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Torquey Dreamworks Since: Oct, 2010
Dreamworks
11/11/2011 08:05:19 •••

It might not have tiger blood, but it's still winning.

When I first heard of an announced reboot to Thundercats, I was surprised. While certain shows from the 80s were revived and worked well, Cartoon Network has a sketchy history of their own revivals (remember the failed revival of He Man in 2002? Of course you don't). After I caught the official premiere, I was pleasantly surprised.

It was actually pretty good! Better than the original, even. The animation was as crisp as Avatar The Last Airbender's, the plot evolved from simple 80s' fare to an epic of changing moralities and character development. Voice acting was excellent, including the Mythology Gag of Lion-O's father being voiced by the original Lion-O.

Of course, every show has its flaws. For Thundercats 2011, it's pacing. As of today, there are only seven announced episodes of the series. As such, plots and character development that would normally take several episodes to play out in now must be resolved in a matter of minutes. One example would be Wileykit and Wileykat's introduction to the team; the two try to join, Lion-O rejects them, and they decide to join anyway. Another problem is the lack of violence in the show. Despite a rating of TV-PG, the same as Dragonball Z Kai, there is absolutely no blood in the series. This is okay if the show uses bludgeoning weapons and the like, but the pilot has somebody getting stabbed in the back. It just seems unnatural.

Despite these flaws, Thundercats 2011 is still an excellent show. It's practically required viewing for anyone who watch the original Thundercats in their youth, but it's also goood for kids who loved Avatar The Last Airbender and want a Cartoon Network equivalent.

RosesSpindle Since: Jan, 2001
08/09/2011 00:00:00

There's going to be more than just seven episodes in the series. The "Season One, Book One" DVD set that's going to be released this October will have the first eight episodes on it, if you want proof. So don't worry, the pacing will probably be just fine.

Huh what who now?
Torquey Since: Oct, 2010
08/09/2011 00:00:00

Still, at some points the plot felt a bit rushed. For example, Lion-O's arrogance being both introduced and stopped in the third episode (the Moby Dick one).

JonBuck Since: Jan, 2001
08/09/2011 00:00:00

Agreed. I thought that should've been built over a few episodes and explode rather than so quickly resolved.

OrpheumZero Since: Dec, 2009
08/11/2011 00:00:00

Plenty of people remember the He-man rival. It didn't fail, it just ran out of steam after the second (or was it third?) season. This however, has proven to have even greater fanfare than just about any of other revival/reboot.

Legends are like a tapestry. The torn and frayed stitching becoming a shroud to an uncertain truth
KlarkKentThe3rd Since: May, 2010
08/13/2011 00:00:00

Agree with everything, although I believe the pacing is not that fast.

My angry rant blog!
Ingonyama Since: Jan, 2001
08/28/2011 00:00:00

Agreed, the pacing seems just right. And for elements which seem to have been resolved too quickly, I have the feeling those will be plot and character points that will keep being revisited.

callsignecho Since: Oct, 2009
11/11/2011 00:00:00

This title is made of win.

Screaming along at mach .2 with my hair on fire.

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