Let me try and explain a bit of the psychology of the explosion slapstick as best I can. Explosion style slapstick is something you really either get or don't get. Forcing it doesn't really work, you have to kind of just play with the idea of if something being interrupted by an explosion will be funny or not.
Deuce's ideas were a good example of one that CAN work, and then one that doesn't quite work too well, so I'll use those to help explain.
His first clip was a progression of events to a song that contradicted it, Dokuro-chan about to do something horrid to mellow music, and then upon the connection, everyone expects the squish, because by then they think they get the joke, in the sense that it's something horrific to mellow music. Then the explosion is completely random, which is funny in general due to sound and timing, but still has something that causes the subconscious to stop for a moment. The issue is the disconnect. Not only is it a human exploding for no reason, but it's also a car bomb outside. The mind will subconsciously ask the question "Wait, how did that cause that?" That's why the button click and THEN the boom works in nearly everything, because someone pressing a button is understood as being able to cause ANYTHING to happen thanks to 80s villains and such. Deuce just put the button click noise where the bat connected to the body, and that's not a solid connection, no pun intended ^^ Now if there was a shot of the house exploding, that would be a stronger connection, because they are IN the house, but still, the question would arise with 'why would the human explode?"
The interruption is there, but it also has to make BELIEVABLE sense, not necessarily logical sense. For example "It's so fluffy!" *Squeeeze* *CLICK* *BOOOOOOMMM!!!* actually works, because it's in reaction to something being done, but the explosion has to make sense in the context of the squeeze yet again. If you choose a car bomb when the object being squeezed is in a bedroom, the disconnect causes subconscious questions and damages the joke. That is why the joke so often uses things like a nuclear bomb, or in my case in AMVS3, the world exploding. They are such a massively absurd scale, that the mind doesn't have to make the connection in most cases, but it still has to make absurd sense. Like someone thoughtlessly dialing in on an ATM machine "What's the worst that could happen?" *beep boop bop* *BOOOOOMMMM*
Deuce's second clip was weak because the same action was done over and over with no change, and no real reason why the explosion occurred, because the mind asks "Why did the 10th hit do it?" and again "Why did he explode a car outside?" So it lacked the contrast that makes the joke work.
Here's a classic example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrse3Wqm ... re=related
Go to 6 minutes. In fact watch the whole thing, as this is slapstick at its perfection as far as I'm concerned. He hits it a few times before it explodes, but note that it works because he stops making noise and the silence before the actual explosion. All throughout the entire cartoon you will hear if you listen that it follows a pattern: some kind of noise, be it him talking, some subtle music, etc., followed by some silence for a split second, then a louder, contrast reaction.
If you watch the batman youtube poop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGRKpQ7YpH4
At around 2:25 you'll see the explosion timing. It's noisy with music and such, then silent right before the explosion, so the audience has a split second to be completely in the moment before an explosion and MASSIVE NOISE hits. It's sound contrast.
Now this CAN work just about anywhere with the right setup. One scene off the top of my head is the first episode of Ouran, where Haruhi knocks over the pot, all the dramatic motion to catch it, but once it hits the ground, huge explosion. But that is foreseeable as well. To twist that up, I believe earlier in the scene she hits it and it wobbles a bit? Even less foreseeable is if it wobbles, it settles, then they're relieved, then it explodes, because that follows the idea of "Oh, it's safe" under the "Famous Last Words" style slapstick.
Anyway, I hope that clarifies a bit.
Moonbunnychan: I liked the mnemonics one as well, but right now it may as well not have the anime footage because Osaka being spacey is so obvious that it doesn't add anything new to the clip. The joke is still the same joke it was before Osaka was involved. But if you used that male teacher as the narrator, I think it'd become multi-layered humor, because HIM saying that stuff is HILARIOUS to me, and Osaka reacting would make it intertwined and more funny. As it is now, we could replace it with the original joke and it'd have about the same effect in my opinion. I know it's more work to get him in there, but it's totally worth it for "Come over for gay sex." That alone would bring it to another level altogether in my opinion.
She-Ra I agree should get a test run, but I think your lack of confidence in it has a basis in reality. While initially an amusing connection, it's such a weak connection that I pretty much see the only joke being when it says "Adam's twin sister"
Friends on the Other Side I will trust that most girls have seen it, but not most guys. I'm in my late 20s so I'll assume the younger the guy, the more chance to have seen it. This one I saw everyone liked, so I've no problem seeing it in an audience. I am curious about its beta reactions though. I like the ending, it's the first half that I'm not sure of.
Duck Hunt was different AND funny. Everyone will go nostalgia-ing over Duck Hunt, then wonder WTF it's doing there, then lose it at the connection of shooting at her. Because even people who hate the series will laugh.
I didn't know the Azumanga one was yours, but it makes sense that it was rushed then. I offered to help in case it was someone who didn't know much about syncing, but if it was merely a time thing, then it's simply that. A bit more time on lipsyncing and the clip works strongly, if not enough time to fix, then it should probably be cut. I know you're good enough to handle it, though, so no problem.
I'm on a Boat made me chuckle, but we did it before, and the clip in AMVS3 was stronger, and a more ironic connection, a triple joke. This one's only a direct connection, and lacks the dynamic addition of Gurren Lagann's level of animation. My issue is basically down to the fact that it's a joke we've done before in a stronger context.
