Okay, I’ll admit, I’m 18 and I still watch cartoons. Why? Who knows? Maybe I’m just a kid like that. I’ve also always had an interest in animation, whether it be western or eastern. I mean, I wouldn’t make a career out of it, but that’s because I can’t draw to save my life. Well, this journal is in dedication to all my favorite cartoons that I had watched growing up, and played a major role in my childhood. And, in a way, they made me the person that I currently am today.
WARNING: You may suffer intense nostalgia. Just a heads up.
1. Hey Arnold!
Ahhh…Hey Arnold! I remember watching this show a LOT, even when compared to some of my other favorite shows. To be honest, it’s sort of hard to put into words why I liked this show so much. I mean, yeah, the animation is amazing, who could deny that? But, I can never seem to find the words as to why I liked as a KID though. I mean, I could tell you why I love the show NOW. It has great animation, and it could tell some pretty engaging stories that didn’t treat kids like idiots, and would also appeal to adults as well. It’s a show I could seriously watch well into adulthood, and with my future kids, should I have any. I guess it somehow STUCK with me as a child, if that makes sense. Why or how? Who knows?
Favorite Episode: The Pigeon Man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAhScVuMhgg
^Seriously, if anyone tells me that cartoons are unable to tell heartwarming, engaging stories, I’ll GLADLY show them this episode.
2. Invader Zim
Ah, Invader Zim. I absolutely LOVE this show. Why? Well, for starters, it was produced by Jhonen Vasquez, the guy behind Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. Secondly, I’ve always like how “out of place” the show was when it was on Nickelodeon. I mean, you had these lighthearted, wacky shows day in and day out, and then Invader Zim comes along. I’ve always loved the dark, twisted atmosphere of the show. And I enjoyed the demented sense of humor the show had always had. I mean, does anyone remember the best friend episode where Zim rips out some kids eyeballs and replaced them with implants? Or how about the episode when Gir became intelligent and slaughtered that librarian? Or better yet, how about the Halloween episode? Yeah…(Shudders). Point is, I’ve always liked the show because of how “different” it was in feel compared to the other shows that were on at the time. Shame it was canceled though…
Favorite Episode: Dib’s Wonderful Life of Doom.
^I’ve always like how absolutely badass Dib looked as an adult.
Sadly, I couldn’t the episode anywhere, but, I did find the intro AND the first episode. :]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCJNCCuAPeM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S28LQYiJq0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx9dzdI9xGM&feature=related
3. Chalkzone
You know, the reason why I adore Chalkzone so much is because of three good reasons. First, I’ve always loved the imagination behind Chalkzone, both in the show’s premise, and in the actual “zone” in which just about every episode takes place in. It’s always fun trying to predict what Rudy will draw next in order to solve whatever problem comes his way. Second, that badass intro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3hIPN9KgxQ
Seriously, I friggin’ LOVE that guitar. And finally, Skrawl. For those who don’t remember, Skrawl was one of Rudy’s older drawings, who blames Rudy for his grotesque appearance. He frequently pops up every few episodes to exact his vengeance on Rudy and all of Chalkzone who pretty much treat him as a monster. Plus, He has a badass villain song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI6g0L72_gA
Favorite Episode: Ugh, I can’t remember the name, but it’s that one episode where Rudy meets that one teacher who hates any and everything imaginary.
4. Batman: The Animated Series
As far back as I can remember, THIS was the show which cemented my rampant fanboyism of Batman and the Batman universe as a whole. So, in a way, this show has a very special place in my heart. In fact, I LOVE Batman in ALL his incarnations. Hell, I love Batman: Brave and the Bold too. I even enjoyed the old 1960s series starring Adam West. That’s one of the BEST things about Batman in my opinion. Because of his rich history, he can be interpreted in MANY different ways, even though most seem to prefer the nitty-gritty portrayal. What I LOVED about this show was just how dark it was. The sky was always red and Gotham always felt like it was trapped in eternal night. The show itself mainly drew inspiration from not only the comics, but also from the Tim Burton films at the time(which I also love). Plus, the show brought us Mark Hamill as the Joker, who, amazingly, makes an AWESOME Joker, as shown here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb8fWUUXeKM
^I friggin’ LOVE that laugh. I also have the intro right here as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgnDdBygMmY
Seriously, Batman and the Batman mythos as a whole is just full of badassery.
Favorite Episode: Oooh, this is a REALLY tough choice for me. But, I would have to say it’s a three way tie between:
“If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?” <-I’m a huge fan of the Riddler.
“Heart of Ice” <-This episode won a damn EMMY because it was so good. Just see for yourself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFDTMW3_ilE
“Almost Got ‘Em” <-I just find this episode funny.
5. Samurai Jack
Samurai Jack. What can I say about Samurai Jack other than the fact that it’s epic from beginning to end? Well, oddly enough, I like Samurai Jack much for the same reason I like Invader Zim. To me, at the time, it felt so different from other shows that were on at the time. Other cartoons were usually(not always)filled with non-stop action and wackiness from beginning to end. Samurai Jack didn’t do that. Instead, the show mostly relied on setting, mood, and atmosphere. Sure, there was action, pretty damn good action at that, but Samurai Jack told its story through its atmosphere and animation rather than through words. Let’s face it, there wasn’t a WHOLE lot of dialog in Samurai Jack. Instead, we had to read the character’s facial expressions and movements. And while this may seem obvious, but to me, the show was like an ole’ fashioned, horribly dubbed samurai film adapted into a cartoon…Minus the horrible dubbing of course.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihidxSwTGlI
^I always loved the intro. I also loved the imagination behind the depiction of the world in the future. For instance, in the intro, as a kid, I thought those blue elephant-esque creatures with pipes looked so cool.
Favorite Episode: It’s been SO long since I watched the show, I honestly can’t remember too many episodes. Sorry. :[
Oh, yes, you’ll be happy to know that Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of the show, plans to make a movie.
6. Dave the Barbarian
I absolutely LOVED this show as a kid when it was on…Toon Disney, was it? Man, I just realized, I use love a lot in this journal. Oh, well, if I didn’t love it so much, it wouldn’t be here, now would it? Again, just like with Hey Arnold, I really don’t know why I loved this show so much as a kid. I guess I found it hilarious, and it took me years to realize that the show was essentially a Conan the Barbarian parody(maybe? I think so, at least…) And again, I love fantasy/adventure, especially when I was a kid, so that MIGHT also have something to do with it when I watched years ago. You know what’s the one character I always liked on the show? Twinkle the Marvel Horse. For those who don’t know, he’s a borderline-mentally insane, raindow-colored pony who speaks in a Christopher Walken-esque voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_rw4Vnml-w
^The audio is just a TAD off, but it isn’t unwatchable.
Also, the intro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTG7liPeYz4
Oh, and I also LOVED the narrator throughout the show. To me, he always sounded like that one guy at work who’s just fed up with his job, but can never seem to actually, y’know, quit.
Favorite Episode: Again, it was a hard choice. But, I would have to go with the “Happy Glasses” episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qOc7-0HHZk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y9YhCfuclo&feature=related
7. Darkwing Duck
I’ll admit, being a huge Batman fan, I found this show to be particularly amusing. Mostly because to me, it felt like one big parody of Batman. Hell, it was pretty much a parody of superheroes in general. Plus, it had a pretty kickass theme song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=375ENQbru8s
And I always enjoyed the villains. As cool as Darkwing Duck was, I’ll admit, the villains pretty much took most of the spotlight(then again, what villain doesn’t?). My personal favorite was always Quackerjack.
Favorite episode: The two-part episode which featured the Fiendish Five. At least, I THINK that’s what they called themselves. It’s been years. It’s also a tie between that one and the episode where they explain Darkwing Duck’s and Negaduck’s origin.
8. KABLAM!
I swear, I feel like the ONLY guy in the world who remembers this show. Basically, it was a show that starred two comic book characters(whose names escape me, but I think one of them is named Jude). It wasn’t one big cartoon per-se, rather, KABLAM! was made up of a series of cartoon shorts which they showed in-between the starring character’s skits. I only remember the names of TWO of the shorts. There’s Action League Now! which was what you pretty much got if you filmed your three-year old playing with his action figures, and it even received it’s OWN show funny enough. Then there was my favorite short, Prometheus and Bob. It was pretty much about an alien named Prometheus who tried to teach Bob, a caveman, how to create fire, how to build a house, how to read a map, etc. And of course, the poor guy would fail MISERABLY, usually getting hurt in the process.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMu4KJ8Zo5w <- One of the shorts. :]
Favorite Episode: Ehh, I can’t REALLY have a favorite episode, since KABLAM! was really just show made up of 7-8 minute shorts.
9. Angela Anaconda
Again, I feel like the ONLY person who remembers this show. I’ll be honest, there isn’t much I can say about this show, mostly because it’s benn YEARS since I’ve last seen it as a kid. So…I really can’t remember much of it. Though I do remember that the show was used as a lead-in to a Digimon movie. And I’ll admit, it had a pretty unique animation style, and I don’t think any other cartoon used it. It’s like if you cut up your newspaper and used the scraps to make a cartoon out of it. Okay, maybe that wasn’t the BEST way to describe it, but it was all I can think of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utgXR6k-P1s&feature=related <-The intro. :]
Favorite Episode: Again, it’s been YEARS. I can hardly remember the show as IS.
10. Pokemon
Okay, how many of you saw THIS coming? Yeah, I’ll admit, I’m a HUGE Pokemaniac. Well, okay, I’m not as big of a nerd about it as compared to when I was little, but I still have a place in my heart for the franchise. I’ve played all the games, and I love each and every generation. Hell, I’m still waiting for Black and White, and I’ll probably STILL play the games as I grow older(Empoleon is AWESOME). In fact, I STILL have a Poliwhirl plushie that I had had when I was FOUR. I mean granted, he’s really dirty and dusty, but I love it. His name is Poli by the way…
Anyways, I watched the show obsessively as a kid, to the point where it drove my parents MAD. In fact, I remember BEGGING my parents to buy the two Pokemon Stadium games. ^^; I did get them though. Ah, I still remember the very FIRST Pokemon I received from Prof. Oak. It was Charmander.
However, as I look back at the show, I began realizing how much of a dumbass Ash is, and how badly the show deviated from the games. But, nonetheless, I still watch the show even today, but mostly just for snark-bait or to make fun of Ash. Aren’t I nice?
…
Also, I had a crush on Misty when I was five.
Favorite Episode: The episode where Paul gets his ass royally kicked by Cynthia.
There you have it, SOME of my favorite shows growing up. Trust me, I could go ON, but this journal is long enough already. If it wasn’t I would’ve mentioned Freakzoid!, Doug, the Weekenders, Lloyd in Space, and many others. Also, this list is NOT is any particular order, so I don’t love any of these shows any more than the other.
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