RJ Writing Ink

Solar Opposites Valentine’s Day Special

I think Valentine’s Day is overrated. Growing up, it was (and still is) giving people you care about cards and candy. But you shouldn’t need a single day of the year to do something like that; you should try to show affection every day. And everyone makes such a big deal over getting a Valentine, like it’s the end of the world if you don’t. My favorite Valentine’s Day Special is “Ed Edd n’ Eddy’s Hanky Panky Hullabaloo.” Seeing Rolf snapping everyone out of the holiday-induced madness is fantastic! However, the Solar Opposites Valentine’s Day Special might be a close second.

Number three is the Spongebob special.

War on Valentine’s Day

The premise of the special is simple on paper: the Solar Opposites keep going to a restaurant to get their favorite dish, only to forget that it’s Valentine’s Day. That means a holiday-themed menu, which everyone (except Jesse) gets upset about. Their ultimate solution: eliminate love, and thus Valentine’s Day, from Earth altogether. 

This is the sort of thing that fans of Solar Opposites have come to expect from the series, and it doesn’t disappoint. The fact that they’re willing to get rid of love over the pettiest of reasons is enough to leave viewers in stitches. Their scheme of hitting the planet with an anti-love ray is taking the Valentine’s Day hate to its logical extreme. 

The special only gets stranger as things don’t pan out the way everyone expects. Instead of everyone being filled with hate or depressed or even apathetic, they do something weirder. Everyone starts drinking margaritas from tikis, listening to Jimmy Buffett, and buying parrots. It’s the kind of out-of-left-field result we should expect from Solar Opposites, but it is still unexpected and hilarious. That’s not even including the fact that the parrots later rise to overthrow humanity. 

It’s the kind of crazy, irreverent stuff we’ve come to expect from Solar Opposites, especially with its holiday specials. The difference is that this special ends in a way that will affect the status quo for Season Five. No spoilers, though!

Happy Valentine’s Day (or Not)

So, the big question is whether this special loves or hates Valentine’s Day? The answer is both. Like the other Solar Opposites specials, it makes fun of the holiday and everything that goes into it. At the same time, it doesn’t say that the holiday’s worthless, and I would have to agree. I may not be that big into Valentine’s Day, and I think it does put unecessary pressure on people to find romance. But there are other kinds of love, and ultimately, the other Solar Opposites come to see the value in the holiday. Plus, the end does include a tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett. 

So, whether you love the day or don’t care about, Happy Valentine’s Day!

“An Earth Shatteringly Romantic Solar Valentine’s Day Opposites Special” a 4.5/5

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Favorite Couples (or Ships) in Animation

I haven’t been on this Earth for long, but I’ve been here long enough to appreciate the art of shipping. There’s just something so appealing about figuring out which characters in a work of fiction should be a couple. It’s also fun to watch the shipping wars rage. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d celebrate by looking back at some of the great romances I’ve witnessed over the years. Thus, here are my favorite ships in animation.

Gray Fullbuster & Juvia Lockser (Fairy Tail)

This ship is as hilarious as it is heartwarming. On one side, we have the ice wizard of Fairy Tail that can’t seem to stop walking around in his underwear. On the other, we have the water wizard who fell for Grey at first sight and joined the Fairy Tail Guild just to be with him. Grey was… less than enthusiastic about that.

This ship works for me for three reasons. Firstly, their respective ice and water magic complements each other perfectly, making them a nigh unbeatable team in battle. Secondly, see Juvia’s over the top acts displays of affection towards Grey are always hilarious to watch. Finally, despite Grey being a tsundere about it, he can’t deny that the two have chemistry together. By the end of the series, it’s all but confirmed that the two are a couple.

Kirito and Asuna (Sword Art Online)

That’s right, I’m a fan of this ship. Bite me. The reason that this ship is on my list is because, in my eyes, Kirito and Asuna represent how devoted a person can be to the ones they love. They will fight back to back in a video game or in real life, and should anyone be dumb enough to try to separate them, they’ll stop at nothing to reunite. In Season One, we saw Kirito fight his way through an entire MMO to rescue Asuna from imprisonment. Meanwhile, the recent Alicization Arc has seen Asuna take on a branch of the Japanese Government to track down a comatose Kirito, then dive into the midst of a VR war to locate him. Bottom line, don’t mess with either of them, or you should say your prayers.

Krillin and Android 18 (Dragon Ball Z Abridged)

I was already happy at the fact that Krillin found love with Android 18. However, Team Four Star managed to give the abridged version of these two characters an even better relationship than they do in the canon. Whereas she’s more aloof about her feelings to her future husband in the canon, here it’s made clear to all that 18 is as into Krillin as he is into her. As a result, this makes for their eventual coming together in the end all the more satisfying to watch. That, and their relationship also brought Dragon Ball Z Abridged to a satisfying conclusion.

Robin and Starfire (Teen Titans)

Best superhero ship ever, period. Like in the comic books the show’s based on, Robin and Starfire begin to fall for each other during the Teen Titans run. The romance between these two teen superheroes remains one of the show’s longest running subplots, with several episodes even dedicated towards their deepening relationship. The fact that both of them get crazy with jealousy when someone flirts with them only shows how much they love each other. Thankfully, fans of this ship got what they wanted, as the series finale movie firmly cemented their status as a couple. Hopefully, they end up better than their comic book versions.

Star and Marco (Star vs. The Forces of Evil)

Considering how I wrote an entire post about this, I don’t think I need to explain myself further.

But all these pale in comparison to my original favorite ship of all time.

Aang and Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

My original OG pairing from my favorite cartoon growing up. From the moment they meet, it’s clear that Aang and Katara have an incredibly powerful bond that only strengthens as time goes on. Over the course of the series, these two friends become each other’s biggest supporters and closest confidants in the main group of heroes. Katara sees the potential in Aang to do great things and has faith in him even when he himself doesn’t. At the same time, she also recognizes that he’s still a boy who’s being thrust into a role that most grown-ups wouldn’t be prepared for, and serves as his emotional support. Conversely, Aang encourages Katara to follow her own dreams of becoming a master Waterbender, and will fly into a rage if anyone tries to harm her.

I didn’t start out shipping Aang and Katara as a couple. However, once I realized that Aang had a crush on her, I wholeheartedly supported this ship and its milestones. Suffice to say, the fact that the show ends with them sharing a passionate kiss remains one of the most satisfying moments of my life. That satisfaction’s only increased when follow-up material reveals the two got married and raised a family before Aang died of natural causes. Kataang for life.

Before I leave, I wanted to show off this new piece of fanart that I had commissioned for Valentine’s Day, courtesy of Andychipps on Instagram. This recreates a very romantic scene from one of my favorite fanfics, Star the Monster Princess. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Click here to read last year’s review of my favorite Valentine’s Day Special.

Ed Edd n Eddy’s Hanky Panky Hullabaloo

Ahh, Valentine’s Day. The day of love and romance, of Cupid and Eros and candied hearts and couples! As a kid growing up, though, I was never really that into Valentine’s Day.

Perhaps it’s because for the longest time, longer than most boys, I held on to the notion that girls were “bleah”. Maybe it’s because I never had the time to form a meaningful, romantic relationship with someone. It could be a lot of reasons, but I’m still not that into it. Once I find that special someone, though, that might change.

Until then, though, I can always cheer myself up by watching some Valentine’s Day Specials. And next to the Spongebob Squarepants Valentine’s Day Special, the one I remember the most is (drumroll)… Ed Edd n Eddy’s Hanky Panky Hullabaloo!

If you saw my post on it, then you know that Ed Edd n Eddy was one of my favorite shows as a kid; and that my folks banned me from watching it. But when I saw that they were doing a Valentine’s Day Special, I decided to watch it anyway. I still got in trouble, but I’m not sorry and I don’t regret it.

Basic Plot

It’s Valentine’s Day at the Ed’s school, and they’re celebrating it in their own ways. Eddy tries to use the holiday to get attention from girls; Double Dee’s handing out science-themed Valentine’s Day Cards to his classmates. As for Ed, he’s doing his best to avoid “yucky, squishy, mushy girls”. Which is bad for him, since May Kanker asks him to be her Valentine. Here is Ed’s response:

Normally, I wouldn’t blame Ed for running away from a Kanker Sister, but I can’t help but feel bad for May this time. You can tell that she was making a heartfelt effort to reach out to Ed, and he trampled over her. Both metaphorically and very literally.

Feeling sorry for her despite the trouble the Kankers give them, Double Dee gives May one of his Valentine’s Day Cards, leaving her confused. Then, things get weird.

Unknown to most of the cast, these two little cupids that resemble Jimmy and Sarah are flying around to spread love for Valentine’s Day. They hit May with an arrow, and bam! She’s in love with Double Dee. Soon after, Double Dee gets hit, too, causing him to fall for May. Hilarity ensues as the unlikely couple enjoys the holiday while the remaining Eds and Kankers almost go to war over what’s happening!

Review

Two things made this special so memorable to me: the comedy and the way it portrays Valentine’s Day.

As a kid, I loved the comedy in Ed Edd n’ Eddy. The over-the-top slapstick that can range from faces burning up from hot sauce to Ed dropping a house on Eddy, it always made me laugh. This special is no exception. Aside from Ed trampling May, another great slapstick moment is the confrontation between the Eds and Kankers. I’ve rarely seen food fights that epic.

The other half of the comedy comes from the characters dealing with Valentine’s Day. Rather, it comes from two character’s refusal to have anything to do with Valentine’s Day: Ed and Rolf.

Ed pulls out all the stops to keep girls away from him: Eating raw onions, bags on his head, spiders, the works. He wants nothing to with the holiday, and he avoids it in a manner that a kid would, with comedic results. He represents the people in life who will avoid this day like the plague, with humorous results.

While Ed’s reactions to Valentine’s Day are hilarious, Rolf just looks at the holiday with disgust. He can’t stand how overly mushy and affectionate everyone gets on February 14th and it grosses him out to no end. Sad to say it, but at times, I am in Rolf’s boat. I appreciate the value of love, both to friends and family and to a romantic partner, but there’s a limit to how much I can take. Especially when it’s coming from a couple that, by all accounts, shouldn’t even be possible!

Just looking at how lovey-dovey they makes me wanna puke.

Which brings me to the other thing I liked about this special. Rather, what I liked to hate: the cupids, or as I call them, the Stupid Cupids.

As a kid, I hated these two because they represented romance. I still hate them, but for entirely different reasons. Despite my disdain for them, I think that they were a really great touch. Having two supernatural creatures to explain how Double Dee and May suddenly fall for each other is a creative way of getting the plot to make sense. It’s made even funnier, though, when you think of how they used Sarah and Jimmy to play the Cupids. Jimmy is sweet enough, but Sarah? Ed’s rude, obnoxious, spoiled little sister?!? The irony is hilarious.

As for why I hate them now, though, it’s simple: they are the worst cupids I have ever seen! They choose to pair up Double Dee and May in the hopes of spreading love, but it brings about chaos!

Their solution is even worse, though. They decide to simply hit everyone with love arrows, resulting in everyone pairing up in couples straight out of fanfiction. I just looked it up on TV Tropes, and they call it a “crack pairing”-

Shipping beyond all bounds of sanity. There are official couples, there are couples drawn from more-or-less subjective subtext, and there are clearly non-canon pairings that still kind of make sense… and then there are pairings that make you go “What?”

Crack pairings range from the making-you-scratch-your-head-in-puzzlement weird, to the gouging-your-own-eyes-out-with-a-fork weird. But they always leave you asking “WHY WOULD ANYBODY THINK THESE TWO BELONGED TOGETHER?!”

Thankfully, the day is saved thanks to the efforts of one brave boy, the savior of Peach Creek Jr. High, the one guy who was smart enough to stand up and say enough is enough: Rolf. I’m not going to even write anything. I’m just gonna play the clip and show his heroism in action:

And thus, the stupid cupids were defeated and sanity was restored. That was one of my favorite moments from the show, hands down.

In the end, the spell is broken thanks to Rolf, and life returns to normal, but with a few happy memories for Double Dee. As the Eds deal with the aftermath while cleaning the hallway, Ed manages to make a surprisingly insightful comment about love. Well, I thought it was insightful:

Love is like an onion, Double D. The more you peel away its layers, the more it stinks.

Yeah, love does stink at times, there’s no denying that. It may not always last, or even lead to any positive outcomes in the end. But if you keep trying, then maybe someday you’ll find that person you care about the most. I know I am: there’s a girl out there that loves anime and pop culture as much as I do! Even if you don’t have a lover to share the holiday with, though, you can always share it with family. I liked this special and I think it’s worth re-watching! Now then, let’s close this out with a message from Ed himself:

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts!