Episode 71: Trollhunters Season 3

Episode 71: Trollhunters Season 3
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

Trollhunters is finished. And this episode gives our thoughts on the final series, and what we hope to see (sometimes with tongue firmly in cheek) in 3 Below and Wizards. 

John loves this show. I do to, but it's slight compared to John's love of this series. We have nothing but praise for it, and it's pretty apparent through all 3 episodes of the podcast that we discuss it on that we'd be hard pressed to find (or admit) to any flaws the series might have. This series is fantastic: it forces the characters to make sacrifices, and unlike many shows for children (live action and animated) they have to live with those choices and sacrifices. There's a strong focuses on family, friendship, bullying, bettering yourself and owning your mistakes. It's also a lot of fun, and if you love fantasy -particularly urban fantasy- then you need this series in your life. We of course spoil the hell of the final season in this episode of the podcast, so watch it first before you listen. 

Here's a couple of articles from Collider that have an interview with Marc Guggenheim on the series: The first is non-spoilery, the second is full of spoilers. One thing he does mention in the first part of the interview was the decision to go with Emile Hirsch for the voice of Jim Lake. As many of you may know already, Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the Star Trek reboot, died in a freak accident near the end of 2016. He voiced Jim Lake, the protagonist of this series, and it is in this season where his voice work comes to an end. The primary thought was the Mr. Hirsch, who was apparently close friends with Anton Yelchin, brought the passion for the character, and the desire to see his friends hard work come to a conclusion. Mr. Hirsch does have some controversy regarding past behavior however,  but like Jeffrey Tambor, we're not going to dive into it, as that's not the focus of the show, or the podcast in general. 

Now, just because Trollhunters is finished (and it is) doesn't mean that we don't have anything to look forward to: This article from Polygon discusses 3 Below in a bit more detail. As John and I  hoped, the Creep Slayers (Eli and Steve) from Trollhunters will have a larger role in this next series, and it's supposed to be a bit crazier in scope than Trollhunters. 

That's all for now. Give us your thoughts on Trollhunters if you've finished the series. And if you want to listen to all the episodes of the podcast we've done on Trollhunters: 
It's episode 33 and episode 56. 

And share your thoughts, either comment below: or shoot as a message through email or on Twitter. 

Episode 56: Trollhunters 2

Episode 56: Trollhunters 2
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
"Cat Angry Hissing" soundque provided by promete from freesound.org 
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

Trollhunters 2!

So the more I watch of this series, the more excited I get. When John First told me about it, I was luke-warm to the idea. Despite appearances, John and I don't always have the same taste in things. That said this animated series is quickly elbowing its way into my top 10. By the end of the first season I was hooked, and this second season just wasn't enough. 

The insane fan theories are not so insane. I think it's going to be fun to see exactly what we were right (and wrong about). Who's Jim's dad? Will Angor Rot come back? Who is Morgana/the Pale Lady? 

Tales of Arcadia of course was announced. John has much more knowledge than I do (as is indicated in the podcast). But one things for certain, you can bet we'll be talking about it. 

Episode 34: Villains

Episode 34: Villains
Hosts: Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Produced by Hobos in the Back Row
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell
Intro Music: Piano Sonata mvnt 1 by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Piano Sonata mvnt 3 by F.G. Shaw

John and I had meant to do a few more of these lists shows this past year, but sadly that didn't happen. We did manage to do this one in which we wax philosophical on a few of our favorite villains. These are villains that would appear on both of our top 10 lists along with a bonus villain from each of us that doesn't appear on the others list. 

But first:

Divinity Original Sin: This game has consumed many hours of my free time, and will consume many more hours. It's a grind, it can be difficult, but damned if it isn't a satisfying game. If you like old school CRPG's with turned based tactical combat then I recommend you pick this up. 

Valerian Trailer: I'm not going to say much about this other than.... WATCH!



John talks about the book The Worst of Evils: The Fight Against Pain. It's a fascinating look at pain and how it's been viewed and treated through out history. 

He also talks about Deeply Dapper Beard Oil, which is a shop located in Pocatello Idaho and has a wide variety of fun stuff for sale on their site. John is a really big fan of their beard oil, enough to talk about it on the show. They have flasks, soaps, posters and stickers and a variety of other items for sale. 

Villains:
Those we've already discussed:

Mason Savoy: Chew [Episode 5: Chew]
Kilgrave: Jessica Jones [Episode 15: Jessica Jones]
Bill Cipher: Gravity Falls [Episode 32: Gravity Falls]

And two that haven't showed up on the podcast... yet. 
Nox: Wakfu
Scorpio: FarScape

John's bonus villain is Toffee from Star vs. The Forces of Evil

And my villain is Queen Ileosa from Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path

And of course... we had another brilliant edition of John's Bad Advice!

Episode 33: Trollhunters

Episode 33: Trollhunters
Hosts: Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Produced by Hobos in the Back Row
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell
Intro Music: Piano Sonata mvnt 1 by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Piano Sonata mvnt 3 by F.G. Shaw

Frank and John chat about John's newest obsession Amateur Surgeon 4, a free game you can download. (It's fun, but of course there are in app purchases. 

John and Frank also discuss Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's 20 years old this year (the television series). John is not as fond of it as Frank is. 

John also delves a bit into the Occult with his Lepracaun Trap. Pictured Here:

John says it involves alchemy and the Seal of Solomon. I couldn't say but it looks cool and if he manages to catch a Leprechaun hopefully he'll share the wealth. 

And Frank talks about Extra Credits, and specifically Extra History. It's a Youtube channel that talks about game development and concepts but also has a spin-off series that delves into different historical topics. It's pretty fantastic: Here's their Patreon page. 

And of course: John gives out advice... badly! In John's Bad Advice.

For the main event Frank and John chat about the Netflix series produced and co-created by Guillermo Del Toro: Trollhunters. If you haven't watched it, and you like animated series (or cartoons) then you owe yourself a favor to check this out. If you have older kids, then you should down and watch it with them because it's pretty fantastic and has an amazing amount of emotional depth. It's probably one of the best produced series that Dreamworks has come out with. 
That being said, mentioning Trollhunters without mentioning the incredibly tragic death of Anton Yelchin would be a mistake. Anton voices the protagonist Jim Lake. Yelchin was a talented actor and his potential will sadly never be realized.