Writing About All Things Pop Culture
In the months since the season finale of The Mandalorian, Star Wars fans have been active online trying to speculate on what could happen in Season Two. While the jury’s out on Ashoka, the season premiere just confirmed the return of a certain legendary bounty hunter. The original Mandalorian himself, back from the dead.
Last week, Disney XD’s amazing reboot of DuckTales up-ended itself with F.O.W.L. being forced into the open. Worse still, they learn that it’s led by a member of Scrooge’s own Board of Directors. That revelation has rocked the Duck Family to its core, and left them a paranoid mess. And when you consider the lengths that Scrooge will go to keep those he loves safe, that’s a recipe for disaster. And nothing but a good time for us.
Congratulations, Hiro Mashima, for you have done it. You have managed to take the concept of fan service and made it into one of the biggest running gags in Edens Zero. If memory serves, you’ve managed to fit in at least one scene in each arc that sees a girl’s clothes get damaged. And Rebecca is usually the unfortunate recipient of the fan service.
At the end of my review of last week’s chapter, I said that Kaido had not yet begun to fight. That he had only been holding back against the Red Scabbards, which is why they were able to get in so many hits. It’s a standard trope in Shonen stories: the bad guy treats the heroes like an annoyance because only the main protagonist can stop them. It turns out that I was right to be worried for the Scabbards, as Kaido stops messing around and starts fighting seriously. Get ready for blood.
So, in my review of last week’s chapter of Edens Zero, I ended it with the realization that Nero’s Commandos could end up targeting Happy and Pino. You know, since there are orders are to destroy every machine on Foresta, regardless of allegiance? This is one of those moments where I actually hate being right about something, because it’s going to lead to more trouble for the heroes. Like the title of this chapter states, the Battle of Foresta begins!
DuckTales! Season 3, Darkwing Duck Special Review Last year, I said that the debut of the DuckTales! reboot’s version of Darkwing Duck could end up leading to a reboot/spin-off. Then … Continue Reading “Let’s Get Dangerous” Opens Door to Darkwing Duck
I know I’m beating a dead horse by saying that 2020 stinks, but it’s the truth. This year, for mankind as a whole, has stunk! One of the few silver linings (aside from new video games and consoles) is that this year’s been good to animation. And besides The Owl House, one new show I’ll fondly remember from 2020 has to be Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
While we won’t be seeing more of the show until 2021, Disney was nice enough to give us one more new episode of Amphibia to tide us over until then. And it’s a Halloween special, to boot! Granted, this won’t be the first time Amphibia has given us episodes that are perfect for the Halloween season. That’s not the point, though. The point is that we got some more Amphibia, and I’m not passing up a chance to review it. That, and I want to give my two cents on the stories being told.
When you’re the mangaka behind one of the greatest manga ever made, you’ve got high standards to meet. Then we Eichiro Oda, the genius behind One Piece. The man works so hard on his series that he hardly sleeps. It’s no wonder why lately, he’s been taking frequent break. However, after a nearly two-week vacation, Oda returns with one of the most action-packed chapters of the manga of the year. And all I can hope to say about it is “wow.”
Well, it looks my predictions from the last few posts are turning out to be accurate. Shiki and his crew are about to get involved in a three way war on Foresta. The crew of Edens Zero vs. Emperor Nero’s team of purgers vs. the machines that Ziggy drove crazy. And judging by how this chapter ends, it’s going to be a tough fight.
Ahh, the Fountain of Youth; that mythical wellspring of water that’s said to restore the youth of those who drink it, granting nigh immortality. As such, it’s easily one of the most popular tropes found in adventure stories, and a perfect fit for the likes of DuckTales! Especially when you have the likes of Scrooge and Goldie and their love/hate relationship in play in this week’s episode.
Ahh, Halloween. Next to Christmas, it’s the holiday that people in America get into the most, especially when it comes to TV shows. With Halloween specials all but an unspoken tradition, it was only a matter of time before the reboot of DuckTales! did one themselves. And while it won’t make into my list of memorable Halloween episodes, it was still plenty entertaining. But hey, that’s DuckTales!
In the last chapter of Edens Zero, we got an exposition dump on how to find Mother: gather Relics that have her Ether, and it will lead the way. Which brings us to Shiki’s next stop, the planet Foresta. A planet that it seems Ziggy already made a mess of. This week, we see just what he did to the planet. And to be honest, it’s nothing like what I imagined. They’re in the doghouse now!
