Maybe discussion videos where you cover the latest Ben 10 news, provide your own opinions on certain topics, etc. You could maybe also try and post podcasts as well where you talk with other members of the Ben 10 Club website, other YouTubers, some of the people working on Ben 10 (if possible), etc.
I don't consider Ben 10: Alien Force to be a good show. To me, it lies somewhere between decent and mediocre. The show just doesn't live up to the quality of the Original Series and the direction that it went doesn't really give the Ben 10 franchise the proper justice and treatment that it deserved. Even by itself, Alien Force has many significant issues with its writing and characters that degraded its overall quality. However, one of the few things about Alien Force that I did like were the Highbreed. I thought that they were pretty good villains with characteristics and their motives for doing what they do to be something that stood out well for them and they do create a good level of tension after seeing what they're capable of doing. I don't think they are at the level of other Ben 10 villains such as Vilgax, Hex, Kevin, etc but they are a nicely well implemented set of foes for the main characters to face...for the most part. There is one issue that I have about the Highbreed that stands out the most about them and I would like to discuss my thoughts on them. This will contain spoilers for Ben 10: Alien Force so if anyone reading this hasn't seen the show and does mind about plot spoilers, you have been warned. It has been a while since I saw Alien Force so if there's anything that I missed, feel free to let me know.
In the show, the Highbreed see themselves as a superior race of species that looks down upon every other species. They believe so much in this ridiculous viewpoint about themselves that the Highbreed try their best to ensure that they maintain their racial purity only for that to backfire on them terribly when they ended up constantly inbreeding with themselves to the point where the current generation of Highbreed were thus plagued with a weakened immune system and became incapable of reproducing new offsprings. Knowing that the Highbreed race is doomed, they decide to go on a massive intergalactic genocidal campaign on every other species in the universe to ensure that nothing surpasses the Highbreed after they become extinct. To resolve this issue, Ben uses the Omnitrix to repair and rewrite the Highbreed DNA structure and problem solved. The Highbreed get to continue on with their lived and they look pass their old ways while the rest of the universe is no longer at risk of being wiped out by the Highbreed. At the very least, this is a very quick summary of what happened in order to add some context to my topic of discussion here.
My issue is how the resolution of the conflict with the Highbreed was played out. The Highbreed basically went full-blown Nazi on the rest of the universe, exterminating any species that were unfortunate enough to be in their path. They kidnapped innocent human beings and enslaved them by turning them into DNAliens. They destroyed Galvan Prime as well as attacking other planets. The Highbreed overall caused so much destruction, death, and suffering and season 2 ends with the Highbreed race being saved and returning home and the rest of the universe continuing on as if nothing happened? Sure, the war is over but considering everything that the Highbreed race did, were they ever held accountable for it? Did they ever make reparations for their action in the show? Did they face any sort of punishment for causing so much death, destruction, and suffering? To me, it felt like the Highbreed had it too easy. That they were let off the hook considering what they did. Stuff like this was pretty much an issue with most, if not all, of the conflicts that Alien Force and Ultimate Alien had. Both shows would build up huge conflicts that the characters had to find a way to resolve and the resolution of these conflicts usually don't pay off in the end. Often times, the writers push for something only to hold back on it at the last moment. The last part of season 1 of Ultimate Alien could've ended with Kevin going back to his old ways and becoming a villain again (like how he was originally supposed to be) but instead, the writers held back on that and Kevin remained allied with Ben and Gwen. Kevin going crazy during that part prominently illustrated the major issues of Kevin being a hero character and being in a relationship with Gwen. In regards to the Highbreed, I felt that the same happened here as well. The writers held back at the last moment and therefore, it felt that the resolution to the war that the Highbreed were responsible for causing didn't really pay off well. In fact, even if the Highbreed did make reparations for what they did, to me, it still felt like they had it too easy. That it wouldn't be enough.
What I think should've happened instead is this. The Highbreed should've lost the war. Ben stops the portal from opening, thus preventing the Highbreed from invading Earth...for now. Earth could still be at risk of invasion by the Highbreed. It would just take longer for the Highbreed to reach Earth. Plus, the Highbreed would still go about invading other planets that are closer to them as well. This could lead to two outcomes. With the invasion of Earth having failed, other planets manage to push back the Highbreed and thus the Highbreed lose the war and face the consequences of their actions. Either that or most likely the universe, including Earth, would still be in danger of the Highbreed. Destroying the jump-gate portal would only temporarily prevented the Highbreed from invading Earth and other planets would still be at risk of being destroyed. Ben decides to do one thing to end the war and that is to follow the original, real purpose of the creation of the Omnitrix. Ben uses the jump-gate portal to go to the Highbreed home world, Augstaka, to communicate with the Highbreed leaders. Either he fights his way to them or the Highbreed leaders let him approach them. Most likely the latter. From there, Ben communicates with the Highbreed leaders and negotiates and eventually convinces them to end the war. The dialogue that would play out during this moment would illustrate character flaws within the Highbreed and likely within Ben as well. That's what I think would be the best approach to take to illustrate the conversation between these characters and how the conversation further develops said characters; especially in regards to Ben. Eventually, the Highbreed leaders would realize and come to understand the flaws that their species has and thus they are not actually not superior over other species, come to an understanding of the very doomed fate that they put themselves in, and praise and credit Ben for being willing and able to persuade them to come to the very understandings that I just mentioned. The Highbreed leaders call the war off and the Highbreed race face the severe consequences that would result in the actions and atrocities that they committed upon the universe. However, Ben doesn't use the Omnitrix to save the Highbreed race. Instead, the Highbreed accept their fate and some time later, the Highbreed species would go extinct while the rest of the universe rebuilds and continues onwards towards the future, learning from the actions that the Highbreed made to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. Meanwhile, that very moment with the Highbreed further develops Ben as a character, helping him to further understand Azmuth's intentions when he created the Omnitrix. Further help Ben come to an understanding that not every situation had to be resolved by fighting but instead some situations could be resolved by communicating and talking with his opposition. That some situations can be resolved in more peaceful ways and that sometimes Ben can't save everyone.
This is how I think the conflict with the Highbreed should've been resolved. The Highbreed properly face the consequences of their actions and instead of being saved, they go extinct while the rest of the universe is saved. As for Ben, he experiences a major moment in his life that further significantly develops him as a character, helping to further improve him and make him a better hero. If anyone has any thoughts and opinions on this, feel free to comment down below.
Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Deviant-art, and the Ben 10 Club. Links are down below.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Gabrielzm122
Deviant-art:
https://tacticalochoa122.deviantart.com
Ben 10 Club:
https://ben10club.org/user/tactical-ochoa
Also, feel free to help support the Ben 10 Club by subscribing to their YouTube channel and watching and liking their videos as well as signing up on the official website itself and going to the "Donate" link on the top of their website home page to donate to them through PayPal to help keep the website up and running. Ben 10 Club merchandise is also available for purchase on Teespring and you could access said merchandise by clicking on the "Merch" link next to the "Donate" link. Feel free to follow the Ben 10 Club on Twitter as well.
Official Website:
https://ben10club.org
YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVuVgrKdnHirU63g1BCN2fA
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ben10club_bg
I'm hearing "brain needle".
Just want to wish you all a good new year. Stay safe out there and have fun. Good luck to you all on your goals for 2019.
If anyone had read my other page about my Zs'Skayr possesses Ben idea, I've finally decided to share my video game idea for Ben 10. This is going to be pretty long because there is a lot that I will discuss here. I will also try to keep this as organized as possible. Designing a video game can be simple depending on the level of imagination and creativity yet complex when it comes to structuring and explaining it. As stated with my previous idea, this video game idea only incorporates elements of the Original Series and maybe the reboot (depending on how the reboot fares when it airs). Not the Ben 10 sequels. If there is anything that I miss or want to add into this idea, I'll post them on this page.
Let's start with the gameplay. My idea for the Ben 10 game will involve it being a 3rd person fighting-style game like every other Ben 10 game. Here is the difference. Past Ben 10 games take on a God of War style and system to the combat. For my Ben 10 video game idea, I would like to have a combat style and system based off of video games that were made by Platinum Games. Examples of this combat style and system would be Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, the Bayonetta series, the unfortunately mediocre Legend of Korra video game, and most recently Transformers: Devastation. Take note that the first two games are Mature rated but the last two games are more kid-friendly. Either way, if anyone knows about any of these games, then you should understand what I mean for the combat style and system that I would like to be implemented into my Ben 10 video game idea. Just imagine having Platinum Games' combat style and system in a Ben 10 game. That would be amazing to play. Alongside this combat style and system, I was also thinking of having elements of a 3rd person shooter as well but that part is only optional at the moment.
Here is another element of gameplay for this idea and that is to make this game open world and I don't just mean be able to explore Bellwood. No, I'm referring to being able to travel between and visit various different planets within the Ben 10 world with large cities and environments to explore on each planet. Each planet will have it's own specific and unique look to it and its environment and weather, being diverse between on another. Snow/ice planets, fire planets, water planets, rock planets, other earth-like planets, etc. Each or most planets will also have dangerous aspects involving their environments and weathers. For example, on a snow/ice planet, there could be a strong, constant, and overall dangerous snow storm that players would have to traverse with limited visibility. As for the cities and other forms of civilizations within each planet, There would be diverse sets of alien species that will travel around the urban areas similar to the crowd system used in Hitman Absolution and the upcoming new Hitman game as well as the Assassin's Creed series. There can be various areas within the urban locations to explore such as marketplaces, shanty towns, stations, suburbs, etc. Kind of like with Undertown in Omniverse but more in a city setting than an undergrounds setting. Overall, just involve a massive open world setting for players to explore and be greatly immersed in.
Ben and Gwen would, obviously, be the playable characters of this game but will have different attributes, characteristics, and functions in regards to a gameplay setting. Ben will, obviously, have the Omnitrix but unlike past Ben 10 games, every alien that Ben has access to can be accessible to players. Not a portion of Ben's aliens. Every one of Ben's aliens with each alien being structured to have every attribute, function, and characteristic that they have. As for Gwen, she would, obviously, be more focused with utilizing her magic abilities. No, for my game idea, Gwen would not be an Anodite. I don't like that approach that was done to her. It's generic, stupid, and doesn't make sense. Again, for this game idea, I'm not following elements of the Ben 10 sequels. Gwen would be a fully human spell caster in this game.
The game will have single-player and two player coop. Two player coop would be both online coop and offline split screen coop with one player being Ben and the other player being Gwen. In single-player, players would be able to play both Ben and Gwen through a swapping mechanic similar to Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil Revelations 2 where players would be able to press a single button that will switch them between playing as Ben and playing as Gwen while the AI will take the role of the other character.
There would also be an upgrade system where players would be able to upgrade Ben and his Omnitrix and Gwen and her magic abilities. Basic upgrade elements would be involved such as strength, speed, damage resistance, inventory size, etc. The Omnitrix could be upgraded to have certain aspects such as a longer time using Ben's alien forms, shorter recharge times before using the Omnitrix again, and improving the abilities of Ben's alien forms. As for Gwen, she could craft and upgrade magic charms (like the Charms of Bezel) that would improve her magic skills. As an optional feature, players would be able to customize and equip Ben and Gwen with different types of armor, suits, equipment, and weapons to further improve their capabilities in combat but this feature is a maybe.
Considering that my game idea takes place in an open world, there would be various and diverse story and side missions to partake in. Each mission could be tackled in any approach and style that players find fit. Stealth, assault, hit and run attacks, distractions, espionage, etc. Enemies would definitely be designed to provide a serious challenge for players to face and I'm talking about in the level of the games that I listed earlier and on the level of how enemies are structured in the recently released Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain although, I would be more happy to have settings to allow this game to be more suitable for younger gamers to play in regards to gameplay difficulty.
I believe that is everything for the gameplay aspects of my Ben 10 game idea so let's get to the story elements. I'm not entirely sure how I want the story to turn out. One idea for a story that I was thinking was that Ben and Gwen would be hunted down by alien bounty hunters and mercenaries because of the Omnitrix and Ben and Gwen's history of battling alien threats. This could be a way to reintroduce Omniverse villains such as Khyber, Dr. Psychobos, and Malware but this is a maybe. It does make sense though considering the story concept that I described. For now, I don't have much for a story.
For the graphics of the game, I was thinking of going for a different approach. Instead of having the most realistic and detailed graphics out there, I was thinking more of having a team of artists and programmers try to replicate the Original Series art design into a video game setting. If that doesn't work, then I would go for either a shell-shading approach or the cartoon-style 3D design seen in Platinum Games' Legend of Korra and Transformers: Devastation.
I don't know about a multiplayer component for the game. If there would be a multiplayer component, it would surely be online and offline. The teams would be Plumbers/SECT versus alien mercenaries or something. Game modes would be pretty basic and casual yet unique. Other than that, I don't find a multiplayer mode being that necessary for my Ben 10 video game idea. It's optional and a maybe.
Now, If I were to pick a team of developers and programmers to make this game, I would pick, well, Platinum Games because of the combat style and system that I stated earlier. Platinum Games mastered that system. It's what they're best at doing. Platinum Games had also shown that they are capable of making licensed games. Legend of Korra was mediocre but still benefited off of that combat style and system and Transformers: Devastation had positive responses from gamers and critics. Therefore, if I were to ever get the chance to really make any Ben 10 game, I would have Platinum Games be the team to work on it.
So, there's my video game idea. Feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions on it and if anyone wants to further expand on this and maybe offer your own ideas, feel free to do so as well.
It's a...puzzle game? This is Ben 10 we're talking about here. A series about Ben using the Omnitrix to fight villains and evil aliens. Who the hell wants to play a Ben 10 puzzle game? Also, yeah, CN really wants to introduce the new generation of kids to the Ben 10 series through the reboot yet this shows that Omniverse is still very much relevant even to that very targeted generation.
I'm not saying the game looks bad. I'm just saying. In a series about a boy with an alien watch fighting bad guys, who the hell wants to play a puzzle game based on that very series? Yeah at least some people would play this game but still.
Also, that's such a smart move. Release the game in Europe yet don't even bother about the American and Asian fans. Especially since that I believe the series is at it's most popular in Asia. This is unless there's a limitation for the release or the game would later be released in other countries and regions later on.
@Ben-10-Fan Yeah again, I'm not saying that it looks like a bad game but it's just so out of place in the Ben 10 series. I would rather prefer an open world action game, which is obvious from me since that I have my Ben 10 game idea.
So even though I don't really favor a live action Ben 10 movie because of reasons and issues that I believe I mentioned before, such as finding proper child actors for the main characters and setting up the aliens and all that stuff, there is something that really peaked my interest. Someone on the Ben 10 Reddit gave his/her opinion that John Goodman should portray Max Tennyson. Honestly, I can actually very much see that. John Goodman is a great and flexible actor and he most certainly looks the part for Max as well. In my opinion, if a live action Ben 10 movie does happen, I would prefer this actor for the role of Max.
Max Tennyson:
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/ben10/images/5/55/Ben10-clipart_11.png/revision/latest?cb=20141227202722
John Goodman:
http://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/John-Goodman.jpg
What do you guys think? Does John Goodman seem suitable enough to portray the role of Max Tennyson in a live action Ben 10 movie or does anyone have a different actor in mind?
Ben and Gwen's interaction was nice and sweet. However, I hope that they don't end up making Gwen too soft as a character. I liked how Ben and Gwen's relationship in the Original Series was done and I already explained why on my Bwen page.
Diamondhead just looks ok and average.
Background images are pretty cheaply made and feel out of place but they're ok.
Man of Action are at least back.
Most of the aliens (such as Heatblast, Grey Matter, and XLR8) look from acceptable to good.
That's right. The Ben 10 Original Series episodes are re-airing on Sunday July 31, 2016. Good. They should've done this back during the 10th Anniversary of Ben 10 but still good. I don't know if it'll be on Cartoon Network or Boomerang though.
https://twitter.com/Ben10Planet/status/759075491135430656
http://tvschedule.zap2it.com/tv/ben-10/EP00795953?aid=tvschedule
@Rexfan1333 I'm going to say no. I find tragic backstories where the hero loses someone or something they love as motivation to become a hero is to common and generic at this point and is just not original and unique and doesn't stand out. It's pretty much a cliche of hero stories now. We don't always need a loved one to die all the time just to motivate a hero to become a hero. With Ben, what motivates him to become a hero is just the constant struggle that he faced with life. Most especially in regards to Ben's bullies, Cash and JT, constantly picking on him and others. That's what motivates Ben to wanting to become a hero and to help others when they're in trouble. Ben just needed the ideal opportunity to allow him to carry this out and him finding the Omnitrix is that very opportunity that Ben's been looking for.
I find this much more unique for Ben. It stands out more than the constant and generic "losing loved ones" cliche that's used to motivate heroes to become heroes. It's something that we don't see often and it feels refreshing even to this day. I'd rather not have some tragic backstory where Ben loses someone that's important to him in order to motivate him to become a hero. It's not necessary. Ben doesn't need a tragic backstory like this.
@Mortie-10 My apologies then. I know that everything isn't about me and my opinions. Other people's opinions do matter here. No I don't look at everything through "nostalgia-glasses" because I don't want to be biased here. Or at the very least I try not to. I have autism. It's hard for me to let things go because I have something that impairs my capability to interact socially. I understand that I can be too harsh at times. I'm trying to do better here. It's harder for me but I'm at least trying. So no, I'm not some perfectionist either. I just have flaws that can hold me back here and I'm trying to work around those flaws. I'm still relatively new to the internet myself so adjusting to a new social environment is harder for me. It certainly doesn't help me either that I've been tired from working a lot and been dealing with some stress lately because of work and college. Mistakes happen. Again, I'm trying my best here to do better so again, my apologies for causing this to you.
@Ebomnitrix Bandai's history of failing toy lines is a good point to make as well. Still, Ultimate Alien and Omniverse's poor ratings and mediocre quality still had a major affect on the sales of Ben 10 merchandise having gone down quite badly.
Another thing to mention as well is that people don't buy toys and merchandise just because of the Ben 10 name alone. The reason why the Ben 10 OS toy line did so well was because the OS was a great show that built up a large fanbase that was very willing to buy Ben 10 toys and merchandise because they like the OS and want to show their support and appreciation for it because, again, it's a great show. That's why the original Powerpuff Girls merchandise line was so successful as well. If Cartoon Network really wants to profit off of selling toys so much, then make good shows. It's not guaranteed to work because it's also up to the toy companies to make good toys but there is a better increased chance that toys and merchandise will sell well enough if the shows are at least good and popular.
I don't know if this bit of info was mentioned on here yet but according to this article, the Ben 10 reboot would air on April 2017.
http://www.iol.co.za/tonight/tv-radio/this-isnt-your-moms-ben-10-2067184
The article also mentions the concept of having the characters grow up with the audience. What I'm going to focus on is mostly in regards to the first paragraph, which I will quote here. The overall concept and argument that the article covers is something to take note of as well though.
From the article:
When you grow up watching a cartoon series, there comes a time when you quit the show because it just doesn’t make sense anymore. We have to grow up and when that happens, it becomes apparent that The Smurfs isn’t that cute anymore. Men can still wear Voltron T-shirts, but that’s just clinging to the beautiful yet distant memory of a past that’s long gone.
To me, at least, the article makes the argument that once you have grown up, cartoon shows are just not good anymore because you've grown up now. Or at least that's the argument that I interpreted them making. That's not true at all here. I still enjoyed watching Ed Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Kids Next Door, Chowder, and even the more recent Regular Show. Even though I haven't seen much of Regular Show, I still saw plenty enough to have a good sense of how the show is like and I found enjoyment in it. Like I even said before, despite the numerous problems with Ben 10 Omniverse, there were some moments that were pretty good. The reasons for liking these shows aren't that of nostalgia and I didn't stop watching certain shows because I grew out of them and the same goes for most others as well. I like these shows because they were well made shows that were, and still are, great and fun to watch. I stop watching other shows because they're terrible, or have become terrible, shows or they just don't interest me. Steven Universe is a good show but I don't watch it because I'm just not interested in it. I've seen some episodes of the PPG reboot but I don't watch it anymore because it's a terrible show. Not because I didn't grow up with it. Again, this is the case that goes with most other people, if not everyone.
I do appreciate Ben 10 going the direction of having the characters grow up with the viewers but that's not the real reason as to why people keep watching the show or stop watching the show. Some people keep watching Ben 10 because they still enjoy watching it and still think that the series is still of good quality; not because the characters were of the same age as the viewers. Some people stopped watching Ben 10 because the quality of the series diminished and each entry into the series got worse and worse; not because people grew out of the show.
Even then, another thing to take note of is that the concept of having the characters grow up with the fans and viewers didn't actually stick around for long with Ben 10. Cartoon Network really only stuck with this concept till the end of Alien Force. After that, Ben has remained as a teenager till Omniverse and now instead of going back to that very concept and focus on the characters now being adults, Cartoon Network went back to making Ben a kid again when instead they could've made a Ben 10,000/Ken 10 show with Ben now as an adult and his son Ken being a kid.
Again, this was just something that I wanted to point out and counter-argue on. This video also helps to further explain my argument as well. Overall though, again, viewers don't watch shows because the characters grow up with them and viewers don't stop watching shows because they've out grown them. The real reason that viewers watch cartoon shows is because they're of good or better quality while viewers stop watching other shows because the quality of those other shows had diminished and went down. I've heard that some of the more recent shows such as Steven Universe and Adventure Time are actually more popular with teens and adults than with kids. Those shows don't have the characters grow up and age (at least as far as I could tell since that I don't watch those shows) and many, if not most, of the viewers that watch those shows are older and didn't grow up with them. Again, characters growing up with the viewers is not the real reason why many viewers still watch those very shows. It's because those shows have really good quality to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38r9WSqkLzk
As I stated before, according to the article, the Ben 10 reboot will air on April 2017. I don't know or remember if that was mentioned on here before so just in case it hasn't, there's some little new bits of info here. That's my stance and opinion that I have with the topic that this article covers as well.
There's a Ben 10 fan artist on Deviant-art that I highly recommend for anyone that's interested to check out and that's Cheza-Belle. Most of the Ben 10 drawings that she makes do revolve around Bwen but she has also made some Ben 10 drawings that any Ben 10 fan can like and find interest and appreciation in. Some history behind this fan artist is that Cheza-Belle used to have an another older account on Deviant-art called KuroBenFreak. Circumstances happened that led to years of inactivity, thus leading to Cheza-Belle to deactivate her old account and make a new one, starting things from scratch. Since then, she's made some really great fan art based on Ben 10 that, again, I highly recommend for anyone to check out. I'd say that she and her works deserve more attention, support, and appreciation. Down below is the link to Cheza-Belle's profile on Deviant-art for anyone to visit and check out her works. Even if you're not into the whole concept of Ben and Gwen being in a romantic relationship with each other, I would still recommend checking out her works anyways and, again, there are some drawings that she made that I say any fan of Ben 10 would like and appreciate. For example, she made drawings of Ben going through mid-transformations that look so badass. As for those of you that are Pokemon fans, she also likes making drawings that ship Ash and Misty together. So yeah, Bwen fan or not, if you're a fan of Ben 10, feel free to check out Cheza-Belle and her works and help give this wonderful artist some more attention, support, and appreciation.
http://cheza-belle.deviantart.com
On another note, if anyone is interested in checking out her Ben 10 works from when she had her old account, search up "KuroBenFreak" on Google Images and you could find many, if not most or all, of her old drawings there.
(cough) Little Moments and Breaking Point (cough)
I know. It's not related to Ben 10 but screw it. This looks freakin badass.
Warning: Spoilers
The Filth (S1E1): What am I watching here? The Roadrunner cartoon? A good portion of the episode felt as if I was watching the Looney Tunes and not Ben 10 and not in a good way. Also, instead of having to find something to throw at the maggot monster to get that magnet that's holding it together, Ben could've just simply change into Heatblast and burn the maggot monster down. Nothing else to throw at the monster? There's a bunch of barrels lying around that'll work just fine. There's no need to grab the Rustbucket and throw it. I found no jokes in this episode to be funny at all and the action was just average. Ben also cleaned the entire Rustbucket so he should already have finished all of his chores. What else on that list of chores did he have to do when the entire Rustbucket is clean? The joke at the end was just stupid and a pretty mediocre way to end the episode on.
Overall, that really wasn't a good episode and the story was just weak. The jokes weren't funny. The action was just average. A good portion of the episode didn't even feel as if I was watching a Ben 10 show. The writing was pretty bad. The pacing felt too quick to the point of feeling rushed. The episode was just mediocre.
Freaky Gwen Ben (S1E2): A tank at a Swap Meet? I don't think that's how it works but whatever though. The Wildmutt reference is ok although if Wildmutt himself doesn't get added into Ben's alien roster, I don't think at least a good bunch of people are going to like that reference; especially Wildmutt fans. Apparently Ben, Gwen, and Max already know about Hex so does he make an appearance in Waterfilter or The Ring Leader or...are these episodes being aired out of order? Or maybe is this reboot making the same mistake that the PPG 2016 reboot made where you have to have past knowledge of the previous Ben 10 shows to understand what's going on? Anyways, so yeah, they're doing "A Change of Face" again just with Hex this time around and not Charmcaster. Well, at least Ben and Gwen are arguing with each other so that's good. Like I said, I find it better for Ben and Gwen to be at each other's throats since that it makes it all the more satisfying when Ben and Gwen do get along with each other and their relationship with each other improves in the short and long run so yeah, that's good at least. Although, Gwen gave up too early and quickly after her initial run with using the Omnitrix for the first time. Even Gwen in the OS was a lot more determined, dedicated, and focused with using the Omnitrix for the first time in "A Change of Face." For the reboot, it felt out-of-character for Gwen to just give up so easily in this episode even though she didn't even do much as Four Arms. Max casting spells? What the hell? The police officer that arrested Hex is an idiot. Yes, destroying a Swap Meet and endangering people's lives is against the law. They just leave the spell book on the ground? What the hell? That was really stupid of them to do that?
Overall, it was a little better than The Filth. Hex was just ok. The story was ok. The pacing, again, felt too quick to the point of feeling rushed. I didn't find any the jokes to be funny either. The action was a little better than The Filth. The writing really needs improvement though. Really, the only thing that I did like was Ben and Gwen's interactions with each other and their willingness to work together to stop Hex and that was pretty much it for the episode. In the end, I found this episode to just be either average. When compared to "A Change of Face" from the OS though, this episode was just not good and could thus make this episode look at least below average.
I can definitely find Netflix to be a great option for Ben 10 to be on. Get a suitable Japanese anime production studio and much of the original team and cast of the Original Series to make a Ben 10 show and then air it on Netflix along with other anime networks could be a great step in the right direction for the Ben 10 franchise. In order for that to happen though, Ben 10 would have to be removed from Cartoon Network's hands, which can be very much possible to do if the Ben 10 reboot doesn't turn out to be successful. Not only would viewer ratings have to be low but more especially the sales on Ben 10 reboot toys and merchandise would have to do poorly as well since that Cartoon Network really likes selling merchandise. Considering that Ben 10 Ultimate Alien and Omniverse's merchandise sales did so poorly and that the Ben 10 reboot is being so negatively received by fans, viewers, and critics, my prediction is that the sales on the Ben 10 reboot merchandise isn't going to do well enough for Cartoon Network either. So yeah, in order for this to happen, Cartoon Network must no longer see Ben 10 as profitable anymore to them, thus leading to Cartoon Network to be more willing to give up on the franchise and sell it to another company. At least this is how I think this could happen. If Cartoon Network can no longer treat the franchise right anymore, someone else that's more suitable, caring, and respectful must take over Ben 10 in order to give it the justice and treatment it deserves again.