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Perhaps Apple was paying Sega big bucks for exclusivity in an attempt to get people to start using Apple Arcade?
SATAM Sonic does tackle some heavy subject matter like the usual death and Sonic's uncle being roboticised. I think a lot of people took issue with the badass dude with a 'tude Sonic crying in that episode. That and Robotnik in that series was actually menacing but also without moments of levity to remind you he's still Eggman. You can have Robotnik/Eggman be a legit threat but its gotta be handled carefully and at least show some theatricality, otherwise he comes across as dull. Maybe people took issue with Robotnik being kind of whatever in that series compared to Adventures Robotnik, "animation's sexiest fat man". Or maybe people weren't ready for Sonic to be mega serious yet.
Well that and Hype Backlash is also a thing. When you've got people very loudly saying how SATAM is sooooo much better than Adventures you guys because its edgy and takes itself seriously well, that tends to get real annoying.
and yeah I prefer Adventures myself. I just wanna kick back, you know?
Now if only this fandom wasn't so much like a see-saw only demanding one extreme or the other instead of a competently done balance.
Are explosions science?Especially for younger/newer fans Sat AM is one of the trickier shows to go back to, because unlike Adventures or Boom which are pretty light comedy series you can laugh even if you don't necessarily dig depiction of the characters, the former is a fairly dramatic show that relies on investment in the stories and personalities. On paper that's fine given that it's reasonably well written for a Saturday morning animation from the early 90s.
The problem for some is that it because it was such an early adaption somewhat derived from the minimal Western canon of the time, its depictions of the cast are very much a contrast to much of the series was largely seen as post 1998. Sonic is very a grounded character; more flawed, open to romance, and much less of free spirit paragon that the Adventure era games went with. There's not really a dangerous Eggman with some comedy to be found here, just the monstrous Robotnik often lacking in the manchild traits that his later versions had.
It was easily accepted by fans at the time given that the games weren't really big on lore and Sat AM wasn't that much of a departure from the ideas in the Western game manuals. It just comes off like a much bigger drift adaptation wise as time's gone on given where the series went later.
I personally really enjoyed SATAM and that was the show that really got me into the Sonic Franchise. I can understand how the serious tone of the show can be a bit of a turn off for some people, but I really appreciated the fact that there was a Sonic TV series at the time that attempted to tell engaging stories around the Blue Blur.
I love animation, TV, movies, YOU NAME IT!It woulda been hard to take SATAM Robotnik seriously if he used his Japanese classic design. In any case you don't get many people memeing or Youtube Pooping SATAM compared to Adventures which is like THE gold standard of Sonic memeing and low-hanging fruit. Jim Cummings Robotnik barely gets much airtime, while its Long John Baldry Robotnik who gets all the cash.
Also SAT Am influenced the A Rchie comics just a bit, even when those started out as ridiculous shitpost stories.
Are explosions science?I find the Satam design hard to take seriously anyway, seeing as his outfit isn't really any less silly. And he's so ludicrously Gonk even in comparison to the other human characters that it looks like they squeezed Jabba the Hutt into a human suit. Same with AOSTH Robotnik, seeing as they basically have the same design, but AOSTH was a comedy so it doesn't matter there.
But either way, what
*4 said is basically what happened to me with that show. I didn't get into SatAM or AOSTH as a younger kid in the 90's, and as an older kid in the early 2000's I didn't like its Post-Apocalyptic take on the Sonic franchise, so I've always found it and the subsequent Archie comics to be pretty difficult to get into. Ultimately it's such a dissonant take on the concept from the rest of the franchise that it's always struck me as a "you had to be there" sort of experience.
Meanwhile I found myself gravitating to AOSTH's madcap approach even as a teenager when I first found out it existed (I somehow missed both series), because I've always that style of classic animated humor, and you don't need to latch onto the drama of it to experience it the way shows like SatAM require.
Edited by KnownUnknown on Jan 21st 2024 at 9:40:36 AM
@Known Unknown Adventures Robotnik, gonk? Are you daft?! He's "animation's sexiest fatman!"
anyway yeah Robotnik/Eggman as a whole is hard to take seriously. I suppose Sonic X's take on the Eggster works alright whichever voice track you pick. Also Boom Eggman, at least in the TV show.
Are explosions science?I honestly prefer Boom!Eggman's design, for some reason it feels a lot more in character for him and lends him more seriousness in my opinion. I think it's because he's more of a Top-Heavy Guy and his outfit looks similar to an old school aerial ace pilot's uniform.
"That we continue to persist at all is a testament to our faith in one another."SatAM Robotnik and AOSTH Robotnik are literally wearing the same outfit...
Except SatAM Robotnik has a cape and a robot arm.
—-
The cape was truly the important aspect of the Classic Eggman design to keep.
Edited by randomness4 on Jan 21st 2024 at 4:49:21 AM
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.To be fair, the Sultan of Agrabah was prime Bumbling Dad material.
I am conflicted about Robotnik in Sat Am. His greatest weapon, the thing he is known for, it's not even his. It was created by Chuck. I feel it undermines him a bit.
Archie Robotnik, however, is fine because the dude made everything else.
To win, you need to adapt, and to adapt, you need to be able to laugh away all the restraints. Everything holding you back.

I just hope that Sonic Dream Team eventually makes it to PC someday. I really want to play it, but I don't have Apple Arcade. I still don't understand why they wanted to put that game on Apple Arcade, knowing full well that most people don't have Apple Arcade.
I love animation, TV, movies, YOU NAME IT!