Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures

Of the shows in Cartoon Network’s classic roster, one of their heaviest hitters was Ed, Edd n Eddy, following the exploits of the titular trio of Eds as they try to scam other kids in the cul-de-sac in a never-ending quest to obtain jawbreakers. To this day, this series remains Cartoon Network’s single longest-running show, even beating out the former juggernaut that was Adventure Time, and has since become a reliable source of internet memes. Though I did watch some of the show as a kid early in its run, my parents ultimately dissuaded me from watching it any further, though the show remained in the back of my mind and I became curious about playing the console game based on it, Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures, after seeing it on store shelves. Years later, while on a classic Cartoon Network nostalgia trip fairly recently, I finally sought out a second-hand PS2 copy, which I was fortunately able to get at a reasonable price, and even streamed a few episodes through HBO Max to remind myself what the show was actually like (and realized what I missed out on). Despite my general inexperience with the show itself, I found The Mis-Edventures to be one of the best licensed games I had ever played, due to how well it managed to perfectly translate the series to video game form.

Second Look - Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) and the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.

In the time between the releases of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, a series of animated shorts was produced to help bridge the gap between them, under the title of Star Wars: Clone Wars, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky of Samurai Jack fame. The series was originally two Seasons of 10 episodes each, each lasting 3-5 minutes, however positive reception led George Lucas to commission a third Season consisting of five episodes lasting 12-15 minutes, with the intent of providing a direct lead-in to Revenge of the Sith. The series was later compiled into two hour-long features spread across two DVD volumes, the first compiling Chapters 1-20 and the second Chapters 21-25, however this would later be superseded by the 2008 series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and even declared part of the non-canon Legends continuity by Disney following their purchase of Lucasfilm.

Having grown up watching Samurai Jack when this series first came out, and being caught up in the Prequel Trilogy hype at the time, I made sure to catch every episode as they came on, even the very short ones, and the strong animation and character writing never failed to disappoint. I even got the two DVDs as they came out, which has since made it much easier to re-watch the series over the years even without the context of the trilogy it was based on. Despite this series being officially designated non-canon material, I choose to pretend it still is for reasons that will become evident. While going through a re-evaluation of the Prequel Trilogy, however, I decided it would be good idea to revisit this series again in between Episode II and Episode III. While my general positive opinion of the series hasn’t changed much, I must admit I got a lot more out of it with the full context of the Prequel Trilogy’s events.

Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion (PS4)

    

The quality of Adventure Time games is generally hit or miss, with Explore the Dungeon Because I Don’t Know! serving as the lowest point from my experience. However, when Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion was announced, it sounded like the Adventure Time game I always wanted and that alone piqued my interest, though it took a while for me to actually snag a copy and actually play it, eventually receiving one as a gift. For the most part the game delivers on these expectations, though it is somewhat held back by a number of bugs and glitches.

Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie

A few months ago, IDW began releasing comics based on various Cartoon Network properties they had acquired licenses for. One of these was for Samurai Jack, serving as a continuation of the popular animated series by Genndy Tartakovsky. As the first story arc of the comic has concluded at the time of this writing, I really like it so far and will continue to read it. However, what prompted this review was a Samurai Jack special issue IDW put out which reprinted a 2002 special that was essentially a comic adaptation of the show’s premiere movie. This got us interested in re-watching the movie, if only to see how close the comic adaptation was, and it turns out that the comic was very close in replicating the events of the movie. During this recent viewing of the movie though, I also remembered just how good a cartoon Samurai Jack really was.

The comic that inspired this viewing of the movie.

In Feudal Japan, a powerful demon wizard named Aku (Mako Iwamatsu) is awakened from his prison by the passing of a solar eclipse. As an act of revenge, he assaults the palace, capturing The Emperor (Keone Young), who had first imprisoned him years ago with a magic sword. As a contingency plan, The Emperor has his son (Phil LaMarr) leave the palace and travel around the world to hone his skills as a Samurai. When he returns years later, Aku has enslaved the empire and is giving particularly harsh treatment to The Emperor (now voiced by Sab Shimono). After the samurai rescues his father, he confronts Aku in his lair, nearly winning a fierce battle with the demon wizard. However, right before he can inflict the final blow, Aku opens a portal in time, sending the samurai into the far future, where Aku rules the earth with an iron fist. While trying to figure out exactly what has happened in the millennia since his displacement in time, the samurai adopts the name Jack and sets out on a quest to return to his own time and vanquish the evil Aku.

Samurai Jack’s premiere movie, as it is the first three episodes strung together, is mostly a means of setting up the series that would follow, but it does a very good job of doing so. We are introduced not only to the main conflict between the two main characters, Jack and Aku, but we are given a good demonstration of their abilities and personalities. The way this story is told though is very interesting, as there are long stretches without any dialogue, allowing the visuals to speak for themselves. This is most apparent during Jack’s extended training montage as well as the long fight sequences. Though this does make Samurai Jack a more visual affair, it is a very nice touch that you wouldn’t normally see in other cartoons from the same genre. There’s also an interesting mix of eastern and western storytelling elements, as we see heavy influences from Japanese mythology in the past before transitioning to the future, the first setting seen in this timeframe being something one would see in a dystopian sci-fi flick. This blending of styles is what helps set Samurai Jack apart, as it sets up the classic Good vs. Evil struggle but with the twist of a temporally displaced samurai who upholds his own code of honor. While it starts off pretty seriously, it also manages to throw in a fair amount of comedy to set up the tone of the rest of the series nicely. Dialogue is also very natural, revealing smaller details about the world through throwaway dialogue rather than a big exposition dump.

Another notable trait of Samurai Jack is the animation, namely the outlineless art style. Much like how there are no outlines in real life, not a single thing in Samurai Jack has an outline, which gives it a very iconic style that none have tried to replicate. This distinct visual flare is very good at drawing the viewer in, aided by the very fluid motions, particularly when martial arts are on display.

Apart from the fantastic musical score, there is also incredible voice acting. Phil LaMarr, known for such roles as Static from Static Shock and Vamp from Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4, has a very strong performance as Jack. Jack’s stoic personality comes across very clearly and his reactions feel very natural, even if he is able to take his new setting surprisingly well. The character’s deep voice isn’t off-putting and, in fact, is very fitting because there can still be a lot of compassion behind what he says and, in some cases, is very warm in its delivery. The late great Mako Iwamatsu, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in The Sand Pebbles and is otherwise well-known as Uncle Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender among other roles, also nails it as the evil demon wizard Aku. At times Aku sounds genuinely threatening, but his hammy and over-the-top voice also adds an element of comedy as a great balance of different extremes. Aku is a villain that everyone would like to see defeated, especially during the series to follow, and Mako’s voice is perfect for his personality.

The evil demon wizard Aku.

In the end, Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie can only really be seen as the start of a much larger work, but it is a very good one. The characters and motivations are all introduced very well and we get a good taste of what the rest of the series would bring. Fantastic voice acting, plus a good attention to animation and quietness, helps strengthen the film and elevates it to great heights. Fans who watched the series already have an idea of how good this movie is, but if you’ve never seen Samurai Jack and are curious to see what it’s like, then The Premiere Movie is the best possible place to start.

Transformers Animated - Transform and Roll Out

During the Summer, there usually aren't that many new episodes of shows to watch during weekdays, except in my case for new Adventure Time episodes and the rare new episode of Gravity Falls (which, as of this writing, is still in its first season after a little over a year). In this time, my family and I for the last few years have been watching other shows on DVD (one suggestion each) so we have something to watch, most of the time being shows we have not seen. This time I decided to go back and have us watch an older Transformers cartoon, partially so I could confuse my parents more with Transformers continuity and partially so I could have a valid excuse to review today's item, the Transform and Roll Out premiere feature for the 2007-09 cartoon Transformers Animated (originally announced as Transformers: Heroes), the brain-child of Derrick J. Wyatt (who is currently behind Ben 10: Omniverse) and Marty Isenberg (of Beast Machines fame). First airing just after Christmas (on what we call "Movie Day"), Transform and Roll Out was the start of the Transformers Animated series on Cartoon Network, running for three seasons before rushing its conclusion in time for the much reviled second live-action flick. This series has also spawned a short-lived tie-in comic from IDW, a video game published by Activision, and two AllSpark Almanac books expanding on the series both in-universe and behind the scenes, and has recently continued beyond its cancellation for a brief time in fiction exclusive to BotCon 2011 and the Transformers Collectors' Club. With all that said, let us take a look at the feature that started something that remains popular to this day.

While working on a Spacebridge on an asteroid, the Autobot crew made up of Optimus Prime (David Kaye), Ratchet (Corey Burton), Bumblebee (Bumper Robinson), Bulkhead (Bill Fagerbakke), and Prowl (Jeff Bennett) stumble upon a strange artifact, which had just been sent through the suddenly-active Spacebridge. The Autobots bring it on board their ship for safe-keeping, where Ratchet tells the others that what they had managed to pick up is the legendary AllSpark. Unsure of what to do when a Decepticon warship is suddenly on their tail, Optimus Prime calls for backup, first having to go through Sentinel Prime (Townsend Coleman) before contacting Ultra Magnus (also Jeff Bennett), who assures them that they have sent reinforcements. However, Optimus takes things into his own hands and tries to escape the Decepticons.

Meanwhile onboard the Decepticon vessel, the team made up of Starscream (Tom Kenny), Lugnut (also David Kaye), Blitzwing (also Bumper Robinson), and Blackarachnia (Cree Summer) have an argument before it is broken up by the presence of Megatron (also Corey Burton), who decides to go after the Autobots themselves in order to retrieve the AllSpark. Unbeknownst to him, Starscream plants a bomb on his leader's back, with obvious intentions. The bomb goes off once Megatron lands on the Autobot vessel, blasting off his arm, but that doesn't stop him from going after the crew inside to get at the relic they now carry. As the Autobots fight off their enemy, the AllSpark activates the Spacebridge just long enough for the ship to get through before exploding; while Starscream declares himself leader, the other Decepticons escape their own ship as the lone backstabber gets caught in the blast. As Optimus Prime and Megatron continue to fight in the cargo bay of the Autobot vessel, Optimus sends his foe flying outside as they make a crash course for Earth, controlling the ship so it splashes into Lake Erie as they go into an emergency stasis lock. From here the feature cuts to 50 Years Later to a future where Detroit, Michigan is the leading capital of robotics technology, made possible by the successful Sumdac Systems. However, trouble begins to start at the robot factory, big enough to cause the Autobots to emerge from stasis.

The Autobots before landing on Earth (from left to right): Bulkhead, Prowl,
Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Bumblebee

The story of Transform and Roll Out, penned by Marty Isenberg, works fairly well for a feature, but is best viewed as more of a pilot movie. Regardless, I think it's written pretty well, as it does its job to establish the universe this series takes place in, but primarily focuses on setting up the underlying Autobot/Decepticon conflict as well as the relationships between the robots and the humans/each other. The premiere also does a nice job setting up each bot's unique personality, including ones that show up for only one scene before they come back in later episodes; this is why it should best be seen as a pilot, since as a stand-alone movie you'd be wondering what the point was of establishing those characters if they were never going to show up again. Based on this feature alone, I thought the human characters were fairly written for the amount of screen time they got, and at least they didn't overshadow the primary conflict between the warring robot factions. There are also some funny moments here and there, as well as some well-placed references to previous Transformers series, most of them being Generation 1 (a rather hilarious one is using original cartoon footage as historical records at the beginning).

The animation, provided by Mook, is actually pretty good, if a little slow at times. However, things flow more smoothly more often than not, especially when there's more action going on (a few transformation sequences end up being the smoothest due to their nature as stock footage, but these only show up once each). The general designs, especially the robots, is interesting and unique, and the bots look different from each other so you can more easily tell who's who. The voice acting is also good, with David Kaye notably portraying Optimus Prime here, whereas in previous Transformers series he provided the voice for several Megatrons (he is also the voice of Clank); when a new face shows up from a previous generation, everyone does a good job doing their own unique take on the character, with Corey Burton and Tom Kenny doing nice takes on Megatron and Starscream respectively on the Decepticon side. Special mention should also go to Tara Strong providing the voice for the human girl Sari Sumdac, who I found to be a much more tolerable human protagonist than in some previous continuities. 

Transformers Animated - Transform and Roll Out is a well-produced start to an animated series, one that represents the 25th anniversary of the Transformers brand. It has a well-paced plot, good animation, and does a good job establishing its universe. Seeing this feature again, it seems better to me than when I remembered seeing it last, if only because it was around that time that I wasn't keeping very much of an open mind and fan reactions influenced my own. Now that I consider myself a fan of the Animated cartoon, I began looking at this premiere differently (as I'm sure to as I re-watch the series) and now I don't think of it to be all that bad. For those who have not yet experienced this series and wish to do so (so long as you don't think Transformers has to only be Generation 1), then I would encourage you to try and start here if you can, then try to watch the rest of the series if you end up liking it. The DVD's are out of print right now, and the third and final season of the cartoon never made it to DVD outside of the Japanese dub, but try and find Transform and Roll Out if you can, along with the rest of the cartoon that follows; I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

This feature is also much more worth your time than Equestria Girls.