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 Post subject: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 4:04 pm 
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Another year of toons and shorts
And emails of two different sorts

I am a long-time Homestar Runner fan, and while I don't post in the forum much, I figure I'll go through 2009 with what I like and dislike. I know that not everyone's going to agree with my opinions, but hey, they're opinions. I'd like to hear all your lists.

2003-2004, to me, was the peak of Homestar Runner goodness, but that doesn't mean they don't still churn out some fantastic humor. Maybe I just live in the past a little - I had never even really got used to the Lappy, let alone the New Paper - but even if the best is gone, the good is still around. I've been a faithful follower of the site, from the good to the bad, from TGS 12 to "hiding". I don't think my tastes are the norm here, but here goes.

First, the highlights.

#10: dictionary
"This suckquake of a movie is a complete wastenado of my seven bucks-forest fire." - Homestar Runner
One of the first Compe emails was a strange one. With lots of quick cuts to random jokes, referencing everything from Zsa Zsa Gabor to phonetics, it looks like Strong Bad finally took The Cheat's advice about Youth Through Editing. The "Yes it does" scene, the Family Feud Big Money board, the three gutterance clips - it's almost like the Chapmans forgot to not include every joke they thought of. Still, somehow, it worked. The "Fo' my own words!" and suffixes were my favorite additions, and most of the inside references weren't screaming in your face, "I'm funny because I've appeared on the site before!" (see On Break). There were plenty there, from Longardeaux to Onion Bubs, but they weren't necessary to know what was going on.

#9: independent
"In the dead of a small factory town, dealing with your quirky, dysfunctional family is the easiest part of the journey." - city (comma) state
The Compe-based opening and closing didn't do much for me, and it was a typical "parodize a specific aspect of pop culture" brand email, but it was solidly done. A nice appearance by Pom Pom, once again being cooler than you, the Juno-esque hand-drawn opening sequence, Homestar's asparagus-based acting... I also liked SB's bit at the end about it not just being a film starring the main characters. See Dangeresque for that. :)

#8: Best Caper Ever
"It doesn't touch!" - Homestar Runner
Despite an overreliance on pee jokes, this toon had some great moments. The most memorable for me was Homestar pretending one leg was shorter than the other (I could watch that scene over and over), but most of his moments were good ones ("Larry... Larry... Homestar?"). Strong Bad's proposed capers were nice, as well as the acknowledgement that they mysteriously have satellite coverage, but there's something peaceful yet hilarious about Homestar's unintentional aimless drifting through some hemisphere on a tiny bit of glass. Nice icy graphics, too.

#7: Donut Unto Others
"I'm gonna go talk to anyone else but you." - Marzipan
Homestar once again helps the website live up to its title by starring in a great little toon. The scene with Marzipan was surprisingly good - usually Marzipan's scenes don't do much for me, but both characters had good dialogue and I love the "secret recipe" Homestar has. Angry Bubs was a little frightening, but between the Homemáde joke, the dashed line on Homestar's Do-Nots stand, Bubs and Homestar humming, and Homestar's "adowable speech impootaboot," it's a solid toon for this year.

#6: 79 Seconds Left
"Hi, The Ledge From Now On. Would you like to join our wet knee gumption club?" - Homestar Runner
Almost a throw-away toon, Homestar's interaction with the two more articulate Strongs was a fun watch. The nonsensical club, Strong Bad trying and failing at being awesome, and Homestar ruining Strong Bad's nickname were nice diversions. There's not really a bad moment in there, although the cow lamp/tape-leg/cow leg bit was a little too inside-reference-y for me.

#5: Kick-A-Ball
"I have no idea who I'm broadcasting to!" - The Announcer
A nice throwback-style toon, a more classic theme but without relying on inside jokes. Homestar's apparent stupidity finally works out for him - looks like the old captain of the team still has what it takes - and Strong Bad tries to play it clean and loses because of it. It was surprising seeing The Umpire exist (and who knew he'd show up in TWO 2009 toons?), and a few quick gags really worked, like 8th Base, Tim-Tom, and the catapult.

#4: Loading Screens
"Is this cartoon seriously just all the loading screens?" - Strong Bad
From the dialog and description, you can tell that one of the Chapmans really thought this was a dumb idea, but somehow this worked. It was pretty cool seeing an evolution of the site's style, and there are all sorts of cool little animations that I otherwise forgot about, like Hooked on Decemberween, Donut Unto Others, and Limozeen vs. Sloshy. The song is amazingly catchy for a short little thing like this.

#3: Fan Costumes '09
"Nngg! Hellooooo... costume... oh! OH! Oh, see, wait, well, see, wait, I know what you're thinkin', and it's what you thought." - Strong Bad
I always love the Fan Costumes, but this one seemed especially good. The highlight for me was definitely the obscure costume montage centered around Gunhaver Human Commando - that was all just simply amazing. The terrible Strong Bad costume at the end is a very close second though. That thing was a hideous pile, and SB's reaction was classic and fantastically done.

#2: Where U Goin' 2?
"For rllz, tell me what's the dealz, you got the wills and skills for flaming layup drills."
It's been a while since they did a non-PBTC music video - in fact I can't remember what it might have been off the top of my head - but this had a neat, almost retro style and a great song to boot. Some funny parts, like the flaming layup drills and VIRAL, but mainly this had a nice atmosphere. I wish it didn't have the Strong Bad/Strong Mad bookends (the ATM joke at the end was especially unneeded).

#1: 4 Gregs
"Uh, I think there are some foots ... and uh... perchance a balls?" - Sci-Fi Greg
This was nothing short of fantastic. It's got TGS-level ridiculousness but with nerdier subjects. It doesn't hurt, I suppose, that I have surrounded myself with similarly nerdy people for a while. Right when someone seems normal, they immediately do something the opposite of normal (D'n'D Greg knowing football, but then beating up the "shambling krenshar"). The ending was also a nice unexpected treat.

And now some lowlights.

#5: On Break
Basing your entire toon around inside jokes is not something I enjoy. There's nothing inherently funny about having three characters in mascot costumes. People were supposed to laugh about the fact that they recognized them from toons past, but that's it? The singing at the end was enjoyably intentionally amateur, and Homestar's enthusiasm after singing the CGNU song was nice, but that's about all the bright spots in this toon.

#4: Crystal Fortress
I should've loved this. I like Haddiman, PBTC, and TMBG. It had the workings of an enjoyable toon. But somewhere it just didn't work. I can't even pinpoint what was wrong, but maybe it was just the sheer randomness (like the French fries) that wasn't funny, just random. Not good-random, like Homsar, but bad-random, like MS Painting your way to a punchline.

#3: Career Day
This was too much like Ren and Stimpy. While I like when they play around with animation styles, I didn't enjoy the style of immature humor they chose to use in this. Which is too bad, because there were some decent moments (especially the Ted Averill scenes).

#2: Hremail 3184
I didn't feature any other Hremails here, and this barely counts, but I'll use this space to talk about them briefly. In theory, the Hremails are a great idea. Strong Bad, the initially minor character, has some camera set up in his room as he just goes about his day making fun of people using a hopelessly outdated computer (you can't even see everything he's typing - how does that make for good viewing?). Homestar, on the other hand, despite his apparent flaws, gets his own nice TV show set, the latest technology, and has a clean feel to it all. But the execution has the typical "Too much of an awesome thing is really really dumb and bad" and the humor of Homestar interacting with people is gone as he tries to host something himself. So I was not sad in this to see Hremails gone and Sbemails return. But it was just not an enjoyable email at all, one of the worst. Strong Bad acts completely out of character, destroying a beloved computer that just a short while before he loved, seemingly just for the heck of it. His distress over the Compy in virus and over his computer getting Lappynapped just didn't mesh with his destruction here. The jokes about explosions and spit just plain weren't funny. There really was no saving grace except that it wasn't...

#1: The Animated Adventures of Puppet Homestar
What was that all about? That was terrible! I'm fine with a loose plot (like in Lookin' at a Thing in a Bag) but this had essentially zero - they just wanted to use a bunch of puppets. There was nothing funny at all. What were we supposed to enjoy? The animated style? The pile? Shark-Toothed Bubs' existence? The acknowledgement that they were puppets? Nothing at all worked, and every failed attempt just made me embarrassed that I was watching it. Things went on too much or didn't make any sense. I would like to see someone actually defend this toon.

Well, despite ending on a negative note, I hope you enjoyed the list!


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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 6:17 pm 
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Maybe you should switch your lists around so you end on the highlights. I for one enjoyed your analysis and hope that other posts in this thread are as detailed.


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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 5:16 am 
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I liked everything in your lowlights list a lot.

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Last edited by Power Pie on Sat Jan 09, 2010 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 5:15 pm 
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i didnt like 'dictionary' but :homsar: saved it in the end.

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 7:20 pm 
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Well, I find it hard to make a list, because my taste is very inconsistent and I tend to "overfeed" on things I really like until I can't take any more of them. But this is too great an idea for a thread to let it die like that, so I'll try and comment on a few:

I really like:
Hremail 2000. As much as I love Strong Bad, Homestar is a very close second because of moments like this. His sheer senseless stubbornness to keep wearing his old shoes, mainly just to annoy Marzipan as it seems, is at the same time stupid and hilarious. I have watched this 'toon a couple of times, and still can't stop laughing at Homestar's rendition of "My girlfriend thinks". And the random third leg joke was very nice, too.

Marzipan's Answering Machine 16.2: When it comes to characters, I highly prefer Strong Sad over Marzipan, although they're both very funny in combination with other characters (preferably Homestar). So of course I appreciated him taking over her answering machine. What made it even better were the many jokes evolving from this plot: First Strong Sad's attempts to record an introduction, then the other characters reacting to it. I just love every single bit of it. I think this is actually one of the best 'toons (or videos, if you will) on the website. I can't even tell which part of it I liked the most, because there are just so many excellent moments in it.

79 Seconds Left: I admit I like this one merely because of the part of me that is a typical fangirl. I usually try to deny this part, but yes, it's there, and therefor I will always squee over my favorite characters doing adorable things. And whatever you may say, this short is adorable.

Loading Screens: I can't help it, that song is catchy! When you think about it, this short should be boring like nothing good, but the song makes it great. Who would have thought that the lack of new (visible) material could be so much fun?

I don't like:
Crystal Fortress: This appeared to me to be another one of several videos made this year which were short of fresh animation. You know, where there were hardly drawn any new actions, items or backgrounds and they mainly used old ones? It worked for me with Loading Screens, but this was not quite of my taste. I'm not exactly a fan of TMBG to begin with, and the style in which the pictures were done didn't make it any better for me. It didn't really look like anything made by The Cheat, either, just pure randomness... too much for me to like it.

Compy Catalog: It had its moments, but parts of it were just too long or too common (having been used in other shows frequently). Maybe it's funnier to people who actually grew up with computers and experienced all the old stuff first hand, but the whole catalog reading and especially the Grampy Aught-Six appeared a bit flat and predictable to me. It was good enough at first, but it was not the kind of sbemail I could enjoy more than once.

Hremail 62: Same problem here: A bit flat, not funny enough. I do love Homestar and he's extremely funny when around other characters, but, judging from this hremail, not so much when he's on his own. I mean, I see where there were supposed to be the jokes, but they're not funny as much as awkward when there's nobody around reacting to them (and no, the narrator at the end doesn't save it). It reminds me of Garfieldminusgarfield, only that you know those have been altered to look like that.


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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 5:46 am 
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I don't like to call anything "lowlights" when it comes to Homestar, because it is the only thing consistently good in animation and comedy. Yes some things aren't as good as others, but if they weren't done by the Brothers Chaps we would view them as comic gold (assuming they'd be as good).

There were a lot of good cartoons this year but I'll limit myself to 5, since I could go on forever:
5 (tie). Where U Goin' 2- The second best song this year that is unlike what we've heard before. The Cheat is a character like Fonzie or Kramer who has taken center stage a lot (not as much as Strong Bad of course), but he really leads an interesting life and can be a great leading man in toons.
5 (tie). 79 Seconds Left- This is the random humor I have come to accept and look forward to from this site. The cow lamp and tape leg baby line is so good too.
4. Loading Screens- A friend of mine hates this and thinks it is lazy, I don't think he could be any more wrong. A cop out that fully embraces the fact it is a cop out cartoon. The song is great (some of the best Coach Z voice acting yet) and it does make you realize how good even the loading screens on this site is.
3. independent- The Brothers Chaps continue to prove to us they are the most socially aware creators in the business as they nail everything spot on in their satire of independent and indie films.
2. Kick-a-Ball- Good old fashioned fun, we haven't had a good Homestar vs. Strong Bad competition in a while. Really great lines and The Ump is a fun character.
1. Best Caper Ever- This is one of their best cartoons ever. Homestar is endearingly entertaining when he is on his own and some good moments from Strong Bad and The Cheat. A fun concept overall.


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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 6:05 am 
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Kick-A-Ball

The competitive plot format makes a triumphant return to Homestarrunner.com with "Kick-A-Ball." Humorous jokes suited for those pasty-faced, over-learned fans and newcomers alike, along with a solid and mildly nostalgic plotline give this toon the wight stuff. The kind of stuff it needs to become my top toon of 2009. Pick!


email thunder

With an almost gag-inducing overuse of inside jokes and self-indulgent references, what could have been a momentous email turned out to be one of the worst. Though the surprise-twist revealing the existence of hremails was a welcome one that both amused and shocked, the rest of the email fell short of good, or even decent. The worst part was when that one Maybe Giant feller voiced that one DooDoo Shovelguy. I thought I was gonna throw my cookies all over my keyboard and t-shirt and Blackberry. No way I can afford a new one! Miss!

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 4:50 pm 
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Here's mine, in no particular order:

HIGHLIGHTS:

2 Part Episode: Parts 1 & 2 - "So, you've made a game for eight-year-olds slightly more of a rip-off. I still don't see how this affects global security."
My personal favorite toon of the year, and one of my favorite toons on the whole site. The two parts of this allowed the Chaps to really give it an epic plot with a healthy dose of classic C.C.dos wackiness and some fourth wall shattering fun. This combined with a strong showing by my favorite character, Blue Laser Commander, makes this a true classic.

Doomy Tales of the Macabre - "A crafty fad, once loved by all. I'll hang you on a '70s basement wall!"
Another example of the Halloween toon being one of the best of the year. Strong Sad is a personal favorite character of mine, and this toon shows off his dark side with a, to quote to RSS feed: "Lovecraftian/Poe-lian/Blochy opus". The wacky fates Strong Sad gives his friends are hilariously macabre and the not one, but two Legend of Zelda costumes were enough to make Nintendo fans like myself love the site even more.

Pistols for Pandas - "For every dollar you give to Pistols for Pandas, we laugh at, 'cause, like, what good's a dollar gonna do?"
It's no secret that I loves me some Cheat Commandos and Crack Stuntman toons. The Next Epi-Snowed is my favorite toon on the site, even! So it should be no surprise that both 2 Part Episode and Pistols for Pandas are both on this highlight reel. Crack Stuntman continues to show his signature greed as he talks about his favorite wildlife organization, and it makes for some truly hilarious moments. This earns extra points for it's references to The Next Epi-Snowed with Crack begging to have his old job back.

independent - "In the dead of a small factory town, dealing with your quirky, dysfunctional family is the easiest part of the journey."
One of the most spot-on sbemails since web comics, independent satires independent films more accurately than anything else could. Be it the hand-drawn title sequence or the solid gold scale, this is a great example of a so-accurate-it-almost-hurts sbemail.

LOWLIGHTS:
Crystal Fortress - "Awwwwwwww! I thought you were done."
I don't truly dislike this toon. I disliked it at first, but as I watched it more it started to get stuck in my head, and then I found myself humming it, and now I don't really mind it. However, it's still a lowlight because just about everything else was better than it. So.... yeah. Don't dislike it, just don't like it as much as the rest.

The Animated Adventures of Puppet Homestar - "Well...sounds like you better protect yourself. Bag of doorknobs. Bag of doors, if you can manage it! "
The only bad toon of the year for me. It was nothing but random crap with no real sense-make involved. Okay, there's a pile. And Strong Bad and Homestar are fighting over it? And Shark Tooth Bubs is managing it? And did Marshie just call Homestar "Jackson"? What the pfargtle!? The only good part of it was Dorueaxguard's line (featured above), which was for some reason just plain memorable.

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:36 pm 
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Highlights:
79 Seconds left: Teehee, it does tickle
Kick-a-ball - Even Stevens v. Little Stevie and the Evens
Doomy Tales of the McArbyER Macabre (see my username

Lowlight: (Note, Only ONE)
Crystal Fortress: This Suckquake of a cartoon was a complete wastenade of my 5 minutesonsoon. Ya'll don't get no french fries, TMBG and TBC, I am sorry to deprive you of them

I know, wrong quote in there, but who cares

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:16 pm 
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I am the only one who liked Animated Adventures of Puppet Homestar....
HIGHLIGHTS:
On Break- It was mostly the song that sold it for me, but the video game references, Benny Hill reference and Coach Z's quite creepy way of dealing with the kids that bother them were good too.
79 Seconds Left- I just love random and pointless little things like this.

Loading Screens- See above. That, and it was catchy as heck.

Videography- You know, I have no idea why I like this toon so much. I just...like it!

Lowlights:
Independent- I didn't even remotely smile ONCE. The "long answer" was horrible, and it just felt slow and boring.
Crystal Fortress- I'm sorry....

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:38 pm 
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LOWLIGHTS:
Umm... I dunno.
Highlights!
Crystal Fortress: Love it. I found it really funny. Haters of it, YOU DON'T GET FRENCH FRIES!
Hremail 7: Let's call Abdi!

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:52 pm 
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Cloverstardrop wrote:
I am the only one who liked Animated Adventures of Puppet Homestar....

Actually, that was one of the very few puppet videos I liked. I just didn't like it enough to call it a highlight.


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 Post subject: Worst. Toon. EVER!
PostPosted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:51 pm 
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I may have to tell you but On Break is the WORST TOON EVER!!! Who would pay to watch something like that? It should've been a lowlight. Its a -9.9. X-(


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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:52 pm 
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pink pineapple wrote:
Cloverstardrop wrote:
I am the only one who liked Animated Adventures of Puppet Homestar....

Actually, that was one of the very few puppet videos I liked. I just didn't like it enough to call it a highlight.



Yeah. He's got a point. Not that good for a toon. But it's ok.


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 Post subject: HR.com Highlight Reel 2009
PostPosted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:58 pm 
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Oh. Did i forget my highlights and lowlights? Ok then.

HIGHLIGHTS
Doomy tales of the blablabla.. (however you say it):
They show the dooms of many people on homestarrunner.com
I especially liked the part with strong bad human hands.
I was waiting to see what's under his boxing gloves! But i really want to see whats under his mask. :-S

Fan Costumes 09:
This was indeed funny. First time i saw it i laughed completely. I almost farted! :eekdance:

More Highlights soon.

LOWLIGHTS
Punkin Show:
This is the toon that ruined it all.
I almost died of screaming after they posted this with that long update delay. Overall? Not so good. This toon ruined my day. They could have shown more pumpkins like in Fan Costume toons. Also, WHY DO YOU HATE PAINT DAUBS HOMESTAR!!! WHY?!?!?

The Animated Adventures of Puppet Homestar:
I can't actually describe this one. :-S
Overall? Average. I just can't tell how Homestar randomly makes a pile, Strong Bad says SO for a long time, this isn't in the Puppet Stuff section, Homestar says Ew and i don't know why and The Strong Sad hand being so boring. And one more thing: EASTER--EGGS! Why didn't they put any easter eggs in this toon? I tried clicking everywhere for an easter egg but i didn't find anything. NO-EASTER-EGG TOONS AREN'T COOL!



More soon!


Last edited by PennzoilHomsar200 on Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Worst. Toon. EVER!
PostPosted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:46 am 
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PennzoilHomsar200 wrote:
I may have to tell you but On Break is the WORST TOON EVER!!! Who would pay to watch something like that? It should've been a lowlight. Its a -9.9. X-(


we don't pay to watch any of this unless we buy the DVD's.

I loved on break, it was one of my favorites

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 1:44 pm 
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Lowlight: Crystal Fortress, the first time I watched it I barely made it to the end. I tried watching it again and still didn't like it. Also, most of the HRemails...I wasn't a fan.

High light: 2 Part episode parts 1 & 2 was rather funny. sbemail201 was also very funny, and also the Halloween toon. I've rarely been disappointed with them.

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 3:24 am 
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The highlights for me are "2-Part Episode" and "Doomy Tales of the Macabre." The former managed to answer two of my prayers: a Commandos cartoon free of Crack Stuntman and a reference to an individual episode of SBCG4AP. Regarding the latter, all I have to say is, "Could the BBG have found a new favorite Halloween special?"
The lowlights might be the emails. :O Homestar probably only had only one truly good email, "Hremail 2000." Strong Bad's were more hit-and-miss than usual, and definitely not worth waiting ten months. I was especially annoyed with how forced and frequent the Strong Sad-bashings felt.

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 Post subject: Re: Worst. Toon. EVER!
PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:01 am 
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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 11:31 pm 
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Hmm, it's very difficult for me to decide a select few to list. When you can't choose some of them, talk about all of them! Not at length though...
Toons of 2009 in order of release

Hremail 62: Kicking off the year, we're treated to a full episode of Homestar's very own show. It had a few laughs, but I didn't find it all that funny. The 'drawer' bit at the end seemed too dragged out.

Hremail 2000: Looks like Homestar's email show is here to stay. I found this one to be better than the above, with the puppet show scene being one of the highlights.

Best Caper Ever: Brilliantly nonsensical. Definitely a highlight.

4 Gregs: Again, one of 2009's highlights. I love Teen Girl Squad, and the second spin-off of the year was a classic. I'd love to see another...

Answering Machine 16.2: Strong Sad provides a great twist to this under-appreciated part of the site. The increased use cut-aways from the answering machine helps this one to stand out, and makes it even funnier. The year looks to be a good one!

Career Day: Um, about that last comment... Nah, in all seriousness, this is an 'okay' toon. I don't find it particularly memorable though.

Kick-A-Ball: YES! The best Big Toon of the year, no question! The classic sports formula, some excellent writing, the return of the Umpire, it's all there.

SBEmailiarized!: Strong Bad finally helping us to understand Drive-Thru was pretty good. This one's essentially one big self-parody. And it works. And then they follow it up with the April Fools one. And that worked too. Plus it gave the forum an amusing game :p

Donut Unto Others: This toon is a personal favourite. Everyone loves a good donut, and this one just makes me crave them. Overall, it's a very enjoyable toon that consistently makes me laugh (come on, you've got to love Angry Bubs).

Where U Goin' 2?: Interesting. I liked it, and it's got a catchy song, but that's all I can really say about it.

Pistols For Pandas: Another 'okay' toon. Nothing particularly stood out for me, aside from the "what good is a dollar" line.

Hremail 7: "Yeah, melonade! We haven't talked about that much lately!"
In the same way that lady..ing gave us the MLS-style sequence, we now have an entire cartoon set eight years before. The whole thing is pretty funny, and we finally know why Strong Bad started checking emails.

TGS 15: What else can I say except it's awesome? Like I said, TGS is always good.

79 Seconds Left: This one feels like we came in during the middle of another toon. But then, the rather strange scenario puts it into the same category as Best Caper Ever: strange, but enjoyable. Perhaps not as much, though.

2 Part Episode: Merged as one for simplicity. This one's another highlight, but not quite as good as Kick-A-Ball. Crackotage's introduction for the Topplegangers was important to, since some of us (due to really bad wireless internet and clunky PCs) haven't gotten round to playing SBCG4AP. I didn't really like having to wait for the second part, even though it was just one week. I hate suspense.

Hremail 3184: Triumphant return to SBEmails? Perhaps, but I class this as a low point due to the death of the Lappy. it may have been a mercy killing, but I would've expected Strong Bad to be much more upset than he was. Compare his sadness with the Lappy's demise to his devastation over the Compy. The email itself wasn't much to write home about either.

Loading Screens: What a cop out! And we love it! Well, yes it's a good song, but it's still a cop out.

imaginary: Once again, this one didn't really do it for me. I didn't find it particularly funny.

Where my hat is at?: Another re-imagining of a classic, and once more the Bros Chapman have pulled it off brilliantly. Homestar pointing out some of the stranger parts of his search was excellent.

Compy Catalog: Well, at last we see SB's new computer. Best bit was Strong Sad's little scene.

independent: I found this one... dull. So far, SBEmails aren't making me laugh like they used to.

On Break: Add it to the 'okay' toons. The acapella songs were kinda funny.

dictionary: Again, the humour was lacking for me.

Animated Adventures...: *sigh* Where do I begin? I really didn't see the point in animating the puppets, since that defeats the purpose of having puppets. Combine that with only one funny line, and we have the lowest point of the year. This makes 'tapeleg' look like comedic gold.

Crystal Fortress: Man, I love Strong Bad making snarky comments. These made what would otherwise be a fairly average toon.

videography: So far, the best Compé email. I really enjoyed this, partly because as a media student I know to avoid the things Strong Bad mocks. Plus we have the best Youtube easter egg yet.

Decomposing Pumpkins: Again, a TGS video. Again, it's brilliant.

Doomy Tales...: The recent Halloween toons have had a huge quality boost. This one's nearly on par with Jibblies 2, and that's saying a lot. Strong Sad's revenge? Awesome. Humour? Classic. Highlight? Of course.

Fan Costumes '09: Just as I look forward to the H'ween toons, I always look forward to more of SB's snarkiness. And yay for obscure characters!

Punkin Show: Meh, not as good as the last one, but that's to be expected.

Overall, quite a mixed year. Some instant classics, some unimpressive ones, and the ones in between. I'm hoping the Baby Break ends soon, and with another instant classic (to make up for the lack of a Decemberween and a VERY low-key acknowledgement of Trogday).

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:33 pm 
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I liked the way TurboJ formatted his review of the year in the above post (it gives me a chance to review everything, and not just have to pick my favorites), so if he/she doesn't mind I'm going to do mine the same way.

Toons of 2009 in order of release

Hremail 62: Homestar's first true hremail. It was ok, but nothing laugh out loud hilarious about it. I personally thought the hremails were better as a one-off joke, but it appears they've taken on a life of their own here. Hopefully as the year goes by this feature won't disappoint.

Hremail 2000: Eh. A bit better than the first one, but still nothing that stands out about it.

Best Caper Ever: I really liked this one. A lot. It was funny, and is proof that Homestar can still stand in the limelight that Strong Bad had wrestled away from him back around late 2006.

4 Gregs: Hremails, take notice: this is the way a spinoff is done. Funny, clever, true to the spirit of TGS.

Answering Machine 16.2: I've felt that the Answering Machines have been getting better since #11, but this one was downright hilarious. Definitely a welcome change. Like TurboJ said, this year is actually looking pretty good!

Career Day: And then, this one was released. It's not awful, but coming off the heels of three of the best toons of the year it was pretty underwhelming.

Kick-A-Ball: Thankfully, this toon more than made up for Career Day. It was nice to see the characters back in action and true to form.

SBEmailiarized!: Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. That's all I can really say about it, but if I ever made a top 10 toons of the past three or so years this would be near the top.

Donut Unto Others: Homestar just being Homestar, Bubs just being Bubs, Strong Bad just being Strong Bad. That's all it was, and that's all it needed to be.

Where U Goin' 2?: The song was pretty good, but other than that it was really just a filler cartoon.

Pistols For Pandas: It had it's moments, but Crack Stuntman is starting to become tired as a character. Since this is the last major appearance of him to date, it seems that TBC feel the same way.

Hremail 7: I always like a playful jab at my least favorite Homestar era (the pre-Fluffy Puff Commercial era). But while previous attempts at this have come off as heavily self-refferencial (lady...ing comes to mind) this one didn't. I think it's safe to say that this is the first hremail that I've genuinely enjoyed.

TGS 15: It appears as if we're not following the hremail route and having the 4 Gregs get their own show. That's probably for the best, as they work just fine here without one.

79 Seconds Left: Another filler toon, but this one actually has structure to it.

2 Part Episode: I think the Cheat Commandos really need their own section on the Toons Menu by now. 2 Part Episode is proof enough that they can stand on their own. It may not be the best toon that these character were in, but if it's not then it's a close second.

Hremail 3184: I really don't know what to think of this one. It had it's moments, but overall it seemed kind of convoluted. I would have been perfectly content if the sbemails hadn't returned, and apparently so would have TBC as they don't seem entirely sure what to do here: "Beat Homestar with a garden weasel? Sure! Have Coach Z take a shower in other people's spit? Heck yeah! Strong Bad breaks character and blows up his beloved Lappy? Hey, why not?" The cartoon was ambitious, but it seemed less like a triumphant return and more like a "yeah, we're doing these again". On a positive note, it did put an end to the hremails, so that has to count for something.

Loading Screens: The third filler cartoon of the year, and the first one that doesn't actually feel like filler at all despite being so obviously that. I think it has to do with the song. Either way, I loved it.

imaginary: The sbemails are officially back, and have picked up just where they left off with sbemail #199: less like actual sbemails and more like mini-Big Toons.

Where my hat is at?: Good to see this one finally get the toon treatment, and it's maybe even better than the Strongest Man in the World toon.

Compy Catalog: It was pretty good overall, though I must say I'm quite surprised that Strong Bad went for such a modern computer.

independent: Better than the last one, but that's all I can really say about it. Unfortunately, this one begins a streak of duds that last until October.

On Break: In my opinion, the second Short Toon dud of the year behind Career Day. I really didn't even find the acapella song at the end all that funny.

dictionary: A bright point of the period of time it was in, but only in comparison to what it was released against.

Animated Adventures: As one of the few who actually likes the Puppet Stuff toons, I was excited to see that there was finally a new one. I was excited, that is, until I actually saw it. Oy, what a mess. Homestar builds a pile. Why? I mean, at least in No Hands On Deck he was actually building a deck to get away from (Cardboard) Marzipan. I know the Puppet world is more nonsensical than the Toon world, but really, what was the point? And, for that matter, why did Strong Bad want it? This was the first non-filler toon of the year that actually felt like filler. But hey, there's nowhere to go but up from here. I mean, it can't get any worse than this, right?

Crystal Fortress: Wrong. This cartoon was just... weird. Ordinarily TMBG + TBC = awesomeness, but this cartoon proved the exception to the rule. French fries, Strong Bad? Really? Honestly, man, not even your snarkiness could save this. There is a difference between random and surreal, but I'm still not sure which one of the two this is.

videography: There are three things that I subconsciously look for in a non-milestone sbemail while I'm watching it for the first time: simpleness, enjoyability, and understatedness. videography was the first sbemail since "radio" to be all three. I mentioned this above, but in my opinion ever since then the sbemails have become less like sbemails and more like mini-Big Toons. Now this would have been fine, but it happened at a time when the sbemails seemed to be overtaking the Big Toons, and for a period even replacing them as the true main content as opposed to the entertaining side content. That's why I really didn't shed a tear when they ended in September of 2008: they had just become too big for their own good. Hopefully with the Big Toons getting more attention we'll see more sbemails return to form, like they did here.

Decomposing Pumpkins: I can't believe I'm saying this, but TGS has been the most consistent recurring feature this year. Decomposing Pumpkins completes the perfect trifecta.

Doomy Tales: My favorite Halloween toon will likely always be 3 Times Halloween Funjob, but man if this isn't a close second or third.

Fan Costumes '09: Like the Answering Machines, this feature seems to get better with every episode. I loved just about every costume and every remark, but the last three or so nearly had me on the floor laughing the first time I saw it. This is by far the funniest cartoon of the year, but considering the year we've had that's really not saying much.

Punkin Show: Not bad. Not great, but not bad. I'd say that this, videography, Decomposing Pumpkins, Doomy Tales, and the Fan Costumes makes up for the doledrum period of August-September, but doesn't make up for the sting of no Thanksgiving/Decemberween toon.

I'd say the first half of the year was definitely better than the second half, but overall it's been a pretty underwhelming year. If 2010 ends up being as inactive as it is right now, then this year may be even worse.

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Last edited by Bad Graphics Ghost on Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 4:55 am 
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Unlike most people, I love The Animated Adventures of Puppet Homestar, On Break, and Crystal Fortress. If there were a DVD with only those toons, I would buy it. No, I'm not being sarcastic. I love these toons.


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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:15 pm 
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Top 10 favorite 2009 movies:

10. Compy Catalog

9. hremail3184

8. imaginary

7. Where U Goin' 2?

6. 4 Gregs

5. Best Caper Ever

4. Crystal Fortress

3. hremail7

2. Doomy Tales of the Macabre

1. Kick-A-Ball


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 Post subject: Re: 2009 Highlights and Lowlights
PostPosted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:24 pm 
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I didn't hate "Crystal Fortress," since I liked seeing TBC reference "for kids" again. I was starting to think that would never happen.

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