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Hazbin Hotel (2019)
Hazbin Hotel was Well Worth the Wait!
Hazbin Hotel went from an indie YouTube Pilot all the way to its own Amazon Prime series and Its ******** Incredible!
To give some needed Context back in 2019, Vivziepop (Vivienne Medrano the Creator of Hazbin Hotel) Uploaded a video to her channel called "HAZBIN HOTEL (PILOT)" and like the title says, this was the beginning of Hazbin Hotel! And it took off! From 2019 - present day it has managed to gain 97 Million views online (and for a YouTube video that is quite an achievement) and to say it racked up a large fanbase would be an understatement, this pilot alone inspired so many of the audience to go and create their own stories from the pilot through Dubbed Comics, Fan art and basically anyway they could share their love for Hazbin. Around this same time she also created a different pilot called "HELLUVA BOSS '' which also took off- but out of the two shows Hazbin Hotel was the more popular one, but... Vizviepop decided to go on and create a full YouTube series for only one, Helluva Boss. Which some would be quite confused about as no matter how good Helluva Boss is (it's really good) Hazbin Hotel was always the more popular show, but this was because Vivziepop had bigger plans- instead of just creating the show herself she took a large risk of waiting and planning to make this go further than just the YouTube audience, she wanted it to go MainStream (and for anything that comes from YouTube to do is a difficult feat) But even though she had every reason not to do this and play it safe but she took this risk and 100% it payed off as later on she partnered with "A24 Films" and finally.. Hazbin Hotel was going to Happen! And not only that, but they managed to sell it to Amazon Prime! & if you've seen any of the promotions online clearly they care about this show. Overall, from being a fan from the pilot and getting to watch the community create the most amazing things, to seeing it become THIS and having its own show... is just incredible and to say I'm so happy that Vivziepop got to create her show the way she wanted, There's a billion reasons this show should have never happened & against all the odds, I am so happy that it did. NOW WITH THAT ASIDE- Let's actually talk about the show! I'm going to break some aspects of the show down into different parts so I can best explain how amazing each aspect is...
Voice Acting - Now this one is extremely hard as there's the original voice actors from the pilot and then from the actual show and honestly when I heard the pilots voice actors weren't coming back for the amazon prime show I was disappointed as I thought they were all perfect... & I wasn't wrong as all the original voice actors are just that- Micheal Kovach as Angel Dust, Monica Franco as Vaggie, Jill Harris as Charlie, Mick Lauer as Husk & of course Edward Bosco/Black Gryph0n as Alastor all did such an amazing job and without them we wouldn't of had such an amazing first introduction to these characters, they deserve so much credit for that. Now this isn't where I go- "bUt tHeSe nEw vOiCe aCtOrS aRe sO mUcH bEttEr!?" like a lot of other people are doing, there's no need to put down one voice actor to praise another. The new cast of Hazbin Hotel is just as amazing and did such a fantastic job with every aspect of their performance! I was very skeptical when Blake Roman was announced as Angel Dust as all the community has ever really known was Micheal Kovach as that character and the amazing performance he gave in both the Pilot and the "Addict" Music Video but- I was wrong to be skeptical as Blake Roman just gave it his all, the amount of heart and emotion he put into this is just crazy and deserves all the praise in the world. Next, I want to talk about Keith David as Husker, now I'm a big fan of this man & you'd think I was excited for him to be playing Husk, but actually I was once again skeptical, Even though they both had deep voices the original voice for Husk and his are very different and I was worried it would be too different, I was gladly wrong. Keith David's Performance as Husker is just Top Tier and he did such an amazing job. Ericka Henningsen as Charlie is also just so wonderful and if you've seen her live Performance of "Happy Day In Hell" on the Vivziepop channel you will see how much she embodies this role. Next is Stephanie Beatriz as Vaggie, she is a very well-known actress but she is also such a wonderful voice actress as she did also play "Mirabel" from Encanto, & If we're listing character's we can't forget Alastor, Amir Talai as Alastor the Radio-Demon is just so out there- and he does such an incredible job of going from being just a fun silly character in the show to being downright creepy not knowing what he might do next. Finally, we get to talk about the Wonderful Alex Brightman! Not only is he just such a great actor but my god does he put his everything into it, but not only does he play "Sir Pentious" but he also plays "Adam" and they're both so different so all the props in the world to Alex Brightman for being such a versatile voice actor. So overall just an amazing cast with extremely talented people, and that goes for the original Pilot's cast too.
Songs - Ok I've got a lot to say- I can't even begin to describe how amazing all the songs are for this show, they really went all out on each song and every single one just has something to it that's just so addictive! I know I've been connecting this show a lot back to Helluva Boss but It's impossible not to when Sam Haft (The Songwriter for Helluva Boss) Is also the songwriter for Hazbin and my god does he blow it out of the park with some of these songs, I'm just such a big fan of Sam Haft's music and truly the man never misses. To say they're all just so iconic is just the understatement of understatements- First, each episode contains 2 songs which are just amazing, and they fit them in so well & 100% they help the story and getting fully absorbed in this world. Secondly, They're just so damn good and catchy! One song inparticular stands out to me but I'll get back to that- The songs that I think really steal the show are "Poison" (Blake Roman absolutely killed this and the pain in his voice at the end is just so heartbreaking) "Stayed Gone" - "Hell's Greatest Dad" - "Hell Is Forever" and "Respectless'' (an unexpected banger)... I want to make it clear the songs I'm not including are in no way shape or form bad, but I just think these songs stand out the most to me. But I left one song out in particular because it is honestly my most favorite from the whole show, and that is "Loser, Baby" my god! To say Blake Roman & Keith David killed this song would be disrespect! They godamn EXTERMINATED IT! (too soon?) This song is just already one of my absolute favorites and I love it so much! So overall, Sam Haft is killing it.
Characters/writing - Vivziepop and the team did such an incredible job in creating the depths of these characters and the writing that went with it, No other more than Angel Dust, I think my favorite episode out of the whole series has to be "Masquerade" with how they show abuse & mental health throughout this episode, It's just a perfect representation for the people who have gone through that, I saw online how nice it was for people to feel "seen" because of how they showed Dissociation with Angel and how they wrote it with the utmost sincerity, I also love how that even though they're dealing with such sensitive subjects the episode never lost It's sense of humor... This episode also included 2 of the best songs from the show "Poison" & "Loser, Baby" which I really think just made it the perfect episode and my personal favorite. Something I want to really quickly touch upon is Sir Pentious and how he went from a character I was like "I don't know how I feel about him being main cast" to "my ******* god I love this guy" he's so well written and just so funny- Can't stop laughing at the running gag from the bar scene in episode 6.
Animation - There's not much to say here except how much I love the art style from Vivziepop and all the wonderful art that went into it. Every scene just felt like it got the most love so just a massive congrats to all the animators that worked on this, they just blew it out of the park.
Story/Comedy - I love how they managed to perfectly maintain a good balance between the overall arc of Extermination Day/Trying to show that people from Hell can be redeemed and then just having fun episodes where we get to see these characters be in funny situations that don't particularly effect the main plot. And how they handled the Comedy was just great, each character got to be funny in their own weird way, Angel with the dirty jokes, Husker with how he reacts to the other characters, Alastor with how you never know what the man's going to say next & Sir Pentious by... well just being Sir Pentious.
Overall, just wow! Not only did this show live up to the hype brought by the pilot but it did something that most projects that come from YouTube don't, It was ******* good! From the characters, Comedy, Writing, Animation, Storyline, Songs and the voice actors who gave their everything- This show just had it all and 100% is one of my new absolute favorites. Something else I also love is that a lot of people online bashed Vivziepop for her writing style and sense of humor insinuating that all the jokes were just going to be about "sex" and one thing this show did was shut that down, yeah you got those types of jokes in this but it's so much more than that, and hey if that sense of humor isn't for you then that's fine but obviously you have to remember even if it's your opinion you don't speak for everyone, and honestly I feel bad for the people who won't give this show a chance because they choose to stand on that point, because they are missing out on one damn good show. My final thoughts, Hazbin Hotel Season 2 can't come soon enough.
My Adventures with Superman (2023)
Superman is Back.. Again!
My Adventures With Superman is my new favorite adaptation of Superman, but also Lois and their relationship.
I can't lie I've always found Lois's character quite boring through the years (And I know this to be just my opinion as many people would most likely disagree) and also the relationship between Lois & Superman/Clark to be the same.. But with this series I've found myself really enjoying their relationship, dynamic and honestly just the characters a whole lot more.. especially Lois.. I went from not caring about this character to having her be my favorite part of the show as well as her and Clark's/Superman's relationship. I've seen that her character in this show has gotten a lot of hate and most of which comes from either an ignorant or racist place.. I believe that Lois is Mixed Race in the show and a lot of people have (for no reason) found a problem with this.. I think her character design looks great and the fact that she is Mixed Race should have 0 effect on your life and if it does, thats a you Issue and not a show issue.. and coming back to the ignorance, a lot of people are talking about the scene at the end of episode 5 "You Will Believe a Man Can Lie" where Lois throws herself off The Daily Planet so Clark would have to prove to her that he is Superman.. and people have criticized this to an extreme level and saying how stupid it was for the show to do this and blasting the character of Lois in the series for it.. and your probably wondering "Oh that seems unfair but why is that Ignorance and not just some criticism?" well that is because- IT ALREADY HAPPENS IN ONE OF THE FIRST LIVE ACTION SUPERMAN FILMS! In the 1980's "Superman II" film Lois also throws herself off a building to try and get Clark Kent to prove that he is Superman.. so why was that ok but this wasn't? We could go back to the racism but lets just leave it ignorance. Moving on, I'm going to break some aspects of the show down into different parts so I can best explain how amazing each aspect is...
Voice Acting - I think the voice acting of Alice Lee (Lois Lane) and Ishmel Sahid (Jimmy Olsen) is absolutely incredible and just a 10/10 but what is an 11/10 to me has to be Jack Quaid as Superman.. now if your like me the name Jack Quaid might ring a bell.. you could even say.. a campBELL... get it? Campbell- HE PLAYS HUGHIE CAMPBELL ON "The Boys" I know right! And what I think is so amazing is I couldn't even tell and If you asked me "Do you think that guy who plays Hughie in The Boys would be a good voice for Superman?" I would've said "Hell No. He sound nothing like Superman" and thank god that I would've been wrong. Him as Superman is just perfect casting and he brings something to the role that I feel a lot of actors miss with it.. Pure Humanity.. now I know your gonna jump at me and say "What are you talking about- The past Superman voice actors are amazing!" and In no way am I disagreeing with that but I think with the past Superman actors they always play Superman 1st and Clark Kent 2nd.. (Which is funny since I prefer the opposite for the Batman character, It should always be Batman 1st and Bruce Wayne 2nd, A quote I like about this comes from The Dark Knight himself and Voice acting Legend who sadly passed away Kevin Conroy "I thought Batman was the real character and Bruce Wayne was the disguise, Thats the way that I played this. Bruce Wayne is the alter ego. Thats the face he puts on for the world. Batman is who he is in his heart.") I just feel like Jack Quaid plays Clark Kent 1st and Superman 2nd.. I don't know if that makes sense but I hope it does.. Just overall amazing job all round.
Characters - Ok I've already said enough about this above but I really want to drive home how truly boring I thought the character of Lois Lane has been through the years and how much this show has changed that for me, 100% without a doubt my favorite interpretation of Lois Lane. Again with Superman as I said above in the Voice Acting section, Just the humanity brought to the role is amazing and so much more easier to relate to and root for.. where before he was always amazing but felt more like a symbol for good.. I find myself enjoying him as Clark Kent more then as Superman, which is crazy.
Animation - At first I didn't know how I felt about them using the Anime format for the show as I've seen other shows do this thinking that's what is gonna carry the show and give it character rather then them just doing good writing.. (I really want to name a show but that would be petty.. ok still really want to for comedic effect but still wont..) I think the use of Anime here works perfectly for character design and the world their in.. I just honestly really love it and it really brings the show together.
Writing - Seeing how much I've praised these characters I think it would be impossible to not give props to the writing of the show.. It is just amazing with how much they manage to get into an episode with just a 23 minute time limit, I truly love shows that can end an episode leaving me heart broken that I have to wait for another, Once again really good.
Ok this was a point I felt like I needed to make as it's my one of my only true criticism of the show.. Criticism - Episode 7 "Kiss Kiss Fall in Portal" Ok lets get into this, the whole plot of this episode was basically a Multiverse episode where Superman gets tricked by Mr. Mxyzptlk (a Multiverse Hopping Villain) while Lois and Jimmy are with a League of Lois Lanes from across the Multiverse who are trying to kill Superman.. Look I'll fully admit this might be a very bias criticism that probably wont age well but at the moment with everything that's been going on with DC and Marvel I just find myself having heavy Multiverse Story Fatigue.. any time the Multiverse gets brought up as of recently I find myself not as excited as I used to be as It just keeps happening and isn't as special as it used to be.. All I can really say is I just find myself not caring for Multiverse story's at the moment (hopefully that will change as I love the idea of the Multiverse but at the moment its just really being overdone). And last criticism for this episode is at the end.. Lois goes to her apartment and opens a file that she took from the League of Lois Lanes that shows in another universe where Superman goes evil, this scares Lois into thinking that this could happen with her Superman.. I'm not a fan of this.. In the next episode Lois gets introduced to Vicky Vale (a news reporter from Gotham) where Vicky tries to get Lois to help her make a hit piece on Superman.. and gives Lois arguments like "And what happens when he decides that having powers means he doesn't have to follow our laws anymore? If he really wanted to hurt us, what could we do about it? With how powerful Superman is, just him having a bad day could spell the end for us. Can you really say we're safer with him overhead?" I would have much preferred arguments like this from Vicky Vale to make Lois doubt Superman rather then the whole Multiverse File showing an Evil Superman.. I think it would've matched the rhythm of the show a lot better then The Multiverse File Narrative and would've fit with the character of Lois a lot more. And my last criticism has to be with the season finale "Hearts of the Fathers" and for the most part this was a very good episode and once again this could just be a "me" opinion but I found it kind of lazy to make The General Lois's Father.. It felt more like a "shock" moment rather then trying to be true to a story and what would make sense for it.
I don't want to end this review on a negative note as its only a very small criticism of a show that is still so amazing. Overall I think this show is truly just wonderful.. from the characters, writing, animation, voice acting and just the heart that it brings to a much beloved character. I've watched all versions of Superman throughout the years from Live Action to Animation to Video Games to Damn Nicolas Cage (love that man) and I can honestly say I find myself loving this version so much more then I thought I would to the point of even maybe being my favorite, and once again I want to say how much I love this shows version of Lois Lane and the relationship between her and Clark, I can say Lois as a character and love interest bored me in the past but this Lois Lane has so much character to her and any racists out there should really rethink what they're doing. This show does something that everyone wants a Superman project to do, you'll believe a man can fly. (cheesy last line I know)
Helluva Boss (2019)
Helluva Boss is some classy s**t! *it's good*
Ok giving a 10/10 review is pretty out there and kinda seems unrealistic but this show truly gives 100% in every department and I don't have 1 single complaint about it, and if that's not enough- It's free! Anyone can go and watch it on YouTube without having to pay anything! And for the amount of effort & love (+Time & Money) that is put into this and you can watch it for free? With all of that put together it deserves so much but on top of THAT it's an independent project, I know probably so many people work on this show but it doesn't have a big production company backing it and seems to be truly a creator project. I'm going to break some aspects of the show down into different parts so I can best explain how amazing each aspect is...
Voice Acting - The Full cast is a 10/10 but what Brandon Rogers & Richard Horvitz being to Blitz & Moxxie is unmatched, they truly give an 11/10 performance and really make these characters into CHARACTERS (But again want to make clear the rest of the cast does an also just as amazing performance so shoutout to Erica Lindbeck, Vivian Nixon & Bryce Pinkham + ... Alex Brightman from BeetleJuice The Musical is a reacquiring character which is just great)
Characters - How well put together these characters are is just second to none but most of all is Blitz.. seeing his relationship with Stolas and all the toxicness that comes with it, Him trying to father Loona and being rejected and just all the self hate.. the end of the episode 8 (season 1) "QUEEN BEE" (13:30) felt just so real and truly was such a heart wrenching end to an episode but such a relatable one, and we see this from a character who most would just convey as the "funny out of pocket guy" which makes it even more sad to see.. and also with the end of episode 4 (season 2) "WESTERN ENERGY" (17:02) seeing all the toxic texts where Stolas is trying to connect to Blitz without trying to be pushy and Blitz just gives him nothing back, and then finally when he does reach out to Stolas he then goes on to not reply.. in these moments you really do hate Blitz but also relate to not allowing yourself to open up and at that cost hurting others.. just truly amazing story telling though these beautifully put together characters.
Animation - The art style is so unique and every shot is just full of life (which is ironic since everyone is in hell) I couldn't possibly even comprehend the amount of time that must go into making just 1 scene let alone a 20:00 episode.. most YouTube animators go for 5:00 - 10:00 so the fact that they go up to 25:00 for some episodes is just unreal and shows true love of their show and love to their fans, when rewatching this show you can't help but notice all the little details that go into the show, so to all the animators who worked on Helluva Boss just serious props to you, what you do is just so scarily talented.
Story/Comedy - The Plot lines and narrative of each episode is just always top tier writing and absolutely hilarious jokes.. most shows would not take the risks this show takes but it does and I think most would agree it payed off 100%
Songs - Ok I could speak about how catchy "I. M. P. Commercial Jingle" is, and speak about the rest of the absolutely amazing songs that were put into this.. but nothing comes close to the absolute masterpiece that is "You will be ok" this song is- I have no words, it's just heartwarming and I love it so much. Whoever wrote this song deserves the utmost respect. It's just wonderful.
I probably missed a few points and didn't say everything I wanted to but the overall message is this show is just amazing and please go watch it... and once again it's free and all you have to do is type "Helluva Boss" On YouTube and you'll find it (+ you should 100% go and also watch the pilot for "Hazbin Hotel" another series by the creator) Since it was free and I enjoyed it so much I did actually go onto their merch store and bought myself a pin.. and finally thank you to Vivienne Medrano for creating such a fantastic show.