'Toon Reviews 16: Hey Arnold Season 3 Episode 9: Career Day/Hey Harold

Career Day

A show with a huge cast has the opportunity to give good development to any of them.  This cartoon, which has Arnold’s class join some of the adults to join them for their jobs for career day, fits the bill. 

For most kids, we only get short scenes of them working certain jobs chosen at random.  Some of them are fitting for their characters like Helga as a cop, while others are unusual like Gerald as a firefighter and to a larger extent, Phoebe working in demolition with Ernie.  However, they all adjust to working these careers very well.  Because this only takes up a small part of the cartoon, this isn’t where the character development is. 

These moments contrast how hard a time Arnold has with his assigned career, assistant to the neighborhood’s ice cream man, the Jolly Olly Man.  Before, the Jolly Olly Man has had little scenes of delivering ice cream, and being a totally rude cheapskate trying to raise his ice cream to unreasonable prices in his rare big roles.  Arnold states that the Jolly Olly Man hates kids and is on the brink of insanity.  It feels that way at first with much unpleasantness that comes from Arnold having to work with the Jolly Olly Man.  He forces Arnold to ride in the freezer, refuses to let him help with handing out ice cream, and takes the money from his customers, but rarely gives them the ice cream they want.  Basically, the Jolly Olly Man can really try your patience for how unbelievably unlikable he is all throughout. 

Even if his unlikable moments aren’t enjoyable, they work thanks to the direction the story takes that brings on his development.  For how harsh he is, the Jolly Olly Man is nothing compared to his boss.  He belittles him with harsh insults, threatens to terminate his only job if he doesn’t empty his freezer, and is continuously eying him just waiting for him to fail.  He’s not shown as much as the Jolly Olly Man, but the boss’ brief moments leave an impression far nastier than anything we’ve seen of the other guy.  If that’s not enough, the boss is actually the Jolly Olly Man’s dad, giving the impression that the ice cream man had an abusive childhood, a believable cause for his mean behavior.  That combined with being stuck with a job he doesn’t like flesh the Jolly Olly Man out not as a heartless monster, but as someone far more relatable.  He may hate his job, but knows he has to deal with it after being fired from over 50 jobs before.  It’s all that he has for income and he knows better than to let it go which is something I feel makes sense for most people when it comes to jobs, though normally with the first jobs they ever have. 

From here, with selling all the ice cream as a motivation, he starts coming around through accepting Arnold’s help.  It takes a while to grasp things, which include some slightly disturbing moments, but how well the Jolly Olly Man ends up because of Arnold’s teaching is truly impressive.  By the end of the day, he becomes much friendlier with his customers culminating with him happily giving away the rest of the ice cream to Arnold’s classmates and the people they worked with that day.  Him laughing maniacally when his dad reluctantly says he can keep his job does still give an unsettling vibe from his weak points, but it doesn’t indicate that he lost what he learned. 

As a result, this cartoon comes off as a relatable take on careers with a heck of a character to follow through it.  9/10

Hey Harold!

At this point, it’s clear that Harold has more depth than it may appear.  Whenever there’s a cartoon about him, chances are it’s going to be a high-tier work.  Such is the case with this cartoon that’s all about him going through a relatable phase of life, as well as get through it on his own. 

Nearly all of PS 118 is invited to a party said to include dancing, and Harold continuously shoots down the idea of dancing with a girl and even going to the party.  This starts us off with Harold’s immature and sensitive flaws with the idea constantly hammered in by Sid and Stinky, and even his parents.  Harold gives into the pressure and goes to the party, and while he doesn’t socialize at first, he meets someone who happens to be a lot like him. 

In a remarkable turn of events, this episode gives us another cartoon to develop Big Patty.  Just as before, she’s presented as a bully character with believable reasons for her behavior.  In fact, most are similar to the reasons why Harold is sometimes a bully.  They’re insecure about their appearances and intellects both on their own accord and from what others say, which makes them act out or isolate themselves.  They both find each other when they walk away from the party, and despite starting off rough, mostly fueled by Harold’s constant insistence on not dancing with a girl, they slowly warm up to each other after Harold proves that he can dance with a girl.  Then they bond as the night goes on talking about what they typically get up to in life, and even personal information, right down to doing so long after the party ends.  It may not feel like much, but just the simple moments of two social outcasts who look intimidating finding common ground and bonding over it naturally is impactful in its own right.  They’re shining moments for them to get past their own weaknesses and further prove that even if people have faults, they’re human beings getting through life when all is said and done, one of the most important things for people to learn. 

It’s after this when there’s a lot of discomfort.  Stinky and Sid never stop badgering Harold about the absurdity of hanging out with Big Patty while his parents are keen to rush his relationship with her.  After seeing a lot of them together, it’s impossible not to feel annoyed by how others feel about the idea of the pairing.  Sid and Stinky are especially problematic for how condescending they are about Big Patty.  It makes me wonder why he even considers them his friends.  Along with Stinky’s lack of interesting traits and Sid’s annoying obsessing, together they’re quite the detractor.  In the end, Harold makes up for their insensitivities when after thinking about it, he decides to make his true feelings clear by yelling at Stinky and Sid that he likes Big Patty and doesn’t care what they think.  Is it socially appropriate? No, but what he says still has truth to it, and him finally sitting with Big Patty at lunch is an adorable finish to his arc for the cartoon. 

It closes everything with a moment to sell the appeal of these social outcasts, reminding that at the end of the day, no one should pressure you into thinking a certain way.  As a reviewer, the latter message is especially meaningful, as should be the case with any aspiring reviewers out there. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Helga Blabs it All
2. Harold the Butcher
3. Crabby Author
4. Mr. Hyunh Goes Country
5. Helga Vs. Big Patty
6. Hey Harold!
7. Curly Snaps
8. The Aptitude Test
9. Pre-Teen Scream
10. Olga Gets Engaged
11. Oskar Gets a Job
12. Career Day
13. Rich Kid
14. Dangerous Lumber
15. Arnold’s Room
16. Helga and the Nanny
17. Stinky Goes Hollywood
18. Arnold Betrays Iggy

The next Hey Arnold review features the residents of Arnold's boarding house try to act as a family when Grandpa threatens to sell the place, and there's an interesting play on voice actors getting replaced when they hit puberty in a cartoon about Gerald getting his tonsils taken out.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews, it's another galactic adventure of Voltron: Legendary Defender taking us to "The Ark of Taujeer."

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If you would like to check out other Hey Arnold reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 8: Peanuts 1970s Specials Part 10

It’s Your First Kiss Charlie Brown

Some Peanuts specials are not as strong as others, but there are very few ones that are actually bad, in my opinion anyway.  Unfortunately, not only is this special bad, it’s probably the worst of all specials.  It takes the idea of Charlie Brown not being well-liked and known to always keep messing things up, and portrays it in the worst intelligence-insulting manner.  It has Charlie Brown learn that his crush, the Little Red-Haired Girl, is his school’s homecoming queen and he must escort her to the homecoming dance and give her a kiss.  It’s a nice setup and a good way for Charlie Brown to move forward with his love life.  Now, this special gives the Little Red-Haired Girl a physical appearance, which goes against her status as a symbol of a love interests we’re too timid to talk to.  Her not being shown when Charlie Brown saw her in the past was a creative way to get the idea across, but with her being shown, the idea isn’t shown much differently from how it would in any other show.  Now, if this was the only issue, the special would still turn out fine, especially since, in all honesty, it’s necessary for the Little Red-Haired Girl to be shown here since the plot requires Charlie Brown to physically interact with her.  The fact is, things get a lot worse when the focus turns to the homecoming football game which occurs before the dance.  It all boils down to the classic Peanuts trope of Lucy pulling away the football just as Charlie Brown’s about to kick it.  In normal instances, it would be a comedic highlight from the ways Lucy entices Charlie Brown, him buying into it, and the hilarious scream as he flies through the air after Lucy pulls the ball away.  Here, it’s just stupid for Lucy to pull that stunt when Charlie Brown runs for the kickoff because it's an actual game.  If the team wants to win, WHY would she think pulling the ball away is appropriate?  And that’s not the worst part.  Even though, we can clearly see that the only reason Charlie Brown misses the kickoffs is because Lucy keeps pulling away the ball, Charlie Brown gets all the blame.  That’s just unacceptable.  It’s one thing for people to acknowledge his faults and not their own, but this is blaming him for something that is OBVIOUSLY not his fault in the slightest.  We see that Lucy keeps pulling the football away in front of everyone in CROWDS.  How can they not see that SHE’S the reason Charlie Brown keeps messing up?  It’s like it’s a law that Charlie Brown is responsible for all problems no matter what, and an unfair law that blinds all from reality at that.  The real kicker comes in when we get to the dance, and Charlie Brown is chastised by the girls for coming to the dance after costing them the game.  They take the idea of Charlie Brown being completely at fault so seriously here, the special goes from a major nuisance, to a total disaster. I mean seriously, why do they never realize that their loss is ALL LUCY’S FAULT?!  Do they seriously hate Charlie Brown so much that they blame him for something someone else CLEARLY did?!  AAUGH!  Yes, after this we get a good scene of Charlie Brown successfully pulling off his kiss to the Little Red-Haired Girl complete with a very beautiful fantasy sequence of Charlie Brown flying through clouds.  Then, the happiness of the movie is quashed when Charlie Brown doesn’t remember this big moment the next day.  Linus does say something to get Charlie Brown to look on the bright side, but it isn’t too convincing.  Either way, the finish simply isn’t enough to forget the cruel, blind to reality tone that makes up the bulk of the special.  This is clearly Peanuts at its worst, and a sign that the specials would never be as good as before.  Not all the specials to come would be bad, but very few would come out as highly recommended, and considering how many highly recommended specials we got this decade and in the 1960s, it’s really a shame.  Good Grief.

Skip It

The Ranking

1. There’s No Time for Love Charlie Brown
2. It’s the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown
3. You’re Not Elected Charlie Brown
4. You’re a Good Sport Charlie Brown
5. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
6. Be My Valentine Charlie Brown
7. Play it Again Charlie Brown
8. It’s a Mystery Charlie Brown
9. It’s Arbor Day Charlie Brown
10. It’s Your First Kiss Charlie Brown

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next special where Snoopy, the most versatile dog in TV and comics, is forced to do the work of a normal dog in "What a Nightmare Charlie Brown."

If you would like to check out other Peanuts special reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 37

Alone Together

With the animation medium, you can give any moment in life a unique perspective that can make it feel something grand and unforgettable.  It’s appropriate that this idea applies to this cartoon because it features Steven take a major step in developing as a Gem.  Looking back at the fusions we’ve experienced so far, they’ve all been composed of beings who are completely Gems.  It’s been alluded that Steven, who’s half-Gem, can fuse too, but as a fun, energetic scene of him attempting to fuse with the Crystal Gems shows, the fact that he’s also half-human could be preventing him from doing so.  This statement makes what happens later all the more impactful.  What happens is that Steven offers Connie a chance to dance with him after hearing she once dropped out of going to a school dance out of fear of everyone starring at her.  This act of caring leads to the grand moment of Steven having his very first fusion as he fuses with Connie while they dance forming an entirely new being known as, Stevonnie.  The rest of the cartoon is a collection of moments where Stevonnie goes about life, taking in different experiences along the way.  Everything that she, or he considering she’s made of both a male and female, goes through ties into the idea of animation giving a unique perspective on life and it’s made grand by the simple fact of this being Stevonnie’s first time existing.  Not to mention, it’s all initiated by Garnet explaining that as a fusion, Stevonnie is an experience and should be a good one.  You can really feel the joy and pleasures of Stevonnie running through town and impressing everyone she/he meets with her/his appearance based on how it’s staged to feel like these simple moments of life are being experienced anew.  At the same time, negative emotions are built in to make the fusion experience feel believable and earn the audience’s sympathy.  The negativity comes from a dance Stevonnie attends where she/he attracts the attention of an inconsiderate harassing hunk named Kevin, and embarrassing herself/himself through dancing alone and getting everyone to stare at her/him, just as Connie had feared.  It really makes Stevonnie feel helpless and alone, which threatens her/him being a good experience, but it leads to an enlightenment moment that brings everything together as Stevonnie ends it on a good note by firmly declining Kevin’s incessant offers to dance, and intensely dances alone without fear as she/he unfuses back into Steven and Connie.  Ultimately, the whole experience of this cartoon really succeeds for depicting the grandness of doing something for the first time such as Steven fusing and Stevonnie existing making for a great range of emotions and genuine development. 10/10

The Ranking

1. Ocean Gem
2. Lion 3: Straight to Video
3. Alone Together
4. Coach Steven
5. Mirror Gem
6. An Indirect Kiss
7. Space Race
8. So Many Birthdays
9. Steven the Sword Fighter
10. Lion 2: The Movie
11. Bubble Buddies
12. Monster Buddies
13. Laser Light Cannon
14. Giant Woman
15. Lars and the Cool Kids
16. Steven’s Lion
17. Watermelon Steven
18. Gem Glow
19. Steven and the Stevens
20. Warp Tour
21. Island Adventure
22. Rose’s Room
23. Cheeseburger Backpack
24. Secret Team
25. House Guest
26. Serious Steven
27. Joking Victim
28. Beach Party
29. Cat Fingers
30. Tiger Millionaire
31. Together Breakfast
32. Fusion Cuisine
33. Frybo
34. Onion Trade
35. Arcade Mania
36. Garnet’s Universe
37. Keep Beach City Weird
    

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Steven sets out to have a victory in a real Gem-related challenge in "The Test."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 4: The Loud House Season 1 Episode 22

Dance, Dance Resolution
 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a really fun cartoon that delivers splendidly with the storytelling, characterization, humor, and relationship development.  The fun really starts when Lincoln, after ducking Ronnie Anne so to avoid going to the Sadie Hawkins Dance as opposed to a night at the arcade, gets roped into going to the dance with four girls who just happen to be generously chosen for him by my top four Loud sisters, Luna, Lucy, Lynn, and Luan.  From the rocking and cute sounding Tabby, to the silent and poetic Haiku, to the constantly roller blading Polly, to the comedian straight out of clown school Giggles, each of the girls Lincoln ends up dating all prove to be an entertaining bunch of characters who really bring about a certain charm to the scenes they’re in.  It’s also really cool to see how Lincoln manages to juggle all four of the dates without anyone noticing what he’s up to.  However, this cartoon proves that none of those girls will replace Ronnie Anne in his eyes, so much of the cartoon ends up being a challenge for him to keep her from finding out what's going on as well as continuing to keep his dates happy.  Once again, it’s really clever and amusing as to how he gets around the challenge by having Clyde and three random boys he knows spend time with the four dates, and the dates actually end up enjoying their company more than Lincoln’s.  The four pairings we get are easily some very good fits, including Clyde and Haiku who bond over the shared experience of love with an older person.  I’d really like to see more of this couple than Clyde constantly flirting over Lori.  As for Lincoln, it’s especially great that he ends up happy in the end as well.  At first, Ronnie Anne catches him at the dance and it looks like their relationship will be soured.  Then, we go on to further see how alike they really are when Lincoln tells her the whole truth, and she reveals that she’s not really into the Sadie Hawkins Dance either.  This honesty and understanding is a great way to show that Lincoln and Ronnie Anne are a nice couple to get behind and all the reason to be happy for them when they both have a fun time at the arcade as the cartoon comes to an end.  This is a start to finish delight with a lot of fun and nice moments from characters old and new. 9.5/10

A Fair to Remember
 

 

 

 

 

 

So many great moments from the characters involved are packed into this cartoon, and it all comes together very nicely.  One of them involves Lincoln finding a big brother figure in Lori’s boyfriend, Bobby.  Seeing the two of them enjoy themselves in so many ways as bros feels so nice and pleasing, mostly for how much it must mean for Lincoln since he lives with so many sisters.  It also does a good job of fleshing out Bobby’s character beyond just being Lori’s boyfriend.  “Save the Date” showed just how great of a big brother he is to Ronnie Anne, allowing her feelings to decide the decisions he makes, but here we learn that underneath that, he wishes he had a brother to feel complete.  That’s more than enough proof that he and Lincoln make a great pair.  As fun as it is to watch Lincoln and Bobby enjoy themselves, it doesn’t prevent you from feeling for Lori.  As the one who convinced Bobby to hang out with Lincoln, the fact that she gets sidelined as they grow closer as friends greatly shows off how much she did not expect what would become of this idea.  This makes it all appropriate to care about the fact that Lori is basically a lost cause without Bobby which is especially felt as Lori spends most of the cartoon trying to make Bobby jealous by having an unconscious Clyde accompany her to the county fair.  Throughout the fair scenes, the cartoon excels at playing with your emotions making you enjoy watching Lincoln and Bobby have a fun time while also feel sorry for Lori as she tries to get her boyfriend back in addition to Clyde not being conscious to know that he’s spending time with his crush.  What’s more, things actually conclude in a way that’s satisfying for everyone.  Lincoln and Bobby decide that most of Bobby’s attention should go towards Lori but agree to hang out once in a while, Lori gets her boyfriend back, and Clyde gets a reminder of his time with Lori at the fair and it’s actually a nice moment unlike other times he expresses his love for her.  It’s refreshing that after all we’ve seen, all the characters involved end up happy, with many relationships re-established, and others giving the impression that this is not the last we’ll see of them.  Everything in this cartoon puts together one of the best displays of character moments on the show, which is all you need to convince yourself to come back to it. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1.      For Bros About to Rock

2.      Undie Pressure

3.      Project Loud House

4.      Space Invader

5.      A Fair to Remember

6.      Driving Miss Hazy

7.      Left in the Dark

8.      Toads and Tiaras

9.      Picture Perfect

10.  Dance, Dance Resolution

11.  House Music

12.  Save the Date

13.  Sleuth or Consequences

14.  Hand-Me-Downer

15.  No Guts No Glori

16.  Roughin’ It

17.  Attention Deficit

18.  Changing the Baby

19.  Along Came A Sister

20.  April Fools Rules

21.  A Novel Idea

22.  Sound of Silence

23.  Butterfly Effect

24.  A Tale of Two Tables

25.  Cereal Offender

26.  Cover Girls

27.  It’s A Loud, Loud, Loud, Loud House

28.  The Waiting Game

29.  Overnight Success

30.  Raw Deal

31.  In Tents Debate

32.  Lincoln Loud: Girl Guru

33.  Out on a Limo

34.  Linc or Swim

35.  The Sweet Spot

36.  Heavy Meddle

37.  Get the Message

38.  Come Sale Away

39.  Ties that Bind

40.  Making the Case

41.  Chore and Peace

42.  The Loudest Yard

43.  Two Boys and a Baby

44.  The Green House

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode with male stereotypes galore when Lincoln sees what it would be like to have 10 brothers in "One of the Boys," and Lola proves that even brats can perform noble deeds in "A Tattler's Tale."