Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Twenty-Five

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Twenty-Five: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends

So since that If movie came out with a similar premise from what I’ve read about, let’s talk about one of my favorite animation shows from Cartoon Network! Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is set in a universe where imaginary friends…are real. They have physical forms and live with the children who imagine them up. However, this show begs the question – what happens to those friends once their children no longer need them?

Our leads, eight-year-old Mac and his imaginary friend Bloo, end up getting in trouble with Mac’s mother – and she pressures him that he is too old for his imaginary friend and it’s time to say goodbye. Not wanting to abandon his best friend, the two discover they can go to a place they’ve seen a television advertisement for – an orphanage for all imaginary friends who are no longer needed by a child, allowed to live there until they are adopted by a new child of their own.

There’s plenty of antics throughout the series (as well as a few film specials that tell some pretty solid stories about the imaginary friends and their human children). We meet a lot of great characters, like Madame Foster who founded the home; her imaginary friend, a large rabbit named Mr. Herriman; Frankie Foster who helps run the home; Wilt, my favorite imaginary friend who was dreamed up by a child who wished to play basketball; Eduardo, a purple fluffball imaginary friend who is actually quite the scaredy cat despite his appearance; and Coco, the strangest imaginary friend of them all – and she only says Coco lol.

The theme song is a bop – first of all – and that score keeps going throughout the entirety of the series. Also, the writing is pretty great throughout. There’s a lot of great episodes and well-crafted designs when it comes to the Imaginary Friends living in the home and how they came to be. And all in all, the show itself told a great story of a boy who wasn’t going to give up on his friend and found a way to make sure he didn’t have to. We seem them all grow up together, Mac refusing to leave no matter how much he was pushed to. He was always there for Bloo, and even at the end, the two were able to stay close, even when they were apart in different homes.

It’s a lot of fun and a great animation from Craig McCracken and his team. It quickly become my favorite show from Cartoon Network, one I don’t think any other show has been able to top since.

Video from user Ryan Pineda

Video from user Jordan Fringe

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Thanks for reading today’s post! Another short and sweet one! I’m pretty a couple longer ones so I hope I can get those done before the end of this month’s challenge. I already have an idea for my next one should I continue into next month (or take a break to recharge – we’ll see). Lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Nineteen

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Nineteen: Bojack Horseman

When Bojack Horseman first hit the streets on Netflix in 2014, I had to admit I wasn’t pulled in immediately. Don’t get me wrong – the animation looked pretty quirky and fun but there was something about the advertising, the strange proportions of the animal-people versus the people-people, and with the plethora of adult animation hitting the streets at the time that were just…meh when it came to story, I wasn’t too sure about this one. However, I knew I would jump on the train eventually….and after one of my friends told me I had to check it out, I finally put on the first episode of Bojack Horseman and began binging the first season.

The story follows Bojack Horseman – a literal horse man who is a washed up comedy actor who was once the star of the 90s sitcom Horsin’ Around. Now living in obscurity in the Hollywood Hills in his home, this alcoholic/drug addict wants to make his comeback into the world – and follows the urging from those closest to him (I’m hesitating to use the word ‘Friend’ here – and if you’ve seen the series, you’d understand why) Bojack decides to write a novel about his life…actually, he hires a ghost writer named Diane Nguyen…and thus the series follows those adventures of Bojack and those around him as he tries to stay relevant in a world that has no problem ignoring his life. Seems pretty tame right? Ha, if only it were.

This series is pretty damn funny in the writing but don’t be fooled by the comedy. Even the opening sequence can show you the darkness that hides behind this series (btw if you never noticed before, the opening changes in every season of the show and showcases what will happen within that season – there’s a lot hidden in plain sight in this series – definitely recommend you keep your eyes peeled). There’s trigger warnings for suicidal thoughts, heavy drug and alcohol use, physical and emotional abuse, explorations into mental illness…this is just scratching the surface of what is talked about here. And yes, like most American television series – it can seem like there isn’t a continuous story going on in this show but despite the separate adventures, there’s always progress in the main goals of each season happening in each episode. And things that happen in previous episodes LAST in this series. Something happens to a character in season one? You better believe that will be shown and possibly even explored more in later seasons.

Bojack Horseman’s story…is pretty tragic all things considering. And this goes for many of the other characters we highlight. There’s a lot of trauma within their journeys, a lot of mistakes they’ve made or made against them affecting them in huge ways. But I do feel that as we watch the show and see where storylines in, there’s a lot of satisfying conclusions for almost all of them. But let’s be clear – just because Bojack is the main character…doesn’t mean he’s someone you should necessarily root for or look up to. He’s meant to be seen as an antagonist for those around him. He’s meant to be seen as trouble. And even in his growth, which is TOTALLY FINE TO ROOT FOR, you should understand that Bojack is very self-centered and continues to make many of the same mistakes. And sure, it’s never too late for someone to make a change in their life to do better; however, that doesn’t erase mistakes they did make and how those mistakes affected people, especially those that cared about him most. People like Princess Carolyn, a literal cat-lady who spends a good deal of time as Bojack’s agent (and also on-and-off again girlfriend/sex buddy) and forcing her into disappointing situations regularly even though he knows what he is doing hurts her deeply; Todd, Bojack’s roommate who came to his house for a party five years ago and never left – and Bojack tries very hard to keep Todd depending on him so much and sabotaging his growth as a person on a regular basis (sidenote: Todd’s also excellent asexual representation – I salute this as an ace myself!); Diana, whom Bojack fully has a crush on despite knowing she’s in a relationship with someone who desperately wants to be friends with Bojack – Mr. Peanutbutter, a dogman and also a 90s sitcom star. There’s are just the four main pulls but there’s PLENTY OF CHARACTERS we could look to and see how much Bojack has affected them. But then…I want people to watch this series more than anything. Because damn, this show is excellent and portraying such real behaviors and how there are consequences to actions. I fully hope more people see this show since it’s already completed and ready to watch on Netflix.

Bojack Horseman can be a hard watch at times, especially the later you go into the series. I have contemplated doing a rewatch and honestly…I don’t know if I can handle it knowing where some storylines go. It’s dark and I hope more people understand that going in instead of just turning on a show because it’s bright and colorful. But all in all, this is one of the best adult animations in recent years in my opinion. And if you can make it through the darkness, I promise you there is some light in the end. Maybe not completely in the conventional sense you’re used to in a story tied off in pretty ribbons – but still, it’s a pretty real ending overall.

Here’s the full six-part retrospective (plus the xmas special) by Schaffrillas Productions in one convenient video!

Video by user viedo gaems

Here is the complete timeline playlist done by Johnny 2 Cellos. He’s big in the commentary circuit when it comes to Bojack Horseman. Seriously, check out his content if you’re a fan of animation. I find a lot of his commentary excellent!

Not sure if this captures all of Johnny 2 Cellos’ Bojack videos, but these are lot of some good content here.

Thank you for reading today’s post! I really love this show and do hope people have been able to check it out. The designs can be a bit off-putting for some but honestly the story makes up for it. Lots of love and stay safe out there~

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Eleven

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Eleven: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The opening of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Seriously – that opening alone…should have hooked the audience and helped build a following worth the love and dedication you can feel in this show with every single frame. This is one of the most underrated animations of our generation – and sadly gone WAY TOO SOON! Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lasted two seasons (with a movie premiering on Netflix following its “cancellation”? Was it truly ever cancelled? I’m not sure anymore lol).

It follows the TMNT (we’re using the acronym going forward lol deal with it haha) in their younger years as a group of teenagers just trying to have fun and enjoy themselves while also fighting crime. Their character designs – something that I’m sure turned some people away – are actually great in my opinion, showcasing the turtles as – well – different species of turtles that are more in line with the way their characters are. I’m sure Master Splinter’s appearance really turned folks away – but even his look had a reason behind it. And in the end, he was one of the most badass characters in the show.

For long-time fans of the franchise, you get to see a lot of familiar faces – as well as some new ones. And again, the designs are dope! I absolutely adore the look of the brothers and how each of their looks gives them their own individuality and really reflects their characters well. Also, the design of April O’Neil is probably one of my all-time favorites (I also love the look of the boys and her in the latest movie as well – but we’re talking Rise today 😉 so there’s that). There’s some serious storylines going on but they make sure that no matter what – there’s still fun to be had, and hilarious jokes to be shared. I saw in some behind the scenes that some of the best lines were also improvised – which is always a win in my book because improvised comedy can generate some of the best lines ever.

The casting in this show was top notch. Omar Benson Miller, Benjamin Joseph Schwartz, Josh Brener, and Brandon Mychal Smith play the brothers – and they play off each other so well! We also see Eric Bauza, Kat Graham, FREAKING JOHN CENA! There’s so many great performances in this show across the two seasons and the film – and it was always curious what we would see beyond what we got from this show.

But hey – one of the top reasons this show ROCKS is the animation itself. Holy shit! Flying Bark Productions provided the animation and the show was run by Andy Suriano and Ant Ward. The animation you see in that opening up there? Yeah – that was pretty consistent throughout the show – with the movie getting a glow-up with that production budget. Every single person who worked on this show and made it so great deserve all the awards and congratulations! I do hope that one day this series can be reignited – we were lucky to get the movie at least…but this series deserves more. Maybe one day.

Video from user CellSpex

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Video from user Mann of 1000 Thoughts

Video from user Geek Culture Explained

Video from user The Sawkman

Thanks so much for reading today’s post! I really love this show and wish it got the appreciation it truly deserves! If you haven’t gotten a chance to check it out yet, I highly encourage you to watch it 🙂 lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Nine

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Nine: Centaurworld

♫ IN CENTAURWORLDDDDDD…..AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! ♫

Lemme tell you now – this show surprised me! At first glance, I was certainly not prepared for what I was getting. You see these colorful advertisements and images of a horse surrounded by centaur characters and you’re just looking at it like it’s going to be some kiddie show to keep them occuppied.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

Within the first five minutes – you’re sent on a rollercoaster ride – a horse and her rider dashing through a decrepit landscape trying to flee from monstrous creatures. We see them getting attacked with a beautiful song is being sung by the rider. And then…the horse falls, holding onto a strange artifact that holds the key – the key to what? Well you have to watch and find out! Horse wakes up in this colorful realm surrounded by centaur creatures of all kinds, finding she now has the ability to talk – AND SINGGGGGGG! That’s right baby – this show isn’t just an animated comedy – it’s a musical!

You then go on this adventure with Horse as she tries to get back home to her rider, finding artifacts to help her in her quest. You meet an odd array of creatures, many of which I’ve never seen centaur-like creatures made of them before so it was really cool to see how creative they got with the designs. And the songs – THE SONGS ARE TOP NOTCH! And then the hidden dark moments that come to light further in the series – holy crap! They actually talk about a lot of darker topics – like depression, anxiety, even hints of suicide. It’s A LOT! And so good!

Season One really excelled in the storytelling, the music everything. Also it introduced the world to Zulius, the best character period in this show. Season Two…exists. And it’s not to say I don’t enjoy Season Two – in fact I absolutely adore how it ends, what we find out, and its conclusion. The path to get there though was rough with pacing issues and just…it felt more disconjointed compared to Season One – which could honestly be because they had limited time to work on concluding the story? I’m not exactly sure. But this is my warning to folks – Season Two can be a bit of a jump – but I promise the ending – it’s VERY SATISFYING!

So hey – don’t sleep on Centaurworld. It’s got an amazing cast, awesome animation, splendid songs – it’s got so much to offer if you’re willing to give it a chance!

Spoiler Warning: Here’s all the songs from the first season of Centaurworld

Spoiler Warning: Here’s all the songs from the second and final season of Centaurworld

The cast of Centaurworld sings the opening song!

Video by user Henry Kathman

Video by user We Are Not Alive

Video by user We Are Not Alive

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Video by user Sarcastic Chorus

Video by user The Sin Squad

Thanks for reading today’s post 🙂 this is another favorite that popped up during COVID times that really struck with me. I wasn’t even going to give it a chance until I visited my friend one weekend and she forced it onto me while we hung out. And it was so good! I love it so much. Lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s Mini Review: Hazbin Hotel Season One Is Out Now and I Adore This Wild Story

Yes I know – another month without my Halloween Horror Nights review – things have been a little hectic on my end so sorry for the long wait ya’ll. I promise it’s being worked behind the scenes – though it may have a little more added to it, like predictions for what I believe will be coming this year. So instead this month’s post is a glimpse into the first season of Hazbin Hotel which has now officially released to Amazon Prime.

Originally an indie animation project and one of the stories by Vivienne Medrano, Hazbin Hotel has grown from its origins and the original pilot episode that aired a few years ago on YouTube and is now an eight-episode season one with even more on the way with season 2. Thank you to A24 and Bento Box for helping bringing this story to life alongside Viv’s studio Spindlehorse.

Now before I talk about the new season – a big celebration on the original pilot and the cast and crew that made it possible. I want them to know that though the new season did move in some different directions we still appreciate the love and care that went into the pilot and those that lent their voices to the roles. You all did an amazing job and I wanted to showcase that pilot that was done as well as a song some of the original cast did as sort of a passing of the torch. Definitely want to highlight them because I adore every single one of them and they deserve the support.

Ok – so season one of Hazbin Hotel so far has been a hell of a ride – pardon the pun! The story focuses on Carlie Morningstar, the princess of Hell and daughter of Lucifer and Lillith, who dreams of the impossible in opening a hotel to rehabilitate sinners. Due to overpopulation, angels come down yearly for an annual purge, led by Adam, killing off demons to trim their numbers. Charlie wants to bring peace to her people, to help them live fullfilling lives even in death, and to be given another chance at redemption. With the help of characters like her girlfriend Vaggie, the powerful Radio Demon Alastor, their patrons porno actor Angel Dust and villian/inventor Sir Pentious, bartender Husk, and maid Nifty, they aim to find redemption for those living in hell.

So far six episodes have aired with the last two coming out Friday. If you are a fan of musical theater and adult humor, this show is great for you! We see the voice talents of Stephanie Beatriz, Keith David, Erika Henningsen, and more just to name a few! Even my boy Alex Brightman is on the cast ❤

I will say, being such a short season for animation, the show’s pacing can feel a bit rushed. Yet don’t let that deter you any. The emotional gut punches are still there, the humor is still snappy, and those musical numbers send me every time I hear them. I’ve had it on loop on spotify since the launch. I really like how the story is panning out and the characters we’ve been able to focus on. And I can’t wait to see where we go with the remainder of the season and into season 2. Plus seeing more links to this and Helluva Boss – which is of course another favorite of mine.

The first full episode of the series is linked above and there’s even more sneaks on Amazon Prime’s YouTube channel. I highly recommend you check it out today!

Mae’s Mini Review: Atlas and the Stars

Hello all! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are ready to ring in the new year! I wanted to hop on here and shoutout an indie animation that just launched yesterday. I’ve been watching Mirandamations’ progress for a few years now and it’s truly impressive that she was able to finally launch this project that she practically did all on her own. No really, she did the animation, the music, etc. She’s also teamed up with a great voice cast to really bring her characters to life.

Atlas and the Stars is a project where our titular character Atlas is trying to run away from her home planet to explore the stars where she feels she belongs. After successfully stealing a ship, she accidentally gets caught in a checkpoint and in the midst of escape accidentally kidnaps an alien named Atmosphere – the two of them eventually finding themselves stranded on a planet they found after being sucked into a crack in space.

There’s also another story being told in the episode of a planet being fed energy of some sort, the aliens there clearly struggling and there’s some mysteries afoot. And now that they see Atlas and her companion have crashed on the planet, they hope to capture them and learn about where they came from…for possible nefarious reasons.

You know me, I’m a huge supporter of animation, especially indie animation that is made with so much heart to bring their stories and characters to life. I really enjoyed the animation and the characters, and I’m very intrigued on where the story may go. I especially have enjoyed watching these characters evolve over the years. From original looks of Atmosphere in the past, he’s definitely evolved into a fun design and I can’t wait to see more of it.

I highly recommend folks check out the animation and give Mirandamations some love! I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Thanks for reading! I’m going to try and finish a post I’ve been working on for two months before the end of the year 😉 but no promises. So if you don’t hear from me before the end of the year, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! Lots of love!

Mae’s Mini Review: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and Having the Courage in Updating Your Story with a New Medium

Hello all you absolute lovelies! I know I know – I can already hear some of the comments on this. Mae…where’s the review you promised? Lol I know this isn’t HHN review. I swear I’ve been working on it but unfortunately life kinda took some turns this past month that made things a little difficult to focus on what I fully wanted to write about. I’ll have it for December for sure – because why not talk about Halloween in December xD ya’ll know me Halloween and Christmas are basically the same thing when it comes to my love of holidays and can be celebrated whenever I want. Sorry for the wait everyone – it’s coming!

So instead let’s talk about the new Scott Pilgrim Takes Off animated series on Netflix. Because…omg – ya girl loves Scott Pilgrim so much and this series was absolutely amazing in my opinion. And it really showcases the length they took to make something familiar yet also completely new!

So I’m sure many have already caught this and binged it like I did but just in case you haven’t seen it yet – I won’t spoil things here but please note to expect…the unexpected! Give it a chance if it doesn’t resonate with you right away. If you were a fan of the source material, there’s going to be something for you here. And seeing it told in such a colorful animated way is absolutely amazing.

I think one of the best things about this series is we literally got the movie cast on board for this show. And it all started when Michael Cera responded to a nine year old email that everyone was looped in on. And everyone started getting into discussions about what the future of the series held and if they could be part of it. AND HERE WE ARE!

Also let’s give a huge shoutout to Anamanaguchi for producing the music for the series as well – they did the music for the video game and we’re a huge fan of them in my corner of the world ❤

All in all, this show was a wild ride and showed that the showrunners really wanted to take a chance with creating something completely new while still finding that balance with staying true to the characters themselves. Plus we get a chance to have more time with the other characters as well and see the world from their perspective, and not just focus on our two protagonists Scott and Ramona.

I absolutely loved it and I know there’s probably not gonna be a season two for the sake of it…but there’s always a possibility for something to happen, especially in the world of Scott Pilgrim!

Thanks for letting me ramble for a moment! I will finish up the HHN review here soon! Happy Holidays to those who celebrate and I’ll see you soon!

Mae’s Mini Review: Helluva Boss Season 2 Episode 7 – Mammon’s Magnificent Musical Mid-Season Special

So I had a plan for what I was going to release as my post in honor of Halloween…and my internet has since crashed in my entire neighborhood so I don’t have a lot of juice to focus on that. I’ll have that for you all soon though 🙂 hint hint – a thing I wasn’t sure about happening…IT HAPPENED AND I CAN’T WAIT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT! So for now I just wanted to do a little post regarding the latest episode to drop for Helluva Boss – Mammon’s Magnificent Musical Mid-Season Special! And let me tell you – it’s a musical through-and-through and definitely one of the best episodes to date!

I have a special place in my heart for the storyline of Fizzarolli and Asmodeus (played by Broadway legends Alex Brightman and James Monroe Iglehart respectfully). Getting to deep dive into other characters this season besides the main cast has been an absolute delight, especially in showing the emotional struggles these characters are going through and showcasing that they are more than simply some demons from hell. There’s a lot of weight behind their actions and choices in the series, the ones with Fizz specifically stemming from years of abuse and misunderstandings regarding who truly has his back and will be there for him…even when the curtain falls on what his life currently is. Plus we also touch on toxic fan culture and healthy mindsets and living with disabilities.

The team did an amazing job with this episode and we saw excellent performances from everyone involved, including our new villian we all love to hate – Mammon played by Michael Cusack. I’m don’t want to dive into spoilers or anything but I will note this – we get some excellent songs in this episode…including one that I’m pretty much playing as an anthem for my life right now. Hehe you’ll know it when you’ll here it. Excellent job to everyone involved and I can’t wait to see where Vivziepop and the Spindlehorse team take us next in this story.

Oh and sidenote – Hazbin Hotel is finally coming to us via Amazon Prime January 2024! And it’s also looking to be a wild musical ride that I can’t wait to see more of 🙂 so my hype is through the roof!

And with that, I’m out of here! Not a lot of time before the Halloween funtimes commences so I will wish you all a spooky Halloween and be safe out there 🙂 lots of love!

Lackadaisy Season One Is Happening! Here’s How You Can Join The Cause!

Yes – it’s true! Last week the Lackadaisy/Iron Circus Animation crew launched their season one campaign on Backerkit – and we’ve already reached the milestone for a full season of five episodes! If you’re a fan of the pilot or the webcomic, you’re in luck! Even with us reaching the goal already for the season, there’s still more we can unlock. Plus with your pledges, you get cool items like the webcomics in printed form, elaborate pin sets, plushies, and more! You can even get an catsona in the series! Check out the Backerkit campaign here.

List of goals from the Lackadaisy Backerkit page!

You can donate today – the campaign goes on until Aug. 25! Even if you can’t assist with funds, helping to share the project goes a long way and is already appreciated. Let’s all help make this project the very best it can be 🙂

Mae’s Mini Review: Helluva Boss Finally Releases the Season One Finale Episode – And It Features A Musical Queen

For those of you that are familiar with my interests, you may know I have a passion for the art and stories Vivziepop and her studio’s works throughout the years, including Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss which were two projects that premiered in the YouTube space as indie animations and have since grown exponentially thanks to the hard work of their teams and the community supporting the shows.

The series Helluva Boss has already surged into its second season online and has visionally grown since it’s beginning days into high quality animation from a dedicated team of individuals who’s talents have helped changed the landscape of what is considered adult animation. But wait, the title says it finally released the Season One finale episode…so how can it be in its second season? Well, when episode seven released Oct. 31, 2021 – it was one of its biggest to date, noted as a part one of two-part season finale for the show. However, as time went on, Vivzie and her team announced that due to ongoing legal issues, the episode was not able to be aired at the time and to keep the show going they would be moving forward with the release of Season Two instead – with the hope that once they got the green light they would release this missing episode.

Well, June 24, 2023, the fans finally got to see the lost episode in full and we got a literal QUEEN BEE of music onboard for the show. No, not Beyonce (that’d be cool too) but one of Viv’s notably biggest inspirations, Kesha, joined the cast and provides maybe a little bit of context of the legal issues in the background as Kesha has been combatting legalities with her record label for years.

Here is the message Vivziepop and the studio featured in the bio for the released episode:

This episode was originally meant to follow “Ozzie’s” as a big celebration of the milestone completion of our first ever indie season! A full circle accomplishment for this channel, and an incredible technical achievement for the studio. That wasn’t how things ended up happening but that is still what it is, and I’m SO f**king thrilled we can bring it to you all now!! Please understand how much we wanted to share this with you, thank you for the patience and understanding. I can’t express how proud I am of the Spindle team who were a part of it! I’m So glad the world can see their work, and it’s amazing to see how far we have come ever since. I have no other description other then offering this sincere thank you! Please please enjoy this labor of love that had very real blood sweat and tears put into it. Thank you for waiting, Thank you for watching, Thank you for Helluva Boss season one!!

Now watching the episode, it’s a nice ending to the season but also not something that was entirely needed to conclude season one – I felt episode seven did a great job of having the drama, the cliffhanger, and more to have a compelling ending to a story that wasn’t completed yet. However, this episode ties in moments from that episode to give a better understanding of Loona’s character, how she is looking to make friends but struggles in her own ways to do so, the relationship between her and Blitzo as a father and his adopted daughter, the dangers indulgences can have on those not mentally able to handle them, PLUS WE GET A FULL CREW OF HELLHOUNDS – with a musical/guest apparance from Kesha as Queen Bee “Beelzebub” who turns out to be the girlfriend of Tex who was last seen with Verosika as her guard dog. It’s a fun time all around in my eyes and some pretty amazing animation.

I can see the internet’s gripes with the episode, including not having Bee be…well a Bee or because Bee is supposed to be a vision of gluttony why she’s portrayed as a skinny fennic fox/winged creation – but I guess that’s all up to the interpretation of the creators and how they want to tell their story. I get the gripes – but also trust the creators in providing us a story that rings true. Do I think episode 8 was needed for the season? I could argue no – not really…but I’m glad it’s there. Like Vivzie said, it’s a big celebration of the milestone of the first season and being able to showcase that accomplishment is huge. Plus Kesha in Helluva Boss? YES PLEASE! We stan a queen here.

Do I wish there was a little more delving into Tex and Bee as well as Blitzo and Loona’s relationships and understandings of the situations presented…a little bit. I would have loved to explore more with those conflicts in the episode but all in all I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it and the series to all.

I’m excited to see where Helluva Boss continues to go in Season Two and knowing there’s a lot still to tell…I’m hyped!

So here’s to what’s waiting for us beyond the horizon!