They're Back..........Maybe?

So it has come to my attention that Matt Groening's sci-fi comedy Futurama might be returning for the second time. Ok? I'll start off by saying that I've always been a fan of Futurama. It's one of my favourite projects of Matt Groening, second only to his yellow nuclear family. This series encompassed Groening's brand of provocative humour, but it managed to be strong in its own right. I admired how its world-building presented a variety of imaginative and wacky predictions, however, these predictions would also be used as satire on our culture and society in general. But the social commentary always took a back seat to the clever storytelling and the humour that was applied to certain tropes. The characters could be funny, but they could be multi-layered too. For example; Bender may have a questionable moral centre, but he remains so likeable. Like how he considers his co-workers to be his friends, even if he doesn't wanna show it. Not only could you feel for them, but they were made stronger with great vocal performances. It explains why it still has a dedicated cult following to this day, whether or not they're fans of the sci-fi genre.

But unlike Matt's long-running series, Futurama has the distinction of ending not once, but twice. When it had its rebirth (the first time around) it was like the show had never ended. Sure there may have been a few alterations, but I felt the Comedy Central era was just as great. I also believe it ended on a high note, it really tied up everything while also being kinda open-ended. However, I considered the possibility that we might return to the "World of Tomorrow" for a second time. But with these recent revelations, I must ask; do we really need to?

This may be a hot, spicy take but I feel the series did all that it can. As much as I greatly enjoyed the Comedy Central era, I'll be honest I thought its well of ideas was beginning to run dry. I feel the last season provided closure for the characters, so I'm glad the series ended before it lost its momentum. And I'm glad it didn't end up like other shows that have passed their prime and gone on longer than they needed to. I know this may sound hypocritical of me, considering I'm still a fan of 'The Simpsons' in its modern era. I'm in the minority that's willing to give the new episodes of that series a chance, no matter what. So what it had its share of duds over the years; if a show has been on air as long as Homer and his dysfunctional family have, it's bound to happen. And that's the concern I have for this possible revival, because the more episodes that are made, the chances of them being consistently good are less than likely.

However, I could be wrong on this. There's a possibility that these new adventures might be just as good as it was, if not better. That's a best-case scenario. Worst-case scenario, they might lack the inventive spark it had. I might depreciate the whole series in my eyes. Also; considering Groening is still busy working on 'Disenchantment', he obviously won't be prominent in the production of these new episodes. I just think he needs to focus on his current airing projects. This series could take the franchise in a completely new direction, that we might welcome with open arms.

So those are my thoughts concerning Futurama's potential return. I just feel the series had its time and I don't see any reason for it to come back around again. Only time will tell if it will see the light of day or not, or if it'll even have the same charm. Maybe it's time to give new show ideas a chance or if you're going to revive old properties, why not the ones that didn't get a proper conclusion. Otherwise, we'd just be repeating the past rather than moving forward. But I digress. So tell me your thoughts on this, are you looking forward to seeing Planet Express again, or are you hesitant? Let me know if you think this idea is as farcical as any of the show's predictions.

So Much for Milo Coco

Ay ay ay, has it officially been a decade since I first let myself be exposed online? It seems like yesterday I made an account here, I wanted to use this platform to show my artwork, from their conceptual study phase to the finished project. I would also use this blog to talk about topics that I find intriguing, as well as the obscure and underappreciated kind. Sadly I feel like I've neglected this blog, as I mostly used it to make top 10 lists and reviews on trivial subject matter. The reason why I haven't made as many posts as I hoped here, is that I've been wrapped in my studies as well as many other projects. I put everything on the back burner for far longer than I expected, that I lost track of what this blog was originally purposed for. So I apologise for the lack of activity for all these years. But as we reach the end of the 2010s, I'm going to be really open with you.

When I started joining sites like these, I wanted to make something of myself. I would use them to share with you ideas and concepts of mine, they seemed like the perfect hub for me to express myself. These places are where I learnt new tricks, where I can grow as an artist. My experience on each one of them has left an impact, as I've come across many talented, aspiring individuals who I can emphasise with. While I would focus on my studies, I have these sites to help give my career a boost. But lately, things have been much harder for me.

You're probably wondering why I've not posted many new pieces here, well the truth of the matter is that I've lost the drive to do any artwork. For the past few years, doing these studies would become stressful for me. No matter how hard I tried to get my work to a high standard, it could never be good enough. Part of this comes from my perfectionism, in that I would spend so much time on a certain aspect that I have to juggle so many of these agendas of mine. It's not like I couldn't understand or handle a brief, I just wanted to do it the way that I can. The thing is that I cannot do things on command, I would rather spend a good portion of my time getting the project done right, otherwise, it would look haphazardly. I've reached the point where I went through a phase where I hit a creative block, I feel like I was scraping my brain for any ideas. I've struggled to make sense of these thoughts that I went into a quandary. Whenever I would put my hands to a keyboard, my mind would go blank. I was also told time and again that my work would not appeal to today's consumers, but I for one always wanted to work in my way. I've never been one to copy any form of zeitgeist, I never wanted to follow trends, but start my own. If there was some trend that interested me, I would want to interpret it my way.

So with this pressure on me to achieve these goals, I needed to take some much-needed recuperation, to reflect on the decisions I made and do some soul searching. Whenever I would do something creative, I just didn't feel the urge to make art at all. I felt that my skills would not be up to standard and that what I do would never look as good as I hoped. I was going through this cycle where I wouldn't feel like working, no matter how much the people told me to get on with it, I would still not be motivated to do so. I don't know if it was something wrong with my brain, that the reason I take long with these projects was a mental issue. Maybe all the pressures of balancing all these assignments started to affect my mental and physical health. I always aimed to do such tasks, even if it was one step at a time. But I feel like no matter what I do, there was always this obstacle getting in the way of achieving it. Like fate was conspiring against me. Whenever I tried to get back into the routine of producing a piece, there were these insecurities, misfortunes and shortcoming that keeps holding me back. I felt like Sisyphus, constantly pushing a heavy boulder up a hill, only for it roll back down again. I also had my mind set on one thing, and it would be fixated in doing that one thing that I couldn't be able to multitask. I was just leaving these goals and ambitions on the back burner, whether its because they were taking longer than I initially planned, or that I didn't have the proper resources. I was hoping that at this point, I would have gone somewhere, but I would be swamped at some point. I could hardly recognise myself, what I used to love doing had became arduous and tedious. I felt like I was a disappointment to the people who had faith in me (even my own family), but the person who I disappointed the most was my self.

I want people to understand that I have limits to my ability. I feel that all my anxiety and this strive for perfectionism comes from my Aspergers Syndrome. Just to clarify, I'm not blaming my condition for my mistakes. At least I acknowledge my failures and struggles, I try to learn from them, I don't use it as an excuse for not accomplishing anything. If anything I want to prove that people who are on the spectrum are capable of accomplishing amazing feats in the field, no matter what occupation they choose. I don't want people to judge me on my condition, rather than the contents of my character. I've never talked about this with other people, but there have been times in my life where I have been depressed, where my anxiety would get the better of me. Despite my quiet facade, behind the artwork, there was a deep sadness that I tried to overcome. I've always used these sites and projects to help me overcome this woe, in some cases, I use it to come to terms with it. I've used the arts as this outlet for my emotions and to let out these frustrations. I don't want to suppress these feelings of mine, so I've tried to channel them healthily. I live for the arts and storytelling and expressing myself through these means was a coping mechanism.

But I feel the hardest obstacle I've had to deal with, is society. I've always found it hard to make friends with new people, it's not that I'm socially inept, but sometimes I feel like nobody wants anything to do with me. Whenever I try to open up to other lightminded individuals, they tend to ignore me. It leads me to believe that I give a presence that turns people off, whether it's because I gave an opinion they disagree with, or that they don't understand a thing I say. Even online, no matter how much I pour my soul into giving my thoughts and passion into something, I seldom ever get any attention for it. I feel that when I discuss more popular topics, then it gets people's intrigue. Even then, I only get so much as a simple comment. I was hoping for feedback on my artwork and writing, advice even. I'm not asking for a deep discussion or detailed critique, but I would appreciate it if someone could give a penny for my thoughts. I feel like the fool on the hill; I can handle the lack of feedback, I can even handle rejection. But sometimes it really gets to me when I have something important to give, yet others don't want to pay attention. Like I don't even exist to them. It would be nice to have a taste of some publicity, even the worse kind is better than none. This is the reason why I prefer to be alone with my thoughts because I don't want people to be recognised for any negative things I may have done. Even if I did go somewhere with my life, I would appreciate it if someone first knew me for my Cramp Twins fanart or something like that. It's why I kept myself anonymous from the public because I had this stigma that I wanted to be known for my achievement than how I look like.

Now that we come to the end of the decade, I hope we can make 2020 our year to shine. I've come to accept that this will not be the end, but the start of a new chapter. We'll never see another year like it ever again, so please make the most of it. Because I can remember the 2000s ended with such a dark, dark year, that we were hoping that 2010 would be the light at the end of the tunnel. Throughout this decade, I've tried to make each moment from it as special as the last. We've gone through highs and lows, but I'm definitely grateful for the highs that we got. I achieved a lot during these past 10 years, and I couldn't be more grateful for the experience I've gained. I'm not sure what the future will hold for me or anyone else but if there's one thing I'll say, it's carpe diem. For you see, my resolution for the decade to seize every moment of every day. Take on every opportunity that comes my way without any hesitation. I want to take on similar achievements I've made for the past 10 years and amp them up 10 fold. No matter what obstacle stands in my way, I'll find a solution to make it though. For better or for worse, we can start the decade the best we can, to make it a year to remember. I can ensure you that I have big plans for the year. I've learnt not to give up on hope, I don't want to forget about my dreams or ambitions. I spent all this time trying to perfect my craft, I feel like now is the time to put it to use.

Don't Be Horrid Henry!

So it has come to my attention that the animated series 'Horrid Henry', the show based on the British children's book series is getting another season.

People's reactions: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

I've never said this to anyone at all, but I have somewhat of a history with this particular cartoon. The reason why is because there was nothing about it I wanted to share, it was honestly a show I didn't want my peers to know I saw (for fear of what they'd think of me). But I had an itch that I've been meaning to scratch, so it's about time to give my thoughts on it.

I'll start this off by saying that I never read the Horrid Henry books as a child, I was aware of them as they were a hit where I'm from. But something about them didn't catch my attention. That was until the animated series came out, so I thought that it could get me into the book series. The Horrid Henry series has gained a bad reputation, (mostly among older watchers) but if I could give an unpopular opinion, I didn't really mind it that much. For what the series is; the plots stayed true to the source material, the animation had effort put into it (if wonky at times) and the characters can have their moments. Much like 'The Cramp Twins'; the show exaggerates childhood situations that centre around a young anti-hero with a brother he has nothing in common with. Each episode would have Henry; this naughty brat who is faced with a certain problem, he then retaliates using trouble-making antics to achieve his goal. But more often than not, it would end with Henry facing the consequences of his actions. When it comes to TV shows based on kid's books, I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of mileage to come out of it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I ever liked this series very much. The writing wasn't high calibre, there were times where the characters could go too far with their traits and that it would relay on sophomoric/gross-out humour. Needless to say, it got obnoxious at times. But I think it was trying to appeal to the adolescence, much of it comes from how it tries to embrace a child's inner rebellion. There was a certain edge to it with how far Henry's anti-social behaviour can go, that it can be seen as a cautionary tale. So the juvenile nature is warranted for a show with this character. As long as the show wasn't too shocking, and as long as young viewers didn't imitate Henry's antics, I didn't find the show offensive (for the most part). So I was very indifferent towards it, that was until the third season. 

After the 'Horrid Henry movie', something went off with the TV series. I noticed that each episode

would get increasingly worse as it went on. The writing became very lacklustre, the stories stopped being as coherent as before, they either went nowhere or fell completely flat on its face. Not that the show was any good to begin with, but by comparison, the writing in the last 2 seasons felt very lazy. Even if you didn't like the show before, or you just thought it was okay, the later episodes would make the early ones seem not so bad. The antics became watered down, the dialogue made very little sense, the situations were no longer engaging in any way, that it would even resort to anti-humour which is not the least bit funny. Everything would drag on other than focussing on anything of importance, that anyone watching would lose any investment. The show had lost any edge it might have had, you could say I was too old to watch the show at the time, but even a child would find it dull. It doesn't even feel finished like the writer just turned in the first draft and did not add any further development to it. Whereas 'The Cramp Twins' had more story potential and should have gotten closure, the HH cartoon just kept going much longer without making much of a point. Now Horrid Henry's seasonal rot is nowhere near as bad as other shows, whereas those were noteworthy in how they declined in quality, HH just left me bored and underwhelmed. Even in its worst seasons; Spongebob at the very least had interesting ideas and concepts, with HH I could barely remember a thing. 

With how much source material there was to work with, you'd think the makers would be a lot more inspired. It feels like the producer was trying to sabotage the series. Why do I think this? Well, it seems that showrunner Lucinda Whitely has been calling the shots with the writing department; almost like she's become judge, jury and executioner. It's like people are afraid to tell her what she should and shouldn't do, as the episodes she' wrote show a lack of restraint. I'm sure she did put time into these scripts, but that has become very questionable as the final project doesn't show this. I don't see why they couldn't give creative control to Francesca Simon, seeing how it's her baby. I don't even know how much involvement she has with the series, or even she's aware of what's going on. It's like nobody is even trying anymore. Again the later episodes ain't remarkably bad, but that doesn't change how boring it got. I think children and fans of Horrid Henry deserve better than this. 

With all that said, how much more can they milk from this bratty child. I thought the franchise ended

3 and a half years ago, but it occurred to me that the show goes on these long hiatuses because the episodes do take that long to animate. Not only has the book series been around as long as I have, but the TV series has been on for nearly 13 years, even 'Johnny Test' didn't go on for that long. But if there's going to be another Toy Story and Shrek film, I guess any franchise has the chance to continue for an eternity. Even though I don't want to have anything to do with this series, maybe it might redeem itself. Perhaps Lucinda Whitely has listened to the criticism and that the upcoming season might be an improvement. But if this is going to be the last season, then I think it's for the best. Hopefully, it'll end on a relatively brighter note; rather than its soiled reputation. It would be better off that way. Or maybe the show will stoop to a whole new low and be a zombie of what it used to be. I'm not going to act like I was a fan of this show, but you could tell the makers did put their all into its early seasons. Even for how juvenile it was, many HH fans would agree it got as lazy as Lazy Linda. While I personally think people should put their focus on making a Cramp Twins revival, and just stop it with Horrid Henry. No matter how Season 5 turns out, this show needs to be left in the past with whatever dignity it has left. But at the end of the day, the Horrid Henry series is not great, nor is it "horrid", it's just mediocre.