Family Guy - Freakin' Party Pack (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is what you want to buy, if you're new to family guy and want to see the episodes. This includes almost everything out so far. Here's what you'll get.
-Season One (Volume 1)
-Season Two (Volume 1)
-Season Three (Volume 2)
-Season Four Part 1(Volume 3)
-Season Four Part 2(Volume 4)
-Season Five Part 1(Volume 5)
*You do not get Season Five Part 2(Volume 6) as it is not out yet, so you only have the first half of season five*
-Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
And a Bonus Disc, which includes deleted scenes, an inside the recording booth feature, guest star interviews, storyboards, amoung other things.
-You'll also get a ping pong set (Paddles, Net, and Balls)
-A Poker Set (100 Chips, and Cards)
-And a Collectible Carrying Case.
(All of the discs are the same as how they were released before in the season sets, and include all of the extra footage, and deleted scenes).
The only disc I've found you don't get is "The Freakin' Sweet Collection".Besides the fact that "The Freakin' Sweet Collection" is missing, this is the ultimate family guy pack, especially for new family guy fans. The best thing about the one on amazon, is that the retail price is $150, and amazon is selling for only $100! That's cheaper than their price for just volumes 1-4. As for if you have been a fan since it came out, and already own all the seasons, it's up to you if you want to buy this for the carrying case, poker set, and ping pong set. You will probably be able to find just the carrying case, sooner or later, for those that already own all of the seasons and don't wish to purchase them again.

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FAMILY GUY VOLUME 1 (4 DISCS) FAMILY GUY VOLUME 2 (3 DISCS) FAMILY GUY VOLUME 3 (3 DISCS) FAMILY GUY VOLUME 4 (3 DISCS) FAMILY GUY VOLUME 5 (3 DISCS) FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN (1 DISC)**Plus: THEMED PING PONG PADDLES (2), NET, BALLS (4), POKER CHIPS (100) &PLAYING CARDS **ALL IN A PLEXI CARRYING CASE.

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force 6 (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Minor spoiler warning for this review.
Packaging and Menus: This packaging continues with the trend of Williams Street releases in that it's really minimalist. In fact, it might be their most minimalist release. The entire artwork on the DVD cover, the menus, and even the stickers it comes with consist of simple shapes. The DVDs are themselves just solid color. Although simple, it's attractive and very bright. It's simple done right, just like the show itself with it's limited animation.
Video and Audio Quality : Maintains the broadcast quality pretty perfectly. There's only one case of audio inconsistency and that's in a webisode extra. Everything else is fine.
Disc 1 : Houses the 9 episodes that Adult Swim has aired already with commentary for 3 of them.
Episodes : This season opened with a different formula towards the beginning. The Aqua Teens are gone and the spotlight is cast on Carl and the new vampire/landlord Markula. Carl and Markula attempt to rent out the Aqua Teen's home to different tenants that don't stay long and are usually monstrous.
After three episodes of this, The Aqua Teen's return and do their usual routine of experiencing gay zombie gorillas, super-power eye surgery, murderous dummies in love, Canada, religious fruit, low-life genies, parasitic mermaids, radioactive African Americans, multiple scamming infomercials, and the unspeakable horror of furries.
The Carl/Markula Episodes : A fresh break for the viewers and for the writers (who admitted they were burnt out on the main characters). Even though Sirens was weaker than the other two episodes, the Markula highlights made it enjoyable. He was a really great character and he made the run really unique. I'm sad he only got 3 episodes to shine.
Reedickyoulous : After Carl Orders a genital enhancer from an infomercial, his radioactive waste creates zombie animals.
The opening montage was sweet until the sinister turn to a pet cemetery parody. Some thought this episode crossed the line with the killing of animals. I don't think it did. It's Reedickyoulous (see what I did there?) to be so offended by a cat dying when humans have died multiple times previously. Anyway, the toilet humor here with Carl wasn't done especially well for ATHF. An otherwise deliciously absurd episode with a 360 that starts with cat murder and ends with a gay banana bus.
Hoppy Bunny : Because of Carl ordering a flute from an infomercial, Furries take over the Aqua Teen's neighbourhood.
Carl needs to stop ordering things off the telly. Totally wouldn't expect a jab at furries on Aqua Teen. It was a well done jab, though, and that's all that matters. Beginning with the exercise video was a little weak, but it went uphill from there. The massage scene and what follows "I have the power of a thousand suns!" was hilarious, and one of the best moments on ATHF for sure. On a side note : I was amused that they actually had to censor the furry peeing. The FCC is comedy in it's own right.
Laser Lenses : Shake steals Frylocke's contact lenses (apparently the source of his power all along) and all hell breaks loose.
Fantastic episode. Shake being bestowed a great power brings out the quality we all love in him best. I really like the concept that Frylocke's lenses were the source of his power. I also really love the ending, it's just a huge absurd reality collapse where multiple offbeat things are going on all at once. Probably one of the funniest ATHF-style abrupt endings in the show's history.
Dummy Love : Murderous dummies haunt the Aqua Teens and Carl.
I loved the twisted take on the horror cliche that no matter what..the antagonist will keep coming back illogically. I didn't really get the repetition of "KILL..KILL!" from the dummies, but when they started "getting along" while repeating their respective words, I died. I also love how Shake takes advantage of their regenerating abilities. The exact creativity that reminds me why I love this show.
The Marines : Meatwad and Shake find themselves joining the Marines while Frylocke finds himself in Canada.
Only one of 3 episodes this season that I found to be mediocre. To do a Saw parody is so unlike ATHF that it was off putting. The Marine goings on were pretty amusing but the end just petered out into rehash. I'm glad they realized they rehashed from the movie, but It just proves to me that they had the potential to do better. Instead they were lazy and made a joke from it instead of fixing it ala Family Guy.
Bible Fruit : Frylocke invites his new friends from myspace to come to a party and they turn out to be born again christian fruits.
Following a bad episode comes one of the best ATHF episodes yet. Same thing happens in the 4 exclusive episodes, a bit inconsistent this season. Anyway, this episode was grand. The humor is so black and dark and disturbing here and it's executed perfectly with great dialogue and great delivery. "Just pour me a little bit of a full glass of that rum." I might be enjoying this episode more because I know born-again Christians who annoy me terribly. So, the smack down on such people was really satisfying.
Commentary : Tracks on Reedickyoulous, Hoppy Bunny, and The Marines.
Yay! I was happy to see a return to commentary, since volume 5 didn't have any. The commentaries are funny and have lots of variety. The first is a standard cast & Crew thing, the second had 2 gents who helped write this season that were fired (so there was lots of anger towards the big wigs in it), and the third had a military dude who talked about military goings-ons. All three were funny thanks to Dana Snyder and the last gave an interesting spin on an episode I otherwise didn't enjoy very much (the Marines).
Disc 2 : Houses the 4 never before seen episodes and all of the extras.
Gene E : The Aqua Teen's find a Genie while dumpster diving.
I really, really loved the beginning of the episode. Once they all turn invisible, it goes downhill fast. It seems like they just came up with a plot device that would allow them to just animate objects floating as to save money. The first half or so was genius though, particularly Gene E's actions and the idea to open him up and make a serum from his "Genie Gland".
Shake Like Me : When shake is bitten by a radioactive black man he turns black himself.
Woah. I wasn't expecting the exclusive episodes to have an episode THIS good. It's honestly one of the best ATHF episodes ever made. It was so ridiculously and extremely racist but I just couldn't stop laughing. The inclusion of Boxy Brown to spice up the newly african-americanized Shake plot line was great. It's not an endless stream of black jokes, either, it's an equally racist episode towards whites as well. "Your new name is now..Mocha Shake-a Kahn"

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AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE VOL 6 - DVD Movie

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The Venture Bros.: Season Three (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Venture Bros. is without a doubt my favorite TV show, and has been for a while. There is so much to enjoy about this show it's hard to know where to start. The writers (Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, also the voices of many of the characters) have taken the Jonny Quest concept and warped it beyond recognition into a tremendously enjoyable viewing experience. One thing I love about this show is Doc and Jackson's absolute refusal to dumb down the material in any way, shape or form. If you don't get a joke or a reference, you just have to rewind the DVD and watch again, or go online, or watch earlier shows (shows often refer back to tiny details in past shows, which you're expected to just know). Sometimes the jokes come from so far out of left field I end up shaking my head in amazement, as with an episode where two Men In Black-style government agents identify themselves as lepidopterists (as opposed to philatelists -- it'll make sense in context). Season 3 offers the same great writing as the first two seasons, but the look of the show has been dramatically improved with the 16x9 aspect ratio. The DVDs are also completely uncensored (I was amazed at how many swear words were in the episodes). This show can be enjoyed on many levels: the crazy comedy, the characters (who are endearing despite, or perhaps because of, their many foibles), the terrific over-the-top action sequences, the satire, the references, the amazingly convoluted backstory, and just the utter out-and-out insanity of every episode. The one negative thing is that the story has gotten sufficiently involved that it would be hard for a new viewer to really get what was going on by watching these episodes; you really need to buy the first two box sets (you can thank me later). Actually, there's another negative thing: after watching The Venture Bros., other TV shows seem depressingly stupid and boring by comparison.

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Item Name: The Venture Bros.: Season Three [Blu-ray]; Studio:Turner Home Ent

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Volume One (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my current favorite DVD series. It's so absurd a premise and so beyond the pale of most cartoon series out there these days, that it has infinite appeal to both my sixteen year old son and to me. Our dynamic trio and their next door Jersey neighbor, the tank top wearing Carl, are the funniest toon characters in Television land. That's saying a lot as television is currently witnessing a true renaissance of cartoon humor.
The creators are the same crew that brought us the equally silly, but cutting edge SPACEGHOST COAST TO COAST. The same sort of hip, off colour humor that informed that show is at play here, only more so. My favorite segment involves a manic depressive, deadbeat, suicidal doll who has a negative, lifeforce-draining impact on all who come in contact with him. Other highlights include a pair of aliens who look as if they've escaped from some crude '70s Atari game. The punk talking little alien, err, is particularly amusing.
Of the three main characters, my favorite is Meatwad, the mush mouthed, single toothed meatball, whose speech is almost unintelligble, but who is delightfully, stupidly impressionable.
If you're in the mood for some absolutely mindless, but hysterically hip comic relief, give this DVD set a try. The extras aren't that much to write home about, but no contemporary toon buff should be without this two disc set in his/her collection.
If you have a sensibilty that is as warped as mine is, and you enjoy The Simpsons, South Park, Beavis and Butthead, The Family Guy, etc., I'm certain that you will enjoy this anti-superhero trio.
BEK

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Watch Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad, three people-sized food products in the throes of adolescence, solve mysteries and swim in their neighbor's pool.

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Moral Orel, Vol. 1, The Unholy Edition (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's from Common Sense Media:
"Created by Dino Stamatopoulos, a writer known for his regular contributions to adult comedy shows like Late Night with Conan O'Brien and TV Funhouse, this sinfully clever stop-motion series packs a wallop of a message in a short amount of time -- and, in essence, that's part of the problem. In fact, so much controversial humor peppers the show's 15-minute run that the shock value of the humor could overshadow the program's subtle message.
So while adults are more likely to see MORAL OREL for what it is -- a biting social satire mocking religious fundamentalism and hypocrisy within the Christian church -- kids (even some older teens) probably won't be able to appreciate the true sophistication of the humor. (And in case you were wondering, young children definitely won't get the joke.)
Borrowing its distinctive animation style from classic Rankin-Bass shows like Davey and Goliath, Moral Orel follows the often-shocking misadventures of 11-year-old Orel Puppington (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence), a devoutly Christian boy who tries his best to live life by "the book" but often misinterprets God's teachings. Week after week, Orel's good intentions lead to disaster.
But instead of learning from his mistakes, Orel is usually led astray by his pseudo-reflective father, Clay (Scott Adsit), whose advice is rarely helpful and always misses the mark. For example, at the end of an episode chronicling Orel's brief addiction to crack cocaine, Mr. Puppington cautions Orel that crack "is a gateway to slang," prompting the boy to solemnly vow: "When I do drugs, I'm going to speak properly." Parents should be aware that those are the types of "lessons" kids could inadvertently learn from watching this show.
Fans of Moral Orel will undoubtedly enjoy South Park and will probably also get a kick out of revisiting old episodes of Davey and Goliath for some pointed comparisons. Other recommendations include Strangers with Candy, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons."
And a Common Sense Note states:
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that while this satirical Cartoon Network comedy is animated, it's part of the Adult Swim line-up for a reason: It's rife with graphic humor and isn't appropriate for young children. (For example, when the 11-year-old Orel takes a drag from his very first crack pipe, he snaps at his talking Jesus figurine and tells him to shut up.) Troubling content aside, however, the show can serve as a way for parents and older teens to talk about the pitfalls of religious fanaticism -- although families who are deeply religious may find the program offensive.
Families can discuss the ways in which religious dogma can be misinterpreted by those with good intentions. Does a person who is considered to be religious always act morally? What statement are the creators of this series making about the state of modern-day Christianity? How does this cartoon compare with Davey and Goliath, the early 1960s animated series it gently parodies?

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In Moral Orel, a 15-minute stop-motion, animated series created by Dino Stamatopoulos, Orel, an 11-year-old boy who loves church, just wants to do God's work. His unbridled enthusiasm for piousness and his misinterpretations of religious morals, however, often lead to disastrous results - including self-mutilation and crack addiction. But no matter how much trouble he gets into, his reverence and faith keep him cheery to the bitter end. The DVD contains 15 uncensored episodes from the first and second seasons, along with all-new uncensored bonus materials! DVD Features:Additional ScenesFeaturette:Behind-the-scenes FeaturetteOther:God's Chef - Director's Cut Unedited Version Original Opening Credit animation End Credit Animation

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Shin Chan: Season One, Part One Review

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(More customer reviews)Shin Chan is an anime in Japan for kids, however, the adapted series for America is far from it. Adult Swim and Funimation re-wrote the dialogue of the show to suit the viewers of Adult Swim. Cultural references are also changed to things Americans can relate to. This box set is the collection of the six "test" episodes as well as the sixteen episodes Adult Swim picked up to complete the full season. This dvd set is defidently a must buy if you do not offend easily.

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"While the humor is gross, potty-mouthed and generally exceedingly strange, it’s also damn funny." ---Newsarama.com Shin Chan…first time on DVD! Laugh to hide your tears… He’s rude. He’s crass. He’s unbelievably obnoxious and he likes showing his @$$. He’s Shin, and he’s the star of this train wreck. From superhero sell-outs, hotties and half-tards to bunny abuse and dirty old men, Shin chan gives unwholesome family fun a whole new spin… Silicone enhanced! Learn the fate of Whitey, poke fun at Mitzi’s breasts or follow along on Ench-Man’s quests – It’s your choice! With 13 outrageous uncensored episodes the possibilities are endless! Wanna play a game of hide and drink? Falling off the wagon is always better with company! Shin chan: The show with very little adventure but plenty of action!?!

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Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job: Season 2 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I grow very tired of having to explain my love for this show to people who seem offended by it's very existence.
To sum it up, dumb it down, and wrap it in a convienent "awkward" little package for people who constantly feel the need to question the merit of this shows humor, I will give examples of WHY the show appeals to me:
1) I enjoy the shows vibrant use of colors. This may seem irrelevant or a ridiculous reason to some, but I find the look of the show to be aesthetically pleasing to my eye. Visually, if I like what I see, that keeps me watching.
2) I enjoy Davin Woods music he creates to accompany certain segments of the show. The man knows what he is doing and is very talented at what he does. Think of the music that accompanies the Cinco commercials, the shows intro, or the hilariously mellodramatic music that plays during the "Damnit" bit of the "Hacky Sack Extreme" skit in Season One.
3) I find that the show brilliantly parodies media. In Paticular, the awkwardness of "live television" (Steve Brule, Married News Team). Local afternoon news shows ("The New You"). Ridiculous "caught on video, candid camera" style shows (Spagett). And last but not least, the shameless companies that will churn out useless products just so you will plunk down your hard earned dollar on crap you could live without (Cinco product commercials). There is loads of subtext here...and if you don't see it, you may be blind.
4) I love the bizarre way that they mix comedy with elements of horror. (Lazy Horse Mattresses, "It's Not Jackie Chan", The Child Clown Safety Video, Maria Bamford's very realistic potrayal of severe mental illness, "Druwing on Drawing" etc.)5) I love the editing style, I am especially a fan of the "Glitch" segments.6) The attention to detail. Any number of segments look like they could have come straight out of 1993, and if taken out of context of the show you would be hard pressed, in some cases, to find evidence proving otherwise.
7) The guys seem like they are genuinely having fun with the show and the universe they have created. They believe in their work, regardless of the many people who just "Don't get it" or "get it but don't like it". I respect that.I could go on and on but you get the idea. While YOU may not like it, and that is your perrogative, many people DO...so much so that the show is on it's 4th season and a 5th season has recently been greenlit.
The show will continue to exist and cause many late night couch potatoes, who haven't joined the fold, to scratch their collective head and wonder "How the hell does anybody find this funny?". If you have ever found yourself asking that question, try not being so offensive and realize that the buck doesn't stop with you. Humor is subjective.

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What do Emmy® nominated Rainn Wilson and Oscar® nominated Jeff Goldblum have in common with Richard Dunn? They are a part of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!™ Season Two. The 10 episode season also features Spaghetti and Bread...Harritty -- as it takes the audience on a whirlwind tour through unexplored caves of television comedy. Viewers are also encouraged to keep on the lookout for comedian James Quall, as he makes his small screen debut.

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Home Movies - Season One (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)My fandom of the Adult Swim block on the Cartoon Network began with the underrated but ingenious "Home Movies" and ended with its departure. It was originally aired on UPN and was cancelled after this first season. The truth is that Home Movies belonged to a special niche and the people in charge of the Adult Swim made the brilliant decision to pick Home Movies up and give the show the chance it deserved... and they haven't made a decision that good since.
Home Movies was one of the few shows on the Adult Swim one can honestly say was smart enough to actually be for adults. The situations, the characters and their backgrounds, and the socially-advanced way these 8 year olds communicate with each other, and the child-like way they approached life is what makes Home Movies the gem it is.
The loose dialogue and seemingly unrehearsed improv the characters perform gives the show a unique feel of maturity, especially in this first season. One could say that in the first season the characters and their conversations are almost too adult (in an intellectual sense). In later seasons the dialogue seems less improvised; more structured and scripted, but still holds its comic edge.
What costs Home Movie Season 1 a star in my review is this little thing known as "Squigglevision". Those of us familiar with shows like Dr. Katz or "Ed, Edd and Eddy" will know what squigglevision is. It is a very annoying method of animation where all the lines "squiggle" to give the art a more hand-drawn look as if each frame was done by hand and then animated. It bothers me, but it doesn't take away from the shows humor which is what makes Home Movies what it is and is not used beyond season 1.
Since the cancellation of Home Movies the Adult Swim block has fallen into a quagmire of dumb shows that use what I like to call "random comedy". In other words shows that tell no story, but simply have left-field events take place with no core or anything for me to relate to. Their new shows--- such as "Squidbillies" and "Tom Goes to the Mayor"--- demonstrates how shows like Home Movies made Adult Swim Comedy the perfect Sunday night treat that it once was (for me), and now how badly Adult Swim's creative people need rehab (in my opinion).
Thanks to Soup 2 Nuts, Brendon Small and Loren Bouchard for giving me such a warm and intelligent comedy program. I wish it had another 5 seasons, but the Home Movies DVDs will become a beloved addition to my DVD library. I hope this review helped a little, and many thanks for taking the time to read my worthless opinion.
Adult Swim still has the Venture Brothers, Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law- still some of the best comedy on TV, but it hasn't gotten better than "Home Movies" for me, and after seeing the random direction Adult Swim seems to be taking their comedy block, I strongly doubt it ever will.

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Seen for four seasons on Cartoon Network's [adult swim] – Home Movies is now on DVD in a deluxe 3-disc set! Home Movies Season One features the first 13 episodes of the favorite series seen on Cartoon Network’s [adult swim]. The irreverent animated comedy hit television series chronicles the life of pint-sized, aspiring filmmaker, Brendon Small. Brendon - a jaded third grader who happens to have the brain of a twenty-something - uses his video camera to cope with the trials of his eight-year-old life. Plus these special features: -Interviews with Brendon Small, Jon Benjamin and Loren Bouchard - Real home-made short films by Home Movies stars Brendon Small and Jon Benjamin -Animated menus from the Soup2Nuts creative team -Commentaries from the cast and creators -Closed Captioning -Animatics (episode storyboards) -Animation Galleries

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Death Note - Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)"Death Note" the anime is finally arriving on American shores and it's about time. The manga is hugely popular in both Asia and the USA and has even been banned in China due to it's perceived bad influence on students. There have also been two live-action films. So how does this story translate to the small screen? Having not read the comic, I saw this show with fresh eyes and it practically ruled my life until I finished it. This is one of the most intriguing, complex, and unique television shows of any genre and you will be missing out if you choose to pass it by.
The story focuses on a boy, Light Yagami, who comes across a notebook at school one day. He takes it home and reads it's contents, finding instructions for using this "Death Note" (as it's labeled). Any human whose name is written in it, dies. Naturally, one would assume that this was a joke, so he tries it out on a criminal holding hostages live on television. It works, all right. A normal child would probably burn it, or at least hide it away and never use it again, but Light is an exceptional boy, one with an (almost) unrivalled intellect and a severe hatred of crime; not to mention a megalomaniacal streak a mile across. So he decides to use his new found power to rid the world of criminals and establish a new world order with him playing God and delivering justice as he sees fit. Shortly after finding the Note, Light meets it's owner, a shinigami (death god) named Ryuk who is one of the most psychotic-looking anime/manga creations ever; like the Joker had a baby with a feathered demon or something. So why would a shinigami like Ryuk want to leave a Death Note in the human world? Why, because he was bored and that's just how Ryuk rolls. He's a disturbingly likeable character with an addiction to apples -which symbolize original sin, of course, and serve as kind of a symbol for the series- and an antagonistic nature that has him constantly cackling in the background as the events of the series play out. He also gives Light somebody to talk too in his solitude, lest the series get too bogged down with voice-overs.
Soon, people take notice of the deaths and the hunt for Light is on. He is dubbed "Kira", a Japanese corruption of "killer", and a special investigation team is formed, headed by a reclusive genius detective that goes by the name "L". L's intellect matches Light's and the chess-like move-and-countermove game between them is mind-boggling to watch and forms the base of the series. As a character, L is a true original: a pale-faced boy with deep black owlish eyes, a series of of unsettlingly bizarre habits and mannerisms, and an insatiable sweet tooth. He is the closest thing "Death Note" has to a true hero (discounting the side characters such as Light's father, who risk their lives by aiding in L's investigation) since the protagonist is a cold-blooded killer who soon begins hunting and killing those sent to investigate Kira. The result of all this is a wild ride that will leave your head spinning at times and make you appreciate just how good writing can get for a television series.
Once you start this show, you will not be able to stop as the plot constantly thickens, more characters are introduced and killed off, earth-shattering developments and brilliant schemes play out before your stunned eyes, and the story just keep adding more and more layers until you feel immersed in this world of constant struggle for the future of the earth. All this from one notebook. It was a cool concept to start with, but the unbelievable writing is what makes this anime must-see material. Welcome to your new obsession.

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Meet Light Yagami, a brilliant but bored high school student whose life is changed when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami, or god of death, named Ryuk. When Light discovers that any human whose name is written in the book dies, he vows to use its power to rid the world of evil. But every action has its consequences, and Light soon finds himself in a life or death battle of wits with the mysterious genius detective called L. Humanity itself becomes the battleground to determine what form of justice will prevail!

Episode 1: Rebirth
Brilliant but bored high school student Light Yagami suddenly finds himself holding the power of life and death in his hands--the power of the Death Note! He decides to rid the world of evil--by killing off criminals one by one. When the murders start to pile up, genius detective L is on the case, and an epic battle of wits unfolds!

Episode 2: Confrontation
While the world's criminals continue to drop dead, L meets by computer with representatives from various nations. He requests that a task force be set up in Japan, under the direction of none other than Soichiro Yagami, Light's father!

Episode 3: Dealings
Ryuk, the shinigami, or god of death, who dropped the Death Note into the human world, warns Light that someone is on his trail. Light is troubled that he can't find out the identity of his tracker, and Ryuk suggests an amazing deal...

Episode 4: Pursuit
Light--now known to the world as Kira--tests the Death Note to understand the scope of its powers by killing off six convicts in various ways--and confirms he can control his victims' actions before they die!

Episode 5: Tactics
Soichiro Yagami demands to meet with L in person when he finds out that L has secretly brought FBI agents into Japan. Light, meanwhile, has found a way to get those very FBI agents off the case--permanently!

Episode 6: Unraveling
Light meets a woman at the Police Department with an urgent message for the Kira task force. As son of the chief investigator, Light listens to her story and is startled to discover she has information that could lead to his arrest!

Episode 7: Overcast
Light uses the Death Note to try to get rid of the woman who could get him captured, and is shocked when it doesn't work. Realizing she must have given him an alias, he's got only minutes to find out her real name before she spills her story to the task force!

Episode 8: Glare
L insists on setting up bugs and cameras in the homes of members of the Japanese task force, including the Yagamis'. But Light is a step ahead as usual--he knows he's being watched!

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The Venture Bros: Season 4, Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the worst Venture Bros. DVD product yet to be released. This has nothing to do with the quality of the episodes, which are among the best in the series, nor the quantity. It has everything to do with the poor presentation that falls far short of the excellence found in the previous Venture Bros. DVD sets.
The cover to the actual DVD case is somewhat amusing, but we get this poor joke at the cost of doing without the amazing artwork that graced the previous seasons' DVD cases. This is an unfortunate loss, but it's only worsened by the fact that the entire packaging feels very cheap in comparison to previous efforts.
Opening the DVD case, all you get is the DVD, with a decent cover image, and a slip of paper with an image from one of the props in an episode on it. Don't bother turning the paper over, since it's only a coupon for free shipping from the adult swim store on the other side. If this is the kind of product that adult swim now churns out, I don't think I'll be cashing in my coupon anytime soon.
They could have easily done something with the inside cover, but it remains the same dull black as the plastic case. It's also one of those eco-friendly DVD cases that have the bits of plastic removed from behind the DVD, and this makes the case feel even more flimsy and cheap in comparison to others.
The provided commentaries are also ridiculous. Apparently Jackson and Doc have yet to figure out how to do a proper commentary. The commentaries are mixed with terrible technical issues, roaring cars in the background, and flat out nonsense throughout. Occasionally you will hear something interesting or worthwhile, but these might have been things you already knew or noticed yourself.
The extras are barely there. I appreciate the inclusion of the "Lost" open, since it was quite good and apparently didn't make its way into the proper episode, however the comic-con trailer and the deleted scenes are definitely not worth the time.
The video quality was average for a DVD, but I'm still crossing my fingers for a Bluray release that looks as great as the season 3 Bluray, includes the entirety of season 4, and fixes all of the above.
It's worth owning for the episodes alone, however if you're like me and believe a comedy show like the Venture Bros. is funnier if it remains censored, you may wish to skip this DVD entirely and simply buy the censored episodes off iTunes or something. Jackson and Doc both made the comment in a previous DVD's commentary that they believed uncensoring the Venture Bros. was equivalent to removing jokes from their creation, in effect making it less funny. Why on Earth the seasons have been receiving uncensored releases since Season 3 is beyond me. Some of the greatest scenes of season 3 were totally ruined because of it (scenes from The Doctor is Sin, and The Buddy System), but at the very least season 4 isn't totally uncensored. Only the language track has been uncensored. You will still see the occasional censor bar or blurring in some of the episodes.
In the end, I was disappointed with this release. I am optimistic that they will right their wrongs with a future Bluray set, but this has yet to be confirmed.

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Questions are answered and truths are revealed. Learn how Henchman 21 copes with life without 24. See what happens when Brock and the Venture family are forced to part ways. Discover the final fate of H.E.L.P.eR. And all the while, the balance of the free world hangs in the hands of Dean Venture, who must kill Hitler.

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Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)****The movie only is censored if you don't go into the language selection menu and select the uncensored option.****

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In this exclusive 88 minute DVD premiere, featuring brand new, never before seen content, Stewie, the maniacal baby genius, is distracted from his plans for world domination when he sees a man who looks just like him on television. Convinced that this man must be his real father (after all, how could he possibly share genetic material with the dimwitted Peter?), Stewie sets off on a cross-country road trip to find him. But his incredible journey leads him to discoveries far more vile and shocking that anything found in his diaper.

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Futurama - Bender's Big Score (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Yes! The Year 3000 is back!! This is all-new material, NOT RECYCLED or from 4 seasons offered in volumes 1-4 or Monster Fun. All new from the Simpson's creator Matt Groening and the Futurama team.
It's here the first of the 4 "NEW" FUTURAMA direct-to-DVD videos, 3 of which will be released throughout 2008. Following "BENDER'S BIG SCORE" will be, "INTO THE WILD GREEN YONDER" then, "BENDER'S GAME" and THE BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS." The features will be cut into an episode format to air eventually on Comedy Central, not Cartoon Network.
Each of these feature the brilliant original voice talent, from the short-lived fox series: John Di Maggio (as Bender and others), Dave Herman (as the Honorable Mayor C. Randall Poopenmayer and more ) Katey Sagal (Leela), Phil LaMarr (Hermes), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong), Billy West (Fry, Zoidberg, Farnsworth, an other Futurama, but known as Stimpy and from the Howard Stern Show, West does the best LARRY FINE in the business), old school veterans like Frank Welker (here for Nibbler but he's the original Fred Jones, if you saw Saturday morning, you can bet he was in it) and Maurice LaMarche (as Morbo, but LaMarche was on the original Transformers, amoung other projects) and Tress a.k.a. "Skinner's Mom" MacNeille (most recently played the "Spider-Pig" in Simpson's Movie). This time around Sarah Silverman is a guest along with others, like Star War's Mark Hamill.
The Story:
The Planet Express crew are back, only to be accidently sold to evil nudist aliens in an internet racket (remember kids don't give out personal info. on-line). The aliens desire information and upon learning the secret of paradox-free time travel is tatooed onto Fry's butt, the turn Bender into an evil (well more-evil) time-traveling killing/stealing machine. Incidently, Leela nearly wed, a major character is beheaded and the Universe is torn asunder.
This paradox-free nature creates an op for lots of return appearances and cool cameos. The opening credits goof nicely on the epic-DVD movie release, filled with glam-shots of the characters and their full names. Any questions explained are quickly replaced by more confusing questions.
The spirit of the original series is easily matched and able to sustain the 89 min. movie format.
As always the Futurama DVD extras are insanely funny and worthly of the name "special features." For example, a full-episode of "EVERYBODY LOVES HYPNOTOAD" (a 20+ min. gag that you need to let run in its course to fully appreciate the joke), an animated promo for Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, a MATH LECTURE, I said a "MATH LECTURE" really! Many of the Producers & writers involved with Futurama are Math Majors even PHDs. So the Math Lecture is a full segment in which a Math Prof. discusses and explains the use of math in the original series as well as the new material. The lecture also explains the ALIEN SYMBOLS and even reveals a hidden character to help truly OCD fans to decode the latest symbols.
Other extras include Comic-Con full-cast Futurama comicbook reading!
I can't wait for the next installment of the DVD series.

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FUTURAMA THE MOVIE:BENDER'S BIG SCORE - DVD Movie

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Sealab 2021 - Season 1 (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you stay awake long enough to catch Adult Swim on Cartoon Network Sunday nights (starts around 10:30 p.m. CST, my old time zone- now I'm on the east coast, and everything starts an hour later), check out "Sealab 2021". It's a spoof off the old 1972 cartoon "Sealab 2020", except that the original '72 crew has been replaced by a bunch of lunatics who probably shouldn't be allowed out of doors. Perhaps that's why they've been confined to an underwater lab where they can't hurt anybody (well, almost anybody). We loyal fans have long awaited Adult Swim gems to come on DVD, and with "Sealab 2021", you get the following eppys:
*I, ROBOT- News of a monkey whose brain has been implanted in a robot prompts the crew to have a long-winded "discussion" about the fate of their own brains.
*HAPPYCAKE- Captain Murphy is devestated to find his beloved Happy Cake Oven is missing, and orders the crew, along with a Jacques Cousteau-like narrator, to search the waters for it. Meanwhile, a giant squid endangers the life of the crew; or as the narrator sees it, "uses it's tentacles to cradle me like a Mother's arms".
*RADIO FREE SEALAB- Captain Murphy is bored and decides to use the lab's emergency radio beacon for a pirate radio station, starring as "Howling Mad" Murphy.
*CHICKMATE- Debbie questions the male crewmembers to see who will make the best Father for the baby she wants immediately, and Stormy almost learns a valuable lesson in race relations.
*LOST IN TIME- Bizarre episode in which Stormy and Dr. Quinn are mysteriously transported 15 minutes back in time to save Sealab from an explosion- even though the same explosion happens again, starting the vicious cycle all over again.
*PREDATOR- There's an invisible yet shimmery ghoul aboard Sealab that has the crew cowering in the corners. It's up to Dr. Quinn (with Dolphin Boy as bait) to capture the fiend.
*LITTLE ORPHAN ANGRY- Griffin, a terminally ill orphan, comes aboard Sealab to live out his dream. But Griffin's heart is not as pure as everyone thinks. Meanwhile, Capt. Murphy morphs into a germ-a-phobe freak as he fears a Bubonic Plague outbreak.
*WAKING QUINN- The eppy is a bit hard to follow- Stormy wants to show Dr. Quinn his new hairdryer while Quinn is in the water- yes, Dr. Quinn is electrocuted and bizarre happenings are afoot.
*ALL THAT JAZZ- In one of the funniest episodes, Capt. Murphy gets trapped underneath the BeBop Cola machine. Unfortunately for him, everyone else is at a concert. A year transpires before he is found, and in that time he loses all his teeth and becomes addicted to scorpion venom.
*MURPHY MURPH AND THE FENG SHUI BUNCH- This is my all-time fave eppy. Capt. Muprhy is dissatisfied with the disharmoy of the Sealab decor. He hires an extortionate Feng Shui "master" to redecorate everything- but "Master Loo" is a con artist who convinces the crew to buy his crap oragami and persuades Murphy to spend $50,000 on a solid gold toilet. Ofcourse, only Dr. Quinn sees through him.
*IN THE CLOSET- Capt. Murphy gets everyone stlocked in a closet, and tempers begin to flare.
*STIMUTACS- The ver witty Sparks has come up with a new drug that everyone wants,but the side effects are grotesque- and additctive.
*SWIMMING IN OBLIVION- A compliation of past episodes dominates this season finaale, including the informercials for the "Debbie Gone Wild!" DVD's.
Some of Sealab's best episodes were in it's first season, and thankfully they're all here.

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It is the year 2021. In this mind-bogglingly distant future, Sealab rises imperiously from the ocean's floor, her crew charged with exploring the possibility of underwater colonization. That is, when they're not fighting giant squids over a toy oven.* Or running pirate radio stations. Or trying to put their brains into robot bodies. Or going back in time. Or being attacked by flesh-ripping aliens. Or becoming addicted to scorpion venom. Or getting stuck in a storage closet. Or going back in time again. Captain Murphy. Marco. Debbie. Stormy. Doctor Quinn. Dolphin Boy. They're all inside this box, screaming to get out so they can live inside your television. So buy the damn thing and set them free. You'll beridiculously glad you did. Promise. *Makes real cupcakes! With a 40-watt bulb!DVD Features:Alternate endingsDeleted ScenesFeaturetteOther

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Vol. 7 Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, so this is another great ATHF DVD for your collection. The episodes are hilarious (way better than the past few seasons), and the contents of this DVD are great. There are two cons: only one disc, only 11 episodes. All the other ATHF sets had two discs and had around 13 episodes (some had more). However, it has great special features, like recording the Rubberman song, Carl auditions for the live action episode, Terror-Phone 2, and more. The box art is interesting, with a Carl-designed cardboard case on the outside and a generic DVD case inside. As I stated earlier, the episodes on this DVD beat the hell out of the past two seasons of ATHF. Not that those seasons were bad, but these episode are far superior!
Episodes on this disc (in order of how they are on the DVD):
1. Creature From Plaque Lagoon
2. Time Machine
3. Two-And-A-Half Star Wars Out Of 5
4. Fry Legs
5. Der Inflatable Fuhrer
6. The Last One Forever And Ever
7. Rubberman
8. Rabbot Redux
9. Monster
10. Multiple Meats
11. Eggball

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force returns to the air for its 7th season on Adult Swim. Fans of the surreal animated comedy series will find Frylock, Meatwad, and Master Shake are still grappling with the bizarre and absurd down by the Jersey Shore.

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Superjail: Season One Review

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(More customer reviews)SuperJail is by far one of the greatest pieces of animation to hit TV in the last ten years.
Clearly it's not for younger viewers as it was developed for the AdultSwim programming block on Cartoon Network.
As I mentioned before this is not a review of the Show, but of AdiultSwim's DVD product.
While the show is great in and of itself, this DVD is not.
Once again Adultswim is releasing a DVD with an "UNCENSORED" sticker on the package (Like they did with the Metyalocalypse DVDs) when this content is still COMPLETELY CENSORED as it was on the original Cablecasts and "air dates".
This is ridiculous.
I bought this DVD to see this amazing show without the silly BLACK BARS over images and without loud BEEPS over language.
Instead only the animatics, -the auxiliary extra content- is free of censor beeps etc.
I hope Adultswim smartens up and eventually releases these shows uncut, uncensored as they are currently advertising -falsely.
I doubt I'll be buying more Adultswim DVDs outside of the Venture Bros. releases (which actually are UNCENSORED as advertised)
I received this DVD in the mail on Thursday, and I just sold it this morning.
I'm waiting for the real uncensored version if it ever comes out.
-SJ

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Superjail is the largest and most brutal prison in the world. Built in an active volcano, this complex routinely has riots and murders, though nobody is ever able to escape. The Warden, who is in charge of the prison, has gone insane over the years and has decided to make his prison unlike any other in the world. Superjail! will focus on the crazy antics that occur inside the prison.

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Metalocalypse: Season 2 (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you like Metal, _This Is Spinal Tap_, "Beavis and Butthead", the mockumentary genre, lots of death and explosions, other Adult Swim shows, brilliant writing and animation, great comedy, dark humor, buy this DVD collection now. Support quality programs on Adult Swim. They ruthlessly kill off good shows as seemingly as often as people get offed in Metalocalypse. Season 2 sees the return of characters introduced in the first series, some of whom viewers were given the impression were probably dead or gone for good. This was a pleasant surprise as is the further development of the characters. There's more to some of them than you first realize. Season 2 also continues to follow a certain strange top secret orginization monitor and cause trouble for the band. It does have me curious how they'll wrap that up. I do know this - the concluding episodes of seasons 1 and 2 are so kick *** they leave you wanting more.

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METALOCALYPSE:SEASON TWO - DVD Movie

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The Venture Bros. - Season Two (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)The second season of Adult Swim's The Venture Bros. surpasses its first in nearly every way. The first season introduced us to the Venture universe, which is occupied by hilarious characters who never cease to reach new levels of incompetance. Many of the episodes were laugh-out-loud hilarious that remained so throughout the entire half hour. So if season 1 was taht good, yet this year is so much better, that really says something to the quality of season 2.
The precredits sequence of the season premiere, "Powerless in the Face of Death", is amazing to watch, though some of its power may be lost on DVD. There was a 2-year gap between seasons 1 and 2, and season 1 ended with the deaths of Hank and Dean Venture, the title characters. In the hiatus period, there was a lot of speculation of how the show would go on (Dr. Thaddeus Venture and his brother Jonas Venture, Jr. would be the new Venture Bros., Dr. Orpheus would ressurect them, Dr. Venture would clone them, Dr. Venture would use the Grover Cleveland time machine to save them), and it would be an understatement to say that fans were eagerly awaiting to see what happened next. Set to the tune of the song Everybody's Free, the opening sequence is a montage of the various major characters, reminding us where they were left and how they are dealing with their various situations. Dr. Orpheus is still upset about the boys' deaths, for which he blames himself, the Monarch is still in prison while Dr. Girlfriend appears happy, if somewhat bored, living with Phantom Limb, and the Mondarch's henchmen have nowhere else to go after blowing up the Coccoon lair. Pete White and Master Billy Quizboy have fitted Jonas with a robotic hand replacing his deformed chicken-wing-like appendage. Meanwhile, it appears that Dr. Venture hasn't been coping well with his sons deaths. He steals the X-1 jet, forcing his bodyguard Brock Samson to go on a global hunt for the good doc.
By the end of the first episode, we find out the creepy truth about the Venture Bros, which was heavily hinted at in the first season. From there the 13 episodes of the season, with possibly one exception, are superb. One thing I liked this year was that there was a little more of an overarching story to the season. The first year had episodes that were pretty much all stand-alone stories, which work with a show like the Venture Bros., but I'm a huge fan of serialized story-telling, and when I started to see developing stories at the end of season 1, I was really excited. The season's arc actually has to do with the villains, though. It is about the Monarch's quest to get Dr. Girlfriend back from Phantom Limb. The first two episodes of the season show how he escapes from prison and begins to rebuild his influence. Throughout the season, episodes like "Victor. Echo. November." and "I Know Why The Caged Bird Kills" show the hilarious journey that the Monarch takes to win back his love from a vastly superior villain.
Still, there are plenty of stand-alone episodes. In my opinion, no other Venture episode embodies that idea so well than "Escape From the House of Mummies, Part II". The episode satirizes multi-episode stories, as there is no Part I, but it also pulls a huge trick by switching around the A and B stories. While the story of Hank, Dean, and Brock's journey through a cursed temple accompanied by various historical figures would normally be the focus of the episode, it is merely the backup story that supplements the story of a silly bet between Dr. Orpheus and Dr. Venture over whether magic or science is superior. "Twenty Years to Midnight" is a great example of parody of adventure tales, with the Venture family trying to track down various pieces of a machine built by Hank and Dean's grandfather. The Impossible family, a wonderfully twisted parody of the Fantastic Four, show up to make things more difficult for the Ventures, and a cameo by Johnny Quest (the main influence of the show) make for an amazing episode. Nearly every episode was phenominal (with the exception of "Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner?", which even the creators kind of agree with), from "Fallen Arches", which introduces Dr. Orpheus' old team to "Hate Floats", which features a team-up of Phantom Limb and Brock.
The season ends with the 2-part extravaganza "Showdown at Cremation Creek", which completely changes the status quo for the next season. There is a wedding, a huge battle led by Brock and soldiered by the Monarch's henchmen, a bizarre fantasy sequence involving Dean filling in the role of the lead in The Neverending Story, and David Bowie! It ends with a great cliffhanger, though after having the title characters die, it would be hard to match the season 1 cliffhanger.
While there are plenty of crazy situations, the show wouldn't be half of what it is without the amazing characters. With few exceptions, everyone in the Venture universe is somehow a failure. Dr. Venture is utterly incompetant as a "super-scientist" despite what he believes, his sons are oblivious to nearly everything in life (Dean and Hank think that an erection is caused by evil spirits), and Brock, though a great bodyguard, has no self-control. The Monarch and his henchmen can barely do their "jobs"; the Monarch is jealous, weak, and unable to understand why people can't get anything done, while his henchmen are out of shape nerds who quiver at the words "Brock Samson". Though Dr. Orpheus is a competant necromancer, he is a know-it-all workaholic who drives away the people he cares about.
Most guest stars from season 1 returned, including the Pirate Captain, the Impossibles, Peter White and Billy Quizboy, Baron Underbheit, and the Impossibles. All of these characters were loved by fans, and were effectively used this year as well. But there were plenty of new characters this year that quickly became fan favorites as welll. Personally, I really want to see more of Jefferson Twighlight and The Alchemist, the two other members of Dr. Orpheus' group the Order of the Triad. Twilight is a parody of Blade and the Alchemist is a gay monk who can't really decided what to do with his life (voiced by Dana Snyder of Aqua Teen Hunger Force). Dr. Henry Killinger is a hilarious "consultant" whose true purpose is better left to be found out while watching. Finally, there was the strange Observor from "Twenty Years to Midnight", whose catchphrase "IGNORE ME!" was incredibly funny every time it was spoken.
Despite one misstep, this is a great season of animated television. Many shows on Adult Swim's lineup (that were created for AS) look awful; the animation and/or plot appear to be worth almost nothing, but the Venture Bros. is at the other end of the spectrum. Despite being underrated, it is one of the funniest cartoons I've ever seen, ranking up there with South Park and The Simpsons.

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An inspired spoof of 1960s action cartoons such as "Johnny Quest," The Venture Bros., follows the bizarre mis-adventures of Hank and Dean who believe themselves to be an unusually gifted team of "brains" and "braun" while actually possessing very little of either. The boys travel the world with their renowned scientist-father, Doctor Venture -- and treat even the most mundane situation as a bold new adventure. As a result, they often find themselves in danger with a host of oddball villains -- but rarely find their way out. The rely instead on their body-guard/undercover government agent Brock Sampson, voiced by Patrick Warburton of "The Tick" and "Seinfeld" fame, to save them. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:on all episodesDeleted ScenesOther:Tour of Astro-base Go!

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