Jojo's Circus: Wow this show looks nothing like Harley Quinn!

10:24 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "spot the anime protagonist"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to the next post, they say, as they do not post for a week. To be fair though, I am on work-cation in America. I'm busy with work and also vacation at the same time. At the same time, America has a lot more to offer than Canada, such as an HBO Max subscription, so I've been essentially watching a whole bunch of HBO Max shows I've been meaning to, but never got around to. Here's the rundown on those, if you were ever curious

• Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed is amazing. Sound of the summer. So transgender. This is the baby show kids deserve. I may have watched this one while I was high, but I stand by my opinions. Not to mention. Huge Mo Willems fan.
• Tuca and Bertie is pretty good. It's kind of made me aware of how much confidence I've sprouted since I watched the first season years ago, which is particularly noteworthy because I also quit anti-anxiety meds and anti-depressants in that time.
• Pushing Daisies I've only seen the first episode of, but I think I had too high of expectations for that one. It's decent, just not my fave.
• I don't think FLCL is on HBOMax but I watched it anyway. I understand the appeal, but I'm not a fan myself
  
• And uhhhhh Harley Quinn, a funny little clown show that could have been everything, but ultimately falls flat in the delivery of its themes, especially due to the antisemitism throughout

Other than being excited about all the shows I've been watching, I think it's a little interesting to compare Harley and Jojo. Other than the fact that they're clown girls in C-Tier shows, they ultimately have nothing in common. Harley Quinn is very much for adults while Jojo's Circus is very much for preschoolers. Harley Quinn has overarching themes of overcoming abuse and institutional sexism. Jojo has themes of promoting exercise and being a funny clown in funny clown school. By the end of the first episode, Harley ditches the clown getup. So thematically, I guess you can say that Jojo is upholding the system while Harley is trying to escape it? Some kind of metaphor like that

Of course Jojo's Circus is just a children's show, and it's the last of the Jim Jinkins Disney shows for that matter! Yay!

So how do they hold up? I think out of the baby shows at least, Jojo's Circus is the funniest, even if it is unintentional most of the time.

10:28 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "mr tickle's descent into madness"
10:31 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "the lion just said "please clap""
6:08 PM · Jan 28, 2021 "whenever jojo says she's a clown i just think it's funny"
6:12 PM · Jan 28, 2021 "jojo's circus is already kinda funny.... "ok i have to stay calm. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA""
7:24 PM · Jan 28, 2021 "professor tik tok"
5:04 PM · Jan 31, 2021 "hot dogs are vegan in the jojoverse"
5:26 PM · Jan 31, 2021 "jojo's hatred of rodeo clowns"

It's actually kind of weird that the other Jim Jinkins baby shows don't lean too much into humor. I know the subdued nature is just a natural part of them, but Jim Jinkins was also the guy who did the Doug reboot, with various cartoonish B-plots and Roger, Skeeter, Mr. Dink, Chalky, what have you.

But I think the humor and high energy adds a lot to Jojo's Circus compared to the other baby shows because it encourages kids to get up and get active. (As opposed to PB&J Otter which teaches problem solving and Stanley which teaches animal facts.)

7:05 PM · Jan 28, 2021 "jojo once again telling me to stand up. im not going to"

Unfortunately, it doesn't do the best job of it, as most of the active sentiment is directed toward one character, Tater Spudinski.

Tater Spudinski is the potato of the circus, because what circus would be complete without the potato? But this is no ordinary potato. Tater is a couch potato. This leads to mockings as he falls asleep in class, and ultimately leads to the comedic conflict of "Circus Town Makeover," where Tater and his family are unable to get off of the couch because they're so damn lazy. Tweetus belowus.

10:27 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "they do nothing but mock the narcoleptic child"
8:49 AM · Jan 29, 2021 "Jojo is like. A fine show but I hate that one of the major recurring themes of it is keeping active. There’s an ep where a family is stuck to their couch and they have to work out and the exercise instructor is really respectful of their limits but something about being stuck to"
8:49 AM · Jan 29, 2021 "The couch kinda idk... we could have done without that..."

Honestly, I think Jojo may have had the most forgettable characters of the Jim Jinkins shows, other than maybe PB&J Otter. Doug's characters are classics even without the Nickelodeon nostalgia, Stanley's team is incredibly memorable even if I dislike the show. Jojo, I honestly don't remember anyone other than Jojo, Goliath, Mr. Tickle, Tater, and Babalulu. And the only reason I remember Babalulu is because I thought it was really funny how they put a 20-something getting her life together in this baby show. I think that may become more of a thing moving forward too? I know Higglytown Heroes especially has a lot of immature adult characters in it.

Overall Rating for Jojo's Circus: C Tier

Clerks: Wow this show looks a lot like Fillmore!

10:30 AM · May 19, 2021 "disney watch really made me forget what adult shows were like."

Clerks is a lot like Madeline. One of those on the fence shows. It never actually aired on Disney, heaven forbid, but it was animated by the folks at DTVA, one of the primary companies in the Disney Watch. I think I figured if I was doing Wuzzles, I might as well do Clerks too.

It's also a little bit out of order. Clerks the Animated Series came out in the late 90s, but I held off until now. The reason for that is, I started this show right after finishing Fillmore!

Like take a look at Fillmore and Third vs Jay and Silent Bob.

They look like they're in the same show, don't they? The only real different is line thickness (which can vary from scene to scene in both shows). So I essentially felt like I was still in the Fillmore universe, but around adults.

Clerks the Animated Series is an interesting case. We've seen a lot of cartoons based off movies. Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, to name a few, all kid movies. And Clerks was... sill somewhat involved with Disney at the time (distribution rights were given to Miramax, which was owned by Disney in '94), so I guess that doesn't make it all that special.

And it's not like cartoons based off more adult films are uncommon. There's The Real Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, Beetlejuice. Clerks is probably one of the first adaptations that didn't age down anything about it, including swearing... And also slurs.

10:46 AM · May 19, 2021 "coming onto clerks after finishing fillmore is like. a little jarring. they have very similar styles. would vice principal jeff probst call me a queer to my face?"
10:33 AM · May 19, 2021 "kind of fucked up how one of the main characters is just like. actually homophobic"

It's a 90s stoner comedy. You sort of come to expect this thing.

Clerks is also the second shortest series on my list, with six episodes, only beaten out by Star Darlings with three, and I kind of see why. Surprisingly it's not the edgy humor thought! The thing about Clerks is it's actually pretty impressive. Some of the stories it tries to tell are great at being funny. But the way it goes about it is pretty experimental. The first episode, "Leonardo Leonardo Returns and Dante Has an Important Decision to Make" has some pretty goofy scene cuts and jokes that would make a typical person pretty angry as they don't really show what should be the high action points of the episode, opting for a more [scene cut] "we did it" response. I can respect that in some ways and I think it was used pretty well. Another example is the infamous second episode "The Clip show Wherein Dante and Randal are Locked in the Freezer and Remember Some of the Great Moments in Their Lives," which is a clip show entirely about the first episode. And it's funny, though the bit does get old after a while. That's likely more of the reason it got pulled, as that was the last episode to air (though the first episode didn't air at all? They aired the fourth for some reason instead.)

I hate using the word troll in a not-online, but I do think Kevin Smith kind of is one. It's evident in the Clerks cartoon that jokes were made to annoy people, and I think you can kind of see it in Kevin Smith's other works. I haven't seen Masters of the Universe: Revelation, but from what I know about it, that cartoon is a good example of what I mean. Everyone got so mad about Adam dying and Kevin Smith lying saying that the Master of the Universe reboot would be about He-Man. And it's like. I may not have seen anything this man has made other than 4 of 6 episodes of the Clerks cartoon, but man you kinda let yourself get suckered there.

Fun fact, the Clerks 3 trailer actually dropped the day I planned on making this blog post, but I don't know if I had anything else to say here. Wow It's Clerks! Here's a funny post about Clerks?! Like, I haven't seen the movie and don't plan to, so I don't really know what else I'd say.

3:07 PM · May 19, 2021 "also jay is kind of g"

I guess that.

Overall Rating for Clerks the Animated Series: C Tier

Fillmore!: I don't have a snappy title for this one it's just really good...

5:55 PM · May 10, 2021 "ducktales eat your heart out"

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we wrap up the One Saturday Morning era, I'd like to point out another pattern I see in some of these shows. While slice of life shows were pretty common in this era, many cartoons, including Fillmore, play homage with their overall premise. Kim Possible is very James Bond-esque. Teamo Supremo captures the essence of 1960s Batman, and Fillmore! pulls inspiration from 1970s police procedurals.

Honestly, I can't really say more than that. I watched one episode of Columbo back around maybe 2015, and couldn't really get into it, and never watched any detective stuff from the 1970s again outside the odd Rifftrax video. Regardless, the show still feels like a love letter even without knowing what specifically it's a love letter to.

7:13 PM · May 11, 2021 "Fillmore is essentially a parody of 70s cop dramas, but other than the setting, everything else is played straight so you can’t really tell if there’s any irony in it or not. Leading to the question: Is Fillmore Camp?"

Honestly, the only beef I have with Fillmore! is that it is essentially a cop show. Even if it is dipped in metaphor about the safety patrol, Disney still greenlit it seeing the metaphor, and got me proper invested in this cop show, to the point that this is currently my second favorite Disney cartoon.

But why? Why is Fillmore! so damn good? Honestly, it comes from its themes of morality and becoming a better person.

8:48 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "i really like the themes of filmore they mean a lot to me. this is definitely a show i'm coming back to"

Cornelius Fillmore believes in upholding the law. He believes in doing the right thing. He believes anyone can change for the better, particularly because of his own checkered past. I think my tweets speak for themself. 

6:54 PM · May 11, 2021 "one of the things i enjoy about fillmore is it i really enjoy the trope of a protagonist who has a checkered past and a lot of regrets. i really relate to that sort of thing, even if it is used for more silly parody-esque drama than genuine drama"
6:55 PM · May 11, 2021 "fillmore is the kind of guy who is willing to give people a second chance bc he's been there and it's nice to see it as neither a good nor bad thing. sometimes he's in the right about it and other times people take advantage of his kindness"
6:56 PM · May 11, 2021 "i appreciate the philosophy in that regard. some people can improve and deserve second chances, but others simply will not take them."
7:00 PM · May 11, 2021 "i think fillmore! does this philosophy better than a lot of more modern shows, particularly because it doesn't fall too hard into close to home or overly intense or questionable actions. some shows (steven universe) are overly forgiving and assume everyone can be better"
7:00 PM · May 11, 2021 "other shows (the good place) have this sort of nuance with very topical anti-pc sort of folks, which, while poignant, can lose its value in years to come and can potentially isolate marginalized viewers who don't want to see that sort of shit? (and he gets his 2nd chance anyway?)"
7:07 PM · May 11, 2021 "Fillmore allows for more of a metaphorical deal. This kid has a history of stealing test answers or whatever. It’s a metaphor for whatever the ep is about"
7:08 PM · May 11, 2021 "Despite all this, it is kinda screwy that the number two show in the Disney watch at the moment is essentially a cop show. I think that says a lot about Disney"

Also Fillmore! is just... a really funny show. It stays somewhat chill in its style but the humor is so good.

8:36 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "fillmore is such a subdued show but whenever it does jokes they ALWAYS land"

The jokes range from subtle background gags to hyperspecific items that move the plot along to actor allusions to just things that probably aren't jokes but made me laugh a lot anyway. Here's just a few things that made me laugh.

7:57 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "i rlly like the background sign that just vaguely says "virtual pet""

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7:59 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "i really think it's funny when cartoons has some dumbass object like "crowbar with a kitty head that stores an address book""
7:59 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "this is a popular item"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8:04 PM · Jan 27, 2021 "there's a chase scene through several graphic bbq aprons and some repeat but i think it's clever"

 

 

 

 

 

 

4:54 PM · May 10, 2021 "wombat anime linens"

9:29 PM · May 14, 2021 "love this girl who keeps calling fillmore occifer... thhats a thing i would do"

9:46 PM · May 14, 2021 "i'm on my FOURTH fandom now"
9:47 PM · May 14, 2021 "god fillmore is such a good show these characters are so 13" 9:51 PM · May 14, 2021 "this episode is such a fake tumblr post. i swore out my problematic fave and then everyone clapped"

7:13 AM · May 19, 2021""it's like an immunity idol" "yeah that's what raycliff said" this is probably the funniest joke in the entire series"
7:14 AM · May 19, 2021 "raycliff is voiced by jeff probst"

7:10 AM · May 19, 2021 "DOG? JULES IS A HORSE."
7:24 AM · May 19, 2021 "why is the running gag of this episode seeing eye miniature horses?"

I usually don't take the tweets that are just out of context quotes and post them, but for Fillmore! they were funny as hell. Expecting a seeing eye dog only to have a kid scream in offense that they have a seeing eye horse. Hearing references to fandom in 2002. It's funny shit. When subtle humor works, it works really well, and Fillmore! is a place where it works.

Fillmore may be one of my favorite animated protagonists of all time. In addition, the relationship between Fillmore and Third is so fun. They're both kind of odd and talk about odd things in their free time. They also care a lot about one another, and they're one of the strongest duos I've seen, and I also really appreciate it's platonic, especially in an era where every cartoon was pushing their boy and girl leads as a couple either by the end of the series, or when they grew up.

Outside of of Fillmore and Third, no one really stood out to me in this show. It's something I'm very willing to forgive with how much I like these two. Most of the criminals only show up for an episode or two as well, which I can forgive as well. This means the other safety patrollers are our recurring characters. I do like Raycliff and Vallejo. Both have a little bit of humor to add to the series. Folsom also has their moments. I do wish the other officers were better.

9:31 PM · May 14, 2021 "tehama really does fit that one dyed streak stereotype huh"
9:33 PM · May 14, 2021 "are they autistic coding o'farrell????? i mean they might have beforehand but this ep...."

I also forgot Anza existed for like a year. Like that's how little Anza means to me. 

But you know what. Fillmore's funny as hell and it has themes that really stick to me, and that's ultimately why it's my second favorite Disney cartoon of all time.

7:07 AM · May 19, 2021 "wow i fucking love ace attorney"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall Rating for Fillmore!: S Tier

Teamo Supremo: The All-American Campy Superhero Show That Isn't Batman

1:10 PM · Jul 19, 2021 "You Are (Not) Excused"

It took me a while to get to a new blog post for a few reasons. I'm still in the process of finishing up Higglytown Heroes (which has been a delight). I'm slowly getting through The Ghost and Molly McGee (less of a delight, but still interesting to watch). I'm kind of at a wall with Mickey Mouse Funhouse, at least until I can get to America and access episodes legally later this month, which has put my Mickey Mouse Quadruple feature up in the air. (You'll notice I skipped House of Mouse. This is why.)

As for Teamo, the All-American nature of the show was just something I wasn't feeling. I was kind of feeling too sad to talk about Teamo Supremo, and not the right kind of sad to skip ahead one and talk about Fillmore!

So I stalled a bit. Something I also wanted to do while I talked about Teamo Supremo was talk about 60s Batman, which the show draws from. A lot. It kind of draws from the 60s in general, with Jay Ward being another clear inspiration.

9:14 PM · Jan 12, 2021 "ppl say this is a ripoff of ppg but i kinda see more 60s batman in it (at least what little i've seen of 60s batman). it feels kinda all american too and i dont really think it's like a parody or anything i think it's just straight homage"
9:15 PM · Jan 12, 2021 "it's very simultaneously 1960s and 2000s and im not sure what my feelings are about it"
9:16 PM · Jan 12, 2021 "it's been a minute since i watched ppg but does ppg have much of a 60s feel????"
6:26 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "me: i have a feeling im gonna like teamo supremo because of it's retro 60s/2000s jay ward deal
me: likes teamo supremo because of it's retro 60s/2000s live action batman deal"

I can see the Jay Ward connections, though it's mostly in art style. It doesn't really have much of the same humor and writing style as something like Rocky and Bullwinkle or Hoppity Hooper. But since I'm more knowledgeable of writing than animation, I figured 60s Batman would be better to talk about, except uhhh... I haven't seen 60s Batman in 5-10 years?

So I watched some today. A few hours ago as of writing this with my pals Deb and Alice! Though we only watched four episodes focusing on three villains (The Joker, Egghead, and Catwoman), you can see the parallels between the two shows. Both shows are very campy, take their incredibly stupid premises seriously, and star heroes who are lawful good to the point of comedy. (See Batman and Robin covering their eyes as they enter a woman's dressing room vs. Teamo Supremo refusing to fight crime until they finish their homework)

6:47 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "i love how all american role models teamo is like i can't tell if it's parody or genuine but i enjoy how they're all like. good people who eat their veggies and do their homework"

Worth noting as well, the aughts were just. A really good time to reference 60s Batman in your cartoon. From having Batman parody characters (Spongebob, Kim Possible), to having a character who looks and laughs like Cesar Romero as the Joker (The Proud Family), to straight up Adam West being in your show (Fairly Oddparents, Family Guy).

Speaking of the Joker, Mark Hamill is in this show and he's kind of my favorite character

3:05 PM · Jan 11, 2021 "kinda fucked up they got mark hamill to reprise his role as the joker for teamo supremo"
5:21 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "YES THE BIRTHDAY BANDIT IS BACK!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Teamo is kind of like Powerpuff Girls in that regard. Its villains are kind of the best part of the show, and a particular episode is only as good as its villain. I don't know if I would say any of the villains were memorable though. From my childhood, I only really remembered two: Inflato, because I hated his ass and that stupid laugh of his. 

4:55 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "I FUCKING REMEMBER INFLATO. FUCK THAT GUY."

And Hypnotheria, because she kept showing up in the fucking Toon Disney Villain Ad.

5:11 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "the fact that this teamo villain is a phd dropout i think serves as a warning for me personally"
5:13 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "damn im sick of genderbends where the make the girl sexy"

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Though all the villains are pretty rogues gallery and could fit into any superhero villain of the week type show, I also realized something else many of the Teamo Supremo villains could fit into.

 

As for the heroes, they're pretty eh. That's usually how heroes are to me though. However, Crandall has something interesting about him. He's an alien from outer space a la Superman. But he's also so cisgender and "aliens built the pyramids" with it that I can't stand him.

9:21 PM · Jan 12, 2021 "i think it's really funny that like. crandall is an alien (allegedy) and brenda and hector kinda just roll with it like "neat""
4:31 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "the problem with crandall's alien kinning is that he refuses to look past the gender binary"
5:49 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "the teacher's just like "crandall don't be racist""
6:31 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "idk if i made any big kinnie jokes about the protags of any shows but with crandall i dont need to he's like canonically alienkin"

I do like Hector and Brenda a lot more. Brenda in particular is pretty silly with it, and somewhat chaotic. 

5:21 PM · Jan 14, 2021 "BRENDA GAY MOMENTS"

I particularly like this screencap after Brenda deviates from a script Crandall made.

Also her mom looks like this which is really funny.

4:26 PM · Dec 7, 2021 "teamo supremo would maim you! but they would never kill you."
4:28 PM · Dec 7, 2021 "teamo supremo is like evangelion and governor kevin is a cereal version of gendo ikari"

A lot more entertaining than Teamo Supremo is Governor Kevin, who is governor of... The State. They never say what state they're in they're just protecting the state. I would assume it's like a small state though like maybe Connecticut? They're kids after all, they can't protect like. Georgia.

Kevin is really funny because he tries to be the "cool" governor. He's hip and with it, using a lot of 60s lingo, and he's usually successful at it, which adds to the campiness the show has.

3:16 PM · Jan 11, 2021 "i want a teamo supremo reboot so he can say funny zoomer words like poggers and yoinky"

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's also The Chief, who isn't particularly keen on the kids, and I think he kind of fits into the same trope Lord Starchbottom does for a bit once we get to The 7D.

And there's Paulson, the scientist who works at Level 7 to make all of Teamo's Gizmos. He's kind of fucked up.

4:43 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "paulson: i traumatized a man and now he doesn't take showers anymore. lol"
4:57 PM · Dec 7, 2021 "are divorce jokes passe because he is divorced"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teamo Supremo is a pretty decent show. It pays homage well. It's very campy if you're into campy cartoons. It has some great voice talents in it too, and it's a solid superhero cartoon

4:44 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "teamo supremo has some great voice acting lemme just say"

Unfortunately, it doesn't really offer much to think about. It's a show with all-American role model superhero children. If it talks about a subject it doesn't go too dark into it, even refusing to talk about how some animals eat other animals.

5:23 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "hmm this nameless cop being surprised that prison rehabilition works"
5:56 PM · Jan 13, 2021 "the one downside to teamo supremo is that they will never talk about god the same way shnookums and meat did"
5:07 PM · Dec 7, 2021 ""larges beings rely on small beings for their very survival" how now???? how exactly now. do they do that. how do they rely. is it for sustenance."

Kinda like how marvel is now, except Disney doesn't make any money off you watching Teamo Supremo illegally. 

Teamo Supremo also wears a little thin after a while. It's funny, but you can only watch a few episodes at a time, and you have to be in the mood for mindless all-American entertainment, and for the longest time I wasn't. Heck, even sitting through 60s Batman gave me a bit of a bad taste in my mouth at some points. 

I was planning on finishing this show, though I usually do that of my own accord, as I wish. Lately that means watching cartoons while high as a kite. While with some cartoons, like Higglytown Heroes, it is so much fun, Teamo Supremo kind of sucks when you're high. (Weirdly, I've noticed this of other hero shows too, including Miraculous and Kim Possible.) So I may come back to it at some point. And if I do, I might make another blog post, but until then.

Overall (?) Rating for Teamo Supremo: B Tier