My Adventures with Superman is a Mixed Bag - Part 1
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Sorry if the audio is weird on this one. I was recording in a different location than usual.
inb4 I get hunted for sport for not liking Miller.
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00:00 intro
00:09 Preamble
01:39 My feelings about Superman
14:40 Episode 1
38:00 a Travesty of Filmmaking
42:13 Back to episode 1
43:27 First Impressions
49:57 Episode 2
57:39 Yelling about the transformation scene
1:05:19 Back to episode 2
1:09:44 Character Design
1:13:46 Back to the episode
1:18:14 Episode 3
1:20:36 Character voices
1:24:57 Back to episode 3
1:36:51 Ending Thoughts
1:45:19 smash that bell
1:46:04 Patreon thanks and credits
Created with Wondershare Filmora - Фільми й анімація
Uncredit Music:
04:29 Olley oxen Free - The Neverhood
06:52 The Guiding Light closing theme
25:01 All in All - Nerevar Rising Call of Magic (Surf Version)
53:24 Mass Effect 1 Elevator Music
55:32 Dum Da Dum Doi Doi - The Neverhood
1:20:15 Disappointment - The Cranberries
1:39:23 The Elder Scrolls - Main Theme (DJ AG Remix)
I'm pretty sure that The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Returns, are the only Batman comics Zack Snyder has ever read. Likewise the Death of Superman for Superman.
C puff have you seen legend of the guardians the owls of gahoole? It's not edgy or depressing, and Zack Snyder made it!
I think that part of what made Sokka work is the meta reason that a lot of his comedic moments were inspired by the VA's interpretation of him rather than the original character outline, and the writing was tweaked to capitalize on what the actor added. It created a character who had a lot of thought put into him and also a certain brand of humor that was integrated into that. The imitators seem to start from a place of Sokka-brand comedy and forget to go past that, rather than come up with a rounded character and then think up how to make him comedic as well.
Finally an actual in-depth review of the show!
Was getting tired of people either overly loving it because it’s “optimistic Superman” or hating it because it’s “woke” and ending it there.
Looking forward to the rest!
11:00 "my brain is already overloaded with mass effect lore to overload with superhero lore"
god ain't that a mood, but with trek instead
I think this show tried to make comic book characters look more down to earth and went completely overboard, and now they all just look like normal people. Except for live wire, because that hair looks even more ridiculous than her old electro-mohawk.
I mean that argument makes sense for some of the villains but You do know most Commonwealth characters are supposed to look normal I think you mean to say they look to modern normal
I personally like how normal they look. I am not sure if the show mentioned it or not, but, superheros seem to fairly new to this world so it makes sense that criminals who just got powerful weapons don't dress up or look like they come from medival folklore. You know, because they are equiping weapons, like gloves and shirts.
I'm all for having a good magical girl transformation sequence, but it really needs to make sense in context or at least be 4th-wall-breaking in a place and way that work. Also a good point that we really forget about a good Henshin way too easily, too.
I think you might be onto something about Josie Campbell personally having a problem there.
Oh good! I fretted about that part for weeks worrying I might be too mean. But it genuinely was as aggravating to me as I portrayed it here.
@@c-puff I didn't think it was too harsh. You didn't personally attack them or anything. And hearing those snippets from that interview and her completely not seeming to understand that just copying something wholesale isn't being inspired by something, it's being uncreative, that made me annoyed too. Yes, we get it Josie, you watched and enjoyed Sailor Moon in the 90s. So did I! I woke up at like 5 every morning as a 7 year old and watched that and the DIC dub of Cardcaptor Sakura.90s anime was a big part of my formative experiences as a young child. But you have to do more than just ape the thing you like.
People say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but did you know that's only half the quote? The full quote is "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."
Frank Miller: 6:52 to 8:55
Everybody else: What the hell does this have to do with anything?
57:00 - You can make out words because in their infinite wisdom, the writers decided kryptonian should basically be esperanto. Aka a real language people understand. So yes, what Jor-El says has meaning.
Writers: haha this is gonna be so clever!
Multi lingual people: are we a joke to you?
@@c-puff Yeah on Kimcartoon plenty people listed what the dialogue actually says, LOL. Which is actually, kinda spoilerific.
What did the dialogue say? I hope you don’t mind me asking.
@@danguy9634 Uh has been a while ago that I watched it. I think he just said he is his father and he comes from the planet Krypton, the standard revelation stuff.
I feel like the first scene where Clark jumps to try and get his kite would have worked better if it was stuck just a little bit lower in the tree. Like in a spot where jumping to get it down would be believable.
Edit: there, I fixed the stupid typo. Please don’t make fun of it. It’s not funny anymore, English isn’t my native language and I type too fast and don’t always catch them in time before sending comments.
Clack
@@becuaseimbored3481 welp! Didn’t even notice the typo until now XD
@@Kittyboi.Superman: "....and that over there is the robot superman from another dimension, Clack Kent. He got hiden solar panels in his chest to absorb sunlight and fuel his powers. That's why he looks so bulky ."
@@johannesseyfried7933 that was really unnecessary you know. It’s a typo.
Will I watch this superman show-no
Will I watch C-Puff's breakdown that may or may not be longer than the show itself-yes.
Multi-hour shop talk let's gooo000
1:21:00 another amazing example of this is of course, the heisters of Payday 2. Each character's personality shine through in their voicelines. Jacket's brutality, Wick's professionalism, Bain's level-headedness. You can tell exactly who each character is underneath the masks.
51:22 - Wait, what!? I assumed that the Jor-El hologram was speaking some kind of Portuguese, and the implication was that the original Jor-El had somehow scouted Earth beforehand and programmed the AI to speak the language of the region he meant for Clark to land in - only to end up with the pod landing a few hundred miles off course.
Huh.
29:56 - She's also wearing a helmet that actually appears to be designed to actively kill her and possibly other people around if she ever got into an accident. Nice.
Man, it's so good to hear your thoughts on this one. I really liked how Clark was portrayed, even if some other things at the beginning had grated on me (please, let Deathstroke be a man, not a bishonen, PLEASE). So having somebody more versed in the studio side of things show goods and bads of it makes me appreciate the whole thing even more. And it's like watching it again but more informative!
I didn't know what Bishounen was so I had to google it and I am instantly disappointed. Slade Wilson is a grizzled army vet and they did that to him? Quite frankly he's one of my fave villains and the fact that he's an older guy easily defeating younger, more innocent and fresh faced heroes made him so cool as a threat in teen titans.
@@martianscienceenthusiast Exactly. I adore the idea of a competent villain and Slade is definitely that. Very dangerous, mostly because of his smarts and experience, and also ruthlessness (that's not at the same time stupidly unhinged).
And also, important thing, he's a DISABLED grizzled army vet. He has no eye. It's a THING with him. I do still have some hope that maybe... MAYBE this is also his backstory arc where he loses his eye to Superman or related shenanigans. Maybe. Fingers crossed they de-yassify him.
Slade is going to be an awkward character if we start introducing characters like Terra...
01:33:52 - It's called heat vision, yes. They are superheated beams basically. In most versions he has X-Ray and heat vision, and freeze breath, apart from being super strong and invulnerable and being able to fly. In a reverse way, Bizarro (who is either a failed clone of Superman, or comes from a parallel weird dimension, depending on version) has freeze vision, and fire breath.
Gotta say, as someone who has consumed every scrap of Superman media for 30+ years, and is maybe mildly obsessed with the character, I’m really impressed with how well articulated this break down is.
I don’t agree with every conclusion, but you’re fair with your points. I look forward to your part 2.
Ah thank you! And I'm glad! I fully admit I do not have a full fan's understanding of the character and his history, only passing knowledge and what I have been able to research and listening to people who are big fans. So I fully accept I might not be on point with everything. But I'm doing my best and I'm glad if nothing else it's entertaining! :D
Well, I think coming at it from a non-fan’s perspective allows a level of necessary criticality. Also, it’s interesting as someone who identifies as a non fan, what cultural osmosis has imparted on you about the character without ever having to deep dive on the character. Just by existing in pop culture space, you seem to have absorbed (and correctly I might add) a fair amount about the nature of the character of Superman and who he should be.
I’m totally with you btw, on Frank Miller’s interpretation coming off as a weirdly backhanded take.
1:29:02 My head-canon is that Lois's laugh is so sh*t here on purpose because the other reporter's laugh was so sh*t
accepted!
As a black person myself, I don't care for the light-colored palms either. I know it's more realistic, but like you said, it's an unnecessary visual detail that doesn't help anything.
I have a lot of warmth in my heart for this project… it’s probably my favorite of the recent western Mir projects. The animation is occasionally breathtaking, the lead trio has an enjoyable energy between them, and the writing… uh, well…
It did feel like it was a bit too eager to get to its conclusion, which made some of the emotional beats fall flat for me. I wish they’d taken their time and let both the plot and the relationships breathe a little bit.
Speaking about weirdly placed Anime references the way the crystal at 1:32:25 is behaving is a reference to Neon Genesis Evangelion, specifically to the Angel Ramiel.
The different color palms on black characters, and just black characters no other POC character, bothers me too. I'm black. My palms and soles are a completely different color than the rest of my skin and it's still super distracting when they do it for cartoons. Hated it so much in Velma and hate it here too.
You might be my latest favourite reviewer. I love how you approach shows and movies from a more academic view. I feel like im learning so much
We will never be able to shake off the lasting effects of HGS and Velma, will we?
Those shows changed my life 😩
@@c-puff I feel the need to give my condolences
Another thing this series does that a lot of superman media does that I never like is they have his flight be a switch that just activates one day and when it does he can do it instinctively. I kind of wish more Superman stories that include the origin had a learning curve.
Shotout to multiple hour video essays about shows that i don't watch from small known youtubers, gotta be one of my favourite genders
It's amazing that you hit all those points that I've started to dislike about modern cartoons: Fanfic-Sokka, boring character-designs, the fact that all characters speak in very similar "milennial" ways or as if they're on tumblr... but especially that most shows rely on some familiarity with the characters, but then also go for completely new stuff.
Case in point: Livewire, which has really nothing to do with the character she started as in the Bruce Timm-Superman-show. It would even make sense for her to talk with a lot of obnoxious slang, because she was a radio shock-jock who only got her powers because she threw a giant concert during a thunder storm and endangered her fans. She hated Superman way before she had powers and was self-absorbed egotist.
Here, she's just a military girl with lightning powers.
Fanfic Sokka?
I think the transformation sequence would have been great if it was the POV recounting of someone else who saw Clark's actual transformation.
Say the transformation was a more sedate, (So the scene could focus on the character's and emotions), touched by light and the clothes changed and later when that someone was talking about what they saw, they added the magical girl flair.
"If Superman was realistic and relatable", followed by pictures of Homelander and Omni-Man.
Media literacy is truly dead.
Probably should add “…and not super dark and gory”. I feel like certain viewers need a break from the dark & edgy super hero stories like The Boys & Invincible from time to time.
And last time I checked not all people look down on others and are more obsessed with their public image than being an actual good person. So not really sure what you find relatable about Omni-Man & Homelander.
@@kaylemathewcomendador6964 Should I add reading comprehension to the list of things that are dying? I was saying that the literal point of these characters is precisely that they re not supposed to be relatable. Yet there is a massive subset of people that feel that they are, also known as objectively stupid people.
@@Donnerbalken28 Still not sure what your talking about here. Your kinda giving me “fake deep” vibes here.
@@kaylemathewcomendador6964 Yeah well, i can't fix illiteracy, so mover along.
Knowing that this was made by the studio behind shera, I just started laughing manically when c-puff started pointing out the shitty animation
Re: Sparkles: Yes to sparkles when Like button clicked. No to sparkles when the audio of the video says to smash that like button.
EXCELLENT! Thank you for your service o7
I don't know a lot about Superman other than what fans and critics have kind of dumped on me. Your outsider's take on it kind of makes me feel less ambivalent towards the character. I appreciate that.
I refuse to believe an experienced photographer would be taking action shots with a slow enough shutter speed to be that blurry 😭
1:03:00 Unironically, this is such a powerful moment in the video. Reaching out to a person who relies so heavily on their inspirations that they simply do not make for themselves. I think it's such a big problem with creatives nowadays, the inability to make something for yourself. Not because they don't have that creativity- though frequently it does seem to be that as well- but because they are afraid of putting themselves out their and failing. Where are these people's passions? Where is your desire to reach into the infinite nothing and draw out worlds for people to fall in love with? Stories that need to be told? Characters to hold up as icons? Because what should be a grand moment for this character, a turning point in their lives, is undercut by something you have simply taken from another show and placed into yours.
You and your friend going over bad layout and how to improve it scratched an itch in my brain that I didn't know I needed.
interesting video. would love to see more talk about the process of animation. it is occasionally brought up in these videos of course, but lets be honest the focus is the writing. it was very fascinating learning why the visuals didn't work and what was missing and that it was the fault of the storyboard. i imagine it was very basic stuff for people in the industry but as someone who knows very little when it comes to animation, (how it is actually made) sure was interesting.
Thank you! Honestly sometimes I wish I could bring the point across in less time because I worry I take too long explaining the animation problems, but it's good to hear it's at least interesting!
When I sent my friend screenshots, without priming him at all, he genuinely was like "what the actual hell is this framing???"
@@c-puff if you ask me, the longer the better, making a good point takes time and its better than rushing it. or maybe i'm biased because i do like Mauler and EFAP. who knows.
@@jymjym7995 I agree, also as a Mauler and EFAP listener! :) But the framing and composition thing is legit interesting, and being able to finally pinpoint WHY something looks odd is cathartic!
"Mixed bag" sure is a good way to describe this so far. I have hope it'll improve as more episodes cone out... ^^'
Seeing other's thoughts on the show has been uplifting~ Can't wait to see what you got
6:20 Then why is he put at the helm continuously??
6:26 I will ship what calls me!! 😤 lol seriously, kinda upsetting he doesn't like that other's like their bond.. didn't know that. You not liking it fine, but also not accepting that others may? Aw man :(
I love writing. Both learning about the methodology behind the process of writing and writing myself. Watching your videos very often gives me tips for my own works (as I’d still call myself a beginner with much to learn). That tip you made about characters sounding the same is a great thing to be cautious of when writing dialogue and I will take it to note. Thanks for the advice.
I will admit, as a huge nerd for superheroes, it’s hard to pick up comics unless they’re tied to a particular movie or series. That’s why I mainly read comics like TMNT 2012 or anything Batman Beyond and recently Ninjago’s Garmadon storyline.
Waaah, you cannot bombard me with terms about keyframes, storyboard, framecutting, linework, lineweight, crisp lines, and anti-aliassing and assume, I would survive the explosion.
Be prepared, the next art stream I'll flood the chat with questions about it. ;-)
The storyboard, from what I remember....well, you can basically imagine it like a comicbook page for the people working on the show.
It shows where the characters are, what they are doing......
It's pretty important.
I think I remember Steven Universe getting critized for having some rather....ugly scenes and characters, because the Animation was outsourced to a different, japanese(?) Studio.
And the reason why things looked so weird was because the Studio was sent some pretty bad storyboards.
And the Studio didn't think to fix it, because, obviously, that's not what they are getting paid for. Their job is it to animate the stuff they get sent.
@@johannesseyfried7933 Yup, although it’s better than motion tweening/flash.
I don't even care about Superman but I'm here bc you're very entertaining and I need something to game to
Ur dumb
Finally got the time for my eyes to ingest quality, and to listen to C-Puff barely, *_barely_* contain herself from turning the video into a 60hr video essay on why Garrus is best boy.
It's an every day struggle. When I get to the point where I discuss the romance in this show I might literally explode.
@@c-puff
_I should go._
I love that you seized the opportunity of criticizing the subject matter, to also teach some stuff about animation, storyboarding, character design, inspiration and all that jazz. I get to have my white noise review, but I also get to learn and grow as an artist at the same time.
I really wish more internet critics did that, unfortunately and to put it bluntly, it seems like most internet critics aren't very talented.
What I love about this Superman is that he’s human… he gets hurt, he breaks down, he cries. He’s not this God who’s perfect in every way (though he totally is) also they call him Clark not Superman.
Okay I just gotta get it out. Luz Lane. There, I said it.
Lois: "That's my landlady, Eda. And her dog, King."
Clark: "Why is he wearing a skull mask?"
Lois: "Because it makes him look really cool."
Can confirm Frank Millers Daredevil run is phenomenal. Born again is one of the best stories I’ve ever read
It's annoying how they turned everyone into an awkward Disney hero in order to be relatable.
I don’t find it annoying 😅🤷♂️…
33:07
To be fair Superman doesn't actually have invulnerability despite what his power set might say. He has super durability. Invulnerability implies that you cannot be hurt but if you are sufficiently strong enough you can hurt Superman even without Kryptonite or magic or whatever else this is actually how doomsday was able to kill him just through being strong enough to hurt him. So a young inexperienced Clark Kent who doesn't have access to his full power capabilities getting a black eye from a robot yeah I'd say that's believable.
Ah thank you for the insight! That does explain things a little better.
@c-puff no problem personally to me his power set having invulnerability listed always bugged me because it's like the creators had no idea what invulnerability is. Even in the Golden Age comics when he was first created he wasn't invulnerable.
1:11:27 Since I'm black, I wanna comment on this section here. Personally, I appreciate this small detail being acknowledged since more often than not, it gets ignored. However, I understand your logic with it being more distracting, and favoring the more simplified version of POC hands. And hell, even in my own work, I forget this detail sometimes because of how minute it is, so i can't really judge others for excluding this small aspect. Purposefully or not.
Thank you so much for the insight. I was conflicted over this part because as I thought it over while writing, I had to accept that my issues with this design detail were mostly personal preference. I may have reasons like the simplification of posing, but my own preferences are also strongly at play here. And as such was worried I may come across as insensitive. When really, it is simply a design choice I'm not a fan of and honestly not deeper than that. But it was a topic I was worried about misrepresenting or coming across as insulting over.
I literally gasped at the Deathstroke reveal why does he look like that 😦
My friend is a big fan of this character and she was NOT amused in the discord conversation when she realised who he was.
I guess to make it clear that he’s in his early years at this point. Although I think they kinda overdid it a bit 😂🤷♂️.
I love that you're hinting at the problems with the writing of the romance between Clark and Lois which I guess you'll talk about fully in another episode because I thought it was very shallow and somewhat rushed but I felt like I was going crazy cause everyone around me had 0 problems with their relationship
Yeah it is a little rush and I have 2 theories 1 the creators already know how people feel about Louise and Clark's instead of giving it multi seasons of will they won't they did to say they will into my Let's be honest if you didn't know or the state of Warner brothers this show probably was going to get cancelled so they had to speed it up.Even it is a little rough eyed person to think they're cute and 1 season 2 comes and bill probably slow it down too.
Some people do just hit it off though. Frankly I hate "will they/won't they" stories, when we all know they will.
@@freman007 so do i
@@freman007I get what you mean I just feel like there isnt much reason for them to like each other than the writers said so
I don't think there's a problem with shallow, entry-level relationships like this, but yeah, sometimes tropes are obvious.
i find it so funny that even thou this aint a high guardian spice video and she still beefing with sage now i know sage was bad 🤣🤣
They really did Livewire dirty not just by the - as you said, incredibly boring - redesign, but due to her amazingly memorable personality. I recommend you watch her debut episode on Superman TAS (yes, like Harley Quinn, she was created for that show before appearing in comics) - she is a rather offensive, in your face shock jock radio host voiced by Lorri Petty, and she becomes a supervillain more out of cynical spite than because she wants money or power.
The thing about Live wire is that not only is her new design boring and looses all the iconography of the character, but they did the same thing writting wise, in the animated series (Where she first appeared kinda like Harley) she is a narcissistic fear mongering reporter that will do anything for attention, including shit talking superman for no other reason than to be a contrarian, she’s playful, manipulative and charismatic, this show’s version of the character is generic mercenary woman with a yee yee ass haircut, which is basically what they do with almost all villains Except Ivo and Waller.
I personally dont like the added color on the hands either cause its usually distracting and for a number of characters they make the palms too light. I also kinda resent the ideas that its racist to dislike it cause TECHNICALLY we dont draw them for white characters either. Like Lois should have them too technically. A lot, if not most, of white or light skinned people dont have the have the same shade on their palms as they do on their skin. Unless you are agressively pale, you can differentiate between the color on their palms and skin. But for black characters, cause lets face it this doesnt happen for really anyone else, its too noticable. Also it adds a distracting amount of colors that usually messes with a character's design. Like the palm thing is an afterthought and not made to be part of the design itself. The only way I can see it working is if the artstyle was realistic, anime and 2D art just more often than not doesnt make it look good
OMG, I never did research as I only heard the creator worked on Owl House, but I guess that was the animator. Knowing the woman behind this show's writing did the abomination that was She-Ra and the Princesses of Power... explains SOOOO much why I have grown to despise this show, despite my initial liking of it.
I don’t hate that She-ra show, so I can’t relate 😅🤷♂️.
@@kaylemathewcomendador6964what can you relate too?
@@kwayneboy1524 Personal life stuff I don’t wanna talk about right now.
1:00:30 Wasn’t expecting to see Super Sentai, let alone a less discussed season like Magiranger pop up, but Magishine’s transformation (especially the bit with the grasping of the sun) would be great for Supes.
1:29:30 Amazing line out of context
As for the show proper, I only watched the first episode and had nothing to say other than wondering why it was on Adult Swim when nothing about the show felt like it couldn’t have just been on Cartoon Network proper.
Also the fact that Magishine's armor is overlayed onto his holy/saint form. Clark being bathed in a holy light where his form briefly shifts to an older self as his suit attaches him like armor where he then reaches out and hold the sun would be amazing. You get the image of what he will one day grow to be (which ties into the general Superman theme of the iniate good in all people) his suit being placed like armor is a reminder that it is not the suit or powers that make Superman, but the person that Clark is (so even without the Superman identity he would still go on to protect the world however he could), and finally him reaching for and grasping the sun is not only a reference to the source of powers, but is a reminder of Clark's determination to never give up in the face of evil and never stopping even after he reaches his goals.
Glad you're covering this show, I was both pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it while simultaneously frustrated that it was just missing the mark in alot of places. Also YES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE COVER SHE-RA that show was so damn annoying in its wasted potential but when it was coming out so many people gave it a pass and said it was good, ive thought about starting a youtube channel for years just to tear it a new one.
It gets a pass by the usual folks just because there's a lesbian relationship push throughout the show.
I personally didn't mind the transformation sequence since this is the 5th D.C has done it ( its used as funny lol moment) but i can understand the frustration of people misusing references , It feels pretty lazy and uncreative , rather than a love letter to a medium that inspired you , since some of the best stories used what came before them and build upon it to make a unique expirence.
Yeah, mostly I'm just frustrated they chose a moment which should have been emotionally important to the story they were telling as the part where they wanted to make a reference instead. Clark getting his suit for the first time is important to Clark. It is literally the worst time to go "lol reference!"
@@c-puff They could have done both too. Martia sees Clark in the news and makes a supersuit for him because she's proud to see him doing good (while out in the farm, give it a sec as to why). Then he visits the ship with the suit underarm (directly after to make it natural that he's still holding it). The AI can then upgrade the suit to be more durable (coat it with scifi or something) and put it on him in the magical girl transformation sequence).
Really enjoied the video, I could tell that with this one the criticism comes from a place of hope for the project. As oposed to previous revious, with this show you can tell where repairs could be made. This is a project that could have been improved, while the others neede to be rebuild from the ground up
An good example of characters with unique mannerisms is the cast from Omori. I'm watching a playthrough of it, and I've noticed how each character is very unique in the wat that they act. Hero is a polite big brother character, Aubrey is a stubborn yet gentle friend character, and Kel is a playful and impulsive character. They all act like who they are supposed to be, and they interact accordingly as well. Aubrey, being stubborn, is often upset with Kel for doing something foolish, and Hero tries to mediate their bickering. It makes sense with their character individually, and that good individual writing turns into the synergies being well-writen.
To me, people expecting you to have an underlying knowledge of Superman for their work doesn't bother me. It's Superman, unless you're going to the farthest corners of the Earth, everyone has probably at the very least HEARD of Superman and knows he's the guy with the red cape who can fly and lift heavy things. So many people are so genre/lore savvy these days that it can be difficult to determine how much intro you have to give a certain character if they have any amount of history to them. Balancing the basics of the character with the specifics you want to establish for your project is the most important part and I feel like the intro for My Adventures with Superman does an alright job setting up exactly what it needs to setup for most viewing audiences to understand who Superman is and what he's about.
AAAAGH! You killed me with the sudden Halflife: Full Life Consequences reference. I am dead. Please bury and give a eulogy.
So this show was my first time seeing Ms. Campbell’s work and I thought the transformation sequence was fun and it didn’t take me out of the moment but from how you explained her other work it seems she kinda has the same problem that Snyder has just with anime references ya know. Still overall liked the show and I’m at least intrigued to see how they’ll handle the future
Babe, a new C-Puff video dropped. Bring out the fine china.
1:23:04 All I feel is pain at this revelation
Lol, I don't agree with the palms thing, I actually like to see the detail, but everyone has preferences :P
Ah yes my adventures with superman the latest example of tomboy supremsy. All jokes aside I see C Puff's point I only know so much about comics and warhammer cause I invested time in it so I pick up on things. But some of my favorite moments and stories are when it's small yet intimate. For example the last church book wich is my personal favorite warhammer book as a example and in my opinion a good start for warhammer.
Hi, C-Puff! I just wanted to say that your dialect is very unique. It almost sounds like "hi-ever" for "however", on a few videos of yours I've seen. There's nothing wrong with it! I just found it interesting since it's almost the opposite to people where I live with a lot of emphasized drawl on vowels.
haha thank you! I was always nervous about starting youtube because of my accent and it stopped me from getting started for a few years. It's funny you bring up the Hi-ever thing because I never realised I pronounced it that way until I started editing my own audio! So it was something I also noticed and was surprised by 😂
@@c-puffPersonally, I find it charming. :)
And I can kinda relate to your problem. When I was younger, I had trouble pronouncing the S clearly. Which was annoying, once I really noticed it.
As for the main content of the video - I hadn't really noticed some of the WEIRDNESS that you're pointing out here (though I have a pretty good notion of where the Kawaii Counter is leading) but now that it's not being shielded by my intense relief at having an actually good and enjoyable Superman cartoon, there's definitely some rough edges.
I will say the whole Jor-El thing was also changed beyond just the broken translator, and that's his entire vibe. In the past, he's typically been more of a scientist. This one very much seems like a warrior to some extent, and that's largely due to the eyepatch. combine that with the origin of the alien tech seemingly being Krypton, and it paints an.... odd picture. I'm not entirely sure what they're plan for everything is, with that in mind.
Oh thanks for the input on Jor-El! Even with that I think it's an interesting direction to take things in because it actually opens up avenues to interesting story development. It seems the changes are small enough to not do the "subvert your expectations (by not having good writing)" but instead changes things where you genuinely want to see what the differences cause in the story as a whole. It reminds me of the small things the live action Sailor Moon show did which were very minor but had much larger story implications which made it fun for me as a huge fan to experience.
@@c-puff Fully agree. They did a good job of setting it up so that the inherent mystery of the tech, Jor-El and the added later season snippets about "0 day," would keep the actual plot interesting, even in some of the seemingly less relevant episodes.
So, they basically made Jor El Bardock from DBZ, then?
(Part 1)
Apologies for the incoming essay, but I have a lot of thoughts on this show:
A "Mixed Bag" is certainly an apt way to describe this show. I was sceptical about it when it was first announced, due to not really enjoying the past work of the showrunner behind this (I'm sorry but I just did not care for the She-Ra reboot, and if you're going to tear into its fifth season, consider me curious because I was not exactly a fan of how things were handled, especially regarding Catra, Hordak, Horde Prime, Shadow Weaver, and Adora herself... though, as a side-note and minor nitpick, SPoP 2018's main was showrunner was actually ND Stevenson, and Campbell was a story editor and writer, but still a big part of the show), and feeling like the art style was "Diet Avatar". Still, I gave the first season a watch, and while I didn't really hate it, and I did like some things about it, I didn't fall in love with it like many others on Twitter did, either (I'm a Superman fan, and let me tell you that fellow fans searching for any decent Superman content right now is basically like searching for water in a dry, dry desert, so we basically take any small "drop" we can find, for better or worse).
Starting off, I do appreciate that this show is trying to go for a more optimistic take on Superman after a decade of him either being deconstructed or being made into a villain. It's good to see an adaptation of him that tries to hearken back to a more traditionally heroic type of Superman. Not that I don't think a more dark and serious Superman story can't be done well (look at Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", his other most famous Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything", or the story in Action Comics #775 "What's so Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American & Way?", which was adapted into "Superman Vs The Elite", for some great examples), but I think many of them end up missing the point of just why an "Evil Superman" story happens in the first place, with the few actually good ones basically saying "it's dumb to make Superman evil in the first place", with even Frank Miller himself sadly forgetting that part (the original point of Superman's role in The Dark Knight Returns is that it's basically commentary on how wrong it is for Superman to become a government stooge in the first place, with the story taking place in a "bad future" scenario, but I think Miller's personal issues around the time of 9/11 affected his writing ability as well as his mental health). So, I feel like there should be some kudos to making Clark/Superman more of an outright good guy in this show.
That being said, I'm kinda not the biggest fan of them trying to "uwu-ify" Clark into a big quasi-himbo "soft boi". I get wanting to try something new with the character, and this version is much younger and just starting off as being Superman, but stuff like him having "the bib" is pushing it. The showrunners said they looked to stuff like My Hero Academia for inspiration, possibly even basing Clark's character in this a bit off of Izuku Midoriya's, and while I don't think that's a bad thing on its own, I think they took a bit too much from Izuku's "soft awkward side", and not enough from his more determined and persevering side, or they at least didn't balance those two sides as well. I don't mind the idea "Real Clark" being more dorky and awkward like this Clark, but I personally prefer the "Real Clark Kent" as being a balance between the confident Superman persona and the dorky, "mild mannered reporter"; a Kansas farm boy who's genuinely kind, yet strong, in several meanings of the word.
As for the two other lead main characters, Lois is an okay reinvention of her usual self, still being a bit spunky and wanting to get the latest scoop, but in a more optimistic and energetic way; and despite the race-swap, Jimmy is honestly still similar to the goofy, yet loyal friend Superman/Clark has in the comics (and if you like Jimmy being a dweeb who gets into outrageous situations, then you should look up at just what he got up to during the Silver Age, because that's where some of his most famous/infamous stories come from, which have become running jokes in various media).
However, with Lois, I'm little it torn on her character because part of me can't help but feel like she's part of the recent trend of the "quirky and relatable" female protagonist we've been seeing a lot in American/Western animation recently, such as certain recent Disney movies and Disney TV shows (I can at least understand why so many people compared her to Luz, because while they're not entirely the same in personality, their appearances and energetic demeanors are uncannily similar to one another), which kinda takes away from Lois' uniqueness as a character by replacing some of her traditional personality with another one we've been seeing a whole lot of recently. Plus, as you've hinted at, there's certain future developments in this show which kinda hurt her character, but we'll get to that when we get to it. And on the subject of her outfit, I would have personally added more purple to it, since that's a color usually associated with Lois Lane.
With Jimmy, I totally get the "Fanfic Sokka" comparisons. I feel like so many shows want to be like Avatar, so they copy a lot of that show's homework, but they often fumble when it comes to understanding what made those characters work in the first place, especially they try to make the "Sokka" of the group, but end up becoming "Fanfic Sokka" (my poor sweet boy, Lance really got done dirty with that type of writing). Also, it is odd that the characters made into the "Funny Sokka-esque Guy" are usually those with darker skin tones, but in this case I find it particularly odd since they took the traditionally male African American character of Ron Troupe, who's usually played seriously, and gender-swapped him, while also race-swapping the plucky, kinda scrawny sidekick who often gets into trouble into being African American. I might be reading too much into things, but it rubs me in a weird way like how you noticed the "Fanfic Sokka" character types almost always having darker skin tones.
Speaking of the race swaps and gender-swaps, I'm not gonna make too big a deal about them, but something that also kinda bugs me is how Lois in this show is supposed to be Korean American, but her skin tone has the same sort of "tanned" look to it that you usually see from Latino/Hispanic characters (as someone who is half-Latino, that's already a choice some artists make which I have mixed feelings on), which makes me feel like this show's efforts at diversity feel kinda half-hearted (not helped by the fact that one of Lois' outfits is supposed be influenced by Korean culture, but one Korean user on Twitter pointed put all the errors in the outfit). Plus, I feel like one missed opportunity to make the cast more diverse is highlighting more minor PoC characters who work at the Daily Planet from the comics, like Jackee Winters, Franklin Stern, and Melba Manton, but that's just me.
To be more critical, the villains of this show seem to be the weakest link of it, so far. Many of them feel like downgrades from their comic book counterparts, as well as their previous animated incarnations, in terms of both characterization and design. For example, Intergang is usually a gang of professional, big-time mobsters, usually having connections to Darkseid himself. And with Livewire, she was originally a brash, trash-talking shock jock who gained electricity powers, but here they made her look and act like a generic superpowered terrorist. And I'm skipping ahead, but what they did with Mr. Mxyzptlk shows that their "anime-esque" inspirations feel kinda lackluster, since they made him look like a generic Dragon Ball or Tenchi Muyo character, instead of doing something a bit more interesting by having him look and act like a character from a gag manga/anime like Doctor Slump or Osomatsu-kun/Osomatsu-san, since cartoons and comic nowadays often turn him and characters like him, such as Bat-Mite, into shout-outs to comedy cartoons such as the Looney Tunes and Ren and Stimpy.
And there definitely seems to be a big case of "writer-speak"/"millennial writing"/whatever you wanna call it in this show. I recall Guillermo del Toro bringing this up as being a recurring issue he's noticed in modern American animation, where everyone sounds like they're in a sitcom and everyone has a "witty" comeback or quip to a situation, sometimes to the detriment of serious situations.
This also feels like this isn't Studio Mir's best work. There's a lot to criticize Voltron: Legendary Defender for, but one aspect which felt mostly consistent was that there was plenty of good animation and story-boarding in that show, for the most part. Here, it feels like a rush job in both the animation and story-boarding departments, and it certainly isn't beating the "Diet Avatar" allegations. I don't know if the pandemic had anything to do with the clumsy look of the show, or if this is one of their less expensive productions, but this feels pretty off for a decent animation studio like Mir. Though, on the subject of animation studios, I'm sorry to nitpick you, but Netflix She-Ra was actually animated by NE4U and not Studio Mir.
(Part 2)
Overall, the biggest issue I feel this show has is that it's confused about what it is and who it's for. More traditional Superman fans may like its take on Clark's character, but may be confused on certain reimagined portrayals of side characters, story elements, and especially the villains. New fans may enjoy it, but they may not really understand a lot of the deep-cut references like the ones to the Newsboy Legion (or Newskid Legion in this case). And big anime fans may just accuse the show of trying to be yet another "American anime knock-off" in the way it tries to emulate anime, but makes references and shout-outs that are either shallow or predictable (kudos on your big anime reference rant in this, by the way, since while I like to wear my inspirations on my sleeve for my stories, I also don't want the reference to be too distracting to the story to the story I'm trying to tell... plus, I also feel a transformation like Ultraman or Kamen Rider would fit Superman more). Not to mention there's also the way it tries to also be like a shojo slice-of-life anime, but we get a multiverse plot in the first season.
Again, I don't hate the show or even dislike it compared to shows like High Guardian Spice or Velma (or a lot of Netflix She-Ra, but that's neither here nor there), and I appreciate it trying to bring back a more light-hearted Superman, but it really feels like it's all over the place in terms of story, concepts, and characters. Doesn't help the fact that they only have ten episodes per season to tell the story they want to tell, making it feel cramped and rushed (an issue which I feel has unfortunately become more common in animated shows for the past few years, such as Legend of Korra, RWBY, and, most recently, Hazbin Hotel). Maybe season 2 could be an improvement, even slightly, but only time will tell.
Sorry for those long walls of text, but I hope you can understand where I'm coming from and what I'm trying to say. Hope you have a good day, and best of luck on reviewing the rest of this season.
Mix bag really is an appropriate title to describe this show. Honestly I really I really liked it especially how they depict Superman and I like how he hangs out with Jimmy and Louis, But I really can't disagree with some of the points you made. This really was a good review but I do wonder how you're going to feel about the rest of the show, Cause I feel like all that good will you gave it is probably gonna go down the drain
To be fair to Josie and the crew , it was Stevenson who completely dived bombed she-ra , while it may have not been a perfect series at least it would have ended similar to steven universe were it had a somewhat satisfactory ending.
**takes notes for whenever I finally tackle season 5 of She-Ra**
MAN that show was so good and then the last season....
@c-puff from what I've heard, Stevenson apparently dedicated the last season to their abusive , cheating ex as a means to forgive them
@@danielasarmiento3101 if that's true it explains a lot
@@danielasarmiento3101That would certainly explain Catra.....
@@danielasarmiento3101 Good for them, but I’m not sure if giving the baddies of that show some form of redemption was the best way to express it with what they did in the show & all. There’s a big difference between a abusive & cheating ex and a dictator & child manipulator.
Turians don't lay EGGS?!
"The idea is solid; the execution is just weak." Most of this show in a nutshell, not gonna lie.
I genuinely struggled on whether to say this in the first video or wait until the end.
I think some of the executions are all right it's still a fun show
I never had the interest to look up any information about this cartoon, but from the screenshots I had the impression that Lois in this was a child/younger teenager, and that they were going for a non-romantic relationship. Imagine my shock.
Frank Millar is such a mixed bag, his early stuff is really good his newer stuff is kinda cringed and you even kinda mentioned a big problem he has these days even if you didn't realise just how often he does it, Frank is so obsessed with Batman that hes all frank ever writes about even when it's not a batman story a great example being JLA: Act of God where all the heroes lose their powers and get depressed until Batman teaches them how to be like him🙃 its kind of a BIG problem with franks writing
Like.... I like Batman too but if I were tasked to write someone else I'd at least put in SOME effort. I mentioned Batman at the start of this video but even tho I am more familiar with Batman I made a conscious choice not to compare this show directly to any Batman media.
@@c-puff yeah the other problem JLA: Act of God makes very clear is that Frank never bothers to try understanding the other characters so theyre all out of character and they all become these weird half depressed half crazy versions of themselves
@@zom8979Is that the one where everyone looses their superpowers, Diana becomes religious and the Martian Manhunter gives himself a really cringy, "cool" new Superheroname?
@@johannesseyfried7933 yep
@@c-puff Johan there makes a great point on how little frank seems to know about anyone not Batman; in JLA act of God he has wonder woman an Amazonian and literal daughter of a Greek God suddenly become a Christian God fearing bible thumper after losing her powers claiming this was their punishment for seeing themselves as gods among men👀 literally the only heroes that view themselves that way are actually gods of direct decendeants of gods 🙃 and even many of them tend to be humble about it
I love the show, and I am super happy season two is underway, and I love that they brought back catra’s space suit, but the second season of she-ra was definitely a hell of a faceplant
Pleasantly surprised, just came from work and saw new c-puff notification.
You hit the nail on the head that all the characters sound the same, as the writer is inexperienced and cannot make them act different enough. IDW's Transformers comics by James Roberts had the same problem, after a while, every character got to be the same wacky quirky person, or if they were a villain, were a drooling maniac who is also crazy.
Not completely getting that impression. I can kinda see that with Lois & Jimmy, but not much with Clark/Superman.
I have to say I love this video's thumbnail.
My go to recommendation for a stand alone Superman story is All-Star Superman. I also like Superman vs The Elite since the movie removes a lot of the extra comic lore that was part of What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and The American Way. I remember liking the Rebirth run too. So if any one wanted to get started with Superman that's where I would point them
Seeing HLVRAI in your video as a reference for good character work is PERFECT (I can't wait for HLVRAI2)
I LOVE how they come through with their characters so well and so clearly, despite it all being all made up on the spot (mostly)
Also, I agree with you on the lighter palms on Jimmy,
especially because there were so many frames where they simply forgot to color them in
that, and the fact that they never do lighter palms on any of the other POC characters
(edit: I also noticed the Fan-Sokka trend)
I'm always happy to see when you post (I'm late to watch this one lol) because I'm writing my own story and you have great points to make ♥
I have no intention of watching the show, but will consume your review will glee.
So here's my question and maybe I'm just...possibly blind, but is it me or is Jimmy the only character that has the different colored palms? Like I am glancing at some of the other POC characters who are black (or at least appears to be black) and he seems to be the only one who has that? Not sure what to make of that tbh.
Perry White also has the lighter palms :) but Flip does not... Nor does Livewire or Roughhouse. It's very confusing.
@@c-puff I somehow missed your reply but all I can think of is 'are they only doing it to people that are considered main characters (which doesn't work since Flip, Livewire or Roughhouse are all, in some sense, important characters in some form or fashion based on what I remember from this video) or did they realize that the lighter palms didn't work after using it for only two characters so they didn't do the rest that way.'
No one will ever know 🙃
Have been out of the loop for almost all things comics, but it's a C-Puff video so guess I have to learn now.
Thank you for mentioning the hands thing on Black characters. At least Jimmy's lips aren't "pronounced" as I've noticed tends to be on Black characters, too. These wouldn't bug me so much if other characters had these attributes. Variety is the spice of life after all.
And I also have to appreciate Lois or every other woman not having colored lips. I know it's supposed to mean they would have been wearing lipstick because.......they're women, I guess. But, it's a nice change because (again) variety is the spice of life and not *every* woman wears lipstick!
Frank Miller is actually my go-to example of caption narration being a worthwhile addition to the rhythm of a comic book. Some of his work on Daredevil/Elektra really impressed me that way.
For the last little while I've noticed a preference for "show don't tell" which is directionally good, but caption narration allows you to control pacing from panel to panel and really lets you into the character's head. It seems like moments that hit hardest in comics are the ones that masterfully marry prose and art together, and artists shouldn't lose sight of that.
I think later superhero writers kind of abused this device though. I've enjoyed comics by Christopher Yost and Scott Lobdell but I feel like they just use fight narrations to give the same monologue about the character's angst over and over, lol. (I'm thinking Scarlet Spider and Red Hood). It gets to the point where the fight doesn't matter at all, even as a flashy thing, it's just b-roll to the character having a chat about why they will or won't change their worldview.
I hate how when you mentioned the Jesus allegory stuff my first thought was Nostalgia Critics review- but aside from that phenomenal video and can’t wait for part 2
Only watched 3 episodes of this so far but I kind of figure the villains are getting better designs later as right now they have just barely gotten their powers. It hasn't really become part of their identity yet so it is not represented in their dress yet. I hope I'm right.
Big issue I have with Clark being awkward in this is, as far as I’ve seen it’s like he only JUST GOT his powers and doesn’t know how much effort he needs to do anything without breaking things, and honestly- if THAT were true, he probably would have never gotten by.
I'm here to confirm that the subscribe button sparkles when being pressed
“Meta knowledge”
The most famous superhero can fly….
I can't wait for the next part in this series. I hope life is treating you well enough so you can get it done soon 👍
8:39 I still don’t understand, but alright Frank Miller.
I guess he was trying to say that Superman represents freedom, as he was born from people that where severely oppressed to the point that they changed their names, kinda like Superman hides his true self under a fake identity.
Yeah I purposefully avoided the show due to a number of reasons, but I don't care for the over-infantilizing of Clark as well as the "oh my gosh, a cute girl, I'm in love" pandering to Lois. And because of your analysis and references used to emphasize your points (which again is among your GREATEST TALENTS as well as taste in those references) really made me learn a lot. Straight up didn't know the chick responsible for those....other shows, did this as well, which makes a LOT of sense. Keep doing what you do, you're doing great work C-Puff! Glad I found ya.
Shame you didn't give the show a chance but whatever
It's not perfect, but they got the character of Superman basically right.
He's a good man, who has the power of a god.
Ma your the best , you understand superman and everything your saud was well put and articulate, superman is my favorite superhero and he inspires me to do more
Now you mention the villan desing, is like some confuse to iron man villans, like Parasite that look a mix of scorpio and a iron suit in purpler
And ya that transformation was embarrassing, there
could find more fitting transformation (like the sentai footage you use ,im surprise you use something outside Might Morpher) but this writer only know what saw on tv on sunday or toonami 20 years ago .
Man Louise do 180 and story to , this could be a fun show but the way is goes... uf
Oh we're gonna get to Lois, don't you worry!
Personally I disagree with the comics are hard to get into because you have a lot of homework to do a good story should be able to fill you in on anything that you need to know to understand the story
I do like that in the first episodes, they do show that Lois isn't Perfect and can be in the wrong.
Like i am not really sure why so many newer wrighters are afraid of giving characters any real flaws. Like with HGS they wanted us to see the MC's as Pure and almost always in the right.
But Characters don't have to be Perfect bc the Perfect Person doesn't excist.
Perfect Characters are boring and unrelateable, you don't get real emotions from thrm. 😒
I had to accept that I don't like superhero comics that much after enjoying superhero cartoons growing up. I like team dynamics, and I like short self contained stories, and occasionally super hero comics provide this. But I've never found following an ongoing DC/Marvel story that engaging. Usually I find myself punished for getting invested, either because of a storyline dragging and chasing its tail too much, or because of the continuity I like getting yeeted by editorial mandates or changes to the team. Usually it's both.