Callum Nathan Thomas Edmunds / MauLer93 / MauLer and the EFAPshere - Objective discussion about not-Channel Awesome featuring Rags, Southpaw and more!

[Gloria The Glorious]

Them immediately complaining about Clone Wars is funnier considering it’s an anthology that you’re free to jump around and/or skip arcs if they aren’t to your liking.

When I watched it I skipped Season 1 completely and don’t feel I missed any particularly essential information.

If you watch any episode of Season 1, make it Episode 5. Entirely Clone focused.

 

[Computer God Autism]

Them immediately complaining about Clone Wars is funnier considering it’s an anthology that you’re free to jump around and/or skip arcs if they aren’t to your liking.

An anthology should still have a strong hook, and TCW doesn't, the best episode of season one is five episodes in. The anthology structure also becomes a lot less stringent as the seasons went on and arcs became increasingly self-referential, it left the show in a very unhappy medium of still letting you bounce around but not being able to really develop or kill off characters who weren't purpose made for those arcs.

 

[Gloria The Glorious]

An anthology should still have a strong hook, and TCW doesn't, the best episode of season one is five episodes in. The anthology structure also becomes a lot less stringent as the seasons went on and arcs became increasingly self-referential, it left the show in a very unhappy medium of still letting you bounce around but not being able to really develop or kill off characters who weren't purpose made for those arcs.

To be fair, you can say that for most Star Wars spin-off stuff. In the sense that anything in the films is off limits and only characters made for the spin-off material can die, save for a few Jedi in the prequel era. Season 1 should have been self-contained episodes. On that note, one thing CW did fairly well was reinforce what were meant to be character traits. Anakin and Obi-Wan especially feel like what they were meant to be in the films (and we say bits of in ROTS).

Oh, wait, there I go, finding value in something beyond raw storytelling. This is why I'm not a successful YouTube Essayist.

 

[Computer God Autism]

To be fair, you can say that for most Star Wars spin-off stuff. In the sense that anything in the films is off limits and only characters made for the spin-off material can die, save for a few Jedi in the prequel era.

True, but of the major recurring characters of TCW the only one that does get definitively killed is Fives; Filoni talked Lucas down from killing off Ahsoka (one of the big reasons I think Lucas' role in making unpopular retcons is overstated), despite replacing Alpha's intended role and setting up Appo Rex never gets killed, Echo is revived for another series, Cad Bane dies in a tangentially related series, Ventress gets killed in a post-hoc novel, etc. The only character who did show up in the movies to get killed who wasn't a Jedi (afaik) was the Gungan general from TPM... who also beat Grievous in single combat.

Not to say that every character that didn't show up in RotS should've died, but TCW definitely was weirdly adverse to killing any significant side characters despite repurposing and paving over the lore willy-nilly. I suppose that is preferable to the alternative of, say, how the Revan novel treated the Kotor characters (RIP Jedi Jesus), but still.

 

[Chadikus Maximus]

Last week's episode was entertaining:

Like with the boogie saga and their earlier episodes, I think they do better when they try to refute or expose retarded arguments.

EFAP used to be more fun to listen to because it was a bunch of midwits shiting on even more middling midwits as themself but after toppling one to many metal midgets they have goten the impression that they are Goliaths and now we are left withe a bunch Napoleons deluding them selfs to be Andre the Giant

 

[Wulfpack Legend]

 

[Nameless One]

An anthology should still have a strong hook, and TCW doesn't, the best episode of season one is five episodes in. The anthology structure also becomes a lot less stringent as the seasons went on and arcs became increasingly self-referential, it left the show in a very unhappy medium of still letting you bounce around but not being able to really develop or kill off characters who weren't purpose made for those arcs.

The best of the Clone Wars didn't even get finalized lolol and the best arcs were just comic adaptations (that did them better) like the slavers part. I'd say just read STAR WARS: REPUBLIC by dark horse. Great comics and by the end with Order 66 it ties into other ones like Dark Times. Amazing anthology, should be animated.

 

[strawberry15]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bk6V-TWg3Y

 

[Maniacal Foreigner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bk6V-TWg3Y

Jesus, this guy is obsessed with defending the honor of Dark Souls 2. What a hill to die on. This is like his 11th video responding to Mauler's old series, and it looks like he took on Matthewmatosis, too.

 

[Computer God Autism]

the best arcs were just comic adaptations (that did them better)

One of my biggest pet peeves with Filonicels is that they, on average, are not interested in Star Wars outside of what Filoni has made. They'll praise the Umbara arc when it's just a very mutilated retelling of Republic's Jabiim arc and they'll praise Filoni for trying to add Thrawn into Disney Wars when the implementation is a slap in the face to Zahn's Thrawn. Many of them will talk about how TCW is better than Genndy's Clone Wars when they haven't even/refuse to watch all of it and don't know that Filoni was just Lucas' fallback guy when he couldn't get Genndy for TCW.

It's a weird parallel to Mauler's relationship with Star Wars. He seems to hate Star Wars but hasn't interacted with any non-Filoni/Disney material despite being repeatedly told they're better. He doesn't even really have the excuse that he doesn't trust his viewers suggestions after they kept telling him to watch TCW - there are so many video essays on Kreia as a character that it's bizarre he hasn't at least tried Kotor.

 

[Gloria The Glorious]

One of my biggest pet peeves with Filonicels is that they, on average, are not interested in Star Wars outside of what Filoni has made.

Yeah, even as a TCW fan I've always found that jarring. Granted, I also consider the Force Unleashed to be the true in-between of 3 and 4 so what would I know?

Thrawn's inclusion was actually the first big misstep for me, and when I knew Rebels was a shell of the show that came before. Clone Wars was the nice balance between EU Grit and OG campiness that really struck with me. But Thrawn was MADE to work post-emperor. He does not work at all as an in-between villain unless you either kill him pre-emptively and it's clear it was a loss to the empire, or he's just Blue Tarkin. Even things like the stupid witch subplot in Clone Wars at least lead to interesting things with Maul (who, coincidently, was one of the only good parts of Rebels).

But since arguing which part of Star Wars is better is a fool's errand, I have a better question - how much of the mess that is Post-Favreau Filoniverse was a result of Disney buying Star Wars? Let's say that the Bad Batch was the last we saw of this plot line and Ashoka's fate is left up to fan interpretation. While I know most of you wouldn't care for and Mauler and Co would enjoy not enjoying it, how much better would this take be looked back upon without that Rebels, Mando, and Acolyte, and instead was just the Cartoon Network second run?

 

[Computer God Autism]

how much better would this take be looked back upon without that Rebels, Mando, and Acolyte, and instead was just the Cartoon Network second run?

Probably not that differently. When it comes to the history of Star War's popular reception, the Disney acquisition was actually a boon for it in the moment; the turn of the decade was when the RLM (hackfraud) reviews were reaching the height of their popularity, and Star Wars coming out of Lucas' hands and into Disney's was something they and many others were excited for and had been asking for. If Lucas had never sold and Rebels came out on CN with him still nominally in charge then it might have been better received by the TCW audience but it would have also been target of a lot more outside scrutiny and probably would still have had the same pitfalls by virtue of the same people still working on it. Filoni would still want to rewrite the EU and Kennedy would still be looking for a chance to take over from Lucas. I can't speak to Mando and Acolyte just because those were so far removed from Rebels it's up to debate whether they would have been made at all if Disney never bought the IP (especially since the CN realblock was buried by that point).

 

[Gloria The Glorious]

Probably not that differently. When it comes to the history of Star War's popular reception, the Disney acquisition was actually a boon for it in the moment; the turn of the decade was when the RLM (hackfraud) reviews were reaching the height of their popularity, and Star Wars coming out of Lucas' hands and into Disney's was something they and many others were excited for and had been asking for. If Lucas had never sold and Rebels came out on CN with him still nominally in charge then it might have been better received by the TCW audience but it would have also been target of a lot more outside scrutiny and probably would still have had the same pitfalls by virtue of the same people still working on it. Filoni would still want to rewrite the EU and Kennedy would still be looking for a chance to take over from Lucas. I can't speak to Mando and Acolyte just because those were so far removed from Rebels it's up to debate whether they would have been made at all if Disney never bought the IP (especially since the CN realblock was buried by that point).

The thing is - I don't know if Rebels would have been made without Disney either. One theory (key word: theory) is that Rebels had to be "Disney Channel friendly" and that's why it lacks any of the grit TCW had. Something far less speculative is that it exists because Disney was Pumping out Star Wars content to justify the $4 Billion spent on it.

Either way, Filoni was promoted beyond his competence level. Looking through his writing and directing credits, he's definitely not the talentless hack some people treat him as. But he needs people to correct him, to tell him no. People to challenge him. Mmm.... why does that sound familiar?

 

[crab fucker]

Jesus, this guy is obsessed with defending the honor of Dark Souls 2. What a hill to die on. This is like his 11th video responding to Mauler's old series, and it looks like he took on Matthewmatosis, too.

Ironically I think some of Maulers vids on DS2 and SOMA are like his best works despite the lower editing quality. Anyone who truly and sincerely loves DS2 is like my biggest litmus test to just disassociate with them, never met a normal nigga who really loves DS2.

 

[Fig Kommandant]

his best works despite the lower editing quality

His early stuff had much more passion and emotion in the narration and it was long for the era, but it wasn't autistically long like his more recent videos. Also, when he used the MS Paint self-portrait, he could make more videos instead of finding reaction GIFs or clips to mirror what he's saying.

 

[Midwit]

He seems to hate Star Wars but hasn't interacted with any non-Filoni/Disney material

He's read a little bit of EU stuff, I recall him mentioning a Boba Fett comic when talking about the Boob of Fatt Bobb. His hatred of the brand seems limited to Disney content + TCW with one obvious exception.

 

[ronnal]

His early stuff had much more passion and emotion in the narration and it was long for the era, but it wasn't autistically long like his more recent videos. Also, when he used the MS Paint self-portrait, he could make more videos instead of finding reaction GIFs or clips to mirror what he's saying.

Imagine spending countless hours editing a video when 99% of your viewerbase isn't going to actually look at it.

 

[Computer God Autism]

Ironically I think some of Maulers vids on DS2 and SOMA are like his best works despite the lower editing quality. Anyone who truly and sincerely loves DS2 is like my biggest litmus test to just disassociate with them, never met a normal nigga who really loves DS2.

I've never played a single Soulsborne but I enjoyed listening to Mauler tear Nbomber a new one. He had actual passion back then.

Imagine spending countless hours editing a video when 99% of your viewerbase isn't going to actually look at it.

There is something weirdly macabre about reviewing a visual medium to an audience that would rather just listen.

 

[Fig Kommandant]

There is something weirdly macabre about reviewing a visual medium to an audience that would rather just listen.

It's because his style and others similar is made for people familiar with the material, they're not critics in the same sense as Armond White is. They review the material expecting people to following along and discuss scenes the audience already knows. Also, even though they mostly talk about movies, they very rarely bring up visuals, occasionally mentioning the acting or cinematography, but the big focus is the script, which they don't need visuals to talk about.

 

[Shieldman]

another Drinker loves but Mauler hates.

Mauler sounding particularly whiny on this one.