#animated tv

[inadvertently-biblical]

BOB'S BURGERS - S07 E08 | Ex Machtina

[vintage-tigre]

[matt0044]

I'm worried Adults Who Watch Kids Shows(TM) are becoming too easy of a punching bag.

Don’t get me wrong, there are indeed plenty who could stand to broaden their diet of art in terms of age demographic and maybe learn to judge storytelling with more nuance on that front.

However… I feel like they’re becoming too much of a thought terminating cliche in the realm of “It’s not that deep, bro, it’s just for kids.” As if media aimed at kids, especially in the animation department, isn’t worthy of any deeper analysis be it positive or negative.

Yes, sometimes you need to pull yourself out of a negativity spiral over something that’s targeted clear out of your age demographic.

By that same token, however…

Steven Universe, Avatar, Korra, what-have-you inspiring grown up audience members either to dissect it or show great appreciation for it on any level is a net positive.

It points to how art can make strides to be itself even in corporate studio spaces that are notorious for being all “Ah, it’s for kids, don’t get too artsy with it.”

And I worry that in trying to combat the discourse inspired by SU or Voltron, we’re swinging too hard in the other direction.

[4rachn1d]

Whilst I am not usually one for Headcannons after watching Transformers animated, I truly believe within my heart ot hearts that Starscream is both Transfem AND a girlfailure.

[doragonlw]

Showed my fiancé Over The Garden Wall for the first time, and he really enjoyed it!

Also rewatching the show reminded me of how much I loved this show, and it got me into the mood to make some fan art

[alfredstvthoughts]

Win or Lose - A review of the complete mini-series (8 episodes; 19 February - 12 March 2025)

In something of a departure from what I usually do here, I have decided to review the entirety of Pixar's recently concluded Disney+ mini-series Win or Lose. I have felt compelled to do so due to the series' sheer quality, the show has far surpassed my initially modest expectations for it, becoming one of the best shows I have ever watched in recent years and to express how much I've enjoyed it, this review was in order I felt. However, I have decided to review the whole series instead of individual episodes as I do for other shows because each episode is very intricately connected to the others and I felt it would be impossible to properly review each episode on an individual basis.

At a very basic level, the plot of Win or Lose revolves around the Pickles, a junior softball team who qualifies for the state championship after winning a game, with the conclusion of each episode taking place during that state championship game a week later.

But this basic description of the plot hardly even scratches the surface of what really goes on in the series and two episodes are even focused on characters who only have a peripheral connection to what happens on the field.

Each of the first seven episodes focuses on a specific character and what happens to them in that time period starting from the first game to the night of the state championship game, with the events being shown from their point of view. Each of these first seven episodes concludes at a crucial moment for their character during the state championship game. The eighth and final episode, while initially focusing on Coach Dan eventually brings each character's story arc to their conclusion while also ensuring the main plot gets it's ending too.

This unique approach to storytelling helps connect all the individual events that happen over the course of the series very nicely, particularly as several of these events are repeated from different characters' points of view. What can initially be seen as an unsympathetic act becomes more understandable as we experience the same event from another point of view.

To take an example, umpire and teacher Frank catches Rochelle attempting to pass a note to Kai during a classroom test which contains the test answers. While in his episode, the act is seen as poor behavior, with Rochelle and Kai justly punished for it, in Rochelle's episode we understand that Kai was not the intended recipient of the note but was really in the way of the true recipient and that Rochelle was simply doing this to help raise money for her to continue playing softball - she has resorted to running a business where she does other people's homework or helps them cheat on tests for a fee. Rochelle's desperation to raise the required money despite the fact she knows what she's doing is wrong makes the act more sympathetic and less a straightforward case of right or wrong. Additionally, the event is shown once more from Kai's point of view in her episode, showing how she reacts to the consequences.

Each of the characters are superbly written and the fact that each of the eight main characters have plenty of time to show their personalities means that we end up loving all of them and even initially unsympathetic characters like Yuwen (who in the first episode seems like a bully when he uploads a video of Laurie failing to hit the ball and shows it to her) end up becoming more likeable as we experience events from their point of view and share their emotional highs and lows.

My own personal favorite character in the show was Laurie, her struggles to be a good player and anxiety was something I found really relatable and I really wanted to her to do well, while she has a generally sweet and kind personality that made her even more loveable.

Another effective thing the show does is that in each episode, each character's emotions manifest in a unique way. Laurie's anxiety manifests in a creature called Sweaty who grows to ever larger sizes as she grows more anxious, while Yuwen's inner personality is depicted as a smaller, more adorable cardboard figure of himself that shows his true feelings. Ira meanwhile sees events through a sci-fi fantasy filter in which he sees himself as a hero.

After seven episodes of brilliance, the final episode ends the show on a high as we finally see more of the state championship game and see each character's story arc comes to a conclusion. I won't spoil the ending, but it's an excellent one that perhaps proves one thing: win or lose, the Pickles team is always there for each other and that it's the fun of playing and team camaraderie that truly counts.

Overall, I really enjoyed Win or Lose so much, this show has simply surprised me by it's utter quality to become one of the greatest shows of this decade so far. With it's unique storytelling, loveable and unique characters, superb writing and multiple perspectives, this is one show that will go down as an all-time classic. Indeed, I am sad that this show is now over, I would love a further series to see more of these characters one day!

[timmurleyart]

Together on Christmas.🎄❄️