“When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis

"I don't make movies for children. I make movies for the child in all of us." -- Walt Disney

It’s always hilariously and sadly ironic how well a lot of kid’s shows aged so well for their nuanced and subtle takes on irl and in-universe topics (Justice League and Unlimited come to mind) whereas for “adult cartoons,” we get shit like Velma

That is how I feel about “adult” language. Yes, you’re so adult for using the vocabulary of every 12 year old playing Xbox Live. So mature of you.

"You've got to remember who your writing for. You're not merely writing for children. You're writing for the unfortunate people who've got to read the stories over, and over, and over again." Rev. Wilbert Awdry

C.S. Lewis also understood the most important thing of writing for children: that they so not need to be talked down to or have things hidden or oversimplified. Narnia deals with some heavy themes like treachery, death and sacrifice with no attempt to soften them.

So.. I make indie comics, which are a medium that was once *mainly* meant to be for kids and is now almost completely saturated with fringe adult degeneracy. Meanwhile, the comics I grew up with- which really were meant for kids, retain essential elements of storytelling, mythology, and literacy that seem to be a lost art.

I've thrown my screenplay of Greg Owen: The Movie in the bin. Replacing all the sex scenes with drinking tea was a disaster. That and replacing him with a strong female lead.

I'm a huge fan of The Last Airbender (the cartoon... not the Shyamalan thing). The themes in that show are amazing. TONS of really great adult concepts- war, genocide, racism, ageism, death, humbleness, gratitude, forgiveness... seriously, the show has it all folks! I'd also give a quick shoutout to the GOAT, Bluey. Addresses it all in a way that's entertaining for kids and touching for parents. Best kids show on TV.

Holy crap it’s my time. Avatar the Last Airbender is one of the greatest feats of world building and storytelling in a “children’s story”. The pacing may feel weird or slow at times, but that’s because it was a once a week cartoon. However, the themes touched in the story cover a wide range of relatable and stressful situations, and the main villain could not have been written better. This show is a gift. I highly recommend anyone who hasn’t seen it to binge it from start to finish.

Greg is so refreshing. I like all the critic guys but his is quickly becoming my favorite. The way he says everything like it's kinda funny really makes it easy not to feel negative when he's ripping a movie apart

That "I'm thirsty" cut with Patrick Rothfuss made me almost cry laughing. I don't even know who that guy is but it just caught me off guard😂

"It's like a pizza cutter. All edge no point " 😂😅 I love that!

My favourite kids movie is probably The Incredibles. The story, pacing and animation is perfect. If I recall correctly the theme is having the courage to be true to who you are and where you are. For Mrs Incredible its letting her family embrace their unique strengths and use them, and for Mr Incredible its finding the joy in the normality of family life and appreciating today rather than living in past glory. We don't need super powers to relate to all of that.

I can't find the exact quote, but in the "About the Author" section at the back of one of Terry Pratchett's novels, it said something along the lines of "He writes books about important things and also sometimes books for grown-ups". I love that attitude, and it's a fitting description of the genius who wrote The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. I hate hearing people say "oh it's just for kids, who cares if it's dumb or bad?" Kids are sponges; they will fill themselves with whatever they come in contact with. They emulate people they like, and the distinction of "real" and "fictional" hardly matters.

Honestly, the best movies are family movies that have some deeper stories/themes that fly over the kids heads.

I watched the new Transformers film, and while it was a vessel to sell toys, I actually thought it was a good story about the struggles of families from two worlds.

10:41 I would add characters to story and theme here because one of my pet peeves about characters in”adult content” is that they are often only defined by their desire for sex,drugs or violence - the first example I think of is Starfire from DC if she’s in a “kids” story she usually has depth, cares about her teammates and has her own motivations depending on the story, the current threat or mission but if you read or watch more “mature” stuff with her she is only motivated by a desire to sleep with any and all characters around her or some other superficial thing like in the “Red Hood” comic or the “I am not Starfire” comic both terrible stories with awful depictions of characters done much better in “kid” stories

Yo Greg Posted! Struggling to get out of bed so this came just in time!

The only differance between a GOOD adult film and a GOOD childrens film, is that a GOOD adult film requires more context.

I'm not sure when it started, but over the past several years, I've had more and more appreciation for stories/movies that use death and violence sparingly. That way, when it happens, it makes it so much more impactful. Somebody finding the strength to kill someone is infinitely more interesting than somebody killing 200 people on the way to kill the bad guy. Also, I'd even argue the scenes that "conveniently block your view" from the violence actually hit harder than seeing it directly. Maybe not every time, but a lot of times.

The one thing I really notice about adult shows is the fact that 'nobody' can seem to do anything social or have a meal without having alcohol involved. Dinner time? Break out the wine. Casual get-together with a friend or two, or whatever? We must have beer, or whiskey/rye/champagne/etc. I'll admit I'm not a very social person, quite the opposite, and I don't like alcohol, (I don't mean I'm against it, I just physically don't like the taste,) but it happens so often it seems to be a trope. 'Hey, we're adults, so we must drink the adult drink'. I would just love to see a show where the people sit down to dinner, and they have a glass of water or juice or milk with it, or, hey, maybe even tea, or have a visit and enjoy a couple cans of pop or something... Not everything requires alcohol.

I've been watching Vikings lately and I'm getting close to dropping it because of how many gratuitous sex scenes it has. It feels like they had a quota to include at least one, if not more, per episode.

You are rising through the ranks of all my favorite reviewers and film analysis youtubers. Keep up the good work!

I don't comment too often but thanks for this, I have struggled to articulate even to myself the thoughts you have expressed here. I have distanced myself from a lot of adult stories and media because of the overuse of the standard crutches and the lack of any kind of subtlety it feels like there is a competition to up the ante, so that the sex, violence and drug use gets more and more over the top which in my opinion distracts more then adds the story. I get annoyed with the distractions in stories. I very much appreciate subtlety I don't like things spelled out for me I enjoy a story best when I am allowed to think for myself without being drug into what amounts to me as side quests.... I like be able to run the story though the sieve of my own experience, thoughts and opinions too often the crutches slow and dumb the story down. Anyhow thanks again.

I personally love doctor suess because he feels so optimistic in a world that isn't perfect. Its like he knows the world sucks but doesn't want adults to get caught in that part alone then weavrs in childlike wonder for all ages to enjoy, but its effect is different depending on the audience

Most "family-friendly" animation usually has deeper themes and characters and is more mature in general than most "adult" animation which is all about sex, violence and dark humour and usually has no depth whatsoever

Justice League Animated, both regular and unlimited were mainly aimed at kids and were good at weaving in universal themes(loyalty, when to let things go, oversights vs. vigilantism, what's our purpose, the slippery slope of being a vigilantly, etc.). It's a really good series that I recommend everyone watch.

I've said this many times before, but an excellent series for this is Gravity Falls, a show for adults that appears to be a show for children. It does so much for both demographics and that's why it's still beloved so many years after the series came to an end.

This is why the CW bugs me so much. Not only are they trying to write "adult shows" but their view of adult is what they believe that teenagers believe it means to be adult....

Thank you! I've tried to express this when reviewing stuff. Several movies and TV shows I have seen I wouldn't recommend for families not because there's violence, sex or disturbing images, but just because it entails complicated subjects and themes that a lot of younger kids just wouldn't understand or feel bored by it. (Vivy, Interstellar just off the top of my head) Also have to post the quote: “Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” -CS Lewis

My favorite "children's story" is Spirited Away. But I'm not entirely sure it can be categorized as such since it comes from Japan, which thankfully doesn't have the annoying American attitude of 'animation = kids', so it might be more of just a movie for everyone (My Neighbor Totoro being an example of a more child-oriented movie). The focus of the story is on the little girl and her struggles to keep her head above water in a completely alien environment, but she is able to survive and even let her own personality and strengths show in how she can care for others in the midst of her own suffering. And it's all to save her family from the repercussions of their own indulgences. Talk about an amazing lesson for everyone, let alone suggestible children who are absorbing everything they see, hear and encounter. On the other hand, Miyazaki himself has said that part of the story is an analogy about children caught in captivity (kind of like what "The Sound of Freedom" is about). Probably not exactly kid-friendly stuff, and it wouldn't be obvious to children, yet the same themes, the same lessons about personal strengths and enduring hardships still apply. Universal lessons and truths make for the best stories. It makes me think of the scene in Apocalypto when the main character's village is gathered around the fire listening to the elder tell stories, while they're all captivated by it - both adults and the children. Powerful stuff and one of the foundations of culture and society.

If you haven't, I'd highly suggest the Expanse. It's my go-to example for good "adult" content, because you could show it to a 13 year old and nothing in it would shock them. There are a handful of scenes where we see characters either about to have sex, after having sex, laying in bed together, etc. but it's never drawn out "HEY DID YA KNOW SEX EXISTS?!" things. There is some swearing but, well, that's how real conversation is, sometimes people swear. There are tense race relations, but it's not some allegory for #modern-day or whatever else it's just completely naturally social, societal, regional and even biological differences between very distinct groups of people. The part of it that I'd argue makes it feel most "adult" is just how cerebral it is for lack of a better term. It's a show that you will end up thinking about, and can rewatch several times over still catching things you missed the first time. It's hard-sci-fi (for the most part) so there are lots of little quirks about how things work that you just wouldn't find in other shows. For instance early, EARLY in the show we see a character living on an asteroid turned space-station pouring a drink, but the drink flows to the side while he pours it. Even after rewatching it a few times I never quite got why, until I realized that since the artificial gravity is centrifugal and the entire station is spinning, as you pour something it would look to you like it's arc-ing, when in reality it's going straight and YOU'RE the one arc-ing. My rule set is, if you can accurately describe something as "adult" like it's a genre, it's made for edgy 12-15 year olds who want to feel old. On the other hand, if a 13 year old could sit on the couch while their parents are watching it and just think it's casual background noise, chances are it's actually made for adults. A 13 year old probably won't be shocked that sex exists, they probably aren't going to be shocked that people swear, and they aren't likely to care much about an actor pretending to do fake drugs on screen or, shocker, drink alchohol.

The Land Before Time. Kids cartoon. For kids. Talking animals. Also perhaps the most wonderful exploration of the nature of grief, hope, friendship and overcoming fear that could possibly exist in fiction. I mean seriously Sharptooth is the most terrifying villain ever and the death of Littlefoot's mother is frankly....... Bambi's mother level of heartbreaking. As is the joy of seeing them meet up again at the end. Frankly nothing (for e.g.) the MCU could do will ever match that single movie.

completely agree, especially after just finishing Nancy Drew's The Sign of the Twisted Candles. While I mainly read Victorian & Russian lit there's something enjoyable about Nancy. Also as an aspiring writer of detective fiction I write leaving things up to the imagination. It's adult in the fact that there's death, murder, drinking, smoking, but there's no sex, no over the top violence. It's pulp in the style of the old film noir.

Honestly, I find it sad that all people think belong in an adult story is blood, gore, sex, drugs, swearing and causing so many disturbing moments that can turn a lesser man's stomach. It's INHERENTLY juvenile and pretty much misses what these things can really do: bring out a truly mature story that hits hetty themes mature people can only pick up on. My personal pick for this is a manga called Berserk, which has pretty much everything a bad adult program from the West has, but plays them properly to REALLY get the Nietzschean themes and philosophy of overcoming darkness and tragedy to reach true happiness. And yeah, it was Game of Thrones before A Song of Ice and Fire ever hit shelves. Every death displays a permanent end, a Brutal death is used in either retribution or to show how EVIL some creature is. Sex is used in different ways: to assert power or control like with Donovan or Wyald (don't worry, they get exactly what they deserve), display a bonding of true romance and comfort like between Guts and Casca, or even used as a means to a greater end like with Griffith. The Gore and R@p3 are meant to show cruelty and evil. Scars are not only body decoration: they tell a story of the person, a memory made manifest as to what the character has experienced. I could go on, but I'd spoil a lot of it. There's religious symbolism, political references to historical accounts; philosophical ponderings on cruelty, the nature of good and evil, the nature of Man, and our underlying darkness, the hope of faith and blindness of fanaticism, Fate and Destiny, and the strength of the human will. Granted, it is a hard story to get through if you don't like things like brutal fight scenes, heavy subject matter, Cosmic Horror, Dark Fantasy, extremely depressing moments or slow storytelling. However, I proffer this: when things get the hardest to read is when the most rewarding parts of the story arrive and simply quitting can and will spoil a good thing. Basically, tough it out and you'll get something good. Added bonus: you can piss off Twitter while reading the best manga ever written and getting a fun and gritty story about a man overcoming great evils, both without and within, to truly reach peace. I highly recommend it because the author and those who have taken up his place truly care for giving a great story by taking the things adult stories use as selling points in a vain attempt to seem "Mature" and use them as vehicles to achieve a truly mature story.

I fully agree with you on the stoner gripe. When I was a teen I loved stoner movies but I was also an idiot (even more so than I am today) now that I'm older it's just annoying to watch. Kinda in the same sense of being the sober person at the Xmas party. Also the excessive sex is just cringe, I haven't seen Oppenheimer but majority of what I'm hearing is all about a 15 minute sexing with Florence Pugh. I sure hope the scene drives the movie a bit.

Velma is probably the epitome of pumping your media full of shock value, trying so hard to be "adult," and yet results in being so immature because they didn't have any deep characters or story due to all their efforts being focused on seeming "adult."

One children's cartoon I'd like to bring up is Static Shock. It's a weekly cartoon that is very clearly for children, and its animation is just so old now, but some episodes were covering serious things. School shootings, homelessness, etc.

I noticed this with comedians awhile back. So many of them will jump to cussing, sex, and toilet humor because the only way they can keep an audience is to shock them.

Having been a Saw fan, I enjoyed the level of inventiveness and the BTS sections on the physical media were normally fun to watch. A couple of people walking around a store looking at things and thinking about ways to "utilize them" in the story sometimes ironically. I watched that franchise in a similar way to Final Destination, here let's find neat ways to off people. Actually, having just typed that last sentence fragment it matches up quite well with those other "adult" movies. As for a great "kids" movie, I have to go with the one that lead me to your channel, "Puss in Boots The Last Wish".

I've recently started following your channel and I must say, I love it here. Here's a series "for children" that I think has the most nuanced takes of "adult" events: Attack on Titan. It's an animated series (anime) from Japan that starts off as a typical young adult action/adventure about teens fighting Titans (gigantic man-eating humanoids). But some time through the story, you realize the genre has shifted. It's no more a young-adult story, but a complex psychological thriller about the cycle of violence, tackles concepts like racism, prejudice and fear of the unknown. If you can get over the language barrier and watch it with subtitles or in dubbed, I guarantee you would love it. And again, thanks for making these videos. I love your style and the creative substance, keep up the good work!

Spartacus had a scene that Haunts me of slaves being forced to do it. The lack of drama and the dead eyes of the girl makes powerful as opposed to a violent incident. As for action John Wick is a ballet of violence accented by the story. A sex scene conducive to the plot and almost necessary was Terminator. John Connor has to be conceived.

The funny part about the thumbnail is the girl is clearly still wearing a swimsuit under the black bars. Nice trick there Greg 😂

I loved how smart and thought through Adventure Time is.

You need to get out of my head! I have been saying this for literally a decades. It began when I discovered some of my favorite comic writers had made some indie comics, only to discover that the first thing many of them did when freed from the constraints of the mainstream was to flaunt their ability to put boobs, drugs, f-bombs, and excessive violence in the comic in the place of where they would usually have put a story. Then I decided that as an adult I should read some novels outside of the YA genre, but discovered the same thing in the first few books I attempted. I have since found better adult examples in both mediums, but now I notice that juvenile definition of mature everywhere-books, movies, video games, tv shows, music, etc

One movie that seems like it would succumb to these same pitfalls, but doesn't, is Dredd (2012). Very underrated action movie filled with violence, drugs, and brief nudity. However, the way that film uses these devices is very clever. It's essentially a raid movie, with 2 officers tasked with busting a drug operation in a dystopian future. There's tons of gore, but it's made explicitly clear that this world they inhabit is filled with crime and corruption, and the apartment building they're infiltrating is populated by innocent tenants being suppressed by said violence. The drugs are a fictional substance that has a slow-mo effect and is used for a very satisfying climax. And the nudity shown is utilized by the co-lead psychic to manipulate a villain shown to have a sexual desire for her. It's a movie that doesn't waste a single one of the things that give it that R Rating, and I highly recommend giving it a watch. (Plus Karl Urban from the Boys plays the titular Judge Dredd).

This is why I don't read fantasy anymore. Because after Harry Potter, every fantasy story has to tell you it's not for kids by mentioning sex in the first two pages and I just roll my eyes. Like, I get why. It's just so cringe I can't take it seriously.

My pitch for my YA review series on a now defunct website was “Did you know the majority of people who read YA are adults?” My editor was intrigued and I was signed on. I think shows like “Velma” (whoever came up with that idea should be smacked with the Baguette of Bludgeoning) are embarrassed at the fact they’re a cartoon and are trying to act cool and edgy as a way to hide their insecurity at the medium. Say what you will about the original Scooby Doo series but it explored profound themes like friendship, courage, ingenuity, creativity, greed, corruption, justice…it just did it in the form of a cartoon on a shoestring budget.

I love this. I am not a husband or father yet, but I still have a great appreciation for animation and films/TV aimed towards kids. Some of your review videos on movies I liked were how I found the channel and now you are one of only 2-3 movie channels I have notifications for. I've had a lot of the same thoughts you shared in this video, I've just never coalesced them and shared them in such a thoughtful and well-discussed way. Keep up the fantastic work!

I admittedly used to read raunchy romance novels that are entertaining at best.

This is a phenomenon with video games too. For some reason, even adult gamers often think that a game is not mature for having well-thought out mechanics and excellent game design, but for appealing to the sensibilities of edgy 13-year-olds. Who need blood, violence, badass characters and dark skies in the background. It's odd. You'd think that past a certain age, gamers would you just appreciate a game for what it is.

I came for the film reviews but stayed for the philosophical musings.

Surfs up is a great movie that talks about how bad fame can be and how you should know the reason why it is that you love something before you actually get into or do it.

I found Over the Moon to be really impactful. It's a girl's quest to find the goddess of the Moon to ask her to bring back her dead mother. It deals with grief, anger at a parent finding love again, and finding your place in a new family. I highly recommend it

Thank you so much for putting into clear and concise words what many of us are feeling but haven't been able to articulate.

I really enjoy watching Power Rangers and Super Sentai (Japanese Power Rangers, which all of our western versions are adapted from). I love the campy, insane, unapologetic FUN they're overflowing with, but I also like the strong themes of family and friendship that every series is inherently intertwined with. I started comparing it to "adult" shows like Game of Thrones. Why is it that murder and rape and horrors upon horrors with no hope for anyone whatsoever are considered "adult", but a show that tells you to look out for your friends, to always try to do the right thing even when it's difficult, even to try and care for your enemies whenever possible, is considered childish? I've said many times IRL that most people never get past their "grade school" mentality, where kids are far more concerned about how they and their likes/dislikes will appear to others, sacrificing what they love and pretending to love something they hate just to fit in. Then, once those kids grow up, those learned habits have become such an integral part of their very being that they actually BELIEVE that they love or hate certain things, because they've only trained themselves to go along with the consensus, but never to question it. You could write entire academic papers on how our entire world is based on this one single foundation; everything is based on fitting in. So people watch "mature" programming, not because they actually think it IS mature, but because of how watching said programming allows them to have their "hot takes" and fit in with everyone else watching the same show. It's learned behavior that has nothing at all to do with any deeper thought, because there IS no deeper thought. And then those shows paint pictures of bleak, hopeless worlds, and then those people consume nothing but hopelessness, speak nothing but hopelessness, and then wonder why the world seems so hopeless, because a world without hope isn't simply all they understand, it's all they're willing to ALLOW TO EXIST. So I'm very glad that Power Rangers/Super Sentai is not mainstream like the MCU or Game of Thrones or anything else, because people would just suck all the joy out of it and deconstruct it just like they do with everything else. Then once all that was left was an empty husk, they'd move on to the next thing to consume, leaving the original fans behind to pick up whatever pieces were left of what they once loved.

Your videos are phenomenal. It is criminal that you don’t have more views and subscribers. Really appreciate your content more than a lot of other major channels.

Seriously, guys, I have been using this desk since before I was making videos. It really is great! Check out Flexispot here: US site: amzn.to/44SIKB5

I’ve heard the whole “I gave up childish things” slogan my whole life and I have come to the conclusion that to many people growing up means losing your personality?!?! If you’re mature then that means you are serious and stoic . I don’t buy that .

Hey Arnold. A kids show but deals with some very adult themes. As a kid most of it flew over my head but as a adult i rewatched it and was surprised how it tackles some things. One episode that stood out to me the most is pigeon man.

This is hands down my favorite video from you. It’s hilarious, and it articulates a lot of my thoughts better than I ever could! And whenever someone mentions A Scanner Darkly always makes me happy. I love that movie (still need to read the book)

I was able to go to the bookstore for the first time in a long time a couple days ago, and when I did I immediately went to the intermediate readers and young adult section. Mom: "Why did you go to this section?" Me: "So I can find a nice meaty book without being blindsided by sex and other garbage." Nine times out of ten when I try reading a book marketed for adults it's got the stuff you listed that I don't care about in the slightest--I don't care about sex, and I don't really want to read about the drudgery of life. Gimme books like Guardians of Ga'Hoole or the Books of the Raksura or even the ones I'm reading right now, the Chaos Knight trilogy, where I can get into an entirely different world and care about these characters without being hit by "and then suddenly NSFW" stuff. X\

As an adult, yes, adult stories are dumb and painfully boring!

this is extra relevant with horror. I've always thought kids horror so much smarter and more entertaining that adult horror stories. kids horror can't just chop off heads and limbs. kids horror has to be smarter and more story and suspense.

Justice League Unlimited and the Cadmus arc. You knew Cadmus were the bad guys, but it was a struggle to come up with a good reason why. Wallers speech about a laser pointed down, shutting Batman up was so good and it really made you think.

Thank you for making this! You systematically described so many of the problems I have with modern stories. I doubt you 'll see this but if so, thanks!

It's always fun when someone articulates thoughts you've never said out loud yourself. You pretty much nail my feelings on sex scenes exactly. Sex scenes are almost always narrative brake slamming. A lot of filmmakers could learn a thing or two from RocknRolla's sex scene. It lasts 2 seconds. "Just like you," my wife says, but I don't know what she's talking about. The Wise Man's Fear detour into magic fairy sex was doubly frustrating for me because the section before that was the first time I was truly engaged in Kvothe's story in either book. It felt like the plot was finally kicking in. The rest of the book lost me completely. I have sympathy for Rothfuss fans, but I'm not losing any sleep if the series remains unfinished.

SpongeBob has legitimately good comedy writing.

Avatar the Last Airbender is one of the greatest shows because not only is it fun, well-crafted, with rich character journeys, but because it's a kid's show, just about all ages can watch it, including how people who grew up on it can watch it with their kids. Something like Batman V Superman is edgy and darker, but because it's not as well written, it comes across as far more juvenile because the characters behave so juvenile.

Laughed aloud at the insertion of Editor Greg. Good comedic timing!

For some reason when you were talking about sex in stories, I was reminded of the 1960s Ausin Powers movies such as Matt Helm and Derek Flint. Wake up have sex have breakfast have sex get the assignment have sex etc. It was all done as a satire of James Bond.

Too much of “adult content” is just the same edgy, crude humor and shock value plot devices over and over. I love a good wholesome story that focuses on just regular (or extraordinary) people and their internal struggles, relationships, and conflicts. Good points as always ☀️

I took a writing workshop with one of the writers from Dawson’s Creek around 2008. Dude had worked in tv for decades and knew some stuff. One girl casually mentioned Zoey 101. Some snickered but I backed her up and said that show is really funny. Then this man in his early fifties said, “It is really funny. I think Nickelodeon is putting out some of the best comedy right now because they actually have to be clever, they can’t just go for the crude shock humor.”

There's a related concept to exaggerated juvenility that I like to refer to as (because I name my own fictional theorems until I hear something better that says the same thing) "Rated R for Deadpool", a theory that also explains where these things keep coming from. Essentially, the problem is that filmmakers know that adult-rated content cannot categorically be marketed to kids, and will likely have a young audience comprised solely of those few who could somehow dupe the guy at the ticket counter. Once you cross the threshold of "mature" content, there is no going back from this. As such, this "mature" content often results in "in for a penny, in for a pound" style thinking. After all, if you can't make your money back on the young, your only available target demographics left are the various flavors of hedonists who confused "grow up" with "get taller". Sure you've got swearing and violence... but what about drugs for the stoner market? What about nudity for the horndogs? What about excessive gore for the slasher fans? Sex on screen! Make it a glorified p0rno! And don't forget to sprinkle the entire script with F-bombs until it goes from comically excessive to troublingly Freudian. Suddenly your gritty crime drama wherein one character drops a racial slur because it served the plot, setting and / or characters turns into Weekend at Slaaneesh's. The reason these "mature" works come off as grotesque juvenile abominations whose sole aspiration is to be human vice's answer to a completed pokedex is because that's what they were designed to be. There _are_ no successful pieces of media who use mature content with restraint and for a purpose. Not anymore. The very understandable societal decision to artificially fence mature content from children (usually... Cuties) literally created a market incentive to wallow in excess. Deadpool, already a famous and wildly child-inappropriate antihero with a built-in audience essentially tested the waters for this theory, and apparently it's viable... for now. Hollywood executives betting their entire fortunes on creating a Deadpool-like extravaganza of debauchery (even DC Comics retconned Harley Quinn into a Deadpool of their own) would do well to remember that (1) Marvel was in vogue at the time, and (2) Ryan Reynolds is _hella_ charismatic, even when playing an intentionally annoying ass-clown.

"Seriously guys, rub one out before you start writing" so good... thank you

I generally don't like most of what you have said either, but one thing I must admit is that I like when violence is shown to set the tone of a setting, like the Northman was a good example of this, you may have gotten away with thinking it was just going to have the heroic main character striking villains with his sword and axe, and you see a splash of blood but nothing else, but no, instead we get an insight into both how brutal the world is, and how brutal he has to be in response, literally tearing someone's throat out with his teeth after he's already knocked him to the floor, not just to save himself, but because he is religiously embodying a wolf, he's in a wolf mindset, he's "a beast in manflesh" as they say later in the movie.

I’d recommend the Redwall series as well

Aww snap, you got the sponsor plugs now, moving on up! Lol It sucks you gotta do it, but I'm glad to see your channel growing, and getting free stuff out of it I'm sure is always nice. Just recently a friend said they refuse to watch anything animated because they feel "watching cartoons" is childish. I'm just gonna show him this video because you make the argument in a way I never could. I'd go so far as to say it's rare I'm able to really enjoy "adult" content the same way. It almost feels like there's been a switch; adults and their content are more childish than ever, children seem to be more self-aware than we were when I was growing up. Is it just me growing up or do you think this a more ubiquitous recent phenomenon?

I think your points apply to real life as well. People with active sex lives and those who engage in drug use are often dull, shallow and miserable.

Drug trips scare me, and I'm 32 and on meds

THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT WISE MAN’S FEAR!!!

I'm 30. I refuse to watch any movie or show with sex scenes of any sort. I haven't picked up a romance novel since before I got married seven years ago. It's not honoring to my husband, my own body, or God to have sexual immorality of ANY kind before my eyes. I'll stick with How to Train Your Dragon, Hotel Transylvania, and other FAMILY FRIENDLY entertainment.

I read all the Narnia books. Dislike most of it, but really enjoy the allegories and some of the concepts. What i found interesting is that i liked the most the books that didn't make into movies. The horse and his boy and The Silver Chair were pretty cool. The Silver Chair had a lot of Bible things, which kinda became a theme, even though i'm not catholic it was entertaining. The final book also has a few references, like the false god (or is it the false prophet?!) and the book of revelation (if i'm not mistaken) which announces the end

Bro The Name of the Wind is my fav book of ALLTIME!...i won't forgive Rothfuss for the second book, wtf was he thinking.

I'd say a kids' story that's very grown up with its themes is Puss in Boots 2 while a series that's pretty juvenile in its attempts to be grown up would probably be Helluva Boss.

On the topic of violence and horror, movies that I absolutely love like John Carpenter's "The Thing" show grotesque, twisted monsters that David Cronenberg would approve of completely in the light, but the paranoia and knowing who can and can't be trusted are front and center (at least in my opinion). Despite what it's known for (and was blasted for on release), it's surprisingly restrained in the violence department and focuses on creating a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere where Kurt Russell's beard is the only thing you can trust. There are scenes in that movie that don't involve the blood and guts shown that *still* chill me to the bone, and I've seen that movie dozens of times.

Really enjoying the witty insights and the analysis. Greg Owens is exactly the type of person I would invite to game night with friends and/or family.

I loved the name of the wind and was so pissed the series just stalled out. Had such amazing potential

A footnote on sex scenes: I'd argue there's the same problem with action scenes. Action and sex scenes alike can develop characters in a way other scenes can't. Their potential for character development lies in showing what changes the character undergoes in an emotionally tense situation. Very few writers actually *use* that potential, but it's there nonetheless.

"But really it was just perverse." THANK YOU!! That's the perfect word but it was evading me.

Re watches Phineas Ferb just for this Video! Hehehehe

Thank you for this discussion. When it comes to movies and stories the point of elements in them is to progress the story. I found myself in these same traps when thinking about a story. One of the things I keep asking myself when it comes to progressing a story is how would including a particular element help in the story? What is its purpose? For a romantic story the actual act of sex doesn't need to be dragged out if the overall plot is of greater importance. The same is true with violence and drugs as you mentioned. If I decide to include one or more of these elements, I mean for them to be of importance down the road in the overall story telling. Often in anime and manga you see some of these guilty pleasures added, however, most creatives acknowledge that it was added for just that purpose as a fan service and that they are not important to the overall story.

That's so interesting you brought up Patrick Rothfus' books, as I was just listening to his guest appearance on critical role. Even they made fun of him for his absentee book and that was years ago now.

The lego movie. My favorite movie of all time 😢 wish it gotten a better sequel in my opinion

In A Wise Man's Fear, I'm not gonna lie, I found the fey wild part hilarious because it was so ridiculous. But I agree, after that I was like "yes, I get it..."

The clone wars animated series is an example of a kid's show with deeper meaning. The only thing about it that really sets it as a kids show is the dialog. It is very much at an elementary level. It also sad when comparing it to the disjointed and self contradicting writing in Star Wars now. World building was much better when Lucas was involved making kids cartoons.

its performative u see a bit of that in twitter posts where it combines baby language and curse words, a infanticizing of adults cause they don't want to grow up kid stories should be design to make a kid smarter, so they add morals into the plot, they give deeper thoughts, when they don't u get modern kid shows, that same infanicizing of the characters to dumb them down than trusting kids to be smarter or handle deeper subjects, especially in the west

I enjoyed the series Experience Force by Craig Allanson and in over 200 hours of stories on audible sex is mentioned several times but it cuts away before and picks up after every time and it is never gratuidous.

As an adult it's definitely Alcohol < Coffee < Water