Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: Storm the Castle (Season 1 Finale)

Well, Stargazers. The time has come.
The new television series we immediately fell in love with has ended its first season. And boy, what a season that was.

So let us reminence in the last piece of the first taste of what has become one of my (and, by extension, your) favorite animated series in this decade.
So let’s get straight into the final episode of Season 1 (and pretty much the most important episode since before even the first episode was previewed)...

(I’d like mention here that the position of Star’s face and eyes, while serious, look really funny.)

In the first scene, Starco are in another dimension looking for an interesting item in its bowels--a sandwich. This was a strange scene, and an even stranger catalyst for their ensuing argument. And the argument itself was heavy on the drama. Even though Marco has a good point to blast Star for doing it--said sandwich almost caused them to die being the bowel monster's own lunch.
(Also, the nice brief callback to the titular appendage creature from "Monster Arm" was really cool. Showing that it may return at any moment sometime soon. Cool.)

I won’t say I was royally screwed over from the promo of this episode, so yeah.
But the following scene at night layered on the non-humor. Seeing Marco going missing was startling, and seeing his parents worry close to death over their son's disappearance is saddening. It was fine to see the looney officer give us some unexpected comfort and humor. Without him, this part of the episode would have gotten more heartbreaking than I would’ve loved to see. And to see Star own up to her mistake from the earlier adventure and looking for Marco on her own, was really heartwarming.
Also, a nice factoid: we now know Mr. Diaz’s name--it’s Rafael. Really cool. Really classy. Really...well…

When we meet up with Buff Frog, he’s destitute, living near the Castle. After Ludo (aka Toffee's puppet) fired him as a minion, he's gone from the swamp, to a nice room and a dream job chasing a princess, to nothing...but a door. It's really sad to see this. Also sad was Star blasting him, retconning their kind truce back in “Mewipendence Day”.
But it’s understandable, because of her belief that he and Ludo kidnapped Marco, not knowing of their unceremonious axings and that it was really Toffee committed this.

What Marc said to Toffee was so badass.

If there was any doubt that he's just an awesome character (I mean why should there be?), this moment put them to rest. And can I call this "Classic Marco"? I mean, it does mean "putting friends first", but I want it to mean "can fight and give a sweet-ass one-liner beforehand", too.
How about "Vintage Marco"? Yeah, that fits better.

Star's (and Buff Frog's) invasion into the castle freakin' awesome!

http://frightmarefalls.tumblr.com/post/129727438403/starcolove-storm-the-castle

And her straight-up temporarily knocking out Toffee was f*ckin' boss!

I’ll be honest with you. While I knew he wanted something to do with the Wand, I expected Toffee to take it from Star and use it for his own advantage. But I did not expect this...at all.


Toffee is a real cunning villain...even this I couldn't foresee. Brilliant.


Jesus Christ on a cracker, that smile.


When Star finally destroys her Wand, it really broke me for a bit.
When she was given the Wand, she was taught a spell to destroy it; the first she was given. Seeing the Wand break apart bit by bit, piece by piece, was a truly terrible thing to see. But I will absolutely agree--it's better to save your best friend than to keep your wand. Although, she keeps both later on, which is great.

Holey moley. It was just heartwarming for her to give up her Wand for Marco. Seeing the Wand being very important to her, yet her best friend is even more so just makes me cry tears of joy. And her heroics and seriousness are undeniable. There are few times I’ve seen her look and act serious and aggressive. Here, this is so well-done, it’s even scary!

All this time, seeing a friendship that might not have started off good, but has blossomed into a close, serious, strong and humble kinship between an Earth boy and a magical princess from another dimension just make it one of my favorite parts of this series. And now it’s enough to give up a powerful scepter from a kingdom to a brutally cunning villain--it just blows my mind.


Remember the unicorn used to help power Star’s Wand from “Quest Buy”?

http://star-vs-the-fandoms-of-evil.tumblr.com/post/129676728278/svtfoeheadcanons-rip-screenshots-from-quest

Well, it returns here...although it’s now a spirit. Yeah...Rest in Peace.

The Wand blowing up and taking Toffee and his henchmen with it was truly a surprise. But I'm not too sure of saying it wasn't deserved. What Toffee did to Marco.
I was shocked that Buff Frog would've gone with them, too. Along with his new batch of children. Thank Goodness, he escaped in time.


As for Ludo, I really could care less where he ends up. Fortunately, Star took care of that banishing him to another dimension. After this episode, and the things he's done, I officially hate him, and I won't stand any appearance he has in the next season.

Back to Toffee, I won’t say what we already know, but I’ll end it with this:
He is a way better villain than Ludo ever was. Right off the bat, he knew what he was doing.
He got himself hired as Ludo’s advisor to help capture Star’s Wand, he already devises a plan to fool Star and (almost) help Ludo and his henchmen catch the Wand, and he's given them a better performance doing so; and under the surface, he already had another plan: he acted as the better henchmen to Ludo, made his co-horts look even more like fools, convinced Ludo to fire Buff Frog (his most strong and loyal henchman), turned his other minions against him and got himself the boot as well, became the new leader and turned the minions into even more stronger and powerful sidekicks against Starco. And they have never knew of his existence.
In the few episodes he appeared, the Lanky Lizard in Louis Vuitton has become the most cunning, strategic and powerful villain in this series so far. And somehow, this just excites me.
I’m supposed to hate him, but I can’t stop beaming over his admittedly terrible deeds. They’re so complex and , yet he makes them look so easy. And, if anything, makes me love him more than I have Ludo, who has, for all his appearances, just makes his minions go after Starco and her Wand, failing miserably every time. Toffee’s brief stint as main villain makes Ludo look like a pathetic worthless piece of creature life. This coming from a guy who admittedly loved and enjoyed their matches in almost half the episodes.
I Know he’s been obliterated, but he’s been an awesome villain, and I’ll mourn his loss.


The hug…

Just...beautiful. Just beautiful.

Oh, and this...other hug.

Between mother and daughter. Queen and Princess.
That was heartwarming, and was even more heartwarming when she wasn’t angry at Star for her troubles for one, but was happy that she is safe and okay. I just couldn’t stop smiling.


Star’s Wand barely survived its destruction with an ultra-awesome upgrade.
As for the little unicorn, I couldn't wonder very hard where it came from, but who cares?
His backstory was super beautiful and his destiny to power up the almost-doomed Wand was heartwarming. Also, his speaking Italian was both more heartwarming and funny.
And really hot, admittedly.

Also, since only half of the Wand's power on the faceplate is recovered, the other half is missing.
Even worse...

...it's still in the realm of the monsters' dimension. Ouch.

Near the end, King and Queen Butterfly talk to Sir Glossaryk about the Wand’s state. He reveals that it’s been cleaved. Meaning that it has been broken apart. But it can be put back together.
This is very interesting, yet very good news. Since the Wand isn't entirely broken, it can also be fixed. But it's not going to be easy. Remember?


It’s good to see Glossy back again, this time on our screens, talking and not frozen. Although I wish this didn’t happen. Him shaving his leg and being disrobed from his towel was pretty gross.
But funny, too. Really funny.

Meanwhile another eyebrow-raiser:
King Butterfly's real name is River. Really nice name.

This means...that Queen and River aren’t very sure about their plan about Star's practicing her powers on Earth. And that they more about their plan than they let Star (and by extension, us) know about. There is more to this to sending their daughter to Earth to practice her powers.
What is there to this plan that she doesn’t know about (and we aren’t revealed to yet)? We don’t know yet...until next season.

Also, back to the new Wand, it’s at half-power. Meaning while Star has one half of its power, the other half is still missing. Who will find it first? We’ll find out...next season.

And another thing...Toffee and his minions were disintegrated thanks to the old Wand exploding...but, remember, after getting blasted by Star earlier, his arm reattached…
So, could this be only the beginning of Toffee? (I hope so, because...well, yeah.)

When the episode progressed, it got more darker than past episodes. More than “Party with a Pony”, more than “Mewberty”, even more than “St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses.” And I really enjoyed it. Every moment had me shocked and close to clutching my heart. The rush of dreariness and pain from the one continuous scene from the Castle formerly belonging to Ludo was the crux, and therefore the best part.


This episode had so many moments that were unexpectedly dark and brutal, more so than many moments in this series. Yeah, I expected some things to happen, but not this.
And dammit, I enjoyed the hell out of this episode! This is just brilliant, and one of the best episodes this season--no far from that. This is THE best episode of the season, and one of the best in the series so far.
The animation is spectacular and one of the very best pieces since the series switched animation studios (from Mercury Filmworks to Toon City Studios); the voice acting is some of the best in this season, and this series yet (everyone does amazingly here; especially Michael C. Hall as Toffee--his voice and delivery is just perfect; so perfect, it even gets me aroused at times. Don't know why, but I don't care.); the writing is brilliant (it's clear that this series has only gotten better and better story-wise [despite the few hiccups along the way], and I'm nail-bitingly excited for what will come next from the writers' room); and the direction is great (the pacing is nicely done, and story fits well). Overall this episode is just the best episode of the season, and the best of the series so far.

And now, this:
Now that Season 1 has ended, and Season 2 has yet to begin, I have some questions hoping to be answered by then:

Will Star become more responsible and aggressive like she was here?
-(I can hope so, because there will be more dark adventures and matches to come this way, and I enjoy her this way.)

Will Ludo become a bigger threat thanks to Star rebuffing his gesture?
-(Probably not, but that'll be interesting to see as the series as he restarts his evil career)

Will Toffee return?
-(If the arm reattachment is any indication, along with this slinky smile

yes. Hopefully.)

Who will find the other half of the power to Star's Wand?
-(It's not sure yet, but I'm betting my money on the monsters. It is left in their realm, and with it in their possession, it will cause lots of tension later on. For all I know, I'm hoping the race to find it will be tense and adventurous. And dark, too.)

Will that guy who got taken away by the monster butterfly ever return relatively scathed?

-(Nah. But you can't blame a guy for trying.)

Will Starco stay friends? Or will there be something more?
-(At this point, it could go either way. And to be honest, I wouldn't care. I love them being friends. And yes, as of recently I joined the bandwagon for them to become more than that. So whatever happens next season, I'm just ecstatic to watch a great friendship go along as nicely as it does on an animated TV show).

These questions will be answered, along with the many others that will crop up in season 2.
I'm hoping to enjoy this as much as Season 1. And I hope you all will be there, too.

For the last time for this season, I thank the Star vs. The Forces of Evil Wikia page.
For absolutely everything. I know you guys will be amazing help come next season. Thank you guys very much.

And lastly, I thank all of you for checking out these reviews for these past months. I know these aren't the best reviews, but I do my best to make them good enough for you guys, and I'm ever grateful for the many reads you guys have given. I hope you guys join me for more coming...as soon as Season 2 begins.

See ya then. Good night.

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: Interdimensional Field Trip / Marco Grows a Beard

Hey, Stargazers!
Welcome to the second to-last review of Star vs. The Forces of Evil’s first season. And boy has it been a big whirlwind for everyone watching (me included with these reviews). There was so much to take in by saying so much about it, but I can’t mention this here.

This episode was a whirlwind of emotion, especially from Episode B--most of it.
First, Star (literally) leads everyone in a fantastical field trip through the dimensions. Wonder, amazement, danger, sentient string and (most importantly) hilarity will ensue in “Interdimensional Field Trip”.
And, Marco has grown facial hair. But when Jackie Lynn takes some interest in a guy with a full beard, he tries his best to have the same--or actually Star sneaks in one. More hilarity ensues in “Marco Grows a Beard”.

But first, here is…

In it, Star leads a class field trip to a museum in another dimension and puts the entire class in danger.

When I first heard of this episode, I was pretty excited about it. Seeing Star bring her friends to another dimension would make for a great plot. Not bold or expanding, but pretty great nonetheless. And the plot of taking the role of leader in something, along with the responsibility with it, was, while used a lot, was used pretty well here. Star does show a great deal of responsibility, and it’s very good to see her exhibit a lot of concern for her friends/classmates, even if she does begin to cause it by telling them to do whatever they want in a another dimension, which should be a red flag from the start. And that they get themselves in danger

I had a debate with myself wondering whether the kids were really foolish enough to do all of these things . But to a consensus, I say “sorta”. It’s not really their fault for doing anything they did, because Star told them to.
Although they should’ve had the sense to read the signs telling them not to touch the stuff, or at least had the hindsight to think about what they want to touch or walk over or ride on, because doing that would've save them from--sorry, going ahead of myself.
For goodness sakes, Francis touched jumped down a hole and multiplied by four, Sabrina walked across the Escher stairs and Justin was close to electrocuting himself by touching a device capable of doing so. That's just dumb.

One thing I just fine “Meh” was Marco and Jackie’s texting session with each other. I found it a little pretentious, but it wasn’t all bad. And it was cute too. But to be honest, it was one of the parts I wouldn’t remember that much from this episode.
I did find it great that their relationship is moving quite nicely, even though it’s kinda slow.
And it’s the second to last episode. But, hey.

The yarn monster was...interesting. He was pretty scary, but not truly menacing. The encounter was pretty quick--but hey, the entire episode is 11 minutes, so that explains it. Still wrapped up well.

And another thing: how awesome was Miss Skullnick? Thanks to her newfound knowledge of the lifespan of trolls, their bravery and amazing super-human strength, she uses it to protect her students from the Yarn Monster by just doing the running in-the-maze bit to unravel it’s monster form and brought it back to its normal form. That was super cool. And it makes her more of a good character to me. I hope to see her like this again sometime next season.

Favorite Lines:
"I will live to be 300? And I thought I was going through the big change! Turns out I'm a teenager again!" -Ms. Skullnick
--Did Ms Skullnick just allude to Menopause in that line?
If so...Bravo, writers. Bravo for making that leap.
-"Awww. A-maaa-zing. What is it?" -Star
"It's a paper clip." -Marco
-“Let's go to a morgue!” -Janna
In fact, I like Janna a lot in this one. She comes off as a girl who like dark, morbid things--like going to morgues and vampire fangs and wants to be friends with a sentient skeleton.

http://rad-star.tumblr.com/post/129115107427/janna-is-awesome

That’s really funny. So funny, it’s kinda awesome. It’s forced to some people, but I find it kinda charming too.
It’s like she’s a cartoon version of Jade West, except without the dark clothing, the jaded personality and the fact that she isn’t a mean, conniving psycho-witch.

I found this a good and entertaining episode. Some parts were better than others, but I definitely enjoyed it. I really like the concept--Star taking her Earth friends on a trip to another dimension thanks to a dare from Skullnick. It isn’t a strong plot or story, but it’s still good to watch in its execution.

Random Thoughts:

-Star acting excited marveling at a paper clip will never not be funny and cute.
-Janna being morbid will never not be funny and cute.

-Jackie Lynn riding on a flying manta will never not be funny and cute.
-Alfonzo and Ferguson as a man/horse hybrid will never not be funny. It’s not cute, though.
-Ms Skullnick fighting off a Yarn Monster will never not be funny and/or cute. And awesome.

This was a fine episode, and an enjoyable. Not one of the best this season, but enjoyable, nonetheless.

And now, the episode all female fans (and some male fans) have waited for…

Star’s giving Marco a beard was pretty… slick. But you gotta agree with her intention. Even if Marc told her he wanted the face hair to grow on its own, it was sweet for her to help out that way, even if the outcome came out that way.

My favorite part was when Star receives an epiphany from one of the Laser Puppies, telling her that she has fought monsters since an infant without her Wand, and can find a way to save Marco. It was both sweet, and funny. And what do you know, she does, first using the Laser Puppy to free her from the tangled hair
(And yes, I don’t have to tell you--Star is super adorable as a child.)

Ludo’s flashback was...interesting. Getting tickled by a hairy monster is a strange thing, but can cause fear. I can believe a phobia of hair; people can have that. And it did make out for a perfect exposition.

And with that, the episode ends with Ludo, heartbroken that his minions AND evil advisor have turned against him, kneeling at the door of his now former castle. Damn it, that’s just heartbreaking. Even if you hate him, you really have to feel for him to just lose everything. And then...it ends. Wow. Just like Buff Frog in “Mewnipendence Day”, Ludo will now have to do what he never thought he’d done--go to Earth, and go to Star; possibly to beg for forgiveness, and ask to team up with her and Marco to take down Toffee and his Possibly Not-So-Useless Minions. Who knows?

Toffee certainly continues to be a despicable asshole/super cunning genius.
If his plan of getting rid of Buff Frog in the last episode was detestable, then turning Ludo’s henchmen against him--their LEADER--and gaining their vote as their new leader was just reprehensible. Brilliant, but reprehensible.
And...he did have some good points. All throughout this season, Ludo made his henchmen fight Starco while he just stands there, and gets the credit for the (two) times he actually got the Wand. But when they (always) lose, he brutally criticizes them like he’s their college basketball coach or abusive parent. (By the way, has anyone noticed that when he punishes them, he sounds like their dad who scolds them for wrecking the family car after a night out, and takes away privileges like the TV or making them do extra chores and stuff? Maybe just me)
And then, when he came into the picture, he acted like the perfect advisor to Ludo, helping him bolden and perfect his plans to steal the Wand. But, under the surface.
And most especially, thanks to a bad trip to his past involving a tickling monster, he came so close to the Wand, but moved away thanks to his giggly reminiscing, causing it to be his fault for losing the Wand again.

And now, since Ludo has been overthrown by his number two, and kicked out of his castle by his own (ex-)henchmen, Toffee now has a big arsenal behind. And i can’t help but feel that the Useless Minions...won’t seem so useless anymore.

Another thing, I was on Tumblr the some time ago, and I looked at this post based on the concept art of the first and last episodes of the first season, "Star Comes to Earth" and "Storm the Castle". And it tells a lot.


Trust me when I say that there will be a huge heartbreaking battle between Starco (especially Star) and Toffee coming ahead. And it WON’T be pleasant to watch.

Also, she has Marco's hoodie. What the hell could that mean?!?!

And now, to end this review on a lighter note, here are my Favorite Lines from this episode:

http://the-mad-march-hare42.tumblr.com/post/129349682474

-Star and Talking Dream Laser Puppy

http://the-mad-march-hare42.tumblr.com/post/129349366784/lorddarker-life-lessons-from-kids-shows

-Talking Dream Laser Puppy

http://the-mad-march-hare42.tumblr.com/post/129349688989/ninonisanoctopus-s1e12-marco-grows-a-beard

-Star

http://the-mad-march-hare42.tumblr.com/post/129349813339

-Star

And if the end of this episode is any indication, we're in for a big shocker coming next week.
Because next week is the first season finale of Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
And there are so much to ask:
What will Toffee's final tier in his grand scheme play out in his mission for Star's Wand?
Will Star break? Will we finally see a villain use the Wand for pure evil? Will Star and Marco still be friends--or be more than just that? Will many side characters return? n


If there was a m

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: Mewnipendence Day / The Banagic Incident

Hello there, fellow Stargazers!

Time for another review!
And wouldn’t you know it, it’s the time of year to celebrate the foundings of Mewni, so Star decides to celebrate it with her friends by reenacting a major battle. You can tell how short and questionable it will be when I discuss it in 11A--”Mewnipendence Day”.
And if that wasn’t enough for Star to combat the ides of disaster and boredom, 11B--”The Banagic Incident” has her trying to fend it off by searching for a new device that’ll cure the boredom...by making Banana Pudding. I’ll be honest in saying this before you reach it: I got pissed with this one...and a little confused.
Oh, well. Let’s get this over with.

Let’s begin this review with…

The episode begins at the Diaz Family Home, where Star has converged Marco and their friends/acquaintances--Alfonzo, Ferguson, Miss Skulltroll--I mean Skullnick, Janna, StarFan13, the nerd student first shown in “Monster Arm” (his name’s Ed, by the way), the guy from the Awesome Opossums Cheerleading Squad and Marc’s Dojo Sensei--in the living room for a meeting. She has invited them for a celebration of the day her home dimension Mewni was founded by reenacting the battle of its founding. But nobody knows what all this means. So Star grabs a pull-out book briefing the founding of Mewni. When all is said and done everyone begins preparations for the battle reenactment.
--That book Star has looks like something made by Golden Books. If I can picture it, it would’ve came with a CD that would’ve had narration and the sound of a harp playing signaling a page turn. That would’ve be boss. Ahh, nostalgia.

Marco points out the floating eye, which Star reveals is the All-Seeing Eye, in which the Royal Family sees all that the villains are doing. But that’s not happening--It’s the VILLAINS watching.
Ludo and Toffee (Hey, it’s Toffee! Toffee’s back! Hi, Toffee!!) are taking a look at the preparations with a decoy of the All-Seeing Eye, and are planning their upcoming attack. Buff Frog tries to convince him to keep him as the lookout, but is shot down, because of the Eye’s flexibility.

--Buff Frog and Toffee’s reactions to Ludo pointing out that the Eye has a channel showing Star’s bathroom were hilarious.
--“Sometimes, your biggest threat is right under your nose.” -Toffee
“My nose is in my beak.” -Ludo
I don’t know why, but that line is very funny to me.

Later in the day, everyone is in costume and are ready for the reenactment.
Meanwhile, Buff Frog tells Ludo’s other Minions about Toffee and his new fangled flying machine, but is interrupted by the lanky lizard in Louis Vuitton, asking any of them to sneak into the Mewnipendance battle with a device to capture the wand and easily transfer it to to Ludo.
BF stands up to the challenge, and Toffee begrudgingly obliges.
--What the hell happened to his finger?

The battle has begun!! The Evil Repulsive Monsters vs. The Brave Powerful Soldiers of Mewni!!
During the fight, Ferguson gets scared and camos into a tree--During which, at that exact time, Buff Frog appears and begins his chase to reach Star’s Wand. He gets close to the Wand, but the device isn’t responsive, causing him to stall and try to grab it himself. But that doesn’t work either, when Star notices him and a soldier’s horse knocks him off her perch and onto the ground. Star freaks out (thinking that’s actually Ferguson) and rushes to not-Ferguson’s aid. Fergy reveals himself from behind a tree, and Star realizes that’s Buff Frog. BF runs off, and Star is close to blasting him, but relents.
When Marco calls off the reenactment--everyone goes inside, ready for the feast--Star looks straight into where BF ran off.
--If you notice Star’s reactions to the battle, that means she’s very worried of the well-being of everyone involved (especially the monsters). From reading the book, she realizes something about the first Mewnans that That’s sweet and humbling.

Back at Ludo’s castle, Buff Frog tries to explain himself about his failure to capture the wand (along with trying to reveal it was Toffee’s bidding), but Ludo wouldn’t have any--showing his mistake over and over, and chewing him out. He then makes the conscious decision (made by Toffee) to kick him off his team of minions and out of his castle. BF begs to be taken back in, but is shunned away. Toffee commends Ludo on his decision,. but the latter is saddened by it.

Back at the DFH, everyone is enjoying the end-of-the-celebration corn feast. Star is asked by Marco if the book is accurate, but she pushes him off to eat her corn. She then sees Buff Frog on the tree branch moping from his new firing. She gives him a plate of corn. He smiles.

During the climax, where Buff Frog is given the Wand task, I thought and knew that Toffee had something to do about this. He sabotaged the machine to embarrass Buff Frog and get him banished from Ludo’s Army and out of his hair. Toffee really didn’t like BF’s demand to stand up to him and kick him out, so he made the plan to kick him out. That’s devious. That’s cunning.
Toffee has continued to make his mark as the member of Ludo’s army. While I’m not supposed to like his actions, I can’t stop loving them. He’s so perfectly slimy and sly, that it’s hard to not hate him. I can’t find a reason to. In fact, I’m beginning to like Toffee more than Ludo.

As for the battle itself...Meh. It was short and wasn’t as great as I actually expected it to be. But what Star did to stop it so early was really sweet. She cares about her friends so much that she’d stop a celebration of her home dimension to spare their lives. That’s just lovely.
And another thing I just noticed as the real reason she stopped the battle, therefore also humbling, is that when Star was asked by Marco if the battle was unfair. When she read the story of Mewni’s independence, it was shown that the founders and the people succeeding them weren’t nice people and were very harsh in the war against the monsters. In fact the monsters (which, yes, weren’t good creatures either) were terrorized by the people before they even got a chance to attack. That explains why Star didn’t attack Buff Frog, and her even giving him a plate of corn at the end. That was also sweet and humbling.

As a whole, this was a really solid halfer. I actually enjoyed the villains side-plot more that the heroes side more. I laughed more from Ludo’s dialogue, the Minions lines, and even Toffee’s little aside crack to Buff Frog: “...you fat bag of garbage”.
And speaking of crack…

I did not need to see that. But I admit, it was funny the second time around. Anyway...

Let’s see what the next episode will do. It’s…

In it, "Star sees a commercial for a "magical" Earth product and sets off on her own to buy it, but the mission goes south when her lack of earth knowledge gets her into serious trouble."

In her Expansion Pack Bedroom, Star is in a bathtub (please don’t ask me why) reading magazines and trying not to be bored. She fails and is close to conceding, but tries not to. (Maybe she can build a rollercoaster.) She then finds an ad in one of them for the “Banagic Wand”. She then sets off on a quest to find one... But first she doesn’t know where to find one, and sees the “As Featured on TV” logo, but doesn’t understand that, and runs to Marco for help. Marc is brushing up on his karate skills, and is about to break a board. But Star suddenly appears. She asks him to help her in finding the Banagic Wand, but Marco has to practice for an assignment--”channeling your emotions”. Star doesn’t listen and instead drags him to the TV to find out where the Banagic is sold--the Better Store. She drags Marc (more like throws Marc) to his bike
--This scene frustrated me. Like, more than I could admit. I could barely get more from this than Star being bored. And I actually didn’t find much funny either. I know Star still can’t grasp much of Earth culture, and I feel sad to say this, but it feels annoying at this point. Her voice doesn’t help, either.
--Also, if you notice, Marco was barefoot when practicing karate and watching TV with Star, but is then suddenly wearing his sneakers when Star kicks him out the house (literally) and then back to barefoot when reaching the Dojo Karate Studio. It may be because Star made them magically, but she didn’t. Yeah, a goof.

(You know what? I can’d do more story anymore. You know why? Because this episode was frustrating as hell to me. So I’m just going to go on a rage-filled review on this halfer.)

Again, I know Star isn’t doing well grasping Earth culture, but this is ridiculous.
She has been on Earth, and specifically Echo Creek, for as long as 11 episodes can entail. She should know how to find a way to any place there, let alone the Better Store, by now without getting herself into a mess like this. Her actions make her look less than...sigh. And I laughed less than I would expect myself to. Plus the product itself barely makes sense; how can it work? You just jam a banana in, squeeze it, and suddenly it turns into pudding. Where does the peel go? How do you clean it? I’m getting ahead of myself.
Another thing: she had no regard for whatever Marco was doing, and forced him to help her out. I know this happens a lot, but here, it just comes off as a little more than rude.
And when she was at Davy Jones’ Fish Locker, she didn’t realize that she was in a themed restaurant. The pirates didn’t even do anything to her. What she did was rude and uncalled for. That made their chasing her (or at least being angry at her) justified. Even Brittney Wong’s appearance was frustrating to watch. Sure, she’s a jerk, but this was just sad.

And then there’s this...Marco saying he underestimated Star. My God, that was uncomfortable.
The vibe was just dead on arrival and withered away as it continued. I never felt this bad feeling from anything in animation before from what I can remember (even from Family Guy and South Park), but this was...wow.
And her reaction to Marco saying he underestimated her was...weird.
I mean what he said understandably caught her off guard, but can you blame him? And another thing: was she hurt by it? If so, I can understand that. It’s as if someone was saying they couldn’t believe you doing something like this at that time. That hurts. But that came at a weirder time. This was one of the more stranger moments of this series so far, and no magic came from it. I’m wondering what will happen next, should this continue. Will Star actually get angry with Marco over his line? Probably. Will it get painful and awkward? You bet.

On the other hand, despite the crap, Marco’s subplot was really entertaining. I loved seeing him finally channel his emotions and chasing Jeremy for being an annoying pest (which was refreshing and cathartic), and stepping on the Coals successfully (even if that hurts like hell).
-Also, the little subversion on the “Someone Save My Baby” thing, as the little bugger was in a bjorn his mom was carrying.

Star’s journey to the Better Store was pretty entertaining in doses. And it was good to see that, (again) despite the crap, she did get to the Better Store by herself, and that was pretty good. Granted, I was still pissed the first time, but it was still pretty good. Ugh...

Remember my rant at the end of my review of “Monster Arm”? Yeah, uhh...
I’m sorry. Forget everything I said about that. Everything I said about Marco under the Arm were wrong and me over reacting. I was wrong for all of that and I apologize. This here is the pits.
This episode felt like straight-up filler to me. Almost nothing made me enjoy this at all. And I felt ashamed in watching.
But, not everything was real bad. In the middle of it, Marco had a sub-plot that I liked, where he wants to channel his emotions at his karate studio.

No I’m not gonna stop watching this show, but I don’t think I can watch this one again for a long while.
This was frustrating and confusing.

This episode was solid. But to be honest, it wasn’t great. I enjoyed the little things about it, but they didn’t add up to an episode that I don’t think I would remember. I do remember Toffee, and he has really become a memorable character. I’m very curious to see where this development with Buff Frog being kicked off Ludo’s team will lead to, because it’s obviously a part of Toffee’s scheme to get closer to Ludo. Oh and that itself...when that comes, I’ll be giddy and gleeful.
The ending to this episode was also a highlight, showing Star to be on a nicer path with Buff Frog aka the plate of corn. And I don’t think I’ll watch “Banagic Incident” for a while. The fact that the title has “Incident” in the title was really understandable to me.

Well, Stargazers, we have just two episodes left in Season 1. (sigh)
And boy, this is going to be a great end, no doubt. For now, next week’s Episode 12 will have a lot to look forward to. “Interdimensional Field Trip” and “Marco Grows A Beard” should be self-explanatory, but here goes. 12A features Star leading her class on a trip to a museum in another dimension, but knowing this show, things will get weird and wild fast. And 12B has Marco growing facial hair...thanks not to puberty, but by a spell made by Star. You can tell things will get weird and wild fast here too. I’m gonna get that exciting feeling while also feigning a heartbreaking feeling. Huh.

Well, until then, I want to thank the SVTFOE Wikia for everything as usual. Even though there wasn’t much to work with this time. (Seriously, that was hard.) And of course to you all for joining me. I want to apologize for this review being late; I was reaching an impasse in relation to this blog, and I needed to rethink things. Don’t worry, nothing’s too serious.

Well, see ya next week, everyone.
I’m Andrew, saying “Reach for the Star, and Keep looking up!...at your TV screen.”

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: ST OLGA'S REFORM SCHOOL FOR WAYWARD PRINCESSES

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I am Andrew and I welcome you to the loquacious, superb, and magnanimous article you'll ever see on this trash website.
(Translation: Hey, fellow Stargazers! It's Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review Time!!)

Tonight's review is on the series first ever half-hour episode, meaning this installment is different from other episodes in that it it shown in two pats.
(Translation: It's "St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses" and it exactly what you want to expect from this show.)

Now, this review is a little different.
You see, usually during this Review series, I write done the description of the episode, with my thoughts randomly inserted between scenes. Here's that's not going to happen. Instead, in honor of this being the first half hour episode, this review will be just...review. No story, no random thoughts, just what you would expect in other reviews. This will be for just this episode, and probably more episodes like this someday. Hope you enjoy it.



In it, Star must face her greatest fear and travel to St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses to bust out Flying Princess Pony Head for her birthday.

Lemme tell ya:
Ever since I first heard the words “St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses”,
I was quite intrigued. But when I heard it a second time, along this quote from King Pony Head in "Party with a Pony",
“It's reform school, cupcake, not jail. Although admittedly it is a lot like jail.”,
my intrigue increased, and when we saw this,

I wanted MOOOOREE.

When I went to the Wiki site, it revealed that a half-hour episode would air later on in the season, I was excited. But then, when I saw that the episode in question is entitled “St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses”... I was overjoyed at what I saw. I couldn’t wait to finally enjoy the dark, scary and menacing confines of St. Olga’s, what Starco would be doing inside, the gameplan to escape and the escape itself.
Then I saw a pic of Marco wearing a dress…



(with eyelashes, apparently) and I was like…”Oooohhhh, YEEEEAAAAHHH. I’m so ready!”.
And now, that it's finally here, I can tell you personally, that this was worth the long wait, and even longer fantasies.

In this episode, it’s Princess Pony Head’s birthday, and Star wants it to be her best ever, and to to that, she has to break her out of St. Olga’s and give her the time of her life.
-This is a crazy gesture, but to me, it’s very sweet as well. Because back in “Party with a Pony”, Pony Head decided to spend her last day of freedom with Star [and Marco, too, or as she referred to him as Earth Turd] by having some fun with them in different dimensions, while hiding from school guards and keeping them low about it. Here Star decides to return the favor by giving her a birthday present worth busting out for. Literally. That being sneaking out St. O’s and going on a day of freedom. But from the little anecdotes we’ve heard about it, that’s not an easy feat. But it’s gonna be a thrill to watch.

I read on the WIkia page that there was a part of the scene where Starco that Star’s outfit transformation (animation and music) were based on Sailor Moon. Which was awesome,and another nifty example of its amazing homages to Anime.

The incidental music used is brilliant. Dark, haunting, sounds used amazing well with each scene involving it. They set the mood off perfectly and get you feeling excited and scared at the same time. It gives the great impression that you're in for the ride of your life, yet the ride has never stops until the end. It's the brilliant work of . This guy should receive more credit for his work.

Let’s get deeper here. I really felt sorry for Pony Head during her stay at St. O’s, even though she may have deserved it. I mean...look at this.

This is just mortifying.
I also felt saddened by what the other princesses go through here. All of the princesses seen in this place were living through a living nightmare, where the people who work there take their individuality, freedom, happiness and spirit, and then turn them into monotone, brainwashed, zombie-esque nothings. And it’s just...unsettling. Makes you wonder why their parents really sent them there in the first place.

Whatever Star said about this place, she was right about. This place is even worse than what she scarcely described. Even if she was overreacting, at least you gotta believe her for all of this. Even that picture I showed earlier is just like what you saw here. Her crying after seeing that poster was entirely justified. (plus, seeing her cry was really sad on its own because we’ve seen her mostly happy and never showed this kind of emotion before).

This episode sent me chills.

But...that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I loved it! I loved the scary, chilling atmosphere that happened almost throughout, the scenes of the processes going through the banal activities, the chant Marco gives to wake the imprisoned princesses--freeing them from their horrible states and bringing them back to normal, Princess Smooshy eating a bird after a forced singing activity, everything involving Miss Heinous and the guards, the call-backs, Star’s outfit, Marco in a dress and even hearing Snooki Head talking in her native accent. I miss Pony Head and seeing her again was just as joyous.

Oh, and the ending. Let’s just say that this new battle between Starco and Miss Heinous isn’t over.
And I’m excited...

This episode was awesome to watch and a perfect concept for the first full half-hour episode. It was everything I wanted to see about St. Olga’s Reform School, and then some. The writers and story-boarders really did a great job here, and I’m so glad for that.
This series continues to get better and better for me, and if I didn’t watch so soon, I’d regret it. Because the mix of dark and bright is so perfect and the action and comedy are amazingly balanced and used, like it is here (even if this particular episode was mostly dark than bright.).
Bravo, everyone! Bravo.

Favorite Lines:
“at 90%. More tea, please.” Pony Head
“Why are you saying that? You don’t even have pinkies!” -Star
“It’s not criminal to be an individual.” -Marco
“If your -- are on the table, you belong in a stable.” -Miss Heinous
“Annihilate. That;s the term I’ve been looking for!”- Miss Heinous

And that will do with this, the first Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review as just a review. I hope you all have enjoyed the article, and that this will only be temporary, as next week's review will be under the same unorthodox format you have known and loved (begrudgingly).
(Translation: Thanks for joining me here for the first ever just-review-review and see you next week when the next review is the same crap you've gotten used to since March.)
And since this episode ended with a party celebrating the return to normalcy for the imprisoned princesses, next week's "Mewnipendance Day" will feature Star celebrating the history of her home dimension with her Earth friends. You can tell where this leads. And in the opposite of things, Star sets off on her own mission to find...something she saw in a Paid Programming ad, but being Star, things get screwy. It's "The Banagic Incident"!

I shall see you next week for that, but for now, it is time to depart.
(Translation: see you in 7 days! For now I gotta do other things that seem arousing to me.)

I send my sincere thank you to the SVTFOE Wikia page for their contribution to this review.
(Translation: As always, what I said one line ago.)

So, until next time, thank you for joining me and, and enjoy you weekend. Taa-taa!
(aka I'm Andrew, saying "Reach for the Star, and Keep Looking Up!..at your TV screen.")

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: Freeze Day / Royal Pain

Hey everyone. Star vs. The Review Time!!

This episode was yet another fun one for me. I enjoyed both parts, start to finish, every minute, every scene. A lot to like from both halfers, with some scenes being memorable for the entire series to come to a long way.
Let's start off this review with...

In it, Star accidentally freezes time with her wand and must convince Father Time to set things right.

The episode begins with Star getting ready for her day, and chooses a head-cap to match the mood, settling on a new headband: Cactuses. Marco rushes in and is frantically trying to get himself ready. Reason? At the start of the school day at 7:56, he meets up with Jackie Lynn for...a smile and a nod. He lays this out as Step 4 on a 23-Step plan.
(Gee, it’s like Marco is becoming a little more like a Latino version of Dipper. you know, circa early Season 1?)
Marc looks at the clock, and is about to be late for his daily meet cute, desperately asking Star for a solution: turning back time. She laughs this off, and jokingly says a spell with her Wand...which actually works, freezing time. Marco is delighted and can go to school to continue his nod session with Jackie. But...Star makes him realize that they can do whatever they want.
--This episode begins with a nice change-up: Star has a new hairband! As already mentioned, it’s a band with cactuses on top, a contrast to her usual band with demon horns.
Another great change-up here: Starco is looking a little different here.
While the messy and disorganized Star is actually ready for the day, the usually tidy and over-organized Marco isn’t, and is actually close to being late. To me, it’s kinda refreshing to see these nice subtle changes here.
--Also Continuity Not Alert!: the his and hers’ sink counter in the family bathroom as seen in “Quest Buy” is still the same, albeit Star’s side is a little more cleaner than before. A little

Starco run along Echo Creek and do just whatever--put mustaches on a baby, eat a girl’s birthday cake, switch head cozies with Ludo, whatever. Then at school, after relishing on their fun, Marco sees Jackie Lynn and gets into position before asking Star turn the Earth back on. Star tries a reversal spell...but it doesn’t work. Freaking out (well, mostly Marco), they go home to fix this week’s mess.
--Ludo has hair. Cool.
--At the top of this scene we’re treated with a still of Ferguson (and his tummy friend) getting smacked by a girl at the start of school. This is a call back to this happening the first time in “Match Maker”. It was funny then, and it’s funny now. More funnier when frozen in time.


At the DFH, Star opens her Magic Book, and finds a spell on how to turn time forward, which is going to a dimension called The Plains of Time and turning the Wheel of Progress. Starco arrive at the Plains and try to turn the Wheel. Marco’s plans...

...do not work. Star’s plan doesn’t work either, but this attracts Father Time. He tells them that he works the Wheel by walking on it like a hamster wheel (yep, Marco was right). but because time froze thanks to them, he can’t do that anymore. Starco try to stop him and convince him to turn time forward, but he’s too busy marveling at the best new things in his life...like twig, and a bush, and what he doesn’t know is a duck. They then have to chase him across the dimension.
--Okay, there shouldn’t be so much to be said about Father Time. But I will say this: He is HILARIOUS
--

(Cat with Human Face: GO AWAAAAYY.
Me: What the f***?)
Yeah...I would never go to the dimension with cats with human faces, either.
*shiver*
--Heh heh, Father Time is goofy and kooky and exuberant and funny. I like it.
--That thing he’s enjoying is mud. This is side-splitting
--From Marco’s line “...and everyone we know will freeze forever!”, this reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone called “The Stopwatch”, in which a guy buys a mysterious watch from a creepy drunk guy at a bar, and exploits it heavily, upon realization that the watch can…you guessed it, stop time. But the unfortunate climax comes in when he drops the watch during a robbery at a bank and freaks out, that he’s now stuck in a world that is frozen in time forever.
Fortunately, this doesn’t happen here...yet. (Or it does; you don’t know that.) But from that line, this episode perfectly captures the same situation as “The Stopwatch” did, but (slightly) less scary, and much more cheerful.
--Geddit?? The slick-fast turtle? The slowed-down? The Tortoise and the Hare??
What a classic.
--I hate the term “YOLO”, but the way he said it made me laugh.

--Since this has happened in between scenes, I will state that this here

is super cute.
This here

is just lovely.
And this here

is my new wallpaper for the next month.


“Now a word.”
Okay...Old Baby Marco.


Although they don’t catch up to Father Time at all, Starco instead finds a place on the Plains that records all of the universe’s memories and reveals any memories of anyone that comes in contact with this eye that descends from the ceiling, which it does with the two.

Star’s memories include her childhood in Mewni, which is her still getting reckless (even as a baby) and into trouble with Princess Pony Head, while Marc’s memories include smiling and nodding at Jackie. (Seriously, he’s been liking this girl since Kindergarten, and has tried to ask her out since, but has still only nodded with her). After reacting to their histories accordingly, they finally find Father Time marvelling at a doorstopper. The eye then shines on him, which reveals him working the Time Wheel since the start. But it also reveals that he’s really sad from doing the exact same thing for so, so, so long (which is really sad to see). So, feeling extremely guilty, Starco decide to let him have his long, long awaited free-time, while also keeping time alive...by using hamster to turn the wheel. (At first, you’d think the obvious, but actually the hamsters are used like horses, rolling the wheel like a stagecoach.) Father Time thanks Starco for giving him some much-needed freedom while also turning the wheel again, and also tells them not to do it again, as it’s fragile. (“You don’t wanna break it, you know what I mean?”)
But they realize that since time has started again, they’re about to be late for school; they dash back for Earth.

Time has finally turned again.

--Trust me when I say that I felt nearly heartbroken for Father Time when watching him going what he does for a living (and I do mean a living) and then feeling sad. You’d definitely feel that way too. And that explains a lot about his joy from finally waking free from the Wheel of Progress and enjoying his life without a care.

Back at ECA, Marco leans by his locker waiting for Jackie Lynn. They nod. But then Marc realizes that just nodding would get their relationship on higher ground. So he finally takes the next step by saying “Hey” to her. And to his surprise/relief, Jackie says “Hey” back. (Aww.) Marco breathes a sigh (or gasp) of relief and tells Star that if you have the time to do whatever’s important, never waste it. Marco is fiiinnaallyy geeeeetttttiiiiinnnnngggg sooooooommmmeeeeewwwhhhheeerree.
The episode ends with Father Time going back to his freedom, enjoying it with his big fuzzy hamster friends.

Wow. This was a very good episode.
We get to see a little of both Star’s and Marco’s childhoods (which was cool), a hilarious take on Father Time (played to perfection by comedian Jim Gaffigan), and nothing very strong going on, but I didn’t mind because I really enjoyed the goofy, sweet nature going on, and that it’s nice to lock out with a good fun story like this. Everything was awesome and engaging from start to finish, and nothing was boring or unexciting. Also, we get to see Star change her hairband for this episode, which was nice little temporary change.
I really like this episode. It’s really, really good.

Just like I really liked this episode…

In it, Star is delighted when her dad shows up for an unexpected visit, but he soon wears out his welcome.

This episode begins at the Diaz Family Home, where Marco wakes up (early, this time) to find the Home turned into a water slide. Although he enjoys the ride, he asks Star at the end to let him know about thing like this, as he hates the feeling of his socks getting wet.
Star’s father. King Butterfly, makes his appearance from Mewni, startling her and causing her to quickly turn back the house to normal. She then greets her dad, who informs her that Queen Butterfly, her mother, has kicked him out of their castle on Mewni for being a complete slob. After meeting the Laser Puppies, he reminds her that reckless use of her powers in the sight of the Queen would send her to St. Olga’s; but since she's not here, he cool with it.
Star gives the King a tour of the DFH, concluding it with a look of her Expansion Pack Bedroom and a meet-and-greet with the creatures who inhabit it.
(”I’m Kevin. I’m new here.” -Kevin
“Hi, Kevin.” -Me)
She also shows him the bathroom, where he gets fascinated with, of all things, the toilet, stuffing it and taking delight of the objects inside being swallowed down. Like a pig.
--King Butterfly geeking out over the toilet may be one of the best and funniest things ever. Okay, not really, but it’s getting up there.
--I’m curious: does Mewni have indoor plumbing like most of Earth does? That fascinates me.
--Oh, and that pig in the can is probably the pig as shown in "Brittney's Party".


Later on, Father and Daughter visit a mini-golf course, where he goes crazy with the sights and destroys it, sending other visitors running, and he and Star bolting as if nothing happened.
--No, I was wrong, King Butterfly destroying a kiddie golf course like it is an enemy war field is one of the funniest.

Later that night, Star wakes up (thanks to a pair of her dad’s undies) to find her father in a gross hill of clothes fighting her new bedroom friend Kevin, and making his daughter's room a pigsty. This keeps Star up all night, and makes her livid. She complains about it to Marco (who finds some familiarity in this) and gets an even ruder awakening: King Butterfly tells her that instead of ending his temporary residency at the Diaz Family Home, he’ll be be staying with her and the Diazes permanently, making him the second Butterfly to move in (although it’s going to end as soon as this episode ends, trust me). He also mentions a party later, where kings of other dimensions will join in to make Star’s lividness even deeper. Gonna be fun, huh?
Star has had enough and finally wants her dad to leave.
--Remember what Star said earlier, missing Marco’s point about how both her dad and herself being an inconsiderate prick; saying that he’s being that way to Queen Butterfly as well? Well, if you watched the episode through, you’ll realize that she’s just as right as Marco.

The party has begun, and all the Kings in the lands are having the times of their lives. He and King Pony Head are talking shop, before getting annoyed that Helios, a talking sun, appears to kill the party vibe.
Star apologizes to Marco for all of her previous partying way and recklessness, causing the times she ends up “soaking his socks”. Marc accepts and asks that, next time, she lets him know about it. Another king shows up Helios, and starts to destroy the party--first metaphorically by killing the vibe and eating the snacks, and then literally by sucking in the rest of Earth! Star puts a stop to this by watering down the party--literally--watering Helios and ending the party with all lives saved. Apparently, though, all the Kings didn’t find the amazing save okay and leave the ruined house party in a royally bummed mood. The King looks around the house and realizes what he’s done. He apologizes to Star for his horrible actions, and promises to be a better, cleaner person in compliance with Queen Butterfly upon his returning to their kingdom. with some servants coming by to clean up the house.
Star promises to give Marco a heads-up the next time she transforms the house, but Marc says a occasional surprise is a good thing, like the one in which he pushes her into the water. The episode ends with the two having fun in the water on the backs of dolphins.

This episode was just as fun to watch as "Freeze Day", and has a nice little message in learning someone being like you (in this case, inconsiderate) can make you realize that being that person is a bad thing. And although Star doesn't get the point immediately, she does learn it later on, and that refreshing to watch. Seeing Star's father again as enjoyable, as was him also getting a lessen in being inconsiderate. It's funny to see a grown man being getting told off for making his own daughter's second home a pigsty, but it was deserved.

Also, looking at the happy cheerful friends she has in her room, and her past as a princess on Mewni, it had me thinking something: When Star still lived on Mewni, as part of the royal family, she was a bad, misbehaving girl. But then when she begins her new life on Earth, her personality changed. She's more girly, cheerful a little more responsible and more willing to accept her faults and fix what she broke, changing her overall character little by little. And I mean "little by little" because she still needs a lot to learn to be more responsible with her powers.

Well, thanks for joining me again for this Review...and I'll see you next week. Because...

you've heard the stories...
you've heard the screams...
you've heard the terror...
but you've never seen it from the inside.

Next week, the time has finally come, as we finally take a look inside..."St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses".

I'm Andrew, saying "Reach for the Star, and Keep Looking Up!...at your TV screen".

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: Blood Moon Ball / Fortune Cookies

Hiya, Stargazers.

Blah blah blah--another hiatus, Blah blah blah--I'm pissed, Blah blah blah--another crap joke, Blah blah blah--it's review time!

So, this has to be one of the episodes I've been looking forward to since I've started watching this series and doing this review. For a few reasons:
-Star is going to prom. That means she'll be wearing a dress that we'll all be fan-art-ing till kingdom come. (or at least until next week),
and the biggest one of them all: Tom is back!
Yes, Star's ex-boyfriend who's caused a lot of bad in her life has returned, and we get to see him much long than that the last we've seen earlier in this series, including in the theme song for about half-a-second, and in "Match Maker", where Star attempts to call her mom, Queen Butterfly, to indirectly solve a problem, and ends up calling him instead. Seemingly, he seemed like a cool, pretty laid-back guy who just happens to be a demon (at least that's what I thought at first), but for that last second...

he was the complete opposite...who just happens to be a demon.
But still, I was still excited to see him in an episode,
what with because I was extremely curious to see what kind of guy he was (and what personality he exhibits) from that few seconds we've seen of him in "Match Maker", and the fact that at the Wikia page that it was confirmed that he would appear in a then-future episode. And the fact that he's voiced by Rider Strong aka Shawn freakin' Hunter, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right? So, let's tear into the reason I may be thanking the creator above for watching this beautiful gem of an animated series...


The episode begins with a shot of a beautiful red-colored moon in the distance, with something ascending from the ground. It's a carriage with someone coming out. It's our favorite horrible, disgusting, reprehensible jockstrap of an ex-boyfriend...Tom.
The reason? He's at Echo Creek Academy, asking his ex-love Star to the Blood Moon Ball--an event that takes place every 667 years. (Cutting it close, huh?) Star understandably says no, but Tom convinces her that he only wants the best intentions for her, as he's changed his life around and is now a new man. With the help of a life coach Brian and a pink bunny, he seems to have convinced her to join him for the big night. That is before Marco drops in with a karate chop to Tom's wrist and breaks off his hand. Tom is close to giving Marc a karate chop of his own, but Brian calms him down with a walk, while Starco converse about him.
After Good and Evil meet for the first time, Tom gives Star a tiny bell as a calling for him to pick her up. She is flabbergasted.
--Let me be honest here: I like Tom. I like him a lot. Even though he's reprehensible as I don't know what, I like his charm, his demeanor and his even voice. So I'd hope you'd understand that If I were Star, I wouldn't just accept his invitation to the Ball, I'd also ask him to marry me.
But I understand where Star's going here: she doesn't want to go, because of the damage he's caused her during their relationship and wants nothing to do with him since then. So I really don't blame her for that; I really believe her from what the Wikia page read about him.
--I wish I had someone like Brian to be my life coach. He and his "walk-it-out" sessions could really come in handy for all my moments of anger.

That night in Star's expansion pack bedroom, she gets ready for the Ball. Marco tries to persuade her from going, but she assures him she's going, seeing as Tom being a changed man convinced her enough to join him, and that it'll be fun. She then goes behind her Magic Mirror to slip into a beautiful pink flowing gown, complete with a hairdo perfect for the occasion. Star is ready and rings the bell, calling up a hearsecarriage to go to Tom. Marco tries once last time to coerce Star, but she shuns him off, on the way to the Blood Moon Ball.
--You know what? This is shocking...but I definitely sided with Star more than Marco. I do believe that Tom can give Star a good, safe night and is trying hard to be a different guy than the one she knew so horribly previously.

Star makes it to Tom's place where he has a corsage ready for her, which she refuses. Tom begins to get angry, but Brian stops him again. And from there, the couple of the evening are ready for the event of their lives (or life and afterlife).
But Marco is instead having the night he never wanted, sitting in Star's room listening to music, eating chips and moping. (Poor guy.)
--I don't have to say that Star looks beautiful in her dress, because it's really obvious. But also, Marco and Tom have a really nice suit game going on. Tom with his clean white layered tux, and Marc with his great black suit showing his Mexican heritage. These guys really know how to dress for an occasion.

Meanwhile, at the event, guests are in line to have their photos taken...before being drenched in blood. Star refuses to this, while Tom assures her it's unicorn blood (as in the blood her friend Princess Pony Head shares). She doesn't budge. She later goes to the Ball-room and begins to enjoy her night. Another attendee appears and complains to Star that the Ball is ruined--Tom changed it around to make it more suitable and PC for Star and (--Awww...I guess.) Tom takes Star to the floor and asks for a dance, which she accepts.

Marco comes in to stop the proceedings, but winds up dancing with Star...at the worst possible moment. The Blood Moon awakens and shines on Starco as they dance the few seconds away. But then Tom comes in. And he's furious. He knocks Marc from his date, and is close to brutally destroying him, but Star stops him by freezing him in a block of ice.
With a nice button as a consolation.
Star storms off, with Marco following.
--Let me be honest here. I felt sorry for Tom. Despite being an asshole, he really did try his best to not only make this the best night of his (eternal) life, but make sure Star had the best night of hers, too, and make sure she's--well, at least, okay. And I honestly believed this. And Marco comes in--I won't say he ruined it (maybe), and I don't blame him. He truly cares about Star, and he doesn't want her to get hurt in the worst way possible

and looking at him, I can honestly believe that, too. But Star wanted him to trust her in that if she does get hurt, she'll handle it. And I can believe that, too. So, I think I'd back Tom more than Marco.

Later on, back at Star's EXPBR, Star is peeved...but not at Tom...but at Marco. She calls him out for going to the Ball and ruining her and Tom's night, and for not trusting her at that moment. Marc agrees and apologizes. Star then asks him to make nachos. And Marco complies.

--You know what? I can't believe I'm saying this...but I think I'm back on the Starco ship bandwagon. ...for now. It's moments like this that actually convince me that they can be a really good couple. And no matter how hard I try to stay on the stance that they're much better as friends, this stuff comes up and makes me change my mind.

--I LOVE THIS EPISODE. Not only did I get to see Tom more (and I was not disappointed), seeing as a guy who can change his personality, and has actually made the commitment to stick to said change (seriously, he has a life coach named Brian)
but I really enjoyed the sweet Starco moments throughout, like
-her wearing her really cute dress, and him looking overwhelmed
-him chasing after her, because he really cares about her
-their dance under the bright Blood Moon
-and even their little fight at the end
I amazingly enjoyed every one of these moments, and these moments make me glad I have a "ship" to like. Oh man...I guess I really am enjoying them as a couple.
This is going to be a roller-coaster ride for me, guys. I'm going to be in a position where I feel one over the other. One episode, I really enjoy them as friends. And the next, I actually want them to be together. But there is barely a middle ground for this, and I feel so frustrated about this. (It's the writing and voice acting, I tell ya!!)
But I'm surely enjoying the ride so far, and I can assure you, this isn't the end of this. I can drop out and jump back in at any time (with or without warning).
Hold on, folks. This ride is just beginning.

and now, the other half of this one episode I think I'll enjoy very much...


This one begins in the Middle of...
Starco vs. The Useless Minions!: Round 7!
(You know the outcome, but Starco's short-but-very-effective moves to knock off Ludo's henchmen was hilarious and cool). After another win under their belt, Marco suggests celebrating with Chinese Food (which Star does not know about). But after another loss under his belt, Ludo (who is pissed off at his workers, as usual) suggests a new game plan. At his castle, Ludo yells at his minions for screwing up his plans once
--This is the first episode where some scene takes place in another place at Ludo's Castle, with this scene not being in Ludo's lair, but in an office breakroom setting. And it was amusing to me, seeing that the minions got a place to talk shop and stuff. And Ludo comes in like a smarter and more volatile Michael Scott. Again, it's amusing to me.
--And just so you know, one of his henchmen has a tattoo on his right forearm of a arrow-stricken heart. It it, says "BOSS".
I think it means his respect for Ludo, but make what you will of that.
--"Go get change!" -Ludo
That's very amusing to me.

At a Chinese food restaurant, Starco are enjoying their meal. (And in Star's case, I mean she's swallowing her meal.) After almost ingesting her fortune cookie (fortune and all), Marco tells her that the fortune is magical, and proves it with one. (Oh Gosh, not again.) After reading one of her own, she fully believes Marc's "story" and starts to look in the way of the Fortune Cookies.
--Star seeing her chopsticks as tiny wands and devouring her fortune cookie was so very cute. Funny, too, but very cute nonetheless.
--When I mean by (Oh Gosh, not again.), I mean this is the second time Marco has told Star something that is obviously fake, but she really takes this to heart and follows it until he spells it out for her, which is when all is gone to ruin. The first time was, of course, in "School Spirit". But this time, Marc is a little worried about Star.

Back at Ludo's Castle, he's holding a tryout for an assistant to get his minions into better shape to stop Star. After interviewing some duds, he finally finds a perfect candidate in...Toffee. *shrug*
He's pretty much a very mysterious man, who knows his way around. Like getting himself hired.
--His pencil case (possibly) is a little statuette of Star. With the pencils going through her. This grown man has some deep issues about this teenage girl.
--It seems Toffee has a nice little suit game going on, too. Real nice.
--My face was just like Buff Frog's when Toffee was hired.

Meanwhile, at the Diaz Family Home, while Marco is whipping up his world-famous
Maaarco's Super-Awesome Naaachos (clap-clap clap-clap!),
Star is busy worshiping her new consultants, the Fortune Cookies. Marc tells her that the Fortunes are not magical, but just papers written by people in a factory. Star rebuffs him by reading one.
Although Marco proves that the fortune isn't true at first, Ferguson shows up (thanks to the call of nachos) and proves Star right. Star begins to act more into delusional about the fortunes and won't Marco's words about it.
On their way back to the Chinese food restaurant, Starco meet two breakdancers. At that moment when they're distracted by their moves, a large fly buzzes to her purse and switches her cookie for another with a fake fortune, setting her and Marco up for a disaster. As it turns out, the breakdancers are two of Ludo's minions and Starco has been ambushed into...Round 8! But instead of fighting them, Star (under belief of another fortune) has to love them. As in giving them hugs. When it seems like Ludo would grab her Wand for himself (...again.), Ludo is screwed out (...once again), this time by one of his own henchman, who needed a good one. After getting caught, the two-headed minion decides to begin a relationship of honesty with Star by revealing the fake fortune plan to all Ludo's bidding. Thanks to this shocking reveal by a surprising source, Star ends her trust (and possible faith) in fortune cookies, and finishes what she kinda started by blasting the minions once again, ending another round in success.
Back at Ludo's Castle, he and Toffee drink to what is the beginning of a perfect partnership.
Looking up to the Butterfly Kingdom, Toffee looks on with a sneer on his face...and something else seemingly up his sleeve.

--Toffee is a very interesting figure. Unlike Ludo, He's secretive, quietly dashing, and he's cunning, and he seems to have everything he can to undermine Star in helping Ludo in his quest to take her wand. But what makes his more interesting is those shots near the end when he turns back with a smile on his face. Could this mean something coming in ways for him? Could he turn against Ludo with his own intentions, possibly for Star's wand or something else? Who knows, but I'm really intrigued, and I can't wait to see what he'll pull later in the season, and probably the rest of the series. I like him a lot.

I ALSO LOVE THIS EPISODE. While it wasn't as strong to me as "Blood Moon Ball", "Fortune Cookies" was great on its own, mostly thanks a new character. We met a new villain, Toffee; he's cunning and interesting, and thanks to him, Ludo has come very close to getting Star's wand a second time, and (hopefully) he's another Force of Evil Starco will deal with sometime later on. I really hope so; he's that cool (in an evil way).

Without saying much, this was another great episode. I enjoyed both very much in their ways, and they both had it all: the laughs, the suspense, the fun, and the moments that make your heart warm. It's just that perfect. Great job to everyone that put this together. All your combined contributions make this one amazing...like Star in that dress.

And that, Stargazers, is another review in the archives, ready for you to enjoy again...or find in disgust, I don't mind. Anyway...
Time...it's a form of measurement we use in life: to go through, to check on our watches, and to kill when we want to wait for something we want to happen, happen. And apparently, Starco has it in their reach.
Next week, I tackle "Freeze Day", where Star has paused time, and it's up to her and Marco to convince Father Time to set everything straight. Also, this:

This is extremely cute.

Also, in my sights to spend days working on while others spend just one for some reason, "Royal Pain", where King Butterfly visits a delighted Star on Earth, but her delight soon turns into annoyance when he wears out his welcome.
Seems like another 30 minutes of fun, action, excitement and laughter to enjoy, huh?

Well, join me next week for that, and I hope to be at least a quarter of that.
I'm Andrew, saying "Reach for the Star, and Keep Looking Up!...at your TV screen."