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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 15, 2022 3:53:34 GMT -5
Heh, the reason for the weird titling of this thread is that I had completely forgotten about this thread I made 1 1/2 years ago: My original thread after watching the first season of AmphibiaNow we have come full circle with yesterday being the day the final episode of the show aired after three seasons...and I cannot remember any animated show with its final episode causing me to cry first of sadness and then after it ended, cried of both happiness and sadness. This was not just tears welling up, I was full on crying because I grew to love the characters so much, especially the main character in my avatar, and it has been a long, long time any movie, TV show (be it real life or animated) touched me the way this show did. Thus causing me to perhaps utter the most sacriligious phrase I have ever uttered: having nostalgic feelings for the Disney Afternoon shows, having an appreciation for the dark subject matter of Gargoyles, seeing the type of good shows that Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network released in the 2010s and having seen lots of animes since 1999...this might be the best animated show I have ever seen and I strongly urge anyone to give this show a chance. Now comes the hard part: how to make this show appear appealing without spoiling anything that led up to yesterday? I will try: -ultimately, this whole show is a story about friendship...but exploring it a deeper level that even one of my fondly remembered shows, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, could not do. It is also a story about character growth, finding out about one's self-worth and accepting change even if it is hard sometimes. -Matt Braly is obviously someone who had the whole story planned out and, luckily, got to tell the show exactly the way he wanted it (though he had the luck of Season 3 being pretty far in production when Covid hit...otherwise, Amphibia might have suffered the same fate as the Owl House and would have had its 3rd season shortened considerably). Even something like Season 1 which would appear to consist of lots of self-contained stories was needed to set things up the way it did, otherwise, events in Season 2 or 3 would not have packed as emotional or as sweet a punch as they did. Even one of the things that is perhaps the hardest for new people to the show to get into (that being, as mentioned in my first thread, that the protagonist is a bit of a jerk at the beginning) is needed the way it is because it made sense by the end. It kinda makes me happy that a creator got to tell the show the way he wanted without any (or very little) Disney meddling. -The references...Matt is not only a big Star Wars but a big anime fan and it shows and I really loved all the various references and hommages he threw out (especially his various Dragonball references but also doing Neon Genesis Evangelion among others). Heck, one episode was even an homage to Gravity Falls with him getting Alex Hirsch to voice a few characters. -Speaking of VAs, the show would not be what it is without the wonderful voice cast: Brenda Song, Anna Akana, Haley Tju, Justin Felbinger, Bill Farmer, Amanda Leighton, Troy Baker and Keith David. Just an amazing array of VAs bringing these characters wonderfully to life and the first time in my life that after a show, I went on Twitter and send each of them a thank you message. I don't care whether they acknowledge it or give me a like or whatever, I just wanted to thank them regardless. I will probably get more into detail when, after a year pause, I will hopefully do this show as part of my other project: Old and New Disney ShowsAs for now I will display it in my sig and ava and hopefully, if you don't have any shows to watch this summer, give this show a try. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. |
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Post by BlackoutCreature on May 15, 2022 9:14:48 GMT -5
I got into the show during the Lockdown when I heard about the pseudo-Gravity Falls crossover. It quickly replaced the ending DuckTales as my new go-to Disney cartoon. Great stuff throughout the rest of season two and season three. I think I've seen all the really important ones, but there are still some episodes of season one I haven't caught yet (for example, I have no idea what the deal is with Domino 2 when she resurfaced towards the end of the series).
Really gonna miss the show. Not sure what I will find to replace it.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 15, 2022 10:17:54 GMT -5
While I remembered Domino II, I had the same kind of experience when Apothecary Gary reappeared and I was like "...who in the name of frog is Apothecary Gary?". Despite watching all of Season 1, I really could not remember who he was until I looked it up afterwards.
One of the most touching things about Season 3 in my own opinion had to do with the following: Matt Braly's own mother, On Braly, started voicing a recurring character in Season 3 and it was obvious from the start that On was not a trained VA, showing many signs that usually happen when you have someone who is unfamiliar with voice acting. And still...it brought its own charm and On did it with so much warmth that by the end, her character was one of my favorite characters in Season 3.
As far as current shows, for me, there is still The Owl House but...I like that show, the characters and want to see it to its end yet I don't feel the same kind of emotional attachment that I had to Amphibia in the end. That might change when those final three TV specials that comprise Season 3 air but at the moment, Owl House is just something that is very good for me but not on the level that Amphibia was.
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Post by Lizuka #BLM on May 15, 2022 10:40:21 GMT -5
I've kind of kept wondering about checking it out but honestly the art style and the commercials have always been a turn-off for me. Going to need something to watch with Owl House winding down though.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 15, 2022 12:30:44 GMT -5
Cannot say anything about the commercials since I never saw them.
As for the art style, I kinda always felt that it reminded me of Gravity Falls (with some facial expressions they pull reminding me of Adventure Time strangely enough).
The hard thing with a recommendation currently is though that if I go into details on why I think it is the best animated show I have ever seen, I would have to majorly spoiler everything which I think would not be fair to those wanting to checking out the show.
I have to say though that although the first season gives off major slice-of-life/mainly one shot character vibes, most of the things established in Season 1 will pay off down the line.
...
At this point I also have to frankly admit that when I watched the first season, I thought it was good, but it only reached that level that it has for me now over the course of the second season so it is definitely a show that one has to give a big chance to.
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Post by Sponsored by Groose Wipes on May 16, 2022 10:25:47 GMT -5
Never watched it but I'm just glad people are an agreement that the cartoon ended on good terms, unlike another Disney cartoon that ended a few years ago...
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 16, 2022 10:32:42 GMT -5
Never watched it but I'm just glad people are an agreement that the cartoon ended on good terms, unlike another Disney cartoon that ended a few years ago... Curious about which one you mean. Gravity Falls? Star vs.? The 2017 Ducktales? Or another one that I don't have on the radar? |
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Post by Sponsored by Groose Wipes on May 16, 2022 10:34:08 GMT -5
Never watched it but I'm just glad people are an agreement that the cartoon ended on good terms, unlike another Disney cartoon that ended a few years ago... Curious about which one you mean. Gravity Falls? Star vs.? The 2017 Ducktales? Or another one that I don't have on the radar? I was thinking Star. I thought Gravity Falls ended on good terms and I don't know how Ducktails 2007 ended to be honest. |
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 16, 2022 10:45:47 GMT -5
Interesting that you mentioned Star vs. since that would be the representative of the modern Disney shows when I get around to a second round in my project. Only watched the first few episodes of that one back in 2014 and don't know much about it, but it is sometimes better to go in there with a blank state.
As I mentioned above, it probably helped Amphibia that its creator had a clear plan in mind the rough outline of how he wanted the show to go and didn't have many hurdles thrown his way by corporate. And that may also be why it ended on good terms with the fans because it certainly left with a feeling that it told a great story over the course of three seasons.
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Post by Cyno on May 16, 2022 11:23:38 GMT -5
Never watched it but I'm just glad people are an agreement that the cartoon ended on good terms, unlike another Disney cartoon that ended a few years ago... I wouldn't say that. I've seen a lot of people pissed off about the ending (well, the epilogue part anyway). |
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Post by BlackoutCreature on May 16, 2022 12:41:00 GMT -5
Never watched it but I'm just glad people are an agreement that the cartoon ended on good terms, unlike another Disney cartoon that ended a few years ago... I wouldn't say that. I've seen a lot of people pissed off about the ending (well, the epilogue part anyway). What were their complaints? |
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 16, 2022 12:51:32 GMT -5
I wouldn't say that. I've seen a lot of people pissed off about the ending (well, the epilogue part anyway). What were their complaints? Maybe Dagothausen has heard other complaints about it, but one person that I am close with had the following complaint about the ending: {Spoiler}{SPOILER: CLICK TO SHOW}
That ultimately Marcy did move away and it is mentioned that while Anne and Sasha were close until high school, they began to see other friends and drifted apart a bit.
I guess people are upset that they didn't stay the closest of friends until the end of forever but drifted apart when perhaps they wanted them to have the chance to have a real close friendship now instead of the toxic one they had prior to Amphibia.
Personally, I can see the angle but I did not have much of a problem with it especially with Anne's final monologue talking about change, having to let go but still maintaining a strong bond. And seeing them ten years later happy to see each other and hugging each other, it was enough for me to see that they still care about each other even though they might not have been as close to each other as some fans might have hoped for. |
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Post by BlackoutCreature on May 16, 2022 12:58:46 GMT -5
What were their complaints? Maybe Dagothausen has heard other complaints about it, but one person that I am close with had the following complaint about the ending: {Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{SPOILER: CLICK TO SHOW}
That ultimately Marcy did move away and it is mentioned that while Anne and Sasha were close until high school, they began to see other friends and drifted apart a bit.
I guess people are upset that they didn't stay the closest of friends until the end of forever but drifted apart when perhaps they wanted them to have the chance to have a real close friendship now instead of the toxic one they had prior to Amphibia.
Personally, I can see the angle but I did not have much of a problem with it especially with Anne's final monologue talking about change, having to let go but still maintaining a strong bond. And seeing them ten years later happy to see each other and hugging each other, it was enough for me to see that they still care about each other even though they might not have been as close to each other as some fans might have hoped for. I guess, maybe. I'm thinking it might be more that he had a run-in with a shipper who was upset that their increasingly ridiculous theories about how the girls "relationship" would turn out didn't wind up happening in the end. |
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 16, 2022 13:33:39 GMT -5
Maybe Dagothausen has heard other complaints about it, but one person that I am close with had the following complaint about the ending: {Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{SPOILER: CLICK TO SHOW}
That ultimately Marcy did move away and it is mentioned that while Anne and Sasha were close until high school, they began to see other friends and drifted apart a bit.
I guess people are upset that they didn't stay the closest of friends until the end of forever but drifted apart when perhaps they wanted them to have the chance to have a real close friendship now instead of the toxic one they had prior to Amphibia.
Personally, I can see the angle but I did not have much of a problem with it especially with Anne's final monologue talking about change, having to let go but still maintaining a strong bond. And seeing them ten years later happy to see each other and hugging each other, it was enough for me to see that they still care about each other even though they might not have been as close to each other as some fans might have hoped for. I guess, maybe. I'm thinking it might be more that he had a run-in with a shipper who was upset that their increasingly ridiculous theories about how the girls "relationship" would turn out didn't wind up happening in the end. Cannot say much about that since, unlike My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic before that, while I enjoyed the show, I never interacted much in the Amphibia fandom or read fanfics, fan art, fan videos etc. so I don't know the type of persons permeating this fandom. As for me, ships was not something I was really interested about in this show. The only ones that remotely concerned me were: {Spoiler}{SPOILER: CLICK TO SHOW}
-Sprig and Maddie. Yeah, I have nothing against Sprivy per se, but Maddie became one of my favorite Wartwood characters after Cursed and I was so happy that she got a final line in the epilogue. I kinda wanted her and Sprig to hit it off in fanon but I am fine with Sprivy too.
-Given Matt's penchant for Star Wars references, I got a Han Solo/Princess Leia vibe in the second-to-last episode from Olivia and Yunan and thought "Hmm, that would make a good couple in fanon." I was actually gobsmacked when it was actually made canon in the final episode.
-Also...I did not think that that one time flirting in Season 2 would lead to Joe and Bessie becoming not only a couple but having a bird snail/snail bird together. |
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Post by Lizuka #BLM on May 16, 2022 19:12:30 GMT -5
Yeah, Star fell apart hard at the end. Kind of a clear drop in quality was happening in season 3 but it was still largely good and then season 4 just completely collapsed, especially the actual ending itself.
As for Gravity Falls, I think with the benefit of hindsight it kind of ended right when it should have. There was room for more storytelling with it for sure but the central story arc was already kind of becoming long in the tooth without dragging it out for an entire extra season and I think a lot of the weakest episodes of the show are right there at the end. It went out on a high that I don't know that it would have if it'd stuck around longer.
Same in the long run might end up applying for Owl House? I dunno, I think season 2 has been a lot better than season 1, but I do wonder if it'd still be as much of an improvement if they had more downtime.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 16, 2022 23:15:38 GMT -5
Yeah, Star fell apart hard at the end. Kind of a clear drop in quality was happening in season 3 but it was still largely good and then season 4 just completely collapsed, especially the actual ending itself. As for Gravity Falls, I think with the benefit of hindsight it kind of ended right when it should have. There was room for more storytelling with it for sure but the central story arc was already kind of becoming long in the tooth without dragging it out for an entire extra season and I think a lot of the weakest episodes of the show are right there at the end. It went out on a high that I don't know that it would have if it'd stuck around longer. Same in the long run might end up applying for Owl House? I dunno, I think season 2 has been a lot better than season 1, but I do wonder if it'd still be as much of an improvement if they had more downtime. Hmm, interesting to hear your thoughts on Star. Will check it out still and see for myself how I feel about it when I get around to it in my project. Have to say that one problem I had with Star when I first tried it out in 2014 was the artstyle of the human characters who I found not very appealing but the story was good. Interesting fact I recently learned about Gravity Falls: Alex Hirsch originally wanted the second season to only be 10 episodes long, but Disney at the time said "Sorry, we can only agree to a season if it has at least 20 episodes", so he had to do 20. Might explain why some episodes in Season 2 are weaker. As for the Owl House, as I said, I really like that show (especially Lumity gives me the warm feelings that lights up my dark and cold heart) and it has some awesome episodes in Season 2. Yet I still got the feeling sometimes that Dana had to rush and had to put two storylines into one episode sometimes due to Disney only giving her 3 44-minute TV specials as the final season instead of the 10 22 minute episodes she hoped for. Also means that there is only five episodes of total media left in the Owl House which makes me a bit sad because it means no more new Lumity  |
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Post by Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast on Jun 30, 2022 18:02:25 GMT -5
I'm currently done of season one and on to season 2 and I absolutely love this show. Knew I would, just never had the chance to get a full run of it and opted to wait via Disney+. I'm aware of certain things, but eh, it's just how it has to be. Also I now have PTSD thanks to "Lean on Me".
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Jul 3, 2022 13:36:02 GMT -5
I'm currently done of season one and on to season 2 and I absolutely love this show. Knew I would, just never had the chance to get a full run of it and opted to wait via Disney+. I'm aware of certain things, but eh, it's just how it has to be. Also I now have PTSD thanks to "Lean on Me". Nice. Season 2 is where the story part of the show really gets going so you should be in for a treat.  |
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