The first episode of The Owl House season 3 has premiered so I’ve decided to give you my late thoughts on season 2. This review does contain spoilers so check out the 2nd season first. Season 2 begins right after the season finale of season 1. Because the portal was destroyed Luz needs to finds a way to get home. I honestly can’t think of a single bad episode from this season heck most of them would will up my top 10 favorite episodes list. What I also love is that each episode either progresses the story or shows the outcome of the previous episode. I don’t think there’s a single episode I would consider filler. Favorite episodes include Knock Knock Knocking on Hooty’s Door, Eclipse Lake, Follies at the Coven Day Parade, and the finale King’s Tide.

All the main and supporting characters get a lot of great character development and everyone gets at least one or two episodes to shine. I was surprised at King’s development especially in the finale. Season 2 really managed to make me despise Emperor Belos and Odalia Blight. I also liked the new characters introduced. Hunter is a nice addition; sure, his redemption did feel obvious but I think his arc was very well done. Eda’s childhood friend Raine Whispers was really likable who’s also the very first Disney non-binary character. The new villain the Collector was both adorable, hilarious and creepy and I’m really looking forward to see that they do with this character. Now I want to talk about Lumity who have pretty much become one of my favorite romantic relationships in fiction. My god these two are so adorable together.

Not only was season 2 of The Owl House just as good as the first season, it was even better. It is a shame that season 3 will just be only three-hour long episodes but I still can’t wait to see what happens next.

One month ago, Amphibia one of my favorite Disney cartoons aired its final episode. Since there’s so much to talk about the finale but I also want to talk about the rest of the season as well, for this review I’ve decided to split it two separate parts, the season in total and the final two episodes. Also SPOILER WARNING, so don’t read this unless you’ve seen the show.

I think having part 1 of season 3 take place on Earth was a clever change to the status quo. I find it funny that even in the regular world, the humans there are just as wacky and full of personality as the amphibians in Amphibia. I thought Anne’s parents were very likable, funny, and supportive. Having Matt Braly’s mother play Anne’s mother was also a sweet touch. Also, Domino might be the most accurate animated cat ever and considering I’m a cat person I absolutely love her. A lot of the episodes are the frogs adjusting to Earth until they find a way to return home and I think there a lot of fun. The 2nd half of season 3 starts with one of the best episodes Escape to Amphibia in which Anne and the Planters get home thanks to a bunch of characters they met. Most of the episodes here about Anne and Sasha creating an army to take down King Andrias and the Core.

The final episodes were emotional roller coasters and almost every character’s arc reached their climaxes in these episodes. The Penultimate episode “All In” is kind of the like the Battle of Minas Tirith from LOTR, not the last but it is the hugest battle in the show. The action scenes were awesome especially Anne going super sayan on Andrias and the fight between Sasha and Darcy. The final episode of The Hardest Thing has the Core use the moon as a final gambit to destroy everyone, kind of like Majora’s Mask but less than three days. All three girls going super sayan was wonderfully paid off.  The ending is one of the most bittersweet endings I’ve seen in an animated series with the girls leaving Amphibia forever but growing as better people. Anne’s speech at the end kind of sums up what we went through when the show ended how sometimes you have to let go but you’d be surprised what makes it way back to you.

Season 3 was Amphibia at its most funny, epic, and emotional and I love nearly every episode from it. Amphibia was a show that started good and got so much better throughout the show and I’m really happy that Matt Braly got to tell the story he really wanted to. Thank You Matt Braly, Brenda Wong, and to everyone who worked on this amazing show.  

I’ve said before that I don’t play video games but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect them. The most recent video game that I’ve been obsessed with is Cuphead. I love the old Fleischer inspired animation that really feels like it was made during the 40s. So, it makes sense for Cuphead to be adapted into a cartoon. The Cuphead Show was probably my most anticipated show on Netflix since Hilda. While the game has the feel of Fleischer this show sort of has the same feel as the 2013 Mickey Mouse shorts which developer of this show Dave Wasson also worked on.

Much like the video game, the animation here is incredible. The show uses a lot of old cartoon tricks to make it feel like it was made in the golden age of animation like live action set models. The film grain is such a great detail that gives the show such an old cartoon vibe to it. The characters have such great and hilarious facial expressions especially the Devil and King Dice. Honestly those two are my favorite characters. What helps are the great character designs and the voice talent and much like Hilda is spot on and I can’t think of better voice for any of the characters Luke Millington-Drake is both threatening and hilarious as the Devil and King Dice is perfectly voiced by Wayne Brady. I will admit one major problem so far is that some of the episode plots are a bit basic and ones I’ve seen in other cartoons but too be fair this show is based on old cartoons.

The Cuphead show is up there with Smiling Friends as one of the best new animated shows of 2022. Season 1 does end on a cliffhanger and more season are confirmed in the future so I will be very excited to see our favorite Cuphead, Mugman and devil return for season 2.

Before I start the review, I want to give my thoughts on season 2 as a whole. The whole road trip part helps build the world and adds a great change of pace. I really liked that Marcy played wonderfully by Kelly Hu isn’t just another Sasha. She’s very likable and I kind of relate to her. The idea of the three temples was really clever. Season 2 also made me realized how much I really like Anne. Brenda Song brings so much life into this role and her facial expressions are some of the bests in animation.    

Warning: this review contains huge SPOILERS. After being unexpectedly delayed and leaked the season 2 finale of Amphibia True Colors was finally premiered. Fun fact: this episode shares the same episode title from one of my favorite childhood shows Cyberchase. Just something funny to think about. I will be honest I kind of predicted what would happen. I knew Sasha and Grime would be defeated in the first half, King Andrias being the villain and Anne and her friends ending up on another world. While my predictions were on point that still didn’t stop this finale from being spectacular.

Marcy’s reason for stranding all three girls in Amphibia is understandable. King Andrias’s reveal may have been obvious but the crew really managed to make you hate this prick especially at the end. There are a lot of great moments such as the duel between Anne and Sasha, Polly getting her legs, Anne’s super saiyan form, but the scene that stood out to me and probably why this got delayed was Marcy getting stabbed. It’s not bloody but’s really gruesome and on camera, and we don’t even know if she’s going to be ok. It all ends with Anne and the Plantars stranded on earth. Such a great cliffhanger.

True Colors is the Disney equivalent of the season 2 finale of Nickelodeon’s Avatar the Last Airbender: The Crossroads of Destiny. This in my opinion is the best episode of Amphibia so far and I can’t wait to see what Matt Braly and the crew have in store for us in season 3. We may have returned to the real world but now it’s almost time leave again and return to the Boiling Isles.

Good news is we got a 4^th season of Infinity Train, the bad news is that it’s our last train ride. The review contains spoilers. Book 4 – Duet is about two best friends Min-Gi and Ryan. Ryan wants both of them to becomes musicians while Min-Gi wants to respect his parents’ wishes. This conflict gets them both on the Infinity Train. I always thought there should be a season where two people that know each other such as a kid and their parent, siblings, or a couple or in this case best friends both get on the train.

Min-Gi Park played by Johnny Young and Ryan Akagi both have a believable friendship. I like how their conflict isn’t just one sided both of them have moments where one of them is right but another time is wrong. The first episode cleverly uses split screen to show their lives. There dynamic (kind of) reminds me of my relationship with my brother (he’s more like Min-Gi and I’m more like Ryan). The character that I think stole the show was a floating service bell named Kez played by Minty Lewis who acts as Min-Gi and Ryan’s companion. She brings a lot of humor to the season but also a lot of threats due to her hurting a lot of the denizens.

The cars while I don’t think there were many as the previous seasons are still very creative such as a car that can change different eras, an old western town populated by bugs, and a giant kitchen home to a giant baby pig played by JK Simmons. This is probably the most standalone of the seasons and even the reveal of this season taking place before the first season doesn’t affect the story. I also kind of thought the ending was predictable but still a very heartwarming one to end on.

Book 4 Duet may not have had the most epic series finale to this epic show a good ending to a good final season to one of the best Cartoon Network shows ever. This may be my last review of Infinity Train but the ride isn’t over yet. My next post will be a ranking of the Infinity Train seasons in categories. Which was your favorite season of the show. Like and comment below.

Oh, a newlywed couple just moved to town. A regular husband and wife. Who left the big city to find a quiet life. WandaVision! She’s a magical gal in a small-town locale He’s a hubby who’s part machine. How will this duo fit in and fulfill all? By sharing a love like you’ve never seen. WandaVision!

Me reviewing a live action show? That’s new. Warning there are spoilers. WandaVision is the first miniseries from the MCU. The premise is about Wanda and Vision living a sitcom-like life after Avengers: Endgame. Each episode takes place in a different decade and the cliches and sitcoms referenced reflect the decade the episode takes place in. There are many references to sitcoms such as I Love Lucy, Full House, Malcom in the Middle, and Modern Family.

There’s a great sense of mystery in the first few episodes that makes you ask a lot of questions and gets you excited for the next episode. It’s kind of like watching Gravity Falls. It turns out to be an illusion created by Wanda as a way of coping with her grief and death of Vision. The reason for the sitcom is because Wanda used to watch these sitcoms with her family and it gave her happiness and comfort, at least until her parents died. It’s legit sad.  You know what Wanda doing isn’t right and it hurt everyone around but you understand where she’s coming from.

Both Wanda played by Elizabeth Olsen and Vision played by Paul Bettany are at their best here. Both work wonderfully off each other and the chemistry is really sweet. It makes it a lot sadder in the end when she has to let go of him. It was also nice to see characters from other Marvel movies such as Darcy (Thor 1-2), Jimmy Woo (Ant Man and the Wasp), and even Maria’s daughter (Captain Marvel). Kathryn Hahn was terrific as the main villain Agatha Hawkness, both being menacing and hilarious, sort of like a Disney villain.

It’s really great that the MCU is giving the spotlight to the minor heroes in the MCU. This show was just to start for many MCU shows to come such as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki. WandaVision showed that the MCU doesn’t only work in movie form and can shine on tv. WandaVision is a perfect swan song for the character of Vision while also being both mysterious, emotional and hilarious.

Craig McCracken is one of the most well-known creators in the animation industry. He’s created cartoons such as The Powerpuff Girls, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Wander Over Yonder, and his recent show on Netflix Kid Cosmic. Kid Cosmic is about a kid named Kid (that’s his actual name fyi) who dreams of becoming a superhero. He gets his chance when he comes 5 Cosmic Stones of Power and forms a superhero team. The idea of someone getting powers from a item from space isn’t anything new. Kid Cosmic is Craig McCracken’s first serialized series meaning each episode progresses the story and the characters. I also had no idea what direction this season was going especially in the 2^nd half. There’s an interesting plot twist near the end where these five aliens invade trying to get the stones but each one only wants one that turns out to be the last of there destroyed planet.

A lot of the strengths of this show are its characters, setting, and animation. The characters are really charming and likable particularly the main character Kid. He’s kind of like an American version of Midoriya from My Hero Academia, someone who wants to help instead of wanting glory. Unlike most superhero stories which take place in a huge city, Kid Cosmic has a more unique setting in the form of a small desert town in New Mexico. The animation is really good. It reminds me a lot of Tintin. Something I’ve noticed from Craig’s shows is while most creators such as Butch Hartman or Seth Macfarlane who have two shows have characters that look like they could be in the same universe, Craig’s shows each have a different style to them yet have the same feel to them.

In my opinion Kid Cosmic is my favorite of Craig McCracken’s work. Maybe it’s because now that I’m older I’m more interested in serialized shows such as Gravity Falls or Steven Universe. I’m really glad that Kid Cosmic is getting more seasons. I don’t normally watch superhero shows except My Hero Academia and Harley Quinn but Kid Cosmic managed to win me over.    

Christmas has come early this year. Hilda in case you don’t know is my favorite Netflix show and after two years season 2 has finally come. Every positive thing I said about the first season is still relevant here such as the animation, music, and characters. So, I’ll won’t waste time rehashing season 1’s review and instead talk about what stood out to me this season. Spoiler Warning! This season is darker than season 1 with more tense and emotional moments. I also liked how a lot of throwbacks from season 1 return this season such as the tide mice and ghosts and serve a purpose.

This season builds on the characters established in season 1 and gives them a lot more development such as Frida becoming a witch and David becoming brave and getting beheaded twice (it makes sense in context). Season 2 also introduced Erik Ahlberg who works well as a good antagonist for Hilda. Biggest development goes to the relationship between Hilda and her Mum which becomes a lot more confrontational this season (like in book 5). Johanna becomes more concerned about Hilda’s actions to the point where she grounds her for lying. Their relationship while tense still feels very genuine. Also, Andy Serkis was an amazing guest star.

Most of season 2’s episodes were great but my favorite episode this season and the entire series has to be Episode 9: The Deerfox where Twig runs away and Hilda goes looking for him. We see in flashbacks how Hilda and Twig met and we find out where Twig and the other deerfoxes came from. This episode had pretty much everything I love about the show. It was beautiful, emotional and even the ending made me cry. The only other show this year that made me cry was Primal’s Coven Of The Damned. I’d even say it’s the best cartoon episode of 2020.

Hilda really is such a unique show that isn’t like anything you’d see on Nickelodeon, Disney, or Cartoon Network. Season 2 ends on a cliffhanger but it has been confirmed that Hilda will return as a movie (probably based on book 6). Hilda season 2 was worth the wait especially this year and I’ll be looking forward to seeing out favorite blue haired adventurer again.   

The Owl House is another Disney cartoon where a girl goes into another dimension. The Owl House is about a girl named Luz who doesn’t fit in with reality but on her way to camp comes across a mysterious door that leads her to another dimension. She ends up becoming an apprentice to the witch Eda. This may seem similar to Amphibia but it is different enough to be its own thing. If I could describe this show it would be that this is gothic version of Little Witch Academia and Star vs the Forces of Evil mixed together with the writing and humor of Gravity Falls added to it.

The characters are really likable. Luz is funny, cute, and very relatable. You do feel for her since she doesn’t fit in with the real world but now she’s found a place where she can be herself. Eda is a great mentor character that isn’t ashamed about who she is and Wendie Malick gives so much life and charm to her. It also great to hear Alex Hirsh as King even if it does sound a lot like Bill Cipher. But my favorite character has to be Amity Blight played wonderfully by Mae Whitman (who ironically played my favorite Avatar character Katara). Even when she started out as a bully she was my favorite. I really like how much character development she’s given throughout the season. Every episode she’s in are my favorite episodes. I do wish she did more (or have a line) in the finale. FYI yes I do ship her and Luz.

This show has really interesting world building particularly with the covens. Each coven feels unique but the downside is that you’re only allowed to use that specific coven’s magic. This cleverly ties into the central theme of individuality. The show manages to blend overarching and standalone episodes very well. The writing, humor and atmosphere do seem similar to Gravity Falls which is not surprising since the creator Dana Terrace worked on that show.

The Owl House Season 1 managed to win me over and become one of the top tier Disney animated cartoons. I can’t decide whether I like Amphibia or this more, there both neck and neck. So far this is my favorite new cartoon of 2020 and I’m excited for season 2.

 

Hang on to them hats and glasses, ’cause this here’s the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness!

Spoiler warning: Unlike Books 1 and 2 which focused on Tulip and her mirror version, Infinity Train Book 3 focuses on Grace, leader of the Apex who are basically a darker take on Peter Pan and the lost boys. I think it’s clever that each book introduces the main character of the proceeding book. This season is a lot darker and edgier than the previous seasons showing the dangers of cults and more graphic deaths. This book is also more unpredictable and I had no idea which direction it was going.

The cars in this season were weak compared to the previous seasons. Other than the color car the other cars like the forest car, jungle car, and snowy car feel very basic and not very memorable. Despite that however this season feels more focused on the characters this time. Grace’s redemption arc is well done and I like how she becomes a better person throughout the book while her friend Simon becomes far worse. Simon is one of those villains that makes you question whether you should feel sorry or hate him which I think makes for a compelling villain. His (surprisingly brutal) death is probably why this aired on HBO Max instead of Cartoon Network. Hazel is really cute and Isabella Abiera’s performance gives a lot of feels especially after Tuba’s death. It was also great to see Amelia again and I like how she’s the one to call out Grace and Simon’s beliefs.

Here’s how I would rank the seasons so far: Book 1>Book 3>Book 2. Book 2 had more memorable cars and environments while Book 3 was a stronger character study but Book 1 I think has the whole package. Still Book 3 is a great continuation of this ambitious and thrilling “therapy” train ride.