RWS No. 13. Duck and the Diesel Engine

Well, I'm ready to review another Railway Series book.


This here is the first book to feature a real engine, none other than the City of Truro. Also, the book to feature the Duck Versus Diesel trilogy.

13. Duck and the Diesel Engine.

Written by: Reverend Wilbert Awdry.

Illustrated by: John T. Kenney.

Published: 1958.

Here we are, one of the most popular trilogies of the Thomas franchise. Let's see how this stacks up.

56. Domeless Engines/Gordon and the Famous Visitor.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft and David Mitton.

Aired: US: 21 November 1991. UK: 24 March 1992. AUS: 18 February 1993.

City of Truro, the first engine to go more than 100 miles an hour in 1904, visits Sodor and has a lengthy conversation with Duck till late at night. Gordon is jealous of City of Truro's record, claiming that he is a domeless engine and not to be trusted. Gordon later tries to equal the record, but his dome becomes loose from the speed and is blown off at the viaduct. That night someone jokes about the event - Gordon believes it's Duck.

I'm going out on a limb to say that this story should have been kept for Season 2. Because this wasn't adapted then, they didn't mention City of Truro after Duck's accident which I'll get to by the time I'm finished with this review. It's too bad that City of Truro was a dummy model. I would like to call out Britt's idiotic reason being "It's too expensive to build a real CoT model!" I say bull! Britt was a millionaire by the time Season 3 went into production. If they could build Mavis, Oliver, Flying Scotsman (Too bad he wasn't fully built then) and Bulgy, then surely they could have made a real CoT model, but then again, CoT would have suffered the same fate Stepney suffered when he came to TV. Also, there were trucks laughing at Gordon instead of people. With the exception of all those, this episode stuck with the original to say the least.

RWS rating: 10/10.

TV rating: 9.5/10.

38. Pop Goes the Diesel.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and Robert Cardona.

Aired: UK: 29 October 1986. AUS: 3 May 1988. US: 7 May 1989.



The engines are tired of Duck's talk about his Great Western heritage and are happy when a visitor comes. The visitor, a diesel named Diesel, claims he is "revolutionary", but Duck is unimpressed and tells him to shunt some trucks. Diesel attempts to take some rusty old vans away afterwards, but their brakes are on and all Diesel does is derail them. As he cleans up, the trucks start singing a rude parody of "Pop Goes the Weasel" called Pop Goes the Diesel.

Well, we've come to the most popular trilogy of both the TV series and the Railway Series.  There is nothing more to say about this episode except for the fact that it stuck with the original. And I will admit, it was funny when the trucks sang rudely at Diesel.

RWS/TV rating: 9/10.

39. Dirty Work/Diesel's Devious Deed/Diesel's Devilish Deed.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and Robert Cardona.

Aired: UK: 5 November 1986. AUS: 4 May 1988. US: 14 May 1989.

Diesel believes that Duck made him look silly and plans to have Duck sent away by telling the trucks rude jokes about the big engines and attributing them to Duck. The trucks tell the engines, and when they find out they refuse Duck entry into the shed. The Fat Controller comes to stop the noise, and, after hearing all three sides of the story, kindly asks Duck to go to Wellsworth for a while.

Well, we got great continuity from the previous story and adaptation of the book. I like the nicknames Diesel made up for Gordon, James and Henry. I would like to observe those, but we'll wait until I've finished with the entire review. This story also has the moral of jumping to conclusions. However, you can't help but feel sorry for Duck at the end.

RWS/TV rating: 8.5/10.

40. A Close Shave/A Close Shave for Duck.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and Robert Cardona.

Aired: UK: 5 November 1986. AUS: 5 May 1988. US: 14 May 1989.

Edward feels sorry for Duck and helps him settle into life at Wellsworth. Duck takes up a position as a banker, but one day a train breaks away and chases him down the hill. Duck manages to slow down gradually, slowing the trucks down too in the process, but they are diverted onto a siding stopping outside a barber's shop. Duck crashes into the wall, and the furious barber lathers his face with shaving cream. When the workmen come to pull Duck away the Fat Controller points out that if Duck hadn't done anything someone could have been badly hurt. The barber, repentant, rinses Duck's face. To add to his joy, the Fat Controller tells Duck that Diesel has been sent away and Duck is welcomed back.

Without a doubt the episode that won Duck the respect from many Thomas fans young and old. It shows what a brave engine Duck was, and it even further proves what to do before jumping to conclusions and with Diesel being sent packing offscreen, it resolved the previous story and adaptation. Is Duck one of my favourites? Well, he's up there.

RWS/TV rating: 9.5/10.

Stray Observations:

Gordon was nicknamed by Diesel, "Galloping Sausage". There was a real locomotive known as Galloping Sausage. It was an LNER Class W1.



Final thoughts:

This is definitely one of the best books of the Railway Series with the introduction of a diesel engine. Also, is Diesel one of my favourite characters? Eh, not really. This book also introduced a real engines to the franchise. Interesting way to implement real celebrities into the worlds of fiction.

My rating: 9.2/10.

RWS scorecard:

13. Duck and the Diesel Engine: 9.2/10.

21. Main Line Engines: 9.3/10.

25. Duke the Lost Engine: 9.8/10.

26. Tramway Engines: 9.8/10.

30. More About Thomas the Tank Engine: 8.8/10.

40. New Little Engine: 5.7/10.

RWS rating so far: 9/10.

Season 2 scorecard:

1. Thomas, Percy and the Coal: 6.5/10.

10. The Runaway: 9/10.

12. Pop Goes the Diesel: 9/10.

13. Dirty Work: 8.5/10.

14. A Close Shave: 9.5/10.

15. Better Late Than Never: 9/10.

21. The Diseasel: 10/10.

22. Wrong Road: 9/10.

23. Edward's Exploit: 10/10.

24. Ghost Train: 10/10.

25. Woolly Bear: 9.5/10.

Season 2 Rating so far: 9/10.

Season 3 scorecard:

4. Gordon and the Famous Visitor: 9.5/10.

6. Thomas Gets Bumped: 10/10.

8. Diesel Does it Again: 7/10.

9. Henry's Forest: 9.5/10.

14. Mavis: 9/10.

15. Toby's Tightrope: 9/10.

16. Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party: 8.5/10.

17. Buzz, Buzz: 9/10.

26. Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure: 8.5/10*

Season 3 rating so far: 9.1/10.







RWS No. 21. Main Line Engines

Looks like I'm up for another RWS review.


Here, I am going to review a book that is considered by a few to be the best of the Railway Series, and one of them is considered by many to be the best episode of the TV series ever.

21. Main Line Engines.

Written by: Reverend Wilbert Awdry.

Illustrated by: Peter and Gunvor Edwards.

Published: 1966.

Here we are. The first book to star our cheeky little tank engine twins. Nope. Not Bash and Dash. Bill and Ben. And everyone's favourite diesel and mine, Boco. Let's see how this book stacks up.

Dear Friends,
Bill and Ben are a shameless pair. I meant to write about Main Line Engines, and give the twins a treat by letting them into the first story. But I couldn't keep them in order! Before I knew it they had crept into the others. They even wanted me to change the book and make it about them!

But I have been very firm. I am still calling it Main Line Engines. That will serve Bill and Ben right for ragging poor Gordon so disgracefully.

He hasn't got over it yet!
The Author

47. The Diseasel.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and Robert Cardona.

Aired: UK: 3 December 1986. AUS: 16 May 1988. US: 23 December 1991.

Bill and Ben are tank engine twins that work at the China Clay Workings on Edward's Branch Line. One day they leave some trucks in a siding and leave for more, but return to find them all gone. Their drivers determine it was a "diseasel" that took them, and when Bill recalls a sign saying "coughs and sneezles spread diseasels", in his words, Ben blames him. Their drivers quieten them and formulate a plan. They find the diseasel on a siding, and manage to confuse him so as to make him giddy, but when Edward comes along he reprimands them and tells them to apologise to the diseasel, who calls himself BoCo. Edward sends them away, and he and BoCo joke about the twins.

If you ask me, the way Bill and Ben annoyed Boco made more sense in the TV adaptation because, how can the points change like magic just for Bill and Ben to annoy the big green diesel? And they blame the TV series for unrealistic moments like this. But all in all, both the story and adaptation are funny and these troublesome tank engines know just how to make mischief funny. And by the way, I'm downgrading the original story because of the confusing moment.

RWS rating: 9/10.

TV rating: 10/10.

69. Buzz, Buzz/James Goes Buzz Buzz.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft and David Mitton.

Aired: UK: 12 May 1992. AUS: 9 March 1993. US: 16 April 1993.

Duck and BoCo are talking about Bill and Ben. Duck tells BoCo he has nicknamed them "The Bees", when James, who just arrived, claims he would simply blow smoke at bees to shoo them away. The next day, two porters are pulling a trolley with a beehive on top when it falls off and bees swarm out. They decide to rest on James' boiler, but when one burns its feet, it stings James on the nose, and James runs away. In the end, BoCo takes the Express, and that night the others talk about a red beehive on wheels.

Okay, the general adaptation is not without its faults. It just shows that Duck and Boco are already friends. However, there were some nice changes too. James and Boco talking to Trevor. It's nice to see characters apart from Edward interacting with Trevor. Also, it is a shame we didn't get to see Boco take the express, but in the story, we didn't get to see what happened to the bees. So because of all this, both the story and adaptation get the same rating.

RWS/TV rating: 9/10.

48. Wrong Road.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and Robert Cardona.

Aired: UK: 3 December 1986. AUS: 17 May 1988. US: 23 July 1993.

Although the big engines are forbidden to go on the branchlines because of their weight, Gordon claims he is forbidden because they are "vulgar", and leaves to take his late train. He misses his "path" after a lady with a large floppy green hat confounds the fireman into thinking the guard had waved his flag, and in the end Edward's train leaves ahead of Gordon. However, this creates a huge disruption as the Wellsworth signalman isn't informed, and Gordon is left on a siding at Brendam. The next day, Bill and Ben come into the yard, and tease him by "mistaking" him for scrap and arguing about how to dipose of Gordon. Gordon thinks they're serious, and when BoCo arrives, he asks for help. BoCo sends the twins away with his trucks, and Gordon has had great respect for diesels ever since.

I've seen complaints from people that Edward has the wrong headcode in this episode. Let me explain why this isn't a problem. It would make more sense for the signalman to mistake Edward for Gordon's train. And as you can see in the illustration I chose, Edward the Blue Engine has the same headcode as he does in the adaptation. Also, this episode is great and it has such a beautiful score of music at the beginning.

RWS/TV rating: 9/10.

49. Edward's Exploit.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and Robert Cardona.

Aired: UK: 10 December 1986. AUS: 18 May 1988. US: 20 November 1991.

Edward is set to take some enthusiasts home, but finds it hard to move the train. After meeting up with Bill and Ben, Edward takes the enthusiasts away, but stops when a crank-pin breaks, battering his splashers and frame. His crew take both crank-pins off, and Edward manages to struggle home. Edward is sent to Crovan's Gate, and BoCo does his work so well that he single-handedly changes Donald and Douglas' opinion about diesels!

When an engine breaks down, his/her crew go off and phone for help. Did Edward's do the same thing? No way, Jose! This is without a doubt Edward's best starring role and it's easy to see why. Too bad we didn't get to see Donald and Douglas praise Boco at the end, but then again, this doesn't stop the adaptation from being a fascinating one and it shows what a hero Edward is.

RWS/TV rating: 10/10.

Illustration observation:

As you can see in the image below, Thomas the Tank Engine has a curved running board again. I honestly think that this was Peter and Gunvor's mistake.

Final thoughts:

This is definitely one book that showed the heroic moments of the characters, and not to mention Bill and Ben's cheeky antics of teasing Boco and Gordon. Plus, it shows what a hero Edward the Blue Engine is. Definitely one of the best books of the series.

My rating: 9.3/10.

RWS scorecard:

21. Main Line Engines: 9.3/10.

25. Duke the Lost Engine: 9.8/10.

26. Tramway Engines: 9.8/10.

30. More About Thomas the Tank Engine: 8.8/10.

40. New Little Engine: 5.7/10.

RWS rating so far: 8.9/10.

Season 2 scorecard:

1. Thomas, Percy and the Coal: 6.5/10.

10. The Runaway: 9/10.

15. Better Late Than Never: 9/10.

21. The Diseasel: 10/10.

22. Wrong Road: 9/10.

23. Edward's Exploit: 10/10.

24. Ghost Train: 10/10.

25. Woolly Bear: 9.5/10.

Season 2 Rating so far: 9/10.

Season 3 scorecard:

6. Thomas Gets Bumped: 10/10.

8. Diesel Does it Again: 7/10.

9. Henry's Forest: 9.5/10.

14. Mavis: 9/10.

15. Toby's Tightrope: 9/10.

16. Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party: 8.5/10.

17. Buzz, Buzz: 9/10.

26. Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure: 8.5/10*

Season 3 rating so far: 8.9/10.

RWS No. 26: Tramway Engines

Looks like I'm up for another Railway Series review. This time I'm reviewing the last book to be written by Wilbert Awdry.

26. Tramway Engines.

Published: 15 October 1972.

Written by: Reverend Wilbert Awdry.

Illustrated by: Peter and Gunvor Edwards.

Here we are. The last book of the Railway Series to be written by the man who had created Thomas the Tank Engine. Did he finish on a high note? Let's go right in.

Foreword:

Dear Friends,
Thomas has been pestering me to write about his Branch Line. "After all", he said, "we are the importantest part of the whole railway."

"What can I write about?" I asked.

"Oh, lots of things - Percy's Woolly Bear, Toby's Tightrope and..."

"...your Ghost," I added.

"Don't put that silly story in," said Thomas crossly.

I will, all the same. Thomas has been much too cocky lately. It will serve him right!
The Author

 

50. Ghost Train.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and Robert Cardona.

Aired: UK: 10 December 1986. AUS: 19 May 1988. US: 4 June 1989.

Percy claims his driver saw a "ghost train" the previous night, but Thomas does not believe him and Percy's driver confirms that the engine was on television. On his way home from working at the harbour all day, Percy crashes into a cart of lime that had stuck at Crowe's Farm Crossing. When the signalman remarks Percy looks like a ghost, Percy makes a plan, and convinces Thomas he has crashed and returned as a ghost, scaring Thomas out of the shed.

Alright, before I compare this adaptation to the story, let me knock an elephant out of the room. There is no deleted scene from this episode of the ghost train of a silver LB&SCR E2 Tank Engine with the number 0 named Timothy. That is nothing but creepypasta made to scare people! I don't buy it one bit. Any creepypasta based on a TV show is garbage on the spot! Also, the ghost at the beginning of this episode is Percy's!

And as for this adaptation, it stuck pretty well to the story and it would be superb for Halloween considering its theme.

RWS/TV rating: 10/10.

51. Woolly Bear.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and Robert Cardona.

Aired: UK: 17 December 1986. AUS: 20 May 1988. US: 4 June 1989.

Thomas is still annoyed at Percy, and when Percy is delayed picking up haybales Thomas claims Percy is a "green caterpillar with red stripes". Percy, furious, resolves to be quick, but is delayed when a crate of treacle falls on him. The worst is wiped off, but as Percy returns home a gale whips up and Percy is covered in hay.

Nothing to say about this adaptation except for how the hay and treacle stuck to Percy the Small Engine. It really shows how capable they were back in the mid 1980s.

RWS/TV rating: 9.5/10.

66. Mavis.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft and David Mitton.

Aired: US: 25 December 1991. UK: 5 May 1992. AUS: 4 March 1993.

Mavis is a stuck-up Diesel working at Anopha Quarry who loves rearranging the trucks in the sidings. This creates confusion and Toby is cross. When Mavis sees Daisy, she tells her that Diesels are better than steam engines, making Mavis prouder than ever, until the trucks hold Mavis back and Toby has to help.

The adaptation did stick with the story except for one thing. As you can see in the image I chose for this review, Diesel is in Daisy's spot. Why did they use Diesel? He's a British Railway Class 08 Diesel Shunter. He should know everything about trucks. Why did they replace Daisy? That is very disrespectful to the diesel railcar considering how little she was used! Holding back Bulls Eyes didn't help, really. Just hope that Daisy gets more roles now that she's in CGi.

Back to this adaptation, it shows what a great feisty character Mavis is and besides the problem I pointed out, it stuck with the original.

RWS rating: 9.5/10.

TV rating: 9/10.

67. Toby's Tightrope.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft and  David Mitton.

Aired: US: 25 December 1991. UK: 5 May 1992. AUS: 5 March 1993.

Mavis is restricted to the quarry after her incident. After a frost comes and goes, work increases and Mavis manages to convince the manager to let her go as far as the crossing. She formulates a plan to go further down the line and asks the trucks to push her at the crossing, but when Toby comes they decide to do it to him and he ends up suspended over a raging torrent on a pair of dangling rails. Mavis rescues him and, even though it was her fault, is forgiven and allowed to go down the line.

There is one problem with this episode. That is Percy's appearance. Because in the story, it was the manager who scolded Mavis and restricted her to the quarry. Percy's appearance felt shoehorned in this adaptation.

But more or less, this adaptation stuck with the original except for that part.

RWS rating: 9.5/10.

TV rating: 9/10.

Final thoughts:

Did Reverend Awdry end his era of The Railway Series on a high note? Without a doubt, yes! He did it by focusing on Thomas' branch line. Also, he was in his early 60s when he published this book, so he chose to end on the right note with this book.

My rating: 9.8/10.

RWS scorecard:

25. Duke the Lost Engine: 9.8/10.

26. Tramway Engines: 9.8/10.

30. More About Thomas the Tank Engine: 8.8/10.

40. New Little Engine: 5.7/10.

RWS rating so far: 8.6/10.

Season 2 scorecard:

1. Thomas, Percy and the Coal: 6.5/10.

10. The Runaway: 9/10.

15. Better Late Than Never: 9/10.

24. Ghost Train: 10/10.

25. Woolly Bear: 9.5/10.

Season 2 Rating so far: 8.8/10.

Season 3 scorecard:

6. Thomas Gets Bumped: 10/10.

8. Diesel Does it Again: 7/10.

9. Henry's Forest: 9.5/10.

14. Mavis: 9/10.

15. Toby's Tightrope: 9/10.

16. Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party: 8.5/10.

26. Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure: 8.5/10*

Season 3 rating so far: 8.8/10.









TTTE S3E16: Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party

Time once again for a review. I've decided to continue my Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi reviews another day. Today, I'm doing a TTTE review.


I am here to review another Thomas episode from Season 3. That is.....

68. Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party.

Based on a magazine story by Andrew Brenner.

Adapted by: Britt Allcroft and David Mitton.

Aired: US: 27 December 1991. UK: 12 May 1992. AUS: 8 March 1993.

The Vicar is planning a garden party to fund a trip to the seaside for underprivileged children. Edward wants to help and, when the Vicar forgets to put posters up, Edward has them put on his boiler, tender and coaches. That attracts a lot of guests.
Bertie later teases Trevor about being old, but Trevor forgets all about it with the happiness of giving children rides at the garden party, despite the ground being soaked from rain during the night.
Bertie later tries to go through the field to drop off some passengers, but gets stuck in the mud caused from the overnight rain and has to be pulled out by Trevor and Terence. Bertie apologises to Trevor, and the party is a success. While the Vicar thanks Edward and his crew, Trevor goes to sleep that night, thinking happily about all the children who will now get to see the seaside.


Yep, this is the last episode to have a pilot narration. By which I mean it was narrated by Michael Angelis in 1991 for VHS before airing on TV in the UK.


I know there is one problem people have with this episode. That is the posters pasted on Edward, showing a possibility of burning off. There is a possibility those posters were made out of fireproof material.


Observe the shot I chose for this review. According to the shot, Diesel was originally going to be in this episode, but he was cut for unknown reasons. But why he was cut, it doesn't really matter because he had no reason to be here. Same can be said for a few other Season 3 episodes.


Another problem people have is that Michael/George said that Trevor helped Terence pull Bertie the Bus out of the mud. I'd like to say that perhaps Trevor was just commanding Terence to pull Bertie clear from the mud.


All in all, this is a good episode and it's nice to see some focus on the non-rail characters.

My rating: 8.5/10.

Season 3 scorecard:

6. Thomas Gets Bumped: 10/10.

8. Diesel Does it Again: 7/10.

9. Henry's Forest: 9.5/10.

16. Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party: 8.5/10.

26. Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure: 8.5/10*

Season 3 rating so far: 8.6/10.

HHPAY S1E01: Dis-Harmony, Collect All 5 & Ninjcompoop

Now's the time to review Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi! Remember when I said I wouldn't be reviewing any episodes of this show? Well then, you're all in luck! To help celebrate PUFFY's 20th anniversary and the 10th anniversary since the show's cancellation, I changed my mind and have decided to review these rockin' episodes after all. For those of you who don't know what Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi was, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi was a cartoon that ran on Cartoon Network from November 2004 (was originally going to debut the following month, but was pulled forward) to June 2006, centred around the animated versions of the real life PUFFY. Let's see how this show stacked up by reviewing every episode of the show.


Unlike what I did with my KND reviews and my TTTE reviews, I'm not putting the opinion disclaimer for any of these episodes. Why? Because by now, you can already tell that these are my opinions.


Are you ready to be annoyed by your Numbuh 1 fan? Looking to complete your collection? Want to be a nincompoop?

1. Dis-Harmony.

Written by: Robert and Michelle Lamoreaux.

Aired: 19 November 2004.

Kaz holds a contest for Ami and Yumi's fans and a little girl named Harmony is chosen as the winner. She is so obsessed with Ami and Yumi that she will not leave them alone.

Notice that in this picture, 2 of these cowpokes look like Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble from The Flintstones.

Looks like someone loves these two rock stars, and no. She's not one of these bored cowpoke. She's Harmony, their Numbuh 1 fan. I must admit, she sounds just like Dinah from The Land Before Time 6: The Secret of Saurus Rock.

The one thing that puzzles me about one part is how Ami would still own her bunny pyjamas let alone still fit in them like Harmony here.

Notice that in the following shot when the 2 girls are in the photo booth, Ami's head is missing. Then again, the show was in its first stages.

The following shot could be a possible reason as to why a lot of people find this show an insult to anime. It's more or less a tribute to anime.

In one shot of the montage when Harmony is stalking these 2 girls, she just breaks out of Yumi. I wonder if this is a reference to Itchy breaking out of Scratchy in the Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie episode, Scar Trek: The Next Laceration?

The end of this episode is a bit puzzling. Who's driving the bus when no one's on? But then again, it is a cartoon after all.

So, let's see if this show started on a high note. Yes, it pretty much did. It was to an extent, funny, Harmony, although creepily stalking her idols, was hilarious too. However, the only thing that puts this episode off is how nobody is driving the bus at the end. First rule: If there's a plot point not resolve, it's a one point deduction. Sometimes more, sometimes half a point, sometimes none at all. It depends on the quality.

My rating: 9/10.

2. Collect All Five.

Written by: Steven Banks.

Aired: 19 November 2004.

Ami becomes obsessed in with collecting prizes from a cereal box. She has collected all of them except for the bunny one. She wants it so bad she makes a costume for Kaz to fit into, leaving Yumi do something about her best friend's obsession.

First of all, when the girls are counting backwards in Japanese for a midnight snack, it looks more like midnight shopping for cereal than a midnight snack.

For some reason, I love this shot of Ami Onuki screaming "BUNNYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!"

Hmm...Lostco? Costco, anyone?

Look at this scream part! Tell me that's not hilarious!

 

Hmm. Lord of the Rings, anyone?

Some argue that Little Girl in the shot below was voiced by Tara Strong because her voice sounds like Bubbles Utonium from The Powerpuff Girls, but it's actually Yumi's voice actress, Erin Oosbree (Grey Delisle) because the voice sounds more like Berry from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and her yelling voice sounds more like Lizzie Devine from Codename Kids Next Door.

Oh boy! Ami is most definitely the Numbuh 3 of HHPAY! She doesn't like when someone calls what she loves dumb.

Oh boy! Ami sure looks to be on drugs in the next shot because, you know, for kids! I must say, Kaz looks funny in that Bunny Huggles suit! I wonder if they're Ami's childhood bunny pyjamas from the previous ep?

Super Cuddle Love Hug!

Here we go again! Ami wanting to collect all pandas, huh?

This episode is definitely a great step up from the first episode! We got hilarious moments of Ami looking for Bunny. 'eck, even trying to steal one from Little Girl! This is without a doubt one of the best episodes of the whole series!

My rating: 10/10.

3. Ninjcompoop.

Written by: Mitch Watson.

Aired: 19 November 2004.









After a career test, Yumi orders a kit to train her to be a ninja. After becoming one, she goes too far and Ami must snap Yumi back to her normal self.

Now, we have the only appearance of two biodegradable monkeys, Master Peng and Master Franz.

Yumi sure did cheat with her lessons, didn't she?

Yumi looks cool as a ninja. Ami looked cute as a ninja.

Let's go get that post gig snack, shall we?

This was a nice way to wrap up the premiere episode. Sure, Yumi took it too far with her ninja fighting skills, but Ami did beat her at her own game there. Good work, Ami, getting your best friend back this way! Too bad we didn't get to see Ami attack Master Franz like Yumi did to Pang.

My rating: 9.5/10.

Final thoughts:

Well, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi did start on a great note. There is a fun fact. This episode got the highest rating for a Cartoon Network premiering show in 2004, beating Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The ratings for this episode were 3.9 and 4.3. That might not seem like much to you folks, but for Cartoon Network's standards back then, that is heaps! Cartoon Network was starting to lose popularity to Nickelodeon and Disney Channel back then.

As for this episode, it was very hilarious and epic, and a great way to start a great series. I haven't decided whether or not to review all of these in order yet.

Episode rating: 9.5/10.

Season 1 scorecard:

1. Dis-Harmony: 9/10.

2. Collect All 5: 10/10.

3. Ninjcompoop: 9.5/10.

Season 1 so far: 9.5/10.