Manic Expression

I feel like one of the old men out is in this blog, I was pretty much one of the people who knew the Nostalgia Critic back when he was in the early stages, back when he actually posted videos on YouTube.  It wasn’t though the NC that attracted me to Doug’s style rather it was his 5 second movies, which sadly he had discontinued after a while when he made the site, but he still produced some entertaining products.  I would say though it was definitely the Nostalgia Critic that pretty much refined Doug’s style, while a bit rough at first (The Transformers review was pretty much proto-Chester A. Bum) he eventually grew into the obscenity spouting, tie-wearing, gun shooting, yelling, screaming, morally questionable guy people loved and pretty much helped successfully launch That Guy With The Glasses website.  Breaking down movies, TV shows and anything nostalgic on what elements really worked or what didn’t, what he personally values over others, while having a spin of humor to them, somewhere between a recap, reflection and a review.  I can’t quite say what my personal favorites are because there is a lot of memorable moments sprinkled that just choosing a whole one would be difficult (Part of the reason why I don’t normally do any Top Lists).  He is also great glue that holds the anniversary specials together whether it being a selfish dick or basically being deconstructed for all his quirks and the question of the importance of critics in the last anniversary.

When after the somewhat finale-like review of Scooby-Doo and the whole of To Boldly Flee, Doug Walker finally decided to retire the character, it felt like a major part of entertainment has left.  The thing is about the NC he isn’t just a character who helped launch the site off the ground, without him there wouldn’t have been a Nostalgia Chick (Which she won by contest), a Marzgurl (One of the runner-ups), a Linkara (Video review wise, he had been doing text recaps before), or Todd or some of the talents that have found themselves home on the website.  Alternatively had it not been for the blogs feature for That Guy with the Glasses I would not have read James Daniel Walsh’s “Stop The Hate” blogs, come up with my own inspired blog series CALLING OUT HATERS and of course my friendship and frequent Co-Ops with James led me to post blogs here at Manic Expression.

The Nostalgia Critic helped pave way for a lot of talent, and they have really grown on his own.  I hope that “Demo Reel” isn’t a bust and that he’ll be able to bring more of the energy that really drove his NC character week after week, as well as whatever new projects he has.

As you’ll see in this massive blog, the Critic has had an effect on people who regularly post or frequent on this website.  I called you out bloggers and you have answered better than I had imagined.  I won’t write anymore as this is more your blog, this is your words on the Nostalgia Critic; I don’t think I can really add any more:

JDW

No Nostalgia Critic, no Manic Expression. It's as simple as that. Along with the Angry Video Game Nerd, the NC was what first got me interested in the internet as a creative outlet. The first blog I ever posted was at TGWTG, the site built on the back of the Critic's popularity. That's where I met friends, made fans, and got my confidence in front of a camera.

In my book of short stories there's a comedy called Sweet Nothing. The main character is an insanely popular Internet reviewer. I wrote the story in late 2008, early 2009, and I was baffled by how to portray an on-line celebrity. What is that even like? I had no idea.

So I emailed Doug Walker and asked him, and he responded with a very prompt and polite letter answering all my questions. To be honest, I didn't think I'd ever hear from him, but he seemed all too eager to help out. 

We'll miss you, Nostalgia Critic. You're the reason we're all here today.

Brekclub85

I remember when I first discovered the Nostalgia Critic's videos-it was Summer around 3 years ago. After watching several of his videos and finding them hilarious, I soon discovered the site they were hosted on, Thatguywiththeglasses. Doug has provided me with countless laughs over the years, and though I initially went to the site only for him, it was because of him I was introduced to several other hilarious producers-The Nostalgia Chick, Lupa, Todd in the Shadows, Nash, Oancitizen, Cinema Snob, Film Brain, Marzgurl, and many more. And, I have one thing in particular I really want to thank Doug Walker for: Besides inspiring me to review stuff, I also have something else I wanted to thank Doug for: If it wasn't for his review of IT, I probably never would have conquered my fear of that movie which affected me for about 7 years. Thanks to him, I'm overcome that and now see the movie as silly fun. So, I eagerly await what comes next from you, Doug.

Jordan The Childish

Well, as Q said "all good things must come to an end". The Nostalgia critic has been a staple of my internet time since 2008, and I've watched every episode produced. While I'm sad to see the character retired, I'm glad that Doug Walker and co. have decided to go the Carol Burnett route and bow out before people start telling him to leave. It's a brand new day and I'm excited to see what Channel Awesome has in store next. Break a leg, guys.

Ratin8or

The Nostalgia Critic wasn't a good reviewer. Okay okay, perhaps I should explain that stance before I get the tomatoes thrown at me. But when you got right down to it, the Nostalgia Critic never reviewed a thing. Oh sure he gave his opinion, but that isn't a review. What sort of review is it when you sit there showing everything about the movie including the ending? He didn't make me want to watch this film, or gave me a good reason to not watch this film besides a few of his rants. All he did was use the movie as a springboard to come up with jokes.

And by Jove were those jokes hilarious. Some of the funniest stuff I've ever watched came from him making a joke at a film I loved. For you see, the Nostalgia Critic wasn't a reviewer. Not really. He was a skit writer. He would take a film and use it to come up with his own sense of humour best described as Daffy Duck meeting Lewis Black. You could have shoved any old movie in there and his views wouldn't differ, he'd be making the same complaints. But the jokes, well. The jokes are what lived on OF COURSE! (How much you gonna bet I'm the X number of person to make that jokes thus far). NC worked best when he was riffing, when he was making jokes at the expense of something he either loved or hated. Taking what was on screen and making a witty remark. He realized in an internet full of people, nobody cared about opinions. They just wanted a few good laughs. Plus he's one of the few reviewers that kept to a weekly schedule of posting on the same day. If nothing else that helped him a lot since it got him a regular following. If anyone is gonna take anything from it, take that. If you post regularly enough you're far more likely to build up an audience. If nothing else at least he kept on schedule all the time.

NewPheonixFilms

To understand my love and undying attention to the Nostalgia Critic, you have to first look at me, then James Rolfe's Angry Video Game Nerd, then the Nostalgia Critic himself.

It was Sophomore Year of my high school, a time I much rather forget than to remember. I hated every minute of every day of every fucking month. I was an outcast and bullied by douchebag after douchebag but nothing as worse as being ignored and forgotten. To make matters worse, my parents were at the verge of mortgage of our house, which meant that my mother had to drink and fight cause she's as bipolar as I am. I was on the wrong side of 17 and really wanted to end all of it.

It was during my usual youtube romp that I tried looking for an escape. Lo and Behold, The Angry Video Game Nerd was there, with his crass dialogue, excessive drinking and imaginative visuals while playing video games at the same time. After seeing the comments about this Nostalgia Critic, I swung over to his videos, where, again, Lo and Behold, they were there with crass dialogue and imaginative visuals, but a little bit of fun and insanity was put to it. After I had seen at least 20 videos of Doug Walker's(The Nostalgia Critic) repertoire, I visited the site. My god, did it not satisfy. It seems he had expanded his universe to greater hights.

So, from ten minutes to three-four years, was I ritualistically looking at every new NC video and loving it, even the stinkers, not counting Bart's Nightmare. Every video had a new meme or a recycled meme inside of it, every video had solid points, despite some points exposing the so called Opinions of the Interwebz, and each had it's fair share of comedy. Some tore my childhood to shreds, some prevented me from seeing a video. No matter what it was, I saw it.

It was then, when my goal was to be a writer/director, that I'd try to reach Doug and offer my services to any new web series he decides to make, in order to build up a reputation for my future career. After all, it seems like good fun and games when doing Kickassia or Suburban Knights, or even the latest one, To Boldly Flee. Of course, the site is much less favorable for newcomers and I grew bitter. All I wanted was to be a part of this family that Doug made and to fit in to a better future, but I guess with all his power, it bores bad fruit. Sadly, even with hopes still burning, the truth was inevitable.

When I heard that Doug was retiring his famed character, I believed it to be the end all, be all career move. It was the end of what made TGWTG breath. It would just be the lesser knowns or the sub-par knowns to take the lead. It would also mean a continuing of the bad fruits that get on to thrash newcomers that aspire. It was over for me.

Wherever Doug's future lies, I hope it's a good one and that he remembers, even to his deathbed, that he's make so much of us feel better and laugh once a while. He's the Nostalgia Critic, He remembered it so we didn't have to.

Chris Lang

"I hope he never stops, or else I'll be nostalgic ... for the Nostalgia Critic. Oh, the irony." -- Sad Panda, 'The Nostalgia Critic Anthem'

That quote from Sad Panda's 'Nostalgia Critic' anthem now seems very appropriate in light of Doug Walker's announcement that he is retiring the Nostalgia Critic, at least as a weekly series.

I first became aware of the Nostalgia Critic back in February of 2009. While browsing TV Tropes, I discovered the phrase Big Lipped Alligator Moment, and became curious as to the origin of the phrase. This led me to the Nostalgia Critic and the Nostalgia Chick's joint review of Ferngully, and eventually to some others in the That Guy With The Glasses gang (though I'll admit that until the Brawl, it was only the Nostalgia Critic, the Nostalgia Chick, and Linkara that I saw on a regular basis).

Over the years, I've loved his comedic reviews of all those movies many of us encountered in the 80's and 90's that might not hold up so well today. His reviews of Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Batman and Robin, North, Garbage Pail Kids, and both animated Titanic movies are among my personal favorites of his reviews. Whether doing solo reviews or teaming up with other TGWTG personalities, the Nostalgia Critic was always fun to see.

But of course, as we all know, all good things must come to an end. Doug Walker is now moving on to new projects, such as Demo Reel, and the Nostalgia Critic will no longer be his regular weekly series.

And personally, I applaud his decision. Doug is right when he says that just because something's popular, that doesn't mean you should keep doing it. If Doug and Rob are indeed feeling creatively burned out on the Nostalgia Critic, it's for the best that they retire the series.

To contrast, let's mention The Simpsons. Once it was one of the most brilliant comedies ever on television, with clever writing, satire, and likeable characters. Over the past decade, however, it has degenerated into a painfully unfunny caricature of its former self. The writing quality has taken a nosedive, and the characters have become exaggerations of themselves (or Flanderizations, as TV Tropes puts it). The laughs are fewer and farther between.

On the other hand, TV also gave us Seinfeld, which Jerry Seinfeld decided to end before it became painfully clear the show had jumped the shark. In the past several months' episodes of Nostalgia Critic, it seemed clear that Doug and Rob were finding many elements of NC's show a bit tired and repetitive, and it was becoming harder to find new variations on them.

In fact, the Nostalgia Critic's 'Top 11 Simpsons Episodes', where he mentions how The Simpsons has declined in recent years but they still continue to beat the dead horse, may have been yet another of Doug's ways of preparing us for the Nostalgia Critic's retirement and getting us to see it as a good thing.

Don't get me wrong; I'm just as sad as anyone else that we're not going to get our weekly Nostalgia Critic fix. But if Doug and Rob are no longer feeling inspired to come up with great new material for the NC on a regular basis, it's for the best that they retire the show. Besides, we'll still get Bum Reviews, Ask That Guy, and Video Game Confessions. And Doug has said we'll probably still see the Nostalgia Critic every now and then or on special ocassions -- it's just that the NC is no longer going to be the big weekly show that's their main focus.

Doug Walker, if you happen to read this, thanks for five incredible years of laughter. I'm looking forward to seeing Demo Reel and whatever other new projects you have. Oh, and the occasional new episodes of old favorites, too.

Okay, I think I've said what I wanted to say.

Gurning Chimp

I always remember my first NC review I saw, Drop Dead Fred. It was a big part of my childhood and I still love the film to this day, and although Doug trashed it, I found myself laughing! This is why the NC became a cherished favourite of mine, he made opposite opinions hilarious. I will say that I respect and understand Doug Walker's decision. Always leave them wanting more and I do admit that the show was getting a bit absurd in it's final year. Good luck in your future pursuits Mr. Walker! VIVA TGWTG!

Fusionater

The first time I came across TGWTG was back in 2010(audience gasp), yes yes, I wasn't here since the beginning in the Youtube days, I'm not able to say how big a fan I am blahbadyblahblah. What the hell am I supposed to do about that exactly? I haven't managed to build myself a TARDIS yet...I'm getting off track, I found it after I had seen The Lion King, I decided I wanted to know how people felt about the Disney villains, so I googled for top 10's, I saw his top 11, and I clicked. Been a fan since.

After a couple of months of extremely enjoyed viewing, I finally decided it was time to make myself a profile. Once I did, I hovered in the forums for a while, and that was fun.

And than I found the blog section.

Ooh boy did I find the blog section. I found tons of people who not only loved what they did, but also had a talent for doing it.

The first blog I read regularly was A Look at Disney by Moviefan12, who in part inspired me to try out writing my own blog(where I accidentally ended up ripping him off...I hadn't read 1 of his top 6's yet), another blog I had begun to read was Stop the Hate...never thought I'd be in my current position with the writer of those articles at the time, all I know is they were damn good. I made friends with the one and only Positive Troll, who you all know here as Les. And many, many others.

It was at roughly this point that I began to check out other producers work, many were great, but few compared to the work Doug had done. Than BAM! 3rd year! When this came out, I truly began to give a legitimite shit(that doesn't sound bad at all) about these reviewers and their characters, this is when I began thinking of them as actors that I would look forward to the latest content of as if it was a big budget hollywood film.

Between year 3 and year 4...we happened...Manic Expression and many of it's members swore off of TGWTG for various reasons, I myself rarely visit the blog section over there, which is a little depressing, it's where a ton of friendships began, but they all came over to, so that's ok. I began seeing a slight bitterness towards all things tgwtg after this, I and of course quite a few others still maintain a high regard for the producers (Doug especially).

In the months prior to year 4, many were suspicious of Doug retiring the NC character. I was one of the people who thought he would keep the NC character(and look where I am now), and most were very pertinent in their denials of it happening. When to boldly flee ended...*BOOOOOOOM*

MAJOR FAN FREAKOUT OVER HERE! CLEAN-UP ON AISLE 3!!!

Mesa teary eyed when to boldly flee ended, mesa teary eyed a lot.

Than Doug's announcement to retire the NC Character came about...

Yeah it didn't go well.

So now I'm sitting here thinking. Damn, NC is over...what should I do?

I'll tell you what I'm gonna do, it's time to make use of that premium membership I spent $40 dollars on, I'm gonna start putting all the NC episodes on DVD, and dammit I'm gonna enjoy it. 

So, there's my story, sure, it's not very critic centered, but it all happened because of him...and I have no idea how many words this was.

Curiosity Inc.

I'm proud to say that I first found the Nostalgia Critic back when he was posting videos on YouTube. I loved looking forward to NC's reviews over the years, and I enjoyed watching him work as an outlet for Doug Walker's creativity. That said, I think it became obvious around the Brawl that TGWTG.Com had become much bigger than ThatGuyWithTheGlasses. Channel Awesome has long since outgrown the Nostalgia Critic. Not that the character won't be missed, but I look forward to seeing what new heights will be reached now that he's gone.

Les

What can I say about the Nostalgia Critic?  He made me laugh.  He made me laugh hard and long during a time in my life when I was seriously depressed.  Laughter is the best medicine, and Doug had the best medicine online.  A very talented man, he joked, he sang, he danced, he created memes  and he made amazing fun of the ludicrous and insanely stupid in the films of my youth.

I'll never forget how the mere mention of the "Bat Credit Card" set him off, or the face of absolute shock and terror he had during "Spooning with Spoony," or how he tried in vain to avoid Linkara tracking him down to do the Star Trek review at the convention, etc.  No matter the event or review, NC made it funny.

We will definitely miss you Nostalgia Critic.  Thank you for all the laughs.  Peace.

Kyle R

So it’s finally come to this. After 222 episodes and four anniversary specials, The Nostalgia Critic, Doug Walker’s much beloved character and the face of That Guy with the Glasses, has been retired.  They’ll be no more weekly videos and any cameos will probably be sparse for the time being.  Folks, I think it’s safe to assume that this might be an end of a decade moment, at least for the internet it is. Now personally I’m not sad about this, in fact I’m a little relieved that the character has finally been put out to pasture.  As I said a couple times before, I think the act had become stale and unfunny, and towards the end Doug seemed to just be going through the motions rather than actually having fun or being creative with any of it. It just grew tiresome after a while.

Of course, none of that means I didn’t enjoy it while it lasted or that I don’t appreciate what the character did for me, in fact I have three major things that I can thank him for. One is introducing me to internet culture and entertainment. The worlds of internet reviewing and blogging communities were things that I hadn’t really had a full grasp on yet and it was all pretty new to me at the time.  Discovering NC and subsequently TGWTG was what really got me into watching reviews and looking at blogs, and I was shown what exactly the internet was capable of in terms of content.  Second, just the laughs he gave me over the years. Even though I think it stopped being funny later on, those early reviews will never fail to get me laughing. And finally third and most significantly, indirectly introducing me to all my ME friends who I first met on TGWTG. I obviously wouldn’t have ever met any of them if I hadn’t found TGWTG, and I wouldn’t have found TGWTG if I hadn’t first found NC. For that, I’m eternally great full.

So I bid thee a fond farewell Nostalgia Critic. We had some very good times along the way, but of course all good things must eventually come to an end. For your creators, I wish much success to them in their future endeavors.

Shibby

I remember about three and a half years ago stumbling across a review posted by one of the entrants to the Nostalgia Chick contest, and through a series of related links landed on the magical site that is ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com. Once there I began watching the Nostalgia Critics videos one by one from the beginning as he made me laugh, then made me cry...from more laughter. Wednesdays quickly became a highlighted day on my calendar as I would eagerly await his side-splitting commentary on whatever movie he roasted that week. Because of him I ventured out even further into the site and by extension into the world of internet reviewers. Eventually I tried my hand at video blogging with my own series of 5 Second Movies before developing my current series known as "Let's Talk About Hockey", and though I didn't go for the comedic and film reviewer elements that the Nostalgia Critic made me come to love, his influence was still there. The time may have come for the Nostalgia Critic to hang up his hat and tie, but he can do so knowing that for the past four years he has not only entertained, but inspired a whole horde of viewers and internet personalities alike. I stand and tip my hat to you good sir. Thank you immensely for all of the laughs throughout the years.

Yours truly, The Man Behind the Mask

Mr. Smooth

I remember the first Nostalgia Critic video that I ever watched was his Batman & Robin review which my friend showed me about three or four years ago. I had never really watched any sort of online reviewers, so watching him was something of a breath of fresh air to me. The video was just so damn funny and the Critic was so energetic with brilliant comic timing, I was just instantly a fan of him. I can’t say I ever religiously watched his videos every week, but there were a few that I would watch over and over again and just find hilarious every time, especially my personal favourite review of his The Langoliers, and those are the things that I will always remember when I think of the Nostalgia Critic. He inspired me like he has inspired so many others, just to sit down in front of my computer and write things that I hope people will find funny, because in the beginning that’s probably all he did, and he did it a hell of a lot better than I ever will. Sure, I got kind of bored with the constant crossovers near the end of his career, but the news that the character had been retired is actually pretty depressing. The Nostalgia Critic will always have a special place in my heart and nothing will ever take that away from me. Thank you Doug Walker for all of the laughs and I hope there are many more to come in your future endeavors.

Fluffyman

Thanks to all who have contributed and supported this blog.  It’s grateful to have so many who can speak on a memorable internet character.  Godspeed Doug and Rob Walker.

End of Rant