Adventure Time is a children’s television series currently aired on Cartoon Network. It is a television series that I would not only highly recommend to any child… it is one that I would recommend to anyone who needs to smile.
(Why is a twenty-something-year-old watching Cartoon Network, you might ask; but you won’t receive an answer. Is it so inconceivable that a chick could be looking for anime and run across …. yeah, I didn’t think so. I like Looney Toons?)
Adventure time follows the adventures of a 13 year old human boy, Finn, who lives with his dog/friend, Jake, in the land of Ooo. Ooo is a land full of candy people, unicorns, self-aware gaming consoles and vampires who drink the color red and ghosts and goblins, princesses, evil kings and wizards, and everything else a little boy would love. Let’s be honest, it has everything ANY kid would love; boy or girl!
Most episodes are comprised of two or three mini-sodes; just short stories where the premise of the day’s adventure is briefly outlined, then artfully, enjoyably and whimsically brought to a conclusion.
Along the course of the series we learn that Ooo is like a child-friendly and magical post-apocalyptic world where Finn is the last known human. There is an episode () where he encounters a group of humanoids in cutesie animal hats and is excited because he always thought he was alone in the world. Even Jake wears a hat that covers his head, supposedly to be mistaken for an animal of some kind. What, I don’t know, but it’s really not that noticeable until you see him without the hat on. Can you say Goldy-locks?!!
In the land of Ooo, it is also useful to mention that dogs are apparently direct descendants of Mr. Fantastic. (Don’t think about that- I didn’t before I wrote it, and now I wish I could un-think it. So, as my justification: ) Jake can stretch and grow to all kinds of shapes/lengths/contortions. He also plays the violin and has a unicorn girlfriend, Lady Rainicorn, whose parents love him.
Now that you have an idea of what the show is like, I’d like to explain what I love about it. It has simple, neat and linear art that is easy on the eyes. The main characters are virtuous but not perfect; in a word, lovable. The situations they go through are ridiculous, fun and imaginative but mirror life in unexpected ways.
The worst baddies are either immature and easily dealt with, like the Ice King, (or have issues with their daughter which, once solved, eliminate him as a risk). If not, they’re deftly defeated by our no-worse-for-wear heroes who brush off the encounter and continue adventuring, frequently repeating the same mistakes that just got them into the last situation.This effectively understates the drama created through the confrontation and conveys a sense of how easily the duo defeated them.
Finally, and it cannot be emphasized enough, I love this show for how whimsical it is. From character design and development to plot lines, this is the most whimsical, sweet, awesome and endearing animated series I’ve ever watched. (I would say television series… but I’ve seen Doctor Who, and I’m not entirely sure who I want to win that fight.)
Examples of Great Morals, by Episode:
A Nice King
- Don’t blindly pledge your allegiance to just anyone. Finn and Jake mistake the evil, but thinner and clean-shaven, Ice King, (their recurring adversary throughout the series), for a NICE king. As the line of princesses who have fallen for the same trick and are now desperate to woo the “nice” king, Finn’s immediate reaction is to swear fealty to the “nice” king. The Ice King, seizing his opportunity, uses Finn and Jake to do his dirty work. Throughout the episode,
- Girls, don’t fall for a guy based on his reputation, what the guy says or what people say about him – observe his actions and decide for yourself what kind of person he is. These princesses lined up for this “nice” king! Not only that – they willingly allowed themselves to be locked up in a cage!!!! They submitted themselves to questionnaires and interviews!! Honestly, it reminded me of the TV show, the Bachelor! Only worse, because we’re talking about a cruel and heartless person, raising women’s expectations and then crushing them in such a way that they can only conclude that they aren’t good enough – and then he doesn’t even marry any of them!!!! Oh wait… wow, the similarities just don’t end, do they? Actually, since there’s less empty romance in this version – the ice king is actually kinder to women than The Bachelor…hmmm….
- Boys, if you want a girlfriend, don’t kidnap her and keep her in a cage; she won’t appreciate it and it’s just wrong. Do I even have to explain? This is generally the moral for any episode involving the Ice King attempting to kidnap a princess ( which just happens to be his favorite hobby… as he has a thing for princesses – let’s be honest, though, who doesn’t? besides Jake). It is pretty much the only reason why the Ice King is a villain. He just can’t seem to kick the habit.
Magic Man / The Freaks
- Even when you’re trying to be nice, sometimes people are just jerks. That’s not your problem, it’s theirs. The episode starts out like the classic fairy tale where our young hero passes by a magician disguised as a hungry, old beggar and has the choice to either assist this person or continue on his way. If you refuse, the magician will either remain hidden or reveal themselves only to curse the naughty “hero.” If you offer him aid he/she will always reveal themselves and grant a magical boon of some kind. That’s where this storyline diverges from the norm; Finn assist the old man and as a result Magic Man turns Finn into a giant foot ( and is thus ostracized to the point where he has to live under a bridge with the rest of the people the Magic Man transformed into “freaks”). By the end of the episode Finn confronts the Magic Man, who asks if he’s learned his lesson. In the Magic Man’s eyes, we learn, Finn is being punished for being a goody-two-shoes… which is crazy as far as Finn or Jake or anyone in the audience cares. So, they don’t learn the lesson the Magic Man intended; just that there are people out there with backward perceptions of the world.
- Don’t accept rewards for your good deeds? A similar theme was touched upon in another episode: If someone is offering to give you something for free, there’s always a catch. There are different messages on this theme; see the ____minotaur episode.
-Attitude is everything! The Freaks, as they would call themselves, live in the dark, dank underbelly of a bridge. When asked to cooperate with one another and (of all things) touch one another, they refuse! They “friggin’ hate” one another! Why? because they’re all a bunch of disgusting freaks! They don’t see themselves as banded together under unfortunate circumstances, they only see themselves and each other through the way they’re treated by the people around them. (Sound like kids, much?) Even Jake, who CHOOSES TO BE A GIANT FOOT TO BE MORE LIKE FINN! gets locked in the depressive atmosphere of life under the bridge. Only after Finn decides that he’s not going to take any of this lying down and that he’s not about to let the others do it either, are the freaks able to come together and function as a unit. Not only that; once Finn steps in and helps them see that they aren’t just freaks as individuals but comprise a group, the rest of the “freaks” CHOOSE to live out the rest of their lives as freaks just so that they can stay together.
-Sometimes friends are worthless, but you still have to help them out. Remember that bit about Jake choosing to languor in self-pity and helplessness under the bridge? He actually is trying to convince Finn to do the same the entire time he’s doing it, actively destabilizing Finn because he‘s enjoying being a giant foot (it’s always been a dream of his…). Despite all of this, Finn comes to Jake’s rescue and their friendship is as strong as ever.
The Tart ___
- Girls, always plan for boys to do the dumb thing and not listen to you. Princess Bubblegum did this, thankfully, or else the great tart celebration would be tart-less. Finn and Jake took the job of tart-carriers, but; instead of sticking to the safe and easy high-road they were instructed to take, they go through the roughest bit of tart-napping territory in the whole of the Land of Ooo. Yup, you guessed it. They lost every last tart. Thankfully, they were the backup plan and/or decoy.
-Kids, there is generally a reason why things are done that way. See example immediately above, then let me tell you that the tart-carrier that went by the path suggested by PB had NO troubles and arrived at the celebration with ALL of his assigned tarts. Grown-ups generally won’t give you specific instructions unless it is essential that those steps be taken; also… their way is usually the easiest way of getting the job done.
- Ancient, delusional workaholics come up with some creepy metaphors… I didn’t say that these were GOOD morals, people; I said they were GREAT! My interpretation of the word does not limit the definition of great to be “better at being good than something that is good.” It can mean just about anything so long as it carries a strong point and is interesting enough to be listed as a “great.” … and you have to admit… this one is pretty awesome… Don’t know what I’m talking about? WATCH THE EPISODE!!!
______ minataur
- Things are not always as they seem.Keep a cool head and THINK! Jake does a much better job of this than Finn in this episode; Jake points out the idiosyncrasies of the situation they’re in – such as how unlikely it was that there would be old ladies just walking around in a forest that’s a part of a mystical gauntlet – and that they only appeared after Finn freed the cute, little sprites that ultimately flew around killing said old ladies. To be fair, Finn thought that he had inadvertently caused the murder of multiple elderly women at the time – but if he hadn’t let his emotions run away with him he probably would have been able to save the lives of more hallucinated older women. This is actually a common failing of Finn’s, as the same moral applies to the episode “Indentured Servant.” In that episode, Finn becomes the indentured servant of vampire Marcelline and is forced (by his honor, for the sucker did verily swear to do everything she asked) to .
Let’s make a movie!
- Copyrights are valid even if human civilization collapses. … because this is the basis of the entire episode…
- Don’t let Scotchie hit on your girlfriend – because he invariably means business. … and the ladies LOVE him and his muscles and handle-bar mustache… we just can’t help it.
- It can be easy to forget the importance of friendship – the important thing is to remember that your friendship is of utmost importance. Thank you, Beemo, for reminding us with your lovely music video. Also, there’s nothing wrong with making an action/romance/comedy! It is astounding what you can accomplish when two people with differing views come together on an idea.
Belly of the Beast
Partying is fun, but doing it all the time is overrated. Finn and Jake get eaten by a beast and inside find a whole race of party-animals. Yup. Party. Animals. They attempt to fit in for a while, but ultimately decide that they have more fun adventuring and solving people’s problems for them; so they solve the issues between the beast and the party animals and the set back out on their merry ways.
** These aren’t actually the names of the episodes, but I’m lazy and tired right now and I’m hitting the sack. Maybe tomorrow I’ll go back and fill in the blanks and write in some valid arguments …
*** Tried looking up the actual names to these episodes…. and can’t find them anywhere. Help?
