Soos and the Real Girl (Gravity Falls)-Toon-O-Ween 2016 Part 3

To skip storyline segment scroll down until you see 'END'

Blood, blood everywhere. The boy was surrounded by it. What had just happened? The boy felt something in his hand. He looked down and saw it was a knife. He choked at the thought of the possibility of what he had just done. He looked around the house and saw the one thing he didn't want to see. The thing to prove his theory correct. The corpse of a young girl named Abigail. The person who had angered him so. The person who was to blame for his sister's execution. The boy couldn't breathe. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He begun to panic. He dropped to the ground the knife still in his hands. To the boy there was no way to get out of the mess he put himself in. Well...he still had the knife. To him there was no other solution. The boy impaled himself with the sharp blade and fell to the ground in the pool of blood that was only partially his. 

END

Hello my name is Evan A.K.A. The Animated Critic. I finally get a chance to talk about Gravity Falls. Man is this show great. Honestly I kind of feel bad I never got to talk about it while it was still airing. I was planning on it, but then it got pushed back by other things. In fact I think I was even going to review it last year for Toon-O-Ween but then opted to do a Tokyo Ghoul review instead (which never even materialized.) 

Point is this has to be one of Disney's greatest animated shows, and  I think this episode is a prime example of why. It has to be one of my favorites from the show. So let's dig into Soos and the Real Girl and try to avoid making an obvious Five Nights at Freddy's joke. 

The episode starts out with Mabel getting her braces stuck in the wiring on the door. How? Well it's Mabel. Soos though is there to help out. Later at Soos' home his grandmother informs him that his cousin is engaged and soon having a wedding. His grandmother also asks if he could find a girl to go to the wedding with. She says she wants to see him be happy with a girl before she dies. Soos thinks this well be a piece of cake, but he has trouble. Seriously I thought I had trouble talking with girls. Dipper and Mabel see the mess Soos is in and decide to help him since he always helps them. Aww, that's sweet. Mabel is also happy to do it because she gets a chance to live her dream of match-making someone. 

They go to the mall, but the results there are similar to earlier. Every girl Soos talks to runs away in fear. Eventually Soos runs away into a game store and finds a dating sim. Dipper and Mabel think this will be a good way to train him in the art of dating. You know like how Pokémon is a good way to teach people how to tame wild animals. Or how Cooking Mama instantly makes you a master chef. 

Or how Call of Duty turns you into a killer, but no one is stupid enough to believe that. 

Well crap. I put too much faith in humanity.  

Well anyway they get warned that this is the third time the game has been returned and there's a note on it saying to destroy it at all cost. They buy it anyway. I think considering how much weird crap has happened to them, including bringing a video game to life, you'd think this would be a red flag for them that something was up with this game, but guess not.

 Soos plays the game and we of course get gags making fun of the cliches and tropes found in these anime like dating sims. The game even has bad translation. 

The game begins talking to Soos. Now at this point you'd think he'd panic, or at least worry a bit. Nope. He just goes with it. Then again you could make the argument that that's just the type of guy Soos is. He just never really questions this stuff. You could also say that so far the game hasn't done anything to cause worry. By the way the character in the game is named Giffany, and Soos seems to enjoy talking to her. He gets so attached to the game he misses work the next day. That's when Mabel and Dipper start to worry. They take Soos away from the game to go back to the mall. Giffany somehow is there as well. She apparently has the power to travel through electrical things, and appear on other computer or TV screens. She also tells Soos that the programmers of the game tried to get rid of her...so she got rid of them. 

So now does Soos begin to worry? Well...he says it raises some red flags then just ignores everything she said and continues to enjoy time with her. Love makes you do some crazy things man. While riding a tiny train Soos meets an actual real girl named Melony. She seems to take a liking to Soos and Soos actually isn't nervous talking to her. So they decide to go on a date to, where else, a Chuck-E-Cheese clone. Of course now that Soos has a real date he calls it quits with Giffany. Being the yandere parody she is, she is not to happy about that. 

We'll get back to the main plot later. First we should probably talk about the B-Plot. It follows Stan as he comes to the realization that one of the shop's machines is completely trashed now. 

That's terrifying. I think I can make it even more scary though. 

.....

Why do I let myself go through with these ideas. 

Stan ends up throwing the thing out. Thank God. He then sees a Badger animatronic at the aforementioned Chuck-E-Cheese clone. He sees how much money it's making and decides he needs it. So he makes plans to steal it. 

Back to the A-Plot Soos is on his date with Mabel and Dipper watching close behind him. He's doing good until he sees Giffany on one of the TV screens. He panics of course and warns Melony they have to leave. Melony is very confused. Eventually Giffany takes control of the animatronics and the only people left in the restaurant are Soos, Melony, Dipper and Mabel. Giffany has made sure to lock them in. 

Oh by the way she's even taken control of the Badger that Stan is currently in the middle of stealing. The Badger begins to attack Stan, but it gets its hand stuck in the mouth of the broken machine Stan threw out earlier. 

Inside the restaurant Soos tries to distract Giffany from the rest of the gang as he is the one she wants. I gotta say Giffany, for as comedic as she is, is pretty frightening. Especially in that animatronic body. Soos is able to beat her though by throwing the disc into the oven. This also makes the badger animatronic stop working, but Stan thinks it's the broken machine who defeated him. As such he reconnects with it by going to Vegas with it. It's actually quite humorous. 

After Giffany is defeated Soos asks Melony to go to the wedding with him. She says yes, but she reveals that she's leaving town soon. Can I just say how much I hate this cliche. A character finds a real love interest and they never say anything about leaving town until the end of the fricking episode! They agree to keep video chatting though. I think the reason they had Melony leave though is so they can make a joke about how Soos is now in a relationship with a girl he can only see on his computer screen once again. And to be fair it is a funny joke. 

Anyway this episode is great. The characters are great, the comedy is solid, and it's legitimately terrifying. The one thing I love about Gravity Falls is how well it balances comedy and horror. Even while I'm being frightened by Giffany there are still many laughs to be had. I'll admit I laughed plenty of times during this episode. It's fricking hilarious. As I said though it's pretty terrifying. Giffany is somehow comedic and terrifying at the same time, and it's fantastic. 

Stan's little B-Plot is also very hilarious. 

I also must mention it's moral. Weather intentional or not the episode does have one. Yes, going out and actually interacting with people (especially those of the opposite sex) might be scary and unpredictable, but you can't be cooped up in your room all day playing games. Trust me, that's how I live my life and it sucks. All joking aside though you shouldn't be afraid of human interaction. It may be unpredictable, but that's what makes it so fun, and interesting. Things may go wrong, but when it goes right and things begin to click then it gets amazing. 

The animation is really good as well. I love Giffany's 16-bit aesthetics. The episode also has plenty of good shots and images that just add to the mood of it. 

Overall this episode has it all. Comedy, horror, and it has its fair share of heartwarming moments as well. My only complaint is that the characters don't really seemed concerned about the things going on, even when they should. Like Soos just brushing off that Giffany said she killed the programmers. Though you could make arguments as to why they act like that.

So overall it's not too big of a deal. 

Plot-Check

A nice blend of humor, horror, and some heartwarming moments as well. 

Characters-Check

Great as usual

Sound and Animation-Check

Enjoyment-Check

Overall-Check

So now we have 3 out of 5 Toon-O-Weens done. I'm gonna end off this episode guys. Next week is a Courage episode, and because it's been such a long time since I've seen Courage I need to marathon a good chunk of the series to find the perfect episode. That'll take awhile so I better get started. 

Peace. 

Evan: I also have a depressed ghost to deal with. Hey Daniel when are you going to come out of my closet. You've been in there for two weeks. 

Daniel: I don't know. 

Evan: What's up man. I've been asking if you need help and you keep turning me down. 

Daniel: I killed myself. 

Evan: What?

Daniel: That's how I died. I killed myself. I feel like this cry for help from my brother may be caused by my death. I feel I may of caused him some form of depression. Maybe he felt abandoned. Our sister also died not to long before my death. 

Evan: Ah, I see. You feel like you left your brother behind.

Daniel: Exactly. 

Evan: You know I once abandoned someone close to me. It was for a stupid reason though. 

Daniel: What happened. 

Evan: Well she tried to destroy my blog, but we're cool now. Because I talked it out with her. You just need to find the spirit of your brother and talk things out with him. Trust me it will ease the guilt. 

Daniel: But....what if he's mad. 

Evan: Well if he really did feel lonely then he missed you. I'm sure he'll let his anger go in order to talk with his brother.

Daniel: I....just....don't know man. 

Evan: Listen, I know it's scary and unpredictable, but you have to try and work things out with him. He's your brother. Try now, and if it goes bad be proud that you tried. It's better than just sitting and wallowing in regret like I've been doing for most of the year. 

Daniel: You're absolutely right. I need to find him. Only....there's one other problem.

Evan: What is that?

Daniel: Where do I find him?

Evan: Oh....good point. 

To be continued!

Edit 7/24/17-Changed "Irs better than just sitting and wallowing in regret like I've been doing for most of the year." to "It's better than just sitting and wallowing in regret like I've been doing for most of the year."

Shanghaied (SpongeBob)-Toon-O-Ween 2016 Part 2

To skip storyline segment scroll down until you see 'End'

Daniel: "You know considering the circumstances you're handling this quite well."

Evan: "Sorry I'm not bursting your eardrums with a blood curdling scream right now."

Daniel: "Jokes on you. Ghost don't have eardrums."

Evan: "I just really want to figure out if you're actually related to me or not, or if the last name thing is just a coincidence."

Daniel: "Well if it is a coincidence it's a pretty big one."

Evan: "And if you are related, what is your relation to me. Great great grandfather, Great Uncle, what?"

Daniel: "Listen kid I have no idea. I don't even know what year it is. I just sort of woke up and bam. Everything was different. I only wanted to talk to you about the box you have."

Evan: "The box? What about it." 

Daniel: "It looks like something my brother was working on before I....you know. Bit the bullet."

Evan: "Well apparently it's been passed down for generations through my family. If we are related maybe your brother started the tradition. By the way it's 2016."

Daniel: "2016, Christ. That's almost 400 years from my time period."

Evan: "What year did you die?"

Daniel: "If I recall it was 1692."

Evan: "What! Jeez that's a long time ago. So it'd be more like Great Great Great Great Grandfather."

Daniel: "Tell me about it. So much has changed since I was alive. So you review cartoons on this internet I've been hearing so much about." 

Evan: "Yep."

Daniel: "Cool, uh....if you don't mind me asking, what's a cartoon?"

Evan: "......."

Daniel: "......."

Evan: "Are you....serious?"

Daniel: "...Yes. Hey give me a break, I'm from a period where these things didn't exsist."

Evan: *Shudders* "Well fair enough then. I still have some reviews to work on so I guess I can show you an example of a cartoon. In fact, one of my favorites. SpongeBob. 

End

Hello my name is Evan A.K.A. The Animated Critic. Toon-O-Ween continues on. Last year we reviewed a SpongeBob episode from Season 1. Let's move up a season this year with Season 2 and Shanghaied. By the way, this is one of my all time favorite episodes. 

The plot is that an anchor falls from the sky and lands on both Spongebob and Squidward's houses. Squidward is obviously upset and so climbs the anchor to give whoever dropped it a piece of his mind. In other words a very stern talking to. Of course it turns out to be the Flying Dutchman. Man this is the second year in a row we're covering an episode with him in it. If I do another SpongeBob episode next year I have to make sure it doesn't involve him, at least not too much. So we get some comedic antics and eventually Squidward gets thrown out. By the way I guess this episode does have a little Squidward torture in it, but the old writers knew how to pull that off. The new ones....not so much. SpongeBob and Patrick eventually become part of the Dutchman's crew (against their will), but when they fail at the job the Dutchman just decides to eat them. He can't eat without his sock though, and so SpongeBob and Patrick take it. In exchange for the sock SpongeBob and Patrick get 3 wishes. One is wasted to bring Squidward back, and Patrick wastes the other one wishing he knew about the 3 wishes thing earlier. The last wish is decided with Eeny Meeny Miny Moe. I'll talk about that later on though. 

Anyway there's not much to say about this one. It's a classic episode. Clever, funny, it's just all around enjoyable. Who can forget classic moments like the perfume shop. I use to just keep rewinding the show to watch that scene over and over and over again. Or what about "Leedle, Leedle, Leedle" you get the point. I can't mention every memorable joke in this episode. That would take way too much time. It's a great episode, so instead of boring you with stuff you already know I'll bore you with stuff you might not know. Did you know this episode had two other endings. The ending we usually see is that SpongeBob wishes for the Dutchman to be a vegetarian. That way he can't eat them. Unfortunately the gang turns into fruit and so have to run away from the Dutchman. When this episode first aired though there was a contest. People would call a hotline number and vote for who should get the last wish. SpongeBob won so every airing of the episode since then has used that ending. However Patrick and Squidward also had endings made for them that were shown once while the contest was going on. The contest was also hosted by Patchy, so there's also a Patchy segment that is never shown as well. (It's not much though so I won't talk about it.) 

Patrick's ending has him wishing for gum. He says since they're going to be there forever might as well have nice breath. 

Squidward's is actually my favorite of the three endings. Squidward wishes he never meet SpongeBob and Patrick. He hoped it would get him out of this mess, but all it does is cause Sponegbob and Patrick to forget who Sauidward is.....and they still end up being eaten, but hey it gives Squidward time to reintroduce himself to SpongeBob and Patrick. 

All endings though are very funny and I would've been happy with any of them winning. You know though, I think it would be cool if as a special Nick shows the episode with the alternate endings, or heck even switches them out every time they air the episodes. One time it could be Spongebob's then Patrick's and ect... I know the point was to decide which ending would stay for the rest of Spongebob's lifetime, but did anybody really think back then that Spongebob would be going on this long. It's 17 years old now. It's 20th anniversary is 2019, a little less than 3 years away. I don't know, I just think it would be nice to do every now and then. I like the gag Patchy has after he announces the winner. He says that everyone who participated is now an official cartoon decision maker and then some stock footage of monkies typing plays. I don't know, I just feel it currently represents the bulk of cartoons on Nick right now. It's very hilarious in hindsight. 

So overall Shanghaied is an amazing episode. If you want to watch the alternate endings you can find them online, yes even with the Patchy segment. 

Plot-Check

It's a hilarious episode with many a great moment. 

Characters-Check

The characters are likeable as always....well for this point in the series it was something to always expect. 

Animation-Check

It's good, but then again it's Spongebob so what did you expect. 

Sound-Check

Ditto 

Enjoyment-Check

Overall-Check

It's a great episode and I would highly recommend it. Though you all probably already knew this was a good episode. It's one of my all time favorites. Definitely in my Top 5 Episodes of all time. 

Evan: "So now do you understand what a cartoon is."

Daniel: "So a cartoon is a bunch of pictures put together to make the appearance of movement."

Evan: "Yes."

Daniel: "Are they all that stupid."

Evan: "What? Spongebob isn't stupid......sometimes. I mean there is A Pal For Gary, and Are You Happy Now?, and Pet Sitter Pat, and Good Neighbors and that Gundam House."

Daniel: "That was a completely inaccurate representation of ghost culture." 

Evan: "Well most people can't see ghost so I doubt they know what ghost culture was like....wait, can't see. Unseeable. Not meant to be seen."

Daniel: "Uh....are you OK?"

Evan: "That's what the box said. For those who can see what's not meant to be seen. And that's exactly what a ghost is."

Daniel: "Then what are we waiting for, let's open that box."

Daniel: "Woah, that's a lot of paper."

Evan: "There's something here I'm more concerned about."

Daniel: "And what is that?"

Evan: "This."

Daniel: "Help?"

TO BE CONTINUED!!!

Quick Thoughts #13-Flip Flappers Episode 1

Hello my name is Evan A.K.A. The Animated Critic. I usually don't do a very good job of keeping up with anime. Whenever a new season begins I usually don't keep up with any new shows. I like to binge watch anime so I usually just write down a list of shows I'm interested in then wait for them to finish airing all their episodes. There are a few exceptions, but that's how it is for the most part. However I had the great idea to keep up with a new anime and do a Quick Thoughts review on each episode that airs. So about two months ago I looked at a list of upcoming anime for the fall 2016 season and made a list of shows that I could possibly review. I decided on Flip Flappers because it's a show I don't really have any expectations for either way. Could be good or bad. We'll have to see how this pans out. I'm very excited to start this anime and review series though, and I'm especially excited to see where this anime will take us. How it's story is going to pan out. I'm going into this pretty much completely blind. All I know is that it's supposed to be a magical girl anime. Though this information comes from Wikipedia so that may not be accurate. I also know that apparently it follows two girls' adventures in another dimension. So yeah I have no idea what to expect. It seems like it may be a fun show though so let's dig into Flip Flappers Episode 1 and see what we're getting ourselves into for the next 12-24 weeks (don't know how many episodes this show is going to be.) Oh by the way, Spoilers.

24 Minutes Later!

I have many questions. Questions I'm sure will be answered in future episodes. Hopefully anyway. This episode is called Pure Input. It starts of with a girl named Cocona. Guess what, she's a high school student. I know you rarely see those in anime. Cocona is also living with her grandmother, and is having nightmares about being a boat with a mysterious sillohetted figure. We also see a girl named Papika who's going out to look for something called a candidate. Anyway it seems Cocona is having trouble deciding what to do with her life. She doesn't know what career she wants to head towards. I'm going to get a bit personal, but I can highly relate to Cocona. I'm a junior in high school and I have absolutely no idea what to do with my life after school. They always push on you that you have to decide what your going to do with the rest of your life, but the thing is you're making a choice that well affect your entire life. You don't want to choose wrongly. I mean it's just difficult actually coming to a decision you feel is good. But then again I know people who already know that they want to be a veterinarian or work in the army. People who already have a plan. Cocona sees the same as well. People who are pursuing their own passions. Anyway Cocona and Papika eventually meet up. Papika takes an instant liking to Cocona. In fact some may argue its a bit too much of a liking, yeah she starts sniffing Cocona and gets really Touchy-feely. Though I have a theory about that. Cocona seems to be the candidate that was mentioned earlier though. Anyway a robot comes and starts tickling them because......no really I don't know. It somehow sends them to a place called Pure Illusion though.
It's a very snowy area. Despite the fact that it must be freezing Papika actually takes some clothes off. The snow is also apparently very sweet like sugar. Cocona is of course......completley ok that she was sucked into another world. Yeah she seems rather fine with it. I mean she does show some worry, but it's only for like a minute or two. Though she does think that Pure Illusion could all be a dream so that's why she's probably not too worried. She does have some fun with Papika and the robot. They build snowmen, have snow ball fights. It's a nice little scene. It also has nice music to go along with it. I should bring up that the music for this episode is pretty awesome. I love the OST and both the opening and ending. In fact I'm listening to the opening while typing this.
After awhile they decide to sleep. Cocona asks Papika if she's afraid and she says that she's not as she's with Cocona. Awww, how sweet. Papika also mentions some sort of treasure that she wants to find. Hmm, maybe she's trying to be Queen of the Pirates and these candidates are potential crew members. Unfourtenetly the sweet moment is ruined as some giant ice creatures start moving, meaning they have to abandon the shelter. The robot breaks for a few minutes and Cocona loses her glasses. She gets a bit upset over it, and so Papika decides to get them back for her. Only the glasses are on top of one of the monsters and the monsters are about to dive into an ocean. Papika gets them back, but she gets severely hurt and falls into the ocean with the monsters. Cocona is of course not very happy about this, her grief allows her to access some mysterious power. She goes all super saiyan and saves Papika, who complements her on how awesome she looks in her super powered state. Unfourtenetly Cocona's glasses broke in the process of receiving them. But whatever they somehow manage to get home where Cocona sees a shiny stone in her hand, which I theorize has something to do with her sudden power. Papika asks Cocona to go adventuring with her again, and Cocona gives the realistic response which is no.

After the end credits we see Papika begging her to go on another adventure, but then both Papika and Cocona get captured by mysterious men. We also see another mysterious guy, in some other place, claiming a fragment has returned while holding a stone that looks like the one Cocona had.

So all in all I found the first episode to be pretty fun. It gives me just enough info to keep me invested, but also keeps some answers back so to peek my curiosity. I wanna know why the robot has human parts inside him, how does Papika know about Pure Illusion, why she needs a candidate to get there, what's her connection with the mysterious group that captured her, why did they capture her. How did she acquire such an awesome hoverboard. I have a theory. I think she comes from the Pure Illusion, like she was born and raised there. However she never got a chance to explore a lot of it, and that's why she seems as almost in the dark about it as Cocona. I mean when she got there it seemed like it was her first time there. That's why she knows of its exsistence, but not much about what the place is actually like. She also didn't seem to know a whole lot about our culture either. Which may explain why she's so touchey-feely. She just doesn't know how to interact with people. I just have a lot ofquestions about her backstory to put it simply. I know my theories probably aren't right, but I'm excited to see where this goes. Being the first episodes its goal should be to get me interested in the characters and story, and it does a really good job of doing that. I really like both Cocona and Papika. Papika is just so full of energy and is just so fun. I'm also legitimately interested in her backstory. I also like how she's willing to risk her life just for a person she's known for less than a day, especially over something like that person's glasses. I mean glasses are important, but not risk your life over them important. I also really do relate to Cocona and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I do feel Cocona could use some more flushing out, but I'm sure future episodes will do just that.
The animation is also colorful and vibrant, and the soundtrack rocks.
So overall very good episode and I'm curious to see just where this anime goes. I unfourtenetly don't have a score sheet prepared but here's what I would score this episode.

Plot-Check
Does a good job of introducing the premise and characters, and getting me excited for the future of the show (like all good first episodes should.)
Characters-Check
For the first episode the characters are where they need to be. They have personality, but still enough room to be flushed out in future episodes.
Animation-Check
This show's animation is really good. It's vibrant, fluid, and colorful
Sound-Check
The opening, ending, and OST are all amazing.
Enjoyment-Check
Overall-Check

So that was the first episode of Flip Flappers 1 down 11-23 episodes left to go. You should all check it out, and I can't wait to see what the future of this show holds. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys later.
Peace.

Next Episode-Pure Converter

Horror Club (Steven Universe)-Toon-O-Ween 2016 Part 1

To skip the storyline segment scroll down until you see 'END'

Jane was dead. Persecuted for something she didn't even do. The boy could do nothing, but grief over his sister. He couldn't stop thinking about her. All the times they've shared together, all the ways she's changed his life. That was all in the past now. A life he couldn't have back. All because someone framed her for being a witch. A witch, how ridiculous. As the boy sat in his home thinking, his grief slowly turned into a deadly rage. A rage that couldn't be stopped. In the middle of the night the boy decided he had to do something. He crept out of his room, the only exsisting sound being those of his footsteps. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. He was going to avenge Jane. 

End 

 

Hello my name is Evan A.K.A. The Animated Critic. Oh, how I love this lovely season we're in. Halloween is straight up just the best. I love the spirit of this holiday and every year I sit impatiently
 waiting for it. So let's make this Toon-O-Ween a good one. Speaking of things I love, Steven Universe.  I know I review this show a lot. From now on I'm going to refrain from talking about it so much. Maybe 1 or 2 episodes a year. So this'll be the last time I talk about this show for awhile. Anyway, today's episode is Horror Club.

The plot is simple. Steven comes to the Donut Shop to pick up Sadie, as they're going to a scary movie party hosted by none other than Ronaldo. Lars also tags along, because hormones cause you to do things you usually wouldn't do. Yeah, earlier when Steven said that the party was hosted by Ronaldo, Lars straight up insults him, and only tags along because Sadie's going. So they get to the party and Ronaldo doesn't seem so happy to see Lars. They watch a movie together called Killer Bear 2: Bearly Alive. Of course we get some funny gags just making fun of B-Movies in general. Steven
watches from behind the couch though. They say it's because he's scared, but I think it's also partially because he was still grounded from the 'Fusion Cuisine' incident. Anyway the gang soon get attacked
by nothing and assume this means that the house is haunted. So now they have to try and survive
against the haunted lighthouse....and there's a sentence I never thought I'd say. Anyway it seems Ronaldo begins taking an interest in Sadie. Why? Because when you're a reclusive nerd you'll fall for any girl that says even a word to you. Trust me I should know. I kid of course, but they really don't show why Ronaldo is so interested in Sadie. He just kind of is. I feel like the pacing in this episode could've been a lot better. Unfourtenetly they have to keep the episodes at 11 minutes. Though this episode could've totally benefitted if it's run time was increased. The pacing overall is just a bit too quick. Though I feel they did the best they could considering the time restraints. After awhile Sadie gets eating by the floorboards...again a sentence I never thought I would say. The guys run to the basement where a huge mouth opens up in the wall with Lars' name written on it. Ronaldo says he's the one that should've been taken instead of Sadie and tries to throw him in the mouth. Yeah, he tries
to kill Lars. Wow. That's a bit douchey. Listen I know he hates Lars and is in 'love' with Sadie but this is too far. In all honesty though maybe if we saw Ronaldo and Sadie interact more and saw their chemistry together we could be more engaged in their relationship and actually be more understanding of why Ronaldo would do this. But nope. That didn't happen so yeah. Steven saves Lars and manages to break the wall. It reveals that Sadie is still alive and a gem was using the house as its body. It then shows us a reflection of the past. Lars and Ronaldo were younger and starting a paranormal club. Lars decided to carve his name in the wall because, in his own words, it looked metal.

"That's fucking metal as fuck dude."

The house attacks because it feels threatened. Ronaldo took a picture right as the house slapped Lars and says he's gonna show it to every news source, as this is a major paranormal breakthrough. Lars doesn't want to be embarrassed though and so tears himself out of the photo, which pretty much ruins the whole thing. This caused a fight between the two and they split up. The great thing about this is that you can totally see where both sides are coming from. Why Lars doesn't want to be seen in the picture and why Ronaldo wants to show everyone. It seems like a real fight. Steven bubbles the gem up and leaves with Sadie as he feels Lars and Ronaldo need time to talk. Ronaldo says he never tried to embarrass him. 

Yeah I tried to kill you, but embarrass you, why I'd never.

And so the episode ends with Lars quickly leaveing to catch up with Sadie and Ronaldo telling him to take it down a notch, like Lars did to him earlier.

So overall I think this is an enjoyable episode. Before we get into the score though there are some things I want to discuss. I think I was being way to harsh on Sadie during my review of Sadie's Song. This is more of a general thing not just applying to this episode, but I thought I might as well bring it up. In my review I said Sadie was a rather bland character, but after rewatching some older episodes I think I was a bit too harsh. Sadie's Song is still an ok episode at best, but Sadie is by no means a bland character. She's pretty cool, and yes I still feel bad for calling her Sally by accident.
Ronaldo on the other hand is a character who I surprisingly haven't covered yet. He doesn't appear in a lot of episodes and that's probably because most of the fan base hates him. I like him however. I just love how much of a geek he is and how passionate he is about the paranormal and weird things going on in Beach City. He's not the greatest character, and I can certainly see why people hate him, but I have an admiration for him. Yeah, almost killing Lars was way too far, but generally I still like him. Even if you hate him I don't think his appearance in this episode should bother you too much (I mean besides the attempted murder thing, but whatever.)
Lars is a bit of a douche, but he's a jerk with a heart of gold. I love his character and how complex he
actually is. He actually feels like a real person.
And you all know I already love Steven.
I also gotta give props to how much it develops the characters of Ronaldo and Lars and tells an
interesting tale from their past. I don't know it just adds something good to the characters that I just really like. That moment, while not the biggest tear jerker in the show, is still a pretty good moment that makes you feel a little something.
I think the definite biggest problem with this episode is the pacing. I already explained that it could've been better in a lot of ways. It could've even helped make the ending feel more special, by actually having Lars and Ronaldo talk things out. That would've been a really heartwarming scene. But the episode's pacing just feels rushed, and so certain things don't have as big as an impact as they want it to have, and it just flat out makes it seem that Ronaldo is hitting on Sadie for no discernible reason.
Other than that the fight scene is pretty awesome and well done. So overall it's an episode with problems, but still a fun episode nonetheless. I enjoy it.

Plot-Check
Fun and entertaining despite a few problems, especially with the pacing.
Animation-Check
It's Steven Universe. The animation is great.
Sound-Check
Same with the soundtrack.
Characters-Check
The characters are all great and complex. Lars is really the spotlight here. He has flaws, but he developes as a character so well. And seeing his past just really helps him develop into a more fully fleshed out character. Steven and Sadie are great as well. Ronaldo also gets some development, but he also tries to kill someone and hits on a girl, because........reasons. So.....
Enjoyment-Check
Overall-Check
Well that ends our first installment of Toon-O-Ween 2016. I hope you enjoyed and....

Huh? Weird it looks like something is bleeding through the back side of the paper.

Oh, it's just a creepy message written in red...........Oh wait a minute that's a thing that isn't supposed to be happening......

Well in that case AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

???-"Dang it he ran off."

Evan-"Wait a minute, who said that?"

???-"Woah, you can hear me."

Evan-"This is a thing that I assume isn't supposed to be happening."

???-"Yeah, how can you hear me?"

Evan-"Don't know."

???-"Dang the only reason I left that message is because I thought you couldn't hear me."

Evan-"Why'd you leave it in blood red though?"

???-"That's the only marker color I could find."

Evan-"I'm just saying it's kind of creepy."

???-"Come on, give me a break." 

Evan-"So...uh....are you a ghost or something."

???-"As a matter of fact yes. My name is Daniel Crose."

Evan-"Wait, Crose. So....are we related?"

To Be Continued Next Week

Next Monday's Toon-O-Ween-Shanghaied (SpongBob) 

See you guys then.

Peace.

Edit-7/22/17-Changed "Well I'm that case" to "Well in that case"

Toon-O-Ween 2016 Intro

The year is 1692. Long before you and me. A young man is running on the roads of a city called Salem. So many thoughts running through his head about what was just about to happen. He had to focus on his goal though. Just keep running, just keep running. He had to see her one more time. He ran up to the courthouse where a crowd of people were gathering. A crowd anxious to see the latest execution of the recent series of trials. Her name was Jane Crose. Her brother tried to pass through the crowd. He didn't know what he'd say to her. After all he never even thought there'd be a point in time where he would have to say goodbye to his sister. The boy struggled through the tiny spaces between the bodies of a crowd in nervous chatter. After enough struggling though he was set free. The carriage was gone. They had taken her to the execution site. The boy was determined to at least say a goodbye. He continued running as fast as he could down the path, though he could never hope to catch up with the carriage. After awhile of running he finally reached the site. He wasn't fast enough though. His sister was up on the podium, a noose around her neck. Her usually smiling, beautiful face was now grim. The boy could do nothing but watch. He tried covering his eyes, but his arms wouldn't budge. They were stuck. The girl looked around to see the crowd who would watch her die. The crowd that would remember her last seconds of life. She then set her sites on her brother. Seamlessly she went from her previously grim state to a big wide smile, targeted at the boy. Right then the executioner kicked her off the podium. The life was strangled out of her. That would be the last time anybody saw Jane's beautiful smile.

That was until over 300 years later. It is now the October of 2016. A cartoon reviewer, of all people, is destined to reunite the two souls. 

Evan: "So what is it exactly we're looking for, grandma?"

Grandma: "Shush, it's around here somewhere."

Evan A.K.A. The Animated Critic was growing rather impatient. He got a call from his grandma about something she felt the need to pass down to him. Of course he rushed over as fast as he could. That was an hour ago, and he's still waiting to find out what this mystery object is. 

Grandma: "Ah-Ha, here it is. Just where I thought it was."

Evan *thinking*: Then why didn't you look there first. 

Evan: "What is this?"

Grandma: "It's a box your grandpa had. He planned to give it to you mom, or one of your aunts. He unfortunately passed away before then. I thought this thing was lost, but I found it a month ago. I thought about it for awhile and I think it should go to you." 

Evan: "Why me?"

Grandma: "Cause if it actually did get passed down like it was supposed to it'd probably be your turn to have it."

Evan: "Why can't any of my cousins or brothers have it?"

Grandma: "Well, Kyle is currently living with a girl he found off street, Max would probably just not do anything with it and eventually lose it, and your other cousins and brothers are a bit too young. I trust you a lot more with this."

Evan: "Well, ain't that swell. Well, I'll see you later grandma, gotta review a bunch of cartoons on the internet. Bye."

Grandma:"Bye honey. And please make sure you follow the instructions on the box."
Evan: "I'm going to. See ya."
Evan left the house, seriously wondering why Grandma trusted him the most. After all he choose to spend his life watching and reviewing shows made for little kids. 

Evan: "For those who can see what's meant to be unseeable. Wonder what that means. Well whatever it is I'm not supposed to open it until I'm sure I can do that. 

Oh hello everybody my name is Evan A.K.A. The Animated Critic. It's time for the Second annual Toon-O-Ween. Every Monday in October you'll get a review of a horror or horror themed piece of animation. This year we got 5 reviews. We'll see plenty of things. Steven Universe, Ghost, Pokémon, music induced suicide, A dog with an ironic name, and evil animatronics.

Not those evil animatronics. 

Hope you enjoy this years Toon-O-Ween. I'll see you guys tomorrow.

Tomorrow's Toon-O-Ween-Horror Club (Steven Universe)

Out of character note-So Toon-O-Ween 2016 will be starting soon. This will be the first time a story line is incorporated into Toon-O-Ween. My original plan was to have started the Virus Arc by now and have a part of arc go on during the special, but obviously I'm not doing the Virus Arc now. I still wanted to do the storyline though and so quickly whipped some up. I hope you guys enjoy. The Ghost Boy Arc is what this new arc is called. It'll be the 3rd arc of the blog, and so The Virus Arc will be the Fourth not the third as I've been promising. Whoops. This is what happens when you suck at keeping a schedule. So hope you enjoy Toon-O-Ween both the reviews and the storyline and thanks again for reading. Peace.