@ Upthorn: I actually recorded the Andy Asteroids segment before you said that, so I recorded myself intentionally missing all the orbs (as well as "collecting" some asteroids). Collecting all of the orbs would satisfy myself as well, but at the same time I'm weighing that satisfaction against having to explain to people what a 100% run would entail (as I'm not really sure myself, considering I'd skip stuff like the snowman boss) and dealing with "well you could have just saved time by not collecting more than 49 orbs."
Here's a WIP of (except for the boss)
WHAT THE HECK?. I implemented that time-saver, maTO, and it looks nice. Some improvements come from using the downward slopes that Jim slides down to gain horizontal speed. Other improvements come from jumping to different ends of platforms that are a bit lower (I'm comparing to Flip's run primarily).
The level segment is 200 frames (3.33 seconds) faster than Flip's run and 482 frames (8.03 seconds) faster than the published run.
The boss fight isn't optimized by any means, and it isn't meant to be. I'm currently trying to manipulate Evil so that he doesn't lick himself or hesitate. It's possible, and quite easy to do since he changes his pattern when Jim simply moves a few frames right or left. Unfortunately, it's looking like walking to the right the entire time will manipulate Evil into optimalness, minimizing any potential entertainment (not that there's much to be had).
Also: I've experimented with the SNES version. The graphics and music are much nicer (though I think the sound effects suck). While it has that exclusive glitch in What the Heck? (I can confirm it doesn't work in the Gen version, as it's super easy to pull off in the SNES), everything just seems much slower in general, from level splash screens to even the cow launch. The bosses are not as hard either. And the Genesis version has an extra level. It's a tough call, but I'll probably continue with the Genesis run.
EDIT: Changed the WIP, was able to get under the first gate faster, and arrive at Evil with more health. Still ignore the boss fight.