User blog:Joseph H/Inanimate Insanity Season 2, Episode 1 Review

Firstly, allow me to say that this blog would not have been made if it weren't for a little bit of encouragement from part of the II Team, so here is a quick, obligatory thank you to whoever was kind enough to do what they did for me! I'm normally not the review kind of person, but I do have a few things worth mentioning, and if I am going to state something that includes my personal opinion or bias, I'll let you know. Now, onward!

Section 1: The Magic Behind The Scenes
Before I truly get to the episode, I want to touch on some of the technical things that are probably overlooked by a fair amount of viewers merely hungry for content. Since these things will probably remain constant throughout the series, this will be the only review I touch on this in.

Being an actor, voice actor, and having dabbled in the arts myself, I catch things in this episode that truly impress me in the animation, the voice acting, the scripting, and the execution of this second season. Don't misunderstand me, the first season was great and they made visible improvements as the season progresses, but they have truly turned things up a notch with this premier episode.

Animation
While the animation has improved even more for this episode, one thing that really impresses me were the shading and cinematography of this episode. There were rarely any flat colors in any asset of the show, lighting effects and shadows based on the situation really pulled in an atmosphere, it wasn't just a series of events strung together, it felt as if time was actually passing. The use of different angles and panning in this episode were great as well, as they add a whole new level of dimension to the animation and they do enhance the aforemention atmosphere.

Script and Voice Acting
WARNING: PERSONAL OPINION / BIAS APPROACHING

I have got to hand it to these guys, this episode was scripted well and the lines were executed almost perfectly. It's lovely to see other voice actors get in on the action, expanded the spectrum of what a character can be. I really enjoyed this episode because it made me laugh. That really doesn't sound like much, but it is very hard to get me to laugh audibly. Some of my close friends are comedians, and you get used to those antics after a little while, but a few of the lines in this episode managed to make me not snicker, not chortle, but laugh, one in particular. Along with the silly face and animation to add to it, Lightbulb's line, "Actually, I've eaten like, fifty-three, and-NDUH", just gets me every. single. time. So definite kudos to the team for bringing together that little gem of a moment.

As for the execution as a whole, I stille have nothing but praise. No lines really felt left out or mistreated. Not to mention all of the alludes to the previous seasons, the 4th wall breaks, and already-forming gags that are strewn throughout the episode never feel like they weigh down the episodes progression. The episode was very light-hearted, yet it grabbed your attention at the same time. That's something college drama students strive for, a balance of contrast, Yin and Yang almost, oh whoops...

Website and Voting
I think this is brilliant, YouTube comment voting is messy and easy to abuse. This eliminated the possibility of multiple accounts, viewers can't be influenced by being able to see who has the majority of votes, and you can unvote if you change your mind! I'm keeping this part short and sweet, and finish with a reiteration: This is brilliant.

Section 2: The Episode
What's that? Oh right, I have to review what happens in the show, don't I? Well then...

Introduction
The way this show opened was a nice tie-in with the end of last season. We get to see what OJ does with his prize, who's invited, who's not, who's still getting along, and who's... not. The entrance of MePhone4 was intertaining, as is to be expected with him. Parachutes don't automate themselves, silly! The new faces in this episode helped add to the comedic effect (OJ when the plane crashed, MePhone when he saw Toilet).

Speaking of Toilet, that's another thing that got me to audibly laugh. For crying out loud, it's a Cockney Crapper! Any writer for 30 Rock would consider that to be gold!

The bringing in of old contestants was definitely a good thought to keep the appeal of the show, not everyone wanted OJ to win last season, and now a few favorites are back! That'll keep viewers around longer, there's a battle of Old vs. New with old favorites competing once again! If it works for reality game shows, it'll work here.

Finally, just little hunch about the Hotel OJ, my writer-senses tell me that it may be used as an eliminated-contestant house of sorts.

Contestants
Let's start with the returning contestants. It's nice to see Baseball and Knife back, since they simply didn't get to do much last season. Nickel was definitely a popular contestant, very easy choice to bring back. The Apple and Marshmallow feud gets to live on, if one was rejoining, so was the other. Lightbulb and Paintbrush can continue running gags with themselves, and Balloon seems to be there for comedic relief.

Now, onto the fresh me- ehm, new contestants. You have to love those stereotypes, and I think they were represented well and in good humor, so no red flags there. We have Fan, the... well, devoted fan of the show. Cheesy is the cheesy joke and terrible pun maker. Soap is a germaphobic neat freak. Cherries are identical twins joined at the stem (I've been seeing a lot of identical twins on reality television lately...). Tisses is the constantly ill contestant who constantly complains about his conditions... oh, pardon me, I meant his condiSHYONZ. Yin-Yang is the contestant that constantly argues with himself, apparently having two personalities occupying one brain. Microphone appears to be the soft-spoken rocker who sometimes forgets how loud they are. Box is the unknown, the mystery, the foreboding silent one. Trophy is a jock (not a jerk, there's a difference, remember?). Test Tube is a science lover, something I support 110%, and Suitcase is... is... uh oh. Does Suitcase have a specific stereotype? Here on the wiki, she's given the title "Basketcase", and a basket case is a slang term that means someone who's useless. So... perhaps she's the nice character that's too concerned with being a people pleaser to do anything bad to anyone, being useless in gameplay. I guess we'll have to wait and see on that one.

WARNING: PERSONAL OPINION / BIAS APPROACHING

I feel there's been a fine line drawn between these new characters. I feel that Fan, Test Tube, Cheesy, Microphone, and Suitcase could develop very well as characters, whereas for the other newbies, their standing with the audience will probably behave like Polonium-226. Get it? Because it's unstable and decays quickly? That... that was a science joke... because... Test Tube is on the show, so... yeah... I'll be over here, if anyone needs me.

Turnout
Finally, this is how I feel about the end result of the episode, and I personally feel it went fine. It's far too early for me to get attached to any specific character, or to really see who I like and dislike. I think Tissues and Yin-Yang had among the worst performances, personality-wise, and they're both up for elimination. So, no one who deserved to go really got off scot-free, which is even more satisfying.

Section 3: Final Verdict
Very good episode, very good execution, very good acting. That's all there is to say in the end, I can nitpick all I want, but this first episode was indeed very good. If you're the kind of person that wants a score, fine, have a score:





I give this episode 8 broken Hotel OJ windows out of 10 (8/10). This was a strong start, and I look forward to seeing what else the team comes up with!

Also, I do hope this review gave a tiny bit of insight to how much detail and work goes into episodes like this, so if the The II Team or The Huangs are late with an episode of II or BFDI, it's because it's hard work. Don't complain.