Line #39 YMMV/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM


1	* {{Adorkable}}: Rotor has a distinctly quirky personality, especially in early episodes.
2	* AngstWhatAngst:
3	** Compared to the games' usual scenarios, Dr. Robotnik is treated far more seriously, and his method of robotizing characters, which had no known method of reversal, was considered tantamount to being killed. While there are genuine moments of heartbreak and emotion in the series, the cast often acts less horrified than they should. For example, "Sonic Boom" and "Blast to the Past" feature one-shot characters being captured and robotized. And in both cases, a main character mourns over the loss for only a few minutes, [[ForgottenFallenFriend never speaking of them again afterwards]].
4	** Uncle Chuck, a victim of roboticization who regained his free will, nonchalantly mentioned that the process left his mind [[AndIMustScream completely conscious but with no control over his body]] for the decade it was under effect. He shows not one sign of issue over it.
5	* AudienceColoringAdaptation: This show has greatly colored and influenced how many perceive the ''Sonic'' franchise, and for many fans who grew up with the show back in UsefulNotes/TheNineties, ''this'' was Sonic to them, not the original games. It helps that it would form the basis for the longrunning and popular [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Archie comic]] series, on top of the show and its characters being heavily pushed by Sega's western branches for several years. This has died down over time due to Creator/SonicTeam retconning and [[BuryYourArt burying away]] the Western canon in favor of strictly enforcing their original Japanese canon beginning with ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', but it's not hard to find many (particularly older fans, people who don't play video games, and/or people who have become out of touch with the franchise after the '90s) who still consider the show to be how they view Sonic and his world today.
6	* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: ''Sonic [=SatAM=]'' boasted lush, detailed backgrounds and fluid animation.
7	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R2vFDIBToI The opening theme]] is probably the most iconic thing about the show.
8	* BadassDecay:
9	** Bunnie, after a great showing in Season One, was [[DemotedToExtra a thoroughly inactive character]] in Season 2.
10	** Sonic, while still having competent moments, became a lot more [[IdiotHero error prone and idiotic]] compared to his portrayal in season one.
11	** Crossing over with VillainDecay, Robotnik became more prone to being the butt of jokes and making [[BondVillainStupidity stupid decisions]] in Season 2.
12	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
13	** This show's version of Sonic is either a far more relatable and humanized take on the character thanks to his wider range of emotions, or an obnoxious LeeroyJenkins who speaks in grating nineties slang and mannerisms.
14	** Sally is either a poignantly developed ActionGirl and one of Sonic's best foils in the series (if not the entire franchise), or a bland FlawlessToken. Her [[OfficialCouple relationship with Sonic]] is a [[ShipToShipCombat point of extreme contention]], thanks to the fans of Amy. A third party will say Sally ''started'' okay until Season 2, when the writers increased Sally's spotlight and positive qualities at the expense of other characters.
15	** [=SatAM=]'s interpretation of Robotnik is either adored as a [[KnightOfCerebus sinister and terrifying presence]] compared to other versions of the character, or abhorred as a stereotypical bad guy who's not fun to watch compared to the sillier versions, including the [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Archie comics]] version who shared a design and background with this one.
16	* BrokenBase:
17	** Despite being an [[VideoGameMoviesSuck adaptation of a video game]], the [[AvertedTrope series is critically acclaimed]] and [[CultClassic highly regarded by its fans]]. However, it's also one of the most divisive works in the franchise. Its nature as a [[EarlyAdaptationWeirdness very early adaptation]] based on an [[PragmaticAdaptation exaggeration of the original Western lore]] separates the show entirely from the [[CharacterizationMarchesOn later games]], a fact that has caused a great deal of friction within the notoriously [[BrokenBase broken]] wider ''Sonic'' fanbase over how much of its style (if any) should be adopted by modern ''Sonic'' works.
18	** Was Season 2 [[GrowingTheBeard an improvement on the first]], thanks to having more consistent writing and overall continuity, or is it SeasonalRot thanks to its [[{{Flanderization}} simplified characters]] and more formulaic plot lines, as well as introducing a dragon {{Cloudcuckoolander}} named Dulcy?
19	** The show's themes and tone is either subtle, strong, and surprisingly mature for an adaptation of a video game. Or it's preachy, pretentious, and melodramatic.
20	* CantUnHearIt: This cartoon ran concurrently with the beginning of [[ComicBook/SonictheHedgehogArchieComics the Archie comic]], so it's hard not to imagine the characters being read by their respective voice actors. Sonic gets this the most, due to Jaleel White voicing him in two other [=DiC=] cartoons. Special mention especially to legendary voice actor Creator/{{Jim Cummings\|VoiceActor}} for giving Dr. Robotnik an especially menacing voice.
21	* CompleteMonster: [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogDrIvoEggmanRobotnik Dr. Julian Robotnik]] is the absolute ruler of Mobius in the present day, having acquired the throne by betraying every person he used to be loyal to and using the monstrous Roboticizer to transform the planet into a hellish, mechanized dystopia. A [[EvilOverlord tyrant]] whose only love is reserved for the pollution choking his entire empire, Robotnik subjects countless Mobians to UnwillingRoboticisation, a process they object to and fight against even after it happens. One of Robotnik's first victims of this was the Roboticizer's inventor, Sonic's own Uncle Chuck. Robotnik has mercilessly wiped out almost all resistance to his empire and tries time and time again to torture and kill Sonic and his Freedom Fighters, employing his "Doomsday Project" in the finale to [[OmnicidalManiac kill off all life]] not already roboticized. [[BadBoss Robotnik]] is also happy to execute his own worker-bots at his own whim and ultimately tries to leave all of his minions, including his long-abused nephew Snively, to die.
22	* CultClassic: It only got 26 episodes, which made it the shortest of all the finished ''Sonic'' cartoons (even the similarly CutShort ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'' got a good 40 episodes), and yet it was relatively well-received compared to other Saturday-morning fare at the time and has maintained a notable fanbase since then.
23	* DesignatedHero: Sonic, though not unpopular in the show per se, gets occasional criticism claiming him to be this. While a fairly effective hero, Sonic is by far the most dysfunctional and arrogant of the Freedom Fighters ([[StrawLoser Antoine notwithstanding]]), frequently endangering the team due to his cockiness.
24	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
25	** Bunnie had less spotlight than the other main Freedom Fighters, especially upon her {{demot\|edToExtra}}ion in the second season. Despite that, she is quite popular for her cyborg powers, personality, and [[CursedWithAwesome ironic angst]]. She is one of only a few ''Sonic'' {{Canon Foreigner}}s not to gain much disdain from the games' fandom.
26	** Lupe, the leader of the Wolf Pack, is popular in the fandom despite having only one episode devoted to her.
27	* EthnicScrappy: Antoine is widely disliked for being a French stereotype. The character's entire concept is that he is a [[CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys guy who is useless in any action-related situation]] with an annoying French accent. He also gets flak for [[FrenchJerk being rude to Sonic]] (even though Sonic is more or less equally rude to him), and ending up a SpotlightStealingSquad due to inexplicably getting inducted into many later missions over other characters. Even [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] in the Archie comics didn't stop some of the hate, since many feel it strips him of any defining characteristics and reduces him to a GenericGuy with a French accent.
28	* EvilIsCool: The show gives us possibly the most evil incarnation of Robotnik ever, and also one of the most popular. Being voiced by Creator/{{Jim Cummings\|VoiceActor}} helps immensely.
29	* FanNickname: Aside from the ''[=SatAM=]'' one, which was made to distinguish this ''Sonic'' cartoon (which ran on Saturday mornings) from the concurrent one at the time (which ran on weekdays), the other nickname occasionally used by fans is "''Sonic TAS''" (which is short for "''Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series''").
30	* FandomEnragingMisconception: Thanks to ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' using some similar themes and characters to the cartoon, there are several misconceptions floating around that can get on the fans nerves.
31	** The comic is often considered to be a [[ConclusionInAnotherMedium continuation of the cartoon.]] However, not only did the comic ''not'' follow up on the [[StoryArc Doomsday story arc]] in any way, in the comic, Doomsday ''[[AlternateContinuity doesn't even exist.]]''[[note]]The Doomsday arc ends with Sonic and Sally destroying the [[DoomsdayDevice Doomsday Project]] - a machine designed to [[ZergRush swarm the whole world]] with [[ImplacableMan nearly invincible robots]] - by using the [[GreenRocks Deep Power Stones]], apparently killing Robotnik in the process. After this, they [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther confess their love for each other]] and [[SealedWithAKiss share a passionate kiss...]] while [[DragonAscendant Snively]] and [[TheArchmage Naugus]] are making plans to take control. By contrast, the comic book's Endgame arc goes in a totally different direction from the very start by ''[[DisposableWoman killing off Sally]]'' (Which was [[DisneyDeath undone]] by ExecutiveVeto later on) and having ''Snively'' kill Robotnik by [[InTheBack re-targeting a disintegration gun.]][[/note]]
32	** It's also said by many that the cartoon is based on the comic. [[ProductionLeadTime It's the other way around]], and even then the comics are only ''barely'' based on the cartoon's early concepts. In fact, the art (and storytelling) for roughly the first year of the comic was based on an early unaired pilot of the cartoon series that was eerily similar on both fronts to the far-more-whimsical syndicated cartoon, ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''.
33	* FanficFuel: Thanks to Internet usage expanding in the mid-90s, this series provided numerous examples of such. Fans have made their own theories of the ''[=SatAM=]'' continuity with stories written about pre-Robotnik Mobius, the Freedom Fighters' establishment, Tails meeting the group and Bunnie's half-roboticizing among other things.
34	** One could also make fanfics on how other Archie exclusive characters could be like in this continuity.
35	* HarsherInHindsight:
36	** For readers of the [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics comic spinoff]], Sonic's nightmare of Sally getting roboticized is this. She actually ''does'' get roboticized in the comic, and due to [[ExecutiveMeddling behind the scene circumstances]], she isn't saved before the CosmicRetcon.
37	** A highly common complaint about the show is that Tails, the only other character who hails from the video games with Sonic and Robotnik, is barely in it. As the second season began airing, Tails had more significant roles in the episodes, with "Drood Henge" having him devise the plan that prevents Robotnik from acquiring the Power Stones. WordOfGod would later confirm that Tails would play a large role in the third season, after becoming a freedom fighter at the end of the aforementioned episode. Then the show was cancelled.
38	* HilariousInHindsight:
39	** There was a two-parter that had Sonic traveling through time and interacting with his past self. [[VideoGame/SonicGenerations This would happen in the games eighteen years later.]]
40	** [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/b4085459901b10e187609da840203caf/tumblr_p3fzpnFAF91tgcfi0o3_1280.jpg Initial promotional art for the show]] depicted a Flicky among the Freedom Fighters (who was likely replaced with Tails in the final draft), though his color scheme was red instead of the species' usual blue. Fastforward to [[VideoGame/Sonic3DFlickiesIsland 1996]], and it turns out that red Flickies do actually exist.
41	** Dulcy's very existence becomes this with the existence of ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'', which heavily features dragons in its story with [[spoiler:its new character turning out to be one]]. Even earlier, there was the Dragon animal in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''.
42	* HypeBacklash: Many fans of the later games become irritated by the mere mentioning of the show, due to many fans' tendency to boast its story and characters as superior to the Sega canon. They tend to retort that the show has been overhyped and viewed through the NostalgiaFilter, and suffers from just as many problems associated with the games such as the sometimes pretentious attempts at DarkerAndEdgier storytelling, cheesy MoodWhiplash inducing comic relief and one liners, the over-saturation of original characters, and their occasional {{Flanderization}}.
43	* JerkassWoobie:
44	** Antoine is a self centered DirtyCoward, but his constant failed attempts at respect and heroism, and [[SmugSuper Sonic]]'s [[JerkJock relentless jokes at his expense]], can make you feel some sympathy for him.
45	** Snively for the most part is suggested to be [[LackOfEmpathy just as remorseless and ruthless as Robotnik]]; however, he is still pitiable for the overwhelming amount of abuse he has suffered under his uncle for ''[[IronWoobie over a decade]]''. The fact the Freedom Fighters often trigger Robotnik's wrath, and that wrath [[YouHaveFailedMe gets taken out on him]], gives him a [[FreudianExcuse very valid reason for hating them]].
46	* LoveToHate: Dr. Julian Robotnik. He is pure ''evil'' incarnate and has absolutely ''zero'' passion for anybody, but he proves himself as a WorthyOpponent by enslaving most of Mobius outside of Knothole, and with how [[NightmareFuel downright scary he is]], it's hard to ''not'' feel a level of respect for him thanks to how effective of a villain he's shown himself to be.
47	* MagnificentBastard: [[GreaterScopeVillain Naugus]] is the former master of Dr. Robotnik who was banished to [[EldritchLocation the Void]] by him, and spends his banishment plotting revenge on his traitorous apprentice. Realizing Sonic's speed is the key to releasing him, he attempts to capture him using a device, only to instead end up capturing Sally and Bunnie instead. Realizing that Sonic would likely attempt to rescue them, he uses them to lure Sonic to him and attempts to convince him to help him escape. When Sonic refuses, he disguises as the King, who was also banished to the Void, and effortlessly convinces Sonic to get him out. Revealing his deceptions after escape, a grateful Naugus allows Sonic to rescue his friends while he takes care of Robotnik, reveling in humiliating the traitorous doctor. Discovering that, thanks to spending too long in the Void, he'll die if he spends too long outside of it, he scares off Robotnik before he can notice and exploit it, and retreats alongside the King, content to plan his revenge for another day.
48	* {{Narm}}: The second season, while some might say was stronger in narrative, wasn't above moments of cheesiness.
49	** In the two-parter "Blast to the Past", the catalyst which causes Sonic to bemoan the war against Robotnik is the loss of two freedom fighters. Specifically, [[RedShirt a generic horse and bear]]. It doesn't help that these two characters only appear in this episode and are never seen or heard from again. Yet Sonic takes their loss exceedingly hard.
50	** In "Sonic Conversion", Bunnie is de-roboticised, but abruptly changes back to her original form. When she does so, she inexplicably disappears in a cloud of green smoke, dramatic music plays, and Sally frantically calls her name. The next shot is of Bunnie sitting on the floor with a dissonantly deadpan expression. Upon realising that she's back to being a cyborg, Creator/ChristineCavanaugh gives out a small whine which sounds more like she dropped her ice cream.
51	** "The Doomsday Project" makes it abundantly clear that all of the Freedom Fighters across Mobius will band together to fight Robotnik. Half of the main cast stay at home and all the other Freedom Fighters are instantly captured, ultimately leaving everything up to Sonic and Sally. For the umpteenth time.
52	* NarmCharm: [[https://youtu.be/kI-FxbJ8g1k?t=22s "What color is my heart?"]] It's a weird GrossUpCloseUp where Robotnik asks Snively to look down his throat in an effort to see his heart. Adler and Cummings really manage to sell the scene and make it sound menacing, despite the inherent tackiness of the situation and the line.
53	* PopularWithFurries: ''[=SatAM=]'' was a popular early work in the fandom, premiering just about right when the commercial Internet was beginning to open up.
54	* RecurringFanonCharacter: In the earliest days of the ''Sonic'' internet fanbase, uber-fan Serinthia Kelberry (then living as David Pistone) created the characters Bookshire Draftwood, a raccoon doctor, Sandra Nightweaver, a vulpine anti-heroine, and Packbell, a humanoid robot, who showed up in quite a few fanfics from different writers, to the point many unfamiliar with their origins confused them as being from ''[=SatAM=]'' in some way.
55	* TheScrappy: Dulcy was the direct result of [[ExecutiveMeddling executives wanting another female lead in the show]], resulting in a [[TheKlutz klutzy]], [[MotorMouth loud mouthed]] dragon [[RememberTheNewGuy appearing out of nowhere]] in the second season. This was especially bad since an [[EnsembleDarkhorse infinitely more popular]] female character, Bunnie Rabbot, was DemotedToExtra as a result. In the years since however, [[CharacterPerceptionEvolution she's gained a small fandom of her own]], and despite the Executive Meddling, Ben Hurst actually considered her [[CreatorsFavorite one of his favorites]].
56	* SeasonalRot: The first season of ''Sonic [=SatAM=]'' had many different writers, as typical for such a cartoon. The ''second'' season was written almost entirely by duo Ben Hurst and Pat Allee; this made for a much more consistent and streamlined story format than the first season [[TooManyCooksSpoilTheSoup thanks to there being central storytellers]]. However, it ''also'' resulted in their preferred characters, [[DependingOnTheWriter interpretations of said characters]], and specific writing styles taking the spotlight for the rest of the series run. [[SpotlightStealingSquad Sally and Antoine]] were prominent in every episode, and were [[{{Flanderization}} simplified]] to their [[CloserToEarth positive]] and [[StrawLoser negative]] traits respectively, while fan favorites such as Rotor and Bunnie were [[DemotedToExtra reduced to being background characters]]. While Season 2 is often commended for its more developed overall plot, it is equally often criticized for its extreme changes in characterization and tone, from Sonic and Robotnik's [[{{Flanderization}} increased incompetence]], to the [[DenserAndWackier overabundance of cheesy comic relief]], including the [[RememberTheNewGuy inexplicable introduction of]] Dulcy the Dragon.
57	* SecondSeasonDownfall: The cartoon ended abruptly after Season 2. However, this was due to [[ScrewedByTheNetwork the simultaneous cancellation of all of ABC's then-current lineup in favor of Disney-sourced programming]], rather than the actual popularity of the series. Upon cancellation, the cartoon ranked #9 for all of Saturday Morning with a 5.2 rating, an estimated 4.8 million viewers during its second season, according to the [[https://books.google.com/books?id=0PEbAQAAIAAJ&q=sonic+the+hedgehog+abc+5.2&dq=sonic+the+hedgehog+abc+5.2&source=bl&ots=riCuplELTB&sig=Q0HVbnCasxFR82sz8mYqNw8rdC4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nKh1UInSI4u80AG_1YG4CQ&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ Media Studies Journal, Volume 8, Issues 3-4.]]
58	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong:
59	** The orchestral background music [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture certainly sounds familiar]]... This extends even beyond the show's orchestral theme tune, to the point where the entire score is essentially one big riff on Music/AlanSilvestri's style, complete with harmonies and dissonances based on octatonic scale patterns.
60	** Robotnik's theme sounds a little similar to the 1983 ''Film/{{Scarface\|1983}}'' theme.
61	* TakeThatScrappy: Sonic lampshades Antoine's [[UpperClassTwit obnoxiousness]] and [[TheLoad uselessness]] quite often. Given his own obnoxious ego and reckless decisions [[BaseBreakingCharacter don't always get him fans]], Sally in turn mercilessly calls ''him'' out.
62	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
63	** Bunnie Rabbot made interesting use of the show's roboticization concept and had kickass cyborg powers to boot. However, she had a supporting role in the majority of the first season and was DemotedToExtra in the second, arguably getting the least amount of development time out of the rest of the Freedom Fighters (Rotor and Tails were also heavily OutOfFocus for most of the show's later run, though at least had a spotlight episode or two to show for it).
64	** Tails. They took Sonic's BestFriend and {{sidekick}} from the games and reduced him to a minor character. He stays home most of the time, resulting in him hardly ever participating in any of the missions. When he does, his contributions are little at best or pretty much nothing at worst. A later Season 2 episode tried to fix this, but by that point the show was almost over. WordOfGod said he would have been more important in the third season... [[ScrewedByTheNetwork which didn't happen]].
65	** One of the complaints against Dulcy is that [[RememberTheNewGuy she got introduced with little to no fanfare and the show expected everyone to just assume she was always there]]. She actually could have been a relatively interesting character. She lost her mom to Robotnik's takeover, which could have been an interesting story arc on it's own, but on top of that, she's a freaking ''[[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]]'' that has both [[PlayingWithFire fire]] and [[AnIcePerson ice]] powers, and she serves as a mode of aerial transportation. Not to mention she's portrayed by well-known voice actress Creator/CreeSummer. A lot more could have been done with this character had they properly set up an arc where they find and save her, she joins the main Freedom Fighters and begins fighting to try and save her mom, [[TookALevelInBadass taking several levels in badass]] in the process. Instead, she mostly serves as comic relief, and even that many found Antoine to supply in better variety and pathos.
66	** Season 2 had an arc involving the other Freedom Fighter groups. Of the four assembled leaders, only Lupe and Ari get any characterisation, as two episode slots intended to introduce the other groups were given to the Antoine shorts. They all ultimately get captured quite early into the finale and reduced to [[DamselInDistress Damsels in Distress]] while Sonic and Sally do the majority of the mission.
67	** None of the other freedom fighters & Knothole residents who appear in the background are given any characterization whatsoever (they would however become the basis for characters like Geoffery St John & the [[https://archiesonic.fandom.com/wiki/Substitute_Freedom_Fighters Substitute Freedom Fighters]] in the Archie Comics).
68	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
69	** The TwoShorts episodes in Season 2, though the result of ExecutiveMeddling, had potential due to their SliceOfLife format and allowing the Freedom Fighters some casual limelight and personality focus when not dealing with Robotnik, even if they were slapstick. Unfortunately they are pretty much all devoted to arbitrary TooDumbToLive antics by Antoine, with every other character DemotedToExtra.
70	** Some fans, while liking the show for having its own distinctive direction from the games, believe it was divergent to ''a fault'', sometimes applying plots and concepts near identical to the games but discarding a perfectly set up adaptation for a blander SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute. "Sonic Racer" has Sonic race a SuperSpeed robot by Robotnik that ''isn't'' Silver Sonic, "Harmonic Sonic" has Sonic sabotaging Robotnik's ''Star Wars''-esque space station that ''isn't'' the Death Egg, "Blast to the Past" has a mysterious floating island that possesses time stones....that are of no relation to Knuckles' Angel Island or Little Planet's time stones. It's further punctuated by the fact that the Archie comics at the time utilised proper adaptations of most of these game concepts within the ''[=SatAM=]'' universe, demonstrating how easily the ideas could have worked within the same interpretation.
71	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Sonic, while much more sympathetic against Robotnik, often teases or undermines his friends (even Antoine sometimes fails to be provocative enough), man handles (and has supposedly damaged) NICOLE out of irritation, and frequently almost gets the rest of the team killed in an arrogant stunt. Add to that his inability to stop talking about how awesome he is for all of a minute, and Sonic's characterization leans towards a JerkJock.
72	* TheWoobie: Most characters had their moments of this. Sonic and Sally sure did, but Bunnie is the biggest contender by a long shot.
73	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: How some respond to this show. [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Cute animal]] [[ChildSoldier soldiers]] fighting a war to [[LaResistance de-throne]] a [[TheSociopath depraved genius]] who is responsible for [[OmnicidalManiac genocide]] of [[AfterTheEnd Apocalyptic proportions]].

Context YMMV / SonicTheHedgehogSatAM