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watchathon · 3 years

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That Update Post I’ve Been Meaning To Do

So, I have finally finished Kamen Rider Build, save for a few extra things which I may or may not do eventually.

And that means I’m back to doing more western animation, at least until January next year when I cover yet another tokusatsu, because this blog has the most confused demographic ever.

First up: starting next Monday, May 17th, I will be covering Season 3 of Carmen Sandiego, saving the fourth and final season for September. I know I said before that I’d only cover one season a year for every series, but when one of those seasons is only five episodes and the other is eight? Yeah, I can do two.

Then, I will be starting a whole new series at the start of summer vacation in my county, June 7th. Well, okay, technically summer vacation starts on June 9th here, but I don’t wanna start on a Wednesday, so...

Anyway! You might be asking, why specifically do I want to start at the same time as summer vacation? Why would it be appropriate to start specifically at the same time as kids around the country are leaving behind school for a few months?

Well, hypothetical person asking these questions, to that I say: Summer vacation only lasts so long, before school comes along just to end it! So, the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it. Like, maybe...

Watching and analyzing Phineas and Ferb, the cartoon that I and many from my generation consider to be the absolute best cartoon we grew up with!

This is, like Kamen Rider Build, a series that I’ve been wanting to do since before I even started the blog. Why, it was one of the reasons I wanted to start the blog; to log my thoughts as I revisited my favorite cartoon from childhood.

Phineas and Ferb is one of those series that stays just as good when you’re an adult as it was when you were a kid, but I’ve never really given it a full rewatch, only ever watching a scant few episodes.

Heck, come to think of it, I don’t believe I’ve ever actually watched Phineas and Ferb properly. Considering that as a kid, I just watched reruns as they came on, which left me unable to really appreciate the character development and continuity.

So join me, come June 7th, as I watch Phineas and Ferb in order for the first time in my life!

(PS: As I said before, I’ll only be covering one season, the very first, to avoid burnout, but I think that’s really for the best so I can give my best in terms of analysis. Also, I don’t think it would be possible to finish all four seasons plus specials and two movies, before I’m due to finish off Carmen Sandiego in September. Not to mention the 12 Days of Christmas...)

#meta #non-watchathon #Phineas and Ferb #Phineas & Ferb

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watchathon · 3 years

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“I’ll watch all of these episodes and write out all of these posts ahead of time so that I don’t miss a day!” she said, foolishly, before forgetting to publish the post for the season finale.

Anyways, sorry for being a day late, but that post on the Season 3 finale of Carmen Sandiego is coming right up.

#meta #non-watchathon

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watchathon · 3 years

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Hello, 2021! A brand new year, just about guaranteed to be better than the one we just had. And the start of a brand new age for this humble blog we call the Watchathon.

First things first, I’m not doing a whole multi-season show in one year again. ATLA is only three twenty-episode seasons and it still took a lot out of me. For the selfish reason of my own mental health, any other shows with multiple seasons will be one season a year.

Not to say that I’m only doing one season of TV a year. Not only am I hoping to catch this blog up on Carmen Sandiego and Hilda sometime this year, I’m starting a new show this summer.

And then there’s the matter of that show I was teasing in my post about Sozin’s Comet. Love and peace, was the phrase that brought this to mind. A show where a driving theme is whether or not such a world is even possible, especially when the situation just keeps getting worse and worse.

The next show I have in line for the Watchathon? Kamen Rider Build.

This show is one that I’ve been wanting to cover since I started this blog. Though it is a lot more niche than anything I’ve covered so far, and that would probably include everything I covered for 12 Days of Christmas, so I’m not expecting many notes. Unless, somehow, hopefully, I can introduce a few of my 50 followers and 20 bots to check it out.

And I would recommend that you check it out, because, if you can get past the colorful suits, and the belts reciting toy jingles, then I think you’ll find that Build, and many other Kamen Rider series, are in the top echelon of superhero stories.

Specifically talking about Build, I don’t think I’ve seen another series with this many twists and turns, where none of them feel like they’re coming out of nowhere. I don’t think I’ve seen another show that balances lighthearted and dark moments quite so well.

But, I should probably save some of my gushing for during and after my watching the show, huh?

I’ll be using the complete series batch from OZC-Live, which has Over-Time subs on the Blu-Ray version with some revisions for consistency. If, somehow, I’ve convinced anyone to give this show a chance, then I would recommend KRDL.moe for by-the-episode downloads.

Join me on Monday for the start of the first (but definitely not the last) tokusatsu series I’ll be covering on the Watchathon.

#non-watchathon #meta #Kamen Rider #Kamen Rider Build

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watchathon · 3 years

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Taking the day off for my birthday, gonna be back tomorrow!

#meta #non-watchathon

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watchathon · 4 years

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Plans for the future of the Watchathon

I guess the first thing I should say is that this blog is going to be a seasonal thing. I couldn’t imagine going on continuously. I’m going to take a hiatus after Carmen Sandiego season 2 and ATLA Book 3 are done, then go back to the “episode-every-weekday” format next year. Probably some one-season shows before I eventually go back fully to the multi-season stuff.

In the meantime, I’ll still be covering movies on special occasions like Halloween and Christmas. I’m really excited for my Christmas plans, in particular.

And secondly, I’m going to be covering Carmen Sandiego season 2 before I go on to Book 3 of ATLA. Both for the selfish reasoning of not wanting to cover season 2 while I’m watching season 3 in my own time, and so that I can end this season of the Watchathon with ATLA, as I began with ATLA.

See you tomorrow for Carmen Sandiego, Season 2, Episode 1: The Hot Rocks of Rio Caper Part 1

#meta #non-Watchathon

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watchathon · 4 years

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Now, I’d been planning since the start of this blog on doing a season of some other show as a break in between seasons of ATLA (and future shows I’ll cover), rather than doing every season in a row. Variety is the spice of life and all that. But I’m thinking now that maybe it might not interest the people following this blog.

Not to mention (speaking selfishly) that I may get antsy myself waiting for whatever I’m covering to finish so I can get back to Avatar. But on the other hand, I may get impatient for Avatar to finish so I can cover something else I like.

I kept going back and forth, so I figured I should ask my followers for their input! Answer honestly, I just want to get a feel for what you guys would want. The deadline is two days from now on the 25th.

EDIT: I should add, for the case of Avatar at least, the shows I’m planning on covering have very short seasons. Like, 10-13 episodes.

EDIT 2: I should note that this is just for Avatar. No way am I gonna do, like, all four 26-episode seasons of Phineas and Ferb without a break.

#non-watchathon

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watchathon · 4 years

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The problem with doing a blog where I cover TV shows, watched using Netflix, is that if two other people in my family are watching Netflix at night then I end up having to skip a day.

#meta #non-watchathon

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watchathon · 4 years

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So what’s next?

So, I’m now done with Book 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender. But what kind of action do I take from here?

Well, for one thing, I’m making a bit of a change. From now on, I’m taking Saturday and Sunday off except for special occasions. I guess I would’ve never been able to do a post every day without taking the accidental day off. But two regular, scheduled days off, and a post every weekday? That just might work.

Another thing is, my poll about whether I should cover two shows at a time didn’t get any votes, so, I’m going with my heart and I will be posting about Avatar: The Last Airbender and season 1 of Hilda.

Besides that, everything is staying the same. Same format of the posts, same unexpected delays, same everything except I’m not trying to blog about the same show every day.

See you on Monday for episode one of Book 2, and on Tuesday for episode one of Hilda! Or, well, see you tonight for a special bonus post...

#non-watchathon

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watchathon · 3 years

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Okay, y’know what? To make up for all these technical issues that have been delaying posts, no more weekend breaks for the rest of Kamen Rider Build. If I go any more days without posting, you can assume it’s my laptop screwing me over yet again.

#meta #non-watchathon

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watchathon · 3 years

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Avatar: The Last Airbender, Series Finale: Sozin’s Comet

In case you’re finding this post just by browsing the tags I’ve used for this post, this is the Watchathon, a blog where I’m hoping to watch an episode of a TV show every weekday, with a short blog post where I write down my thoughts as I watch. Each new thought starts with a hyphen and a bolded first word.

- Like so. Now that the introductions are over with, it’s time to break that one-episode-a-day rule and finish off Avatar: The Last Airbender with the climactic grand finale, Sozin’s Comet:

PART 1: THE PHOENIX KING

- Okay, so, Katara in the intro is still saying “He has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone.” I could’ve sworn they removed that part by this point... Maybe that was just something for the DVD?

- I like that the “Previously on” segment is so long. It really emphasizes how much buildup there was to this. How much the Gaang has been through to get here.

- I gotta say, I was not expecting a beach party in this episode.

- Somehow, for reasons I can’t explain because I don’t understand them myself, this ambush from Zuko made the audio of Nicolas Cage saying “Surprise attack!” in Into the Spider-Verse play in my head.

- Zuko’s really lucky that he earned Katara’s forgiveness before this violent pop quiz, seeing as just a half season ago... “You take one step backwards... one slip up... give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang - and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there. Permanently.”

- It never occurred to me that we didn’t get details on the war meeting before now.

- I’d bet hearing about this plan is the thing that tipped the scales and fully convinced Zuko to join the Gaang, and prevent the genocide of the Earth Kingdom.

- It’s so nice to see Zuko being welcomed into the group hugs. Especially when it’s Katara who invites him.

- I like that Zuko is teaching Aang to redirect lightning, the same way Iroh taught him.

- Even before it’s made explicit, you can tell that Aang’s uneasy about the idea of killing.

- Toph is just delighting in her role as Melon Lord, isn’t she?

- Someone out there has definitely written an AU fanfic where someone gets killed during this training and it’s Toph’s origin story as the malicious Melon Lord. If not, then I will write it myself, and it shall be the crackiest crack fic that ever cracked.

- Y’know what, I wish Toph could’ve actually gone on a life-changing field trip with Zuko too! Everyone else got one...

- This scene of Sokka climbing into Appa’s mouth is even more uncomfortable once you’ve... well, once you’ve grown up and... Okay, I tried to put it subtly, but I just can’t: Once you’ve been cursed with the knowledge of what vore is.

- Well, there’s a bait-and-switch if I’ve ever seen one: “Azula, you’re the new Fire Lord!” “=)” “But I am now the Phoenix King and still your superior who you will answer to.” “=O”

- Nice to see June and her Shirshu make a comeback.

- Does this mean Aang wasn’t running away on purpose? I honestly thought he was just going to that island to get some alone time, maybe meditate or contact the previous Avatars’ spirits.

PART 2: THE OLD MASTERS

- I’m not sure if this is something I forgot from June’s first appearance, or if it’s actually just never been brought up before, but I didn’t know her Shirshu had a name.

- It’s sweet that Zuko is seeking out Iroh’s help. Even if the method of finding him is, ah, well... unorthodox.

- Even Avatar Roku doesn’t know where Aang is. And here I thought it was some Avatar thing that had never been brought up before.

- It’s nice to see these people make a comeback. Bumi, Piandao, even Jeong Jeong and Master Pakku are here for the finale.

- I am surprised that we didn’t get an interaction between Toph and Bumi, though. The man Aang wanted to teach him Earthbending, the girl who ended up doing it... But I guess there’s only so much time, and I don’t think there’s any scenes that could be deleted to make room for it.

- It seems like Aang is just searching for confirmation of his beliefs, rather than actually seeking wisdom.

- I like that we get to see Bumi taking full advantage of the eclipse to take back Omashu from the Fire Nation, instead of just being told about it.

- It’s nice to see so many past Avatars beyond just Roku and Kyoshi, Avatars that we never heard of before, but now we hear their stories. But all of these past Avatars echo the same sentiment that Aang should kill Ozai, even an Air Nomad Avatar.

- What can I say about this scene of Zuko and Iroh reuniting? Forgive me for echoing a post I made on my main blog, but this is a scene that’s both sweet and sad.

Sad, because Zuko’s abuse at the hands of Fire Lord Ozai left him anxiously expecting furious punishment for crimes much less than what he did to Iroh. He can’t even comprehend the idea that Iroh would forgive him. His expression while apologizing to Iroh clearly shows he’s expecting the worst.

Sweet, because Iroh still loves Zuko like his own son, and doesn’t even need to forgive him because he never felt anger at Zuko’s betrayal: Only sadness and a worry that Zuko had lost his way, truly lost his honor. And Iroh is so clearly happy to see that Zuko has found his destiny, and joined the fight against the Fire Nation.

I could go on and on about this scene... It’s my absolute favorite scene in the whole series and it brings me to tears every single time I see it.

Gosh... it’s gonna be so awkward going back to the jokes and little mundane thoughts after this, isn’t it?

- Okay, I have officially given up on the idea of finding out what the heck this island is.

- I like the smile on Katara’s face, when she’s asked to team up with Zuko and fight Azula.

- It’s nice to know that Iroh will get the opportunity to run that tea shop, even if Zuko won’t be there to work with him.

- Okay, okay, so the island was actually a lion turtle. Frankly, I’ve still got a lot of questions. Even some new ones.

- It’s nice to see that the Netlix subtitles aren’t ALLCAPS anymore.

PART 3: INTO THE INFERNO

- Gotta hand it to the music, it can make even a scene of Azula making a fuss over a non-pitted cherry rather unnerving.

- Azula’s... Azula-ness has gone straight up to eleven with her newfound role. Hasn’t it? What with all the banishments, even banishing the entire Dai Li.

- Sokka, Suki and Toph are the real dream team.

- And we get a great final blind joke!

- I like that we get to see everyone doing their part in this final battle. All the members of the Gaang, even the White Lotus, get their moments to shine.

- The hallucination of Ursa shows that Azula, on some level, has an idea of what’s wrong with her. You can tell that they were thinking of a redemption arc for Azula come Book 4, though I am glad that didn’t happen.

- It’s chilling to see Ozai razing the forests of the Earth Kingdom like it’s nothing. And then to realize that this is what Aang will have to face.

- At first I wasn’t sure what Sokka’s plan was, but now that I see it in action, it’s really creative.

- I like the idea of a final one-on-one Zuko vs Azula duel(...a). It’s been a rivalry since Book 2, and it’s nice to finally see it get settled, even if I can’t imagine it’ll end up that easy: Otherwise, what would Katara do?

- It’s so cool to see Aang showing his prowess in all bending techniques, using them all in this final showdown.

- The background music during Zuko and Azula’s Agni Kai really sells it. It makes it sound almost tragic, and it is: two siblings pitted against each other, no choice but to fight to determine the future of the world.

- Azula might be slipping, but she’s still Azula, all too willing to cheat in what’s supposed to be a one-on-one duel.

PART 4: AVATAR AANG

- Netflix isn’t showing the intro for the individual parts, but I’ve gotta say... There’s no way that Katara’s still saying Aang’s “got a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone.” Right?

- I like that we get to see one last use of Metalbending from Toph in the finale.

- Dang, I hope this isn’t really the end for Sokka’s sword, or his boomerang. Especially when the sword was so cool, and one could say meaningful.

- I honestly wasn’t sure the Avatar State would ever be a factor again. But if there was ever a time, this is it. (ADDENDUM: This is probably the best time to clarify that I find and add the images at the start after writing the rest of the post.)

- And it’s so epic to see Aang bending all four elements at once.

- I like that Iroh got to burn down the Fire Nation flag.

- Since Zuko’s down for the count, I guess this means a battle between Katara and Azula, the latter powered up by Sozin’s Comet.

- To be honest, I could barely make out what Azula just said. “kjsdbksrbfkjvf family position to look after, kdcbkfh”?

- Katara may not be stronger than Sozin’s Comet-powered Azula, but she’s much more clever than Azula is right now as she loses her marbles.

- This is just the perfect kind of defeat for Azula. There’s no grace to it, no dignity, just writhing around, screaming and spewing fire as Zuko and Katara look on with pity.

- There’s probably a great practical reason someone could find for Spiritbending being a thing, but here’s why I’m glad it exists: Aang gets a happy ending. He gets to take down the Fire Lord, and hold true to his beliefs. If it weren’t for Spiritbending, if Aang killed Ozai, then he would be conflicted to the end.

And I don’t want that. I want Aang to get an unambiguously, undoubtedly happy ending, where the world is saved and that’s all there is to it.

Plus, Spiritbending is quite the spectacle.

- I’m guessing Sokka’s space sword and boomerang really are done for. But hey, there’s always headcanon. Maybe Sokka searched the forest and eventually found them.

- Weird to think that Ty Lee’s gonna be a Kyoshi Warrior.

- Again, I can’t believe Zukaang’s not the most popular Zuko ship in the fandom. Not a ship I’ll go to bat for, but it’s got all the hallmarks of a fan-preferred couple.

- It’s so nice to see Zuko’s coronation, and the official end to the war. It’s a happy ending for the whole world, the start of an era of peace.

- “Love and peace,” huh...? Now that’s funny to hear in the finale to this show, considering the next show I’m covering, come 2021...

- I like that we get to see one last confrontation between Zuko and Ozai. Even if Zuko’s question of where Ursa is doesn’t go anywhere (in the show, I know they touch on that in the comics), it’s nice to see the newly-crowned Fire Lord Zuko having evolved past a need for Ozai’s attention, or a fear of Ozai’s wrath.

- It’s nice to see the whole Gaang having fun at Iroh’s tea shop, in the end. And I stand corrected, this is where we get the final blind joke.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m lucky in that most of my childhood cartoons hold up as an adult. I watched Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb, Code Lyoko, Courage the Cowardly Dog...

Still, there’s something special about Avatar: The Last Airbender. It had a unique aesthetic and world that no other show was quite like. It had a story that was like nothing I’d ever seen as a kid.

And it doesn’t just hold up, it’s even better.

When I was a kid, it was as simple as rooting for the good guys to win, and for the Firebenders to lose, except for Zuko once he turned good.

Now, as an adult (but mostly as someone with a DVD player/Netflix account so I’m not just watching whatever reruns I can catch) I can appreciate the character development, the arcs, the entire story.

I can appreciate how Aang grew from a little boy who does indeed have a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone, into a hero who could save the world.

I can appreciate how Zuko was an abuse victim who did what all abused children wish they could do and left his abuser.

I can appreciate... Gosh, Iroh’s entire character and dynamic with Zuko.

Some people say that Avatar “starts off as a kids show, then turns serious”, but I’d disagree. Avatar is a show where our heroes change, where they learn lessons, where they come of age and become the kind of heroes who can end a war that’s been going on for over a century.

As relieved as I am to be (mostly) done with these posts for the rest of the year, I am still oh-so-glad that I’ve rewatched Avatar yet again, and I know that I will be whenever I rewatch it in the future.

Now, with all that said... Farewell! Until the Christmas special, at least...

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watchathon · 4 years

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Book 3, Chapter 4: Sokka’s Master

- Like so. Now that the introductions are over with, here’s my thoughts on Sokka’s Master:

- I’m thinking this is gonna lead to the Gaang meeting an alien that looks like a housefly who’ll give them a quest to save the world. Or, uh, another quest to save the world.

- This whole crashing meteor really does set up why Sokka might feel kind of useless. He isn’t, not at all, but there’s many situations like this one where the solution is found in Bending. And, being the token non-Bender of the group, he just sort of has to stand by.

- It’s so hard to see Iroh being treated like this, all on his own in a cell that’s just the floor, the walls and the ceiling, his only food being some grey stuff which does not look at all delicious, which he eats off the floor...

- Though, even in these conditions, it would seem as though Iroh’s wise enough to see the value in playing the fool.

- This is so sad, seeing Sokka open up about how it feels to be the one member of the Gaang who can’t fly around or cause earthquakes or heal the sick, or do anything mystical, like they can. Like I said, he isn’t as useless as he feels, but it’s not hard to see why he feels he can’t live up to the others.

- There's a part of me that really wishes I could see Aang fighting in this overly-complex armor. Not because it would be cool, but because it would be a hilarious failure.

- I wonder what Iroh’s planning...

- I like how a display of Sokka’s humility is what gets Piandao to train him. It’s apparent that he’s had many arrogant swordsmen come to his doorstep who demand he teaches them so they can be the best. Someone who humbly asks for training without boasting about how great they are, is the best display of worthiness to Piandao.

- And while Sokka’s training so he can contribute more to combat, we see how much he already contributed outside of combat, from the rest of the Gaang just lying down without anything planned, trying in vain to make sarcastic quips to lighten the mood.

- Sokka’s training under Piandao is pretty unorthodox, but his explanations of how it relates to swordsmanship make a lot of sense.

- Iroh really knows how to pass himself off as an old lunatic. Yet in actuality, with all this endless exercise combined with the wisdom he already had, he’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with by the time he gets out of prison.

- Bless Katara’s heart, she’s really trying with these jokes...

- When I was watching this episode with my mom as a kid, I remember she told me there was a Filipino story about a man who forged a sword from a meteorite. I’ve never been able to find this story, but that always stuck with me.

- I like that Sokka finally came clean about his origins to Piandao. It would’ve been easy to have him hold up the lie for the whole episode, but him being honest means he proves yet again how worthy he truly is, because he won’t accept his master’s praise while said master keeps believing the lie he told about himself.

- Oh good Lord, Iroh is swole as heck!

- Sokka’s been dueling against Piandao’s butler for most of this episode, but here he proves his skill by finally dueling Piandao himself.

- And in that duel, Sokka shows how Piandao’s praise of him isn’t unwarranted. His best resource in this duel not his skill with handling a sword, but his agility, his adapting to his environment and using it to his advantage, and by his resourcefulness.

- I like that Piandao is so open to teaching those from other nations. He’s not one of the many Fire Nation folks who looks down on others, he believes with all his heart that the art of swordsmanship belongs to all.

- And, we end on the bombshell that Piandao is a member of the White Lotus.

- I like that when Toph gets a piece of the meteorite, one of the shapes she bends it into is the (old) Nickelodeon logo.

- This is definitely my favorite Sokka episode. And, it’s a serious contender for my favorite episode in general.

#TV #Avatar The Last Airbender #ATLA #Book 3: Fire #Sokka's Master #Sokka #Iroh #Aang #Piandao #Toph Beifong

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