Where’s The Fair Use? #WTFU

… … …Just show the video.

So, as you may or may not know, because I don’t know how long some of the people who read my blog nowadays have been doing so for a long time, I used to be an internet reviewer on YouTube. I wasn’t very good, and I’ll be the first to admit that, but having been one for a short time, and also having made videos on YouTube in general, I know what everyone in this video is going through. In fact, part of the reason I don’t make videos on YouTube anymore (aside from lacking any kind of movie maker outside of YouTube’s own pathetic one) is because I’ve been taken to the point where I’m scared to death to post anything on there anymore, partly because I don’t want my channel and all the videos I’ve favourited taken away to where I have to start over completely, and partly because I never want to have to sit through that stupid fucking video from the Happy Tree Friends ever again, which is so bad that it actually ended up on an episode of Animated Atrocities!

In fact, because I’m SO scared of that happening, most times, when I see a copyright claim on one of my videos, I just delete it. I don’t even WANT to go through the stupid processes that YouTube makes me go through anymore. It’s why you’ll see a lot of older articles on my blog that used to have videos present that don’t anymore…Well, that and the videos once being on Blip, which no longer exists.

Still, I think we should probably remember that it’s not entirely Hollywood or various companies and corporations that are at fault here. One of the biggest contributors to this rising issue is the simple fact that YouTube isn’t monitored by a human being. And if you want proof of that, here’s one of the more hilarious stories I’ve heard recently regarding copyright claims.

If we’re to believe this story, and trust me, I do, that means we can never be 100% sure who is making these claims from one to the next: An actual human being from an actual company, or YouTube’s automated processes. I’m almost certain that it’s the latter in this case, by the way, because as bad as things have been over at the WWE, I sincerely doubt that they’re so desperate as to claim ownership and monetization from something like this. But even if it’s the latter, there still may be no way to dispute it. How do you dispute something with a robot who believes there’s nothing wrong with what it’s doing?

Still, there is one good thing about this: With things growing to this point, where now everyone is talking, sharing stories, and just overall laying out how utterly broken the system is, MAYBE we’ll see some improvement. Until then, lemme know what you all think of this, if you have any similar stories, and let’s just make it clear that this has gone on long enough. Ja né, and where’s the fair use?

700th Blog Post! + Jyger’s Favourite 5 – Memories of Five of My Most Viewed Articles

Hey guys! It’s the 700th blog post!!!

So, after 700 posts on this blog, I’ve naturally assembled a lot of memories over the years. And, for some reason, several articles I’ve done on here seem to get way more views than others, still getting viewed even to this day. In fact, I wanna show you something. Here’re the ten most frequent search engine terms to lead people to my blog…

…and here are some of the highest viewed articles on my blog.

So, given some of the obvious preferences for some of these posts by my fans, I thought I’d go ahead and look back on five of them, my memories of them, and if my overall thoughts and feelings on the topics of each one still hold up. So, let’s start off with probably the most infamous article on my blog…

#1 – “…Is Elesa Really THAT Hot???” from Feb. 4th, 2012

Oh my God, this frigging article. XD I honest to God go back and forth in my mind on a regular basis if I ever should’ve opened my big mouth and asked people why there was so much hentai out there of this character from Pokémon Black and White. And, because I posted an article with the words Elesa and hentai in them, naturally, it led to a lot of people coming to my site specifically to look for it. It got to the point where, two years later, I finally snapped and decided to post another article discussing it, figuring I’d either quell it for good or get a shit-ton of views for it. Given that it’s the internet…I really shouldn’t have been surprised as to which ended up happening, and I don’t even think I need to tell you which one it was. Still, speaking of Pokémon articles where I go back and forth on if I should’ve ever brought it up…

#2 – “Ash’s Best Team of 6 Pokémon” from Feb. 10th, 2013

I am shocked, absolutely SHOCKED, that I didn’t get death threats from fans, considering how many people argued my point of not having Charizard on the team. Like, you’d think I’d killed their pet and made them watch as I did it. lol But yeah, looking back on this article, I will say that… … …yeah, Charizard probably should be on there. In fact, I’m actually planning on doing a revised version of the list in the near future, as soon as a certain rumoured Pokémon becomes part of Ash’s roster. Still, what was it that changed my mind? Well, surprisingly enough, it was when Charizard rejoined the team near the end of Best Wishes. Yeah, the arc that turned me off to the anime, because it nonetheless managed to redeem Charizard for what I thought was an absolutely astonishingly pathetic last showing beforehand. Still, expect to see Infernape and a few other of Ash’s better Pokémon on a list of honourable mentions when the revised list comes out.

#3 – “What’s A Paladin Rant” from June 10th, 2012

I can only imagine what it must be like for Noah Antwiler, who must STILL to this day get people asking him what a Paladin is, when even I’m still getting people checking out that article of mine discussing the matter. But I do get why. It’s just one of the dumbest things you’ll ever hear someone say in a video game, when you factor in everything that everyone in-game knows at this point. Seriously, roll my vid again.

Oh, and because I like tooting my own horn, I’d like to once again point out that I was the first to use homjakilla’s song in that video. lol But yeah, one of the stupidest fucking lines in a video game EVER… … …BUT, at least it led to probably the most badass line Spoony’s ever said.

#4 – “N. Harmonik’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Oggy and the Cockroaches Episodes” from Dec. 30th, 2013

…There was an idea. The idea was that, because N. Harmonik had done so much for me, proofreading damned near every article I’ve ever written, and a lot of my stories, that she should have her own article on the blog. So, basically, this was a late Christmas present to her. Plus, while I personally was not that big a fan of Oggy and the Cockroaches, I nonetheless saw the potential it had as a show and how many people liked it that I thought it deserved some additional exposure. As such, I had Aibo (I call her Aibo because it means partner) do not one but two articles about the show. And because her articles have gotten so many views by you all, I’ve decided to go ahead and give her some space here to say thank you. 🙂

I thank all of you for reading these two articles I created, whether or not you’re OatC fans! Oh and please check out my fics: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/632668/

#5 – “Zelda Chronology: Ghirahim is just CREEPY!” from Jan. 27th, 2012

Lastly, an article that was part of my short-lived Zelda Chronology series. As one of the articles from my first year as a blogger, I suppose it makes sense that it’d also be one of my highest viewed, and considering the subject matter…yeah, not shocked it’s this one that gets all the attention. I still maintain that Ghirahim’s oddity as a character is what makes him so memorable, though, and am glad to see him return for games like Hyrule Warriors. And really, no one should be shocked that I connected him to Lady Gaga when you consider that he’s a demon from Hell and is going to kill us all. XD Unfortunately, because of YouTube copyright laws, the video in the article had to be taken down, and will never be posted on there again… … … …The good news is, I decided to post it elsewhere. ^_^

And that’s my 700th article, everybody. Thanks for reading along, and be sure to continue to do so as we venture into the future of more escapist fiction and absurd reality. And lastly, I just wanna thank everybody that has gotten me to this point. Of course, N. Harmonik, my wonderful proofreader who has appeared in some of my vlogs. DorkynProudofit, who did the Man of Steel vlogs with me. PinkRangerWannabe, who co-wrote ‘Lewis Lovhaug Is Not Your Slave’. Morgan Meryl, who did the logo for this blog years ago. Emmybomber, who suggested I talk about moms in comics. And I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot more, but lastly, I wanna cover a lot of people who have inspired me in different ways throughout my various endeavors over the years: Scott Snyder, Lewis Lovhaug (AKA Linkara), Emile Rosales-Birou (AKA Chuggaaconroy), Gail Simone, Charles Sonnenburg (AKA SF Debris), Rosen Rose of the Poison Ivy League, Doug Walker (AKA The Nostalgia Critic), Diane Darcy (AKA helenawaynehuntress), Paul Heyman (no, seriously, lol), G. Willow Wilson, and Justin Carmical (AKA the late great JewWario). Thank you all for being the people you are, as it helped me to be who I am. Ja né!

What’s Wrong With The Nostalgia Critic’s Recent ‘Reviews’?

So, I just got finished watching the most recent episode of the Nostalgia Critic, wherein he talked about Mad Max: Fury Road. For the most part, I really liked it. Sure, I find myself using the term ‘review’ somewhat loosely, but I still liked it. But, when I scrolled down to the comments section, I couldn’t help but see comment after comment talking about how much it sucked strictly because of that fact: That there’s no footage of the movie present, that it’s just Doug Walker and his friends acting out scenes, and that this is now the third time he’s done this instead of his usual style of reviewing movies. It just feels like a lot of people are reacting negatively to these kinds of videos, and want to see more of the kind they originally liked. And, after thinking about it for a bit, I think I know how best to respond to this.

…I don’t have a joke or reason for this, I just really like this picture. XD

Now, first off, I should admit that me and the people who dislike these videos are probably getting off on the wrong foot right away. Why? Because at least a few complaints I’ve seen about these videos compare them in a negative fashion to another show that Doug did for a while called Demo Reel. The problem is…I really liked Demo Reel. Like, a lot. I was really sad when I found out he was discontinuing the series, and more than a little concerned when I found out he was bringing back the Nostalgia Critic. But, after finding out that Malcolm and Rachel were gonna be sticking around, and after seeing a few episodes of the new Nostalgia Critic, I mellowed out a bit… … …Unfortunately, for the same reasons I calmed down, a lot of people seemingly lost their fucking minds, ranting about how different the show was now with them acting out skits and showing Critic on adventures. Hell, I remember one episode where he made a joke about fan comments and complaints regarding the fact that the wall behind him was a different colour. I don’t know if that was actually a thing or not, but it honest to God would not shock me in the slightest if it was. And as for the skits…do you even remember the pre-To Boldly Flee episodes of the Nostalgia Critic? He did skits all the time back then, too. The only differences are that, aside from Rob and the occasional fellow reviewer or friend he could get into the video, he did them by himself, and they were usually a little bit shorter. So really, the only reason people complain about them is because they’re more apparent to your eye and your mind.

With that said, it occurs to me that likely a big part of the reason people don’t like the episodes talking about Jurassic World, Pixels, and now Fury Road is simply because they’re different from what they’re used to. However, here’s where I think you’re being unfair: After so many years of doing the same thing over and over, where videos can be taken down for the slightest thing, what did you think was going to happen? Of course things changed. They had to in order for the show to survive. Really, think back to the first episode of the show. Not the Transformers one, mind you, since that was more him fangasming over the movie, but his review of Cartoon All-Stars. Imagine him in that room, in those clothes, on that camera, in that level of quality, and the exact tones of voice used for EIGHT YEARS. You’d probably be sick to death of it within four years. And even if you weren’t, there’s one other reason it wouldn’t continue to survive.

Look, let’s just call a spade a spade: YouTube’s copyright claim system is inherently broken and easily exploited, which you can learn more about HERE. This has been a problem practically since day one of the show, and is the reason why it and so many other internet reviewers moved their content to Blip. Unfortunately, Blip shut down this year, and it was something a lot of people knew was coming, so they had to either move to less user-friendly sites or back to YouTube. And even if YouTube’s system wasn’t the problem, let’s again be honest with ourselves: Hollywood, for the most part, does not give a damn about free use. They and others have pulled videos featuring content they created, regardless of if the video was bashing their work or praising it. Hell, it’s a known fact that videos by internet reviewers, even negative ones, have increased the rate in which certain movies, TV shows, video games, comics, and so on have been sought after and viewed/played/read/etc., but that has not been enough to convince some people. That’s why Jurassic World, Pixels, and Fury Road didn’t have any footage from the movies present, and why I wouldn’t be surprised if more of the Nostalgia Critic’s reviews might end up taking on this style.

So, where does that leave us? Well, unfortunately for the people who dislike recent Nostalgia Critic videos, I don’t think you’re gonna like what’s to come. I’m sorry, and I sincerely I wish there was a way to make this easier for you all, because of course many of us tend to react to change negatively. We all want things to stay the same, and oftentimes become nostalgic for how things were before. People can make arguments for how or why that is, but it’s pretty clear that most, if not all, of us tend to behave in such a manner, and nowhere is that more evident than on the internet. At the same time, though, you have to understand why these changes happen, and try to at least give things a chance to turn you around on how it is. And, if you’re not convinced by the end, then maybe it’s time for you to move on and find something else to be passionate about.

…Because CHANGE. lol

And yes, before anyone brings it up, of course I’ve complained about stuff changing before. There’s proof of that right here on my blog in my various rants about comics. However, I like to think that I at least TRY to give change a chance, and a lot of the changes I’ve done angry rants about were in regards to things that conflicted with my views of right and wrong, like the Amazons in Wonder Woman being changed into rapists and child traders. One example of a change I was unwilling to give much of a chance to, though, is the whole Jim Gordon-becoming-Batman scenario. And yeah, you can make the argument that doing so was a bit childish of me, but I at least gave my reasons for why I didn’t like the idea and moved on, rather than sticking with it and ranting about it 24/7. Really, the only time I got angry about the arrangement was when I uncovered a massive plot hole in the story, and found out about some of the stuff Alfred was doing, which FYI has actually gotten WORSE if you can believe it, but I digress. The point is, while this blog is called Jyger’s Rant, I don’t necessarily want to only bitch and complain about stuff I don’t like ALL THE TIME, and I understand that some people actually DO like this storyline. I may not understand how or why, but I don’t necessarily wanna rain on their parade either. So, in the end, all I can ask is that the people going through the same thing with the Nostalgia Critic keep that in mind, that even if you don’t like the recent episodes, others do. Also, for those on the opposite side of the fence, remember that not everybody voicing their negative opinions are necessarily doing it to troll you or anyone else, and try not to get into heated debates and arguments over it. It may be a fine line on the internet between voicing opinions and arguing, but it’s nonetheless a line we can all choose to cross or not cross.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter. Have a counterpoint to all of this, or anything else you’d like to add? Lemme know in the comments below…just, try not to get too aggressive with one another. Ja né!

No “What I Bought Today” Today + The Review Must Go On

Well, there is no “What I Bought Today” today on account of the fact that I didn’t buy anything today. Why? Because I didn’t leave the house. Why? Because it’s FUCKING FREEZING OUT THERE!!! One of the downsides of living in a port city in Canada, you see. It gets really, REALLY cold here in January. Don’t worry though, I WILL eventually pick up Nightwing #16 to give my thoughts on it.

In the meantime, I thought I’d give my thoughts on a little mini-movie released by Doug Walker yesterday called The Review Must Go On. For those who haven’t seen it, The Review Must Go On tells how Doug Walker receives a movie in the mail so horrible that he rants on it, finding himself feeling like he did when he first started writing the Nostalgia Critic. After going back and forth on it in his head, arguing with a subconscious projection of the Critic, he finally admits to himself that he really does want to bring him back and goes through with it. Meanwhile, in the world of Demo Reel, Donnie DuPre finds his friends disappearing one by one until he’s confronted by a bright flash of light, revealing itself to be the Plot Hole. His friends return to tell Donnie that the world he’s been living in is a sort of purgatory and that he needs to return to his former life. The Plot Hole returns his former memories to him, revealing that he is, in fact, the Nostalgia Critic. Critic is furious at first, having been a terrible child actor whose mother was destroyed by the Hollywood system and leaving him to grow up embittered and making horrible movies with no one understanding his intentions. However, the Plot Hole reveals to him that this was all a lesson for him, as now everyone he criticizes from now on has a face, and that while he’s free to criticize, he now knows what it’s like to be on that side. Critic’s friends from Demo Reel see him off as they can’t go with him, but tell him they’ll be there if he needs them, and he finds himself in a room designed to look like his old review table, his old clothes there as he suits up and prepares to start again, a little wiser from his experiences.

So, my thoughts…I will say that I understood why Doug ended the Nostalgia Critic before. However, the points brought up in this movie, that Doug had so many things going on in his life that of course he would get sick of it and that there are ways around it all, they make sense and I can understand why Doug would go back on his decision. I actually really enjoyed Demo Reel, but I’ll be fine with it being gone so long as Doug can keep Nostalgia Critic fresh. My only issue, really, is that Tacoma and Rebecca and the others really grew on me, and I’m hoping that I’ll see them again someday.

The fallout since The Review Must Go On from the fans has been HILARIOUS. No really, I’ve been laughing my ass off. I haven’t seen fan fallout this funny since the first few episodes of Power Rangers Samurai aired. First they were upset that Critic was done, then they were upset about Demo Reel, NOW they’re upset that Demo Reel is done and Critic’s coming back. Okay, I suppose that IS a generalization, but it still sorta feels like that’s what’s happening. This is one of those occasions where I’m kinda glad I’m NOT Doug Walker, because I get the feeling the guy feels like he just can’t win sometimes.

I think my favourite parts of this movie were the cameos by the other producers, from Lewis Lovhaug believing that Pollo and Harvey are real, to Lindsay Ellis sending Nella to stop Doug, only for that to backfire when Nella misunderstands what she wants her to do, to Brad Jones basically not giving a shit one way or the other. It really does show that these guys can do a movie without having to use the characters from their shows and still have it be hilarious. Oh, and one other awesome moment, we see that Douchey McNitpick has taken Critic’s place in the Plot Hole. That is both awesomely hilarious and makes TOTAL sense, given the character. Plus, it creates new ways to get him involved in videos in the future.

Now, I should address that there are gonna be some changes to Nostalgia Critic, as shown in a scene where Doug, after admitting he wants Critic to come back, lays out some ground rules. The first, and probably most important one, is that reviews will come out every two weeks. Perfectly understandable, given that Doug is a married man now and his personal life is more important to him than ever, plus he still wants to do a bunch of other new things like Sibling Rivalry (which has been AWESOME, btw). The second is that there will be no more cut-off dates, though he’s assured that he won’t review anything currently in theatres. Again, makes sense, given that nostalgia and bad movies aren’t limited to a specific time period and that he’s ventured outside of it before. The last condition listed is that Critic will be reviewing the movie that inspired Doug to bring him back: The Odd Life of Timothy Green. Basically, to prove that even something forgettable and horrible can still inspire something creative.

Anyway, that’s my thoughts on the matter. Post a comment to let me know what you think, if you agree, if you disagree, though PLEASE no arguments. Ja né!

The Semi-Final Frontier Commentary + Thanks Doug Vlog

My first review commentary as I talk about the behind-the-scenes crap that went down in the making of this review and some additional thoughts I had on the episode itself and just why it angered me so.

Also, and I don’t know how I forgot to post this here, but here is a vlog containing my immediate thoughts following the official statement regarding the Nostalgia Critic and the future of TGWTG. I apologise if I come off as a bit over-dramatic here. lol

MY 100th POST! Lewis Lovhaug’s Funniest Moments

Yay! 100 posts on my blog! And to commemorate the occasion, here is a compilation of some of my favourite funny moments of Lewis J. Lovhaug’s, AKA Linkara…….What, you were expecting something else? C’mon, you know how much of a cheap plug whore I am. XD

Footage of course belongs to AT4W, The Spoony Experiment, and Cinema Snob. Music is the Gunslinger theme by Vincent E.L.

Thank you all for joining me on this. Hopefully in the future there’ll be more TGWTG related goodness, more comic book, video game, and anime rants, and with any luck, I should be getting by show back on its feet one of these days. Ja ne!

Everyone Reacts To “THAT’S A Paladin”

The sequel to my somewhat well known video, Everyone Reacts To “What’s A Paladin?”. Once I saw the ending to the Ultima 9 Review, I HAD to do this. Let this forever serve as a message to anyone who dares ask the question “What’s A Paladin?”. 😛

Footage belongs to The Spoony Experiment, Nostalgia Critic, Kickassia, Ring of Honor, Angel, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

My 70th Post! Channel Awesome Time Force

Requested by my friend GracefulWitch. Footage and audio obviously belong to Saban, Channel Awesome, and Cinemassacre.

Oh, and Happy 70th Post to ME! LOL XD

Channel Awesome Year 5 Idea

So yeah, as you know, PinkRangerWannabe and I are gigantic fans of Channel Awesome. Well, with Year 4’s motif having been announced, a lot of people have wondered what Year 5 will be like, and so she and I have come up with a great idea for it.

Picture this: Instead of everyone being together in one place though, circumstances keep them apart, only able to communicate over various social networking sites and whatnot…all except for the Nostalgia Critic, who has disappeared. As they search for him, they find clues and recordings left by him suggesting that he went into hiding because someone or something is trying to kill him. As they search the internet for more clues, they discover that Critic’s been discovered by whatever is trying to kill him and it becomes a race against time to find him before it’s too late.

The best part of this idea is that no one would have to be excluded since they could all film their own scenes independently and then send the footage in to be put all together, there could be more or less equal on-screen time for everybody involved, and it would be cheap and easy to do. Plus, having the characters apart would create a sense of dread, as just when they need each other the most they’re split up. Finally, and possibly most importantly, while Critic would technically still be the centre of attention, his lack of actually being on-screen would make more room for everybody else involved.

So there’s our thoughts on the subject. Let me know what you think and what your own ideas for what could work for Year 5 are.

Channel Awesome In Space + Everyone Reacts To Man of Steel Being Described As “Edgy”

Just a couple of videos I did up in my spare time. Video clips are from Nostalgia Critic, Scrubs, Atop The Fourth Wall, Star Wars, Suburban Knights, Power Rangers In Space, Nostalgia Chick, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Kickassia. Songs are “Power Rangers In Space Opening Theme” by Ron Wasserman and “Combine Harvester” by The Wurzels.