AIO Article: Why AIO Has Remained Popular 8/16/12

     First of all, PF should have his article by next Tuesday, so expect a nice long article soon. I'm going to write a pretty short one today, however, so get disappointed. Also, I pmed Wooton a AIC 7 preview, so that should be up on his site soon. I think AIC 7 might be one of my longest and best yet. Why else would I go on a week hiatus? Well, let's get to the article!

     For your entertainment, I have compiled a list of reasons on why AIO Has Remained Popular in an age of mediocre entertainment and a lack of morals.

     1. It's relateable. Of course, no one can relate to Jason Whittaker battling economic terrorists in London, (except maybe James Bond) but we can relate to, say, the episode Opposite Day. We all get obsessed with computers and sites like Barret, (In fact, I think I'm obsessed with the Odyssey fan blog world in general! But that's another article, so I'll stop putting up parentheses in the middle of an article.) and we all have those rather annoying people who we have want to be friends with and have want to tell "Get lost!" to like Olivia. I could completely relate to both characters, and it's not just in Opposite Day. Episodes like Slumber Party, The Defining Moment, and even older episodes from generations gone by like Good Business, The Prodigal, Jimmy, and Coming of Age all have relateable characters in relateable situations. Kids (like me) like to see other people go through their troubles. It makes them feel that they're not alone in their emotions and situations, and they can automatically attach to the character and his.or her situation because they've been where the character is. Also, it's fun to see how other people will handle a situation that I've been through. And while other shows may have relateable characters and situations, I think Odyssey handles these situations better than any show I've ever seen/heard.

     2. It's timeless. When I listen to Albums 1 -12, and I put the disc in, and that classic theme song starts blaring, I get all excited. I can't wait for the adventure, and it feels like I'm listening to a piece of history. But at the same time, the episode and what it teaches feel just as important now as it did 20 + years ago. I don't care if they mention records or VCR's, as long as the stories are still fresh, uplifting, and entertaining. There are other shows that I believe are timeless as well, such as I Love Lucy and The Muppet Show, but Odyssey is probably my favorite out of those three. I enjoy listening to old episodes just as much as new episodes, if not more. The old episodes were, are, and always will be fabulous. Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows won't.

     3. It's exciting. In order for younger children (I'm talking 8 - 9 year old boys who watch superhero movies) to truly enjoy a show, it has to grab their attention. As they get older, they'll appreciate shows that they considered 'boring' when they were younger a lot more, but when they're that age, they're bored easily and they only like exciting stories. Now, exciting does not mean intense, so The Black Veil wouldn't be considered the only exciting episode in the Odyssey canon. Exciting means, in my own words, captivating. Odyssey episodes like The Labyrinth, the entire Novacom and Blackguaard saga, Castles and Cauldrons, and even non-intense episodes like Mayor For A Day and Red Herring, are definitely captivating. And when younger children buy Album 55 and listen to The Labyrinth, they might appreciate quieter episodes like To Mend Or Repair more after getting their dose of intrigue and excitement. Excitement is a trait in many shows for marketing purposes, and Odyssey is exciting too, but it doesn't need an explosion every 15 seconds to achieve that excitement.

     4. It has diehard fans. Odyssey has quite a massive fanbase, with over 2 million listeners, but it also has a lot of diehard fans. I mean, not that many shows have about 50 websites completely devoted to them. And the webmasters aren't the only diehard fans. There are incredibly loyal listeners everywhere, from Canada to India to New Zealand.

     5. It has good morals. The purpose of Odyssey is to encourage believers and sometimes non believers to grow in Christ by presenting lasting Biblical truths. That was poetic, wasn't it? Christian parents want their kids to learn Biblical truths, so they buy Odyssey tapes. The kids get involved in the story, and then learn something at the end. And Odyssey isn't just a sermon like some Christian 'entertainment' these days. It aims mostly to teach, but it also wants to entertain its listeners. If people aren't entertained, they won't want to listen or watch the thing that's not entertaining them, so they won't learn anything.

     Well, that's it. There's a new U.S.S. Response out, a short one, so check that out, as well as the awesome AIC preview on The Unofficial AIO Blog.
     Thanks for reading!