"A Tasmanian Devil escapes from the zoo and gets adopted by Bugs, who is convinced that the beast is really just a dog."
"Devil Dog" isn't that bad, if anything it's a good mixture of comedy that only continues to poke at the original cartoon shorts from time to time. The good aspect here is that the show nicely adds the Tasmanian Devil into the cast of the characters for this show. The bad news is....he's a pet who actually listens to Bugs.
If there was ever a time that showed the writers have no intention of being completely truthful to the characters they are working with, it would be right here in this episode. The Tasmanian Devil was always characterized in the classic shorts as a hungry beast who went after many of the different Looney Tunes characters. Here in this show, Tasmanian is just a angry monster who occasionally eats things. Thankfully, Tasmanian still remains to be full of laughs with his many attacks on Daffy.
I really do feel like the writers really held back their characters by changing their characterizations though. If Bugs was more witty and less oblivious to the fact that he adopted a wild animal, I can imagine this episode being hilarious. Bugs and Tasmanian had so many conflicts in the cartoon shorts that it seems so wrong to make them befriend each other in this show. It's bad enough that this episode ends with Tasmanian literally becoming a house pet and nothing more.
Don't get me wrong, I did think the friendship between Bugs and Tasmanian was rather heartwarming. I just also feel like that kind of bond is just asking for worse ideas to happen. Next thing you'll know we will see Bugs and Elmer Fudd becoming best friends out of nowhere. There are some boundaries the writers shouldn't jump over, and this relationship is one of them.
"After the surprising murder of their teacher Kinishiro Morooka, Yu and the group become conflicted about what to do next."
Yu and the group end up stunned that their teacher Kinishiro Morooka has been murdered in the exact same fashion as the previous victims even though he has never appeared on television, let alone the Midnight Channel. The group decides to ask Teddie to see if somebody entered the TV world. To the group's surprise, they find Teddie hanging around JUNES with a human body. After their shock passes, Teddie tells them all that nobody has entered the TV world since their last rescue operation. Teddie then gives Yu a new pair of fog glasses to give to Rise the next time he sees her, which she later happily accepts.
During the next day, a mysterious student begins to stalk Yukiko and begins claiming online that he is in fact the murderer behind the previous mysterious killings in Inaba. The student begins to become delusional and suddenly tries to attack Nanako at JUNES but gets easily stopped by Yu, who came back to the store to retrieve the head of Teddie's bear suit.
Later on while having one of their investigation meetings, the gang gets confronted by detective Naoto Shirogane. Naoto informs the group that the police have identified the true culprit and that they should stop playing around. When the gang decides to agree to watch the Midnight Channel to confirm if this really the end, Yu begins to see the mysterious student on TV laughing and taunting the citizens of Inaba by saying "Catch me if you can!".
One can say that Persona 4: The Animation goes through a very repetitive pattern in its story. Somebody gets kidnapped, saved, and then another conflict occurs that involves somebody getting kidnapped again. It remains interesting, though, because of how well written the story is. Here in "Catch me if you can", the plot begins shift out of this pattern and takes an unexpected route.
If you liked Teddie's character up till now, then you will begin to love Persona 4 even more for having him now be involved with the group in every step of the investigation. If you dislike Teddie however, you should get ready for many more bear puns that could drive you crazy. I personally liked this change of flow in the plot. It not only allows Teddie to be much closer to the group and the investigation, but it even gives this adaption much more fun material to work with because of his comedic personality. Meanwhile I liked the plot point with this mysterious psychotic student, as he does not look like anybody who would ever join Yu's group. He's broken the practicable pattern of having who ever gets thrown inside the TV world joining the side of the main characters.
The greatest aspect about "Catch me if you can" is that it gave us something to consider about our own main protagonist, Yu. When he finds out that the investigation could be over, he starts developing feelings of fear and sadness. This is shown the most when the group talks about not meeting anymore once their investigation is over. This shows us us that Yu really does care about his friends and that he may hold a secret inner desire to keep the case going so he can continue to be with them.
"A ground bridge mishap accidentally sends the human kids to an alternate dimension."
I’m torn on "Shadowzone". I didn't care for its A plot with the human kids, yet the B plot with Starscream is excellent. After Megatron retakes his position as Decepticon leader, Starscream unsurprisingly plans immediate treachery against his former master. Using the Dark Energon shard he had obtained many episodes back, he attempts to bring Skyquake back to life in an effort to counter Megatron. It's only mildly successful, as the shard turns Skyquake into a brainless zombie.
Starscream's story is humble compared to the central plot. Much of his time onscreen has him fumbling improvised plans to cover up his messes. Skyquake still refuses to obey him on virtue of being a walking undead, he has to contend with a detached arm while taking Autobot crossfire, and he has to deal with the reality that his glory days have officially crumbled in one fell swoop. He's a tad frustrated, so to speak. Much of his reaction to the whole ordeal contributes and pushes his current character arc. He was once the Head Honcho, but his ego must now deal with the consequences of his failures. More than just a credible villain, Starscream can just as often mood swing into a hilarious figure without his key traits being sacrificed. Unlike the other main villains, Starscream's hammy personality serves to enhance his character rather than detract from it. Simply put, he is a Primadonna and everything he pulls from unsubtle gestures to his boisterous behavior — all lend itself to a fascinating character with an equally fascinating story arc. Every other villain tends to stick out whenever they perform an exaggerated scene because they're often low key, but Starscream fits the cheese just right.
I hope they go somewhere with the Dark Energon shard Starscream absorbed. If later episodes are any indication, Megatron's prolonged exposure to it drove him crazy and gave him the ability to hear Unicron. Starscream briefly consumed his, so either he'll react differently or the energy will simply dissipate from his body. I'm praying for the former; it'd be a good waste of plot if this issue is never brought up.
By contrast, the stake is much higher with the human kids. Miko follows the Autobots in an attempt to snag pictures of Zombie Skyquake, forcing Jack and Raf to follow out of concern. The Autobots urge their safe return via a ground bridge. At the same time, the Decepticons open their ground bridge under Starscream's command. Operating two separate bridges fixated on one location causes a distortion that sends the children in an alternate dimension of their world. Trapped with no way to contact the Autobots, they have to contend with the undead Skyquake.
Their dilemma is intense, but I found it difficult to care for the trio. Raf is fine, but Jack is dull and Miko is irritating. They get a few close calls with Skyquake to shake it up a bit, and their attempted communication with the Autobots via cellphone is ingenious. They're unable to contact their robotic buddies and must struggle to find a different answer, so it's a compelling conflict that isn't automatically and conveniently resolved. Otherwise, they essentially run around in circles until they're rescued. It doesn't help that Miko is at her absolute worst here. I was never a fan of her abrasive personality, but her sheer disregard for safety and questionable decisions were painful to absorb. Racing headfirst into danger to witness a giant, robotic zombie is a very idiotic thing to do, and her refusal to leave and constant insults aggravate me. She turned from plain annoying to unlikable by the end of the episode.
"Shadowzone" is a very mixed episode. The main plot grabs your attention more, but it's flash over substance. Starscream's tale is deeper and yields better, captivating results. It's a great look at his growing arc and provides a worthwhile addition to the overall series. "Shadowzone" also contains the single most hilarious ending: Skyquake tries to repair his own broken arm by callously sticking in Starscream's. When it doesn't fit, he merely chucks it away. It's a short, simple visual cue that had me rolling. You'll watch this for the general plot and stay for Starscream.
Apple
Bloom is embarrassed when her seemingly kooky Granny Smith is going
to speak in front of her class, and tries to stop it from happening.
“Family
Appreciation
Day” starts with a peaceful night's slumber at Sweet
Apple Acres which is interrupted by Granny Smith, who is acting
rather crazy as she announces that the Zap Apples are coming. The next
day Applejack and Big Mac are preparing for the Zap Apples, while
Apple Bloom is eager to start the preparations for making Zap Apple
Jam. She's been excited to
help make the Jam for years and at first has a great time, and she
looks cute in the bunny outfit she wears briefly. But
then a bully in the form of a snobbish brat named Diamond Tiara
speaks some cruel words which cause Apple Bloom to become conscious of
her Granny's rather bizarre behavior. The worst blow to Apple
Bloom is when it's her turn to bring someone in for Family
Appreciation Day at school. Since Applejack and Big Mac will be busy
harvesting on that day, only Granny Smith is left available. Apple
Bloom can't change anything about that due to the fact that Zap
Apples disappear after the 5th day if not harvested. With
only one weekend to find a solution Apple Bloom and her friends try
out multiple plans of increasing ridiculousness and humor. Their
final plan appears successful, but nope, Granny Smith still shows up in
time for Family Appreciation Day. There's no escaping now as
Granny tells the class a story from her past which relates to
the Zap Apples.
This
episode is on par with the usual awesomeness I've come to expect from
the show. The characters are deep and believable. It was a perfect
mixture of seriousness and humor. The whole thing was also very
original and unique. Granny Smith's story was the best way to tie
everything together. It provided more history of Equestria by
explaining how Ponyville was founded which is linked to the Zap
Apples, introduced another cool mythical species, explained all of
Granny Smith's seemingly crazy behaviour, and even included some nice
surprising twists. After that the episode wrapped everything up with
Apple Bloom realizing she shouldn't have been embarrassed by her
granny in the first place. It's all explained nicely with no need of
a friendship letter, a fact I find nice. And of course Diamond Tiara
gets what she deserves, which is wonderfully enjoyable (I can never
stand spoiled rich brat characters).
I
love the Zap Apples. The idea of a magic fruit is weird, yet suits
this show perfectly. I found the signs of the Zap Apples coming to be
rather ominous, but it makes sense since the fruit is from the
Evergreen Forest. The end result is rather beautiful. I feel I
should mention that although I like unique names like Apple Bloom and
Granny Smith, some of the names on this show are a bit ridiculous and
go too far, like Diamond Tiara and her father Filthy Rich. I can't see anyone reasonably naming their child "Filthy Rich", though they do have some fun with the name. Another thing, One fault I see in this
episode is the lack of the main characters. Applejack is shown
somewhat, but remains more of a background character. The others are
nowhere to be seen. I enjoy episodes centered on side characters, but
they'll be more than side characters soon enough if they keep getting
episodes. Although I have no complaint with that, I do wish more of the main
characters had at least been in the episode somewhere.
This
was by far one of the best episodes of the show. It has everything in
it. Superb characters, a perfect blend of seriousness and silliness, more
history of Equestria, another mythical creature, Big Mac actually
said a (small) bit more than the two word vocabulary he seemed to be
stuck with as of late, and there was more of Granny Smith (Who didn't want that?). I quite enjoyed the episode and highly recommend
it.
Tonight's Princess Pi is a story of redemption guaranteed to be the feel-good hit of the winter! From the makers of that Rock tooth fairy movie, it's "NICK and MORE!"
