If you were late with your previous entries, exceptionally quiet in class or feel you need extra credit for whatever reason, comment on any (or all) of the numbered blog entries (LBGTQIA+ YA, Hayao Miyazaki, Adventure Time.) The more you do, the more extra credit you accrue.
Post ONE reaction ( minimum 250 words) to the combined reading (and listening) linked. Students are encouraged (but not required) to additionally respond to other student reactions.
"Castles in the Air: The gorgeous existential funk of Adventure Time." By Emily Nussbaum
"An 'Adventure' For Kids And Maybe For Their Parents, Too: An NPR Interview w. Lev Grossman"
"An ode to Adventure Time, one of TV’s most ambitious — and, yes, most adventurous — shows." By Dan Schindel
2 comments:
Adventure Time is awesome. It’s been on my backlog for a full re-watch for years now: it’s rare that you come across a show that’s as impactful, memorable, and long-lasting as it, while still keeping its high quality and emotional depth throughout. As I read the articles I kept nodding my head to what they were saying: even in its earlier episodes, it was okay with being dark, willing to take risks in many ways that other shows weren’t (even then, how many shows can you think of that’d write an episode like Puhoy? Or making one of the main character's fathers a deadbeat and the subsequent effects from it?). It was willing to go and push where so many shows before were afraid to.
Adventure Time grows along with its audience, the story turning deeper and deeper. I especially loved seeing how the seeds of its post-apocalyptic (post-post-apocalyptic?) setting began to bloom as the show evolved and grew, from the hints at the beginning of the story. In a lot of ways, it felt like a true epic. There are so many little things sprinkled throughout which make it something to be respected; the world feels alive and living, and the characters feel three-dimensional and complete.
I think part of its cultural impact, like the best MG and YA novels, comes from its appeal to all ages, taking the audience seriously and with respect. The writer’s refusal to write down to their audience helped immensely in its success. It took risks, it was bold, it was made with heart, and took chances where a lot of shows wouldn’t.
I have wanted to watch Adventure Time for a while now and I actually recently started to watch. I have only watched like 3 episodes so I don't really get the hype yet but I'm still willing to try it out since people say it gets really good. I've always been the type of person who enjoys cartoons that can be watched by kids and adults, like shows such as Gravity Falls, so I've always been intrigued by other shows who can pull that off. From the interview I read, what I really took away was that Adventure Time takes risks and keeps both kids and their parents in mind as it's audience. I find the fact that it makes 3-dimensional characters and talks about scary things in a not-as-scary way is really commendable since I agree that things shouldn't have to be so dumbed down for kids since they live in the same world we do, just differently. When i watched the Adventure Time episodes I found them to be really weird since I could tell it was appropriate for children but it also seemed to cover topics that other children's shows don't. One thing i found interesting in the interview I read was how parents said that they related to Adventure Time in a certain way while their kids related in a different way but the same amount. I found this really nice since it shows that shows that are aimed towards both kids and adults can bring generations together.
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