Review Crew #4: Animorphs Book 1!

I inhaled these books in like the 2nd/3rd grade and I had no idea I am as old as the first book KA Applegate being pro trans honestly makes me tear up bc I'm trans and these books were my everything Yall should watch the first episode of the TV show tho lmao

(Pirate King) Darrin

Just listened to this episode, and it was great! I loved this series as a kid. I know it doesn't hold up for adults, but I remember it being a very complex and nuanced story for an elementary schooler. I also enjoyed the bittersweet ending, and the fact that the author reckoned with how terrible war was. The series acknowledged that the characters would be traumatized even after the fact and would have legitimate disagreements about the ethics of their decisions. The Everworld series that JPC mentioned was also very cool! Basically a bunch of teens getting pulled into a world where the gods of different cultures actually live, so each book the characters run into gods from a different patheon. I mostly remember it including some really cool Aztec gods that I hadn't heard of before.

The full animorphs tv show season 1 is on YouTube.. the opening monologue by Jake literally seems like an audition tape and it gets me every time😂

Jena

https://ew.com/movies/animorphs-live-action-movie-is-officially-shaping-up/?utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_entertainmentweekly&utm_content=manual&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=5eebadb48fa5720001ac59c4

Alexis C

...I can talk about Animorphs a lot. My first ever internet argument were over the ethics of one of its character's actions.

Serpentine

Finally got around to actually listening to this. There's so much you had a problem with that gets explained later. Eg the hork-bajir (hint: those blades aren't designed for slashing meat). I thought it was funny that you didn't (and couldn't, if you didn't read later books) notice the actual full blown mistakes in the book. Like, you know how when they're first trying out their morphs and the thoughtspeak, the person still in human form can use thoughtspeak to talk to someone in a morph? In later books, it's plot relevant that they CAN'T do that. Applegate just sorta ignored it or forgot. I'm glad JPC brought up that commentary by Applegate at the end of the series. It looks dumb, but it ends up being a real dark story about shades of grey morality and sacrifice and what it takes for ethics to go out the window. I'd love to see a proper adaptation, but it could never be for kids - imagine trying to recreate a scene where one character, as a gorilla, is holding in his intestines while another, character as a bear, bashes at 7 foot tall lawnmower monsters with their own severed bear arm, blood and gore everywhere, AND all in the context of a question of free will and the limits of responsibility and pacifism, and trying to make that kid-friendly. Either it's not for kids or it's not right.

Serpentine

Adal, you should download the Libib app. It's a really simple collection app, and you can have a shelf for all your books, one for movies, for video games, etc. You input anything by scanning the barcode. Saves me from buying soooo many duplicates.

Amber

Yesssss I own almost all of these books (and vaguely intend to acquire the ones I'm missing eventually).

Serpentine

I want 900 more hours of book strip club names

Miriam Yifrach

The Animorphs covers will from now on look like the in-between stage of our Earth evolving into Cats Earth. Speaking of Cats, I hope we get a Review Crew of the movie, because the movie is a fucking enigma, and, February being the month of Valentine's Day, the movie is truly way too horny for its own good

Matthew Steinmetz

I would touch a python or cobra.

Lisa Moore

That is to say, it's been very fun so far hearing about poor to mediocre works. Even Lost had its moments of ridiculousness.

Claudia Hankin

Gosford Park is a great twisty mystery. Although, honestly, it might be more fun to hear you guys review poor to mediocre works. Hearing you guys talk about a "choose your own adventure" book would be fantastic. If I remember correctly, you just keep dying over and over until you finally land on the right path.

Claudia Hankin

I love review crew ❤️