Early speculation about Sonic Boom was sketchy, full of doubt and unsettling feelings that Sega was determined to reengineer the spiky blue speedster. This was compounded by the reveal of those infamous silhouettes◊. Finally, Boom was being touted as a multimedia play by Sega, which suggested they were unfocused in their efforts and simply wanted to blast the market with as much Sonic merch as they could muster.
So a few months on and we arrive at the world premiere of Sonic Boom's TV series...and what a surprise it turned out to be. The show doesn't dwell on any of the nuances of the world the characters inhabit or their rivalry with Dr. Eggman. Instead it just drops the viewer in right away and gets the action moving. The scene from the original TV series trailer is repeated in the opening moments of the first episode, with Sonic running around a canyon chasing after Dr. Eggman then running afoul of the doctor's new creation "Burn Bot". Sonic finds the name unfitting as the robot contains no incendiary features and suggests some alternate names before engaging the bad robot with the help of air support from Tails. Things go haywire as Burn Bot manages to nick Tails's wing and, unable to eject from his failing aircraft, sends the fox into a crash landing. From there the episode continues on with Sonic dismissing Tails from continuing on as his sidekick and proceeds to offer the position to anyone else who can fill the role.
The whole tone of the show is not unlike the classic Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog series from The Nineties, particularly the dynamic between Sonic and Eggman (think "dysfunctional neighbors"). The snappy dialogue is show's most prominent hallmark and what won me over. It's lighthearted but also well-written and, most importantly, written in such a way that it doesn't feel like it's condescending to anyone who's watching, regardless of their age. The characters are lively and the humor hits you from unexpected angles (such as Sonic's quipping that the name "Mt. Safety" might not have been the right choice for the perilous peak).
Color me impressed...and maybe blue.
Early speculation about Sonic Boom was sketchy, full of doubt and unsettling feelings that Sega was determined to reengineer the spiky blue speedster. This was compounded by the reveal of those infamous silhouettes
◊. Finally, Boom was being touted as a multimedia play by Sega, which suggested they were unfocused in their efforts and simply wanted to blast the market with as much Sonic merch as they could muster.
So a few months on and we arrive at the world premiere of Sonic Boom's TV series...and what a surprise it turned out to be. The show doesn't dwell on any of the nuances of the world the characters inhabit or their rivalry with Dr. Eggman. Instead it just drops the viewer in right away and gets the action moving. The scene from the original TV series trailer is repeated in the opening moments of the first episode, with Sonic running around a canyon chasing after Dr. Eggman then running afoul of the doctor's new creation "Burn Bot". Sonic finds the name unfitting as the robot contains no incendiary features and suggests some alternate names before engaging the bad robot with the help of air support from Tails. Things go haywire as Burn Bot manages to nick Tails's wing and, unable to eject from his failing aircraft, sends the fox into a crash landing. From there the episode continues on with Sonic dismissing Tails from continuing on as his sidekick and proceeds to offer the position to anyone else who can fill the role.
The whole tone of the show is not unlike the classic Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog series from The Nineties, particularly the dynamic between Sonic and Eggman (think "dysfunctional neighbors"). The snappy dialogue is show's most prominent hallmark and what won me over. It's lighthearted but also well-written and, most importantly, written in such a way that it doesn't feel like it's condescending to anyone who's watching, regardless of their age. The characters are lively and the humor hits you from unexpected angles (such as Sonic's quipping that the name "Mt. Safety" might not have been the right choice for the perilous peak).
Definitely worth giving a look.