Bittersweet Candy Bowl Forums

The topic title says it all. I think everyone gets this feeling when they come across something nostalgic. So I made this thread to discuss some of the things we remember as kids but looking at it now as an adult we find our perception of it to be entirely different.

Here's one in my case, watching Tom and Jerry as a kid I loved all the episodes.
The episode Downhearted Duckling was playing tonight and as I kid I would think, "Aww that duckling is so sad and he doesn't know what he really is."
I watch it now and I think, "Holy shit, that duckling is trying to kill himself for almost the whole damn episode because he thinks he looks ugly."


"I don't like how I look, I think I'll try to chop my head off with an axe"


Well that's my bit. Anyone else have a similar experience to share?

This post has been edited by ThatGuy: 03 May 2012 - 06:47 AM

...You aren't even an adult yet.

The only thing that jumps immediately to my mind is that Calvin and Hobbes reads with more complexity as an adult than it did when I was a kid. It must be remembered though, that the best storytellers will imbue their works with multiple layers of meaning, some of which are best appreciated when we're older. So upon rereading something, or taking a fresh look at it, you'll often discover things you'd never noticed before.

I was really disappointed to find out that The Secret of NIMH was actually shit.

i mean yeah MAN THE HARPOONS WHAT A JERK but seriously when i was a child the movie scared me and captivated me and I thought it was a brilliant masterpiece that can do no wrong

but I saw it a year ago

and the plot is just AWFUL with the biggest deus ex machina at the end and the gem for no raisin, I felt so upset honestly. It's beautiful and all, it's a gorgeous film but I just.. can't be distracted by just that anymore. The story just doesn't hold it up to me, and the ending felt cheap and bad.

Animaniacs. So many dirty jokes that completely fly over your head as a kid, and then you watch it when you're older and you wonder how they got away with it. It's unfortunate they probably wouldn't be able to today.

actually there's not a lot beyond dated pop culture references also it's actually disappointingly unfunny

I get this often replaying video games of my youth (namely, PS1 games)

"Sweet! I found this old copy of (X) for a buck! I remember spending so much time on this game"

3 hours later: "What the, holy hell, how could I stand to play this garbage, the controls are so horrible, the camera is wonky, the plot is nonexistent, and the graphics look like somebody rubbed sand all over my TV"

(I'm looking at you A Bug's Life)

Also books. Oh God, rereading Goosebumps makes me cry. I ate that stuff up when I was a kid.

Going back and playing Earthbound as an adult and picking out all the Beatles riffs, David Bowie and Blues Brothers references or snarky jokes.

wacko, on 03 May 2012 - 02:53 PM, said:

I'm old enough to look back on the 90's and that counts in my mind.

I think on a plus side is that I watched the cartoon Ed, Edd, N' Eddy growing up and whenever I watch it now I understand practically everything Double D says. It used to be as a kid I would only have the faintest idea.

It's also funny to look back on the original Looney Tunes and watch Bugs manage to avoid being shot by seducing Elmer Fudd. I highly doubt dressing up like a woman to seduce a person will increase your chances to avoid being shot in real life though, more likely to be the cause.

Bugs Bunny was racist as fuck.





So being a fudge packer, that kind of makes him a hypocrite.

I wonder how many of the things people romanticize from their childhood days would actually be pretty stupid were they to peruse those same things today.

I remember really being into the Power Rangers, then it all came onto Netflix a month or two ago and I couldn't believe I enjoyed such a corny tv show. I mean, I knew enough from memory that it was campy as hell, but GOD DAMN! Such cornball plots and stuff. "OH NOES! BILLY GOT A B!?"

I adored the Tom And Jerry movie when I was younger, but looking on it now it's absolutely horrible and a piece of shit. It also makes no sense, but I would watch that movie everyday.

Speaking of racist cartoons

Racist Flintstones Episode - YouTube

This post has been edited by ThatGuy: 04 May 2012 - 02:33 AM

Haha I still watch Power Rangers, hell I still want to be one myself. I remember growing up whenever a teacher asked the class what they wanted to be growing up, while everyone said fire truck, astronaut, cop, doctor or Goku, I was like POWER RANGER!!!!!!!! To this day I still want to be one.

Alo Ren and Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, Angry Beavers, nothing but silly sex jokes and bad puns eesh.

You know the guy that made Ren and Stimpy actually made several adult episodes of the show too. It's the same as the others except it includes more vulgar humor and tits.


Also right there with you on the Power Ranger thing man. Who wouldn't want to pilot a giant robot in a cool suit and beat up monsters on a daily basis?

This post has been edited by ThatGuy: 05 May 2012 - 08:30 PM

Speaking of monsters, I was introduced to Japanese Godzilla movies when I was young and absolutely loved them (it also helped that I was into dinosaurs). But now... do I really need to explain? It's more bizarre than Power Rangers! Though, I still very much enjoy the majority of them (Son of Godzilla can eat the corn out of my crap!). I still enjoy watching the fighting scenes, even though they're just a couple people in flame retardant suits smacking each other around scale city models, always rooting for Godzilla even though I know how it's gonna end. My faves are still the ones with that have King Ghidorah, Mecha Godzilla, or Gigan... so pretty much most of them? Terror of Mecha Godzilla has a special place for me because it was the first Godzilla movie I ever owned

The ones from the 90's seemed to have taken a more "serious" role, which is still laughable, but that just makes the fighting scenes all the better. Though I don't really care for the ones made in the early millennium...

The costumes for the "aliens" are always good for a laugh too

This post has been edited by ChewySmokey: 06 May 2012 - 05:11 AM

Am I bad for thinking that Power Rangers was shit right from the start? I also wasn't fond of the Pokémon merchandising hoopla, although I did watch an episode every now and then.

wacko, on 06 May 2012 - 06:43 AM, said:

yes, you are a terrible human being without a soul
I can think of quite a few kids from my class who figured it "gay" and for "faggots" when it came out.

Man Pokemon was a really, really crappy show. Animation was okay but it always had that dull look to it, not to mention the camp levels of 100 and just over all silly story and plot. I mean I still love it and would watch it every day if I could but still. Though those theme songs are still boss.

Also, a lot of Don Bluth's movies have gotten better with age for me (I disagree with you Taeshi I love Secret of NIMH more as I got older.) But mostly his 80's stuff, his 90's movies got alittle...odd. Not to mention I like the stuff I can go back and watch with my parents and they enjoy too, like Courage the Cowardly dog and stuff.

Another one would have to be CatDog and how dark and sad it kinda is, I mean geez poor guys can never catch a break.

Digimon was way better than Pokemon.

mAceOfHearts, on 06 May 2012 - 02:54 PM, said:

Ah man Digimon. That was my childhood . I remember that when I was young the show was on pretty much on all mornings. Even better (arguably) was that when one season ended the other would start a week later. Good Times

I just cannot see anything positive about Secret of NIMH other than the breathtaking art direction, it's so hard to see past good art when the plot is such garbage.

Also new Pokemon is awful and lifeless, but I saw older episodes of Pokemon "recently" and it felt so much more alive, I think it's another thing to do with the art. The character's expressions twisted and turned and there was a certain art style that was used that was my favourite because it was so emotive - especially with Misty and her temper. Things weren't as stupid back then, and they're certainly just stupid and braindead now. I can't stand watching episodes past Johto because the art feels restricted compared to how wonderful Kanto's was. Gives me Sailor Moon vibe, which was so wonderfully expressive despite it looking wonky at some times. I wish I could watch that show >8(

Lvl 50 Fighter, on 05 May 2012 - 07:25 AM, said:

But hey, a lot of really good music was popularized by Ren and Stimpy and other cartoons. And the first few seasons of R&S were pretty good for their era.

The plot is a bit eh, but so is the book its based off of, for me the characters of Secret of NIMH is what makes it great and wonderful. They are believable, lifelike and just feel so real. Also the language in it is not full of pop culture references making it an even more timeless story, as appose to a lot of the humor in today's media which in a few decades won't nearly be as entertaining as it is now or when we were kids.

I have and always will love the early 2000s Cartoon Network shows. Classic with understandable humor (although cow and chicken was just weird).

There was so much wrong with Cow and Chicken I wouldn't know where to begin. I'm not saying it was bad, just that anytime I watch it now or when I was a kid I had a sort of "wtf" expression when watching it.

Red guy is good way to start with the things wrong with Cow and Chicken. But mostly Momma having a chicken and cow...not to mention the fact that they are just disembodied legs.

I will forever feel for Ed,Edd, and Eddy, If Double D stopped hanging around the other two he would be popular.

Also Big Johnny Bravo, he just wanted a date, my favorite episode was when a woman invited him to her place because he swallowed a diamond that she was trying to steal. She was pretending to come onto him and he had no idea what he was supposed to to. He actually said something like "Oh momma I've uh never gotten this far before....what do I do next?" Poor guy.

I will always have fond memories of watching cartoons as a kid. I was told that I enjoyed Maya the Bee, an old German show, before I could even recall watching it. I've watched some strange shows like Bananas in Pajamas. They're fruit. Wearing pajamas. And talking to bears.

I watched Ren and Stimpy because I didn't know any better.. I really couldn't stand watch some of the more disgusting shots, but it never stopped me from watching the series entirely. I liked Rocko's Modern Life, Doug (not the lame Disney remake), Hey Arnold ("I saw your face, and wow!"...HA!), Rugrats, and Angry Beavers. While not classified as a cartoon, I loved the gameshows they used to show on Nick as well. As for Cartoon Network, I miss Dexter's Lab a whole tone. Foster's Home is a lot more recent but that show didn't last very long. I also never realized how bad the dub was for anime, such as Pokemon, Cardcaptors, Sailor Moon, Gundam, and generally all the anime they used to show on Toonami. But I still watched them.. oh yea, there was also Sonic and Mario shows as well.

I'm glad they've made a lot of the older cartoons available on NetFlix.

i know i am still 15 but i still got nostalgia when i got my first Sega Genesis and first copy of sonic the hedgehog 2 and i still remember that iconic scene when sonic runs fast on and off the screen spelling Sega

I get the old episodes of Pokemon on On Demand, and I have to say, looking back on it the old episodes from Kanto are much more thought-out than the newer ones (although they tend to make out-of-place references to the real world). I remember back when I first started watching the series, and playing the games. Pokemon nowadays, both the games and tv show, have become very corny and gimmicky, like the only reason to watch or play anymore is because it's Pokemon, which doesn't hold up too well on it's own.

Anyway, even though I was too young for them at the time, it still feels nostalgic to watch older anime shows or shows like the old Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons.

Speaking of Sonic, and I know not many people agree with me, but I liked Sonic games best back when they were around Sonic Adventure 1 and 2. I know most people liked the very first games, but the Sonic Adventure games were the first I've played, and to me just seemed to have more depth. Those games I would play for hours, and were pretty much my favorite for a time. Once those games were past everything kind of went downhill for him.

I suddenly find myself wanting to play my old Pokemon and Sonic games again.

I have to say, Secret of NIMH has actually become on of my favorite movies with age. I suppose the plot is a little hard to swallow, but it was an indie production and the story involved hyper-intelligent rats that somehow developed technology that borders on magic, or is magic. The process of this is never really explained in exposition, we just see the increasingly fantastical products of the rats' evolution after hearing a very bare-bone intro to what happened at NIMH. We're kind of just asked to accept all of that as fact - including what the talisman does.

What I think actually happened is that United Artists had a huge epic rodent world designed but not the budget to unfold all of it. So they decided to concentrate on specific characters, their animation, and their personalities. Everything not crucial to Mrs. Brisby's personal story had to be cut and weighed against audience's suspension of disbelief. And yeah, lots of people didn't like having to do that.

But overall, the animation and acting are still top tier (even by today's standards), and the underappreciated struggle of a mother desperate to save her family was very touching, I felt. If the alternative was to subtract from that quality to add more backstory about how the rats came to be and what the talisman was, I don't think I would've liked the finished product.

In fact, I think that's what the transparent-cash-in sequel tried to do - explain everything - and gave us uninteresting characters, crappy TV-grade animation, and an even more unsatisfying story.

This post has been edited by Janus: 06 June 2012 - 10:39 AM

Disney and anyone else that owns Power Rangers is going to milk that fucker longer than the Pokemon cartoons.

This post has been edited by falconboy99: 06 July 2012 - 03:21 PM

The secret of NIMH wasent as good wen i saw it wen i was older but i still like it. And has any one seen Watership down that was dark for disney but still one of my favorites. And the first 150 pokemon are the best.

Watership Down is not a disney movie.

Its not? my mistake

I grew up with mid 90's - mid 00's cartoons. In my opinion I find 80's cartoons to be terrible, but that is solely based on the quality of media back then. Same thing with games.

ThatGuy, on 03 May 2012 - 06:46 AM, said:

After reading the title of this topic, I couldn't believe it when I saw the first sentence, and it was that. THAT of all sentences.

Never before in my entire life have I ever had the displeasure of reading a more difficult title. And of course, I could spend days sitting here, trying to figure out what the fuck it means, but in the end it won't even sync up with what the thread is actually about; primarily because the thread is actually about something that isn't complete gibberish.

"Childhood is never what it was like when we were really kids."

I can't... I can't even.
That's fucking it. "I can't even." I can't even think of a good way to describe my problems with this title. I can't even begin to imagine how nobody has pointed this out yet. I can't even begin to make any sense of what that is supposed to mean, whatsoever. It is just so painful to read. And I'm not trying to be an asshole, but like, what the fuck, man? I really feel like you have shortened my life span. The resulting series of mini-strokes from reading that will most likely result in dying young..

Jesus.

Oh, and yeah! I remember watching that episode of Tom & Jerry and finding it really morbid. Surprised they threw suicide around so freely back then.

This post has been edited by Meowth: 16 September 2012 - 08:20 PM

When I was a kid I found it a lot easier to laugh my ass off. I mean, technically speaking I'm still a bit less than a year shy of being an adult, but if we're talking pre-10 years old, yeah... I laughed at the most unfunny of things. Including Full House.

I kind of wish I still had that easy-to-please sense of humor. Sure I would seem simple-minded, but it'd be a fair exchange to laugh a lot more often.

I watched "teen wolf" recently. I had memories of it being a great movie, and ughhh.. it would have been better to keep the memories and never see it again.

But apart from things being memories from such a long time ago, I guess it is natural that children can blissfully enjoy a lot of junk, while adults have already built up a wide experience and developed the capability to criticize what is given to them.

P.S.: I'm sorry for your heart, Meowth, but I had no problems with the title that I couldn't just shrug away. I guess that's one of the advantages of not being a writer.


EDIT: I had never heard of NIMH before, so I watched it and yeah, the plot didn't even need all that magic, especially for the ending. It could be a conscious choice anyway, because it was meant for children, and children need a simple plot, an obvious viillain, and magic! Oh yes, magic shines in children's eyes like nothing else!

This post has been edited by Cavara: 17 September 2012 - 10:44 AM