the adventure's of puss in boots
1.1 9 years old, tv show, but not bad in animation quality (at least from the . definitely themes that the last wish touch on as well (of course that'll be the strongest point of comparison). love that the fight in episode 1 ends with a massive bluff "i can't defeat all of you, but i can defeat one. so which one of you will die?"
1.2 travel through different horrific lands. "yes, my friend, this is going to suck". the kingdom of darkness: just a dark screen a noises of people stumbling, and then doing it multiple times. the humour is spot on. that's a damn cool sphinx design, and telling us something about the character while not being overly obvious while in 3d show based on a movie? now that's surprising. sad that she's not in the next one, probably never to return, which makes the quality of design even more surprising.
1.3 you know, it takes some skill to make a funny "i hate my wife" joke, but they pulled it of. "i can never say no to a woman" "please pay your bar tab" "no" have i pointed out that this show nails the humour yet? puss vs ninja's? funny. but apparently not enough. puss vs teenage overly buff ninja pigs? now we're talking. also this show loves being dark in it's humour. how how the mean lady is apparently often crying. i wonder if that'll ever get depth, or is ever mentioned again instead of just being one dark joke.
1.4 "what's it like inside your head?" "wet and bloody".... i mean you're not wrong. at this point i'm just trying to convince people to watch the show because the humour is great. "it's not scary, it's just a bag stuffed with old dolls' heads" so many blink and you'll miss it jokes. why does dismemberment follow me everywhere? seriously what the fuck is up with that? why is it suddenly everywhere? at least it's clean and well cared for. this old guy be horny, in a kidshow. how is this a 2015 show? "you are crazy. but this is not new information" "nope". also recurring villain maybe?
1.5 standard episode: life here is too boring and an interesting old friend comes to steal the hero, but turns out to be a villain. will they play it straight (probably, he's designed as a villain), or will they do something more interesting. way too deep a thought for a short scene: so the orphanage is putting on a fake adventure, the costunes are brought out, and the buys very shortly argue over who gets to be a princess, until it's revealed that everyone who wants to can be a princess. here's what makes it so interesting: there is no joke outside of "the intrinsic funniness of buys wanting to be princesses". now while this could of course be setup for transphobic jokes later this honestly feels like it's just scene setting, just quaint town life, and the opposite of transphobic. i'm sure we won't see a trans character in this show (probably the closest being a queer coded villain) but this is nice. a simple message that everyone gets to be a princess if they want. again very cool monster design. like i want to steal this for my dnd game good. kind of a giant geko with a huge mouth and a lure like some fish have but with a fake pretty lady looking thing instead. my point of comparison is the kong-fu panda tv show which has the issue that it was extremely limited to always using the same assets. this show keeps bringing out amazing new designs every episode so far. also the message is damn strong. also neat that the standard plot was only really plot setup, it's never actually part of the plot, it never really comes into play. and for a boring plot now following up can be the best thing. the joke is that everyone wanted to be a princes. nothing about gender, just everyone wanted to be the same thing, nice. seriously, how come i never heard anything of this show? 2015. i'm pretty sure i watched some cartoons in 2015. did it never make it's way on dutch tv? i mean i've also never seen anyone talk about it online, something i think i'll have to correct at some point.
1.6 softpaws? nope, just a black cat. also the return of the sphinx which makes me happy. interesting that we get the more visually interesting sphinx sister first. so i've been watching a lot of TBSkyen and now want to kind of do a visual interpretation video like he often does on these two sisters. how the firsts inks and piercings make her read kind of Egyptian, alongside the naked cat stylings, while also indicating individuality and complexity, and how the lack of those in her sister suggests that she's simpler, which is true. one tells riddles, the other just tries to kill you. fuck why is this show so full of great dnd ideas. many magical fountains, each with different effects, like reverse gravity, talking backwards, and needing to say a word to undo it, which is hard with talking backwards, or induces fall damage after falling upwards for a while. fuck it, list time: fountain of invisible spiders, fountain of nausea, fountain of fire, fountain of itchy feet, just a regular fountain.
1.7 this serious continues to confuse me in a positive way in not making transphobic jokes. girly scream from the cowardly mayor? ok, that's prime setup right? sure, but they don't make the joke, it's just a scream that doesn't match the character design, but that's part of the general joke of the character: he's a coward who often hides in a barrel, but he's a huge buff dude who wouldn't even fit in the barrel. you get what i mean? puss doesn't burst in saying "i'll save you my lady" and then haha is a dude. he just bursts in to save someone. another standard plot: convince someone they are brave by pretending they defeat something, they they get overconfident and find real trouble and learn to reign it in or fully return to the status quo, wonder how they'll do it. damn, they did the getting too confident straight, but put enough good jokes in the scene to not make it awkward (hard to avoid), not to see if they can do the rest well. making Dulcinea (the female polite cat) do it because puss is too tired helps. "it's ok buddy, i'll read it to you" "you're a cute friend" subversion of expectation and cute as fuck, these are the joke i love. oh no, the man travels with a shadow over his face in spite of physics, he's definitely evil. surprisingly polite to those he thinks unwell though. and the standard plot continues. going with the "hopes and dreams dashed, but then shows bravery for reals". yep that's basically exactly what they did, with one funny in concept but sadly meh in execution fightscene. this isn't an episode you watch for the end, you watch for the jokes which are amazing.
1.8 human shrek is on the cover of the romance novel. blink and you'll miss it and i love it. oh no, puss ate xanathar's fish, and is now hunted by a Sinnamon smelling golem. this is so stupid in the best way. classic way for things to gain a soul too, it's neat. and damn does it make for a neat episode.
1.9 "let me gaze upon your golden booty" "i am uncomfortable" yes i'm still trying to get you to watch the show. oh a dust devil, neat. and that it's a demon is accurate to how people used to think about them (to my knowledge the origin of djinn). i think that was the first reuse of an asset i noticed (if you ignore the bandits): a sceptre that was broken in a previous episode. this is not a negative, just impressive that it took this long to use the same asset for a similar thing. also love that Dulcinea's arc so far is getting angry, but not like in a bad way.
1.10 excalibur? ok, this is an interesting take. generally not the angle of a reluctant hero (fun dnd PC backstory?). and the classic puss being pretty lost when he can't be the hero... starts to feel a bit overdone, but how many things can you do with him? also the animation touches are very nice. is this a story about cheating? because it sounds like a story about cheating, and with someone not getting over their ex. also this episode has some crazy good action. also this sword has a problem with asparagus.
1.11 uhm, that's not what sphynx looks like. where are her inks and piercings? did they accidentally use the wrong model? "well, technically medicine is the best medicine, but laughter is cheaper". wait what!? the cow barlady used to be an assassin?! also is this an episode about racism? like this could turn sour quickly. also what i think is clever but also semi noticeable is a cost cutting measure (honestly i've been noticing it for a while): if things don't move they aren't actually rendered in 3d, instead a single render is made of them and then it's a flat image that animation is rendered on top of. now this makes total sense to do: it's a lot less rendering so everything will be faster, which is a necessity if it's a tv show with tv show budget with 15 episodes. it allows for backgrounds that are relatively detailed unlike other 3d shows which are very often very plain. but if things look slightly off to you this may be why. damn, mature talk about wanting to do things but not doing it. this show is crazy. also damn that's one evil mouse. at least the sphynx petrified is the correct model.
1.12 that's just a god damn goblin. like literally called a goblin. and visually think dnd goblin... wild. also this is just about racism. mostly a pretty standard episode, but pusses unwavering belief is nice. and if a new person joins the cast that would make it even better.
1.13 earlier today episode? can always be fun. oh, Dulcinea gets to have puss' standard problem: feeling like he's no longer needed, and thus no longer him, thus problem. "i'll even write all of the stories myself. i will use all of the words. so many words!" and suddenly puss is talking like fucking trump. when puss thinks Dulcinea may be in legal troubles he'll immediately start helping her out, because pull aint no snitch lol. well now this episode conflicts with the last wish. Puss being against wishing stars here but going after it then? well, there is of course desperation
1.14 mother Mary the cat? so it'll be a puss' pride episode. the episode didn't have any big fightscenes, so instead the focus was put on the final dance. odd, but really fun.
1.15 a curse of bad luck turning puss into a black cat, that's just neat. wild that i had nothing more to say about it despite it being the last episode of season 1. oh well, on to season 2 i guess.
2.1 "puss in boots will eat a raw eggplant" they had to know, right? oh, everything appears rendered with the animation, no more pre rendered backdrops? or at least less so? again with the good character design: that is a baby dragon, not the mother you're going to have trouble with. ...why do these kids want lard?
random ass song. "like a baby with a moustache, or a princess also with a moustache" i have honestly no idea what the fuck this means. called it, that's good character design when from it you can predict future events.
2.2 direct reference to the last episode? that's new, and a good sign for things to come. i love a continuing story line. i swear that cabage looks earily similar to the skyrim cabbage. i get it: both 3d renderings of cabbage, but this is eerily similar. i get not wanting to set up a different cave, but i notice that this is the exact same cave they just fell out of. cloud hiccups, obscure joke to bring back but absolutely hilarious. and also the donkey eared bandit? and Dulcineas hatred of Jack stays fun.
2.3 big fan of the songs, even if i truly don't get them. new area unlocked with the new season? oh, mermaid. really interested in that design as there are so many direction to take it. and they took it in an interesting way... but the initial thing they do with it is... less so. entirely dark scaly, with a fish mouth with those thin little teeth, bulled in nose, and very large eyes. not conventually beautiful (nothing a monster fucker would say no to), but a unique take while still within the standard design. however puss tries to run away in a way of "she ugly" which is... very dull. what definitely makes this... worrisome is that she appears black coded (her fun take of hair tends to look kind of like dreadlocks, she has dark scales) and then making that character act ugly is... well lets just say i hope they have a good idea with this. oh, and she's evil. oh, and she has a mood disorder (she said it not me). fucking hell she is so toxic. and it's not discussed enough. yea, this is the first truly bad episode. like show would be better without this one in it.
2.4 episode of facing your fears. right in line with the last with. or maybe less so as this one seems to focus on facing that you have fears (i can tell you from experience that that's something good to talk about, even if it is to no one). puss is afraid of bees (why? they don't want to sting you. hell even wasps are fine) but has to get it out of the orphanage. but it's set up like a horror scene, just to add to the vibe puss is in, nice. oh, Pajuna has not come here to settle down, she's still in dark business. ok, i love this character design. kind of witch like, the hair that's basically an extension of the almost witch hat. the dress but way shorter with pants under them (undoubtedly also because cloth physics are something they try to avoid), marking on the face, it's all kind of... what if a witch was born in the year 2000(i have no concept of age, you know what i mean)? quickly looking it up and it appears she's the youngest of a group of witches. which is absolutely no surprise with her design. have i mentioned the designs in the show are great yet? brilliant way to further the message. to avoid being stung he had to be calm, so he has to beat his fear to be safe. though i think the episode would have been better without the last little conflict, though i guess the purpose of it was puss running into the same house now with a tone of been with no fear.
2.5 ah, the episode of "don't teach them to be like you, teach them to be them better". or maybe not. more an episode of "don't forget the substance among the prettiness". though the first message is literally said.
2.6 building directly of the last episode again? nice. enemies only come from outside, not within? i really hope that's a message that's shown to be false, because that shit prevents you from seeing the rise of things like nazies within the in group. nice version of the "we have a problem in the cockpit" "what is it?" "it's a small room in the front of the plane but that's not important right now". wait... omg this is a literal owl house. "there's something you think is weird?" yea with Artephius that's a scary concept. you made me feel for a building. that's impressive. well done. and ending with a prophecy of doom? nice.
2.7 somehow i never noticed that building was painted like a van gogh. oh. Dulcinea gets to wield the other, evil, sword... will this end with an epic Puss vs Dulcinea fight? or is she truly incorruptible, but perhaps pretend to be corrupted to satisfy the sword? will it fall in the hands of the big bandit, being an upgrade for him?.
lets also take a moment to appriciate the practicality of the evil sword. it's largely a scimitar, but has spikes like fire going up on the bladed side. aesthetically cool, but incredibly impractical. except that for most of the blade those are filled in with metal, making it a not serrated edge. only at the very bottom are those spikes actually spikes. while this does mean slightly less cutting potential the isn't a part that usually sees any actions. it's also structurally weaker, but it's a magic sword to that's unlikely to be a problem either. and instead it provides 2 spots an opponents sword could be caught in. so long as the blending of material and thinness in the lower blade don't produce problems it's a perfectly practical sword despite looking extremely fancy, magical, and evil.
omg, 6:40 in. Dulcinea holds the sword aloft, then lowers it, obscuring her face for a split second. in that split second her eyes go from regular blue to glowing red. AAAH it's so cool (yes i'm and edgy bitch). "you know this forest isn't the only think that's dense" sick burn from the sword. ... you ATE a person that was turned into a mouse before. no the fuck this mosquito is not the first thing you killed. but oh no, she's not incorruptible (also neat little faun design... why is he german?). while it may not make sense i love (cat) eyes becoming more slit like when they are evil/hunting (big round eyes are actually taking in more light so see more so are the eyes they have before attacking). also love that she cut the feather of his hat. it's in part it's probably a cost saving measure (less cloth physics, which is probably why he doesn't have a cloak either), but it's also him receiving a cut. damage. sure he gets banged up, but this is physical, see able damage. the drip of blood from the last wish that death deals him.
2.8 the prophesy of doom comes with an eclipse? somehow OSP is always perfectly relevant (ignoring all the times it isn't)
wait... how many people left? every adult goes out to adventure so they can have their boring lives back?... this may backfire. also not subtle foreshadowing is not subtle.... well hello heracless/zeus looking fucker. Tyrannus, god of thunder... so apparently gods are a thing? el mocho gets an eclectic guitar riff? epic. also love that the characters in the story by the kids talk with their own voice actors, but speaking like the kids. so when one kid talks they constantly say "did you know". damn, pickleboy has some good burns. he's scared of the all father? so i guess less zeus and more thor. also the not subtle foreshadowing is used interestingly. now i thought he point of this episode was "don't worry, these kids got the homefront while the adults are away", but they return at the end of the episode. so will future episodes go back to those adventures? or is that over and done with?
2.9 nope just over and done with... damn. colour me surprised. shows like this love their treasure hunts. the mole king was dumped... first question that should be asked, but wasn't for the sake of the plot: why? first through: oh neat new area. second thoughts overwhelmed by furry lesbian thoughts. Puss correcting pronouns... not what i expected, but surprisingly not cringe. also there's some assuming that all cultures are the same, but for a kids show that's... generally fine. it's odd that pretty and handsome are gendered. don't get me wrong, i want to be called pretty and not handsome in line with the arbitrary gender assignment they have, but it is odd.
2.10 speed reading... such a fake thing. on the one side it's nuts that the piece of treasure puss stole disappeared. on the other it's so thematic for it to be the final missing piece. damn, Dulcinea is moving beyond her book? character growth. so in a dnd game i'm playing a dragonborn armourer artificer who punches people a lot. i'm saying that because this villain is stealing my stick and it's weird. damn, desperation in Puss, punching the ground, being stopped by his friends. effective powerful moment. OMG the wizard Sino has returned. no that's not the omg thing, the omg thing is that OMG Artephius is Sino. at least i think. also this Sino that returned is probably fake. this Sino is not correct. is it his fault? partially (who makes a spell that's this easy to break?), but did he do it knowingly? no. he didn't chose to do anything wrong, and when he learned he did something wrong he vowed to correct for it. what moral judgement can be made against him? DAMN that cliff hanger.
2.11 do not question... well that's how you know he's evil. ah, the german satyr tells a proper german folktale: one that ends incredibly dark for no good reason. I KNEW IT ARTEPHIUS IS SINO! (all he said was "i used to have a robe just like it" but i'm 100% convinced now) "i would leave me if i could" damn that's a mood. OMG IT'S THE MOUSE! also nice to see the sphynx in action finally. you have only beaten one of us... ominous. also honest to god twist villain. What is a Blood Wolf?! omg how big is that thing!?! just OMG look at this. the city that's the central location for this show is ON IT'S BACK!!! AND THAT'S THE END OF THE SEASON!!!
3.1 damn, nice intro monologue from the evil fucker. sad that Dulcinea didn't punch him in the face, but i guess she's not there yet. and were is Puss? damn that's some good darkest hour Puss. and in a new way. we've had (will have?) Puss utterly terrified in the last wish, but this is Puss defeated, not physically but emotionally. and that's new and interesting to see. damn, for a moment i though we were going to have a plot of "everyone is too nice to Puss to not hurt his feelings more because we don't know if he can take it but that denial of reality is even more harmful" but it seems like we're taking the plot of "Puss feels utterly defeated and needs to learn that losing, even if it's really bad, doesn't mean you're to blame and/or that you should give up" which is the more interesting plot, if done well. damnit puss i was interested in Pajuna's backstory. you dick. puss with strings? well that made it into the last wish even if it'll likely not stick here. … court drama? not what i expected but i love it. even if it's too small a part of the episode. and a cliffhanger? oh how you spoil me.
3.2 of course that's what gets puss back into action. he gave up on himself deserving anything good, but nothing bad is allowed to come to his friends. and damn that's some good guitar fighting, which isn't the easiest to make work. the clever plan backfires in the long run. damn the fighting in this show really improved with the new season. only a special cat stands a chance against the bloodwolf. i guessing Dulcinea.
3.3 every episode builds on the last, if this continues i'll love it. and will puss face the idea of someone being better then him at what he does? he never handles that well. yay supportive father figure… also puss needs to stop making broken noises. "the colours, they smelly so salty" sadly there's not really anything to say for ugly duckling. she looks like a little duck/swan. but no clothes or identifying features to inform us of the character
3.4 yay assembling the gang (will we get a 5 man band? Puss leader, Dulcinea heart, El Guante Blanco smart guy/lancer, golem tough guy). but can puss accept that someone else is the muscle. i love a game of chicken with massive explosives. literally calling El Guante the brains, so i guess he has the smart guy role (though you can have 2). and Puss calls himself the face, which i count as proof that he's the leader, as if that wasn't obvious. "be free… again" i don't know, it's just beautiful. oh… now that's definitely a good choice for the lancer. the duchess? i mean the lancer is supposed to oppose the leader, be more morally grey then the leader, be the opposite of the leader. the duchess has been an antagonist so far so check for oppose, she's a villain so more morally grey check, and where Puss is physical swordsman the Duchess is technology and magic. a perfect lancer. and Dulcinea calls Puss the hero, in case there was any doubt Puss is the leader. if you have no clue what i'm talking about:
3.5 they are going to get a swordsman? damn, puss' pride won't like that. but he will take the advice that's given. that certainly is progress (though i'll still expect this to be a pride episode). and who do they get? the magic sword and his lover. and they are breaking up... that's no good for when they are recruited. and damn if that doesn't make for a much more interesting episode then pride. "i will have my vengence.... but first i will have my breakfast". show still funny. also interesting that the previous swordwielder appears to have fully left. it's neat that they are setting up the old sword with El Guante Blanco. but this does risk his smart guy role (as smart guy has too not really fill other roles. it's nice that they show puss and the good sword are incompatible not just because puss can't stop talking about himself. the good sword too has a very particular way he wants things done. also neat that puss recognises it and that the sword and blanco match well "two wielders in one day, you do get around" "you're one to talk, you'll have any fist that will take you" bloody hell, that's blatant. the team consists of: the heart (hey that's the title red gave the roll), the sword (wasn't he also the smart guy?), the muscle, the magic (that sounds a lot like the smart guy role, and the dutchess and the golem leaving together sets them up to be the smart guy tough guy duo), the giant cat bird thing (six ranger?), and the leader. very standard 5 man band if Blanco and sword fill a lancer role. and puss trying to come up with a name throughout the end credits, hilarious.
3.6 fun, an episode about leadership and that it has to come with doing less likeable things like not going with all plans of others. now if it was just puss learning that lesson it would be ok, but Dulcinea is also leading it, taking charge of the village. so lesson learned... with 5 minutes on the clock? how queer. excuse me since when can Dulcinea fight? i mean i love it, but when? damn Dulcinea putting the moll king in his place, ending with a subtle "i'll cut your neck" sign. gods i love it. and ending with a timeframe for when everything will go to shit. and we know they won't be able to fully stop it before the bloodwolf comes, because that's simply not how stories work.
3.7 "just as certain as i am that chickens come from the moon" puss gets a replicate, but it's dumn as fuck. well it is a unique twist on the standard plot. and Olly is failing misserably at being evil, fun episode all around.
3.8 no in on san lozenzo knows the concept of flipping a coin. honestly amazing idea for an episode. i'm suspecting a huge amount of gambling, ending with them ending one form of gambling and then finding another, like dice or something. Dulcinea thrown out but landing on her feet. don't know why, just really fun. oh damn puss is full on addicted. (oh wow he doesn't even land on hsi feet. especially in comparison to Dulcinea that is quite a strong visual) oh shit they are going so hard on how hard he is hit by this. love the detail of his ears being crooked. oh... ok... the gambing is bad, but the people who try to directly fight it are too... that's a damn nuanced take. they portray empathy and trying to educate people out of it as the most correct path, though not immediately effective. as i said: nuanced. also love that Dulcinea would come with the solution of cheating, especially with a coin with two heads. i'm so curious at to why she of all people would have such a thing. and i fucking called it (well, cards instead of dice, but basically the same thing.
3.9 huh, pickle kid doesn't like his birdday. now i'm really curious: will they make it ok for people to not like things others do, or is it a lesson in that sometimes it's a good idea to give things another try and/or try to enjoy it for the sake of others? huh, making him king of san lorenzo. now there is logic to this: make him feel special, that is what birthdays are about after all. however they are then going with a powerhungry story. again there is logic to this: yes your birthday is about you, but don't let that go to your head. however combining that with a "i don't like my birthday" story may lead to conflict. ok, the music with the music box, the exaggerated lighting, holy shit they are going for a mood here, i love it. green platter everywhere. especially on the site i watch it which turns greyscale when paused. truly makes it feel like a murderous tyrant... i love it.
3.10 one of episode with sky pirates? also love the captain. two eyes, he wears an eyepatch. also has an eye on hit forhead. fucking weird. also he's really sad, wonder if they'll handle it in a serious or joking way. wow, this really is an episode about grief. something seriously ominous about a ship with no one on it. a true ghost ship. god i should add that to my dnd game at some point. also these pirates are nicely animated. oh, pirate multi parter, neat. also amazing problem to end with "we know where the treasure is, but not where we are"
3.11 you are a mammal, why can you not swim?! oh, the mermaid is back. did not much like her last episode, hopefully this one is better. her design is still really neat, but it's still ugly coded which i still don't like. like yea it's alien in parts... so is the sphynx and she's not treated like this. oh, it's the male that gets pregnant, neat. makes sense, it's more common in aquatic species. well, this this is turning out to be an episode about people who should not be parents playing parents about to be parents... how will this not have a terrible ending? ok damn feejee actually has a really nice singing voice (also yes there's randomly a song) if only she wasn't stuck doing the "ugly" voice. oh wow that's really neat fighting: 3 merfolk barrolrolling around puss while stabbing at him with spears. such a great way for underwater fighting. nevermind, 3 parter. not a great episode, but... not terrible i guess.
3.12 they do a really good job with the captain, making it epic when he gets his grove back out of his funk. that... that was i'm pretty sure the exact same jungle sound effect as in lego racers 2. wow, this really is the sea of thieves episode: sail to a place, dig for treasure, fight skeletons over it. they made the parot he lost a twist badguy? i mean it's a twist, but the not twist would have been better as it's then a guy just dealing with having lost someone. ok, i love that giving controlled people their own ability to choice is a theme in this show. also love that they'll bring a skeleton army into San Alonzo.
3.13 well, damn, this is an episode about prejudice. a dangerous episode to do, especially as finally of a season. now in this case they are really outsiders, but making them chance to fit in is a dangerous road to travel. ok so having them pretend to be like others works out terribly, which is good, but i dread what will work. what is neat that it's (i think clearly) the people that are making themselves scared of the skeletons, not anything the skeletons are really doing. the only thing they did that make them conclude that they want to steal their skin is that they touched it in a not culturally appropriate way. ok, the skeletons won the towns people over by a good deed. now i think this was the best way to do this because it's not like this vibes as new or the bad message of "they are good because they are useful". they were, but it's not that they are good because they are useful, they were good and got to show it off. the story would have helped just as much if they were part of a bucket chain to stop fires. they were already doing their own thing to show their intentions. also in general i do love how the skeletons are animated. they are animated to be creepy, with camera angles to aid in this. because if you have skeleton creatures, especially animated, why have them move like people? also neat that uli wants to turn over a new leaf. lot of interesting places that could be taken. also instrumental metal halloweeny song? i love it.
