|
Post by vampirenaomi on Feb 16, 2009 10:33:50 GMT -5
Double post, yay!
This is entirely unrelated to everything, but I was just reading a Jackie Chan Adventures fic about Valmont. The author decided to make another character refer to him as Monty. I got a great laugh from the following line.
;D
|
|
|
Post by pengychan on Feb 16, 2009 10:41:00 GMT -5
Ahah, that's great XD Now I keep wondering what Monty's reaction could be upon being told something like that. Ouch ;D As for your previous post, I hope I'll be able to sit and watch MNiS before this Friday. Dangit, February is a heck of a busy month
|
|
|
Post by Donne on Feb 16, 2009 15:46:03 GMT -5
Watching Monkey Ninjas In Space... now.
Monty's looking a lot less evil than usual and more, well, Fiske-ish. Why-- oh! His dark-rings-around-the-eyes are missing!
How long did Monty take to choreograph that move before the theme song? xD Would make for a funny comic.
Op, there are the eye rings. I see what you guys have meant about the weird art in this episode. *looks at the chin*
Monkey Fist duking it out with Kim's dad and a little annoying kid= win. ;D
Wow, Fredrick surely put up a fight.
More choreographed moves.
"I just can't wait to be the Ultimate Money Master!" His voice makes it sound like there should be a squeal of joy in there. xD
Wade looks... XP
Aw, Ron's having a moment. :3 xD
Aw again at Monty's face as he falls down.
Aw for a third time, Ron's having another moment.
"No boys. Ever." He's fine with her driving a space craft but not a car?
xD xD XD "I taught them the way of the ninja... and now they abandon me? NOOOOOO!" Monty's voice is so high and whiney... xD xD xD Kudos to the voice actor!
Look at the monkeys' exasperated faces at the monk. xD
XD I forgot that this had so many laugh-out-loud, or at least grin-really-widely, moments.
|
|
|
Post by SpicyWeasel on Feb 16, 2009 16:14:12 GMT -5
Perhaps because he IS ''Monty Fiske'' in the beginning, not to mention in the ending. Then he goes to ''inbetween Fiske-Fist'', which is a seemingly odd glith I have adapted to my own fan art because I love it so much. I've mentioned the theory behind it many times. One would usually believe Monty's transformation in 'MFS' was permanent and wouldn't turn back after that- but it wasn't, hehe. Cross-eyed? It always cracks me up too. Monty has seldom looked so monkey-ish as in that moment. ;D Agree. I LOOOVE that emotional outburst. <3 <3 <3 One of the best Monty moments ever. And Tom Kane was made for the role. <3 That's so very true. It's not too good as a whole, but it sure has some epic MOMENTS!
|
|
|
Post by vampirenaomi on Feb 16, 2009 16:26:18 GMT -5
And Tom Kane was made for the role. <3 Mr. Kane Senior: Honey, I had a vision that in the future there will be a Disney series with an insane monkey man in it. ...I think we need to make another baby.
|
|
|
Post by SpicyWeasel on Feb 16, 2009 16:38:25 GMT -5
Ha ha ha.
Odd how reasonable comments can turn into something randomly hilarious. XD
|
|
|
Post by pengychan on Feb 16, 2009 16:44:41 GMT -5
Yeah, he definitely looks weird i that episode. I hate that chin. And in some moments his nose looks more like Drakken's than his own Yeah, that scene is made of pure win XD Monty, the Ultimate Squealing Fangirl ;D Aww, poor guy. That scene always makes me want to give him a hug. Yeah, they look all "ORLY?" XD Mwhahahahahahahahah XD
|
|
|
Post by vampirenaomi on Feb 17, 2009 11:32:14 GMT -5
Okay, my turn. Monkey Ninjas in Space has always been my least favourite Monty episode because I don't like the animation, and such a technical plot strikes me as odd for an MF episode. This could have easily been turned into an episode for Drakken or Dementor if they had removed the monkey prophecy and made the villain's goal be ruling the world from space. However, now that I took time to watch the episode with more thought and without skipping scenes, I noticed that it's better than I realised. It's actually quite funny and has some great Monty scenes. It was nice to see that basement room from Monkey Fist Strikes in this episode. It creates a sense of continuity between the episodes, though there are of course some differences. The massive monkey symbol on the floor from MFS is missing this time around. Another interesting thing about the very beginning is that Monty is wearing the ninja garb that he wore in MFS when he stole the jade statue. It's the garb worn by the Tai Shing Pek Kwar practitioners that were shown in Wade's video in MFS. I don't think this outfit was ever used again in the series after this. It would be great to know where and how Monty got the monkey ninjas. There's a story there waiting to be told. I love Monty's small surprised gasp when the monkey monk appears. One of my favourite scenes in this episode is how Monty is surfing online to find information about the brightest monkey. His comments on the first two clips crack me up every time. It's interesting that the guard shown in the zoo clip is the same one who comes to arrest Monty in the end. Either he works in several places, has a twin brother or they called the zoo to pick Monty up after his arrest. I think I'll go with the third explanation. ;D There are some serious timeline issues in the first half of this episode. First we see Kim's family at their home. Ron's arrival and the fact that he's wearing the rocker booster pullover indicate that the gang is just about to go to the space center. However, the next scene shows Monty back at his castle in England, looking for information online. Right after that we cut back to Kim and gang arriving at the space station where Monty and his monkeys soon arrive as well. So, how did Monty make it from all the way in England to Middleton in the matter of maybe one or two hours? I like Monty's laughter when he reveals himself to Kim's dad and the kids. It's evil, but it's not insane like his usual laughter. Another thing I like is how he keeps calling Kim's dad "Doctor". In fact, everything about the scene with James and the kids is brilliant. The kid with glasses really thought Monty was cool, which I find just endearing. Kids always get fascinated by the oddest stuff. The way Monty speaks in this scene is also worth interest. It's clear that he's got several loose screws in his head, but at the same time he still sounds somewhat controlled and polite. In later episodes he doesn't hold back at all when talking about his plans. I'm somewhat amused by that Monty thinks peaceful research is wack. His past work as an archaeologist and expert on everything simian falls into that category as well. This was a wonderful moment. Somehow I had forgotten entirely what took place between the scene with the kids and the space scenes. It was like I was watching a completely new episode, and hearing that enthusiastic exclamation was great. Another similar bit I like is when Kim arrives at the space center and Monty gets all excited and happy about that the prophecy is back on track. He sounds like the happiest person in the world. ;D Kim's retort about that he should get a life really fits that scene. Just like you guys, I love the moment when the artificial gravity is turned back on and Monty falls. He looks just adorable and confused. The freak-out scene in the end is among my favourites as well. He sounds like he's about to start crying, the poor thing. Maybe it's just the fangirl in me, but I like to think that this scene indicates that Monty cares about his monkey ninjas as more than just minions and that they aren't just tools to him. There are a few scenes in later episodes that I think support this idea, but I'll talk about them more when the time comes. There's something curious about the ending. When Monty calls out for his monkey ninjas, the space center guard goes, "Monkey what?" as if the idea was entirely new/weird to him. However, earlier on in the episode we see that same guard gagged and tied down. If he hasn't seen the monkeys before, it means that Monty defeated him entirely on his own. But why would he bother when he has ninjas on his command? All in all, watching this episode more carefully like this made me appreciate it far more than I used to. I'm sure I'll be watching all of it it again in the future, not just my favourite scenes.
|
|
|
Post by SpicyWeasel on Feb 17, 2009 12:19:26 GMT -5
I always assumed this outfit was the same he's been wearing ever since, just that the style has changed and got softer so that it looks different. He doesn't wear the hood, socks and gloves when he's ''Monkey Fist''. But this theory could be wrong- he could have other ninja garbs as well. But remark that the waist tie is the same as that on the traditional Monkey Kung Fu garb, and not like garbs such as regular ninja garbs and the Yamanouchi one.
I had a terribly weak theory about that guard (aside from it just being some humour joke): The guard is from Blandsfield Zoo, as mentioned earlier in the episode. Perhaps Monty got his monkeys from that zoo. I can picture the guard being on his nightly checking round, when Monty surprises him and knocks him out. Still, the guard could have caught a glimpse of Monty's features enough to remember him.
It doesn't make much sense. How could the guard know Monty was in Middleton? Maybe he and Frank are knew each other- Frank could have called the guard for assistance, as you said. It's mere fan speculation without evidence. And I've kind of ''killed'' the idea. It was to be an one-shot. >.< Besides, I SO prefer your idea about them getting delivered, or Pengy's idea of having them saved.
If I can think of more to say, I will.
|
|
|
Post by Donne on Feb 17, 2009 17:24:58 GMT -5
One of my favourite scenes in this episode is how Monty is surfing online to find information about the brightest monkey. His comments on the first two clips crack me up every time. It's interesting that the guard shown in the zoo clip is the same one who comes to arrest Monty in the end. Either he works in several places, has a twin brother or they called the zoo to pick Monty up after his arrest. I think I'll go with the third explanation. ;D xD I never noticed that before! I would guess that the scene in which Monty decides to go to the space station was set before the time that Kim was at the breakfast table, and spaced in the episode as we saw it so the continuity would make sense-- giving us information, then seeing it played out, you know? It'd be weirder to have five minutes straight of Monkey Fist, then five or more minutes of Kim and Ron harking about father/monkey issues, because by the time we got around to seeing Monty, we'd have forgotten all the important details about him. Or there are super-fast superjets in the KP world, which might explain some other time junk.
|
|
|
Post by pengychan on Feb 17, 2009 17:33:40 GMT -5
Yup, that's what I thought as well. I really hope he does, if anything to have a change should the other one need to be washed XD Yeah, and you did so brilliantly ;D Eheh, I like that one too. Maybe they thought he shoud be held in a zoo instead than a prison? It kinda reminds me of this fanart: gipsyvanna.deviantart.com/art/Please-don-t-feed-the-Monkey-31978222 XD Maybe he already had that dreadful banana jet he clearly got after being drugged or something? ;D Seriously, good point. Spock, teleportation! Eheh, true - and Monty's dry line "take a picture, it'll last longer" is awesome. For some reason, I get the feeling he isn't fond on kids XD Yup, that's true. I guess it tells a lot about how much his priorities changed Eheh, he looks just so adorable in that screencap ;D *trying hard to ignore the chin* Word. You all know how much I adore that scene and why. Poor fellow, he needs a hug X3 Yup, his monkeys definitely were more than a tool to him. Eheh, someone's got a soft spot XD
|
|
|
Post by Ninnik Nishukan on Feb 20, 2009 13:36:07 GMT -5
Today, while walking home from work, I saw a couple that amused me. The woman was short and had huge thighs and a plump butt, and the guy was tall, and almost comically skinny with a non-existent butt (err, I only saw them from behind, hence the weird emphasis on butts). And for some reason, I instantly thought of DNAmy/MF. XD They were cute together, anyway.
|
|
|
Post by vampirenaomi on Feb 20, 2009 14:52:55 GMT -5
I don't even know why, but that cheers me up, Ninnik. It's cute.
|
|
|
Post by pengychan on Feb 20, 2009 19:31:43 GMT -5
Yeah, it is cute! X3
|
|
|
Post by vampirenaomi on Feb 23, 2009 2:58:11 GMT -5
Just a reminder that the episode we're talking about this week is Exchange.
What do you think we should do about A Sitch in Time, Overdue and Adventures in Rufus Sitting? Should ASiT be handled as a movie or as three episodes? Analysing the whole thing at one go might be a bit tiring, but if it's split, it doesn't have as much MF content as his normal episodes. Then again, neither does Exchange.
Do you think Overdue and Adventures in Rufus Sitting should be handled together? The bits in those eps are really short.
|
|
|
Post by pengychan on Feb 23, 2009 4:42:56 GMT -5
I should have time to sit and watch it on Friday. For real, this time *really wants to dump University right now* Well, considering that Exange hasn't much more Monty screentime than the separated episodes of ASiT, I'd suggest to analyse them separately. ... ...okay, you got me, the main reason is that I don't have enough spare time to actually watch the whole movie all at once Yup, we could handle "Overdue" and "Adventures in Rufus Sitting" together - after all, Monty only gets very short bits in each.
|
|
|
Post by vampirenaomi on Feb 23, 2009 5:18:31 GMT -5
Well, considering that Exange hasn't much more Monty screentime than the separated episodes of ASiT, I'd suggest to analyse them separately. I agree. I know that I'll be able to go more in depth if I don't have to review the whole movie at once. Besides, this way the whole marathon is going to last two weeks longer.
|
|
|
Post by SpicyWeasel on Feb 23, 2009 11:40:09 GMT -5
Analysing 'Exchange'*I suppose Monty found Yamanouchi (a so well hidden, secret place) through new research on Mystical Monkey Power, which again leads to the Lotus Blade and the warrior and founder of the school, Toshimiru. *The piece of hair that Sensei is holding in the scene where he and Ron talk together. Rufus clearly states that it's from a monkey. The colour of the hair is black, which immediately makes me associate it with Monty. It's not like Monty to drop an "identity card" to tell about his presence. Some villains do, but it's not very "ninja-ish" to leave clues. However, it's likely that the piece of hair was found in the same room where the Lotus Blade was stored. That again leads to the events of the night before, in which Monty orders his monkey minions to get the Lotus Blade for him. As we know, Monty prefers using someone else to do the "hardwork" for him, while he does as little strain as possible, and picks up the goodies. He's an intelligent trickster villain after all. And here's the point- he didn't go inside after the Lotus Blade himself, so if the hair was found inside, it couldn’t have been Monty's. But I refuse to go with the explanation that it was a colour mistake, black instead of brown. I was happy when I found a second proof that the hair could be Monty's; Sensei shows Ron tracks on the ground, and indicates that there was a battle. Maybe Monty lost some hair on that spot? XD I don't know why I find the hair loss interesting, but it's amusing. Drawing lines from the following main episode ' The Full Monkey', it seems that Monty, having to deal with the ways of the monkey, leaves clues whether he wants to or not. XD But hey…was it an accident (imagine the monkey ninjas crawling on Monty in panic and ripping off a hair piece) or was he actually shedding? Hahaha. Speaking of following episodes, another line from the ''hair incident'' can be drawn to ' Gorilla Fist'. A similar piece of hair/fur was found in Sensei's room, where he was kidnapped. Most likely, the hair piece was from the gorillas, but it's funnier to believe Amy had some hair from Monty, which she used to make our heroes believe that Monty was the one behind the kidnapping. Now, that's wrongsick. *Monty clearly manipulated Fukushima to join his side. What could have made a loyal Yamanouchi student to disobey his duties like that? Vampirenaomi has made an excellent take on that in her one-shot, ' Insider'. No matter how obnoxious Monty may be, he has a dominant personality, and his abilities to be a leader and to turn people around his little finger are rather admiring. Still obnoxious, but admiring. *Monty's base, or hiding place this time is in an active volcano (?). Lethal? Of course. But that's also why it makes an excellent hideout, as not many people would dare to set their food into a living inferno. And if the trespassers did pay a visit (as they did)? No problem. The lava would make sure they were taken care of. If it wasn't for a certain naked mole rat with Mystical Monkey Powers…! *Monty talking to Ron: “ You and I are the only people on Earth capable of unleashing the power of the Lotus Blade. Once I have destroyed you... there will be only me.” *manical laughter* Monty just sounds so deliciously evil when he says this. I notice a slight difference from the previous and later episodes in Kane's voice. I don't know what it is – it's like the words are pronounced even more clear than usual. That's something I've always enjoyed with Tom Kane's voice acting- even when he's not talking with the British accent, it sounds sophisticated bacause the speech is so articulated. From here on, Monty's voice gets more rough. I have theorized that it could have something to to with Monty growing more bitter and tired for each loss. *I love it how Monty offered to write Fukushima a "letter of recommendation". It's so random, but it still says much. *The following manical laughter, of course (the Norwegian dubbing of ' Exchange' is EVEN more hysterical to my ears….monkey mixed with stereotypical hyena). I prefer the original. XD Here, we also learn that Monty now wants to become the ''Supreme Monkey Ruler'' of the world, and with the world falling to his power, he either means the world will obey him, or he'll actually extinguish the world's people and own the Earth ALONE. The first one is more common and likely, and the second one is just plain scary. Besides, it's less likely to gain respect if you're all alone. XD *The Lotus Blade. It's the first and only time in the series Monty really has an object as a weapon. No, he didn't show off any awesome moves with the blade, but it's new to the fact that Monty's usually fighting with his bare hands and feet. I prefer hand-to-hand combat fights, but swords are pretty cool too. The Lotus Blade was Monty's second source to ''invincible'' power, after the one he first got from the four jade statues. It sure became one of Monty's dearest possessions- look how he showed off its shapeshifting powers. How he straightforwardly demanded it back. And finally- his roar of frustration and rage when he lost it- thanks to his current companion. Monty has never been so furious as he was in ' Exchange'. It was a hard hit. The legendary blade seemed lost forever, but with the help of some words of wisdom from Sensei, Ron managed to ''call'' it back . Sensei states that as long as one's heart is pure, the sword will find its way back. This made me and Pengychan theorize about the possibility that Monty would never have been able to call the blade back, even if he found out it was possible to actually ''call'' it back. Simply because Monty's heart ISN'T pure. The Ultimate Monkey Master was destinied to be a good person. Not greedy. Not egoistic. Not bitter. *I’m glad to see Monty making a lucky and well-timed escape for a change, instead of being hit unconscious by something heavy from above. ' Exchange' is an episode that has a lot of complex goodness to it, also when it comes to Monty.
|
|
|
Post by vampirenaomi on Mar 1, 2009 7:27:06 GMT -5
Boy, it sure took me a while to get around doing this. Thanks to Hanna for reminding me of it. Next week's episode is The Full Monkey, so let's have fun watching it. I love Monty's first two appearances in this episode. When he emerges from the shadows, surrounded by his monkeys on the mountain top, and grins in that wicked way, you know that something bad is going to happen soon. The second appearance with the stealing of the Lotus Blade works in a similar fashion and creates the perfect atmosphere. These scenes are perhaps so effective because there is no dialogue. Monty doesn't have to utter a single word; his expressions and gestures are more than enough to make the scenes feel threatening. Apart from the utter insanity in Oh, No! Yono, I don't think Monty has ever been as threatening as here. *I suppose Monty found Yamanouchi (a so well hidden, secret place) through new research on Mystical Monkey Power, which again leads to the Lotus Blade and the warrior and founder of the school, Toshimiru. You know what I find confusing? Sensei says that Toshimiru was the original master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar and that since then, only Monty and Ron have been exposed to Mystical Monkey Power. Where does that leave the tribe of monkey kung fu practitioners who built the temples and hid the jade monkeys in them? In Monkey Fist Strikes, it was implied that they had MMP and hid the statues because they didn't want anyone else to have the power, but it was never stated that they themselves possessed it. Could it be that they merely practised monkey kung fu without being exposed to MMP and functioned as guardians whose job was to keep the statues safe? Maybe he had the hair planted there on purpose in order to lure Ron to the cave? He and Fukushima did admit that the whole thing was a trap. Monty needs to kill Ron so that he can be the only one with MMP, so maybe he figured that it would be a better idea to do it while Ron is still in Japan so that Kim wouldn't be there to protect him. But I also like the battle theory. The idea of Yori ripping off some of Monty's hair and leaving it behind as a clue for the others is very amusing. XD I love it how Ron calls Monty "Lord Monkey Fist" in this episode. Does it happen anywhere else? He referred to him as Monty Freak in Monkey Ninjas in Space, which I forgot to mention last time. Back to Exchange... Speaking of Fukushima, he gets a great appearance in the latest chapter of Kunoichi, which is one of the best KP fics ever. The author referred to some of the events of my fanfic as an easter egg and further developed Fukushima's issues about the whole betrayal thing. The fic mostly centers around Yori, but there are references to other Yamanouchi characters and issues. It's a wonderful read and I just can't help but promote it because a) it's so brilliant but it's not getting enough praise and b) Darev said he's working on a Monty one-shot for MFAD. He deserves our attention. XD This reminds me of the Convention Schmonvention trope. Realistically, Ron and Yori should have been dead long before Rufus saved them. Monty, Fukushima and the monkey ninjas should have had quite some trouble with staying in that hideout with the heat and toxic gasses. But ah, who cares about reality? XD I agree; Monty is just deliciously evil and malicious in this episode. He was evil in the previous two eps and the world domination plan was mentioned in Monkey Ninjas in Space, but this is where Monty seems to be completely serious and insane about it. In Monkey Fist Strikes, he seems more like an eccentric who just wants MMP for himself, but in Exchange he has evolved to a complete nutcase with massive plans. I agree again. The moment when he falls on his knees before the mountain chasm is one of my absolute favourite Monty scenes ever. He's so devastated by the loss of the weapon and it's clearly shown through his body language and voice. The black and white screenshot that Alex posted in the picture thread portrays this scene perfectly. What more can I do but agree again? I think it's perfectly clear that Monty was never meant to be the Ultimate Monkey Master, but that only makes me like him more. He's an obsessed and arrogant fool who keeps reaching for something that isn't meant for him and the more he tries to stop Ron, the stronger Ron becomes. I think it's clear that if Monty ever had a specific destiny, it was to function as a pawn and introduce Ron to MMP and help him grow as a character by opposing him. Our poor misguided Monty. ;D
|
|
|
Post by pengychan on Mar 1, 2009 9:52:12 GMT -5
Okay, I finally got around to watch it. Pew, it took me a while First off, I kind of wonder how did Monty find out about Yamanouchi and its location, especially since it's supposed to be a secret school that only few and trusted people should know about. Like Hanna, I like the idea he found out about it through some research about Toshimiru, the founder of the school and last person before Monty and Ron to possess MMP. Speaking of that: I think I'll go with the idea of the monkey kung fu practitioners behaving as guardians to prevent anyone from acquiring MMP rather than getting it themselves. In that case, it's somewhat funny how Monty dresses and fights as one of them while he probably broke their rules by trying to get MMP for himself. Or else, it could be that Sensei didn't know about them, but I kind of doubt that. Moving on, I agree on how creepy and awesome Monty's unspoken appearances at the beginning are. Those close-ups of his grinning face are among my favorite Monty moments ;D I think I'm going for the "trap" explanation, since it was clear the trap in the volcano had been set up before Ron moved out to look for Yori. It sounds plausible, really. I think Monty's hair in "Gorilla Fist" had been placed there by either DNAmy or one of the gorillas in order to have people suspecting Monty was behind the whole thing - that was the plan, after all. Amy had been the one to give him his monkey limbs, so it wouldn't be too surprising if she had some of his hair as a sample for further analysis about the DNA mixing or something. The scene in the volcano, if you ignore how they should have all been fried, is among my favorite parts. It's the first time we hear o "world domination" speech from Monty, so it kinda establishes him as a "real" villain, if you get what I mean. His words while basically telling Ron he has to destroy him in order to be the only one left with MMP are utterly creepy, and they clearly show how insane he is and what he's ready to do to reach his goal. I also love the mad laugher that follows. No wonder Yori was so quick to suspect him when Sensei was later kidnapped in "Gorilla Fist" XD ...speaking of that scene, I also love Monty's scared expression when the lava starts flooding inside XD And then, of course, there is the moments the Lotus Blade is lost to him. Awesome moment - losing that weapon must really have been a hard blow. He was so enraged! I would have loved to have him fighting Ron at that point, but considering the context I guess it felt more natural that it would be Fukushima to fight Ron. Still, I would have loved that. And hey, let's not forget the "Let's just bring it, shall we?" line. It never fails to crack me up ;D Yup, I've been sold to that theory for quite a while now. It's so deliciously ironic that I love it. Poor Monty XD
|
|