The Return of PandaBubba (Xiaolin Showdown Season 2 Episode 17) - 'Toon Reviews 35

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The Return of PandaBubba

When a former villain returns to the spotlight, the experience is either exactly the same as the first time, or a further way of showing how threatening that antagonist can be.  This villain return is kind of in the middle but really stands out for how it brings interesting background to one of our heroes. 

It all begins when the Xiaolin Warriors set off for Japan to get an interesting Shen Gong Wu called the Zing Zom Bone, which has the power to turn anyone into one’s zombie slave.  Such power and creative descriptions bring a lot of potential to build up anticipation for its use, and it makes itself known further into the main conflict.  After it seems like neither the Warriors or their enemies obtained the Shen Gong Wu, they stop in on the main attraction. 

There’s a video game and technology company run by Kimiko’s father, and it’s a most fascinating place for the rest of the action to unfold.  There’s a fresh imagination in the inner workings of the factory as seen in the elaborate security system, conveyor belt floors, and toys like robots that take the form of the user.  Kimiko’s father is also a joy.  It’s clear that all his innovations are driven not by corporate greed, but from his childlike drive for fun to share with the world.  Plus, even though this is the first time he’s seen, his relationship with his daughter is pure and genuine from their few interactions. 

Things get suspicious though when it’s discovered that he’s hired the nefarious PandaBubba to work for his company.  As for PandaBubba’s role, it at first functions similarly to his previous one.  He uses Shen Gong Wu brought to him by Jack, in this case the Zing Zom Bone, to carry out his crimes, and offers new robots in return.  The only thing that makes this role really stand out is that it involves getting other people to steal things for industry instead of doing it himself which is kind of intriguing.  Kimiko’s father fortunately is quick to recognize this and reveals that he hired PandaBubba because he didn’t know who he was.  However, he’s soon turning into a zombie and even though we know the truth, Kimiko breaking down as her father forces her and her friends to leave is quite emotional. 

Following this, the earlier scene of the mini self-reflecting robots plays a relevant role in the plot by revealing the truth to the Warriors.  As they go after the real criminal mastermind as a result, Kimiko ends up having to face PandaBubba in a Xiaolin Showdown to decide the company’s fate.  The actual showdown is an interesting break from the norm for taking place in a video game, the often mentioned Goo Zombies to be exact.  Liberties are taken through taking place in a handheld console where someone has to press start for the Showdown to begin and both opponents are pixilated.  The aesthetic shows a lot of what the game is like through needing to take out zombies sometimes with a mere cap and dodge goo to increase one’s health bar.  It’s kind of forced that PandaBubba is way in the lead, but then suddenly breaks down so Kimiko can go ahead and face the final boss though.  Even so, the heart of her getting back her father and saving the company is impossible to ignore, not to mention the humor of one last use of the Zing Zom bone one the bad guys.  It’s best to revel in its use because like most powerful Shen Gong Wu, you won’t see much of it after its introduction episode. 

Though this return of PandaBubba isn’t too far from what was seen before, it stands out with character development and appealing aesthetic.

A

The Ranking

1.      Citadel of Doom

2.      The Evil Within

3.      Enter the Dragon

4.      The Deep Freeze

5.      Days Past

6.      PandaTown

7.      The Emperor Scorpion Strikes Back

8.      The Return of PandaBubba

9.      The Sands of Time

10.  Master Monk Guan

11.  Screams of the Siren

12.  Crystal Glasses

13.  Dreamscape

14.  The Shard of Lightning

15.  Hear Some Evil, See Some Evil

16.  Sizing Up Omi

17.  The Black Vipers

 

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Raiumundo turns into a big monstrous mess of Shen Gong Wu after saving his hometown from a volcano at a time when no Shen Gong Wu are to be used.

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

Screams of the Siren (Xiaolin Showdown Season 2 Episode 16) - 'Toon Reviews 35

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:

Screams of the Siren

Sometimes, we all need a reminder that things are not always the way they seem and that it’s important to get all the facts before acting.  This episode features a simplified version of the context, but it’s still somewhat imaginative all things considered. 

While the Xiaolin Warriors are retrieving a Shen Gong Wu that can turn the user into a fish called the Gils of Hamachi, they find a most peculiar sight.  Trapped in an iceberg is a lovely mermaid called Dyris, apparently the last of her kind.  All the while, there’s a man resembling somewhat of a pirate or a Viking called Klofange who’s set on hunting her down and destroying her.  From the looks of things, it would be easy to guess that Dyris is the victim while Klofange is ruthless and dangerous.  The fact that he’s been pursuing the mermaid for a long time before an ice avalanche froze them in time further showcases this idea. 

With Dyris appearing so beautiful and innocent, the Warriors instantly befriend her and treat her as an honored guest with all the water and amenities she needs.  There also doesn’t appear to be anything to suspicious with her playful side as she teaches Kimiko how to get the boys to do her bidding, and subtly flirts with the other Warriors.  As the episode goes on, it really becomes concerning regarding just how easily manipulated these guys responsible for saving the world are by a mere pretty face. 

In the process, Klofange may seem villainous, but something seems up when he shows interest only in catching the mermaid and thinks nothing of Jack’s desire for world domination.  During an attempted Temple raid, it’s discovered that Dyris has gotten out of her water, and Klofange explains that the mermaid is actually a monster.  Her true form reveals whenever she leaves water, leaving Jack humorously dumbfounded that he was helping a good guy.  If that’s not enough, she’s taken appropriate Shen Gong Wu to allow her to melt the polar ice caps and flood the world.  At this point, I can’t even justify the Warriors getting so manipulated by beauty that they’d get this specific with their trade around someone they just met.  That’s just completely foolish and you can’t help but side with Klofange and his frustrations with them. 

All the same, it’s nice that they’re willing to make up for their mistakes by stopping Dyris when she goes after a new Shen Gong Wu that will help her withstand intense heat.  It’s made more difficult when Omi keeps getting distracted by Dyris’ feminine charms despite knowing the truth about her.  He could at least try to withstand her flirts.  Ultimately, the matter, as usual, has to be settled with a Xiaolin Showdown where the winner must steal the other’s Shen Gong Wu.  Despite being rather short, low-scale, and convenient with a pool of water right below Omi at the right time, it does its part to bring this story full circle.  It cements the message that things aren’t always how they appear with the Showdown happening on dry land, with Dyris’ truly monstrous form being revealed and known.  Plus, Omi finding a way to beat Dyris and still flirt with her is a solid conclusion after so much easy manipulation.  Finally, both she and Klofange end up settling the conflict just as they started it, by getting themselves frozen in time again.  I’d have to wonder how different the show would be if they were still around though. 

The message may be a tad on the nose and the Xiaolin Warriors may mess up badly a lot, but it’s too hard to fault taking time to mention that good and evil can come from anywhere.

A-

The Ranking

1.      Citadel of Doom

2.      The Evil Within

3.      Enter the Dragon

4.      The Deep Freeze

5.      Days Past

6.      PandaTown

7.      The Emperor Scorpion Strikes Back

8.      The Sands of Time

9.      Master Monk Guan

10.  Screams of the Siren

11.  Crystal Glasses

12.  Dreamscape

13.  The Shard of Lightning

14.  Hear Some Evil, See Some Evil

15.  Sizing Up Omi

16.  The Black Vipers

 

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where we meet Kimiko's father and once again see PandaBubba in action.

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

The Black Vipers (Xiaolin Showdown Season 2 Episode 15) - 'Toon Reviews 35

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:

The Black Vipers

Although this episode gives background to a central character, its execution leaves disturbing and morally confusing implications.  As a result, the final product falls flat. 

Today’s Shen Gong Wu mission leads the Xiaolin Warriors to Texas.  Arriving to fight them is a team of bikers known as the Black Vipers whom Clay seems to be aware of given that they’re native to this state.  Not only is this the case, but they fight well too and easily bring down the Warriors, though Clay seems to put up a good fight before he’s captured too.  Then everything changes when they meet the person in charge of the Vipers, Jesse, who happens to be Clay’s sister.  In the first place, the reveal is very sudden even if the others are appropriately shocked that Clay never told them about her.  Maybe if there was a subtle hint to her existence in the one episode where they explored Clay’s home life, Jesse’s first appearance would feel more natural. 

Even if we let this slide, her introduction really turns unsettling when her personality is revealed.  She has got to be one of the pettiest antagonists ever with her drive for being a bad guy fueled by feeling like her older brother got more attention than she did.  She just comes off as a spoiled brat willing to make dangerous choices to get her way.  For all we know, she actually did get some attention and just couldn’t accept that Clay got it first because he was older. From what’s told, there’s not enough to even understand her motives.  All she wants for closure is for Clay to challenge her so she can have a chance to beat him at something, although Clay, as shown in a previous episode, refuses to fight a girl. 

This wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t go to such extreme measures.  She threatens to feed her brother and his friends to vultures, somehow gets that they escaped and follows them to the new Shen Gong Wu, and forms an alliance with Jack.  The latter measure happens when he infiltrates the Vipers’ lair while after the Shen Gong Wu, and is actually competent enough to beat them and take them over.  There is potential for Clay and Jesse to bond as they both delight in saying country idioms about how much Jack annoys them, but this doesn’t go anywhere.  Jesse still follows Jack’s lead and actually sends Clay and the others way down below the Earth’s crust.  This is beyond low that further shows how extreme Jesse’s pettiness really is, and from there her morality gets more confusing.  She later lets them out because Clay’s family, yet when they go back for the Shen Gong Wu they left behind, she still betrays them.  It can’t be this hard to decide on whether Jesse likes her brother deep down or not. 

She ultimately gets her challenge when she and Clay set up a Xiaolin Showdown for a sack of Shen Gong Wu.  This is a fun highlight for the episode as a motorcycle race through a winding canyon where moralities really clash.  At one point, when Jesse’s falling, Clay shows mercy and saves her, but Jesse wins by knocking him off and finishing the race first.  Clay realizes the hard way that it’s possible to put in too much trust, but Jesse has her most genuine change of heart.  After giving one sad look after winning, she decides to give Clay back all his Shen Gong Wu but keeps the Wings of Tinabi making for a nice scene of her motorcycle flying on a rainbow. 

Even with this ending though, it’s not enough to forget how frustrating the story mostly is.  It goes to show that not all background reveals will leave the best impacts.

C-

The Ranking

1.      Citadel of Doom

2.      The Evil Within

3.      Enter the Dragon

4.      The Deep Freeze

5.      Days Past

6.      PandaTown

7.      The Emperor Scorpion Strikes Back

8.      The Sands of Time

9.      Master Monk Guan

10.  Crystal Glasses

11.  Dreamscape

12.  The Shard of Lightning

13.  Hear Some Evil, See Some Evil

14.  Sizing Up Omi

15.  The Black Vipers

 

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the next big threat to the world turns out to be a hot mermaid.

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