My Top 11 Batman the Animated Series episodes!

For those of you who don't know, the Nostalgia Critic just put up his new video here. It's his best video in a while, but I disagree with some of his choices. I won't list all the reasons, but a big one is I really hate the original design for the Penguin. I just can't stand it when he looks like that, so sue me. Here's my top 11 favorite Batman the Animated Series episodes, with explanations on ones that he didn't talk about.

#11.

While the Critic had a similar episode here (and even mentioned how similar they were), I prefer this one because: A) I love Harley Quinn. B) It's hilarious. C) I can't stand the mutant design for the Penguin. For those of you who don't know, this episode is where Harley Quinn is pronounced rehabilitated and released from Arkham Asylum, and her struggle to keep on the straight and narrow. No matter how much she regresses, you (and Batman) sympathize and hope she can straighten it out and live free.

#10.

Critic already talked about it, next.

#9.

Here's the setup: a major crime boss dies, and bequeaths a ton of cash to the Joker in his will, even though they hated each other. Joker uses some of it to clear himself of all his past crimes, and sets out to be a free man. There's a great running gag with Harley, and the Joker has some side-splitting dialogue.

#8.

Consider it Criticed.

#7.

In this episode, one of the worst of worst case scenarios happens: the Joker has a nuke. In order to stop him the Batman takes Harley Quinn from Arkham, hoping she will locate him. The episode is one of the funniest in the show, and Harley sings a song at one point that I love with all my heart. The chemistry between Bats and Harley is great, and if you don't laugh once during this episode you have to funny bone.

#6.

Temple Fugate was a man who let his watch rule his life, and when a man told him to take a break and forget about the time, his life fell into shambles within hours. He swore revenge against the man, and as the Clock King set out to ruin his life. this episode is fantastic, with a great villain who comes so close to stopping Batman with only his brain.

#5.

The Critic mentioned this one too, but I just have to add that I teared up and almost cried just from some of the clips he showed. Beautiful.


#4.

An overlooked episode in my opinion, I won't ruin a thing. It needs to be experienced firsthand. I'll just say that it's frightening and adds a new perspective into the superhero mythos: the everyman.

#3.

The Riddler is my favorite supervillain of all time, and he's never been handled as well as he was on this show. (At least until the redesign) His introduction episode is great. The title is perfect, and he way they portray him is exactly as he should be: an egotistical genius who sets up elaborate death traps, but is not silly. He is cold, ruthless, and has a cold fury thing going I love. Plus, him as a game designer is kinda cool.

#2.

Criticed and done.


#1.

Yep, my favorite is a Riddler episode, no surprise there. The idea of him trying his best to go straight, but being unable to because for him matching wits with Bats is like an addiction is genius to me. It shows how great his life could be if he gave it up, but also how he can't because of how obsessed he's become. His breakdown at the end is magic to me, and if they do the Riddler in a new movie soon, that should be used as an influence. Wow, three posts in one night. Time to take a break. Laters.

The Stuff of Legends Review and Request

REVIEW: The Stuff of Legends is a Legend of Zelda High School AU fan fic by ryttu3k. "What's a fan fic?" Good question. 'Fan fic' is short for 'fan fiction', where fans of a series of any kind write their own stories that fit in in some way with the series. "What's a high school au?" Another decent question. 'AU' stands for 'Alternate Universe', and is used in the case where a fan fic is part of a series, but doesn't take place in the exact same universe. In the case of a High School AU, it takes the many characters and changes the setting to that of a modern high school, and the characters change to fit the setting. (Mentor becomes a teacher, rival a bully, etc.) "What is the legend of zelda?" ...now you're just fucking with me.

*Spoiler-free Zone*: This fan fic is 85% greatness. Their new versions of Link, Zelda, Shiek (I know they're not supposed to be separate people, just roll with it) fit the originals and expand upon them. It's a really hilarious story with great references and jokes at the beloved gaming franchise it's based off of. The closest things to problems I have with the majority of the work are the characterization of Ruto (Way too over-the-top), and the choice to make Link and Shiek gay lovers (Not really a flaw, I just don't enjoy reading those scenes. I can't say it's a flaw because if said scenes were girl-on-girl, I'd love them and others would have a problem.) Why do I keep excluding the end? Read below to find out. But beware! Spoilers ahead.





























*SPOILER TERRITORY: BEWARE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE*: The story ends with two twists, one right after the other. Before either it was preparing for a festival, where chosen students would reenact the legend of old (Ocarina of Time's story). Link is chosen for the Hero, Zelda for the Princess, and Secretary of State Ganondorf Dragmire for the King. When the reenactment begins, SURPRISE he really is Ganondorf with magic powers, and kills the Prime Minister of Hyrule and several Sages. I don't have that much of a problem with this twist. It's a major genre shift, for sure, but it had been subtly hinted at in previous events. It still could have been a great fan fic, just a much darker one. But when Link confronts good old Ganondorf, he finds the G-man has killed Zelda and Shiek. The second twist? It was all a dream. Yes, you read that right. THE ENTIRE FAN FIC FROM BEGINNING TO END WAS JUST AN ILLUSION DONE BY GANONDORF ON LINK JUST BEFORE THE FINAL BATTLE IN OOT. While oftly ridiculed in this day and age, the "It's all just a dream" twist is not always bad. I have recently seen a webcomic have that twist, but instead of ending it there they instead created an entire dream universe, so while it was a dream it still happened and therefore still has significance. But by saying that the people, places, and events within were entirely fictional, and hold NO significance whatsoever in any way, you make those of us who were emotionally invested in your well-written (up to that point) story incredibly pissed that you would bullshit us like this. I have seriously lost all faith in the author as a writer, as he/she clearly has no idea how to end a good story (...was this written by Mark Millar?). If you count in the 2 twists, the story overall goes from a 9.5/10 for me into a 6/10.

REQUEST: My request to you all is simple. I shall now provide you with a link to the first chapter of the story I've been ranting about. Please read it, and post your thoughts and feelings in the comments below. Try and give some support for the author as well. I may not have liked his artistic choice for the ending, but to me his skill in weaving the rest of his tale is worth high praise indeed. Catch you later.

Eden of the East Review

There will be no plot summary for this anime, not because I'm lazy or forgot it, but because it needs to be seen to be believed. If I tried to explain just a piece of the plot you would find holes, which I must fill in the comments, until I've pretty much ruined the whole thing. All you need to know is this: it's a mystery, and explaining the plot ruins any magic it has. And trust me, Eden of the East is full of magic.

This was done by the company behind Ghost in the Shell (I only saw the first movie, liked it quite a bit). As expected, the animation is beautiful, especially the scenes in Washington D.C. The voice acting is also well done, but not outstanding enough to earn extra points. What really amazes me is that with the kind of anime this is and the themes it explores (and BOY does it explore them), I never once found myself disliking a protagonist. Unlike certain protagonists (Light and Lelouch), there isn't a second for me when I dislike Akira as he is now. The entire cast is incredible, and saying less would do the writers a disservice. Me only problem is the length, in that the show is only 11 episodes long, and each movie is barely 90 minutes. I expect another movie very soon, but it still feels very incomplete at the moment. Overall this is a great anime. I love the fact that is both philosophical and upbeat (or at least relaxing). It was so fun to watch that I finished the series itself in a single night on accident. I initially just wanted to try the series out on Netflix, and could not stop watching.  Highly recommended, at least a 8.5/10, if not more.

Lonely

Yeah, my roommates are all out of town for a week starting today.

PROS: Can watch Buffy, Doctor Who, and maybe even East of Eden in peace.

CONS: Sad and lonely.

Meh. Tomorrow I'm going to the nearby comic shop, BatComics and will pick up some recent stories that seem cool and probably a trade paperback of Y: the Last Man. Later.

Dresden Files 13-Ghost Story Review

SPOILER FREE

I just finished plowing through the book in two days. It is now my favorite Dresden book so far. It explained many things, was hilarious, showed new sides to old characters, managed to make some fan theories come true while at the same time subverting it, and even had several incredible twist. If you're a fan of the series, buy it. If you're not, try it. Go to your nearest library and look for Storm Front by Jim Butcher. Later.

Transmetropolitan and Dollhouse Reviews (Both SPOILER FREE)

Transmetropolitan

Transmetropolitan is a Vertigo comic series written by Warren Ellis (Wanted, the Authority) about a deranged yet idealistic journalist in a dystopian 23rd century America. I am not a fan of Ellis, especially the Authority (That issue of Superman where he fought the expy's of them is great). I generally don't like stories where everyone's an ass and no one has ideals of any kind. Which is why it surprised me how much I love this series. Spider Jerusalem is hilarious, off-putting, and relatable all at the same time. The art is good, the stories well thought out, and the dialogue is insane. My only complaint is a couple problems I have with the style of the future. The weird foods and weirder people are really disconnecting for me at times, but it always pulled me back in with Spider. This isn't really a flaw of the comic, it's my personal preference. Overall one of the greatest series I have ever read. Check it out at your local comic shop now.

Dollhouse

Dollhouse is the newest TV show from genius Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) I will not in any way talk about the contents of the show itself, in respect to spoilers. When compared to Whedon's other works, it find itself lacking. The script isn't very funny, the main actress has little range, and there is none of the heart that Firefly had in abundance. The only thing it has going for it is that it's a complete story in 2 seasons, not 7 + a comic series or 14 episodes and a movie. However, as a show alone it is better than 95% of what's on now. The story is intense, the twists exciting, and not counting the protagonist the characters are lovable (especially Topher). Overall I think it is a better recommendation for non-Whedonites (who have lower expectations). Great show. Now I'm off to start Dr. Who.