Odyssey Changes...For Better or for Worse?

Hidden in all this dust lies the hypothesis of many AIO fans. What do you feel is sure to happen, and what should stay buried? Chris says keep listening, we say speculate.
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Odyssey Changes...For Better or for Worse?

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Recently (since album 51 came out) I've been hearing complaints all over on how Odyssey is changing for the worse.
Though I personally agree with this, I wanted to post a place for people to discuss complaints about Odyssey in recent years.
What do you think the problems with Odyssey are? Do you think they will be fixed with time? Why do you think they are there? How do you think the crew should go about changing the show from now?
Or, if you disagree, why do you think Odyssey is still as great as it has been? What makes it especially special at this point?

Rules for this forum: please DO NOT get into vehement debates upon why you think Odyssey is good or not. No more "Emily is perfect/Emily is a loser" debates, but instead, just post your opinions.
If you disagree with someone's opinion, tell them why you disagree, but in a KIND manner, please!

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ArnoldtheRubberDucky
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Odyssey isn't changing for the worse. It was changing for the worse, a couple years ago with Albums 51 and 52. I remember when both came out: I was pumped for 51; it was the first album I had eagerly awaited for. I was met with too many new characters, characters I didn't understand. 52 was actually little worse than that, as it had essentially no great episodes and about 10 completely mediocre ones. GRC saved the day, but 54 was still a little shaky. The unifying theme there did help, but it was really a little over a year ago with 55 that made me certain the reboot hasn't all been in vain. 56 was almost as good, and 57 looks even better. So, if you had asked me this question 3 years ago, I would say yes, AIO is changing for the worse. But now, it's apparent the effects of the changes are just the opposite.

Good to see you making topics, Woot! I would like to hear your own thoughts on this issue.
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My personal opinion? I agree with you to a certain extent in those areas. In certain places, Odyssey was not near as good as it has been. The story ideas are definitely getting better than they were, and I'm getting excited for album 57.

The part that I like a little less...
I feel like Odyssey is shying away from the depth that it used to have.
For example, one of my favorite episodes is "Wooing Wooten." Part of the reason that I like it is because, it is just plain hilarious. The other reason that I like it is you see that Wooten has conviction, and that through the silliness, he has a deep heart. I feel like he's lost that part of him and is simply silly now.
When I say depth, I mean making the characters seem more human. Wooten seems like a clown, and most of the kids have quirks that make them unrealistic. Not that they are too bad, but often, I don't feel like they are as relatable as they used to be.

Of course, this is all an opinion thing. Seeing that my favorite episodes are ones like "The Time Has Come," I do have a different opinion of entertainment than others do.
Though I do feel that certain characters are a little dry, and SOMETIMES (definitely not always) the humor feels the same.

I think Odyssey has some great ideas and great plans coming up. I think if they give Wooten a little more depth, give Emily a little more depth (we see that in "Square One" and I would love to see more), and go a little deeper, Odyssey will be as good as it always had been or even better.
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Okay... I completely agree with you on Wooton. He's the only part of AIO that hasn't been changing for the better since Album 52. For more on my thoughts on that, look at the "Wooton" topic. But the humor is slowly becoming more accessible for people like me, and I'm starting to warm up to Emily, so I still don't agree with you on everything. As far as the depth and drama, the episode "Life Expectancy" seems to be AIO's answer to anyone questioning it.
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Even then, though, Woot!, Odyssey still had some good episodes in Album 51 and 52, particularly The Jubilee Singers. I will agree that Wooton needs more depth like he used to, but I'm willing to take the time to let him develop again. Emily needs some character development, as well. She does have a good side, and she's quite enjoyable, in episodes like Great Expectations and Emily, the Genius. A major point to remember about Albums 51 & 52 was that the AIO team made them as a point for newer listeners to start listening to the show. Thus, it really was "back to the basics" with the show. And if you're gonna criticize "simple, kidsy episodes", criticize a lot of the classic episodes, too. Contrary to what people think, if they just went back and listened to a bunch of the old episodes, they're a lot more simple than older listeners tend to remember.
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I agree.
My personal theory is that after each hiatus (from "Welcome Home" to "Signed, Sealed, and Committed" and "The Best Small Town" to "Take It from the Top") it takes a little while to just get used to the characters. I am growing on every character, and I'm liking each one more and more and getting less and less annoyed with them.
I agree with you. Odyssey is getting back on track. Additionally, Life Expectancies does seem like it will be deep.
As long as they fix Wooten, the show will be back to normal.

-- Sun Aug 04, 2013 4:35 pm --

And to The Old Judge.
I do love many episodes in the recent albums.
What I'm saying is that in my opinion, Odysseys aren't as good as they used to be.
But my opinion is also that there are some great ones in there, just they are a little more sporadic.
But I think they are also getting less and less sporadic and I'm enjoying them more and more.
I am excited for album 57
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Starflower1234
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Though I did at first think that Odyssey was changing for the worse, I now think that it is getting better. I am enjoying the episodes now, and many of them are very good. My mom pointed out that she enjoyed Sergeant York more than any of the other American history episodes that we've listened to. And I agree that it is an amazing episode. Yes, I still like more older Odyssey episodes than I do newer ones, but I think in time it will be just as good as before. And I can't wait for Album 57.
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I think the kid characters aren't near as cool as they used to be,but for going as long as they have there doing great 8)
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The Old Judge
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@Micky: Each child character in Odyssey 2.0 has as much potential as former AIO characters. We have already seen some development in this generation of characters, particularly in Jay Smouse and Camilla Parker. One reason for this dilemma could be that in the last five years, a large percentage of the child characters have been voiced by adults, who, even though talented actors in their own right, do not possess enough talent to breathe that true child-like quality into their characters that can only come from, well, a child. Famous juveniles of yesteryear were played by their counterparts in age, so much of that child's personality was reflected in his or her character, giving it that true quality that cannot be replicated.
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TOJ: Jay is cool. But the others. Um!
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TigerShadow
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The Old Judge wrote:@Micky: Each child character in Odyssey 2.0 has as much potential as former AIO characters. We have already seen some development in this generation of characters, particularly in Jay Smouse and Camilla Parker.
Agreed. I probably won't be able to connect with these characters quite the same way as I could with the ones with whom I grew up, but that's okay; I don't have to. These characters are still getting some solid development, and I'm enjoying seeing some new dynamics with the newer shows.
The Old Judge wrote:One reason for this dilemma could be that in the last five years, a large percentage of the child characters have been voiced by adults, who, even though talented actors in their own right, do not possess enough talent to breathe that true child-like quality into their characters that can only come from, well, a child. Famous juveniles of yesteryear were played by their counterparts in age, so much of that child's personality was reflected in his or her character, giving it that true quality that cannot be replicated.
TOJ speaks the truth. Usually when an adult was voicing a child or teenager, it was either a unique case in which the adult had a young-sounding voice (such as Katie Leigh's for Connie or Steve Burn's for Rodney) or the actor/actress had started out voicing that character at a younger age and grew older while the character aged more slowly (Aria Curzon, Kendre Berry, and Corey Padnos were all around 18 when they last voiced their respective middle-school characters).

Most of the time, major child characters were voiced by young children, and now around one-third to one-half of them started out as being voiced by adults. Maybe if we looked at the respective ages of actors who started out in earlier shows, we'd find approximately the same ratio, so perhaps I'm not being entirely fair, but I'm not really a big fan overall of the trend where shows that are trying to create genuine child/teenage characters cast actors who are much older.
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Novatom
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I guess booting off the kid characters when they get older is better than getting a new actor, like aio has started doing...
17:39<Novatom>: I'm in another boat. A boat of people who don't know what everyone's talking about. A boat that is sinking.
17:40<Sameriazx>: oh no... here we go again...
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