#I want a Foe list in a purely comedic way

[kakusu-shipping]

Thinking about redoing my Fictional Foe list and making it less Characters I the Real Human Person have Beef With and more Characters my Self-Inserts have Beef With in Canon

[ordinaryschmuck]

Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-20th place

Have you ever watched a series that started out astounding but slowly became blander with each season? It sucks, doesn’t it? To have a show that you love to watch nearly every episode to become something you regret watching. However, while this does become grating, I still believe that a show isn’t always bad if it slowly became so. Because if suitable elements are desirable enough, you have something that is honestly worth an initial watch.

#20-Star V.S. The Forces of Evil (2015-2019)

The Plot: A magical princess from another dimension, named Star Butterfly, finally gets a magic wand that has been passed down through her family for generations. There’s just one tiny winey little problem: She’s irresponsible with it in every way, shape, and form. So, to make sure that she doesn’t destroy the kingdom-I mean-to teach her responsibility, her parents abandon-I MEAN-transfer her to an ordinary school on Earth. There she meets her “best friend” Marco Diaz, and the two of them fight monsters who want the wand, save Star’s kingdom, and eventually get together at the end (It’s not a spoiler if it’s painfully obvious).

So here’s the thing about Star V.S. The Forces of Evil: It had a severe case of series rot. Again, I don’t think it was an overall bad show because of it. The series wouldn’t be on this list if that were true. However, while it isn’t bad, that doesn’t mean it deserves to be higher on the list. Mostly because everything that made this show wonderous ended up getting stuck in a limbo of mediocrity.

The first thing that’s worth mentioning is the animation. The first half of season one had some of the best-animated scenes out of every show in the 2010s. It was smooth, fast, and really expressive. Unfortunately, the rest of the series goes through a very noticeable downgrade. It isn’t bad (at least, it isn’t by season 2) as the slow animation can actually help the series during the more dramatic bits. It just gets a little frustrating given how great it used to be. In fact, I feel like the show’s animation quality is a perfect analogy for the show itself: Fast-paced and fun in the first couple of episodes, slow and passable in every episode after. And it’s not just the animation that got a downgrade, but the comedy as well.

At first, Star V.S. relied on a LOL Random sense of humor. A person can laugh at a random moment that comes out of nowhere, and even if they didn’t, there was another random joke that came shortly behind to make up for it. The problem is that a series needs to have the right energy to match fast-paced humor, and as we already established, this show lost that energy due to the animation’s downgrade. Because of the downgrade, the show had to adapt to the slow movements by switching from acting random to acting absurd. It’s still funny (sometimes), but not as hilarious as it used to be. Especially if people preferred the show’s original randomness. It’s like a show’s comedy switched from slapstick to dialogue exchanges. If done correctly, that could be funny, but nobody would have watched the series for its dialogue. The same can be said for Star V.S. the Forces of Evil, especially when it begins to mix said comedy with drama.

A trend people might notice during the 2010s is that shows begin as purely comedic, only to slowly become more dramatic. In some cases, it works, especially if a series has a perfect mix of comedy and drama. Sadly for Star V.S., the show has more of a contrast in tones than others. While certain shows had that required mix of comedy and tragedy only to slowly lose it, Star V.S. the Forces of Evil never really started with that mix. The jokes are funny, and the drama can be endearing, but here is the problem: If you are more of a fan of comedy, you will be bored with the dramatic episodes. And if you are a fan of drama, you will think that the comedic episodes are stupid and random. Which was what the show was from the beginning! The series used to be about Star and Marco going on some crazy adventure where they fend off iconic villains while having well-written jokes sprinkled in. Now it's about having characters going through serious stuff and occasionally doing something stupid and random. Speaking of the characters…

The characters in this show are...just fine. Some have the emotional depth to them, and others are nothing more than sources for comedy. Some of them are either really entertaining, are either really uninteresting and forgettable, or they are just flat out annoying (Case in point: Princess Ponyhead). However, there is one teeny-tiny issue that this show does with its characters that frustrate me: it’s the use of romantic subplots. Personally, I don’t mind romance. Hell, I fricken’ support it as long as it’s done well. And Star V.S. doesn’t do it well. 

Here’s the thing: Star and Marco will get together in the end, and it's apparent that they do. Don’t even pretend that it isn’t, and don’t complain if that’s a spoiler. Because they are two unrelated main characters of the opposite gender in a Disney cartoon. That alone should be enough to convince you that they’re going to eventually get together. And how do the writers utilize the relationship? Do they start off as a couple early, and the show continues on from there? Do they do a slow burn where they eventually get together by the end of the series? No, and sort of. You see, Star V.S. has the one cliche that everyone is just about tired of, and that is using a love triangle. But they just don’t use one love triangle. They use a love quadrilateral. And that love quadrilateral eventually devolves back into a love triangle, only to get replaced by another love triangle. And that love triangle turns into another love quadrilateral! And weirdly, that love quadrilateral is also a love quintuple! And if you want to add shipping into the mix, that love quintuple is a...shape that doesn’t even exist! And to top it all off, that love whatever-the-hell-you-wanna-call-it has Señor Marco Ubaldo Diaz in the center of it all! 

Look. If you want to include romance in your series, that’s perfectly fine. But if you wish to use love triangles, here’s some free advice: DON’T! DO IT! They force drama, are always unnecessary because it’s obvious who's gonna end up with who, and by the end of the day, someone’s gonna get hurt. And I don’t mean the characters. No, no, no. I mean the fans who were rooting for one couple or the other!

These are the reasons why I think Star V.S. the Forces of Evil lost its touch. I still like it, but these faults make it hard to do so. The problems this show has are either a downgrade from the first batch of episodes, are problems that become more noticeable as the series goes on, or are problems that are handled much better in other shows. That is, except for one reason that makes me recommend this show: The villains.

This show has some of the best, if not the best, villains out of any animated series in the 2010s. Ludo was hilarious as an incompetent foil to Star, only to become more unsettlingly psychotic throughout the series. There is a fantastic twist with Miss Heinous that actually makes her more terrifying and even more sympathetic. And I’m not kidding when I say that Toffee scares the utter-living crap out of me, even if his motivations are a little weak. The only villain I have problems with (kinda spoilers) is Mina, mostly because her motives are flat and her personality is unentertaining. But none of these characters, villain or otherwise, compare to Eclipsa.

The writers do a great job at dancing around answering whether, or not, Eclipsa is really a villain or is just misunderstood. She does things that are seen as evil and dangerous to others, but she doesn’t do them out of malicious intent. In fact, Eclipsa doesn’t even give off that much evil energy, and it seems like she just does whatever she thinks is fun. The writers also do a great job at not only making her motivations clear, but it also makes Eclipsa a fantastic mirror for Star. Whether it’s a mirror of what she could be or should be, I’ll let you decide for yourself. And yes, eventually, the show does answer whether she is friend or foe. But even then, her character doesn’t suffer but, rather, improves. Because the answer makes Eclipsa more sympathetic and much more understanding.

Unfortunately, these great characters aren’t enough for me to rank the show higher. It’s still a fun series at first, and I highly recommend it, but it doesn’t change how it’s a bit of a mess. In the end, while this Star doesn’t shine as bright as others, there are still things that make it shine bright enough. I know that’s a weird note to end on for a top twenty list, but just note that we only go up from here.

(But do yourself a favor and stop watching after season 3. Just...use your imagination for what happens in season 4. Trust me. It’s for the best.)

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Disney Classics

#4. The Lion King

As this list goes on I encourage people to remember that 1) I am ranking these movies as to what are my personal favourites as opposed to what I believe is the greatest movie, and 2) 5-2 do often oscillate so while The Lion King is #4 at the moment, it may not always be #4.

But there is no denying that The Lion King is definitely one of the best Disney movies out there, it just doesn’t happen to be my personal favourite despite many people potentially having reasons as to why it should be.

Much like Oliver & Company with the Dickensian foundations, I love a classic Shakespeare story with a Disney twist and The Lion King along with its sequel definitely incorporate two of The Bard’s best with this movie incorporating Hamlet.

It is a great idea to incorporate adult themes into children’s storytelling for the pure and simple reason that it acts as a gateway into Shakespeare even if the kids don’t realise or acknowledge it until years later when they’re forced to study it in secondary school.

But while The Lion King does bring in the mastery of Hamlet, it also stands on its own as a fantastic Disney movie. It is literally Shakespeare with lions and the advantages that this animated feature takes with that both elevates the original source material as well as giving people that may not be familiar with Shakespeare’s work, young and old, their first experience.

I compare it to imprinting where the version of a movie even if it’s a remake, or the version of the song you hear even if it’s a cover is traditionally the favourite of that story or song because it’s the first one you hear or see and in terms of movies or even songs the version that you may grow up with.

As I say, for me, I didn’t really know about Shakespeare until reaching secondary school and for that reason I of course would have found a version of a Shakespearean story in Disney form subliminally accessible.

But moving away from the Shakespeare comparisons, the movie holds up by itself, it just so happens that the story is essentially Hamlet with lions.

I said with Oliver & Company that I gravitate towards dog movies but I think as a child I simply gravitated towards animal movies, it just so happens that dogs became my favourite.

I just found it fascinating that you had relative human situations told through the eyes and mouths of animals particularly when you factor in that they play on the hierarchy of the Animal Kingdom with lions being royalty and how the food chain works.

It would be so easy to make an animated animal movie very corny and even square it at infants but somehow primarily up until the end of the Disney Renaissance Disney managed not to do that and The Lion King is the best example of an entirely animal-populated movie accessible to adults, kids, elders, teenagers, everybody you speak to when you talk about Disney Classics will talk about The Lion King.

In terms of characters, okay as a protagonist Simba is slightly bland. He’s very cute as a cub as far as animated lions go, Jonathan Taylor Thomas does a great job with his voice...but then when Matthew Broderick takes over as his adult self...that’s when he becomes slightly dull for me.

I mean it is almost as if his growth was stunted when his father died and he was effectively forced into exile, which they do explore rather well with the introduction of Timon and Pumbaa as giving him a way to effectively forget about his troubles...but I guess my problem with Simba is while he did face his fears and face up to his past, a lot of what went right for him in the movie really only went that way because he had help, whether from Nala, Timon and Pumbaa, even Rafiki.

Nala is slightly more interesting because she is the one that decides to take a stand against Scar and go out to find help...but obviously while she wasn’t expected to find Simba as she believed him dead...I’m not overly familiar with how quickly lions age but in the time that it took Simba to go from cub to adult...why didn’t Nala go out and find help beforehand?

Do I even need to talk about how great Mufasa is? It’s James Earl Jones who similar to Ming Na Wen has two sectors of the Disney Trifecta under his belt as a Star Wars villain and Disney Father, the only difference being that Jones was Vader before Disney acquired Star Wars but they’re under the same umbrella now.

Scar as a villain is possibly the campiest Disney male villain going and that includes Jafar, Radcliffe and Rattigan. Not only does it look like he’s wearing mascara but the way his melodramatics are apparent so much throughout the movie is just very funny but for the right reasons because he still remains a very threatening and menacing foe.

Timon and Pumbaa are the best examples of a Disney comedic duo, I struggle to think of a pairing this hilarious, it’s the way they quickly cement how strong their friendship is, how Timon is the brains while Pumbaa is the brawn and how they decide to raise Simba as their own.

Nathan Lane as Timon is also a great coo for the movie as his open and somewhat recognisable campy tones really lend themselves well to a character who at best could be bisexual given you never hear either talking about love interests.

Rafiki is my favourite character in the movie, much like how this movie made me realise I knew Shakespeare from an early age, it also made me realise I have had acknowledgement of my spiritual side since a young age as I am now of pagan beliefs and Rafiki is effectively a shaman.

The hyenas, particularly our main three Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, are really great secondary antagonists as they do fall into the category of comedic henchmen but before you know that they’re working for Scar they are just as fearsome and threatening in their own right.

I am relating back to Oliver & Company a lot but in this instance I am talking voice actors as Cheech Marin who was Tito the Chihuaua there is Banzai here and I do often think he is effectively playing the same character as when Tito is trying to act tough he sounds exactly like Banzai and both seem to have a gob on them.

But Whoopi Goldberg is definitely the standout for me out of those three. I love a lot of the voice cast here but Whoopi Goldberg, James Earl Jones and Rowan Atkinson are probably my favourites, with Nathan Lane, Jeremy Irons and Cheech Marin close behind.

Zazu is effectively similar to a lot of characters that Rowan Atkinson has portrayed so brilliantly before and after this but while his moments are great he is probably used the least out of the prominent characters.

Musically, it’s Elton John. I love Elton John, if I could sing a note in tune I would very much like to be Elton John and his music speaks absolute volumes. “Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” are the best songs in this movie. From the second that sun rises with that African chorus coming in at the start of the movie I’m smiling every time.

As for other songs “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”, “Be Prepared” and “Hakuna Matata” they are also great, and classics. There’s no denying this soundtrack, like a lot of the Disney Renaissance soundtracks, is great, and “Be Prepared” is a fantastic villain song, 

I mean Elton John did also compose “The Morning Report” but in his defence nobody is perfect.

This movie just has so many grand moments even as stills that simply resonate on the screen. From the “Circle of Life” sequence to “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” then you have the Wildebeest Stampede which any chance I have to see on the biggest screen possible I take. Even the quieter powerful scenes like when Simba formally meets Rafiki, that’s my personal favourite scene because it has comedy, drama and emotion flowing all the way through it.

Yes the live-action remake did not turn out great...but the only reason that is is because it practically did a shot-by-shot remake of the original. There is nothing overtly wrong with how this story is told and so you could say “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, but fans were hoping the remake would elevate the original not just make fans want to re-watch it more.

There’s nothing else I can say about this movie, it’s Shakespeare with lions and has some of the greatest scenes of both happy and sad feelings in Disney’s history.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[kakusu-shipping]

Fictional Foe List

I think the idea of Fictional Enemies is funny, and so I gathered some.

If you, reader, selfship with or just in general like any of these characters, FANTASTIC!!! I love that for you!! Please feel free to smash into my ask box and talk about them all you want! Always happy to hear from selfshippers in the same media as me!

Just know there's a hot chance my Self Insert would deck them in the face given the chance, or the other way around. Some people on this list don't like me.

I was originally gonna sort these in three categories like my crush list, but there's just not enough people on this list to do that.

Just know some of the beef listed is one sided, and some of it's mutual.

Kotaro Yanagisawa - Assassination Classroom

Gakuho Asano - Assassination Classroom

Yuga Aoyama - My Hero Academia

Enji Todoroki (Endeavor) - My Hero Academia

Keigo Takami (Hawks) - My Hero Academia

Kai Chisaki (Overhaul) - My Hero Academia

AFO - My Hero Academia

Jellal Fernandes - Fairy Tail

Zeref - Fairy Tail

Chilchuck - Dungeon Meshi

Shigure Sohma - Fruits Basket

Miharu Shimizu - Baka and Test

Riri - Romantic Killer

Phillip Wittebane (Belos) - The Owl House

The Joxter - Moominvalley

Nick Hoult - All Saints Street

Beetlejuice - Beetlejuice (Movie)

Ghetsis - Pokemon Black/White

Swordward and Sheildbert - Pokemon Sword

Carmine - Pokemon Scarlet

Ortega - Pokemon Scarlet

King Boo - Mario Series

Redd - Animal Crossing

Kris - Deltarune

Byakuya Togami - Danganronpa

Leon Kuwata - Danganronpa

Byakuya Togami - Danganronpa

Haiji Towa - Danganronpa UDG

Junpei Tenmyouji - Zero Escape

Sigma Klim - Zero Escape

Shuu Iwamine - Hatoful Boyfriend

Hanzo Shimada - Overwatch

Angela Ziegler - Overwatch

Magnificus - Inscryption

Cabadath - Chzo Mythos

Malcom Somerset - Chzo Mythos

Jacqueline Wolcott - Wayward Children