As a kid, I watched the comedic Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog. Being not very familiar with the Sonic franchise (I didn't own a Sega console as a kid, or know anybody who did), I never even know that this show existed until I saw a Nostalgia Critic review on it. When I saw the intro sequence, my jaw dropped. I had missed out on something. There I was, silently bemoaning the fact that I wasn't a kid anymore.
Then I gave in and watched the series anyway. And what a joy it is! Allright, it's a kids show so it never gets too edgy, but it's still surprisingly dark. It takes the concept of woodland critters fighting a mad professor's robots and turns it into something that I can actually take seriously. The characters are likeable and well voiced, although there's disappointingly little Tails - isn't he supposed to be Sonic's sidekick? And then of course there's Robotnik - what a total contrast to the buffoon of Adventures. This is one of the most menacing villains I've ever seen on a kids' show. So there you have it - just enough darkness and complexity mixed in with just enough jokes and cuteness to make it possibly the best video game adaptation ever.
My gateway back to animation
As a kid, I watched the comedic Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog. Being not very familiar with the Sonic franchise (I didn't own a Sega console as a kid, or know anybody who did), I never even know that this show existed until I saw a Nostalgia Critic review on it. When I saw the intro sequence, my jaw dropped. I had missed out on something. There I was, silently bemoaning the fact that I wasn't a kid anymore.
Then I gave in and watched the series anyway. And what a joy it is! Allright, it's a kids show so it never gets too edgy, but it's still surprisingly dark. It takes the concept of woodland critters fighting a mad professor's robots and turns it into something that I can actually take seriously. The characters are likeable and well voiced, although there's disappointingly little Tails - isn't he supposed to be Sonic's sidekick? And then of course there's Robotnik - what a total contrast to the buffoon of Adventures. This is one of the most menacing villains I've ever seen on a kids' show. So there you have it - just enough darkness and complexity mixed in with just enough jokes and cuteness to make it possibly the best video game adaptation ever.
On a related note, watching this show rekindled my love of animation and helped to lower my resistance to watch kids' shows - if it's good enough, who cares? Quality is quality. This eventually led to me checking out series like Avatar The Last Airbender, WITCH, Gargoyles, Thundercats 2011 and My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. I owe it all to Sonic.