Thank you, Nostalgia Critic!

My mentor and my student

In most forms of media, the reader or viewer will encounter a character of a specific archetype,

known as “the mentor.” The purpose of the mentor character is to guide the protagonist, (or

protagonists) and teach the necessary lessons they need to learn to overcome various obstacles

throughout the story. However, sometimes the mentor also becomes the sacrificial character, either to

protect their students or for a greater good. Common examples of this archetype include biblical

characters such as Moses, Jesus, Elizabeth, and even God himself in some instances served as a mentor.

In modern media, mentor characters include Zordon from the long lasting Power Rangers series, Obi

Wan from Star Wars, Mufasa from the Disney film The Lion King, and finally Mickey Mouse and

Master Yen Sid from the popular video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. The mentor character also

serves to assist in the growth of the main characters, with the latter sometimes becoming mentor

figures themselves. This archetype does not exist merely in fictional media, but in the real world as

well, as humans are constantly being taught by others and passing down the knowledge they learned. I

write using personal experience, because in my lifetime I have been both the student and the mentor,

being taught by a man who grew up facing adversity in his life and has had many years worth of life

lessons to teach, and as that knowledge was taught to me, I would soon pass on the knowledge to a

young woman who was but a few months younger than me.

When I was of the age of twelve, I had become a student of what was formerly known as

Oregon Trail Junior High School. Thinking this was a chance to begin anew once again, I had tried

constantly to make friends and strong bonds with other students. However, with the exception of a few,

the students I attempted to make friends with harassed me and teased me mercilessly, with one instance a fellow student grabbed me so tight he left a series of bruises on my arm. Because of the

bullying I faced, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to remain forever alone without a true

friend by my side. At that moment, I met a man who would soon teach me that I was not the only one

who faced adversity in life. This man I met faced adversity growing up on the streets of New York,

having to spend most of his childhood working to make ends meet. In his high school years, he

participated in various sports such as football, which allowed him to obtain a scholarship to Ottawa

University after his four years of secondary education. After his education in Ottawa, he became a

science teacher and football coach, eventually becoming principal of Oregon Trail Junior High School

in Olathe, Kansas.

Years later, this man became a part of the staff of the Olathe School District's North

Lindenwood Support Center and a member of the Olathe Optimist Organization. In 2005, he became

the mentor of a frail, young, adolescent boy who had faced typical middle school troubles of his own

such as being excessively bullied and harassed by his fellow classmates and peers. The man taught the

young boy various life lessons such as the value of education, the value of hard work (going even so

far as to offer him a part time job assisting in restocking vending machines), and the ability to take

action and stand up for himself. That boy the man took under his wing almost seven years ago was

myself. With the knowledge and wisdom I obtained from my friend and mentor, I was able to grow

stronger as a person and step out of my comfort zone as well. Because of his teachings, I gained the

courage to stand up for myself and not allow myself to be harassed that easily, even though the

harassment from others kept coming more and more. From the man, I gained the tactics of ignoring

what the person is saying, being witty and reflecting their cruel jokes back at them, which kept me safe

in the years succeeding my first meeting with him. Three years after our first meeting, I was promoted

from Oregon Trail Junior High School to Olathe Northwest High School, where I would meet a young

woman who would soon become my best friend, my girlfriend, and my own student to pass down the

knowledge my teacher passed down to me.

My student has also faced a bit of adversity in her life, just as I have and my mentor before me.

At the age of eighteen months, she was adopted by a family living in wyandotte county at the time.

Soon after, her parents adopted two more young children, one a year older and another six years

younger than she. Like myself, she was always curious about the world around her, wondering daily

about the mysteries of her own life.

At age fifteen, like myself, she enrolled in Olathe Northwest High School. We first met in our

Physical Education class after I nearly tripped on my shoelace on the track (I was not good at shoe

tying as a kid, and I was in a hurry that day because I was still getting used to my class schedule).

When we introduced ourselves, we could sense we were both nervous as we were both the first friends

of each other at our new educational institution. As our friendship progressed, we began to teach each

other various life lessons, her teaching me not to be so serious and be more open sometimes, (as I was

not a big fan of asking for too much at the time and usually kept my emotions locked and hidden from

others, due to years of facing harassment at Oregon Trail) and like what my mentor taught me as well,

to stand up for my beliefs and goals. I taught her what I was taught as well, the value of education and

a strong work ethic, setting goals and dreams for the future, as well as teaching her to use her hidden

potential. Like with my mentor, we acted as a form of support to each other. For example, in November

2009, a family member of mine pulled a stunt that upset me for about a week. I was so upset for that

week, I would not talk to anyone, let alone my own friend and student. She approached me one day in

the morning before school and just looked at me. She then reached out to me and hugged me while

saying, “everything will be okay, we are all here for you.” The funny thing was, she did not even know

what was going on, and I tried to keep a silent smile while hiding my anger at the betrayal of the

family member who hurt me and broke my heart only a week before, so I spent the day wondering

how she even knew I was upset the past week. There have also been a few times when I have been

there for her and helped her out, such as when she learned a guy she had feelings for was the same guy

that was harassing me in my eCommunications class, which was a huge shock for her as she was oblivious to what had been happening. My hope is that someday, she will pass on the knowledge I

taught her down to a student of her own, and that student of hers will continue the cycle.

These two have expressed, (quoted from my grandmother) “knowledge beyond [their] years” to

the point where they have been known to express high signs of intelligence. After all, my mentor was

also a science teacher before becoming a principal of my former junior high school, and my student has

the potential to be in honors courses during her college years, which is her academic goal as she

prepares to start college and study criminal justice. I consider these two part of my emotional support

group, knowing that I can ask them advice and they will not judge me whatsoever. I can engage in a

mature conversation with these two and express my opinions on a situation occurring in the world,

whether it may be political, economic, or international, such as my strong democratic opinions and my

strong religious beliefs. Like I have said before, with these two, I have been able to grow as a person,

physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Many people may wonder about these two, “where are they now?” My mentor retired in 2011

and is now living peacefully with his wife in Gardner, Kansas, though he occasionally visits the

Walmart in which I am currently employed at. Matter of fact, his most recent visit inspired me to write

this essay as it made me think of his teachings and how I passed them down to my own student. My

student, however, has also relocated and is now experiencing her first job and is preparing to study

criminal justice.

My Opinions on The Brady Bunch

When one thinks of the television genre known as sitcom, what shows would you think? Happy Days, Full House, Family Matters, Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and Raising Hope are ones I particularly enjoy. However, there are those I do NOT enjoy, such as the one I am discussing today, a 1964 to 1970 sitcom known as The Brady Bunch. The plot centers around a married couple, their six kids, and their bumbling maid and housekeeper, Alice. The characters, as iconic as they are, are at most static with little development in the first few seasons. Matter of fact, the most development they have during the first few seasons is during the pilot episode. As a child visiting my Aunt Julie and Uncle Brian, I would end up at some point of my visit watching this on their television in the basement, so at most the only times I have seen this show is when I went to visit them or when there was nothing else on television. Honestly, despite the fanbase this show has, I am not a fan at all. I find the show rather difficult to watch, even when I am bored and nothing else is on, finding very few episodes and storylines enjoyable. One prime example is an episode I saw before work, which pertained to Marsha getting a high school boyfriend, whom her older brother disapproved of. The reason for his disapproval was because the guy took his spot on the basketball team. In response to his disapproval, Marsha continues her relationship out of retaliation and spite. There is one thing I find wrong about that episode, the concept of "revenge dating." Revenge dating is the concept of dating to make another mad or jealous, which is what Marsha did in the episode. I do not know how the episode ended, but I am sure it did not end well for the three it pertained to. If anyone knows how the episode ended, please comment and let me know, or at least send me a youtube or veoh link. Overall, the series may have a good fanbase and many sequels and spinoffs, (which I will not review) I am not a fan at all, nor do I like this series. I do not find the characters funny or interesting. In fact, I had to ask my grandmother on what the name of the oldest Brady daughter was named. However, maybe it is because I have not watched it enough to like it, maybe it is an acquired taste like children get when Super Sentai changes plots and characters every year in Japan, but right now I do not like it, and I do not wish to have much to do with it at the time. However, maybe someday that will change, and if it does, I will let you know on here.

Video Review information

Hello people of the internet, I thought I would just get on and give an update and explaining what I said in my review of Kyoryuger. I have decided to take the path of the video reviewer, doing reviews similar to the Nostalgia Critic and Linkara of Channel Awesome. However, my reviews will not be ripping the movies I choose a new one, and will instead be looking at both the good and bad aspects of the film. Most of the reviews, but not all of them, will have a storyline attached to them pertaining to the film or television show I review. For example (spoiler alert) my Aladdin review (which will serve as the pilot to the series) will center around the Genie in the modern day escaping a descendant of Jafar and requesting the assistance of my reviewer character. I will also be doing multipart retrospectives on television shows from the 70s-90s, such as Full House, Pokémon, Dragon Ball (original, Z and GT), and Power Rangers (Mighty Morphin - Megaforce). The retrospectives will go through each show, season by season, plus any film adaptations they may have had along with the production history of each series and the trials the producers went through to get the show on the air. There are two reasons to these reviews, one, to express my opinions on a form of media, and two, to tide me over until I am ready to film my extended fan remake of Disney's Aladdin. When I start filming and working on Aladdin, I will go back to doing text reviews for a short time, but all film related stuff will go towards the Aladdin remake, such as trailers, behind the scenes, etc.

Disney Infinity, a Disney Skylanders?

As I wake up in the mornings before school, I like to check the news of the day on my 3rd Generation iPad. As I was scrolling through the news I see an article about a game known as "Disney Infinity," which pulled me in just by the title at first, but when I read it, I was turned off because it is the Skylanders series and format, only with Disney characters such as Sulley from Monsters Inc. and Captain Jack Sparrow. According to the articles, each figure contains a different story included in the character that follows the plot of the film it is based on, which is a deviation from Skylanders, and apparently it will have the same online capabilities as Toy Story 3 via their toy-box mode. I only have one thing to say to Disney about this game, if you want a good Disney crossover game, keep working on Kingdom Hearts III. Disney Infinity does not seem that appealing to me, it may seem as such to some, but to me, I focus more on originality. What's next, Sonic Skylanders?

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Alright, today's review is one of two movies that I used to love as a kid, though looking at it now, the positive impact they had on me decreased significantly. The main reasons are mainly due to the history behind them, the plot of the films themselves, and how they hold up and compare to the franchise they represent. What are the two films I am reviewing today, you may ask? None other than the terrible and critically panned films based on the beloved Power Rangers series, with a special guest reviewer, my younger brother, the talented and hyperactive and witty Aidan Lewis. *applause* He watched these movies with me the last time I had to watch him, and his opinions and my own were similar.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, all I can say is that this is one of those films that should have stuck to the style of the television series it adapted instead of changing so much, but hey, at least we still get the White Ranger and fan favorite, Tommy Oliver! *applause* The film begins with (as Linkara of thatguywiththeglasses.com would say) our "unrealistically goody good" heroes participating in a charity skydive event. Meanwhile at a construction site in the city of Angel Grove, California, a group of construction workers uncover an egg shaped prison known as a "hyperlock chamber" which contains either
A. The film's versions of Rita and Zedd, the television show's antagonists (Based on Bandora and Gorma, respectively)

B. A new antagonist made specifically for the film

C. Absolutely nothing and the egg serves no purpose to the plot whatsoever

If you picked B, you are absolutely correct, because the hyperlock chamber, opened by Rita and Zedd, contains none other than our cheesy, comedic, lothor-esque (Power Rangers Ninja Storm reference for those who did not watch past Mighty Morphin/Zyuranger). It seems the motive for Ooze is to get revenge on the rangers' leader and Mentor, a floating head in a time warp known as
Zordon. In my opinion, throughout the course of the entirety of Power Rangers, Zordon was the best mentor character in the series, and they should revive him for the upcoming anniversary season, unless the new mentor character, Gosei, is meant to be his reincarnation or something (Note: He's not, and in my opinion, nice disguise Tommy Oliver, but I figured out it's you behind the tiki head.) Back to the plot of the film, the Rangers explore the construction site and come across Ooze's footsoldiers, which prompts Tommy into saying the iconic phrase "It's Morphing time!" However, in the midst of the battle, the rangers lose their powers due to Zordon being attacked by Ivan Ooze, who infiltrated the command center and completely annihilates it, even going so far as to short circuit Zordon's robotic assistant, Alpha 5, voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz for all the Invader Zim fans out there (sorry, no Zim review anytime soon). Upon arriving at the Command Center, we see Zordon on his deathbed finally in a humanish form, who instructs the rangers to travel to Phados to obtain the "Greater Power", and I do not mean anything you would find in Gokaiger. After obtaining the greater power of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Okay, I made a Gokaiger reference, but that is the only one I shall make) and brand new zords based on the mecha of the sentai "Ninja Sentai Kakuranger", the rangers return to earth to defeat Ooze. The strange thing is that for a kids film, it takes a kick in between the legs to defeat Ooze and send him flying into his own comet. Overall, the film itself does hold up in some aspects, but the plot is dated and it is not canon to the series itself, but it did foreshadow events to come in season three of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

The dark side of Caillou? The Light side of Caillou?

Before we begin this review, I must say... what in the world has happened to children's television nowadays? Especially for the younger ones, the toddlers who are just starting out in the world and are still quite unaware of their surroundings outside the home. Because of this, I feel I must review and address what is known as one of the most controversial children's shows in both America and Canada... Caillou. I also must say, I used to enjoy this show as a younger kid, but looking back, the reaction I have now is the complete opposite to my reaction as a young child. Nowadays, I absolutely despise the show and cannot stand it at all! The main reason is because of the title character himself. Caillou, as the show is advertised, is a typical unknowing four year old. However, there is a darker side to this young child.... he is a bit.... annoying. He sets a negative example for the children who watch his show, by seemingly showing the way to get whatever you want is to just throw a fit until your parents give in and do it. That is not how it works in the real world, trust me. However, there are some other positive lessons the show teaches life lessons such as sharing and frienship, plus the power of (insert spongebob reference here) imaginaaaaation, and it can be argued that the good lessons outweigh the bad hidden messages. However, if I were to create a kids' show for young toddlers and preschoolers, I would not put in the negative lesson Caillou taught children before it got cancelled. Once again, I apologize to those young fans of the show, especially the five year old and the eight year old, well formerly eight year old, he's nine now, for slamming this down, but I felt I must express my thoughts and opinions on this childrens' show in a short review, and in my opinion, I hope this show fades into oblivion and obscurity someday.

First episode impressions: Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

Alright, for this post, which may be my last text based one for a while before switching to video reviews that parody the nostalgia critic somewhat (no I am not following the example set by that awful Irate Gamer), I am going to be giving my first impression on the first episode of the newest installment of the long running Japanese franchise, Super Sentai. This year, once again for the third time, we are treated to a sentai based around dinosaurs, and judging by the opening, this time there is no yellow ranger! I can probably imagine how this will anger American fans when this series gets adapted into the Power Rangers series around 2017. Overall, the plot of the episode is good, though I cannot get over the fact that they do not do the morphing sequences like they used to, instead it is all done in realtime in the middle of the action, rather than in front of a green screen. Also, the morph, like in the season before, is less detailed than its predecessors, which also makes me mad. Despite the inferior quality morphing sequence, it is a good throwback to the seasons I watched here in America.