I tried watching the first episode of TADC years ago, and I’m pretty sure I stopped watching after like the first few minutes because it seemed like, as you say, “Gen Alpha bullshit” — I rejected it for the style before I could even taste the substance, like the voice acting and writing and “ooOOooOOoooh early 90s CGI, so spooky!” stuff just gave me a headache. But a lot of TADC fans in my experience are honest to God millennials if not older, and the story is notably inspired by “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”, so maybe if I can just get over myself for a moment I’ll be able to appreciate it. Who knows. Not everything is for everybody, anyways.
My own preference for independent animation is like this:
Sparkle on Raven: The Life of DrillGirl is awesome, as are most of the works in the “fanime” scene that inspired it.
Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want To Be A Magical Girl also fucks, and I look forward to seeing the fully animated version of episode 1.
Hazbin Hotel is… tolerable? mostly? Carcharodonna is actually doing a watch party for it right now, but the sex and violence and “oooOOooOOOoh cartoon said a swearie” purely for the sake of it just didn’t appeal to me, so I ended up dropping out by the end of season 1.
The Amazing Digital Circus is… well, I already told you how I feel about it, but I haven’t really seen enough to judge it accurately.
We can call this the “Paint-Funko spectrum”, in any case. I.e. independent animation that leans more into looking “unpolished and amateurish” (fanime like SOR, animatics like PPP) versus independent animation that leans more into looking “professional and marketable” (Hazbin, TADC). The spectrum is so named because the former end consists of 11 year olds on YouTube in 2009 making cartoons in MS Paint and Movie Maker, while the latter end consists of shows you can find cheap plastic toys of at Walmart. I guess my point is that there’s sort of an “uncanny valley” effect that makes certain works of independent animation seem like Gen Alpha bullshit: the Gen Alpha bullshit cartoons try to look like actual big-budget, big-studio TV cartoons, and they have the resources and experience to get most of the way there; but they fall just short, and the discrepancy between what they are and what they’re trying to be is what ends up giving you a headache.
But a lot of TADC fans in my experience are honest to God millennials if not older, and the story is notably inspired by “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”, so maybe if I can just get over myself for a moment I’ll be able to appreciate it.
Honestly I’m surprised people younger than me (mid 30s) like it. The animation constantly references old loony toons (Tex Avery) cartoons (which had a revival in the 90s). The second episode is entirely a Mad Max Fury Road parody (obviously the millenial’s favorite Mad Max movie). The overall plot explores cartesian skepticism, much like the Matrix. And of course the cgi reminds me of the cgi I saw as a kid (albeit with more pixels)
This was my impression skimming through some of the episodes and watching a bunch of video essays. It’s very millennial-coded. Apparently, a lot of people in the production had their start in Newgrounds which is probably where the millennial-codedness is coming from.
I haven’t watched the series in its entirety though. I don’t know if the target audience is millennials with a gen alpha/zoomer fanbase that organically tagged along or if the target audience is gen alpha/zoomers with the millennialness being more about the generation the artists came from.
It’s very much the former, though Gooseworx herself is sorta in the fuzzy ‘Zenninial’ zone between the youngest millennials and oldest Gen Z.
Zoomers were probably part of the intended audience, but from what I’ve gathered the massive popularity among Gen Alpha was a complete accident that kinda blindsided everyone working on the show. On a personal level Gooseworx actually seems to kinda fucking hate that things played out that way, actually, though I’m sure all the money she’s gotten out of that happenstance is a cushy silver lining.
From what I’ve seen it’s a pretty decent character driven show - but it’s also very much “baby’s first character driven story”. A lot of scenes involve the characters spelling out their feelings in no uncertain terms which, if your media taste is still at that level, reads as really deep and interesting, compared to something that’s more subtle about it which might just read as uninteresting to someone who isn’t following what’s happening.
The person you’re replying to said they were in their mid 30s in the comment you replied to, so perhaps he hwa beareþ þe Aqua Teen Hunger Force profile Picture sholde not be þrowynge Stanes in his owne glass Hus when it comes to media literacy. I see you walked back your “adult baby” comment with that edit, too.
truly this is the most challenging of online media.
I edited my comment to be less mean but I’ve decided to stop. You are in your 30s, you should be consuming more challenging media than TADC. That shit about cartesian dualism or whatever is fucking cope about a plotline that’s one step removed from Sword Art Online. You are what people are talking about when they complain about emotionally stunted adult children.
Personally, I would dismiss anyone complaining about “emotionally stunted adult children” out of hand as a form of reactionary nonsense. “Arrested development”, by which I mean people being stuck in life situations seemingly broadly unchanged since high school, and left unable to attain any of the typical markers of adulthood, is an issue that impacts countless people; but it is a systemic issue of our mode of production literally pricing people out of adulthood. This issue won’t get solved by yelling at strangers over the Internet for watching cartoons — doing so is counterproductive in fact! The cartoons, as a matter of fact, are a complete “goddam” non-issue, unless you’re already fully programmed into some depressing idea of “adulthood” meaning that one must become a drone of capital that decries any form of whimsy or creativity, because you need to appear Sophisticated™ and Mature™ at all times. Are we really going to return to the brony struggle session of 2023?
There’s a difference between “everything must be serious at all times” and “people need to nurture the ability to be serious”. My contention is that a specific internet show has really obvious, on the nose writing, and that if that’s still your benchmark for good writing by the time you hit your thirties then you have failed as a critical consumer of media.
But a lot of TADC fans in my experience are honest to God millennials if not older, and the story is notably inspired by “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”, so maybe if I can just get over myself for a moment I’ll be able to appreciate it.
I’m more than likely gonna show it after Hazbin finishes if you’re interested. I have no idea what to expect but have heard good things from friends.
6 more episodes, so 6 more weeks unless people want to speed things up by doubling up on the Hazbin. I can ask at the next one. But even if not that’s not too far away I suppose.
I started watching it because my daughter and her most sparkly of friends were all into it. I was looking for a way to take my old school media metaphors and pin them to something new for her sake.
It was a nice shiny little hypersigil for a while there. Lots of cool little life lessons packed into a weird container.
I felt like something off started creeping in around episode six. My daughter noticed it too. The shift between episodes 8 and 9 lost her interest. It had nothing to do with any of the character identities, and everything to do with the feedback loop taking place between the creator and the fandom. Wherever the story was going, the author’s aim got jiggled enough that everyone in my daughter’s social circle agrees it missed the mark, even if all their opinions differ as to why.
We used to call this sort of turning point “jumping the shark”.
Then again, for as much as I didn’t like the ending of Seinfeld when it aired, I absolutely love it now. I wonder how TADC will age.
Gooseworx mentioned that Jax became a deuteragonist around then, and it shows. I do think he’s an interesting character worth exploring, but I really wish Zooble got some more time. I guess they were the most well-adjusted character from the gate that couldn’t drop lore like Kinger could
Making Jax a deuteragonist was some sort of fan fic crime for sure. If you lift “Max” from “Sam & Max” and insert the character whole cloth into your own story…
That character has to remain scenery. It’s unfair to the source material to elevate such unapologetic thievery to deuteragonist.
What, the Hazbin Hotel / TADC / “Gen Alpha bullshit” style? I know that a lot of the people involved in these projects have ties to that site, but what do you mean exactly when you say that the style “comes from” Newgrounds? You mean stuff like the writing and voice acting as well as the visuals are all thoroughly a product of Newgrounds culture, and that that fact is the true common denominator that sets Hazbin and TADC apart from the independent animation I do like?
I’m not sure how to articulate this properly, as i’m not a person who watches indy animations, but yeah, I find that theres this underground culture that is (not purely) that has its origins in the Newgrounds late 00s milieu. VA’s, animators, storyboardists, etc.
I tried watching the first episode of TADC years ago, and I’m pretty sure I stopped watching after like the first few minutes because it seemed like, as you say, “Gen Alpha bullshit” — I rejected it for the style before I could even taste the substance, like the voice acting and writing and “ooOOooOOoooh early 90s CGI, so spooky!” stuff just gave me a headache. But a lot of TADC fans in my experience are honest to God millennials if not older, and the story is notably inspired by “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”, so maybe if I can just get over myself for a moment I’ll be able to appreciate it. Who knows. Not everything is for everybody, anyways.
My own preference for independent animation is like this:
We can call this the “Paint-Funko spectrum”, in any case. I.e. independent animation that leans more into looking “unpolished and amateurish” (fanime like SOR, animatics like PPP) versus independent animation that leans more into looking “professional and marketable” (Hazbin, TADC). The spectrum is so named because the former end consists of 11 year olds on YouTube in 2009 making cartoons in MS Paint and Movie Maker, while the latter end consists of shows you can find cheap plastic toys of at Walmart. I guess my point is that there’s sort of an “uncanny valley” effect that makes certain works of independent animation seem like Gen Alpha bullshit: the Gen Alpha bullshit cartoons try to look like actual big-budget, big-studio TV cartoons, and they have the resources and experience to get most of the way there; but they fall just short, and the discrepancy between what they are and what they’re trying to be is what ends up giving you a headache.
Honestly I’m surprised people younger than me (mid 30s) like it. The animation constantly references old loony toons (Tex Avery) cartoons (which had a revival in the 90s). The second episode is entirely a Mad Max Fury Road parody (obviously the millenial’s favorite Mad Max movie). The overall plot explores cartesian skepticism, much like the Matrix. And of course the cgi reminds me of the cgi I saw as a kid (albeit with more pixels)
This was my impression skimming through some of the episodes and watching a bunch of video essays. It’s very millennial-coded. Apparently, a lot of people in the production had their start in Newgrounds which is probably where the millennial-codedness is coming from.
I haven’t watched the series in its entirety though. I don’t know if the target audience is millennials with a gen alpha/zoomer fanbase that organically tagged along or if the target audience is gen alpha/zoomers with the millennialness being more about the generation the artists came from.
It’s very much the former, though Gooseworx herself is sorta in the fuzzy ‘Zenninial’ zone between the youngest millennials and oldest Gen Z.
Zoomers were probably part of the intended audience, but from what I’ve gathered the massive popularity among Gen Alpha was a complete accident that kinda blindsided everyone working on the show. On a personal level Gooseworx actually seems to kinda fucking hate that things played out that way, actually, though I’m sure all the money she’s gotten out of that happenstance is a cushy silver lining.
From what I’ve seen it’s a pretty decent character driven show - but it’s also very much “baby’s first character driven story”. A lot of scenes involve the characters spelling out their feelings in no uncertain terms which, if your media taste is still at that level, reads as really deep and interesting, compared to something that’s more subtle about it which might just read as uninteresting to someone who isn’t following what’s happening.
oh, fuck off
idk how old you are, but any millennial who thinks TADC is super deep and complex is an adult baby. Tell me I’m wrong.
Like Aqua Teen Hunger Force?
Okay: you’re wrong.
To elaborate: 30 years ago, people like you were saying that you can get too old for anime or video games.
It’s fine to enjoy things, but if you only ever read YA novels then you won’t be maturing as a reader.
The person you’re replying to said they were in their mid 30s in the comment you replied to, so perhaps he hwa beareþ þe Aqua Teen Hunger Force profile Picture sholde not be þrowynge Stanes in his owne glass Hus when it comes to media literacy. I see you walked back your “adult baby” comment with that edit, too.
My comment proved too challenging for you to read, apparently. Fuck all the way off, lib
truly this is the most challenging of online media.
I edited my comment to be less mean but I’ve decided to stop. You are in your 30s, you should be consuming more challenging media than TADC. That shit about cartesian dualism or whatever is fucking cope about a plotline that’s one step removed from Sword Art Online. You are what people are talking about when they complain about emotionally stunted adult children.
Personally, I would dismiss anyone complaining about “emotionally stunted adult children” out of hand as a form of reactionary nonsense. “Arrested development”, by which I mean people being stuck in life situations seemingly broadly unchanged since high school, and left unable to attain any of the typical markers of adulthood, is an issue that impacts countless people; but it is a systemic issue of our mode of production literally pricing people out of adulthood. This issue won’t get solved by yelling at strangers over the Internet for watching cartoons — doing so is counterproductive in fact! The cartoons, as a matter of fact, are a complete “goddam” non-issue, unless you’re already fully programmed into some depressing idea of “adulthood” meaning that one must become a drone of capital that decries any form of whimsy or creativity, because you need to appear Sophisticated™ and Mature™ at all times. Are we really going to return to the brony struggle session of 2023?
There’s a difference between “everything must be serious at all times” and “people need to nurture the ability to be serious”. My contention is that a specific internet show has really obvious, on the nose writing, and that if that’s still your benchmark for good writing by the time you hit your thirties then you have failed as a critical consumer of media.
As I like to put it:
First you’re not too old for Pokemon.
Then you get too old for Pokemon.
Then you stop being too old for Pokemon.
I’m more than likely gonna show it after Hazbin finishes if you’re interested. I have no idea what to expect but have heard good things from friends.
Bangers, I’ll join — how long is that until?
6 more episodes, so 6 more weeks unless people want to speed things up by doubling up on the Hazbin. I can ask at the next one. But even if not that’s not too far away I suppose.
I started watching it because my daughter and her most sparkly of friends were all into it. I was looking for a way to take my old school media metaphors and pin them to something new for her sake.
It was a nice shiny little hypersigil for a while there. Lots of cool little life lessons packed into a weird container.
I felt like something off started creeping in around episode six. My daughter noticed it too. The shift between episodes 8 and 9 lost her interest. It had nothing to do with any of the character identities, and everything to do with the feedback loop taking place between the creator and the fandom. Wherever the story was going, the author’s aim got jiggled enough that everyone in my daughter’s social circle agrees it missed the mark, even if all their opinions differ as to why.
We used to call this sort of turning point “jumping the shark”.
Then again, for as much as I didn’t like the ending of Seinfeld when it aired, I absolutely love it now. I wonder how TADC will age.
Gooseworx mentioned that Jax became a deuteragonist around then, and it shows. I do think he’s an interesting character worth exploring, but I really wish Zooble got some more time. I guess they were the most well-adjusted character from the gate that couldn’t drop lore like Kinger could
Making Jax a deuteragonist was some sort of fan fic crime for sure. If you lift “Max” from “Sam & Max” and insert the character whole cloth into your own story…
That character has to remain scenery. It’s unfair to the source material to elevate such unapologetic thievery to deuteragonist.
Newgrounds is where this style of animation comes from.
What, the Hazbin Hotel / TADC / “Gen Alpha bullshit” style? I know that a lot of the people involved in these projects have ties to that site, but what do you mean exactly when you say that the style “comes from” Newgrounds? You mean stuff like the writing and voice acting as well as the visuals are all thoroughly a product of Newgrounds culture, and that that fact is the true common denominator that sets Hazbin and TADC apart from the independent animation I do like?
I’m not sure how to articulate this properly, as i’m not a person who watches indy animations, but yeah, I find that theres this underground culture that is (not purely) that has its origins in the Newgrounds late 00s milieu. VA’s, animators, storyboardists, etc.
I felt the same way after episode 1 and dropped it for the same reason, but got enough recs to push on that I gave it anither shot and I’m glad I did.
The first episode leaves a poor impression imo
Many such cases, hahah! I have been thinking of giving it another shot, but who knows when.
Cant guarantee it’ll do anything for you but it’s more than just the edgy-millenial-watch-the woobie-suffer show that I thought it was