Son Of Zorn SN1 EP1 – ‘Return To Orange County’

Son of Zorn is a new series that is on its way to Fox. While the series doesn’t premiere until September 25th, the first episode was shown off to bring in viewers. It tells the story of a He-Man type character coming to live in the real world. Played by Jason Sudeikis, it seems like a very interesting show idea.

He comes from a world that is animated and is himself animated. He wants nothing more then to reconnect with his son and his ex-wife. But coming from an animated world he really has no idea how to raise deal with a human child.

In the first episode he realizes that he will lose his son if he doesn’t stay around. He decides to stay and get an apartment and a real job. His son is clearly put off by his whole attempt as he was never there for the boy except for sporadic weekends every year.

Humorously enough the young man does still love his father, he really just wishes he wouldn’t show up without a shirt, yelling his name and waving a sword around.  Of course this is what his father does as he really does not know anything else.

Zorn really decides to try with his son and ends up spending an evening with him. He tries to make things right with him but his son is totally different then what he wanted him to be. As his son is flirted with he gets in his way making it that much more difficult to make amends.

The next day at work he is told to come talk to his boss as they found a table cleaved in twain. She tells him he has passion and that if he was a little more considerate he might do well at this job. Humorously he tells her that she is a good guy, as he comes from a place where men are the only beings of strength.

Zorn then gets his son a Death Hawk which he can ride. He wants his son to feel like a grown man. His son is actually quite happy that his dad actually listened to him but he is not able to keep the giant bird. As he kills the giant bird, the waitress drives by and is disgusted by the brutal scene before her.

The semi final shot of the episode shows Zorn’s son brushing his teeth zooming out to show that his legs in fact are animated. Then it follows with his soon to be stepfather washing the drive way of the Death Hawk’s blood.

Honestly, I am unsure how long this series will actually last. It could conceivably end after one season, if it doesn’t hit the spot for viewers.I did find it interesting but really am curious about how this show will continue to play out.

There really hasn’t been an hybrid show like this, but honestly it is pretty well done. It takes the idea of a classic 80’s cartoon and mashes it with a situational family oriented comedy. Of course it may not be appropriate for all ages but if you read between the lines it looks like at its crux it is about a father fixing his mistakes, and that is nice.

 

Happi Vs Drag- An All New 80’s Style Cartoon!

If you are a lover of cartoons and enjoyed the cartoons of the 80’s then you might want to take note. Happi Vs Drag is a new series that could take the world by storm if it is funded. This wild show will focus on two teams and their fight. Think back to GI Joe and the like as that is what it could be like.

All of the characters are wild and crazy with their own personalities. Devon McBride-Wilson is a creative man who just wants to inject some good old fashioned action into the cartoon line up. Honestly from what he has on his Kickstarter he really does have a lot of good ideas.

His characters are really thought out and you can see how much passion he has for actually getting this out there. Taking place in New Illinois, the Happi agents want nothing more than to take out their nemeses the agents of Drag. Led by Kylie an African Hunting dog the team will set out to combat their foes in every episode.

While their may be implied lessons in episodes it will be focused mainly on action. This show also will be just like 80’s cartoons in that the episodes will rarely if at all have any connection to past episodes. It will be like the past episode didn’t happen which is integral to an 80’s cartoon. The endless battle for justice is all that matters any way.

For this Kickstarter the creator is just asking for help in producing a six minute short that he can send off to networks. Something to show them he means business. With the help of the backers he is hoping to show them that people actually care about this endeavor. I really do wish him the best of luck as Kickstarter is a cruel and tenuous game. You never know who is going to fail and who is going to succeed.

I highly encourage you all to check out his Kickstarter for all of the details as that is where you can see how much he is pushing for this project. I do really think Kickstarter is such a magnificent site as so many great things are actually coming from its use. So, hopefully the devilish Drag will fall to the outstanding agents of Happi. With the world’s help we may see this show become something huge and it may just bring on a resurgence of the classic action cartoon.

Below is a link to the Kickstarter!

REVIEW: Kubo And The Two Strings

Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature of 2016? You bet your ass. Kubo and the Two Strings is a must watch.

Amazing World of Gumball SN5 EP3 -‘The Guy’

The Amazing World of Gumball’s semi final season is good, just as good as Gumball has ever been. They really have found a way of doing things that works. The characters have all grown in just the right way that the show is always able to do something new.

This episode focuses on Anais trying to make and keep a friend. Anais is a troubled genius four year old and the sister of Gumball. She has trouble trying to make friends and it is rather funny as in this episode she is seen as a monster. In a predator prey situation, she runs around the school trying to make people her friends but to no avail.

Suddenly she sees a new character and when she asks him to be friends he readily accepts. Gumball always the one to put a damper on anyone’s parade because he is pretty egocentric points out something might be wrong with the guy.

Anais tries not to let this bother her and keeps hanging out with Josh. But soon enough Gumball gets into her head as she realizes that nothing is wrong with Josh. So if nothing is wrong with Josh, could something actually be wrong with her? This is such a real plight especially for a young person. People are always unsure about making new friends especially when it really can be so hard to do so.

Gumball wants to make sure nothing is wrong with Josh and sets up humorous tricks to test him. When Josh realizes what is going on he leaves Anais in the dust and storms off.

Gumball and his fish brother Darwin realize that something needs to be done and they try to think of  a way to fix things. Gumball and Darwin are imaginative to say the least and their ideas all would end up in failure. So finally they decide to grovel.

Josh realizes that they love their sister and that is enough to make him forgive her. But then he shows his true colors by revealing he is giving all his money to a frog that will send them to the future. Gumball was right all along Josh, is a weirdo.

Honestly Gumball is a show that often time reaches such a beautiful and real end. The episodes can even teach things if you listen.

Steven Universe SN4 EP6 – ‘Last One Out Of Beach City’

Steven Universe is always busting down walls be they big or small and this episode was just another wall to knock down. A brilliant episode that involves just Steven, Amethyst and Pearl hanging out.

The episode begins with Amethyst being excited for a Rock show that Steven’s dad Greg is taking her too. When Greg flakes because a prior commitment that he had forgotten Amethyst feels like giving up this dream. Pearl suggests Amethyst go with her and Steven to the show.

After a little makeover in which Pearl puts on a leather jacket and skinny jeans they head out. In an uncharacteristic moment Pearl pops her collar and uses the word “gooder” as she is trying to be cool.

It’s here that the episode really begins. A woman who looks suprisingly like Steven’s mom and Pearl’s truest of loves, walks in. Pearl freaks out like someone in love and wants to talk to her. In a humorous moment she makes a fool of herself knocking over cups.

After this they head out on the road, and soon meet up with the woman again. She drives by them and Pearl is suddenly speeding forward. Pearl really wants to show them she can do this. It is a beautiful moment as Pearl looks out the window and smiles at the mystery woman who smiles back.

Clearly she is at least a little curious about Pearl. They get chased by cops and when they pull behind a billboard the car is found to be out of gas. They end up walking a little ways and soon realize they actually made it to the venue. The girl happens to be there.

In a beautiful voiceless scene Pearl talks to the girl and makes her smile. Pearl is given a “Secret code” which just turns out to the girl who calls wrote her name as S’s phone number.

There is then a short credit sequence in which it tells who the four main players are, with Pearl being the hero, Amethyst the wingman, Steven the Voice of Reason, and S as the mystery girl.

I really love this series as it is really the one out there to have lesbian relationships in the spotlight. I am curious to find out more about S and hope she and Pearl are able to find some happiness if only for a moment. They wouldn’t break Pearl’s heart again by taking this Rose-esque woman away from her, right?

Tune in to next week’s episode Onion Gang!

If You Enjoy Nintendo, Nickelodeon, And Geeky Stuff Watch Chadtronic

I know this isn’t really the usual article you’d find on ye old Skatronixxx but here goes. I have a suggestion for all you YouTube viewers out there. Watch Chadtronic.

This guy is definitely capable of going places and I enjoy every video he posts. This guy is smart as a whip and deserves all the praise and admiration he gets.

Clearly he just does what he wants and thus gains viewers. He may kowtow a little here and there but he really does flow his own thoughts.

If you enjoy Nickelodeon and Nintendo I really must say you should watch his videos. He really is someone to watch because he is super hilarious and so witty.

So do yourself a favor and check out one of his videos. If it doesn’t put a smile on your face you must be a robot.

The Amazing World Of Gumball Is Ending…

The Amazing World of Gumball is a show that premiered around the time of Adventure Time and Regular Show. A show of that new era of Cartoonetwork.

I for one love the show and was saddened to hear that it was announced it will be ending.

It has been said by the creator Ben Boculet that the series will end after the 6th season which is thankfully 78 episodes away.

Even though I know I have much more Gumball to watch it saddens me that it going away just like Regular Show. At least we will still have reruns.

Tite Kubo: The Storyteller From Hiroshima

Image taken from http://www.azquotes.com/quote/761506

Last August I was asked by phenomenal Stark Wyvern to write an article about Tite Kubo, the author of Bleach, as I had told him I would like to write a few pieces about the lives and characteristics of famous authors, cartoonists and mangakas, starting with Hayao Miyazaki, for Skatronixxx. He himself was writing an article devoted to Tite Kubo and Bleach, published here, as his own personal homage to Kubo and his 15 years of success with Bleach, his greatest and longest work, and which ended this year; although, as Stark states, leaving some doors open to the possibility of future sequels.

I was reading Stark’s tribute and I realised to what an extent this series (which include the manga and TV show, OVAs, films…) has accompanied him for 15 full years of his life no less! He says: “It was the anime that started my love for the world of Anime”, and “The characters are so vivid and life like”. He even mentions he cried when it was rumoured to end in 2011. I hadn’t had the chance to watch much Bleach on TV, and I hadn’t read the manga. But from Stark’s words of affection I understood there was something deep going on there, something that was way beyond the mere Shōnen  topics, the action, and the fights. He underlines that Bleach has managed to be highly successful even against mighty and apparently similar contemporary competitors, like Naruto or the more hilarious One Piece.

I watched a few films and realised Bleach was  (of course, in my personal opinion) somehow much more relatable than these other series, more serious and mature, and indeed there was something special there. Something I couldn’t really pinpoint but which I could sense as well, and which I found enthralling – and I don’t like Shōnen that much! So here’s my reflection, my own  contribution to the homage Stark already posted here, paying tribute to Kubo, to Stark, to every otaku that has ever felt this way while enjoying this great story.

The first enigma one encounters when meeting Bleach for the first time is its very title. Why Bleach, what kind of title is this? What do we use bleach for? One of the best substances to ward off infectious germs and viruses and sanitise our kitchens and bathrooms, bleach, mostly sodium hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide, is present in most homes around the world. It is also broadly used for its whitening properties, to remove stains and decolorise clothes or even to lighten your hair. But one should not use bleach, or bleaching substances, in a casual manner, for it is also extremely caustic: use too much, leave it unattended, and water becomes undrinkable, the fabric of your clothes break or tear, your skin gets chemically burnt, and let’s not talk about the hair! In sum, bleach is a raw substance, used wisely it can do a lot of good to clean and purify, but spill a little bit more than advised, use a little bit too much… and it spoils everything.

So what might have led Noriaki Kubo, aka Tite Kubo, one of the most prolific and successful mangakas of this century, choose the word ‘bleach’ as the title of his most famous and successful work of 15 years? And in case one thinks it can be dismissed as just a trivial choice – just take a look at the comic’s logo.

Image taken from http://bit.ly/2cwx2bb

Let’s look at him. Tite Kubo was born on the 26^th of June, 1977, in the Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. When learning about this author, I found this very significant for an artist or storyteller. Only 32 years after the atomic bombs were dropped during the Second World War, killing more than 140,000 of its 350,000 inhabitants, the future author was born in a city that had been badly brought to its knees yet was bravely flourishing again. As Bill Powell states at a 2005 report for Time titled “How Hiroshima Rose From The Ashes”, “A city wiped off the map had to be rebuilt in every sense – not just physically but emotionally and psychologically as well.”

The survivors’ initial reactions were extreme shock, a sense of having been dishonoured and desire for revenge – which is only logical. But necessity was first, and recovery was only possible taking a humble, peaceful stance, even if that meant clenching fists and teeth. Not doing that meant perpetuating the conflict. Self-control of raw instinctive emotions like rage and a desire for retaliation had to be toughly disciplined and brought under control, for the sake of survival. So that was the setting for the immediate past behind Tite Kubo, just a few years before he was born. The people in Hiroshima deserved to heal, to hope to thrive again, to move on, not more horror and conflict, and that’s what they strived to achieve. “Renewal and redemption, after all, are at the core of what Hiroshima, 60 years on, represents.” (Powell, 2005).

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1087168,00.html

Tite Kubo, the son of a town council member in Hiroshima, already knew he wanted to become a mangaka while still in elementary school, although he only started taking his dreams more seriously after he turned 17 and was inspired by Saint Seiya, by Masami Kurumada. He is also a big fan of Akira Toriyama, known worldwide for his famous Dragon Ball series. Growing up in a city that now shines as a powerful and bright symbol of amazing progress and peace advocacy, he was inspired by these authors’ adventures that spoke of friendship, loyalty, strength and the eternal fight of good vs. evil. His very first work was Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine, written in 1996 for the Weekly Shōnen Jump and added later on to the second volume of Zombiepowder, his second work, left unfinished with 27 chapters.

The cover image for Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine depicted a man showing his bare back and three words roughly carved out of his skin: “LOVE EXPOSED DELETE”. This character, Bäinhardt Rosner, together with his partner Tinatina, are Deleters: they make people and buildings disappear. As for Zombiepowder, set in a futuristic, Western-style type of society in which one may encounter from semi-cyborgs to people with magical abilities, it narrates the story of three bounty hunters who are looking for twelve rings, the “Rings of the Dead”, that together can be used to produce the “Zombie Powder”, a kind of magical substance with such powerful healing properties that it can even revive the dead and grant immortality. Zombiepowder was published in the Weekly Shōnen Jump until its cancellation in the year 2000. Inside the varied yet similar topics that characterise the genre of Shōnen, these works that precede Bleach already portray some of the main great themes that will characterise Kubo’s great 15-year-old success as well: purification, decontamination, cleansing what is evil or harmful, deletion and rebirth leading to a new beginning, returning to the original state of purity… well, basically, bleaching.

And, curiously enough, taking into account its past and the history of its recovery, we can ascertain that these themes could very well define the gist, the essence that distinguishes the spirit of the new and cleansed Hiroshima, as well.

Bleach tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a strawberry-blonde, hazel-eyed young man who lost his mother when he was nine because of his ability to see lost souls, or ‘Pluses’, and ‘Hollows’: lost souls who have corrupted to the point of becoming dangerous for both the spiritual and earthly beings. Although during his childhood Ichigo was a very cheerful kid, he became broody and brusque after the death of his mother, unable to overcome his feelings of guilt and to control his temper. Albeit kind-hearted and determined to protect his friends and family until his very last breath, he is frequently engaged in quarrels with thugs and troublemakers, who frequently tease him about the colour of his hair.

Then, at the age of 15 he becomes a substitute shinigami (God of Death). The shinigamis in Bleach are not akin to the grim, sarcastic monsters portrayed in other series like Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata: they are a sort of spiritual police corps that fight against evil to preserve the order both on Earth and in Soul Society – a Heaven-like realm populated by the people that have already transitioned to the spiritual plane. Shinigamis also rescue lost souls from Hollows and guide them safely to their due destination in the afterlife, be it the Soul Society or Hell depending on the number and gravity of sins they committed while still alive.

When I watched the movies and learned about the plot in Bleach, the way Kubo portrays the Hollows, the lost souls, and the selected people who are able to care about these harmful energies be it on Earth or in another dimension, it immediately reminded me of the Kannushi, the Shintō priests. The Kannushi are dressed in a similar way to Bleach’s main characters, although most of them are fully dressed in black while the Kannushi traditional dress is basically white. The functions of the Kannushi and Bleach’s characters is similar: mediating between human beings and gods and demons, holding purificatory rites, mediumship. Like in Bleach, where Rukia Kushiki and many other female characters are also powerful shinigamis as well, women can also be Shintō priestesses, called Miko, dressed in white and red. The Kannushi also have the authority to conduct weddings. We can say that they are basically Japanese shamans. In fact, the Hollow concept reminded me of the “mud shadows” Don Juan describes to his pupil Carlos Castaneda in his last work The Active Side of Infinity. In it, Don Juan teaches Castaneda about the supernatural shadows that purportedly surround us feed off our ‘good vibe’, consuming our spirit and filling our head with dire thoughts. Curiously enough, the only way to reject this kind of supernatural parasites is mind discipline – bringing your primary passions under control before they lead you to commit violent, destructive actions. It’s basically the same message as in meditation, and also in many other religious-spiritual practices.

But, significatively, and going through many shamanic stages of transformation, this is also the great lesson that Ichigo needs to learn all along the 15 years during which Kubo narrates this great story: moderation, self-control, power applied in its just measure. When your attitude is disciplined, the power of your presence, your actions render purification; when you lose your grip on yourself, somehow damage ensues.

It would seem as if Tite Kubo indulges in playing to resemble his main character as much as possible. His hair is not actually the typical pitch-black Japanese shade, looking a little bit like Ichigo’s in fact, even his haircut. With his expensive shades on and his classy, casual look, the now 39-year-old author looks strikingly young. He pays great attention to his characters’ attire, and even started a clothing line in 1998 based on his designs for Ichigo and his friends. He discreetely got married in 2012.

The Bleach squad is classy. Image taken from http://bit.ly/2bZDzc2

Trying to solve the enigma once and for all, Tite Kubo stated in several interviews that he meant to give this name to the manga, Bleach, precisely because it represents this sharp, caustic transition from darkness to purification and clarity, and that must be handled with care. Nevertheless, he has said too that Bleach is his favourite Nirvana album, and perhaps he was also influenced by this as well. His drawings feature expressive, jagged, broken lines, mostly in pure black and white, with little screentoning. He focuses on the characters, their wounds, their pain, their anguish, their struggle. Ichigo will endure several rites of passage after being initiated as a shinigami: he’ll acquire Hollow powers, even Hellish powers. It’s the shamanic equivalent of discovering and acknowledging your dark side.

The Hollows or evil spirits he encounters use his guilt, his sorrow for his mother’s death against him, and he needs to raise above his past to keep a clear mind and win the fight. The real achievement in Bleach, for Ichigo, will be to master this type of knowledge and discipline. Thus, he becomes able to take proper care about his family and friends, both on Earth and the Spiritual Realms. As a hero, what strikes most about Ichigo is that he loses very often in the battlefield, particularly when he gives in to his short temper, visceral nature and lack of self-control. But he recovers and rises again. That’s what makes Ichigo Kurosaki special as a character: he is not all-perfect, invincible: he may fall, and he may hurt and feel defeated and shamed, but he raises again, stronger than before, cleansed, transformed. Ready to fight anew.

A little bit perhaps like beautiful Hiroshima.

 

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Sources:

https://skatronixxx.com/2016/08/22/bleach-has-ended-after-15-years-of-publication-tite-kubo-i-salute-you/

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/tite-kubo

https://prezi.com/qoh7s1qb1pf7/tite-kubo/

https://short-biography.com/tite-kubo.htm

http://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/Tite_Kubo

http://www.japandreamtours.com/culture/shinto/kannushi.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/11784827/70-years-after-the-atomic-bombs-Hiroshima-and-Nagasaki-then-and-now.html

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1087168,00.html

Vinny Is Back In The Premiere Of Family Guy Season 15

Family Guy is coming back on September 25th and bringing in a familiar character. That’s right Vinny is coming back! He might have only been around for a couple of episodes before they brought Brian back from the dead but Vinny was well received.

Though this may just be a cameo if he comes back like this, he could always join the family again. Or he could be part of a Brian and Stewie adventure at least.

I’m excited to see the 15th season of Family Guy and hope that Vinny’s cameo isn’t just a one shot thing as he is a great character. How can you not like a suspicious mobster like dog? Tony Sirico’s voice really works with the character too!

Tune in for Family Guy’s Season 15 Premiere Boys in the Band on September 25th!

Steven Universe SN4 EP5 – ‘Future Boy Zoltron’

Steven Universe is back at it again in another new episode. This time focusing not on a gem fight but on a few residents in Beach city.

Steven sees Mr.Smiley the resident who owns the great Funland Arcade setting up a mysterious new attraction. This fortune tell who is called Future Boy Zoltron, is reminiscent of Zoltar from the movie Big.

He goes over excited to find out about this new attraction and finds that it isn’t quite as great as is and even ends up breaking it in the process. To compensate Mr.Smiley Steven agrees to dress up as Zoltron and answer questions.

Steven is able to answer many people’s questions with his eager attitude and advice doing wonders for the people who ask for advice. Suddenly a sad man appears before Steven and asks him a question.

He is curious if anything will make him happy and Steven cannot think of an answer as he keeps asking more depressing questions. Steven finally gets him to go away by pretending to be malfunctioning. He wishes he had future sight and that is when Garnet appears.

Garnet has future vision and kissing Steven on the head, she loans it to him for a while. This is a beautiful part of the episode as Steven sees three ways the situation could play out. When the man asks the question Steven however again only sees sadness in his future. The man sighs and reveals himself to be Mr.Frownie and that he is in fact looking for Mr.Smiley.

Earlier in the episode Mr.Smiley said he was once a comedian and it turns out he was part of a duo with the aforementioned Mr.Frownie. At Steven’s urging Mr.Smiley follows Mr.Frownie to the bus stop.

This show is beautiful for many reasons and this episode showcases it. The two old friends talk and their emotions are laid bare. Mr.Frownie just wanted his friend to be serious and Mr.Smiley just wanted his friend to have fun.  It was touching seeing these two characters work out a problem that had been hiding for years.

In a surprising turn of events Mr.Smiley makes his old friend laugh. He says his goodbyes and it is clear that Mr.Frownie has turned a corner. Truly this episode that really just revolved around three characters was great in my book. Steven Universe shows that you can have an episode of a cartoon not be action packed and it will still be great.

I can’t wait for next week’s episode Last one out of Beach City!