Thundercats Episode 6+7 Review

My internet has been on the kick for about a week, but now that it's back, Thundercats. More of them, that is.




Episode Six: Journey to the Tower of Omen
A much better episode then the last one. The first and immediate thing I liked is that each of the main characters got their chance to shine and show off their skills on the various traps. It has that nice Indiana Jones and the Last Crusader feel - you know, the final trials. I always got a kick out of these tests of fate, skills, and physical prowess, so the overall feel of the temple was great.

I am slightly disappointed they found the book so early. I imagined the quest to be a season-long journey. After all, the thing about quests is that it's how they get there that's the interesting part. The season could have been spent exploring the main characters' personalities and growth as well as expanding on Third Earth's culture. I'm probably jumping the gun, especially when we know there's more than just getting the Book of Omen (and that the show is currently only seven episodes in), but that's kind of the feeling I am getting. I'll emphasized more on Episode 7's review on why I fear this.

The only other thing I was irked on was the animation. Overall, the show has had very few mishap, but every so often, they will slip up. A comment I wrote to someone on a previous Thundercats review has me stating this:

_{"If I had any specific problem with the animations is the at time, repeated footage of certain action scenes, some wooden movements here and there (you're right, the dead fish look does appear frequently that it ends up so cheesy), and a couple awkward pauses (there's this scene in episode 4 where the Petalars are flying away and they lazily kept focused on this one Petalar for 10 seconds)."}

I wonder if they briefly got a different studio to animate this or they were just having an off day - some of the movements here are awful. They're slow and awkward. Most of these occur during the action portion of the episode, so the snail pace trod was much more blatant. There's a scene with Panthero fighting Mumm-Ra that just plodded on so horribly I had to back away from my computer - especially the way Mumm-Ra laser-punched Panthero, it had about as much effect as a six-year-old girl doing the same. Then there's that fawful slow pan camera. >< I honestly hoped this was just an "off" episode because it happens (anyone remember Episode four of "Gurran Lagaan"?) and if Episode Seven is any indication, it may as well be the case.

Also, and I know this sounds blasphemous, but I feel bad that I cannot take Mumm-Ra's powered up form seriously. He looks like he's on steroids (and hell, he might as well be on some magic steroids). I don't know if this look is a throwback to the 80s, but he looks stupid.

Otherwise, this is a decent episode. Above-average, though it doesn't entice me as richly as the first two episodes and "Song of the Petalars". It's a good episode that moves the plot though.
7/10







Episode Seven: Legacy
Now this I like, even if it's another flashback episode. Not that Episode Five didn't have its relevance, but the end results are something that we already knew would happen (the betrayal, Mumm-Ra's freedom, etc.) It was almost pointless with the only thing we needed to know is how Mumm-Ra got free. Maybe the flashback would have reached me better if I cared about Panthro, but given he only made a dues ex machina appearance prior to Episode Five, that episode didn't really get to me. *shrugs* Either way, "Legacy" is a rewarding episode that pushes more in both the overall plot and general importance.

It expands a lot more on the cultures of the people of Third Earth and the ancestors who would inhabit it - who knew they were all from another planet (though I'm fairly confident the writers meant to allude to the original series' premise.) The most promising aspect of this episode is that by end, Lion-O must try and reunite all the animals under one union. A noble cause and a nice throwback to the first episode. I praised the first two episodes for showing the Lizards in a light beyond "LOL EVIL". They have a reason to join Mumm-Ra's cause - the cats lorded over them and treated them poorly. Lion-O is different. He wants to establish a much more equal bond to every species (he did the same to the dogs earlier in the episode by defending them from bullying). What I want answered is just how the cats lorded over them. Leo only managed to defeat Mumm-Ra because he allied with every species, what did he (or his descendants) do that caused all Thunderians to consider themselves so superior? This is something I hope a future episode will explore.

Animation-wise, "Legacy" is an incredible step up from episode six. It's fluid, it's quick when it needs to be, there's no awkward slowness, heck, Lion-O doesn't even have that "dead fish" look when he's Leo. There's actually one shot of Lion-O/Leo that I really like.



This is an awesome animated shot right here. He's barely moving, but the look on his face, the flowing mane, the angle of his eyes, and his pose really captures the struggle he's in.

Everything looks fantastic (maybe episode six's animation blub really was just a small fluke). Maybe it's just me, but the colorings, lighting, and shadows feel much more visually pleasing. Maybe it's due to the sci-fi setting as opposed to the fantasy-like world of Third Earth, but everything feels more vibrant, more dramatic. It gives off this kind of darker and edgier feeling without it going overboard. I don't know how to explain it, but the end result is amazing. Also, Steroid!Mumm-Ra in episode six may look silly, but Armored!Mumm-Ra looks badass. I love that design and if the inevitable toy comes, I will buy it. For that matter, I like the futuristic jumpsuits the cats have on, especially Nameless Romantic Love Interest To Leo. Oh, and I'm tinkled pink she's taller than him. It's cute. ^^ For that matter, I think Cheetara is taller than Lion-O. I honestly think that's adorable. XD

If there's any real flaws, it's that outside of Lion-O/Leo, none of the characters have much outside of their basic functions. I'm not even sure they have personalities. All of them just move to the plot because they have to. Even Lion-O/Leo's girlfriend doesn't do much outside of the basic story and when she does, it's to shower him with kisses. I don't think she even has a name and she's arguably a more important character than Tygus who gets, god, three lines?

Also, it's been seven episodes, can we please focus on someone besides Lion-O? I know he's the star, but there are six other characters. This is also why I was reluctant to accept that they found the Book of Omens so easily. I mentioned it's the journey that tells the most interesting tale because in-between the beginning and the end, we get to know the characters better. The heroes have a new quest to obtain: the three gems (Is it just me or do I honestly feel this could have been a Season Two overreaching Arc the way I wanted the Book of Omens quest to be for Season One?), so I can only hope this quest last longer so we can actually see everyone besides Lion-O have their moment in the spotlight. This show is great, but nothing will make me lose interest faster than wasted character potentials.
9/10




_{And on a completely unrelated subject, I'm 650+ pages into Game of Thrones. This book is addicting.}

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