I already know that!! But what did Jim said in the English version of this CL episode?

let me go check i will go see if i still have that ep on dvr
nope sorry i am sure they will show it soon the new ep isnt gonna be shown for a while i heard well read off tv.com i wish they left it at tvtome that place looked cooler

YEAH! DVR ROCKS!

Jim says something to the degree of, "A dog as a mascot?" That's rather cool how they re-translate the lines around. I'm glad you got to catch a season 2 episode for real!

Thanks for clearing my doubt, Mew. The thing is when I begin to see a CL episode at Jetix. the intro is in English... but now I wonder if the translation comes from the French version, since Jim in english just said "A dog as a mascot?" and in the spanish version he said "¿Un maldito perro como mascota?". Can't wait to see "A Great Day" tomorrow... and now I find useful not having classes on Wednesday and Thursday as well.

^_^ You're welcome! I'm not quite sure what Jim's line is in the French version. I wonder if LyokoCode has quotes yet for season 2... But that's great that you can now see them! Have "A Great Day" tomorrow!

I haven't checked LyokoCode in a while.

*notices last thing she said* Lol, sure I will!!

I giggle when I see MY85 excited over a CL episode. C:

So this one time, in a magical world without Internet, I was sitting and writing Ego (seriously, I wrote about five pages!) when I realized I was out of inspiration. Not wanting to force it, I decided to pick up on my other belated CL writing project and watch Exploration. (Being a sane human being, I of course brought all 16 of my CL CDs with me.) So, here it is, in all its glory! I haven’t seen this one in a while, nor do I remember what precisely it’s about, so be patient here.

This theme song is very blue! And that thar tower is very red!

Apparently, that title screen cost Yumi 90 life points! That’s a fancy way of saying that we’ve opened in the middle of a battle. How counter-forumulaic.

Wait, why are all the boys outside and the girls in Lyoko? Ulrich and Odd better have worked their little kiesters off and gotten devirtualized very painfully. And shut up, Ulrich, you know you love this job.

“You missed an episode, Ulrich!” Thanks, Odd, for recapping the plot for those of us who DID miss an episode – which is none of us. And thanks, Jeremie, for helping. And thanks, both of you, for discussing Aelita’s fragile mortality right in front of her! That’s just a little callous…

GREAT IDEA, AELITA. I’m trying hard to remember that this was OMG MONUMENTAL at the time.

So Jeremie came up with the name “Schyphozoa”, eh? Remember when every CL fan spelled that thing a different way? In memory of that lovely time in the fandom, I’m going to spell Skipazoa differently every time I say it during this recap.

Smart Aelita is smart. (You might want to say hi to your dad while you’re in there…)

And Aelita gets bonus points for directly flouting her damsel-in-distress role by jumping right into danger! Yay!

“With bodyguards like us, she has nothing to worry about!” You said it, didn’t you, Odd? That she has a great pair of bodyguards? C: I’d like to take this time to point out that this episode is fairly badly animated, and I’m pretty sure it’s not just my crappy copy. There’s a lot less movement overall…but I guess to make budget some episodes had to suffer. (I can’t imagine what Cold War cost, what with all the animated snow and the repainted backgrounds and all…)

ANOTHER TITLE DROP.

Would Yumi be the type to say “omigosh”? (Speaking of, I think I just remembered the plot of this episode!)

Odd? You didn’t miss anything. Spaghetti is awful. (But meatballs are good!)

Sneaking…sneaking…sneaking…as the hip young kids want to say it, EPIC FAIL. Look at her parents, already pre-painted on the stairs! So far in this episode, Yumi’s the only one we’ve seen walk more than a foot onscreen.

Is it just me or did the Ishiyamas’ marital problems disappear? I guess daughter problems are a little more interesting. (I don’t see a fourth chair. I guess since Hiroki isn’t going to be out of the imagination bin for another ten minutes…he’s lost his gaming buddy. He must be lonely.)

You disappoint me, Asian parents. Clearly if your daughter’s been out late once, she’s already pregnant. Get with the discipline already!

Aww, Yumi sleeps with her stuffed cat! I am heavily disappoint that the stuffed cat replaced Totoro. Takeo and Akiko have a very Japanese bedroom. I like Japanese-style beds: they’re…aesthetically pleasing. C: Takeo name drop! Akiko, take your apron off! You’re not in the kitchen anymore.

Ah, now after an anticlimactic scene change to the next day, it’s clear that the Asian parents are finally doing their job right! Go, Takeo and Akiko! Prevent your daughter from getting pregnant! Akiko, dear, “understand” and “protect” are two words teenagers never, never, never want to hear. Especially Lyoko Warriors. It’s just not a good idea with them.

Why are Sonya and Tania talking to Sissi? I thought Sissi was unpopular. Maybe this is the episode where she’s popular. Oh well, anyone’s popular as a gossip. (This episode is awkward, and to distract from that I’ll draw attention to the fact that I really like Tania’s hair, and Sonya has the shortest of all the crop tops in the show.)

Odd, sarcasm is not wanted. “Dork.” Things get a little better plot-wise as the exploration gets played with. Ms. Hertz still teaches every science on earth.

“Fish are remarkably well-adapted to water. What’s more, they can swim.” Wait, what is this brilliant line doing in such an awkward episode? Thumbs-up, whoever ended up writing this! (I usually ignore the writers…maybe if we kept track of who wrote what episode we could pick out some patterns! Oh, now I’ve looked – twas written by Françoise Charpiat. Whoever he is.)

Yumi continues the fine tradition of ordering coffee and throwing it away.

Virtualization! Wait, I just realized, Aelita wasn’t in that scene! Where was she?

Forest. Wait, why didn’t Jeremie just plop ‘em on the other end of the sector to begin with?

I find myself laughing at how frightened Aelita is on the Overboard…considering in ten episodes she’ll be riding it like a pro. Also, Odd must be so happy. Though I guess Jeremie figured this position was better than others.

“Tell them I’m thinking about them.” That sentences takes on a whole new world of meaning considering Yumi’s naked. Wow. I mean, there was a towel drop and everything. (Françoise knows what people watch this show for!)

Sector 5 trip, complete with creepy music! I love this music they use here, and the Sector 5 journey.

FIFTH DESSERT? Odd, not only do I have no sympathy for you, I’m going to kill you and dissect you for science. Then I’m going to discover why you’re so skinny, market it and get rich.

Aelita? Why are you acting like a computer bot in this episode? I thought you were developing PAST that, dear! X(

COUNTDOWN NAIL BITER MINUTES! I knew I liked Sector 5 for a reason – it’s not formulaic, like the rest.

“You’ve got two Creepers on your tail!” One of them is named Carth!

Uh oh, I think I saw some clipping with Ulrich’s tunic and his leg! For shame! Now they’re running…and running…and if you want any more description you better watch the episode.

“Everything looks the same in this place!” But Odd, that’s what makes it cool! Dumb cartoons made/taking place before the Apple takeover…ooh, looks like Aelita found the creeper tunnel! That was a pretty effective attack…

“They’re powerful and really ugly, too!” Awww, I think they’re cute! Their mouths remind me of really deadly Muppets.

That was a pretty long two minutes, Jeremie. Also, this is neat to find out – Ulrich’s sword can damage Lyoko’s terrain! (Now one of my fic ideas works…even if it was only if playing tic-tac-toe on Lyoko was possible)

Uh oh, Jeremie’s turtleneck disappeared again.

Awkward close-up of your face there, Ulrich! Oh, and the countdown ran out. Whoops. Wait, and Aelita’s now alone…

…

Right, THIS was the episode where they were devirtualized from Sector 5 and didn’t come back! Oooops. (So that makes three (four?) Lyoko Warriors who have spent any amount of time as miscellaneous code!) Don’t worry, Jeremie, you’ll be able to accomplish this by the end of the episode! They can’t just kill off a main character for longer than an episode, can they? …I mean, besides William?

Back at the Ishiyamas, we say a big hello to HIROKI ISHIYAMA, fresh out of the imagination bin and still playing video games! First, his outfit’s butt-ugly. Second, sometimes I wonder where his imagination-bin gaming buddy, William, goes when he’s not in an episode. Isn’t he Yumi’s stalker? Were there certain writers that just didn’t like him? Also, Takeo and Yumi are playing Go. Why is that game called “Othello” in the States? It’s Go. GO.

Looks like Hiroki is not old enough to know the meaning of sarcasm! (He’s nine here, if he’s ten in Season 3) And is it just me, or is his voice nasallier here than it gets?

SOMEONE wanted to show off their knowledge of Go rules! Haha! (Answer your phone, Yumi.) Ah, Yumi, welcome to the world of whispered phone calls. This episode has its moments. But it’s still awkward.

SKYPERZOA! OH NOOO

Yumi, that old trick never works. Never, ever, ever works. Moms can ALWAYS tell when you’ve turned into a stuffed cat. Also, I think Yumi should get that cherry tree chopped down before William gets it in his head to climb it.

Insert Lyoko drama here.

Woah, now we’ve got the whole SCHOOL involved! I remember this whole scenario of running around…now all they need is a talking dog.

Back to Lyoko. KANKALATS. Yumi, don’t backflip into everything.

Sissi, what are you doing on the boys’ floor, fully dressed, in the middle of the night? GREAT UNANSWERED QUESTIONS OF CL. Oh, wait, here’s a dog! This scene is an unfortunate return to the awkward. Aww.

So, four adults over the age of forty are up following a dog around? Wait, who’s home with Hiroki?

Lyoko. ‘Go, Yumi! Save Aelita from the Schyphozoan!

The groaning’s begun already…
“This reminds me of when I used to work in the sewers.”
It’s growing louder…
“You used to work in the sewers, Jim?”
Louder still…
“Uh, I’d rather not talk about it.”
THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE!

Skimpandjoa time! And…epic insane lazers time? XANA.

LOL JIM HAS FUZZY BEAR SLIPPERS. Hey, stop calling Kiwi flea-bitten! Odd keeps him nice and clean. I would suppose.

SKIPPY STEALIN’ MA MEMRY! Wait, so the zone reconfigures whether or not the mechanism is hit? Or only when the mechanism is hit can the outside be accessed?

IT’S A LIFT! A COOL ONE! I love the Sector 5 lift like you have no idea.

And here we are outside! START PRESSING BUTTONS, AELITA.

So, Aelita, you mean to say that you’ve been playing on XANA’s lawn this entire time? “There are some weird things hanging around this place…” I wouldn’t compare Sector 5 so much to a happy home as to a crackhouse. HI MANTAS!

“What would a nice girl like Yumi be doing here?” What nice girls do when you’re not looking. Duuuuh.

BATTLE. So, Jeremie, you can open tunnels out of Sector 5 but you can’t do any virtualization in- uh oh. Hey, that tower looks white. Hi, Dad! Ah, the days when Aelita needed a tower to be virtualized.

NEW CODE! Nail biter minute…cute hand hold…AND HERE THEY ARE! WOOOO!

“Say something!”
“…something.”
Yep, they’re back to normal and the episode’s almost over. But wait, I hear some no-no music!

Jeremie takes no crap from the no-no music, clearly. CONTINUITY! We love it so.

Returndodapast.

And now to fix some things IRL. Wait, she actively TELLS them she’s been seeing a boy late at night and they all but go “awww?” Also, I notice that not only did Yumi not get any cute moments with Ulrich in this episode, she didn’t give the name…I still stand by my theory that she had a bit of a honeymoon phase with William’s attention that ended right around A Bad Turn. Still, it’s cute. Awww.

PROS:
- Loads of cool new info! Sector 5, Mantas, Schyphozoas, virtualization, et cet
- Cool moments interspersed
- HIROKI
- You used to write a fanfic called Five, Carth?
- Uh, I’d rather not talk about it.

CONS:
- Awkward

Well, kind of lackluster and low-budget but still satisfying. Not as wow-worthy as the first two, though. Oh well, that was to be expected.