Topic: Batman: The Animated Series

[addicted2comics(:P)]

"OH MY GOD!! She's been gone all summer!! She'll never finish the marathon!!" 





Well, sorry. I'm becoming more and more of an otaku. I said I'd be back after Soul Eater. Well, then I got distracted by Fullmetal Alchemist.

Then Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Then Death Note.

Then Fruits Basket.

Needless to say, I've been getting my fill of anime lately.     (I've decided I prefer english dubbing, btw.) On the bright side, I've decided to be a female L for Halloween! ...... ok, I'm running out of lame excuses.  I only have a few more episodes of Fruits Basket left, so after that you can expect me to get back on the Batman bandwagon.



























unless I get distracted again........

[Achim]

Then Death Note.

The series, I presume? Tom and I would like to hear your more detailed opinion on that

[addicted2comics(:P)]

Oh yeah, I've seen the anime and the live-action movies. I have to say, I couldn't get enough of it!

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After L died, I lost interest in the second half but Near and Mello kept me somewhat interested I guess.

Heh heh, for a while I wanted a Death Note myself. (If people die at my school you'll know why.  )  Not much else I can say about it, the murder mystery thing is really addicting and I couldn't take a break until I reached the point mentioned in the spoiler. (then i was a little depressed, he was my fave character) I'd like to get it on DVD but right now most of my wishlist is actually books and those are kinda first priority. 

[Achim]

Yeah, the Death Note series gets a bit stretched in the middle, but towards the end the tension screws were tightened immensely and the final episode was a true nailbiter

[addicted2comics(:P)]

yeah, i know. i thought for sure that

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Light had finally won. but then that last-second confession really ended up coming back to bite him. His death was nicely done as well.

[Tom]

I don't know if you know this thread of mine. There I started to compare the manga with the anime and the movies, but I never came around to continue it.
I love the manga. I enjoyed the anime, but not as much as the manga. And I really like the choices they made when adapting the manga to the movies. How they concentrated on stuff, merged some storylines (to avoid the stretch in the middle) and brought some new ideas to it (especially the endings to both movies).

[Tom]

Btw Nostalgia Critic recently did a Top 11 Batman TAS Episodes.

[addicted2comics(:P)]

Yes, it's been about a week since I said I'd get back to this, but as soon as i didn my school bombarded me with work.

That and I began to enjoy Black Butler. 

43. Moon of the Wolf
Batman investigates the appearance of a werewolf-like creature in Gotham, not realizing that the monster happens to be one of Bruce Wayne's associates - Anthony Romulus, ex-Olympic champion. Behind the scheme is twisted chemist Professor Milo.

My Thoughts:
 
My first thought?? “Ooh, cool!! Werewolf!!”

The episode rushes straight into the action – something  I like – and when hairs are found I suspect more fooling around with people’s genetics. I was proven right about 6 minutes in. Not very creative, genetic manipulation seems to be a very dominant plot point in the superhero genre, but that’s completely understandable. Breakthroughs in that line of research open the doorway to this line of thinking.

Mixing this with the use of steroids was a welcome change of pace.
 

[addicted2comics(:P)]

44. Day of the Samurai
Kyodai Ken kidnaps Kairi, daughter of Yoru Sensei, the martial arts instructor who taught both Kyodai and Bruce. The ninja's ransom for her is a scroll that teaches the location of the fabled Death Touch.

My Thoughts:
 
Ah, nice Japanese movie-style opening! The fighting was a little weaker than expected, though.

My one big complaint against this episode is the use of subtitles. White may have seemed like a good choice at a glance, but with some of the clothing and backgrounds it gets hard to see at some points.

Now, we all love seeing stories of Bruce before the cowl, don’t we? Another visit to Japan, more ninja butt to kick. A deadly secret fighting style to boot.
 

[addicted2comics(:P)]

45. Terror in the Sky
When a man-sized bat ransacks Gotham harbor, Batman suspects that Dr. Kirk Langstrom is up to his old tricks, taking the Man-Bat formula again. Batman isn't the only one. Kirk's wife, Francine, is so distrustful of her husband that she decides to leave him. After further investigation, Batman discovers that this Man-Bat is not Kirk, but someone else.

My Thoughts:
 
Haha, the Man-Bat returns!!

So the antidote didn’t work the first time. Yeah, sounds like the typical thing to do for a sequel, but a nice change of pace towards the middle. Pretty good episode, and it WAS funny to watch Man-Bat eating fruit. :lol:

(Fun find: The Man-Bat (in the end) shreds its top apart with just strands left after the transformation, but when it changes back it has a tank top on )
 
 

[addicted2comics(:P)]

46. Almost Got'Im
Joker, Killer Croc, Penguin, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy all meet at a poker table, each telling a tale of times when they almost defeated Batman. At the same time, Harley Quinn is about to kill Catwoman. Will Batman be able to save her?

My Thoughts:
 
Ah, how I know Roger has been waiting for this review. Maybe I’ll stop right here and pick up the marathon again in a couple months….























Haha, even I’m not that cruel!! 

Ok, this one starts out pretty funny with the “theories” behind Batman and the callback to Ivy and Harvey’s previous relationship. The mini episodes are fun, and the Joker’s arrogance that his is the best…

Also, the history behind the giant penny! I always wanted to know where that came from…
Excellent episode! Great ending!
 
 

[addicted2comics(:P)]

47. Birds of a Feather
Veronica Vreeland is looking for a way to create a splash with her next party and arrives at the idea of having a former criminal in attendance—especially if there is one whose manners would create a stir. The Penguin, who has recently reformed, fits the bill perfectly. In the process of convincing the Penguin to come to her party, Veronica finds she likes the corpulent little guy. For his part, the Penguin begins to fall in love with her, until he overhears that he is merely being used...

My Thoughts:
 
Aaaaaand, the Penguin again…..

What started as a cliché “reformed villain” plotline started to get interesting when a rich lady wanted to fake-date him. :lol: As seen in the picture above, I got a few laughs out of it. The man has forgotten how to be an aristocrat…..
 
 

[addicted2comics(:P)]

48. What Is Reality?
Seeking to prove once and for all that his is the superior mind, the Riddler lures Batman into a riddle-solving contest inside the virtual reality of a computer game in order to save Jim Gordon's life. In the course of solving the riddles and escaping the Riddler's traps, Batman learns that he is able to manipulate the virtual reality landscape much like the Riddler does.

My Thoughts:
 
Yes!! Another episode with Robin!! You’d be surprised how rare that is in this set….

Nice to see the Riddler making a comeback, one of my favorite villains. And he’s not just spouting off Riddles needlessly either, he actually had a solid plan. Not as dark as the The Batman version, but still pretty cool.

The virtual reality thing is neat. I love the total absurdity in that world.
 
 
 

[addicted2comics(:P)]

49. I Am the Night
On the anniversary of the death of Bruce's parents, Batman accompanies Leslie Thompkins to Crime Alley to place roses on the spot where they were gunned down. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon is on stakeout to arrest James "The Jazzman" Peake during a drug smuggling ring. Batman had promised to be there, but arrives late to find a gun battle going on. He helps defeat the gangsters and arrest the Jazzman, but at a high cost—Gordon is severely wounded. The incident traumatizes Batman, and he decides to give up crime-fighting, despite the Jazzman escaping prison to carry out his personal vendetta against Gordon (who had sent him to prison six years before).

My Thoughts:
 
Ah. An episode of guilt. I can’t say I didn’t see it coming, but the Commissioner being taken down peaked my interest. Hm, but every time I see Barbara I wonder when Batgirl is coming in. Normally I don’t care for dramatic episodes. I prefer the funny. But I admit it, this was nicely done.
 
 
 

[Rogmeister]

Overall, I really enjoy your review of this, one of my two favorite superhero animated series, the other being Justice League.  I am glad you finally got to Almost Got 'Im.  Now I should pull it out and watch it again.