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Important Update

I know. For the first time ever, I missed a month. However, I've been busy with something.

You see, I've been transitioning onto YouTube and even uploaded two videos.

Sorry about the watermark. It was my first video and I was hesitant to pay to remove it.

This one was just uploaded recently at the time of making this post.

I also just opened a Patreon, which can be found here.

I'm also new to Patreon, so this'll take some getting used to.

Thank you all for the support and interest in this series.

[overlooked-gems]

Important Update

I know. For the first time ever, I missed a month. However, I've been busy with something.

You see, I've been transitioning onto YouTube and even uploaded two videos.

Sorry about the watermark. It was my first video and I was hesitant to pay to remove it.

This one was just uploaded recently at the time of making this post.

I also just opened a Patreon, which can be found here.

I'm also new to Patreon, so this'll take some getting used to.

Thank you all for the support and interest in this series.

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Rayman: The Animated Series

Well, with the Rayman DLC being released for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, I feel it's rather appropriate to talk about Rayman's first foray into other media outside of video games. In fact, we'll be taking a look at his first TV show. Today, we'll be taking a look at... Rayman: The Animated Series!

Rayman: The Animated seres was a very short-lived TV series created by Ubisoft in 1999, following the success of Rayman 2, the most recent game at the time. 26 episodes were planned to release sometime in Autumn of 2000, but the series was cancelled after only 4 episodes were produced and the 5th being near compleition. With the episodes already made, they aired in France, Germany and the Netherlands from December 20th, 1999 to January 10th of the following year.

Rigatoni and his lackey, Admiral Razorbeard run a freak show; a circus comprised of weird, bizarre, and unflattering characters made to perform for the amusement of attendants while being abused and mistreated.

Within their group of performers are Lac-Man, a blue rabbit-like creature who's dim but very strong (and is the star of Rigatoni's freak show; Betina, who performs as an acrobat; Cookie, a paranoid, whiny, and dramatic mole with hypochondria (thinking he's sick or ill) but is a really good handyman and cook; Flips, a little fairy who can only speak in squeaks, but the others can understand her; and Rayman himself, the newest member of the troupe, who instantly decides to escape.

After the group escapes, Rigatoni enlists the help of Inspector Grub to track them down and return them to him. As such, the episodes are mostly minor "adventures" while trying to evade Grubs, but they also secretly live in a flat just above his house, where he lives with his wife.

Obviously, when the show was made, CGI was the big new thing, releasing around the same time as the likes of Donkey Kong Country (1997-2000), ReBoot (1994-2001), and Beast Wars: Transformers (1996-1999). So as a result, the CGI hasn't aged all that well. The TV show is also a massive departure from the games, with the only connection being that it has Rayman.

And here comes the Final Recommendation Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

The series is honestly, not that good. Granted, it's not awful or even horrible. If anything, it has its moments, but they're really nothing impressive. As I stated before, the biggest issue the show has is that it has practically nothing to do with Rayman outside of having the titular character, as well as Razorbeard, who was just downgraded to a dim-witted lackey. Although, Betina and Lac-Mac may also serve as stand-ins for Betilla and Globox, respectively, due to their similar color schemes.

Also, one of the things this series is known for is that it has Billy West voicing Rayman. There's even a meme of how Rayman says "car".

At the end of the day, this show isn't all that special. But if you want to watch it, it's there. In fact, here's a video showing the entire series in one video.

And with that, I'll see you all next month!

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A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Cells at Work

I've been wanting to take a look at this one for a good long while. Alongside animals and mythology, I do have an interest in biology, but more out of curiosity rather than any intense interest. This anime is something akin to Seton Academy, being an edutainment anime that's comedic while being education. Today, we'll be taking a look at... Cells at Work!

Cells at Work is an anime series based on the manga of the same name by Akane Shimizu. The anime itself being a edutainment comedy series, as mentioned before with a focus on biology, being animated by David Productions, the same company known for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime.

The anime itself aired from July 8th, 2018 to February 27th, 2021 across 2 seasons and a special.

The series takes place within the body of a human; their age, name, and gender are all unknown, as they aren't the focus. As stated previously, the series takes place within their body.

The first character introduced is Red Blood Cell, otherwise known as AE3803, working her first day as a red blood cell. Of course, her job is to delivery oxygen, nutrients, and carbon dioxide across the body. But due to it being her first day (and a problem exclusive to her), she quickly finds herself getting lost. Red Blood Cell herself is rather scatter-brained and panics very easily, not to mention she gets distracted very easily as well. Nevertheless, she remains dedicated to her task, come hell or high water, no matter how many times she gets lost.

As she's trying to figure out where to go, the body gets attacked by a group of Pneumococcus bacteria, bacteria capable of causing pneumonia. Just as Red Blood Cell is about to be attacked, White Blood Cell (specifically a Neutrophil), otherwise known as U-1146 comes in and saves her, quickly dispatching the bacteria. White Blood Cells quickly finds himself accompanying Red Blood Cell on her route, both to help her find her way and because he keeps detecting a Pneumococcus bacteria, but can't tell where it is. White Blood Cell, despite his stoic demeanor, is a friendly individual who cares for all the other cells within the body, doing everything he can to protect them. But still kills bacteria with extreme prejudice.

There are also characters such as Killer T Cell, who is also a part of the Immune System, but targets infected/unhealthy/harmful cells alongside foreign entities; Macrophage/Monocytes, who are the strongest of the immune system, but also take the role of nurturing monocytes (juvenile red blood cells); and Platelets, cells specifically meant to patch up holes so more bacteria can't enter the body.

Being an edutainment series, Cells at Work balances comedy with information, such as the above image referring to the process of "Phagocytosis", in which immune cells can consume and absorb foreign entities, neutralizing them as a result.

And so, here's my Final Recommendation: Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

I've already compared the series to the likes of Seton Academy, both mixing education with entertainment. However, Cells at Work has pretty much no fanservice, unlike Seton Academy.

I also want to mention that many character design elements are taken from their real-world equivalents. For example, Neutrophil. When people think of "White Blood Cell", odds are they're specifically thinking of the Neutrophil, being the first line of defense against invaders, and the most common among the White Blood Cells. Also, Macrophage's frilly dress references how real-life Macrophages look when viewed from a microscope. And NK Cell gets a power boost from laughing, just like how real-life Natural Killer Cells are empowered when you laugh. Similar to Killer T Cells, their job is to kill infected cells; cells infected by viruses or cancer cells.

I also want to give special mention to the platelets. In real-life, platelets only live for 7 to 10 days. So to references their incredibly short life-span, the platelets show are children, complete with childish mannerisms.

Speaking of life spans, the series doesn't abide by those rules. As stated, platelets only live for 7 to 10 days. Similarly, neutrophils only live for about 20 days at maximum, though most are expected to die fighting foreign invaders. So yeah, you can see why that wasn't included.

The show also doesn't just do bacteria, though they are typically a significant threat and pop up as a result of whatever happens to the body, ranging from an injury to heat stroke, or even Hemorrhagic Shock (a serious blow that results in a massive loss of blood in the area).

The series does also explain things that not many people know, as as transmigration, the ability immune system cells have that allow them to travel pretty much anywhere (IRL, they can go pretty much anywhere to track down bacteria). It also explains how allergies work (basically, the immune system overreacts with a particular object, thinking it to be a threat when it isn't. This applies to common seasonal allergies, as well as food allergies.

And before I end this, I also want to say that the series does have a few spin-offs. Cells at Work: BLACK focuses on Cells living in the body of someone who doesn't take care of themselves (the host is also directly stated to be male), Cells at Work: Bacteria focuses on friendly bacteria that live in the body, and Cells at Work: Baby focuses on cells within a newborn infant trying to figure things out. Of course, there are many others.

Now, before I go, I would like to share the intro. The dubbed intro! Remember that? We don't see those too often anymore. And yes, that's Billy Kametz. He's the dubbed voice of White Blood Cell.

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A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Overlord

Oh boy!! I've been wanting to take a look at this for a long while!! And before anyone says "Wait, isn't this anime/manga super popular?" No, I'm not talking about the anime/manga isekai series. No, I'm talking about the video game that actually came out before that series, though they share the same name. Today, we'll be taking a look at... Overlord!

Overlord is a T-rated action roleplaying video game developed by Triumphant Studios and published by Codemasters. The game was initially released for PC and Xbox 360 on June 26th, 2007 in North America, June 29th of the same year in Europe, and July 6th of that same year in Australia. It would later be released for Playstation 3 on June 22nd of the following year in Europe, 24th in America, and July 3rd in Australia.

It would eventually be ported to Steam, as would its sequels and the DLC.

Taking place in an unnamed dark fantasy world, a being known only as "The Overlord" is revived by tiny gremlin-like creatures known as "Minions" who proclaim him to be their Master. Among the Minions is a particularly old and wise Minion known as "Gnarl", who serves as the advisor to the Overlord.

As for the plot, sometime prior to the events of the game, the previous Overlord was defeated by the Seven Heroes, who also destroyed and looted the Dark Tower, where the Overlord and his Minions reside. However, following their victory, the Seven Heroes have become corrupted, drunk off their fame and glory and began terrorizing the lands they once sought to save and protect. Melvin the Halfling fell to gluttony and began eating anything and everything, enslaving most of Mellow Hills to fulfill his endless appetite. Oberon the elf became to lazy to protect his home from the invading dwarves who either slaughtered or enslaved his people. And King Goldo the Dwarf enslaved as many elves as possible to work in the mines and expand his wealth.

The goal of the Overlord is to reclaim destroy the corrupted heroes, restore the Dark Tower, and reconquer the land and establish his lordship over the inhabitants. The Overlord must also search for the other Minion Hives, as to reclaim his lost Minions, having only just the Browns.

Much of the gameplay can be compared to Pikmin, as it mostly revolves around the Minions; holding the Left Trigger will lock the target on something, be it an object or enemy while the Right Trigger sends Minions to that object. Pressing the button sends one Minion while holding it sends multiple, however many so long as the button is held. Similarly, moving the Right Thumbstick up will sweep the Minions, allowing the player to specifically control their movements. Pressing Circle (PS3) or B (360) calls one Minion back at a time while holding the button calls all of them.

Pressing X (PS3) or A (360) will perform a basic attack combo while pressing Square (PS3) or X (360) will perform a spell, of which multiple kinds can be learned and cycled through with the D-Pad.

Similar to Pikmin, the player can harvest life force from defeated foes and creatures, but only a specific type of life force can be harvested for a specific type of Minion.

Brown Life Force grants Brown Minions; the starting Minions and best when it comes to combat. Red Life Force grants Red Minions; they aren't that strong, but are immune to fire and can throw fireballs, setting enemies on fire from a distance. Green Life Force grants Green Minions; slightly stronger than Reds, but if they remain still, they turn invisible, being able to perform devastating backstabs. They have poor hygiene, but are immune to poison. Blue Life Force grants Blue Minions; the weakest of all minions, but also the most magically adept and the only ones able to swim. They're the only ones who can harm magically-inclined beings and are even able to revive recently killed minions.

The overall tone of the game is rather satirical; the Seven Heroes who saved the world from evil were left with nothing to do afterwards and fell into the Seven Deadly Sins, basically becoming evil themselves. It's a dark, twisted comedy of typical fantasy stories. The game itself is also just plain comedic, mostly from how idiotic, yet charming the Minions are, or even just dialogue from the NPCs, such as the idiotic human villagers or the melancholic Elf ghosts/whiny emo Elf slaves. There's also a Jester Minion that the player is free to kick.

Now, as for my Final Recommendation: Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

It's a dark comedy game where you play as the villain, outright destroying the (former) heroes. If I recall correctly, this game came out when many games were doing that "Good vs Evil player character" thing; Shadow the Hedgehog, Infamous, Prototype, etc. In those games, you would choose if the character was a hero or a villain. In this game, you ARE the villain.

Well... yeah, you are the villain, but you are still given choices to be either heroic or villainous; such as deciding whether to keep the food supply for yourself and the Minions or return it to the starving villages of Spree, save the huge sack of gold and doom the elves to extinction or save the last female elves but loose the gold. So by the end, you can be outright evil, or just a heroic guy who's supposed to be evil.

However, the game isn't perfect. It's rather heavy on the bloom and the Overlord's attacks are awkward and stiff. And I don't know if this is just me, but I sometimes had issues with Minions getting stuck behind walls and not coming out until I leave the section.

The game can also be somewhat punishing and overwhelming with managing different minions at once, especially in the early game. Thankfully, it doesn't happen often and you can sort of get used to it after a while.

I wasn't exactly sure how to place this in the main article, but you also get a "Mistress". Early in the game, you meet Rose, a human woman who's all about order and balanced, but is responsible and compassionate. Later, you meet her sister, Velvet, who is sultry and seductive, but only cares about money, wealth, and status. You can only pick one and depending who you pick, they'll upgrade two of your Minions.

I also want to mention that there are upgrades you can get. At the start of the game, you're pitifully weak in terms of both damage and defense, so you'll be relying heavily on your Minions when it comes to combat while you either stay out of the fray or just provide minor support. But by finding certain "Objects", you can increase your health and mana. Not to mention there's an Object that increases your max Minion Horde. You start off with only 5 minions (automatically going up to 10 very early in the game), but with enough Objects, the maximum raises to 35.

You can also craft and upgrade your weapons, armor, and helmet via the Forge. There are three different Smelters, each one making stronger gear. And depending on which Minions are sacrifices, those gears get certain buffs, with the exception of the helmets, of which all minions increase the Minion Horde size. For example, sacrificing Brown Minions for the weapon will increase the base damage, while sacrificing Green Minions will increase the Critical Hit damage.

I'm gonna tell you right now, just go with Browns for armor and weapon. Like I said, the helmet gives Horde size, no matter what Minions you sacrifice.

Also, the game got a DLC add-on known as "Raising Hell", which takes place immediately after the main game, in which the Overlord finds himself in the Infernal Abyss, which is basically Hell. When the game was ported to the PS3, the DLC was included as part of the release.

All-in-all, I say give it a try. As I said before, it's available on Steam, as is the Raising Hell DLC and the sequels. Well, with the exception of Minions (a DS game) and Dark Legends (Wii game). The last game in the series was Fellowship of Evil which... wasn't all that good. It was released in 2015, and there hasn't been a new game since. So yeah, Overlord 1 and 2. Ignore Fellowship of Evil.

Speaking of which, Overlord 2 does improve the gameplay, you're more overtly evil (the choices now being just what kind of evil are you), better combat, better comedy, and more personalities; especially from the Minions.

Well, I'll see you guys next month. And remember, evil always finds a way!

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A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Brentalfloss the Comic

Terribly sorry this is so late. I meant to do this earlier, but I got into a car accident last week and got sick about a week later. This month has been rather difficult for me. But that doesn't really matter. When I was younger, I really enjoyed Brentalfloss and his "If Video Games Had Lyrics" series. You can bet I was interested when he announced a webcomic. So today, we're taking a look at that very same webcomic. Today, we'll be taking a look at... Brentalfloss the Comic!

The comic was worked on by Brent “Brentalfloss” Black and Dan Roth as the writers, and Andrew Dobson as the artist. The comic ran from July 12th, 2011 and ended on August of 2013 with 200 pages.

There isn’t much in terms of a story; mostly comics that focus on characters/video games and making jokes about them, like poking fun at illogical moments, like the above comic parodying the NES Ducktales game and how Uncle Scrooge could breathe in space.

However, it is not completely about video games, as it also occasionally pokes fun at old cartoons, like the 1987 TMNT series, and the occasional meme that was relevant at the time, and there are a few focusing on Brentafloss in real life, as well as his roommate, Travis McElroy. There are a few times they tell a more serious, overarching story, though.

The jokes within were quite funny for the time, but a few may not have aged well, especially the ones regarding memes. Regardless, there is a charm to it. And on occasion, there would be guest comics, done by fans and other people.

And so, for my Final Recommendation: Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

If you’re a fan of Brentalfloss, you might get some enjoyment out of it. However, the humor may not be your cup of tea. I do want to mention that if you go to the Brentalfloss website, you’ll only get the first 100 pages. Or rather, 99 pages, with the 100 page linking to the defunct “brentalflossthecomic” website. If you want to read the rest, you’ll have to use the Wayback Machine. And similar to Brawl in the Family, Brentalfloss also released a few videos to coincide with his comic, such as Game Over Tinies.

And with that, I’ll see you all next month. As for what I’ll be taking a look at... I’m honestly not sure yet. See you then.

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A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

I’ve been busy yet again; a lot of stuff as happened in my life, so I wasn’t able to get this out when I wanted to, but hey, better late than never. As you’ve already surmised by the title, we’re taking a look at game that’s a part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, thus making it related to the Persona series. Today, we’ll be taking a look at... Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga!

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, often shortened to “Digital Devil Saga” or just “DDS”, is an M-rated action RPG developed by Atlus. It was released for the Playstation 2 on July 15th, 2004 in Japan, April 5th, 2005 in North America, and July 21st, 2006 in Europe. The game was also produced and directed by Katsura Hashino, the same man who worked on several SMT games from If onward, as well as the Persona series from 3 onward.

Taking place in an area known only as the Junkyard, various factions of soldiers, known as “Tribes” are engaged in constant warfare, but none of the 6 tribes have been able to gain an upper hand, all of them locked in a stalemate. During one particular skirmish, the soldiers of Embryon; consisting of Serph, Heat, Argilla, Cielo, and Gale, are fighting against the Vanguards with a mysterious egg-like object being in the middle of the warzone. As the two sides fight, an explosion of light erupts from the egg, causing everyone amongst the tribes to find themselves turned into demons before they devour anyone and everyone until they’re satisfied and calm down.

Once Embryon regain their senses, they find a girl sleeping in the crater left behind from where the egg once stood, where Embryon take her in. The following day, the ruling body of the Junkyard, the Karma Temple, calls the leaders of the tribes together and explains that everyone has been granted the power of “Atma”, which allows them to transform into demons. Those same powers can finally end the stalemate, but the soldiers will be faced with a strong sense of hunger that can only be momentarily quelled upon devouring others. If not, they enter a frenzied rage until either their hunter is satiated or they’re killed. It is also explained that one tribe will emerge victorious within the war and whichever tribe devours the others will be permitted to climb the temple and reach Nirvana. However, that tribe must also have the girl with them.

With the new laws in place, the tribes go their separate ways to strategize with two goals in mind; conquer the other tribes and find the girl. Or in the case of the Embryon, protect the girl.

Like other RPG games, gameplay is divided into two styles; exploration and battle. In the overworld, the player can explore various areas, solve puzzles, and collect items, while occasionally running into random encounters. Battle plays similar to SMT: Nocturne, having the Press Turn system that increases depending how many party members are active, with a maximum of 4 with all 3 party members active.

Performing any actions costs a Press Turn, but exploiting a weakness or landing a critical hit will cause a Press Turn to glow, which signifies a “Half Press Turn”. However, missing an attack will consume 2 Press Turns while if an attack is reflected or absorbed, all Press Turns will be consumed. Whatever rules the player follows regarding Press Turns, the enemies have to follow as well. Under the right circumstances, it’s possible to turn 4 Press Turns with 4 actions available, to 8 actions.

At the end of battle, along with being given money (Macca) and occasionally items, the player is also given Karma, which acts as typical EXP, as well as Atma Points (AP).

However, there is also the Hunt abilities, which are Physical skills, but if they kill a target, the character will consume them and gain bonus AP after the battle, but devouring too many foes in a short span of time will give the character a stomachache, rendering them unable to get any AP until cured, even if they get a stomachache at the end of battle.

Hunting itself does decent damage, but if an enemy is “Scared”, Hunt skills do even more damage. An enemy can become scared if their attack is reflected, absorbed, or nullified, or if the player exploits a weakness on them. Hunting a scared enemy deals very hefty damage. Later in the game, Fatal Hunt skills become available, which have a very low chance of instantly killing a target, unless they’re scared, then the chances jump up to 100%.

AP itself is used to master Mantra, which refers to a “package” of 1 to 4 skills that are gained upon mastering it, allowing the character to add more skills to their repetoire, such as stronger offensive magic, better healing magic, buffs and debuff skills, or even elemental resistances/immunities and increases to their HP and MP.

Characters can also fight in their human forms, either by willingly changing back or when ambushed. However, while they become immune to Expel and Death abilities (Hama and Mudo), they’re unable to use abilities of their own. Most they can do is use their firearms to attack, which does weak damage, but certain enemies are weak to.

And so, I give you my Final Recommendation: Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

Of course, the battle is going to be fun. It helps that it’s both similar and different from the mainline SMT games, so people don’t get confused. And the story is very interesting, too. It has a sequel, which is a continuation of where the first game left off. And no, it’s just a duology; the story ends at Digital Devil Saga 2.

I also want to mention that unlike Persona or even SMT, the game is much more serious. That isn’t to say it’s completely devoid of comedy, but don’t expect laughs like from the other games. Most you’ll get are minor chuckles or moments that are fairly humorous. And this was all by design.

And if it wasn’t obvious already, the game pulls very heavily from Hinduism; Atma, Karma, and even many of the major Atma Avatars; such as Agni, Varna/Varuna, Ravana, Hayagriva, and Prithivi. And there are a number of locations; such as Muladhara, Anahata, and the Samsara Tunnels.

I also wasn’t sure how to place this in any of the sections above, so I’ll talk about it here. At the start, characters have no emotions. Like, that’s actually a thing; they have no emotions whatsoever until some sort of “trigger” causes them to awaken. This can easily be seen with their eyes; they’re dull and grey with no pupils, but when awakening to their emotions, their eye color changes and they gain pupils, not to mention they start emoting. Heat becomes more aggressive and temperamental and Cielo becomes laid-back.

Also, one of the laws of the Junkyard is that whenever a Tribe conquers another (which is done by killing/devouring their leader), the soldiers are absorbed into the victorious tribe and fight on their behalf.

All-in-all, if you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it. Also, the game infamously lets you fight the Demi-Fiend from Nocturne as an optional Superboss, and he’s regarded as one of the hardest superbosses in the series. I also want to mention that you can migrate your save file from DDS1 to DDS2. What that means is depending on actions taken, choices made, and even what optional bosses you defeat, you can transfer the completed save file to DDS2 to get special rewards. It’s even possible to affect your party at a specific point in DDS2 depending on the decisions made across both games.

And so, I’ll see you guys next month!

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A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: One Operation Joker

This is sort of a new one. I’ve never really taken a look at anything DC or Marvel-related. Even more so, this one isn’t even created by DC, but is a manga all the way from Japan, but still published by DC. Today, we’ll be taking a look at... One Operation Joker!

One Operation Joker is a manga series written by Satoshi Miyagawa and drawn by Keisuke Gotou. It was serialized in “Kodansha’s Morning” magazine on January 7th, 2021 with an English translation to be released on September 5th, 2023 for the DC Universe Infinite, with digital and print versions becoming available afterwards.

Another day in Gotham, Batman is fighting with Joker within some sort of chemical facility. With his back against a railing, Joker pulls his usual schtick; trying to get Batman to kill him and pointing out how they’re not so different. But the moment Batman lets his guard down, Joker throws him into the chemical vat below, somehow transforming him into an infant, which wasn’t something he was expecting. But because Joker’s existence has no meaning without Batman, he decides to raise the baby until he becomes Batman again. He eventually ends up naming the baby “Bruce” after the owner and chairman of Wayne Enterprises, Bruce Wayne, “mysteriously vanished”. He also brings in Johnny Frost and Harley Quinn to assist him.

The manga is quite detailed, with special attention going to the faces and expressions with the comedy coming from reactions to a situation, mainly Joker struggling with being a single father or Johnny realizing Joker is raising a baby. It also shows a few difficulties with raising a child, like baby-proofing sharp corners, buying the right-sized diapers, and finding a suitable daycare.

And now, the time has come for the Final Recommendation Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

The series is pretty charming, what with Joker trying to balance being a criminal madman with being a responsible parent. As stated before, a good amount of the comedy comes from Joker trying to be a parent.

I also want to give special attention to Harley, who takes on the role of “Bruce’s” mom. Not only does she quickly get along with him (as seen in the image above), but she also helps secure a daycare for Bruce when Joker was struggling with the interview process. Clearly, she’s happy with being a mother.

The series itself is still ongoing and your choices are to either read the manga online with fan translations or wait for it to officially be released in the West by DC.

An with that, I’ll see you next month!

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Digimon World -next 0rder-

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m a huge fan of Digimon. I saw the original 01 and watched all the way to Frontiers, skipped Data Squad, and saw Fusions (until the dub was cancelled). To me, I enjoyed Digimon about as much as Pokemon. So today, we’ll be taking a look at... Digimon World -next 0rder-!

Digimon World -next 0rder- is an E10+ rated and was developed by B.B. Studio and published by Bandai Namco. It was initially released only in Japan on March 17th, 2016 for the PlayStation Vita. It later got re-released for the PlayStation 4 a year later on January 27th in Europe, January 31st in North America, and February 26th in Japan,. And it saw a Nintendo Switch and PC release everywhere on February 22nd of 2023.

The story follows the player character, Takuto (male)/Shiki (female), being a third-year high school student. One day, they find themselves being transported into the Digital World, where they meet their Digimon Partners, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. Together, they fight a Machinedramon, eventually being forced to DNA Digivolve to Omegamon (otherwise known as Omnimon) to beat it. They end up using all their power and die as a result while the Machinedramon turns into a Tokomon.

The Hero and the Digimon are then teleported to a place known as Floatia, where they meet Jijimon, who explains that Digimon Partners can be reborn. There, the player can choose what their Digimon can be reborn into. Jijimon explains that for some reason, Digimon are being transformed into rampaging and destructive Machinedramon and is trying to figure out why and how to stop it, asking the Hero’s help, as they were able to defeat a Machinedramon. At the same time, he asks them to help search for the residents of Floatia who have fled as a result of the attacks.

After some time, they meet up with two other humans named Kouta Hirose and Himari Oofuchi, as well as their partner Digimon, Yukimura the Guilmon and Rikka the Salamon, respectively.

The gameplay follows an open world RPG style. The player is free to explore and find materials with battles being initiated on contact with an enemy Digimon. In battle, the player doesn’t take direct control of their partners. Instead, the Digimon do their own things, attacking and dodging on their own, though the player can command them to perform a specific action, though this costs “Order Power”. The player can raise their Order Power by pressing the Support button at any time, though more is gained the closer the button is pressed when an attack (either by a partner towards an enemy or an attack by an enemy towards a partner) makes contact. By pressing the Left or Right bumpers, the player can bring up the options for the Digimon; use specific attacks or Defend. At the end of a battle, the Digimon don’t get EXP. Instead, they get an increase to their stats. Similarly, the player can also increase their stats at the Floatia Training Hall.

However, time flows outside of battle, as eventually, night will fall and the days will pass. Depending on how much time has passed and what a Digimon’s stats are, they can Digimon to a higher form. Digivolution itself has several branches, as one Digimon can possibly Digivolve into multiple other Digimon. For example, an Agumon can Digivolve into Greymon, Tyrannomon, Meramon, or BlueGreymon.

However, the game is also part pet simulation; at times, a Partner Digimon has a need that has to be met. Either having to use the bathroom, having to be fed, or healing them when they get sick or injured. Failure to properly care for the Digimon leads to Training Failures and can eventually lead to death. A Digimon can also just die once they reach the end of their Life or if they fail to reach any requirement to Digivolve. Regardless, the Digimon will die sooner or later and when they do, they’ll simply be reborn so the player can choose what they’ll be reborn as.

Once again, it’s time for the Final Recommendation: Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

The game is a fairly entertaining game. You can explore the Digital World, fight Digimon, and recruit Digimon to return to Floatia. As you do, more of Floatia becomes available to you and at certain points, the story can progress. Yes, bringing Digimon to Floatia allows you to progress the story.

And as fun as the combat and exploration is, when a Digimon dies, their stats basically reset when they’re reborn, so you’ll have to spend time training to get them back up to speed. It’s also worth noting that the Training Hall takes an hour of in-game time when its used.

However, while I previously mentioned that Digimon can’t get EXP, the player does, gained in a number of ways; including battles, but there are other ways. As the player gains Tamer EXP, they can level up, where they gain Tamer Points, allowing them to unlock new abilities, like Digimon keeping more of their stats when reborn or Digimon regaining HP and MP when walking.

Speaking of exploration, the player can also collect materials such as wood, liquids, metals, and wood. These materials are used by the Builder in Floatia to build or upgrade various buildings and facilities, making them more effectient.

I also want to mention that the game also has voice acting. Not just voice acting, but English voice acting, a rarity for the Digimon games. I bring this up because Richard Epcar, Mari Devon, and ben Diskin are brought back and reprise their roles from the anime. Richard as MetalEtemon (Digimon Adventure 01), Mari as Taomon (Digimon Tamers), and Ben as Shoutmon (Digimon Fusion). However, a common complaint is how the characters pronounce “Machinedramon”. Anyone who has seen the anime know it’s pronounced as “muh-SHEEN-druh-mon”, but the characters in the game pronounce is as  “muh-sheen-DRAY-mon”. Though I heard the reason for the pronunciation change is become Japanese staff involved with the development of the insisted on having the English voice actors pronounce it that way.

Oh! And before I forget, it’s also possible to DNA Digivolve, but it has a few requirements. Mainly the bond between you and your Digimon have to be at 100, as in your Digimon must have a 100 bond with you, as well as each other. They also have to be at least Champion and it costs 150 OP to perform. Needless to say, a DNA Digivolution is incredibly powerful. However, it can only be performed once a day. But once you get Paildramon, you can get a fused Digimon as a partner, provided the two partners are compatiable. For example, if you have a LadyDevimon and Angewomon, you can get a Mastemon, which replaces fills the slot of one of your two partners while the other De-Digivolves to their Rookie state.

And one final thing, there is one character I want to mention. I won’t say his name, but if you’re a fan of the Digimon World series, you may recognize him. He’s grown and matured quite a bit, but still cares about Digimon. Understandable, being a former hero himself.

And with that, I’ll see you all next month!

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: My Love Story!!

I know, I missed Valentine’s Day. I’ve been busy. But I’m doing this now. Today, we’re taking a look at a series all about romance! Today, we’ll be taking a look at... “My Love Story!!”

My Love Story!! (Ore Monogatari!!) is romantic-comedy series written by Kazune Kawahara and illustrated by Aruko, with the manga being published by Shueisha and running from October 13th, 2011 to July 13th, 2016 across 13 volumes. It would later get an anime adaptation by Madhouse that aired from April 8th, 2015 to September 23rd, 2015.

My Love Story!! follows three characters in particular. The main protagonist being Takeo Gōda, a first-year high school student that towers over everyone around him, including most adults. He’s naturally large and strong, with many women finding him off-putting or frightening. However, he’s popular among men for his physique, strength, and vitality. Despite his large appearance, he’s very kind-hearted and selfless, caring more about others than himself. But because of his appearance and somewhat obliviousness, people can get the wrong idea. For example, one incident has him protecting grade-schoolers from a pervert by standing in front of the school, keeping a watchful eye. But people ended up mistaking him for the pervert instead. Growing up, he had several crushes, but the girls turn him down in favorite of his best friend, Makoto “Suna” Sunakawa. Makoto Sunakawa is the exact opposite of Takeo, being serious, rational, and highly attractive who has girls falling head-over-heels for him. But despite that, he remains single, always rejecting their advances. Despite his serious personality, he occasionally bursts into laughter because of Takeo’s behavior or antics. And finally, Rinko Yamato is Takeo’s girlfriend. She’s about as kindhearted as he is and has a fondness for cooking sweets. She’s wholly devoted to Takeo, to the point of sometimes getting flustered when thinking about him, just as he gets flustered when thinking about her.

The plot is that while riding a train with Makoto, he spots Rinko being groped and immediately steps in to save her, causing Rinko to fall in love with him almost instantly. However, due to the groper running his mouth and disrespecting Rinko, Takeo punches the an and gets suspended from school. It isn’t long before Rinko invites Makoto and Takeo together and sharing her sweets with them, causing Takeo to assume she’s interested in Makoto, just like every other girl, so he vows to make sure they end up together, despite him having a crush on Rinko himself, as he doesn’t want to see her heart get broken.

However, Makoto gets her to say that she loves Takeo instead, causing the two to start dating. The rest of the series is the two going on various romantic outings; a day at the beach, a group date, and going on a picnic. Of course, being a comedy-romance series, hi-jinks and comedy is abound.

As stated above, the series is a romcom, so romance and comedy are at the forefront. While there is action, it’s all very mundane and slice-of-life. If it does get over-the-top, it’s usually used for comedic effect or keeps the action contained to real-life settings, like when Takeo is holding up a massive steel beam.

The series also enjoys taking advantage of various expressions. While Makoto doesn’t react much, Takeo has a lot of over-the-top reactions and expressions, as does Rinko.

And now, time for the Final Recommendation Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

Honestly, this series is really charming! It is a romcom and any and every sense of the word; lots of love and lots of laughs. But the biggest thing about this series is definitely the romance. The love between Takeo and Rinko is genuine. A common occurrence in the series is one of them saying “I love him/her” when the other does practically anything.

However, there are some less-than-loving moments. Nothing serious, mind you, but, well... how do I put it? There are times where the two have a problem, but completely personal. Basically, they massively love each other, but they sometimes feel like they aren’t enough. For example, when the two go to a beach as part of a group date, Takeo has trouble looking at Rinko without being enamored and absolutely smitten and doesn’t want to look at her in a lecherous way until Makoto tells him to think of her swimsuit like any other article of clothing. However, Rinko specifically wanted to make his heart skip, so when he acts normally, she feels he doesn’t find her attractive. Another example is Makoto’s father needing surgery and Takeo wants to support his best friend, but the surgery is on the same day as Rinko’s birthday.

I also want to take a brief moment to talk about Makoto. As stated before, girls fawn over Makoto, but he remains single. As I mentioned previously, every girl Takeo has a crush on ends up asking Makoto out. How things went was that Takeo would ask them but, but they’d turn him down. Makoto rejects those girls because he heard them talk about about Takeo behind his back and he refuses to date someone who would speak so poorly of his best friend. Of course, those girls make fun of him for his appearance. Rinko is the one girl he accepts because she sees Takeo as the genuinely good person he is, regardless of how he looks.

All in all, this anime is nothing but feelgood moments and the love and dedication between Takeo and Rinko are on full display. Like Takeo vowing to protect her from mosquitoes, or Rinko’s love giving Takeo the strength to win a judo match. Of course, there’s good comedy. Mostly from Takeo, but a few from Rinko too.

And so, I’ll see you guys next month! I have a few things planned for March.

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Eternal Sonata (Manga)

I was going to take a look at something else, what with it being New Year’s, but I ran into some trouble. But in its place, I’ll be taking a look at a manga adaptation of my favorite game, which I also took A Look At on January when I first started this series. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the Eternal Sonata manga!

The manga adaptation of Eternal Sonata was released somewhere between September and December of 2008, with only one volume and ten chapters within that volume. Both the art and story were done by Kuroi Mimei, who also did the art for “The iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls Comic Anthology - cute“.

As stated earlier, this manga adapts the game. Much like the game, the plot is set in the dream world of famed Polish pianist Frédéric François Chopin as he lays on his deathbed. In his dream, he meets Polka, a young girl from Tenuto Village with an incurable illness that allows her to use magic. She’s unable to sell a medicine known as Floral Powder because Mineral Powder is so beneficial and the only thing not being taxed. The two travel to Forte City to speak with Count Waltz, hoping to come to an agreement so Polka can make her living.

At the same time, two street urchins from Ritardando named Allegretto and Beat have to steal food to feed themselves and the kids living in the sewers. Frustrated with the high taxes on everything except Mineral Powder, the two friends travel to Forte City to speak with Count Waltz. Along the way, the two pairs meet and decide to travel together.

Due to the game’s plot being compressed into 10 chapters, much of said plot has been trimmed down and as a result, the other playable characters are relegated to brief, one-off appearances and don’t normally accompany the main four for long, if at all.

As for the art, a lot of work has gone into the details. Everything from the characters’ hair, to injuries, to even the backgrounds. But at the same time, character faces can look a little... off. As noted by the cover.

Another year, another Final Recommendation Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

As stated earlier, the manga heavily compresses the events of the game and the other playable characters are relegated to glorified cameos. Heck, Claves, Viola, and Falsetto are completely absent with no mention of them. March and Salsa show up briefly, and Jazz accompanies the group for a short while.

And when I said “heavily compressed”, I mean “HEAVILY compressed”! Chapter 3 has Beat and Allegretto meet Polka’s mom in Tenuto, then it cuts to the four in Agogo Forest, where they set up camp for the night, only for Fugue to find them and threaten them while Frederic is elsewhere. The very next chapter has Polka waking up in Salsa and March’s house, with the fight happening between chapters; the group was heavily beaten and nearly killed until Frederic shows up and singlehandedly beats Fugue. And while leaving Agogo Forest, they meet Jazz (who is just a traveler, rather than a member of Andantino, which isn’t even mentioned), who takes them all the way to Baroque Castle, which, according to this map, is VERY far from Agogo Forest.

In fact, the whole plot about Count Waltz exploiting Mt. Rock and turning his citizens into mindless, magic-using soldiers is completely absent. I don’t even think the negative side effects of Mineral Powder are even mentioned. And by Chapter 9, the group arrives at Castle Forte, where they meet Count Walt, where he consumes a drink containing a Glowing Agogo and transforms into a monster that doesn’t even look like the Ruined Body. Polka uses her magic to return Waltz to his human form, but Allegretto is fatally wounded by a pole while protecting Polka. Somehow, the two use magic to help Polka recover, but she’s unable to use her magic to save him because her mysterious illness is gone. Wanting to save Allegretto and still convinced the world he’s in is a dream, Frederic uses his magic to revive and heal Allegretto before mysteriously vanishing, leaving only his hat. And no, I didn’t skip over anything.

And the manga does also differ from the game as how the plot unfolds (obviously). Like in the game, you only find March in Agogo Village and she asks you to look for her sister at Forte City because she forgot her iconic hat (Salsa isn’t wearing a hat in the manga) and hasn’t returned for a few days. Salsa was thrown in prison and you break out with her. In the manga, Salsa is present in Agogo Village and doesn’t leave for Forte City.

There’s also this minor subplot about Allegretto feeling weak in comparison to Frederic and Jazz.

If you wanna check it out, go ahead. It’s not awful, just very bizarre. But if you want the best experience, just get the game. PS3 version.

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Elf Bowling the Movie

Okay, I meant to do this earlier, but I was busy and forgot, so sorry about that. But, I suppose it’s better late than never. Today, we’ll be taking a look at... Elf Bowling the Movie!

Elf Bowling the Movie: The Great North Pole Elf Strike (henceforth just “Elf Bowling”) is a computer-animated movie released on October 2nd, 2007, serving as an adaptation of the game(s) of the same name, also known as “Elf Bowling”, though mostly telling its own story. The movie was directed and produced by Dave Kim (he would later work on the Simpsons Movie and The Golden Compass) and Rex Piano. And Martin Olson is in charge of writing; he previously worked on the likes of Rocko’s Modern Life (including Static Cling), Phineas and Ferb, Extreme Ghostbusters, Camp Lazlo, and Milo Murphy’s Law.

The movie starts with Santa Maria Auschwitz Kringle (voiced by Joe Alaskey), captain of the Filthy Toe. His crew goes around and steal toys while Santa secretly returns them. He’s accompanied by his half-brother, Dingle Kringle (voiced by Tom Kenny), who serves as his second-in-command. Following a game of bowling (Santa’s favorite game), the crew get angry because Dingle fudged the numbers on Santa’s behalf and start a mutiny while the two brothers argue over who is in the wrong. They’re pushed into the water, where they freeze instantly.

They’re eventually arrive in the North Pole where they are found and thawed out by an elf named Lex, who believes Santa is Whitebeard, a legendary figure who is destined to lead the elves. Lex himself wields a magical ball that allows him to use magic. The two brothers are introduced to the Elves’ Workshop, where they make toys for fun and store them away with Santa deciding to give the toys away to the kids of the world. And following a minor disagreement with Dingle, who wants to steal the toys, Dingle drops Lex’s ball, causing it to roll into a group of elves, knocking them over. The elves love what happened, so Santa calls it “Elf Bowling”. The elves would go on to work for Santa to make toys, with the only stipulation being that they’re happy. As in they’re only contractually obligated to work if they’re happy. If they’re not, then they can go on strike and refuse to work.

Santa would go on to become a legendary figure and gets married to a woman named Grizelda (voiced by Jill Talley, Tom Kenny’s wife and the voice of Karen from Spongebob) known for her legendary strudels  while Dingle becomes a common crook, mooching off his brother and using Santa to bail him out when he gets in trouble. Secretly, Dingle plots with his two penguin henchmen to steal the position and the elves from his brother.

One can safely assume there are comedic moments, with the comedy ranging from non-sequiturs to wordplay to just plain bizarre moments.

And while it may not look like it, it can technically be a musical, as there are a few songs in the movie. About 3 or 4 throughout the 1 hour, 22 minute runtime. 

Honestly, this is sort of all I can say, so I’m just gonna move on to the Final Recommendation Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

Look, this movie isn’t good by any stretch of the imagination. But similar to other terribad movies like Dragon Ball Evolution or Doogal, it’s the kind of movie where you can get some friends together and laugh at it. There’s honestly no good points about the movie. And it can be weirdly cartoony at times, like Dingle stretching his neck to impossible lengths. And the movie can be weirdly sensual sometimes. Especially with Dingle’s “girlfriend” near the end of the movie.

And you know how I mentioned Santa and Dingle were pirates? Yeah, they initially planned to get a ship to go after their old crew, but that gets dropped almost immediately. Heck, Santa and Dingle fall overboard within the first five minutes of the movie, it’s completely dropped by about minute 15, and the ship and crew are never seen or mentioned again following the mutiny.

Apparently, there was a sequel planned called “Elf Bowling 2: The Great Halloween Pumpkin-Heist” but it was immediately cancelled because of the awful reception of the movie.

I also previously mentioned this movie was based on the Elf Bowling games. Elf Bowling, for those unaware, is a PC game from 1998 developed by NStorm. The elves have gone on strike due to being overworked from the high demand of Christmas toys. So Santa decides to play a bit of Elf Bowling to whip them back into shape by using them as bowling pins. And that’s the entire plot. Bowling, but replace the pins with elves. It’s also a little crude, as you can hit a reindeer passing down the lane and sometimes the pinsetter will take an elf’s head off. The sequel, Elf Bowling 2, has Santa and Dingle (who used to work as a used ice cream salesman) competing in a game of shuffleboard, but using the elves as pucks. Winner takes the title of “Father Christmas”. Both games would end up being ported onto a 2-in-1 compilation cartridge for the GameBoy Advanced and Nintendo DS by Ignition Games.

I also wasn’t sure where to put this, but near the end of the movie, Dingle since a song about how great slavery is, because he enslaved the elves. The song is even titled “Slavery Makes the World Go Round”. And there’s one line that’s especially infamous. “Who pooped in the peanut barrel?!”.

If you want to see the movie, it’s available on Amazon Prime and on YouTube. Yes, it’s on YouTube and you can watch it for free with no ads.

I’ll see you all next month at the start of the new year! And with it, a game that I’ve had my sights on for about a year or two now. I’ll see you then and have a Happy new Year.

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Lilo & Stitch: The Series

I’ve actually had this one on my mind for a good while, and why I previously took A Look At “Stitch! The Movie” a while back. I often see people talk about the original Lilo & Stitch movie, but almost never the rest of the series. I also wanted to talk about this before, but decided to take A Look At “Stitch” in case some were unaware of it. So, yeah. Today... Lilo & Stitch: The Series!

Lilo & Stitch: The Series is an animated TV show that serves as a sequel spin-off to the original Lilo & Stitch movie, with Stitch! The Movie serving as a pilot episode/movie, similar to Buzz Lightyear: Star Command. The series premiered on ABC Kids on September 20th, 2003 with a delayed premiere on Disney Channel on October 12th of the same year. It would run for 65 episodes across 2 seasons, ending on July 29th, 2006.

At the end of “Stitch!”, a struggle in Earth’s lower atmosphere between Gantu and Lilo & Stitch causes the container housing 623 deactivated experiments to break open, causing their pods to rain down all across Hawaii. Due to the experiments being in a dehaydrated state, contact with any form of liquid will reactivate them, causing them to begin causing trouble, based on their nature and what Jumba had in mind. Lilo convinces the Grand Councilwoman to let her and Stitch rehabilitate the experiments, giving them a home and so they won’t cause trouble. And due to the fact that it’s Jumba’s experiments running amok, he’s tasked with helping the two find and captured the experiments. Pleakely is also left behind, due to his knowledge on Earth customs. Gantu and 625 are also left stranded, after Gantu’s ship is short-circuited and they crash in Kaukai

As for the show itself, each episode follows a different experiment, having just be re-activated and causing some sort of trouble. Each episode has its own plot, such as Experiments-501 and 502, Yin-Yang, having Lilo and Stitch argue over which experiment to go after, leading the two to split and capture each experiment on their own with the help of tools Jumba and Pleakly gave them. Or Experiment-300, Spooky, being about characters being faced with their worst fears because of the experiment in question.

Each episode follows a similar structure; an experiment is activated, Gantu (who still has the container) and Jumba (and by extension, Lilo and Stitch) learn about it, Lilo & Stitch try to find and capture the experiment before Gantu does (usually the experiment either changing hands or escaping), and by the end of the episode, the pair befriend the experiment and they use their abilities to help society.

As stated, each episode is about capturing an experiment causing trouble and giving them a place to belong. However, each episode is self-contained, rather than serialized with little to no references to other experiments outside of an occasional reference. Though some episodes do have a previous experiment become involved, most notably with the episode focusing on Experiment-624, Angel.

There were also a few crossover episodes with other Disney cartoons that were airing around the time. These shows being Recess (down-to-earth cartoon about kids at school with plots being far more relatable, like crushes or getting in trouble), American Dragon: Jake Long (Chinese-American boy can transform into a dragon and is training to be the protector of the magical world, secret from the human world. Also, the main character is voiced by Dante Bosco), Kim Possible (teenage cheerleader who also fights crimes across the world, similar to James Bond while trying to balance school life), and The Proud Family (suburban family getting into wild and wacky misadventures, similar to Family Guy or The Simpsons in terms of absurdity and humorous physical injuries). Just like the rest of the show, each involves an experiment, with the crossover characters helping the protagonist deal with said experiment.

And once again, it’s time for the Final Recommendation: Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

The show still has the same feel as the original movie. However, due to the lack of a major over-arching story, each episode is pretty basic, which is a good and bad thing. On one hand, you can jump into any episode with little issue. But on the other, the status quo remains largely the same and characters don’t change much from episode.

One issue people often have is the introduction of a kid named Keoni, a laid-back boy about Lilo’s age and the object of her affection, sometimes competing with Mertle for his attention. When he’s around, Lilo tends to lose sight of the current objective, typically completely ignoring Stitch, and by extension, the experiment, focusing on trying to impress Keoni or just not look like a fool. One episode has Lilo embarrass herself in front of him and the main focus of the episode is Lilo using Jumba’s time-travel invention to change the past, but each time she does something different, a major catastrophe happens. The experiment is captured, but isn’t the focus.

I also previously mentioned Experiment-624, Angel. She’s a fan-favorite character introduced as Stitch’s love-interest. Her appearance is basically a female Stitch, but has the ability to turn any experiments made before her back into evil with her Siren-like song. Stitch and 625 are unaffected, being created after her.

And despite the show being more comedic, there are more heavy moments. Like when Spooky is on the loose (the episode in question is a Halloween episode), characters facing their fears gives insight into their character. Of course, Stitch is terrified of water. However, Jumba fears his ex-wife, Pleakly fears his mother, Lilo is afraid of clowns and of an abandoned house, while Nani’s worst fear is Cobra Bubbles coming to take Lilo away. Another episode takes palce on the anniversary on Nani and Lilo’s parents, having the two deal with their loss.

While the show would eventually end, it would have a post-series movie called “Leroy & Stitch” to wrap everything up.

Well, that’s everything I wanted to share. If you want to see the series, it’s available on DIsney Plus. I’ll see you guys next month for Christmas.

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Face Like a Frog

Halloween is just around the corner, so I want to take a look at something, well, not scary, but certainly unsettling or bizarre. Today, I’ll be taking a look at Face Like a Frog. However, due to the short length of this video, I’ll be giving a rundown of the entire thing.

Face Like a Frog is a 5-minute long video created by Sally Cruikshank, an animator known for her work on Sesame Street with segments such as Island of Emotion, In and Out Crowd, Above It All, and In Your Head. The short itself was released in 1987 with music by Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo.

The short follows a frog named Max driving down the road in his gator-car until an enticing female frog named “Gluey” appears and asks for his help in dealing with a hex that’s been placed on her family’s house, to which he agrees. Inside, a brief montage of Gluey wearing different outfits plays while Max meets her family. He sees a door leading to the basement, which also has “Free Phones”, so he attempts to excuse himself to make a phone call, only for a lizard (portrayed by Danny Elfman) sings “Don’t Go in the Basement”, warning Max about going into the basement.

After the song, Max pulls out a Nut Detector, which reveals Gluey’s family are all nuts. Literally, different kinds of nuts, like chestnuts and acorns, while Gluey’s clothes melt into what can best be described as a slip dress. Max and Gluey flee into the basement, where they encounter a train that goes to Hell. Max is hesitant to get on, until he learns it makes one stop at Miami Beach. When he gets on, he’s greeted by Anita and Snozzi from Sally’s previous works, “Make Me Psychic” and “Quasi at the Quackadero” before the train departs and the video ends.

There’s no deeper look into this 5-minute video. I’m not even sure if I can give it a Final Recommendation. Most I can say is to check it out. It’s Sally Cruikshank, so it’s going to be weird. And no, there’s no continuation of any sort. It was released in 1987, like I said and nothing regarding these characters have come since. But perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from this video would be Don’t Go in the Basement.

And now, I leave you with the video itself. I’ll see you next month.

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Brawl in the Family

Another webcomic today, and a pretty charming one, too. One you can sit with your family and read together, especially if they’re fans of Nintendo and video games as a whole. But mostly Nintendo. Today, I give you... Brawl in the Family!

Brawl in the Family is a gag-a-day webcomic created by Matthew Taranto and the first issue would be uploaded on June 13th, 2008, with the webcomic primarily centering about the characters of Nintendo, all existing in a single unified world, al a Super Smash Bros., to which Matthew drew inspiration from. The first several issues of the comic were about 3 pages long, sometimes extending to 4 or 5 and most of those were merely “Kirby eats something” gags.

Of course, the main character of the comics is Kirby, and by extension, his ill-tempered rival, King DeDeDe. Though they would eventually extend to more varied gags with more characters, such as DK accidentally blasting a bird when he tries putting his bananas in a Blast Barrel or the Lon Lon Milk that Link had on hand being long-since expired during his 7-year slumber. Not to mention Adeline and Bandana Dee (or merely Waddle Dee) would end up becoming majorly recurring characters.

As stated before, the comic is largely gag-focused with each upload being a simple gag. But on occasion, there will be longer stories, such as one where DeDeDe and Meta Knight are stuck together via a Gooey Bomb and they try to get it off (the series goes on for 7 parts) or one where Kirby is taken to court in Ace Attorney with Edgeworth as the prosecutor and Kirby’s best friend, Diddy, in place of Phoenix Wright and DeDeDe as Manfred von Karma.

And since all these Nintendo characters exist within the same world, they all have noticeable relationships with one another; such as Samus dating Captain Falcon.

There’s also more to the comic than just gags. There are times where there’ll be something akin to a story; not like the Gooey Bomb story, like I mentioned, but things actually happening. There’s one that shows DeDeDe and Meta Knight when they were younger, attending school together.

Alright, now it’s time for the Final Recommendation Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

Like I said at the start, the comic is very charming and completely family friendly. No swearing, overt violence, or anything like that. Just gags and occasional heartwarming moments. The gags themselves aren’t just limited to wacky situations, but sometimes poke fun at game mechanics, like Mario and Luigi messing with Bowser’s insides to make him do various things (Bowser’s Inside Story) or Crocomire actually being polite when his roars and other sounds are translated.

There’s also an entirely new character added to the series known as Eario, who serves as the janitor for the Mushroom Kingdom,

More than that, Matthew has occasionally used the comic in reaction to video game news, such as reactions to E3, making a tribute comic starring Howard and Nester because Nintendo Power was ending, or even a tribute image when Satoru Iwata passed away.

The comic itself would eventually come to an end on October 3th, 2014; the comic started around the time Brawl was released, so it ended on the same day Smash for 3DS and Wii U came out. The comic had 600 issues, not counting intermissions or the extra pages/updates after issue 600.

And before I end this, I want to say that Matthew has also released; most of being voice-acted versions of his comics or even singing in some of them. Here are some of my favorites. And the comic itself can be found here.

And with that, I’ll see you guys next month for October. What spooky thing do I have planned? I’ll give you a hint; it relates to Sesame Street. Not directly, but still.

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Skylanders Academy

I’ve been thinking about this one for a while. It might interest you to know that I’ve been a fan of the Spyro series ever since it first came out on the PS1, which extended to Legend of Spyro (my favorite Spyro series) and even Skylanders. Which is why we’ll be taking a look at... Skylanders Academy!

Skylanders Academy is a CGI animated series produced by TeamTO (a French animation company known for Rabbids Invasion on Nickelodeon) and Activision Blizzard Studios and released on Netflix as a Netflix Original Series. Obviously, it’s based on the Skylanders series of games. The first season aired on October 28th, 2016 with the third and final season airing on September 28th, 2018. It is also worth noting that despite being based on the games, almost none of the original voice actors were brought back, with the exception of Richard Steven Horvitz as Kaos, Greg Ellis  as Jet-Vac, and Patrick Warburton as Flynn.

The series takes place in a different universe, largely different from the games. Unlike the original games, where the Skylanders are well-known heroes fighting against the forces of evil. In Skylanders Academy, the series largely focuses on the titular Academy, which trains future heroes.

The series itself has Spyro, Stealth Elf, and Eruptor as new students at the Academy. Given Spyro being raised and trained by the headmaster, Eon, he has a massive ego, not helped by how naturally skilled he is. Stealth Elf is much more level-headed, trying to keep Spyro in check, but tends to remain fixated on a topic and gets stressed very easily. And Eruptor is rather short-tempered, getting very easily angered and even being somewhat absent-minded. The three are assisted by Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz, both of whom are teachers at the school, who also live with the trio in hopes of trying to get Spyro’s attitude under control (with said attitude causing trouble and nearly causing disaster).

At the same time, Kaos, the mortal enemy of the Skylanders, plots to steal the Book of Skylanders, a mystic book that contains information on all Skylanders. And whomever holds the book can control the Skylanders however they wish.

Being in an alternate universe, character relationships are completely different, such as Spyro being a new student, as opposed to the leader of the Skylanders. Similarly, several students admire Spyro for his skill, as opposed to the games, where they respect him as a friend, ally, and leader. And Kaos’ mother, Kaossandra, being more motherly and seemingly less evil than in the games.

Even some backstories are different, such in Jet-Vac’s. In the game, he came from a race of Sky Barons, who are granted magical wings upon reaching a certain age that allows them to fly. But when his home was attacked, he gave up his wings to a female Sky Baron so she could escape with her kids. Eon gave him his iconic vacuum so he can fly and fight. In the series, he just has it as his weapon of choice.

And now, time for the Final Recommendation: Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

While I myself enjoyed the series, it may not be for everyone. Largely do to it being much more comedic. Granted, there are still stakes and action, but the series is mostly a comedy, to the point of some characters being changed to better fit the tone; like the Doom Raiders. While still considered a major threat and incredibly powerful and dangerous, it’s not uncommon to see them bickering over trivial things. And Malefor (yes, that Malefor) really likes tacos.

It might also interest you to know that Crash Bandicoot appears and the episode follows the typical “character admires this new face and tries to emulate them, only to learn they’re just fine as is” plot. Specifically Spyro who admires and tries to mimic Crash; from his iconic spin or even walking like him (seeing Spyro walk upright looks so weird). Some people don’t like the fact that Crash could talk. And he has an Australian accent. Of course, his appearance in the show is because of him appearing in Skylanders: Imaginators.

The show also pulls from the games quite a bit. Like the titular Skylanders Academy, which debuted in Trap Team and served as the Skylander’s base ever since. And a few episodes feature the SuperChargers, from the Skylanders game of the same name. And the Giants show up on occasion and are considered legendary Skylanders.

However, there is actual lore and story; like underneath Spyro’s bravado, he’s actually secretly very lonely. Not because he doesn’t feel he has friends, he fully recognizes the others as his friends. But rather, because he’s the only purple dragon in all of Skylands.

[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Novas Aventuras de Megaman

Okay, I knew about this for a long while, but only actually check it out recently and MAN! This comic is something else! And the stuff in it is absolutely bizarre. Today, we’re taking a look at... Novas Aventuras de Megaman!

(Under Read More for length and mild nudity/gore)

Novas Aventuras de Megaman (New Adventures of Megaman) is a Brazilian comic book adaptation of Capcom’s Mega Man series. It was developed by  Estúdio PPA (PPA Studios, with PPA standing for “Peixoto Produções Artísticas” (Peixoto Artistic Productions)) and was published by Editora Magnum (Magnum Press) and ran from 1996 to 1998 with a total of 16 issues before being cancelled due to financial problems.

The first 5 issues were written by José Roberto Pereira with issues 7 through 16 being written by Orlando Tosetto Jr. And Sérgio Peixoto Silva (who owned Estudio PPA) was the editor-in-chief and the writer of Issue 6.

Following the events of Mega Man 8 (the most recent Mega Man game at the time), Wily has been arrested. But because of Dr. Wily’s robots, all governments of the world placed a ban on outdated robots, including Rock and Roll. Dr. Light, not wanting to give away his children, secretly upgraded them before putting them in energy capsules and letting them sleep for 30 years while their systems continued upgrading. During that time, a Japanese company released a line of androids known as “Neo-Mavericks” that could think independently, were self-sufficient, and were more intelligent. However, Wily managed to create an army of Neo-Mavericks and took over the world, becoming emperor while Dr. Light eventually died from nuclear radiation.

30 years later, Roll manages to find her brother’s energy capsule and after waking him up and getting him up to speed, they decide to track down Wily and stop him. But not long after starting their journey, they run into Mega Man X, who was living at their old house. He initially didn’t want to fight, having lost everything in his previous attempts to oppose Wily, but following a rousing speech by Rock and because they’re family, Rock, Roll, and X team up to find out if anyone else from their time (namely Protoman and Bass) survived.

One thing that’s very easy to notice is how the art style changes almost constantly. As you may have noticed, there’s no artist mentioned above. The reason being that the art is crowdsourced. Basically, the company would hold a contest and whomever won would get to draw the next issue. For those unaware, crowdsourcing is similar to crowdfunding, but instead of asking the public for money to complete a project, crowdsourcing is having the public complete a task for the company and the person in question may or may not get paid, as there’s no legal requirement for payment. Put simply, each issue has a different artist because a different person won a contest.

One other thing of note is that there are also original characters. In the image just above, Kalinka is talking with a girl known only as “Princess”.

Okay, let me get this out of the way; this series is not good at all. But I give it a “Try It” rating solely to see if there’s any entertainment to be had in seeing how bad it is.

And now, again, time for the Final Recommendation:

Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

The art is very inconsistent for reasons I stated above, but even then, they often range from just barely okay to poor to just plain awful. And the thing is, all the artists are either high schooler or attend college.

Another reason why this comic is rather infamous is... welll...

The series is infamous for its use of gore, foul language, and nudity. The image above? That codpiece will remain Roll’s outfit from Issue 12 (where this image came from) all the way to Issue 16, the final issue. And let me tell you, Roll is very often in situations where she has little to no clothes, or she’s wearing something that shows off a lot of skin, as seen here (don’t worry, there’s no nudity, but some very unusual-looking pants). I would also like to remind everyone that this takes place 30 years in the future, thus making the characters adults. Although there are times where Mega Man resembles his old child self. I also chose not to go with the Issue 1 cover because Roll wasn’t wearing anything. And while nothing major was show, I still didn’t want to use it.

And this also leads me to another thing that this comic is known for.

There is a lot of sexual tenson between X, Mega Man, and Roll. Basically, the two Mega Men have a thing for Roll and Roll has a thing for the two Mega Men. The guys are often enamored with her and they are very infatuated with each other. But at the same time, it makes it obvious that they’re still family; Roll often refers to Mega Man and X as her brothers, X and Mega Man refer to each other as brothers, and they refer to Roll as their sister. And the three seem to be fully aware of their shared interests too.

And another thing I want to talk about is Princess. Believe it or not, she’s actually an author insert, having been created by José Roberto Pereira and was introduced during the second half of Issue 2, where she appears on a talk show, where she plans on killing Rock and Roll and taking over as protagonist. She also goes on a tirade about American media in Brazil. Honestly, nothing I say does the scene justice, so you’ll just have to read it for yourself. And as for José, he intended to have Princess kill the characters and take over as protagonist, but after parting ways with the company, she was written out entirely in issue 7 (where the image of her and Kalinka comes from).

And finally, I want to mention that neither Sérgio or José have played a Mega Man game before. They confessed to this and said they got the information needed by a friend of their who did play the games.

All-in-all, like I said, the comics aren’t good, but it can be entertaining to see just how bad it is.