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twistedtummies2 · 2 years ago

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Marvin the Martian in the Golden Age - "Least Good" to Best

Recently, I made a list of my favorite Looney Tunes characters. Right at the top of that list was our favorite martian, Marvin. I’m not sure why this little destroyer of worlds is my favorite in the Looney Tunes cast, but he is, and always has been. What’s interesting about Marvin is that he’s actually a lot more prominent today than he was back during the Golden Age of the Looney Tunes, back in their theatrical cartoon days. In that time, out of the hundreds of Looney Tunes made, Marvin only appeared in five cartoon short subjects. But over time, the character evolved, and creators began to use him more in a wide array of projects. This year, not only is Warner Bros. turning one hundred years old, but it marks the 75th anniversary of Marvin, as a character. I therefore thought it would be fun to look at Marvin’s track record onscreen, and talk about some of my favorites of his appearances. And, since it IS a celebration of Marvin, I figured I’d do this in the form of two separate lists: one dedicated to his early Golden Age shorts, and one dedicated to…well…basically everything else. With that said, this countdown is a ranking of the five cartoons Marvin appeared in during the Golden Age of the Looney Tunes. While I personally enjoy all five of these shorts, naturally I like some more or less than others. So, for the first half of this celebration of my favorite Looney Toon, here’s a little ranking I like to call “Marvin the Martian in the Golden Age - Least Good to Best.”

5. Mad as a Mars Hare.

Marvin’s final appearance in the Golden Age. This was, believe it or not, the first Golden Age cartoon with the character I think I ever saw, and it’s not a bad final trumpet sound for the martian to go out on. The story begins with Marvin not planning to DESTROY Earth, but instead simply studying it from his hideaway on Mars. Bugs Bunny is sent rocketing into space (not wholly voluntarily). The mission lands him on Mars (after crashing through Marvin’s observatory). The Martian, believing Bugs to be a threat, proceeds to use a few of his gadgets to try and either destroy the rabbit or transform him into a mind-warped servant. As you can probably guess from the image used here, it doesn’t go the way Marvin anticipated. I love the beginning of this cartoon, as well as the way it ends, and Marvin and Bugs each have some good lines, but I feel the cartoon is a bit too simple for its own good, with a lot less going on through the midsection. This was late into the Golden Age of the Looney Tunes, when the animation department and other creative areas were starting to lose both budget and steam. While it’s still a good cartoon, it does feel somewhat weaker than earlier cartoons that came before it, and perhaps that’s the reason why.

4. Haredevil Hare.

Right on the heels of the Martian’s last outing, we now have Marvin’s very first appearance. It’s an alright character introduction, in my opinion. The plot is pretty simple: Bugs Bunny is sent into space (against his will) for a science experiment, just as would be the case years later in “Mad as a Mars Hare.” Not long after landing on the Moon, however, Marvin the Martian arrives, planning to use an Explosive Space Modulator to blow up the Earth. Bugs steals the device to prevent this, so Marvin sics his alien pet dog, K-9, on the rascally rabbit. Hijinks then ensue. The cartoon established a lot about Marvin; many of the gags and character distinctions in this short would be repeated in later outings with the Martian, and his design would remain largely unchanged through the decades following. However, while this is a solid START for Marvin, that’s also exactly what it feels like: a START. I think a lot of the jokes and elements present here would be expanded and improved upon in some later shorts. Most notably, Marvin’s voice in his first appearance is quite different from his later appearances: instead of a prim, proper, only somewhat nasally performance, Mel Blanc’s first voice for Marvin literally sounds like a stereotypical nerd with a bad cold. You can see why they changed it later on; if Marvin had used this voice for the rest of time, I get the feeling he’d be a lot less beloved.

3. The Hasty Hare.

This was Marvin’s second appearance, and in my opinion, it’s the point where the character really got cemented and became the Marvin we know and love best today. (For one thing, this is the cartoon where his now-well-known voice was properly set.) This is sort of funny to me, since I often get the feeling it’s the Golden Age Marvin cartoon least remembered nowadays. In this short, instead of Bugs going into space, this time, it’s the Martian who comes down to Earth. He and K-9 have been given orders to abduct one specimen of Earthling life and bring it back to Mars for analysis; by sheer chance, Bugs Bunny is the first Earth creature the pair come across, and thus the carrot-chomping trickster must find a way to outwit the man from Mars (and his “K-9” companion) and escape. The cartoon gives us a lot more interaction between Marvin and both of his co-stars, and gives us a better understanding of his personality, with more of his classic lines and manners than his first appearance, as well as more of a look at his gadgets, and a better showcase of his infamous temper. It’s simple, but it’s fun, and for me it’s a great example of a second appearance that outmatches the first. FUN FACT: one thing that WASN’T established here was Marvin’s name. He wouldn’t receive his classic name until much later. In this cartoon, he’s referred to as “Commander of Flying Saucer X-2,” and behind the scenes work refers to him “Antwerp.” I think we can all agree “Marvin the Martian” is a much catchier moniker, however.

2. Hare-way to the Stars.

Marvin’s penultimate Golden Age appearance is probably one of his most popular, being the most referenced, quoted, and generally showcased cartoon featuring his feud with Bugs Bunny out there. Once again, Bugs gets shot into space (this time accidentally, rather than him being forced for some sort of scientific purpose). This round, he winds up on a Martian space station, where Marvin seems to be the only lifeform running anything. Just like in “Haredevil Hare,” the little rogue plans to blow up the Earth using “the Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator.” He claims the planet “obstructs his view of Venus.” Bugs stops and steals the device at the last possible second (“Where’s the kaboom?! There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!”), so Marvin creates an army of bird-like “Instant Martians” to chase the rabbit down and get the Space Modulator back. The visuals, gags, and dialogue of this cartoon are all sublime; interestingly, Marvin’s costume in this version is given a different color scheme, with a green jumper and armor that is bronze-hued. This same color scheme would reappear in “Mad as a Mars Hare,” and seems to be unique to these two appearances. While I do prefer Marvin’s traditional red-and-green outfit, this look isn’t too bad, and it’s curious that it was used so rarely; I guess fans never really cottoned to it. No matter.

1. Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century.

It’s funny that, nowadays, Marvin often seems to be considered an arch-nemesis of Daffy Duck, rather than Bugs Bunny. Out of the five Golden Age cartoons made with the character, this is the only one where Daffy and the Martian interact. But, oh, what an interaction it was: “Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century” (a parody of the space fantasy series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”) is widely regarded as one of the greatest Looney Tunes cartoons of all time, and along with “Hare-way to the Stars,” is likely Marvin’s most lauded appearance. The cartoon features Daffy as the dunderheaded, over-confident space adventurer Duck Dodgers, who is given a mission to locate the mysterious Planet X and stake a claim for it on the Earth. Unfortunately, at the exact same time, Marvin arrives to claim Planet X for Mars. Declaring “there just ain’t room enough on this planet for the two of us,” Dodgers and Marvin thus proceed to try and destroy each other in increasingly wild ways, till one of them can claim Planet X. This cartoon inspired more spin-offs, reimaginings, and homages than probably any other cartoon either Marvin OR Daffy ever made. In a way, the rivalry between these two makes more sense than Marvin against Bugs: the two are complete antitheses of each other. Marvin is a smoldering ball of destructive rage who carries himself with dignity, while Daffy is a wild whirlwind of chaotic energy. Both have tremendous egos, and both are infamously unwilling to compromise as a result. Seeing these two personalities clash is a delight, and it’s probably why their single encounter is more fondly remembered than almost any of Marvin’s meetings with Bugs Bunny (which, I should point out, are also terrific, obviously). It’s a cartoon as iconic as the Looney Tunes themselves, and for having such recognizable status, it more than earns its place as My Favorite Golden Age Marvin the Martian Cartoon. “Isn’t that lovely, hm?”

#marvin the martian #looney tunes #merrie melodies #golden age of looney tunes #looney toons #cartoons #animation #wb #warner bros.#daffy duck #bugs bunny #least good to best #favorites #list #countdown

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twistedtummies2 · 2 years ago

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Ranking Twisted Wonderland - Part 1

In August of 2020, I joined Tumblr for the first time. That same year, I posted a very early version of a ranking/countdown of my favorite characters from Twisted Wonderland: a game that has basically come to define my page. I write about a lot of things on here, but Twisted Wonderland is my “flagship fandom,” as it were.

I have revisited this idea of ranking my favorites from the game’s main cast of twenty-two students from Night Raven College a couple times since…but I was never happy with any of those attempts. I decided that, to celebrate my 3rd year anniversary here on Tumblr, and just as many years in love with the game, to do something special and try to rectify this issue: a comprehensive, two-part countdown/ranking of ALL those twenty-two characters, listing them from my least favorite to my most favorite, and - furthermore - explaining WHY they had they place they did and what I loved about each character. That, dear readers, is what you are looking at now: the first part of that ranking. (The second part will be posted tomorrow.) Each half will cover eleven options; this first half will cover choices 22 through 12; tomorrow will follow the top eleven. I based my decisions on a number of things. One, obviously, is just personal bias, and that’s naturally something one simply has no control over: sometimes you’ll like certain characters more than others “just because,” and one just has to deal with that fact. The remaining factors, however, are slightly more technical: for example, how excited do I get when Cards featuring the characters come up? Are they ones I always go for, or ones I always skip? Also, in my writing, how much do I like playing with that character, or how much do I want to play with them? For those who know my page, I’m specifically talking non-kinks there…although I should add that I will be taking kinks into account. That sort of just gets lumped into “personal bias.” On one final note there, this is a list of my favorite CHARACTERS, not my favorite CRUSHES: for me, personally, there is a difference. This was not easy to make, and there are multiple characters here where I honestly wish I could rank them higher, or where it’s all a matter of my mood (like, some days I like them more than others, if that makes sense). The fact is that I genuinely and truthfully love ALL of these lads; there really are no bad characters in the entire bunch, at least in my humble opinion. Also, again, I’m specifically talking the 22 “Main Students,” so no side characters, no staff members, and certainly no Grim. With that said, let’s begin. Here is the start of my rankings of the central cast for Twisted Wonderland: From “Least Good” to Best!

22. Cater Diamond.

Cater is a fun character with a lot of energy, who represents a common dichotomy that runs through most of the characters in this cast. At first, he seems like a typical social media junkie: obsessed with self-image, overly cheerful, practically speaking a language made up of hashtags, and seemingly ready to take a selfie with everyone and everything in breathing distance. However, underneath this, there are other sides to Cater he seems to try and keep hidden: he has a rather sneaky side to him, and there’s also hints of something terribly sad beneath his mask of smiling enthusiasm. At times I think that superficial side gets a bit annoying, which may or may not be the point…but it’s never enough to make me hate him. Unfortunately, it is enough to make him place at the bottom of the ranks.

21. Silver.

Silver ranks low because he’s sort of a cypher to me. There’s a sort of mysterious quality to the character, perhaps unintentional, as I find him to be one of the hardest characters to fully get a grasp on in a lot of ways. It’s telling that he is the only major character in the cast (minus Grim) whose last name is never given; he’s simply known as “Silver.” However, again, this doesn’t make him a character I dislike: for one thing, I enjoy that sense of mystery, because it feels like - with what we DO know about the guy - there’s a lot of interesting things waiting to be discovered still. He’s also one of the more unique characters in the cast, since he’s one of only two who is based not on a Disney Villain, but on a Disney Hero: the character is inspired by Princess Aurora herself, with a dash of Prince Philip thrown in, which makes him all the more intriguing when you realize his master (and adoptive big brother, by all accounts), Malleus, is based on the nemesis of those characters. I’m curious to see how that fact plays into the story; at the moment, Chapter 7 is not available in English, and I’m trying to avoid spoilers as much as I can. I know that Silver gets a big boost as a character due to the events of that chapter, but since I haven’t seen it yet…right now, he gets lower points. I am 90% sure that, when I see that Chapter, this fact will change and he will be given much higher placement. As it stands…this is where he sits.

20. Sebek Zigvolt.

Poor Sebek. I actually want to like this guy more than I do, but no matter how hard I try, I just don’t. Sebek definitely has his appealing qualities, and he’s probably one of the funniest characters in the game. It’s rare that scenes with Sebek don’t leave me snickering and rolling my eyes with amusement at his over-boisterous, Malleus-obsessed personality. His ego is a funny thing, and there’s a lot of humor that comes from seeing his pomposity punctured. However, at times those same qualities, much like with Cater, can be a bit grating. It was actually hard to choose between him and Silver, as far as which of the two I liked most. I ultimately decided to put Sebek over Silver simply because I think he’s a bit easier to understand and get into the head of.

19. Trey Clover.

The great paradox with Trey is that what I like about him is also what lands him so low in the ranks. Trey is the single most level-headed character at NRC. He’s sort of an encouraging big brother figure, and his more mild-mannered, practical personality makes him a great contrast to Riddle, as well as many of the other characters in the game. While he’s ostensibly inspired by one of the Card Guards, he actually seems to be based largely on the King of Hearts: a humbler figure than his housewarden, but with his own sneaky side, a trait he shares with Cater. However, the problem with Trey’s generally more “normal” personality is that, by being a character who, by design, tends to fade into the background a bit…he does exactly that, especially when you consider all the wild and colorful characters who surround him. As a result, I can’t really rank him any higher than this.

18. Rook Hunt.

Rook is one of the most oddball characters in the game…and as you can imagine, that’s saying quite a lot. He’s also probably one of the creepiest. He’s inspired by the Huntsman from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” but you probably wouldn’t guess it at first glance. He arguably changes the most from his source material: Rook is a fashionable Frenchman with a flamboyant personality. He’s a poet and a seeker of things of beauty, with more romance in his heart than a dozen Harlequin novels. He’s also seemingly fearless, which is part of what makes him occasionally unsettling: you can snarl at him, threaten him with all sorts of horrible forms of destruction, show off muscles and claw and fangs…and he just reacts with some over-the-top variation of, “That’s magnificent! Show me more!” But perhaps the thing that makes Rook truly unnerving is that he seems to adhere to the logic of “The Most Dangerous Game.” Rook is OBSESSED with hunting; he uses it as an analogy for almost everything he does, and he seems to treat just about everyone he finds interesting like a hunter stalking their prey. He has many secrets, and a lot of them are to things we don’t WANT the answers to. He’s equal parts fun and frightening, and I’ve come to like him more over time (something that can be said for a lot of characters in the game), but he still ranks fairly low in my books. He’s just not a character I’m that interested in writing for.

17. Ortho Shroud.

It’s about this time in the ranking that I start to feel REALLY bad about placing some characters particularly low. As I said before, I love all of these lads, but I naturally like some more than others. Ortho is unique among the cast just due to the simple premise of his entire existence: he’s an android who has been programmed to behave like the little brother of Idia Shroud (the Hades character of the game). This means he’s not only the youngest character of the cast - an eternal child who presumably never grows any older (Peter Pan sympathizes) - but he’s also the only one of the crew who isn’t an organic being of any kind. Ortho is another example of the dichotomy of darkness and light that most of these characters have: on the one hand, he’s an adorable little sweetheart who just wants his big brother to be happy and have more friends to play with. He’s inquisitive, enthusiastic, and somehow manages to be innocent while literally being a walking Internet browser at the same time. On the other hand, Ortho is armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction and all kinds of crazy gizmos and gadgets, which can lead to some…alarming situations, since he doesn’t always emotionally process issues properly. He seriously sees no issue with blowing annoying people to smithereens. Equally split between scary and sweet, Ortho is the most adorable little murder machine you could ever meet.

16. Lilia Vanrouge.

Much like Epel, Lilia is someone whose outer appearance - a seemingly youthful, self-admittedly adorable, and rather spritely young lad - is the polar opposite of who he really is deep down.The difference is in how that is expressed. Beneath his Puckish exterior, Lilia is a wise old man…who if you will pardon my French, gives nary the slightest of f#cks. He’s an ancient warrior, older than ANYONE at Night Raven, who comes to the school for purposes of his own. He’s forgotten more about history, human and fairy alike, than any textbook author will ever know. He’s practically a father figure to both Malleus and Silver, and - just like Epel - he knows how to use his appearance to his advantage. He lures people in with his slight looks and eccentric personality, or uses them to throw people off the scent, before promptly showing them just how wicked he can really be. He reminds me a lot of characters like Sans from “Undertale” or the Doctor from “Doctor Who”: to paraphrase the latter show, Lilia has the demeanor of a prattling jackanapes…but inside, it’s a whole other story. He’s one of Night Raven’s fascinating characters, as a result, but I simply enjoy others a lot more.

15. Epel Felmier.

Speaking of characters who can be scary and sweet, Epel is the definition of that classic meme, “Looks like a cinnamon roll, could actually kill you.” Well…maybe not KILL, but certainly beat the tar out of your wagon. Epel, at first glance, is an effeminate, childlike lad with big baby eyes and a graceful physique. This is the total opposite of who he is inside: Epel is a country boy, born and bred, who’s used to rough labor and a rugged lifestyle. He has a thick Southern dialect, loves action and fast vehicles, and can whoop your arse in about three seconds flat if you let him. Epel’s whole story arc in the game, in fact, is learning how to balance his inner fire with the doll-like appearance of his face and form…sometimes a bit against his will. He wants so badly to be seen as a Manly Man of Manly Man Manness, but he’s always finding people who underestimate him based on his girlish demeanor, or who try to teach him to be more refined and reserved than he truly is under the surface. He’s the living embodiment of the Poison Apple: a tempting, beautiful, delicate-looking thing with a hard, thick, juicy, and downright dangerous undercurrent. The result is honestly pretty funny, as well as interesting.

14. Idia Shroud.

Like I mentioned earlier, Idia is the character based on Hades in this game. This flame-haired computer genius is probably one of the most interesting twists on their respective source you’ll find in “Twisted Wonderland.” When people think of Disney’s Hades, they think of a confident, fast-talking, Mephistophelean figure with a smarmy attitude and a wry sense of humor, whose attempts to be smooth and slick are contrasted by a raging inferno of a temper. Idia is interesting in that he’s actually none of these things…or, at least, not at first glance. Idia is a reclusive, anti-social misfit who literally is afraid of people EXISTING anywhere NEAR him. He prefers to stay shut in his lair playing video games and watching anime or old horror movies than to be anywhere close to another living being, for fear that he’ll BREATHE wrong around them. (No, that is not an exaggeration.) Online, however, Idia actually shows another side to his personality, which is much closer to Hades, and he can be very passive-aggressive or downright mean-spirited when he feels he has some security to be. Idia appeals on two different levels, as a result: he’s one of the most sympathetic and at times downright cute characters in the game, but his nasty side - where his inspiration really shows - is just as entertaining, especially in the unique way it’s presented.

13. Vil Schoenheit.

Vil is another case of a character I’ve come to enjoy and understand more as time has gone on. In fact, when I look back on older stories I wrote featuring Vil, I sort of cringe because I feel like, when I wrote those, he was one character I didn’t really understand well enough to properly handle. Nowadays, I think I’d do a few things differently…but I digress. Vil is based on the Evil Queen, and he lives up to his predecessor well. He is vain, without question, but it isn’t a vanity usually played up for comedy: just like the Queen, Vil is cold and authoritative, not easily fazed by fear or agitated worry. He keeps a stiff upper lip, presenting himself with poise and elegance that virtually no one at Night Raven can surpass. Even when he is overcome with emotion, he tries to rein it all in. All of this is a well-sculpted mask to hide his personal insecurities and professional stresses. Vil is one of the few major characters in the cast with a big job to do outside of the school: he’s a CELEBRITY, and a multi-talented one, at that. He’s a skilled actor, singer, dancer, model, photographer, costume and makeup designer, beautician, AND director of both film and theatre. Top it off with martial arts skills, a talent for poisons and potion making, and the fact he somehow juggles all of that ON TOP of trying to attend a prestigious college and keep his grades in the upper ranks…and I think it’s fair to say Vil is the definition of an absolute unit. But despite all his success and all his accomplishments, hiding under his painted lips and flowing robes, Vil has personal esteem issues he tries to keep tucked out of sight. He’s just as paradoxical and fascinating as his source material, and a wonderful reinvention of the Evil Queen in his own right.

12. Ace Trappola.

It was difficult to decide who would rank higher/lower between Ace and Deuce. These two are the MC’s best friends in the game, and as such, they’re pretty prominent figures throughout the entire run. They have some part to play, to varying degrees of size, in every chapter of the Main Story, and they appear quite frequently in the various Events that branch off of the same. Because we spend so much time with them, we know more about them than a lot of other characters, and they often help to act as voices of advice (sometimes good, sometimes bad) for the player. Ace lost the battle, but do not misconstrue that to mean I dislike him. Ace is a cunning trickster who is skilled in sleight-of-hand magic tricks, and is an expert card player. In direct contrast, however, Ace is also a person who lacks what might be called a “shut up filter.” He always speaks his mind, without hesitation or holding back, very rarely trying to sugarcoat or hide anything. Even when he tries to be a bit more crafty and weasel his way through things, he usually gets caught. You might say that Ace is a person who starts fights, while Deuce is a person who simply chooses to try and finish them.

PART TWO: TBA

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