Gravity Falls

Hi there. Justin here and welcome to another edition of the Otaku Mind. This month’s topic will be a crossover with Animation Bang as I’ll be talking about an American cartoon. So I guess we could call this Otaku Bang. Actually no that sounds dirty. Anyway, today we’re talking about Gravity Falls. As you all know Gravity Falls aired its finale last month bringing this great series to an end and I wanted to give my final thoughts on the show in general. First off, great show. Hands down on of the best cartoons I’ve seen in the last 10 years. The characters, the story, the themes, the writing everything in it is just great. I still can’t get over the fact that this was a Disney cartoon. This whole show looks like something you would expect to see on Cartoon Network or something but no it’s Disney and it’s amazing how much Alex got away with in this show. The hidden sex jokes, the humor, and even some of the imagery especially in the last 3 episodes. I mean I liked it, I was raised in the 90s so this stuff was common but to see this stuff on a cartoon in today’s world, that took be by surprise. It’s obvious that Alex had a lot of creative freedom and I’m happy he did. Chances are if he didn’t this show may not have been as good as we would have hoped. Hopefully this is a sign that production studios are starting to trust directors and creators more and give them more freedom instead of limiting them which unfortunately some studios still do this.

The characters in this show are not only well-written and fun but they’re relatable. Dipper represents the young explorer in all of us. He’s just as curious about Gravity Falls as we are and wants to know all of its secrets so whenever he goes investigating or comes across something weird or out of the ordinary you find yourself just as interested in it as he is and want to learn more about it. Mable is just adorable I love how carefree and energetic she is. She’s a girl interested in just having fun, making friends, and getting a boyfriend which is quite normal for girls her age. With all the strange things happening in Gravity Falls she’s the one character who rather than be freaked out or scared of it she embraces the bizarreness because she’s already a bizarre girl herself and there’s nothing wrong with that. She knows who she is and she accepts it. Even in the face of danger she still maintains a positive attitude and will always think about her family and friends first and foremost. Stan is hands down my favorite character. It would have been so easy to write him off as this grumpy old man who cares about money and oblivious to everything going on around him but when push comes to shove he’ll always put his family first. They do this at first but as the show goes on and you start to learn more about him you find out that he’s this deep and very well-written character who because of a mistake in the past lost everything that mattered to him and now more than anything wants to make things right. His relationship with Dipper and Mable is great as he’s caring and protective of both of them. While he seems to connect more with Dipper in the show which makes sense because Dipper is approaching that age and Stan is the only sensible male figure around him who can give him advice you can tell he values his relationship with Mable as well. For example, in the one episode where Waddles got kidnapped by a dinosaur Stan does everything to get him back just to make Mable happy and even realizes his mistakes and feels bad for them. That is good writing right there. Soos is the lovable handy man. He’s got a big heart and is loyal to his boss and friends. I like how they give him a short arc about him wanting to see his dad and trying to find a girlfriend (the dating sim girlfriend is one of my favorite episodes). Lastly, Wendy. She has got to be the best representation of a teenage girl I have ever seen in an animated show. Despite living in the middle of nowhere she tries to make the best of her situation and doesn’t complain about it. She has friends which are all good representations of teenagers and she’s just in all-around cool person. I was honestly cheering for Dipper and Wendy even though I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Again, there’s only like a three-year difference between them that’s not too bad. I’ve been attracted to girls who are three years older and younger than me so I kind of get where Dipper is coming from. Another character I liked was Pacifica. If Dipper and Wendy didn’t get together than I was hoping to see him have a thing with Pacifica. She starts off as this spoiled rich brat who’s always getting what she wants and walking over everyone but she begins to change. Her highest point comes in her episode where her mansion is being haunted by a lumberjack ghost and at the climax of the episode she goes against everything her family has taught her and does the right thing saving everyone and possibly starting a new beginning for her family which has a long history of liars and thieves. I really wanted to see more of her in the show and learn more about her like I’m curious what the deal was with her and bells. What did her father do to her to make her have this mental trauma of bells? The two villains for this show were Gideon and Bill who both were great. Gideon being the adorable kid who was secretly evil was a lot of fun and Bill is one of the most creative villains I’ve seen. He is an interesting character that I wish we learned more about. He can be crazy, charming, and funny in one scene but then in the next scene just be a threatening individual who unleashes hell on everyone. Villains like Gideon and Bill are great and hopefully we see more villains like them in the future.

The writing and creativity in this show is amazing. I’ve talked about it before in the past but the writing in this show truly is wonderful. There were so many times I’ve underestimated the writing for this show like in this one scene: https://youtu.be/f-B-DCCkl0U, I love this scene. When Dipper opened that door I was honestly expecting him to crack under pleasure but instead he actually sticks to his guns and tells her how he really feels about her. That is good writing right there. It’s so real and relatable. After what Pacifica has done to him and Mable in the past it’s totally natural that he would have those kinds of feelings toward her and he sticks to them. I love it. As far as creativity goes this show is overflowing with it. We got gnomes who puke rainbows, unicorns who are just straight-up jerks (another one of my favorite episodes), secret cults, crazy president, wax figures coming alive and so much more and it’s all so much fun and enjoyable to watch. Each episode presents a new mystery that never bores you and gives us amazing writing and good laughs from beginning to end. Finally, the themes of growing up and learning to forgive are done greatly in the show. Dipper and Mable are 12 years old one of the worst ages to be. You’re not a kid anymore but at the same time you’re not an adult you’re just stuck down the middle and it sucks. You don’t know how you should act and your body and mind are starting to change on you and you don’t know how to handle it. At the end of the season they turn 13 officially becoming teenagers but at the same time growing up mentally as people. Dipper said it best life can suck at times but at the same time there are still good moments. Whether they be having a friend help us out in our time of need, helping a friend out in their time of need, or reading an anime fan’s blog about a show they like and giving his thoughts on it. The point is life can suck at times but it’s also good at times. In life we will experience joy and pain but through it all it will make us stronger and we will value all of it. The theme of forgiveness. Stan and Ford have been at odds with each other for years but as kids they were the best of friends. However, one mistake ruined their friendship. Nobody felt guiltier than Stan who was willing to risk the very existence of the world just to save his brother and be forgiven for his actions. Their relationship was shaky at first as Ford didn’t want to forgive Stan not even thanking him for bringing him back but near the end the two finally talk and patch things up with each other restoring their friendship and living out their dream they had as kids.

What else can say? Gravity Falls is a great series and while I wish it had more episodes I’m glad the show went out the way the Alex intended. Everything wrapped up nicely as everyone got a happy end and feel satisfied with it. If you haven’t checked out Gravity Falls yet check it out you’ll love it. It’s like the friendlier version of Rick and Morty which is ironic considering that the creators of both shows are friends with each other in real life and are fans of each other’s work. It’s even hinted that both shows take place in the same universe. So bottom line, great show, worth checking out if you haven’t watched it yet, gonna miss it, but at the same time I’m looking forward to seeing what Alex’s next project will be. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.

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