PhantomStrider (2014– )
6/10
A bit of a mixed bag, but he has his moments
5 January 2019
Phantomstrider is a bit of a unique reviewer. He mostly focuses on reviewing animation, especially kids shows (but occasionally adult cartoons as well). For the most part he has a nice, gentle voice which makes him fairly easy to listen to, and even with his Worst lists he tries to not be completely negative, and always ends on a positive final note. I don't know many reviewers who try to end on an upbeat note even in their negative reviews, so that's pretty interesting. Mostly he uses solid topic ideas, like the best/worst cartoons from that network or he focuses on cartoons from a certain country, such as Mexico or India. I also like how he takes mental health seriously and has a hotline for those who need support. That's really sweet.

His humor can be very corny at times, but it's not to the point where it's too distracting.

Now, even though he generally seems like a nice person, I do have a few issues with his style of critiquing.

First of all, while he does have a gentle voice for the most part, he sometimes gets angry and can sound a bit annoying. He often says "Yeargh" or "Jebus" and overemphasizes words, which gets old after a while. He also recycles shows as a dumping ground a lot, for example you'll see him referring to Teen Titans Go! or Family Guy negatively, even though the video has nothing to do with those shows. It just makes you go "Okay, I get it already, you don't like those shows". And finally, there seems to be a weird inconsistency where in some cases he'll praise a cartoon for being really dark and edgy, but in other instances he'll bash a cartoon for the same thing. Family Guy is too edgy, but Drawn Together is okay? That show goes even more out of its way to push the envelope than Family Guy does. And while for the most part his list ideas are good, there are a few which are a little too similar to ones he's done before.

Overall, Phantomstrider is just okay. He's far from one of my favorite reviewers, but he's fairly inoffensive. If you need a timewaster, you certainly can do a lot worse (*cough*WatchMojo*cough*).
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