Roger Craig Smith keeps getting cooler and cooler!

As you may or may not know, Roger Craig Smith is currently the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog. His voice is certainly different from Jason Griffith, who was voicing him previously. It took me a bit to get used to it.

So today when my bro and I watched the newest TMNT 2012 episode, they introduced a character called The Pulverizer, whose voice I recognized. It was bugging me all throughout the episode, but when I went onto IMDB to find out who it was they were not yet listed. I decided not to hunt the voice down at that moment, and so I went on my way and soon forgot all about it.

Well, just now, I watched the episode again. As soon as I heard The Pulverizer's voice this time, I paused the episode and racked my brain for characters I may have heard using that same voice pattern before. Then it clicked. I quickly searched Google for the voice actors of TMNT 2012 and there, listed next to The Pulverizer, was Roger Craig Smith. Mystery solved!

This guy just keeps getting cooler in my book. First he's in the Sonic the Hedgehog gaming series (and Wreck-It Ralph). Now he's in TMNT 2012. Can this get any better? Maybe if they finally made Season 5 of SRMTHFG! and he was the new voice of Gibson (since the old voice passed away recently)...YEAH RIGHT! At this point they'll never make Season 5. It's been too long.

Anyway, I know who the voice is now! To be honest, this wasn't one of the better episodes. The Pulverizer is one of those fanboys who was "inspired to be a hero" thanks to the Turtles, and quite honestly, while his intentions are good, he really needs to practice basic hand-to-hand combat if he's going to survive the everyday thugs of NYC, let alone Shredder or the Kraang. Oh, well. Donnie did teach him some of the basics, so maybe if he shows up in later episodes he'll be a better fighter. Who knows. *shrug*

So there you have it! My detective work for today is done. Be sure to keep watching TMNT 2012! Volume 1 is being released on Tuesday, and you can bet I'll be first in line to buy it! :D

What I Love and Why I Love It

So since it’s Valentine’s day, I figured I’d shed some light on why I love the characters I do so much. (This is what I do when I have no actual Valentine to talk about. XD)

First up…Sonic the Hedgehog!

Why do I love this speedy blue hero so much? To be perfectly honest, it’s not just one thing, and there are so many things I love about Sonic that when a friend of mine asked me last week why I loved him so much,  I didn’t have a good answer for her! *gasp* Here are a FEW of the many reasons why I love Sonic the Hedgehog:

He’s a great person all-around. Sonic’s view on the war with Robotnik have changed over the years and in his four TV series, but his opinion about friendship and loyalty haven’t changed one bit. Sonic is always there for his friends. He would never betray them and, as he has proven several times over, would give his life to save any one of them. He’s also got a great personality: optimistic, energetic, happy, and, as always, funny. Very rarely do you see him angry. This makes him a great role model, too. Then, of course there are his quotes. Sonic the Hedgehog, quite simply, has got the best quotes in the entire universe. My favorites include:

“When you have time to worry, then run.” (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006) This is probably his most famous quote. Every Sonic fan knows this quote, whether they know where it’s from or not. Since I own the game, I know where it’s from. :)

“Just smile.” (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006)

“Nothing starts until you take action.” (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006)

“I just got to do what I’ve got to do. That’s all.” (Sonic and the Black Knight)

To sum things up, Sonic is the most way-past-cool hedgehog ever created, and with luck they will still be coming out with Sonic games and TV shows when I’m 100 years old. (And I’ll still scream like a fangirl, just like I do now!) I hear they’re coming up with a new game in which Sonic and Shadow have to work TOGETHER! That would be so totally awesome! :D

Next up, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It would be unfair to choose just one of these guys, so I’ll give you something on each of them (from oldest to youngest).

First off, I love Leonardo because he is an excellent leader and brother. In every series you watch, he is always there for his family and friends when they need him, no matter the personal cost (as was proven in “The Shredder Strikes Back” from TMNT 2003 and again in “The Alien Agenda” from TMNT 2012.)

Second, I love Raphael (the most, I admit) because he taught me that it’s okay to be angry as long as you can control it. Anyone who watches TMNT or reads the comics knows that Raphael is a total hothead, meaning he can blow up over anything (and does, quite often). Watching this happen continuously and then watching him turn around and calm himself and apologize inspired me to do the same. I love Raph because I can relate to him the most of the four turtles. That, and he has some really awesome quotes, too.

Third, I love Donatello because of his intelligence. The things this guy comes up with as far as attack plans and gadgets are just awesome. It’s also neat to hear him talk about things because you can really learn from him.

Finally, there’s Michelangelo. I love Mikey because he’s just so funny! I LOVE the 2003 version of him. Every other word out of his mouth has me laughing out loud. I’d tell you what my favorite of all-time is, but it would take too long to write here. Instead I’ll have you watch “Meet Casey Jones” from TMNT 2003 and keep an eye out for when Mikey is sent to hang up the sign. Funniest thing ever!

Then, to wrap things up here, there is Master Splinter. He’s a cool teacher. I think I’ve learned more about Japan from listening to his stories and instruction and from watching TMNT than I have in school. How awesome is that?

I haven’t talked much about Super Robot Monkey Team HyperForce Go! (SRMTHFG), but since I’m here I’ll let you in on this series, too.

There are too many characters to elaborate, but I love this show in general because of all the adventures there are! If you’re ever looking for some great action/drama/romance/mystery/semi-horror, this is the place for you. The HyperForce covers practically every genre. They travel to the ends of the universe to tell you the story of Shuggazoom and unravel the mysteries surrounding each of the individual characters, as well as the team as a whole. My favorite episodes are in the last part of Season 3 and entire Season 4 because it really offers a close look at each member of the HyperForce and their relationships with each other. And, for the record, the season finale is AMAZING. Betrayal from within! Dun-dun-DUN! XD

So yeah. I think that covers everything. I just love being a nerd. C:

~John 3:16~

Karai is EVIL?! + Leo and Raph Show Their True Colors (Spoiler Alert!)

So today my bro and I were able to watch TMNT 2012 Episode 15: The Alien Agenda. One word: WOW. This one was really good! I thought it was going to be about the Turtles visiting April's high school (because that's what the synopsis said) but it was actually more about Leo and Karai. It was so cute in the beginning - Leo saw Karai watching him and his bros fight so he started showing off for her. Later he met her on a rooftop and fought her, saying that if she came after his brothers he would come after her. And wouldn't you know it? She came after his brothers.

It's Raph's fault. After they'd saved April he jumped Karai (who had been watching) and started antagonizing her. Leo tried to separate them but when it was all said and done, Karai left the Turtles to fight of a brand-new mutant, whom Michelangelo named Justin (for lack of a better, cooler name). Leo was upset that he'd trusted her, and after the brawl he apologized to everyone for not telling them about her. Although he says he's over her, it's very obvious that he's not. Poor Leo...

And HOLY SMACKS Karai is evil! I thought she'd be good inside like she was in the 2003 series, but I was totally wrong. She really is devious and dark, just like her father. I also noticed that she and the Shredder seem to share an even stronger father-daughter bond in this series, which is kind of cool.

I couldn't find a picture from this week's episode, so I'll have to settle with one from last week. It still gets the basic message across.

I feel so bad for Leo...but I think it's really cute that A) he likes her and B) he admitted to his brothers that he likes her. I also think it's neat that he and Raph showed the audience their deeper connection with each other. In past series they have fought all the time, but they really do love each other and they always remind their viewers of that. That may be why I like the TMNT 2007 movie so much - when Leo is gone Raph is totally lost, when Leo returns Raph has a hard time re-adjusting, and when Leo is in trouble Raph immediately tries to rescue him. The brothers are interesting to watch. I love their respect for one another.

This episode also featured some fighting between Leo and Raph, which of course I was happy to see. No matter how tense things get between them, they always find a way to resolve their problems in the end.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on Leo and Raph and today's episode. Same time next week?

Karai? Ba-BOOM! :D

Remember how I've been watching the TMNT 2012 series since the day it premiered? Well, my bro and I had been waiting FOREVER for episode 13 to come out, and it finally did last weekend. THIS weekend, though, was AWESOME. This weekend's episode introduced Karai, the Shredder's daughter. BOOM. The whole episode was about her fighting Leo (since Leo abandoned the team for this one), and it was awesome! In the 2003 series Leo fell in love with Karai, and I'm so glad that he's showing signs of doing so in this episode. It's cool to focus on Leo's love interest for once instead of Donnie's. Don't get me wrong - the Don x April thing is really cute, but it does wear thin after thirteen episodes of it. It's awesome to focus on someone else for a change. I can't wait to see how their relationship progresses. I found this picture today and that's kind of what inspired this blog post:

Isn't that AWESOME? I don't really like what they're doing to Karai's har in this series, though...in the 2003 version it was all black and shoulder-length. I'm not sure what I think about the half-blonde half-black thing. I LOVE this picture, though. GO LEO!! Haha anyways I will be really anxious to see how this turns out in future episodes. Now all we need is Raphael's love interest, Mona-Lisa, from waaaaay back in Season 4 of the 1987 version.

On second thought, I don't even want to think about how she'd look with this animation.

I feel like I haven't elaborated enough on this subject. Have I mentioned I LOVE Leo x Karai and where it's going in this series? Let me say it again just so I feel better: I LOVE LEO X KARAI!!! XD

Haha! Okay, I think I'm done for now. (By the way, I screamed so many times during episode 14. First I screamed when I realized it was Karai. Then I screamed when Leo went to April and said "I met this girl" really shyly. Then I screamed when Karai called the Shredder "father" instead of "master," like I was expecting. Yeah...lots of happy screams going on this time around. I haven't eeped so much since episode one!

If you want to watch this AMAZING episode (who wouldn't?), follow this link and click on the blue VID2 button. It's the best player and has the best quality video. Enjoy! http://www.animeflavor.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2012-episode-14-new-girl-town

Here's what Leo looked like when he saw Karai for the first time:

And, for good measure, here's another Leo x Karai pic:

Haha sorry. I just REALLY LOVE THIS! :D