All Friends Thanksgiving Episodes Ranked

Published on November 28, 2024May 30, 2026 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Happy Thanksgiving, to everyone who celebrates the holiday. For everyone else, Happy Thursday!

Whenever Thanksgiving rolls around, I think of the sitcom Friends. The show had a tradition of Thanksgiving episodes. What started as a network mandate became a labor of love. Friends Thanksgiving episodes were some of the best, but I’ve never ranked them before. I never thought about doing that before. It’s Thanksgiving. Let’s give it a whirl.

10: Season 1, Episode 9 “The One Where Underdog Got Away”

Season One’s Thanksgiving episode is low-hanging fruit. It’s the ninth-ever episode of Friends. The actors haven’t settled into their characters yet. The writers and directors haven’t either. And the studio demanded a Thanksgiving episode. The cast and crew still turn out a solid episode with “The One Where Underdog Got Away.”

Monica’s plans for a quiet Thanksgiving quickly fall apart as all the characters end up at her apartment. Each of the friends wanted a different type of potato, and Monica didn’t want to cook Thanksgiving dinner in the first place. Monica’s headspace parallels the writers and directors. The episode earns its title when the Underdog float breaks free during the parade, and the gang accidentally locks themselves out of their apartment.

Best Moment: I feel Monica’s growing frustration in this episode and appreciate Chandler’s speech in the episode’s closing moments: “I’m thankful that all your Thanksgivings sucked.” The moment is earned and finally lets Monica off the hook for a ruined Thanksgiving dinner.

9: Season 7, Episode 8 “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs”

“The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs” falls flat. I don’t know if it’s because the guest at the table—outside the core six characters—mostly shows up in only Season Seven (Rachel’s assistant Tag). Or it could be that Rachel only invited Tag to Thanksgiving dinner because she wanted to hook up with her subordinate; that’s not a good look. It might even be the reason why “Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs.” He’s afraid of them?

That could work but the reasoning Chandler gives doesn’t make a lot of sense. They’re jumpy and needy and you don’t know what they want most of the time. I was expecting that a dog attacked him when he was younger. Ross’s reason for not liking ice cream makes more sense. It’s too cold. Fair. Weird but fair.

Best Moment: Chandler wearing the pink fuzzy sweater Monica bought for him. The guy in the catalog may have pulled off the look; Chandler did not.

8: Season 2, Episode 8 “The One with the List”

I forgot “The One with the List” was a Thanksgiving episode. Season Two is early enough in Friends’ existence to claim that Thanksgiving episodes were a studio request and not yet a labor of love. The gang doesn’t even sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. That may be why I forget this episode’s status as a Thanksgiving episode. More likely, it’s the A Story. The main plotline (A Story) centers around a list of pros and cons Ross wrote about Rachel and Ross’s then-girlfriend Julie. This episode steers heavily into melodrama territory. Friends does a good job of skirting melodrama most of the time, but “The One with the List” gets a little too heavy, especially for a Thanksgiving episode.

Ironically, it’s the B Story that feels more at home in a Thanksgiving episode. Monica attempts to incorporate “Mockloate,” a synthetic chocolate, into Thanksgiving recipes. The B Story does all it can to lighten the A Story’s high drama. It doesn’t quite work.

Best Moment: The roll credits scene. The same company that wanted Monica to make Mockloate recipes has created another unholy food alternative, Fishaschios. They’re like pistachios. Michael McKean (as the sleazy corporate exec) is brilliant.

McKean (as he hands Monica a Fishaschio): You aren’t allergic to anything?
Monica: Just cat hair.
McKean: Oh. You shouldn’t eat that.

7: Season 4, Episode 8 “The One with Chandler in a Box”

“The One with Chandler in a Box” is another Friends Thanksgiving episode that tries to balance drama and comedy. The story’s titular Chandler in a Box comes from Chandler kissing Joey’s then-girlfriend Kathy. The drama with this storyline doesn’t hurt the episode as much as the Ross and Rachel one from Season Two. Ross and Rachel had a way of sucking out all the oxygen in early Friends episodes. And you knew Chandler and Joey would make up in the end. They were the ones who instigated the term bromance.

The issue this time comes with the B Story. Monica injures her eye while preparing dinner. She meets her eye doctor Timothy, who happens to be the son of her ex, Richard. Monica invites Timothy to Thanksgiving dinner, and the two share a kiss. Unfortunately, the kiss reminds Monica of Richard, and she doesn’t want to pursue the relationship. That’s understandable; this even puts a nice bow on Monica and Richard’s relationship. Good stuff. The headscratcher happens when Timothy says that Monica’s kiss reminds him of his mom. What? I repeat. WHAT?!

Best Moment: Another roll credits scene. The gang sits on the couch. Monica remembers the kiss she shared with Timothy, and she shivers. I’m with you, Monica.

6: Season 8, Episode 9 “The One with the Rumor”

This one will be controversial. So many people rank “The One with the Rumor” as the best Friends Thanksgiving episode. There’s one reason for this: Brad Pitt guest stars. Clearly, Pitt has fun on the set as do the rest of the cast. But Pitt is out of his element. He can’t keep it together. It’s almost like watching Jimmy Fallon cracking up on every skit during his stint on Saturday Night Live.

The A Story revolves around Pitt’s character, Will Colbert. It works well enough. Colbert used to be overweight in high school, and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston’s character) bullied him. Come to think of it, Aniston didn’t keep her composure in any of her scenes with her then-husband Brad Pitt either. Strangely enough, Pitt has better moments with Joey, who features in the B Story. Joey single-handedly eats a 19-pound turkey.

Best Moment: Any time Joey talks about his Mount Everest of a turkey. I especially like the introduction of the turkey. Joey: How big is that? Monica: Nineteen pounds. Joey: That’s like me when I was born.

5: Season 3, Episode 9 “The One with the Football”

“The One with the Football” is problematic. Most of this comes from the B Story. Chandler and Joey trying to woo the same woman. Many of these jokes haven’t aged well.

The A Story works and generates a lot of unforgettable moments. The group plays a not-so-friendly football game, which brings up memories of the Geller Bowl for Monica and Ross. The sibling rivalry overtakes the game, and the two continue to wrestle over the ball long after the rest of the gang leaves to eat dinner. That all works. I especially like the inclusion of Monica’s competitive nature.

Up to this point, Friends played with Monica’s competitive streak. “The One with the Football” removes all doubt. It even makes her competitive nature a family trait. Ross is no better.

Best Moment: The Geller Bowl had a trophy named the Geller Cup, and I love the reveal.

Chandler: Is everyone else seeing a Troll doll nailed to a 2×4?

4: Season 10, Episode 8 “The One with the Late Thanksgiving”

“The One with the Late Thanksgiving,” like many of these Friends’ Thanksgiving episodes, is difficult to rank. I didn’t care for it for the longest time because I knew the show was coming to an end. But it’s a solid episode that has 3 storylines. To be fair, two smaller plotlines branch from the main one, but Friends usually goes with two plotlines, not one. The main plot centers around Monica and Chandler getting furious with the rest of the group for showing up late to Thanksgiving dinner.

Ross and Joey go to a Rangers game, while Phoebe and Rachel enter Emma (Rachel and Ross’s child) in a baby beauty contest. I prefer the Phoebe and Rachel story arc more, but the Ross and Joey has its moments, too. The episode comes to a head when Ross, Joey, Phoebe, and Rachel show up 45 minutes late for dinner. A rapid-fire exchange ensues. Eventually, Joey crashes into the dinner. But, Monica and Chandler’s mood quickly changes when they receive the news they’ve been selected to adopt a baby.

So, you could say there’s a hidden fourth storyline added to “The One with the Late Thanksgiving.”

Best Moment: Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, and Joey sticking their heads in the door as far as the chain will allow. Classic!

3: Season 9, Episode 8 “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister”

The final two seasons of Friends had stellar Thanksgiving episodes. I don’t typically like guest stars (unless they’re recurring characters; we’ll see a couple in the next entry), but Christina Applegate as Amy Green is a delight. She starts a fight over who gets Emma if anything happens to Rachel and Ross. The crux of the fight stems from Ross and Rachel being willing to give Emma to Monica, even if Chandler was no longer in the picture, but refusing to do so if Chandler was around but Monica wasn’t. Applegate adds a great dynamic to the group. Amy Green shows who Rachel Green used to be before almost a decade of living on her own. Amy Green shows Rachel’s growth.

Best Moment: Chandler breaking Monica’s good china and saying, “Well, what do you know, I guess, I’ll be the one who dies first.” Still a great line. But I’ve got to admit, the quote hits differently now. Rest in peace, Matthey Perry. Thank you for the laughs.

2: Season 6, Episode 9 “The One Where Ross Got High”

Christine Pickles and Elliott Gould as Jack and Judy Geller join the group for Thanksgiving in “The One Where Ross Got High.” The Gellers don’t know that Monica and Chandler are dating. Monica’s parents don’t like Chandler. Chandler attempts to impress the Gellers but finds out they think he’s a pothead based on Ross’s lie in college. That’s the first of the silliness, but “The One Where Ross Got High” doesn’t stop there.

Ross and Joey want to go to a second Thanksgiving dinner with Joey’s new dancer roommate and her friends, Phoebe had a sex dream with Jack Geller the night before, and Rachel makes a questionable trifle with a layer of beef. All of this comes to a head with the episode’s best moment.

Best Moment: Everyone blurts out their inner secrets/desires at the Gellers. Monica spills the beans about Ross smoking pot, and Ross comes clean.

Monica: Dad, do you know that mailman you got fired? He didn’t steal your Playboys. Ross did.
Ross: Yeah, well Hurricane Gloria didn’t break the porch swing. Monica did.
Monica: Ross hasn’t worked at the museum for a year.
Ross: Monica and Chandler are living together.
Monica: Ross married Rachel in Vegas and got divorced. Again!
Phoebe: I love Jacques Custeau. (She switched crushes from Jack to Custeau, because Jack dream cheated on her.)
Rachel: I wasn’t supposed to put beef in the trifle.
Joey: I want to go.
Judy Geller: That’s a lot of information to get in 30 seconds.

1: Season 5, Episode 8 “The One with All the Thanksgivings”

The only Friends Thanksgiving episode that can dethrone the previous one is “The One with All the Thanksgivings.” Ross complains about his divorce and eviction and that prompts the others to tell their stories of their worst Thanksgivings. Chandler reminds everyone of the Thanksgiving when his parents told him they were getting a divorce. Phoebe tops his story by recounting a past life where she lost an arm, and Ross disqualifies her story. “In this life, Phoebe.” Rachel claims that she knows Monica’s worst Thanksgiving. The rest of the episode has everyone guessing which Thanksgiving was Monica’s worst.

The stories include one absurd twist after another. Joey has a turkey stuck on his head, and Chandler has his toe severed when Monica accidentally drops a kitchen knife on his wicker shoe. Monica and Chandler take turns getting upset with each other, but it all ends well with what I believe is this episode’s best moment.

Best Moment: Monica puts a turkey on her head and dances for Chandler to cheer him up. The ruse works, and Chandler tells Monica for the first time that he loves her.

Thank you for reading this far. Since it’s Thanksgiving, I’d like to send out a few thank yous:

I’m thankful for my family first and foremost. I’m also thankful for tabletop games and the return of JK Geekly. We are so back. I’m thankful for the Omaha Writers League (OWLs); they’re a local writing group. And I’m almost done with the first draft of this year’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) novel. So, thank you, NaNoWriMo. Even though the organization behind NaNoWriMo hasn’t done the best this past year. Again, thank you so much, my fellow OWLs.

I’m also thankful for getting further than I’ve ever gone before with my literary agent submissions and the submissions to publishers with my tabletop games. If I haven’t heard from them yet, it doesn’t matter. I’m enjoying every part of this writing and board game design journey. I should hear back soon. Fingers crossed.

I’ll cut off the list here because I could go on for paragraphs. Getting back to the list of Friends Thanksgiving episodes, did we get the list right? Let us know in the comments. I hope you’re having a great day even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. And if you do, Happy Thanksgiving!

My Favorite Storytelling Element of Breaking Bad

My Favorite Storytelling Elements of Breaking Bad

Published on September 28, 2024September 6, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Like I said a few weeks ago, I’ve sprinkled in new posts with the old stuff, but we’re running out of the older posts. This one’s about Breaking Bad and my favorite storytelling elements from that show may be our final older post. Yay!

There are so many places to go in terms of storytelling elements that work in Breaking Bad. The characters grow and change over time. The strong narrative stayed on point, tension increased during each show, it explored concepts of storytelling, and didn’t over stay its welcome like other popular shows during its run. Despite the show’s groundbreaking nature, one of my favorite storytelling elements of Breaking Bad is the show’s adherence to a famous storytelling precept: Chekhov’s Gun.

Essentially, Chekhov’s Gun states that every element in a story must be necessary, irrelevant elements should be removed, and no element should appear to make false promises. Everything must have a purpose. Chekhov used a gun for his analogy. If a gun is mounted on the wall during a play’s first act, it must go off in the second act. Otherwise, why have the gun?

I’m all for subverting traditional storytelling precepts, but there is a reason they exist, and storytellers should know the time and manner to subvert these practices. Readers and viewers will assign meaning to something a storyteller shows them. The more elements a storyteller shows that don’t matter, the more likely they’ll lose their audience because their audience will start assigning meaning to things that don’t matter. The best example of a Chekhov’s Gun fail is Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The bit of dialogue in the previous Star Wars film (The Force Awakens) concerning the origin of Rey’s lightsaber dubbed it Luke Skywalker’s and his father’s before his. This suggest that Rey is part of the Skywalker bloodline. If she was Luke’s former pupil (a popular fan theory prior to The Last Jedi), the line could include Luke, but not his father. If Rey had no connection at all to the Skywalkers, then don’t mention the Skywalker name.

Okay. Let’s get back to Breaking Bad and how it uses and subverts Chekhov’s Gun.

Breaking Bad is brilliant at assigning meaning to elements it shows. Viewers may find an odd camera angle that brings an electrical outlet into the forefront. Don’t worry there’s a reason to show said electrical outlet. A bit a dialogue that feels like it should be throw away banter will make an impact later in the episode or series. Why are they beginning an episode with a crawl space? There’s a reason. Even a Roomba has purpose.

But Breaking Bad subverts Chekhov’s Gun as well. Up to this point I’ve stayed as vague as I could. I’ll try not to spoil anything with this next example, but it’s difficult not to with this type of write-up. Consider yourself warned.

Let’s talk about the Ricin Incident of season 4. We’ll start with a rundown of what happened. Walter White plans to have Jesse give Gus a ricin-laced cigarette. Walt chooses the nerve agent ricin because it’s difficult to detect. Jesse chooses not to poison Gus because he doesn’t trust Walt at this point and has grown closer to Gus. Later, Brock (the son of Jesse’s girlfriend) falls ill from an unknown cause. Jesse finds that he had lost the ricin cigarette and blames Walt for giving the poison to Brock. Walt convinces Jesse that he couldn’t have poisoned Brock; it was Gus. Eventually, doctors find out that Brock ingested the berries of a Lily of the Valley. At the end of the episode, the camera zooms in on a Lily of the Valley in Walt’s backyard.

Phew! That’s a lot to get through. The upshot is that Walt poisoned Brock and turned Jesse against Gus. Breaking Bad uses Chekhov’s Gun the entire time, but it layers each element and nests them together like Matryoshka dolls. The lilies were mentioned in dialogue earlier while Walt and his wife Skyler discussed landscaping. It’s banter that most viewers dismissed, but there’s a reason for everything in Breaking Bad. Viewers could also dismiss the ricin cigarette as a red herring, and it was to a point, but it returns later in the series and serves in this episode (or two episodes) as character motivation. It also does a lot for character development. If there was any lingering hope for Walt’s soul, and it’s debatable, it was lost here.

Oh, man. That ricin vial got around in this series. That Roomba makes an appearance as does the electrical outlet. I won’t say how, even though I’ve spoiled quite a bit already. Oh, well. You should watch Breaking Bad.

If you’ve watched Breaking Bad, what are your favorite storytelling elements? You could pass it to me, hidden in a marzipan strawberry or you could let me know in comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

3 Lists of 3 Anime: Take 3

Published on September 14, 2024September 14, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

This is one of the last older posts that I haven’t yet published. Up to this point, we’ve been sprinkling in some newer stuff, but it may be mostly new stuff from this point forward. This is the third and possibly final 3 Lists of 3 for anime.

Just in case you’ve forgotten how these posts work, I’ll break down some of the more popular anime genres and list a few anime for new viewers to dip their toes into. This series differs from our typical starters writeups because we won’t spend too much time on each anime—usually—and it’ll function more as an “if you like this story, you may like this other one.” Let’s get started.

Mystery

When one hears mystery as a genre, one thinks about stories that feature detectives and gumshoes. The same holds for anime—for the most part—but there are some anime that go a little off that tried and true formula.

Detective Conan

We’ll start with the one that’s the most familiar for westerners. Detective Conan (also known as Case Closed) features a precocious teen detective Jimmy Kudo who solves the police’s most difficult cases. He gets poisoned by a secret organization, but the poison doesn’t kill him, it turns Jimmy into a short pants kid.

To keep his identity a secret, Jimmy adopts the alias Conan Edogawa (he names himself Conan after his favorite author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). Detective Conan continues to solve crimes, while unearthing who reversed his aging into a child. Detective Conan plays out a little like Inspector Gadget with Conan solving crimes for an inept adult detective, but while Detective Conan has its comedic moments, it’s a classic detective series.

Hyouka

Here comes another young gumshoe—or a group of gumshoes. The Hyouka anime is based on the manga, which was in turn based on the novel series Classic Literature Club by Honobu Yonezawa. It’s set in Kamiyama High School where the members of the Classic Literature Club help others out by solving crimes. If you liked series like the Hardy Boys or the Babysitters Club, you might want to give Hyouka a try.

Eden of the East

Eden of the East is the one anime on this list that journeys the furthest from a traditional detective story. This gets a little convoluted. Eden of the East behaves a little like the cloak and dagger elements of 100 Bullets, so there are plenty of twists and turns.

Essentially, the two main protagonists are given 8.2 billion yen that’s supposed to be used to “save” Japan in some way. They must use their money to pay a group named The Seleção, but if they use the money for selfish reasons, they fail, and Japan is destroyed. There’s a lot more to it than that—a lot more—but Eden of the East builds on a series of terrorist attacks and who’s behind them. It asks moral questions like if you could sell out your home country for a small fortune, would you?

Horror

As you can see, I’m going with more traditional subgenres with this list—for now. Horror anime ranges from ghosts and goblins to myths or just the plain creepy. Get ready for a few chills.

Another

We’ll start with a horror anime that could classify as a pseudo mystery. Another is set in a high school where a student died in 1972 and in the wake of that death, everyone denied that it happened. As a result, a curse befalls the school, and students, faculty, and their family members are at risk of gruesome deaths like the ones you might see in a Final Destination film.

We’re talking plenty of blood and gore. But there may be something or someone behind these murders and that’s where Another blends mystery and horror. Expect plenty of red herrings in this short, twelve-episode series. You may also want a change of pants.

When They Cry

When They Cry is adapted from the video game series of the same name. Set in June of 1983 and in a quiet rural village Hinamizawa, protagonist Keiichi Maebara leaves his hometown for Hinamizawa after a series of unfortunate events. He makes friends in this sleepy town, but soon finds out that there’s more to the town than he first believed. A series of murders and other gruesome events occur in Hinamizawa, and the friends Keiichi has made may not be all they seem. Who needs enemies when you have lunatics for friends?

Parasyte

I could’ve gone with Corpse Parade here—another great, short series—but it’s another spooky school anime and I wanted to branch out. Parasyte, based on a manga that ran from 1988-1995, has plenty of stunning visuals, gore for those of you who like gore-fests, and aliens. That’s right. Let’s give some aliens a little love. The titular aliens enter orifices and transform humans into monsters.

Main character Shinichi encounters such an alien, but the alien can’t overtake him and only manages to turn him into a human with one alien arm. Shinichi maintains control of the parts of him that aren’t an alien arm, but the alien arm has a mind of its own. Parasyte explores many issues of what it means to be human, and it’s a much watch for horror fans who like scares like Alien.

Josei

I’m venturing a little off the beaten path here with Josei, but just a little. Josei is more of a demographic than an anime genre. It targets female viewers around the ages 18-40 and depicts life and romance in a more mature light. Romance doesn’t have to factor into the story all the time; a Josei anime needs to cater to women of this age range (essentially not teens or children) and feature more grounded characters, instead of idealistic fantasies.

Princess Jellyfish

The crux of Princess Jellyfish rests with a group of otaku (geek) women who happen to be flat mates. They bond with each other and no men are allowed in their club. Protagonist Tsukimi, one of the otaku women, hopes to become an illustrator and loves jellyfish because they remind her of her mother who took her to the aquarium to see them.

Enter Kuranosuke, the illegitimate son of a politician, who cross-dresses to rebel against his father and feel closer to his mother. Tsukimi befriends Kuranosuke and allows Kuranosuke to join her band of otaku, hiding Kuranosuke’s gender from her flat mates. Princes Jellyfish addresses gender identity and challenges one’s preconceptions. It also makes for a non-conforming romantic-comedy as Kuranosuke develops feelings for Tsukimi.

Nana

Nana’s title derives from its two main characters, both of whom are named Nana. Nana Komatsu has a habit of falling in love at first site. The other Nana, Nana Osaki, is the lead vocalist of a band called Black Stones (BLAST for short). Osaki’s boyfriend, the band’s bassist, leaves BLAST for a better gig, but Osaki continues with BLAST. Nana centers on these two Nanas as Komatsu seeks love and happiness, and Osaki pursues fame and recognition. Neither Nana finds what they want at first and perhaps what they want isn’t what they need.

Whenever I get enough of the Nana manga, I may have to place eight of them on the shelf with a Batman graphic novel after them, that way anyone who looks at the books in my library will get the 1960s Batman theme stuck in their head. If you’ve heard the song, you have it in your head right now. Mwah-ha-ha!

Seriously, Nana is a great read.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Shouwa Genroku is a shot of fresh air for anime. Set against the art form Rakugo, a traditional form of Japanese entertainment where a storyteller must sit and convey a tale with only a paper fan and small cloth, Shouwa Genroku unveils the story of two friends.

One begins his path as a Rakugo performer after being released from prison, the other takes a different path and both have disparate performance styles. Shouwa Genroku may be the most intimate of all the anime on these lists and one of the most character-driven stories.

Final Thoughts

I hope there are plenty of anime in these lists for you try out. I’m sure I got something wrong. Let me know in the comments.

And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Unpopular Opinion: Short Runs

Published on April 19, 2019September 8, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

You can never have too much of a good thing. Well, Uncle Geekly begs to differ. I haven’t done an unpopular opinion in several months and this one may sound like an idea a lot of people share, but when one breaks down what it means, it doesn’t take long to see why it’s difficult to put into practice.

Part of what makes Firefly special is the fact that it only lasted one season. It never had the opportunity to run its characters and world into the ground, or finish it’s story (I’m not so happy about that aspect), so in a round about way, I like that Fox unceremoniously dumped it after 14 episodes. To be fair, I love Firefly and wished it ended the way Breaking Bad did; tell a tight story with a defined, planned ending.

Breaking Bad knew when to call it quits and did a great job with an ending in mind years before it had a chance to lose its way. Arrow wasn’t spared this fate. The first two seasons were some of the best superhero television I’ve seen, but the next five or six seasons never could capture that magic. The only thing that stays constant for the creative process is that at some point the creative team will lose interest or run out of ideas.

It’s a balancing act of figuring out how long a television show, or other medium, this isn’t specific to just television, can remain relevant and leaving the audience wanting more, and that’s where I’ll get to some current, sacred flamingos. How many seasons does Rick and Morty have before it becomes The Simpsons or Family Guy? When will Westworld and Black Mirror lose their integrity? Have either of them already done so? Would another Souls or The Witcher video game or two cheapen the series? Okay. I believe The Witcher won’t have another entry and if it did, another one would–most likely–cheapen the series.

It’s easy to see when a series loses its way after the fact, but most Rick and Morty fans will be watching the series when it jumps the proverbial great white some time during its next eight seasons. Cartoon Network renewed Rick and Morty for eight seasons and if the show makes it that long, which I don’t think it will, there’s a greater than 86 percent chance Rick and Morty will be a shell of itself. (Note: 86 percent of all made up statistics use the number 86.) The scarcity of something can add value and the projects that know when to call it quits, or at least when to hit the pause button, can be some of the best.

What made Star Wars fans hungry for more content after Return of the Jedi was that they had to wait 16 years for The Phantom Menace. With Disney increasing the production schedule to a Star Wars movie being released every twelve to eighteen months, few people have time to anticipate the next entry of the series. The same can be said of Marvel movies. To be fair, Marvel’s production schedule is like Star Wars on steroids: three to four movies a year. Yikes! Having said all this, I wonder if I’ve done too much with this site.

Eh. Uncle Geekly isn’t that talented anyway, so there isn’t that much quality to be lost with more frequent content. What are your thoughts on this subject? The idea of short runs adding to a project, not the quality of this blog. I may pass all blog complaints to Standard Issue Star Trek Geek Jim, so he can yell at me via yodeling telegram. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Getting into Shōjo Anime: Some Good Starters

Published on April 17, 2019September 8, 2024 by SeasonLeave a comment

It sounds as if Anime Season will take a break for the foreseeable future but before she leaves for an extended Otaku O’clock, she agreed to share her list of some good starter Shōjo anime. For those of you not in the know, Shōjo roughly translates to girl and Shōnen means boy, so we’ll be trading some ninjas wielding oversized swords for romance and slice of life stories with this list. Take it away, Anime Season.

My other write ups tend to explore Shōnen anime more than Shōjo anime. Shōjo isn’t a genre I watch as frequently but the following series are accessible in most legal streaming services (because, you know, Japan is cracking the whip on those illegal services, man).

Fruits Basket (2001-2003)

When it comes to starter Shōjo anime, Fruits Basket was one of the first ones I thought of. It has the basic Shōjo structure: Girl must live with—or near—a bunch of guys for plot related reasons, girl befriends the guys and doesn’t want to leave them, and a love triangle ensues. This structure sets up romance that most Shōjo series are known for.

However, in the case of Fruits Basket, there is a strange element that sets it apart from other Shōjo anime. I’ll spare the details since it’s included in every synopsis one can find about Fruits Basket. Since a lot of Shōjo have that romance structure there are some that added in an extra element to make themselves more unique. Fruits Basket incorporates the Chinese Zodiac, teaching viewers what each Zodiac is and encouraging them to learn more about it. It’s also pretty accessible and can be found through multiple streaming services. It’s easy to get into and helps one get accustomed to the Shōjo genre.

Fruits Basket has a straightforward story and continuity. For those who are just getting into anime and want to explore the Shōjo genre, Fruits Basket is one I’d recommend.

My Love Story!!/Ore Monogatari!! (2015)

If one is interested in cute plots featuring role reversal, My Love Story!! is a good start. It has an easy-to-follow storyline featuring the stereotypical best friend character in Shōjo anime as the lead. The main character Takeo wants focuses on getting a girlfriend, but none of the girls like him. His best friend Makoto has zero interest in girls, but every girl falls for him. Forget girls. Makoto has zero interest in anything. I don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to smack that bored look off his face.

Eventually, Gōda finds a girlfriend, Rinko Yamato, and a series of events follow. Gōda performs chivalrous acts and Rinko’s friends don’t approve of him because of his looks. The story is full of cute character moments (such as Rinko baking sweets for Gōda and him gushing over her baking) and takes the time developing each character. I’d recommend it for those looking for something that has a simplistic structure and good storyline.

Revolutionary Girl Utena/Shojo kakumei Utena (1997)

Who wants to be a prince? In the case of Utena Tenjō, that’s all she’s dreamed about since she was rescued by a prince at age eight. Eventually, she joins Ohtori Academy where she gets into the Dueling Game (challenges to possess the Rose Bride—Anthy—to “revolutionize the world”). Throughout the series Utena duels to protect Anthy while making friends along the way.

This series is a blend of Shōjo and Shōnen elements (such as the action scenes and the protagonist rising to be the strongest character). The series focuses on Utena’s nobility and features her aiding other characters. It has good character development and isn’t too long, spanning thirty-nine episodes. If nothing else, Revolutionary Girl Utena is worth the watch since it features a strong female protagonist who beats all the guys. I’d recommend it not only for those looking into the Shōjo genre but for those who enjoy strong female progatonists.

Final Thoughts

Not only are Fruits Basket, My Love Story!!, and Revolutionary Girl Utena great for those who are just getting into the Shōjo genre, but they’re rewatchable. I’ve found myself turning on Fruits Basket in the background on my tube TV I had mounted on a metal folding chair while doing my freshman science homework. Maybe that was more than you needed to know about my high school life.

Know of any other good Shōjo starter anime? Let us know in the comments.

3 Lists of 3 Anime: Take 1

Published on March 4, 2019September 8, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Your uncle Geekly may not be Anime Season, but he’s spent some time watching anime over the years and it may be time to share some anime for people who don’t watch anime and want to know where to begin. This may become a series of 3 Lists of 3, but it’ll differ somewhat from our typical For Starters series. A) I won’t go into too much detail, but I may break this rule on more than one occasion. B) I also want to take genres that people may be familiar with and share a few titles that could match one’s interests. Anime has a massive range of genres and subgenres and one can get lost trying to find something one likes. Think of this series of lists as if you like “fill-in-the-blank,” you may also like this title.

Disclaimer: Uncle Geekly refuses to take responsibility if you don’t like a series on one of these lists, even if you like the genre. Direct all complaints to the comments.

Superheroes

Superhero TV shows and movies dominate. Superhero novels—not graphic novels or comic books, but actual novels—infiltrate book stores, so this is a good place to start with this 3 List of 3.

My Hero Academia

On the surface My Hero Academia looks like standard superhero fare, but it takes an interesting turn or two and it holds a special cultural significance that few anime in any of these lists possess (more on that in a bit).

The superheroes of My Hero Academia have government and/or corporate sponsors. While I’ve seen government sponsored hero work in western superhero stories, I haven’t seen as many corporations backing superhero work. The inclusion of a capitalistic view on superheroes results in different motivations for each character. Some detest the commercialization of superhero work and push back, while others are only in it for the money. Viewers are sure to find a character, or two, they can relate to. There are even some heroes who only go into the business because of a family legacy or their families force them into the business.

The cultural significance comes in the form of taking risks or overcoming risk aversion. A lot of Japan is risk averse. For every great quote like Miyamoto’s “A delayed game is eventually good, a rushed game is bad forever” there are ones like the anonymous Nintendo executive’s “I only like to take risks if I know I’ll succeed.” If you know you’ll succeed, you’re not taking a risk. My Hero Academia’s main character Midoriya is the least likely superhero and must take risks. This series shows that it’s okay to take risks. It’s even okay to take a risk and fail; it’s what you do after a failure that defines who you are. Midoriya always gets back up—eventually—and younger Japanese generations are taking this lesson to heart.

One Punch Man

I struggled with putting One Punch Man on this list. It toes the line between parody and satire. On one hand, it’s the anime equivalent of the 1990s animated Tick. There are so many references to anime tropes and inside jokes that new anime viewers may not catch half of them. On the other hand, it takes a critical look at the all-powerful superhero and how lonely and boring their life must be if they’re never challenged—kind of an earthlier version of Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan. Does a lack of a struggle lead to apathy?

As the title implies main character Saitama can beat anyone with one punch. The superheroes in this title are government sponsored—yay, that again—and they obtain rank through a government program. Despite being able to beat enemies with one punch, Saitama is a lower rank than most other heroes. Effort goes a long way and Saitama views fighting as a bore.

No one can beat Saitama, and how did he obtain this power? A daily routine of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10KM run (which is a little under six and a quarter miles). That’s a good to great daily workout, but it hardly explains why he can beat people with a single punch. It’s hilarious and it does little to explain his hair loss (I’d like to know how to avoid that, asking for a friend), but it also shows how little Saitama exerts himself to achieve his goal of becoming a superhero. He possesses natural ability and it begs the question if one doesn’t have to struggle to obtain a goal, is the goal worthwhile?

But hey, One Punch Man is hilarious. Having a supervillain monologue for five minutes only to have Saitama take him down with one punch is great to watch, even if he can do it every time.

Claymore

Claymore is the one title in this list of 3 that won’t be for everyone. To be fair, most if not all the anime on these lists won’t be for everyone, but Claymore caters to a very specific comic book fan. Here’s looking at you, Buffy, Blade, and Morbius the Living Vampire fan boys and girls.

The titular claymores fight yoma, who are shape-shifting beings akin to ogres that feed on human flesh and blood. Claymores are only female and are created by cutting open these young women and implanting them with the flesh of another claymore or the flesh of a yoma. This horrifying process conjures a lot of images and can lead to plenty of interpretations. I won’t share mine here, but after you’ve seen the process of making a claymore, you’ll have a reaction.

The Claymore series follows Clare, the newest and lowest member of the group, as she travels from town to town fighting yoma. As she uncovers more of the mysteries surrounding the Organization (the ones behind the claymores), she becomes less inclined to follow this path. Of all the main characters from the anime in this list, Clare is the most reluctant hero. If that’s something that interests you, you should give Claymore a try. Claymore also does a great job of depicting a hero who partly becomes that which they hate and in turn, how that choice causes them to question with their own humanity.

Heroman

I’m cheating here a little bit, but I had to include Heroman as an honorable mention in this list because it was co-created by the late, great Stan Lee and features Stan Lee in anime form. We need more anime Stan Lee.

Firefly Fans

I’m amazed by how many anime could fill the void left by Firefly. In fact, Firefly borrows more than a little from some of these anime. Firefly can trace some of its influences back to at least a couple of the anime on this upcoming list—particularly the first two that came out five to seven years prior—so if a single season, one movie, and a few comic book series aren’t enough Firefly for you, you should try one or two of the following anime.

Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop had to make this list. Spike and company avoid the inner planets’ predominant government and travel the edge of the universe, collecting bounties. Along the way they befriend fugitives with hearts of gold and build their own makeshift family. Yep. That’s pretty much the Firefly formula, and Cowboy Bebop doesn’t take itself too seriously to boot.

Cowboy Bebop is one of the most respected anime of all time and a lot of that comes from series director and creator Shinichirō Watanabe beginning his writing process with the characters. Watanabe wanted the series to be character-driven and he had a definitive ending for Cowboy Bebop early on, citing that he didn’t want Cowboy Bebop to be like Star Trek, something he’d be tied with doing for the rest of his life.

Sometimes the best things in life are finite. The rarer something is the more valuable it becomes and speaking of rare, Cowboy Bebop is in rarified air. Each episode plays like its own mini-movie and that was another concept adopted by Joss Whedon’s Firefly.

Outlaw Star

Outlaw Star never received the critical or commercial success of Cowboy Bebop because it didn’t do enough to break away from a few clichés, but it’s still a series with some excellent moments and a good fit for folks who can’t get enough Firefly.

Again, we have a ship of misfits traveling the edges of the universe and avoiding the chaotic law of four governments, but this time the governments are weak, at best, and at war. Captain Gene and company must take on odd jobs to fund the ridiculous maintenance costs of the titular Outlaw Star spaceship. This, again, tracks with Firefly.

A bio-android Melfina is the only being capable of interfacing with the ship, but her past is shrouded in mystery, she doesn’t know why she exists, besides to pilot the Outlaw Star, and she has fragmented memories that reveal that she does have a higher purpose and greater abilities. Melfina’s character is like River Tam’s as she looks as if she’s 18, acts like she’s a young child, and the first Outlaw Star captain steals her away from one of the governments—that had bigger plans for her—in an oversized suitcase. Yep. That is, for the most part, River’s backstory, except she’s not an android—or is she?.

But that may be where the similarities end. Captain Gene resembles Captain Kirk if Kirk suffered from space sickness. Seriously, he sleeps with any alien with appropriate parts, but he must use a barf bag each time the Outlaw Star launches. That must be one of my favorite Outlaw Star ongoing gags, but Outlaw Star succumbs to these gags and that may be the chief reason it doesn’t get as much love. It’s not a long series and worth a try.

Space Dandy

The anime in this list have gone from serious with a touch of comedy to comedy with few serious themes. Space Dandy is first and foremost a parody of Firefly and other sci-fi shows. The titular Dandy, an alien bounty hunter who is “a dandy guy in space” explores the universe for rare aliens, so Space Dandy shares a lot with Star Trek if the crew of the USS Enterprise were imbeciles. Dandy and his crew (his robot assistant QT and feline-like friend Meow) have the best intentions, but they’re dimwitted and often make situations worse.

Space Dandy has loose continuity at best, since many episodes will feature Dandy, QT, and Meow getting trapped in another dimension or turned into zombies, only to see them back to normal the next episode with little to no explanation. There are plenty of references to older science fiction properties as well as ones for internet culture. Be ready for some dank Space Dandy memes, dudes.

Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk dominated the small and big screens in the 80s and 90s with Total Recall, Blade Runner, and 12 Monkeys to name a few. The subgenre slithered its way to Japan, resulting in cyberpunk as one of anime’s favorite subgenres. Me thinks there will be more than three to this list.

Ghost in the Shell

I had to start with this one. Major is the face of anime cyberpunk. Set in the future and blessed with high technology where cybernetic bodies (shells) become the norm the world of Ghost in the Shell still suffers from rising crime rates, and a new type of crime—cyber warfare—is given birth. Yes. Ghost in the Shell warned against cyber warfare before it was cool. Elusive hacktivist Puppet Master leads the Security Police Section 9 (the unit Major works for) into a corrupt political and corporate underbelly.

Stunning animation aside, Ghost in the Shell explores self-identity and procreation by means of mechanical replication. It shines a light on a society that prioritizes technological advancement without considering social issues. Some of these issues haunt Japan today. In Japan, there is a growing concern that some would rather reproduce by means of androids or pleasure themselves with robots instead of propagating the species. Japan’s recent population decline further fuels these concerns.

Ghost in the Shell is not only one of the greatest anime of all time, it’s a great science fiction experience and a great place to start for cyberpunk fans. Even though the series are great, I’d start with the original film.

Akira

Akira is another quintessential cyberpunk anime. Based in a 2019 dystopian Neo-Tokyo, Akira follows a teenage biker Tetsuo and his biker gang leader Shotaro Kaneda. Tetsuo’s psychic abilities may flirt with fantasy, but Akira’s setting and themes scream cyberpunk. Gang warfare and social inequality based on technological advancement abound.

Even non-anime fans know of Akira. This 90s anime phenomena raised the West’s awareness of the artform, and Akira has influenced a lot of live action movies outside of Japan that include The Matrix and Stranger Things. Tetsuo does have killer psychic abilities after all.

The Bubblegum Universe

The Bubblegum Universe (Bubblegum Crisis, A.D. Police Files, Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, and Parasite Dolls) ran off and on between 1987 and 2003, so it predates the other two entries—so far—on the cyberpunk anime list. Bubblegum Crisis is perhaps the best and most well-known of this bunch and it tells the story of an all-female group of mercenaries the Knight Sabers powered by exoskeletons. They fight rogue robots and if Iron Man is the Elvis of high-tech exoskeletons, the ladies of Bubblegum Crisis are the Ramones. Hey. Ho. Let’s go.

Bubblegum Crisis blends cyberpunk with a crime drama and even adds a splash of superheroes for good measure. It’s also one of the most visually stunning anime of the 80s. While cyberpunk tends to lean toward the dark and grim, the Knight Sabers and AD Police give it a positive spin.

Psycho-Pass

I told you that I’d sneak in another one on this list. Psycho-Pass is essentially Minority Report if the police used brain scans to determine whether someone will commit a crime or not instead of precognition. That said, Japan becomes one of the safest countries, but they give up some personal liberties in order to institute the Sybil system (the same system that determines if you can commit a crime), but the Sybil system can be manipulated and often is. Psycho-Pass shows a society where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the individual and presents a world where people are more likely to die from stress than criminal activity.

I know that I said I would stop with three, but there are too many great anime out there, especially cyberpunk anime, and at least I didn’t mention Battle Angel Alita—except that I just did and you should watch Battle Angel Alita before thinking about watching the Alita movie. The anime only ran for two episodes and it’s another great example of how society breaks down as a consequence of technological advances. A future where the have-nots must rummage through the refuse of the haves. Okay. I’m done; I promise.

I hope there are plenty of anime in these lists for you try out. If Uncle Geekly got something wrong, I’m sure you’ll let me know in the comments.

Death Note: The Anime is Better Than the Manga

Published on February 23, 2019September 8, 2024 by Season1 Comment

Is there snow in forecast or is it Anime Season? I’m sure our resident anime/manga geek Season appreciates the joke at her name’s expense. She’s going to break down why the Death Note anime is better than the manga. Take it away, Anime Season.

Usually, it’s the other way around, right? The manga typically doesn’t include huge filler arcs and has a more consistent flow than the anime. Typically. In the case of Death Note, not only does the format in which it’s presented in the anime suit it better, the ending has a more accurate depiction of a certain character in the anime than the manga. Spoiler alert. Let’s get started.

The first issue with the Death Note manga is the type of storytelling Ohba is presenting. Death Note is a detective story with supernatural elements and is dialogue heavy. I mean very dialogue heavy. Page after page of the Death Note manga contains blocks of text as each of the characters expresses their thoughts. This doesn’t allow for good flow in the manga since it’s easy to zone out in the sea of text. I had to go back on several occasions just to appreciate the artwork (which Obata did an amazing job of). In Death Note 13: How to Read, Ohba states that he cut down on a lot of the text. Dude, what did you originally have? Never mind. I don’t want to know.

As far as the anime goes with the dialogue, that much of it is fine. As a viewer, one doesn’t have to read the text (unless you’re watching it subbed) and can just listen and watch the characters’ reactions. Since it’s animated in this format, even if the characters talk a lot, they’re also moving and doing other things. For instance, L is always stacking or making something out of, say, coffee creamer pods, while he talks. This keeps the viewer engaged while progressing the story. The manga does show this, but since it’s depicted in a panel and the reader is focused on what L is saying, it gets lost. There is a segment in the manga (I believe it’s in volume 11—don’t quote me on that) that has several panels of pictures, showing what each of the characters is doing. More of that should have been included.

My second point contains major spoilers. Read at your own discretion. The ending in the anime made way more sense than the ending in the manga. For those who have seen Death Note in both formats and disagree with me, hear me out. In the anime, Light runs away, wounded, and collapses on a staircase in a warehouse, with Ryuk writing Light’s name down in his Death Note, killing him. In the manga, Light has a panic attack after getting shot several times and begs Ryuk to save him. Ryuk still writes Light’s name down in his Death Note and kills him. Ryuk killing Light was foreshadowed in both the manga and anime versions, so that was fine. Light freaking out in the manga and begging Ryuk for his life was not. That isn’t Light’s character. In Death Note 13: How to Read, Obata states that he wanted to express all of Light’s pent up emotions in one huge psychological breakdown. Basically, he wanted to draw Light in anguish just because he could. Again. That isn’t Light’s character.

A cult dedicated to Light (Kira) was also shown at the tail end of the manga. Why? I can understand that people still worship his ideals, but this makes it look like there’s going to be a part two to the story. I don’t think there will be twelve years after the final volume was published, but this is unnecessary. This is something the reader can infer based on the general public’s reception to Light throughout the series.

I’d recommend the Death Note anime over the manga, but that doesn’t mean the manga is horrible. I don’t think the Death Note concept suits the manga as well as it does the anime. For those who have seen the anime and are looking for something to read the manga will definitely keep you occupied for a while.

Did we miss anything? Do you agree with our arguments? Do you prefer the Death Note anime or the manga? Let us know in the comments.

The Orville, Discovery, Neither, or Both?

Published on February 2, 2019September 8, 2024 by JimLeave a comment

Standard Issue Star Trek Geek Jim came back with another Trek article, but he insists it isn’t a Trek article. The Orville isn’t exactly Star Trek—or it is. I may have to watch these shows and find out what he means. Fortunately for those of us who haven’t purchased the CBS App, Jim has consumed these shows and is willing to share his thoughts. Enjoy.

If the headline drew you in, then you must have seen it, the Keyboard Commandos arguing that The Orville is the only “real Trek” on TV today, or Star Trek: Discovery’s backers denouncing The Orville as frat-boy humor for bitter Trek fans who never understood Gene Roddenberry’s vision to begin with. Both shows are well into their second seasons by now, and I’ve recently caught up with both, so I wanted to take a moment to stop and look at each show, get into what’s working and what’s not.

The Orville: What’s Going Wrong?

Any show, in fact, any story, is about its characters. What happens is never as important as who it’s supposed to be happening to. The Orville offers some quality characters, and in the spirit of Star Trek, it puts them in not just physical jeopardy, but in ethical dilemmas that are sometimes hard for the viewer to reconcile. This, in and of itself, is a good thing, but legitimate criticism is due when those dilemmas don’t result in any noticeable changes to the characters involved. For example, not nearly as much has been made of the decision to change an infant’s gender at birth, in compliance with alien cultural practices, as the fact that Captain Mercer still pines for his ex-wife. This makes understanding the stakes on a week to week basis rather difficult and can be disengaging for an audience.

The Orville: What’s Going Right?

Contrary to what I’d expected, this show is not a Star Trek spoof. I say that because it isn’t a show that makes fun of itself. They don’t mock the thought of an idealized future for humanity. They don’t poke fun at the concept of an interplanetary alliance. The jokes in the show tend to be situational, as in snarky comments about given situations. Failing that, the humor comes from the quirky personalities of ship’s crew. The charge that The Orville showcases “frat boy” humor is, I think, more the result of an unfair comparison. Star Trek is a franchise that takes itself quite seriously. Jokes in the original series were almost completely limited to nothing more than a wry quip that might earn a moment’s side-eye under the arched brow of a stoic vulcan. In later Trek, Data offered some light-hearted moments as he read poetry or pet his cat, but the show never aimed too hard at making anyone laugh. Next to these, it’s not hard for anything meant to be funny to look juvenile. In this way, McFarlane’s show writes a love letter Star Trek without trying to be Star Trek.

Let’s talk about the other one, shall we?

Star Trek: Discovery: What’s Going Wrong?

I’m going to get some obvious points out the way. These are my primary objections to the show, and they’re far more about decisions made at the outset than anything any one episode has chosen to do. First, and I’ve said this before, having a show that depicts a utopian humanity that has conquered poverty and scarcity set behind a pay-wall is horrible. CBS should be airing this series on its network, and they’re insulting the material, and hurting its ratings by not doing so. Second, I am bored to death and beyond with prequels. Trek fans have been pining for a look at the post-Dominion War federation for years now. We’ve already gone back to Starfleet’s humble origins with Star Trek: Enterprise, and I believe audiences may well feel that anything that hasn’t been mentioned in fifty years of Trek before now, must not be all that interesting a part of the story. How can it be? It needs to either fit neatly into established canon, or ignore established canon. The season-one premise of offering audiences a look at the Federation in wartime is nothing new. Remember what I just said about The Dominion War? We’ve seen Starfleet at war. It was in Deep Space Nine, and those were some of the best episodes the franchise has ever produced, but it’s done. Lastly, making Michael Burnham Spock’s foster sister and dragging Sarek into the story undermines the show even more. It’s one thing for Captain Janeway to namedrop Picard, or for Torres to namedrop Data. It’s fine that Deep Space Nine begins with an uncomfortable meeting between Picard and Sisko in the aftermath of the battle at Wolf 359. None of those characters, Janeway or Sisko, leaned on Picard to make them interesting. Likewise, Picard was interesting before he met Kirk in the Nexus. There’s nothing about Burnham that means she can’t be an interesting character who can carry a show on her own, but by making Sarek (and now also Spock) recurring figures so early in the series, she’s not being given a chance to forge her own identity. She’s borrowing one from them. I could redouble this argument with a criticism about making Captain Pike the new captain of the U.S.S. Discovery, but it’s something that bothers me for a lot of the reasons I’ve already mentioned.

Star Trek: Discovery: What’s Going Right?

The “What’s Going Wrong” section of this write-up looks disproportionately long. I realize that, but when you discount the fact that the paywall and the setting as a prequel were always going to be points against it for me, the damage really isn’t all that bad. One of the common internet gripes about this show is its heavy-handed agenda, but let’s be honest. Star Trek has always had a heavy-handed agenda. In the interest of fairness, some people may be reacting to the feeling that politics are permeating everything nowadays. It’s become inescapable, and I find it exhausting in so much other media, but Star Trek has never been a place to go to escape social, ethical, or philosophical discussion. The fact that Discovery engages in this is probably the way in which it is truest to the spirit of the franchise. If you were to strip any Trek series of its social, political, and philosophical agendas, you’d be left with phaser battles and ship explosions to carry the series, which interestingly enough, leads to another complaint people make about Discovery. It’s too action-focused. I don’t agree here either. As I said, any Trek series features combat (which makes their claim of Starfleet not being a military outfit silly), but in the past, the limitations of television budget and special effects have hindered their ability to make the battle scenes impressive. With Netflix footing the bill for Discovery’s first season, the producers were able to add a lot of polish that fans of the franchise just aren’t used to seeing. That doesn’t mean the violence underneath that polish is anything new. So if you have a problem with agendas, and action sequences, why watch any Star Trek series? Without both of those, you don’t have much more than William Shatner or Jonathan Frakes making bedroom eyes at women in bodypaint and forehead prosthetics.

So Which One Works?

They both work. I truly enjoy both shows so far. Neither is perfect, and I hope to see each improve, but as is the case with so much media in Geekdom these days, I wish people could enjoy these for what they are. Neither needs to be bad for the other to be good. You don’t have to like each for the same reasons, because they don’t offer the same things. They aren’t trying to. If The Orville took itself too seriously, it would be a shameless ripoff. If it didn’t pick a demographic to target, it would fail because nothing is all that funny to everyone. If Discovery didn’t deviate from past series, it would have no chance to add something new to the franchise. Because it’s playing to a modern crowd, it stands to draw new fans who may end up deciding to go back and watch what came before it, gaining new attention for the older shows and ensuring what Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer had to say won’t dissolve into obscurity as their audiences age out. We’re fans of science fiction. New shows keep science fiction thriving. Let’s be glad about that.

3 Lists of 3 Star Trek: The Original Series

Published on January 28, 2019September 8, 2024 by JimLeave a comment

Jim handed me two Star Trek 3 Lists of 3 last month and somehow I only posted one of them. My bad. I don’t have a whip on hand, so I may have to flagellate myself with my back scratcher.

Thanks for the Trek article, Standard Issue Star Trek Geek Jim.

In my last Star Trek article, I listed The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine ahead of The Original Series. Lest some of our readers take that as a knock on The Original Series, I want now to give credit where it’s due and explore some of what makes TOS special.

Things to Love about Star Trek: The Original Series

Optimism

Each Star Trek series reflects its time in a certain way. Now, with everything happening in our twenty-four-hour-news world, it seems the product of that is post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. In the 1960s, we faces race riots, the Vietnam War, and the threat of mutually assured destruction with the USSR. Somehow, Star Trek managed to imagine a future that had taken all of that and persevered onto better things. I know, in Trek canon, there is an apocalyptic war, but we survive it and we prosper.

Diversity

In a time when Americans feared a communist takeover of the world, we see Chekov, a Russian, on the bridge of the Enterprise. Twenty years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we see a show put a person of Japanese ancestry, Sulu, on the bridge with Chekov. An African American woman, Uhura, is a bridge officer herself. This is the world we’re still striving for today.

Philosophy

Star Trek has always had episodes that posed philosophical questions, but it all began with The Original Series. Yes, there were plenty of episodes that focused on seducing green women, but TOS questioned its viewers with what we might do in a situation where we found ourselves the inferior life form, and how we might respond should a superior life form treat us as indifferently as we, at times, treat our own planet’s less evolved animals.

Best Characters

Captain Kirk

You knew he’d have to be here, so let’s skip the how and get into why he’s a special character without having to compare him to other Trek captains. James Kirk is the prototypical romantic idea of a starship captain. He’s young to hold such a high rank, he’s handsome and charismatic, but he’s also evolved in a way that fits with the idea of our future the show sets out. Yes, we can get into his sexual proclivity and criticize the character for that, but episodes like Balance of Terror and The Enemy Within do a great job of complicating Kirk as a character and showing an appreciation for his gentler nature, his respect for life, and the effects of the strain of command.

Spock

Another one you knew would have to make the cut, but let’s talk about why. Spock introduces us to Vulcans on the show, but he’s only half Vulcan. In that way, he’s a surrogate for the audience in understanding the differences between the races, but in another, very progressive way, he represents the joining of worlds the show hopes for, and what is mirrored in the civil rights movement of that time.

Bones

Doctor McCoy is gruff, old fashioned and at times, even a little backward in his thinking by comparison to the other characters aboard Enterprise. Somehow, however, there’s still a place for him. He’s still a part of that world, still thrives in it, and the crew is better for having him there. Maybe this is Roddenberry’s way of acknowledging there will always be holdouts where progress is concerned, and maybe that’s okay.

Things We Can Forgive

It’s Pollyanna

I love the optimism in Star Trek. It’s probably my favorite things about the franchise, but there are some things that get a little too sugar-coated. One thing that comes to mind is Gene Roddenberry’s insistence that currency does not exist in the Federation, despite references to “credits” in the show. Who would volunteer to scrub plasma conduits, or wear a red shirt in a landing party if they weren’t being paid? What does the Federation do if not enough people aspire to mine dilithium on colony worlds? Do they force them? That’s suddenly a much darker world, isn’t it? Even so, I’ll take a little wishful thinking over mindless pessimism. The issue of currency rarely comes up in the show anyway.

Retcons

For those who don’t know the term, “retcon” means retroactive continuity. In essence, it’s what happens when a story contradicts itself and needs to be explained away. The Klingons’ appearance, and the changing color scheme of crew members’ jerseys are examples of this in the show. Gene Roddenberry described himself as a notorious revisionist, and told fans whatever the most recent instance laid out should be taken as canon. Given that Star Trek boasts improvement and evolution as some of its major themes, can’t we accept a little revising now and then?

It didn’t do more

Simon Pegg, in promoting Star Trek: Beyond, expressed disappointment in the fact that some fans bristled at Sulu’s portrayal as homosexual in the movie. This was meant as an homage to George Takei, who originally portrayed the character, and is homosexual himself, but I think this portrayal may have undercut Roddenberry. We may feel discouraged by the intolerance we see in our daily lives today, but there’s no denying that whatever bigotry exists in our world, it isn’t the same as the institutionalized intolerance of the past. Some have said Gene Roddenberry would have loved to portray a gay character, but we have to remember he was facing bans in the south for having an interracial kiss on screen (Kirk and Uhura). Roddenberry may have wished he could push the envelope further. Today, an interracial kiss on screen isn’t even noteworthy, so before addressing the social issues Star Trek didn’t tackle, it’s only fair to acknowledge that we today aren’t up against the same things Roddenberry was in the 1960s.

Hopefully giving a little love to The Original Series assuages some of the perceived shade my last Trek article may have thrown in that direction. If you’re a die-hard fan of TOS, and you still feel I’ve wronged the classics, just remember that all I’ve really said is Star Trek is a franchise that has improved on itself. Would Gene Roddenberry have wanted it any other way?

Good Anime Filler

Published on January 12, 2019September 8, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Your uncle Geekly dabbles with anime. It’s not my forte, like it is Season’s, but I’ve watched enough to find some good examples of anime filler. Wait. There may be some of you who don’t know what anime filler is. Okay, here goes some background and a quick definition for the uninitiated.

Anime has rapid production schedules and usually an anime that’s based on a manga (Japanese comic) gets far ahead of the source material. It’s the same issue Game of Thrones has with George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire if Game of Thrones was on 49 weeks out of 52. Like I said, anime has a rapid—crazy!—production schedule.

To combat this, most of these anime add episodes into the storyline to mark time until the source material can get ahead. These extra episodes are “filler.” A lot of filler stinks, because they’re marking time for the source material to get caught up, but some good episodes have graced the small screen as a result too. This quick list will show some of those moments.

My Hero Academia (Everyone’s Internships)

I’m going to be honest. I watched My Hero Academia before reading any of the manga, and I’m glad I did. The way the My Hero Academia anime integrates the cast’s internships was so seamless that I didn’t know it was filler.

Full disclosure: this is My Hero Academia’s only episode of filler to date, but these internships fill the audience in on what every other classmate of UA Highschool (My Hero Academia has a massive cast) is doing while Midoriya, Todoroki, and Iida are facing Stain. Many fans call this episode their favorite. With so much character development going on, it’s easy to see why.

Cowboy Bebop (Toys in the Attic)

For a 26-episode anime, Cowboy Bebop has a shocking amount of filler, but a lot of that filler is great. Wait a minute. Cowboy Bebop and the show it inspired Firefly only have a runtime of just over 10 hours. What’s with 10 hours and shows of this type?

Anyway, “Toys in the Attic” is one of the best Cowboy Bebop episodes and it happens to be filler. An unknown poisonous creature terrorizes the crew, and they spend the bulk of the episode running from it and formulating plans to rid themselves of the creature, only to find that the creature is attracted to a fridge filled with moldy food.

Crap. I should’ve said spoilers before saying any of that because viewers fear for the crew’s safety and that’s in stark contrast with the moment they chuck the fridge out of the space station. For added levity, the episode ends with Ed eating the creature. Oh darn. Spoilers!

Naruto (Lesser characters during the filler between the two series)

Yeah, this one may be controversial because most Naruto fans hate the five or six seasons of filler between childhood Naruto and company and their young adulthood. But Naruto also happens to be a show where few people cite the title character as their favorite and so many characters, who are most likely viewers’ favorites, receive much needed airtime.

We’re talking the characters who weren’t a part of the main cast. Unfortunately, most of the filler involving the title character Naruto was unwatchable. Three words: Curry of Life.

Dragon Ball Z (Goku’s Ordeal)
Many fans would argue that Goku is anime’s answer for Superman. His power level is over 9000, and usually, he can do no wrong. Those powers don’t mean a thing in Goku’s Ordeal.

ChiChi asks Goku to do things around the house and that means that he needs to get a driver’s license—that lazy bum. This episode does a lot to humanize Goku as he struggles to complete day-to-day chores and fails during driving lessons. It also doesn’t hurt to have so much comedic mayhem.

Soul Eater (Excalibur)

This one is less a single episode and more of a character. Depending on who you ask, Excalibur is the best or worst part of Soul Eater.

While the legendary sentient blade who dubs himself the “Elder God of Madness Born from Rage,” appears in the manga, his character is more fleshed out in the anime. Fool! Excalibur says that a lot. Fool!

That might be why he’s polarizing. Oh, well. The Soul Eater anime wouldn’t get into nearly as many shenanigans if it wasn’t for Excalibur. A fight with King Arthur? Check. Screw around with Sherlock Holmes? Yep, that’s Excalibur’s doing. I could go on, but half the fun is not knowing what to expect.

Buffoon!

What’s your favorite anime filler? You can yell out your window, but make sure you punctuate each sentence with “Fool!”. Or you could leave a comment, and I may respond with an idiotic reply.