Introduction
I know. All you guys out there must be rolling your eyes right now saying, "Ugh. Another rant where some noob b****s about how Spongebob Squarepants isn't clever or funny anymore? WHEN WILL IT END?!!?" To be honest, I'm pretty sure it's not gonna end anytime soon, especially if Spongebob Squarepants keeps going down this road. However, this isn't a rant as my previous statement might have somewhat implied. This is more of a review butI decided to make my opinions come across to you in awell thought out, engaging and accuratemanner where I will try to stay away from the same old tired biased statements. You've seen enough of it as it is and quite frankly, so have I. Now before I begin, this review isin no way, shape or form to speak for anyone BUT myself. This is also not to attack anyone who still likes Spongebob Squarepants. All I'm trying to do isto give my opinions ina way that doesn't mirror the same annoying rants and noobs that can't explain anything past their deep sense of nostalgia that'sworth acknowledging.So with that said, let's get started.
Synopsis
Before I begin my review, I would like to give a synopsis that reflects my own view on Spongebob Squarepants and less in a historical context along with the main reason why I believe it isn't good anymore.
To me, Spongebob Squarepants was not just a cartoon with original plot elements, a vast plethora of iconic characters with widely appealing characteristics and humor that appeals to both childrenand adults, or at least that's what it once was, but it was a clever marine representation of modern day society that most people could relate to. Not only that, it also has basic cartoon traditions that are timeless and have been popularized in the last century adding to it's appeal.Basically, everything represents some kind of inner mechanism of modern day society in some sort of way. A happy, eager, energetic and optimistic young lad that embraces the world with a good attitude, loves hislife, loves his family and friendsand is a joy to most of the people he's around. That's what Spongebob always was for me. That's what he represented; an admirable person who always brightens up the room and puts a smile on someone's face. That's why I always liked Spongebob and I believe that's how the Spongebob Squarepants viewers of my generation viewed him as well. That's why I felt pain when he felt pain, why I felt joy when he felt joy. That's because I can RELATE to him. As I mentioned earlier, I believe Spongebob Squarepants is a representation of modern day society that follows basic, non-overbearing styles of humor that adults can easily relate to as well as kids. That's why I believeSpongebob Squarepants became the poster boy of Nickelodeon. That's why I believe it's the greatest cartoon of the 21st century and I'm sure some of you will agree. Of course, I'm referring to Spongebob Squarepants between seasons one through The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
Now that I've told you how I used to feel about Spongebob Squarepants, how do I feel about "Spongebob Squarepants?"?
"Spongebob Squarepants?" is an unbearable, insufferable, unendurable, inexcusable, unpardonable, indefensible, unjustifiable, deplorable, reprehensible, awful, appalling, abysmal, atrocious abomination that spits in the face of its former glory and the new writers don't seem to care to live up to what made it popular in the first place. (Yes, it's the writers' faults. I know how convenient it is for people to keep saying that, but, it is indeed, the writers' faults. There was a thread on the forums called "Discuss the production of Spongebob Squarepants" created by Srenfro. It's on page 3 I believe. Anyways, it discusses how the episodes are made and I posted a comment on how the writers can be held responsible for the show's decline in quality even to the point where one of the users agreed with me. You can make that decision for yourself, but I'm pretty sure you'll agree it's the writers' faults, too.) Why is it so bad you ask? Because it makes no attempt to go back to its original roots; the reasonsthat made Spongebob Squarepantsbecome so popular. Instead of it being a clever representation of modern day society that appeals to both kids and adults through it's realistic yet abstract personification of real life and it's humor that has worked for so many cartoons in the past, thus making it even more appealing to adults who appreciated them, it seems to be the exact opposite. Now, it sucks all the humanity out of it and awkwardlyadds in humor the reflects random aspects of comedy( iCarly anyone?) that not only fail to reflect anything to do with what Spongebob Squarepants and what it's supposed to represent, but they're awkwardly introduced themselves making it hard for the viewers to connect with the story or process what's going on because it's out of nowhere basically. There's no time to laugh because we have to think why we should laugh. ("We" meaning the people who agree with me at this point) But, the thing that gets on my nerves so much is how the characters have changed for the worse, not because they don't reflect how they used to act back in the day, but because they act like weird fish people from another dimension and not human. Technically, they are weird fish people from another dimension, but they fail to reflect on normal human behavior and how people act nowadays. This severs all connections the show could have with the show's audience. Like I've said numerous times, they're not just cartoons; they're representations of modern day society added with memorable styles of humor which attracts the attention of adults and children.
Now that my synopsis is done, I should get on to the next parts. What?! Next parts? I know some of you might think I've done a great job explaining my opinion and that should be it done, right? Nope. Unfortunately, I have to consider the fanboys as well. They'll most likely require proof that what I'm saying is accurate. And quite frankly, I agree with them. Though I've explained why Spongebob Squarepants sucks nowadays, for most of my reasons, I haven't given specific proof or instances. So I plan to do so in each of the following categories:
- Basic Appeal
- Humor
- Characters
This where I will end Part 1. I should have the rest soon.
