So I finally got around to watching this due to all the acclaim on GAF and I marathoned it straight through. The show was a bit different than what I expected going in, but I generally liked it despite the show being a MOTW format for the most part. I'm not a huge fan of episodic material especially for shorter run times like 20~ minutes as it can be hard to develop proper subplots and whatnot in that length. That said, I do think the material was well done for the most part despite a few quibbles. It's good stuff that not only reminded me of Cartoon Network's old works but also tried to tell a meaningful story.
The main thing that grabbed me was the artstyle. It's been a while since I've seen a Genndy Tartakovsky show and the art style reminded me less of Samurai Jack but more Dexter's Lab and Clone Wars (especially the later). The character animation though seemed reminiscent of Ren and Stimpy weirdly enough. That might be though that I haven't seen a Tartakovsky show in awhile so I've forgotten how his staff and him draw some of the character animation stuff. Either way it's very distinctive stuff. It makes me feel old saying this, but it did hit some nostalgia nerves as I don't see much animation looking like this now.
Another thing that grabbed my attention was some of the 'texture' work on the background shots. It's sort of hard to describe but the painting process really adds to some of the shots and atmosphere. I found some stuff by Kevin Dart(and others) along with this video on the background painting process. Really added to the show in a way I didn't expect coming in.
There was also a lot of attention paid to the storyboarding and framing of the shots. Episode 16 for example placed a lot of emphasis on showing the chaos in the background despite the fighting happening at the forefront. The show also used the camera angles to full effect to capture some pretty iconic moments. It's really good work as there are a lot of gorgeous scenes in the show.
One thing I didn't like though was the CGI mecha stuff. I'm a believer in 2D mecha and some of the stuff with the Titan really kinda jarred me at times. I think that's due to how weightless the animation feels at times in those fights. Titan and the monsters definitely caused a lot of collateral damage through explosions and whatnot but I would have liked a bigger emphasis on the weight and physics, something Pacific Rim did right.
Oh hey, I remember this scene in Pacific Rim. They should have pulled out the sword though.
So I wasn't the biggest fan of the actual narrative. I do like the alien scifi bit but I don't think they did enough with it. The problem is that many of the monsters sent to Earth are beaten without much fanfare and they become pretty boring. I think the show worked best when it was either focusing on the trio fitting into Earth society or the flashback stuff focusing on the trio. Some of the monster fights felt sort of thrown in and somewhat lazy and I would have rather them save the fights up so they could have been bigger affairs. One major flaw the show is the villain, General Modula. Modula is boring all the way through, as he just threatens and kills random mooks. I'm sure there was some revelation coming in the upcoming seasons that would have explained that he was being controlled by his alien hat or something, but as it stands, he's just very flat.
The setup itself reminded me a lot of Full Metal Panic in that you have a child soldier acting as a military guard to a woman, and both of them trying to adjust to normal high school life together. I do think the show sorta branches out near the end but that element definitely stuck with me for most of the run.
I have to say, I really liked almost all the main characters. Octus was the highlight as he was both robotic and somewhat human. He reminded me of a male version of EDI from Mass Effect 2 before they ruined her. I thought the episode "I am Octus" was probably my favorite of the season because it dealt with the balance Octus is trying to deal with, in that he has human emotions but is also robotic. I also thought by making the isolation that Octus feels, physical, really drove the point home in the episode. Octus's relationship with
Space Jesus has descended down from his throne to kick some ass
Ms.Booty Quake
Ms. Booty Quake
I do think he should have stayed dead. It looked like the show was heading in a more interesting direction and I also liked how Lance and Ilyana were the underdogs without the Titan.
Lance reminded me a lot of Sousuke Sagara initially, due to the whole militaristic thinking and fish out of water stuff. That actually endeared me a lot to him early on. Then we got to the flashback stuff where he pretty much gets fucked over every single chance.
Absolutely ridiculous that Draco Malfoy fires a real gun at him and is essentially trying to kill Lance but Lance somehow still gets punished for it. Do they not have security cameras or something? I was going to complain about that in episode 16 as it was becoming way too overbearing in that the universe has deemed Lance, one big shitting ground but they did clarify that he was being setup, later in the episode.
One element I really enjoyed about his character is that due to him being 'emo' and rebellious, he's super popular at the school. All the elements that made him such an outcast and unlikable on Galaluna, made him attractable in a high school setting. It's a pretty delicious twist of fate.
Ilana was the weak link of the trio for me. She does work as a sort of balance and there is some good stuff about her realizing that she's not Queen Bee anymore but I don't think they did enough with her. I do like the material about her reflecting on Galaluna being a warzone and all the lost memories, "Shaman of Fear" and "Under the Three Moons" really helped in this regard. It's just when the audience sees the hell that Lance has to go through, Ilana seems somewhat shallow in comparison. I'm guessing they were probably going to have fleshed her out down the road but that ain't happening. I did like her perky personality though and despite her being the weakest of the three, she isn't remotely bad.
I think the show did a good job with the high school setting without getting barred down in the high school drama stuff. I liked Lance learning how to 'drive, Ilana not handing in her homework, and Octus with the relationship issues. I do wish the show could have incorporated the monsters element better into the setting such as
the one where the goo monsters invade the high school
Lance's dad
In short, a hearty fuck you to Cartoon Network. You assholes cancelled this not for the ratings but for the lack of toy sales that you never bothered to make.
PS: STOP, IT'S HAMMER TIME