"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you, who transform into the Force."
~~Yoda
Friday, June 29, 2012
Goodbye
Friday, June 22, 2012
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Nick.com was nice enough to host all 10 episodes of The Legend of Korra for people like me who only saw the first two when they were released weeks early online and want to catch up before tomorrow's finale. I gotta say, I'm loving it immensely. I know the fanbase is crazy amped for it -as they were by the time I caught up for Book 3 of the original- and it hasn't disappointed me in any way. There's a few niggles I wanna find out (how did Team Avatar die? is the Fire Lord still important? WHAT HAPPENED TO ZUKO'S MOTHER?!) but nothing that detracts from the current experience.
I always felt that Avatar would've been even more amazing had it not taken almost half its length to get phenomenally fun. Don't get me wrong: I loved the first season. It set up their world rather nicely, they introduced how the world worked, what their goal was for the series and many of the important players were revealed by the halfway mark of the series. But I didn't get super into it until Book 1's finale at the Northern Water Tribe. From there, Book 2 got exciting: Earthbender joindeded Team Avatar, characters got a lot more depth, plot thickened, character clashes abounded, animation budget got better, everything.
But by Book 3, I was sold. They were telling a great story that worked on all levels, not just hints of greatness I saw in Book 1. It was very much a Nick show, meaning it inevitably was aimed at a younger demographic than mine. Not that this is a terribly bad thing: I still watch Pokemon, for cryin' out loud! It was the shift from the more episodic episodes of season 1, when they were hopping from the South Pole to the North Pole, to the focused nature of seasons 2 and 3, when there was a very clear goal in mind for each and the characters had a chance to push the plot themselves. Korra jumps right into that. Beginning as a 12 episode mini series and having the creators write all the episodes does wonders for the pacing and quality of the new show, though you don't get as much time to relax and learn about New Team Avatar as you did the old, how the world has progressed more than makes up for that. Not to mention there's still enough character moments to like each of the main and supporting cast.
By the time season 3 came around, their budget was as high as could be. The animation was smoother, the fight scenes more dynamic, the characters more well-rounded than before. The Last Airbender was all the proof they needed to give Korra a huge budget: it overflows with excellent production values. The animation is gorgeous (especially in HD!), they've perfected the mix between striking anime-looks and American-fluidity, the music is finally orchestrated and sounds gorgeous, and the tone is darker to reflect the slight upgrade in demographic and time skip. Korra, like it's predecessor, is a smart kids show: it entertains kids of all ages, as does the best of Disney.
Speaking of which, I shall begin (slowly) ranking another of my passions: Disney films! Beginning with the one that started it all:
I always felt that Avatar would've been even more amazing had it not taken almost half its length to get phenomenally fun. Don't get me wrong: I loved the first season. It set up their world rather nicely, they introduced how the world worked, what their goal was for the series and many of the important players were revealed by the halfway mark of the series. But I didn't get super into it until Book 1's finale at the Northern Water Tribe. From there, Book 2 got exciting: Earthbender joindeded Team Avatar, characters got a lot more depth, plot thickened, character clashes abounded, animation budget got better, everything.
But by Book 3, I was sold. They were telling a great story that worked on all levels, not just hints of greatness I saw in Book 1. It was very much a Nick show, meaning it inevitably was aimed at a younger demographic than mine. Not that this is a terribly bad thing: I still watch Pokemon, for cryin' out loud! It was the shift from the more episodic episodes of season 1, when they were hopping from the South Pole to the North Pole, to the focused nature of seasons 2 and 3, when there was a very clear goal in mind for each and the characters had a chance to push the plot themselves. Korra jumps right into that. Beginning as a 12 episode mini series and having the creators write all the episodes does wonders for the pacing and quality of the new show, though you don't get as much time to relax and learn about New Team Avatar as you did the old, how the world has progressed more than makes up for that. Not to mention there's still enough character moments to like each of the main and supporting cast.
By the time season 3 came around, their budget was as high as could be. The animation was smoother, the fight scenes more dynamic, the characters more well-rounded than before. The Last Airbender was all the proof they needed to give Korra a huge budget: it overflows with excellent production values. The animation is gorgeous (especially in HD!), they've perfected the mix between striking anime-looks and American-fluidity, the music is finally orchestrated and sounds gorgeous, and the tone is darker to reflect the slight upgrade in demographic and time skip. Korra, like it's predecessor, is a smart kids show: it entertains kids of all ages, as does the best of Disney.
Speaking of which, I shall begin (slowly) ranking another of my passions: Disney films! Beginning with the one that started it all:
 |
| Why was it so hard to find this logo! |
Friday, June 15, 2012
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Man, I forgot how demoralizing it is going through MGS2's VR Missions. I never completed them fully on my Essential Collection, but now I have to on my HD Collection, cuz that's the only thing preventing me from Platinuming the damn thing. There's so many of them..! Good thing I moved on to replay MGS3 and MGS4 (personal faves to play, as is Peace Walker) otherwise I'd be stuck in a bad lull before Raiden's game comes out next year (so long!). I get a feeling I still won't have all the VR done by the time Revengeance is out...
I've also decided that since I'm going through every interesting/big/favorite/recommended/acclaimed movie in existence using Netflix (there's quite a bit - I started last Fall and I'm only in 1955!), I can also rank certain series and whatevs that are relevant to my interests. Prolly do that next week, alternating between lists, because I like lists and ranking things! Makes me realize why I like certain aspects of something and whatnot.
Anyways, Turn-Based Strategy!
I've also decided that since I'm going through every interesting/big/favorite/recommended/acclaimed movie in existence using Netflix (there's quite a bit - I started last Fall and I'm only in 1955!), I can also rank certain series and whatevs that are relevant to my interests. Prolly do that next week, alternating between lists, because I like lists and ranking things! Makes me realize why I like certain aspects of something and whatnot.
Anyways, Turn-Based Strategy!
 |
| The start of a beautiful franchise. |
Friday, June 8, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
