Review: High School USA! – Ep. 2: Sexting

After being mesmerized by the first episode of High School USA! I was looking forward to more. There’s always that chance that the pilot episode is actually the best episode, but thankfully that wasn’t the case here. The second episode “Sexting” pokes fun at some many modern-day high school occurrences while still keeping with the wholesome outward appearance. That’s definitely one thing this show has over other animations is that they don’t always hand you the jokes and explain it. A lot of it is hidden in the dialog and yet due to the animation, it’s deceivingly wholesome looking. In this episode there are plenty of visual gags and a few that will be completely noticeable and others not so much, but their dialog hides a ton more.

The episode starts off in “Le American Diner” again as the gang is sitting around their food which they never eat. Cassandra begins busting Amber’s chops about how excited she is about her “boyfriend” Brent returning. He’s described as a beautiful man and even Brad agrees. Amber begins to freak out though when Cassandra mentions his member. Now Amber can’t stop thinking about what his penis might look like and the fact that she hasn’t seen it and so she asks for a picture.

Later that night her mom pops in her room and she opens up to her; pay really close attention to this scene because aside from the visual cues there are some dialog cues about Amber’s mom which made this my favorite scene of the episode. Amber gets the picture and it’s not what she expected.

The next day she drags Cassandra to the bathroom with her and at this point you can cue the next visual gag. She shows Cassandra and she instantly makes a joke about Brent’s doodle, but still asks for a copy of the picture to “study” and give a better opinion. The picture of course ends up circulating to all of the girls in the school which puts Amber and Cassandra at odds with each other.

Marsh feels that he must take it upon himself to fix the problem so that when Brent arrives he doesn’t feel awkward. His solution is that the entire male population of the school should take a “dick pic” of their own and send it to all of the girls in the school. Only by all of them doing it will it show solidarity. Also, if you think that every dude sending every girl a “dick pic” goes by unmentioned then you’re wrong. It’s hilarious.

The episode was quite funny and I found it strange that some people didn’t like it. After all it’s not exactly pushing any envelopes that Simpson, South Park or Family Guy haven’t pushed well before it, but I can see it not being everyone’s cup of tea. It could very well be that Dino Stamatopoulos has created another show before it’s time.

The voice acting still seems like its finding its rhythm which isn’t uncommon with animated shows. If you look back at some of your favorites, the first couple of episodes are always rough and usually don’t resemble what the series becomes or the voices you become familiar with. I do wish there was a better breakdown of who is voicing which character rather than the few on IMDB and from what my own ear can pick up, but I’m sure as episodes progress that will happen as well.

Something I didn’t talk about on my last review was the animation by ADHD. If you’ve followed the site then you know we’ve featured a lot of their shorts on here in the past and I doubt I’m alone when I say that they are a fantastic animation studio. The visual story telling is just as strong as the narrative and it looks great. The coloring is definitely one of the best things and gives the show a modern vibrant look. It stands out compared to other animated shows that are locked into their look from decades past.

If you’re not watching it, you really should be. I’m not going to deny that this show would be better suited for Adult Swim, but I’m also not going to pretend that Adult Swim has had it’s time to shine and squandered it’s potential on syndicated shows over original content. Frankly, as long as it’s funny I don’t give a crap about where I watch it.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Dino Stamatopoulos

Review: High School USA! – Ep. 1: Bullies

Like most people I took one look at High School USA! and thought, “Oh good they’re finally getting around to spoofing Archie.” Only I said it really sarcastically. Well the joke is on me because this show is fantastic. In a lot of ways it reminds me of early Family Guy episodes in which they would spoof what television portrayed as reality and the TV formula in general. With High School USA! the formula is the high school experience boiled down to its lowest common denominator so that it’s transparent  and relatable. The episodes are only ten minutes long which means that it follows the Adult Swim outline for the most part. In the first episode we’re just thrown in with the characters with hardly an introduction and no backstory. It’s very easy to pick up on and the writer’s do a fine job of making sure character’s names are repeated often, but without it being so obvious that they’re just saying it for your benefit.

The first episode opens up at a pep rally about Bullying. The teacher that we met (and the only character’s name that I don’t remember) calms down the crowd and goes through why a bully is bad and that they will not tolerate Bullies at the school and if caught students won’t be allowed to attend Friday’s dance.

After the pep rally we spend some time with our main characters: Marsh the “Archie” of the group who was overweight as a child and even though he’s thin now, he’s still obsessed with weight loss. Then there’s Brad, who is the “Jughead” to Marsh’s “Archie.” Instead of being a hollow knock off though he actually represents the typical jock for the most part. Then there’s Blackstein… he doesn’t really compare to someone from Archie in my opinion, but it’s clear that he’s the nerd of the group. There’s more to his character as he represents some typical stereotypes as well, but you’ll see it when you watch. Lastly are the ladies. Amber is of course the “Betty”, but this is in hair color only. She and Cassandra, the “Veronica”, are both very accurate in their dialog and come across like any tween/teen girl that you may have overheard in a mall or just out in public in general. Their charm is that they are so accurate with their dialog and mannerisms that you forget they’re just cartoon characters.

We know the episode is about Bullies and while the gang is hanging out at “Le American Diner”, Marsh points out that Brad is a bully. It’s pretty obvious considering he has Blackstein in a head lock the entire time and calls him “Brainstein” because he thinks he’s dumb, but to the rest of the gang it isn’t as obvious. Brad runs away because he doesn’t want to be a bully; later that night he’s contact about his bullying and asked to meet with the stranger. He follows a Truman Captoe looking dude to a place where jocks are beating up on nerds. Brad unwinds on a nerd who is there because he’s a “pervert” and the Captoe looking dude records it. The next day the video has gone viral and Brad is banned from the dance.

That’s literally like half of the episode, but I haven’t told you any of the jokes. That’s what’s actually great about this show; sure they’ve nailed high school perfectly and managed to even represent the youngest generation in doing so, but the comedy is what shines. In the diner Marsh turns down both girls because he’s going to be home binge eating and after Brad leaves, Blackstein says that he’ll be their date to which Amber gives a hilarious response. I’m not going to ruin any of the jokes because they’ll be completely out of context for you. Brad’s home life delivers tons of great material and his mom might just be the best supporting character of the show.

Not all of the voice acting is amazing. Marsh is okay for the most part, but his golly shucks delivery tends to leave him pretty monotone and lacking any real emotion. I think that’s supposed to be the point, but when he’s mixed with all the other dynamic characters it doesn’t really work and makes him seem like the one that’s out of place. Brad is voiced by T.J. Miller and I recognized him instantly. He’s a bit rough with his lines and it doesn’t come off naturally, but I think as the show continues it’ll get there. It definitely didn’t stop the jokes from being funny. Blackstein is voiced by Nathan Barnatt and he does a great job, but sounds the most cartoonish out of the bunch. I’m not sure who voices Amber, but she does a fantastic job. In a huge surprise, Mandy Moore is the voice of Cassandra. She does a great job, but it’s kind of weird once you know that especially after the second episode. In general the voice acting is good and you can tell that they’re going for a wholesome feel even if they’re being crude at the same time and that works. I just hope that they don’t break from that.

I would definitely say that High School USA! is worth watching. I expected very little from it and was then pleasantly surprised. If you know who Dino Stamatopoulos is, then you’ll definitely want to watch since this is his brain child. He’s written and created some of the best and most disturbing things on television including Moral Orel, which is similar in structure and parody with this show. I’m sure you can find a way to watch this for free considering Fox is backing their Adult Swim block of programing pretty hard, so check it out.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Dino Stamatopoulos

Video Game High School Season 2: Episode One “The Date”

'Video Game High School' Season One was one of my favorite media moments of 2012, a confident and specialized web series that proved that independent internet creators were finally ready to create professional-grade content that could compete with mainstream television while still retaining its nerdy 4-Chan bred roots. After a successful large-scale Kickstarter drive, everything about Season Two is designed to expand, from its million-dollar plus budget to its extra hour of run-time. With the remaining installments to be released over the next few weeks, the first half-hour went live this Friday. Did Rocket Jump Studios' ambition pay off? The premiere starts surprisingly abruptly, with no expository recap for those who didn't do the assigned homework of watching Season One. Brian D. and gang's life hasn't skipped a beat since the dramatic defeat of The Law, back to the debatably mundane day-to-day of school routine at VGHS. Things seem to be looking up for Brian, who has both The Law out of his life and Jenny Matrix becoming a bigger part of it. Ted Wong is where he belongs in Drift class but finds his scatter-brained personality interfering with his studies. Ki Swan's problems seem to be the most abnormal, being targeted by her professor, who punishes her compulsive academic nature by not assigning her homework. Life for Brian is complicated by the appearance of Jenny's mom as the new FPS coach, putting new stresses on his burgeoning relationship.

Immediately the polished edges and scale of the budget is made apparent, with extensive CGI, more varied locations, and a new traditional title sequence, complete with video montage and theme song. The extended runtime also grants a more balanced approach to the characters, with Ted and Ki getting bumped up from their subplots in Season One to a more featured role.

In Ki's case this is definitely appreciated, as her character felt severely underwritten in Season One, with her arc largely being just a feature of Ted's. I'm excited to see Ellary Porterfield get more time to expand Ki, but her torment at the hands of Professor Freddie Wong seems to be quickly and tidily resolved in the first episode leaving the nature of her season arc a mystery. This similarly goes for Ted, as his story in the pilot seems largely self-contained; relying heavily on the great comedic chemistry he shares with Rocky Collins. Ellary is particularly fun to watch play tightly compressed manic, but both Ki and Ted will apparently have to wait till the next episode to begin their season long arcs.

Brian by comparison gets a bit more of an introductory chapter, focusing on his awkward wooing of the largely comfortably wooed Jenny. Josh Blaycock and Johanna Braddy both sell the relationship well, and the script does a good job of balancing stress and affection in a way that doesn't feel like the plot-centric obstacles are forced or artificial. Suffice to say this pair of Power Star-crossed lovers won't find love any easier than in Season One, but rather than the eye-rolling chore that thwarting the obvious couple tends to be, the cast and crew seem to apply the intelligence required to make the bumpy romance engaging.

At the center of it all, VGHS's reputation is on the line as The Law is found guilty of the virtual equivalent of doping, invalidating his considerable gaming record and by extension the school's. Enter Mary Matrix, Jenny's tough-as-nails mom and new VGHS FPS coach. Obviously set to be a major focus for the rest of the school year, it's difficult to get a bead on Cynthia Watros's Mary, besides the obvious tension she brings to Jenny's life. Instead of coming off as intimidating or edgy, Watros often just looks strangely, almost painfully, exhausted. It's hard to gauge her role going forward as we can't tell yet if she is an antagonist or a curmudgeony ally.  All I know is I hope Zachary Levi isn't so busy that he can't pop in for a quick hello at some point. FPS ain't the same without Ace.

The action has expanded potential with the new budget, shown off dramatically in the sniper-centric match at the end of the episode. Gone is the single faux-Iraq location from Season One; enter Forest Zone complete with CGI tank. Being considerably more ambitious, the effects show their edges a bit more than Season One, but the new range of possibilities is a welcome extension, especially necessary early on when a Big Bad has yet to be identified.

The episode ends on a nice tease of next episode goodies, but it's hard to say what we actually know going forward. For a premiere “The Date” is all but self-contained save for Brian and Jenny's arc, but still sets the tone and flexes its muscles appropriately to show off the new grander scope. While perhaps a bit clumsy in setting up the new season's narrative, it's undoubtedly good to be back at VGHS. Grab a can of pizza and enjoy.

Watch Here!

Score: 3/4

Review: The Venture Bros: “What Color is Your Cleansuit?”

(The following contains spoilers. You have been duly warned...) After three years off the air, 'The Venture Bros.' have returned. Popular media has never been geekier, with two of the most highly watched dramas on television based on comic books. However, Season Five's premiere proved once again that no show is geekier than 'Venture', with an episode themed around...well...geeks.

Picking up the morning after Season Four's dramatic finale (and then somehow fitting the plot-relevant Halloween Special in there somehow), Season Five begins cleaning up after Prom Night by either continuing or undoing the finale's plot developments. Molotov Cocktease, in the great tradition of super-spies, survived her apparent death, along with Monstroso. After Hunter Gathers' promotion to head of OSI, Sphinx is made defunct, left to the now jobless and homeless Henchman 21 (Is he still Henchman 21 if he's no longer a henchman? What, we should call him Gary?). Sargent Hatred is cuckolded once again by his former girlfriend Princess Tinyfeet, who isn't actually getting back together with him, leaving him to mopily resume his duties as Venture bodyguard.

And then there's Dean.

As alluded to in the final moments of Season Four, Dean is becoming a new man by way of actually surviving to being a teenager. Burned by his failed crush on Triana, Dean rebels and gives himself a new look with black hair to match his new black speedsuit In a great purging front yard fire kindled by his old Learning Bed he burns his past belongings (even his much abused stuffed giraffe Mr. Reachy), signaling the start of a search for independence and identity that should provide excellent fodder for the rest of the season.

Dr. Venture doesn't react much to all of this but maybe it's because he's got other things on his mind. Jonas Jr. is continuing his tradition of mimicking his father's greatness by building a new Gargantua Space Station and has commissioned Thaddeus to build the shield to protect it from space debris. Thaddeus, continuing his tradition, has already spent the advance and has not even toyed with progress. With a deadline approaching, Dr. Venture hastily organizes an army of college interns to build the shield for him, organizing them with color-coded jumpsuits for different important jobs like running simulations, formulating theoretical equations, and cleaning his kitchen.

For safety reasons the students sleep on site, but the combination of condensed living conditions, rigid'Metropolis' like work structure, and the massive amounts of mutating radioactivity the shield emits, the interns quickly devolve into a cannibalistic tribal culture complete with laws penned on flayed human skin and Ewok village.

Alongside of this, Pete White and Billy Quizboy's lives get more interesting when Billy's deep-pocketed and geeky nemesis Augustus St. Cloud joins the Guild of Calamitous Intent to officially arch Billy. The best material of the episode comes from Billy and Pete, containing their greater status as series regulars from the previous season. I sincerely hope St. Cloud is a regular presence on the show, what would happen if Mark Millar's bored billionaire supervillian 'Nemesis' was Comic-Book Guy from 'The Simpsons'under the costume.

Over all, it's nice to be back, but the episode didn't exactly blow the door off its hinges. Many of the dramatic shifts from the previous season are sidelined for the funny but far from extraordinary plot. There isn't the huge altered dynamic that seasons two and four began with, feeling more like season 4.5 than new frontiers. It's far from bad by any means, but it leaves later episodes to actually chart what the future course of the Venture clan will look like, which at the end of the episode isn't quite clear.

There's also the problem of the Monarch. Like the last half of season four his relevance is still up in the air. His subplot of missing Henchman 21 feels shoehorned in amongst the rest of the episodes anarchy, and excepting one great gag involving some hilariously bungled 'Game of Thrones' sexual role-play it feels as if The Monarch could have been absent all together to no detriment. It's a real pity when great episodes like 'Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny' could be entirely Monarch and Dr. Mrs. the Monarch centric and I hope this season eventually returns the costumed couple to their former glory.

However, despite my cool overall reaction to the episode there was one thing I particularly appreciated. It gets back to what I mentioned at the beginning of the review; that the episode is geek themed. A quick scanning of the events would suggest the episode was themed after 70's sci-fi dystopias, with Rusty's irresponsible company practices leading to winking allusions to 'Soylent Green' and 'The Time Machine'. However, it doesn't quite seem to be the episode's central theme. In an amusing turn, it's revealed that the accelerated decline to violent tribal society was as much a symptom of the geek culture of the nerdy interns as it was the radiation. As one ill-fated prisoner notes, “You're talking about a bunch of geeks from State University. You mutate that kind of outcast and it gets all "SyFy Channel Original Feature" real quick.”.

In addition to that, St. Cloud, who serves a semi-central role in the resolution of the main conflict, is thegeek supervillian. His sprawling manor is decorated with high profile sci-fi props and uses a movie Batmobile as his 'getting-around' car. Even the battle of wits with his arch-rival is a test of obscure geek trivia that one might overhear standing in line to meet the cast of 'Firefly'. It's something only a fellow geek would love, and creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer know it.

So was it groundbreaking? No. However, it is comforting. In an time when Green Arrow finds himself on the same network as 'Gossip Girl' and Star Trek has been blended into glossy audience-friendly explosion porn, it's nice to know that there's a show out there that will hinge life and death on a contest of semantics regarding fictional artificial beings.

It's nice to know that someone still writes stories for geeks.

Score: 4/5

Writers: Christopher McCulloch and Doc Hammer

Director: Christopher McCulloch

Channel: Cartoon Network

Air Date: 6/2/13

Review: Arrow - S1:E7 - Muse of Fire

Well, well, well… this episode had a ton of reveals and GA universe re-tweakings and I liked it! There is literally no way to talk about this episode without spoiling it so you’ve been warned and should probably go watch it on one of the many available to you. What we can talk about right away is the Huntress, who made her big premiere and frankly it was meh, but something else happened that was awesome and amazing for comic book fans and we’ll get to it later! The episode kicks off with some foreshadowing of Ollie on a motorcycle (it’ll make sense in a moment). He gets a call that he needs to meet his mom for lunch and heads to Q-Core or whatever they fucking call it on the show. Then a second biker appears and drives along the side-walk with a gun drawn and shoots at the mobster that Ollie’s mom was blowing off. Why the foreshadowing on the bike with Ollie? I don't know, but it's a common TV show visual device. The biker kills the man and nearly hits Ollie’s mom sending her to the ground. Ollie sprints over and checks on her then takes off after the bike which is moving incredibly slowly for having just shot someone in broad day light. After a daring attempt the biker gets away!

In the really boring love triangle storyline of Tommy and Laurel (who is supposed to turn in to the Black Canary before the end of the season by the way), we find Tommy and a pizza delivery guy both at her door. They have some boring dialog about food which is only there to act as a buffer as comic fans shit their pants upon learning Tommy’s last name! If you’re familiar with the comics then you’ll know who Merlyn is and I will give you a moment to connect the dots. Okay then, for those who don’t read the comics Merlyn is the evil archer that Green Arrow faces off against and since "Identity Crisis", has played a huge role in fucking with GA. In fact he blew up Star City like a total badass. The gist is that Tommy Merlyn is going to become the evil archer that appeared in all of the leaked photos this week. The rest of the episode is Ollie trying to find the shooter and falling in love with a mob bosses daughter who is of course Helena aka the Huntress aka weird teeth.

The actual Huntress and costume don’t appear in this episode, but we can see in the preview for the next episode that Ollie basically creates everything for her as both of their secrets are already revealed to each other. Huntress was meh, the storyline was just an excuse to put the two together and everything cool was just for comic fans and happened in the background. The other major reveal? Tommy’s dad is Count Vertigo (not the case in the comic, but fuck this is cooler) which makes things even more interesting between the two families.

The episode was probably the weakest one of the season thus far. Yet another person knows about Ollie’s alter ego and we still have to listen to his family drone on and on about not trusting him and how different he is. Maybe they’ll get over that with this episode as it’s alluded to in a conversation between mom and Speedy, but we’ll see. It’s an easy personality trait for them to go back to when none of the characters have anything real to say to each other. I’m still enjoying the show and I’m looking forward to seeing how the new villains play out, but more interested in seeing how Laurel can pull off Black Canary because I don’t think she can.

Score: 2/5