I caught a few minutes of this. I didn't like the artstyle, but at least I recognized the characters.
Might give it another whack when I've got more time/inclination.
visit my blog!I finally stopped along to watch the first two episodes on You Tube and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not too fond of the animation style, not so much how it looks but I think it makes the main Joe team look too young. I think they're implied to be in their mid-to-late 20's but with the exception of Roadblock they all look almost like teenagers.
I also didn't entirely get Scarlett's plan to infiltrate the Cobra facility, it seemed a bit haphazard and relying on luck but I guess with Snake Eyes there she originally had a plan that didn't involve a firefight in the lobby.
Other than that, I quite enjoyed it. It's similar to Transformers Prime in trying to go in a new direction while leaving it open for the classic story. Some WMG I have is that eventually the Joes will become the subfaction of the armed forces later in the story. The way the series is setting itself up is leaving it open to premise changes as needed.
And I think everyone has already noticed The A Team similarities.
edited 31st Dec '10 8:13:34 PM by KJMackley
I'm really liking this series—I think it might have been my favorite new action cartoon for 2010, and think it's for animated G.I. Joe what Ninja Turtles 2k3 was for the TMNT franchise *. It's got its flaws—somebody pointed out that the Joes could have simply copied Cobra's hard-drive in the last episode, and I can't find a satisfactory way to explain why they wouldn't—but it also feels real in a way precious few cartoons do. The characters feel like actual adults—a rare thing in children's animation—and like actual people. I like seeing that Duke and the like have mundane back stories, before all the weirdness. I'm also really liking how this incarnation of Cobra is coming along.
I will say I'm a bit annoyed at the continued presence of lasers. While the trope has its uses and is handled better here than in most previous incarnations, I still feel that, in the end, it means you end up with different-looking weapons that all do the same thing. Using a handgun should be different than using a crossbow should be different from using an Uzi, and heck, those differences are interesting, and say interesting things about the characters. Here, not so much. Plus, you end up with stuff like laser crossbows, which I find baffling. Still, the writers are finding its way around it, so kudos for that.
So yeah, I'm here for the long haul, and interested to see where the series is going.
Avatar art by Lorna-Ka.Well I've caught up with the rest of the episodes and I have to say that, like GI Joe The Rise Of Cobra, the story of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow is by far the most compelling. Snake Eyes in general is also one of those people destined to be popular, quiet badasses usually are.
Do Tunnel Rat and Roadblock remind anyone else of Rattrap and Rhinox?
Loved trailer-trash Scarlett, and I thought it interesting Snake Eyes has pretty much stolen the spotlight when it comes to cool stuff, but when Duke was in prison fighting against relatively normal thugs he was certainly above average. Overshadowed by Awesome I guess.
I caught an episode of this. For the curious it was the episode where Snake Eyes takes them to his dojo.
I thought it was okay, certainly interesting enough to maybe see the next episode when its on. Main things I would've improved:
1. Jinx needed to shut the fuck UP during the flashbacks. We're watching the screen, we don't need an ever-present narration!
2. Why is it that every time there's oriental shit in western animation, they have to re-word basic concepts so that they sound all mystical-ly? Why say "strength of the body" when you could just say "regular exercise?" The latter would make you sound more like you're serious and not some fartsy wanker.
Other than those two niggles it wasn't as bad as I expected.
visit my blog!Don't worry, Jinx is a one arc character, you'll never see her again in anything but that arc. It was either one or two episodes, so don't worry.
Fight smart, not fair.I wish she hadn't talked. She's annoying as all hell. Sprinkling japanese words into the dialogue and then saying the english equivalent is just irritating.
Fight smart, not fair.Eh, I didn't mind that so much (in any case, Jinx wasn't the only one doing that). I did get annoyed when she used told Scarlett "What are we now, BF Fs?" I seriously want to slap any writer who can't see the problem with using internet terminology in a non-internet context.
edited 20th Feb '11 4:08:51 AM by MoeDantes
visit my blog!Regarding Jinx I never got the same impression you guys are getting. One: bilingual people do have a tendency to mix and match words from different languages, sometimes even merging words together. Using that style of speaking gives a degree of authenticity to the culture being depicted. Two: Jinx's statement about BFF's is supposed to be sarcastic, she's using that kind of slang to make fun out it.
My only issue with Jinx is that she is pretty quick to jump to conclusions and switch sides. As the audience we know the exact circumstances behind the death of the Hard Master, but even though he can't talk Snake Eyes did convey that he didn't kill the Hard Master but he did cut his throat. That should be a major indication that there is more to the story than anyone knows.
There's a difference between mixing words and saying one and then mentioning another.
Fight smart, not fair.Have to disagree with you Mackley. Even if her use of "BF Fs" was some sort of a joke, it was a badly-handled one—it didn't make sense in context and came off as an arbitrary terminology-drop.
It also breaks character, when you consider what kind of surroundings she grew up in.
visit my blog!My cousin married a guy whose mother was born in France and he is fluent in French and English. Even now he will mix words together and correct himself in the exact same manner that Jinx does. He was not being condescending but because on the other side of his family everyone would still knows what he is talking about. You're still free to hate her but I don't find it any different from any other form of Gratuitous Japanese.
I didn't hate Jinx, don't get me wrong on that front. Actually, I'm kind of disappointed that she's not gonna be a regular (according to an earlier post).
I just don't like the scriptwriter's choice of dialogue, is all.
visit my blog!I've come to realize that I've been watching this series out of order, so that's something I need to correct.
This newest episode was actually pretty creepy, which isn't a bad thing. Tunnel Rat was pretty awesome. He's reminding me more and more of Rattrap from Beast Wars. I liked Mindbender in this one too. Affably Evil is working for him.
I was never into G.I. Joe before, but this series has really grown on me.
Apparently this was broadcast in the states out of order. Take a look here
for episodes listed in the proper order.
Just finished the Firefly episode. That guy is completely bat-shit insane. I think the only bad guys yet to be introduced are Tomax and Xamot who now seem to be cult leaders. I was wondering if Serpentor would show up or not given how he totally usurped Cobra Commander in the old days. Now he's a giant snake that eats people. Did not see that one coming. Still he's dangerous and was genetically enginered by Mindbender so at least in that regard he's like the original.
Any idea who killed Hard Master? Judging by his reactions I don't think Storm Shadow poisoned him. That means it must have been someone who didn't want the Arashikage to take the new path HM was talking about. Problem is none of those poeple has a name or gets any screen time. Is there someome from the comics series or another source who was a member of the Arasikage that may have done it?
edited 18th Mar '11 10:56:23 AM by WillKeaton
In the original comics I think it was Zartan? But in Renegades I can see how that's not possible...
Also, I vote for putting Affably Evil under Mindbender's character page. He's easily one of my favorite characters now. I would say Large Ham too, but I'm not sure if he qualifies. P:
Edit: Oh! I didn't know I was watching the episodes in the wrong order either. O:
edited 19th Mar '11 10:14:32 AM by dellyskoll
I saw the Resolute mini series, which was awesome by the way, but I thought they might have made Zartan the assassin just for the sake of tighter continuity. That, and if it weren't for Zartan shooting a couple of ninjas in that flashback he wouldn't have accomplished a thing before getting killed.
edited 19th Mar '11 3:42:00 PM by WillKeaton
Yeah, Mindbender's great, though I'd say he's more Evilly Affable. Affably Evil is where someone's polite and gentlemanly enough that you almost forget they're a villain... which, let's face it, the Doc isn't.
What's precedent ever done for us?

I could not find a thread for this so I made one.
Renegades is the newest animated series in the long running GI Joe franchise which is being aired on a channel called the HUB.
As far as I can tell, it is a reboot of the storyline. In this series, Cobra has forgone its usual full-on military tactics in favor of establishing Cobra Industries, a powerful corporation that has a ton of influence on the world. Of course, being cobra, we know that they are doing terrorist stuff behind the scenes.
In the first few episodes, a handful of the Joes —Duke, Scarlet, Roadblock, Tunnel Rat, Ripcord, and Snake Eyes— are framed for the destruction of Cobra Industries' pharmasutical labratories (which has been developing gel-like lifeforms as soldiers, hard to explain).
This ends up with the joes mentioned above being branded fugitives and being hunted by two other Joes—Flint and Lady Jaye— who have been assigned to bring the renegade joes to justice. The renegade joes, meanwhile end up going around and trying to foil Cobra's schemes.
Damn that's a lot to type up!
Anyway, so far I like the storyline. The animation is quite well-done, though it took getting used to after watching so many of the old Joe cartoons. The story seems to be well written, with no huge faults as far as I can see, considering the new direction the series has taken.
My Ideas only need to make sense to me; even if the idea in question involves other people!