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huntsman-ash · 3 years

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LiveThoughts: RWBY V8E6

Second attempt at this since last time Chrome just DIED for no reason...

Im going to put literally the entire thing with Cinder under one note; Called it.

Its a great set of stuff, sure, but it doesnt relaly tell us anything we didnt already know about Cinder, and I personally feel it doesnt really explain why she turned out the way she did. I feel like we’ve had another weird twist of the situation again...M+K? Coronas fault? Who knows. Either way, this section isnt great by my taste and I kinda skipped most of it.

Few things to note though; Apperently in Mistral scrubbing by hand is still more viable floor cleaning tech than using Dust.

The wind vane on the roof has the Rooster Teeth symbols rooster on it.

The hotel Cinder is bought by is named the Glass Unicorn, fittingly enough for...several reasons.

The coffees behind the stepsisters when we first see them are the animated versions of the real life stuff RT put out just before this season went live.

No one seems to notice the fact cinder has orange eyes. I wonder if weird eye colors are just a THING in Remnant?

The control collar/shock thing is incredibly inefficient in design, since it doesnt actually hold on to her very well. A more effective brace/choker design would have worked better.

The song that goes on during all of this is...kind of obvious and a little bland? Fitting for younger Cinder I guess.

Mmm. Random greasy huntsman.

I guess in Atlas its fine to laugh at struggling teenagers?

Im going to assume there’s a 3+ year gap here where she gets older, cause she stops being smol and gets closer to how we see her now.

Also even here, in Atlas...really? The most effective way to clean these carpeted floors is to have a TEENAGER SCRUB THEM BY HAND?

How do you scrub...I assume its carpet anyway?

And how you tell civilians are lame in Atlas; they are impressed...by a sword. Just a sword. A boring, half-cut sword. Losers.

I assume this would be Cinder’s semblance manifesting. Also note on the desk; “we do not serve faunus”. Well THAT doesnt surprise me.

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHE. Get fucked Cinder. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

I dont even feel pity for her, this is funny to me. Also the fact that this kind of shit aCTUALLY EXISTS is...amusing to me. Like, really? So I guess indentured servitude is a thing in Remnant too.

And this is why Cinder likes to use swords. Really. Wow. LAMEO.

Huh. Dual maces. Interesting. Thats a prety cool weapon. Looks like they open up too. Bet he could bash some skulls with that.

“Hurting them isnt going to make your life any better”. Um, excuse me? I think hurting them is the very best thing to do in this situation. At least, for the moment anyway.

Huh. So she’s ten at this point? Even as a child, shes older than she looks.

And training montage. Huh. Or at least I assume it is. I get the feeling being able to go where you want too and do what you want too is the main reason Hunters exist. There must be crazy tight immigration laws...or, maybe, its just that traveling between kingdoms is stupid dangerous cause of Grimm. I think the latter is most likely considering every form of public transit extra-kingdom we’ve seen (even between cities, see Argus Limited) has some kind of defensive weaponry. Limited and ineffective, for th emost part oddly.

So you can take the exam at 18. Okay cool. Pre-that must be prep school. Wonder what happens if you wash out? Also I like how this dude is just “yeah, 7 years of training, we got this.”

I think this is the first time we’ve seen the other side of the moon. Or at least, the proper other side...bloody hell I STILL dont know how all those piesces are still held in place, the thing looks like it should start yeeting bolides at Remnant.

Better still we see it MOVE, rotate in time to the passing of years. So it literally does rotate on its own axis, and more importantly, unlike OUR moon, its NOT tidally locked. We only ever see the same side of our moon. REmnants rotates MUCH faster. Also it doesnt seem to have phases like ours does. I’ll check on why that is.

Well at least we have an explanation for why Cinders so damn good at fighting people. Trained by an Atlas Huntsman.

Also as a note the device is quite literally just an electrical Dust crystal attached to a necklace. Things the most inefficent torture device Ive ever fucking seen.

Wonder how often they have to change the crystal.

And there goes the moon rotating again.

I like how NO ONE comment on the blade going missing and that guy never came back for it. I guess he must have just bought a new one.

I get the very distinct feeling they wont just let her go honestly, permission or not.

AWWW WE DONT EVEN GET TO SEE CINDER MURDER THE SISTERS. Also no blood. Odd. Good kill on the stepmother though. Oh, that NECK CRACK. I like how all the bitch can do is try and shock Cinder, like, uh...adrenaline up? SHE HAS A SWORD? MAYBE FIGHT BACK?

Hah. Weak ass fuckin Atlas people. Also the clock going off in the back ground twelve times. How fitting. Welcome to midnight.

Also shes kind of glowing here cause the room is dark, and I find it amusing this is probably the last time she wears white.

And THERES the Cinder we know

Sick ass music, cool. Also THAT is an interesting semblance...I guess he turns himself to metal? Also DAMN his aura broke after THAT? Hes a Huntsman...ah who cares. Again probably in Cinders memory more than anything. Which at this point is probably about as reliable as a coked up hookers.

SHANKED. Sucker. You shoulda seen THAT one coming.

And thats all it took to get the shock collar off. Lol.

So what happened to the hotel? Did they just...write it off? I mean four people got murdered in there...

And now we’re back on the whale. HOW THE SCREAMING FUCK DID CINDER JUST...

Wow. She just got up after eating that blast. Fucking plot armor.

Merc making the hard calls honestly. Im actually gonna watch all of this now which is nice because I want to know whats happening in the real world. PITY MORE THAN HALF THE EPISODE WAS THIS FUCKING FILLER.

I like how Cinder just...goes quiet the moment she realizes shes lost Mercury. Not that he was USEFUL mind you but if I had to guess she liked being the boss. But now shes...basically back where she started.

So the whale is basically a ship. It has a bridge. Probably Salems throne room.

Man, Oscars literally just RTs punching bag this season isnt he? Literally in this case.

His clothes are still scortched too which I find interesting. The black eyes also staying. Auras not back up then? Aura repair and regen seems...werid half the time. Like RT does what they want with it.

Ah so someone finally says it...but at the same time what exactly does Salem have to fear? If she cant fight the whole world...what could they do? Maybe overwhelming her? It...Im having a hard time putting the “she cant be stopped” with “shes afraid of fighting all of Remnant”.

Somethings missing here. I know it.

The sound of the “door” opening reminds me of the Flood doors in High Charity in Halo 3s Cortana. Fleshy twisting.

Mention from Hazel, but AGAIN...no details. I guess if you nail down how she can do stuff its harder to write?

Glad someone made a comment on the futility of the Hunter academies.

I really hate how Salems giving us creepy mommy shades.

Hmm. So yeah the bridge IS the throne room/command deck. I like how Neo doesnt give a fuck is just casually kneeling.

Ah okay THATS why he grabbed the scroll.

Heh. Interesting. How exactly does this work I wonder.

...Why does Salem have a ring. Has she always had that ring?

Neo looking at the Hound like “oh, I could ride this thing”.

Oh cool the Ace Ops. And they’re arguing, shocker. Sounds like Elm doesnt trust tech either. No shock there. Idiot.

Atlas elite. Yeah, right.

Huh, is this a Manta with landing gear? I guess they do have them...seems kind of silly to have them so high up though. I guess thats what the thing under the door is for, so they can deploy a ramp. Man, I really dont like Atlas’s airship design.

Hare needs some fuckin suppresants.

Annnnddd...here we go, things go straight to hell. I was warned of this. I am going to try and not be mad...but from what Ive heard the incomptence of the military in this particular section is astronomical.

Huh. So...Grimm can be convirted into a rock-punching liquid? Interesting. Has that always been a thing or... Also why the fuck are you jsut standing there in awe, go kill the fucking thing! Fucking Specialists.

...that is all it took to get through Atlas’s shield? THAT?

I also love how no one does anything. Ironwoods like “wait what the fuck”. Come on bro.

And...thats the Atlas navy. Everyone. Two lasers. One of which missed. Remind me again what exactly these things are used to shoot?

Wait, no, that took down part of it, and then the rest is, surprise, hitting the soft rock on the outside.

THERE goes the shield.

Hang on a second, how long have those giant squid things been there?

And...what. The whale just approaches, nothing happens? You’ve got 12 fucking ships there, shoot the fucking thing.

Again, WHY IS NO ONE DOING ANYTHING?

Oh, it just beach-headed. Okay fine, whatever.

Im not really worried.

Lets see how RT makes this WORSE though...

And thats this weeks episode.

#rwby #rwby v8 #spoilers #rwby spoilers

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raguna-blade · 4 years

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Revolutionary Girl Utena 25-29

Hey we’re 10 eps away from the endgame and me actually properly compiling this into something comprehensible because ohgodi’mtryingnottothinkaboutcreepyfuckakio. Sick flips on him though shit i’ll give him that.

Episode 25

So in light of the next episode preview, the opening is 100% more ominous.

Uh...Uh..Cars? Driving?Is...That Akio in the car?

WHO THE FUCK IS THAT. Akio?Uh...Uh...Am I reading too deep? That whole driving sequence felt...uh.

Goddamnit akio.

Holy shit the room is nice though. Like damn.

Wakaba...Ok, I get it.

Akio just god.

….Roses cutting between utena and anthy and family. Uh...hm.

Oh...Uh...Akio looked furious.

WHO THE FUCK IS THAT? Who are these people in the bck?

Rose duel place got...a gondola? Changed up?

The baseball metaphor suggests Saonji about to get blown the fuck out?

OH GOD NO FUCK PLEASE.

MORNING STAR? DERIVATIVE NAME? THIS FUCKER IS THE DEVIL

Anthy Framing is...uh...metaphro. Terrifying.

Is...Is anthy Jealous?

The Evil Laugh cinches any chance of this being ok.

….the Yin Yang thing? Again...

you seem familiar to me too? Uh...Anthy?

...Is that Dios?

THE TRUTH IS WHAT? WHATS THE TRUTH ANTHY?

Saionji played himself.

….Is...The car thing...What the hell? Why did his shirt fly open. And the Car...?

….What's with the horn...?

Akio, why do you look like a knock off dios...?

Is this a Touga Saionji centric ep...? Is this a bro moment? I mean fuck touga, he ain't trustworthy, saionji had it right.

Akio saved the Girl who is implied to be utena. But...He's been in the castle for years.

Akio where the FUCK is your shirt.

Ok, that was actually cool as hell, I just wish he wasn't you know...Him.

...Saionji feelin himself again after the ride with Akio. Which...God, i'm hoping it's just me reading too much into shit and not that what I think happened happened.

Saionji, what the actual shit. Why is it every time you drop further down?

Shadow girls old schoolll?

Half the suffering twice the pleasure...?

Oh shit is this a new Apocalypse? Yeah man. YEAH MAN SHIT LOOKS DOPE ABSOLUTE

WHAT THE FUCK UTENA YOU NOT GONNA REACT TO ANTHY JUST...ANY OF THAT?

What's with the tree?...Is the lipstick new?

But the flower bush through anthy's clothes...?

That car...?

….He's not wrong at the moment about the lack of will.

What the fuck is going on with these cars...?

Oh...Oh boy saionji that face. I just realized he shows up almost without fail when shits about to go wrong.

...The Sword...? What the fuck? Did Anthy...?

Is this a remix?

….Uh...Huh. That's...Utena's Sword? That 's utena's sword. I guess...Drawn from her by Anthy. For the first time really clearly showing volition.

….Oh god damnit. Akio. Fucking.

The Sword of Dios did not appear..?Huh.

Anthy hesitated and...Akio hm. Yeah, I mean no surprise but.

And Akios made of stars now.

OH SHIT NEW CLOSING?

On the elevator...And stars? Something BIG changed I think. That's what it feels like but fucking what? ABSOLUTELY NO DIOS here, no akio like, none of it. Just anthy and utena.

Huh. So is everyone fighting Utean again?

Episode 26

Oh hey, I guess the uncomfortable car ride is the new thing.

And now Akio want's Anthy engaged to someone else huh. WONDER WHY.

And Touga. Touga you being played. You don't even realize. Or do you?

...Kozue how did you...?

Birds?

Also, jessu you two please.

Chuchu what the hell are you doing.

Kozue. Uh...?

That person. What's the beef with their parents.

Also, why does Anthy know so much about birds?

The voice thing was....?

Akio, what do you think of her. Yee. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

ANTHY DO SOMETHING YOU'RE LIKE THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD!?

Also, is the sleeping thing a new repeat scene?

Harsh as hell indeed. Typical Anthy.

Defeat Utean for the good of the duelists.

Adults saying it's for their own good, not trustworthy huh.

Also that chair.

What the fuck is anthy doing at Miki's dads place...?

Is...Is that ACTUALLY anthy?I don't think so...Anthy as a symbol?????

What? WHAT THAT...can't be right.

GOD DAMNIT AKIO. Wait, isn't this the same shit Touga pulled?

Touga....Goddamnit. Wait. This is person 2 saying I reject being a duelist, and Touga shows up like some weird fucking devil.

THERE! CAN'T YOU HEAR IT!?

New Hellavator confirmed.

Kozue and Miki? MIKI HE'S DATING A SCHOOL GIRL ITS NOT OK

...Yeah the...disheveledness. This uh...Hm.

Become impure as well. Lose your purity. uh. Uhhhhhh....

The fucking rose? AGAIN?

Seduced Touga. Yeah, ok, the implication is uh...yeah.

Utena standing on the landmine. Utena's oh no is yeah.

Ufo Crash? Again? Gambling Shadow Girls...? This is clearly about Miki getting suckered.

So Absolute destiny time and...Yeah, some weird shit is going down here. And it seems like Utena is ABSOLUTELY fucking shit up for someone.

Oh wait, anthy's outfit full of pink roses. Filled up with thoughts of Utena? Huh.

BLUE ROSEBRIDEOUTFIT?...wait what? But it's Kozue. And no longer trying to draw anthy's sword huh.

Kozue...What the fuck?

And Miki, I thought you were over this shit.

Why are they...both in the car. oh..Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. And Anthy is just kinda dead.

Um. Uh...Kozue....? what the Actual fuck are you doing? I mean I know what it looks like so. But Uh...And Anthy, you wain't doing nothing?

Straight up called Miki a coward...Which..ok. I think I get why...? I don't get why.

Do you have any problems you can't tell people about...?

Episode 27

...Wait is this Nanami's Duel time? Oh boy...

What's with eggs though...?

Did...did she lay an egg....? Is...Is this a menstration thing....?

I can't tell if this is literal or a symbol because this series is just like that.

Full on ATE that ball to the face. God.

I'm not even sure if this is filler episode nonsense because it's just...

I mean we got the boy, so probably “filler” but...

...So it was actually laid. And it looks like a easter egg.

...Rose again.

THIS 100% reads like some kind of discovering new things about your body thing. Like I ain't familiar with young girls fiction so...

oh hey it's juri.

Making fun of me for being so late its...

this bowling ball thing is...what.

This

What the fuck I can't even.

Juri looking FRESH on the blowing alley.

So...What's even going on here. What's the...

These fucking Songs for nanami though.

I'm half waiting for the episode to reveal yeah laying eggs it's the thing that happens you know how it is.

JESUS. The Boy Hey if there's a problem I want you to talk to me. Which is Utena and anthy ALL over again. So...Nanami's reaction is...Anthy's...?

….Anthy. Anthy do you know what happened? With whatever weird bullshit I 100% believe you had something to do with it.

…............I prefer girls. I too prefer Girls

Touga: ITS ONLY BOYS AND GIRLS WHO GET TOGETHER THAT WAY. NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT FEELS.

Also, going against gods plan huh...?

is...what...is the what is the egg metaphor even DOING here. Like, pitty the family who's daugther lays eggs and...what.

Shadow Girls....wha...what the fu

treating this like an actual child which...ok...uh...what is...

Is the egg laying thing a saying that didn't translate?

Another song...?

Saionji what the fuck are you...doing.

Eggs are something you normally eat.

Jessu nanami got the blows.

Saionji, Hey you want some eggs I got eggs. Midnight Egg Frying. Respect for that.

...now utena and Anthy...wha...what?

Do you believe in reincarnation...? Elephants dying by themselves.

Yes utena, why are we talking about this.

...Wait, if Nanami is Anthy....did...wait...I...do not

what the christ is happening with this egg.

Oh hey, the chick broke the shell.

Was that a dream ANOTHER EGG?

Also, why are we getting a filler episode. We usually only get those after some hardcore nonsense.

….Why does anthy look so fucking sad.

Episode 28

Oh hey, it's a rose. ...Also, prefers girls, next episode is about Juri. uh...hm.

Who's this douchebag.

Why is this music so fucking ominous. Did Akio bring in a ringer.

...Did they draw? He won.

Ex Captain. Is this the dude Shiori was into.

Luka Suchi(spelling?). The Actual Captain. Ruka. Ruka.

He a duelist. And Juri doesn't sound happy about it.

Who is this douchebag. Touga 2.0 Better. Smoother(?) Bluer?

Is...Is he the only male fencer there...? Wait, are the fencers mostly women?

Tsuchiya. So it was the captain then who Shiori was into and did that whole thing. No wonder she doesn't like him.

Uh hold up, I mean you do you. Oh the two seem happy. Well...that's..fine...?

Oh here's Juri, lookin fucking pissed.

Keep your hands off Shiori.

Ruka is...suspect as fuck I mean that's a given but.

Hey it's the bed again.

OH YOU GET BAD VIBES FROM RUKA AND NOT AKIO? HOW. HOW HES 100000% LESS SUSPECT AND YET?

I mean it sucks for Juri, but Oh nope there he's doing it to piss off juri for some reason. What a douche. Damn.

Deffo Touga 2.0 Less overtly sexual though so...Improvement...?

What the...What the hell did Ruka do that she doesn't trust him so much?

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE TOUGA?

….Is...the Car? Juri? It's gotta be right?

Finally someone looking at him with sufficient what the fuck

…..You're an adult now...uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Where did your...shirt go..

AKIO AKIO WHAT.

THROB OF THE ENGINE

Car is 10000000% something about sex, but like...

Shiori feels...odd. Here.

Shadow girls. What...? god what? um...the...ok. That felt...weirdly uncomfortable.

The gap between these shadow girl duel car sections is getting smaller I swear.

Another Rose Bride huh.

That was oddly humble of a duelist admitting he might lose.

Homie is WEIRDLY humble and it is throwing me no lie.

So wait, the car is I guess sex or something so...wait, does that mean that Kozue and Anthy had sex at some point.?

And I suppose them crashing is the things didn't work out kinda thing. Kozue looks fucked UP.

Ruka failed because of his rose bride? Huh. And then we cut to Juri...? hooooooooooboy. Nope don't like the implications at all there.

Episode 29

Believe in Miracles huh...Yeah it's...Juri time.

Oh she wasn't polishing Ruka's sword huh...

Oh damn this looks bad. Shiori you got attatched FAST. What the fuck...happened.

And she's just devastated so that's uh...not...greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

Juri is PISSED.

Juri, I am NOT INVOVLED IN THIS RELATIONSHIP DRAMA. NOPE NOT I.

Anthy. ANTHY PLEASE JUST SAY SOMETHING GOD. PLEASE.

Shiori. Kinda...Kinda stalkery there.

Uuuuuuuugh. Another schemer. But Blue. With I guess Akio inbetween.

Shiori does not look...well. Her reaction to Juri seems...Uh..Hm.

Juri. Fuck him upppppppppp.

….Wow this got a bit uh...REALLY RAPEY NEVER MIND. FUCK THIS GUYYYYYYYYY.

Is...that why she...hm. Ruka is A DOUCHE. Full on. Goddamn.

...You challenged him to a duel? Juri. JURI NOOOOOOOO.

Goddamnit. Can't you hear it. Fucking hell akio again.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooodamnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

DO ANYTHING I ASKED YOU TO. DAMNIT

Is...ruka driving? No. that is not the case.

Ruka: I make you better.

Hoboy. Believe in miracles and they'll know your feelings. JURI said this?

Juri..Actually seems pretty in control here. Ok. Not happy about it but...Objectives.

Does nobody question these cars though?

DESTINY TIMMMMME.

God, can we get Ruka punched in the jaw? Just...Rocked right across the jaw a couple of times?

Juri is 1000000% not feeling this. Like...not at all

Juri losing when she's off her game don't count. She got played. That was that touga anthy bullshit all over again.

Actually...yeah it is isn't it. Hm

The Super Move Failed. And Juri is uh...not handling it. At all. There goes that brooch and...hoo. This is painful to watch.

Took the rose off. Fuck this shit.

Its...raining. That's...weird. Just on the dueling arena.

Hit him. HIT HIM.

I swear i'll make it right? Fucking how? HIT HIM.

Juri don't believe it.

And Ruka...fucked off? Huh?

Did...did Ruka die. So he...did that for...Juri? And...

what?

And her unreaction to the shadow girls....hm

wish as hard as you can and they will know your feelings huh.

#revolutionary girl utena #LIveblog #the hits don't stop coming do they.

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constantviewings · 5 years

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The TV Show Trials - Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series is an animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski and produced by Warner Bros Entertainment.

Bonus review of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm at the end!

Batman and Robin, a pair of caped crusaders, battle crime in Gotham City.

Almost Got ‘Im

In a bar, a collection of Batman’s enemies chat about their failed attempts to kill him.

This episode is formatted as a clip show, providing four stories on top of the main plot of the episode. This episode was a great filler as it showcased so many villains including The Penguin who I, unfortunately, didn’t watch a whole episode dedicated towards.

Heart of Ice

Batman must stop a vengeful Mr Freeze from fulfilling his vendetta against a callous business man.

Heart of Ice was the first episode I watched and I think it was the perfect starting off point. I only found this out while writing this review, but this episode depicts an entirely different origin story for Mr Freeze compared to his debut; though the storyline depicted in this episode quickly became canon in all other media portrayals.

Two-Face

Thought the ever calm Harvey Dent puts on a happy face in his bid for re-election as Gotham’s District Attorney, he can’t still supress the psychopathic split personality of ‘Big Bad Harv’.

I really enjoyed this pair of episodes and how easy it is to sympathise with Harvey Dent and, to an extent, Two-Face. This series also includes my favourite, and perhaps the most iconic, design of Two-Face.

Robins Reckoning

When Robin discovers that the thug who murdered his parents is back in Gotham City, he recalls the vents of his life as a young circus performer and the tragedy that made him an orphan.

There are an awful lot of dead parents in the Batman franchise aren’t there? I loved seeing Robin take centre stage in these two episodes and watching how he came under Bruce Wayne’s tutelage.

Harley and Ivy

After a failed heist, a frustrated Joker boots Harley Quinn from his gang and leads her to form a partnership with fellow criminal Poison Ivy. Both The Joker and Batman set out to stop the amazing duo. Little do they know, no man can stop Harley and Ivy.

I loved this episode. Besides The Joker, Harley and Ivy were the only other Batman villains that I had decent knowledge about and I loved seeing this iconic pair work together. The Queens of Crime being foiled by another woman was a nice twist that subverted expectations, especially for this series.

Over the Edge

Batman and his allies have their secret identities exposed and are now being hunted by the Gotham City Police.

Now don’t start complaining that this is from The New Batman Adventures and not Batman: The Animated Series, but given the fact that it was mentioned on eight different lists of the best Batman: The Animated Series episodes; it counts. I’ll be honest, I was somewhat confused during the first half of this episode, as I feel most first-time viewers would have been, but I am a sucker for the ‘it was all a dream’ trope. Though my only issue with this episode was seeing Nightwing with long hair; gross.

The Demon’s Quest

Robin is kidnapped, and Batman unexpectedly joins forces with Ra’s Al Ghul, whose daughter Talia has also been taken.

I didn’t really enjoy this pair of episodes; that is the only time I will say this. By half-way though the first episode, I found myself to not being paying any attention and ended up leaving the episodes on in the background; so much so, that I don’t remember anything that happened.

Beware the Grey Ghost

Gotham City is struck by a series of remote activated bombings as a warning to a ransom demand. Batman realizes that the pattern of the recent bombings is based on an episode of an old television show, the “Gray Ghost”. Seeking information, Batman visits the actor who played the TV hero, Simon Trent.

This episode revolves around an interesting narrative device that shows both a young Bruce watching The Gray Ghost and present Bruce solving the crimes. Another feature that I only discovered upon writing this review is that Adam West voiced The Gray Ghost.

Joker’s Favour

An everyman schmo named Charlie Collins insults the wrong super villain on the road, leaving the terrified loser at the beck and call of The Joker. Two years later, he crashes in with Collins, who desperately tries to find a way to alert Batman to his master’s evil scheme.

This is an interesting episode, with the focus being on an everyday citizen who gets caught up in the crime world. Featuring Mark Hamill’s iconic performance as The Joker being the icing on top of a well written and entertaining episode.

Perchance To Dream

After being knocked out in a mysterious warehouse, batman wakes up in an alternate existence that’s seen Bruce Wayne lead a fulfilled life with his family and fiancée Selina Kyle. But Wayne’s inability of live the dream reveals his mind to be in the thrall of The Mad Hatter.

I quite enjoyed this episode, especially as it highlights how much of Bruce Wayne’s personality and purpose is taken up by Batman. I don’t know much about The Mad Hatter and his ‘abilities’ so which did leave me somewhat confused, but it didn’t effect my viewing experience.

Zatanna

When the glamorous magician Zatanna is framed for a robbery during her act, Batman swings to her defence. Zatanna is grateful though a little puzzled by the Dark Knight’s commitment to prove her innocence, but the two heroes unite and use the skills her father, Zatara, taught them to expose and combat an evil illusionist.

I loved this episode, particularly the relationship between Bruce and Zatanna when they were younger. I don’t remember much of this episode outside of that.

Trial

Gotham’s deadliest criminals, The Joker, Two-Face, Mad Hatter, The Ventriloquist, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy among many others, kidnap Batman and put him on trial in Arkham Asylum. The Dark Knight’s only hope rests with District Attorney Janet Can Dorn who, despite her anti-atman stance, is forced to defend the Caped Crusader’s life as well as her own.

Another villain-filled episode I really enjoyed. I’ve always enjoyed the aspect of superhero media that delves into the moral and justice-based side and this episode fully satisfied my craving. That, combined with the story of a DA coming to term with Batman’s presence in Gotham makes for a great episode.

If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?

After being fired from Competitron; Edward Nygma takes over the identity of The Riddler in order to get vengeance over his former boss Daniel Mockridge. It is up to Batman and Robin to decipher the riddles that Nygma has been placing for them in order to save Mockridge from Riddler’s vengeance.

While writing this review, I did happen to confuse this episode with another episode featuring The Riddler; take of that what you will. Apart from that, I really enjoyed this episode.

The Cat and the Claw

Catwoman and Batman join forces in an attempt to foil the evil forces of a terrorist by the name of Red Claw.

The pairing of Catwoman and Batman has always been a great one and this episode proves no different.

What is Reality?

When the Riddler traps Commissioner Gordon’s consciousness in a virtual reality device, Batman must enter the villain’s construct to save him.

The only negative aspect of this episode is the dated understanding of Virtual Reality technology. Looking past this, this episode provides a great viewing experience.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

I never thought Batman’s origin story could get more tragic, but alas, this film proved me wrong. Featuring great animation, a compelling story, a darker tone compared to the animated series and a compact runtime of only 76 minutes, Mask of the Phantasm is a fantastic film that covers ground untouched by the animated series.

Rating: 4

After watching Batman: The Animated Series, I now understand why it is held in such high regard by Batman fans. Its compelling stories combined with iconic characters and performances make for a viewing experience unlike any you will find among any other Batman media.

Did I like this show? Absolutely.

Will I continue watching? I would love to watch the entire series from beginning to end, but that’s for another time.

Artist Credits

George Caltsoudas

Phantom City Creative - Justin Erickson

Ken Turner

#The TV Show Trials #Batman: The Animated Series #Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

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