefs onto others.

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It’s not necessarily the most structured episode plotwise, but Kent Osborne and Somvilay Xayaphone definitely has a good time with this one. It’s often reflected as one of their personal favorites of season two, and while I can’t say it’s one of my personal faves, it’s a relatively enjoyable one. It has it’s minor flaws like the ones I mentioned, and I’m not really crazy about the “night club” setting throughout the entirety (I thought they could’ve been much more creative with the contents of the beast’s body). It also has funny one-liners, silly side characters, the general annoyance of our main characters, some great songs, and a fast-paced fun environment to boot on the other hand. What more could anyone want in an early season Adventure Time episode?

Favorite line: “HELP ME! … hang these streamers!”

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“Mystery Train” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: March 14, 2011

Written & Storyboarded by: Kent Osborne & Somvilay Xayaphone

Story arcs and plot threads aren’t exactly told in a conventional way on Adventure Time. New doors are always being opened even when others aren’t closed, and some arcs could take up to three seasons to get a proper resolution. So there isn’t necessarily one continuing story, it’s typically a handful of separate self-contained ones. That being said, the one overarching story within the world of AT is the fact that time continually progresses over the course of the series. Finn and Jake each grow older and deal with their own issues: Finn with his entrance into adolescence, and Jake with his fear of aging. It’s a very natural progression that brilliantly changes the dynamic of the Land of Ooo, as the show generally becomes much darker as Finn begins to experience the world and the deep rooted issues that come with discovery. This is Finn’s first step into his teen years, as this episode explicitly makes use of his 13th birthday as a plot device. Already he begins to deal with situations that he normally wouldn’t, and it’s a nice transition into some of the heavier trials he’ll eventually experience down the road.

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The main plot of the episode does end up taking a pretty predictable turn. It’s made pretty obvious with Jake’s actions towards the beginning of the episode that the train conductor is him or has some sort of conspiracy related to Jake. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to be such an obvious twist, but I knew where it was going from the very start. That being said, there are a lot of silly scenes that help add some flavor to Mystery Train. John DiMaggio does a particularly great job as the train conductor; even if I found it predictable that Jake ended up being the conductor, I barely even noticed DiMaggio’s voice and could’ve even guessed that it was a different voice actor. He has such terrific range that he can easily mask his voice without drastically changing it. Some of the interactions between the Candy People are quite humorous, such as Candy Cane Guy repeatedly hitting Colonel Candy Corn in the face, as well as Kent Osborne playing Dr. Donut.

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Finn experiences one of his first big traumas when he believes Jake has been killed, and it’s a relatively emotional scene despite the fact that we all clearly know that Jake isn’t dead. It’s actually kind of fucked up when you think about it. Jake made Finn believe that he had actually been killed on Finn’s birthday. Happy birthday, Finn? A symbolic expression of Finn’s aging is the introduction of the root sword, his newest weapon of choice. All of Finn’s main swords are a great representation of his aging process, and can also attribute to his developmental growth. The root sword is a bit grittier and more complicated looking than his golden sword, and both of those aspects begin to form into his personality. This is also metaphorically the first time Finn “has wood”, which isn’t so much of an observation as much as it is an excuse for me to make an unnecessary innuendo.

Finn uses this sword to battle the conductor in what is a pretty decent action sequence. There’s some really well animated shots of the train, even incorporating CGI outside of the caboose. To my knowledge, this is the first time the series utilizes computer generated effects, and it doesn’t feel out of place at all; it really helps the episode feel more cinematic and makes the fight sequence pack more of a punch. Of course, Jake eventually reveals himself to Finn and the two celebrate with all of their friends… except for Princess Bubblegum… or Marceline… or BMO… or LSP… where are they at??

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What’s most effective about this episode is the ending reveal that Finn and Jake could’ve easily died on the train, which only adds to what I was saying about Finn’s entrance into adolescence. From here on, Finn will begin to experience many traumas, tribulations, challenges, and large amounts of identity building throughout his teen years.

Favorite line: “Climb aboard my train, little boy. You’re my new friend!”

 

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“To Cut a Woman’s Hair” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: January 10, 2011

Written & Storyboarded by: Kent Osborne & Somvilay Xayaphone

One thing that Adventure Time does best is completely defying the viewer’s expectations and constantly keeping them on their toes. It’s not necessarily the shock humor you’d find on show like Family Guy, where it’s constantly trying to be in your face with over-the-top characters and situations, but it always has an element of surprise that you could have never predicted to see. Great examples of these are Magic Man’s reveal in Freak City or the Whywolves in Donny. This episode is the very first time we see Finn’s hair, and it isn’t treated like a big, significant reveal by the staff, network, or even the episode itself. It’s something that comes entirely out of the blue, and it’s hilarious, beautiful, and epic.

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When Finn does finally reveal his hair, the characters and visuals do treat it as if it’s a big deal, because it honestly is. The introduction of Finn’s hair and the fact that it’s immediately shaved off introduces something that isn’t regularly mentioned within the nature and world of the show: a clear timeline. We’re able to gather just how quickly or slowly time has passed by examining how long Finn’s hair has grown over a period of time. Considering we only get a legitimate mention of his age three times after season two, it’s rewarding to have this bit of continuity for fans to pick up on the changing times within the world, and it’s awesome to feel as though you’re in a world that’s constantly moving and growing. Again, the series manages to do this so ingeniously with something as simple as the length of Finn’s hair.

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Besides that, there’s a bit of world building for the other characters in this episode as well. We’re introduced to LSP living in the woods, which is a recurring home for her throughout the entirety of the series. This is also one of LSP’s better appearances in general. I really love the bulky and detailed way Somvilay draws her, and it adds a lot of oomf and personality to all of her dialogue. In addition, the scenes with Finn and Princess Bubblegum are especially cute, and she bestows upon Finn one of his most treasured possessions: a lock of her hair. Of course, this was specifically to serve the plot in this episode, but it would later become a source of affection, as well as obsession, for our hero.

The tree witch is a terrifically crafted antagonist, as she proves to be mildly likable despite her lunacy. Her voice is provided by Thurop Van Orman, the creator of The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and the voice of its titular character. Van Orman has such a distinct and unique voice, yet he can alter it to fit any type of role without it feeling like he’s doing the same voice. Same goes for his performance as Gideon Gleeful in Gravity Falls; he really can add flair to any of these characters without drastically changing his range.

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To Cut a Woman’s Hair is great because it works as a completely self contained episode but also increases on the expansion of the world of AT and the characters within it. I always figured that Finn’s hair would grow back fully by the next episode we saw it, if we ever saw it again, but the writers took in the account of Finn’s aging process and the growing of his character, and one of the greatest ways they took on that is through the length of his hair. Also, this is an episode that has Jake being tortured while Finn has to rescue him. What a change of pace!

Favorite line: “Girl, if I didn’t already have a G.F., I’d be on you like butter on toast!”