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Amphibia Season 3,Episode 13A/B Review

We are now in the endgame of Amphibia, people, and from what we’ve seen, it’s going to be a finale to remember. Anne and the Plantar’s have joined the rebellion against King Andrias, starting what’s essentially an “anime war arc.” However, they still lack a plan to defeat Andrias or his unholy master…until now. After skirting around the truth for so long, Anne and the others get a big piece to the puzzle. This week, they finally meet the Mother of Olms!

Mother of Olms

Picking up immediately following the last episode, Anne, Sasha, and the Plantar’s travel beneath Proteus to meet with their leader, the Mother of Olms. According to the vase Anne found on Earth, she can tell them what their destiny is in defeating Andrias. However, the Mother of Olms, voiced brilliantly by Whoopi Goldberg, isn’t quite what they expected. While she’s still very wise and sage-like, old age hampers her from being a full-on Yoda figure. So, the group has to head inside her head (literally) to help jog her old brain. It’s pretty gross, too; Sasha can’t help but complain the entire time!

The only one who doesn’t go in is Hop Pop, who feels he’s too old to be of any help.

Growing old is a scary thing for a lot of people. Our minds can deteriorate along with our bodies, and make us feel useless. But there are pay-offs, as well, such as wisdom and experience. Case in point, it’s Hop Pop’s years of agricultural experience that ends up saving the group from death by…nose goop. Furthermore, so long as you know how to manage things, old age doesn’t have to inhibit you, as the Mother of Olms remembers she wrote the prophecy down on the walls above her cave.

Eager fans already translated a line of text from King Andrias’ book a while back, but the Mother of Olms confirms that it is the prophecy surrounding the Calamity Box and the human trio. In fact, everything the Mother of Olms tells the group merely confirms what the fans already knew. That the Calamity Gems gave the girls incredible powers, and that they are meant to vanquish the Core, or, as the Olms call it, the Night. However, the heroes remain in the dark about what the Night is, or how Marcy’s being used as its unwanted host. At least now they have a lead on what to do, though.

Grime’s Pupil

Now knowing that the Calamity Box is the key to defeating Andrias thanks to the Mother of Olms, Anne and Sasha plan their next steps. They don’t have the numbers to fight Andrias’ army yet, though, so they can’t really do anything. However, Sasha remembers how Grime’s sister, Beatrix, has kept her army safe from Andrias, and brings her over to recruit her. Unfortunately, Sprig runs his mouth off about beating Grime, and Grime challenges his sister to a duel. Beatrix against Sprig; loser joins the winner’s army.

Yeah, Sasha and Anne are not happy about that, and punish them by forcing them to train together. Sprig and Grime aren’t happy about that, either. Sprig holds a big grudge against Grime for extorting Wartwood for years and then trying to kill Hop Pop. Grime can’t see Sprig as anything more than a wimpy frog. It’s not until they have to work together to fight off hyenabees that they see each other’s strengths.

A not-so-subtle recurring theme throughout the show has been the prejudice the different species of Amphibians have against one another. It’s part of why the world’s so sharply divided. But those differences need to be forgotten in order to defeat Andrias and save the multiverse. Once Sprig and Grime do that, the former combines the latter’s tactics with his own speed, allowing him to deal a knockout blow against Beatrix. Boom! The Wartwood Resistance now has a Toad Army to back them up.

The Pieces are Starting to Fall Into Place

Going into this week’s episode, I had been hoping that the Mother of Olms would the one to explain everything about the Calamity Box to us. The thing is, most of what we learned this week was information that we already knew, or had guessed. However, that’s not as much of a problem as you would think. Fans for shows like this can be pretty dedicated to guessing how things turn out. Getting to see whether you’re right or not is part of the fun of watching. This time, the fans were spot-on with their predictions. That didn’t really make the whole episode less enjoyable, though.

The fact is, there’s still a month left of episodes to watch before the big finale, plenty of time for us to learn the truth behind the Calamity Box or why it was brought to Earth. In addition, it looks like Disney’s letting Matt go all-out for the finale:

Disney is giving Amphibia the finale that it deserves, moving it to 8 pm on May 7 and May 14th, with the series finale taking up an entire hour. In other words, they’re turning it into the biggest thing since the end to Gravity Falls. I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so hyped for a series finale for a show!

I Give “Mother of Olms” and “Grime’s Pupil” a 3.9/5 and 4/5

Stray Observations

• Look at Sprig’s Face!

• Sasha in a cheerleader outfit made my day!

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Amphibia Season 3, Episode 12A/B

As Amphibia approaches its endgame, the show is not holding anything back. What started out as a Western Isekai/slice of life has evolved into a deadly war for survival. Or, as deadly as Disney will allow things to get. Regardless, Matt and his team have made sure not to leave any thread untouched and giving everything it’s share of importance. This extends not just to the return of one-time characters, but also giving the recurring ones their time to shine. That’s the hallmark of a good show, in my own opinion. This week, several Wartwood residents get a chance to show what they’re made of, and then Anne and Sasha follow up on a clue regarding how to stop Andrias…and what their purpose might be in Amphibia.

Sasha’s Angels

It’s still hard to believe how much the residents of Wartwood changed while Anne and the Plantar’s were on Earth. They’ve always been pretty tough and resourceful, but fighting a rebellion against King Andrias has turned them into full-blown badasses. Everyone, that is, except Toadie, who remains as soft as ever.

Toadie is one of my favorite residents of Wartwood, due to his helpful nature. The fact that he’s also voiced by Jack McBrayer, who played Wander in Wander Over Yonder, also helps. But the poor little guy’s too scared to think for himself and step outside his comfort zone, even when necessary. Case in point, when a group of bandits led by Barry (the guy who cursed Anne and Sprig) steals supplies for the rebellion, Sasha and Anne lead a team to get them back.

That team promptly gets captured, and Sasha and Anne…don’t do anything. Sasha tells them to wait.

Anne obviously takes issue with this, as she thinks that Sasha’s just using them like she used to. It’s nice to see that the writers don’t skimp on the fact they’ve still got issues to work through, but this time, it’s different. Sasha’s developed strong bonds with the people of Wartwood while Anne was away, so she has faith in them to get through this.

That faith pays off, as after being pushed too far, Toadie snaps and goes all Mad Max on the Marauders. Everyone gets away, and Barry gets what he deserves.

Olm Town Road

In the second half of the episode, the show returns to focus on the overarching plot to the series. In the first half of the season, Anne and the Plantar’s found a vase with Amphibian writing on it. When decoded, it said, “Seek the Mother of Olms. She will guide you to your destiny.” As many fans speculated, this connected back to the Olms that Sprig and Polly met in “Quarreler’s Pass“, leading Sasha, Anne, and the Plantar’s to head back to that site. Turns out, there was an entire city of Olms underneath the mountain range.

One great thing about animation is that it requires a lot of artwork, and the results are fairly breathtaking. But the background art that goes into Amphibia ascends to a new level with the reveal of the underground city of Proteus, home of the Olms. It’s like discovering a hidden city of elves in a fantasy world, and that’s essentially what the Olms are, cool traits and all. The problem is that they refuse to even listen to what Sasha and Anne’s group has to say, and shun Lysil and Angwin for a mistake they made that almost destroyed the city.

It’s clear that Sasha sees a lot of herself in Lysil and Angwin. She made a lot of mistakes that almost destroyed her friendship with Anne, and she is desperate to atone for them. As such, she’s the most vocal about giving the twin Olms a second chance. And when the leader of Proteus refuses to do so, even after Lysil and Angwin risk their lives to save the city from King Andrias’ army, she snaps, and it is glorious.

Fortunately, the Olm leader’s actually impressed with Sasha’s guts, enough to make her reconsider things. As a result, they get to meet the Mother of Olms.

The Truth About The Prophecy

From the show’s inception, indeed, from the images in the opening credits, it’s been hinted at that there’s more to why Anne, Sasha, and Marcy got sent to Amphibia. I previously speculated that the girls were sent to Amphibia for a reason. Then, we heard Andrias mention a prophecy that fans were quick to decipher. Essentially, the prophecy is about three beings from afar who will come with the power to vanquish this great evil. The fans figured out that much, but the heroes don’t know about of this stuff…yet. However, that’s all about to change in the next episode, which is all but confirmed to shed a lot of light on the overarching story to Amphibia.

In addition, I found this image on social media, showing the door that Anne and Sasha step through at the end of the episode. Some fans cleaned it up, and this is what we got.

That looks just like Anne, Sasha, and Marcy. In other words, the three girls are meant to be the ones to save Amphibia, and by extension, the multiverse. Way to call it, diehard fans

Next week’s episode is likely to be among the most important of the entire series, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

I Give “Sasha’s Angels” a 4/5 and “Olm Town Road” a 4.5/5

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Top Ten Animated Characters You’d Want As a Best Friend

Before we begin, I would like to give a shoutout to Karandi from 100 Word Anime for giving me the inspiration to write this.

Admit it, at some point in your life you saw a character in a cartoon and you thought “Wow. I wish they were real so they could be my best friend.” Having spent much of my life watching good cartoons, I’ve seen tons of characters that make for awesome friends. They can be the characters who make you laugh from their antics, or put stars in your eyes from being so cool. I’m Roderick Jay Fritz, and these are my picks for the ten animated character’s you’d want as your best friend.

For this list, I will be including characters from animations regardless of who made them. That means that anyone from western animation and anime is open for this. No CGI characters, though.

Ed, Ed Edd n’ Eddy

He’s big, he’s yellow, and he’s the glue that holds his friends together; his name is Ed. As part of the titular trio, Ed’s a good-natured guy who will do anything for his friends. Too bad he’s not very smart, though; whenever his friends come up with a plan, they pick him to do the heavy-lifting. Ed never seems to mind though, and considering he’s strong enough to lift a house, it’s not much of a problem.

When I saw Ed on tv as a kid, I thought that he was the funniest person I had ever seen. I even considered him my spirit animal for a while, until my parents tried to make me stop watching the show. Constantly spouting out non-sequitours and obscure sci-fi references, Ed’s the goofball that you can’t help but love. While his hygiene’s non-existent and his stupidity may get on people’s nerves at times, I can’t help but love the big guy. Plus, since we both love comics and sci-fi stories, I could spend hours enjoying the subjects with him!

Genie, Aladdin Franchise

How many people do you know that have a song about how awesome a friend they’d be? One of the main characters from Disney’s Aladdin franchise, Genie’s one of Aladdin’s closest friends and the source of much of the humor in the film and its tv follow-up. While his cosmic powers are amazing to behold, what makes him so endearing is his compassion and willingness to help others out.

Having a friend who can do the things Genie can is awesome, but that’s not why I want him as a best friend. It’s because much of his personality stems from the man who first portrayed him, the late Robin Williams. Williams brought Genie to life with manic improv and impressions, but kept audiences glued with his sincerity and kindness. Others have played Genie since Robin, but his personality remains the same: a big-hearted goofball who can be anyone’s friend. It’s just like the song say: we ain’t never had like him.

Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece

The hero of the hit One Piece franchise, Monkey D. Luffy’s one of the most fearless people a person could ever meet. With a body that stretches like rubber and a boundless thirst for adventure, Luffy’s goal in life is to become King of the Pirates. As Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, he’s well on his way, too. His true power, though, is his infectious charisma and childlike charm, winning him friends almost everywhere he goes; even in the marines that are hunting him.

Another idol from my childhood, I loved watching Luffy’s adventures on TV; to my shame, it was the 4Kids dub of One Piece. While his fearlessness and sense of adventure are both great qualities, the reason that I’d want him as a best friend is for his loyalty. Once he calls you a friend, no matter how long he’s known you, then you’ret his friend. Time and again, Luffy’s been willing to go through hell to help the people he cares about. He’s even gone so far as declare war on the World Government to get a friend back. No matter who stands in his way, Luffy will fight past it to protect those he loves, and he almost always manages to win.

Mordecai and Rigby, Regular Show

I know this is cheating, but you can’t have one of these two without the other. An anthropomorphic blue jay and racoon, Mordecai and Rigby are the embodiments of “brother from another mother”. Lifelong best friends, these cool dudes live and work at a park; that’s what they’re supposed to do, at least. In reality, they spend most of their time slacking off, coming up with sweet songs, or getting caught in surreal misadventures.

As a 20 something young man who loves sitting around and playing video games, I can relate a lot to Mordecai and Rigby. We’re all at that age where we want to enjoy our lives to the fullest, and Mordecai and Rigby do so every day. Even if they didn’t get into all sorts of crazy adventures, they’re still two of the coolest guys I’ve seen on TV, and I’d hang with them in a heartbeat. Plus, I’m a huge fan of their crazy songs.

Rainbow Dash, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

It was a tough choice between her and Pinkie Pie, but I had to go with Rainbow Dash. Ponyville’s resident athlete and daredevil, Rainbow lives for adventure and thrills. She’s the fastest in the world, able to reach speeds that exceed the sound barrier, and a member of the prestigious acrobatics team the Wonderbolts. Don’t let her competitive and brash demeanor fool you, though. She represents the element of loyalty, and won’t hesitate to help her friends when they need it.

I never thought much of My Little Pony until the current iteration. Then I saw Rainbow Dash beat the snot out of Starscream on the web show Death Battle, and I realized they’re awesome, especially Rainbow Dash. She’s the kind of friend that would feel at home joking around or on some high-flying adventure. She may get brash and cocky at times, but her loyalty to her friends means she learns her lesson in the end. If I had to pick anyone in the group to be my best friend, I’d go with Rainbow Dash.

Star Butterfly, Star vs. The Forces of Evil

Mix Mabel from Gravity Falls with Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon, add a dash of Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and you get Star Butterfly. In her own words, she’s a “magical princess from another dimension!” Sent to Earth to learn how to use her family’s magic wand, Star’s like a living sugar rush, always looking to have fun. Since she can travel the multiverse and fights the forces of evil on a daily basis, she has a lot of fun!

Star Butterfly’s the living personification of fun, able to make people smile just by showing up. Even without magic, she’s the super awesome girl that everyone wants to be friends with. As we see with her close friends, she manages to bring out the best in them and help them grow as people (i.e. Marco). While she starts out as hyperactive and reckless, by the end of the show, Star’s pretty much an example of what it means to be responsible while still knowing how to have fun. While it may seem a little extreme to do so, the fact that she willingly destroyed the source of all magic, something she loved using, so people wouldn’t abuse it anymore, shows how far she’s come. While we may have to wait until a potential sequel to see the official, canon consequences of this, fans can be happy knowing that she can spend the rest of her life going on adventures with her best friend/boyfriend, Marco.

Spongebob Squarepants, Spongebob Squarepants

Absorbent, yellow, and porous is he, and we all love him for it. Spongebob Squarepants stands among cartoon icons like Mickey Mouse, Popeye, and Bugs Bunny. Making generations of kids laugh, this happy-go-lucky sponge spends his time flipping Krabby Patties at his job, hanging out with his friends, or just being a virtual embodiment of optimism. With his infectious laughter and smile, it’s no wonder kids have loved him for twenty years and going.

As a kid growing up, Spongebob was one of my childhood heroes. I admired the way that he always saw the good in the world over the bad, and gets the most out of life as a result. I admit, sometimes his naivete and obliviousness to how annoying he can get makes me wanna throttle him. Most of the time, though, I spent my childhood wishing he was real so he could be my best friend. Looking back, I still want him as a best friend.

Team Four Star Nappa, Dragon Ball Z Abridged

Team Four Star took a one-dimensional brute like Nappa and turned him into the breakout character of Dragon Ball Z Abridged. Their version of Nappa’s essentially an idiotic man-child with the ability to blow up the planet, yet is more interested in playing pattycake and Pokemon. The character proved so funny that TFS chose to ignore his canon death. After spending time as a ghost haunting Vegeta, Nappa came back for real, moved to Hollywood, and became a major film producer. He continues to make cameos in various Team Four Star media to this day.

My reasoning behind wanting the Abridged Nappa as a best friend can be summed up with this quote:

I am hilarious and you will quote everything I say.

I can’t remember the last time that I laughed as hard as I did when I first saw Abridged Nappa. From treating his fight with Goku’s friends like a game of tag to driving Vegeta insane with his antics, this guy’s a barrel of laughs. I’d love to hang out with him an play video games any time, if he wasn’t so busy doing it with Vegeta.

Wander, Wander Over Yonder

An orange, furry creature of undetermined origins, Wander is friendliness personified. Optimistic and lovable, Wander’s only goal in life is to help anyone who needs it. With his best friend Sylvia, he travels across the galaxy to see new worlds, make new friends, and spread joy to all. Much to the annoyance of Lord Hater, who can’t stand his upbeat attitude.

I admit, Wander’s insistence on trying to befriend everyone, no matter how bad they are, can be annoying at times. That said, it attests to the fact that Wander wants to help everyone he meets be happy, even if it means putting himself in danger. If we had more people in this world as kind and selfless as Wander, then it would be a much better place. Plus, with Wander as a best friend, I could travel the galaxy and see all sorts of amazing things.

Thanks again, Karandi. I also just realized that I forgot to include Hestia. My bad.