'Toon Reviews 19: OK K.O.! Let's Be Hereos Season 1 Episode 31: Rad Likes Robots

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Rad Likes Robots

Some of the weakest stories seem like they’re going to bring a big change, but reverts back to the status quo in the end as if it was never suggested at all.  It doesn’t leave room for growth and throws away any chance for solid development, opting to not stay relevant.  While this cartoon isn’t that bad of an example of this concept, it still brings down the quality significantly. 

During a more intense than average fight against the bodega employees and the Boxmore robots, Shannon gets struck by lightning and is reprogrammed to be more romantic.  She saves Rad from getting blasted, claiming she never knew how good he punches stuff, feeling infatuated with him, and that’s enough for Rad to love her back.  It’s a very shallow reason for a potential couple, not to mention it’s completely forced with Shannon getting reprogrammed.  Therefore, the love she and Rad share for each other simply doesn’t feel genuine.  In fact, it’s much easier to side with the opposing forces, Rad’s friends and Shannon’s robot siblings, who all have good reasons why this couple shouldn’t come to be.  It is at least funny to watch them get defensive at the opposition though. 

There is at least one moment to have the couple make sense when there’s acknowledgement that Shannon’s love for Rad is fake.  Darrell and Raymond point out that she got reprogrammed by that lightning.  Even when Shannon hears that she’s been reprogrammed, she claims to like being this way and refuses to change.  Just acknowledging this factor and both people being fond of each other fortunately works in the couple’s favor.  This is especially good since a great and passionate love ballad of how Rad and Shannon are star-crossed lovers follows this scene. 

It still isn't the most justifiable instance of love, mostly on Rad’s simple judgement than Shannon’s reprogramming.  However, there’s at least enough endearment to accept its existence.  The very idea of a hero and villain becoming a couple offers a good chance for character development and a shakeup in the dynamic of the protagonists and antagonists.  It’s a perfect opportunity to keep things fresh especially with Rad and Shannon clearly set on making themselves as a couple official.  

The next day though, genuinely concerned for their sister, Darrel and Raymond plot to destroy Rad to snap Shannon out of her crush when she’s about to run away with him.  This is where the cartoon becomes one to go back on a potential big change. Despite acting like she loved Rad above anything else for the whole cartoon, Shannon gives into her brothers’ demands, and reboots herself to lose her feelings for Rad.  She comes to this decision much too easily and not enough time is devoted to her expressing sorrow for stopping loving Rad.  Even with the reveal that she faked her reboot, she just does it for real after misinterpreting Rad mourning her. For this, why did she have to her fake her reboot at all? 

While it does make sense for the couple to not be a thing anymore, it going nowhere makes having to put up with this dead-end plot pretty frustrating.  In a way, it kind of works as a parody of romantic tragedies, but it’s hard to brush off thinking the cartoon was going to change things up only for it to go nowhere.

C-

The Ranking

1. Face Your Fears
2. You Have to Care
3. T.K.O.
4. No More Pow Cards
5. Legends of Mr. Gar
6. We’ve Got Pests
7. I Am Dendy
8. Let’s Have a Stakeout
9. You Get Me
10. Let’s Be Heroes
11. You’re Everybody’s Sidekick
12. Jethro’s All Yours
13. Know Your Mom
14. Everybody Likes Rad?
15. A Hero’s Fate
16. Plaza Prom
17. We’re Captured
18. My Dad Can Beat up Your Dad
19. Let’s Be Friends
20. We Messed Up
21. Presenting Joe Cuppa
22. Sibling Rivalry
23. Second First Date
24. Stop Attacking the Plaza
25. Just Be a Pebble
26. Do You Have Any More in the Back?
27. You’re Level 100
28. You Are Rad
29. We’ve Got Fleas
30. Rad Likes Robots
31. One Last Score

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode whose subject is good old online videos.

If you would like to check out other OK K.O.! reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 15: Steven Universe Season 2 Episode 20: Back to the Barn

Back to the Barn

Our heroes now have another big task to protect Earth.  They have an unlikely Gem joining them, Peridot, and even base much of the operation at a location that was only used once before. 

Stopping the Cluster means they need a machine to take them to the center of the Earth, so a decision is made to make something out of materials stored at the old barn.  Before, the barn was only used in “Space Race” in which Pearl headlined the building of a spaceship.  With the barn now being used for something major, it’s now more relevant since all cartoons for the rest of this season take place here, and it’s continually revisited afterwards.  For now, just as drill production begins, conflicts arise and get in the way.  Fortunately, it’s an insightful conflict with character development. 

After Pearl shows the materials in the barn for the drill, Peridot expects her to leave, bringing on welcome background on Pearl which includes information on what Pearls are like on Homeworld.  They’re created to do menial tasks for more powerful Gems as opposed to major ones like machine construction.  From this description, the Crystal Gem Pearl really stands out.  She’s smart, she’s been shown to build and fix things, and she's a skilled fighter.  However, what’s learned about common Pearls does give some relevance to certain traits we’ve seen from her such as her obsessive cleanliness and her lack of faith in her own strength revealed in “Friend Ship.”  As if we didn’t need more reasons to make her the most in-depth Crystal Gem, the ways this Pearl differs from the majority add on even more depth, which makes her more appealing and fascinating.  Now, as is common with anyone conditioned to believe certain customs, Peridot won’t see any value in a Pearl, and production on the drill is halted before it can even begin. 

Eventually, it’s decided that they should see who’s better at building robots, competing the right to headline the drill.  The competition mostly consists of comedic antics from Pearl’s tall, skinny wheeled robot and Peridot’s shorter, buffer robot.  They’re all in the name of fun, and they are enjoyable as they are, but they don’t hide that they’re spending too much time on something petty instead of something important to save the world.  However, there’s a significant character moment.  When the contest ends in a tie, Peridot picks a robot fight as a tiebreaker, refusing to accept that this Pearl is not like all the others.   Pearl willingly takes on Peridot alone, at one point coming full circle with her prior anxieties by showing pride in herself while punching Peridot.  Peridot wins the fight though, but Pearl gets the most praise for attempting to fight her which only proves that she really is much better than all the other Pearls. What’s even better about this is that Peridot grows to accept this and warm up to Pearl, while further realizing the truths behind Earth .  This isn’t even the last time Peridot ends up on good terms with a Crystal Gem as we’ll soon see, which makes this resolution even better. 

This cartoon may spend too much time on frivolous matters when something serious is occurring, but for what it does for the characters involved, it has merit. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Sworn to the Sword
2. Keystone Motel
3. When it Rains
4. Friend Ship
5. Nightmare Hospital
6. Chille Tid
7. Cry for Help
8. Keeping it Together
9. Full Disclosure
10. Catch and Release
11. Back to the Barn
12. We Need to Talk
13. Reformed
14. Historical Friction
15. Joy Ride
16. Say Uncle
17. Onion Friend
18. Rising Tides, Crashing Skies
19. Sadie’s Song
20. Love Letters

The next Steven Universe review features Peridot warming up to Amethyst which also gives an example of what happens when playful teasing goes too far.

Next time on MC 'Toon Reviews is another Rocko's Modern Life review covering "Jet Scream" and "Dirty Dog."


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If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 11: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 1 Episode 1: The Rise of Voltron

From the perspective of the ultimate first-time viewer, I’ll be covering the first season of one of the most popular animated series made for Netflix:

Voltron: Legendary Defender (Season 1)

Basic Premise

In today’s age of entertainment, it’s amazing to note the wide variety of ways to watch shows and movies.  Before, you only had what was playing at the local cinema to consider your options, including short films, newsreels, and even cartoons.  Then, with the rise of suburbia came the rise of television which provided entertainment for the majority of families.  For a long time, TV was the only way to introduce new series, meaning all audiences of certain programs had to make sure they were near their sets to stay updated with what was going on and would lose a lot if they missed it.  Things got better with the rise of physical media such as DVDs which would allow people to view all shows at their own pace, not just favorite recent ones, but also old shows they had never seen before.  Now, we’re in the age of digital streaming where one subscription could make all sorts of shows readily available without the need to put in a disc.  As someone who’s grown up with physical media, I’m not really used to digital streaming, but now that I got a subscription to the popular video site, Netflix, possibilities for more animated series reviews are endless.  Sites like Netflix even have a number of shows made specifically for there, including animated ones.  One of these Netflix-original series is going to be the subject of the coming series of posts; Voltron: Legendary Defender.

Since I’m new to Netflix, I’m going into this show completely blind with very little knowledge of what’s to come.  From what I can gather, it’s about these five guys who control parts of a giant robot and defend the galaxy.  I can easily see that it’s an interesting premise, and with the right execution, there could be a big grand story.  Plus, some of the creative forces behind the show were a part of the crew for the shows of the Avatar franchise and is a production of one of today’s biggest animation studios, Dreamworks, so the show could turn out epic.  However the show turns out, I’m still excited for my first viewing of an animated series made exclusively for Netflix, and how it turns out will all be documented in my first set of reviews on its 11-episode first season.  Special thanks goes to my friend on Facebook, Omar Choudhury for requesting this series for reviewing.

 

Now on with the reviews:

The Rise of Voltron

Kicking off the series with a 68-minute premiere, we get introduced to the main story and characters with a bang.  Everything is told with a big cinematic scope that introduces us to this vast science-fiction world.  Much of it comes from what we learn about Voltron, how it works, and what it was a part of which serve as creative additions to help the series stand out.  It’s a huge robot from the planet Altea used to defend the galaxy from the forces of evil composed by five smaller lion robots of different colors, each one representing a different personality trait.  The lions are also known to have been controlled by just the right person suited for them known as Paladins.  However, Altea was attacked by the Galra Empire led by the evil Emperor Zarkon and the King Alfor, commissioned the Voltron lions to be hidden for safety.  This background of the titular robot is shown to have a lot of layers to it revealed to us in the first episode, which makes it all the more compelling.  Aiding in Voltron’s appeal are the characters that we follow throughout the episode.  The five people selected to be the new Paladins for the Voltron lions all have distinct personalities that bounce off each other as well as identifiable flaws for them to overcome throughout the series.  We have the vain and cocky Lance, the nervous motion sickness-prone Hunk, the studious calculating Pidge, the temperamental Garrison dropout Keith, and the captured explorer who has the most knowledge of the Galra Empire out of the five, Shiro.  Even if their flaws can get overbearing at times, it’s acceptable since this is the first episode and they have plenty of time to develop.  There’s also Princess Allura and her humorous and eccentric royal advisor Coran, the sole survivors of Altea who awaken from hyper-sleep to help the Paladins, teach them about Voltron and their conflict with Galra.  Although Allura herself merely presents herself as a magical being who helps the heroes, the scene of her seeking console from the memories of her late father as well as how she has to deal with being the sole survivor of her planet show that she has some promise for a more realized character later on.  This is just one example of the genuine sense of emotion present here.  Other emotional moments include Shiro slowly learning more about who he used to be before getting captured on his Kerberos mission, Pidge attempting to save his family who were captured with Shiro despite the dangers, and Keith fighting through his tempers to bond with his assigned lion.  Each one of these moments help flesh out these characters and fill them with promise for the future.  Speaking of the future, when Voltron eventually forms in the heat of a siege and beats an invading Galra ship, it’s a well-constructed, epic moment after all that buildup, and the final mention on how the battle was just the beginning of what the Paladins have to do really anticipate you to see more of it, not to mention, if they can manage to successfully work as a team like the entire episode was pushing towards.  For its big grand scope with the story, distinctive characters, genuine emotion, and epic payoffs, this premiere is an effective start to the series letting you know that we’re in for an exciting animated experience. 9.5/10
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where training to form Voltron truly begins in "Some Assembly Required."

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 4

Armstrong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s an episode that looks at an idea that people see as either a blessing or a curse.  To put it clearly, the plot centers around a robot named Armstrong who has a computer for a brain and can do everything it’s commanded to do.  At first, it’s easy to see why Armstrong is such a winner with Scrooge and the nephews.  It completes tasks and chores that would normally take all day to accomplish, and seems to act like a good loyal friend.  As the episode advances though, we slowly start to look at the downsides of advanced machines.  Because Armstrong can do just about anything, it leaves very little work to do for others like Duckworth the butler.  However, the most sympathetic in this situation is Launchpad McQuack.  He’s further shown to be a great hero despite his clear ineptness as well as loyal to Scrooge and his family, but Armstrong beats him at everything.  It’s not until we get to a helicopter race when you really start to feel the emotional impact of machines taking jobs from men when Armstrong wins and Launchpad suffers a humiliating defeat.  On the other hand though, the race is really fun to watch, and some of the flying angles are some of the best bits of animation I’ve seen on the show so far.  Anyway, the downsides of how great Armstrong is really come to a head in the second half of the episode when Scrooge decides to use the robot for his business, and eventually, it turns evil.  What I really like about the third act of this episode is how Armstrong sets up a lot of creative scenarios for our heroes to get across.  It holds its inventor, Gyro Gearloose, and Scrooge hostage with an electric force field, and uses all satellites to gain control of anything that runs on electricity.  The latter point goes on to make for an entertaining climax where Huey, Dewey, and Louie rush to rescue Scrooge and Gyro, and Armstrong tries to stop them through means like literally closing the garage door on them or attacking them with toys and the trio cleverly finds a way around the obstacles.  Then we have the great redeeming moment for Launchpad where he both cuts off Armstrong’s connection to the electronics and shuts him down through his amusing fashion, further showing off the appeal of his character.  This whole second half makes this whole episode great, though I do wish there was a clearer answer for why Armstrong went evil.  It’s implied that it’s because being told to do so much made the robot go haywire which is a believable reason that connects to the man vs. machine conflict, but still not completely convincing in the context of the episode, especially since it got up to many genuine friendly moments before.  Other than that, I consider this episode a great fun watch. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1.      Armstrong

2.      Sphinx for the Memories

3.      Send in the Clones

4.      Where No Duck Has Gone Before

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the rampaging robot excitement continues with "Robot Robbers."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.