Adventure Time is honestly a little over rated.

I'll admit. I watched the show and enjoyed it.
But overall, it's really nothing special.

Those that grind and suck it's dick is because OMG THIS SHOW ISN"T JUST FOR KIDS! IT HAS SO MANY MATURE THEMES ONLY ADULTS WILL UNDERSTAND.

Honestly, what kids show doesn't?

It's an okay show, but just like Dr. Who fans; gets ruined by the fans that can't stop taking it from behind by the shows.

I can completely understand why someone could watch a show like this and not like it. It's definitely not for everybody and I get why some (or most) people would find it too weird/nonsensical/unfunny. I like the more serious storytelling elements of Adventure Time, but I enjoy it just as much for its deranged sense of humor, terrific art style, and animation. It's always a complete joy to look at (the first thing, actually, that I've bought in HD because I thought it made a real difference.) AT is the first show I've seen that really delivers on the same core of chaotic weirdness seen in things like Fooly Cooly or Kings Of Power 4 Billion %.

[url=http://youtu.be/7MVvkqbXiws]It has been alleged[/url] that nostalgia is the reason why so many people outside of the (supposed) intended demographic enjoy Adventure Time, but I disagree with this. AT doesn't remind me of anything I watched when I was a kid, though it's mildly evocative of 16-bit video games (which, unfortunately, I didn't have back in the day.) But wobbly art style is completely different from pixelated games or any animation I remember from the 90s.

There are actually very few kids' shows that I would want to revisit. There was a ton of stuff I watched in my childhood that I never care to see again (Rugrats, Doug, Catdog, The Wild Thornberries, etc.) And a few shows that, though they were aired side-by-side, are much broader in their appeal (Rocko's Modern Life, Avatar, Johnny Bravo, Samurai Jack.) I've always loved animation and I see a very noticeable gap between Kids' Shows and Family Shows that have a broader appeal.

[quote="ThinlineTele"]cartoon nostalgia.[/quote]

I feel similarly about Hey Arnold! I guess when I was younger, I wouldn't have been able to recognize what made the show stand out...or why it gets to me. Part of it has to do with the the world building in Hey Arnold - the city apparently took a lot of inspiration from where the creator Craig Barlett grew up and went to school - Seattle, Portland, and New York. So I see a bit of my home in the world of Hey Arnold (Orochi, if this isn't the [url=http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130614214540/heyarnold/images/f/fc/TopOfSunsetArms.jpg]Alaskan Way Viaduct[/url]...) The urban texture of the show feels very real - and how cool was it that Arnold's home, the apartment "The Sunset Arms", is where he lives with his grandparents and wacky (but also 'real') neighbors? It's untraditional, but it seemed authentic too.

The other part I love about Hey Arnold is the music. Here's "Groove Remote (Abner)": [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKUUhCNMU8I[/url]. Not all of the tracks are like this - that kind of jazzy, melancholy, bluesy sort of feel. But tracks like Groove Remote, [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bU29esDWg4]Sid and Stink[/url], [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZtTcj2OCeE]Invisible Hippo 2[/url], and [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeM4lWhr39M]Thinkin it Over[/url] really stand out as capturing the atmosphere of the show. I absolutely love this shit, because it's a clear sign that the creators of the show took their young audience seriously. It's like how Fred Rogers chose the jazz pianist Johnny Costa to do all of the music for Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

Wikipedia: "Rogers' choice was surprising because Costa's style was regarded as [b]too complicated and sophisticated[/b] for a children's program. Costa insisted on not playing "baby" music."

When you take your music seriously, you give credit to your young audience. You understand that they are cable of empathizing with a wider range of emotions and themes than your typical Saturday morning cartoon will provide. Hey Arnold's music seems to say "Hey, life isn't always sunshine and lollipops, sometimes you have off-days. But you've got a network of friends, family, and even neighbors that will have your back." I'm not trying to trump this by implying that Hey Arnold was some serious, super-mature show way ahead of its time or anything. It got wacky, goofy shit happened, gags were pulled, Helga's obsession over Arnold sometimes was so extreme...(though they did reign it in sometimes, showing her insecurities, and having great moments whenever the teamed up to overcome an obstacle).

Hm, this has become a little lengthy. I don't really have a main point -- just that Hey Arnold was pretty great and did a lot of things that made it stand out from being just another famous Nicktoon. I've downloaded the best parts of the OST from Youtube, if anyone's interested in an upload.

ITT: We wax nostalgic and philosophical about cartoons.

Many feels, y'all. Many feels.

I almost forgot. Check it: http://nickreboot.com/

Old-school Nick, 24/7. The future is awesome.

[quote="GoldenRhino"]I'm not trying to trump this by implying that Hey Arnold was some serious, super-mature show way ahead of its time or anything.[/quote]
Actually, I would say that Hey Arnold [i]was[/i] way ahead of its time in a very particular way: it was unparalleled at both exploring and appreciating the emotional and psychological challenges of growing up.

I went back and re-watched most of Hey Arnold about a year ago, and I think I actually appreciate it much more now, as an adult, than I did growing up. In retrospect, I think part of that might be because it was a bit exhausting to watch when I was younger: unlike other kid's shows, it wasn't as much of an escape, because it felt a bit too much like reality. And that's what makes Hey Arnold such a special show to me: it's uncanny how good it was at capturing the struggles, challenges, triumphs, and just general emotions of a pretty wide and deep set of characters.

Like GR said, it took its audience seriously, and it didn't pull any punches regarding "reality". Arnold is a bit of a lonely oddball in society who, even though he has friends and is relatively popular, can't really relate to anyone: he has no parents and has a hodgepodge group of weird boarding house neighbors to call "family". Helga unfolds throughout the series as very complex character who struggles with a lot of very realistic emotional problems, especially being surrounded by an overbearing and neglectful father, an alcoholic and severely depressed mother, and a selfish, narcissistic "parents' favorite" older sister. I mean, there's even a realistic, psychoanalytical explanation for her ridiculous obsession over Arnold: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transference]transference[/url] (and I have friends who grew up in similar situations who have definitely behaved in Helga-like ways). And on top of that, even most of the "supporting" cast gradually develops as complex, realistic characters on their own (e.g. Phoebe, Harold, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Huynh).

Regarding the wacky/goofy side of Hey Arnold, I feel like Hey Arnold is all about presenting the real world and what it's like to grow up in it through the eyes of kids, and when you're young and naive and don't have much life experience, it's really easy to blow normal or mundane events way out of proportion. You know how, for example, it's usually not a good idea to show R-rated movies to young kids, because they haven't developed a good grasp on reality yet? I feel like Hey Arnold's farcical presentation is kind of a reflection of that: when you're a kid, you're never quite sure what's real life and what's just a product of your mind.

And GR summed up my thoughts on the music as well. There's something in Jim Lang's music that triggers this melancholy, "dealing with the harsh reality of life" kind of feeling that really speaks to me. It's like, I feel like I can relate to this music on such a deep level. Definitely had [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOjaD4v2q7M]Stompin'[/url] on repeat for weeks at one point. (Also yes, I would bet money that that is totally based on the Alaskan Way Viaduct.)

I've gone back and re-watched some episodes of a bunch of shows that I loved when I was younger, and honestly, only Hey Arnold and Recess (which was effectively a thinly-veiled parody of human society) really stood out as shows that I could still enjoy as an adult. And with Hey Arnold in particular, it wasn't really because of "omg mature themes, so deep". It was more that it just felt so [i]real[/i], like you could relate to these people as if they were people you might know from your own life. And there's something about feeling understood and feeling like you can relate to something that is just so gratifying and rewarding for some reason.

[b]tl;dr: Hey Arnold was exceptional because it was so [i]real[/i], and thus felt incredibly relatable.[/b]

you are fucking awesome and maybe i love you?

Hey Arnold characters looked weird.
I remember getting nightmares from them.

It was kinda annoying as well.
Repetitive even.

I know I'm on the late train, but I started watching Breaking Bad recently. I'm halfway through season 3 and god damn, it's really, really good. I was skeptical as to other people's opinions on it, but I've been pleasantly surprised. The characters are really believable, and they all have [i]depth.[/i] Sure, some are more flat than others, but I feel like I could meet these people in my life.

Shrader, I think, is one of the best characters on the show. He's that asshole who thinks he's hot-shit, is boisterous, and doesn't have a filter, but is a middle-aged overweight guy that isn't the cool jock he thinks he is. Everyone just tolerates him because it's easier to just let him do his thing. He's a lot like America, I think.


I dunno, I think this show is how the Sopranos should've been like.

Mannnnn you are in for a treat. One of the most satisfying watches of my entire life, I saw one episode during season two while it was airing, realized the show was awesome, and fucking waited until the last season was half finished to dive in. I still was frustrated as hell waiting a few short months for the last episode to drop so I could finish it all off. I literally wish I could watch Breaking Bad for the first time again. Fantastic, fantastic show. Nice.

[quote="Blank"]I know I'm on the late train, but I started watching Breaking Bad recently. I'm halfway through season 3 and god damn, it's really, really good. I was skeptical as to other people's opinions on it, but I've been pleasantly surprised. The characters are really believable, and they all have [i]depth.[/i] Sure, some are more flat than others, but I feel like I could meet these people in my life.[/quote]

Yes... as annoying as Skyler gets, I can still see her motivations. Not everyone reacts well when life gets tough. (I'm still in season 2, no spoilers! ) And I like that they don't gloss over the problem situations, at least so far (like derp why didn't the police ever notice this or that)- there ARE consequences.

Game of Thrones season 4 just wrapped up... so good. Even knowing the outcomes of all the plotlines, as a book reader, there were still amazing and surprising moments. Peter Dinklage = awesome. I'm really curious what they're going to do next season though. They've already pushed into the last book (5) and will have to continue to pull from books 4 and 5 since some characters aren't in book 4 and the actors would otherwise just disappear temporarily.

Also watching Orange is the New Black. It's pretty good. The main character is at times annoying but the great cast of characters around her more than makes up for it.

GR and Orochi pretty much explained why Hey Arnold was such an amazing show. I agree with you guys 150% with everything that was said. Glad to see other kids my age had a similar understanding and overall feel for this incredible show. Much love

I recall that Hey Arnold was one of the standout Nick shows, but I haven't seen it in ages. I read GR's whole thing and I'd probably say the same thing about it, if I'd really thought through it. I always liked the show's vibe, much like Adventure Time the world of Hey Arnold feels like a cool place to hang out for a while even when nothing much is going on. I should really re-watch it sometime.

I'm all caught up on Adventure Time, the late season 5 and season 6 storyline episodes are mind-bending goodness. Can't wait to see where things go from here.

I love that tv shows back in the day would do just that, make you lose yourself in the world they create and for a moment genuinely believe in it. Enough about the old shit lets talk about the new shit. I just binge watched the entire first season of House of Cards and it is fucking BRILLIANT

Just finished binge-watching House of Cards on Netflix, and man what a series.

It details the ruthless and Machiavellian scheming of the US House of Representatives Democratic Whip Frank Underwood.

It was compelling the entire time, and it is a gold-standard intro for anyone who believes money and politics are largely hidden from, but ultimately totally control, public policy and foreign relations, and conversely those as well who think democracy and freedom matter at all to the powers that be in America. Sort of a modern-day Game of Thrones.

Seriously, go watch it.