TTTE S19E13/14: Diesel's Ghostly Christmas

I really am on a roll here! This time, I'm reviewing another Christmas themed Thomas episode. This one is finally airing in the UK on Boxing Day, so I can finally review some Season 19 whenever I get the chance! (no thanks to Viacom's purchase of Channel 5 UK)

453. & 454. Diesel's Ghostly Christmas.
Written by: Becky Overton.

Aired: AUS: 25 December 2015. US: 14 December 2016. UK: 26 December 2016.

Part One

One day at Knapford Station, Thomas is preparing to take a group of singers to their rehearsal as well as take a goods train up to Ulfstead Castle for the Earl's Christmas lunch, when the Fat Controller approaches him, telling him that he must be at Brendam Docks, but has twisted his ankle and can't drive. Already busy with his current jobs, Thomas decides to ask one of his friends if they could take the Fat Controller to the Docks instead. He finds Diesel in the yard and asks him if he could do it, but Diesel says that he's busy and oils away. When Emily arrives, Thomas asks her instead, and she's more than happy to oblige.
At Brendam Docks, Cranky is swinging a large Christmas tree about and orders Salty to help, but as his fuel line is frozen, Salty cannot help. When Diesel arrives at the Docks, Cranky orders him to push the flatbed under him, but Diesel says that he's too busy. Salty's engine roars to life and he rushes over to Cranky, but the tree lands on top of him. Cranky scolds Diesel for not helping out, but Diesel simply dismisses it. Though Salty tries to tell Diesel that Christmas is a time for good will, Diesel scoffs at it. As Diesel leaves, Thomas also arrives at the Docks and glares at him.
When the tree is finally lifted onto a flatbed, Paxton arrives to take it to Ulfstead Castle, but has trouble trying to pull it. Thomas suggests that Diesel can help, but Diesel refuses to do so. When Paxton does set off at last, the chains holding the tree down weaken and snap, and the weight of the tree tipping over makes Paxton derail at a bend. Hours later, Diesel passes by, but refuses to help Paxton. Shortly after that, Thomas arrives, noticing that the tracks became damaged in the accident. He asks Paxton if that was Diesel who just passed by, which Paxton confirms. Thomas thinks of a plan to get back at Diesel.
That night at the Dieselworks, the mist comes down. Diesel anxiously enters the workshop, when all of a sudden, lights come on, and Emily, hanging from chains and pretending to be 'E-Marley's Ghost', appears, telling Diesel to stop being an unhelpful engine. She tells him that he will be visited by three more ghosts, and that he must go to the Docks, otherwise he will end up in "big trouble!!!!". Diesel leaves the Dieselworks in fear, and Emily and Thomas laugh at the success of his plan.
When Diesel arrives at the Docks, he doesn't find the Fat Controller, but does hear a ghostly voice. He tries to get away, but is stopped by Salty, who is covered in a fishing net and surrounded by lights. Salty, pretending to be the 'Ghost of Christmas Past', tells Diesel about many of his past mistakes, such as the time he pushed trucks of china clay into the sea, since he spilled milk all over the Fat Controller, and when he refused to help with the tree. Diesel, too scared to hear anymore, runs away, and Cranky and Salty laugh.

Part Two

Diesel soon stops close by to a bridge and reassures himself that he must have been hearing things, but becomes frightened when bright lights emerge from the bridge, followed by a ghostly voice. Paxton, covered in lanterns and speaking through pipes on a flatbed, introduces himself as the 'Ghost of Christmas Present', but Diesel fearfully says that ghosts aren't real, to which Paxton mutters [to the audience] that he must be good at pretending. He tells Diesel that he should be out enjoying the extra jobs at Christmas, but Diesel scoffs at this and asks why he would enjoy extra work. Paxton tells him to think of the happiness of others, but as he goes on about this, Diesel runs away. Diesel is so frightened that he doesn't notice the damaged bit of track, running over it and derailing. When Thomas passes by, Diesel begs him to help, but Thomas says that he's far too busy and he has more jobs to do.
The next morning at the waste dump, Thomas orders Whiff to have a pile of rubbish dumped on him. When the rubbish is poured over him, he returns to the scene of Diesel's accident and pretends to be the 'Ghost of Christmas Future', telling him that if he does not help others, then they will stop helping him, and he'll be left alone at the scene of his accident for the rest of his life. Thomas then leaves, leaving Diesel to feel very afraid.
At Ulfstead Castle, the Earl is preparing for the Christmas luncheon, watching as Percy, Emily and Paxton arrive with the presents, the choir, and the food. However, the guests have still yet to arrive.
Meanwhile, Thomas returns to Diesel with Rocky to have him rerailed. When Diesel is lifted up into the air, he joyfully thanks Thomas and acts unusually charismatic and excited, promising to do whatever jobs need to be done. He offers to take Rocky back to the Search and Rescue Centre, which Thomas gladly lets him do as he's already late bringing the guests to the Castle.
At Knapford, Thomas arrives and takes the guests to Ulfstead Castle, but he forgets all about the Fat Controller. When he steps out of his office, the Fat Controller calls out to Thomas, but Thomas is too far away to hear him. Later on, Diesel arrives at Knapford, when he hears the Fat Controller moaning in pain, initially believing it to be another ghost. He spots the Fat Controller and asks him if he should have been at Ulfstead Castle, which the Fat Controller confirms, but he has no way of getting there. Diesel offers to take him to the Castle.
At Ulfstead Castle, Thomas arrives with the guests, but notices that the Fat Controller isn't there. Diesel soon arrives with the Fat Controller, and the party begins. That night, Diesel, covered in Christmas lights, is overjoyed to see everybody so happy. Paxton quietly tells Thomas that his plan was a success; Diesel is now a very helpful engine. Diesel wishes everybody a Merry Christmas.

I have to say, this was a very entertaining and hilarious parody of A Christmas Carol! Diesel refusing to help Salty at the docks, leading to the plot of this 20 minute episode. And I'll give this episode props for making a flashback to Diesel Does it Again in CGi, which I mentioned in my review on that. There was even a flashback to No More Mr. Nice Engine where he accidentally spilled milk over Fat Controller, Edward and Hiro. That was a clever Ghost of Christmas past that Salty made, though I wonder how he knew about Diesel bashing the trucks into the sea?

And Paxton made a hilarious fourth wall breaking in this episode when using red and green lights to play the Ghost of Christmas Present.

And Thomas made a disgusting, yet funny Ghost of Christmas Future when Diesel was derailed from the tracks. This reformed Diesel into a very friendly diesel throughout Christmas Day. While Diesel may not be among my favourites, I have to admit this was his best role yet!

Okay, that's a wrap. This will be the last Christmas themed episode I will be reviewing this year. I hope you enjoyed reading my reviews on these Christmas themed episodes, so until next time, have a safe, jolly, cheerful, delightful, friendly, exciting, sharing, caring, and overall, Merry Christmas!

My rating: 10/10.

Season 19 scorecard:
13 and 14: Diesel's Ghostly Christmas: 10/10.

Season 19 rating so far: 10/10.

TTTE S18E18: Last Train for Christmas

Time for me to review another Thomas Christmas themed episode. This time, from Season 18.

432. Last Train for Christmas.

Written by: Andrew Brenner.

Aired: US: 18 December 2014. UK and AUS: 24 December 2014.



It's Christmas Eve on the Island of Sodor and people are hurrying home to be with their families. It is snowing and Oliver, Duck and Thomas are out ploughing the lines. Thomas is looking forward to Christmas because no trains run and they all get to stay in their warm sheds without their snowploughs.
Connor is on the Mainland collecting passengers who are returning home for the holidays. Unfortunately, Connor's train is soon full and some passengers are left at the station, including a little boy on crutches who is worried about making it home for Christmas. Connor promises that he will come back for them as there's still one more train before Christmas.
By the time Connor reaches Knapford, it is getting very late. Connor tells the Fat Controller that if he has more coaches, he will still be able to get everyone home for Christmas. The Fat Controller is concerned; more heavy snow is on the way. Connor assures Sir Topham Hatt that he is a very fast engine and won't get caught in the snowfall.
Connor heads into the sidings, looking for more coaches. Suddenly, he hears a chorus of voices calling out to him. Connor does not know where the voices are coming from, but Thomas does. Thomas reverses into the siding and nudges a snowdrift. Snow falls the ground revealing Duck's slip coaches. Thomas explains that the slip coaches will be ideal because Connor can uncouple them without even having to stop.
Connor steams back across the island with the slip coaches. Heavy snow starts to fall over Sodor which causes trouble for the engines. Paxton even manages to get stuck. This is enough for the Fat Controller to take action. He goes out onto the platform at Knapford to make an announcement to his engines. He tells them all that there can be no more trains and that the last train for Christmas will have to be cancelled. Percy is upset that so many people will not be able to get home to spend Christmas with their families. The Fat Controller spots a family standing lovingly together on the platform and has a sudden change of heart. He tells the engines that if they work together as a team, they have a good chance of clearing the line for the last train.
All of the engines get to work. Thomas and Percy clear the line to Wellsworth. As they stop outside the station, Percy spots some lights in the sky. Percy believes it to be Santa Claus, but it turns out to be Harold who is on duty looking for anyone stranded in the heavy snow.
Edward and Henry busily clear the tracks beyond Maron, but it is Emily who has the hardest job of all; clearing the tracks from Vicarstown to the Mainland where the snow is deepest of all. She is quickly running out of steam and reverses into a siding, preparing to give up when she hears a loud whistle. It's Hiro coming from the opposite direction. He has no trouble charging his way through the snowdrifts. He pulls off to join Emily in the siding so Connor can pass, shouting his thanks for Hiro's help. Hiro then spots something in the sky and thinks it might be Santa, but it is only Harold once again.
Connor drops the first slip coach off at Kellsthorpe Road Station, the second at Maron and the third and final one at Wellsworth. Unfortunately, Connor uncouples the last coach too close to the station and it doesn't stop at the platform, it overshoots. If it is not pushed back to the platform, the passengers will be left stranded in the snow. Luckily, Thomas is there and is able to shunt the coach back to the platform.
When Connor finally arrives at Knapford, the little boy he had met earlier that evening thanks him for getting them all home for Christmas. Then, the Fat Controller arrives and thanks Connor for all his hard work and determination. Connor says that his efforts would've been in vain if it hadn't been for his friends helping out. The Fat Controller thanks all the engines for their help and leaves. The engines leave, too, except for Thomas who spots Harold again. Thomas calls up to wish Harold a "Merry Christmas" and reverses away. However, this time it isn't Harold, it's the real Santa Claus with the light Thomas saw being Rudolph's red nose!

First of all, I would like to say that Duck and Oliver were not shoehorned in this episode just for fan service. They were just there, doing their job, removing snow from the tracks. Though nobody would give it a second look if Duck was the one shunting one of the slip coaches back to Kellsthorpe instead of Thomas.

All I have to say is that this episode was a brill way to celebrate Christmas. Without a doubt one of the best moments this series has ever had! Connor coming back for a crippled boy to take him home for Christmas. Luckily, it was the slip coaches that helped by adding extra room for the boy. A very heart-warming story indeed.

My rating: 10/10.

Season 18 scorecard:
18. Last Train for Christmas: 10/10.

Season 18 rating so far: 10/10.

TTTE S14E13: Henry's Magic Box

Now that I've reviewed some Christmas themed Thomas episodes that are gems, I'm reviewing a Christmas dud.

341. Henry's Magic Box.

Written by: Sharon Miller.

Aired: UK: 8 November 2010. US: 27 November 2010. AUS: 6 October 2011.

It is Christmas time on Sodor and Henry is alone at the sheds. He is not happy; he wants to be busy like all of the other engines. Soon, the Fat Controller arrives and gives Henry a special special. Henry has to take a special box from the docks to Farmer McColl's field and then tell the other engines to go to the field at teatime. The Fat Controller also tells Henry to take special care of the box. Henry soon collects the box and takes it to Farmer McColl's field. When the box is unloaded, Henry is worried about leaving the box all on its own in the field, but he knows he must tell the other engines to go to the field. So he chuffs off instead.
He first meets Gordon at a junction, but is too worried about the box to tell Gordon to go to the field. Instead, he hurries back to the field to check on his box only to find that it is gone. In its place are five Christmas trees. Henry worries that the Fat Controller will be displeased, so goes to find the missing box. While looking for the box, he meets Toby and James at a junction, but he is so distracted about his box, he does not tell them to go to the field at teatime. When Henry arrives back at the field, he sees even more Christmas trees - but no box. At a junction, Henry meets up with Thomas and Percy, but he does not tell them to go to the field at teatime because he is still too distracted by the missing box.
Henry continues looking for his box at the Fenland Track, Maithwaite, and sidings, but he cannot see his box anywhere. Henry sadly steams back to the field, where he sees an entire field of Christmas trees. The Fat Controller is there and explains that the trees were inside the box. Henry feels silly and knows that he must tell the engines to go to the field at once. He soon tells all the engines and, later that night, they all gather at Farmer McColl's field. However, the Fat Controller is absent. Suddenly, the Christmas trees are lit up by colourful festive lights and out from the forest comes Sir Topham Hatt, dressed as Father Christmas.

Yep, this episode is among Henry's worst moments! Why in the name of god would he be scared of wooden boxes?! They're just boxes! They contained Christmas trees! This further proves that Sharon Miller as well as her team knew barely anything about Thomas the Tank Engine. Thank goodness she's voice director now.

And also, in the original narration, they kept using "Winter Holidays", but thankfully, due to Hilary's complaints, it was changed to "Christmas Holidays". But Hilary's complaints didn't save this episode from being such a disaster!

My rating: 1/10.

Season 14 scorecard:

13. Henry's Magic Box: 1/10.

Season 14 rating so far: 1/10.

TTTE S17E19: The Missing Christmas Decorations

Here we are. Another review to do with the spirit of Christmas. One CGi episode not to use the "Winter Holiday" nonsense. And it's the episode that features a character who'd been a movie exclusive from 2000 to this episode.

407. The Missing Christmas Decorations. (f.k.a. New Wheels for Sidney)
Written by: Andrew Brenner.
Aired: US: 9 December 2013. AUS: 24 December 2013. UK: 25 December 2013.

It's Christmas time on Sodor and Tidmouth Sheds is beautifully decorated with festive decorations. The Dieselworks has a few decorations, but nowhere near as many as the steam engines have at Tidmouth Sheds. This infuriates Diesel 10, but the diesels do have one very special decoration; Sidney who is still hanging from the ceiling waiting for his new wheels. Diesel 10 decides that the Dieselworks still needs more decorations and orders Paxton to accompany him on a mission. Paxton is worried; the Fat Controller has ordered him to collect a truck from the shunting yards and bring it to the Dieselworks. That evening, the Steam Team all arrive at Tidmouth Sheds to discover that their Christmas tree is missing. Percy thinks the tree may have been knocked over, but Emily suggests that it may have been stolen. Percy is deeply saddened by this thought; Christmas is a time for giving, not taking things that don't belong to you.
Unbeknownst to the steam engines, Diesel 10 has taken the tree and put it in the Dieselworks. Diesel 10 suggests that they need some festive lights and a large decoration to put on the top of the tree. Once again, Diesel 10 orders Paxton to accompany him on another mission.
That night, when the steam engines return to Tidmouth Sheds, they quickly notice that all of their lights are missing. Gordon is outraged that someone is stealing all of their decorations, but Percy still finds it hard to believe that someone could be so cruel at Christmas time.
Back at the Dieselworks, the diesels have covered Sidney in the bright lights that they had taken from Tidmouth Sheds. Sidney is not very happy, but Diesel 10 laughs and says that Sidney is their biggest decoration. Norman thinks that they still need something to decorate the tree. Diesel 10 knows where they can get some garland from and orders Paxton to be his henchman again. This time, Paxton plucks up the courage to tell Diesel 10 that he doesn't want to steal any more decorations and he sets off to collect the truck from the shunting yards as the Fat Controller had instructed.
The next day, while all the steam engines are out working, Diesel 10 sneaks into Tidmouth Sheds and grabs hold of some garland with his claw. Diesel 10 doesn't notice Percy watching him. Percy calls out and Diesel 10 races away with the garland. Percy races after him. Diesel 10 and Percy race across the island. On the way, Percy recruits the rest of the Steam Team to help him chase the devious diesel.
By the time Diesel 10 speeds into the Dieselworks, all of the Steam Team are chasing him. Once inside, the steam engines immediately notice all of their missing decorations and are not at all happy. Diesel 10 tells the steam engines that the Fat Controller likes them more than diesels as they were given far more decorations. Then, Paxton rolls up pushing a truck packed full of festive decorations which the Fat Controller had given to the diesels. Diesel 10 feels rather guilty and very embarrassed after that.
The steam engines leave with their decorations, but Percy stays behind to chat to Sidney. Percy asks how long Sidney has been waiting for his new wheels. Sidney isn't sure, but he doesn't think it's been long. Norman informs Percy that Sidney has actually been waiting for two years. Percy is very surprised that Sidney has been waiting for so long. Sidney concludes that the order must have been misplaced at some point. This gives Percy an idea and he travels to Knapford Station to have a word with the Fat Controller.
At Tidmouth Sheds, the engines are very glad to have their decorations back, even if some of them are very battered. Then, they hear a diesel horn which annoys Gordon, but Percy knows who it is. Suddenly, Sidney pulls into the yard with his new wheels. The steam engines are surprised to see him. Sidney thanks Percy for giving him the best present of all. The steam engines are shocked as to why has Percy given the diesels a present after all the bad stuff they'd done. Percy reminds his friends that Christmas is a time for giving. Then, all of the other diesels arrive with truckloads of decorations. The diesels all agree that they should give their decorations to the steam engines as a way of repaying them for all their deviousness. Thomas wonders what decorations will be left for the dieselworks, but Sidney insists that they still have him still covered in bright lights and his new wheels. As Sidney lights up, all of the engines have a good laugh together.




That's right! This is the first episode to star Diesel 10! After 13 years, Diesel 10 gets an episode! It sure was ridiculous of the wheel shipment for Sidney to be 2 years as mentioned by Norman. This is a reference to the fact that this episode came out 2 years after Day of the Diesels. Could it also be a reference to the TUGS episode Warrior where Warrior accidentally bumps into Old Rusty who said he'd been anchored up there for 2 years?

And there's another debate. Diesel Ten uses his famous line from Thomas and the Magic Railroad (I'm not calling it "Shining Time Station: The Movie") He just calls Sidney "Twinkletoes"! "Yeah, Twinkletoes!" For this very reason, from this episode on, I'm calling Diesel Ten "Twinkletoes".

Overall, this episode shows the real moral. Christmas is all about sharing and caring as Twinkletoes learned the hard way. And it was nice of Sidney to get new wheels in the end.

My rating: 10/10.


Season 17 scorecard:

16. Too Many Fire Engines: 9.5/10.

19. The Missing Christmas Decorations: 10/10.

Season 17 so far: 9.7/10.

TTTE S6E09: It's Only Snow

Now I'm in the mood to review something Christmassy. I was going to review Christmas is Here Again, but I changed my mind. Instead, I will do some Thomas the Tank Engine reviews on episodes that have to do with Christmas. And this time, I'm reviewing one from Season 6.

139. It's Only Snow.

Written by: James Mason.

Aired: UK: 26 September 2002. AUS: 31 October 2002. US: 23 January 2003.

It is winter on the Island of Sodor. The engines don't mind the weather because they love this time of the year, especially when the stations look festive due to the decorations. There is plenty of work with passengers and parcels to be delivered, no matter the weather. At Knapford Station, Edward tells the other engines that his driver said that there is more snow on the way. James, in an angry mood, says that they'll soon be wearing their snowploughs, and Henry asks Thomas if he'll be enjoying it. Thomas, also in an angry mood, tells them that he never will like it because he hates wearing his snowplough.

That night, the wind is blowing and the snow is falling heavily. In the morning, Thomas has to take a Christmas Tree to the village with Toby, and is very angry when he has to wear his old snowplough. The Fat Controller assures him that everyone needs to wear a snowplough during the winter. On the way to the village, Thomas' snowplough runs into a rock on the track. It flies off to the side, and destroys a water tower. Thomas' driver does not think they can continue, but Thomas is determined to reach the station. He pushes the snow away as hard as he can, and soon reaches the village. The villagers are very pleased with their tree.

The following morning, the Fat Controller praises Thomas' bravery taking on the snow without a snowplough. As a result of this, Thomas is told he will have to do without a snowplough for a while, leaving him feeling very proud.

Alright, you people who like to scapegoat HiT for starting this "Winter Holiday" nonsense, HiT didn't start it! This "Winter Holiday" nonsense started here. My major problem with this nonsense is that:

1. Reverend Awdry was a reverend as his name implied, meaning that he was a christian.

2. I don't see what's wrong with calling it "Christmas holiday".

3. The Northern Hemisphere is the only place that has winter when it's Christmas. In the Southern Hemisphere where I live, it's summer during Christmas.

But enough of that. All I have to say is that this was a nicely done episode. I do like the quote "That made my axles tingle!", I find it funnier under Michael Angelis' narrations. Again, I generally go for the UK narrations because I grew up with them. And Thomas sure was in character here, not wanting his snowplough and it makes more sense here since the plough is rusty instead of his clean blue one.

And to be honest, I wasn't bothered by the "Winter Holiday" quote here since it was only used once. But I'll give the late Hilary Fortnam props for helping to rid of this "Winter Holiday" nonsense in 2011. May she rest in peace.

And also, I find this episode nice and the magic spirit of Christmas when Fat Controller told Thomas that he'll have to do without a snowplough for a while. That's a kind Christmas present.

My rating: 9/10.

Season 6 scorecard:
9. It's Only Snow: 9/10.

Season 6 rating so far: 9/10.

HHPAY Comic 1

Thought I was done with reviewing Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi? Think again! I have found some comics based on the series, and I am going to review them all.

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Comic #1

Released: April 2006.

Today, I am going to review the first of a mini series of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi comic books. Let's see if they stack up the same way the main cartoon series did.

1. Puffy Magic Guitar.

Written by: Janet Harvey.

Illustrated by: Phil Moy.



Yumi arrives back on the tour bus with a new electric guitar. She is so thrilled with it, she plays it endlessly. Eventually, Ami gets fed up with the noise and once she says "I wish you'd be quiet!", Yumi ends up being quiet, meaning that the guitar is magic and grants 3 wishes. This also spells disaster since they have a gig that night. Kaz has a little fun with the guitar, wishing for a gigantic load of money, as Ami tries to tug it from him, ending up breaking the guitar. The gig does poorly later due to Yumi being as quiet as a mouse. Ami has an idea and she and Yumi put the guitar back together, wishing for everything to be back the way they were before Yumi went quiet.

I must say, this comic story was quiet hilarious! It also further proves how greedy Kaz is, wanting all the money in the world! This story also proves that you should be careful what you wish for because if you do wish for something and the wish comes true, it may not end up the way you expected it to happen. Oh well, Kaz did get his comeuppance in the end, losing all the money he wished for!

My rating: 10/10.

2. The Verse That Could Happen.

Written by: Sean Carolan and Jennifer Moore.

Illustrated by: Phil Moy.

Yumi is looking for Ami and eventually finds her, only to discover that she's writing a song and has found on the tip of her tongue, a rhyme for orange. Once Ami forgets it, Kaz and Yumi spend their time helping her find the rhyme. Eventually, Ami gets annoyed by a squeaky door hinge, only to figure out that that was a perfect rhyme for orange. However, once Ami gets to the word silver, she realised there was no rhyme for silver.

Well, this sure was a wacky misadventure, looking for a rhyme with orange. If you have an accent where R's are always pronounced, even at the end of words, then "Door hinge" does rhyme with "Orange", but in accents where R's aren't always pronounced, Door Hinge and Orange don't rhyme. I'm pretty sure Ami could've looked for other words that rhyme with orange. I can think of some: Hinge, Binge, Singe, Tinge, Storage, Forage, Porridge. And the ending is true! There is no rhyme for silver.....except maybe Quiksilver, or maybe Wilder. But still, crazy and funny.

My rating: 9.5/10.



3. Ready...Set...Go!

Written by: Sean Carolan and Jennifer Moore.

Illustrated by: Phil Moy.

After a failed gig, all thanks to the sticky taped old set on stage, Kaz has no choice but to buy a new set. With nobody agreeing on what the set should be of, (Ami wants unicorns, Yumi wants stonehenges, Kaz wants a disco ball) they choose all 3 of their decisions. Because of Kaz' disco ball, some of the audience goes blind and they all run out of the gig. Due to the failure of the gig, Ami, Yumi and Kaz decide to draw on T-shirts to sell.

This was yet another crazy misadventure. Boy was Kaz eager to spend some money in this! Unlike him. I'll bet this gig wouldn't failed if Kaz didn't interfere with his disco ball! Too bad he did. Kaz and his silly tricks. Would've been better if it was just Ami's decision, making Yumi further disapprove since Ami's the girly-girl and Yumi's the tomboy. I'd say not having Kaz' decisions, only Ami's and Yumi's.

My rating: 9/10.

Comic observations:

Ami's reference to the possibility of the magic guitar in Puffy Magic Guitar having 3 wishes references genies in Arabian folklore having the ability to grant 3 wishes. Remember, don't believe everything you read or watch, especially this comic.

Some of the audience going blind in Ready...Set...Go! is similar to The Simpsons episodes The Otto Show and Homer the Vigilante where in the former, one member of the fictional Spinal Tap gets blinded by a laser whereas in the latter, Jasper is hit by a laser, restoring his vision and later, hit by another laser, killing his vision again.

And at the end of The Verse That Could Happen and Ready...Steady...Go!, there's a chart that teaches readers how to speak some Japanese words and what those words mean in English.

Final thoughts:

This comic was a nice one overall! A nice start to this very short series of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi comic books. Showing Ami and Kaz messing around with a magic guitar, Ami looking for a perfect rhyme with "Orange", and then, Ami, Yumi and Kaz mess up a gig by not deciding what the final set of their gig should be.

Comic rating: 9.5/10.

HHPAY Comic stories so far:
1. Puffy Magic Guitar: 10/10.

2. The Verse That Could Happen: 9.5/10.

3. Ready...Set...Go!: 9/10.

Series so far: 9.5/10.





TTTE S5E12: Double Teething Troubles

Now that I'm done with reviewing Robotboy, I can just take it easy and review whatever the 'eck I want! Today, I am doing another Thomas the Tank Engine review.

116. Double Teething Troubles.

Written by: Britt Allcroft, David Mitton and David Maidment.

Aired: UK: 29 September 1998. AUS: 8 December 1998. US: 26 January 1999.

Bill and Ben argue over who has rights to some trucks nearby, and despite BoCo's warnings, derail each other at the points. The Fat Controller decides to send a diesel to help them, but the diesel, Derek, is new and has problems with his cooling system, as seen after he breaks down on Gordon's Hill, prompting BoCo to rescue him. The news soon spreads, and Percy, who misunderstands Thomas when he mentions Derek has teething troubles, tells the horrified twins the diesel has a toothache. Duck tells the twins that "teething troubles" means that Derek is new and breaks down often, making the twins even more nervous. The next day, Derek arrives at the Clay Pits and helps the twins with a long train of China Clay trucks. However, Derek's engine overheats, and he stops. Bill and Ben pull him and the trucks and Derek is sent to the works. Bill and Ben apologise to BoCo for being rude and they and Duck talk about teething troubles all night long.


This was quite an interesting episode. Bill and Ben's antics never cease to amuse me, especially their argument "T's mine! "T's not!" "T's mine!" "T's not!" and how concerned Boco was about their quarrelling and how they had a minor accident. And here, we're introduced to Derek, a diesel who has teething troubles.

I am going to observe that Derek's basis, the BR Class 17 diesel suffered teething troubles too. I guess David Maidment got inspiration for this from that.

Too bad that this was Derek's sole appearance in the series. (With the exception of a cameo later in Calling all Engines!) Hopefully, Jam-Filled can give him a decent CGi render instead of say, shoehorning Thomas the Tank Engine every single time! When will those soccermums ever take a chill pill?

Minor flaw is that Derek was never referred to by name except for merchandising. Yep, Season 5's newcomers were only made to sell toys to the target audience unlike Seasons 9-12's newcomers who were made to have their personas dug out.


And the saddest thing about this one is this. Yep, this was Boco's last appearance to date. I just hope that Jam-Filled can come to their senses and give him a brill CGi render considering he's the only character introduced in Season 2 who's yet to be rendered. I'm not counting the Spiteful Brakevan because he's dead.


Well, this episode was a nice ride, and the end music set the right tone to understand how friendly Derek was.

My rating: 9.5/10.



Season 5 scorecard:
12. Double Teething Troubles: 9.5/10.

25. Snow: 3.5/10.

Season 5 so far: 6.5/10.

Robotboy S4E13: The Return of Robotgirl & Momma's Boy + Season 4 overall + Series overall

Now's the time for me to wrap up my Robotboy reviews once and for all by reviewing the final episode! Did this series go out on a high note? Let's find out!

103. The Return of Robotgirl.

Written by: Robert Mittenthal and Michael Rubiner.

Aired: 27 September 2008.

At a night at Tommy's yard, he and his friends are having a sleepover with their tents. When the boys where making shadow puppets they suddenly get frightened by a little spider and runs away until they get inside Lola's tent. Gus prefer not to be inside since he find the tent of Lola's too girly and so do Tommy and Robotboy (though he could just be following Tommy). Suddenly something from the sky hits on top of a hill and the boys are going for it to take a look. They find a mechanical box, Tommy removes from where it landed, opens it up and inside they find a little pink robot which Robotboy explain that it is Robotgirl. They activate her and she show them a holographic message with Professor Moshimo and Tommy suspects that he is in trouble while seeing if Robotgirl can help them find him. Unfortunately she seems to misunderstand their asking due to her emotion chip got broken and punches Gus for no reason.
At Tommy's bedroom the boys are trying to fix her as much as possible, until Gus makes Robotgirl to cry for his own help. When Robotboy comforts Robotgirl he makes fun of Gus and Gus becomes mad and they start arguing to each other. Suddenly Lola appears and comforts Robotgirl by herself and takes with her to her tent. Tommy reminds Lola to ask Robotgirl to find out about Moshimo.
After Lola has comforted Robotgirl, the gang starts to search after Moshimo and arrives at an abandoned Titanium-Factory. They start looking until they find Moshimo inside a tube where he is hold as a hostage from Protoboy. Protoboy demand both to Robotboy and Robotgirl to enter the molds so they will get frozen inside a titanium liquid until it melts so Protoboy can be the only robot for Moshimo and he'll let him go. Robotgirl approaches to one of the molds but Robotboy stops her and he gets caught inside one instead. Robotgirl seems to do the same but lately changes her mind when she feel that Protoboy is lying and starts fighting with him.
At the same moment the kids try to figure out an idea to be able to free Moshimo and Robotboy from being dipped. Protoboy defeats Robotgirl and almost kicked her inside the burning liquid when Lola interrupts him by telling that abother robot will beat him up. While Protoboy prepares to fight to the other robot Lola frees Moshimo and Robotboy when Protoboy finds out that the other robot is a dud with Tommy and Gus and starts to preparing to shoot them and gets blasted by Robotboy. Robotboy blasts a second time to Protoboy and the liquid starts to destroy the bunker and the whole factory but Robotboy managed to save them all in the last second.


Ha! I knew Gus was a goose all along!

Lola's pretty tent!

Robotgirl is back!

Gus is skinny!

Robotgirl and Lola go good together.

Ha! Gus is wedgied!

Moshimo is trapped!

Protoboy's back.

You serious?

Well, this was a very good episode. We got the return of Robotgirl, and Gus made a shadow of himself! This sure was an epic climax in the factory, what with Robotboy saving Moshimo, Tommy, Robotgirl and Augustus, but if it weren't for the ending, it'd be perfect. Robotboy saves everyone, the factory collapses.......that's it! You kidding me? It's a great episode, but the ending was poor.

My rating: 9.5/10.

104. Momma's Boy.

Written by: Adam Cohen.

Aired: 27 September 2008.

When Kaziland is having a renovation Dr. Kamikazi and Constantine decide to live with Kamikazi's old mother who lives in Bay Area. Meanwhile Tommy and Gus try to get into different houses and ask them about cooking with insects.

Man does Kamikazi have a crab problem!

And here's the first appearance of Stevie's grandma, Mother Kamikazi.

Tommy with the cooking of insects book.

Here are the dogs, Ginger and Wasabi.

Now they're wiener constrictors!

 They're fighting over Robotboy!

Man is Mama hitting Kamikazi!

Well, this was a decent episode. All it focuses on is Stevie's grandma cooking, not paying attention to her son fighting Robotboy. The only laughs I got were Kamikazi getting treated like a mama's boy and the bad dogs, even if they were annoying. And Tommy's mum knows Mother Kamikazi? Oh well, Season 4 did end on an alright note.

My rating: 7/10.

Final thoughts:

This was an interesting episode too. We got to see the return of Robotgirl and we got to see Stevie's grandma hitting her son while Kaziland is under fumigation. It's an alright way to put Season 4 to rest.

Episode rating: 8/10.

Season 4 final thoughts:

Bottom line, Season 4 is the weakest season of Robotboy overall! Not bad or anything. It did have great episodes, but one was meh, and the rest were okay at worst. There was also a lack of Lola in episodes. What? Is she on holiday to see her mum elsewhere in the world? Oh well, I don't hate this season, but of the series as a whole, this is the least great.

Season 4 episodes from least favourite to favourite:

4.5/10.

26. Udder Madness.

5.5/10.

25. Everybody loves Grandma.

6/10.

24. Runaway Robot.

6.5/10.

23 Tween for a day.

7/10.

22. Ogbot.

21. Momma's Boy.

7.5/10.

20. Small Problems.

8/10.

19. Robomonkey Shines.

8.5/10.

18. Vitamin Sucker.

17. I, Hero!

9/10.

16. Knockoffs.

15. The Old Switcharobot.

14. Aunty Gravitee.

9.5/10.

13. Grow-No-Mo.

12. Rats!

11. The Return of Robotgirl.

10/10.

10. The Revenge of Protoboy.

9. Robolympics.

8. Donnie Turnbull's Day Off.

7. Bowling for Dummies.

6. The Curse of Truckenstein.

5. Bad Nanny.

4. Gus's Big Mouth

3. Robotboy's 15 Minutes.

2. Gus's Mix.

1. Cheezy Fun for Everyone.

Season 4 average score: 9.5/10.

Final score: 8.8/10.

 And that's the series overall! It would be nice to see Robotboy get a 5th season, but I doubt it will, and here are the reasons I doubt it.

1. Lewis Macleod (voice of Dwight, Special Agent, Bjorn and many others) is busy voicing Postman Pat.

2. As of 2012, Rupert Degas (voice of Gus, Constantine, Kurt, Hexx, Ambassador Mbola and many others) resides in Australia.

3. As of 2009, Togo Igawa (voice of Professor Moshimo) is now voicing Hiro in Thomas the Tank Engine.

And here's the real reason I doubt Robotboy will continue, and it's a sad one. In April 2010, Eiji Kusuhara (voice of Doctor Kamikazi) died of cancer. Rest in peace, Eiji. You will be sorely missed.

Now that that's out of the way, did Robotboy end on a high note? Sadly, it didn't. We got untold stories! Did Robotgirl end up with Lola? Did Lola confess her feelings toward Tommy? What became of all the villains? Did Lola's mum appear?

However, Season 4 was where I believe the show was on the edge of going through seasonal rot, so if this show doesn't continue, we can accept quality over quantity. Besides, we can always write our own fan fictions of Robotboy. I've written lots in 2012 when I joined Deviantart.

Alright! This was a brill series. I will never tire of Robotboy, and I will remember to say a true boy. A true Robotboy!

Let Tommy and Robotboy do something to end out for me!

That's it, Brobotboys! I hope you enjoyed reading my views on these! And I am going to deactivate these reviews........now! 









Robotboy S4E12: The Revenge of Protoboy & Everybody loves Grandma

Now I'm ready to review another Robotboy episode!

101. The Revenge of Protoboy.

Written by: Robert Mittenthal and Michael Rubiner.

Aired: 20 September 2008.

In the middle of the forenoon Donnie is tossing oranges at Gus until Gus plays possum which manages to trick Donnie thinking he's unconscious (or presumably dead) which leaves Donnie running away in fear and comes to a boat. Meanwhile back at Tommy's yard Gus wakes up and explains to Robotboy what possum means and suddenly a meteor arrives and it is positioned towards Tommy and Gus but Robotboy destroys it. They're wondering how the meteor could have been positioned to them just like that until Protoboy arrives and starts to fight towards Robotboy until he gets almost destroyed and just when he was going to finish him up he gets a phone-call and flies away and tells that he will return.
Later Tommy and Gus goes to a dessert where they need to find Moshimo's secret laboratory which they find and comes together with Moshimo to get down of the dessert where his lab is at. In the lab Moshimo, Miumiu and Tommy are fixing Robotboy while Gus watches the news where they tell that a cruise is in grave danger by Protoboy which leaves Tommy worried because his parents are on that cruise so he brings Robotboy with him to save them and the whole cruise.
At the cruise everyone is terrified by the disaster caused by Protoboy and Robotboy and his friends arrive to save them. While Robotboy and Protoboy faces each other Robotboy tries as much as he can to make his brother change his mind but Protoboy does not want to and threatens Robotboy to destroy both Tommy and the cruise. This makes Robotboy having no choice but to fight him and while they Superactivate, Robotboy gets unusually defeated quickly by Protoboy and Protoboy approaches to destroy the whole ship but suddenly Robotboy comes from nowhere leaving Protoboy surprised and Robotboy quickly reaches to his chest and removes his cables that powers him. A down-faced Robotboy looks at his brother coming to the sea and turns around to see his friend Tommy being unharmed and explained to him that he played possum like Gus taught him and they fly away.


Gus is dead!

Gus was playing dead!

Now Donnie is trapped!

 Protoboy on phone.



Moshimo's lab underground.

 

 Big boat!

Deb's new hairdo is nice.

This episode was pretty epic! We got to see Protoboy again, out there to destroy Robotboy! And who would've known that Moshimo's lab would be underground? And boy was Dwight oblivious to Tommy's presence! Funny how Donnie was in a barrel of dead fish on a fishing boat and believing Gus was dead, inspiring Robotboy to do the same thing. I did kind of feel sorry for Tommy when he thought Robotboy died. Yeah, this was an epic one.

My rating: 10/10.

102. Everybody loves Grandma.

Written by: Robert Mittenthal and Michael Rubiner.

Aired: 20 September 2008.

when Yakitori feels angry of not having a family to be with he decide to destroy every family on Earth to feel more better for himself. Meanwhile Grandma Turnbull comes to visit the Turnbull's to stay with them for a while only that she's in unaware that she's in danger when Yakitori's robots come to destroy her and the rest of the family.

Hmm....Yakitori sure is depressed.

Here we are, Dwight's mum, Grandma Turnbull.

Tommy thought Hester was Gus' grandma?

Yakitori's mechanics like to ruin everything.

At least Grandma Turnbull's right about Dwight being a baby sometimes.

This was quite an average episode. All Yakitori wanted was a family, but turned it all to destroy the Turnbulls. Sure, it did introduce Tommy's grandma, and sure she was strong for her age, but all Yakitori wanted to do was destroy the Turnbulls. I will admit, it was funny of Tommy to mistake Gus' mum for his grandma because she's so old. All in all, an average episode.

My rating: 5.5/10.

Final thoughts:

Still a decent episode to say the least. We got another great fight with Robotboy and Protoboy as well as Donnie being scared, and we got an average adventure with Grandma Turnbull. Oh well, I don't expect perfection all the time. Oh, but I'm not done with these reviews just yet! Just 1 to go!

Episode rating: 7.5/10.

Season 4 scorecard:

1. Gus' Big Mouth: 10/10.

2. Small Problems: 7.5/10.

3. Vitamin Sucker: 8.5/10.

4. Ogbot: 7/10.

5. Runaway Robot: 6/10.

6. Grow-No-Mo!: 9.5/10.

7. Aunty Gravitee: 9/10.

8. Cheezy Fun for Everyone: 10/10.

9. The Curse of Truckenstein: 10/10.

10. Robolympics: 10/10.

11. Knockoffs: 9/10.

12. Gus's Mix: 10/10.

13. Robotboy's 15 Minutes: 10/10.

14. The Old Switcharobot: 9/10.

15. I Hero!: 8.5/10.

16. Rats!: 9.5/10.

17. Udder Madness: 4.5/10.

18. Bad Nanny: 10/10.

19. Bowling for dummies: 10/10.

20. Tween for a day: 6.5/10.

21. Donnie Turnbull's Day Off: 10/10.

22. Robomonkey Shines: 8/10.

23. The Revenge of Protoboy: 10/10.

24. Everybody loves Grandma: 5.5/10.

Season 4 so far: 8.8/10.





Robotboy S4E11: Donnie Turnbull's Day Off & Robomonkey Shines

Another Robotboy review.

99. Donnie Turnbull's Day Off.

Written by: Robert Mittenthal and Michael Rubiner.

Aired: 13 September 2008.

Donnie fakes that he's sick so that he can see what it is with Robotboy so that he can destroy him for being smashed by him.

Donnie was attacked!

Donnie's feeling hot!

Robotboy take day off.

Donnie and Robotboy hit each other!

Donnie's room trashed!

Donnie a baby!

Now Donnie is scared of Robotboy!

What a hilarious episode! Donnie pretending to be sick, just to see what's up with Robotboy! And boy was Donnie scared of him in the end! Those flashbacks were funny too! Boy was Debbie gullible when she thought Donnie really was sick!

My rating: 10/10.

100. Robomonkey Shines.

Written by: Tim Madison.

Aired: 13 September 2008.

Tommy gives Robotboy an all new friend; a little Robomonkey to make be with Robotboy when Tommy's at school. It's only a matter of time when the Robomonkey becomes an annoying house-wrecker and starts making rampage in Tommy's house.

Gus has the do.

Robot Monkey.

Dwight has manure?

Robotdog!

Now Robomonkey has Donnie!

I must say, this episode goes from cute to stressful to hilarious! Cute is when Robomonkey is introduced to Robotboy, stressful is when Robomonkey goes on a rampage and messes manure around with Deb's scrapbook group and hilarious is when Donnie is hit, falling into manure, when Debbie gets mad at Dwight and when Robmonkey messes around with Doctor Kamikazi! It's a good episode.

My rating: 8/10.

Final thoughts:

A nice episode to say the least. Donnie gets the day off to fight Robotboy, and Robomonkey causes mayhem all around the Turntail house, making Deb angry with Dwight! A very good episode as a whole!

Episode rating: 9/10.



Season 4 scorecard:

1. Gus' Big Mouth: 10/10.

2. Small Problems: 7.5/10.

3. Vitamin Sucker: 8.5/10.

4. Ogbot: 7/10.

5. Runaway Robot: 6/10.

6. Grow-No-Mo!: 9.5/10.

7. Aunty Gravitee: 9/10.

8. Cheezy Fun for Everyone: 10/10.

9. The Curse of Truckenstein: 10/10.

10. Robolympics: 10/10.

11. Knockoffs: 9/10.

12. Gus's Mix: 10/10.

13. Robotboy's 15 Minutes: 10/10.

14. The Old Switcharobot: 9/10.

15. I Hero!: 8.5/10.

16. Rats!: 9.5/10.

17. Udder Madness: 4.5/10.

18. Bad Nanny: 10/10.

19. Bowling for dummies: 10/10.

20. Tween for a day: 6.5/10.

21. Donnie Turnbull's Day Off: 10/10.

22. Robomonkey Shines: 8/10.

Season 4 so far: 8.9/10.