Sunday, March 31, 2019

Is Another Mystery / Marco Jr. (Star vs the Forces of Evil Season 3 Episode 17) - 'Toon Reviews 27

If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:

Is Another Mystery



With how much the status quo has been shaken up, other subplots introduced this season start taking a backseat.  One of them is the theme of the prejudices that the monsters get from Mewmans.  It’s very admirable that Star has noticed what’s wrong with monsters’ treatment which no one else ever has.  That said, it’s also pretty frustrating that the prejudices exist through no strong reason to be this harsh on monsters and turning against them even after legit bonding.  This episode being the last time the theme is a direct focus for now features believable after effects to how bad the prejudices have become despite Star’s efforts. 
A few episodes back, it seemed like a step in the right direction when Star appointed Buff Frog as the new royal monster expert.  I mean, it goes without saying that an expert on monsters should be an actual monster.  However, concerns arise when it’s discovered that Buff Frog has left his post without warning.  A letter of the news being legible when that’s not the case from Buff Frog and his home being a mess get Star to fear the worst.  For that, she spends much of the episode searching for him and trying to find out who may have captured him.  On a side note, the dynamic is shaken up a bit with Tom joining her on the mission.  Even if it’s clear that part of the reason he’s joining her is to be a better sidekick than Marco, it hardly matters because Tom still puts in a strong effort to be a good help.  There are also a few times when he’s set up to lose his temper, but he impressively has his emotions under control.  This even applies to when he freaks out when he and Star are caught in burlap sacks due to claustrophobia.  It’s interesting that this situation is still not enough to make Tom lose it the way he usually would. 
However, it’s after this scene when both Star and Tom finally find Buff Frog and learn what’s really going on with him.  The prejudices have become so bad that he and all the monsters feel that the best thing for them to do is leave Mewni.  This is among the biggest of all possible after effects of how worse their treatment has gotten and the idea of feeling an entire race or species needs to disappear is sad by itself.  Tom does give a passionate speech about how the monsters shouldn’t run away from their problems since things are getting better as well as show some understanding.  After all, Tom has some monster in him too.  This is certainly him at his most helpful, but it doesn’t affect the monsters at all because of the ridiculous standards that rich monsters get a free pass.  That said, this decision could have been even more emotional if we saw what Buff Frog’s position as royal monster expert was like in previous episodes.  He mentions that people are still scared of him, but showing it is far more powerful than saying it.  The fact that he’s just abandoning his new position without time to see what it’s like makes the decision feel pointless in spite of all the promise it had. 
Basically, the monsters being led to leave is a believable emotional outcome, but certain decisions hold it back from being as emotional as it could have been.  Still, I admire the efforts of showing the harsh outcomes of a serious issue and the enjoyable character chemistry throughout.  Overall, it’s a pretty strong story for what it is.

A-



Marco Jr.


This episode is the only other time this season where the main setting is Echo Creek.  While much of the cast who live there have more or less been cast aside, it’s good to know that there are still some characters there who have stories to tell. 
In this case, the characters are Marco’s parents, Rafael and Angie, who express believable behavior over their son suddenly leaving home and never visiting until now.  As a matter of fact, it’s very apparent when Star and Marco arrive at the Diaz household holding a baby shower.  The real kicker comes when it’s quickly revealed that the reason for celebration is that Marco’s parents are the ones having the baby, whom they name Marco Jr.  It’s pretty huge that Marco’s departure was so big that Rafael and Angie were actually moved to mate again.  While this move is a kind of crazy to take in, it is somewhat of a welcome wake-up call for Marco.  For all his time as Star’s squire among other official business in Mewni, it honestly wasn’t a good move to be this neglectful with checking up on his family. 
He does, however, have a good plan to make up for this by getting the new baby the perfect gift.  By that, I mean one to ensure Marco Jr. will always remember his big brother who may not be around much.  Then apparently, one episode at Quest Buy was not enough for this season as Marco goes there to find a gift. I question the logic since several past experiences now have showed these gifts are far too dangerous.  Anyway, he finds an artist who does self-portraits which seems to be the perfect gift to ensure Marco will be remembered as well as one that doesn’t seem too dangerous.  The practice involves Marco filling out a questionnaire so the artist can work off the answers, and apparently, Marco’s answers make for a very odd-looking painting.  I personally can’t say it’s bad since, when all is said and done, art is subjective, but it makes sense that everyone is creeped out by the final product.  However, it doesn’t stop there via after effects suitable for Quest Buy’s shady past. 
Not only does Marco’s self-portrait look very strange, but the real Marco soon starts resembling it, right down to losing his depth.  It’s a very creative outcome for sure, but even nicer is that for how effected they are by their firstborn’s absence, Rafael and Angie do what they can to change him back.  They go back to Quest Buy to get the artist to fix him, only to realize that only the right answers on that same questionnaire can save him.  Marco has a chance to do it since he did kind of rush through it the first time, but he can’t control his hands, so someone else has to take it for him. 
You’d thinks his own parents can do it, but it really goes to show how out of touch they really are with their own son.  They’re unable to give a good answer to any of the questions.  In fact, only Star can answer everything about Marco flawlessly which successfully gets him back to normal.  Still, Marco’s parents not knowing much about him is pretty sad, kind of like a dysfunctional family you have to look deep into to see the issues.  While it is nice that the Diazs promise to stay in touch more at the end, the promise isn’t followed up on, at least for the rest of this season. 
This is another plot point introduced here but has to rely on future seasons to truly develop it.  Maybe it would be better if both the new baby and Marco checking up on his family was slightly mentioned a bit so it would be easier to look forward to what becomes of these events.  For this episode, even if following events hold it back, it’s still an interesting story of estranged family dynamics.

A-


The Ranking
  1. Butterfly Trap
  2. Total Eclipsa the Moon
  3. Moon the Undaunted
  4. Deep Dive
  5. Stranger Danger
  6. Sweet Dreams
  7. Return to Mewni
  8. Rest in Pudding
  9. Night Life
  10. Demoncism
  11. Toffee
  12. Monster Bash
  13. Is Another Mystery
  14. Marco Jr.
  15. Club Snubbed
  16. Puddle Defender
  17. Sophomore Slump
  18. Starfari
  19. Lint Catcher
  20. Princess Turdina
  21. Ludo, Where Art Thou?
  22. Scent of a Hoodie
  23. King Ludo
  24. Marco and the King
  25. Death Peck
  26. Book Be Gone
  27. The Bogbeast of Boggabah
  28. Stump Day
  29. Trial by Squire
  30. Lava Lake Beach
  31. Holiday Spellcial
  32. Ponymonium
The next Star vs the Forces of Evil review showcases Meteora's first attack, and being trapped in a photo booth gets Star and Marco to share their true feelings for each other.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews are two great Hey Arnold cartoons "Monkeyman" and "Buses, Bikes, and Subways."
If you would like to check out other Star vs the Forces of Evil reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Butterfly Trap / Ludo, Where Art Thou? (Star vs the Forces of Evil Season 3 Episode 16) - 'Toon Reviews 27


If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:

Butterfly Trap

Many episodes have built up the trial of Eclipsa by now.  Some featured her offering genuinely good advice to help Star with her problems or just being a charming individual who doesn’t seem evil at all.  Others threw in a way for her to seem like a victim of unfortunate circumstances through reveals about her daughter and how she hasn’t seen her in hundreds of years.  Amidst all the frivolous plots and romance fuel, these elements have by far been the most interesting parts of Season 3, maybe even the whole series.  Now the trial has come, and it really delivers as a follow-up to what’s been revealed and as an animated work by itself. 
With so many good moments from Eclipsa, it’s easy to feel for her as she faces the judges consisting of all the Magic High Commission members keen to prove she’s evil.  Only Star is vocal enough to vouch for her, but no one takes notice.  Admirably, even with possible serious consequences looming over her, Eclipsa remains calm and collected.  That’s just one of many reasons she’s such a lovable character, even if you’re not supposed to know whether she should be trusted.  In fact, she’s so calm about things that she’s willing to be completely honest about any claim the Magic High Commission throws at her. 
This leads to a unique edge to this serious trial when Moon brings out a special box to ensure that absolutely no one lies.  The thing about this box is that it’s the same one Star and her friends used at a sleepover making this episode stand out for making an earlier light-hearted one relevant.  Really, it’s humorous that something used for a fun activity is key to this serious prosecution complete with a sight gag of it needing to be set from party mode to trial mode.  However, in both cases, the box brings an intense atmosphere as it listens for answers.  This fact makes Eclipsa’s interrogations really stand out. Still, she’s impressively cool under pressure as she admits to things like writing the forbidden chapter in the spell book and eloping with a monster.  After all, these responses are perfectly honest as are her reasons behind them. 
 
Then, the trial really gets interesting through a loophole that Eclipsa is allowed to ask the Magic High Commission a question since she was once a Queen of Mewni.  If the one thing to cause her any sentiment means anything, it’s not hard to guess that she asks them about what they did to her daughter.  Despite them all sounding genuinely confused by the question, the box calls them out as liars entrapping everyone inside it with the intent of crushing them.  It’s a greatly staged scene of intensity showing some shady depths to the Magic High Commission where they’re willing to lie even in the face of doom.  Star is the one to point out their blatant hypocrisy which is not only a great continuation of her character strengths but also brings even more huge reveals. 
The Magic High Commission finally snaps and admits that after crystalizing Eclpisa, they got rid of her daughter and gave the Butterfly wand to a random peasant girl.  They don’t even give a good reason why it would be bad for a half-monster queen to take the throne.  From here, the background of the show is given a welcome refreshing change of pace with it now known that the Butterfly regime is built on a lie and shallow prejudices.  Star storming away in disgust at the end perfectly captures this heavy toll. 
Following an intense, interesting character-driven trial, this reshaping makes this whole episode stand as one of this show’s biggest experiences.
A+
Ludo, Where Art Thou?


Even with a big game-changing episode, the trend to immediately follow it up with an episode on a completely unrelated topic instead of the reveal’s emotional impact continues.  True, seeing what became of Ludo after he decided to go back into the void is something necessary to see considering the big role he played in the season premiere.  However, looking into this right after a shocking truth about the Butterfly family really throws the flow of events off, especially on an emotional level.  That said, does this episode still deliver as a work by itself?  Well it’s certainly interesting, and like I said earlier, seeing what happened to Ludo is completely necessary to follow up on certain events. 
A big thing to set this apart from other Ludo episodes is that his family life is a notable element.  Before, they were only seen in one episode, and the events there along with the events here really question who the audience should side with.  Ludo was said to have locked his family out of their castle which wasn’t cool.  However, they constantly mistreated and disowned him.  It may have been their way of toughening him up, but it’s highly probable that they went too far, making it no wonder that Ludo went to the lengths he did.  Not to mention, in this episode, their disdain for him is highly despicable. 
It even reaches out to their other children, such as the one child who cares for Ludo, his taller younger brother Dennis.  The short scene of them berating Dennis for holding Ludo memorabilia and mentioning a specific time they normally do this perfectly demonstrates the lengths of their abuse.  I’m beginning to believe that the reason he thinks so much of Ludo is that he’s also put down by the treatment of these parents.  It’s kind of sad that he has to keep his true loves a secret from them.  This includes using dimensional scissors sent to him by Ludo to track him down to where he’s staying.  After a few attempts, Dennis gets the exact location and goes there with the intent of bringing Ludo home. 
At that point, the episode is nothing more than short moments highlighting how much Ludo has lost his mind after his most recent events.  It’s honestly difficult to find them weird or funny.  The big takeaway from these moments is that Ludo has dummies of certain people in his life, particularly his parents.  He acts like a slave around these lifeless mockups of his authority figures, bringing even more unfortunate implications of his upbringing.  There’s also an air of creepiness to them when Dennis finds, and he’s completely surrounded by a bunch of them that suddenly appear.  Is he going crazy too or are these dummies real?  It would have been a benefit if the perspective was clearer. 
Still, it’s a shining moment for Dennis as he gets the strength to fight back against the dummies and even destroy them.  Ludo sees his brother taking out his “parents” as getting over that issue, even though he didn’t do it himself.  It’s at least a fairer reason that he opts not to go home with Dennis and instead stay where he is to deal with his many other issues.  Some of them include other dummies of Star and Marco. 
In the end, I’m honestly completely unsure what to make of all this since we’re looking at this now when big game-changers are in place.  Still, I can’t fault the heart of this episode when it comes to brotherly bonds and sympathies from the pains of the innocent dealing with abuse.
B+


The Ranking
  1. Butterfly Trap
  2. Total Eclipsa the Moon
  3. Moon the Undaunted
  4. Deep Dive
  5. Stranger Danger
  6. Sweet Dreams
  7. Return to Mewni
  8. Rest in Pudding
  9. Night Life
  10. Demoncism
  11. Toffee
  12. Monster Bash
  13. Club Snubbed
  14. Puddle Defender
  15. Sophomore Slump
  16. Starfari
  17. Lint Catcher
  18. Princess Turdina
  19. Ludo, Where Art Thou?
  20. Scent of a Hoodie
  21. King Ludo
  22. Marco and the King
  23. Death Peck
  24. Book Be Gone
  25. The Bogbeast of Boggabah
  26. Stump Day
  27. Trial by Squire
  28. Lava Lake Beach
  29. Holiday Spellcial
  30. Ponymonium
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where more lengths to monster prejudices getting worse reach Buff Frog, and we learn what Marco's parents have been up to ever since he left Earth.
If you would like to check out other Star vs the Forces of Evil reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

Friday, March 29, 2019

Helga Sleepwalks / Fighting Families (Hey Arnold Season 4 Episode 14) - 'Toon Reviews 28


If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:

Helga Sleepwalks


We have even more great fun from Helga’s attempts at keeping her love for Arnold a secret in this cartoon.  In fact, this one is right up there with some of the more creative measures with crazy, funny, and at times intense outcomes.  Well, I don’t mean life-or-death when it comes to intense, but getting on the edge of confessing everything is no doubt a big deal for Helga. 
It all happens innocently enough with a few scenes of Helga once again showing affection for Arnold behind his back.  Adding to the already noteworthy romance, its portrayal here comes with a few daydream sequences going out with creativity.  We have Helga suddenly becoming a master of the guitar as she performs for Arnold at his doorstep and then saying monologues to him against a starry backdrop.  Granted, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Helga’s fantasize about her romantic feelings, but they’re at their most relevant here for what they build up to. 
When Helga gets home that day, she develops a problem whenever she nods off or goes to bed.  She enters a zombie-like state where she walks a clear concise path to Arnold’s boarding house and is at the risk of revealing her secret there, potentially causing embarrassment.  In other words, Helga develops a sleepwalking problem.  As a result, her dreams of confessing her love to Arnold transcend to reality as she prepares romantic gestures and monologues completely unaware. 
Out of this setup is a collection of funny moments of awkwardness when Helga comes to the boarding house.  She arrives with flowers, and Grandpa answers the door, giving her a big surprise that wakes her up.  She winds up in the boarding house kitchen, and is only safe because Arnold’s grandma sees her as Eleanor Roosevelt.  Then, she’s suddenly taking a shower in the boarding house’s shower and barely makes it out unnoticed.  It’s a lot of funny stuff to come from the sleepwalking, meaning the ailment is mined for a lot of entertainment potential through Helga’s shock of what she gets up to.  The humor factor is further enhanced by her measures to stop herself from sleepwalking through blocking the door and hooking herself onto caffeine.  For how extreme these measures are, they don’t stop the sleepwalking at all. 
Unarguably desperate times lead Helga to get help from her best friend Phoebe to watch over her and stop the sleepwalking herself.  On a side note, there are some implications that Phoebe is aware of exactly what Helga is trying to keep secret.  That’s a very notable layer to this friendship if Helga trusts Phoebe enough to share it with her.  Once more, these big measures don’t do a thing as Helga still sleepwalks out despite Phoebe watching over her albeit still catching her escape.  This brings a fun climax where Phoebe rushes to track Helga down before it’s too late, and it seems that way as she prepares to tell Arnold a romantic poem on his fire escape.  There’s a nice relief though as the football-shaped silhouette in the window is of a plant, and Helga’s aggression hides the truth when Arnold does see her. 
As for the cause for the sleepwalking, it comes from her constant snacking on pork rinds which interestingly has some real life truth to it.  It also works as a twist since we see Helga eating them throughout the cartoon, and their ties to sleepwalking are not clear or obvious.  It’s a pretty genius and clever move the way I see it. 
This is easily one of my favorite cartoons about Helga keeping her crush secret with strong memorable humor and how every moment adds to the big picture.
A+

Fighting Families




I may not watch a lot of game shows, but I really understand the appeal of watching people answer questions and do physical challenges to win prizes.  Interestingly enough, in addition to cartoons and sitcoms, Nickelodeon also made a name of itself through game shows, and are slowly returning to focus on them nowadays.  That’s why it’s fitting that this show has a cartoon set against a knowledgeable, physical, and significantly slimy game show, i.e. this show’s version of Family Double Dare. 
It just so happens that an episode of a TV game show called Fighting Families is being filmed in Arnold’s very neighborhood. His family is chosen to compete against one from an opposing school said to be very perfect in how they dress, think, and act.  With this setup in mind, this cartoon is a great opportunity to feature the unique personalities of the residents of the boarding house work off of each other.  Since his grandparents are a given, the residents compete for the right to go as Arnold’s siblings allowing their dynamic traits to work off each other.  We have solid entertainment from Ernie’s physical skills, Mr. Hyunh acting smart albeit hard to understand, and Oskar struggling to be presentable with a lack of skills.  That said, these guys being against each other in their attempts of getting picked really doesn’t show them as the family unit they need to be for the show.  They show the kind of behavior that no one should ever express on live TV unless they want total shame nationwide.  Arnold ultimately chooses the more skilled boarders, Ernie and Mr. Hyunh, to join him and his grandparents, but that doesn’t mean the sense of family is finalized. 
This leads to the actual game show which makes the cartoon much more exciting.  The staging of the game arena, the energy of the host, and the atmosphere of the challenges capture the feel of game shows greatly.  You can’t help but get invested in how Fighting Families brings to mind any acclaimed game show with plenty of passion gone into it.  It’s this tone that makes the cartoon stand strong though.  Story-wise, it’s held back a bit by the reprehensible behavior of Arnold’s family while the opposing family triumphs.  For one thing, since Ernie and Mr. Hyunh got on the team like they wanted, there shouldn’t be a reason for them to fight, but they do.  Also, their whines and petty insults are just unacceptable for live TV, and it’s hard to buy they’d be allowed to continue for their behavior.  They do get called out by the host, but shouldn’t the damage of how they act in the first part already be done and unable to be forgotten about so quickly? 
This is just me though, and if you ignore that, it’s pleasing that when Arnold tells them how wrong this behavior is for a live game show, they all work better afterwards.  It adds to the fun of the race to question podiums, the trivia questions even if they’re clearly just aimed at kids, and the final tug-of-war match.  In fact, the perfect family breaks down their image with aggression, whining, and freak-outs over disgusting slime when the other family keeps outmatching them.  It’s no surprise that there’s cracks in the perfect image as is the usual case in real life, but you’d think they’d know things like the slime and the physical challenges prior.  Needless to say, when they’re beaten in tug-of-war, Arnold’s family’s victory feels undoubtedly earned. 
There may be a couple leaps in logics hard to suspend disbelief towards, but there’s still lots of fun in the great game show atmosphere and satisfying conclusion.

B+


The Ranking
  1. Helga Sleepwalks
  2. Veterans Day
  3. Headless Cabbie
  4. Back to School
  5. Helga’s Parrot
  6. Oskar Can’t Read?
  7. Dinner for Four
  8. The Beeper Queen
  9. Stinky’s Pumpkin
  10. It Girl
  11. Polishing Rhonda
  12. Baby Oskar
  13. Weighing Harold
  14. Big Gino
  15. Chocolate Turtles
  16. Friday the 13th
  17. Grudge Match
  18. Fighting Families
  19. Phoebe Skips
  20. Eugene’s Birthday
  21. Weird Cousin
  22. Egg Story
  23. Student Teacher
  24. Love and Cheese
  25. Jamie O in Love
  26. Deconstructing Arnold
  27. Full Moon
The next Hey Arnold review is a major one to develop an urban legend figure Monkeyman, and Helga and Harold go on a cross-country trip to get home after getting left behind on a field trip.  Both are really great watches just so you know.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews from Star vs the Forces of Evil it's "Butterfly Trap" and "Ludo Where Art Thou?".
If you would like to check out other Hey Arnold reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.