Posts tagged media analysis
Draqua's pad
Media Junk
unit-eleven asked:
Came for the Transformers/analysis, stayed for the high quality of the blog.
Thank you very much, I’m glad you like my blog. Even if I don’t produce fanart, I want to produce interesting, clean burning, Provincially approved fandom discussions and videos for the dissemination of others.
nattygism asked:
shyly came for the Transformers stuff, stayed because I enjoy the analysis of other shows!
At the beginning and end of the day… my heart shall always beat for robots. And I’m really glad you find the other stuff interesting too. Let me know if there’s any topic/show in particular you’d like to discuss at some point in the future. I’m always happy to oblige if I have the knowledge base.
Rrrrrrrrreeerrrrrbooooooottttssss
nabulos asked:
Came for the analysis, stayed for the person
The great part of any media consumption experience is after you turn off the TV, put down the book, close the player, etc… turn to the people around you and say: “So… what was it really about?”
Also, thank you for the complement.
I often use this blog to discuss contemporary pieces of media, like cartoons or movies, that I’m interested in or I feel have analyzable elements. But, since it’s the Holiday season, let’s crank back the clock and examine an often overlooked nostalgic movie with some interesting points.
Here we have the infamous “action figure” scene from Snow Day, a family film from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies released in the year 2000. It was originally pitched as a theatrical version of Nick’s own TV show, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, but these plans were scrapped and Snow Day was re-written as a standalone feature.
The plot follows a typical nuclear American family and the various adventures they have during the titular snow day. The A plot is a rather predictable romp following the older brother character as he attempts to woo the girl of his dreams through various unsuccessful and comical methods; only to discover that his childhood best friend has harbored feelings for him this whole time. Snore.
The really entertaining bits come from the middle child character, Natalie Brandston, who crusades with her band of friends against the insane Snow Plow Man and his attempts to clean the streets. She carries around her a Meltar action figure as a sort of good luck charm/inspiration symbol. In the above scene, she’s hit her Hero’s Lowest Point and is ready to give up the fight. But, either by magic or the power of her own imagination, the whole team of figures come alive and implore her to rally her courage, gather allies, and continue on her quest to stop The Snow Plow Man. She takes this spurning to heart and amasses an army of nearly all the kids in town, leading an assault against her enemy, see that clip here
Note also the titles of the books behind Meltar as he cheers her on. That’s good thematic imagery.
I find this whole concept pretty interesting from a children’s media perspective. The figures have no real world equivalent, but are clearly meant to be analogues for popular 80’s multimedia franchises like He-Man or Thundercats.
So, you have a young female character happily taking up playthings falling outside her gender association, unironically enjoying, and drawing strength from them. She is also well educated in the narrative lore of the figures, since she demonstrates knowledge of their back-story, personalities, and motivations. It’s noted that they originally belonged to Hal, the older brother, and that he plans to keep them mint and sell them for profit. Natalie, by contrast, wants to play with them, make up stories with them, and draw inspiration from them as iconic heroes. She wants to use them the way toys were meant to be used. Furthermore, since they bolster her bravery and leadership skills, she uses them to remind her to be a stronger person, rather than seeing them as an item to sell and get rich from. Throughout the film, Natalie proves herself to be a capable leader, a loyal friend, and a woman of action and agency.
Snow Day is certainly not a well shot, nor a well acted movie, but it has some interesting uses of action figures and female characters if nothing else.
raeseddon started following you
Turtle power, dude!
I couldn’t not after such thoughtful and in depth analysis! I think one of the things we’re going to see, as far as the animation industry goes in the next few years is that serialized animation—not theatrical, theatrical has found it’s place as “high art”— but serialized animation is going to be taken just as seriously as it’s live action counter parts.
Granted, there are a few very large, ideological blocks standing in the way of that, such as franchising, but I think when a serial animation can survive on ratings and dvd sales alone, without the toy marketing that often comes with it, the concept of the genre will undergo a massive shift in popular culture.
Thank you very much, I’m glad you found it interesting.
Yes, as I mentioned in my “franchise children’s media” post, I do feel that televised animation is an industry that stands a strong chance of getting bigger, having more money invested in it, and be expected to provide larger returns. We see this already in terms of how many fairly high quality cartoons are on air right now, the type of budget they necessitated, and the type of people associated with their production. There have always been good cartoons, there have always been expensive cartoons… but never in quite this amount, and not all at once.
But, as you say, there’s a lot of transition leg work that needs to be done. Where will the money come from? Will tie-in product lines continue or will it be through selling ad space, online distribution, and dvd/blu-ray sales?
Another big obstacle I see right now is the conflict between television networks and content producers. The Motorcity vs. Disney XD is a popular example, but we also see Cartoon Network’s attitude towards DC related animation. If the creators of children’s entertainment cannot count on a healthy, supporting relationship from the hosting network, then the longevity, profitability, and safety of the program suffers.
Speaking of Cartoon Network, Hasbro faced similar problems with Transformers Animated having little to no promotion, a poor airing schedule, and heaps upon heaps of behind-the-scenes arguments about who owned what and who would profit most at the end of the day. Hasbro’s response was eventually to say: “Fine! I’ll make my own network, with ponies and blackjack!” and partnered with Discovery to make The HUB. Transformers Animated got the axe, but Hasbro got to make a channel with an unprecedented level of control over their programs, reap more benefits, and also decided to make the jump from a toy and games company into a full on multi-media corporation.
Poor Warner Brothers used to have their own network to air cartoons on… but not anymore.
Now, heck, I’m no expert on market research, the economy, or anything. But I do see a lot of potential for things to change. Like the introduction of digital media sales for music, movies, and e-books over these last few years; there’s going to be a lot of growing pains. Networks and producers need to re-structure their relationship, or come to profitable compromises if the industry is going to expand. It’ll be a process, and some good shows are probably going to die before their time through no fault of their own. Such is reality. Meanwhile, we as viewers just have to hang in there, support the shows we like as best we can, and see how it all plays out.
*made re-bloggable by request*
This is a very interesting question.
Indeed, you’re right. We live in a media landscape where nearly all of the big name children’s cartoons, movies, video-games, and some TV shows are based off of pre-existing franchises/remakes. As usual, it has a lot to do with money and the logic that audiences will keep coming back to a brand which has entertained them well in the past… but there’s something a little more complex going on here I think.
Because, we also live in a world where there are a huge amount of screens (TV, laptop, tablet, cellphone, video games on your TV, handheld games, movie theaters, internet) competing for our attention. It’s very easy for audiences to find a large amount of entertainment, what’s not so easy is for media-makers to find a large audience.
To illustrate what I mean, consider these two examples: Chris Anderson’s theory of The Long Tail, and Red Letter Media’s Blurring Effect of Popular Culture as discussed in Mr. Plinkett’s review of the 2009 Star Trek film (skip to 6:46 of part 1). While one is academic and the other is satirical; both hit very similar central themes when it comes to audiences and the media products they partake in.
The Long Tail holds that culture and the economy is shifting away from focusing on a small number of “hits” (mainstream products and markets that everyone buys into), and towards a huge number of niche titles that only a few people are interested in. Niche titles tend to be cheaper and faster to produce, but are also ultra specific. Furthermore, in a world where products, media, and services are increasingly accessed through non-physical means, niche products can be made easily accessible to customers via the internet. Producers can no longer bank on people being interested in buying/watching one product, because they can turn to other, highly personalized forms of entertainment through other mediums.
The Red Letter Media crew poses a similar paradox; there’s an abundance of TV channels, movies, TV shows, popular websites, etc. available right now. People don’t have to all watch the same things anymore, and people are more likely to gravitate to what interests them and only that. So, in order to guarantee a strong viewership, media makers focus on recognizable names, brands, and franchises from pre-mass internet culture; because the farther back you go, the less competition there is, and the sharper the image will be.
This is a particularly big deal for children’s entertainment media, because its a genre so heavily based in easily recognizable images, concepts, and characters. This has a lot to do with tie-in products. Remember, most televised animation (particularly the heavy hitters like Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) make their money almost exclusively through merchandise: toys, stuffies, books, clothes, theme parks, fruit pies, underwear, etc.
Audience interest, and finance, is easily distracted and attention/money moves quickly to and from things. I think cartoons, much like video-games, are becoming somewhat like the movie industry. They get media exposure, conduct events, generate buzz, and generally do everything humanly possible with all the multi-media tools at their disposal to ensure people are watching their show. This is particularly notable in the case of shows like Transformers Prime and My Little Pony who get a ton of promotional attention on the HUB network, since they’re the big rating draw, and also represent two of Hasbro’s most visible brands right now.
This gets back to your original point that so many popular kid’s TV shows these days are franchise related: its because they represent a safer bet for media companies to sink their dollars into. The name offers a measure of security that people will engage with that specific show as opposed to doing something else. Big, franchise names attract the most money, big names, and big talent. Meanwhile, original content shows don’t always get the best treatment.
Now, like you said, just because something is a remake or part of a franchise (not original content): doesn’t automatically make it bad. And by extension, just because something is original, doesn’t make it automatically good. It’s okay not to get into Motorcity, heck, I have some problems with it too; although I love it for its animation, designs, and the female characters. Now, it can be debated if Disney’s to blame when it comes to Motorcity’s narrative problems, and we’re still not sure just how much creative control The Mouse House had over what actually got in the show (or what they took out).
I do think there’s a concern to be raised that the big name franchise titles, like TFP or Ultimate Spider-man, might draw money/talent/resources away from original titles.
Would Motorcity be better if it had Charlie Bean (director of Tron: Uprising) on board? If Marty Isenberg (story editor of Transformers Animated and GI Joe Renegades) headed up the writing staff of Motorcity, would plot and character development flow better? If it commanded the kind of external media attention Transformers Prime does, would Disney treat its scheduling better?
The 2012 TMNT was given the green light for a second, 26 episode season after only the first 2 episodes had premiered whereas Motorcity’s was not renewed. If Motorcity was… say… a cartoon tie-in for Hot Wheels or something… would fate have been kinder? Would the production staff have been allowed more creative freedom?
I think its important to know that franchise association does not automatically imply safety… Tron Uprising’s in danger too, and GI Joe Renegades was canceled to make room in public consciousness for the second live-action GI Joe movie. Entertainment is a fickle mistress.
Anyways, this has probably gone on for too long. But to cap it all off:
- Franchises are both a cause and a result of the current economic, entertainment media, and culture environment we find ourselves in
- A good show, regardless of origins, will always be a good show. Don’t feel ashamed for loving a merchandise-driven money sink. Don’t feel disappointed in yourself for not liking something with original content
- Life isn’t fair: good show’s get cancelled through no fault of their own. Franchise or not
- It’s all about the money money money
- My inbox is always open for further inquiries
Thank you for reading
Anonymous asked:
In this period of animation, or just the entertainment industry in general, so many cartoons nowadays are based off of old franchises. That's not to say those certain revamps have been bad; most are actually pretty good. I bring this up because a friend lamented that cartoons these days are too dependent on franchises; nothing is original anymore. Any original I do find, its usually low quality to me (can't get into Motorcity at all). Your thoughts?
This is a very interesting question.
Indeed, you’re right. We live in a media landscape where nearly all of the big name children’s cartoons, movies, video-games, and some TV shows are based off of pre-existing franchises/remakes. As usual, it has a lot to do with money and the logic that audiences will keep coming back to a brand which has entertained them well in the past… but there’s something a little more complex going on here I think.
Because, we also live in a world where there are a huge amount of screens (TV, laptop, tablet, cellphone, video games on your TV, handheld games, movie theaters, internet) competing for our attention. It’s very easy for audiences to find a large amount of entertainment, what’s not so easy is for media-makers to find a large audience.
To illustrate what I mean, consider these two examples: Chris Anderson’s theory of The Long Tail, and Red Letter Media’s Blurring Effect of Popular Culture as discussed in Mr. Plinkett’s review of the 2009 Star Trek film (skip to 6:46 of part 1). While one is academic and the other is satirical; both hit very similar central themes when it comes to audiences and the media products they partake in.
The Long Tail holds that culture and the economy is shifting away from focusing on a small number of “hits” (mainstream products and markets that everyone buys into), and towards a huge number of niche titles that only a few people are interested in. Niche titles tend to be cheaper and faster to produce, but are also ultra specific. Furthermore, in a world where products, media, and services are increasingly accessed through non-physical means, niche products can be made easily accessible to customers via the internet. Producers can no longer bank on people being interested in buying/watching one product, because they can turn to other, highly personalized forms of entertainment through other mediums.
The Red Letter Media crew poses a similar paradox; there’s an abundance of TV channels, movies, TV shows, popular websites, etc. available right now. People don’t have to all watch the same things anymore, and people are more likely to gravitate to what interests them and only that. So, in order to guarantee a strong viewership, media makers focus on recognizable names, brands, and franchises from pre-mass internet culture; because the farther back you go, the less competition there is, and the sharper the image will be.
This is a particularly big deal for children’s entertainment media, because its a genre so heavily based in easily recognizable images, concepts, and characters. This has a lot to do with tie-in products. Remember, most televised animation (particularly the heavy hitters like Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) make their money almost exclusively through merchandise: toys, stuffies, books, clothes, theme parks, fruit pies, underwear, etc.
Audience interest, and finance, is easily distracted and attention/money moves quickly to and from things. I think cartoons, much like video-games, are becoming somewhat like the movie industry. They get media exposure, conduct events, generate buzz, and generally do everything humanly possible with all the multi-media tools at their disposal to ensure people are watching their show. This is particularly notable in the case of shows like Transformers Prime and My Little Pony who get a ton of promotional attention on the HUB network, since they’re the big rating draw, and also represent two of Hasbro’s most visible brands right now.
This gets back to your original point that so many popular kid’s TV shows these days are franchise related: its because they represent a safer bet for media companies to sink their dollars into. The name offers a measure of security that people will engage with that specific show as opposed to doing something else. Big, franchise names attract the most money, big names, and big talent. Meanwhile, original content shows don’t always get the best treatment.
Now, like you said, just because something is a remake or part of a franchise (not original content): doesn’t automatically make it bad. And by extension, just because something is original, doesn’t make it automatically good. It’s okay not to get into Motorcity, heck, I have some problems with it too; although I love it for its animation, designs, and the female characters. Now, it can be debated if Disney’s to blame when it comes to Motorcity’s narrative problems, and we’re still not sure just how much creative control The Mouse House had over what actually got in the show (or what they took out).
I do think there’s a concern to be raised that the big name franchise titles, like TFP or Ultimate Spider-man, might draw money/talent/resources away from original titles.
Would Motorcity be better if it had Charlie Bean (director of Tron: Uprising) on board? If Marty Isenberg (story editor of Transformers Animated and GI Joe Renegades) headed up the writing staff of Motorcity, would plot and character development flow better? If it commanded the kind of external media attention Transformers Prime does, would Disney treat its scheduling better?
The 2012 TMNT was given the green light for a second, 26 episode season after only the first 2 episodes had premiered whereas Motorcity’s was not renewed. If Motorcity was… say… a cartoon tie-in for Hot Wheels or something… would fate have been kinder? Would the production staff have been allowed more creative freedom?
I think its important to know that franchise association does not automatically imply safety… Tron Uprising’s in danger too, and GI Joe Renegades was canceled to make room in public consciousness for the second live-action GI Joe movie. Entertainment is a fickle mistress.
Anyways, this has probably gone on for too long. But to cap it all off:
- Franchises are both a cause and a result of the current economic, entertainment media, and culture environment we find ourselves in
- A good show, regardless of origins, will always be a good show. Don’t feel ashamed for loving a merchandise-driven money sink. Don’t feel disappointed in yourself for not liking something with original content
- Life isn’t fair: good show’s get cancelled through no fault of their own. Franchise or not
- It’s all about the money money money
- My inbox is always open for further inquiries
Thank you for reading
I’m gonna be a great warrior someday… Like Optimus!
What I liked about Hard Knocks was that it really hammered home a theme that I feel has been underlying Transformers Prime throughout it’s run. That being a hero, or living legend, is actually an extremely raw deal.
I’ve discussed before that TFP!Optimus as a character is basically a critique on epic heroes and war idols. He’s big, strong, and rarely in the wrong. The perfect solider, father, leader, and an all around gentleman. However, it’s also very clear that behind those gleaming windows and deep baritone, Optimus is crying on the inside. He lives, works, and speaks all for the sake of others and must forgo personal expression/wants for his cause. His value as a person rests not on who he is, but rather what he is.
This is contrasted in the latter half of S2 with the idealistic, fresh-faced Smokescreen. Introduced as a young solider desperate to prove his strength and become a legendary warrior just like Optimus Prime. Indeed, Smokescreen comes off an intentionally cliche archetypical character, flat out stating his desires for heroic status, claiming it’s “his destiny”.
Of course, we know that destiny is an unkind force in the TFP world. And we also know that Smokescreen is barking up a very unhappy tree when it comes to his life goals.
Do you really want to be “like Optimus”? Do you really want social isolation from your friends, family, and loved ones? Do you really want to repress your personal desires that much? You want Optimus’ life of pain and sacrifice?
Smokescreen is ultimately revealed to be the final Omega Key, proving that he’s more like Optimus than thought previously. His value now being on what he is rather than who. Let us also not forget that in the Orion Pax 3 parter which opened S2, Optimus was also called upon to sacrifice his youthful self for the sake of the Autobot cause.
And they used a key to do that too…
And that’s really the great tragedy of this whole event. Optimus shoulders the burden of living as a Prime so that no one else has to. Yet in the end, he cannot protect Smokescreen from being placed in a similar position. Being a hero is a path of horror, and having your inner being torn out for the sake of others… Much like what Knockout plans to do with Smokescreen.
You wanna be something, kid? Well, wish granted…
Cartoon Discussion: Young Justice Season 1 Thoughts
Last week, I finished watching Young Justice’s first season. Overall, it was a very good show, but has some notable issues that kept from reaching true greatness. I thought I’d do a point form list on some of this season. Keep in mind this is not a formal review, just my scattered, general opinions.
The Real Princess of the Night by KefkaFloyd, Editor in Chief of The Round Stable
Luna is literally sitting in the shadow of the statue of Nightmare Moon, pondering her botched meeting with the citizens of Ponyville. She pushes a single piece of candy towards her alter ego, asking to not be eaten up by her past. This piece of subtle storytelling could be missed easily, but it’s a treat for anyone that pays attention.
I love discussing little visual tidbits like these. I also highly recommend checking out all the editorials from The Round Stable. They write on all manner of things in a witty and professional tone, from the specifics of the animation behind the show, to writer spotlights, to episode theme breakdown; all very interesting stuff.
In regards to my last response, I feel like I should add a little footnote on where I got media analysis skills from and how I learned some terminology.
Well… I’m a big fan of Red Letter Media, a team of amateur filmmakers and reviewers responsible for the Mr. Plinkett videos and the Half in the Bag movie review webshow. Some may already have noticed that I occasionally steal their best jokes pepper my own writing with some of their popular and relevant catchphrases. Basically, what makes the RLM group important to me is that their review material is also very educational. Though the tone is generally laid back (Half in the Bag literally features the two protagonists drinking beer in a living room), they discuss very important writing, shooting, and characterization concepts. Mr. Plinkett’s infamous Phantom Menace review is basically a cliff-notes equivalent to Film Writing 101, at least in terms of the pitfalls to look out for. Meanwhile, the Star Wars IV: A New Hope commentary track contains almost all the resources you need to understand writing a good Hero’s Journey/Action Movie. They point out the core elements that can make or break a film all in layman’s terms, while also shedding light on how big budget blockbuster movies are made these days.
For an applied example of what I’m talking about, and to bring things full circle on the subject of Transformers, here’s a link to their review for Transformers Dark of the Moon. Note the relaxed and simple way they discuss the plot/mechanical problems with the film; root issues rather than the superficial.
Be advised, Red Letter Media is not for everyone. The humor is often bawdy and the Mr. Plinkett reviews can occasionally step into the realm of highly unpleasant and disturbing… But no more so than a world that brought us Star Wars Episode II and Cop Dog.
And yes: I do fantasize about a Mr. Plinkett review of the Transformers film trilogy. And no: it won’t happen. Mike and Jay aren’t fans of the property and wouldn’t have interest in the project.
Cartoon Discussion: Princess Problems
In my full series review of Sym-Bionic Titan, I discuss how the title of “princess” as applied to Ilana informs nearly every aspect of her character in a surprisingly empowering way. The big old “P” card is not simply used as an excuse for her to wear dresses, or as just a convenient story element to have the villains chase the heroes; what’s more classic than an imperiled princess to drive the plot after all? But rather, the princess status molds Ilana into a deeply political entity who has also been conditioned to work for the health of a social system rather than coordinating her shoes with her coach and ballgown. Given the typical treatment of female royalty in children’s fiction, I have lot of feelings about this, so I felt it merited its own discussion.
Click the “read more” to enter a prose filled world of pink as we compare how monarchy association applies to characters like Ilana, Rapunzel (of Disney’s Tangled specifically), Merida (of Pixar’s Brave), and the Disney Princess franchise in general.
House of 1000 Manga: "Chobits" by Shaenon K. Garrity
In his lengthy analysis of Chobits for The Comics Journal (Issue 269, July 2005), Dirk Deppey calls it “a flight from adolescence, a return to the preteen girl’s ideal of love, where the man is always dependable and the purpose of love is to hold hands…with none of that messy, oozing, squirting stuff to get in the way of the nobler emotions.” As Deppey points out, the central romantic relationship in Chobits is immature not just physically, in the way it’s carefully constructed to remove any threat of sex, but emotionally. Chi is a child, starting the series as a mental infant and never advancing past the level of a very sheltered prepubescent girl. Hideki’s relationship with her is initially Pygmalion-like, the relationship of a parent to a child, but by the end of the series he’s regressed to Chi’s level, rejecting adult sexuality to be Chi’s eternal playmate.
…
The manga’s central relationship goes beyond romantic innocence and into immaturity, a refusal to face the complex, messy, sometimes scary world of adults. The final chapter shows Hideki and Chi in bed together, but only after it’s been firmly established that nothing could possibly happen between them there. They’re not lovers; they’re best friends at a slumber party.
Deppey claims that the rejection of sex makes Chobits a manga for girls, not boys: “No growing boy in his right mind would ever entertain such a fantasy.” In this assertion, Deppey is off the mark. Teenage boys can be just as insecure about sex as teenage girls, and, during its initial run in the early 2000s, Chobits particulary resonated with the emerging male otaku concept of moe.
A very interesting article and general review of the deeper implications of CLAMP’s Chobits, readership gender relations, and a good sweep on the building blocks of moe.
something entertaining: Whenever I try to watch Motorcity
Questions like what, we can help, I promise!!
why is julie being the daughter of kane a secret
why doesn’t anyone know that as common knowledge in the first place, I mean, with how bombastically narcassistic and in love with his little girl Kane is,…
Why is Kane’s right hand man and top lieutenant an incompetent manchild?
If Kane is supposed to be a brilliant evil mastermind why are all of his plans ridiculous/poorly thought out/completely illogical?
In short, why is Kane such a ridiculously incompetent villain?
Why make Kane the main antagonist if he is a complete moron?
Why is Mike the main character and not Julie when she has the most compelling conflict?
Why does the show expect me to care about the characters when it eschews development and depth in favour of high speed races?
How did all the Burners end up joining up with each other?
Why did they get someone’s 15 year old nephew just learning how to play the guitar to make the ‘soundtrack’?
Why is Claire buddies with the Burners?
How did this happen, why did she start hanging out with them?
THE LIST GOES ON FOREVER.
I really, REALLY want to like this show, it is so gorgeous and made with so much love but it feels like they put NEGATIVE effort into the plot and characters.
I finally had to throw in the towel after about 8 episodes. I’m sorry Tumblr.
Why is it that in the 14 some odd episodes that have surfaced thus far, at least 4 of which have centered around Chuck’s feelings of inadequacy and fearfulness, particularly when compared to the heroic Mike? And why is it that in each of these episodes, Chuck eventually confronts said anxieties, overcoming them in act 3, thus proving he is more capable than both he and his comrades give him credit for? But, then, why is it that Chuck never seems to hold onto this knowledge or development into the next episode, making a change in his attitude and behavior accordingly to indicate growth?
Now, like ukiiukii later indicated, I have nothing against Mortorcity nor its fans whatsoever. Also, I personally quite enjoy watching the program if nothing else. I want to clarify that. Secondly, I have nothing but respect for the animators and artists working on the show; it is visually brilliant and bursts with creativity. My issue is simply that Motorcity is not as deep or smart as it could be.
And… that’s okay.
The show is well worth it for the visuals alone to forgo stable character arcs or rich conflict. It is perfectly good for what it is. At the same time, however, it is fair to retain one’s right to be critical and openly discuss when things aren’t all they could be.
Besides, if I want notable character growth, impressive visuals, and intelligent conversation on the ego driven races between super-heroes, villains, and the common-folk caught up in between (but perhaps admittedly lacking in a degree of whimsy and fun)… Well, I’d just watch Tron: Uprising, which I do.
Sym-Bionic Titan Discussion: Series Review
(As promised, here is my full series breakdown on Sym-Bionic Titan)
Program: Sym-Bionic Titan
Airdates/Episode Count: September 17, 2010 – April 9, 2011/20 episodes
Grade: A
In Brief: Sym-Bionic Titan was a short-lived American animated cartoon created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network, and produced by Orphanage Animation Studios. While originally planned as a long running series, a combination of contract disputes and a lack of a tie-in toyline led to the program unfortunately not being renewed after its initial order of 20 episodes and the project now lies abandoned. The show is a beautifully animated and sharply written mash-up of high school drama and epic robot battles. Featuring a cast of rich and likeable heroes, and creative designs, it is a prime example of everything Western action cartoons can and should strive to be. While certainly not without its flaws, and inconclusive due to said behind the scenes problems, I highly recommend Sym-Bionic Titan.
For an in-depth review of the show overall, please click the “Read More”. Be advised, there will be spoilers.
