Channel Awesome Controversy Opinions/#ChangeTheChannel

As many of you may know, this blog was inspired by Doug Walker and his character, the Nostalgia Critic. When I created Reviews and Retrospectives, I took a page out of Walker's book with the intention of paying tribute and showing my respect to him. However, in light of the recent controversy surrounding him and Channel Awesome, I am slowly losing respect for him. I understand many of the grievances were caused by CEO Mike Michaud, but I can tell Walker and his brother were also part of the problem. They mistreated many of their fellow producers, such as Kaylyn Dickson (Marzgurl), Lewis Lovhaug (Linkara), and especially Allison Pregler (Obscurus Lupa). It sickens me that a man I looked up to, a man I idolized and saw as a source of inspiration was allowing these problems to happen. He had many opportunities to stand up and say something; despite being an advocate for freedom of speech, he did nothing to quell the fears and he still has yet to address them. I understand he may be afraid of Michaud, but because him and Rob have yet to say anything at this moment, Channel Awesome is going into the red; it is losing subscribers by the day and producers on the site are leaving at an alarming rate. Mr. Walker, I doubt you are reading this. However, if you are, you have to say something and somehow address this situation. One can not ignore a problem forever, and if it is left untouched for too long, it could kill the site. I have always dreamed of working for Channel Awesome, but after hearing of this controversy, I am not sure if I still want to. Until further notice, I think I will be limiting my viewing of Nostalgia Critic; knowing he was aware of these problems and did nothing to change them shows the truth behind his character. I idolized Walker for his advocacy toward the first amendment and equality for content creators; seeing he was partially behind the problems with his company, it makes him seem a tad hypocritical. All I can say is that my heart goes out to those affected over the years, and I pray Channel Awesome  can somehow make a change.

If you would like to learn more about the controversy, feel free to look at the google doc known as Not So Awesome: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WZFkR__B3Mk9EYQglvislMUx9HWvWhOaBP820UBa4dA/preview#heading=h.v89be0jiemu0

Is The Nostalgia Critic going "Nostalgia-Blind"?

(Disclaimer: This is by no means an attack on the Nostalgia Critic; it is simply to express my opinions on his recent "Disney Remake"-themed month, as well as my opinions of his recent reviews.)

Many of my longtime readers will know that I have always been a massive fan of Doug Walker's webshow, The Nostalgia Critic; matter of fact, it was one of the inspirations for this blog. However, I have began to notice a trend with his recent reviews, particularly those surrounding Disney's live action remakes. While I agreed with his opinions on Maleficent and Alice: Through the Looking Glass, I did not agree with his thoughts on The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast. I felt while he did a great job pointing out the latter two's flaws (and yes, there are some that are prevalent), he neglected to point out the positives of both. Essentially, he "tore the two films a new one" while putting the originals on a high pedestal and seemingly insinuating they are flawless.
The original Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast are amazing films, but they are certainly not as flawless as Walker implies. The Jungle Book (while it has great animation and storytelling) is somewhat lacking in character development, and has some instances rushed pacing. Beauty and the Beast; while it nailed the story and characters, it had various plot-holes and left viewers with so many questions such as "why is Agathe (the enchantress) cursing an eleven year old boy"? Walker seems to sidestep over these facts in his reviews, continuing to imply they have no flaws. However, when discussing their remakes, he seems to imply any of the changes made did more harm than good. I can agree with this on only two instances, the ending of The Jungle Book and Belle's developing relationship with the Beast.
Keeping Mowgli in the jungle essentially negates any development the character gained, making it seem like nothing has changed at all. As for Beauty and the Beast, it seemed like someone was pressing the fast-forward button on Belle and Beast's relationship. It was rushed, flawed, and it was not given the necessary amount of depth. We see them interacting, but we fail to see the spark until Something There; maybe afterward when Belle revisits her childhood home. As for the other changes that were made, I feel they improved the story.
The characters in The Jungle Book were depicted in a way that was a hybrid of their original Disney and Kipling counterparts. I feel the new version of Shere Khan was more intimidating than the original, hearkening back to how he was written by Kipling; as for Mowgli, I am glad they decided to make him a stronger character. In the original Disney film, I felt he acted more like a spoiled child. However (in all fairness), I did not like how Bill Murray's version of Baloo was manipulative toward Mowgli. In regard to Beauty and the Beast, while the changes could have been executed better, I feel they strengthened the story as a whole. Taking elements from the stage musical such as the castle staff slowly becoming inanimate raised the stakes of the curse, and added a stronger sense of urgency to the film's "race against the clock" aspect. Additionally, giving the characters a stronger backstory (such as that surrounding Belle's mother) allowed for a greater amount of depth and character development; it also gave her the ability to relate to Beast, who also lost his mother as a child. I feel Walker may be watching these films with "rose-colored" glasses. He holds the originals in such high regard, that he automatically dismisses new interpretations of these stories; completely ignoring the flaws of the source material.

Fullmetal February: Fullmetal Alchemist (2017 Film)

At last, we conclude Fullmetal February with a look at the most recent adaptation of Arakawa's beloved manga; the live action Fullmetal Alchemist movie! While I praise the two animated versions and the original manga, I have some mixed opinions about its transition into live action.

Like many other adaptations of Japanese anime and manga, the story is a highly condensed version of the source material's events. However, it corrects many of the mistakes Brotherhood made with its story; such as starting at the most logical point, Edward and Alphonse's first attempt at human transmutation. Comparatively, this film is the most faithful version of the Elric brothers' tale; albeit with some events receiving slight changes, switched around, or omitted entirely. As a result of the latter, major characters were also surprisingly omitted. I am not worried, since I believe some will make an appearance in the inevitable sequel. While I did not like their choice for the main antagonist, they managed to expand upon a minor character from the source material, and somehow connect them to the Homunculi.

My largest gripe with this film was the story and pacing; similar to Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, the film's director decided to severely truncate the plot in order to cram as much as possible into a two and a half hour timeframe. Consequently, this makes it difficult to connect with the characters and become engrossed with the story. I was hoping for a strong amount of character development and seeing my favorite plot points unfolding in live action. While I was treated to both to some degree, it ultimately left me wanting more and feeling disappointed as a result. The pacing was the film's biggest flaw, simply because so much is coming at you in such a short amount of time. Maybe to alleviate this, they could have split the movie into two and dedicated each film to a specific story arc from the manga.

In terms of characters, the actors portrayed each one as faithfully as possible; Edward was short-tempered and high strung, Winry was loving and always worried about the Elrics, and Alphonse was the group's voice of reason. I love how Maes Hughes was also given a larger amount of development and was upgraded to a major character in the film. He stole the show, and I was always excited to see him onscreen. While I despised Shou Tucker in the previous versions, I found him more tolerable in this one and I am thankful they left Nina's fate as ambiguous. It does beg the question, will she survive in the sequel, be killed offscreen, or be killed by a potential live action Scar?

Overall, I would say this film is a solid attempt at adapting Fullmetal Alchemist. It was not as bad as others have said, it is in desperate need of improvement. The framework for a good story is there, but the directors need to iron out the bugs in the pacing for the sequel. I am looking forward to the next installment of this series, and I am hopeful for a stronger film and the inclusion of omitted characters.

That concludes Fullmetal February, if you have suggestions for next February's anime month, feel free to email me at austinmmyers18@gmail.com and also please follow if you like my content!

Fullmetal February: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

(Blogger's Note: Sorry it is super late, something came up that I had to take care of before I could tend to the blog. The review of the FMA live action movie is still in the works, though.)

In the twenty-fifth volume of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, an announcement for a new anime adaptation was made. Unlike the previous version, this one would stay as faithful to the source material as possible; adapting storylines and characters that were previously unseen in the 2003 series. It would also receive high-definition visuals and brand new animation, unlike Dragon Ball Kai which simply used remastered footage of Dragonball Z. While it did deliver upon its promise, it had quite a few shortcomings.

For starters, the events that were previously seen in the 2003 series were highly condensed. As a result, it feels like this is a version of the story purely for the fans of Fullmetal Alchemist and for fans of the previous anime. It is not as "newcomer friendly" as one would expect. While there are some moments both series share, it takes viewing the original series and Brotherhood to truly understand what is going on. One moment in particular that definitely needed some expanding is the origin of the Elric Brothers. Unfortunately, it is severely truncated into a single episode. As a result, there are moments that the 2003 version proved to be more faithful than the series that is purportedly "manga-accurate". The first episode is also one created exclusively for this series, with the manga's true start not happening until episode three. If you are debating between the two series, then I would recommend watching both; watch the original up to its equivalent point in Brotherhood, then simply watch the latter until the end (or switching back and forth between the two). Despite its shortcomings in terms of story, it is a massive improvement over both the manga and the original. For starters, the viewer is finally treated to Arakawa's original ending and villain!

The characters' personalities and designs remain faithful to the manga, capturing the look of Arakawa's original illustrations. Consequently, it makes the viewer feel like they are watching the manga being played out before them as it was originally intended. Additionally, the characters' clothes have been restored to their original colorations, such as the darker shades of red for Edward's cloak and Winry's bandanna being green (unlike the original series in which it was red). We are also introduced to characters not seen in the original, such as those hailing from the country of Xing.

Overall, while I do enjoy this version of Fullmetal Alchemist as opposed to its 2003 counterpart, it is wrought with many flaws. However, if you are looking for a condensed version of the story, (maybe to prepare for the live action movie) then this series would be perfect for you. If you are looking for something that goes into a greater amount of detail, then I would suggest going with the original anime or the manga. Brotherhood is severely abridged, but it thankfully tells the story without giving any unnecessary details.

Fullmetal February: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003 Anime Series)

(Source: Wikipedia.org)

The journey to Fullmetal Alchemist's live action movie continues! In this post, we will be analyzing the first of the two anime adaptations of Hiromu Arakawa's classic manga. This version, simply titled Fullmetal Alchemist, aired in Japan from October 4, 2003 to October 2, 2004. Like the manga it is based on, the story centers around two brothers named Edward and Alphonse Elric; after a failed attempt to resurrect their mother using human transmutation, the two set off on a journey to find the fabled philosopher's stone so they can restore their original bodies.

This series remains mostly faithful to the original manga, to a certain point in the story; afterwards, it follows a mostly original plotline since Arakawa was not finished with the manga at the time. Coincidentally, some elements of this plot would be re-used in the closing chapters of the canon story and in the next anime adaptation. However, while it heavily deviated from the source material, the plots they did adapt from the manga were handled pretty faithfully. Ironically enough, some parts of the story were handled more faithfully than Brotherhood; an anime meant to be based more on the source material. Unfortunately, the anime-exclusive material is wrought with various problems.

For starters, the rules of the universe in this version are painfully inconsistent with both the manga and in this continuity. In many episodes, the rules seem to change to suit the current storyline; such as those surrounding the seal bonding Alphonse's soul to the suit of armor. In the manga (and some parts of the anime), if he were to get wet, the seal would wash off and Al's soul would be lost. Despite that, Al is thrown into bodies of water multiple times and still manages to keep the seal intact. Additionally, alchemists seem to use their abilities however they please; if they were to do so in the manga (Edward and Al's taboo aside), they would be court marshaled immediately! The second problem with this series concerns a certain character created exclusively for it; the homunculus known as "Wrath". In my opinion, he is one annoying child; he whines so much, it makes the infamous Caillou seem grateful (and we all know he is far from it).

Despite the grating negatives of this series, there are also a slew of positives it created by telling its own story. While the artificial philosopher's stones and the gate of truth were merely glossed over in Arakawa's version of the story, this anime expands upon them and creates their own lore surrounding these aspects of the world. It also reveals their true purpose for the gate and later expands upon it in the movie, Conqueror of Shamballa. 

Overall, this version of Fullmetal Alchemist is definitely worth watching. It expands upon Arakawa's source material and does it beautifully, while also providing a story of its own after a certain point. However, if you are a purist and prefer something much closer to the manga, then I would recommend either reading said manga or simply watching 2009's adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

How to Make a Michael Bay Movie (Satirical)

Step 1- Hire Megan Fox, and cast her as the main lead. The average audience will follow her more than the true main characters, anyway. 

Step 2- Have explosions every five seconds; explosions are awesome so let's put a ton of them in!

Step 3- Make it as edgy as possible. Lighthearted is so overrated! 

Step 4- Make the title characters the side characters; make Megan Fox the main focus of the film.

Step 5- Make the same film over and over again, nobody will notice... (oh wait, we do!) 

Fullmetal February: Fullmetal Alchemist Manga

(Source: Wikipedia)

In celebration of the live action movie's Netflix release on February 19, 2018, I thought I would dedicate the month of February to reviewing other adaptations of the manga Fullmetal Alchemist. If this theme month is positively received, I may make February a theme month for other anime series such as Dragonball, Naruto, and My Hero Academia. To begin Fullmetal February, let's take a look at the source material; Hiromu Arakawa's manga, Fullmetal Alchemist.

The manga ran from July 12, 2001 to June 12, 2010 in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan, and follows the adventures of young brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric. The series takes place in a world where the concept of alchemy is as prevalent (if not more) than regular science. After a botched attempt to resurrect their mother through the forbidden use of human transmutation, Edward is left without an arm and leg and Alphonse is merely a soul fused to a suit of armor. To reverse the repercussions of their misdeed, the two brothers join the military in an attempt to seek out the mythological Philosopher's Stone. However, trouble stalks them from every turn; during their journey they are pursued by a scarred man from the nation of Ishval, as well as a group of artifical humans known as "Homunculi". As a whole, the series explores themes such as Alchemy vs. Science, the concept of human mortality, religion, and the consequences of defying nature for personal gain. Initially, this was not a series I could get invested in; and I would usually turn away after a certain point; matter of fact, the first attempts at going through this series would put me to sleep (then again, I was reading/watching this series late at night after school). However, after my concept art teacher started talking about it, I became curious and began digging into this gem once again. The manga, like its anime adaptations, is relatively short at a length of only 108 chapters across 27 volumes. Essentially, it is a pretty quick read as opposed to series such as One Piece and Naruto. The series has multiple twists, ending every chapter with the viewer desperately wanting to know what will happen next to the Elric Brothers. Will they ever get their bodies back? Will they find the Philosopher's Stone? Will they defeat the Homunculi? You will just have to read to find out; however, if you are illiterate or are too lazy to read, there are two anime adaptations as well. The first being released in 2003 and the second being released in 2009. I will not go into much detail about them since I plan to dedicate blog posts to these two versions, but they are both accurate representations of the source material! Give any of the three a look, you will definitely not regret it. My only warning is that this series is a violent one, considering one element is war.