Planned All Along: My Twelve Inspirations (Part 2)

Click here for Part 1.

Time to continue this list with the next and last six items on the list. I need to repeat that they’re not in any particular order, as these are people who shaped up my reviewing style over the years, and to whom I’m especially grateful for their content. Or for merely being people I know and whom I interact with, in real life or on social media (usually the latter, obviously). Let’s get into it!

7. The Mysterious Mr. Enter

Oh boy, here I go again with the controversial choices! The Mysterious Mr. Enter is an animation reviewer on YouTube, who has since turned this into his job thanks to Patreon. He has reviewed a lot of episodes from shows, many of them from SpongeBob, Family Guy or Teen Titans Go over the past five years, but don't go say those are his only targets. Anything will be fair game as long as it’s bad enough, even movies. Oh, he’s not only a negative critic; he has split his work in two shows, Animated Atrocities (for terrible media) and Admirable Animations (to praise animated TV show episodes, shorts, or movies that he feels deserve it), with attempts at branching out to other media. I say he’s a controversial figure because his style of review and his opinions haven’t always been well-received. Also, he’s been on the receiving end of a lot of trolling and mockery, some of which came from other members of the “animation review community” of YouTube (though many have apologized after realizing that these mockeries went too far and trolls from their own fan bases were harassing Enter). There are people out there who see him only as an average critic, which is a perfectly valid opinion, and I’ll leave out the criticisms levied at him… Except for one.

See, one thing said about him is that he takes cartoons too seriously. Yeah, just relax, it’s not like cartoons are an important part of children’s media or anything, right? He outlines that point, and the problem with that line of thought, at the start of his review of the Arthur episode “April 9^th”.

His reasoning is sound: Cartoons are a major element in a kid’s life and growth, which means that parents shouldn’t just let them watch any crap that’s on TV (or on YouTube) that will appeal to the lowest common denominator. And just like how parents have a duty to look over their children’s entertainment, animation producers should feel that they have a duty to present stories and morals that will help the child’s growth, not merely do gross-out jokes because it’s popular, or present morals that are detrimental to the children watching. Even if it doesn’t seem so, these cartoons will have a great impact on these kids, greater than anyone can imagine. Sometimes, it may cross past mere children's entertainment, and become true art.

When you think about it, the same goes for video games; if something is problematic, it’s best to point it out.

What’s the lesson here? Whatever you are reviewing, take it seriously. Never treat your analysis and review like it’s a joke. Praise the good, condemn the bad. Always remember that there are actual people on the production end of things. Which also means that whichever bad decisions have made it into a terrible piece of media, entire teams are responsible for them. They don’t deserve harassment over this, but their mistakes can and should be pointed out in the hopes that they’re not repeated.

8. Todd in the Shadows

Adding to the list of Channel Awesome producers who’ve had an influence on me, there’s Todd in the Shadows, the pop music reviewer with a unique gimmick. He stays anonymous by wearing a mask and staying in the dark, and he does his reviews sitting at his keyboard. He’s very thorough in his research, and offers an in-depth look at the artists he covers. He has added sub-series to his show, such as One Hit Wonderland (in which he analyzes a one-hit wonder band and their greatest hit, and looks back on their short fame and why it didn’t last) or Trainwreckords (in which he analyzes the music albums that basically ended an artist or band’s career).

Among the CA crew, he’s one of the reviewers that people still watch to this day. He has managed to keep his content fresh and interesting. Unlike a lot of reviewers that went more for comedy then deeper discussion in their early days as online video reviewers, he always had a more analytical side to his videos. Unlike most content producers on here, whom I’ve learned lessons from, I am not entirely certain what I learned from watching Todd regularly. Is it possible that his analytical side rubbed off on me? Perhaps, but then again, the fad on YouTube has moved slowly from comedic content to in-depth analyses (à la Lindsay Ellis) or documentaries (think of series like Down the Rabbit Hole or Defunctland). He still remains, in my opinion, one of the better examples of the analytical YouTube series that still manages to keep some room for comedy here and there, which is the best way I could describe my blog nowadays. So, in a way, I guess he did have an influence on me.

He’s great. You should totally watch his series. They’re super-interesting.

9. Kyle Kallgren

I’m not the most knowledgeable on film theory. I followed few film classes during my two years of college and three years of university. I know a lot of terms. I can tell you what a Dutch angle is, I can talk about metanarratives and other concepts related to stories and filmmaking, but I don't know nearly as much as this guy. Kyle Kallgren, who became known through his series Brows Held High on YouTube, was a very interesting member of Channel Awesome, and though he left that site in 2015, he has kept on producing content of the same caliber. Content that I love.

Kyle reviews artistic films that would hardly be known to the common American moviegoer. Oh, that doesn’t mean that he’s too high-brow for them, on the contrary – I found many of his videos to be great takes in making those artistic films more approachable. In offering his own opinion of these films, he presents his point using many terms of film study, vulgarizing for the viewers, explaining their meaning. Some of the films reviewed are bizarre, unexpected, or look straight-up boring on the surface (think Gerry or Blue). Yet, his opinion and analysis added to the review make for an entertaining and educative series. He may have taught me more than my film classes ever did.

His content may not please everyone, but it’s definitely great if you have interest in film discussion beyond the simple review. And I can definitely say that his videos have encouraged me to not only expand on analysis of the works I review, but also to improve constantly and offer new perspectives on those works. And I shouldn’t be afraid of going in-depth; if it’s entertaining enough, the readers will enjoy it.

While I’m at it, shout-out to all the ex-Channel Awesome producers that I still watch to this day, but haven’t mentioned on this list due to it being already pretty long:

Lindsay Ellis, Luke Spencer, Suede, Guru Larry, Leon Thomas, Benjamin Daniel, Angry Joe, The Rap Critic, ERod…

With a list that long, it’s a miracle that I find any time to actually write all of this.

10. Nick Nocturne

Wait... I can find something... see, he never appeared on camera... He only does voiceovers... wait, let me find an artist's rendition.

Ah, there you go. I started watching Nick’s video series Night Mind sometime in 2017, so he’s still fairly recent as one of my inspirations, and that's also why he's lower on the list. Nick specializes in discussing horror, whether it’s movies or YouTube webseries, and in ARGs. That term stands for Augmented Reality Game, and usually involves a creator building an intrigue through social media (frequently YouTube, but on other social networks as well), with puzzles to solve and plot threads for the viewers to figure out. He goes in-depth and discusses these ARGs, even pointing out what’s been done right and what hasn’t. He will be quick to point out the type of puzzle that comes back frequently, such as secret codes or hidden messages in a webpage’s source code. And, like any good reviewer, he will give praise where due, especially if a webseries does something unique.

I joined the Night Mind Patreon Discord last year, where Nick interacts once in a while (on top of hosting a weekly event), so I’ve had a chance to discuss with the guy. Over the last year, he has been questioning his own content, wondering if he was doing things correctly (because of drama I won’t talk about here), and he’s been eager to try out new things. In fact, it’s one of his recent videos, in which he discusses his influences and favorite YouTube channels, and recommends them to his viewers, that made me decide to write this list.

I learned a few things on the art of producing online content, thanks to Nick. On a more personal side of things: Don’t be afraid of admitting your mistakes. Don’t ignore them; acknowledge them, apologize for them. Fans love and respect a creator that admits their mistakes. The next lesson, he stated multiple times, but discussed it during panels on the first convention he was invited to as a guest: On the Internet, find your niche. Offer content that nobody else is offering. You’re guaranteed to find an audience. The last lesson is discussed in a few of his videos. The quote is actually longer and is about creating fan works based on existing material, but the overall message can apply to all creation. Open quote: “Be as original, unique, creative, intelligent, and entertaining as possible. Do something that means something, that has a message, that qualifies as art […]”. Solid advice for anyone who decides to create, whether it's something online or any other sort of media.

11. Testeur Alpha

Just because the “age of angry critics” on YouTube is over doesn’t mean it can't be fun to watch once in a while. And as I said, Doug Walker inspired a lot of people to start making their own web show. The Quebec YouTube gaming scene isn’t as huge as the American one, but it’s still pretty interesting, from convention reporters to collectors giving advice on repairing old games. The one that stuck out the most with me is Testeur Alpha (Tester Alpha), who goes by the online nickname Alpha, who makes videos featuring his accomplice Beta. (They got a theme going on.)

As far as angry reviewer go, I personally feel that his video series has a lot of creativity behind it. There’s the occasional storyline (involving some opponent called Omega and his lackey Psi – like I said, there’s a theme). There are running gag characters such as Fisher, the nasty dev who has apparently made every horrible game in existence, or Konrad the eternally-annoyed delivery man. I could do without some of the other jokes, but otherwise it’s solid content. (Though fair warning, it's probably the most low-brow series on this list.)

Eventually, Alpha and Beta started streaming on YouTube and Twitch, and gained enough subscribers to become Twitch partners. They share the account and try to stream at least three out of seven days each week, with sometimes extra streams depending on the mood. They might be the first streamers that I’m really following. It’s great to see the difference between the characters on the show, and the guys in everyday conversations (even if they still claim to be their characters on-stream). On top of that, Alpha doesn’t have that big of a fan base yet, so he can hop onto the Discord and chat around whenever he feels like it. There are advantages to having a smaller fan base, it seems. Odd lesson to take from that, but hey, it’s cool.

Oh, and he likes metal music, so that's another good thing there.

12. My own family

Of course. I wouldn’t be who I am now without them. I’ve known them for more than twenty-six years, and I can say they’ve raised me well. My sense of morality, part of my comedy style, most of my personality, a lot of that has been shaped up by my life with them. My parents, whom I love dearly, and who have always looked out for me. It’s not cheap to add them to this list as I can safely say they have always been my greatest influence.

On each of my projects, they backed me. They shared my pride, my joy, whenever a project went well. They may have helped me through my frustrations when something didn’t go right. They gave me everything I needed, and often gave me what I wanted, whenever they could (and whenever it was beneficial for me). At times I may have been spoiled, but I can't say they spoiled me rotten. They were smart enough to prevent that.

They were supportive of me throughout these 5+ years, even enquiring on the state of the blog, and now that I have discussed the possibility of writing a book, they’re supporting me even further. They ask how the night went when I come back from work in the morning. Even as I write these lines about how lucky I am, I don’t think I still quite realize how lucky I am to have such a fantastic family. 

Mom, dad, I don’t think I tell you this enough, but thank you. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.

And to all my readers: May you have a happy 2019. May you receive good news, may you accomplish great things, and may your projects come to fruition. See you tomorrow, next year.

Don't forget to join the Planned All Along Discord server!

Planned All Along: My Twelve Inspirations (Part 1)

As we come to the end of another year, we can take stock and look back at the previous twelve months. The end of another year is a perfect time for introspection. I felt like doing something different this time around, as a way to close the year and acknowledge these 5+ years during which I’ve been writing this blog. This is a list of 12 inspirations, 12 people I watch (or used to watch) on YouTube and/or who have inspired me in a way or another.

A part of this list may feel bittersweet due to things that happened this year, but I feel that it’s important to acknowledge the impact these people have had on my style, on my life, on my way to do things on here. This list is going to be pretty long, and it may include some odd decisions here and there. My reasoning is that even if they may be odd choices, they were impactful enough to make the list, even if for any reason I no longer watch some of them. There are reasons associated to each one of them, basically. There isn’t a clear order for those, by the way.

Might as well rip that band-aid off right now and start with the one that hurts the most.

1. Doug Walker

I feel so terrible saying it now, but it’s true. Without Doug Walker, this blog would not exist. From when I discovered him in 2011 to when I stopped watching him in 2015, he was an inspiration. And not just for me, either; much like James Rolfe, the Angry Video Game Nerd, he was an inspiration for a lot of people and the reason they, too, started airing their opinions on certain pieces of media in video form online. He was certainly a figure to look up to for most people who joined his site, anywhere from 2008 to 2014.

Doug Walker began as a generic “angry critic”, that style that was immensely popular in the field of reviews of the early YouTube. And many of his fans who jumped into the adventure of online reviewing also took on that style. Mind you, the fun of sites like That Guy with the Glasses was to see all of those different personalities, reviewing different media in their own way, as not all of them parroted Doug’s style. TGWTG was a good starting ground for these creators, garnering fanbases through crossovers and anniversary specials, and most of them have kept on producing content. In fact, most of this list is made up of people who used to be on TGWTG.

Then 2015’s drama happened, and then this year’s Not So Awesome happened. Which, sadly, seems to have done jack squat to Doug’s reputation. I won’t go over the details because I discussed them aplenty before, but I am sad that this movement amounted to so little in the end. I still feel like I have to acknowledge Doug Walker as an inspiration, because he was one of my go-to watches on YouTube for at least three years’ worth of time, and his style certainly had an effect on my own review style. Admittedly, I’ve changed quite a bit since, but then again, so have most online critics. I’ll say more about that later. But I feel like acknowledging the past is important, even if it means looking back on things and people we are now ashamed we once liked. All I will say is: Do not go watch him. Do not give Doug Walker views. He doesn’t deserve them. He has shown no good faith and, thus, has no right to be still as popular as he is now. But his influence still must be acknowledged, no matter how sad it is to do so.

2. Chris Bores

If it’s time to bring out the dirty laundry, might as well get this one out of the way. This is a bit of an infamous name in the world of online reviewing, and there’s quite a bit of history around this guy. First off, most of you might know him better as the Irate Gamer. Yes. That guy who was basically ripping off the AVGN. He rose quickly to fame on YouTube when the platform was looking for people to promote, and while this guy was less popular than the main gaming review channel at the time, he was a little bit more family-friendly with his language and comedy. Which isn’t saying much. And thus, when he became a YouTube partner, his videos always made it to the front page, leading far more traffic towards his videos, and explaining his boost in popularity, even if it was a fairly short one.

I never really watched the AVGN, so I was not made aware of the apparent plagiarism of Rolfe’s content by Bores in the Irate Gamer's videos until much later. In fact, it’s this guy’s rise to fame on early YouTube that made me eventually discover him, when a friend of mine (the Pokémon fan I mention every once in a while) made me watch one of his videos at the time. Yeah, sure, it was nothing special, but keep in mind that this was about 10 years ago, I was 16, and I thought this stuff was awesome. I’ve become so jaded since. What happened to me.

There’s very little to be thankful to Chris Bores about. He was, after all, a poor man’s version of something that was much more appreciated. And yet, it’s weird to think that he was the first online critic I actually watched, showing me the genre, showing me what some people decide to do online. I guess I can thank my friend for that. And not in an ironic way, either, since this may have been the reason why I latched onto Doug Walker’s videos later on. Nowadays, little really remains of the Irate Gamer, and nobody’s clamoring for more. However, he may not have been the first contact with online video reviews for me; Bores may have been the first online video reviewer that many people have come to know about, in part due to his short YouTube fame. I guess… I guess we can thank him for that? And hey, plagiarism’s not cool, but at least there isn’t a 70-page document listing all the times he was a jackass…

3. François Pérusse

I am not entirely sure how you English readers could pronounce that name (it would go “Frah-swa Pay-ruse”, I guess?). All you need to know is that this man is one of the most influential Quebec comedians of all time. And this, in spite of hardly ever stepping on a scene.

François Pérusse rose to fame in 1990, when he began doing audio sketches for a Quebec radio station. He would write the script, then record all of his lines, even play music if necessary, and then edit all this into a two-minute sketch. That doesn’t seem like much? Now, imagine that he did this five times a week, most weeks, and has done this for over twenty-five years. Even when he thought he was done, he decided to keep going sometime later. He has released 14 albums in total (12 in Quebec, 2 in France) of his best material, including complete songs. He may be best known for his use of wordplay and pun, which are all over his sketches. He is such an icon of my generation that practically everyone I know in Quebec can quote at least one or two of his most famous jokes.

Back in 2000, ten years into his career, he had already accumulated quite a bit of material, which was then adapted into a TV show: An hour-long special and 13 episodes. I don’t actually need to remember the sketches; I can go watch them over and over and over on the man’s YouTube channel. He posted them all, in all their hand-drawn animated glory. It doesn’t look like much until you realize he really did all of the voices and all of the music. Mind you, in 2000, I was eight years old. I was barely old enough to understand that the world is more complex than good and bad, and I was watching that cartoon that had many jokes I just couldn’t get. In part because so many of these jokes were actually pretty adult. On the other hand, some of his best material can be shared pretty much everywhere. Good luck singing along to it, though…

This man has had more of an influence on my type of comedy than probably anyone else ever had, or ever will have. I actually got to meet him in person in 2018, too. He’s a great guy! And if you’re learning French, you might love his content. (He has some stuff in European French too, if you prefer that to Quebec French).

4. Nash Bozard

This guy hosts the weekly Radio Dead Air stream on Monday nights. He used to be on TGWTG / Channel Awesome until 2018 (prepare to read that line a lot on this list). I even remember discovering him around 2013/2014, thanks to some crossover events on that site. Again, a trait shared by many on this list.

Nash is one of the first content creators that I truly started following on social media, after I began watching his show. Radio Dead Air plays on Mondays, 9 PM EST, and ends at 2 AM (you can watch it on this website). During the show, Nash discusses various geek topics, from pop culture to electronics, and sometimes current events. He pays a lot of money each year so that his show can actually play music and videos from YouTube, many of which are sent to his request e-mail address by fans who want to see their favorite song/video make it onto the show.

Nash is a very outspoken person, and that is probably what I like the most about him. He takes a stance on important topics on his Twitter account, and isn’t afraid of sharing his opinion. I listen to him frequently through the reposted videos of a segment of his weekly show. That segment, titled What The Fuck Is Wrong With You, is hosted by him and a guest (mostly his friend Tara Deenihan,  sometimes someone else), and he spends the following 30 to 45-ish minutes sharing six crazy news stories that actually happened during the previous week. Stories of nudity, drugs, insanity, anything that makes one go “What the fuck?”, hence the name.

It’s not a show for those who wish to keep their idealism intact. A lot of these stories involve complete and utter jerks, whom then get called out by Nash and Tara. That’s something we should all do: Call out the assholes. Maybe if we called out the jerks and other awful people instead of merely accepting that there are assholes out there, the world could become a better place. Also, Nash actually displays journalistic integrity, as he makes sure the stories he features on his show really did happen, in comparison to some news outlets that would share any sufficiently crazy news story if it looked real enough. Nash may be saying the four-letter words a lot, but he’s an example to follow.

5. Lewis Lovhaug

Yet another producer who rose to recognition through Channel Awesome, Lewis Lovhaug (better known under his character name Linkara) reviews comic books on his show, Atop the Fourth Wall. I don’t read a lot of comic books, but his videos are very interesting. He often has unique takes on the stories he reviews. Rob Liefeld and Frank Miller are frequent targets of his, but don’t worry – if you ever had a bad comic published, it’ll be your turn!

Lewis’ show is not quite unique in featuring story arcs in which his character faces various threats, in a spoof of common comic book stories, but he's certainly one of the most dedicated to building this interesting storyline for his viewers. He sure ends up fighting a lot of alternate versions of himself, geez. He listens to fan output and makes sure to correct in the next episode whichever plot holes were found, based on points raised by viewers. I don’t think I saw anyone else pull off this type of story arc with such devotion and attention to detail. Not to mention some of the more impressive moments he creates through special effects.

It’s weird how I keep coming back to his videos even if I don’t actually have much of an interest in comic books. It goes to show that a sufficiently entertaining person will make you interested in the topic they’re covering, no matter what it is. That’s the most important element of video production for YouTube: Be entertaining.

That alone would be enough of a lesson, but there’s more I could say about Lewis. Comic books have a long and complex history. A great amount of work goes into a single issue, but the constant retcons make it often difficult to keep track of what’s going on. To top it off, like a lot of online reviewers, Linkara dives into mediocre-to-bad comics, and is not afraid of questioning plot holes or any awkward elements in the story. If something doesn’t make sense, it’s okay to ask questions about it. We can assume things based on the context, but it doesn’t change the fact that we, the readers, needed to come up with those assumptions. And in a well-written story, that shouldn’t be necessary. It’s an odd thing to learn from a show about reviewing comic books, but it’s one thing I take from Atop the Fourth Wall.

A final thing: This year's storylines acknowledged that Lewis left Channel Awesome, yet keeps souvenirs and memories of those days. It's important to remember what we did, even if the memories have gotten bittersweet with time. These events shaped up who we have become, and thus it's better to face them, accept them, rather than avoid or ignore them.

6. Jim Sterling

He’s Jim Fucking Sterling, Son, and he knows it. One of the more controversial people on this list, also one that I may have started watching later than the others. I remember discovering his show, The Jimquisition, around the time of the release of No Man’s Sky. Jim is not afraid to speak his mind, served with a hefty dose of brutal honesty and vulgarity, topped with the larger-than-life personality of the character he portrays. I mean, he goes far – but he’s right.

To recap, Jim does The Jimquisition, which is a show where he comments on the gaming industry at large;  he reviews many games, on Steam and on every other console, in other videos; he often goes to try some odder titles that exist out there; and he is now a wrestler, to top it all off. You can see every extra pound on this Brit’s body through his latex Sterdust costume.

I learned a lot about the gaming industry through his videos, but there are other lessons I’ve learned from the guy. First off, he may be playing an exaggerated version of himself, he remains honest and sincere in his beliefs regarding the industry.

Second, he has stated multiple times that he may not always know everything about every genre of games that he covers, but in his own words, “he knows what he likes”. Or, in other words, he might not always be aware of every gameplay mechanic and special element of every game, but he’ll review it based on his own tastes. If something’s good, it gets praise. If it’s bad, it’s pointed out. If it’s especially bad (as in, morally insulting or horrible), it gets called out strongly. Even the best games have flaws, and even many bad games have a few decent elements to them.

Then there’s the topic of fandoms, something that Jim has had troubles with more than once – his site was once DDoS’d because he gave a lower (yet still positive) score to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in comparison to most other reviewers. And he never hesitates to call out those people as well. One of the first videos of his that I watched was when he covered the hype around No Man's Sky and how extreme some fans became while waiting for the game's release (by sending death threats to Sean Murray, among other joyous things). That kind of behavior should not be considered acceptable! In short: Don’t be only critical of games and the industry; it’s fine to be critical of fans, too, when they go too far.

Oh, and a last thing to learn from Jim: It’s okay to repeat points over and over when it’s a subject that especially matters to you. When discussing a topic as large as the gaming industry, some problems are going to pop up repeatedly, often in new flavors, and with new reasons as to why these elements are problematic. Therefore, even if it may tire some viewers, it’s better to repeat points over multiple videos or reviews if it’s something that you feel needs to be acknowledged or changed. Anytime there’s a new element to add to the discussion, it’s worth bringing up.

See you this Monday for Part 2.

Don't forget to join the Planned All Along Discord!

An Episode In Gaming: Sonic Boom (Part 4)

Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4

In Season 2, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles go on a road trip.
Really. And they reference the "Gotta go fast" meme.

I’m going to end this review today! I’ve discussed everything else I felt like discussing: the origins of the show, the updated characters, the first few episodes, the continuity, the fourth wall breaks… All in all, I’ve been pretty positive. And yes, this is a very good show. I do think that I should point out a few more gripes I’ve got with the show in general before giving my final thoughts – and perhaps a bit of insight on Season 2.

Let’s see… I already discussed the terrible villagers, I discussed Sticks as a conspiracy theorist (which, admittedly, can be pretty annoying to some, though I find her bearable – not to mention that I’ve seen worse examples of the trope being used). The TV show being so self-aware and making piques at itself and the Sonic fandom in general can be both a good and a bad thing – while some fourth wall-breaking humor is a good thing, too much of it can feel really forced or redundant after a while. Like anything, it’s great as long as it isn’t overdone. On to the new points to be made before my verdict.

Purdy.

First, you’ll notice that the CGI in this show is very, very good! It looks polished and pretty, it looks colorful. It’s a very nice show to look at, especially in large shots of the village or its surroundings. You can tell that the artists who made the CGI modeling of the worlds, objects and characters really did some excellent work. The animators… that’s a slightly different story. The animation of all these elements is still pretty good for the most part, although CGI animation experts may notice the characters’ movements to be a bit stiff. That really is a minor problem for people who don’t mind that so much. After all, it changes nothing to the stories told. But for those who specifically appreciate to watch and study the animation of these characters, it’s noticeable and a bit difficult to ignore. Maybe that’s the case because of the rush in completing episodes, I can’t tell. Still a minor issue, and it has apparently gotten better in Season 2, but it’s going to be a problem to some while watching Season 1’s episodes.

That,s from the Season 2 episode, "I Can Sea Sonic's Fear
From Here", the first underwater episode. Maybe the only
one, but we'll see with time... 

Season 1 ends with a final fourth wall break, when Orbot and Cubot mention the second season and Orbot quips, “Just think of all the hundreds more stories to be told using the same eight characters and four locations!” Yes, four locations. Most stories in Sonic Boom up to that point took place in the village, around the team’s homes, in the surrounding wilderness or in Eggman’s lair. Sure, there are subsections to these locations, but it still significantly reduces the scope of the world, and thus the number of stories that can be told. Thankfully, it appears that newer episodes are also improving that aspect, featuring stories that take place outside of those commonly-seen places in the show’s setting. Among others, there’s an underwater episode (about Sonic overcoming his fear of water) and one in space. I look forward to seeing more environments visited in that season!

From the Amy-centric Season 2 episode "Give Bees A
Chance", where she befriends one of Eggman's Beebots.
That episode was actually written by Amy's voice
actress, Cindy Robinson!

On to the characters now. A rather noticeable issue is how many plots focus on Sonic. Sure, every other main character gets their episode here or there, but when the focus isn’t on a character in particular (or when the whole team is important), Sonic will still usually take center stage. The show IS named after him, so it may be understandable, but it’s nonetheless annoying when the other characters who are part of the main 5 don’t get as much screen time. Knuckles’ lines are often reduced to being simply more references to him being dumb, except when the current story is about him; and it’s similar for Amy and Sticks, with the former often having just a few lines to show her nice yet bossy self, and the latter making another reference to her nutjob conspiracy theories. Tails often has more screentime as well, though he’s still inferior to Sonic in importance on the show.

"Would there be a reason to involve Eggman in this
episode?"
"Yes! Put him in!"

You know who else has major focus almost all the time? Eggman. As hilarious as he may be, sometimes it feels as though the writers feel forced to stick him into just about every plot they’ve thought up. On 52 episodes in the first season, he’s absent of only three of them. It’s like he always has to have a role in the plot, even when he isn’t the focus villain! If he isn’t a part of the plot, he’ll force his way in or other characters will pull him in. Is it part of Mike Pollock's contract or something? One example being the episode “Late Night Wars”, about Knuckles getting sudden popularity and stealing Comedy Chimp’s talk show, and out of the blue Comedy Chimp enlists Eggman’s help to boot Knuckles out.

Come on Perci, you're almost never around. And yet you
were kinda important in the games, no?
Please show up more often.

Of note, I think I mentioned that the TV show features new characters, but also some that appeared in the Sonic Boom games – among others, Mayor Fink and Fastidious Beaver (the former as a more reasonable authority figure, the latter as an annoying grammar corrector who’s rightfully ignored most of the time). One of the few other game characters popping up in the show is Perci the Bandicoot; in Rise of Lyric, she’s implied to be an action girl, descendant of a family protecting the island from the lingering potential threat of the Ancients. And Lyric is an Ancient. Unfortunately, Perci is seldom-seen on the show, having very few episodes to herself (one or two, at most) and being featured in crowd shots or for quick gags (often with clones, as a sign that the show’s animators don’t have enough characters to fill large crowd shots). And it’s a shame, too; with her backstory and cool look, why isn’t she featured more?

Aren't they adorable?

Thankfully, some other characters created for the show get a bit more screen time, like Zooey (a fox who becomes Tails’ crush and, later, girlfriend), Comedy Chimp, Soar the Eagle, or any of the other minor villains like Dave the intern or T.W. Barker. It would be pretty great to see more characters from the video games, though – at least as an acknowledgement that the games existed, and as a chance to give these characters a new purpose and a moment to shine outside of the impression they may have given because of the games’ poor critical reception.

Soar the Eagle, another recurring minor character.
Yet he's almost the only bird on the entire show.

Yeah, I know it started from a false rumor about Shadow
showing up in Sonic Boom with a Hawaiian shirt, but
with all the memes and franchise in-jokes that the show has
had so far, it's a surprise they haven't done it yet.
Shadow in a silly shirt = instant comedy.

I’ll be honest, I would love if the TV show tried to have more ties with the plot surrounding the Ancients from the Sonic Boom games; I’m sure there would be a number of great adventure episodes to make out of that, all while keeping the show’s lighter tone. Maybe we’d have a chance to feature Lyric as well. The snake villain was derided by the fandom – how dangerous could a snake really be? And yet, his serious attitude would be a great addition to the show, by playing off of the sillier portions of that world, acting as a sort of straight man surrounded by silliness, much like Orbot around Cubot. Hell, bring in more Shadow! Even if he stays serious, I’m sure there are plots that could be made around him again! Why should his appearance be a one-time thing? Show him wearing the Hawaiian shirt already!

I guess that covers it all. I haven’t watched all of Season 2 yet, and I personally think I should report on it only once all of its episodes have aired, but I’ll keep watching. In the meantime, I’ve at least discussed various aspects that have been ameliorated – many of the flaws of Season 1 were addressed and there was an attempt at correcting them. On top of that, the series started using multi-part episodes, starting with Robots from the Sky (which is split in four parts, from episodes 78 to 81). On top of all that, two new writers joined the team: Ian Flynn, who originally wrote for the various Sonic Archie comic book series (whether it’s Sonic X, the main Sonic series, or the Sonic Boom comic that lasted 10 issues), and Evan Stanley, who also contributed to many of these comic series through penciling, coloring, inking and writing. I’ll be pretty happy to watch through that season when all of its episodes are out! Honestly, I’m eager to see what they’ve got in store for us. Seems like the entire team behind that show wants to deliver a quality product and will do their best to please the fans.

For the sake of mentioning them, what are some of the plots of Season 2 episodes, aside from “The Biggest Fan”?

That's a lot of tails... a lot of Tails.

-Sticks starts a radio channel to discuss her conspiracy theories with the townspeople;

-Sonic is brought into the sea to conquer his fear of water;

-Tails splits himself into multiple copies, with disastrous results;

-Eggman’s robots go on strike;

-Orbot becomes an evil genius, and a genuine threat;

-Knuckles gets a… desk job? I think?;

-We learn more about the village, the one which, despite lacking a name, is the setting for most episodes;

-Eggman’s brother comes by for a visit;
-And the 4-part "Robots From The Sky" series.

Gotta say, i quite like the "Multi-Tails" episode.
"Look at that, I can kick my own ass now!"

Honestly, I can’t wait to check them out. These already look rather promising, and I’ll be happy to watch them!

"Ah, I cannot get anything done, this blue screen and these
white formulas are blocking part of my sight!"

So yeah, Season 1 isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely good.  Best episode of Season 1? “Hedgehog Day”. Worst episode? “Just A Guy”. Yeah, I know, that last one is kinda obvious, you’ve probably read my rant about it in Part 3… Why do I just state these two? Because I really don’t think I could make a Top 12 list of the best episodes, because I would struggle to take away episodes from the list – there are too many good ones. I also doubt I could make a Top 12 list of the worst episodes, because I can’t say there’s 12 legitimately bad episodes in that season – maybe when Season 2 ends? I dunno. The quality has been pretty consistent so far, and while the show’s flaws do exist, and probably some of them still exist in Season 2, they rarely get in the way of the stories the writers tried to tell.

I’m not even sure what else to add, really; this is just a good TV series, go and check it out.

Wave 2 of the onslaught of bad Sonic OCs in 3... 2...

In other Sonic news, some time ago we had these new trailers for Sonic Forces. Looks quite promising; a bad present where Eggman has already succeeded in taking over the world, through some form of time travel, with Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic teaming up to stop the threat. In comes a third hero – an original character. Yep, a customizable character, made from various parts as the player sees fit, picking among the six or seven species available. Every species has an advantage of a sort over the others, usually in a form of physical feats (being able to double jump, having longer mercy invincibility after getting hurt) or in ring collection (keeping one ring when hurt, being able to collect back the lost rings).

That’s something else to look forward to in the Sonic series. The Sonic Boom games were disappointments, so we’re all hoping for a return to form for the franchise. Unlike some Sonic fans out there, I actually have hope for the franchise, despite the many missteps and failed attempts at reinventing the series. Secret Rings, Black Knight, Unleashed, many Sonic games tried something new and didn’t quite succeed. We had Sonic Colors, a genuinely great game, and we had hope again. The franchise isn’t dead, unlike what the worst fans would like you to think.

Maybe this time they'll do the time-travel plot right!

Seriously though, this negative attitude has to stop. The stupid screams of the franchise being dead with every new announcement of an upcoming game… it gets grating. It’s annoying as Hell. And I don’t get why it’s the Sonic FANS who act that way! Yeah, new games have missed the mark, very frequently, but the self-defeating attitude has to end. We’ve got a decent TV show as a tie-in to Sonic Boom, we’ve got Sonic Forces that sounds like a great idea; I’m hopeful. If you’re not, that’s your choice, and you’re entitled to your opinion, but don’t annoy everyone else about it. And enjoy Sonic Boom, the TV show. It's proof that there's still quality entertainment in this franchise.

Well, that was a tangent. Okay, well… See you in the next review. What is it that I have to review… Oh yes! A Nintendo DS game. Urgh… I’ve got only two left, and one of them really doesn’t interest me… better get that one done right away. Next week, Spectral Force Genesis.