Kick Buttowski and Other Projects

6:06 PM · Mar 24, 2021 "i saw a kick buttowski fnf thing earlier today.... god said suffer"

I feel like I've had a few of these shows where I've sat down and watched them and wished that I could put a character in it in a better show. Sunni Gummi and Riley Daring come to mind as characters who could have a lot of interesting themes surrounding them if they were in a more serious or thought out piece of fiction.

I want to put Kick Buttowski in a better show because I feel bad for him.

6:45 PM · Mar 24, 2021 "something disdainable about the kick buttowski has an addiction, gets an intervention, is threatened with reform/military school, and everyone tries to lure him into his addiction because they fucking hate him episode."
7:07 PM · Mar 24, 2021 "it's such a fart joke show....the thing is i love the character of kick, but i think he's the only one i like"

I've never really been into the tough guy macho character, but Kick just seems like a lot of fun, likely due to the fact that he's just a little kid who puts on this act because he loves daredevil shit. It's gender to him. Despite his cool exterior, he still acts like this good kid.

6:49 PM · Mar 24, 2021 "kick as a character is kind of fun. i think it's really funny to see this small baby child with a small baby child view on life with like. a grown man voice."
6:49 PM · Mar 24, 2021 "you know that one video of snufkin being 13 and 30 at the same time that's what kick buttowski is like."

He's got this friend Gunther, who I enjoyed as well, at least when he wasn't a fart joke.

There were also a couple older guys, Razz and Hush, who I really enjoyed, and of course. Immediately assumed they were gay.

1:42 PM · Mar 25, 2021 "damn they got boy best friends in this show?"

 

 

 

 

 

They're interesting characters, at least Hush is, as during this watch, I become the unwilling mark of a certain phenomenon described on Twitter.

2:14 PM · Mar 25, 2021 "oh my god i just got tony hawked......"
2:14 PM · Mar 25, 2021 "one of the boy best friends is voiced by tony hawk."

Other than those three, I'm not super keen on anyone else. There's Kendall, who didn't really make an impression with me. Brianna was kind of fun sometimes, but you don't really think of her as much other than Kick's crazy pageant sister... Speaking of pageant sisters.

6:07 PM · Mar 24, 2021 "me: this show feels really mid and really canadian
my heart: [gets pierced by the fucking chris savino credit]"

Yeah... Unpleasant. Honestly I was never big on the Loud House either, so even with the discomfort of seeing Savino's name on this project a bunch, the show was a bit dull to me. I know the guy used to be on everything from the new Mickey Mouse shorts to The Flintstones Divorce Special, but I think the writing style from Loud House shows the most here.

7:18 PM · Mar 26, 2021 "this show really does have huge discontinuity stuff if you like. pay attention..." 

Anyway there's also Brad, who's an absolute jerk and obsessed with women in tankinis because Disney XD doesn't want to remind you what sex is.

7:12 PM · Mar 26, 2021 "brad is 17 why does he need a babysitter"
7:13 PM · Mar 26, 2021 "tankini mags"

 

Frankly I don't really have much to say about Kick. I just wish he and possibly Gunther were in a better show, Though I do have some other things to mention.

I haven't been posting a lot lately. I've been crazy focused on other projects, but some of those ARE relevant to this blog. For example, I've been active on Sporcle again, and have made a few cartoon audio quizzes for Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network, with an additional one about Disney Junior/Playhouse Disney recurring songs! They're a little difficult, but I welcome you to take them, especially if you've been going through this blog for the Disney ones!

I've also been watching Bluey! While Bluey isn't officially going on the Disney Watch list, I'll probably make a post about it at some point. I've been kind of enjoying it. It's like Handy Manny in that it really grows on you. And I've seen a bunch of people talk about it that make me wonder... is this cartoon really popular are people actually watching it? Because it doesn't quite feel like they are.

Oh wait. This post is about Kick Buttowski. 

Overall Rating for Kick Buttowski: D Tier

Fish Hooks: A Relatable School Comedy I Can't Quite Get Into (Featuring Last Episode Gays?!)

11:20 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "me too man"

 

 

 

 

 

Is it weird to say Fish Hooks feels like a show intended for teenagers?

Like kids can absolutely watch it, but it feels like it's made for high schoolers from the early 2010s with a lot of focus on things high school kids around that time found cool. 

11:08 AM · Mar 16, 2021 "oscar is blogging...."
8:26 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "we were discussing how esmargot is a vampire slayer and im trying to find that episode"

Episodes about things like Twilight and dipping toes into geek culture made Fish Hooks feel like something someone who was in high school in the early 2010s could relate to. 

1:20 PM · Mar 16, 2021 "why does milo have a birthday and why is he turning 27 soon"

 

 Hell, if this wiki article is to be believed the main characters would have been in the same grade as me.

In addition, the show had an absolutely stacked crew behind it. Alex Hirsch, Maxwell Atoms, Tom Warburton, Justin Roiland, and C.H. Greenblatt just to name a few.

So imagine if you will, you're a high school kid in the early 2010s. Particularly one who loves cartoons. You've been watching a lot of Chowder and it's super funny. You've been mourning the loss of Kids Next Door and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. A few years down the line you'd get some solid entertainment from Gravity Falls and Rick and Morty before finding them blase.

But for some reason, you weren't watching Fish Hooks.

Sure you watched it whenever it came on, and it was a decent show, but it didn't really hook you. How come?

Of course, not a lot of high schoolers in the 2010s were watching cartoons, but I very much was. I think the main difference for me was instead of watching cartoons on TV, I was watching cartoons online. Especially cartoons that had finished years before such as Sheep in the Big City, My Life as a Teenage Robot, and Hey Arnold. In addition, I watched a lot of anime online around this time, getting into Hare+Guu, Death Note, and DN Angel.

And even when I did watch it, I was... somewhat unimpressed?

11:00 AM · Mar 16, 2021 "before i get started, the thing about fish hooks is like, i think i was really interested in the concept like it had a lot of good folks on it in terms of the crew and i still think it does but it came off as underwhelming to me. let's see if my opinion changes"
5:22 PM · Mar 23, 2021 "fish hooks is an odd show because it was like. Kind Of? made for teens it feels like. but like. i was not interested in the show as a teen (around the same age as the characters). probably because it was shi"

And my opinion did not change.

However, a lot of my younger (early to mid 20s) friends really enjoyed it, and I guess in retrospect, that makes a lot of sense. A lot of my friends in elementary school were huge on Lizzie McGuire. Hannah Montana was bigger amongst middle schoolers while high school kids mocked her relentlessly.

11:07 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "milo acts like a fucking elementary school kid"

It's still really weird though, because despite the fact that I didn't totally enjoy the show.... high school was like that for me. We weren't really in cliques like every other high school movie. We all just kind of hung out with one another. And even the less popular kids were still treated with respect (not always, as the show exhibits but like. usually).

Maybe the one exclusion is "The Dark Side of the Fish," where Oscar becomes goth and everyone tries to make him less goth. But even then, I hung out with the goth kids at school and some of my other friends admitted they were scared of them hahahaha.

7:58 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "i think oscar kins monika from ddlc....... considering they have similar poetry styles"
8:00 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "milo: NEEDS MORE BUNNIES"
8:06 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "no bea, only clowns wear makeup!" "milo. i wear makeup." "iiiii calls em as i sees em!"
8:08 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "he's going by bubblethorn now.... dare i say.... gnc as fuck?"

 

 

 

 

 

And all my friends were able to relate to various characters. People told me they related strongly to Bea, Oscar, Albert, Milo. I even looked deep within myself and figured out what Fish Hooks character I would kin.

1:58 PM · Mar 16, 2021 "I guess tiny frizzy haired ball of neuroses is enough a scar in high school character. Guess I’ll kin you"

 

1:59 PM · Mar 16, 2021 "She just needs her hair down"

 Also I guess Oscar has obsessive compulsive disorder and I'm mad about it.

11:13 AM · Mar 16, 2021 "this show is so mean i think oscar just tried to off himself"
11:21 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "i really fucking hate when i see an ocd stereotype character who is like. actually kind of relatable. im gonna claw at people"
12:21 PM · Mar 18, 2021 "There’s gotta be a supporting character in this cast worth liking. The main trio have their strengths and weaknesses Milo is really fun at times but sometimes he is a cop Oscar is unfortunately OCD relatable but is kind of a creep Bea is a fun weirdgirl but also a theater kid"
8:15 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "whenever this show writes oscar poorly i hate it but whenever this show writes oscar well i HATE IT EVEN MORE."

I have been a BIT of a hater this blogpost, but it really isn't as bad as I say. It's just one of those shows that has a LOT of potential. There's some really funny jokes and it makes sense that this show has a fandom to this day. It's just... kind of mean sometimes.

11:23 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "this show has jokes that hit and man it could have been so good"

 

 

 

 

 

11:25 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "oscar dropping hints that he's in love with bea and the fucking dial tone. the sfx in this show are a delight."
11:29 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "i could like come out to miss lips and she'd be nice about it i think"
11:36 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "fish hooks feels like a really cool guy you would be friends with but you're also like afraid they're gonna say something really homophobic to you so you keep guard."
11:58 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "i think season 1 is just kind of weird... maybe that's why ppl dont like this show. oscar is bein a freak"
10:18 AM · Mar 20, 2021 "I don’t even hate fish hooks like I really enjoy it there’s just a lot of stuff about it that makes me feel EEEEUUGGGHHHH"

Oddly enough though, I really liked Milo! He's a really friendly guy who's likely struggling with undiagnosed ADHD and he's always trying his best, just having some shitty luck sometimes

8:27 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "milo is such a nice guy"
3:54 PM · Mar 23, 2021 "fish hooks predicted milo murphy's law"
3:55 PM · Mar 23, 2021 "GUESS I MILO'D THAT UP AGAIN!"

oh nvm he's a cop

11:52 AM · Mar 18, 2021 "milo is a cop"

 Whatever that's one episode he's still a lot of fun

 

Speaking of Milo, I can talk about another episode I really enjoyed: Pool Party Panic. I don't often go back to shows in the Disney Watch to rewatch them, but this episode I actually did. Granted, it was because it was one of the only things playing on air on a flight to Los Angeles, but still. It's wild to see this particular episode on a plane. I hope the people behind me were properly confused.

So what makes this episode stand out? Well the opening looks like this.

 

And the show is called "Friend Hooks" for this one episode. The episode takes place at school until Milo realizes something weird is going on: Turns out he's actually a fish and he's missing out on this super fun fish party. Eventually he travels to various other worlds, such as grocery store world and farm world with the help of his nerdy human friends Jimbo (formerly Jumbo) and Albert (he's been Albert this whole time)

 

And eventually the main trio has to run around Chelsea (formerly Shellsea)'s pool party to get an aquarium and wake up Milo

 

Definitely a weird episode, but man I wish they put more in it.

12:01 PM · Mar 16, 2021 "the thing about the friend hook episode is i just really like when cartoons get fucked up. i think it could have been done better tho" 

In addition to weird episodes, shipping is also a big part of the show. It's not Disney's first show that focuses on shipping, but it is pretty invested in who Oscar ends up with.

8:29 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "apparently oscar gets a girlfriend who isnt bea but oscar x bea is still endgame????????"

During season two, Oscar gets a nerd gf voiced by everyone's nerd gf at the time, Felicia Day. I think they kind of just put her in the show for drama, and also to make Oscar a little less creepy towards Bea, so. Appreciated!

In addition to Oscar x Bea endgame, there's another ship that gets confirmed in the finale episode, and a pattern that you'll keep seeing in both Disney cartoons, and children's animation as a whole.

2:51 PM · Mar 17, 2021 "found out the gay ep of fish hooks is the finale. UPSETTING."
2:52 PM · Mar 17, 2021 "fish hooks really did put gay people in the finale. sad."

Last episode gays, baby! We had this with Marceline and Princess Bubblegum, Yunan and Olivia, Adora and Catra, Korra and Asami, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the Gravity Falls cops if you're insane, and now we're seeing it with Mr. Mussels and Coach Salmons.

Oh well we can make our own lgbt fish hooks headcanons

8:32 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "milo definitely likes men."
8:53 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "fish hooks lgbt friend group theory
bea is a trans girl who came out prior to starting high school.
milo is currently coming to terms with being a gay man.
oscar thinks he is cishet but down the line will have some interesting thoughts concerning sexuality and gender"
8:53 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "jumbo thinks he is ace for quite some time before realizing he's in fact gay
albert has always liked boys and girls
koi and finberly are disaster bisexuals who end up starting a queer hyperpop band in their 20s
esmargot comes out as a nonbinary lesbian in college"
8:53 PM · Mar 20, 2021 "shellsea is queering heterosexuality because she likes steve jackson in the way she would love another woman
and clamantha is a lesbian"
6:20 PM · Mar 23, 2021 "im rlly on the trans bea train i'm rotating it in my mind she is so transgender"

And completely unrelated but this ep also had this guy who my friends and I became obsessed with for a while.

 

10:38 AM · Mar 24, 2021 "oscar stoner college fish friend"

There's fanart of me hitting the bong with him, though I don't think I can show it here.

The last episode I want to discuss is "Fishing for Compliments: The Albert Glass Story." It's got a pretty generic plot. Everyone LOVES Bea except one person: Albert.

12:01 PM · Mar 18, 2021 "the theater kid phobia...."

And I'm not super keen on that plot, but the episode ends up with the gang going to a sport event which is basically just a bunch of fish flushing themselves down a toilet and doing battle.

12:09 PM · Mar 18, 2021 "i like that fightng to the death is a fish sport"

And the gang gets involved too, so that's pretty funny. It's something I really like about Fish Hooks. It defies expectations.

 

So overall, the show has about as many hits as it does misses, making it a solid C Tier show

Overall Ranking for Fish Hooks: C Tier

Also if anyone can find this comic listed on inducks I'd love to read it.

2:43 PM · Jun 17, 2021 "from the guy who gave us quacklight and also just a lot of brigitta comics i like...."