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Bevy_OhDam
Reviews
The Amazing World of Gumball (2011)
A Perfect Show
The Amazing World of Gumball, in my opinion, is the golden standard for animated comedy. The humor is fantastic, appealing to both children and adults. The animation and production quality is unmatched. The characters are lovable and fun. Every episode is a new and unique adventure. I couldn't say enough about it. There is something so special about the combination of multiple mediums of design. For example, the photo realistic setting that houses characters of all kinds- flat 2D, old grainy retro characters, CGI characters, etc. It allows for so many possibilities and stories to tell. If you haven't watched this show yet, I promise you are missing out.
Servant (2019)
A slow decrescendo into nonsense.
I really wanted to like this show. And for most of the first season it was very gripping! But I soon realized that there was a clear lack of direction. Five or six episodes in and you're still waiting for anything to happen. There's so much buildup but no pay off. And when you do finally reach the climactic moments, you find they're a bit disappointing. It's a lot of waiting around and watching these people not act like real people.
And everything wrong with season one is magnified in season two. There is not a single bit of reason behind the actions of the characters. It feels like very inexperienced writing, but I'm sure it's more than that.
The characters just don't make sense. How has the marriage survived this long? Why are they living in this false reality? Why are certain conversations not being had? And I'm willing to grant moments of miscommunication or loss of words for the sake of drama, but this entire plot relies on the fact that nobody is willing to just talk about their dead baby. It's a trope that hardly works in much more light-hearted content. But in a show like this it's pretty distracting and inexcusable.
Overall the acting is good. But it can't make up for bad writing. I wouldn't recommend anyone watch. It starts out strong but leads nowhere.
Aquaman: King of Atlantis (2021)
It's just pure fun.
I really don't have anything negative to say about this show. It's incredibly fun and absolutely beautiful. What?! A show designed by the thundercats team is beautiful?!? YES. It looks so good. The world and environments are so well-designed and immersive. The colors are rich and juicy! I can't recall a single shot that I didn't find aesthetically appealing.
The character designs are silly and weird and yes, kinda ugly sometimes. But I think that's kinda the point? There is comedy in the absurdity of the contorted faces and ridiculous poses. And combine that with the clever and often subtle humor and you just might find yourself having a good chuckle throughout.
As many have said, this may not be your cup of tea. And that's perfectly fine. Maybe you wanted an anatomically correct, super serious, rippling pectoral, washboard abs, sweat glistening Aquaman (you'll actually still get that here...) and I get that. But I really believe that anyone willing to give this show a chance will find themselves having a good time. Despite the whimsical, careless style, this show has some really wonderful moments. The characters are lovable right from the start and despite the silliness you'll find that the show has a lot to say about self-doubt, feeling like an outsider, and rising to the occasion when given a difficult task. I don't know, it just has a lot of heart and I was glad I tuned in.
So, if you have it in you, please don't shoot this one down. It's great fun and I don't think anyone who watches with an open heart and mind will regret it.