Neo Yokio (god help me)

Hoo boy. Where to begin?

Well, first off, I would like to say I am not an active watcher of anime. In fact, one could say that I hate anime, and that most anime I have seen has been garbage. Now, that's not to say that I think all anime is garbage, such as Studio Ghibli, Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion (I LOVE Evangelion), and Cowboy Bebop for example, and I don't have anything personal against "superfans" of anime (also called otakus). It's just most anime I've seen has been either very dark, graphically violent and so edgy Trent Reznor would blush, overtly perverted, borderline porn with an unlikable male protagonist that constantly switches between wanting to be and being ashamed of being a pervert, or cutesy kid show-esque stuff that doesn't offend me but I don't like either. That may be generalization, but that's just all the anime I've seen (I've not seen Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, so I have no formal opinion on that). However, when even the biggest of otakus have to laugh and mock an incredibly terrible anime, that's when you've got my attention.

Enter Neo Yokio.

My mind was in a sort spiral as I was watching, so I'll try and summarize the plot to the best of my memory. Neo Yokio is about (indiscriminately googles synopsis) Kaz Kaan, a wealthy, sophisticated "magistocrat" (who is played by Jaden Smith. Good for him, I guess) and resident of Neo Yokio (an industrial/futuristic rendition of New York. Yeah, this is what we're dealing with here) who wants to distance himself from his demon-slaying past and focus on his average life with friends, at the expense of his aunt Agatha (played by Susan Sarandon). The first episode (and only one I watched) is basically a day in his life, where he mourns the death of his relatonship with some girl, gets into a fight with an preppy douchebag, and he has to prep himself for the big field hockey game with his best friends that night. Oh, and he also has to exorcise a demon that possessed a girl through the clothes she was wearing.

No, really.

Now, aside from the show essentially being made out of mostly Cliff Notes, this show is....truely an experience. Not a good one, but I honestly can't say it's bad. I can't even say it's middle of the road. I can ALMOST say it's The Room of anime. Almost, because while The Room was so over-the-top in its incompetence, the show's outrageousness is balanced out by absolutely painful cliches (kid has to leave behind his mystical past to live a normal life, and older relative keeps pushing him back into that life, he gets into a fight with his rival, who is better than him and an asshole). But not only that, the voice acting is another thing to point out. Now, mostly everyone gives an "eh" performance. They're okay, but nothing to write home about (though the writing takes some of that "eh" out, but we'll get to that later). But Jaden Smith. God, Jaden Smith is just absolutely terrible. 3/4th of the time you can't really even tell what emotion he is supposed to be conveying in his voice. Kaz will be ecstatic and smiling from ear to ear, but Jaden will just be speaking in his "signature" monotone voice, and it's just so baffling to witness that it's hilarious. For the writing, when it's not boring and unoriginal, it's...baffling, to say the least. I can't even describe most of the stuff because it makes no sense outside of context (and barely sense WITHIN context), but I will just say that Kaz finds a way to defeat a demon after having a conversation with an old man at his wife's grave about perfume. I'm dead serious. As for the animation, it's like an alien creature's idea of anime, seeming to have a few of the basics about anime down, but being almost oblivious to the rest of the principles. The animation is like a mix between early Pokemon, that mid-2000's cartoon Kappa Mikey (anyone remember that?), and someone's DeviantArt. In layman's terms, it looks like shit. Bad lipsync, boring, unoriginal, and not even stylized characters and scenery (except the underwater Neo Yokio, that was actually kind of cool looking), and laughable character movement.


So, to summarize, Neo Yokio is a thing. That's all I can say. It's a thing. I honestly can't say anything much about it because it's just that much of a puzzle. Some parts of the show seem like they're taking potshots at "popular" (lotta air quotes today) animes, and even some people will say that this is a parody of modern anime. But there's just so much other stuff in this show that makes it seem like it's serious and not just a satire. So, while it was certainly a "so-bad-it's-enjoyable" kind of deal, it's certainly not strong enough of a "so-bad-it's-enjoyable" kind of deal to make me come back for more episodes to laugh at it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a cold shower.

F is for Family?

This week, I sat through the first two episodes of F is For Family. I still find myself enjoying animated media (hence why I reviewed Bojack Horseman two weeks back. Most adult cartoons successfully establish their tone very early in the show, exemplifying what the viewer may expect of the series as a whole.  For example, Family Guy demonstrated its unapologetic gross vulgarity early on, South Park established its classy sociopolitical satire, and Bojack Horseman exhibited its charming nihilistic existentialism within the first few episodes. I found myself mildly confused by the type of comedy and general message that F is for Family wanted to establish.

F is for Family is about a family. That is the best way to explain it. There isn’t anything innovative or interesting about it. It’s about a dysfunctional family and the interactions that they have with each other and the rest of the world around them. You have the problematic teen character, the annoying little brother and sister, the flat character mother, and the hate-filled, consistently enraged father.

On one hand, you have the satirical aspect of the show, which is definitely not one of the most prevalent  aspects of the comedy of the show. In the first episode, there is a gag where they turn on the television to an interview show hosted by a middle aged white man. The host speaks with black people and women about their issues, making comments that are obviously counterproductive and disrespectful. I found myself appreciating this gag because of its obvious, blatant satire. This was one of the very few jokes that I appreciated in this show.

One thing that contrasts to its form of satire is the character of the father along with his interactions with others. Perhaps, the father is the only gimmick or specialty that the show has, which is unfortunate because the father is so unpleasant to watch. Nearly every communication between the father and other characters involves him screaming obscenities and insults. The temper exhibited by this character is slightly off-putting and awkward to watch on screen. But this makes me wonder, was that the goal the creators had while making this show? The father is obviously the embodiment of the idea that family life is unbearable and insufferable for middle aged men (see: most sitcoms). I’ve found that this common illustration of family life being the absolute worst occurrence for men, to be exhausting and overused. That being said, I can not, and will not believe that the short temper and miserability of the father character is meant to be a punchline. If so, it is a sad and concerning punchline.

Overall, the show is not enjoyable. The jokes in the show that are clearly meant to be jokes fall flat and everything else is questionable and concerning. The goal and direction of the show is unclear, and none of the characters are likable. I would not recommend this show to anyone and I honestly wonder who watches this show and what keeps them coming back for more.

Friends From College

In hindsight, Jacob, I'm glad you turned down my suggestion of watching First They Killed My Father because, you're right, it would've been too sad for a morning that started out with a mini victory (Arsenal F.C. tied at Chelsea... big deal for viewers other than Jacob), even though I thought it looked super interesting. Friends From College, what we chose to watch, looked particularly interesting since it had actors from some good shows we've both seen in the past-- Robin from How I Met Your Mother, Key from Key and Peele, and Ben from Ben and Kate-- but also because I thought it could have some sort of relevancy to our lives, possibly some advice for keeping friends in college.

I was a little taken off guard when it opened up in a sex scene between two of the characters who were friends all throughout their years in college. Quite a bold choice to start out the entire show with that and even more surprising, as it turns out, the two characters were both married to other people in the show which amplified how uncomfortable the show was going to be. Last week's homework made me realize I should pay more attention to the title sequences (thanks @Allison) and after watching the first chunk of the show, leaving us both a little concerned if this was really something we wanted to continue with, it transitioned into a pretty good title. The whole time the camera stayed positioned at an aerial view of a table of six all swapping food and making messes; moving into different, more sophisticated meals in which we could tell that they were all growing up together. It was kinda cool, at first you could tell it was more of a middle school/high school table with the trays and chocolate milk cartons, then into college in which they "cheersed" with pizza, then onto that same sort of cheers with actual champaign and continuing into other milestone meals. All the while, a song entitled "Cut Your Hair" played in the background, reincorporating that things haven't really changed since college at all despite what it seems on the surface.

The premise of the show was a little odd, I think we both agreed. They threw in some semi-known actors in an attempt to give the show a familiar vibe and it started out funny with little one-liners here and there, but after taking a step back and looking at the episode as a whole afterwards it was definitely abnormal. Essentially, the characters all took shots at the young adult literature genre, as one of the main characters' career choice took a slight turn from writing adult novels to young adult. Even though a good part of the show was dedicated to knocking on it, I think you made a good point in suggesting that the writers of the show were probably young adult writers, too. It just came across like they're too cool and wanted to complain a little to make themselves feel better.

Overall, there were some elements of the show that were interesting, but in entirety it was a mess.

Amy Schumer: The Leather Special (A Negative Critique)

 Fair warning: Some stuff in this essay is very explicit and relates very much to sex.

Having watched a comedy special last week, I was in the need for some more comedy specials. As I was looking through the Stand-Up section on Netflix, a certain special caught my attention: Amy Schumer: The Leather Special. The reason this got my attention was not because I like Amy's material (in fact, I really REALLY do not like her material). However, while the critical reception for this special was relatively positive, the reception from audiences and the internet was BEYOND negative. Which is why the special sits a lowly 2.9 on IMDB and 1 and a half star on Netflix. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and I was in a forgiving mood. Her earlier stuff was absolutely trashy, but she couldn't have gotten worse over time.

Boy, do I hate when optimism doesn't pay off.

The thing about Amy's humor is, unlike Demetri Martin's humor which relies on wit and well constructed jokes, her humor style is more reliant on being as vulgar and offensive as possible. And is that ever amplified in this special. Right after the first joke (which is about a nude photo she sent out over Twitter), we get our second joke about a stranger "eating her out" as she was coming out a drunk blackout. The punchline: He is brave. The reason for that I'd rather not type out because it's fucking disgusting, but I will say it involves bad personal hygiene (mind you, this is after she goes on a minute long shtick about her cleaning "it"). Less than 5 minutes later, we get an oral sex/semen joke. Then we get another oral sex joke a few minutes later. Then a joke involving semen and breasts. And it honestly goes on and on for the rest of the show. The show can largely be summarized as Amy Schumer being a drunk, trashy whore. Although, I do wanna talk about a certain joke because it made me angry. She talks about how she's talking with her boyfriend she found on a dating site about whether either of them have any STDs, and the guy replies with "I haven't actually been tested," only for Amy to reply in a coyish manner, "mysterious." Like, the man possibly has AIDs or HIV. Don't  just think about having sex with him. The man may have a serious condition. I know I'm being a bit critical over a dumb comedy, but let me explain.

Regarding Amy's humor, it's not that anything offensive or disgusting can't be funny. It just needs to be funny. The typical punchline of Amy Schumer's jokes is that she is a slut and doesn't even try to put a funny/interesting spin on it. She is just a slut. If you want something offensive AND funny, there is Sacha Baron Cohen, specifically Borat. The thing about Borat is that the racist jokes can be laughed at because there are racist people that think it's funny on a basic racist level. However, they are intricately made to the point where it's also making FUN of those people who are laughing at the jokes for being racist (key moments include the rodeo, the Jewish cockroach, and the Running of the Jews and "Jews use their long noses to their athletic advantage"). That is funny because there are people that genuinely think stuff like that, and it pokes fun at those people. Not to mention that some of the jokes are recorded in public, so the reactions given from people also help make it hilarious. Two other ways that offensiveness can be hilarious are South Park and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, where the comedy comes from the over-the-top nature of it all (similarly to Borat), and the fact that the main characters are horrible, horrible people and thus they either get a comeuppance for being offensive OR something offensive happens to them, respectively.

Amy Schumer, however, does none of that. It's just along the lines of "I love it when guys fuck me" or "Look at my vagina." It's the worst kind of toilet humor. It's BORING toilet humor. Dull revulsion. And that's why this special is as revolted by the internet as it is. I'm sorry if this has been a harsh reading and I may have made you angry because you like the special. You can like it and find it funny all you want, I simply do not want to ever see it again. I promise the next blog post will be on both a non-comedy special and something good.