Ben 10 Rant

[Solora Goldsun]

Okay...I've been holding in a lot of words concerning the turn Ben 10 has taken. It think it's finally time to put them in writing. I don't know how long this will be. I'm just gonna type.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? We see a young, ten year old boy, who finds a piece of alien technology while on a summer-long trip with his grandfather and cousin. He can turn into ten different aliens at will, each one unique: Heatblast, Ghostfreak, XLR8, Fourarms, Stinkfly, Wildmutt, Ripjaws, Gray Matter, Diamondhead, and Upgrade. He goes on various creative, interesting adventures ranging from encounters with the supernatural, to a psychotic, energy-manipulating eleven year old, to confrontations with the mighty Vilgax.

I. Fell. In. Love. A few years ago, I discovered Ben 10 online (no cable then) and made sure to stalk the Cartoon Network site, looking for new episodes. I loved everything about it from the theme song, to the believably childish characters, to the amazingly varied plotlines and fight scenes. I didn't ever see all of the episodes, but I loved each one that I DID see. I played the online games for hours!

Then, I started to see the commercials for Ben 10: Alien Force. I KNEW it was going to suck. I didn't THINK it. I KNEW it. I specifically did NOT watch the first episode when it came out online, I was so convinced that it would be an insult to the original. I couldn't picture a mature Ben who wasn't fighting with his cousin. My thoughts concerning a good-guy Kevin were iffy at best. Even the theme song was obviously inferior, and don't even get me started on what I thought of the new aliens! Then, out of boredom, I watched the episode with Mike Morningstar.

I was hooked. Mainly because of Kevin. I saw the way he looked at Gwen and my romance-detectors started flaring. I then went to the site and read Kevin's bio. As soon as it said that he had a crush on Gwen, I KNEW I was going to keep watching. I wasn't disappointed! I watched EVERY episode that I had missed along with every new one. The villain was intimidating and complex, the plotline was dark and edgy, and every episode was rich with moments that made me laugh out loud. I watched obsessively until the end of the second season, which was the most epic thing I ever saw. I was in complete awe!

Then the third season came around. Now that I look back, it was a season of fillers and Ben being a jerk... and some moments of just simple stupidness (*cough* Kevin magically appearing on earth after a satellite he was on thousands of miles away exploded *cough*)...but MoA had the good sense to give us a sideplot involving a mutated Kevin, which was enough to keep my Gwevin excitement up and to start me on the path of Fanfiction. When Gwen and Kevin finally kissed, my friend and I screamed so loud, the echoes are probably still hanging in a cloud over Lake Erie.

Later on, it was announced that a new series of Ben 10 would come out along with a completely original series called Generator Rex. I came to my friend's house to watch UA and only watched GR at her insistence. (I knew that GR was going to blow, see.) There, I watched Ben 10 make a comeback. Aggregor was a very good villain and the plotline was, yet again, complex.

True, there were moments when I seriously questioned MoA's logic. I mean...the Plumbers have CLEARLY become more stupid over the years. Don't they have the most advanced technology in the universe? Wouldn't they have been able to sense Aggregor's ship BEFORE he came within a thousand mile radius of the Earth? AT LEAST ONCE OUT OF THOSE FIVE TIMES?! *pant* And the fact that Ben, Kevin, and Gwen didn't even BOTHER looking for Andreas's body in the wreckage to see if he was possibly alive... MoA was totally INSULTING the intelligence of the audience! He got lazy and threw moments of stupidness and carelessness in just so that the plot would move along quickly.

And then there was the whole Map of Infinity arc. I swear, they should have had Paradox bring Little Ben from the original series. He would have done a better job at getting that stupid map. Like in Perplexahedron. Remember how smart Older Ben was then? "Dur! Okay! I'll take the Map piece that is the only thing standing between the universe and its doom like you said!" *five seconds later* "Wait! No! I'm da hero! I'm gonna run back to save the guy who told me specifically not to go back for him! And I'm NOT gonna give the map piece to Kevin or Gwen while I do it! Nope! I'm just gonna go running in with it. Oh no! It's gone! Hm...in hindsight, I should have taken the guy out of here IN THE FIRST PLACE if I was gonna do it at all... Dur..."

But then...I saw an angel hovering over the TV screen... It came in the form of Little Ben, the classic aliens, and a taste of childish humor... And then...BAM! KEVIN IS A MUTANT! AND HE'S EVIL! OHMYGOD! *falls into a loooooong Angstitis trip*

So, for the next few episodes, I awaited updates eagerly while rejuvenating my B10 fanfiction era. (Have I mentioned that I used to be called the Gwevin Prophet? Because I successfully predicted multiple romantic moments between Kevin and Gwen? Seriously, I guessed the WHOLE plot of Trade-Off before the episode aired, every detail!) When the finale came, I was on the edge of my seat. Some moments actually had me cringing (Kevin stabbing Gwen with his Diamondhead hand). It was emotional and amazing. The ending was weak, but the episode as a whole made me underwhelmed by the finale of GR!!!

The new season came out and, of course, I was confident that it would be awesome! MoA had proven that he had the ability. I fully expected him to use it........Let me give you the gist of those next few weeks...

"YES! Ben broke up with Julie! She was getting so annoying! I like this new girl, Eunice. She has so many interesting character aspects. They are so CUTE together! OH! She's a prototype of the Omnitrix? This could lead to great character development in the future along with a promising love triangle and a-"

FILLER!

"Huh? Oh...okay... AW MAN! Julie's back. How does she understand Ship? Okay...is this episode SUPPOSED to make me hate every character but Ben?! Seriously, they are being freaking jerks to him! OMG! Julie is such a b----!!! Wait...Ben's APOLOGIZING?! SERIOUSLY?! OH MY GOD! You were better off with Eunice! Talk to Azmuth and arrange a meeting with Eunice! Let Julie take her little pet (yes, Ship annoys me by this point) and go play some tennis! GAWD! Don't tell me that this season will focus on her...please..."

FILLER!

"Phew! Okay, this one involves Viktor... Ooooh! Does this mean a return of Ghostfreak, the Mummy, and the Yenaldooshi? Any of the above? This could be good! He was a great villain in the original... Oh...it's just his body...being controlled...like a robot...great... Is it just me, or are these the exact same fight scenes being replayed in different settings every episode?"

FILLER!

"I figured. What's this next episode? Alien plants...
...
...
...
OH GREAT! Alien plants! This is SUCH a great new idea! It's not like we've EVER seen a plotline with evil plants that attacked people before! It's not like there was a whole EPISODE in the original series where mutated mushrooms faced off against Wildvine. Aw nooooo. Not at all!" *turns off TV early*

FILLER!

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh. An episode involving an evil cousin?" *watches for three seconds* "OOOOH! ANOTHER original plotline! An evil sibling that looks like the main girl character, except for black hair and alternate colored eyes, and flirts with her boyfriend... It's not like Teen Titans didn't have the EXACT same plot!"

FILLER!

"No, really? Gosh... Okay, this one brings back Elena. Huh...I liked her better in Alien Swarm. Still...this isn't too ba- ACK! JULIE! And...whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did MoA actually...KILL somebody? That...was...actually sort of good...maybe there's hope..."

FILLER!

"Aw, what?!" *looks at next episode summary*

FILLER!

*looks at NEXT episode summary*

FILLER!

*rinse and repeat process...*

Do you get the idea? Do you get it? MoA has the ability to make an amazing series and they're literally ripping it apart by the seams, eating it, digesting it, and vomiting it out in the form of a pile of unappealing, uninteresting, irksome, annoying filth. It has even come to the point where KEVIN isn't funny anymore. KEVIN! The fight scenes are repetitive and boring, the plotlines are thrown together without any thought, and they have stooped so low as to recycle old plotlines MULTIPLE times! I think the Nostalgia Critic can sum it up for me: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv9-alG05nk

As a person who has faithfully followed Ben 10 for years, I am utterly saddened and dismayed at the generic and insignificant tone it has adopted. I only hope that MoA will see the light and resurrect Ben to his former glory, or give him the AXE to put him out of his misery along with the rest of his forlorn fans!

*pant pant*

Wow... *looks up* That was long... If you read the whole thing, kudos to you! I feel much better now. Much. Phew... If I think of more, I'll add it but I think this sums it up very nicely. This has been Solora Goldsun's first Rant. Peace out! ^_^

[Purple-Cat-Princess]

Yes! You get it! Gah... MoA needs to make up their mind, drop it and devote all attention to GR and put up a new episode on that three times a week or make Ben10UA suck less. its beyond redemption now.

[Solora Goldsun]

I actually wish that Kevin was still an evil mutant... Yeah, I was on a crazy Angst trip...but at least the plot was making me FEEL some form of EMOTION!

[datdude]

Some times you out grow things and thats fine totally natural. I read green lantern from like 94-2000 before dumping it. Just remember they are not making a story with a beginning middle and end so yea its going to sooner or later feel tired. People read batman to see what hes doing in that book that month or over a few books. No one looks for the beginning middle and end because its not their.

If you dont like Ben 10 anymore move on pleny of neat stuff out their. FYI though with the guy that been running the show since alien force sadly departed the show will probably be changing in tone and style to some degree when the next series starts when ever that is.

DD

[devissitrhw]

I really don't watch Ben10 with that much enthusiasm anymore. I remember when they aired the original series, I loved it! I found that Alien Force was pretty good, but then we had UA, and idk, I just stopped watching. I really didn't delve into why, because why waste thinking energy on something I wasn't going to watch anymore? It just didn't appeal as the other seasons had~~

I think Ben 10 has seen the end or it's days, honestly. I like to think of it almost like Yu-Gi-Oh... all like what, 4 series with 5 seasons each? I mean really after a while it gets repetitive.

Or even better POKEMON! How many episodes have we had of the boy who, even after like 13 years, still looks like he's only aged a year or two? How many repeated plot lines of defeat the bad guys, win contests/gym battles, with minimal conflict and apparent effort have we been through? I mean really, I think they're like up to episode 800 now, I really don't know though.

Anyways, my inner ADD child has something else to distract itself, so back to the point. I think MOA should just end Ben 10 and focus on GenRex.

[Solora Goldsun]

Oh! Don't even get me STARTED on how Pokemon has turned out! That's another rant entirely. Probably a much longer one too! And I agree. End Ben 10 now. It lost all its dignity, after all. There's nothing left for it.

[Purple-Cat-Princess]

-sighs- the show has nothing left. Leave us with a bang of a gwevin moment and a very narrow open ending so the fanfiction buffs can have their fun with continuing it. MoA can leave it all to the fan-fiction-ists after that... just leave it to them MoA...

[Monika A. Sable]

SO TRUE. EVERY WORD ON THIS BOARD.
I watched Ben 10 because it aired on tv in the mornings so I watched the original online and AF at 6:30 every morning. Enough to hook my brother and mom. It's funny when the same brother that mocked Ben 10 now memorizes the names of the aliens in the Omnitrix.

Generator Rex has the same effect on them, however none of us could stand more than one of the newer episodes of Ben 10:UA...
It's really sad that I discovered my love of Ben 10 so late.

I could start a rant here, but I'd rather not. I get to hang out with the awesomeness that is Solora tomorrow as well as my loving boyfriend and i should get some sleep. XD

[sadie]

I never watched the original ben 10, young ben reminds me too much of the way my brother was at that age, and I remember enough already without reminders from the tv, and when alien force came along I gotta admit I scoffed at the idea that the show with that bratty kid could get a sequel series. then after it had been going for a few months I caught one of the episodes by accident.

I was hooked, and totally ashamed of it, so I became a closet viewer. I loved the colours, the animation, the sounds and overall vibe the show had, in short I loved everything, though I was put off a tad when I was told there was romance involved (a full season in and until I was told about it I hadnt even noticed) but that was just cos romance disturbs and disgusts me any one whos ever attempted to ask me out could confirm this, I just dont get it. but the show was good enough for me to over look that.

ultimate alien came along and the word digimon kept nibbling at the back of my brain but I still liked it, watching any ben 10 is like being on a roller coaster with a blind fold on, theres ups, downs, twists turns the occasional loop and sometimes it feels like its going down really fast and ou think you know what its going to do next before it throws you through a loop and your left confused.key word there being robotic octopus. but if it goes long enough your bound to end up with a few people who want the ride to hurry up and end so they can go throw their lunch up in the nearest bin. make any sense?

any way When I start to watch a show I stick with it till the end, no matter where this show goes or for how long it continues you can pretty much gaurentee Ill still be watching even if it means Ill be 80 in a nursing home I will still be watching unless I go blind then Ill be listening,

Im an optimistic person who gloms onto shows like a magnet to a fridge and gwen gets pregnant then Ill stay as such.

besides we all know as long as the target audience (this being young boys) stays glued to the tv and buying the merchandise then they dont care whats in the show, as long as it stays profitable it will keep going.

there ya go it might seem silly to you but you know what they say, the truth is in the eye of the beholder all right hope that came out in coherent sentences, as with most of my late night postings Im thinking one way but might be writing another when Im trying to do both in a readable form of english.

[osdomina]

I used to watch the old serie on TV, now my dad donwload the how thing for my sis and I'm wachting it agian. I always loved Kevin tough I never saw him in the serie... I don't follow the new series really and to be honets I don't feel like. It looks so different from the very first episode.

and and

when the B10. alien force started I was like "yea...cool, but...what happend in those 5 years..."

I'm like "i'll just watch it all over agian from the beginning cause i'm mess up by watching AF and UA together..."

[Swan]

I wasn't too big of a fan of the original Ben 10, so when I saw the commercial for AF, I was like, "Meh, I'll check it out." Well I watched it and fell in love. The story was interesting, the animation was really neat, and Kevin was amazing. Ben's voice actor in the new series did such a good job of portraying this serious, shy Ben.

Then, boom! Highbreed! There like galactic nazis, trying to wipe out all the 'inferior races', and they were amazing. The DNAliens were really people, just controled by parasites. Which is kind of cliched, but was still cool nontheless.

And Gwevin... gwevin, gwevin, gwevin. Honestly, these two were the only reason I watched the show. Aliens? Cool. Gwen and Kevin? Oh. My. God. I enjoyed the episodes that focused more on these two more than anything. Ben and Julie were okay... and she kind of acted like a robot to me. Julie had no emotion. At all. Not until UA really. First and second season were amazing. Then the third rolled around. Mutated Kevin was win, of course, but then Ben had to go and be ego maniac. I mainly watched the episodes with Charmcaster in the third season, because she was one of the only characters from the original that I remembered.

Then UA rears it's head. I was happy, but not over excited or anything. The premiere was basically another episode. Nothing big or revealing really happened. Just "oh look! A new villan!" I wasn't that impressed with it at all. ... And mutated Kevin, he recaptured my interest in the show, and then they had to end it in the weirdest way. Poof! Kevin's all better. Let's all move on to some other junk that we can cram into season 2! *insert random fillers here* Except for the episode with Elena. That one was good. So it has been spared. For now! Mwahahahaha...ha.

I think another thing that made me lose interest was the fact that they took so long for the second season to air. GR aired in September, and that was when I really feel in love with the show, but Ben 10 had to get all 10/10/10 on us. Cute. Real cute.

I may not like Ben 10 that much anymore, but I'm still looking foreword to that crossover

[Solora Goldsun]

Yes...the crossover will be epic. *imagining Kevin and Six in the SAME SHOW!!!*

[Monika A. Sable]

May 29, 2011 19:52:30 GMT -5 Solora Goldsun said:

Yes...the crossover will be epic. *imagining Kevin and Six in the SAME SHOW!!!*

OH YUS, SOLORA.
GUESS WHAT ELSE?
I HAVE ALBEDO AND I WILL SEE YOU IN LIKE 9 HOURS. OwO



AND BTW, SWAN.
I LOVE YOUR AVATAR. *giggles uncontrollably*

[Swan]

AND BTW, SWAN.
I LOVE YOUR AVATAR. *giggles uncontrollably*

Photobucket does wonders

[Monika A. Sable]

I'm gonna steal your pic and put in on my cellphone and set it as my brother's picture ID. XD

Back to Ben 10... Who's your favorite character?