Conquest of Cuteness
Written and Storyboarded by: Ako Castuera & Tom Herpich // Air Date: July 11, 2011
Coverage: Stars (They Come & Go)

I’m not gonna lie, I was struggling with a lot of things in life. However, most of the time I try to make do. What does make me feel better is cute things: Pets, babies, etc., the usual cute stuff.

If I’m being completely honest, I think Adventure Time is pretty good and fun, but nothing that really makes it that all-time great animated show for me personally: at least so far **shrug**. Maybe it’s just where I am in my life, or maybe it’s just my preference for serialized storytelling? It’s probably the latter, but who’s to say how I would have felt about AT had I watched it when it was airing?

I do know I love BMO. That cute adorable, living, breathing games console is endearingly voiced by a season 1 storyboard artist Niki Yang (who also voices Lady Rainicorn). Sounds like it could be an interesting story as to how Niki became BMO…? Anyways, I feel I’ve gone off on a tangent. My point is, there is a loooot of media and stories out there and I tend to gravitate towards either powerful and interesting dramas or light-hearted but engaging fun stuff (although usually with a narrative through line). AT falls into that latter category and an episode called “Conquest of Cuteness” immediately caught my interest.

I like the show, its animation style and the 2 main leads well enough, but I’m immediately brought on board for some cute hijinks with that opening title card!

The episode immediately opens with a fun little breakfast beatbox (or Beatfast as Finn wisely calls it) with Finn & Jake. Jake who I’m completely with on the EVERYTHING BURRITO… minus the pans! That metal must be tough to get out from between one’s teeth. Then again Jake is a magical dog? Metal probably isn’t a problem. Wait! A shaking and rocking are in the air, the guys go investigate.

Dammit gotta double the cuteness call BMO! Who is also a camera. Seriously (serious face) is there nothing BMO can’t do?

After the guys and BMO force the adorable critters into a photo-taking montage, the leader reveals its name as CUTE KING and his LEGION of CUTIES! Awww, even their names are cute. Is this too much cuteness? I don’t care: if life can have too much ugliness, I can get some much needed cuteness here!

Cute King (voiced by an excellent Jackie Buscarino) throws Jake off with a sinister laugh & Jake is “forced” to bury the everything Burrito. A fearful Jake snuggles up with Finn who gives good advice, bringing up a discussion about their mom! A rare tidbit into their childhoods?

Turns out Jake has good reason to be scared as some cuties verbally attack the guys at night. Pretty hilarious and kind of on point:

“This is the voice of your mooooom. I’ve come back to tell you how DUMB you always arrrre.” (damn cuties be vicious) I hate you guys sooooooooo  muuuuuucch!”

Some more cute/vicious dialogue is exchanged and the cuties escape, but not before the guys become aware of an attack the next day.

The cuties attack! However, before they even reach the tree house they are soundly beaten & defeated by… themselves (👀):

Wow, I feel bad for these cuties! DON’T BE SO HARSH on the legion, Cute King 🥺. Now they all be crying 😭

The guys seeing this, decide to help the cuties and after Finn gives a particularly stirring speech (a rarity?) the guys and “army of friends” spring a plan of failure:

• “Yay, Ketchup is delicious and deceiving!” Yes indeed Jake. Yes indeed.
• LSP gotta bring the drama 😎.

The battle goes well until Jake predictably does his own thing and spoils it.

I did like the reconciliation, when the guys help Cute King realize his true power:

Finn: “Strength isn’t your strength, adorable cuteness is!”

Cute King: “Can I use it to control others?” (He asks cutely 🤭)

Awww, with Finn’s help Cute King triumphs over Ice King! THE END.

Like I mentioned as silly and frivolous as this show can be, I prefer the cute kind of frivolous. It just speaks to me, and I really like the characters involved, from LSP’s theatrics (go big or go home), to the cuties and their juxtaposed viciousness. My idea of entertainment is do something interesting and preferably do something fun. I wouldn’t mind seeing the cuties again.

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Morituri Te Salutamus
Written and Storyboarded by: Adam Muto & Rebecca Sugar // Air Date: July 18, 2011
Coverage: Cork

This episodes title, “Morituri Te Salutamus”, translates to the phrase, “We who are about to die, salute you”, which immediate led me to listening to AC/DC. I recommend listening to For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) before watching this episode, really puts you in the right mood. I love this episode for a reason I will state down below, but while re-watching, I didn’t realize how many Roman references there are. I also didn’t realize how little of those references I knew. Which led me to look up everything I could catch, in the notes below.

The episode begins with Finn and Jake rescuing hedgehogs from a burger monster. I think of all the episodes that opens with the duo defeating a monster, this is a fight I really wish we could have seen. Finn chastises Jake for not following his the plan before lured to the gladiator stadium by the sounds of battle.

Inside the stadium on a giant stone throne, sits the shriveled Fight King. He attempts to coax Finn and Jake into the stadium with promises of fighting “in blood and glory forever.” Finn and Jake see the obvious trap for what it is, but it just wouldn’t feel right if the two were to pass up an amazing gladiator adventure. After all, Finn and Jake are already gladiators in the eyes of the viewer. The matching smiles on their faces as the exits predictably seal up are so cute.

The first match is against two gladiator ghosts, Hyperion and Primo (an enjoyable detail with the ghost pairs is they have matching wounds. In the pictures above, you can see that Hyperion wields a mace and that Primo has a large chunk missing from his right shoulder. In return, Hyperion has multiple small cuts from the two knives that Primo uses). I really enjoy Jake’s animation as he fights off the lamenting Primo. The way the ghosts unravel into ribbons when defeated is so satisfying.

After winning their fight, Finn and Jake attempt to leave the coliseum, but the Fight King traps them in a cave below the arena with a wave of his giant, gold sword. Finn comes up with a plan to defeat all the gladiator ghosts to earn their freedom. Jake agrees with Finn’s plan but isn’t interested in actively participating in it. Jake is all about setting the right mood instead of fighting this episode. He figures he can raise morale by digging for lava to create a molten hula hoop because Jake logic.

Finn returns to the arena with a Jake dirt dummy to fight more gladiators, Priscus and Verus. This gladiator match is my favorite, Verus sobbing as he knocks over the dirt dummy, Priscus landing spread-leg on his own shield and uttering, “Et tu, Verus” (11 more days!). It’s silly and helps to distract from how tormented each of these souls are.

Jake comes up to the arena in time to watch Finn receive the Fight King’s favor of being blessed by his cursed sword. Finn’s behavior becomes more violent and Jake thinks this is due to low morale. Their plans further diverge as Finn returns to the arena, eager for battle, with a new dirt dummy, and Jake stays in the cave, determined to make it a comforting place for Finn.

This song is the reason I wanted this episode. When I was reading the episode titles, I didn’t immediately recognize this one. But the first thing that comes to mind when I think of this episode is Jake’s song. It still gets stuck in my head. If someone mentions sticking to a plan, I will be singing about being a lava man. That ukulele starts playing and you know Rebecca Sugar is apart of this episode. I love the juxtaposition of Jake’s happy, chill song and Finn’s increasingly rabid attacks.

Finn defeats all the gladiator ghosts and the Fight King demands for him to kill his final opponent, Jake. Finn attacks the dirt dummy, but moves onto the real Jake when he resurfaces. Jake dodges and evades a crazed Finn and eventually traps him with his body. Finn seems to snap back to his senses about not wanting to kill Jake, but instead asks the Fight King for his blade. The Fight King obliges and Finn throws his blade to the ground, breaking it, which kills the Fight King and ends the curse (I wish they found a more creative way to destroy the sword). Finn reveals that this was all part of his plan, to win the Fight King’s favor, pretend to hate Jake, and destroy the cursed sword.

The main question this raises for me is, when did Finn break out of the bloodthirst spell from the Fight King’s blade? I think it was when he almost hit Jake with his punches, shortly after being ‘blessed’. Finn apologizes to Jake and the aura surrounding him disappears. Others might think that Finn was just said that it was all part of his plan to cover up for going crazy.

What I enjoy the most about this though, is watching the episode from the perspective that this truly was all according to Finn’s plan. That makes Finn one of those method actors, like Jared Leto level. Sure, Finn yelled that this was the plan during their fight, trying to clue in Jake. You can also tell that Finn is fighting poorly, Jake has stretched his body all over the arena but Finn is only targeting his face. Finn was not trying to kill Jake, but Jake didn’t pick that up. Finn’s excuse for not telling Jake was because Jake would’ve messed up the plan, which I also believe, but poor Jake really thought Finn was cursed and willing to kill him. Though I do think that if Finn had told Jake the plan, Jake wouldn’t have paid attention.

Jake forgives Finn immediately though because they are best bros. The best of bros. During all the gladiator matches, the ghosts were either begging for forgiveness or angry about betrayal. When Finn attacked Jake, Jake never fought back, never harmed Finn like the gladiators did to each other. It’s fitting that they are the ones to end the betrayal fighting curse. Even though they have different plans, they’ll always be there for each other. Finn and Jake leave the coliseum along with the freed gladiator ghost pairs. Free of the curse, the gladiators disappear along with the ghost of the Fight King and the coliseum.