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For this one-off animated TV special, we’re going to cover one of a holiday that doesn’t get nearly as much attention or grandeur as others, Valentine’s Day. I mean, apart from constantly seeing things of hearts, flowers, candy, cards, etc. in things like retail, there aren’t many big traditions or customs that appeal to everyone. Perhaps that’s different if you have a special someone, but that’s another story. Anyway, this special is another one to signal in a new era for the Cartoon Network classic, Ed Edd n Eddy covering the highlights of Valentine’s Day with its own clever twists in:
Ed Edd n Eddy’s Hanky-Panky Hullabaloo
(February 11, 2005)
Like a previous holiday special, this one for Valentine’s Day introduces an element that shapes the dynamic of the series for the coming season. It’s the formal introduction of the Eds and the cul-de-sac kids attending school, and the attempts to maintain its relatable yet highly animated aesthetic. For the most part, while the cast may be taken out of their usual time of year, they’re all true to their distinctive selves. Comedy-wise, the world around them never holds back on extreme gags. In all, the special gives solid first impressions of the new setup, but let’s just say the fifth season offers a true feel of what it’s really going to be like. I also find it interestingly fitting that school is introduced in a Valentine’s Day special. In my experience, if you don’t have a date, this is the place where most memories or traditions of that holiday take place, indicating its lesser status compared to other special days. Granted this is truer for elementary school, and this is junior high, but the good news is that the final product does take good advantage of the Valentine’s Day customs.
Of course, the first thing most people think of when it comes to this holiday is romance, and for the Eds, three girls who seem to be after them the most are the Kanker sisters. Regarding this aspect of the series, it’s always seemed ambiguous if their feelings for the Eds are real or if it’s all their demented mindsets at play. For at least one of the Kankers in this special, it’s treated like this conflict is nonexistent.
The least intelligent Kanker sister, May, has her heart set on making Ed her valentine, complete with a card that feels straight from the heart. This is a good continuation of these specials making the Kankers feel far more human and restrained than in the series proper. That said, as this particular special goes on, they seem restrained to a fault, again at least for May, as the staging expects the audience to feel for her when Lee and Marie mock her Valentine.
This feel is even more recognized when you factor in how the Eds view Valentine’s Day individually. While Eddy uses the day to set himself up as a chick magnet for a nominal fee, Ed treats it as a day to avoid all girls. The latter behavior is standard girl fear one expects young boys to be portrayed with, but given Ed’s nature, it’s taken to a whole new extreme which is welcome. Then again, you’d think that Ed and his friends’ relation with the Kankers alone would be enough to freak him out. With that in mind, it’s hard to see it as OK that this moment expects the audience to sympathize with May even more.
Then there’s Double D, the Ed who ends up taking the spotlight for this special. He’s the one who expresses the most joy for Valentine’s Day, talking about how great it is and wanting to spread its spirit however he can. It’s also enough to make him forget how harassing the Kanker sisters typically are to him and his friends. When he notices May distraught over Ed rejecting her valentine, Double D genuinely feels for her and steps in to comfort her.
You just know that his gesture is meaningful when the valentine he gives May is one originally meant for Nazz. Out of this seemingly overly sentimental thought does the Valentine’s Day feel truly kick in.
It’s all because of these two Cupids, portrayed by Sarah and Jimmy, who do what they can to spread love throughout the school at all costs. This direction begs a lot of questions though. Where did these Cupids come from? Why are Sarah and Jimmy taking the form of them? Are they supposed to be the real Sarah and Jimmy? If not, where are the actual Sarah and Jimmy? Why are they constantly talking in rhyme? Anyway, their nature ends up bringing a lot of implications that only prove that the general idea of Cupid is not necessarily a good one.
In accordance with the Cupid mythos, they shoot May with their heart arrows.
Then they do the same to Double D when he’s in the middle of a class.
This in turn sets into motion the center conflict of the special. Under the influence of the Cupids, Double D and May are in complete love with each other with all the lovey-dovey romance conventions intact. There’s big heart eyes, reciting flowery monologues about each other at any given time, and even giving each other nicknames like Lamb Chop and Turtle Dove. Not only is this overly saccharine and more of a reflection of what people think of romance instead of a light-hearted parody, but it constantly feels wrong. If you ask me, real romances should be built up from a long time of devotion and caring. One nice gesture, especially one towards someone who terrorizes the other and his friends on a regular basis, really doesn’t cut it. This major romance built on the influence of the Cupids only makes things worse because these feelings are not real. If this is how Cupid is supposed to work in general, it’s hard to see how it’s beneficial for anything other than to capitalize on Valentine’s Day.
As an aside, balancing out the borderline schmaltz of Double D and May’s fabricated romance are several examples of the series capitalizing on the new school setting. Even with the need to go get an education, nothing stops the Eds from getting up to their brand of memorable antics. There’s even a way of keeping things from the kids’ perspective without adults by having some of them like Kevin oversee everything as teacher’s assistants and the hall monitor. We got Ed swinging like Tarzan throughout a gymnasium.
In art class, Eddy is still trying to find a quick way to riches with the aid of a wood carving of a buck and a printing press, resulting in a comedic explosion of ink.
As amusing and up to series standards as these school time gags are, for the sake of the special, it’s a good thing they don’t take away from the main Valentine’s Day focus. I may harp on it a lot, but storytelling is still key. No matter how much Double D may endure the brunt of his friends’ disobedient actions, as long as May’s around, he’s in full bliss. However, it’s an issue for the other Eds that his infatuation is interfering with any potential productivity in their schemes. That’s not even mentioning the Kankers concerns and frustration over this strange behavior, especially since Double D is Marie’s crush.
Bringing the school setting and Valentine’s Day aspect to a climax, the remaining Eds and Kankers face each other in a food fight that goes all out with aggression. In addition to good escalation, it’s also rewarding to see the Eds grow a strong backbone against the Kankers who overpower them so frequently.
Then the Valentine’s Day feel really intensifies when those odd Sarah and Jimmy Cupids respond to the chaos by firing their arrows at will.
While this results in even more fabricated romances, they are, at least, very interesting couples to just merely explore. Keven and Lee become majorly attracted to each other which surprisingly makes sense since they’re both highly authoritative.
Nazz becomes infatuated with Jonny who was probably in love with her already as is the case with most of the boys in this cast.
Ed and Eddy, as the extreme social outcasts they are get more outrageous crushes. Ed falls for a sandwich, and there’s something Eddy can’t stop looking at.
And that’s everyone’s favorite wood with a smile face. These are all just as saccharine as the crush to drive this plot, but they’re not without their creative setups and supply of laughs.
That said, the romances have an element to balance out the schmaltz, and that in turn brings the biggest highlight of this special. In his own foreign ways, Rolf is extremely agitated over the romances, as if to say he can tell how phony it all is. That’s a good reflection of what some people in the audience may think, as well as a strong demonstration of his odd yet amusing customs.
When the entire gang is under the Cupid’s spell, Rolf does the outlandish thing by squirting lemons into his eyes.
As he stated earlier, the lemons allow him to see what others can’t see, and that includes the Cupids.
All it takes to get rid of them is squishing them like bugs with a janitor’s mop and throwing them out a window. Out of context, I imagine fans wish that getting rid of Sarah and Jimmy would always be this easy.
Speaking of the janitor, Rolf goes on to use the dirty janitor water to snap everyone out, including Marie who is implied to have gone after him.
It also snaps Double D and May back to reality, indicating that things will be going back to the status quo, or do they?
Following up on detention charges all three Eds got throughout the special, we end with them cleaning up the halls of valentines. In the process, when no one is looking, Double D finds a valentine May wrote for him, and keeps it under his hat. In other words, there’s a hint that his falling for May has actual effects after all. It’s hard to really see the charm in all this for two reasons. One is that there’s no point to this as Double D never seems interested in May at any other point in the show. The other is that it further breathes the unfortunate implications of Cupid. This idea of spreading love is nothing more than a fake charade that happens because it’s forced and not chosen. It also suggests that Valentine’s Day is the only day to show love, when really it is simply dedicated to a virtue that should really be in place all the time like all holidays are. Maybe all this is because I personally don’t see Valentine’s Day as that major of a holiday, but these are legit side effects I can’t help but notice.
Despite my feelings on the approach to the romance angle, this special is still very enjoyable. The cast is still entertaining as usual, the school gives decent first impressions even if they aren’t held up that well later, and there’s a fair share of creative and funny moments. The drawbacks show why Valentine’s Day isn’t the most revered holiday out there, but I guess I can give it credit for one good virtue it teaches: “Love is like an onion; the more you peel away its layers, the more it stinks.”
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Recommended
Stay Animated Folks!
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