About Adventure Time

Recently, a friend of mine highly recommended me to watch a TV show called Adventure Time (on Cartoon Network). I don’t usually watch TV shows at all, and much less kid’s cartoons, but my friend promised me that it was really good and that it was more than that. So I gave it a try.

It really is amazing! So well done. All the characters (that are important) have interesting histories and character development throughout the show. During the first few episodes, the show was pretty typical in its approach, the main difference being that it was so weird and random. I think that AT pretty much started
that trend of cartoons on Cartoon Network, like Regular Show and a few others. The style is so way out there random. In the very beginning of season one, there was particular character I remember that clearly emphasized the style randomness that the show gets at. He is a minotaur, names the “Manly Minotaur” after his  muscular body, and he loves to flex and encourage Finn (AT’s main character) to proceed on his journey. When Finn gets to the top of the mountain that he was climbing, the Manly Minotaur says “good job!” and then flexes. But when he flexes, little arms that are flexing pop out of his muscles, making for a very weird
looking appearance.

For most those first episodes, I was like “what am I watching??” But then it started to get really good. The character development is what really defines the show, I would say. Of course there are characters that are just fillers or singletons, just like every show has. But AT has so many and such deep characters like Finn (of course), Jake, Princess Bubblegum, the Ice King (Simon), Marceline the Vampire Queen, Betty, LSP, Tree Trunks (to an extent), BMO, and many more.

The setting of Adventure Time, which is a huge and really interesting part of the show, is fist presented as if it just is. I don’t think that they do anything at all to even attempt at explaining things in the first season. There are princesses made of different kinds of food, minotaurs, magic, stretching dogs, and randicorns (rainbow-unicorns), and you watch them all do their stuff, not really thinking about how the hell a backstory could make sense of it. And you don’t really expect a backstory from the beginning (at least, I didn’t).

A little later into the show though (seasons 2 and 3, and definitely 4), the story start to get deep. But the show definitely doesn’t completely revolve around it. Things can get really interesting, and you start to wonder about the world and how things work. There’s tons of setting and story to explore. And, additionally, you really get to know the recurring characters as if they are real and have a complete, all-around personality. Finn especially is exposed to all sorts of different situations that bring out many different parts of him. I know, however, that this isn’t unique to Adventure Time. There are plenty of good shows and books that have great character development. What would make Adventure Time different?

Well, the setting has a lot to do with it. The crazy, magical wasteland that Finn lives in lets the writers experiment with almost any interaction they could think of. There isn’t much of a story at all to Adventure Time, honestly. There is a lot more of it as you get to seasons 4, 5, and 6, but all in all, its a bunch of random adventures that teach you more about the characters (hence the name of the show). Along with the setting, the writers are able to bring in extremely extreme character. A great example of this is the Ice King (Simon). The Ice King fits almost every symptom of insanity that you could think of (besides paranoia). He has no empathy, acts on desire alone, has no consideration for any consequences to anything, is self-obsessed, has crazy ideas, talks nonsense, and is severely depressed without expressing it at all. I won’t spoil anything, don’t worry. The Ice King isn't alone in his insanity.

In fact, almost every character in adventure time is extreme in at least one way to the point that you could, according to the standards of society, call them crazy. The characters on Adventure Time may be crazy by these standards, but it is only because they are too extreme in their conviction, attitude, or behaviors. Most of the characters aren't insane in the sense that they have inhibitions to their thinking capacities, have hallucinations, or are amnesiacs. They are just very extreme in certain ways. The great thing about this show, though, is that the characters don’t become one-dimensional because of this. The Ice King is not just the villain that continually disrupts things. Finn is not just the hero that goes around saving the day. Princess Bubblegum is not just the royalty figure that demands quests in order to give Finn some direction. Adventure Time does an excellent job of making sure each important (and recurring) character has many different angels to them and are well rounded personalities.

There is so much more to AT that I haven’t mentioned, but here at the end of this essay, I would definitely like to recommend the show! However, it isn't for everyone. AT is a great show in the general sense of good TV shows, but to really get the most out of it, you have to be willing to think. There is a lot of symbolism, philosophy, and personality in Adventure Time, and never is it explicit. A large portion of the fan base for Adventure Time are adults; if you end up watching all of the show you won’t surprised. Though it seems like a childish adventure for Finn through a  fantasy candy-scape, like Pendleton Ward initially wanted it to be (mostly), it ends up being the best it can be at that and so much more. Its a philosophical journey of an adolescent as he learns to build his values, discover more about his world, society, and origins, and ultimately experience so many different aspects of human life. Adventure Time can appeal to anyone if you have an open mind. And its funny sometimes too.

–RIIBFEED