WesternAnimation Unfunny
Ed Edd n’ Eddy is a show that managed to run longer than any other Cartoon Network series… but did it really deserve it?
Personally, I think that it did not. The primary reason why is because the show failed to make me laugh even once. The show tries to combine Slice of Life with Zany Cartoon and fails in both ends; because the characters are neither relatable nor likable to me, I couldn’t care less about any of them (except perhaps Edd).
Another major point for me is its nature as a Sadist Show; while sadist shows can be funny, Ed and Edd don’t do much, if anything, to deserve what they get. In contrast, pretty much everyone on shows like CatDog and Family Guy are heinous enough to deserve what they get (except Meg, whose Butt-Monkey status contributed to that show’s Seasonal Rot), so I find their downfalls to be funnier.
Finally, I just can’t get past the grotesque, hugely unappealing artstyle of the show.
WesternAnimation Slightly disappoint-ed
After a few years of break I rewatched a couple episodes. How do I feel?
On one hand they've managed to make a realistic (by cartoon standards of course), long-running series. The slapstick and amusing, the characters are likable (most of the time), but...
Kankers. Good God, Kankers. No depths, little redeeming qualities, one unfunny schtick (if you think offscreen molesting and desperate pleas for mercy are funny, please contact the nearest mental ward), appearing only to make the protagonists' life more miserable. Eddy's brother got more character development in five minutes than they got in five seasons!
Some of the episodes exist solely to utterly humiliate the main characters. The Eds ain't saints of course (especially Eddy, who became a cowardly jerkass in later seasons), but after you see Eddy and Edd getting beaten because Ed alone went mad, you simply stop caring. Idiot Ball and Jerkass Ball are held tight as long as it will make Eds look more pathetic (case in point: the Halloween special).
Ed Edd N Eddys Big Picture Show made an attempt to fix what ailed, but why couldn't the writers do so in the series? Okay, I'm glad Eds earned their happy ending and Kankers evolved beyond Diabolus Ex Machina: The Trio, but the whole climax seems a bit rushed. Because reviews don't allow spoiler tags: suddenly the show starts treating Domestic Abuse seriously. Really?! The main characters were beaten, blackmailed, molested, framed, and generally treated like shit during the show's run, and no one in-universe gave a damn. Also, how much time did the kids need to became BFFs with Eds? Five minutes. It was enough to switch from "KILL 'EM!" to "LEAVE OUR FRIENDS ALONE!". *Head Desk*
But, all in all, it stands quite well. As long as the writers weren't lazy, it's still fun to watch. The concept as a whole wasn't bad, though it sometimes got poorly executed. The show got a happy ending, but fans demand a spinoff. If they'll find a competent writer and remove all the flaws mentioned above, it'd be a huge success.
WesternAnimation If it smells like an Ed. (part 1 and 2, if you go that way.)
This episode may be one of the lowest points on the series, what with it being a complete mess. It starts out with the kids having singing some song about friends. Um... what? Yeah... I hated the song, but it gets worse: Eddy gives Jimmy a wedgie, and all of the kids, even Edd and Nazz, laugh at him. This is probably the first moment to land the writers in hot water; as this is out of character for Edd or Nazz (laugh at your friend's misery? Wow Nazz, that’s low). Next, we have the three Eds being framed by someone; lets call the framer "X", to make this shorter (yes, I know it will still count as a word). X tries to frame Ed by stealing a paintbrush, but does X put it in Ed's pocket? Put paint on him? No, X takes it. That's it. Now, another bad moment for the writers; the kids had no proof of this, so um... then the Eds get what looks like X's foot print, then they try to figure out who did it. After a series of events, the Eds follow a trial of jujubes leading to who did it all... it was Rolf! No, wait, it was the Kanker sisters! Or... was it? Anyways, the Eds are caught again, and then the plot starts to make no sense what so ever. IT WAS REALLY JIMMY! Then, it turns out that he did this to the Eds...because...Eddy gave him a wedgie...Who ever wrote this, (no, I'm not one of the people who think the creator did everything) There are many way to do Beware The Nice Ones, you picked the one of the worst possible ones. When you see that Jimmy tied up Johnny, stuck a hockey stick into a project that could have took days-maybe weeks to make, got himself tortured by the Kankers to get them to give the Eds unwanted kissing, etc. just for a freaking wedgie, it comes clear that Jimmy is insane. At least in this episode. Oh, and why all three Eds? Eddy was the only one that did the act, and every one else laughed at him. Was it because the Eds where friends? Jimmy, You Fail Logic For Ever.
WesternAnimation Ed-straordinary
Even though very little of the supernatural or fantastic ever comes to Peach Creek, this unique and witty show itself manages to be extraordinary. In its impressively long run, "Ed, Edd n Eddy" managed not to succumb to Seasonal Rot, a feat there is definitely something to be said for. The humor stayed fresh, the show kept its focus, and the characters in fact became even more colorful over time.
With Gentle Giant Ed as the brawn; good-natured and neurotic Edd as the brain; and fiesty, ambitious Eddy as the willpower and leader; the "Eds" are a well-oiled machine that can weather whatever life has to throw at them (in the meantime stumbling out of their own blunders). Even though they couldn't be more different from each other, and they have the most clashing personalities, the boys still find common ground and stay the best of friends.
Much more than a simple cartoon, "Ed, Edd n Eddy" is a story that all ages can enjoy—three inseperable young friends and their quest to obtain the two things every kid wants: candy and the acceptance of their peers.
WesternAnimation Love those Eds!
Ed, Edd n' Eddy remains one of my favorite cartoons ever, and my favorite of all the Cartoon Cartoons (with the original run of Dexter's Laboratory and Cow and Chicken coming in at a close second and third, respectively...)
I first watched an episode way back in early 1999 as a part of a marathon it had with The Powerpuff Girls and truth be told, I initially didn't like it, albeit the episode in question, "Look Into My Eds", isn't a very good one. But come that Spring, namely in seeing a different, better episode of "Sir Ed a Lot", I adored it. Those crazy boys and their hijinks got me through high school and college. The show was odd, wacky, nonsensical and hilarious. Ed's non-sequitor one-liners, bad hygiene and super-strength kept me in stitches. Double D's (Edd) uptight, brainy, and obsessively clean personality reminds me of myself (right down to the gap in our front teeth!) Eddy was a straight-up conman and a loner who just wanted to fit in. Even at the most disgusting, annoying or disloyal, I could still identify with them on some level, making the show all the better for me.
The supporting cast was hit-or-miss. Jonny and his "best friend" Plank and Rolf were the strongest and most memorable characters IMO, not just because of their own oddball personalities and great lines, but because, looking back, neither was outwardly or intentionally mean to the Eds unless they provoked them (like ruining the former's house in "Rent-a-Ed" or driving the latter to distraction by being ungrateful guests in his house in "Rambling Eds"). The rest, not so much. Kevin was a jerk. Sarah was a Spoiled Brat. I liked her wussy best friend Jimmy until that awful "If It Smells Like an Ed" two-parter. Nazz had no personality other than being pretty and throwing parties until season three when they made her a bimbo, sadly. The Kankers...got somewhat better in the second season, but still were pretty obnoxious bullies, and not just towards the Eds, either (well, Marie and May especially weren't TOO awful, but big sister Lee was horrible. Seriously, what is it with this show and their dislike of redheads? Is this Ed, Edd n' Eddy or Melrose Place?) But I Digress.
I will never tire of this show; I just wish Cartoon Network gave it more advertising and a proper DVD collection of the entire series. It holds a special place in my heart and will always be funny, with my favorite episodes being "Cry Ed", "Fa La La La Ed", "An Ed is Born", "It's Way Ed", "Laugh, Ed, Laugh", "One + One = Ed", "Mirror, Mirror, On the Ed", "Ed, Pass It On" and "X Marks the Ed". Thank you Danny Antonucci for bringing us this underrated gem of a cartoon! It spoke to the eccentric, fun-loving kid in all of us!