Mama Luigi Reanimated Collab is Wonderful

Back in the late 1980s to early 1990s, DiC produced animated cartoons of the biggest gaming icon on the planet, Super Mario. These cartoons spanned Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. One of the most memorable episodes of Super Mario World, if not the most memorable was the episode titled Mama Luigi. In this episode, Luigi recalls to a bed time Yoshi how the two met. The entire episode has been reanimated  and uploaded on YouTube and it is something you must see. Over 200 people participated in helping recreate this episode. The result is a compilation of tons of different art styles playing with the original episode audio. The crew behind this collab did a bang up job. Do check it out.

Thoughts on Batman: The Killing Joke

Whenever the topic of the greatest Joker stories come up, you can bet the farm that The Killing Joke will be among the lot. Written by the famed Alan Moore and lusciously illustrated by Brian Bolland, The Killing Joke tells a possible origin of the Joker's past in between his scheme of proving a point that one bad day is all it takes to drive a sane person loony.

For all the hype surrounding it, The Killing Joke is a surprisingly low key tale compared to the other events in the Caped Crusader's life. Most huge comic stories span multiple issues but The Killing Joke is a one and done comic, clocking in at only 46 pages. By the standards that it was released in 1988 and even today, that's pretty darn impressive.

After DC started doing animated feature films of popular comic book stories like The Dark Knight Returns, I was hoping that they would eventually do The Killing Joke. When they finally announced that what is arguably the greatest Joker story of all time would indeed be animated, the internet erupted with thunderous applause. Kevin Conroy was returning to voice Batman, Mark Hamill would once again be the Clown Prince of Crime and the hype train was set into overdrive. Like many Batman fans, I was salivating for the Blu Ray release of this baby. And then the reviews came out. And well, they were not the rave reviews we were expecting.

It is impossible to talk about the animated adaption of The Killing Joke without  mentioning the first 30 minutes of the film and that infamous scene that has everyone in an uproar.

Batman and Batgirl's relationship is painful to watch and not
just because it gets sexual.

If the the film makers did a straight up adaptation of the comic, this would have been a forty something minute flick. Most DC animated films are over 70 minutes long. To add to the the movie's length, the film makers decided to give Batgirl a greater role. I was aware they were doing this for months and I was looking forward to what they would produce. I did not, however, know that Batgirl's involvement would take up 30 minutes of the movie. More on the lines of 10 or 15 is what I had in mind. Not only that, but it isn't really all that interesting, including her relationship with Batman. Yes, Batman and Batgirl have sex on a rooftop. They don't show the nasty being done, but it is something that happens and is this infamous scene along with the rest of the baggage that Batgirl brings that makes the animated version of The Killing Joke a deal breaker for so many people. But not for me and I'll get to why in just a bit.

In the DC Animated Universe, Bats and Batgirl also have a relationship.Not a great deal of it is played out on screen and certainly not to the extent of what was done in the movie we're talking about, but Bruce and Barbra were involved. Their relationship in the DCAU never really bothered me even after Barbra more or less told Terry how far said relationship went with a very suggestive look in Batman Beyond.

Despite the fact that Hamill isn't much of a singer, the
Joker's musical number is still in the film.

Having said all of that, The Killing Joke is not in the DCAU. I know Bruce Timm is very proud of the universe he helped create and he should be. The DCAU is among my favorite shows to watch. But there comes a time when you've got to have a disconnect from previous shows you've worked on. Batman and Batgirl's relationship in The Killing Joke feels like it's trying to hit the notes from the aforementioned series. People often bring up the age difference between Bruce and Barbra but people of their age have sexual relationships in real life all the time. Believing that all or most people only stick to their own age when it comes to relationships are in some serious denial. But being close in age or no, Batman and Batgirl's relationship in The Killing Joke is completely unnecessary and adds nothing to the movie. Seeing Batgirl act like an emotionally driven, whinny girlfriend really is hard to watch. In the end, I was just waiting to get to the second half of the moving, The Killing Joke stuff, which is the reason why all of us were here to begin with. Does it ruin the original story or rape your childhood like some overly dramatic fans say? Not at all. But I'd be lying if I said it didn't hinder the film. If the first 30 minutes had been executed better, I wouldn't have minded all that much. But as it stands, the first half is filler of the uninteresting variety.

The second half of The Killing Joke is the kind of stuff you can't take your eyes off of. It matches the comic book so closely, its like watching moving panels. How the book begins in the rain with Batman walking into Arkham to talk to the Joker about the possibility of preventing an murderous outcome between theme, all of it is here.

The scene where Batman makes a heart felt
attempt to help the Joker are some of Conroy's
best Batman lines.

What I really loved about this movie and one of the main reasons I wanted an animated version was to see my favorite scenes from the book brought to life on TV. Seeing the flashback where we get to see a possibility of what the Joker was like before he became the Joker made for one of Hamill's best performances. He makes the man who was just an ordinary, struggling comedian before his chemical bath sound like a completely different person from the Joker. He's a man trying to support his pregnant wife and you really do feel for him in these scenes. Hamill really knocked it out of the park here. While he's been my favorite voice actor to play the Joker, I've noticed age really taking a hit to his voice in the since the Arkham games. He's always handed in an admirable performance but you can tell the voice he once had voicing the Joker isn't there. Even so, the Joker he portrays in The Killing Joke is chilling. It's great to hear him deliver classic lines from the graphic novel like "Here's to crime," and "If I have to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice." And then you've got his first maniacal Joker laugh after seeing his new look.

Kevin Conroy gives us another solid Batman performance as always. Granted he doesn't have as many lines in the actual Killing Joke part of the movie as Joker, but when he does speak, he delivers the Batman voice. Just as it was with Hamill, I love hearing the lines from the comic delivered on screen. You can really feel the emotion when Batman reaches out to the Joker to help him only for the Joker to respond that its too late for that. And having Batman laugh at the Joker's joke is both cool and creepy at the same time.

The Joker does the impossible: make Batman laugh.

While the first thirty minutes of the film are filler and really bring down Batgirl as a character, the rest of the film is amazing and the first half ins't enough to make it a terrible film. If you've read the graphic novel and loved it, you owe it to yourself to pick up this animated feature.

5 Reasons You Should Be Watching We Bare Bears

During the month of July, I noticed some strange ad appearing over and over on Cartoon Network. Now I've seen more than my fair share of bizarre TV spots on the network, many of which are quite welcome, but in all my years of watching, I've never seen a stack of bears walking about. The threesome consisted of a grizzly bear, a panda bear, and a polar bear walking through numerous backgrounds of established Cartoon Network original shows. Like Steven Universe before it premiered, We Bare Bears was being hyped up to it's July 27th air date. Unlike a lot of new shows, however, We Bare Bears was given a solid week to air the first six episodes. Yeah, I'd say Cartoon Network has a lot of faith in this show.

Ice Bear is prepared for intruders.

With Steven Universe once again going on hiatus after a third Steven Bomb, We Bare Bears came along at just the right time. It is now one of my favorite shows on TV and I look forward to new episodes just as much as I do any other show I'm heavily invested in. If you like cartoons, if you like to laugh or you just need something on the tube, you should already be watching We Bare Bears. If, for some strange reason, you aren't tuning in, I've got a few reasons why you should be.

1. The Clean Animation and Art Style

The animation and the art style of We Bare Bears is simple and clean. The colors aren't as vibrant as those in other cartoons, but at the same time, the colors aren't washed out either. Its a very good mix and I love the super round art design of the bears and the human characters. Speaking of the humans, the character designers did an excellent job of giving them some distinguished looks. Be it the background humans or those that show up for one episode, the humans have a great look about them. 

2. Fitting in As a Main Theme

According to show creator Daniel Chong, the main theme of We Bare Bears is fitting in. Lots of shows have a central theme and I think Daniel choose a good one to run with. Trying to find your place in the world is something each and every one of us can identify with. Everyone fits in somewhere but doing so for the bears might be more difficult than others. They really do seem like outcasts as a lot of humans don't know what to think of them. It isn't X-Men levels of shunned, but the bears are often on the outside looking in. Grizz, more than Panda or Ice Bear really wants to make friends and its a bit discouraging to watch some of his attempts fail in "Viral Video." On the human side of things, we have Chloe, a child prodigy that has trouble talking with a lot of college students because she's shy and she's a lot younger than everyone else there. She can really relate to the bears, which might be why she became such fast friends with the trio. 

3. Family That Isn't Related

Gumball and Darwin aren't related by blood but they are still brothers. Steven isn't blood related to the gems but they are very much part of his family Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear may not be born of the same mother, but these three are family in every sense of the word. There's something very heartwarming about three bears giving up a jean jacket that has the power to make everything go their way in order to maintain the bond they have.

4. Laugh Out Loud Funny

"Ice Bear smells like clean babies."

That is but one of the many, stoically delivered lines from Ice Bear. Its almost impossible not to laugh whenever he opens his mouth.

We Bare Bears is loaded with tons of hilarious dialogue and funny scenarios. When the bears try to improve Chloe's report in "Chloe," it's done in a power point video fashion and overloads her laptop, causing it to crash with tons of freeze frame bonuses for careful eyed viewers. Panda's attempts to have a date with Lucy in "Panda's Date" go horribly wrong and end with him in the hospital, and the above gif is what happens when you give bears lots of money in "Food Truck." 

But for all the humor the show provides, it can still tug on you feels strings. Just watch "Burrito" to see what I mean. And bring some tissues.   

5. The Musical Numbers are SO GOOD!

I always consider it a major plus when a show can hook you with the opening tune and We Bare Bears came out guns blazing. That intro song is the stuff catchy beats are made of and the icing on an already delicious cake is that its sung by Estelle, who voices Garnet on Steven Universe. Thankfully, the good stuff doesn't end there. Some episodes have montages complete with awesome vocal music numbers. Much of the show's music is composed by Brad Breeck, who is also behind the music of Gravity Falls. He's even sung quite a number of the show's songs. On the song writing end, Daniel Chong has actually written a few tracks. The genres these tracks range from are all over the place so there's some very nice diversity.   

Raincloud Chill (Chole)

Gonna Be Chillin' (Burrito)

I Have Time (Burrito)

I'll Be Your Friend (Panda's Date)

-----------------------------------------------------

The first season of We Bare Bears is 52 episodes and Cartoon Network has already renewed the show of a second season of another 52 episodes. Only 9 episodes have aired thus far and this show already has my full, undivided attention. I want to see more of the bears interactions with Chloe and other humans. I want to find out more about the bear's pasts. I want more award worthy musical performances. I want more. We Bare Bears.

Falling for Gravity Falls

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING EDITORIAL CONTAINS SPOILERS. IF YOU'VE NEVER WATCHED GRAVITY FALLS OR STEVEN UNIVERSE, LEAVE NOW AND GO GET YOURSELF ACQUAINTED WITH TWO OF THE BEST CARTOONS AIRING ON TV.

I've been aware of the existence of Gravity Falls for, I wanna say, a few years now. The show often comes up in conversation along with Steven Universe for being one of the greatest shows in western animation. Considering both shows are still on their second season and have such a strong, devoted fanbase, that speaks volume for each show's quality. But where as I've been along for the ride of Steven Universe since the show premiered, I didn't hop on the Gravity Falls train until a few weeks ago.

The first full episode of Gravity Falls that I had seen was Fight Fighters, the 10th episode of the first season. One of my good friends was in town and like old times, we hung out, watching anime and cartoons. He was pretty adamant that I get into Gravity Falls but rather than start at the beginning, he started me off with this episode. It's chalk full of video game references like beat 'em ups, Donkey Kong and especially Street Fighter. It was a laugh riot and was enough to convince me to give Gravity Falls a serious look.

Just another day in the life of mystery twins
Dipper and Mabel Pines. 

Sure, Fight Fighters was an episode you could jump into right away, but having now watched the entire first season and being caught up like most fans are, this is definitely one of those shows that I recommended starting from episode one. Yes, there are loads and loads of laughs to be had in this series but there's also mystery and in great abundance. What's up with those journals? Why are some of the townsfolk so screwy? What gives with those codes at the end of each episode? And why are there so many freaky triangles all over the place? Those are but a few of the mysteries that litter the town known as Gravity Falls.

The mystery aspect of the show is unquestionably it's biggest draw. The intro alone gives one the impression that there is lots to uncover in this series. I really wasn't expecting it to play such a large role in the show, since, prior to sitting down and watching all of the episodes, I hadn't done any research on this series, which, in hindsight, I'm really glad I didn't. It was quite refreshing to find out all of these things first hand. Of course, since so much is shrouded in mystery, there's still much I don't know. Watching clips on YouTube and re-watching episodes, I've noticed things I didn't see upon the first viewing. This huge emphasis on mystery and attention to detail make Gravity Falls so much more than "just another Disney cartoon."

Old Man McGucket may seem like just another
crazy old man, but there is much more to him
than meets the eye.

If I may, I'd like to take a few moments to talk about another one of my favorite animated shows, Steven Universe. The first time fusion was talked about in universe in Steven Universe was Giant Woman, the 12th episode of the first season. Here, we learn that the gems can fuse into a much more powerful warrior. But before this, we were given hints that one of the three Crystal Gems was a fusion. Garnet, the tallest, strongest of the gems has two gems, while Pearl and Amethyst only have a single gem. In the episode Alone Together, Amethyst says fusing is difficult for herself and Pearl, but Garnet says it isn't hard for her to pull off, and this is due to the fact that she herself is a fusion, but she doesn't share this information with Steven. Those are just a few hints that were dropped for viewers to put the pieces together that this super tall, super strong gem has been the combination of two gems this whole time. Rather than keep the audience in the dark about it, clues were sprinkled all throughout the first season, leading up to the big reveal in the season finale Jail Break, that yes, Garnet is a fusion. To drive the point home even further, Steven finds this out after he helps get Garnet's two halves, Ruby and Sapphire, back together. There were fans that already knew Garnet was a fusion since they connected the dots, but there were still plenty out there that watched the show religiously that had no idea she was two gems, making that bombshell reveal that much more powerful.

And what about the Homeworld Gem invasion on Earth? We were given some hints of this in some of the earliest episodes like Serious Steven. The opening location is a strawberry field, littered with weapons because it was once a gem battlefield. Inside the pyramid we see some rather interesting murals on the wall that show Rose Quartz facing, what is more than likely one of the Homeworld Gem invaders. And speaking of the Homeworld Gems, why aren't there more of them on Earth? At the start of the show, we're almost lead to believe Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst are the last of their kind until Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem where we meet Lapis Lazuli and find out there are more gems out there. Not only that, but there is a whole planet full of gems that the Crystal Gems want nothing to do with since their previous invasion on Earth caused much harm to the planet. The Crystal Gems may defend humanity, but the Homeworld Gems certainly don't feel the same way about our species. All of this was stuff the viewer could pick up on upon close observation before the show had the characters state it.

The ever vigilant Bill Cipher is bad news. He
also knows things. LOTS of things. 

OK, so what does Steven Universe's wonderful way of allowing the viewer to piece things together have anything to do with Gravity Falls? The shows are very similar in this respect, that's what. While it is true that many mysteries and questions have yet to be answered in Gravity Falls, this show, much like Steven Universe, allows many watchful eyed viewers to pick up on on-going plot threads. Like Steven Universe, Gravity Falls excels at foreshadowing.

Dipper spends much of the series trying to solve mysteries and unlock the secrets of Gravity Falls much like the Author of the journals did, but unbeknownst to him, there was a huge mystery right under his own roof that he never noticed, his Gruncle Stan. Throughout the first season we get hints that there is much more to Stan Pines than his shady businessman nature would have you believe. I actually thought something wasn't right in the intro the way the S always falls off the "Shack," as if to allude to him being a fraud in some way other than his questionable business practices. I suppose this was just to show that much of the stuff he tries to goad customers into buying is being fake. But then he sneakily goes down a hidden passage behind the vending machine in the Mystery Shack. As funny as his amoral businessman persona is, what he was hiding from Dipper and Mabel make him a far more interesting character.

Ghosts, monsters, paranormal activity are all
great for attracting tourists. In Gravity Falls, however, all
of those things are very real threats.

And man, is Stan hiding things. The mid season two finale, Not What He Seems, turned out to be everything everyone said it was. What fans long suspected from the clues left up until this point, turned out to be true: Stan has a twin brother, who turned out to be the one who made the journals. The episode went much further than though. Stan may not even be Stan and could just be impersonating the real Stanford Pines as a news article found by Dipper and Mabel says that Stan died in a car crash. We still don't know the full specifics on this one but since Stan kept this from the twins and the universal portal that Stan used to bring his brother back from that other dimension could have destroyed the world, you better believe we're in for more mysteries and some strained relationships. On the other hand, the title Not What He Seems could have another meaning. Dipper assumes the worst of Stan since he hid the journals and had so many fake ids. But maybe the the title was alluding to the twins assumptions about Stan being this terrible person being completely wrong. After all, if you had a loved one that was taken from you for thirty years, you'd probably do everything you could to get them back.

Of course you can't have a good show without interesting characters and Gravity Falls has quite the cast. I've already went into some detail about Stan so I'd like to mention some of the other main characters and even the supporting cast. Dipper is a smart, mature for his age preteen that still shows his childish side. He's the brains to Mabel's brawn. Well perhaps brawn isn't the best word to describe Mabel. She's one cute, hyperactive kid that is the queen of adorkable. Her over the top silliness is just so endearing to me that she quickly become my favorite character.

Dipper, Mabel and Stan may be the central cast but the supporting characters get time in the spotlight as well. We find out that Soos looks up to Stan because he gave him a job and he's around way more than his actual father ever was. Pacifica Northwest, who was originally intended to exist in the show just to annoy Mabel was hit with huge character development in the second season where she went form snobby bully girl to a distraught girl that fears she's just like her screwed up family. With some help from Dipper her snoddy persona begins to fade and it kinda looks like she could actually start crushing on him.

So now that I've taken the plunge and seen what the hype is all about I can't wait for new episodes in July. Why was the Author in that other dimension? Why is Bill planning? Will Mabel find true love? Ugh, hurry up and get here, July.

Latest Purchases #80

Freeze may have been the first major big bad off the three truly complete monsters in Dragon Ball Z, but my favorite of the lot has always been Cell. Yes, I realize that he may come off as vanilla when compared to Freeze, but I like him more anyway. This Perfect Cell vinyl Pop figure has the honor of being the first Cell merch I've ever bought. Ain't he precious?

I found a new store at my local mall called T-Shirt Kingdom that has the most impressive selection of t-shirts that I've ever seen. Sports, anime, gaming; you name it, they've got it. In particular, the amount of different gaming tees is astonishing. They had a ton of Pac-Man tees and since he's become one of my mains in Super Smash Bros., I thought I'd give him some shirt love. I ended up leaving the store with tree Pac-Man tees and one matching hat.

The Ginyu Force makes the cover of the latest Dragon Ball 3-in-1 manga releases. This one collects volume 22-24. Like a lot of long time DBZ fans, I love the Ginyu Force and this book contains some of my favorite fights from early DBZ, including Recoome making light of Vegeta. The next DB 3-in-1 has Goku turn Super Saiyan during the lengthy battle with Freeza. Hot dog!

Jaco The Galatic Patrolman is a manga I'd heard of just days before making this post. I found out about it on Amazon while I was looking around. I've got a few other manga works of Akira Toriyama like Sand Land, Cowa! and some Dr. Slump volumes (give that series the 3-in-1 treatment) and I'm always eager to check out other stuff he's done. Turns out Jaco actually takes place in the Dragon Ball universe and is a prequel to the entire series.

Disney, thank you remembering that wonderful Disney Afternoon cartoon block from the 1990s. Sure, you aren't giving these DVD releases the excellent treatment that you do your classic films like Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmations (need to get those on Blu-Ray) but I'm happy to have TaleSpin, Gargoyles and now Goof Troop on DVD, nonetheless. Probably gonna binge watch this.

I'd meant to pick up Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker when it released back in December but I had Christmas shopping I needed to take care of. $40 Wgames are a lot easier for me to swallow in this HD gaming world we now live in. I found the Captain Toad levels in Super Mario 3D World to be very enjoyable so its great that we have a whole game revolving around that particular play style. It didn't take me long to finish Kirby and the Rainbow Curse so I'm guessing it shouldn't take me too long to finish Treasure Tracker. I've got a few more days off work so I'm planning to dive right into this one.

Its always bugged me that SEGA dropped the "SEGA" from this title. I mean, really, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed? Maybe its just me but that sounds a little strange. Yeah, there's a bunch of Sonic characters in this game but we've got other SEGA stars, too. On the other hand, Sonic is pretty much all we get from the company these days. Apparently this is the Bonus Edition of the game which includes stuff like the OutRun Bay track, Metal Sonic and stickers. I'm guessing those stickers are like the stamps from Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8 and the NES Remix Pack, which I still need to grab despite the fact that I already own NES Remix and NES Remix 2. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed was only $10 at Target. Steal!

A while back, I'd noticed that Nintendo had added more characters to the World of Nintendo figure line. Among these are Wind Waker Gannondorf, Diddy Kong and Samus. I was especially happy to see they'd give us a Samus figure to nab because I love me some Metroid. And now I've got some more Metroid stuff besides my Samus amiibo. Sure the World of Nintendo poseable figures may not be as detailed and articulate  as the S.H. Figurearts Nintendo figures line, but for the price, you get some pretty impressive figures to display. I give Toad a lot of flack whenever he isn't a playable character, but I really do love the little guy but I love Blue Toad among all others. He's fast and he picks things up with the quickness. Blue Toad has the least amount of articulation thus far with a measly three points of articulation. I wasn't expecting much since he's so short and I still say he has no legs, just feet. I copped Luigi because Mario needs his little bro. That's three thirds of the Super Mario3D World cast. I'd love to see a poseable Rosalina. I wonder how many points of articulation they'd give her.

My, How You've Grown, Steven Universe

Wow. If I had to sum up how far Steven Universe has come since it debuted on Cartoon Network in 2013 in a single word, that word would be "wow." What seemed like it was going to be yet another slapstick comedy cartoon (which I have no problem with) has gone on to become not just my favorite show on Cartoon Network, but my favorite show period. Of all of the shows that I currently watch, this is the one that I look forward to the most. Steven Universe is really that good.

Central protagonist Steven is still a lovable kid goofball, but h'e matured so much. He can now activate and deactivate his bubble at will. He can also summon his shield easily. What's more in The Return, he made the shield large enough to protect himself and the Crystal Gems. It was also nice how the how escape in the followup episode, Jailbreak, was instigated by Steven. The Gems never would have made it back to Earth if Steven hadn't sprung them.

You'd think an ice cream snack song
would be irrelevant to the plot. And you'd be wrong.

Steven Universe is a show that clearly was planned out far in advance. After going back to watch earlier episodes and comparing them with more recent episodes, I can tell that Rebecca Sugar and her crew are not making this up as they go along and I love them for that. There is foreshadowing all over the place, starting all the way back to the very first episode. At first, I assumed Steven's song about Cookie Cat to be nothing but cute, child humor. But taking later episodes of season one into account, it's blatantly obvious that Cookie Cat's origins mirror that of the Gems. Cookie Cat is a refugee from an interstellar war just like the Gems and Cookie Cat left his family, or home planet behind just like the Gems. No way Cookie Cat's story lining up with the Gems is a coincidence.

And then you've got the long speculated theory that Garnet was a fusion. She has two gems instead of one, a ruby and a sapphire. When Alexandrite splits apart in Fusion Cuisine, we can see two unrecognizable Gem figures along with Pearl and Amethyst. Finally,there's Garnet's absolute joy at Steven and Connie's fusion in Alone Together, which makes so much more sense after the events of Jailbreak. Steven Universe is an absolute beast at foreshadowing and it's made me realize that a lot of it isn't all that apparent.

Of all the fights Steven has broken up between
Pearl and Amethyst, this one is the worst.

It's not just the excellent use of foreshadowing and character development that make me adore Steven Universe. The way this show tackles a lot of issues has to be commended. In Lars and the Cool Kids, Lars wishes to get in with the in crowd. Based off of so many movies and TV shows that we've seen from the past that have popular kids, you'd expect "the cool kids" to turn out to be a bunch of jerks and for Lars to realize that he's better off without them. This isn't the case. The cool kids turn out to be pretty cool, down to earth kids and its actually Steven that helps Lars become friends with them just by being himself. In Bubble Buddies, Connie's debut episode, it's implied that the girl suffers from social anxiety disorder. Come Alone Together, we get further hints of this as she didn't go to a school dance because the idea of having everyone look at her on the dance floor made her nervous. While fused with Steven as Steveonnie at a dance, you can tell it's Connie in there that's on the verge of having a panic attack when everyone stops dancing to look at Steveonnie in awe. The visuals used to demonstrate this, where everything around Steveonnie grows to show Connie's increased apprehensiveness, are brilliant. Steveonnie bolts off the dance floor like someone with a need to be anywhere but there.

Pearl is so eager to go to exploring space
that she nearly gets herself and Steven killed.

The way Steven Universe  represents multiple body types is another thing I love about this show. You got fat people, skinny people, muscular people and middle-of-the-road people. Having the main star, Steven, be a heavy set kid immediately paints him differently from a lot of other male leads.  If you want to be all buffed out, that's fine, but that body type isn't for everyone. On the opposite end, not everyone wants to be a toothpick. Even so, there are those of us that will never get the body that others have. I've read fan posts from people that have the same body type as Pearl stating they've learned to appreciate the figure they have. The people with the aforementioned body types I've listed aren't just background characters. This is also the main cast I'm talking about. The people with all kinds of body types are taking center stage. We live in a society that looks down on people that don't conform to what is perceived to be the ideal body type. By having the main cast consist of multiple body types, it sends the message that it's fine to like the figure you've been given. And let's face it, the world would be pretty boring if we all looked the same.

Garnet busts out a killer song while fighting
Jasper.

I was originally watching the show for the humor, character development and adventure aspects. Despite the sick powers the Gems have, I originally thought the show's fighting wasn't one of it's strong suits. However, that's really turned around. We've seen the Gems fight each other in Tiger Millionaire and Pearl's fight with Holo Pearl in Steven the Sword Fighter while paying heavy homage to Revolutionary Girl Utena, was pretty cool. The Gems fight against Lapis Lazuli has some incredible animation. Ditto on the Pearl vs. Amethyst fight in On the Run, even though it was tough to watch given the series strong family-like nature. Garnet's fight against Jasper in Jailbreak is sure to be remembered for Estelle's amazing vocal performance, but the fight itself was a sight to behold.

As of March 13, season two has already began but from what I hear, we won't be getting anymore season two episodes for a while. This just makes the wait for even more episodes that much more difficult to bear. I'm eagerly anticipating DVD/Blu-Ray releases for season one, which will more than likely be split into two parts since the first season racks up 52 episodes. Although, if they released the first season in one set, that would be all kinds of awesome. The show has grown so much from episode one and things got deadly serious midway through the first season and at it's end. I cannot wait to see where Steven Universe goes from here.

Latest Purchases #76

I've really been slacking on my LP posts and on this blog overall. It's a combination of having been sick, working a lot and other personal issues. I hate that I did so little posting throughout the month of November and as much as I'd love to do a post a day, I'm just one man, so that isn't possible. Still, I do want to get back to making more frequent posts, so if I gotta lose some more sleep and what no for the greater good, so be it. With that said, here's the combination of at least three different purchases done up in a single post.

I think it's safe to say that just about any fan of DBZ has picked up or at least watched Battle of Gods. Unlike previous movies and TV specials, this is actually a cannon thing, with the story being written by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama himself. Having seen this movie  three times now, it's definitely one of my favorite pieces of Dragon Ball media. Love the action and love the comedy, though I do find it odd that some fans are complaining about the later, which strikes me strange since Dragon Ball has comedic roots. That 20 minutes of extra footage is all kinds of cool.

This 5 inch Mario figure is one of the most common toys in the World of Nintendo line. Unlike Link, Bowser and Donkey Kong, I didn't have to order him online as I've always seen him in Target and K-Mart. He really is a sweet-looking Mario figure with some excellent points of articulation. I'll try not to forget all about him when I open up the other Mario figure that I picked up...

Like Mario, this Yoshi World of Nintendo figure is pretty freaking cool. He's the first Yoshi toy I've picked up that isn't a plushy. I'd planned to get this thing sooner or later, but since I've been playing as the dino a lot in Mario Kart 8 and loving what they did to him in Smash 4, that might have hastened my purchase somewhat.

The K'Nex Super Mario and Super Mario 3D Land toys aren't anything too new. They've been out for a few years I believe, but these were marked down super cheap at K-Mart so I snagged them. I doubt I'll build the full sets they came with, but I've already had some fun posting pictures on Instagram with Mario and the mooks.

I was given 20th of November off from work, which meant I could attend the midnight release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Man, that title sucks). It was my very first midnight launch and while my local GameStop wasn't super packed, it was still nice to feel the hype in the air. I wasn't aware that the amiibo figures were already available so I coped two while I was in the store. I may scan these just to see how they play and evolve but I really got these for display purposes. You can bet I'll be collecting all of them.

I had to get this guy through Toys 'R Us online store to get him, but man, was he worth waiting almost a week for. I didn't think the 6" inch DK figure would be this big. I was more than a little surprised when the UPS truck dropped him off and he was sealed in a box almost twice the size of the default packaging. I'm guessing Bowser is around the same size.

When I saw these S.H. Figurearts figures at Barns & Nobles months ago I fell in love. Mario looks like he has even more articulation going on than the World of Nintendo figure I mentioned above. Even the packaging is awesome, with the plumber in all types of poses on the back of the box. Goombas, easy as they are to do away with, are some of my favorite mooks from the Mario series. Sure, he's got no articulation to speak of, but he looks great and he comes with two sets of Pipes, a set of hands to go with the Mario figure, and a Koopa Troopa Shell. The text remains in Japanese and I never thought I'd see figures like this in Barns & Nobles. These things also cost more than the World of Nintendo Toys. The Goomba set was only $19.95 and despite being in smaller packaging, Mario went for $24.95. But it's hard to complain when you're getting something this good.

Taking a break from playing Smash 4 last week, we went to Wal-Mart and I almost had a stroke when I saw Gargoyles Season 2 Volume 2 on DVD. I'd heard that Disney completed Tailspin's DVD releases some time ago, but seeing Gargoyles get completed? That was a very welcome shock. I didn't think Disney had any interest in finishing their Disney Afternoon cartoons but it looks like I was wrong.There are no extra features like the previous Gargoyles DVD releases but I'm just happy to have the cannon series done.

Big surprise, I have always been a fan of Mickey Mouse ever since I was a kid. I loved those classic theatrical shorts, I started picking up the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip series in 2011 and I adored these newer Mickey Mouse shorts when they aired in 2013. This was sitting right next to Gargoyles Season 2 Volume 2 and until then, I had all but forgotten about this series. I couldn't help but notice the Season 1 on the packaging. Sure enough, season 2 already begun airing earlier this past year.

5 Batman Movies to Watch for Halloween

Halloween is just a few short nights away. When one thinks of this particular holiday, two figures spring to mind, Jason and Freddy, one buffed up freak in a hockey mask, the other with a thing for striped shirts, claws and fedoras. And hey, those are two fine killers to cuddle up to on this spooky night. Me, I prefer some bats in my belfry. There have been a plethora of Batman films over the past twenty plus years, both live action and animated. Here are five that get my highest recommendation.

Batman (1989)

Let's kick this sucker off with Tim Burton's version of the dark knight. Hot off the heels of the Dark Knight Returns, and the Killing Joke comic stories that greatly help revitalize the character, this Batman flick was under heavy scrutiny before it even hit the silver screen. This was largely due to the casting of the title character role of Batman/Bruce Wayne to Michael Keaton, a man more well known for his comedic roles. Keaton proved that you can be a funny man, yet still portray a dark, mysterious character and for my money, he's still the best live action Bat. That opening scene where he sends a mugger to the hospital and makes the non-believer need a change of shorts? The Bat-backhand? That stealth hi-bye he gives Jack before he becomes the Joker? Some of the best stuff Keaton has ever done.

As great a performance as Keaton handed in, you could make the argument that he gets upstaged by Jack Nicholson's Joker. The man commits horrible acts that will make you cringe, but will still manage to make you laugh out loud all the while keeping that big, creepy grin on his face. I'm open to numerous incarnations of the Joker and Nicholson gave us one of the best in Batman's 75 year history.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Based off the graphic novel of the same name, the Dark Knight Returns was written and illustrated by famed comic book writer Frank Miller. The story centers around an aged Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement to battle the corruption that Gotham City has since fallen into in his ten year absence.

One thing you'll immediately notice about Miller's Batman is that he's big. I don't just mean big in muscle mass. This Batman is one towering figure. Miller's art style helped make this grim tale truly unique and that same artistic touch has been translated quite well into animation. This Batman also on occasion uses a gun. We all know how Bats feels about firearms, but he never uses them to kill, but I can still see where this would rub some fans the wrong way. He's also far more aggressive, cutting thugs with his Baterangs as well as dishing out some truly vicious beatings.

The action is top notch and it's great to see such classic scenes from the comic really spring to live in animated form. Batman's first and second fight with the Mutant Leader is every bit as good as it was in the comic. The final confrontation between Batman and his arch nemesis the Joker makes for a fine finish for one of comic's greatest rivalries. This is the story that first painted Batman and Superman with an antagonistic friendship, which is now a big deal in comics and animation so it's no shortage of awesome to see their final showdown in animated glory.

Originally an animated feature broken up into two separate films, it was later released in a Deluxe Edition, containing both movies, which for me, is the definitive way to experience this movie. There are a few liberties taken but for the most part, this puppy sticks very close to the original comic.

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Taking Batman into the future was quite a risk. Even riskier still was placing someone else inside the Batman costume. How could things be anymore shaken up? How about putting a teenager in those tights? And yet, the show creators of Batman Beyond managed to make it work. It helped that it was handled by the same folks Behind Batman: The Animated Series and that Beyond was a continuation of said series.

When Batman Beyond first aired tons of questions were raised. Among those inquiries, where what happened to the Bat Family and of course, what became of comic's greatest villain, the Joker. We found out that Barbra Gordon was the commissioner of Gotham and mentions of past Robins here and there. There was a gang calling themselves the Jokerz in honor of Gotham's greatest terror and his face appeared on an old wanted poster in Shriek's debut episode but other than that, there was not a trace of the clown's laughter in the entire 52 episode series run of Batman Beyond. That's where Return of the Joker comes in.

This movie tells all. How the Joker survived to throw Gotham into chaos decades after his demise, what drove the Bat Faimly apart and the last battle between Batman and the Joker, which as you can guess, was not pretty. Here, the Joker pushes Batman's buttons like he never has before in the DCAU. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone that hasn't seen it, but what the Joker does in this film is just sick, one of the worst things he's ever done in the animation, comics or any other medium. Return of the Joker is yet another reason why he has and always will be a complete monster.

As much screen time as the Joker gets, the new Batman, Terry McGinnis really comes into his own with this film. As he tells Bruce at one point in the film, he's a completely different Batman and man, does he ever prove it with how he tackles the Joker. We also learn why he chooses to carry on as Batman. This movie packs some excellent character development for Terry.

There are two versions of this movie. One edited and one uncut. The edited version is still pretty creepy, but the uncut version is the way to go.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

There have been numerous Robins throughout the years. The first Robin, Dick Grayson was relieved of duty because Batman fired him. The second Robin, Jason Todd, got his Robin rights tossed because, well, the Joker kidnapped him, beat him with a crow bar and then left him to die in an exploding warehouse. Yeah, Jason really did get the crappy end of the stick.

Five years after Jason's death, a mysterious vigilante known as the Red Hood appears with the training of Batman, but without the same moral code. This hoody has no qualms about killing criminals. Spoiler alter, yes, the Red Hood is Batman's former Robin Jason Todd and he's out to clean up the city and get revenge on the Joker for offing him. It doesn't take long to unravel the mystery in this one, but the way it's told, the tale of revenge, a ward going down the wrong path is all handled extremely well here. I haven't read the comic this film as adapted from, but I dug this one so much I watched it over and over again when it originally came out.

The voice work in all of the DC Animated films has always been stellar for the most part. The Joker is voiced by John DiMaggio (Futurama, Adventure Time) and he delivers quite the chilling Joker laugh. His voice is deep and a bit gruff, but when I saw the trailer for this film years ago, I had no problems with him voicing the clown prince of crime. Nightwing is voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, and he provides some great comedic lines to Batman's serious demeanor, who is played excellently by Bruce Greenwood.

Batman: Assault on Arkham

The only flick on this list to be released in 2014. Batman is present but this one really centers around the villains. Amanda Waller recruits Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Frost, Captain Boomberang, King Shark and Black Spider to form the Suicide Squad. The reason? To break into Arkham Assylum and kill the Riddler.

It isn't easy to get people with differences to work together, and that becomes even more difficult when said people are all hardened criminals, a few of them even psychotic. Naturally the friction between the group gets the better of them now and again and instead of fighting against their mutual enemy, they end up turning on each other. Deadshot and Boomerang butt heads on more than one occasion and since Deadshot has a thing with Harley Quinn, this puts him in the Joker's cross hairs. Of course it isn't all conflict. There's some romance between Killer Frost and King Shark and Deadshot, more than anything just wants to be with his daughter.

Being a DC animated feature, the animation is superb with some stunning action scenes. Andrea Romano always pulls together a stellar voice cast and Assault on Arkham is no exception. It's great to have Kevin Conroy voice Batman once again and while Mark Hamill isn't the Joker this time, Troy Baker hands in a magnificent performance.

5 Reasons to Watch Steven Universe

I like to think video games and cartoons are two sides of the same coin. If you like one, odds are pretty good that you like the other. Many will tell you that the era of great animated shows has passed, but such a flimsy claim is one that I've never been able to get behind and this is coming from someone that adores a lot of children's programs that came out in the 1980s and 1990s. The past five years have given us plenty of superb cartoons, both of the comedic and serious variety. Cartoon Network, originally, the go to place for cartoons has been through some network decay over the years but there's still some quality programming on this channel. I'm always up for Adventure Time, Regular Show and the Amazing World of Gumball, and Steven Universe, one of the new kids on the block.

Created by Rebecca Sugar, one of the writers of Adventure Time, she left that show during it's fifth season to work on Steven Universe full time. The central character is based off of her own little brother, Steven Sugar, who actually works on the show. The show centers on the misadventures of Steven as he accompanies his companions, the Crystal Gems, as they save they day. Don't think they can? They'll always find a way. Steven Universe is currently my favorite show on Cartoon Network and if you read on, I'll tell you why this is one of the best things to hit the small screen.

The Characters

The titular character, Steven Universe is a lovable goofball with a appearance that contrasts most main characters of animated kids shows and anime. Rather than being a slender, spiky haired hero that we've seen dozens of times in the past, Steven is a heavy set, tag along kid that acts like the younger brother of the other Crystal Gems. It's a wonderful breath of fresh air and is much a needed reminder that heroes really do come in all shapes and sizes. While Steven does indeed have much potential, he doesn't really know how to use his powers, which is one of the focal points of the series. Steven can pull off a feat with his gem powers once and have great difficulty doing it again.

Steven Quartz Universe, quite possibly
the most adorkable ten year old in the
history of western animation.

Amethyst laid back attitude can put her at odds with Pearl, team mom and Garnet, the leader of the Crystal Gems. While it may seem like Pearl and Garnet's criticism of Amethyst  doesn't really get to her, in the episode Tiger Millionaire, we see that she really is taking what they say at face value and she's sick of them always busting her chops.

From left to right, Garnet, Amethyst, Steven
and Pearl.

Even side characters have depth to them. In Bubble Buddies, we're introduced to Connie, a girl that is very lonely. How lonely? She has no friends. After some bubble shenanigans with Steven, she makes her first friend. The show takes it a step further. Before the show even began, Steven saw Connie at a parade. Steven was posing in one of the floats and he looked out and saw Connie as she was leaving, dropping her bracelet. He hung onto it for a whole year in hopes of giving it back to her. It's a touching moment, that makes their new friendship all the sweeter. In Lion 2: The Movie Connie shows us that she has some insecurities when it comes to being friends with Steven. His life is full of magical things and adventure. Compared to Steven, she feels she's "uninteresting" and questions why he'd even want to hang out with her or be interested in the things she's interested in. Well besides the fact that Steven has a crush on Connie, which is made pathetically obvious to the viewer in Bubble Buddies, Steven genuinely likes being friends with Connie. Also, it helps him to have normal, ordinary people in his life so it isn't consumed by magic and adventure.

A Fine Balance Between Humor and Seriousness

Despite the rather simplistic character designs that no doubt give off a childish vibe, Steven Universe gets a TV-PG rating. Yeah, this is a show aimed at kids, but it isn't afraid to flaunt it's much darker moments. So Many Birthdays starts off very lighthearted with Steven trying to get the other Gems to enjoy birthday parties, but it quickly shifts gears when Steven starts to believe that he's too old for child-like birthday parties. Since Steven feels old, his gem reacts to his state of mind and as a result, he begins aging rapidly. In a very short amount of time, Steven goes through teenage years to a very old man. Advanced aging is nothing new in kids shows, but this is the most depressing use of it I've ever seen and this is shown via the way Steven's aged state affects the other Gems. Steven gets so old that he nearly dies. Garnet, the stoic, can actually be seen crying and Pearl becomes an emotional wreck. Things turn around when the gems learn Steven's aging is triggered by how old he feels and he reverts to his original age, but man, this episode hits you so hard in the feels. So Many Birthdays is certainly one of the best episodes, but it's also more the likely going to be the one that reduces you to tears.

Cat Fingers is another episode that starts out innocently enough. Amethyst shows off her shape shifting abilities to Steven, taking the from of a cat. Steven tries his hand at it but only succeeds in turning his fingers into cats. Things spiral out of control when his entire body starts morphing into a hideous mass of cats that is best described as the worst form of body horror in a kids show. So Many Birthdays takes a turn for the pitch black, but Cat Fingers? Hoo boy, this is just a tough episode to sit through. The cats are all over Steven's body and he's in so much agony, telling his father that he's a monster. No 10 year old boy should ever have to endure that, certainly not Steven. I'm not even going to post a picture from the episode here. If you're brave enough, just go to YouTube, type in Cat Fingers and brace yourself. It isn't pretty.

Well, that certainly looks unpleasant. 

Steven and Connie make a pit stop to some
Batcave-like training area on the way to
the movies.

Steven the Sword Fighter, another one of my favorite episodes has Pearl demonstrating the proper way to sword fight. While practicing with Holo-Pearl, Pearl gets distracted while lecturing Steven on the ways of the sword. Holo-Pearl thrusts her sword right through her and again I say, even though this is a kid's show, the impact of this moment is not lost in the slightest. Pearl is just as shocked as the audience is when she gets stabbed, dropping her sword. By the way, this all happens right in front of Steven, who is only a few feet away from Pearl, who looks like he's about to have the biggest heroic blue screen of death in his life. What's more, there's even a shot of the sword sticking clean through Pearl! There's no blood, but again, this is still a very shocking moment. Just as Pearl is about to explain the regeneration process to Steven, she vanishes in a puff of smoke, much to Steven's horror. There's a moment where Steven is on the ground in tears, holding Pearl's gem as his hands are shaking, thinking it's all his fault that Pearl has died. Garnet and Amethyst comfort Steven and reassure him that even though Pearl was injured, she will recover and return to them. As Steven waits for Pearl to regenerate, you can really tell how much he misses her, taking care of her gem and even trying to get Holo-Pearl to act like the real Pearl, which goes horribly wrong since Holo-Pearl has a one track mind that's only focused on sword duels.

There's plenty of funny moments sprinkled throughout each episode. Arcade Mania has Steven trying to get the other Gems to unwind after a mission by taking them to the local arcade. But since he's used to playing video games and the Gems aren't, hilarity ensues. Pearl completely misses the point of Road Killer, a game in which you're supposed to smash your car into everything and Garnet ends up smashing each game Steven puts her in front of until he introduces her to Meat Beat Mania.

The Artwork

The simple-looking characters make things easier to animate, and I quite like them. The character designs actually underwent a change after the show was picked up and I think Steven Universe is all the better for it. The background images in this show are in a word, spectacular. Really, words cannot do justice to the way the environments look in this show. I mean, just look at them!

The Music

Think back on some of your favorite cartoon shows. What's coming to mind? That catchy opening theme, I bet. The opening theme to Steven Universe,  We Are the Crystal Gems, is quite short, but still very well done and will have you singing along at the start of each episode. But that isn't the only piece of music that will get stuck in your head when watching this show. Oh sure, there are other great lyrical tracks like Let Me Drive My Van (Into Your Heart) and Giant Woman, but honestly, all of the music, yes, all of the music in Steven Universe is great. Not passable, OK or so-so, but great. We're talking one of the best soundtracks for an animated show. There's lots of variety here and some tracks give you gaming vibes but since composers Aivi  Tran and Steven Velma have background in gaming music, I guess that's only natural.

Dance of Swords
Lion's Ocean
Arcade Mania
Opal
Amalgam 
The Mother
Holo-Pearl
The Cave
Gimme Gimme
Desert Glass

The Shout-Outs

Alright, every cartoon has shout-outs, but I still find the ones in Steven Universe worth mentioning.

In Laser Light Cannon, when Steven is looking for Rose Quartz, well, Laser Light Cannon in his dad's garage, you can see what appears to be a Super Mushroom among all the junk.

In Onion Trade, Onion uses Pearl's duplicator to to flood Beach City with Guys capsule toys, Amethyst wonders who they're supposed to move around in the sea of toys. Steven's suggestion? Act like a rich duck.

Again from Onion Trade, when Steven is describing his Guys toys to Amethyst, they are presented in the style of a Mega Man stage select screen, complete with Steven's face in the middle, looking at each Guy as he reads off their names.

In Steven the Sword Fighter, Pearl's sword fighting scene against Holo Pearl is basically a homage to Utena of Revolution Girl Utena.

In Lion 2: The Movie, the iris out the closes each episode closes out on Lion and looks like the Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo, complete with Lion letting out a roar. Bonus points for the episode closing out while they're at the movie theater.