Gunheart
Fisherman
So natural, religiously unkind...
Posts: 28
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Post by Gunheart on May 22, 2012 1:40:13 GMT -5
Oddly enough, even before seeing it I've had this odd...aversion, for lack of a better word, to 25. I don't know, it just always seemed boring from the preview and images. Ann beating the crud out of Gretel was awesome, mind you, but there's not much more I can say about it.
26, on the other hand? I gotta admit, that's probably one the most outright sad episodes of anything ever. Even though it ends on a brighter note, the fact that, as far as I can tell, we never learned what happened to the princess is surprisingly dark. I think, in retrospect, this is the first episode where someone else's plight reduces Patty to tears.
UPDATE: 27 & 28 down, and to be honest...I don't really care for them. Maybe it's because 26 is such a hard act to follow. I also admit I really hate that quirk some episodes like 28 use where they draw that line under their mouths that's meant to be a lip. Normally I don't notice it, but here it was really jarring.
29, however, was just adorable. As few and far between as they may be, I really like when they bring in the rest of the cast. Loved the title card for it, too.
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Post by Philip on May 25, 2012 15:07:24 GMT -5
Less than half left! =D Fun to see how tastes can differ, I really like #25 myself. We see some great character developement for Ann, and it's an episode that makes me feel warm and good inside. 29, on the other hand, never struck me as something extraordinary. It's good enough, considering the episode revolves around a piano and it does have some nice atmospheric scenes, but the plot and the supernatural feel it tries to convey ("the piano is calling us, it has feelings!") doesn't really catch my attention. I feel like the episode drags on, and find it really hard to justify Gretel and Otto's scenes, they seem to contribute very little to the episode. But as you say, it's nice that some of the lesser seen characters get some attention here too. 27 & 28 stand out to me, because they're the only episodes of the first series to take place outside of Maple Town, and the only instance where an episode's plot continues into the following episode. I like the first part because, again, Ann character developement and nice interaction between her and Patty. The second part is pretty unremarkable, even though it's fun to see some unusual scenery and characters. 26 is an excellent episode however! Despite having some pretty blatant product placement snuck into it! XD   |
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Gunheart
Fisherman
So natural, religiously unkind...
Posts: 28
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Post by Gunheart on May 25, 2012 15:23:07 GMT -5
One thing that really strikes me as odd in episode 27 & 28 is how...anachronistic it feels. Maple Town itself seems to be set in the 1920s, but we have things like Ann's hoodie jacket or the gray rabbit's (sorry, can't remember his name) whole attire which look decidedly '80s. It is kind of nice that they draw the characters' feet as animal paws, though. Hate it when works draw animal characters with human feet.
Admittedly, since I don't really know Japanese except for a few keywords, I tend to gravitate more to the visually oriented ones. So yeah, I end up liking the ones with lots of characters the most by default. So Ann's kind of end up being a bit lost on me since I can't really understand what they're saying.
But I feel episode 26 ranks right up there with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh's "Find Her, Keep Her" as one of the best and most surprising episodes of a children's cartoon I've seen. Might I ask, what relation was Bertha to the family living there? I noticed she was the exact same cat breed, so I'm assuming a relative rather than a nanny, but I'm not sure.
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Post by Philip on May 25, 2012 16:07:58 GMT -5
One thing that really strikes me as odd in episode 27 & 28 is how...anachronistic it feels. Maple Town itself seems to be set in the 1920s, but we have things like Ann's hoodie jacket or the gray rabbit's (sorry, can't remember his name) whole attire which look decidedly '80s. Palm Town is even worse in that aspect, it too seems to want to make us think it takes place in the 1920s (there is no television for example), but there are so many parts of it that screams 80s! This mix is kind of part of the charm though. (When aunt Jane receives a letter from Patty's mother, the date on the post stamp is "1 Dec 1987", so make of that what you will.) Bertha is described as a maid or lady attendant, as far I know there was no relation between her and the princess. I think the reason they look alike is to reflect that there was a strong bond between them, as is often the case in this series (husbands and wives all look alike. Yota and Guta, the cat brothers from Palm Town, are in fact not related in any way despite appearances). |
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Gunheart
Fisherman
So natural, religiously unkind...
Posts: 28
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Post by Gunheart on May 25, 2012 16:11:22 GMT -5
And I take it that they really never so much as imply what really happened to the princess, right? Man, that is just so...  |
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Post by Philip on May 25, 2012 16:37:50 GMT -5
Nope, she just disappeared. Where she went is all left to our imagination. It doesn't exactly bode well if she went missing as a child, and still didn't return to her own castle by the time she would have turned into an adult. And to top it off, Bertha spent the largest part of her life in solitude at the castle, hoping for the day when the princess would come back, which never came.
This is about as heart-wrenching as it gets!
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Gunheart
Fisherman
So natural, religiously unkind...
Posts: 28
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Post by Gunheart on May 26, 2012 2:32:55 GMT -5
Okay, on to brighter things...
#30: You know, in some ways I guess this explains why Johnny doesn't appear that often: his mother would never let him go on adventures with the other characters.
#31: Why do I get the feeling that the Guest House and the kangaroo family were recent toy releases at the time? Still, a cute episode.
#32: Heh, Gretel's character development continues. Kind of funny how the preview focused entirely on the party, with Gretel in the mailman getup being a minor gag at the end, when the episode proper is pretty much the exact opposite.
#33: Okay, I will admit that at this point, I was sort of getting bored of Gretel, seeing how this was his third episode in a row. The Fortune Teller was also pretty...weird, for lack of a better term. I don't know, despite looking like a gender-swapped Gretel, she felt like she was in the wrong show to me. I guess it's just a bit disappointing that a character that apparently loves Gretel shows up...and it's pretty much a Pepe LePew gag. Still entertaining though, and loved the joke where Patty's entry ended up looking just like the Judge's head. What exactly did she say that made the Fortune Teller give up, though?
#34: Yeah, definitely don't see this one getting dubbed by Saban. Good one overall, though. While could understand the basics, I have to ask what all Patty and Gretel's puppet show entailed. I mean, I can sort of guess the basics of Patty's speech, but I have no idea what happened when Gretel jumped in.
MEGA UPDATE: Just watched up to episode #40.
#35: Heh, admittedly, I did not catch the Photographer's wife was supposed to be pregnant. It's really kind of shocking given that slapstick against Gretel usually results in, you know, laughs. So it's really a surprise to see it wind up hurting someone else, and definitely not for humor. Though I gotta admit, this one reminded me of some of my least favorite episodes of My Little Pony: FiM with everyone acting far more of a jerk than usual.
#36: Ah, the "save the baby birds" episode. For some reason, I just couldn't get engaged with this one, mostly because the aforementioned "Find Her, Keep Her" is probably the best episode of that type ever. Kind of strange to see Hans pull off something antagonistic and not end up repenting for it, since that's what tends to happen whenever Chirine pulls the same.
#37: Oh, hey, one of Giulietta's brothers gets characterization beyond "hup, hup, hup, hup!" And darn it, Enrico! Last episode actually made you likable, and then you go and destroy a table full of violins.
#38: Sweet, the castle showed up again! And I don't even understand what Victor's saying and I want to put a fist through his face. Is it just me? Or, Sophia aside, does everyone over the age of 10 hate Georges?
#39: I was actually looking forward to this one, being another Diana episode. But despite the plot being fairly easy to follow...I'm afraid I don't quite understand it. I get that Hans apparently ordered papayas, and they spoiled in transit, and now the Konderik family is in financial trouble...but I don't quite get how putting out flyers solves the issue. Or the conversation between Hans and Clarke.
#40: I'd seen screencaps of this one before, and I gotta ask...is this episode as creepy as it looks? From what I can tell Hilda lives in a house alone, treats a doll like her daughter, and sends blank sheets of paper to the nonexistent location of "Happy Town, Happy Place" (which, frankly, strikes me as the kind of thing you'd see written all over the walls in blood). Am I missing anything? Gotta admit, though, that I'm glad to see Hilda finally use a different design than the stock rabbit type. If there's one problem I have with this show overall, it's that there are far too many rabbits, and all of them look like recolors of Patty.
Minor Update:
#41: The preview at the end of #40 looked so awesome, I knew I had to see it, and it did not disappoint. The sword fight was simply epic, and I have to say it's hilarious how Patty, Bobby, Diana and Judy managed to beat down grown men. Seriously, that climax was so unlike anything you'd expect. You'd think it'd be Judy standing all teary-eyed in the road or something, but no, they just push a boulder in the way and hijack the prince. I actually sort of wish the show had more episodes like this. Heck, I wish Judy had more focus episodes in general, since she's quite possibly the cutest design on the show. I think for sheer entertainment, this might be my favorite episode thus far (#26 is my vote for the best, but this'll be the one I turn on when I just want something fun). I also have to admit that it features Diana's only costume besides her default and the movie one that looked adorable instead of hideous.
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Post by Philip on Jun 25, 2012 16:26:46 GMT -5
Finally, the time has come for some answers! =) #31: Why do I get the feeling that the Guest House and the kangaroo family were recent toy releases at the time? Still, a cute episode. You'd think so, but nope, no merchandise of the Kangaroo family or their guest house was ever produced. I guess they were created in case Bandai wanted to expand the line, they didn't however, and decided to instead reinvent the toyline with Palm Town. What exactly did she say that made the Fortune Teller give up, though? Carmela's explanation for why her prediction didn't come true (that Patty wouldn't win the contest) was that Patty had managed to avert her fate through hard work. Patty asks Carmela if she can't use hard work to change Gretel's feelings for her. She admits defeat to those words, and sets Gretel free. I mean, I can sort of guess the basics of Patty's speech, but I have no idea what happened when Gretel jumped in. Patty speaks on behalf of Dora, Gretel speaks on behalf Dora's father. They end up arguing about who is right and wrong. Ah, the "save the baby birds" episode. For some reason, I just couldn't get engaged with this one, mostly because the aforementioned "Find Her, Keep Her" is probably the best episode of that type ever. Well, the Pooh episode, while great, is more about a parent separating from their child. This is a bit of a different scenario. Personally, the flashback of young Enrico holding the dead bird in his hands, for me, is one of the most emotionally powerful images in the series... so simply done, yet so effective... ...but I don't quite get how putting out flyers solves the issue. Or the conversation between Hans and Clarke. Well, it kind of... does? 8) Thanks to Diana's and Patty's advertising, they gather enough orders, so Hans can order a new batch of papayas. The point is that Diana desperately wanted to help her father get back his money (he had gone to the mayor to ask for a loan, offering his house as security), but he yells at her to stay out of his work. Thanks to Marcel's idea to make flyers to advertise, Diana is finally able to help. I'd seen screencaps of this one before, and I gotta ask...is this episode as creepy as it looks? I used to think that Hilda had a daughter who had passed away, but she couldn't deal with the loss, so that's why she kept that doll around and pretended she was still alive. However... as far as I know, there is nothing in this episode that suggests Hilda ever had a family, so a more likely scenario is that she was just very lonely and "created" this little girl (whom she only refers to as "my happy princess"), and talked to her as if she was a real person. I need to rewatch this episode and study the dialogue carefully to be sure, but the latter theory seems to make the most sense for now. Keep on asking stuff! I love having an excuse to dig deeper into my favorite show! =D |
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Ryusui
Repairman
I floop the puppy!
Posts: 76
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Post by Ryusui on Jun 25, 2012 17:11:44 GMT -5
Someone on YouTube helped clarify episode 40 for me:
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Post by Philip on Jun 25, 2012 17:54:34 GMT -5
Skimmed through the episode, and yeah, there was a mention (from Bobby of all people) that Hilda had lost her child and husband some time ago! So there we have it!
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Gunheart
Fisherman
So natural, religiously unkind...
Posts: 28
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Post by Gunheart on Jun 25, 2012 18:21:45 GMT -5
Wow, this show can really be hardcore when it wants to be.
Haven't actually watched any more since my last post, mostly because the next one didn't look all that promising. I'm sure it's fine, but there was just something I found kind of creepy about the character designs...
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Patty
Fisherman
Posts: 44
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Post by Patty on Jul 6, 2012 23:03:40 GMT -5
yeah I see what you mean.
I think it's all their eyes being so black and colorless. lol
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