Revival

Nickelodeon Returns to Me!

Revival, Some Stuff, Thoughts /

Posted: 28 February 2020

Note: If I gave the name of the streaming service I use, this post would be an advertisement. I wrote this post for informative reasons, not for profit.

After over 5 years of not having Nickelodeon on any of my channel lineups, I regained access to the main channel in late September. For the time being, a good number of these upcoming posts and reviews will be Nickelodeon (or simply “Nick”)-centered which can help me stay relevant in the ongoings of the animation world of today.

Life Without Cable

I stayed in an apartment with a cable package that eliminated Nick and other Viacom channels from its lineup. I also lived in a household where TV was from an antenna, Netflix, and Hulu (the days before Hulu TV and Youtube TV). It was neat but it got tiring after a while. I was raised as a Nick kid. Seeing how Nick was treating their older properties to movies and reboots made me not want to miss a thing. I even wished and prayed for a Nick OTA (Over The Air) channel. Later on, I found something even better.

Better Than OTA

In the spring of 2019, I knew I was in for something good. I discovered Pluto TV (an awesome cable alternative app). Soon after my discovery, Pluto TV launched its version of a Nick Channel. It’s not the same lineup as the main Nick channel but it’s way better because they show old Nick shows from the ‘90s—my childhood shows! It was sufficient but I wanted to watch new episodes of The Loud House and the then-upcoming The Casagrandes. I was confident that love would find a way.

What A Surprise!

That fall, I Googled streaming services that legally streamed Loud House eps without paying for each episode individually. Not only did I find THE SERVICE that did just that but it also streams live channels included in many cable packages including LIVE NICKELODEON! I signed up the next day so I can have the chance to decide whether this was a wise decision. I got my Loud House and discovered what else this Nick of today had to offer. The package has the main Nick channel AND its premium channels I never had with basic cable (Nicktoons, TeenNick, Nick Jr.). I have no regrets about this decision!

Nickelodeon Isn’t Perfect

Yes, Nick and I had a good break. After seeing all the appealing cartoons they were putting out, I felt it was time to give Nick another try. Sure, they don’t have the best scheduling but it’s a miracle to have the real Nick back. Also, I not only have the main Nick channel but I also have the other Nick channels as well. If I don’t like what’s on the main channel, I can always see what’s on the other Nick channels or find something else to watch that is not Nick-related on other non-Nick-branded channels. This was a luxury I never had using basic cable.

One note about today’s Nick promos

In the Nick promos, they state their advertised times differently than how I remember. In the past, they stated the program’s start time as, for example, “8/7c.” These days, they will simply say the show starts at “8.” I guess they assume each Nick viewer is in the same time zone. If I were younger and tried to watch my show at 8, it would be too late (8:00 to them is 7:00 where I live). That’s something to get used to figuring out when a show starts for my own time zone.

Other Than That…

I like the feel of having Nickelodeon back. Like everything else produced these days, the HD format is a real treat for the eyes though it becomes commonplace after a while. Now I have opportunities to watch all kinds of Spongebob, Fairly OddParents, Loud House, The Casagrandes, It’s Pony, and catch up on my Power Rangers without waiting for the slow Netflix releases. The other Nick channels are a real treat, too. It lets me know there are other viewing options available if I don’t like what main Nick is playing. Nickelodeon isn’t the same as it was in the ‘90s/early ’00s but I’ll take this current one and be open to what else they release.

And don’t worry, I’ll watch other non-Nick animations as well. However, don’t be surprised if I post 3 consecutive Nick-based posts.


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A Review: Do We Really Know Carmen Sandiego?

Review, Revival /

Posted 29 March 2019

Carmen Sandiego / Netflix / 2019-??? (With this new WordPress Editor, it’s hard to figure out how to stack the lines without adding blocks that add excessive space to the lines. When I review a show, this is how the format will be for the time being.)

There were the computer games in the ‘80s, the game shows in the ‘90s, then a cartoon in the ‘90s as well. Now, in 2019, this franchise got itself a reboot. On one weekend (February 9-10, 2019), I binge-watched the latest incarnation of the Carmen Sandiego cartoon on Netflix. I’ll just say it was sure worth the weekend binging. As for everything else…keep reading.

I watched the game show “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” (PBS, 1991-1995) when I was younger. I would also watch my uncle watch the animated “Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?” (FOX, 1994-1999) in bits and pieces. If I recall correctly from my own past thoughts, it was Rockapella that made “The World” interesting to watch. For the animated series, I thought the intro sounded intense and I really digged seeing The Chief as a face on a screen. I started playing the games later in life and only found “Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego” (PBS, 1996-1997) in 2011. When I later on found “The World” and “On Earth” and watched them again, they were a lot better than I remembered. I was paying attention more so I learned more about geography/history than I did in school. When I discovered there was a new “Carmen Sandiego” show on Netflix, it would be a complete crime (Mmm-Hmm) to skip it.

So Many Changes!

There were dozens of changes to get used to in this version. For one thing, this version of Carmen looks really young, about the age of an average Netflix binger (main target audience) whereas, in the earlier versions, she seems like a fully-established adult. Also, I’m used to the Zack and Ivy of the old series. Here, they are redheaded siblings with obvious Bostonian accents. All of this while Player becomes a hacker instead of a computer gamer and pals around by device with Carman with Zack and Ivy. And what was it with Carmen becoming good? I always thought that the objective of the Carmen Sandiego game was to capture her crooks then capture Carmen herself and throw them in jail. They would rot in jail and that would be the end of it until the game restarts. But that’s probably just the game. Do I have to get used to Carmen being good? There were other abrupt changes but you’d be reading this all day.

But That’s OK

Despite the changes, there were a few things I enjoyed. Some may complain that the animation may look a bit lazy. Lazy yes, but modern and streamlined. It makes me feel good to be viewing modern shows. It won’t make me feel like my likings are stuck in the ’90s. I enjoyed finding out about Carmen’s origins in the first 2 episodes. Those explanations had a lot of depth in them. I enjoyed seeing the story about her younger years and her time at V.I.L.E. academy. The first episodes were a great idea as they set the stage for how Carmen will be in this new series and why she is now against V.I.L.E. The following episodes take you places all over the world while you watch in your comfy place. You’ll want to find out where you and the gang will go next.

Is It Worth the Binge?

Despite the complaints about the numerous changes, this show is definitely binge-worthy. It’s way different than the ‘90s cartoon in terms of character set-up and animation but I can get used to it. How can you go wrong with Carmen Sandiego? It’s the reason I keep watching. For now, until I see more episodes, I will give this show 3 stars. I greatly anticipate the arrival of season 2. Hopefully, the rating can get higher as time progresses. For now, good start to a reboot with changes that blew my mind.


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What Vic Watched: Samurai Jack Season 5 Completes Unfinished Business

2 Comments / Have Watched, Review, Revival /

Posted 4 September 2018

“Got to get back…back to the past…Samurai Jack”

And with a deep breath, I began watching season 5 on August 15th. I finished on August 21st. I was reluctant to begin watching due to the many opinions about season 5 by the people of the internet. It was up to me to make my own opinions.

Back in 2017, something happened that Samurai Jack fans thought would never happen. The show returned as a 10-episode miniseries on Adult Swim and it actually concluded Jack’s quest years after the show ended in 2004.

What Happened?

Coming to you with fresh, sleek HD animation, after fighting with each other for fifty years, Aku destroys all the time portals and gives up attempting to fight Jack. Jack has lost his sword and hallucinations of the people he has let down plague him. He eventually meets Ashi, a daughter of Aku, who turns to his good side and creates a time portal to the past so he can finish destroying Aku, restoring peace back into the world.

Observations

In order for this season to make sense, you MUST (can’t stress this enough) watch seasons 1-4. Unlike those previous seasons, these episodes are NOT self-contained like the earlier seasons so you must watch each episodes sequentially. Much of the old crew returns for season 5 such as Genndy himself and Phil LaMarr once again reprising his role as Jack. There were also some new people as well such as a new music person, Tyler Bates (who also did music for Sym-Bionic Titan) and a new voice for Aku, replacing Mako (Greg Baldwin). It’s easy to see why this new season was on Adult Swim and not the regular Cartoon Network. The main audience who watched “Jack” in the past are now grown up and are now part of Adult Swim’s target audience. Also, it definitely would be too dark and bloody compared to CN’s other modern programming. With all the blood shown in this season, kids do not want to see huge amounts of the blood that could have been used to save lives at a blood drive.

Thoughts about New Opening

Whenever I watch the old opening, I think about how it might have been like being a Cartoon Network kid in 2001 (before Adult Swim took over prime time). Without knowing much about the show’s broadcast time slot history, as the intro begins, it makes me think of the older child whose parents allowed him to stay up past his bedtime as a reward for a job well done in whatever. Whenever I watch the new intro, I think of that same child is watching the season 5 as a grown up. It’s not as classic-feeling as the old intro but I just love the new artwork in it. It makes sense to have Jack narrate the intro. Despite the feeling of hopelessness in this intro, he will finish what Aku started. Jack narrates the last season of what’s to be finished whereas Aku narrates the first seasons, narrating about what he had started.

Notable Episodes
Episode XCVII (Episode 6) – This was when Ashi was searching for Jack and meets the many grateful people who Jack has helped. By this episode, the obviousness of this show being on Adult Swim gets its cake icing. I hear three “bad words” in this ep that were unheard in the earlier seasons: “damn,” “hell,” and…uh…let’s say it surprises me that even as a robot, Scaramouche knows his parts of the male anatomy.
Episode XCVIII (Episode 7) (or my name for it, the “Dirty Mind Test”) – Everything we suspected about a rapidly growing relationship between Jack and Ashi are confirmed in this episode. Since this was on Adult Swim, the writers made use of the fact by adding more adult humor when they hint about the couple’s feelings for each other. For one “dirty mind” instance, look at Jack’s head when it turns into a fish. At the end of the episode, Jack and Ashi kiss with the Dean Martin’s “Everybody Loves Somebody” in the background. Rewatch this episode to see what I mean about “dirty mind test.”
Episodes CI (Episode 10) – Here’s the ending for which fans have been waiting 13 years. Jack’s quest ends when he goes back in time through a time portal made by Ashi who goes with him, destroys Aku, and liberates the world from his rule. As Jack and Ashi were about to wed, Ashi doesn’t die but fades away in Jack’s arms on her way to the altar (if she really died there would be a leftover body, but there wasn’t). Since Aku no longer exists, she wouldn’t have existed either.
Verdict about Season 5

I’ve just been a fan of this show for nearly two months as of writing this. Yes, I still have much to learn about the deeper parts of this show but for now it is enough to express my appreciation for the fact that this show now has a proper ending. I wanted to see Jack and Ashi’s relationship further evolve. I’m sure there was a good reason why they had to rush the ending especially due to time constraints, low budget, etcetera. It probably wasn’t the ending that everybody wanted but it was an ending nonetheless after leaving fans hanging for over a decade. For a rating, despite this season/show having its ups and downs, everything gets all 5 of my stars. I have no regrets. Every second of this show MUST be watched.

Closing Thoughts

There have been other times I have started this show but couldn’t go very far due to time or availability of episodes. I found these 62 episodes of Samurai Jack and committed myself to watching every single one. It was a real delight to come home from work and watch my two episodes for the day. I cried tears of joy and uncertainty when I finished watching the final episode. This show is one of those at the top of my list of good animations. It will be pretty difficult to match the quality of Samurai Jack. I’m sure I might find something with similar quality somewhere even if takes years to find it.

I have an idea on what to watch next. I will post about it when I start watching on Monday.

Thanks for reading this entire review. I just had so much to say.

 

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