REVIEW: Scumbag System, Season 1 (CGI donghua TV series)

Scumbag System is based on a Chinese BL fantasy web novel I've generally seen translated as The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System. I watched it on Tencent Video's Youtube channel, which I'm fairly certain is official, since Tencent is listed as one of the show's producers.

Review:

The protagonist (Shen Yuan) is a contemporary Chinese guy who's just finished a very long web novel and is looking forward to trashing it in online forums. However, in the middle of typing his comment, he chokes on a meat bun and is transported into the novel.

The novel's villain, Shen Qingque, is the Lord of Qing Jing Peak and master of Luo Binghe, the novel's protagonist. He not only stands by as his other disciples bully and beat Luo Binghe, he also beats Luo Binghe. Binghe eventually masters demonic cultivation and, long story short, hunts down anyone who ever abused him, beats them, and makes any young and attractive women in their lives (their daughters, female childhood friends, etc.) fall in love with him and join his massive harem. Eventually he traps Shen Qingque in a pot and, I think, tortures and/or kills him.

Shen Yuan's problem is that he wasn't reborn as Luo Binghe, the protagonist with invincible plot armor. No, he was reborn as Shen Qingque, and if he can't figure out how to change the story, he's going to end up a broken man trapped inside a pot. Unfortunately for him, the mysterious System that transported him into the novel also has a few rules for him to follow. At least initially, he's not allowed to behave out of character without losing B points, and if his B points drop to zero, he's dead.

REVIEW: Heaven Official's Blessing, Season 1 (donghua TV series)

Heaven Official's Blessing is a Chinese animated (donghua) fantasy series. It's based on a novel of the same name.

Review:

Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Xian Le kingdom about 800 years ago. He ascended to heaven at a young age, only to get kicked out, ascend another time, get kicked out again, and then ascend a third time about the time this series starts. He's now pretty much a joke among the other heaven officials (deities?), and no one in the mortal realm even builds temples for him anymore.

Since his third ascension causes a bunch of damage in heaven, Xie Lian is instructed to go to the mortal realm to investigate rumors of a supposed ghost groom who's been stealing away a bunch of brides. Because he has no mana anymore, he's given two assistants (who'd really rather be elsewhere and don't even like each other very much). During the course of his investigation, he crosses paths with Hua Cheng, a Devastation level demon (ghost? can't recall) who makes all of heaven shiver in fear...and yet for some reason Hua Cheng seems surprisingly gentle towards Xie Lian.

In later episodes, Xie Lian attempts to gain followers by building a temple for himself and travels to a desert city to investigate disappearances of merchant caravans.

REVIEW: The King's Avatar, Season 1 (donghua TV series)

The King's Avatar is a Chinese animated series (donghua) focused on fictional Chinese esports - based on what I've read, it might be more accurate to call it an online series rather than a TV series. It's currently available to watch legally and for free, with English subtitles, on Tencent Video's Youtube channel. Here's a nice link to the whole playlist.

I consulted the wiki for this series for pretty much all of the names. If the names I use in this post don't match up with Tencent's subtitling, that's why.

Review:

Ye Xiu is a 25-year-old professional esports player in China, possibly the best player in the history of the MMORPG Glory. The guy who manages his team, "Excellent Era," forces him to resign as both Excellent Era's team captain and as a professional Glory player for reasons (to me, it appeared as though he was being forced to resign because his team hadn't been doing well lately and the new guy they'd lined up was more receptive to whatever the corporate folks wanted - Wikipedia tells me he was forced to resign because he didn't want to participate in any corporate sponsorship deals).

Glory is Ye Xiu's life. He's been a pro for 9 years and has been playing the game for 10. What's more, he's spent all his money helping former pros over the years. The early esports scene was particularly exploitative, encouraging young gamers to sign terrible contracts that left them with nothing once they were unable to continue playing at a professional level. And now Ye Xiu has found himself in a similar situation. With no other options, he heads to the first Internet cafe he comes across and manages to get himself a job as a night supervisor, which has the added benefit of giving him access to good gaming computers and a place to sleep. Since he was forced to give up One Autumn Leaf, the avatar he'd had for 10 years, he now devotes himself to leveling up and properly equipping his new avatar, Lord Grim.

REVIEW: Halo: The Fall of Reach (animated movie)

First, some info: I haven't actually played any of the Halo games. I started reading Halo: The Fall of Reach after someone said that the series had some good AI-human interaction moments, but I stalled almost halfway through for various reasons. In an effort to renew my interest in the book, give me a better foundation on the visuals, and maybe clarify some of the more confusing aspects, I decided to watch this. I was sure it would spoil certain aspects of the book for me, but I was okay with that.

Yeah, what I didn't realize was that this movie only adapts a small portion of the book – up to page 154 of my copy, to be exact. I'm currently on page 168, so I suppose I'll have to muddle through the rest on my own.

The movie covers the origin of Master Chief, the protagonist and playable character of the games. Dr. Catherine Halsey first identifies him as a candidate for the SPARTAN-II program when he is only six years old. John and other children are kidnapped from their homes and replaced with short-lived clones. It is then that their military training begins. However, Dr. Halsey has more in mind for the children than just training. There are dangerous augmentations that will turn them into true super soldiers, if they're able to survive the process.

Robin Hood (non-Japanese animation, movie), via Netflix

Disney's Robin Hood combines adventure, humor, and romance.

I'm still plowing my way through my review backlog, so no watch-alikes or read-alikes.

Review:
 
In case the story isn't already familiar: Robin Hood and his friend Little John steal everything they possibly can, right out from under Prince John's nose, and give it to the poor (not that this seems to improve anyone's lives much). Robin's life is a risk-filled, care-free existence, but there's one person he can't get out of his head: his childhood sweetheart, Maid Marian. When he hears about an archery contest in which the winner will get a kiss from her, he can't help but want to take part, even though it's obviously a trap designed to capture him.

This was my first time watching this movie in years, maybe since I was a kid. I vaguely remembered having enjoyed it, although not as much as some of Disney's other movies, and I was curious to see whether a re-watch would highlight similarities between Robin Hood and Zootopia's Nick.

Zootopia (CGI animated movie), via the movie theater

Zootopia is children's cop/mystery movie.

I opted not to include watch-alikes or read-alikes, although I'm now on the lookout for 1) decent furry (anthropomorphized animals) fiction that I haven't read before and that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and 2) fiction with prominent cross-gender friendships that don't become romantic (harder to find than I expected, especially since I'd prefer stuff written for older teens or adults). Feel free to recommend some in a comment, if you'd like.

Review:

I probably wouldn't have gone to see Zootopia if it hadn't seen all the positive viewer comments about it. People whose opinions I usually trusted said it was far better than they'd expected. Of course, some of those same people also said that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the best movie ever, so I tried to take their recommendations with a grain of salt.

Most of what I knew about Zootopia was based on the one theatrical trailer I'd seen, the clip of Nick, the fox, and Judy, the rabbit, at the DMV. This clip was okay the first time around, but it was almost painful to watch the second and third time. It also left me with the impression that Zootopia didn't really have much of a plot. Thankfully, the movie was much better than that clip led me to believe. In fact, I loved it so much that I went to see it a second time.

I'll keep my synopsis as spoiler-free as possible, but keep in mind that that means I have to leave out a lot. Basically, in the world of Zootopia, mammals have evolved to the point where they've become sentient. Predators and prey now live in peace, although prejudice is still a problem – animals who were traditionally prey are sometimes fearful of animals who were traditionally predators, and foxes, in particular, are looked down upon (why foxes and not tigers, lions, or any number of other predators? I have no idea).

Judy is a rabbit living in the rural town of Bunnyburrow. Although her parents would love it if she became a carrot farmer like them, Judy's greatest dream is to become a police officer, the very first bunny cop. She accomplishes her dream and is even assigned to Zootopia, the big city she's always wanted to visit, but reality isn't quite like she imagined. While doing her job and trying to keep her spirits up, Judy meets Nick, a cynical and street smart con artist fox. After Judy makes a rash promise, Nick becomes her best bet for finding the missing predators and keeping her job.

Coraline (non-Japanese animation, movie), on DVD

Coraline is a stop-motion horror/dark fantasy movie based on Neil Gaiman's children's book of the same title.

Review:

Coraline's family has recently moved to the Pink Palace Apartments. On the suggestion of her busy and exhausted parents, Coraline goes exploring and finds a tiny door that opens up to a brick wall. That night, she wakes up (or dreams of waking up) and follows a jumping mouse to the door, only to find that it now opens to a tunnel that leads to a home just like hers, only better. Her Other Mother cooks delicious food, and her Other Father is more energetic and has time to play with her. The next day, Coraline is back in her original home.

Coraline gradually meets more of her neighbors in the Pink Palace, as well as a boy named Wybie. It's nice enough, but the more time she spends in her other home, the more she wishes she could stay there. Sure, everyone in the other world has buttons for eyes, but everything is so nice there. Until her Other Mother tells her she can stay, but only if she agrees to have buttons sewn onto her eyes.

A Cat in Paris (non-Japanese animation, movie), via Netflix

A Cat in Paris (Une vie de chat) is a French children's adventure movie. The main characters are a little girl named Zoe, her mother, a thief named Nico, Zoe's cat, and Victor Costa. Zoe's mother is a cop, and so was her father. Costa killed Zoe's father, and Zoe hasn't said a word since then. Zoe's mother desperately wants to reconnect with her daughter, but she's battling her own demons, in the form of her desire to catch Costa. Zoe's cat goes out every night and, one night, Zoe follows. It's then that Zoe learns her cat is also a thief's assistant.

I had this movie in my Netflix queue for a while before finally watching it, because the style of artwork in the thumbnail didn't appeal to me. I'm glad I did watch it, though, because it was so much fun!

The visuals were the sort I'm more used to seeing in paintings than animation and took while to grow on me. However, I came to enjoy them. I loved that Nico moved differently than Costa and his gang – Nico was more agile, and he sometimes became almost boneless, flowing from one hiding place to the next. Some of the scenes were very clever, such as one that showed Nico moving through a completely dark building. I also loved the scene near the end of the movie, in which Nico tried to evade Costa and climb to safety while dangling from parts of a cathedral. The colors were gorgeous, and the action was wonderful.

Anime lovers, take note: Steve Blum, who has voiced Cowboy Bebop's Spike Spiegel, Naruto's Orochimaru and Zabuza, and many, many other characters, voices Nico. I hadn't realized that going in, so, when I recognized him, there was much fangirl joy on my part.

Netflix doesn't give the option of watching this in French with English subtitles, so I don't know how it compares to the English dub. The English voice acting sounded really good to me, though, even after I got over my initial “yay, Steve Blum!” reaction.

Pretty much the only thing I didn't quite like about this movie was the romance shoe-horned in at the end, between Nico and Zoe's mother. I could see it coming, in the way they met each other's eyes after all the action was over, but it didn't really make sense. Yes, Zoe trusted Nico, but Zoe's mother was a cop, Nico was a thief, and I got the impression that Zoe's father hadn't died that long ago. The movie skipped any attempt to explain how romance might be possible and just jumped forward a few months to show the happy family. Does that mean Nico quit being a thief and everyone turned a blind eye to his crimes? (And yes, I know, it's a children's movie and I'm probably overthinking it.)

All in all, this was a wonderful movie, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun adventure.

The Invincible Iron Man (non-Japanese animation, movie), via Netflix

The Invincible Iron Man is one of the many animated superhero movies currently available in Netflix's catalog. This movie had so little of an effect on me that I'm struggling to even remember what it was about. It also doesn't help that I watched it last month. I can definitely say this: don't watch this movie thinking it has anything at all to do with the live action movies. This animated movie exists in a universe of its own. I don't know enough about the comic books to be able to say whether it's more related to them or not.

Here is what my notes tell me about this movie: Animated Movie Tony still likes to spend his off-time in the company of lots of Barbie doll women. Animated Movie Rhodes isn't working for the military, unlike Live Action Movie Rhodes, although he used to be an Army medic. He now works for Tony and, under Tony's direction, has been heading the excavation of some ruins in China. A group opposes this excavation and has been making things difficult for Rhodes and the excavation team. If I remember correctly, Rhodes is captured, Tony goes after him and gets captured too, and things similar to the terrorist capture portion in the first live action movie occur. The Mandarin is sort of this movie's villain, but Tony spends more time dealing with the Mandarin's Elemental warriors. Oh, and there's a tragic romantic subplot involving a beautiful young Chinese woman, because of course.

The story is meh, the animation is terrible (it reminded me of Saturday morning cartoons, plus some badly incorporated CGI), and, by the way, the "cover" artwork looks way better than anything you'll find in this movie. Also, Robert Downey, Jr. has spoiled me - Animated Movie Tony, voiced by Marc Worden, was lacking in charisma. Instead of feeling larger than life, he was just...sort of pleasant? I guess? At any rate, he didn't make much more of an impression on me than anything else in this movie.

I have all the other animated superhero movies Netflix provides access to sitting in my queue, but this movie made me think I might want to remove them. I am doubtful they're worth the time it will take to watch them.

Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Complete Book 3 Collection (non-Japanese animation, TV series)

The short version: I love this series and really enjoyed most of this season. My post is heavy on the fangirly joy, and there are, as usual, a few spoilers.

Now for the (really) long version.

Synopsis:

This is the third and final season. The Fire Nation has taken over the Earth Kingdom, but Aang and his friends believe they still have one last chance to win: the Day of Black Sun. During the solar eclipse, Firebenders will lose their Bending, making them vulnerable to attack. Several members of Aang's group gain new abilities and get extra training, and Aang still has plenty of allies to stand at his back. It should be simple to win against the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, the invasion on the Day of Black Sun fails and most of Aang's allies end up as prisoners.

Now, Aang's only chance is to learn Firebending and defeat Firelord Ozai before Sozin's Comet, which will give all Firebenders unimaginable power, arrives. Aang doesn't know anyone who could possibly act as his Firebending teacher - until Zuko offers his help. Aang and his friends turn Zuko down at first, and it takes a while for them to learn to trust him.

Even after Aang has begun his Firebending studies, he worries that he won't be able to beat the Firelord. Most Avatars receive years of training in the various elements before declaring that they've mastered them, and Aang has had less than a year to learn Waterbending, Earthbending, and Firebending. If Aang doesn't face the Firelord, however, there may not be a world to save after Sozin's Comet leaves. Aang, a peaceful person at heart, doesn't want to kill anyone, not even Firelord Ozai, but what choice does he have?

Review:

I love this show so much I could easily write pages and pages about this final season, but I'm going to try to rein myself in. (Ha ha.)

I was trying to decide which was better, the second season or the third season. I think, in terms of scenes that made me go all squealing fangirl, the third season wins, with the jaw-dropping awesomeness of the second-to-last episode weighing heavily in its favor.

Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Complete Book 2 Collection (non-Japanese animation, TV series)

Synopsis:

Early on in the season, Aang learns that he cannot fight the Fire Nation solely in the Avatar state - as powerful as the Avatar state is, if he dies while he's in it, the Avatar reincarnation cycle will be broken. So, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Momo, and Appa continue to travel, searching for an Earthbending master willing and able to teach Aang Earthbending.

Aang finds this new mentor in Toph. Toph is such an incredible Earthbender that, although she is blind, she is able to see via her Earthbending (she has to have her bare feet on earth, and she can only actually "see" things that are touching the ground).

Aang and the rest of his group learn that a solar eclipse will occur soon. Just as a lunar eclipse weakened Waterbenders in the first season, a solar eclipse will weaken Firebenders. With help, Aang stands a good chance at beating Firelord Ozai and the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, help turns out to be hard to get. First Appa is stolen, forcing the group to try and find him on foot. Then, when the group tries to get an audience with the Earth King at Ba Sing Se, they find themselves blocked by bureaucracy and corruption.

Meanwhile, Princess Azula, Prince Zuko's ruthless sister, is trying to capture (or maybe just kill) Aang. Zuko is also still on Aang's trail, but his Uncle Iroh has started rubbing off on him, and while in Ba Sing Se he begins to reevaluate his life and the kind of future he wants for himself.

Review:

It's been a while since I last saw season 1, so there are details I've forgotten and I can't really say for sure whether season 2 is better than season 1...but I suspect it is. Things become less black-and-white in this season. The Fire Nation may still be the primary enemy (although I'm sure that in the final season Aang and his group will remember that the Fire Nation is just one of the four nations and not actually an enemy, they're not quite to that point yet), but the Earth Kingdom is shown to have its own issues.

Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Complete Book 1 Collection (non-Japanese animation, TV series)

Although I had a knee-jerk desire to proclaim it "sucky wannabe anime," it's actually pretty addictive. There are, as usual, some spoilers below.

Synopsis:

In this first season, Katara and her brother Sokka stumble upon a boy and his flying bison, both of them trapped in ice. The boy, Aang, turns out to be the Avatar, the one person in the world who is capable of mastering all four elements. The Avatar is supposed to keep the Four Nations balanced but, when he disappeared 100 years ago, the Fire Nation began trying to take over the world. Unfortunately, a comet is coming that will give Firebenders incredible power. Now 12-year-old Aang, who has so far only mastered Air, must somehow master the three other elements in time to save the world from the Fire Nation.

Avatars must master the elements in a certain order, just as they are reborn in a certain order: Water, Earth, Fire, and then Air. So, the next element Aang must master is Water. Katara is a Waterbender, but she hardly knows how to do any bending herself. They, along with Sokka, decide to seek out a Waterbending master at the Northern Water Tribe, which has so far not been hit as hard by the Fire Nation.

It's not a simple journey. For one thing, they basically have to travel to the other end of the world. For another, everyone in the Fire Nation is after them once word gets out that the Avatar is back. The exiled Prince Zuko is one of Aang's most determined pursuers, because he believes that capturing the Avatar will help restore his honor and prompt the Firelord, his father, to end his exile.

Aang and the others do eventually make it to the Northern Water Tribe, where, after a rocky beginning, Aang and Katara learn Waterbending. Unfortunately, the Fire Navy armada arrives as well. The Waterbenders have the advantage at night, when the moon is out, while the Firebenders have the advantage during the day. The balance is tipped in favor of the Firebenders when Admiral Zhao kills the Moon spirit, but one Water Tribe member's sacrifice brings the spirit back to life, and the Northern Water Tribe manages to win.

Commentary:

My very first exposure to this series was an "animanga"-type book - basically, word bubbles are added to screenshots from the show, set up to look like a graphic novel. It was terrible, and my first assumption of the series ("sucky wannabe anime") seemed to be correct. My second exposure to the series was M. Night Shyamalan's movie The Last Airbender, which was bad in a different way. However, it at least made the premise of the series seem a bit better, and the fights were pretty good. When my mom ended up in the hospital with pneumonia, I found myself at my parents' house spending a lot of time watching TV while I waited to see how things were going to go. One of the shows I watched was Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I got hooked. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to watch the show from beginning to end - I just had to make do with whatever happened to be showing that week.

Now I own the whole series, and I'm finally getting to watch it in order for the first time. I can see where M. Night Shyamalan got the bones for his movie, and I'm amazed that he thought he could fit an entire season of the show into a single movie. M. Night Shyamalan's movie was this season of the show, ultra-condensed, with a few changes here and there in an attempt to make up for some of the stuff that was cut out, and with all the humor and fun sucked right out of it. I shudder to think of what he will do if he is allowed to make more movies based on this series - I'm sure it will be one movie for each season.

Ok, moving on. I was looking at customer reviews of this show on Amazon and saw several reviews to the effect of, "I hate anime, but..." or "I'm adult, but..." First off, I always kind of wonder about "I hate anime" comments - what shows are people thinking of when they say this, and do they realize that there is huge variety of anime out there, intended for every age-group, in every genre including some many Americans have never even heard of before? It makes me wince to think of the number of people who base their opinions of anime on Pokemon, Dragonball Z, etc. - depending on who's watching it, the anime that gets TV time in the U.S. isn't necessarily bad (although I would like to take this chance to say that 4Kids needs to never be allowed to touch any anime, ever), but almost all of it has basically the same intended audience, young boys.

Anyway, those Amazon reviewers that thought they wouldn't like this show but did found themselves getting something that still has a tendency to be a little unusual in American animated TV shows: a show that is not only about its humor (and, admittedly, the fact that Avatar's humor is American humor, rather than Japanese humor, could be part of the reason those reviewers like Avatar better than whatever anime they've seen), and a show that has an overarching plot instead of just a bunch of one-shot stories. Avatar still has plenty of the humor you'll find in any kids' cartoon, but the humor isn't the point of the show. Instead, the humor creates light moments in a series that follows a kid and his friends who are trying to save their world.

Although I learned, during the week I spent watching this show at my parents' house, that it's possible to jump into this series at various points and sort of get what's going on (it probably helped a lot that I had seen M. Night Shyamalan's movie and therefore knew a bit about the world and the story), I still really appreciate being able to see it from beginning to end now. This way, I get to see how later episodes reference earlier events, and I get to see each character grow (character growth: also still rare in U.S. animated TV shows).

I like the series premise, the characters, and the action. I can't wait to see more of the show. Although, darn it, if I had waited just a little longer before buying the series, I could have bought it cheaper - a couple of seasons of this show are now available at my local Walmart for just $20 each.

Extras:

The extras were nice, but I really wanted a lot more. They felt too brief, like they were designed to bit fit into a commercial break (maybe they were?). It was fun seeing the original pilot episode, which despite its somewhat rough-looking animation/artwork, had one particularly awesome scene that reminded me of Tekkonkinkreet. The pilot episode, by the way, is not Episode 1 in this collection - instead, I'm guessing it was a test episode created to show (executives? the money people?) what this show was going to be like, before everything about the series was completely figured out, so it differs from the series in a few ways.

I also liked getting a behind-the-scenes view of the work done in the sound studios, and the brief look at the Korean animation studios involved in this show was fascinating (by the way, they use some animation lingo which may not make sense to all viewers - it turns out that having watched Animation Runner Kuromi was really helpful to me in this regard). I did like getting to see the cast and crew, but it was an incomplete view - I couldn't help but wonder, "Where's the person who voices Katara?" Looking at my other boxed sets, I'm pretty sure she'll turn up in later extras, but it still felt odd. There's also some audio commentary for one of the episodes, courtesy of the guy who voices Momo, Appa, and other animal characters in the series (it hadn't even occurred to me that these sounds were the product of a human voice - I didn't know humans could make noises like that!) and one of the people who worked on the show's sound effects.

Coming up with a list of watch-alikes/read-alikes was a lot harder than I expected it to be. You'll notice that M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender is not on the list. I didn't want to include that one, not even as padding.

Watch-alikes and Read-alikes:

• Naruto (manga) by Masashi Kishimoto; Naruto (anime TV series) - Another series with a hero who's a bit of a goofball (some may be put off by his tendency to act and speak before thinking). Naruto turns out to be incredibly powerful and does grow somewhat as the series progresses (the anime, by the way, is continued by the anime Naruto: Shippuden - both the anime and manga versions of this series are long). Those who'd like another series that mixes humor, action, and some occasional heavy drama might want to try this. If you can afford it, or if your local public library carries it, I highly recommend reading the manga over watching the anime. The manga starts off rough, but it ends up being much better than the anime, which suffers from Too Much Filler syndrome and (during Naruto: Shippuden in particular) severe pacing problems.
• Teen Titans (non-Japanese animation) - This is the only U.S. animated TV series I can think of that is in any way like Avatar. As far as I know, it doesn't have an overarching plot like Avatar, and character development tends to be more minimal. However, like Avatar its animation has Japanese influences, and it combines humor (to a greater degree than Avatar), action, and more serious developments (to a lesser degree than Avatar). The series focuses on a group of young superheroes. The one most likely to be familiar to people is Robin (once Batman's sidekick).
• Soul Eater (anime TV series) - This has absolutely nothing in common with Avatar in terms of its story and characters, but it might still appeal to fans of Avatar because of its mix of humor, action, and drama, its "save the world" storyline, and the importance that friendships and learning to work together plays in the series. The series focuses on meisters and their weapons, particularly ones that are still in training. Meisters are capable of wielding weapons, while weapons (which, like meisters, are people) have a great deal of power they generally can't make use of without their meisters. Meisters and weapons in training work together to capture 99 evil souls and 1 witch soul, after which the weapon becomes a Deathscythe, a particularly powerful weapon.

Invader Zim, Vol. 1: Doom Doom Doom (non-Japanese animation, TV series)

The Irken armada is preparing to take over the universe (Operation Impending Doom II), but first the Almighty Tallest have to do something about Invader Zim, the guy who ruined the first Operation Impending Doom. They convince him that he's being sent on an important mission, put him in a spaceship, and send him in a random direction with a defective robot (the adorable GIR). That random direction brings Zim to our own planet, which he is promptly determined to take over. After cleverly disguising himself as a small green child with a small green dog (GIR in a dog suit), Zim tries to learn Earth's weaknesses. The only person who immediately sees through his disguise is UFO-obsessed Dib, one of Zim's classmates.

I love this show.

There's no progressing storyline - Zim wants to take over the Earth, and Dib wants to stop him (and use him to prove that aliens exist), but that's pretty much it. One episode ends with the Earth floating aimlessly through space - in the next episode, everything's fine again. In another episode, Zim's brain has been replaced with a pig - in the next episode he's fine. Is this a problem? No, not really, because the important thing is the humor - if you're worrying about continuity, you're taking this show too seriously.

It's been ages since I watched anything on Nickelodeon, but I remember when I was a kid and it featured slime and toilet humor. Invader Zim has both (plus other liquids and drippy stuff I don't want to think about too much). It also has random weird humor, fun dialogue, and lots of great one-liners (many of which I'm sure made it onto t-shirts and other merchandise). This show practically cries out for fan sites listing favorite quotes - and a search for "Invader Zim quotes" turns up plenty.

In addition to the humor, I liked the characters. Zim gets a little too evil for my tastes at times, but I love him when he's barely competent but hugely confident. It wouldn't surprise me if Gaz, Dib's sister, inspired Mandy from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, yet another show I like. Dib is like a young, picked-upon Fox Mulder (The X-Files). Then there's GIR - as the various people in the DVD commentaries say, "America loves GIR" (also, "America hates Dib"). Anytime the show needs a boost in its insanity levels, GIR is there to help. Plus, he's the cutest thing ever.

Several times during the commentary, people mention how surprised they were that Nickelodeon let them get away with as much as they did. The humor does occasionally get pretty dark (to the point of being horror, actually). In one episode, Zim rips out the eyeballs of one of his classmates and replaces them with new ones - this is only shown in silhouette, but still. I think this happens in the second episode. In another episode, Zim steals the internal organs of his classmates and stuffs himself to bursting with them. In yet another episode, Zim uses rubber pigs and a time machine to gradually cripple and eventually kill Dib (he only stays dead for a few seconds, but it's still brutal). The cast and crew members in the commentary conclude that Nickelodeon wasn't watching them too carefully (yet), and I'd have to agree.

As I've already said, I love this show. I'd recommend it (to people with a high tolerance for sometimes dark and often gross humor), except that owning it now takes a slightly greater monetary commitment than it did only a year or two ago. A couple years ago, I remember seeing the complete Invader Zim series on RightStuf.com for only $30. Now, you'll see it selling for $50+ used.

I don't usually spend much time looking at and listening to DVD extras, but the extras for this aren't too bad. The commentary is fun, although it doesn't always stay focused on the show and the cast and crew have a tendency to just keep talking as though the episodes will never end (I think one commentary cuts off in the middle of some comments). For me, the only other good extra is the interview with several of the voice actors. After hearing some of them in the commentary, it was nice getting to see them. I didn't really watch the animatics, the pig commentary was pretty worthless, and I can only guess that the Irken subtitles were a nod to some really obsessed fans (I couldn't help but wonder if the subtitles were actually translatable - it didn't seem like they could be). The back of the DVD box mentions "fanboy commentary" - if you want some of that, you'll have to provide it yourself, since I don't think it actually exists. I suppose fangirls need not apply. ::sigh::

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (non-Japanese animation, TV series) - This show features the adventures of the Grim Reaper and the two children who have forced him to be their best friend. Billy is a cheerful idiot, while Mandy is cynical and devious - between the two of them, they make Grim's existence very difficult. Those who'd like another cartoon with gross, weird, and occasionally dark humor might want to try this.
• Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (comic) by Jhonen Vasquez - The same brain that came up with Invader Zim produced Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, a dark and disturbingly funny comic about Johnny (Nny). Nny tortures and kills people, usually as vengeance (because they belittled him or otherwise gave him a hard time), but sometimes just because he likes torturing and killing people. However dark Invader Zim may get, this is darker - it's definitely not for everyone. What little I know about Johnny makes me think of Dib, if he suddenly snapped after years of being ridiculed.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (stop motion movie) - Jack Skellington of Halloween Town is bored of frightening people. When he discovers Christmas Town, he becomes obsessed with Christmas and eventually tries to take over Santa's role. Most of Halloween Town gets involved, but they all have a twisted idea of what Christmas is like. It's a recipe for disaster, and only Sally, a rag doll woman who is secretly in love with Jack, seems to realize this. Can she free Santa and stop Jack before Christmas is ruined? Those who'd like something else weird, funny, and a bit creepy might want to try this.
• Excel Saga (manga) by Koushi Rikudou; Excel Saga (anime TV series) - Lord IlPallazzo and his team of ACROSS agents (two of them - hyper Excel Excel and Hyatt, who is sickly and coughs up blood) plan to one day take over the world - and they're starting with just one city. Their various crazy attempts always fail. Those who'd like another weird and energetic "let's take over the world" story might want to try this. With all the satire and references, it helps to have some knowledge of manga and anime before you see this, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary. I'm more familiar with the manga than I am the anime, although I've heard that there's so much going on in the anime that it can be tough to keep up with the subtitles.
• Pinky and the Brain (non-Japanese animation, TV series) - Two lab mice - "one is a genius, the other insane" - try to take over the world, coming up with various outlandish schemes that never quite work out. Those who'd like another cartoon featuring a pair of characters who attempt to take over the world might want to try this.
  

Batman Beyond: Season One (non-Japanese animation, TV series)

My description for this show is very long, but most of the information I give comes from the first and second episodes - there are 13 overall in the first season.

The series begins by showing the original Batman, dressed in a new (as far as fans are concerned) costume, trying to save a girl. When the thugs who've kidnapped her start fighting Batman, he manages to hold his own at first, but he starts have heart problems and it isn't long before they have the upper hand. In desperation, Batman does something he's never done before: he picks up a gun and aims it at his attacker. Although the sight of the gun is enough to scare the thug off and he isn't forced to shoot, Batman knows he's crossed a line. Before the end of the scene, he takes his mask off, allowing viewers to see that he's much older than he's usually been depicted.

Years later (maybe 50 years after the "present" of the original Batman cartoons, meaning that Bruce Wayne is about 80 years old), Batman has retired, and Bruce Wayne lives alone in his mansion with only a dog for companionship. His company is now the Wayne/Powers Corporation, and he doesn't pay as much attention to it as he should. Enter Terry McGinnis, a high school boy who lives with his divorced father and lets his anger get him into fights that often cause him trouble. When he fights back against the members of a Joker gang (gang members dressed as clowns), it's more than he can handle, and his attempts to get away bring him to Bruce Wayne's mansion. Wayne helps him fight off the gang members but then needs his heart meds as a result, so Terry helps him back to the mansion and gets him the meds. In another reminder that Wayne is old, he falls asleep after taking them. Terry is left to find his own way out and accidentally discovers the Bat Cave. Wayne finds him and angrily throws him out of the house.

Terry's father, who works at the Wayne/Powers Corporation, has discovered terrible things about a nerve gas that Derek Powers has had developed. In order to silence him, Powers had someone kill Terry's father while Terry was running from the Joker gang and at Wayne's house. However, the killer wasn't able to find out where Terry's father had stashed the disk of incriminating evidence. While moving in to his mother's house, Terry discovers the disk and realizes things are rotten at the Wayne/Powers Corporation. He tries to get Wayne's help but is refused, so he steals Wayne's most recent Batman costume - it's a nifty thing that enhances strength, has gliding abilities, has camouflage abilities, allows the wearer to listen in on conversations, and more (it also must shrink to fits its user, since Terry has a much more slender build than Bruce). Although Wayne is really displeased that Terry has stolen the costume, he eventually allows Terry to finish what he's started, stopping both his father's killer and the distribution of the nerve gas. Derek Powers, although caught up in a cloud of nerve gas, survives - the radiation that saves him ends up making him radioactive and green-glowing, among other things.

Terry thinks he's finished with the whole Batman thing, until Bruce Wayne shows up at his house and offers him a job. Suddenly, Terry has a legitimate reason to hang out at Bruce Wayne's place (his mom thinks he's Wayne's gofer). On a nightly basis (and sometimes during the day), Terry goes out as Batman, with Wayne watching over things at the Bat Cave and giving him advice and information.

Besides Derek Powers, only one villain, Inque, turns up more than once in the first season. Most of the villains are brand-new and slightly futuristic in some way - one group of villains flies around on hoverboards that look like giant playing cards, another villain uses advanced technology to mess around with sound waves, another uses hypnosis technology to cause hallucinations, etc. Only two villains from the original series show up: Mr. Freeze (he gets a whole episode) and Bane (only for a few seconds - he's now old and decrepit). However, fans of the original animated series will love the occasional references to earlier times - Barbara Gordon, who was once Batgirl, is now commissioner, and Wayne and others occasionally refer to characters and events from the past.

Even though it has its failings, I really love this show. Although the futuristic setting is usually pretty generic-feeling and not very ground-breaking, it's still appealing, and I love the somewhat dark feel of the show. I also love the character designs, which I think are really eye-catching - the smooth and somewhat angular look makes me think of The New Batman Adventures, which I used to watch several years ago. Terry has a slighter build that makes him look less powerful, but more nimble, than the original Batman in his prime - since Terry is only in high school, the look fits, and the suit amplifies his strength.

For the most part, I enjoyed the voice acting (some of the extras were... not very good), and I was thrilled that Kevin Conroy was still doing the voice of Bruce Wayne (this may sound a little weird, but when I was younger and first started watching the animated Batman episodes, I had a crush on Kevin Conroy's voice). I really enjoyed seeing the new villains, watching the action scenes, and, in general, just getting to see what an older Bruce Wayne is like. This is one of the few American animated TV shows that recognizes that animation doesn't always have to be cute and/or funny, which is something I appreciate. Even though the creators of this show hoped to attract a younger audience (10-14 years old, maybe), it can still appeal to older viewers.

There were a few things I didn't like about this show. For one thing, the emotional continuity sometimes felt a little off. In one episode, Terry and his girlfriend break up, because she's upset that he always has to stand her up (she knows he's working for Wayne, but she doesn't know that he's Batman). It's not long before Terry's with another girl, who unfortunately turns out to be a villain and gets arrested. In the next episode, Terry and his girlfriend are back together and as cuddly as if nothing bad ever happened between them. It was a little jarring. For another, Terry adjusts amazing well and quickly to his new role as Batman. There are no scenes showing him receiving training in the use of the suit or in combat techniques - he just does it all, with barely any fumbling. Also, I think all the anime I watch has spoiled me a little - I'd like some kind of overarching storyline, or at least some kind of evidence that the characters and their relationships with each other are changing from one episode to the next. I wanted this series to be about more than just the villain of the week, but that's not really the case.

Overall, though, it's this series, and season one in particular, is enjoyable. There are several special features, including creators' commentary for two episodes (the first episode and one called "Shriek"), a short interview with the series creators, and score-only versions of a few different scenes. I watched the score-only versions of a few scenes (very interesting, I can't believe how much of the score I tuned out when I was just watching these episodes) and the short interview (the creators talk about being told to create a new animated Batman series with a teenage Batman that will appeal more to a younger audience). I also listened to the commentary for the first episode - that was really fascinating. I especially enjoyed hearing about how the WB tried to encourage them to make the show "more like Buffy" so that it would appeal to kids (despite the fact that kids weren't even Buffy's primary audience) and turn Terry's little brother into Batman's sidekick. I think it's a great example of how networks don't always get what makes a good show, and I'm really glad that the creators of this show just kept on doing what they felt was right for the show and for Batman.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• The New Batman Adventures (non-Japanese animation, TV series); Batman: The Animated Series (non-Japanese animation, TV series) - If you'd like to watch the original Batman bring strange and often crazy criminals to justice, or if you'd just like to find out about all the past events and people that Batman Beyond hints mentions or hints at, then you might try either of these animated series. Of the two Batman: The Animated Series aired first, but the episodes of both shows are often self-contained, so you can start with whichever show you prefer. I tended to prefer The New Batman Adventures because of its character designs.
• Batman: Gotham Knight (anime, anthology) - This is actually an anime-inspired anthology, but I'm calling it anime because it's less complicated than figuring out what else to call it - I haven't seen it yet, so I can't comment on how much it looks and feels like anime. This DVD is composed of six short stories that show Bruce Wayne as he goes from tormented vigilante to Gotham's Dark Knight. Those who'd like more animated Batman, with Kevin Conroy again providing his voice, might enjoy this DVD. Although I mentioned that Batman Beyond is a little bit dark, I believe this DVD is even darker in tone.
• Batman Begins (live action movie) - This live-action Batman movie's title says it all - the movie is about Bruce Wayne becoming Batman. It begins with the death of Bruce Wayne's parents, shows Bruce's training, and shows him setting up his other life as Batman, dealing with Gotham's crime however he can. Of course, besides this movie there's also the sequel, The Dark Knight. Those who'd like a darker, non-cheesy live-action version of Batman may enjoy this movie. It might also be helpful for those who enjoyed Batman Beyond but don't know the original Batman's backstory.
• Alias (live action TV series) - Sydney Bristow believes she is working for the CIA. She finds out she's actually working for SD-6, the bad guys, when they kill her fiance after she tells him that she's an agent with the CIA. Sydney becomes a double agent, working for both the CIA and SD-6, in an attempt to take SD-6 down. Those who'd like another action-packed show in which the main character is living a double life might like this TV series.
• Ghost in the Shell (anime movie) - This movie takes place in a future where just about everyone has some sort of cybernetic implant, if not entirely cyberized bodies. Unfortunately, this leaves people vulnerable to brain-hacking. Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhance cops, is called in to investigate a brain-hacker called The Puppetmaster. The sound effects and look of this movie are a little dated, in my opinion, but it's still an excellent movie (although it may require more than one viewing in order to figure out what's going on), and it's a great place to begin before trying any of the newer incarnations of this franchise. It should also be noted that this movie is based on the Ghost in the Shell manga. Anyway, those who'd like to see something else set in a gritty, futuristic world with some interesting technology and lots of high speed action might like this movie.
• Bleach (anime TV series); Bleach (manga) by Tite Kubo - Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts for as long as he can remember, but it's not until he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper, that his life really gets strange (not to mention dangerous). When a battle with a Hollow goes badly, Rukia tries to lend Ichigo some of her Soul Reaper powers but ends up accidentally giving him everything. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper, Ichigo battles Hollows with Rukia's help and guidance and gradually becomes even more powerful. Those who'd like another series in which a basically good high school-aged kid with delinquent tendencies has to become someone who can secretly save everyone in his town from frequent menaces might want to try this. The anime and manga are fairly similar, aside from a few filler episodes in the anime, so take your pick.