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rakathspseudonymUnlike my last unhappy rant, this is a bit more fun and upbeat!
So, I like cartoons, lots of cartoons. Old cartoons, new cartoons, Japanese, Western, French (once). However somewhere along the line I became one of those 'in my day' folks. You know, the 'you see an add for this new thing' and go 'in my day we had good cartoons, none of this riff-raff' sorta guy. I think it happened when JLU was cancelled. And I liked Ben 10 but it was an exception to the rule deal. HOWEVER I AM REBORN! Thanks to The Hub, and not Cartoon Network... which hurts me a little, deep in my soul.
Okay so some people I know have become very vocal on loving this Friendship is Magic My Little Pony stuff. And like anyone I gave it a shot and was... well the sound is 'meh' really. I mean, it doesn't make me cry tears of unending sadness but I am just not drawn to it like everyone else. I chuckle a few times at Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash but most of the eps I saw I just... didn't get drawn into it.
But, in watching the Hub I was lured into watching other shows, initially older shows. As they run Batman Beyond regularly and as that is part of my hayday of animation I must watch it.
Naturally Batman Beyond was a gateway drug, in looking for shows on Hub I found they run old school G.I. Joe and Transformers, which I still love. Maybe not as much as when I was a kid. But its still there. But they blast out adds for the new versions of the show and I finally gave them both a shot.
And they are GOOD, and well thought out. Surprisingly both of them take much darker paths than the old shows, and better thought out paths than the likes of Armada/Engergon/Cybertron. Also I could never get into Transformers: Animated due to the style. It just never worked for me when all the vehicles looked so... bubbly. G.I. Joe wasn't first love level like Transformers for me, but the new series has its charms to it (like the secret war with Cobra ACTUALLY being secret... but more on that later).
Both Cartoon Network and Nicktoons have SOMETHING I like, but it is very hit or miss on both fronts. Both networks seem to like the merch you can sell with shows LIKE Spongebob, so CN's big adcopy stuff has been Adventure time, Regular Show, etc. Which I HATE, cause I hate Spongebob, and all like it. Nick of course has the real deal, which I also hate. And while they run lots of Avatar and DBZKai that's not new stuff, that's old stuff that works pretty well. So, onto some reviews and such.
Young Justice
I've never nor will I ever read the Young Justice comic book. ...which has nothing to do with the series, if I did I wouldn't compare it TO the series. I'm also not going to compare this series to Teen Titans animated OR Teen Titans comic series.
Now then, I like this reboot to the timeline. It's a concise smaller setting (GOOD), working with less initial cast giving space to grow. They have a building overarcing plotline, a strong starting line-up, and very little work needed to teach us about this starting set. The dynamic of the team is being built, which gives more room to work and grow the plot around the group which is a great place to start. They have a good mix of JL mythology (I personally love having both the Hall of Justice AND the Watchtower).
I'm almost used to the art style (the hair still gets to me with everyone) and the voice cast is solid no matter how much I loved DCAU Bats and Supes. There's no bat embargo to trip up villain usage right now, and it overall looks to have a real thought put into where things are going. This is probably why I even gave the other shows I'm going to list any shot at all. Cause if this bombed I would be jaded and clutching a set of Batman Beyond DVDs to my chest sobbing about how the world has fallen.
Voltron
Oh wow this continuation could have BOMBED SO BADLY. Quick run of what they have done less right:
1. Art style hasn't grown on me yet, it still looks so weird... that's the hand drawn stuff, the CG looks cool.
2. RAPPING OPENING THEMES ARE ALWAYS WRONG! ALWAYS WRONG!
3. I'm not as sold on the voice work as I had hoped I would be? The heroes still sound kinda flat, but the villains make up for it every way possible.
Now, to the good news:
1. As a continuation instead of a reboot it means you get something from knowing the past canon.
2. The three cadets are not Wesley Crushers in any way so far. And they have their own limitations to being useful. Which makes me pretty good with them existing.
3. The set-up for this plot IS GOOD. They haven't really set-up an overarcing plot but they have built a good universe for right now. The move from the old canon to the new show is fluid and well thought out.
4. The revamps on the LIONS have all gotten me pretty happy. As they upplay differences in the lion designs matching the personalities of the main pilots. So the lions are not identical. Which I find a nice plus.
So far I've only seen four episodes, as its really new. Hopefully the concerns list will become less of an issue as the pros list is really nice. I can't really put paragraphs together for this one due to how new it is.
Transformers Prime
So... they manage to make the Bayformer designs work... a little. Also this show is REALLY MISLEADING due to art style. As the art style suggests something much less dark and grim than it is. But start out with why I gave it a shot. The Question is Ratchet, Jeffery Combs is entirely why I gave this a shot. I'm shallow.
So the first episode I watched involved Arcee going through PTSD war flashbacks involving torture at the hands of Arachnid (voiced by Gina Torres). You know, for kids! So yeah, after that I really had to give it a fair shake on all points. The universe setting is a bit too close to Bayformers for my liking but again they make it work without me wanting to kill all like with the live actions. The voice cast is solid, they emote well, the plotline is working for it. OrochiStarscream betrays Megatron in ways that don't get him killed (reasonably).
I mean, I entirely misjudged due to style, but having a five part opening plotline kinda gives it props in my book. And while the humans are there, they aren't annoying like Witwicky. And its explained better than with Ratchet (but G1 is still always my favorite, I can never stop loving it). I am still torn on the animation style, part of me wishes they went a bit for more realism on the cast... but I feel if they did that it would lose some of its charm.
So a CG series since Mainframe's work that is cool to watch, who knew?
G.I. Joe: Renegades
Finally a war with Cobra that is actually secret! I could never understand why America was fighting a global war with Cobra IN SECRET when Cobra and the Joes did fuckall to be secret. Now, this new version, we have a reason. Cobra is a a big evil conglomerate hiding in plain sight, and the Joes are the only ones that know Cobra is evil. DeCobrae might seem a little obvious but they are working with the original mythos.
Mixing CG with live action as obviously as done here does urk a little (the Bio-Vipers). However the Bio-Vipers are a good dose of creepy in the show. Kudos on that! The codenames work, especially the rebooted way to do them. I haven't seen as many eps of this as the new Transformers so they could botch in eps I haven't seen yet. However I still have hope, hope is good, I like it.
Maybe we'll see more of this sorta stuff and less Regular Show! Please... universe, please?
So, I like cartoons, lots of cartoons. Old cartoons, new cartoons, Japanese, Western, French (once). However somewhere along the line I became one of those 'in my day' folks. You know, the 'you see an add for this new thing' and go 'in my day we had good cartoons, none of this riff-raff' sorta guy. I think it happened when JLU was cancelled. And I liked Ben 10 but it was an exception to the rule deal. HOWEVER I AM REBORN! Thanks to The Hub, and not Cartoon Network... which hurts me a little, deep in my soul.
Okay so some people I know have become very vocal on loving this Friendship is Magic My Little Pony stuff. And like anyone I gave it a shot and was... well the sound is 'meh' really. I mean, it doesn't make me cry tears of unending sadness but I am just not drawn to it like everyone else. I chuckle a few times at Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash but most of the eps I saw I just... didn't get drawn into it.
But, in watching the Hub I was lured into watching other shows, initially older shows. As they run Batman Beyond regularly and as that is part of my hayday of animation I must watch it.
Naturally Batman Beyond was a gateway drug, in looking for shows on Hub I found they run old school G.I. Joe and Transformers, which I still love. Maybe not as much as when I was a kid. But its still there. But they blast out adds for the new versions of the show and I finally gave them both a shot.
And they are GOOD, and well thought out. Surprisingly both of them take much darker paths than the old shows, and better thought out paths than the likes of Armada/Engergon/Cybertron. Also I could never get into Transformers: Animated due to the style. It just never worked for me when all the vehicles looked so... bubbly. G.I. Joe wasn't first love level like Transformers for me, but the new series has its charms to it (like the secret war with Cobra ACTUALLY being secret... but more on that later).
Both Cartoon Network and Nicktoons have SOMETHING I like, but it is very hit or miss on both fronts. Both networks seem to like the merch you can sell with shows LIKE Spongebob, so CN's big adcopy stuff has been Adventure time, Regular Show, etc. Which I HATE, cause I hate Spongebob, and all like it. Nick of course has the real deal, which I also hate. And while they run lots of Avatar and DBZKai that's not new stuff, that's old stuff that works pretty well. So, onto some reviews and such.
Young Justice
I've never nor will I ever read the Young Justice comic book. ...which has nothing to do with the series, if I did I wouldn't compare it TO the series. I'm also not going to compare this series to Teen Titans animated OR Teen Titans comic series.
Now then, I like this reboot to the timeline. It's a concise smaller setting (GOOD), working with less initial cast giving space to grow. They have a building overarcing plotline, a strong starting line-up, and very little work needed to teach us about this starting set. The dynamic of the team is being built, which gives more room to work and grow the plot around the group which is a great place to start. They have a good mix of JL mythology (I personally love having both the Hall of Justice AND the Watchtower).
I'm almost used to the art style (the hair still gets to me with everyone) and the voice cast is solid no matter how much I loved DCAU Bats and Supes. There's no bat embargo to trip up villain usage right now, and it overall looks to have a real thought put into where things are going. This is probably why I even gave the other shows I'm going to list any shot at all. Cause if this bombed I would be jaded and clutching a set of Batman Beyond DVDs to my chest sobbing about how the world has fallen.
Voltron
Oh wow this continuation could have BOMBED SO BADLY. Quick run of what they have done less right:
1. Art style hasn't grown on me yet, it still looks so weird... that's the hand drawn stuff, the CG looks cool.
2. RAPPING OPENING THEMES ARE ALWAYS WRONG! ALWAYS WRONG!
3. I'm not as sold on the voice work as I had hoped I would be? The heroes still sound kinda flat, but the villains make up for it every way possible.
Now, to the good news:
1. As a continuation instead of a reboot it means you get something from knowing the past canon.
2. The three cadets are not Wesley Crushers in any way so far. And they have their own limitations to being useful. Which makes me pretty good with them existing.
3. The set-up for this plot IS GOOD. They haven't really set-up an overarcing plot but they have built a good universe for right now. The move from the old canon to the new show is fluid and well thought out.
4. The revamps on the LIONS have all gotten me pretty happy. As they upplay differences in the lion designs matching the personalities of the main pilots. So the lions are not identical. Which I find a nice plus.
So far I've only seen four episodes, as its really new. Hopefully the concerns list will become less of an issue as the pros list is really nice. I can't really put paragraphs together for this one due to how new it is.
Transformers Prime
So... they manage to make the Bayformer designs work... a little. Also this show is REALLY MISLEADING due to art style. As the art style suggests something much less dark and grim than it is. But start out with why I gave it a shot. The Question is Ratchet, Jeffery Combs is entirely why I gave this a shot. I'm shallow.
So the first episode I watched involved Arcee going through PTSD war flashbacks involving torture at the hands of Arachnid (voiced by Gina Torres). You know, for kids! So yeah, after that I really had to give it a fair shake on all points. The universe setting is a bit too close to Bayformers for my liking but again they make it work without me wanting to kill all like with the live actions. The voice cast is solid, they emote well, the plotline is working for it. OrochiStarscream betrays Megatron in ways that don't get him killed (reasonably).
I mean, I entirely misjudged due to style, but having a five part opening plotline kinda gives it props in my book. And while the humans are there, they aren't annoying like Witwicky. And its explained better than with Ratchet (but G1 is still always my favorite, I can never stop loving it). I am still torn on the animation style, part of me wishes they went a bit for more realism on the cast... but I feel if they did that it would lose some of its charm.
So a CG series since Mainframe's work that is cool to watch, who knew?
G.I. Joe: Renegades
Finally a war with Cobra that is actually secret! I could never understand why America was fighting a global war with Cobra IN SECRET when Cobra and the Joes did fuckall to be secret. Now, this new version, we have a reason. Cobra is a a big evil conglomerate hiding in plain sight, and the Joes are the only ones that know Cobra is evil. DeCobrae might seem a little obvious but they are working with the original mythos.
Mixing CG with live action as obviously as done here does urk a little (the Bio-Vipers). However the Bio-Vipers are a good dose of creepy in the show. Kudos on that! The codenames work, especially the rebooted way to do them. I haven't seen as many eps of this as the new Transformers so they could botch in eps I haven't seen yet. However I still have hope, hope is good, I like it.
Maybe we'll see more of this sorta stuff and less Regular Show! Please... universe, please?