Casper High (This is the Link)

WEBSiTE UPDATE: _{Summarized and reviewed (and revised) the "Infinite Realms" page, as well as revised Frostbite's page.}



I want to point out this: [link]

Toonzone is making articles and entries on what they consider the best and worst of the animation world for 2000 through 2009. That also includes important news centering around it. Why is this relevant? Because as a mod in the Toonzone forums, I participated in the activity as well. The entire project has already started and will continue with new articles throughout the month and December. My article is already up, but I have more entries I'm contributing to other related articles coming up. For now, if you're an animation fan, then please do check it out if you have time or desire.

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Here it is, the coup de grace. The finale of the Toonzone "Toons of the Decade" blogs. From Monday to Friday, the blog will conclude with the 25 best cartoons of this decade. The ones where we declare the top of the top. It'll be five cartoons per day. I'll be updating this journal with each new entry. Lists have now added #5 through #1.

THE LIST (for lazy clickers)

25: King of the Hill
24. El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera
23. Home Movies
22. Chowder
21. Teen Titans (I wrote this one)
20. South Park
19. Word Girl
18. Danny Phantom (Of course I wrote this one)
17. Justice League/Unlimited (Wrote this one, too)
16. Paranoia Agent
15. Mobile Suit Gundam 00
14. Samurai Champloo
13. Phineas and Ferb
12. Invader Zim
11. FullMetal Alchemist
10. Robot Chicken
9. The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
8. Futurama
7. Spongebob Squarepants
6. Family Guy
5. Venture Bros.
4. Kim Possible (Wrote this one)
3. Samurai Jack
2. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
1. Avatar: The Last Airbender (wrote this, too)

[link] link for those who wanna read the full thing)

Enjoy!

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I cannot mince words, these reviews have SPOILERS like the dickens.


The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks [I choo-choo-choose you]
Phantom Hourglass was an interesting take on the Zelda franchise. Then again, I guess the same could be said for Link's Awakening which served as the first Zelda game to deter away from its "Save Zelda, defeat Ganon" plot. Then there's Majora's Mask with its haunting tale of a collapsing moon and the innovative three-day time structure. Phantom Hourglass strove down that path and created its own set of unique abilities, lest of all the stylus controls. But the overall package felt lackluster in comparison to other Zelda games even if it was an all-along good game.

Spirit Tracks sought to remedy these problems while implementing their own take on the famed legend. Those who were worried that it's essentially PH with trains can rest easy. The story starts off roughly 100 years after Phantom Hourglass. Link, a train engineer rides to Hyrule Castle to get his royal certificate from Zelda. After doing so, she sneaks him a note to meet her out back to explain her concerns on Chancellor Cole. Why she would trust a complete stranger is irritating outside of giving the game its Excuse Plot, but she's right about Cole. He's as blatantly evil as the wart on your nose. Cole and his henchman Bryne manages to "kill" Zelda, separating her soul from her empty shell. Cole plans to use her to let the evil Malladus possess it - him needing royal blood to return to physical form. With the help of Anjean (like Engine) of the Lokomo tribe (Like Locomotive, you get the drift?), Link is given the Spirit Train and must travel all four realms to restore more rail tracks (that have mysterious vanished) and stop Cole from resurrecting Malladus.

Though the plot is pretty standard, Nintendo again pulls out of their bag of tricks and manages to deliver it with as much charm and care as they do with much of their work. For the first time in 23 years, Zelda journeys alongside Link and to my great relief, she isn't boring. I'm usually not a fan of Princess Zelda when she's in strict classic princess mode; complete with "But Thou Must" serious look to her. She was barely there in Twilight Princess and when she was, she was duller then dull. So was Ocarina of Time Zelda, but she at least compensated by being Shiek. Enter Tetra from Wind Waker who was a stubborn, easily hot-blooded young piratess. When she's revealed to be Zelda, she doesn't loose her spunky quality. Thankfully she passed it down to her granddaughter. Zelda here has much of her grandma's outspoken persona. She gets easily irked and speaks her mind pretty damn clearly. And yet she also retains a feminine princess-ish grace (and fear of mice which is used in gameplay at times). She's not used to roughing it out, but isn't above getting her hands dirty in her determined effort to retrieve her body. Link may still be silent, but his amazed look at how much Zelda is more then what her pink dress implies is nothing short of amazing. In fact, it makes their hand holding at the ending to be all that more poignant. I'm not a Link/Zelda shipper and I generally disregard the two if the games have little to back up such support, but if I had to root for one game that should pair these two, Spirit Tracks is it. Because at least they had the chemistry to back it up (though Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass comes damn close since the Link and Zelda there work with each other pretty well, more or less).

Not to mention that feeling of epicness returns. Phantom Hourglass didn't mince when it came time for Bellum to shake his evil groove thang, but I never felt that great of a sense of urgency and intensity like other Zelda games (except its possession/tentacle rape of Linebeck). Bellum himself doesn't even have a personality and is strictly nothing but a glorified mutant squid.

In ST, by the last stretch, that feeling of a doomed world lifted right up to my face. The last set of bosses were suitably awesome and dramatic. True, Malladus, too doesn't spout much of a personality outside of four lines, but he's definitely more badass and intimidating them Bellum. Not to mention hard as hell to beat. Bellumbeck was easy - too easy. Malladus will own you if you don't have good reflexes.

On a smaller note, I absolutely love its connections to PH and to a lesser extent Wind Waker. It gives the feel of legacy a much more appropriate light. Hearing about characters from 100 years and even seeing one still alive gives it a sense of an overall structure in the Zeldaverse.

Thank the Lord that the tedious Temple of the Ocean King is done with. The Tower of Spirit will be your returning dungeon, but unlike the last game where you have to replay all the older floors while slowly descending to newer ones, the Spirit of Towers immediately gives you access to the newer ones without having to agonizingly crawl your way back from the bottom for the 6th billion time. To make it less frustrating, this is where Zelda truly shines. After getting three tears of light, Link's sword is temporarily powered up to stun a Phantom Knight. Zelda can then possess it and therein lies the fun. The two of you must work together through some challenging puzzles to get reach the goal. Phantom Zelda is immortal, able to walk through lavas or talk to other Phantoms and other little diddles that Link can't do. Controlling her sometimes can be a chore as certain areas force you to quickly react which makes it difficult when you're controlling Link with a stylus and drawing a path for her at the same time. But otherwise, it's a novel approach and emphasis Zelda isn't just an Exposition Fairy so many other Zelda games have done.

The train handles much the same way as the steamboat did in PH. Because it's on rails, the feeling of exploration is a lot more limited, but in time (and optional mini-quests), you can open up new rails that expand all over the main worlds, giving at least that sense of freedom. It takes a while to handle, but a breeze to master in time. My advice: learn to rely on driving backwards as much as forwards. It may sound useless, but it may save you from an awful fate from those demon trains that consistently and constantly trails in a specific pattern. Like PH, you can also upgrade your trains by trading treasures.

One of my major issues with PH was the music. It felt as though they used a grand total of 12 tunes with similar locations using said basic tunes over. They were uninspiring and unmemorable with possible exception of Linebeck's theme (which I actually don't like that much, but certainly captured his character). Spirit Tracks upped the ante. Individual temple and boss music, a catchy and sprawling overworld theme, a heated final boss battle, soothing melodies when you're under the sea, and hell, the Pan Flute duets with the Lokomo were simply amazing, especially the last one with Zelda. I daresay it's the best Zelda tunes since Wind Waker (which I love). Strictly speaking, it's the most fun Zelda I've had since WW.

Also, you just wait. You just fuckin' wait. That Bryne guy is gonna be a fangirl favorite. He's brooding, mysterious, has a somewhat bishonen look, and eventually sacrifices himself for the heroes. You just fuckin' wait; there's going to be piles of fanart for that guy. Naturally, I was all "eh" because I just don't really care that much for these types of characters.

Of course, I will and did fangirl myself over the kind of character I DO like: the lovable rogue. Linebeck's legacy continues in the form of his grandson, Linebeck the III and much gushing came from my mouth. His dear ol' Granddaddie may be gone, but his legend continues with (Sexy)Beck the 3rd, now with a nice hat. Hee.
9/10

The Princess and the Frog [Safe Disney Classic Fee]
The massive hype for this movie is phenomenal. The potential "racist" tones, the return to 2D animation, the first black Disney lead, god, it's all been discussed to death. But the main question stands: is it good?

Personally, yes. Great? No. It's not super special awesome, but it ain't bad either. The series doesn't do anything innovative or different. The formula is very familiar, despite its unfamiliar settings. Instead of a fantasy kingdom, the movie is set in 1920's New Orleans (which I geeked out, me who considers the Roarin' 20's my favorite period of history), the leading female, Tiana, not a princess, but a chef in distress. With dreams of building her own restaurant to fulfill her and her late father's dream (dead parent, classic Disney), Tiana works double shifts and barely hangs around with her friends, just so she can save every penny to reach her dreams. Meanwhile, Prince Naveen of the fictional kingdom of Maldonia comes to New Orleans to find himself a bride or his parents will never let him return home. However the guy is more of a womanizer who refuses to get tied down at the risk of losing his free-spirited existence. Both of them get entangled when Naveen was turned into a frog by the voodoo master Dr. Facilier for his own nefarious means and accidentally gets Tiana in amphibian mode as well. Now the two have to work together to find a cure for their current ailment.

Despite Disney's usual "wish upon a star" theme, Princess and the Frog often questions this method. Tiana herself believes such a concept requires the easy way out and prefers to work to the bones to get what she wants. Of course, she berates the lazy Naveen for doing the exact opposite. Despite its blatant message (Tiana says it so many times it gets annoying after a while), the movie doesn't diss the easier method and instead strives to create a balance. Naveen learns to be more reliable and he in turns gets Tiana to loosen up a little. The problem with said balance is that Tiana's message often overshadows Naveen's.

The movie also dangles with the difference between wants and needs with the latter strictly talking about love and whatnot as oppose to the more desirable and materialistic "wants" AKA Tiana's resteruant. Granted, she still gets it in the end, but the love explored in the film isn't as finely tuned. Naveen eventually falls for Tiana, but the latter doesn't really feel that way until the final stretches of the film. It loses the chemistry because of poor pacing. It's not that I didn't believe those two together didn't work, but a lack of proper emphasis from Tiana's half. It felt so last minute, though much of the film's final resolution felt convoluted and rushed.

Sidekicks Louis the Jazz-playing alligator who dreams of performing on stage (which is problematic when, well, humans fear gators) and Ray the Cajun Firefly serves as the Disney mandatory funny animal sidekicks. They generally provide the slapsticks which are reasonably well done, but as hyper as the two are, none of them are really that annoying. Ray especially who had the markings, but instead proves to be capable AND reliable. It makes his surprise death scene much more poignant. That moment threw me for a loop as I kept expecting him to pop out and say, "I'm okay!" No. He dies, for reals. And damn, I admit I got sad. But in true Disney fashion, he gets his happy ending by being united with his one true love, Evangeline, a bright star he assumes to be the brightest firefly. It's cheesy as hell, but sweet in its own way.

For that matter, I'm also greatly relieved on Charlotte's character. She's a woman obsessed with princesses, rich, spoiled, and quite living in her own world. And yet she is likable primary because she ISN'T a jerk. Despite their immense background, Charlotte does not look down on her best friend Tiana and is quickly there to help her in anyway, including respecting her newfound love for Naveen (whom she was infatuated with). Underneath that pampered face, Lotte has a kind heart and I am glad that Disney actually subverted the typical "Rich Bitch" and made her to be a shallow, but ultimately, kind and caring young woman.

Naturally, one of the biggest draw is the 2D animation. Thankfully they're excellent. The characters may have that typical Disney feel, but the overall presentation is great. The best part usually comes in the musical segements when the animators just went to town coming up with as much unique visuals they could get their hands on - My personal favorite being the Art Deco-style artwork. Then there's the villain himself. Every scene he's in usually has him pulling out cards out of nowhere or his shadow possessing a mind of his own, manipulating shapes his human form can't do. He, indeed, has charisma. I think the only major complaint are the lackluster frog designs on both Naveen and Tiana. Frankly, they were kinda boring and considering everything and everyone else had their own unique charm, I wished they did sport a more interesting design choice for the frogs.

The musics are fine for the most part. I'm not sure if I would consider it memorable, but damn if they aren't catchy.

So alright, they do managed to subvert or take a different route that typical past Disney films have played with for years, but Princess and the Frog still employs the same theme of love, happy endings, and other familiar Disney elements that worked so well for them in the past. They weren't kidding when they said they were trying to bring the "old Disney" feel of the late 80's/90's period. All around, it takes good advantage of it and is a nice return to form while some of its new contents are welcoming invites. Not enough for me to consider it original enough and I do hope their next 2D movie will be a little bit more experimental, but you can't go wrong with this film.
8/10



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QUOTE OF THE JOURNAL
"Yeah, that's right. All I do around here is mop decks. That's what you think? Kid, adventuring with you gave me a taste of what its like to be a hero. But here we part. It's all up to you now. I'll just be back here...mopping the deck."
~Linebeck, Phantom Hourglass

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REQUESTS: Nope.
TRADES: No (Sorry, I'm a lot busier then I thought)
B-Day Pics: Nothing Yet
COMMISSION: Always. Go see link below for more info.
GIFT ARTS: Nothing Yet

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1. Neo Yi FAQ and Rules
FAQ about me. Also rules. Needs to be updated.

2. COMMISSIONS
Commission info. Help this starving artist, please! Yes, I know they're expensive, but hey, I need the moolah, too, ya know!

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1. Chess Piece FAQ
A basic information journal where you can learn about my fancomic Chess Piece, including small character and world guide, as well as a question section for frequently asked questions. It hasn't been updated in a while and some of the contents may be outdated, but it's best for newcomers to learn the basic.

2. Chess Piece Pages
Where I place the pages of my CP fancomic in one journal for easy viewing. This doesn't contain every page of CP and really only holds the newest issue. If you want to read the whole thing, see below. Updated constantly with new pages.

3. Chess Piece in TV Tropes
Because I'm a bored egomaniac. (The actual page now, not the DA journal which is now deleted).

4. Complete Archive
Where I posted every single CP pages. Good for newbies who are new to the series and wants to read from the beginning to current. I always update with the newest pages.