I think SpongeBob needs to be cancelled already - EDITED
5.0
Now, first of all, I love SpongeBob. I do, I think it's one of the best Nickelodeon cartoons of all time, and is a childhood classic. I grew up watching SpongeBob, everyday after school, and I basically knew the order the episodes were in. The first three seasons of SpongeBob are pure gold, and are never forgettable. The movie was good, but the series overall was still better. After the movie, Stephen Hillenburg and the writers left the show, but then new writers entered and started the downfall of SpongeBob. No, seriously, this cartoon has gone downhill BAD.
Like I mentioned earlier, Season 1-3 are the best. The episodes are memorable and have interesting and creative plots, such as SpongeBob showing how to blow bubbles (Bubblestand), SpongeBob having fun just out of a piece of paper (The Paper), Patrick wanting to get an award (Big Pink Loser), SpongeBob and Patrick using their imagination in a box (Idiot Box) and so many other episodes that you want to rewatch. Also, there were so many hilarious and memorable moments, such as SpongeBob showing off his bubble blowing technique (Bubblestand), Patrick shouting, "NO, THIS IS PATRICK!" over the phone (Big Pink Loser), everyone's reactions to Wormy as a butterfly (Wormy), Tom screaming, "CHOCOLATE!" (Chocolate with Nuts) and so many more hilarious moments. I could actually remember the order the episodes went in, having a strange memory for these things. The animation was highly perfect, the designs were brilliant, and the characters were so likeable. The movie then came out, and that was good. Then, after the movie, Season Four started, and I will admit, I thought that season wasn't that bad, but then, it got to Season Five, and that's where this show went down the toilet.
All right. Every show has its point where it gets bad, and in this case, SpongeBob got bad by Season Four. I did think that Season Four was okay, it reminded me of the older episodes from Seasons 1-3. But then Season Five (and after Season Five) was basically the starter for the downfall of bad episodes. We got such ridiculous plots such as SpongeBob falling in love with a Krabby Patty (Love of a Krabby Patty), Mr. Krabs wishing that money could talk (Money Talks), Squidward ending up in a land of clarinets (Squidward in Clarinet Land), Gary attracting coins with his shell (The Cent of Money). I mean, they all sound so ridiculous. I mean, seriously, falling in love with a food? Going to a world of clarinets? What are these writers aiming for?
Not only has the writing and episodes gone bad, the artwork and designs and animation have gotten SO BAD. Ever since the movie, the colours have gotten much brighter, bright enough to induce a seizure. Season One did have darker colours and wasn't too bright, but that's what made it watchable, and when the show was good. It seems like now most shows need to rely on being super bright to be good. The traditional animation in the first season was really good, and so was the digital animation in Seasons Two and Three. But now, the digital animation, and with most shows now, is so bright and so unwatchable. The animation just isn't the same since Season Three. The animation was good in the movie, as it flowed nicely. But now, the animation could cause a seizure, just like how the colours would.
The characters are by far the worst part about the new SpongeBob now. SpongeBob and Patrick are probably the best examples. SpongeBob who was an adult but acted as if he was a child, loved to have fun, annoyed Squidward, is now TOO annoying, and cries like all the time, like seriously, he cries ALL THE TIME. In the earlier episodes, when he would cry, even over the smallest things, such as when in the episode No Weenies Allowed, when he mentions when he stubbed his toe and only cried for twenty minutes, that's hilarious, and also became a meme. However, now, he just cries TOO much, and over the dumbest things, it's like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard, as someone else mentioned. They've made SpongeBob TOO much of a baby now. When he was childish and cried over stupid things in earlier episodes, it was funny. But now, it isn't. Patrick who was dumb but funny is even more dumb and stupid. You'll always see him doing something completely stupid, and laughing like an idiot right beside SpongeBob. At least when he did idiotic things in the earlier episodes, it was funny, such as yelling at people over the phone when people were asking, "Is this the Krusty Krab?" and him yelling, "NO, THIS IS PATRICK!" and when he nailed a board to his forehead. Now, now it's just annoying. Mr. Krabs, who was wise, and of course obsessed with money, is now COMPLETELY obsessed with money. One episode, he uses Gary to attract coins with his shell. People are saying that Squidward seems more a likeable character now, because SpongeBob and Patrick annoy Squidward TOO much now, and people are actually feeling sympathy for him. Plankton is now a moronic villain who once used to be funny when he came up with plans to steal the Krabby Patty formula. Now he just comes up with dumb plans, not that I haven't seen any of the new ones, but I already just know that they're bad. Why doesn't he just give up already? He should know that he will never get the Krabby Patty recipe, even though he did in the movie. Either the new episodes take place before the movie or Plankton is, well, a moron. I know this is a continuity thing, but his new plans fail.
Also, I forgot to mention the voices. The voices have become annoying. Everyone's voices are now way too high and loud and annoying. Yes, the voices were low in the first season, because the actors weren't used to their characters yet, and it was only the first season. Some first seasons of shows where the voices are so low can be annoying, for example Family Guy season one, especially Lois, but I can get past that and still find the humour. I remember when I had watched the Season Four (SpongeBob) episodes back in 2008 and then it started again from Season One, and I found the voices less annoying. The voices began to improve by the start of Season Two right through to Season Three. Anyways, the voices now are TOO high and TOO loud. SpongeBob easily has THEE most annoying voice on the show. His voice is loud and annoying, and especially when he laughs and cries now, it makes you want to mute the television, or as if your television had suddenly become louder than the volume you had set it on. Also, sometimes on occasion, I have either heard him laugh or cry and there's a squeaky noise, mainly when he cries now. It just makes it worse. Everyone else's voices are not as annoying as SpongeBob, but I still think that the voices were better in Season 1-3. Patrick does sound annoying and is so loud now, but SpongeBob is still worse. Squidward's voice isn't that bad, same with most of the other characters . Mr. Krabs, Plankton, Sandy, but even they sound a bit too high at times.
Just with the voices, the music has also become annoying. They seem to have changed the music style from tropical Hawaiian music to pure annoyance. It's loud, it's high-pitched, it's fast-paced, it's squeaky, it's childish, and babyish. I thought the Hawaiian style had always fit SpongeBob, as I don't think a cartoon had done that style before, but now, it's just modern-day childish music,. Also, it's everywhere now, especially when SpongeBob cries. See how annoying it gets when I have to mention how much SpongeBob cries now? The new music just makes it worse.
I'm not too sure about sound effects, but I've heard that they have added way more sound effects, and everywhere. All I know is that most of the sound effects now would just be childish squeaky sound effects, as I've heard them in the Season Four episodes, and some of Season Five's first few episodes. The squeaky noises weren't annoying in the first season, as they weren't everywhere, but now, there's just too much squeaky-ness.
The merchandise for this show is also TOO popular. Like, I don't really mind the merchandise being popular, but there seems to be too much of it, like everywhere, anywhere, there will be SpongeBob merchandise sitting right there, waiting to be bought. Again, I don't mind the merchandise being too popular, but enough is enough. The show is still worse though.
SpongeBob has just gone downhill with all the new bad episodes, horrible and bright artwork, and annoying exaggerated characters. I just bet that Stephen Hillenburg is sitting at home right now, watching the new episodes of SpongeBob, just shaking his head in disbelief, thinking, "What have they done to my show?" Yes, what have they done to this cartoon mastermind's show? Turned it into crap. SpongeBob just needs to end already. Just because a good show, once was a good show, ends, it doesn't mean that everyone is going to forget all about it. Also, I've never really liked the term, "Cancelled" as just because you're ending the show, doesn't actually mean it's cancelled. Well, unless the network forces the company or that to end the show, but if the company decides to end the show with a final episode, should it mean cancelled? But here, SpongeBob should just get the axe already, thus leading to cancellation.
Overall, I still do think that SpongeBob is one of the best Nickelodeon cartoons of all time, and that it is still very funny, even without watching it, looking at memes of SpongeBob. But the new writers have just turned this show bad. If there were the first three seasons on DVD, and if I had a bit more money, I would probably buy them, and hopefully, they would not be in bad quality. I haven't watched SpongeBob in a very long time, since it's ALWAYS the newer episodes on, and never the older episodes, which is a shame. Anyone who still loves SpongeBob, please, you're just best off watching the old episodes, and avoid the new episodes.
