'Toon Reviews 13: The Loud House Season 2 Episode 20: Yes-Man/Friend or Faux

Yes-Man

It’s great to know that Lincoln’s been on good terms with his sisters a lot this season, especially since Season 1, more often than not, portrayed them as obstacles that seemed to exist to give him a hard time.  Not only has he gotten along well with them more, but he’s also seemed to have made himself known as a competent plan-maker the others are willing to follow, which is good considering the events of the show’s biggest misfire from earlier this season.  With this cartoon, we have possibly the best use of Lincoln as a highly valued and trustworthy Loud.  The plot presents him as the “Master of Convincing” which means that he’s skilled at convincing Mom and Dad to give him money for certain things, in this case, a ticket for a VIP concert featuring his favorite band, SMOOCH.  Before he can convince them however, Luna overhears his Master of Convincing claims, and begs him to work his skills to help her win an auction for an antique t-shirt.  On a side note, in a season with little for her to do, this cartoon is one that does great justice for Luna as a character.  For one thing, when asking Lincoln to help her get money, she makes a good effort to keep her cool and not get hostile, which is especially refreshing considering her portrayal in another cartoon about money.  Plus, her gratitude towards Lincoln when his advice of convincing with her strengths and talents gets Luna the money she needs is adorable and a good show of her caring ways, as is how she proudly tells the other sisters about his talents, and her being the most considerate about Lincoln’s later problem.  For now, when the other sisters find out that Lincoln’s the Master of Convincing and he takes even more time out of his ticket plan to help them, there’s even more proof of how effective Lincoln has become as a man with the plan.  Through a montage of all the sisters doing what makes them so entertaining as they convince Mom and Dad to fund what they want, they successfully get their money, and they all nicely praise Lincoln for their success.  They may not do so to Luna’s extent, but their appreciation is still satisfying.  Going back to the problem Lincoln runs into, it turns out that while his advice works for his sisters, when he finally approaches Mom and Dad for what he wants, they say no.  While it’s easy to figure out right away that it’s because they ran out of extra money through giving it away to his 10 sisters, Lincoln doesn’t get that, and spends much of the third act in a panicky state that he, the Master of Convincing, had tactics that worked for others, but they didn’t work for him.  Even if he’s not seeing the clear meaning of the situation, I can watch and enjoy Lincoln pull off many crazy stunts, including imitating how the sisters got money, because it’s believable that he’d be desperate to maintain his status.  He eventually finds out the obvious reasons for Mom and Dad’s denial, and while it’s sad for him to not get what he strived for, it really does make perfect sense and there’s no malice in their reasons at all.  However, this sad moment for Lincoln brings on what is perhaps the best portrayal of sibling love this show has put out.  All the sisters put on their own concert for Lincoln, and serenade him with their own rock ballad of how grateful they are for his helpfulness, and believe me when I say that it’s one you’ll constantly be humming after you hear it.  They even spice it up by having SMOOCH themselves come in to join them.  Everything about this ending is just so fun and so heartwarming that you’re automatically invested, and it really makes itself clear that despite everything, Lincoln’s sisters really do love him and appreciate him for the good brother he is.  Along with a fun story, great character moments, and genuine family love all around, I say yes to this cartoon being another highlight to this season. 10/10

Friend or Faux

I’ve stated before that Lisa is not one of the most interesting Louds since there’s really nothing to her aside from being a genius at four years old.  Still, that shouldn’t stop her from getting some development, and we get that in one of the most enjoyable and adorable entries of the series.  For starters, we see how Lisa’s intellect and passion for science distances her from the kids in her kindergarten class, which can be relatable to anyone who can get too absorbed in their interests to socialize with others.  This character flaw becomes the major driving force of the plot.  On her report card, Lisa has many As, but since she distances herself from the other kids and hasn’t made a single friend, she has an F in social skills.  Her focus set on maintaining a perfect academic record, Lisa makes a deal with her teacher that if she can make a friend, her grade will be raised.  The following sequence of Lisa attempting to research the meaning of friendship no doubt features her at her most entertaining.  She approaches something as simple as making a friend as something complicated that requires extensive field work where she observes her family socializing with their friends, and records her findings.  It’s certainly a unique approach to something so simple, and it’s done to great appealing effect here.  This is, after all, one of this show’s biggest strengths.  Lisa then puts her research to use and gets the friendly attention of her classmate, Darcy.  Personality-wise, Darcy is as standard little kid as you can get, wide-eyed, excitable, carrying a stuffed animal, and always wanting to play.  However, what we see of her is best-suited for her to work off of another character.  A cutesy character like Darcy and a smart character like Lisa make for many nice interactions as they go about their school day.  Their completely different traits bounce off each other very well with one’s mannerisms being responded to by someone who doesn’t fully understand what they’re saying or doing especially since Lisa is just befriending Darcy for her own academic purposes.  Speaking of which, Lisa expects her bond with Darcy to be over and done with the moment she gets that A in social skills.  However, Darcy, as you’d expect, can’t get enough of her new friend while Lisa just wants to return to doing her own thing.  You’d think that this would make Lisa unlikable, but even when she’s trying to avoid Darcy, she’s making a genuine attempt to be respectful towards her.  Later when Darcy makes the ultimate move with a friendship bracelet, Lisa turns it down saying that she used Darcy to get an A the whole time.  If you need any more proof that Lisa’s still likable despite what she does, you’ll find it when she feels believable regret for hurting Darcy’s feelings with her words.  Not only that, but when Lisa’s put in timeout for how she treated Darcy, she finally gets the point of friendship when Darcy offers her a cookie out of sympathy, and she gladly accepts Darcy into her life, for she makes it better as good friends do.  In all, this whole cartoon works as a great way to make Lisa feel the most relatable she’s been and end up with her most significant form of development.  It also greatly reaches out for anyone who has trouble making friends and why they’re worth making, leaving an adorable cartoon with a friend pairing worth watching, and one I hope we see more of.  For all these reasons, this is indeed one of this show’s friendliest offerings. 10/10

The Ranking

1. 11 Louds a Leapin’
2. L is for Love
3. Pulp Friction
4. Frog Wild
5. Yes-Man
6. Party Down
7. Friend or Faux
8. Room with a Feud
9. Lock n Loud
10. Fool’s Paradise
11. Fed Up
12. Out of the Picture
13. Job Insecurity
14. Potty Mouth
15. The Loudest Mission: Relative Chaos
16. Spell it Out
17. Baby Steps
18. Shell Shock
19. Suite and Sour
20. Back in Black
21. Future Tense
22. Patching Things Up
23. The Whole Picture
24. Health Kicked
25. Garage Banned
26. Back Out There
27. The Old and the Restless
28. Kick the Bucket List
29. Intern for the Worse
30. Lynner Takes All
31. Cheater by the Dozen
32. Pets Peeved
33. Making the Grade
34. Vantastic Voyage
35. Change of Heart
36. ARGGH! You for Real?
37. No Such Luck
38. Brawl in the Family

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Luan is driven to give up comedy, and it's "No Laughing Matter," and while planning Mom's birthday party, the Louds try to ensure that Leni gives "No Spoilers."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

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

'Toon Reviews 13: The Loud House Season 2 Episode 4: Suite and Sour/Back in Black

Suite and Sour

It’s been established a lot that the Louds are chaotic by nature, meaning that it’s not uncommon to see them get up to mischief outside their house.  However, this cartoon is also strong proof that their hearts really are in the right place.  One point of interest is that this is the first cartoon to feature the parents in the spotlight, which is fitting since the show is now allowing their faces to be shown.  Mom and Dad are excited because they finally raised enough money to book a weekend at a luxury spa hotel, and thanks to their newly revealed features, it’s easier than ever to feel their satisfaction.  As for the kids, their role here starts another welcome trend for the series.  In most cartoons prior, the girls appeared to all have a common mindset while Lincoln led his own life separate from them, leaving little sense of a team, let alone a family.  At times, they were shown as one whole team, but what we mostly got was Lincoln against the girls or a sister against the rest of the family as opposed to one whole unit.  Here, all 11 kids are on the same page through wanting to go to the hotel too, and show the start of a consistent sense of teamwork.  It’s shown when they put on a play to convince Mom and Dad to take them which is big on humor and entertaining moments from every kid.  The unity continues when we get to the hotel.  Usually, it would be just the sisters going nuts, becoming the true detriment to everything else.  Here, all the kids, including Lincoln, equally take advantage of the fun and excitement of the hotel through moments like Lynn and Lana racing in the elevators and breaking them, Leni being mistaken for a concierge and going along with the misunderstanding, and Lincoln and Lucy going ghost-hunting.  As fun as the kids’ antics are, you’re still able to feel sympathy for Mom and Dad as what their children do gets in the way of the relaxation they wanted.  However, the kids aren’t just oblivious thrill seekers.  When their parents find them out and ground them for disrupting their relaxing time, they feel bad and strive to do better.  This is further shown when another set of hilarious antics occurs in their hotel room which they try to prevent.  Even when the whole Loud family ends up kicked out of the hotel, the kids still strive to appease the parents whose fun times they interfered with.  They set up their own hotel at home with their own custom-made amenities just for Mom and Dad, including the entire space of the house.  The parents’ satisfaction with their kids’ thoughtfulness is highly rewarding after what they’ve been through as well as a solid display of heart amidst the kids’ desire for fun.  There’s even a scene to balance this out when we end with a reveal that amidst following the rules, Mom and Dad have a mind for fun like the kids since they got them kicked out of the hotel for something…suggestive to say the least.  It could turn some people of that the kids don’t find out about this, but the strong levels of heart from the story and characters make this cartoon a pleasing entry for the season. 9.5/10

Back in Black

Each of the Louds have their interesting personality traits which make them such dynamic characters to spend a series with.  One sister who really stands out regarding personality is Lucy for how much of a different approach to life she has.  While the other Louds are highly energetic and sociable, Lucy is more prone to silence and, through her love of darkness, tends to scare people away.  As this cartoon shows, even with estranged personalities, these characters are still only human as they simply try to get by in life.  It has Lucy go through the common occurrence of coming across a cute person and crushing on him/her.  Her crush in this case is a small boy named Rocky, the little brother of one of Lincoln’s friends Rusty, who’s brought over when Rusty has to complete a solar system project with Lincoln.  Even as Lucy watches Rocky go about his business in her usual way of spying on him in the darkness and popping out of nowhere when trying to talk to him, she still gets some strong sympathy as Rocky either doesn’t notice her or runs away.  Lucy expresses genuine sadness of not getting Rocky’s attention and as she delivers her sadness, it’s done in a unique way through working in her dark and foreboding nature.  Speaking of that, Lucy feels that the only way to get acquainted with Rocky is to change herself internally and externally.  The other sisters (and I do mean all of them) give her a complete makeover, leading to a lot of interesting new looks for someone like Lucy, and coach her on how to act.  When they test Lucy’s final result on a little date with Rocky at a mini golf course, while it’s humorous to watch Lucy attempt to act like an average girlfriend, it goes wrong and Rocky doesn’t seem impressed by her new appearance and mannerisms.  Although out of this failed date, we get a nice moment of the sisters letting Lucy know that in spite of what happened, she’s great the way she is without blaming her for the failure.  Also, the drama Lucy went through reaches an appropriately nice end point when she finally befriends Rocky and the two of them are on good terms.  This is certainly a great starring role for Lucy for showing how endearing she is despite her unusual ways.  It’s not perfect though since it has all the sisters act as the same judgmental and opinionated character.  It’s hard to picture messy sisters like Lana and Lynn to be up for makeovers or passionate and expressive sisters like Luna and Luan to drive how one should act when winning over a crush.  It would’ve been better if sisters who do have a mind for romance and makeovers, the first ones in on the main conflict Lori, Leni, and Lola, were the only ones helping.  Not to mention they stick to unfortunate stereotypes of not letting Lincoln help because he’s a boy which is a poor excuse to not include him, especially since he ultimately brings Lucy and Rocky together.  Speaking of Lincoln, the subplot of him and Rusty constantly needing to rebuild their solar system is a mixed bag.  Sometimes it getting destroyed is funny, sometimes it’s watchable when it’s their own fault it breaks, and other times it’s hard to watch like when the sisters deliberately break it to get Rocky back for Lucy and when it breaks at the very end.  I might not like that ending for Lincoln, but I can tolerate it since the more important plot ends well.  Even with these weak points, this is still a nice cartoon that does justice for a dark, spooky character like Lucy, proving that “you can take the girl out of the coffin, but you can’t take the coffin out of the girl.” 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. 11 Louds a Leapin’
2. Baby Steps
3. Suite and Sour
4. Back in Black
5. The Old and the Restless
6. Intern for the Worse
7. Brawl in the Family

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Lisa attempts to fit in with Lincoln's gang in "Making the Grade" and the family tries to break up Dad and a new family car by trying to get back their old broken down car in a "Vantastic Voyage."

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

'Toon Reviews 13: The Loud House Season 2 Episode 1: 11 Louds a Leapin'

Attention Loud Crowd! Starting today, we’re going to pay another visit to the house of the biggest family on Nickelodeon for another full season of reviews:

The Loud House (Season 2)

Basic Premise

Not long ago, Nickelodeon released what turned out to be their best show in a very long time, The Loud House.  The general idea of a show about the lives of a big family with one boy, Lincoln, and his 10 sisters, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa, and Lily, sounded appealing enough for an animated series. Their dynamic personalities working off each other, the relatable and down-to-earth stories, and the comic strip feel in the visuals made it something great.  After years of weak series that felt too gross, mean, and stupid, Nickelodeon finally had a show where the effort showed.  From quoting characters to staying up to date with when new cartoons would air, there’s something I found enticing to this show.

However, as the first season showed, despite being so well-made, The Loud House seemed to falter too much to be named as one of the best animated TV series ever.  While most of the cartoons had a lot of heart and good sense of character, others fell into the trap of the prior weaker Nickelodeon shows. There were more than a few cartoons fueled by mean moments, stupid moments, and characters acting like they were trying to make life for others difficult. Worst of all, some cartoons ended on a bad note despite all the hardships the characters were put through throughout the cartoon.  Given that things like these happened so frequently and weren’t once in a while deals, it just didn’t feel right to give it top 10 status.  The fact that it still had great material though gave a sign that the reason certain cartoons didn’t turn out right was because the show was trying to figure out what works. Any weak point could be brought under control with later seasons.  Speaking of other seasons, I’ve been waiting for just the right time to discuss the second season of this show. Now that it’s completely finished airing, the time to look into it has arrived.  So, will Season 2 really improve over Season 1, or is this show doomed to remain in the shadow of stronger animated works?  We’ll soon find out as we spend the next several blog posts looking into the cartoons and half-hour specials that compose the season.  Let’s enter the house of the Louds and off we go!

Now on with the reviews:

11 Louds a Leapin’

With a show like this that focuses on a big family, it’s only fitting for it to get a Christmas special sooner or later.  Not only is that the case for the season premiere, but it’s one of the best works this show has turned out. 
One of the biggest things there is to Christmas is how it brings family together to share in its spirit of generosity and goodwill to people. In the Loud family, there’s a lot of family members to get into the spirit.  Lola forces herself to be the sweetest little girl ever to appease Santa Clause while Lisa uses logic to shoot down all her beliefs in him. Lana happily tests reindeer traps. Luan frequently pops up to share one of her “12 Puns of Christmas.” Leni has a humorous running gag of making a dress out of random decorations Mom’s using. Luna struggles to write the perfect Christmas song which is constantly brought down by materialistic lyrics. Lori, in an interesting turn for the oldest Loud sibling, has a hard time keeping herself in check from opening presents, including a really big one, before the 25^th.  As to be expected from these characters, they all have their special entertaining quirks to reflect the diverse and versatile lifestyle of the Loud family. Working in the Christmas special makes it even better.  All these characters’ ways of celebrating the holiday are entertaining enough, but it’s great that the main plot brings them all together. 
It starts off simple with Lincoln losing his sled in crabby neighbor, Mr. Grouse’s yard, and he claims everything that lands on his property. This is especially bad because Christmas is when he shows the most disdain towards the Louds.  Of course, we get some comedic antics as Lincoln tries to retrieve his sled, but during that time, we uncover interesting information about Mr. Grouse.  He’s from a big family like the Louds, but can’t afford to be with them at Christmas, and being alone at that time of year is one of the saddest things ever (to me anyway). 
When Lincoln tells everyone what he found, what follows is one of the show’s biggest displays of family love.  His sisters pity Mr. Grouse and the whole family sets up a wondrous display of Christmas cheer for him.  It’s complete with a festive feast and décor set up in his house, a bus ticket as a gift to unite him with his family, and Luna’s song finally coming together to heartwarming effect. There's even something that reshapes the status quo of the series…

Mom and Dad’s faces are finally shown, and with a few exceptions, they remain shown.  As someone who liked their faces being hidden to keep the show from Lincoln and his sisters’ perspective, I consider this a welcome change of pace.  It overall felt pointless to keep hiding the faces since the faces of all the other adults were shown. Not to mention there were several times in Season 1 where they constantly teased us by showing their eyes and mouths but never both at the same time.  Plus, with Mr. Grouse getting a lot of focus and development here, Mom and Dad showing their faces opens up other characters the chance for story ideas centered on them. 
As for the special, what the Louds do for Mr. Grouse has enough Christmas spirit and family love to really make what we see a true modern holiday tradition in the spirit of the show.  Yes, the ending establishes that Mr. Grouse is still going to be cranky, but it’s not enough to dispel the genuine happiness and joy of the season from his moment with the Loud family. 
In the end, what’s here is successful Christmas material and one of the most amazing pieces of Loud House material. 10/10

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where things take an "Intern for the Worse" when an internship at Flip's Food and Fuel threatens to get in the way of Lincoln and Clyde's friendship and Pop-Pop gets some nice development for his character in "The Old and the Restless."

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

'Toon Reviews 4: The Loud House Season 1 Episode 26 + Final Thoughts

Study Muffin

 

 

 

 

 This cartoon takes a common trope and works in a lot of entertainment and character building.  The trope in this case involves kids developing crushes on hot-looking teachers.  We lead into the trope with a sympathetic premise on Lincoln’s part.  He’s usually a good student, but hasn’t been getting good grades lately, so he hires a British tutor named Hugh to help him.  Unfortunately for him, it’s impossible to make any progress because all of his sisters become infatuated by Hugh’s appearance and constantly pop out of nowhere and flirt with him.  These moments could be a big problem with the cartoon, but they all come off as hilarious in execution with the different ways the sisters manage to pop in on the different locations Lincoln and Hugh use to study.  The only issue with these moments is that Lori is one of the sisters crushing on Hugh even though she has a boyfriend, and we’re never given a reason as to why she’s cheating on him.  My best guess is that Bobby isn’t around during the flirting scenes, so Lori’s open to any present hot guy, but that’s just me.  Anyway, what also makes the flirting moments work is that the sisters are still respectful of Lincoln.  When he tells them he needs to study so not to fail 5^th grade, they back off.  If that’s not enough, they later go on to help him find out why he’s failing.  It’s a revelation that further proves that Lincoln isn’t much different from his many distinct sisters.  He too is guilty of crushing on a hot teacher which distracts him from doing well.  Finally, the sisters help him find a way around this problem, and their advice thankfully has Lincoln do well again.  Yes, these moments in the cartoon provide good proof that despite their quirks and habits, the Loud siblings truly do care for each other, which in turn gives the show some good heart.  The main plot may revolve around an all too familiar trope, but the humor and character-building moments it gets out of it make it work out for the better. 9/10

Homespun

 

 

 

 

 This is the final cartoon of this season, and I’m pleased to say that it’s one that brings together everything great about this show.  It’s a story that right off the bat displays how none of the Loud siblings are alone when it comes to dealing with the trials and tribulations of living in a big family.  They all have issues with the conditions of the house they live in and grow to dread their lifestyle.  The appeal of the cartoon grows even more when the threat of an impending tornado brings the siblings together in the basement.  For the rest of the cartoon, we’re treated to a big display of each of the siblings showing off what makes them great characters, as well as some enjoyable interactions between all of them.  We also get the best displays of the bonds between all 11 of the siblings as they all manage to find ways around the problems they have with their house by simply talking about them.  The more they do, the more they grow to be more appreciative of the life they have and the house they live in.  The changes in their mindsets are cleverly built up through a series of newly-created flashbacks of everyone living out their lives in the house.  Each one is highly humorous, features even more great moments and character interactions from the Loud siblings, and best of all a nice wholesome quality that really defines the joys of family life, which is especially true for a flashback of the kids painting the house for Mom and Dad’s anniversary weekend.  By the time the flashbacks wrap up and the kids have a change of heart about their house, the tone shifts to make you hope that the tornado doesn’t cause any harm to their house, and the desperation and sorrow of the characters sells the intensity.  Thankfully, things turn out all right for the house in the end, and that’s great to know for the sake of the characters.  This cartoon is really the best way to show off what has become the show’s strongest of themes revolving around how all the Loud siblings are different yet the same, and how appreciating what you have is a good thing to know to get around in life.  Add in some great performances from the characters involved, solid comedy, and a bunch of cute family moments, and this cartoon comes off as one big package of greatness.  It's truly an amazing one to end the first season with. 10/10

The Ranking

1.      Homespun

2.      For Bros About to Rock

3.      A Tattler’s Tale

4.      Undie Pressure

5.      Project Loud House

6.      One Flu Over the Loud House

7.      Funny Business

8.      Space Invader

9.      A Fair to Remember

10.  Driving Miss Hazy

11.  Left in the Dark

12.  Toads and Tiaras

13.  Picture Perfect

14.  Dance, Dance Resolution

15.  House Music

16.  Save the Date

17.  The Price of Admission

18.  Sleuth or Consequences

19.  Hand-Me-Downer

20.  No Guts No Glori

21.  Roughin’ It

22.  Attention Deficit

23.  Changing the Baby

24.  Along Came A Sister

25.  Snow Bored

26.  April Fools Rules

27.  Study Muffin

28.  A Novel Idea

29.  Sound of Silence

30.  Butterfly Effect

31.  A Tale of Two Tables

32.  Cereal Offender

33.  Cover Girls

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

35.  The Waiting Game

36.  Overnight Success

37.  Raw Deal

38.  In Tents Debate

39.  Lincoln Loud: Girl Guru

40.  Out on a Limo

41.  Linc or Swim

42.  The Sweet Spot

43.  Heavy Meddle

44.  Get the Message

45.  Come Sale Away

46.  Ties that Bind

47.  One of the Boys

48.  Making the Case

49.  Chore and Peace

50.  The Loudest Yard

51.  Two Boys and a Baby

52.  The Green House

 

Final Thoughts

After going through the entire first season of The Loud House, I can greatly say that this is the show that Nickelodeon needed.  It’s a series that prides itself on simple, relatable stories, while utilizing several little elements to make them entertaining enough to come back to, just like the Nicktoons from back in the day.  The biggest strengths of the show mostly involve how the characters are used, which is appropriate because the family the show is named after has a lot of them.  Each one has their own charming personality to help them liven up their scenes, and when you put two or more characters together, you get a lot of greatness from those distinct personalities working off of each other.  While some characters are more enjoyable than others, they’re all, on the whole, worth your time.  The characters also bring out a lot of heart behind the main themes addressed in the show such as how it’s best to appreciate what you have , or how the rest of the family knows how they feel.  Plus, the relationship between all 11 of the siblings does a great job of showing a believable look at family life.  Although there are many times throughout the cartoons where the characters annoy, tease, or fight with each other, that never stops them from showing some genuine moments of caring.  In other words, it lets us know that even though sibling life, especially when it’s part of a big family, is never perfect, love between others will always overpower any form of animosity.  In addition to the way the characters are utilized, the show also thrives on the simplistic tone of the cartoons.  With the life of a big family as the major focal point, the plots aren’t required to be big and spectacular, but rather small looks at the little moments in life like getting to the TV first, wanting to be treated like a grown-up, sharing a room, wanting undivided attention from Mom and Dad, doing a project for school, wanting to join a club, or just going about the house.  These moments may not seem like much, but this show takes them and makes what’s small feel like big grand experiences thriving on humor, heart, emotion, and creativity.  They make trying to turn the power on like an underground investigation, a search to find out who clogged the toilet like a crime investigation, dealing with a bratty sister like facing a monster, and avoiding getting sick like getting through a zombie apocalypse.  The portrayal of these little moments in life give the show a certain charm that most modern Nickelodeon shows seem to be lacking, and it’s one that entices you to keep on coming back.  There’s also much to enjoy about the simplicity of the art style which really fits the tone.  Everything is simply drawn and painted with solid colors with not much movement in the background.  Yet, that’s all it needs to draw you in artistically especially since the art style greatly captures the feeling of a comic strip, right down to the opening titles of each cartoon designed like just that (which also explains the frequent Peanuts references, which is fitting to notice given the previous series of reviews posted on this blog).

As you can see, on the inside and outside, this first season shows that The Loud House has much to admire.  However, at this point, I’m hesitant to call it one of the best animated TV series.  I’d say the show is top 20, maybe even top 15, material, but not exactly ready for the big leagues.  For every moment of greatness, there are also a few misfires.  Sometimes the characters get up to jerky moments that go too far, some moments, such as Clyde taking his crush on Lori too seriously when she’s obviously too old for him and a few of the gross-out jokes, are cringe-worthy, and quite a few cartoons have some major downer endings.  The latter point is perhaps the biggest detracting factor.  There are times when some cartoons end with the characters not getting a conclusion that completely satisfies the hardships they went through, the characters getting punished for doing nothing wrong or misdeeds that really weren’t that bad, characters not learning anything, and characters suffering even after they learned their lesson.  Stuff like that sours the experiences and makes for some of the weaker entries of the season which includes three outright bad cartoons.  That said, there are several times this season where the show proved how great it can be, with some cartoons even being worthy of a 10/10.  Because of that, I believe that these weak points can be ironed out somewhat in later seasons.  If we see signs of that in the second season, this animated TV show could go on to be worthy of being called one of the top ten greatest.  To me, it seems like we are seeing some signs of that, but that will be further explored when it comes time to review season 2.

Season 1 of The Loud House is far from perfect, but the strong points immensely outweigh the weak points.  It may not be top-tier material for all animated TV series at this time, but it has proven to be one of the best Nicktoons, which given what they’ve had for the past few years, is saying a lot.  For that, I advise you to catch the show as it currently airs on TV, select the highest ranked cartoons from this post to purchase on digital, and look out for DVD releases. 

Highly Recommended

That's it for The Loud House Season 1.  Expect reviews of Season 2 on this blog sometime after it's completely finished airing.  As for the next show to be reviewed here, we'll be covering the classic 80s Disney series, DuckTales, via its first DVD release.  Until then:

Stay Animated Folks!

-Mike Clemente