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:
Coming again to the review spotlight is another animated
series I’ve put on the back burner for several months now. We’re looking into another season of one of
the most creative action-oriented animated series which also stands out for how
it raises its stakes:
Xiaolin Showdown (Season 2)
Basic Premise
Out of many animated shows I’ve seen, Xiaolin Showdown is certainly one of the more interesting and often
overlooked ones. Sure it may not have
the same universal appeal as other shows with simple characterizations and
morals, but there’s still plenty to take in from it. The premise of four characters from different
nationalities going around the world to find magical objects which allow a
plethora of occurrences is practically brimming with creativity. It’s the kind of genius idea that was made to
headline something animated, and how you always have to keep track of who has
what brings a nice sense of unity. You’d
think many would see this as a winning formula and it would constantly be
remembered to this very day. However,
while there was a time when this show was frequently being rerun and it’s
mentioned from time to time, it’s not exactly a huge topic of discussion. Being someone who was around for much of its
reruns, I have enough memories of it to make the show one of the mainstays of
this blog, until I get to the end of it of course.
The show’s second season does what many second seasons ought
to do by expanding upon the strengths of the first one and show the world its
true capabilities. It already seems easy
to expand upon what came before in which each episode was mostly about a major
Shen Gong Wu hunt with comedy action and wholesome morals. Still, there’s something exciting to look
forward to with the season ending with one of the heroes turning bad and the
main antagonist, Wuya, regaining her lost powers. There was build-up to how a serious mission
starts out as so routine and leads to such major world-shattering moments thus
being open to exploring what more could be done. Well, I’d say that Season 2 delivers in that
regard with not just more great Shen Gong Wu and solid stories, but also its
own share of surprises. I’m especially glad
to talk about it given how hard it’s been to get this season as well as the one
after this. For the longest time, only
Season 1 had a DVD release, but it apparently didn’t sell well, hence no
releases of episodes beyond that. The
season is fortunately out now via the internet-exclusive Warner Archive
Collection brand, and I was able to get digital copies of the season a year
prior. So now, with all of Season 2
readily available, let’s dive into it. Gong Yi Tanpai!
Now on with the reviews:
Days Past
This show has already left a good impression with its main
formula, but to start this season, we get a fresh break from the norm. It continues off of the dark ending to Season 1, and does so to great effect with a genuinely hopeless tone, and stakes risen
to new heights.
As some may remember,
the show left off with Wuya going from a ghostly spirit head back to her
original fleshy human witch form. As a
result, she easily takes control over the entire world, can create innumerable
servants out of the ground below her, and not even the most powerful Shen Gong
Wu can stop her. The remaining good
Xiaolin Warriors, Omi, Kimiko, and Clay, are not only easily outmatched but are
faced with the harsh truth that they don’t have a good plan to stop this
reign. Their main source for plans and
wisdom, Master Fung, being captured certainly doesn’t help. I could point out that there are at least a
few times before when they came up with a plan without their master, but I can
let it go for how this instance shows how powerful Wuya is.
In addition, other characters get a fair
share of standout moments too. We have
Jack Spicer in an interesting role where he agrees to help the Xiaolin Warriors
beat Wuya, but still admits he’s as evil as ever. After all, he can’t rule the world if Wuya is
already doing that. There’s also
Raimundo, the warrior who went bad and helped Wuya regain her fleshy form,
who’s rewarded with innumerable materialistic goods and appreciation for his
efforts. Given how hasty he was to get
appreciation to the point of turning on his team, it would be easy to make him
closed-minded of all of Wuya’s terror for selfish reasons. However, there are signs of him slowly
regretting his decision such as being taken aback by the lengths Wuya is going
with her powers and offering his old friends mercy if they join him. On a smaller note, he mostly recognizes flaws
in his decisions through how it’s hard to enjoy all the free stuff he has
without anyone to share it. This should
be the least of his concerns, but it’s pretty in line with his character the
way I see it.
Going back to the
warriors, they decide the only way to stop Wuya is to go back in time to get
advice from the only person who ever accomplished that feat, Grand Master
Dashi. With a time machine Jack
conveniently has and the power of a Shen Gong Wu, Omi is sent back 1500 years making
for an interesting meeting with this revered Grand Master. Rather than wise and spiritual like most
would expect, Dashi is actually very laid back and street-smart. His wisecracks contrasting so much with Omi’s
philosophical talk is a nice way of showing that great accomplishments, knowledge,
and skill can come from anyone of any persona.
Dashi also has fascinating ways of teaching Omi valuable lessons. He has him go through a big challenge to get
a pebble out of his hand, and after much bravado with chases and fighting,
Dashi gives up the pebble when Omi asks for it.
It’s a way of showing that in fighting, it’s best to go the unexpected
route which makes sense considering how powerful Wuya is.
There are still major stakes as we end with
the puzzle box Dashi gives Omi meant to trap Wuya unable to open and no one
knowing how to get Omi back to the present.
Both will be dealt with in the next episode, but for now, it’s great to
know that we start with nonstop excitement from how the world’s been shaken up.
A+
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode that resolves all conflicts from Wuya's reign.
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