If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:
Royal Rumble
With a focus on the creative aesthetics of the
Shen Gong Wu and the vast assortment of villains, this episode has a lot going
for it. However, the way to its
greatness is a little rough.
We start
with the Xiaolin Warriors doing an exercise to enhance their teamwork. This can get hard to watch when Raimundo,
Kimiko, and Clay pick fights with each other over menial things about
themselves they find annoying. The worst
part is that when the exercise backfires, they have the gall to blame Omi, the
only one trying to do the right thing, for it.
I get the warriors are kids and it’s normal for kids to pick fights over
little things. The problem is they practically demonize each other for their harmless
quirks when they all have to protect the world from evil. It’s immature, unentertaining, and them
blaming their problems on the only person keeping the peace goes too far.
Despite all this mean-spiritedness, the
episode turns out great afterwards. Not
one, but four Shen Gong Wu reveal themselves at the same time. This makes the episode broaden the usual
formula with lots of creative experiences and interesting encounters. All four of the newly revealed Shen Gong Wu
have some of the most interesting abilities.
There’s a flower called the Lotus Twister that makes one’s limbs
stretchable. The Longi Kite is a flight-based Shen Gong Wu. The Tongue of
Saiping allows the user to talk to animals. Finally, the Sun Chi Lantern merges the user’s energy with anyone caught in the glow. Finding them gives different scenes for the
action like the bayou, a deserted island, the artic, and a barren plain.
With different Shen Gong Wu come different
Xiaolin Showdowns. Supporting villains
like the sleazy cat-obsessed Katnappe, the chubby ninja Tubbimura, and a new
Chameleon-bot return to ensure the side of evil gets the whole haul. It’s great to see these distinctive villains
back in action alongside Jack Spicer, enhancing the experience as they each
face a different warrior. As for the
showdowns, they vary a lot which keeps things fresh and exciting. Kimiko and Katnappe gator-hop for
the Lotus Twister. Raimundo faces the Chameleon-bot posing as a beach babe in
an underwater hide and seek game for the Longi Kite. Clay races Tubbimura over
ice for the Tongue of Saiping. Omi races monkey Jack for the Sun Chi
Lantern while carrying a glass of water.
You get excited while watching one showdown and anticipate the outcome
of the others. Also, the showdowns get
aggressive when the villains not only win most of the Shen Gong Wu, but also
capture their opponents.
Because he had no attitude issues earlier,
it’s appropriate that Omi is the only one to win his showdown and not get
captured. When he arrives at Jack’s layer, Omi initiates a major highlight for
the episode. With the Sun Chi Lantern,
he merges his energy with his friends’, and that helps him take out his foes. With beautiful music and design of the glow,
it’s a well-constructed and thought-provoking battle strategy. Since the Sun Chi Lantern is literally not
used in any other episode, that makes its use here something very
special.
As for the episode, this great
moment followed by the others thanking Omi and pulling off the earlier exercise
make for the most appropriate conclusion it could go with. In the end, if you can get past the overly
harsh scenes in the beginning, everything that follows will illuminate you in a
light of action-packed, creative, and insightful entertainment.
A
The Ranking
- Night of the Sapphire Dragon
- Shen Yi Bu
- Royal Rumble
- Chameleon
- Katnappe
- The Journey of a Thousand Miles
- My Homey Omi
- Like a Rock
- Big as Texas
- Ring of the Nine Dragons
- Tangled Web
The next Xiaolin Showdown review follows up on an earlier mention of a being named Mala Mala Jong to epic effect.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is the great OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode, "No More Pow Cards."
If you would like to check out other Xiaolin Showdown reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
No comments:
Post a Comment