A study in two different styles along similar paths

Hello and welcome back to The Texzilla and today, I'm tackling two more of the women of thatguywiththeglasses.com and Channel Awesome - Kaylyn "Marzgurl" Dickinson and "JesuOtaku" Hope Chapman.

Now I know promised to review more of the ladies of CA at the beginning of the month, and for those wanting to call me out on that, well, I just have one explanation:

Yeah, I don't have any explanation you haven't read before, so instead, let's forget about that and move on. Instead, we have two interesting personalities to look at today.

What's interesting about Internet Entertainment is that anyone can do it as long as they have the means, the will, and the expertise of subject, and, as inevitable in the vast world of the Internet, overlapping will occur. Very few ideas presented on the Internet are truly unique or original, and if they are unique, chances are, they won't be for very long.

This brings us to the subject animation critics, and particularly, Channel Awesome. The very first animation critic for the troupe was Will "(That Dude in the) Suede" Dufresne, who did anime reviews starting in July 2008. Before that Doug Walker did some animation reviews, but it was less about the art and more about the stories being told. After Dickinson was narrowly beaten out for Nostalgia Critic by Lindsay Ellis in the summer of 2008, she became the site's second animation reviewer, debuting her line of reviews in November.

Source: http://thatguywiththeglasses.wikia.com

I made the mistake before of calling her an anime reviewer when what she really is an animation reviewer. Yes, she does a show called Anime News Editorial, but those aren't reviews, but video editorials. Her actual reviews, the majority of the episodes focus rather on American animation. A lot of her early reviews did swing more towards anime, but by 2010, her work focused almost entirely on American animation and particularly on famed animator Don Bluth.

Her style is very straight-forward with very few jokes, even fewer than Ellis. Her reviews really are reviews, and she gives well-informed and constructive critiques to her subjects. Really, the only time you see her attempt humor is when she's either reviewing something truly awful or she's paired with another reviewer. This comes as a mixed bag - without forcing any humor, she comes off as quite respectful and makes it tough for the trolls to find something to latch on to, but on the other hand, she can come off as quite dry, so if you're expecting something in the vein of Walker's "Nostalgia Critic" or Ellis's "Nostalgia Chic," she's not going to be for you.

Our other subject for this discussion is Chapman's "JesuOtaku," who could considered Dickinson's spiritual successor as Channel Awesome's female anime reviewer. She got started in 2009 doing videos on YouTube, and then in February 2010, on the recommendation of former CA contributor Lee Davidge of "Still Gaming" fame, she joined Channel Awesome and put out anime reviews for the site, her first review debuting March 1.

Source: http://thatguywiththeglasses.wikia.com

Her reviews are a mix of both bad and good anime, a mix of straight-up analysis with a little humor dashed in. In that regard, she's a lot like Ellis in style, though perhaps not quite as dry in her wit, still, very entertaining to watch, certainly worth viewing, though much of her humor is usually found in opening and closing segments (or in textual jokes that flash on the screen now and again), or bounced off of other more comedic reviewers, so you come for a gag or two and stay for the review.

In style and tone, Chapman and Dickinson compare favorably - both straight-up reviewers who occasionally dabble in comedy. They have put out plenty of content for the site since JesuOtaku first released a video in March 2010, though MarzGurl still put out a lot more content (but fewer actual reviews). Both are animation reviewers. Both love anime and have done anime reviews, and both have put out videos singing along with anime. Yet there are some differences; for instance, JesuOtaku gives out ratings for her reviews, which not many reviewers on the site do, interestingly enough. The majority of MarzGurl's reviews are everything Don Bluth - from his movies, to TV, to straight-to-DVD releases, to his video games. Dickinson was on the scene at least a year before Chapman, though many fans have more of an affinity for Chapman since she's put out more content recently (visibility is the name of the game - very few people care about you if you stop working, I'm quickly finding out).

Still, there's no getting over the similarities, all the same, and I recommend both reviewers to you if you're looking for less laughs and more straight-up analysis. Having said that, here are my six recommended MarzGurl reviews and six recommended JesuOtaku reviews.

(A quick preface, some the videos may not be on YouTube, so some of these videos will merely have link to the source on thatguywiththeglasses.com, which is where I recommend you see all of the Channel Awesome reviewers I've reviewed.)

MarzGurl:

1. Beauty and Warrior

Released: May 2009

This is one of Dickinson's few anime reviews and it is one of her better ones. The movie itself is an Indonesian animated filmed with heavy anime influences butchered for an American audience by the infamous Joseph Lai. The level is such that she release has more energy in her delivery and has more snark than her usual reviews.

2. Cool World (w/ Louis "Linkara" Luvhaug)

Released: May 2009

Of all of Dickinson's early work, this may be her best video, though admittedly, having Linkara helps a million. Aside from thoughtful analysis, and both give great analyses of this bizarre film, Linkara adds that humor that's not usually present to this degree in MarzGurl's reviews; however, she does a great job playing off of him and the two of them present a pretty good video. Yeah, it is cheating to add a crossover to this list since she isn't the sole focus of the video, but it's too cool to pass up.

3. Translation Terrors of 4Kids (4 parts)

Released: September 2010

First, when you click on the link, you're going straight to Part 1; if you like Part 1, check out the other three parts on the website. This miniseries is a break down of everything wrong with infamous anime licensing and dubbing company, 4Kids Entertainment (which filed for bankruptcy Oct. 5 and merged with a Delaware corporation, 4Licensing Corporation). It's a great deconstruction and critical dressing down of company trying to entertain kids and doing it wrong. If you don't mind the four parts, give them all a watch.

4. Translation Terrors of Ali Baba & The Gold Raiders

Released: June 2011

An interesting tidbit about MarzGurl's reviews as that nearly all of them can be broken in sub-series - first with the short-lived "What's My Anime?" (which Beauty and Warrior falls under), and then a string of reviews about other poor adaptations called "Translation/Adaptation Terrors." This is the last video in that sub-series and it's arguably her best review - period. Another Joseph Lai job, combine an anime that's so bad, you can't believe it exists until you see it, plus a great influx of snark, constructive criticism and sight gags, and you have an excellent review worth the watch.

5. MarzGurl Loves Don Bluth - The Secret of NIMH

Released: August 2011

Months before the "Ali Baba" Translation Terrors and a whole year after, MarzGurl set off to review just about all of animator Don Bluth's works and works inspired by, based off of or continued from his works. The Secret of NIMH is one of the best animated movies of all time, and Dickinson does a great job breaking down the movie and presenting an critical look into the film despite the bias the title shows (mostly).

6.MarzGurl Discusses All Dogs Go To Heaven 2

Released: April 2012

I could have chosen any of the other Bluth movie reviews to list here, but this review was slightly better than the other more recent videos she's done, and by recent, I mean in the past 12 months. It's the last her Bluth movie reviews (though she would review two TV series based off Dragon's Lair and All Dogs Go To Heaven after this review) and she does a great job deconstructing the changes between this movie and the original, along with some good criticism.

JesuOtaku:

(Look! Videos I can find on YouTube!)

1. "Welcome to the NHK"

Released March 2010, this is JO's third review offering to TGWTG about a young shut-in who can't get in to college or succeed in life and believes it all to be a conspiracy headed an evil, secret organization - you know, the ultimate in excuses. The review itself has just a little bit of humor to spice up what is really a solid analysis of a title known to anime fans, but not so much to casual audiences. Definitely give it a shot, if for the subject material, alone.

2. Chobits

Released: February 2011

Fast forward 11 months and we have a review with a clever little opening segment parodying a magical girlfriend anime about a lowly bachelor who finds a realistic girl robot who brings color into his dull existence. Some good analysis, one that will not offend most of fans of the show, with a little jabbing here and there make for a delightful showing.

3. Gurren Lagann

Released: March 2011

Let me get this out of the way - I HATE this anime. I hate it with the passion equivalent to the energy given off by a billion suns. As a writer, the sheer idiocy portrayed in this series drives me to my limits as a critic. Having said all of that, I thoroughly enjoyed this review, and not just because she says the same about the writing, but because she enjoys the show, and has fun at its expense during the review, while still providing great critical analysis. Lovers (and haters) of the show will enjoy this review.

4. Master of Martial Hearts (w/ Bennett "the Sage" White)

Released: August 2011

As a guilty please, I dig fan service anime. Yeah, that may come of as misogynistic, but generally, many of these anime are either too goofy to take seriously or so bad, they're good (think The Room or Birdemic), hence my justification for liking "Tenchi Muyo!" despite the fact the story is crap and the main protagonist wouldn't know what manhood is if you showed him a picture of his own genitals. This JO review was the second installment in a three-part crossover saga with Bennett The Sage into some of the worst the fan service genre has to offer and all three movies are bad and all three movies are good. The two really work off each other well, and while JO adds her usual insightful analysis, her disdain for the show makes for some heavy-handed snark that is just pure deliciousness.

5. FLCL

Released: October 2011

I was a bit weary when I saw this anime on JesuOtaku's review list, for precisely the reason that FLCL (pronounced "fooly cooly" - I don't know why either) is my favorite anime of all time, and if you watch all of her other reviews, JO is more about substantive storytelling than just plain, out-there goofiness, not to mention her dislike of inconsistent art quality and style - both of which the production studio behind FLCL, Gainax, is most famous for. Having said that, she places her biases aside and see the show for what it is and delivers a good review that is both critical and praising.

6. High School of the Dead (w/ Bennett "the Sage" White)

Released: August 2012

The last of the "Bennett the Sage" mini-series of reviews comes a fan service zombie apocalypse anime that would be more of infamous Italian film maker Bruno Mattei's bag and his fans' than it would be fans of the "Living Dead" series or "Shawn of the Dead." Again, both White and Chapman have great chemistry together and humor to what is otherwise an awkward anime to talk about - it's not quite "so bad, it's good" and yet sincere enough in what it's trying to do that you can't bring yourself to loathe it either. The review is a great watch, and the anime is fun for zombie fans and fan service fans alike (seriously, I've never seen breasts jiggle in this manner - JELL-O DOESN'T JIGGLE THIS MUCH), though likely for only one sit.

To close this out, I want to apologize for all of the links, and lack of videos, but that's not my fault, but that's OK. The reviewer I'm reviewing next is one of the more famous and polarizing reviewers on the Internet.

She remembers it because the dudes won't

When she edged out Kaylyn Dickinson and Krissy Diggs, Lindsay Ellis did more than just become a female foil for Doug Walker's Nostalgia Critic - she became something of a role model.

 (Source:  http://thatguywiththeglasses.wikia.com/wiki/Lindsay_Ellis)

In 2008, there were really no major female Internet reviewers. That's not to say there weren't any female reviewers at all - YouTube is littered with amateurs of both sexes trying to make the scene, but Ellis took that first step. Dickinson has had some modest success and is known somewhat in anime fan circles outside of the Channel Awesome fandom, while Diggs is barely remembered outside of hardcore CA fan circles. If Walker had gone with someone else to be the Nostalgia Chick, I'm not sure the character and concept would still be around or that female reviewers would be as visible as they are today, she is that important.

Here is some background that is readily available: Ellis grew up in Tennessee and after graduating high school she moved on to film school at New York University. After receiving a degree in cinema studies from NYU in 2003, she moved on to the University of Southern California to obtain her Masters degree in cinematic arts and now currently resides in Queens, NY. Needless to say that Ellis has quite the rich film background and probably makes her the most academically-qualified critic I've reviewed to date.

Her style: if Ellis was supposed to be Walker's female counterpart, he was way off the mark as the two nostalgic characters are nothing alike, well, mostly. Walker plays the Nostalgia Critic fast and loose, very much like a comedy sketch with some great introspection here and there about his subjects; while Ellis plays the Nostalgia Chick very dry - her humor is dry and witty and the episodes mostly come off as a legitimate form critical analysis with some humor here and there (some episodes more than others). Due to her dry style, she doesn't have Walker's mass appeal but she is still very enjoyable to watch all the same if you give her a few episodes to grow on you.

Analysis of her latest episode: "Disney Needs More Gay" (released Mar. 6, 2013)
http://blip.tv/nostalgia-chick/nostalgia-chick-rantasmo-disney-needs-more-gay-6545576

(Sadly, I can't embed the video in the blog for some reason, but the link should get you where you need to go.)

First, if you have strong opinions about Disney animated films and character theory, you are going to have strong feelings about this review; it is a very insightful look at Disney's role in the LGBTQ community and its positive and negative consequences. On the other hand, if you came to this review looking for straight (see what I did there?) funny, you're not getting much of that this time. With Ellis, her attempts at real humor outside of her own dry wit come off as forced and are hit and miss sometimes. This time, it's a miss what with running the same joke into the ground, through the ground, through the crust, mantle and core and out the other side in Asia somewhere.

The analysis itself is very insightful - the Disney Corporation is very friendly towards same-sex partnerships and has a strong LGBTQ fan base, while at the same pretending the LGBTQ community doesn't exist and has created several foppish, effeminate villains over the years while ending several movies with the straight romantic leads getting married or riding off into the sunset. It's an interesting paradox to consider ... if you can get past the forced attempts at humor.

And now, to close off this review, here are Six Recommended Nostalgia Chick videos:

1. The Smurfette Principle (released Jan. 2010)

Much like the episode I just reviewed, this one is another character analysis - this one on gender roles in animation and the role of female animated characters as foils for male characters. What separates this episode and the previous one is that the humor isn't forced and is very witty. Like the other episode, it does have a running joke, but unlike "Disney Needs More Gay," the running joke comes in about halfway in the episode and doesn't overstay its welcome. Definitely one of her best.

2. She-Ra - Princess of Power (released Oct. 2008)

One of Ellis' first videos with Channel Awesome, this was back when the Nostalgia Chick was supposed to strictly look at feminine nostalgia. Unlike her later work, many of her earlier videos are more fast-paced and the jokes tended to be more observational in nature. For the most part, her humor is spot on in this video and it's a fun look into some '80s feminine nostalgia.

3. Les Miserable: The Musical (released Jun. 2011)

A break from her usual look at nostalgic movies and TV, Ellis gives a bit of a summary review of the musical Les Mierable ('cause I can't type accents). She has a great bit of comic relief in Justin "Jewario" Carmical, though that's balanced out by the extremely fast-paced review (seriously, it gets a bit tough to listen to at times). While a nice look at the musical, the ending of the review itself is what you really come to see. I won't spoil anything for you - just watch it. Also, excuse the subtitles - it seems the only user linking the full video on YouTube decided to transcribe it another language. C'est la vie.

4. Anastasia (released Oct. 2008)

Another early Nostalgia Chick video about the Don Bluth-animated film, Anastasia - a "what-if" story about the fictitious life and times of the last surviving Romanov. Without going into great detail, the movie is a mess and Ellis does a good job picking it apart. The only real problem with this review is getting Walker to do his terrible Russian accent while pretending to be Vladimir Lenin, Rasputin and Yakov Smirnoff. If you can get past the marginal, somewhat annoying running joke, there's actually a bit of wit to be found in this video.

5. Mulan (released Oct. 2009)

Oh, look! An actual Disney movie review! Another from Ellis's early days when her humor was closer to Walker's. This review also involves part-time sidekick Antonella "Nella" Inserra in a bit about foot-binding, well, while it is funny and goes with the whole "Disney doesn't really understand other cultures" theme, it does stick out like a sore thumb. Still, complaining aside, this is another early gem worth checking out.

6. Will Smith Was a Rapper, Once (featuring The Rap Critic, released Jun. 2012)

Finishing up this short list is a great look at Will Smith's rap career, and a rather good cross-over with "The Rap Critic" Daren Jackson. This actually a pretty good introspection into Will Smith's music career - from kid-friendly early days to the "Big Willie" years. Ellis brings her usual wit and dry humor to episode, but Jackson's more comedic foil-ish performance steals the show for me.



A brief aside, if you want to check out Jackson's rap reviews, go thatguywiththeglasses.com and check him. Personally, I'm not a big fan of rap myself outside of Will Smith and Eminem (funny how that works out), so I won't be reviewing Jackson's material, but I like him in the cross-overs he's done, so if you're in to rap or just want a little laugh, give him a viewing.

Also, before I go, I am going to try to do all the female reviewers I promised to do for all of March this week ... the key word being "try."

Women's History Month is Women Reviewer Month

Hello boys and girls! This I'm a little late...OK 19 days late, BUT, for the rest of the month and into April, I am going to cover some of the talented women reviewers out there.

Now, I have to say, women reviewers on the Internet (exclude mainstream, professional critics) are something of a rarity. That's not to say that you can't find them, you can, but it's pretty tough. For this sample size, I am sticking with the women of Channel Awesome, the company behind the Nostalgia Critic.

Punch the Way Back Machine to the summer of 2008. Doug Walker announces a contest searching for a female counterpart to review the female-centric nostalgia Walker felt he wasn't qualified to review.

Walker announced the results later that summer and it was a three-way tie between Lindsay Ellis, Kaylyn Dickinson and Krissy Diggs. The tie was broken when Ellis's "Pocahontas" review won the most votes, and thus became the official female counterpart to the Nostalgia Critic, originally known as The Dudette and later The Nostalgia Chick. Walker was still impressed with the two runners-up, and so Dickinson and Diggs were added to the site as well, making the trio the first additions to the Channel Awesome lineup and the first women reviewers as well. Dickinson took on the monicker MarzGurl and Diggs became That Chick With The Goggles; Diggs has the triple distinction of being Channel Awesome's first African-American reviewer as well. Dickinson would become CA's second anime reviewer, while Diggs would become more of a game reviewer.

Diggs would eventually leave Channel Awesome in 2011 and did not produce much content for the thatguywithglasses.com website, while Ellis and Dickinson have remained mainstays, now approaching their fifth year with CA.

The site would continue to add female reviewers over the years. In February 2010, CA added another anime reviewer, Hope Chapman, under the monicker JesuOtaku; in June, Allison Pregler took the monicker Obscurus Lupa and began reviewing z-grade cinema, and Jerrica Barton added her Joker-esque character Diamanda Hagan reviewing a wide range of films, as well as episodes of Doctor Who. In 2011, CA added Elisa Hanson as Maven of the Eventide doing vampire-related content as member of Team NChick (Ellis's own troupe of performers, now known as Chez Apocalypse).

For the next four weeks, I am going to highlight Ellis, Dickinson, Chapman, Pregler and Barton, starting tomorrow with a profile on Ellis and a review of her latest stand-alone episode (I won't review multi-part episodes in great detail) and then Thursday, I'll present 12 recommended Nostalgia Chick reviews.

Side Post #1 - College Hell

Here is a brief explanation for why I haven't updated recently - college sucks, and by that, I mean my schedule the last two weeks have sucked a million. Between the long, 12-plus-page research paper I did for Opinion Writing, studying for a mid-term exam for News & Social Media class....and then spending the week after just trying to get used to my normal schedule again, all while feeling rather burned out and burning commitments in the wake.

Yeah, you could make the case I could have posted last week, but the truth is, I didn't want to. I really was burned out from the previous week's workload and only wanted to focus on my essential commitments over everything else. Now we are in the middle of spring break - my batteries are recharging and I am trying to get myself together in time to finish the rest of the semester. That's all, you may go now...

*gets up, wearing a bathrobe and drinking Sprite out of a martini glass with a lime sour ball for an olive*

 What? You're still here? Don't you get the obvious pop culture reference? Go on! Go! Shoo....

Aaaannnnnd we're back! (12 Recommended Foamy Rants)

It has been quite awhile since we've looked at the world of Internet entertainment and the reviewers & critics who lead the way. I'll explain more of why it took so long to update in a side post right after this one; however, in the meantime, let's check out those 12 recommended Foamy rants!

Last I did this, I felt I was being a bit too nice with the Nostalgia Critic episodes. While I do like those episodes, they do have their faults. Ergo, while these Foamy rants are some of Jonathan Ian Mathers's best work, they aren't without fault.

Before we get started, there are some ground rules to cover:
1) These rants are in no particular order.
2) What you are about to see contains harsh language, mild/partial nudity and sexually suggestive themes; therefore, these shorts are rated NSFW and viewer discretion is advised.
3) I am not an animation expert or an art student, so do not expect an expert analysis on the quality of the art; however, if I see something really cool or crappy, I'll let you know.

Without any further ado, let's begin:

12. "Smokin' Smokers" (2007)

A great short from six years ago about the issue of smoking and quitting smoking from the perspective of the non-smoker. It is very harsh and somewhat ignorant of what it's like to be addicted to something as powerful as tobacco, but then, Foamy really doesn't care. That's not what the short is about; it's about what non-smokers have to go through when dealing with family, friends and co-workers who make life hard on them because of their addiction struggles. A sample of the harsh reality check Foamy gives to his watchers.

11. "Fat Idols" (2009)

This one isn't quite as hate-filled, but also not nearly as focused. The object of the video was to talk about the disappearance of fat people in the media; what it becomes is a rant on people opting for tummy tucks and fat scrapes as a cop out to traditional dieting and exercise. There are two other Foamy rants that take on the Atkins diet which cover the same amount of ground as this rant and may be slightly funnier, but also more juvenile. A good rant all around, even if the initial topic was all but abandoned after the first 90 seconds.

10. "TV" (2007)

The years 2006 - 2009 were great years for Foamy rants, and this ranks up there with the best. A rant on some of the more annoying aspects of TV viewing, namely ads for all sorts of drugs & body enhancements, plus pop ads interrupting our favorite shows. While the drug commercials part of the rant is still timely, the pop ads are not as pervasive as they were six years ago, so the rant is a bit dated in that regard. Still, it works AND it might get a laugh or two out of you.

9.  "Political Shifty" (2008)

Right in the heart of the McCain-Obama presidential campaign season comes this harsh, unfocused, but still watchable gem. What starts out as a rant about how politicians don't care about us (and they don't liberals and conservatives), turns into a rant about the quality of today's education and the public school system. It does come back around at the end, but what starts out as a harsh, reality-based rant turns into a pseudo-conspiracy theory with a little logical merit, but oversimplified. Still, Foamy is quite snarky, and good snark will always save the day.

8. "Restaurants" (2006)

Much more lighthearted than previous rants on this list, this one about the dining experience almost comes off as a George Carlin-esque comic set, especially the whole bit about violently lashing out at servers who come to your table singing "Happy Birthday." Also, the bit at the end about subtracting money amounts from your bill based off negative aspects of your dining experience may be painful for servers, but for the customer, I DEMAND THIS BECOME LAW! There is a sequel to this rant, aptly named "Restaurants II," but it's not as good or as charming as the original.

7. "The Star-Schmucks Mini-Series" (2003 - 2011)

Admittedly, this isn't a single rant and that these six or so episodes over the span of nine years aren't traditional rants in that Foamy is not speaking directly and exclusively to the audience. The ambiguously gay barista is to an extent a wall off which to bounce back and forth the various rant topics and jokes; otherwise known as a straight man, in comic terms (POP CULTURE REFERENCE AND IRONIC PUN COMBO). If you haven't guessed by the title and the visual cues just from the video next to this text, these are a series of rants about Starbucks and its conquering of the coffee house world. The first "Star-Schmucks" episode was a short entitled "Small, Medium, Large" in 2003, complaining about the renaming of the sizes to tall, grande & venti (not to mention the high prices and "sucky" under-taste). The last short in the series, the one shown here, entitled "Last Coffee House Stand" from 2011, is a rare example of Foamy ending his exhausting fight against Star-Schmucks with a few parting shots. A rare example in the "Neurotically Yours" series of a flowing narrative outside of the main storyline involving Foamy and Germain.  A must see.

6. "Dating Advice" (2004)

This short is a bit of an acquired taste - not because of the subject material or the advice, but because of the delivery. In the early days of Neurotically Yours, Foamy the Squirrel talked a lot faster than he does these days. This was to give the impression that he was hyper, a touch insane, but at the same time, a speaker of truth and logic. If the high-pitch voice that sounds like Simon from "Alvin & The Chipmunks" got kicked in the acorns doesn't bother you, listening to it at a fast speed might turn you off. If you're still interested, this is another funny look at real life with some truth and real advice mixed in.

5. "Forum Bore 'Em" (2008)

While other Foamy rants have some form of comedy, harsh truth or unfocused delivery that tends to damage the message (sometimes intentionally), this short is spot on. Anyone who spends a lot of time on news websites and YouTube will know that every gripe and every point in this rant is spot on. Internet forums and message boards have become festering sewers of intolerance and hatred - proof that we can't have nice things. Preach on animated squirrel, preach on.

4. "Game Trade-Ins" (2009)

For every gamer ever, this is gospel. At some point in our lives, we've had to deal with the game store (by now, Gamestop, since all other alternatives are either owned or have been driven out of business by Gamestop) and their rip-off game-buying policies. Buy a game at full price, return it as soon as the next day, and all of a sudden you're only getting back a third (AT BEST) of what you originally paid. I'm not going to deviate in to the topic since Foamy already covered it all, but needless to say, the squirrel gets it right. A must see.

3. "Gay Marriage" (2012)

If there ever was a clear case to be made for same-sex marriage - this is it. There is a lot of good cases made here about same-sex marriage, and the harsh, almost combative way Foamy sets to task in this one gives the argument conviction. I'm not here to advocate for one point of view or another - if you're for same-sex marriage, you'll love this short; if you're for traditional marriage, you will hate it, BUT you will find some points that will be hard to argue, such as the percentage of people not getting marriage and the percentage getting divorced - if marriage is so sacred, how come it's becoming less popular with straight folks every generation? Just something to think about, and the animated angry squirrel gives you plenty to ponder in this rant.

2. "Achievements" (2008)

Yeah, while I have not now or have ever owned a PlayStation 3 or XBox 360, I am well-aware of the pointlessness that are achievements and achievement farming. Achievements are indeed the utter garbage of today's gaming - digital awards and accolades that don't really exist and are only there to make you feel special when you're anything but. The whole conspiracy theory at the end takes away the seriousness of the message, but that's fine since the topic wasn't anything serious to begin with. The added bit with the funny achievement pop-ups weaves the laughs through the monologue.

1. "Drugs In Your Head" (2005)

If I had a guess, I'd say that the majority of people who read my commentary and watch these shorts tend to skew liberal and may or may not be in favor of legalizing marijuana. I should qualify this short by calling it a bit dated, around eight years old, and given today's more open view of legalizing pot as opposed to a mere few years ago. Having said that, this short is more about people and their inability these days to deal with real life and their emotions without the use of a controlled substance, both the illegal and legal kind. The message comes off harsh, but the point is still driven home - if we expect children to be drug-free and deal with real life, then parents have to set the example.


Well, I hope you enjoyed these shorts and if you want to see  more, just check out Mathers's YouTube channel, jimathers, or his website, illwillpress.com. Because of the backlog of posts, I will try to update every day between now and Saturday, but I make no promises. Check back soon for a little side post as to what's happened the past two weeks or so and where we go from here.

Foaming at the mouth to find new ground in Internet entertainment

(Author's Note: I know this post is late. I was going to post Thursday night, but my video card burned out on me and I couldn't replace the card until Saturday and I've been busy with my work at The Daily Cougar. Instead of doing two different posts - one about newgrounds.com and the other about Neurotically Yours, I am just going to combine the posts into one and go from there.)

Newgrounds.com - the name strikes nostalgia in anyone into anything Flash - be it animation or games. Created by Tom Fulp as a Neo Geo newsletter in 1991 and hit the web in the late-'90s as two sites: New Ground Remix and New Ground Atomix. The sites were originally used as means to host Fulp's pet projects during the early days of the Internet, and soon gained a cult following. A year later Fulp combined the two sites in to one, renamed the combined website Newgrounds, and started hosting new content based on a relatively new style of animation - Flash. As the 2000s rolled along, Newgrounds only got bigger as flash artists from all over the web used the site to show off their talents, and among the rather amateurish animation came artists of exceptional quality. One of them debuted on Newgrounds in January 2003.

His name: Johnathan Ian Mathers; the series: Neurotically Yours.

(Author's Note: the video above contains vulgar language, hand gestures, and is of a controversial nature. Viewer discretion is advised.)

Mathers originally started his cartoon about a Goth girl and her pet squirrel as a comic book, but by 2003, he started to transform his creation into a webtoon series. Over 10 years later, Mathers's creation is still going strong, complete with his own website, illwillpress.com, as well as hosting his work on Newgrounds and, as of 2009, YouTube.

The original concept behind Neurotically Yours followed the antics of the aforementioned Goth girl, Germaine as she deals with everyday life, with her hyperactive pet squirrel Foamy providing occasional commentary. As the series transitioned to the web, the starring roles switched, as Foamy became an instant hit with fans as Germaine slid into the role of eye candy/comic foil for the vulgar, cult-leading squirrel.

As Foamy's popularity grew, his voice was slowed (though still high-pitched) and his movements became less erratic, letting his eye expressions and hand gestures (obscene and not) tell more of a story. Then came Foamy's rants. The video above is a prime example of a Foamy rant, though it's not one of the originals. Never long rants, but all the same potent with striking social commentaries ranging from the silly to the controversial, these rants became a thing of legend on Newgrounds and launched the series into Internet stardom.

Later this week I'll post more examples of Mathers's work, but only the Foamy rants as this blog focuses on reviewers and critics, and Foamy's rants can be considered a critique on society and Foamy the Squirrel himself can arguably claim the title of the Internet's first comedic critic.

Look for My 12 Recommended Foamy Rants later this week. You'll find examples of Foamy rants in the video bar on the main page.

My 12 Recommended Nostalgia Critic Episodes

After a a bit of a delay, here are the 12 Nostalgia Critic episodes I recommend checking out (formerly My 12 Favorite Nostalgia Critic Episodes). These aren't ranked, but are set in chronological order.A reminder - all of these episodes have strong language in them, so viewer discretion is advised. I will preface this list by saying I'm listing anything that would require any extensive prior viewing, as this list is for anyone looking to get into the show for the first time. Let's get on with the review!

12. "Batman & Robin"
For anyone growing up in the '90s, the "Batman" movies were some of the best action movies out there, or at least half of them were. The quality of the movies just got worse with each sequel, and this movie was the campy bottom of the barrel. If you love watching someone pretend to absolutely lose their mind over a bad movie, this review is for you.

11. "Tom and Jerry: the Movie"
Having turned 30 last week, I am probably one of the last generations to grow up with easy access to classic cartoons. Having grown up in the infancy of cable and niche programming, these new stations needed content and old cartoons like Tom and Jerry filled a programming need until newer, more hip programming came along. The '90s saw a need to try to bring classic cartoons to the hip new generation with movies like Space Jam, and this abomination. More of Doug Walker's own opinion and less scripted material in this episode makes it really shine.

10. "FernGully (w/the Nostalgia Chick)"
Another bad trope of the '90s involved really pretentious and preachy environmental films aimed at children, and FernGully: The Last Rainforest, while not the worst of these films, still rates up there. This review marks the first crossover with the Critic female counterpart, the Nostalgia Chick, portrayed by Lindsay Ellis. I'll get more in to her character and concept next month, though you don't need to watch any of her reviews to get any set-up for this episode. The two play well off of each other and the comedy is rather high (faux fight scene, aside).

9. "The Good Son"
While not the first review to come to mind when talking about the Critic's best reviews, this one certainly is under-appreciated. The writing has a unique premise - what if the guy who usually screams and whines about everything finally loses his voice and has to conduct the whole review in silence. While it sounds like a recipe for disaster, Walker actually pulls it off quite well with clever writing and very effective facial expressions. It also helps that the subject material takes itself so seriously, it was absurd before Walker even touched it. For creativity alone this deserves a watch.

8. "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog"
Literally the next episode after "The Good Son," Walker reverted back to the traditional Critic comedic formula, but executes that formula well; one of his best performances. What makes this episode unique is that he compares and contrasts the title Sonic character series with another show featuring the same character that ran simultaneously. It ends with a very thoughtful, if comically-played, analysis of the difference between a story with little effort versus a story with real effort.

7. "The Top 11 Nostalgic Mind F---s"
This episode came right after Sonic and two episodes after The Good Son, setting up a nice trio of videos in February 2009. One of the staples of the Nostalgia Critic is his "Top 11" lists. This list looks at some of the most bizarre moments in games and animation. The strange subject material aside, Walker provides some great analysis while maintaining a light and surreal tone. This episode should come with a warning for first-time viewers: keep your volume a little low - this episode can get loud at times.

6. "North"
Fast forward to June 2009 and what we have here is a universal fan favorite - the "North" review. By any standard, the movie "North" was horrendous; a movie critics Siskel and Ebert panned venomously. This is s movie directed by Rob Reiner, the cast filled to the brim with stars, and yet, is filled with terrible jokes, offensive ethnic stereotypes and one of the most poorly written movies I've ever seen, personally. Oh, and the Critic's review is quite entertaining, much in the vein of the "Batman and Robin" review.

5. "Top 11 F--- Ups"
From September 2009, this is another great "Top 11" list and is exactly what you think it is - a list of Walker's worst mistakes, whether it's an editing mistake, a writing mistake or otherwise. Walker introduces another fan favorite character, the obnoxious nit-picker, Douchey McNitpick, to ridicule the Critic through each item on the list and it's great to see Walker have a sense of humor about his mistakes.

4. "Battlefield Earth"

While I could continue to list some really great reviews from 2009, which might have been the best year for the Critic, I would be remiss not to list some of the best reviews from this decade. Feb. 2, 2010, Walker released the 100th episode of the Nostalgia Critic, complete with great cameos from Bhargav Dronamraju (as Ma-Ti from "Captain Planet") and Noah Antwiler (lampooning Terl, the over-the-top villain in "Battlefield Earth" portrayed poorly by John Travolta). A movie based off a book by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, "Battlefield Earth" is universally considered one of the worst movies of all time. Walker has a ton of fun comically ripping this movie apart, and the scenes with Antwiler playing off Walker are brilliant.

3. "The Room"
Debuted in July 2010, this review was a special request by a fan. Walker bent his own rules for reviewing this material by looking at a film past his cut-off date to be considered nostalgic. This review has a ton of laughs, a ton of hilarious cameos, and the movie itself, also regarded universally as one of the worst of all time, is a ton of laughs despite itself. The movie is so terrible, many viewers consider it hilarious, so the combination of the Critic and the cameos make it arguably his best review. This review also sparked some controversy, as Wiseau Films, the production company that made the film, pressed Walker with legal action to pull his review. Walker did so and responded with a biting satire of the whole affair. With help from intense fan pressure, Wisaeu Films backed off and the review was restore to Walker's website in December of the same year.

2. "Nostalgia Critic Musical Review: Moulin Rouge"
Released in November 2011, this review is arguably the best Nostalgia Critic episode. Even Walker himself listed this episode #1 in his "Top 11 Nostalgia Critic Episodes" review in a Sept. 25 video. It's hard not to see why - excellent writing - not just the dialogue, but also the musical numbers. There are a ton of cameo appearances in this episode, including Brent Black, a.k.a. Brentalfloss, a talented video game parody musician (yes, that exists). The video is well-shot and parodies the source material expertly. In fact, this video did its job too well, as it was after the filming of this video that Walker decided there was nowhere else he could go with the Nostalgia Critic and began writing the character's retirement, which would come to fruition less than a year later.

1. "The Grinch"
Arguably the last great Nostalgia Critic review, this episode debuted a month after "Moulin Rouge" and definitely deserves bonus points over the other possible final choice because of its originality. In keeping with the spirit of Dr. Seuss, Walker wrote the entire dialogue for the episode in rhyme. The result is actually very true to the spirit of the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and his rhyming, while it stumbles a bit at points, is perfectly on key.




A quick note on the Nostalgia Critic in 2012: As last year was supposed to be the farewell tour for the Critic, most of the reviews certainly felt that way - not so much delivering a final collection of great performances as much as rushed performances. None of the 2012 reviews are particularly bad, they just feel as if Walker was trying to quickly get the months over with until his final review, "Scooby-Doo (the live-action movie)" in August. If I had to recommend any review from last year as worth seeing, definitely take a look at his Patch Adams review - it's very insightful about the real Hunter "Patch" Adams and how the movie gloriously botched telling his story.

Well, that's all for my look at the Nostalgia Critic. Check back Thursday night as I take a look at one of the Internet's original well-springs of user-generated content - newgrounds.com, followed Friday by a look at a product of Newgrounds that still thrives today - Neurotically Yours.