If you’re not familiar with the premise of Adventure Time, it’s pretty simple.
Finn (human) and Jake (magical dog) go on random adventures to find glory and awesomeness. Yes, ‘awesomeness’. Each adventure takes the pair into a different, more dangerous quest than the last. The second season of the raises the bar with the adventures, as they become far more dangerous than the first (see Marceline’s father’s episode for details) and the humor gets better. That’s what you want out of a second season of this type of material — improvements. The creators of the show certainly don’t disappoint.
Here are some episodes I thought really stood out in the second season of Adventure Time:
Loyalty to the King — What a way to start a new season for the Adventure Time story. The Ice King, who strikes out with women — mainly because he tries to imprison them — decides that he needs to do something different, so he shaves his beard. Once he shaves no one can recognize him, and the ladies love him. Turning himself into King Nice, he captures a good majority of the women in the Land of Ooo. Jake and Finn have to prove he isn’t ‘Nice’ and return his beard to its rightful place. Such a strange episode, but hilarious nonetheless.
Her Parents — Rainicorn’s parents come to visit Jake, to approve of who their daughter is dating. Jake, with the help of Finn, does his best to prove he’s worthy of their daughter’s love, even if it means becoming a Rainicorn. The odd boxes they have to wear to communicate with Jake/Finn are comedy enough to make this episode worth watching. The script in this episode is just very well-written. Definitely one of the better episodes in season two.
It Came from the Nightosphere — Marceline’s father escapes the Nightosphere, thanks to Finn’s efforts, and terrorizes the Land of Ooo, sucking souls out of its inhabitants. The joy of this episode is the warped animation and the sadistic nature that you get from Marceline’s father. It’s hilarious ,sad and horrifying all at the same time. Thus, it’s one of the best in the bunch. You must see this one.
Crystals Have Power — I don’t want to spoil too much of this for you, but Tree Trunks returns! Need I say more? Fun episode that has some fantastic humor from Jake. Tree Trunks is still freaking creepy.
Overall, the second season of Adventure Time really does a better job with a little more freedom without needing to re-explain the characters or the world. The second season really does up the ante with weirdness and storytelling. Much like the first movie in any trilogy, the first season of Adventure Time set everyone up for who they are, so the second allows for the creators to play a bit more — and it shows. I enjoyed the depth and the chance taking of the second season and everything that came out of it. It is definitely a step up from the first season.
As for the blu-ray portion of this release, you get more of the same. The second season continues the beautiful HD trend that the first established. There aren’t any moments of graininess or artifacts. You get a perfectly transferred HD experience that shines in some of the most colorful onscreen ways. I can’t tell you enough how impressed I am with this Blu-ray, as it does set the bar of how cartoons look in high definition. There isn’t any compression issues or color banding; simply stunning for Blu-ray. You definitely get what you pay for with this release (MSRP $32.07 — cheaper on Amazon).
Now, let’s talk about the only bummer of the release — the features. Here’s what you get:
– Commentary (on all episodes)
– The Crew of Adventure Time, Interviewed by Pendleton Ward
While I enjoy the commentary, it really does lead the special features. Why is this a bummer? I like that the creators are random (as they are with the show), but it’s tough to love the commentary when they’re not exactly staying on task with the episodes. I enjoy their dedication and humor, but kids may not enjoy it too much. The interview featurette is actually solid, if not very wacky, but it can’t hold up for the lack of features. After watching the first season, I honestly expected a bit more than this — even if it was a bunch of random things. At least it adds more beef to this burrito.
A huge positive for this release is the box art. I loved the first season box and this one is solid as well. The Ice King on the front is pretty cool, especially when you pull the blu-ray out and he’s beardless. He deserves some respect.
Anyway, the show is the real reason you want this blu-ray. It will go fine with the first season on your shelf.