Today's Post of Vik's All-Purpose Blog Is Called...

 ...Bluey!
 

In case you're not familiar with it, Bluey is an Australian animated children's show created by Joe Brumm, which debuted in 2018. The Show follows its titular character, a six (later seven) year old girl, as well as her family and friends. 
Oh, yeah and they're all anthropomorphic dogs.
 

Over the years, Bluey has received nigh universal praise and going in, I was worried that the show would turn out to be the victim of over-hype. However, having watched every episode that's currently available, I can only join my own voice to the choir.
 

Bluey's most obvious asset lies in its presentation: Each episode of this show looks and sounds great, with episodes like Sleepytime and Handstand being particular stand-outs. As for the writing, it usually manages to match the visual and soundtrack in quality. Bluey as a show is, at various turns, funny, sweet and genuinely poignant.
 

Honestly, I struggle to think of anything negative to say about this show. Obviously, not every episode is a winner. For example, the episode called Blue Mountains is an absolute slog, which is impressive in a way, considering that every episode of Bluey (with one notable exception) is less than eight minutes long and some characters leaves me cold (I'm looking at you, Calypso). However, these are minor issues that does not in any significant way take away my enjoyment of Bluey as a whole.
 

In conclusion, Bluey is a great cartoon. I'm glad I finally decided to watch it. 

The Last Wish

 2023 is almost over and, so, I've decided to wrap up this year of blogging by sharing my opinions on a movie I saw fairly recently. 

Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish, is an animated feature from DreamWorks that came out last year. While I'm not a huge fan of DreamWorks (though they have made some movies that I do like), the positive buzz surrounding this move, piqued my interest. Having seen it, I was not disappointed.

I should point out that I have not seen the original Puss in Boots movie, that came out way back in 2011. Prior to The Last Wish, I only knew DreamWorks' (and Antonio Banderas') take on the character from his debut appearance in Shrek 2. That said, as a sequel, Puss in Boots 2 stands perfectly well on its own, so watching its predecessor is not really necessary.

Visually, the movie definitely owes a debt to 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. However, while I enjoyed Spider-Verse, between it and The Last Wish, I consider the latter to be the better film. A major reason for this being that I found Puss' existential crisis, his struggle with coming to terms with his mortality, to be more interesting than Miles' rather standard superhero origin story. Other reasons include a more engaging cast of characters and the fact that adventure stories of this type simply appeal to me more than superhero shenanigans. 

Speaking of the characters, I liked our trio of protagonists, including Perrito (there's something you don't see every day; a comic-relief character who is actually funny. Imagine that). Character-wise, the best thing about this movie though, are its villains. 

Yes, I said villains, as in plural. Unlike most animated films, Puss in Boots 2 feature not just one main villain and a group of henchmen, but a minor gallery of rogues. There are three different villain factions in this movie, each one representing a different type of antagonist for Puss & Co to contend with in their quest for the wishing star.

First up is are Goldilocks and the three bears, here portrayed as a family of cockney-accented criminals. Goldie and the bears are the movie's sympathetic villains. Actually, an argument could be made that they aren't villains, so much as antagonistic anti-heroes. Aside from stuffing an old lady in a piano and kidnapping a dog (the aforementioned Perrito), they don't do anything outright bad. Sure, they are criminals, but so are Puss and Kitty. In fact, the movie could (and in some ways it is),  just as well have been about these guys, as it is about Team Friendship.

Next, we have 'Big' Jack Horner, who is the complete opposite. A villain of the old school, Jack is fully aware that he's an irredeemable monster and revels in it, even mocking the one character who tried to reach out to and find any semblance of goodness in this pie-making crime lord. What Jack lacks in nuance, he more than makes up for in sheer entertainment value.

But the greatest threat that Puss has to face is neither of these two, but Death itself, in the shape of a wolf. Relentlessly stalking our feline protagonist, his appearances heralded by a sinister whistling tune, Death is easily the most menacing villain I've seen in an animated film since Rango's Rattlesnake Jake and rounds out the movie's rogues-gallery, perfectly.

Entertaining and genuinely poignant, Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish definitely ranks among the best DreamWorks films that I've seen and comes highly recommended.

That's it for me. Have a Happy New Year, Dear Reader and I'll see you in 2024. 

The Venture Bros. Movie

 Recently, The Venture Bros. movie, bearing the fittingly pulp-y title Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart was released digitally and having, seen the film, I thought I'd offer my take on it.

First of all, let me make one thing clear: If you haven't seen The Venture Bros, then this movie is not a good introduction to the series. Unlike other movies spawned off of TV-Shows that I can mention (South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, the 2017 My Little Pony movie, among others), Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart makes no attempt at being accessible to newcomers, picking up from where the show left off when it was cancelled back in 2018 and being completely steeped in lore. Anyone who comes into this movie without pre-existing knowledge of these characters and their relationships are likely to be left scratching their heads in confusion.

As someone who has seen every episode of The Venture Bros (some emultiple times), did I enjoy the film? Well, before I answer that question, I'm going to address my one major criticism of it.

Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart clocks in at 84 minutes and it packs quite a lot of plot into that relatively brief runtime. To the point, where, at times, the movie feels cramped. Apparently, this was originally going to be the eight season of the show proper, before it was made into a movie and there are times when hat shows. In particular, the antagonist would have benefited if they and their organisation had been built up over multiple episodes rather than making their first appearance in this film.

That aside, I did enjoy the film. My favorite characters (Rusty, the Monarch and Dr. Mrs. Monarch) all got plenty of focus (I could have used more of the Alchemist though and was surprised at how little Brock had to do). Red Death, of course, stole every scene he was in. I really liked how Hank's and Dean's story-line was resolved, showing that these two are probably more emotionally mature than most of the adults they know. Visually, the movie looks good and the voice-actors perform their roles well (as I expected).

Lastly, the movie provides answers to questions that fans of the show have been asking for years. Such as; the identity of Hank's and Dean's mother and whether or not Rusty and the Monarch are related? 

Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart may not join the ranks of my favorite animated features, but it is an entertaining film and, if it is indeed the last Venture Bros. related thing we get (I hope not), a worthy conclusion to a saga that has been going on for nearly two decades.

Go Team Venture!

Oh, and in case you were wondering: Yes, there is a reason for the movie's title.

The Ending of the End

By the time of this post, the series finale to My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has already been out for quite some time and perhaps you're wondering why I haven't written about it sooner? The Reason is simple; other things have demanded my attention, that includes other series, whose siren-song had a stronger hold on me than that of the horse-show's. Still, better late than never.  Now, for the purpose of this post, I've decided to focus on what I consider to be my favorite and least favorite aspect of this finale, starting with the latter.

Spoiler-warning, in case you, like me, are late to the party and haven't watched these episodes yet.



My least favorite part of the series finale was easily the whole reveal that Grogar was just Discord the entire time. I will say this, I did not see this coming. Its highly possibly that I missed or misread some really obvious foreshadowing, but I did not expect it all, so I guess the writers deserve some credit for managing to surprise me. However, just because something is a surprise does not mean that you have to like it. Say that you are walking down the street and a random stranger comes up to you and kicks you in the shins. That too would be quite a surprise, wouldn't it?

I'm sure that there are people out there who liked this twist and they're entitled to their opinion. Personally though, I would've preferred it if the show had actually given us the real Grogar and had him be the final threat for the heroes to face.

See, throughout this season I honestly thought that Grogar was aware that the other villains were plotting against him and had taken precautions against it. Or, alternatively, that Grogar didn't care about the betrayal, because trying to use his own bell against him would only serve to make him stronger, meaning that Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow had been played into his hands (well, hoofs) all along.

That's not what we got though. Instead of having the real Grogar be one step ahead of his associates, the show gave us a Discord who is so confident that he has the other villains cowed that it comes as a complete surprise to him when they end up stabbing him in the back and stripping him of all his powers. Than again, I suppose I can't be too hard on Discord, its not like this sort of thing has ever happened to him before.
Oh, wait.

Speaking of which, why even send the evil trio after the real bell in the first place? Why not just create a replica of it? Maybe Discord did not expect for them to actually retrieve the bell, much less learn how to use it, but why take that chance?

Look, I get that in order for the real villains to be an actual threat and for the finale to have real stakes, Discord's whole scheme needs to blow up in his face. However, I can't say that this makes me look more favorably on the twist in question.

Enough negativity, let's move on to what I consider the high-light of these final episodes: Namely, the Magic of Friendship Grows, a truly touching song that sums up FiM's central theme and served as a great note to end the series on.

So, now that it has reached its conclusion, what are my thoughts on the show as a whole?
It does not happen often, but I'm always pleasantly surprised when I find a work of entertainment that exceeds my expectations and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is, in my mind, the perfect example of this (at least as far as TV-shows are concerned).

I went into this show with what can best be described as grudging curiosity, figuring that I'd watch the original two-parter to see what all the fuzz was about and although I can't say I was immediately vowed by the series premiere, it did keep my interest and by the end of it, it had awoken in me an interest in seeing more of the world presented by this show and the characters that inhabited it.

So I continued to watch and as I delved deeper into the show, the more I found myself enjoying it. There was even a time when I ranked it among my favorite animated series. In later years, my enthusiasm began to cool down, though never to the point where I completely lost interest in the show, as was the case with some other cartoons from this decade that I used to be into.

Although, Friendship is Magic may not count among my favorite animated shows these days, it is a show that I will always retain a great deal of fondness for and I can certainly see myself returning to my favorite episodes every now and then, just as I sometimes return to favorite episodes of Batman: The Animated Series (to name one example).

For now though, the time has come for me to bid Equestria and its denizens a fond farewell. Last but not least, I would like to offer my gratitude to Lauren Faust and to all the voice-actors, animators, story-boarders, song-writers, etc, who made this show possible over the years. You managed to make me, a grown man, invested in a show that chronicled the daily lives of a group of cute, talking horses and that, in my opinion, is something that deserves  respect.

Thank you.

Final Space Season Two

Recently, the second season of Final Space was made available on Netflix and having watched it, I thought I'd write a few words about it.

I won't go into any great details about the plot for this season, so as not to spoil it for those of you have not yet seen it. I shall just content myself with mentioning that this season revolves around (anti-) hero Gary Goodspeed and his crew of misfits quest to find six dimensional keys needed to free the titan Bolo and open a path to final space, in order to free Gary's love-interest Quin, who was trapped there, following the events of the first season.

Ideally speaking, the second season of a show should be an improvement over the one that came before it and I am pleased to say that season 2 of Final Space succeeds in that regard, those aspects of the first season that I liked are still present, whereas the things I cared less about have been either fixed or toned down considerably.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the way Final Space's second season handles its main character. In my original review of the show, I stated that I didn't care much for Gary, so I was pleasantly surprised that I found him to be greatly improved as a character this time around, with Season two succeeding him into making him a protagonist that I found myself rooting for in a way that the first season did not.

I will also say that, while I maintain my opinion that Final Space is at its best during its more serious moments, I found myself liking the comedic moments more this time around. Not every joke lands (the "marking the territory" scene early in the season went on for way longer than it needed) but, generally speaking, I thought they landed more often than in season one.

Season two further expands Final Space's universe adding new characters, most of which I enjoyed.. Of special note among the newcomers, in my opinion, is Cheryl Goodspeed; Gary's estranged mother, who serves as one of this season's primary antagonists. By any standards, Cheryl is a terrible person, not that that prevented me from appreciating her as a character. Her presence in the show also helps giving us more insight into her son and making him into a more sympathetic character.

Any negatives? Well, one could perhaps make the argument that, at times, the overarching story of season two feels less focused than that of season one, although, in my opinion, the interaction between the cast and Gary's character development compensate for it somewhat. In addition, certain plot-developments could perhaps have benefited from being developed more. Oh, and personally, I could have done with more Lord Commander.


That said, I ultimately found Final Space season two is a worthwhile continuation to the adventures of Gary, Mooncake and the others, one that definitely left me looking forward to season 3.

Changes In Taste

When it comes to entertainment, no person's taste is completely set in stone and Yours Truly is no exception to this rule. Certainly, there are plenty  works of fiction whose plots, characters, themes, etc will always resonate deeply with me and which I revisit regularly without finding that the love and admiration I felt for them when I first encountered them, has in any way faded. That said, there are also plenty of works of which is not the case. These are the works that I used to be really into at various points in my life, but that do not resonate as strongly as they used to back in the day. "The Day" in question can refer to any time in my life, from childhood and adolescence to just a few years ago.

TV-shows, whether animated or live-action are particularly prone to falling victim to this, especially long-running ones, which is why the majority of my favorite shows tend to be comparatively short, either by design or due to cancellation. Now, there are of course long-running shows that avoid this, Mad Men being the first example to come to mind. I actually thought that that show got more interesting in its later seasons, but again, its an exception.

Then there are shows like The Simpsons, South Park, Archer, Adventure Time and Steven Universe, among others. All of them clear-cut examples of this. Out of these, Steven Universe is the only one that I'm caught up with and even there, I can't say that I'm as invested in the show as I used to be.

Moving away from television, there is the Star Wars franchise. Now, I'm too young to have seen the original trilogy when it came out, but it  was nonetheless a part of my childhood. As time went on though, my interest in Star Wars as a whole, became more and more casual. These days, I've come to the realization that I find the setting in which Star Wars takes place more interesting than any of the actual movies or shows. This also applies to the Harry Potter books, by the way.

Let me provide one final example, this time from the 9th artform. Jacques Tardi's Adele Blanc-Sec comics was a favorite of mine when I was in my teens, but upon revisiting some of the albums recently, I found that it didn't quite hold up to me. Still entertaining, but not in the same class as some of Tardi's other work.

There are other examples I could mention, but I'll stop here. I should point out though, that I do not dislike any of the works I listed here. No, at worst, I'm simply indifferent towards them and even when that's the case, there are parts of them that I will always be fond of, but none of them are works that I consider to be indispensable to me, even though, at some point, they might have been.

Final Space

Sorry about the lack of new content the past few months. It was not my intention to let the blog go on hiatus for quite this long, but unfortunately, sometimes these things happen. Nonetheless, I offer you my apologies.

Anyway, not too long ago I wrapped up the eight season of Friendship Is Magic and originally, I had intended to write something about it. However, nothing I wrote really satisfied me, so I decided to put that idea on ice. However, I will briefly, give my opinion on this; the show's penultimate season, before we move on to the main event. 

Basically, while season 8 did feature several episodes I really like, I can't deny that MLP at this point is getting a bit long in the tooth and I don't feel as strongly for the series as I used too. Still, I will probably watch the final season, if only to see how the show ends.

But enough about miniature equines, its time to talk about another cartoon I watched fairly recently: Final Space. 

For those of you not in the know, Final Space is an animated series, which aired earlier this year., created by Olan Rogers. 

I first became aware of this series thanks to a video by Youtube cartoon reviewer EyeofSol, titled Final Space And the " Adult" Animation Myth (found here, in case you are interested), which piqued my curiosity in the show and upon seeing that it was available on Netflix, I decided to give it a go.

Set in the distant future, Final Space is the story of Gary Goodspeed, a young man who, due to certain circumstances, is currently serving a five year sentence aboard the prison ship, Galaxy One. Gary's routine is abruptly shattered when an adorable green creature crashes into him. Taking a liking to the critter, Gary names it Mooncake and adopts it as a pet. 

Unfortunately, it turns out that there are other people interested in Mooncake and soon, Gary finds himself caught up in a mission to keep his new friend out of the clutches of an alien warlord known as the Lord Commander and save the universe from complete destruction. You know, the usual stuff.

That's the basic plot of the show. So, what did I think of it? 

Well, I'm going to start by touching briefly on what is, in my opinion, one of the weakest aspects of Final Space: The Comedy. Now, of course I know that comedy is one of the most subjective things ever and if you found this show to be hilarious, than good for you. Personally though, I found the humor to be very hit & miss. Does that mean I sat through the first season of Final Space more stone-faced than a peeved Clint Eastwood? No, not at all; there was the occasional moment that made me crack a smile, but for the most part, the comedy of Final Space didn't tickle my funny-bone: I knew I was supposed to find certain scenes or exchanges funny, but they did not do it for me. 

Another aspect in which the show falters a bit is in the depiction of its main character, Gary. Voiced by Rogers himself (who also does the voice of Mooncake), most of Gary's dialogue consists of him either yelling in a high-pitched voice, rambling and otherwise being pretty obnoxious. In fact, watching Final Space I got the feeling that Gary could have stepped out of a web-comic and not one of the good ones either. 

To be fair, Gary gets a bit more tolerable as the show progresses and he has his moments that prevented me from completely disliking him, but there were still plenty of times when I wished he would shut up.

That's pretty much all the negative stuff I have to say about this series, because when push comes to shove, Final Space has far more strengths than flaws. 

The show's comedy may be uneven, but it definitely succeeds when it comes to its more serious and dramatic moments.  For example, I may not really be a fan of Gary as a character, but that doesn't change the fact that an early scene showing us his loneliness and isolation made me feel for the guy. Other moments, such as the death of a major character are handled very well. Furthermore, the plot is consistently engaging across the ten episodes that makes up the show's first season.

Finally, the voice actors all do a good job bringing their characters to life. The stand-out among the cast must be David Tennant, whose performance helps make the Lord Commander one of the more memorable villains to appear in a cartoon recently.

Despite a few quibbles, I do genuinely recommend Final Space and am looking forward to the second season and hope that it will prove as entertaining (or more) as this one. If you are in the mood for a serialized space-opera adventure, I say check it out.

My Favorite Animated Shows (2018 Edition)

Way back in 2015, I made a list of what I considered, at the time, to be my favorite animated shows; western cartoons and anime alike. Since then a lot has happened. Not only have I discovered plenty of new shows ("new" as in I hadn't seen them before, some of them are quite old) that are worthy to be included among my favorites, but I've also gone back and re-watched shows that I had not seen for many years. As such, I figured that it was high time that I updated my old list.  Before you jump ahead to check whether or not one of your favorite shows made it, there are a few things I need to inform you about:

First of all, unlike the previous list, this one does not rank the shows in order from best to, well, least best (there's no such thing as a worst entry on a list of favorites). Instead, I've chosen to list them in alphabetical order.
 I realize that this may take some of the fun out of things, since one of the main reasons as to why one would check out a list like this is due to curiosity as to where one's favorite show has placed and if its actually on the list at all. However, I prefer to do it this way. Besides, it will make it easier for me to add or remove shows, should I feel like it.

Furthermore, I've decided to limit myself to shows that have either finished airing or aren't currently airing new episodes.
Finally, if there's a show on here that you haven't seen, I hope that I have, in some way, made you interested in checking it out.
Well, enough of that. Let's get on to what you are all here for. Here we go:

Update 26/2 2019: Space Brothers added (full description to follow)

3000 Leauges in Search of Mother 

With 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, or Haha wo Tasunete Sanzenri as its called in the original Japanese, the late Isao Takahata (who passed away earlier this year) took a single chapter, albeit a very long one, of the Italian children's novel Cuore and expanded it into a 52 episode long anime, the result was arguably the best example of so-called adaptation expansion ever seen. During the course of its run-time, 3000 League presents the viewer with very believable depictions of life in Italy and South America during the late 19th Century and makes us care for the characters and their plight. A true classic and a worthy show to start this list of with.

Ashita no Joe

I'm a huge fan of Osamu Dezaki and so, it should come as no surprise that he will be well represented on this list, with Ashita no Joe being the first show of his to appear. The oldest show on the list,  Ashita no Joe (or Tomorrow's Joe, if you prefer) is a legendary anime and for good reasons; following Yabuki Joe's career in the boxing-ring as well as his personal growth as a person is fascinating. Definitely an anime that deserves its iconic status. 

Ashita no Nadja

Out of the shows I re-watched before making this list, Ashita no Nadja is most certainly the one that improved the most in my estimation. Not that I didn't like it before, but this second viewing of the series really elevated it in my eyes. The story of Nadja and her quest to find her mother has the feeling of one of those books that you read at a certain point in your life and which then stays with you forever. Add a great cast of supporting characters (including a really memorable villainess/anti-heroine), most of whom gets fleshed out during the course of the story and you have one of the finest works that the Shoujo genre has produced.

Dennou Coil

A great science-fiction series, Dennou Coil is also a rare example of an anime where the one-off episodes are more interesting and memorable than the ones that focus on the main plot. Not that the plot of Dennou Coil is bad, but its not what earns the show a spot on this list. No, what does are the episodes which was dedicated to exploring the setting and the technology invented for the series. Episodes such as the one in which the kids grow sentient beards or befriend a dinosaur-looking illegal were the most memorable ones the show has to offer and the ones that I, having recently re-watched the series for the first time in years, remembered the most vividly.

Future Boy Conan

In many ways, Future Boy Conan feels like a blue-print for Miyazaki's later work. Several character-types and themes appear in this series that will re-occur throughout the famed director's career. Of course, if that was the only thing Future Boy Conan had going for it, it wouldn't be on the list. No, Future Boy Conan is a great series in its own right and, even today stands as one of my favorite things Miyazaki has ever been involved in.

Gankutsuou

The best thing to come out of studio Gonzo. Gankutsuou is an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, that despite taking place in the future and incorporating giant robots and demonic possessions in the plot, still captured the spirit of Dumas' novel better than any other version I've seen. The Count himself is charismatic, manipulative and completely merciless in his quest for revenge, as he should be and while I didn't care much for his character, I do think the decision to make Albert the protagonist instead of Edmond was an interesting one, since it adds an aura of mystery and terror to the story: Just who is this guy who worms his way into the lives of these families? What is his deal? 

In some ways, Gankutsuou actually improves on Dumas' work. For example, I never found Franz d'Epinay all that interesting in the original novel, but here he soon became one of my favorite members of the cast. In short, Gankutsuo is easily one of my favorite adaptations of a literary classic in any medium.

Gargoyles

I grew up in the 90's and Disney-cartoons like Talespin and Darkwing Duck were definitely a huge part of my childhood. Gargoyles, however, was not. The Show never aired in Sweden and so, it wasn't until much later in life that I became aware of its existence. Better late than never though, as the saying goes. With its comparatively darker and serious plots and art-style, Gargoyles had more in common with shows like Batman: TAS at its best, than its peers. Definitely my favorite animated series to come out of Disney and the best thing Greg Weisman ever created.

Giant Gorg

I've watched my share of mecha anime in my days, including several installments of the Gundam franchise. That said, if I had to pick only one representative of the genre to be on the list, it would have to be Giant Gorg. Featuring a memorable cast of characters, some of which aren't what they seem to be, as well as a great sense of adventure and mystery, this is a show that I would recommend even to those who are not into stuff involving giant robots.

Kaiba

The first Masaaki Yuasa anime on this list. The first half of Kaiba calls to mind the classic children's book The Little Prince, with the main character travelling to various planets and encountering their inhabitants. Although, it should be pointed out that Kaiba features a lot more violence and sexually active characters than Saint-Exupéry's opus. Taking place in the distant future, in which memories can be bought and sold, Kaiba is a great science-fiction story and one of the best short anime I've seen.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

This is the anime equivalent to something like War and Peace; a huge, sprawling epic with a cast that numbers in the hundreds. I don't know if I'll ever re-watch Legend of the Galactic Heroes, due to its massive length, but it is a show that I will always hold in immensely high regard. I'd go so far as to say that every anime-fan should watch it at least once.

The Long Long Holiday

A children's cartoon set during World War 2? That's not something you see every day, but that's exactly what the French cartoon Les Grandes Grandes Vacances, or The Long Long Holiday is. What's more, despite being for a children, the show does not pull its punches. It starts out fairly light, but as the characters become more involved with the local resistance and the Germans' grip on the village tighten, the show gradually takes on a darker, more serious tone. The final few episodes are among the most intense I have seen. Its not often that a cartoon has me concerned about the fate of its main characters, but The Long Long Holiday managed to do just that.

The Maxx

I've read the two volumes of the original Sam Keith comic that The Maxx is based on and why I enjoyed them a lot, this is one of the instances where I actually prefer the adaptation over the source material. Of course, the The Maxx cartoon is one of the most faithful adaptions of a comic-book I've seen, with only a few minor changes made to the story, such as replacing Erik Larsen's character Savage Dragon (a comic I've never read, incidentally) with a generic detective, or adding a new ending to wrap things up. With its treatment of serious themes, complex cast of characters and some of the best voice acting I've ever heard, The Maxx stands out as one of the most interesting western cartoons ever made. Of all the cartoons to come out of MTV in the 90's (though much like Gargoyles, I didn't watch it until much later), this is my favorite.

Mononoke & Mushi-Shi

That's right, I'm putting both these shows together. They are pretty much two sides of the same coin, with both of them starring an enigmatic character wandering the Japanese countryside, dealing with things beyond normal humans. Of course, there are several differences between them, such as their respective artstyles and Mushi-Shi having a calmer and more meditative feel to it, while Mononoke is more steeped in horror. Either way, both are great shows and definitely belong among my favorites.

Oniisama-E...

The first Osamu Dezaki adaptation of a Riyoko Ikeda manga on this list and although I have a slight preference for The Rose of Versailles, due to its more compelling main character and the fact that it takes place during a very interesting time in history, Oniisama E... (Dear Brother) certainly rivals the older show in terms of characterization and drama. I would also say that this is the best looking of all the shows Dezaki directed and considering how all his shows tend to look great, that's saying a lot.

Paranoia Agent

The body of work left behind by the late Satoshi Kon may have been small, but its quality can not be disputed. My personal favorite of Kon's work is Paranoia Agent, his only series. 

At its core, Paranoia Agent is basically a morality-tale about taking responsibility for one's actions, but its also a great mystery in the vein of David Lynch, filled with memorably weird imagery and characters. Never have cute little plush-dogs been so creepy.

Ping Pong the Animation

Out of all Yuasa's shows, Ping Pong is easily the one that's most grounded in real-life; there are no time-loops or other fantastic concepts to be found here. That's not to say that Ping Pong is boring though, far from it! The various ping-pong matches are both well-animated and full of intensity as well as great vehicles for exploring the characters and their motivations. All in all, Ping Pong is a show that deserves to stand alongside the likes of Ashita no Joe as one of the great works of its genre.

Princess Tutu

The title of this show and the fact that its main character is a duck who wants to dance ballet may lead you to believe that Princess Tutu is going to be something cute and light-hearted. Well, you'd be mistaken; the show is not devoid of cuteness, but its also filled with some really dark and intense moments, particularly near the end. Oh, and as you'd expect from a show like this, the music is fantastic.

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Revolutionary Girl Utena occupied the top spot on my old list and if this one was in any order...Well, it would definitely still be in the top three. No other show on this list is as heavy with symbolism or enjoyable in as many different ways as Revolutionary Girl Utena. It deals with important themes such as growing up, sexuality, gender roles, etc and does so expertly. It has conspiracy, intrigue, sword-fights, great comedic moments and an awesome soundtrack. Moreover it features one of the best ensemble casts in any show, animated or live-action. Basically, Utena is one of those shows that I think has something for everyone and while I do like Mawaru Penguindrum a lot (and am thinking of giving Yuri Kuma Arashi a second go), to me, Revolutionary Girl Utena will always be Kunihiko Ikuhara's magnum opus.

The Rose of Versailles

Its hard to pick a favorite out of Osamu Dezaki's work, but if I had to choose I'd go with The Rose of Versailles. Its often melodramatic as all get out, but the melodrama actually works, since its very easy to imagine the french aristocrats acting in that way. The show also does a good job at highlighting the differences between the petty schemes of the nobility and the much more important concerns of the french people at the time. Plus, The Rose of Versailles features one of the most charismatic, badass and awe-inspiring protagonists I've seen in Oscar Francois de Jareyes. As Axel von Fersen says to her at one point in the show: "Oscar, you are manlier than a man." 

Truer words were seldom spoken.

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

The newest show on the list, from a chronological perspective. Genroku Rakugo is one of the great character studies of the medium, chronicling the life of one man, from his childhood to his old age, while also letting us know the people around him. Its also a show that should be watched by anyone who appreciates the art of telling a good story. An amazing show that is a strong candidate for my favorite animated show of this decade.

Simoun

In my old review of Simoun (Please check it out for a more detailed view on what I thought of the show) I wrote that if I was to ever update my old top animated shows list, the show would definitely be on it somewhere. Well, here it is. With its well-developed cast of characters, interesting world-building and great music, Simoun has more than earned a place among my favorites.

Space Brothers

Many shows, whether live-action or animated deal with the relationship between siblings in some ways, it may not be the focus of the show, but its almost always there in some fashion. That said, if I had to pick my favorite sibling relationship it would have to be the one between Mutta and Hibito Namba; the titular Space Brothers. I think that everyone who has a brother and/or is one, can recognize themselves in these two. I know I did. 

Of course, that's not the only thing that earns Space Brothers a spot on this list. Throughout its 90+ episodes, the show presents us with an engaging story and well-drawn characters. In fact, the characterization is one of the strongest parts of this show, Mutta may be the protagonist, but many of the other characters feels as though they are the stars of their own stories, who just happens to cross the elder Namba brother's path.

Takarajima

Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is the novel about pirates and one of the foremost adventure novels ever written. As such, it is no wonder that it has been adapted many times over the years and though I haven't seen every version of the story, my favorite adaptation has to be this animated series courtesy of none other than Osamu Dezaki. Its not completely faithful to its source material (than again, what adaptation is?), but it captures the spirit of adventure and excitement of Stevenson's story perfectly and the changes that were made are, in my opinion, actually improvements; making an already classic story even better. The characters from the book were never portrayed better  than in this series, especially its two stars: John Silver and Jim Hawkins. Jim is especially great in this one, being a far more entertaining character than he usually is. Furthermore, the characters invented for the series, such as Puppy and Gray, fits so well within the narrative that its hard to picture Treasure Island without them. To this day, Takarajima stands as one of the finest adventure series that it has ever been my pleasure to watch.

The Tatami Galaxy

The final anime on this list to be directed by Masaki Yuaasa. The main character of The Tatami Galaxy lives through several different time-lines and in each one he tries to have the perfect college-experience ("the rose-colored campus life", as he calls it) . Naturally, he never achieves this goal, at first it seems like the blame for this should be laid entirely on Ozu, the protagonist's impish friend, but it gradually becomes clear that things are not quite so simple. The Tatami Galaxy is fantastic; its funny with hilarious rapid-style narration from the main character and it takes full advantage of its alternative time-line gimmick to show different aspects of its cast and of course like everything else Yuaasa has done, it has a really interesting look to it. One that I personally think is great.

The Venture Bros.

Closing out the list we have my favorite Adult Swim cartoon. The Venture Bros started out as a parody of boy-adventurers in general and Johnny Quest in particular, but has since evolved into something much more than that; featuring character-development and story-lines that the things it started out parodying could only dream of, while still being genuinely funny. Make no mistake, The Venture Bros main theme may be failure, but the show itself is definitely not a failure at all.

My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)

Originally I wasn't going to watch this movie until it became available on Netflix. 

However, due to circumstances I decided  to go ahead and watch the film through other means. The reason for this is that this guy I'm subscribing to on YouTube recently put up a blind commentary-video of this very film, as a Christmas special and I didn't watch his video until after I had seen the movie on my own. At the same time, I didn't want to put off watching it for the time it would take until Netflix added it to their library, so here we are.

If you have visited this blog before, you are most likely aware of my opinion regarding My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. If not, then suffice to say that its a show that I have a deep fondness for. 

I went into it with a great degree of skepticism, but it managed to win me over and ultimately, I consider it to be one of the best animated shows to come out this decade. Considering my enjoyment of the show and its characters, you'd think that my expectations for the first movie in this series to take place entirely in Equestria proper, would be pretty high up in the air, but they actually weren't. 

I did not go into the movie excepting it to be bad, but I wasn't expecting it to be a masterpiece either. 

Let me make one thing clear from the start: I do not consider My Little Pony: The Movie to be a great animated feature. As far as animated family-films go, its trounced completely by the best titles that Disney and Pixar have in their libraries (not to mention Ghibli). It is, however, a good deal more enjoyable than the weaker efforts from these titans. I can in all honestly say that I would put My Little Pony: The Movie (henceforth to be referred to as simply The Movie) on the same level as, say, Big Hero 6 and I would definitely take it over the likes of Cars or Dinosaurs any day. 

That said, let's take a look at the film itself.

The Movie begins in Canterlot where our main protagonist Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship is busy preparing for a festival of her own invention. However, the celebrations are quickly cut short by the arrival of an invading army headed by Tempest Shadow; a rogue unicorn, working for the evil Storm King, who has promised to heal her broken horn, if she delivers up the magic of the four princesses to him. Twilight, being the only princess who is not incapacitated by Tempest's weapons, escapes with her friends. Their goal is to find the queen of the Hippos, who hopefully will find a way to help them rescue their conquered homeland. Unfortunately, Tempest and her goons are hot on their trail.

If I was to point to this movie's greatest assets, I'd definitely point to the sound and the visuals. Friendship Is Magic has always been a very good looking show and so, its no small wonder that the movie, armed with a bigger budget and all that, was going to be a feast for the eyes. My only real complaint regarding the visuals is the way that Twilight and the other ponies look. Of course, they have always been cute and I don't mind cute, but here I thought their designs on occasion, strayed too far into the realm of the saccharine for my taste. 

The soundtrack and voice-acting for the show are likewise for high quality, but then I wasn't expecting anything less. The regular voice-actors all do a great job with their characters and are joined by the likes of Taye Diggs, Emily Blunt and Liev Schreiber, (voicing Capper, Tempest Shadow and The Storm King, respectively) who bring their parts to life convincingly. Likewise, the songs are really good and I doubt that I surprise anyone if I say that I consider the villain-song, Open Up Your Eyes, to be he movie's stand-out number.

Character-wise, most of the new characters introduced in this movie are fine. Capper, although he doesn't bring anything new to the role, is a good example of the loveable rogue archetype. Same thing goes for the likes of Captain Celano, Queen Nova and Princess Sky-Star. All of them characters that I wouldn't mind seeing in the show proper.

However, the real star of the movie, even more so than Twilight and pals, is definitely Tempest Shadow, whose ruthlessness and drive makes for a great antagonist. She's not my favorite MLP villain, but she's definitely in my top 5. Her villain-song, which explains her backstory and world-view, helps a lot in this regard. Speaking of Tempest, I will also say that I didn't find Grubber, her second in command, as annoying as I had feared he would be (relatively speaking, he's still one of the weaker parts of the movie).

By comparison, the Storm King is unfortunately, something of a disappointment: I liked his design and, as mentioned, Schreiber did a good job voicing him, but I didn't find him to be nearly as compelling, or competent a villain as Tempest. Its possible to have a villain who is both comedic and genuinely menacing at the same time, but in this case, I would have preferred if the writers had toned down the more comedic elements, as it was, I found myself wondering how this guy became the feared head of a world conquering army. He works as an off-screen presence though.

I suppose I should write something about Sia's character, Songbird Serande, but I can't really think of anything to say about her. She's a celebrity cameo and that's all there is to her. I must admit that I had never heard of Sia before this movie, so I can't say that her being in this movie was a big draw for me.

Ultimately my biggest gripe with The Movie comes down to the fact that while its well-made and fun, its also pretty generic and predictable, especially if you are familiar with the show itself. 

Of course Cadence and the Original Princesses are going to turn out to be completely useless against the new villains. Of course Twilight and her friends are going to have falling out somewhere down the line and of course, one of the villains (no prize for guessing who) will see the error of their ways and be redeemed by the magic of friendship. Don't misunderstand me, I get that this is a movie meant for kids, but it would have been nice to see the writers subvert expectations and take some risks. Perhaps the sequel will be more ambitious, one can at least hope.

To sum it up, if you are already a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, than you're most likely going to enjoy the movie. I did, despite some of my criticisms. If you are not, than I highly doubt that this movie is going to make you into a convert.

Happy Holidays everypo...everybody.

My Least Favorite Disney Villains

If there is one company that knows the art of making good villains, its Disney. Whether their villains appear in movies, shows or comics and whether they are completely original creations or adapted from another source, one can usually count on the House of Mouse to bring worthwhile additions to the legions of fictional evil-doers.
Usually being the keyword here, because the fact is that not every Disney-villain can be a Xanatos or a Frollo and that's fine; but some does not even reach to the level of "good", being really lackluster in the role of villain.
Below are a few of my least favorite Disney-villains and I should stress this is just my personal opinion. Oh, and the list is in no particular order. I thought about ranking them, but ultimately decided against it.
Anyway, on with the list:

Assistant Mayor Dawn Bellwether (Zootopia)

Out of all the surprise-villains in Disney-movies, Bellwether is by far the weakest. Mostly because this was the fourth time in a row that Disney used the same shtick and by then it was no longer fresh or interesting. I really like Zootopia and consider it one of Disney's finest movies, but it has nothing to do with its villain who is one of the weakest aspects of another-wise great movie.

Various Paul Murry villains (Mickey Mouse comics)

I must admit that I've never been a fan of Paul Murry's work. I'm aware that there are people who like his comics, but none that I've read have really impressed me. Especially not the ones he did in collaboration with Carl Fallberg; bog-standard mystery/adventure-stories in which a personality-free Mickey goes up against some of the blandest, most generic crooks ever seen in a Disney-comic. Considering that Mickey actually has a rogues'-gallery that any superhero would be proud of, the lack of even decent new villains (save perhaps Emil Eagle) during the Murry-era is pretty depressing.

Edgar (The Aristocats)

Edgar is usually regarded as the worst villain in the Disney Animated Canon and for good reason. First of all, he manages to be bumbling and non-threatening even for a comedic villain;
compare Edgar to Prince John from Disney's Robin Hood. Sure, PJ may have been a crybaby with mommy-issues, but he was also genuinely nasty; bleeding his subjects dry and wanting to kill the hero. Edgar lacks even the tiniest hint of any menacing qualities, which is why The Aristocats as a movie is severely lacking in terms of meaningful conflict. There's also the fact that his reason for getting rid of Duchess and the kittens really makes no sense: It seems reasonable to assume that he would be the cats' primary care-taker, which means that, as long as he took good care of the cats he should be able to spend at least some of the money on himself. What are the cats going to do about it? They're cats.

Leaving that aside, if you're going to get rid of the cats why not wait until after your employer is dead? Then again this is the same guy who believed that cats actually have nine lives, so we're not exactly talking criminal mastermind here.
I will however say one thing for Edgar: He has some pretty amusing facial expressions.

Sarousch (The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2)

The original The Hunchback of Notre Dame gave us one of the all-time great Disney villains in Judge Claude Frollo; as dark and complex a villain that you will ever find in a Disney film. A man who seemed to embody so many real-life evils such as bigotry, abuse, religious hypocrisy, all while having an amazing villain-song to boot. What does the sequel give us? A narcissistic circus-owner who wants to steal a bell. Yeah.
I know that few, if any of the sequel villains can measure up to the original and there was no way that any new villain could completely fill Frollo's shoes, but this guy was just awful regardless. Edgar may be the worst villain in the Animated Canon, but Sarousch is a strong contender for worst Disney-villain period.

Back in the 90's, I was in a very famous TV-show...

Recently, I finished the third season of Netflix's original animated series Bojack Horseman and so, I decided to write a post about it.
Picture, if you will, the typical western cartoon made for an adult audience. These kinds of cartoons tend to have certain things in common: A main character who is basically a dick to everyone he interacts with. Plenty of vulgar humor, wacky hijinks and, finally, heavy drug- and/or alcohol abuse. For its first few episodes, Bojack Horseman comes across as yet another example of this type of cartoon; it certainly contains all of the ingredients mentioned above. However, if that was the case, I would hardly dedicate an entire post to the show. Fortunately, Bojack Horseman is a show that's far more interesting (and better) than the impression it initially gives.

Bojack Horseman takes place in a world that's pretty much our own, with the exception that a sizable part of the population consists of anthropomorphic animals. Its here that we meet the horseman himself; Bojack. Back in the 90's, Bojack was the star of the super-popular sitcom Horsin' Around (basically Full House, with a talking horse), but he hasn't done anything of note since the show ended and now spends his days either throwing parties or attempting to drown himself in drugs and alcohol. That is, until his agent tells him that he needs to finish the memoirs he promised to write years ago, in order to help revive his career. Tired of waiting, the publishing company has issued Bojack a ghost-writer, Diane Nguyen. As Bojack opens up more and more to Diane, it slowly dawns on him what life he has led and what kind of person he has been, or rather still is.

One of the things that sets Bojack Horseman apart from other shows of its type is how heavily serialized it is. Sure, shows like Archer and, especially, The Venture Bros featured continuity and on-going story-arcs, before Bojack existed.  However, those shows still started out being mostly episodic with plenty of self-contained episodes (it is, for example, completely possible for someone who has never seen Archer. to watch, say, the blimp episode from season 1 without any prior familiarity with the characters). This is not the case here; from the very beginning, its crucial that you watch the episodes in order. The lack of a status quo also serves to make Bojack Horseman the most realistic series of its type that I've seen (yes, despite the talking animals). Unlike, say, Homer Simpson, Bojack and the other characters inhabit a world in which their actions and choices have actual consequences (as Bojack's former friend and mentor Herb tells him in one of the show's most memorable moments: "You're going to live with the shitty thing you did, for the rest of your life).

Speaking of characters, while the show features quite a large cast, I'm going to limit myself to presenting only the five members of the main group. Aside from the aforementioned Bojack and Diane, we also have the former's agent and on-again-off-again girlfriend, Princess Carolyn. Todd, a slacker who showed up to one of Bojack's parties and never left and finally, Mr. Peanutbutter; a rival actor whom Bojack resents, mostly due to the fact that Mr. Peanutbutter is much happier and more well-adjusted than he himself is.
All of these characters play off each other really well and their voice actors (Will Arnett, Aaron Paul, etc) does a fine job portraying them. As the show has gone on, new sides of their personalities are revealed with even the characters which at first seem relegated to being just wacky comic-relief, turning out to be more well-rounded than they initially seem.

Seeing as how he's the star of the show, it should come as little surprise that Bojack gets fleshed out the most of all the characters. As Bojack Horseman progresses, Bojack goes from being merely another comedic asshole to, in my opinion, one of the most genuinely tragic characters in western animation. He's not tragic in the same way that the Ice-King from Adventure Time (to name one example) is though. No, Bojack's tragedy stems from the fact that he, from time to time, genuinely tries to become a better person, but his many personal flaws, hangups and neuroses, always seem to trip him up, leading him to fall back into his old habits.

The weakest part of Bojack Horseman, in my opinion, are the visuals. I don't find the art of the show unappealing to look at (if I did, I would've quit watching long ago), but I can't say that it's ever impressed me either, especially when compared to that of several other cartoons. I think its safe to say that in this case, the visuals play second fiddle to the writing. Thankfully, the writing is up to the task.
Bojack Horseman is a show that takes a while before it hits its stride. The early episodes of season one doesn't really do much to help the show stand out from others of its kind and if someone watched the show and decided to bail on it based on those episodes? Well, I can't really say I blame them for it.
That said, if you preserve, you'll find a show that's well worth watching. Bojack Horseman ranks as one of the best animated cartoons for adults to come out in recent years and is a close runner-up for the title of my favorite cartoon starring an anthropomorphic equine.

Blood Blockade Battlefront

Though I forgot to mention it, one of the shows I've been watching lately is Blood Blockade Battlefront and since I recently finished it, I decided that I should share my thoughts on the show, in some detail. Blood Blockade Battlefront (or Kekkai Sensen in original), is an anime based on a manga by Yasuhiro Nightow, creator of Trigun. I had read positive and negative reviews of the show on-line and thinking that the concept seemed interesting, I decided to check the show out myself. So, what did I think about it? Well, you'll just have to read on in order to find out.

Blood Blockade Battlefront is set in Hellsalem's Lot, which is actually New York City, a few years after dimensional rift opened up and creatures from another dimension decided to set up shop there. To this metropolis comes our main character, Leonardo Watch; a kid blessed (or cursed, depending on how you look at it) with a pair of magical eyes, on a quest to find a cure for his sister's blindness, which he feels responsible for. Due to circumstances, Leonard becomes a member of Libra, a secret society that protects Hellsalem's Lot from various dangers. He also end up befriending White, a girl who claims to be a ghost and her twin-brother Black, who was born with strong psychic powers.
That's the basic gist of things, as far as plot goes. Now, on to the actual, you know, review-portion of this review.
Let's start with the positives first, shall we? Blood Blockade Battlefront is an immensely, almost obscenely pretty show. The visuals are pure eye-candy and they do a great job at bringing the setting to life. Speaking of the setting, it deserves mention as well. Hellsalems' Lot makes for a great backdrop to Leo's adventures, while also feeling like a city where a million stories could be told, completely unrelated to anything that goes on in the actual show. In short, Hellsalem's Lot is, in my opinion, as much a character in the show as any of the people walking its streets. The soundtrack is similarly of a high quality and suits the tone of the show perfectly.

So, far, so good. But, what about the stuff that's really important? Namely, the writing. Unfortunately, this is where my gushing over the show stops, because quite frankly, the writing of Blood Blockade Battlefront is nowhere near as good as the above mentioned aspects. The characterization in particular is lacking with several members of the cast failing to leave a lasting impression. Libra as a whole is particularly bad in this regard; aside from Leo (who is after all, the main character) the only members of the organization in possession of distinct personalities are Klaus and Zapp and even than, they aren't exactly the most compelling characters. As for the other members; most of the time, they are just there. The only one whose name I can be bothered to remember is Chain and even she isn't really more memorable than say, the butler (at least I think he was a butler) with bandages covering his face. Honestly, it says a lot about the show that its best episode is the penultimate episode, which doesn't feature Libra at all. Instead this episode focuses on Black and White, their backstory and their connection to the show's big bad, a fellow who goes by the ominous moniker; "The King of Despair". I genuinely liked this episode and it gave me great hope that the show would gain a satisfying conclusion, unfortunately that was not the case: The final episode turned out to be a disappointment, to say the least. Despite the fact that there's an apocalypse of sorts going on, I never felt like the characters were in any danger or that the stakes really mattered.

As for the other episodes; some of them are fine (I quite liked the one in which Leo befriends the mushroom-guy, for example), but none of them really stand out.

I really wanted to like Blood Blockade Battlefront a lot more than I ended up doing. The show does a great job at sucking the viewer in, with its rich visuals, great music and interesting setting. Unfortunately, the show is too flawed in every other regard for me to recommend it. A shame, because it definitely had potential.

Top 25 Animated Shows

Seeing as how I do love to make lists and also love a good animated series, I thought I'd smash two birds with one stone and present to you, dear reader, what I consider to be my top 25 animated shows, both old favorites and more recent discoveries. "Why, 25?" You ask. Well, it seemed like a good number. that's really the only explanation I can offer. Before we begin though, there are a few things I'd like to point out:

First of all, this list is based purely on personal opinion. The shows that you'll find on this list are all shows that appeal strongly to my own tastes and sensibilities when it comes to writing, characterization, visual design and all that other jazz.

Second of all, this is by no means a definitive list. No list really can be, because its impossible for one person to have watched every animated show out there. I'd also like to point out that these are not all the animated shows I love, but they will do for now.


Now then, let's get started, shall we? Number 25 is....


25. Scooby Doo: Mystery Inc.

I'm just going to repeat what I've said about this show before: Mystery Inc is Scooby Doo for those of us who like our cartoons to have an on-going plot and character development. The early episodes dragged a bit, but once the show's main villain got introduced it turned into a great cartoon that constantly raised the stakes, until it culminated in an actual apocalypse. It also managed to be genuinely creepy at times, which is not something one often expects from a franchise whose rogue's gallery tend to consist of people in Halloween costumes.

24. Over the Garden Wall

This show isn't even a year old and yet when I finished the last episode, I knew I had another show to add to my list of favorites Over the Garden Wall is a fairy-tale strongly influenced by the works of the Fleischer Brothers. Its whimsical and fun one second, only to turn dark and sinister the next. It features great voice-acting, courtesy of Christopher Lloyd and Elijah Wood, among others and some truly catchy songs. I also like the fact that its a mini-series, animated mini-series tend to be rare in western animation. Hopefully, Over the Garden Wall will pave the way for more brilliant animated mini-series of the same ilk.

23. The Spectacular Spider-Man

The best superhero-cartoon since Batman: TAS. Greg Weisman and co, gave us truly excellent versions of Peter Parker, his friends, family and rogues'-gallery. Not much to say about Spectacular, except that it was brilliant. To bad it got cancelled after two seasons and we got Ultimate Spider-Man instead.

22. Ashita no Joe

The oldest show on this list, Ashita no Joe (or Tomorrow's Joe, if you prefer) is a legendary anime and for good reasons; following Yabuki Joe's career in the boxing-ring as well as his personal growth as person is fascinating. Add to the fact that the anime was directed by Osamu Dezaki, one of my favorite anime-directors and you have a series that can only be described as a K.O.

21. Mushi-Shi

My favorite purely episodic anime (even Bebop had sort of an on-going storyline with the whole Spike-Julia-Vicious thing, even if it was only relevant in a few episodes). No other series on this list does atmosphere and mood as well as Mushi-Shi and its easy to get sucked into the world of the Mushi and the people they influence. Can't think of much else to write about Mushi-Shi, its really one of those shows that's best experienced first-hand.

20. Paranoia Agent

The body of work left behind by the late Satoshi Kon may have been small, but its quality can not be disputed. My personal favorite of Kon's work is Paranoia Agent, his only series. At its core, Paranoia Agent is basically a morality-tale about taking responsibility for one's actions, but its also a great mystery in the vein of David Lynch, filled with memorably weird imagery and characters. Never has cute little plush-dogs been so creepy.

19. Ping Pong the Animation

I've become quite a fan of Masaaki Yuasa's work lately, so it's only natural that a few anime directed by him will appear on this list, Ping Pong the Animation being the first. Out of all Yuasa's shows, Ping Pong is easily the one that's most grounded in real-life; there are no time-loops or other fantastic concepts to be found here. That's not to say that Ping Pong is boring though, far from it! The various ping-pong matches are both well-animated and full of intensity as well as great vehicles for exploring the characters and their motivations. I haven't seen all that many sports-themed anime, but out of the ones I have seen, this is my favorite.

18. Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Wow, this show really moved down. It wasn't that long ago that Legend of the Galactic Heroes would have been in the top 5 on a list like this, maybe even number one. So, why its relatively low placement this time around? Well, chalk it up to the fact that the shows that appear below is much fresher in my mind, not to mention the fact that I don't know when or if I'll ever get around to re-watch it (its a really long show that takes awhile to get going). That said, Legend will always have a place among my favorites, for being one of the best space-opera's I've seen in any medium. Its a huge, sprawling epic with a cast that numbers in the hundreds and I'm glad that I watched it at least once, you should too.

17. Bakemonogatari

The latest addition to my favorites, Bakemonogatari is probably the most verbose show on this list (the only competitor is another show from the same creator). Your average episode of Bakemonogatari consists mostly of characters talking and talking and talking some more and frankly, its easy to see how that could turn some people off. That's a shame though, since Bakemonogatari some really memorable characters and is pretty great to look at as well. I also enjoy the matter-of-fact way the show deals with all the supernatural stuff. Put simply, Bakemonogatari is just a great work of magic realism and I'm looking forward to eventually tackling the rest of the Monogatari series as well.

16. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Much as I love dark, dramatic works, there's something to be said for a show that's just plain fun and Friendship is Magic, the latest installment in the otherwise largely unremarkable My Little Pony franchise is definitely such a show: It has good action, is genuinely funny and features a group of engaging and likable protagonists. Its one of those cartoons that I can watch, confident that it will bring a smile to my face. In short, its a great show and one that's definitely worthy of being among my favorites.

15. Adventure Time

Count me in the category of people who prefer the later seasons of Adventure Time to the early ones. Not that the early seasons were bad or anything, far from it, but I do feel that the show went from decent entertainment to truly great once the writers started fleshing out the world of Oo and its various inhabitants. The Ice-King is arguably the best example of this, as the show took what had started out as a pretty standard, inept kid's show villain and turned him into one of the most tragic characters in animation. Seriously, I don't think I'll ever be able to look at the Cheers theme in the same way again.

14. Avatar: The Last Air-Bender

The best thing to come out of Nickelodeon by a wide mile, in my opinion. To be honest, this is another show that I have trouble writing much about, mostly because I'm going to assume that if you are reading this, than you have most likely seen it already. In case I'm wrong and you haven't, I suggest you rectify this immediately. Avatar: The Last Air-Bender features excellent world-building and characterization and is easily one of the best epic fantasy-series ever made, animated or live-action.

13. Steven Universe

I didn't put Steven Universe on my list of best animated shows 2009-2014, for the simple fact that at the time I felt that I needed to see more of the show before I formed a somewhat qualified opinion on it. Having now caught up with all the episodes available, I can easily say that this is among the best cartoons I've seen: Steven himself is one of the more likable kid-protagonists I've seen, the Crystal Gems are all pretty cool and the family-dynamic between them is really well-handled. Like Adventure Time, the show starts out fairly simple yet entertaining and eventually goes into deeper territory as more is revealed about the nature of the Gems and their back-story. Plus, I've got to appreciate a kid's show that contains references to Revolutionary Girl Utena.

12. Gravity Falls

The first Disney cartoon on this list (I bet you can guess the second one). Unlike some of the other shows here, which took awhile before they really clicked with me, Gravity Falls had me hooked from the start. Its one of the best paranormal mysteries/conspiracy shows I can think of and out of all the shows on this list, is probably the one that I'm most excited to see what will happens next in.

11. Batman: TAS

Still the gold-standard for superhero-cartoons in my opinion. Batman: TAS planted the seed for the entire DC Animated Universe and raised the bar for action-oriented animated shows to new heights. To this day, this show features my favorite depictions of Batman, The Joker and Gotham City in any medium. Its also a relatively rare example of a cartoon from my childhood that I actually like even more today.

10. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop is just plain cool. A lot of 90's anime can appear dated when watched today, but Bebop has a certain time-less quality to it. It has a great characters, an outstanding soundtrack by Yoko Kanno and just oozes style. Even if you're not an anime fan I definitely recommend giving Cowboy Bebop a try, you won't regret it.

9. Katanagatari

Katanagatari is another show from the creator of Bakemonogatari and it shares the latter's verbosity and appealing visual-design. However, the differences between the two are, I feel, greater than the similarities. Whereas Bakemonogatari takes place in the present, Katanagatari is set in the distant past and while Bakemonogatari featured several story-arcs, this one keeps it focus on a single plot throughout its run. And what a story it is, I had a great time following Shishika and Togame on their quest to collect the twelve deviant swords and it was always interesting to see what sort of opponent they'd come up against next, as was the growth they underwent during the course of the show's twelve episodes. Special mention goes to the final episode which is one of the most emotionally gripping I've seen in recent memory.

(On a sidenote: I'd like to do a shout-out to Bobduh of Wrong Every Time, whose excellent essay on Katanagatari convinced me to give a show a try. Bob, in case you're reading this; thank you).

8. Kaiba

The second Masaaki Yuasa anime on this list. The first half of Kaiba calls to mind the classic children's book The Little Prince, with the main character travelling to various planets and encountering their inhabitants. Although, it should be pointed out that Kaiba features a lot more violence and sexually active characters than Saint-Exupéry's opus. Taking place in the distant future, in which memories can be bought and sold, Kaiba is a great science-fiction story and one of the best short anime I've seen.

7. The Rose of Versailles

As great as Ashita no Joe is, The Rose of Versailles in my opinion, is Osamu Dezaki's master-piece. Its often melodramatic as all get out, but the melodrama actually works, since its very easy to imagine the french aristocrats acting in that way. The show also does a good job at highlighting the differences between the petty schemes of the nobility and the much more important concerns of the french people at the time. Plus, The Rose of Versailles features one of the most charismatic, badass and awe-inspiring protagonists I've seen in Oscar Francois de Jareyes. As Axel von Fersen says to her at one point in the show: "Oscar, you are manlier than a man." Truer words were seldom spoken.

6. The Venture Bros.

Ah, my favorite animated comedy-series. The Venture Bros started out as a parody of boy-adventurers in general and Johnny Quest in particular, but has since evolved into something much more than that; featuring character-development and story-lines that the things it started out parodying could only dream of, while still being genuinely funny. Make no mistake, The Venture Bros main theme may be failure, but the show itself is definitely not a failure at all.

5. Gargoyles

Not only my favorite Disney animated show, but my favorite non-anime cartoon as well (from here on out, its all Japanese stuff, folks). Among the shows to come out from the House of Mouse, Gargoyles is quite unique, Greg Weisman created a universe filled with everything from gangsters to cyborgs to magicians and blended them all together. Add some great characters, including some of the most interesting and well-developed villains ever seen in a cartoon, more Shakespeare-references than you can throw a skull at and you have an absolutely amazing series that belongs on any best animated shows list.

4. Gankutsuo: The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas is, of course, one of the all-time greatest revenge stories and this anime is hands down my favorite adaptation of it. Despite taking place in the distant future and featuring both giant robots and demonic possession, Gankutsuo manages to capture the spirit of the original novel better than any other version I can think of. The Count himself is charismatic, manipulative and completely merciless in his quest for revenge, as he should be and while I didn't care much for his character, I do think the decision to make Albert the protagonist instead of Edmond was an interesting one, since it adds an aura of mystery and terror to the story: Just who is this guy who worms his way into the lives of these families? What is his deal? In some ways, Gankutsuo actually improves on Dumas' work. For example, I never found Franz d'Epinay all that interesting in the original novel, but here he soon became one of my favorite characters. In short, Gankutsuo is easily one of my favorite adaptations of a literary classic in any medium.

3. Tatami Galaxy

It was a hard decision to choose between this and Kaiba, but for now I'd say that Tatami Galaxy is my favorite anime-series from Yuasa. The main character of Tatami Galaxy lives through several different time-lines and in each one he tries to have the perfect college-experience ("the rose-colored campus life") as he calls it. Naturally, he never achieves this goal, at first it seems like the blame for this should be laid entirely on Ozu, the protagonist's impish friend, but it gradually becomes clear that things are not quite so simple. Tatami Galaxy is fantastic; its funny with hilarious rapid-style narration from the main character and it takes full advantage of its alternative time-line gimmick to show different aspects of its cast and of course, like everything else Yuasa has done, it looks great.

2. Princess Tutu

Well, this is unexpected. Some of you may recall that the last time I mentioned Princess Tutu, I said that I gave up on the show because I found it to repetitive. When I wrote those words, it had been a few years since I had watched it and having recently read some really glowing remarks on it from some people on the internet whose opinion I've come to respect (such as Jed A. Blue), I decided to give it another try.
I'm glad I did, because god-damn did this show turn out to be absolutely amazing after awhile. Do not let the title or the fact that the main character is an adorable talking duck fool you into thinking that this is going to be something light-hearted and cute. There's definitely humor in Princess Tutu, but there's plenty of dark and intense moments, especially near the end. Plot-wise, the main theme of Princess Tutu is one of fate and whether its pre-ordained or can be changed in some way: The characters are all trapped inside a story, some of them are aware of this, but most remain blissfully ignorant of their circumstances. The problem is that the author of the story is dead-set on ending the story on a tragic note and its this ending that the main character, Ahiru (=duck) and her friends are determined to change.
Among the show's many virtues, one must mention its first-rate characterization. In the beginning, several of the characters may come of as simplistic but they grow and become more complex as the story proceeds. A good example of this is the character of Fakir, who in the early episodes comes of as a cold-hearted jerk (there's a touch of the possessive abusive boy-friend about him in his interactions with Mytho), but of course, we learn that there's more to him than that.

To be honest, I consider Princess Tutu and the show that occupies the number one slot on this list, to be pretty near equal, which one is my favorite largely depends on what mood I'm in at the time.In short, Princess Tutu is a master-piece; it has pretty everything I want in a work of fiction.

I know what you're thinking (or at least I'll pretend to): "That's a lot of great cartoons, which one could possibly occupy the top-spot? Well, my friends, I shan't keep you in suspense any longer. Here's my number one animated show:

If it can not break out of its shell, the chick will die without ever being born.

We are the chick.

The World is our shell.

Smash the World's shell.

For the revolution of the World!

1. Revolutionary Girl Utena

No other animated show on this list. Indeed, no other animated show I've seen is as dense with symbolism and as open to interpretation as Revolutionary Girl Utena (although Mawaru Penguindrum, from the same creator comes close). It also tackles a lot of important and universal themes, such as; sexuality, gender-roles and growing up and does so with aplomb. Of course, that's all well and good, but what about what truly matters, story and characters? Thankfully, Utena excels at these things as well. The story of Revolutionary Girl Utena has pretty much everything; there's romance and drama, tragedy and humor (the latter provided chiefly by Nanami, one of the great comedic characters of Japanese animation). There are sword-fights, as exciting as any I've seen, as well as conspiracies and intrigue galore. It also sports the best soundtrack I've heard to an animated series. Yes, better even than the one to Cowboy Bebop.

Above all though, Revolutionary Girl Utena features a cast of characters as rich as any I've seen in a work of fiction. Chief among them is Anthy Himemiya, one of the most baffling and ambiguous characters I've encountered, but Utena herself, the tough-as-nails Juri, the diabolical Akio and the rest certainly deserves a mention as well.

Make no mistake, I treasure each and every show on this list. When I choose Revolutionary Girl Utena as my number one, its not only because of its undeniable qualities, but also because it manages to appeal to my own tastes and sensibilities in pretty much every single way. There's not much else I can say about it, except that I'm proud to name it my favorite animated show.

*****

Well, that's it ladies and gents. I'd like to thank all the people who worked on these marvelous shows that have provided me with so many hours of entertainment. I'd also like to thank you, dear reader, for sticking with me to the end. Hopefully, I've made you interested in watching some of these shows, if you haven't already and if that should be the case? Well, why not watch them again? They're certainly worth it.

Oh, and please feel free to tell me how wrong my choices were in the comment section. Or, you could provide your own list, perhaps there's something on there that I'm not familiar with?