2017 Update

Turns out I've come up with what to do with this thing: doing it on YouTube!

I've had thoughts about this for a few months obviously, given by how I haven't kept this updated in any official capacity. Basically, Blogger is fine and dandy for written reviews and thoughts, but I feel it doesn't always convey any sort of emotion that a ton of my thoughts get into. As such, having a sort of vocal performance, even if I'm just sitting down and talking about entertainment I like, has a much better chance of connecting with someone who's curious what a nobody like me thinks about things.

As such, I'm about to review entertainment twice a week on my YouTube channel! The current plan is similar to how this was functioning for a while until I got caught up in how "quiet" it was here:

Every Friday I plan on doing video game reviews, with my obvious focus on games I've played and focusing on how series moved forward, from what a game franchise did differently or the same from its previous entries, how it was received, if they hold up on their own if applicable, and what they did better or worse as a result of whatever focus the game was aiming for. Very similar to what I was doing here, but in a video format where it can easily be more "heard" and to get me interacting out there with people wanting to discuss such things. I'd also love to start reviewing series I've never played if I get such requests! For instance, I've never fully beaten or played tons of major series, and I figure a "newcomer" has some sort of input when I'm crazy enough to want to play an entire series to fully appreciate it.

While that's the focus, I want to also do film and television series on Tuesdays, as I talk about this stuff with friends and family enough that I can do the same for non-video games as well. While games are my first love, movies are a close second followed by television shows. Might as well be part of the discussion of things old and new, right?

Kicking this all off hopefully sometime this summer, I am planning on either filming with my phone with little footage cuz copyright stuffs on YouTube is a pain and I'd rather play it safe starting off or simply voicing over simple screenshots or videos if I can figure out how that works instead of my mug showing up? Either way, I plan on beginning with some of the oldest video game series I know and have played and owned: Donkey Kong and Mario. Fridays will kick off with a focus on the Original Series of Donkey Kong, including the Original Edition, Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong 3. Early arcade-style games are so quick I don't think anyone will care, as I couldn't stand talking about three simple arcade games for three weeks; it's not fun for me or anyone wanting an opinion! Then Tuesdays will begin by focusing on Disney movies, specifically focusing on Walt Disney Animation Studios since that's the "real" Disney that everyone should think of when discussing the company's most influential films.

Fingers crossed, and hope it works out! I would love to add to the conversation on entertainment I enjoy, with my interest in how a series changes and adapts filling a sort of niche on the YouTubes.

Ciao!

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:

Why was it so hard to find this logo!