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just drawn that way
Jun. 24th, 2010 03:06 pmI love kids' cartoons. I love kids' anime, too, but I also just enjoy the heck out of a good American kids' cartoon. Some of this is nostalgic holdover from my younger years - I didn't watch much live-action TV as a kid, and DuckTales was probably the first TV show I really fanned on (I remember coming up with elaborate plotlines in my head for most of the Disney Afternoon - h/c-focused, natch.) But there's things about kids' cartoons that I love even now, especially action/adventure/superhero shows. Maybe it's the no-holds-barred crack that comes from trying to cram a movie-length plot into 22 minutes of animation, or maybe it's how you can be sure the good guys aren't going to be killed off. And it doesn't hurt that romance pretty much always takes a backseat to friendship in kids' stories.
My favorite cartoon is a tie between Gargoyles (I was a loyal viewer from the first airing of the pilot, back when I was in high school; it's the show which got me into tracking voice actors, years before I started fanning on anime seiyuu. Jonathan Frakes! Marina Sirtis! And Keith David still has one of the sexist voices in the business. Mmmm. I fondly remember freaking out over the 24-hour wait between parts 1 & 2 of "The Gathering") and Avatar: The Last Airbender (after Babylon 5, Avatar has the most satisfying and thought-out story arc of any American TV show I've seen.) with ReBoot and the whole JLU/DCU Animated 'Verse coming in as close seconds.
Which brings me to my point: is anybody watching Ben 10? Because my brother and I have been blasting through it, and having nearly caught up with the third series now, I'm really quite taken. It's no Avatar, but then, it's not trying to be. Technically I believe what it's supposed to be is a vehicle to sell toys, but what it really feels like is a bunch of comic book geeks getting together and coming up with their own original superhero universe. While the first series might be a bit too silly/childish for some, the second and the ongoing third series are helmed by Dwayne McDuffie, one of the main writers of JLU as well as the creator of my beloved Static Shock, and the later Ben 10's got most of my favorite elements from both of those - superheroes who have their flaws but are ultimately true-blue save-the-universe heroes, and adorable friendship/team stuff. Not to mention crazy space opera dramatics, intergalactic civilizations and supervillains from beyond the stars. Add in a central sibling dynamic (technically cousins but they act more like brother & sister) and former arch-nemesis turned best friend, and I'm sold. (Especially because as far as I can tell, the latter was added to the cast because they needed a sidekick/damsel-in-distress, and the main girl char would not oblige as either; she's way too kick-ass for that!)
( more nattering, somewhat spoilery )
Also, for those David McCallum fans among us, he's got a recurring role on the show as a mad scientist - not a bad guy, in fact Paradox is one of the heroes' most powerful if less than reliable allies. Pretty sure DmC was cast because the char is more than a little Doctor Who-inspired, and he sounds the part perfectly. Also he's got great lines. ("Yes. Dead. You! ...Why are we talking this way?")
In related news - new Futurama tonight! The bro is beyond ecstatic (it's his favorite TV show of all time) but I must admit I'm way looking forward to it myself...
My favorite cartoon is a tie between Gargoyles (I was a loyal viewer from the first airing of the pilot, back when I was in high school; it's the show which got me into tracking voice actors, years before I started fanning on anime seiyuu. Jonathan Frakes! Marina Sirtis! And Keith David still has one of the sexist voices in the business. Mmmm. I fondly remember freaking out over the 24-hour wait between parts 1 & 2 of "The Gathering") and Avatar: The Last Airbender (after Babylon 5, Avatar has the most satisfying and thought-out story arc of any American TV show I've seen.) with ReBoot and the whole JLU/DCU Animated 'Verse coming in as close seconds.
Which brings me to my point: is anybody watching Ben 10? Because my brother and I have been blasting through it, and having nearly caught up with the third series now, I'm really quite taken. It's no Avatar, but then, it's not trying to be. Technically I believe what it's supposed to be is a vehicle to sell toys, but what it really feels like is a bunch of comic book geeks getting together and coming up with their own original superhero universe. While the first series might be a bit too silly/childish for some, the second and the ongoing third series are helmed by Dwayne McDuffie, one of the main writers of JLU as well as the creator of my beloved Static Shock, and the later Ben 10's got most of my favorite elements from both of those - superheroes who have their flaws but are ultimately true-blue save-the-universe heroes, and adorable friendship/team stuff. Not to mention crazy space opera dramatics, intergalactic civilizations and supervillains from beyond the stars. Add in a central sibling dynamic (technically cousins but they act more like brother & sister) and former arch-nemesis turned best friend, and I'm sold. (Especially because as far as I can tell, the latter was added to the cast because they needed a sidekick/damsel-in-distress, and the main girl char would not oblige as either; she's way too kick-ass for that!)
( more nattering, somewhat spoilery )
Also, for those David McCallum fans among us, he's got a recurring role on the show as a mad scientist - not a bad guy, in fact Paradox is one of the heroes' most powerful if less than reliable allies. Pretty sure DmC was cast because the char is more than a little Doctor Who-inspired, and he sounds the part perfectly. Also he's got great lines. ("Yes. Dead. You! ...Why are we talking this way?")
In related news - new Futurama tonight! The bro is beyond ecstatic (it's his favorite TV show of all time) but I must admit I'm way looking forward to it myself...
