Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door Review

There is something truly beautiful about a well crafted game. But what comprises game craftsmanship? What does it take for game designer to be expert at his craft and what does his/her products look like? I can hardly call myself an expert in identifying answers to all these questions, but I am beyond confident when I say that Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door easily stands out as game that is not only well crafted but takes the very craft of gaming into another dimension. Literally. Yes, I am allowing myself to make paper and 2D-related puns in the comedic spirit of the Paper Mario franchise. Joking aside, beyond a doubt, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (TYD) falls among of the stars of gaming due to brilliant writing/character development, dynamic and memorable game design, and inspired game mechanics.

To begin, one should know a bit about the franchise to fully appreciate what TYD is doing. The Paper Mario franchise began in Japan with the debut of Mario Story (マリオストーリー) in 2000. It was ported over 6 months later in the NA region as Paper Mario, and nearly a year later in the PAL regions. The game centers around Mario and friends as two dimensional characters living in a hybrid 2D-3D world. The story is much like any other Mario game, save princess peach from the clutches of the big bad, here it is the ever enjoyable Bowser, empowered by the Star Rod. Progression through the game is dependent on interacting with NPC and collecting partners that aid in battle and have special abilities that allow one to solve puzzles in the overworld and progress further in the story until ultimately defeating all the bosses. Paper Mario also employs a light RPG game mechanic, with shared stats between Mario and partner. In my view, the game is fun, yet somehow light in terms of gameplay and game mechanics. The game shines in its story and writing, creating a lively and enjoyable plot centered around reading a storybook with plenty of humor. This is unsurprising in the context of the games original name (Mario STORY), which casts into relief the obvious improvements made in its sequel.

It was not until 3 years later that Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door made its debut in Japan as Mario Story RPG (ペーパーマリオRPG) and 3 months later in NA regions. The addition of RPG to the original title is striking (if not wholly a creative cop-out), which indicates even to the most barely literate that this game has made a foray into the world of "true" RPG-gaming. While many of the elements of the previous title were maintained (similar partner typing, use of turn based battling on "stage," similar overworld interaction, etc), there is a significant deepening of all previous elements and the addition of exciting new aspects to the game. 

One of the most easily recognizable upgrades in TYD is the RPG battle system with its own Paper Mario twist. Similarly to its predecessor, TYD's HP and FP are still utilized, but HP has been divided among its respective characters, allowing for light leveling up of partners and more RPG-style stat increases for Mario. The use of equitable badges have also been added to provide another layer of fun to an already playful and accessible battle system. However, the game takes leaps and bounds with the addition of the battle stages. No, not stages as in levels, but stages as in plays and musicals. Yes, battles take on a performative element in TYD which gives a the storybook aspect of Paper Mario more authenticity by somehow adapting a medium (i.e. literature) that's already been adapted. Truly, the stage battles are not a simple aesthetic gimmick either; one relies on performing well at attacks to encourage the crowd to throw helpful items and foster appeal that translates into "star power," which can be utilized for stronger, finishing style attacks. The sets on stage are also often interactable, responding to thuds or movement on the stages. There are even random stage accidents like falling spotlights. Even after every victory, the crowd cheers as Mario bows and receives the applause. Not only is this simple fun, but it gives the gamer a new perspective of what battles are in the bigger picture. As much as Final Fantasy or Street Fighter wouldn't have us believe, all of these digital fights are nothing more than a show. This is to say, these "battles" don't translate to the real world beyond that of mere entertainment. There is no real tension, no true consequence for winning or losing beyond your pride. Sure, a careless gamer can end up losing a life and progress, but that amounts to very little in everyday life. The lightheartedness of TYD has yielded not only something playful but it has reframed the gaming experience for the player. Everything they see is a show, and the player can choose to sit passively and watch or become the star of their own story. 

TYD does not subsist on a casual yet thrillingly fun battle system alone; this game fully embraces its 2D-3D hybrid to create something truly worthy of being called game design. Paper Mario brought a really novel ways of experiencing and interacting with the environment, traveling around a paper thin, open world. It was almost akin to the kamishibai (紙芝居) of yesteryear in the way the character movement, expressions, and action are handled. TYD takes this beautiful idea of kamishibai-meets-pop-up-storybook and yet again deepens it. Every aspect of the game fully utilizes the beautiful color palette available at the Gamecube's disposal. This in turn is able to foster an immersive yet nostalgic and deeply moving atmosphere that not only feels tailored to the story but to the gamer's unknown desires. In particular, TYD's Boggly Woods area stands out as showing the very pinnacle of TYD's game design efforts. The Woods take an almost binary approach in representation, with living entities and some landscapes rendered in monochrome with splashes of iridescence in inanimate objects and areas. The effect is otherworldly. Take a look at the video above at marker 2m 36 sec. The transition into the area around the Boggly Tree is stunning with the forest floor covered in a carpet of color, all underneath a monolithic tree of stalwart monochrome. There is such a boldness in the intentionality of the game designing, one could almost miss the subtle move in world building. The living entities rendered in monochrome is significant in contrast to the supposedly lifeless yet colorful inanimate world. The monochrome presents a strikingly binary view of the living world; that is, there is sense of eternal lifeless among the living. It gives the sense that these colorless beings are devoid of time and devoid of true depth. This is made all the more clearly by the simple binary of good vs evil portrayed by the Puni people, whom seem content with their otherwise dull lives living in the quiet and remote Boggly Woods. They are somehow trapped within their great tree, passing along their knowledge generation to generation without any true challenge to their existence. However, there is also a sense of inescapable resignation by the Puni to their lackluster fates; they seem almost blissfully unaware of it. Those engulfed and living in color, like Madame Flurrie and her colorful mansion or the very grounds of the Boggly Wood, stand in stark contrast to the monochrome, as one would expect. They are very lively, dynamic entities that show a range of depth. In Flurrie's case, she has chosen to remove herself from fame in order to live out a more peaceful existence, obviously accomplished no place better than the stoic Boggly Wood. However, she can't escape her deeper desire for a colorful life, so she venture out with Mario, becoming one of the most reliable partners in the game. 
The paper world itself shows beautiful dynamism in the contrasting hues and landscapes of its various realms. The landscape is even capable of transformation, peeling back its layers to reveal the hidden or create the uncreated. This atmosphere building is subtle but apparent and moving. Certainly it falls within the realm of artistic craftsmanship.

The final but most devastatingly intriguing aspect of TYD is the artful writing and character development. TYD takes a new approach in the telling of a storybook story; while the chapters remain a staple of the storyline, the gamer plays through the viewpoints of three characters, divergent not only for the previous installment but also for the Mario franchise in general. Mario, Peach, and Bowser are all necessarily playable. Mario is obviously the primary means by which to fully enjoy the RPG mechanics and overworld exploring, but Peach and Bowser are integral for not only forwarding the plot, but also deepening the Mario experience in which the player usually adheres. Peach is an interesting example in that she cannot jump or battle in any way, but she constantly underscores the importance and rewarding nature of progressing as Mario. Additionally, the lack of total control by the player of Peach foreshadows future plot points and character development. Bowser, on the otherhand, provides a dynamic foil to the Mario battle and movement system; Bowser is strong, quick, and capable of breathing fire. But beyond the surface, Bowser provides the opportunity for classic Mario sidescrolling with a twist of mayham that only he could provide, fulfilling a latent or unknown desire of all those old school Mario fanboys. The change in character control and perspective is very unique, and it sets this game apart as something entirely of its own. The characters and plot here are so delicately intertwined that what is ultimately accomplished is something akin to a seamless translation of the page to the screen. 

Honestly, what has been said is not nearly enough to explain the perfection that this game aspires. The subsequent release of the sub-par Super Paper Mario for the Wii only highlights the unreachable standard that TYD has set. This game is a work of art, and I believe it personally is the greatest game that I have ever played and may ever hope to play. If you have not picked up this game, you are missing out on a fundamental, gaming experience.

Head: 10/10
Heart: ∞

-familyfreak101

Los Angeles: An Active Retrospection

In my 3 months of living in LA, I have come to glean some culturally relevant information that I never thought to really get. As a self-hating Midwesterner, I find it hard to love any place you live, so let that be a warning for what follows.
I have never liked LA (Not to say that I can't make it in LA, because if you can make it in small-town middle American, in the slums of Beijing, and in the metropolitan anomie of Tokyo, you can make it anywhere). But I have always loved the idea of LA. The almost extreme amalgamation of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds symbolized by the cities with the city makes for almost a utopian landscape where a bright-eyed 20-something could really learn something or everything about the world.

This has not been the case. (It's almost too painfully ironic how unironic it is.) I never really knew why I didn't like the city when I started living here. I would casually tell my best friend/roommate's friends (who all have lived her for more than a year, struggling to make it in the film industry) in response to their question "How are you liking LA so far?" with vague answers like: people feel so disconnected here; people are so nice but it's impossible to know if they're being genuine or not; it feels superficial but I guess it isn't. And really, these ramblings were probably more close to the (or rather, my) truth. Yes, the entire idea of connection is almost laughable when in reality, the various "neighborhoods" and "cities" that make up LA are all entirely disconnected on an individual level. That is meant in two ways: the individual locales are disconnected and the people that make up these locales are disconnected. Outside of kinship and very restricted friend/work groups, this is basically a city of strangers. Yet, the pervasive civility makes it so that even if you were looking to connect with someone you do not know, it would be impossible; any civil advances are written off as casual, therefore, meaningless encounters.

I believe all of this is reinforced by the subtle superficiality of this metropolitan wasteland. No one is likely to disagree that plastic surgery and gym culture are horribly en vague, but that is not what I mean by superficiality. The city itself, by way of its upperclass, manicured neighborhoods and almost slum-like, dirtpile ghettos, has an intrinsic superficial quality. As an exercise in understanding this superficiality, take the Big Blue Bus from Westwood to the eastside. You'll see the gulf between worlds that speaks so much to the construction of city life. The obviously rich areas are beautiful, almost magical in how they remain like impassive and impervious icons to the fevered energy of the city. Then you'll see the grungy, concrete playgrounds of filth and activity. But it's here in these "bad" areas that you feel like there is a real bit of honesty, of genuine human life shining through an otherwise disconnected city. These places are dirty and likely dangerous and stilly unquestionably disconnected from its neighbors and even itself, but there is still an essentially relatable human element to it. The "good" areas are completely devoid of this humanity, yet anyone who lives in LA is dreaming about attaining those manicured lawns in front of those impossibly clean front steps. No one is interested in reality; no one is interested being human here. People think that they're trying to gain something when actually they're already losing everything. It's painful and exhausting to watch.

In the end, I consign myself to the haven that is my apartment, which I have unknowingly created as the only "safe" place in the city, the only place that feels alive and that I can call my own. And I think a lot of other people here feel that way as well about their own homes. I could never pass judgement and call this a bad thing, but this home vs non-home mentality only inspires further detachment and estrangement from one's neighborhood and the city itself. But there really is no cure. There's no way to fix something that someone cannot even begin to grasp as a problem on a conceptual level. People can only live their lives, and what can more can be expected? Perhaps this all is a horribly pessimistic and subjective way to view Los Angeles. I certainly cannot claim that this is all in the realm of hard fact. But I can say that I have known better. I do love some of the time I spend here in LA and I can't claim to hate my circumstance, but I've lived all over the world; no one can tell me Los Angeles is THE city.

Adventure Time: A New Standard in Animation

            Until very recently, made-for-TV animated cartoons have been regarded as a somewhat low-brow form of entertainment for children, with little cinematic value. At best, it was seen as an industry that could easily target the fragile minds of youth as suggestible consumers. Things are changing, however. Although television cartoons have had a longer adolescent period than any of its targeted viewers, recent shows such as The Ren and Stimpy Show, Samurai Jack, and Doug have pushed this medium into adulthood, ironic given the traditional concept of cartoons. Yet, the true irony is that adults have recently taken up watching television cartoons much in the way they would take up any adult-targeted show. This phenomenon is a result of the increasing sophistication of television cartoons, due to known cartoon auteur's concerted efforts at creating content that has intergenerational appeal across the market. One show in particular is particularly representative of this phenomenon. Adventure Time with Finn and Jake (Adventure Time) has raised the standard for animated television cartoons by allowing the visionary auteur, Pendleton Ward, to present his style of animation which in turn has motivated a an intergenerational fan-base, unlike any animated series has done before.

            To fully understand how Adventure Time has created such cult fan-base, it is necessary to understand Pendleton Ward's style and success as an auteur. Ward's vision as an auteur can be said to encompass three aspects of his work: a uniquely dynamic animation style, a 'branded' humor, and sophisticated narrative structure. To begin, Ward's animation style is quite notably unique and dynamic; this being obvious the moment one tunes in. Although this may not be too surprising considering the show’s narrative takes place in a magical world of talking dogs, magical cosmic beings, and living candy people, but there is a certain playfulness to the animation that does not follow traditional techniques. Adventure Time does not strictly adhere to conventions that it sets for itself either. In one shot, a character may appear as the viewer always sees him, but in a reverse-shot back to the character, his body proportion may have dramatically and purposefully shifted. There is a playful manipulation of the animation style that always keeps the frame 'fresh' and interesting. To illustrate, look to season 2's “Blood under the Skin.” In the opening scene, Finn and Jake, the heroic protagonists of the series, are seen fighting what the audience quickly learns is a small and harmless ladybug in their home. While Finn is moving the pest outside, he menacingly warns, “Don't let me every catch you here again!” At this point, Finn's face suddenly morphs into a angry version of itself with anger lines and dimples that are suddenly brought into relief. Numerous times throughout the episode, Finn's arms appear to change length from scene to scene (although he does not have the power to shape shift like his companion, Jake). However, this low credence to continuous animation is not disorienting in the slightest.

            The playful dynamism does not stop at the standard 2D animation that Ward typically applies. He has chosen in two thematic episodes to switch from his signature 2D-style to 3D computer generated imagery (CGI). In season 2's “Guardians of Sunshine,” Ward blends 2D and 3D worlds by setting the narrative in the familiar 2D universe and a new 3D universe within a video game the two protagonists become trapped in. In season 5's “A Glitch is a Glitch,” the entire Adventure Time universe is computer generated, even the opening sequence. This continuing dynamic style seems to be quite nearly an authorial guarantee of a fresh and spontaneous spectacle with every viewing experience.

            To continue, Ward also cultivates a signature humor and silliness that has branded Adventure Time as a show directed at those who are “just a bit different,” much in the same way Wes Anderson does with his films. Although it is hardly the place of scholastic work to inform anyone about how funny a particular joke is, I will provide an example on what I believe best illustrates Ward's signature witty humor. In season 2's “To Cut a Woman's Hair,” Jake is captured by a tree witch and trapped underneath her “bottomless bottom.” Only by bringing the witch a lock of a princess's hair can Finn save his dear friend, so he ventures out until he finds the sassy Lumpy Space Princess asleep near a graveyard, in what appears to a homeless person's 'quarters.' He proceeds to try to cut her nearly microscopic purple hair, only to have her awaken thinking that Finn was hitting on her in her sleep. She explains, “I knew you liked me! Just admit it, lover-boy. You can't resist me. Well if you want these lumps, then you got to put ring on it. Where's my ring?!” Here, Ward cleverly and quite ridiculously harkens to Beyonce's popular “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” song in an appeal to the audience's pop cultural sensibilities. This is likely a far cry from Beyonce's intended interpretation of her song, but this makes it all the more enjoyable for the audience.

            Lastly, Ward formulates a very intricate and sophisticated style of narrative that parallels Jeffrey Sconce's definition of  'quality television' in his essay “What If?: Charting Television's New Textual Boundaries” and pushes the boundaries of age-appropriateness. Very much like 'quality television,' Ward has constructed a serial narrative with absolutely no narrative redundancy whatsoever. Many of Adventure Time's animated peers, such as Spongbob Squarepants, Johnny Test, or Phineas and Ferb could not boast the same. For example, season 4's “BMO Noire” and season 5's “Princess Potluck” are two episodes with events that occur simultaneously in the overall narrative of the show, but these episodes were 'aired out of order.' That is to say, in “BMO Noire,” BMO (Finn and Jake's living video game console) is left home alone by Finn and Jake to solve the case of the missing sock. “Princess Potluck” recounts Finn and Jake's adventure leaving BMO to solve that case and going to a potluck. There is no redundancy in the narrative to overtly push the fact that these episodes are clearly “occurring” at the same time within the narrative, only subtle clues that would inform a consistent viewer that indeed these episodes are connected, despite airing a season apart. This is merely one example in a vast number of highly developed narratives. Another element to this is Ward's extensive character development of not only main characters, but also secondary characters. Extensive character histories and character relationships are hashed out over seasons. The stand out example (at least for a consistent viewer) is the relationship development of Marceline, a mischievous but good-natured rock-and-roll vampire, and the Ice King, a senile, princess-obsessed ice wizard. At the series onset, these characters were difficult to conceive as having any sort of tie, at least from the viewer's perspective, but Ward has developed their relationship by presenting Marceline and Ice King character-driven episodes that reveal their past as survivors of a nuclear war. There is clearly a level of sophistication in the story narrative that is not typical of a children's animated television show. Although arguably, this is setting a new standard that is actively competing against this old model of animated cartoons, but more on that later.

            These three elements of Ward's work with Adventure Time certainly do not stop there; Ward has worked previously as a writer for Cartoon Network's The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, a show that expresses some of his signature humor in small ways. His auteurship is most recognizable in the projects that he has created beyond the Adventure Time universe, which includes a web series on Frederator Studies!'s Cartoon Hangover YouTube channel entitled The Bravest Warriors. This series is classic 'Ward-style' humor, animation, and narrative construction, which interestingly makes use of the Internet medium without the burden of Cartoon Network's TV-PG rating.

            Because of this vision as a true auteur, Ward has been able to foster an intergenerational fan culture that rivals many popular cult series of yesteryear. This has been made possible in part by the wide-breath of “decoding” that can be applied to a series simply because of its nature as television show targeted at children. Adult themes and relationships are suggested throughout Adventure Time, but Ward has left it largely up to more sophisticated consumers (i.e. teenagers and adults savvy enough to pick up on such themes) to “poach” the meaning they desire. For instance, Adventure Time has its own dedicated wiki page (what does not these days?) equipped with an impressive forum that people frequent throughout the week. One of the most discussed topics is the “Mushroom War.” Many fans have tried to make sense of Land of Ooo, the magical realm in which Finn and Jake's adventure takes place, through perceived clues throughout the show. Mentioned only in passing in the show itself, fans have run away with the idea of the “Mushroom War” as a nuclear war that was large enough to devastate the planet Earth – Land of Ooo may be Earth in an alternate time line – and transformed its inhabitants and brought magic to the land. It seems far-fetched to the casual viewer, but the show is riddled with 'clues' that fans have used to support this theory. For instance, in season 2's “Memory of a Memory,” Finn and Jake encounter Marceline as a child in one of her memories. In the memory, she is alone, playing with a stuffed animal while an entire city is burning in the background with wreckage laying all about. No explicit acknowledgement of this decimated city is made in the series until very recently with more explicit references to nuclear radiation-born zombies, but fans have used this to support not only their argument that a nuclear holocaust has occurred, but also that there are survivors from it, namely Marceline and Ice King.

            Fans have gone even further by re-imaging numerous relationships within the show. Most notably, the slash culture for Adventure Time is particularly prolific. There is a popular tumblr Adventure Time blog that features thousands of homemade fan-made costumes, stories, and drawings of imagined homosexual relationships between characters. Although there is certainly slash fiction created about Marceline and Princess Bubblegum, Finn's older love interest, after the premier of season 3's “What Went Missing,” fans positively ran away with romanticized views of the two characters relationship. Prior to the episode, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum had never had any sort of interaction, and it was assumed they were hardly aware of one another. But as the episode progresses, it is clear that they share a tense relationship, Marceline even going as far as to mockingly call the princess by her real name, Bonnibel (it was not known prior to this episode if Princess Bubblegum had a real name or not). That show has continued to flesh out there relationship further in episodes like season 5’s 29^th episode, “Sky Witch.” Art work and fan fiction exploded, imagining the two female characters' past relationship, and imagined it going in a different, more intimate direction as the show goes on. Of course, this is just one of numerous examples of a re-imaged Adventure Time universe.

            Although I have presented a bottom-up development of the show, it is extremely important to point out the responding top-down contribution from the creator himself. Ward is quite conscious of his intergenerational fan culture and the various bottom-up fan projects inspired by the show, so he has chosen to engage with fans in their own process. This is most clearly seen in the two gender-swapped episodes, starting with season 3's “Fionna and Cake.” The premise of the episode is that the Ice King, also Finn and Jake's arch-nemesis, has written fan fiction about Finn and Jake that he 'imagines' as the canonical Land of Ooo, only with all its characters being of the opposite sex. This episode was seen largely in response to Adventure Time's surprisingly large female audience and the fan fiction re-imaginings of universe crossover (e.g. Adventure Time and Dragonball Z). In addition, Ward has launched a successful comic series of Adventure Time to allow fans to engage even further with the series outside of the television show.

            Ward has not stopped there, either. He has been personally involved with Adventure Time comic creation and oversaw the making of Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!!, Adventure Time's first full-length game for a gaming console (“GeekDad”, n. pg.). Ward has appeared with the cast and writers on a dedicated panel at San Diego's comic-con in 2012, before Ward's comic book series of Adventure Time gained real prominence. Of course, fans of all ages responded accordingly by 'cos-playing' as their favorite characters for the panel. (Graham, n. pg.)

            Adventure Time, much like Spongebob Squarepants and The Ren and Stimpy Show, has been able to foster an intergenerational fan culture that has evolved into a cult series in-the-making; however, Adventure Time differs from these two due to the Internet as an integral platform for its consumption and 'poaching.' Just as Heather Hendershot argues in her essay, “Nickelodeon's Nautical Nonsense” in regards to the Spongbob Squarepants series, Adventure Time has been able to foster an intergenerational fan culture by writing not only for children but for adults as well(204-5). Unlike children's shows of the past, Ward has not written a show that he thinks children will enjoy, but he has written a show that his childish-side would enjoy. This has promoted both content that is wildly interesting and dynamic that children can certainly appreciate, but it also contains references that may be more adult in content that may be “over kids' heads.” Obviously, adults as cartoon consumers is not something new, but for a children's show to inspire an adult fan base without relying on nostalgic elements is quite rare.

            Furthermore, Adventure Time has evolved into something of a cult series in-the-making as a result of auteurial vision, much in the same way that Mark Langer argues in his essay, “Ren and Stimpy: Fan Culture and Corporate Strategy.” The Ren and Stimpy Show owes its success in large part to its creator and directive genius, John Kricfalusi. Kricfalsui was able to create a show driven by an auteur that pushed for a unique style that transferred into much critical acclaim. (155, 172-4) Unlike Adventure Time however, Kricfalsui and his staff could not strike a balance with their corporate parents over content suitable for children. This often led to the alienation of some audiences over others. Some episodes were enjoyed fervently by adults, but seen as much to raunchy for children, while other episodes appealed only to childish sensibilities. In many ways, The Ren and Stimpy Show was the wild older sibling of Adventure Time that could not strike a balance between fans and its corporate managers. Adventure Time has not only struck that balance but also thrived because of it.

            Yet, Adventure Time transcends Spongbob Squarepants and The Ren and Stimpy Show, because it has effectively utilized the Internet as a platform for fan consumption and 'poaching' which ensures its enduring success. In fact, Adventure Time's pilot episode was leaked on the Internet a year before debuting on Nickelodeon's Random! Cartoons, a cartoon showcase block, dedicated to airing various unrelated cartoon shorts over a half-hour time slot. This leak garnered viral success, which pushed Ward into pitching the short to Nickelodeon, and then Cartoon Network after Nickelodeon refused to pick up the series. It has remained close to its roots by maintaining an official YouTube channel and dedicated Tumblr for fans to be close to the creative action. Ward was smart to encourage fans to 'poach' his work, which has facilitated a dedicated and enduring intergenerational fan base that will surely keep the series running for years to come. In fact, Adventure Time has already been renewed for a seventh season and mini-series set between seasons 6 and 7, likely airing in 2016.

            Adventure Time has proven to be a dynamic, visionary effort by auteur Pendleton Ward and his team, which has fostered an intergenerational fan base that finds its strength in the dynamic platform of the Internet. Adventure Time's success with its fan base certainly parallels that of popular network series of the past, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, Pendleton Ward has been able to transfer that kind of success to a children's animated television show, which is quite significant. This will inevitably prove to be the forerunning model of future television cartoons, which will push the creator as an auteur in order to promote a wide fan base, mediated by the Internet platform. This certainly can be seen as boon for future television cartoons, since this could bring about a revolution in 'quality' cartoon programing unlike anything seen before. Even now, the shift in animated cartoon quality is evident, with more and more cartoons adopting a serialized narrative structure. There have even been strong debuts of animated content created particularly for adult audiences on YouTube by production companies like Frederator Studios. This is a time of transition for the animated cartoon medium with advances that I can only wait to see.

Works Cited

"GeekDad Talks Adventure Time with WayForward Technologies." Wired.com. Conde Nast

            Digital, 06 Nov. 0012. Web. 01 May 2013.

Graham, Bill. "Comic-Con: ADVENTURE TIME Panel Features Live Radio Play With Audio; A

            Brief Look At New Flame Princess Episode." Collider. N.p., 13 July 2012. Web. 01 May

            2013.

Hendershot, Heather. "Nicelodeon's Nautical Nonsense." Nickelodeon Nation: The History,

            Politics, and Economics of America's Only TV Channel for Kids. Ed. Heather

            Hendershot. New York: New York UP, 2004. 182-208. Print.

Langer, Mark. "Ren & Stimpy: Fan Culture and Corporate Strategy." Ed. Heather

            Hendershot. Nickelodeon Nation: The History, Politics, and Economics of America's

            Only TV Channel for Kids. New York: New York UP, 2004. 155-81. Print.

Sconce, Jeffrey. "What If?: Charting Television's New Textual Boundaries." Television after TV:

            Essays on a Medium in Transition. By Lynn Spigel and Jan Olsson. Durham: Duke UP,

            2004. 93-112. Print.