Steven Universe - S3 E20/21: Bismuth

Plot
Steven unbubbles a Gem whom has been kept a secret for over 5000 years, and it turns out there is a reason for this...

Characters

"Rose is a boy now? And small?"

Bismuth is an extremely complex character. She was also one of the few characters whom listened to Steven's worries, and the first Gem, really. Yes, Bismuth had a dark side, but Rose caused it by hiding her away, and sadly that caught up with Steven and found him close to being shattered. Powerful voice acting was used in the final scenes of the episode and Bismuth genuinely teeters on the line of good and bad and she was a welcome addition, she has a nice, bubbly personality outside of her anger issues. But is she actually a good gem? I think she is, even though she lashed out at Steven she had her reasons and she made the "Breaking Point" because she wanted Homeworld to pay, a mass of Gems were killed in the war, her friends, people she considered family, I mean she just wants justice and I can see her point, she horribly explained it and lashed out which led to her bubbling, but I can still see her point. Plus, Bismuth was a blacksmith, she constantly assisted people with weapons in the war, but it wasn't enough because Homeworld won, she failed, over and over, and her anger probably built up because she felt a degree of guilt and anger. Her morals and her hesitancy were dashed away and maybe, maybe, that was Bismuth's breaking point.

Steven realises how this episode ends.

Steven is very interesting this episode. He opens Bismuth with welcome arms, and has a nice talk with her. He's peppy and upbeat but notices that Bismuth's slightly violent approach is too intense for him and we learn that Bismuth has some anger towards Rose, Steven is in legitimate danger, a Crystal Gem is attacking him and he cannot do much but take it. He has some degree of care with Bismuth, clearly, he tells her to "watch out" but is fighting back. After the whole talk with Bismuth, I think Steven was quite shocked that Bismuth would say things that she did and call him "Rose". Steven was pushed to his breaking point in this episode, forced to fight an ally because of their short fuse, Steven could've been shattered. His mothers mistakes caught up to him for once, and he defended himself which I found good and a welcome change, I am glad he didn't accidentally shatter Bismuth because Steven wouldn't do that and it would've gone against so many things. Steven has truly grown in this half and hour special, he is able to build from Rose's mistakes and even though he ended up bubbling Bismuth, he needed to defend himself and he didn't resort to shattering and you could certainly tell it wasn't easy for him. I bet for him, it was seriously of left field because no Gem (an ally) has ever been that angry at him that they've tried to attack him, he handled the entire situation as well as he could. Remember that he is 14 and possesses an amazing amount of majority. The entire scene with him and Bismuth was poignant.

A weapon upgrade! Jasper will pay...

Amythest is a very prominent character in this episode, and less comic relief because she doesn't know Bismuth and isn't blinded by having not seen her for over 5000 years. Amythest is suspicious of Bismuth and brings up a very good point, just before she completely changes her opinion and becomes useless to the story at that point. Amythest was the smart one during this episode, which is something we rarely see, and she had a decent amount of confidence, considering the events of the last few episodes.
Good Moments

• Pearl's Comic Relief - Pearl provides a nice element of hilarity to the episode. Hey, it's a dramatic episode, and any scene with Pearl in was gold, even the crying scene.  
• Weapon Upgrades - The Gems have long needed some sort of power up, Steven's got a few now, so he didn't need any, but Garnet, Amythest and Pearl did, plus it tied in well with Bismuth being a blacksmith. 
• The Conclusion -  Dramatic. Tension filled. The score and the voice acting was stellar. The storyboarding, everything was handled with poise.

Comedy
Any Pearl quote was quite funny, the episode was more focused on the dramatic side of things rather than the comedy, but Pearl provided some comedy, Bismuth's confusion of Steven while they talked in his room was funny. Amythest got me a few times with her, "Oh my god, it's a total stranger" and "Bismuth's the BEST!"

Soundtrack + Animation
Absolutely superb. The soundtrack was brilliant from Bismuth's regeneration music with metal instruments because Bismuth is a more of a metal, to the new ending song adding to a new chapter of "Love Like You". The animation and the storyboarding was superb as well! The scene where it went black and then it panned out to an eventual reveal of Bismuth being stabbed by Steven was jaw dropping, the music really helped as well. Lovely episode of television, honestly.

Additional Notes

Now, the eye catchers during this episodes really were a very welcome thing. Personally, I'd want more of these and more 22 minute episodes actually produced as such because these are extremely good. Everybody's personality is captured very well, like Pearl's ballet leap towards the Warp Pad is something subtle but you can still see it.


MVP
Bismuth deserves the MVP. She carried this episode, rightly so, this is her debut and it is named after her, if she doesn't appear again, then at least she has got the MVP of this episode, it's her by a mile. Steven is a 2nd, though.

Rating
I'm awarding this episode a solid 10/10. The only thing is that I wish Bismuth hadn't been bubbled, but it packed more of an emotional punch towards the end and now I have come around to it, plus we will presumably be seeing her again. I doubt this is the last we shall be seeing her. This episode was an absolute treat to watch and a pleasure to review.

* Apologies for the freaky format in advance.

Gravity Falls!

What?! A blog about Gravity Falls? How dare I! No, but seriously, Gravity Falls is airing its final episode and I NEED to talk about it's amazingness. The show has brilliant characters, a brilliant soundtrack, a diverse cast of fun personalities and a compelling and endearing story! Now, I could rant and rave about how purely brilliant the series.

But, why not you?

This blog needs discussion, c'mon. Comment. What was your favourite moment? And yes you reading the blog, comment now. What were the weaknesses of the show? Are you a viewer of this who hates Gravity Falls? Gasp, comment below why!

Basically comment below, anything about the series. #RememberTheFalls

PPG 2016 Reboot

Well, the PPG reboot is coming out in April! Way sooner than I expected, buut, there's no way I am gonna be able to review the PPG series. :( Well, the original...I might review the second one, you see, originally I was gonna review PPG and SJ until there reboot series came along, and thus forth PPG's original series will not be reviewed, unless PPG 2.0 is postponed or on hiatus at sometime. Now, I am going through everything I have seen so far:

Promotional Material

 Obviously, the logo is the first thing. I mean, I think the logo is good, it has an essence of the previous incarnation, but puts it own spin on it. It looks more like the original PPG logo (back when it
was a mere Oh Yeah! Cartoons short). Feel free to disagree however.

This is a very nice promotional picture, it shows the girls, the logo, and a nice Townsville design. It would've been a bit nicer to see more, but you know, it's only promotional material, not a promo of the actual show, so this is pretty decent promo material and these are putting a clear amount of effort in PPG 2.0.

Now, you may think that this is all the promotional material, and I am pretty sure I have covered all of it, if I haven't drop down a comment and inform what I have missed!

You never know, I may have missed one thing.

Show Clips

Watch them here!

• Two new promos you may not have seen, starring Him! Mojo Jojo! Princess! Loads of new villains!

These promos are both good, I like the girls flying out of the window still, and many things have been kept. Quite a lot of new things, like uhm, that giant blue teddy thing? I feel like they aren't a bad thing because, as seen in "Don't Call Me Princess!" (The episode clip), they do still fight with there fists and they NAIL the villains still, I do not feel like those things will be permanent and they may sparsely use gadgets.

The design looks good, the new VAs have won me over in these promos, I like a lot of the elements, however what was Buttercup throwing at Princess? Was it just me or did it look like a gem? I hope that the reason they adding in the new element isn't because they wanna cash in on Steven Universe because they are different shows.

I really like the fight scenes at night, compared to day because I feel they animate it a bit better, like it's not as in your face. 

Other Clip

Now, I like this clip, yes it seems very, "FEMINISM!" but no. That's an out of context clip and considering the villain, it's like this. I was worried at first, but Equal Fights was an episode of the old series AND, of course this episode will have some ounces of feminism in.

Now, this clip had animation, duh. I didn't like the villain, it rubbed me the wrong way due to the design in the first place, anyway, it does seem Clarency, but I do not care about that, it was the throw, it wasn't fast paced enough, like, yes cringe comparison to the original, the original was fluid and it amped up the throwing, and there were more frames drawn?

I don't really know, but it looked better back in 1997, but this is different, so obviously this will do better in some aspects that the original show failed at.

Show Pics

These pictures are separate from the promotional material.

Well, I cannot really judge a picture can I. So here's the synopsis for the episode!

Bubbles convinces the Professor to test his new transmogrifying ray on her new friend, Donny the Pony in an effort to help him become the unicorn he's always wanted to be, but when it turns Donny into a monster instead, she must stop him before he destroys Townsville!

They each have phones, I think the hotline phone might still be in use? But this is for on the go things. Modernised, and still creepy, not just me, right?

Creepy.

This image isn't mine, btw.











Credit to respective image owners, btw.

Intro

"Don't get hyped yet. The intro may be posted on Monday, doubting it, however."
Darn, I was wrong!

The intro is very interesting, really. Check it out!

The Powerpuff Girls - Episode 2: Mommy Fearest

Plot
Professor brings home Ima Goodlady, but she doesn't seem to live up to her name...is she really Ima Goodlady?
Characters

• Buttercup - Anything she did wasn't on her own, I can't really judge her.
• Bubbles - Significantly the best of the sisters so far. She does much more and is quite funny.
• Blossom - Clearly established as the leader, but still doesn't do much in the time constraint.
• Professor - Good in the episode, we see his loneliness and he isn't gullible. 
• Sedusa - A very abusive and interesting villain, certainly want to see more. 

Good Moments

Shocking choice? Okay, well the girls are hilarious as a unit. This scene emphasises that they aren't and should not be portrayed as babies. Plus, them stating who they are is funny. It's good that we see there is a sense, this is the start of the series, pretty much. So we do need these, seemingly useless, moments sprinkled throughout the episodes, specifically to balance the episodes actiony and zany plots. 

The revelation of Sedusa being evil was handled brilliantly, this section is mainly about how it was handled. Understandably, they had a time constraint and with what they had, they did well. Firstly, Sedusa's plans were not poor or just random because they had a reason. They didn't attempt to use so much exposition like some shows and merely showed how bad she is, really well. Having her be ever so mean to the protagonists and showing that she is a serious villain really helps show there is no point of return. Plus, you do get some funny jokes out of the scenario, much like many scenarios. The animation in scenes like this is brilliant, the anger and villainous nature is clearly conveyed, the shadows and dark colours are just great at showing Sedusa's bad side.

The resolution to Sedusa was good. The voice acting of Jennifer Hale was brilliant. I am glad that Professor was intelligent enough to actually trick the girls into believing he was gullible. The music really enhanced the tension especially with the angles being focused more on the girls and not the Professor.




Bad Moments

The ending of the episode was relatively abrupt, possibly purposely. My main issue with the ending is that it just seems to pointless, like we realize it deliberately parodies the situation that has just occurred, but it isn't humorous, at least not to me anyway. Plus, I don't see why Professor would in the same trap again, because Sedusa could've easily worn another disguise in a later episode and the Professor would probably forget completely about this incident, and would be oblivious. 

No others.

Character Issues

• The Professor not realizing Octi was taken away.
• The Professor tricking the girls even for a brief moment.
• Buttercup not being one of the ones to do a lot of punching. I mean if it was centring on a certain conflict, it was understandable but Bubbles got most of the fighting.

Comedy

• The girls stating they were the Powerpuff girls.
• Bubbles saying "Duh." Throughout the episode as if it is obvious.
• The scene where the girls are readying Professor for the date.

Animation + Soundtrack
Scenes like Sedusa in the dark, Sedusa grounding the girls all show great animation, considering this was made in 1998 and it could still hold up just as well today, and it is better animated than a few shows on TV nowadays. The tension was enhanced due to the music, like when Professor was tricking Sedusa, the music was building up, and then it stopped and came down from it's peak. The music in this episode was really good.

MVP
Sedusa is the MVP. She deserves it due to her great villainous nature. She really held up the episode. Runner up? I'd say The Narrator.

Rating
9/10. It's good, like there isn't any moment where I feel they could've improved, but it still feels like it is missing something, the animation and soundtrack are topnotch, the Medusa pun is brilliant, like the antagonist of the episode. Plus, we see more of Professor's loneliness which is never mentioned again, and we see the girls as a unit which is something that I wish they didn't do in this episode because it's early on and we still need to see them grow individually as characters.

Issue of Font Size
It changes for like no reason...eventually Blogger will stop doing this to me!

Samurai Jack - Episode 1: Part I - The Beginning

Plot
A young samurai is sent to train all around the world and eventually returns, ready for a battle, only to be thrust into the late future.

Characters

• Samurai Jack (Unnamed) - We see him grow into a fit and healthy young man and we know why he wants to fight, he experienced such trauma and yet it has only strengthened his resolve. Consistently good, especially considering the small amount of dialogue. 
• Aku - Aku is so dastardly and downright malevolent. One of the greatest villains ever found in a children's cartoon, even now. Better than Jack in this episode.
• Samurai Jacks Father - His father provides the exposition and the catalyst for Jack going off to train. 
• Samurai Jacks Mother - Though minor, her expressions, the way she holds Jack back, it makes me wish we learn more about her. 

Good Moments

This scene establishes Aku as a villain. The villain of the show. The dark colors, the atmosphere is built up and everything is so tense, without this scene, then there would still be other scenes, but this is the first scene to establish Aku as a very malevolent force of evil. The burning building pushes barriers, like the show itself. It's inclusion is rather shocking nowadays, and it only heightens the anticipation.

The montage of Jack training is fundamental, we see him grow as a fighter and person. Gennedy uses music to enhance the tension and suspense, hooking the viewer in. Whenever you have a montage you need to make sure that is a purpose, and this montage definitely does. Also, Jack gets to experience different cultures and a variety of different fighting styles, it makes me curious as to why the parents decided this was the course of action.

Samurai Jack is primarily an action show. The first fight of the show delivered. It was an extreme attempt at showing how strong Samurai Jack is. Plus, we always need a good confrontation between hero and villain, and due to this being an action show the first fight mattered deeply, the music really enhances the mood, the animation and the cinematic angles (all unique to the show) and the fact that there is a dialogue in this fight (rare) make it stand out.

Bad Moments

Now this me just trying to find at least some mistake, but I feel the beginning scene went on for to long and the main issue I had with it was the constant and quick flashing because it so rapid and confusing (probably what was intended), it just went on to long and I feel like a scene like this would have worked if it was slightly shorter, but at least the colors were dark and not bright and wildly flashing. Again, this is a minor thing.


The issue with this show is that I may not be able to find "bad moments" on such a regular basis because it has had consistent quality throughout the course of the show. 

Character Issues
The issue I have is that Aku is played completely straight here and even though it works, there was no hint of Aku's funny side, not even a slight comment during the battle with Jack. Another issue I have is Jack, we do not really know much about him, his personality traits remain shrouded in mystery, of course it is the first episode so clearly I am letting this slide.

Comedy
Alas, this show is not mainly a comedic show. It is focused on drama, action and deep themes and the adventures of Samurai Jack of course. The episode was not comedic at all, and of course there was no reason for it to be.

Animation + Soundtrack
The animation in this episode is slightly rough and it relatively is creepy when you see a girl on a horse just before Jack begins to train. It is creepy because much like others in the scene, they only have pupils and not the white bit, like Jack has throughout the series. It is actually kind of weird because evidently Jack isn't the only one who has the white part and pupils as well, so I wonder why the kids were animated in such a way, it looks slightly crude.

The soundtrack was expertly scored in this episode, the tension was upped at the correct points and I feel like the soundtrack was clearly the best thing about the episode. Especially in the fight with Aku at the climax of the episode, and the ending song (the intro in this case, it is shown next episode) is always timeless.

MVP
Aku is the MVP for the episode for being a good villain, that is all.

Apologies concerning the font size changing. Hopefully it won't happen in the next review, I checked the HTML and changed it so it matched the others and still came out botched. Comment, and tell me your thoughts also. I know about the new season as well (not a reboot!).

Welcome!

Okay, so what am I reviewing? Well obviously things that are under the URL (CN, Nick, Disney) cartoons, mainly CN and Disney. Want to know what more things? Whelp, I started this blog because hey, boredom.

Okay, so welcome to the blog! Leave a comment whenever! That is pretty much it but at the moment I will be reviewing:

• Long Live The Royals (All Episodes) - Eventually
• Steven Universe - Regular
• Star Vs The Forces of Evil - Regular 

Also, the way I review is structured, so it is kind of like this:

Plot

Characters
Good Moments
*Bad Moments

*Character Issues
*Comedy

Animation + Soundtrack

MVP

*Depends on episode/show. 

Specific episodes shows may be requested.