I AM Finn the Human: Jeremy Shada in Asia Pop Comicon

MANILA, Philippines – Adventure Time put the world on notice with its pilot episode back in 2007, and when it became a regular cartoon series in 2010, it took the world by storm and easily turned into one of the world’s most popular cartoons today. Jeremy Shada, the voice behind one of the show’s main characters Finn the Human, was one of the celebrity guests invited to hang out and interact with the fans in the first ever Asia Pop Comicon in the Philippines. He was aware of Adventure Time’s popularity in the country so he was excited to meet and greet all the fans, to do impressions of Finn and sing songs from the show, and to talk about what it is like to voice one of the most popular cartoon characters today.

“I AM Finn the Human,” said Shada with conviction. He believes he and Finn are sort of the same person.

“When you do voice acting or acting in general, sometimes you bring things about yourself into the character. When I voice Finn, I see myself in cartoon form. We have the same personality traits.”

Shada, like Finn, is a kind and gentle person who is always looking to have fun, to go on adventures and experience new things. He loves voicing Finn so much that he does not mind voicing him even when he becomes old. He calls Finn a blessing of a lifetime because without Finn, he would not be where he is right now, traveling around the world and meeting people who love the show.

“I’ll never grow out of [voicing Finn]. I’ll keep doing it until it’s time for the show to end,” he said happily.

Being Finn brought him to superstardom in a very short time. He was surprised and amazed when he found out about how big his fanbase is. He describes his fans as “fun and rabid but in a very good way.” This has led to funny experiences such as fans walking up to him with marriage proposals. What he loves most about his fans is that most of them are heavily invested in the show that they come up with conspiracy theories.

“I love how there are so much conspiracy theories from the fans. I love the creativity.”

One of his favorite conspiracy theories from a fan is that Finn is actually a boy in a coma dreaming of the world Ooo (the world where the show takes place in), and that Jake the Dog is actually the boy’s dog who decided to sleep beside his owner.

If given the chance to come up with a story arc for the cartoon, Shada said that he would like Finn and Jake to discover an abandoned pirate ship and use it to roam the seas and discover and explore new places outside of Ooo.

Despite working with Pendleton Ward (the creator of Adventure Time) for a long time, Shada said that he does not have a clue on how Ward’s mind works and what he is up to with the scripts of the upcoming episodes.

“[Pendleton] is a man of few words. He knows what he wants and he knows what he’s doing. It always turns out great.”

Shada wishes that Ward will write an episode of Adventure Time where Finn finally becomes committed with a princess.

He also explained why the show has turned into this pop phenomenon in just a short time.

“The comedy is on point. Almost everything on the show is relatable. Besides the cute characters, the animation is vibrant and colorful so people are easily drawn to it,” said Shada, describing the show.

The show also employs references to pop culture to go along with its over-the-top humor. It’s accessible for families to watch together. The absurdity and the surrealism of Adventure Time’s world makes it almost similar to R-rated cartoons such as Cow & Chicken and Ren and Stimpy, but it is clean enough for kids to watch. What also makes it different from other cartoon shows is that it has an overarching plot and character development.

When Shada is not voice acting for Adventure Time, he spends his time playing video games or jamming and touring with his band, Make Out Monday, a pop punk band comprised of his brother Zack (who voiced Finn when he was still named as Pen in the pilot episode of Adventure Time), and his close friends John Spicer, Logan Charles and Seth Renken. They are all similar to Finn in that they are so full of energy and fun loving. They closed the last day of the Asia Pop Convention with a performance on the main stage.

Shada told fans that there is so much to look forward to the seventh season of Adventure Time, which should premier on Cartoon Network this coming October or November, though he did not want to tell what they are so that he would not ruin the surprises.

Will Finn finally settle with a princess? Will Make Out Monday bring pop punk back to the mainstream? We will find out soon enough.