Adventure Time Season 1 (2010)
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Adventure Time Season 1 Review
Adventure Time is a fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward. It aired on Cartoon Network. The first season consisting of 26 episodes was released in 2010.
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“I’m rocking your worldview!“
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The season follows the adventures of Finn, a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, a dog with magical powers to change shape and size at will. First things first, after starting to watch this show, I quickly realized that I began to lose the appreciation of ‘Rick and Morty’ as that show was clearly influenced on so many counts by this previous series. It’s an edgier version of it.
The two are quite similar in both style and substance. Adventure Time features that minimalist animation typical of Cartoon Network, but it is also imbued with a lot of surrealism and inventive character designs, that made it look fresh and exciting. Animation is a medium of countless possibilities and that can be witnessed in every frame in this very creative show.
The soundtrack is also pretty good with the songs being either very well written or being downright bad in auto-tuning, which was still great as it was done on purpose for the comedy. Each episode is around twelve minutes in length, which was just perfect to make every episode feel entertaining without ever overstepping its welcome. The pacing is brisk but not rushed. The title sequence is also quite unique and memorable.
The voice acting is phenomenal across the board with John DiMaggio being the absolute standout. His comedic delivery is always on-point. The characterization is also stellar and the series is populated by instantly iconic personalities. Finn is this very adventurous guy who is always looking to have some fun. Jake is similar in that regard, though he is more on the cynical side of things. Their dynamic is continuously joyous and wonderfully childlike.
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Other characters include Princess Bubblegum, who is this interesting but for now underdeveloped scientist princess character, and Ice King, who steals the show from everybody else. He is this very funny and over-the-top old perv and he would stop at nothing to get those princesses. This show is surprisingly mature in its tone and blue humor, and most of it comes from this very goofy and fun villain. Marceline the Vampire Queen is another standout as this initially edgy and very dangerous villain, who ultimately only teases the protagonist and isn’t really that much of a villain to begin with.
Slumber Party Panic is a terrific opening that very quickly and successfully acquaints you with this world and its inhabitants. The plot is simple, but the execution is excellent. Trouble in Lumpy Space is somewhat forgettable. Prisoners of Love is a classic episode that introduces us to Ice King in his full glory. He kidnapped the princesses and the duo has to stop him in this very comedic and adventurous installment.
Tree Trunks is this very odd episode that represents Adventure Time Season 1 in its strangest form. The titular one-off character is very goofy and her lines of dialogue were borderline sexual in nature, which was both creepy and hilarious in equal measure. The episode ended in such a brutal, unexpected fashion that made it unforgettable. The Enchiridion! is a quest episode that is too standard and limited in its familiar narrative.
The Jiggler is this very unique and fun creature feature that is particularly endearing in its ending while being offbeat and weird in designs and humor as always. Ricardio the Heart Guy is a phenomenal episode that has such an unexpected twist toward the end that made it instantly unforgettable. This show surely features amazing scripts that even took me by surprise.
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Business Time finds our two protagonists being all lazy and becoming fat to hilarious results. My Two Favorite People is this highly intriguing and smart episode that is all about the importance of communication and the barriers between different languages. This is the best and most extensive role yet for Lady Raincorn, Jake’s Korean unicorn girlfriend. Memories of Boom Boom Mountain had a solid premise, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
Wizard is by far the quintessential episode of this season. It features such an original storyline that is perfectly written, twisty and smart. The conclusion was brilliant and the imagery and mythology on display here was quite intricate. It showcased that Finn can be initially dumb, but rather clever in his evading crisis tactics. It’s the definition of surreal, authentic SF storytelling that can only be found in animation.
Evicted! has the best musical number of the season while introducing us to the great Marceline. The story is fantastic and the episode serves so well as an offbeat adventure as most of the best Adventure Time episodes do. City of Thieves and The Witch’s Garden are among the more forgettable episodes of the season, though they do have their moments. What Is Life?, on the other hand, is a fantastic Ice King episode that is also a great commentary on artificial intelligence.
Ocean of Fire has Jake in his most wonderfully supportive mode, but the story is repetitious. When Wedding Bells Thaw is still a good episode as all Ice King stories are, but it’s the weakest one starring him so far as it lacks in suspense and stakes. Dungeon is another quest episode that didn’t quite work while The Duke is another Princess Bubblegum episode that is only okay as she really did not get a truly outstanding episode this season.
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Freak City is wonderfully surreal and strange in its concept and imagery. Donny is a solid environmental story while Henchman is a hilarious take on Marceline’s very edgy, but still good-hearted personality. Her interactions with Finn are so much fun here. Rainy Day Daydream is a wonderful imagination-focused episode that showcases that you can do anything with enough imagination. What Have You Done? offered an amusing, fun ride of twists and turns when it comes to who’s good and who’s bad. His Hero is forgettable penultimate episode while Gut Grinder is a solid, albeit far from great finale.
Overall, the first season of Adventure Time is terrific. It started the show on a really strong note, introducing us to its memorable characters and surreal world very successfully. Most of the episodes are creative in concepts and quite strong in humor and characterization, resulting in an absolute blast to watch.
Worst Episodes: The Enchiridion!, City of Thieves and Dungeon.
Best Episodes: Prisoners of Love, The Jiggler, Ricardio the Heart Guy, Wizard, Evicted!, What Is Life? and Henchman.
