Sonic Boom- Episode reviews 1 & 2

     Sonic Boom, the latest television series based around video game icon, Sonic the Hedgehog, premiered on Cartoon Network Saturday, November eighth 2014.
     Sonic Boom is one of several different attempts to bring Sonic to the cable box.


     Two of the more popular iterations, Sonic SatAm and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, both released in September of 1993.
     Sonic SatAm is the fan nickname for the show, since it was just called "Sonic the Hedgehog" and such a title was too nondescript for discussion, so they called it SatAm because it was shown Saturday mornings. It featured Sonic and a large cast of characters fighting against Doctor Robotnik, an evil genius that has taken over the world, and turned the majority of living things into robots. This series introduced a lot of the characters and the story of the Sonic Archie series (which is a long running series of comic books created by Archie Comics. Sonic fans are not known for extravagant names to refer to the different media outlets Sonic appears in).
     The second series, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, (Or AoStH in the fandom. Again, call it like it is) was actually more Saturday morning cartoon based than the one that ran on Saturday mornings. It had the same premise of Sonic the Hedgehog fighting Robotnik, but through wacky hijinks, and Robotnik is trying to take over the world, as opposed to his darker counterpart that succeeded. AoStH lasted longer than SatAm, being run through 1996 as opposed to SatAm's cancellation in 1994.

     Following the end of both series, Sonic got another attempt at a TV series through Sonic Underground. It was very, very ninties, featuring Sonic playing guitar and two new team members who had punk styling. Sonic Underground is the least known series. It's plot was like SatAm's, except Sonic and his two siblings who never appeared again outside the Archie comics had medallions that turned into weapons and instruments. Or just flat out weapons, depending on your musical tastes.

     Following that attempt that lasted all of 2 months, Sonic got another series, this time made in Japan and dubbed by ear cancer. I mean 4Kids Entertainment. Easily confused with ear cancer.
     Sonic X premiered in 2003, and featured the full cast of the games, and the most controversial addition, humans. Specifically, a young boy named Chris, who added nothing of real value to the stories.
     Sonic X basically retold the stories of the Sonic Adventure series of games, then went off in its own direction when it exhausted those.

     In short, Sonic hasn't had a large amount of success on TV, despite trying several times with different methodologies.
     Sonic Boom is the latest series attempt. It takes place in an alternate universe to the primary Sonic, with pretty much the same premise... except with a lot more sports tape, longer legs, and more steroids for Knuckles.

Just all the steroids for Knuckles.

    Despite some initial distaste for the series by the current Sonic fans, the new designs for the Sonic crew had grown on many. Sonic and Knuckles will never be accepted in this state in the fandom at large, but no one complains about Amy and or Tails.
    Speaking of Amy however, the series had an interesting idea to present: Amy is in love with Sonic, and Sonic doesn't know that. Everywhere else she plays the stalker with a crush that he finds annoying. Just the fact that her love for Sonic isn't at the forefront, meaning she has a chance ot showcase more of her personality, gives me high hopes for the series...

But, then again, the series is being written in the style of AoStH, being very cartoonish, 15 minute episodes. So, no real hope for a grand, epic plot...
Infact, the plots are actually incredibly shallow.

The first episode synopsis is this:
Tails gets injured in a fight with Eggman (used to be Robotnik, was later changed to Eggman), and Sonic holds auditions for a new sidekick.


... I have problems with that premise for quite a few reasons:
1. It is a weak premise.
2. It makes Sonic seem incredibly shallow, selfish, and self-centered.
3. Point 2 goes against EVERY SINGLE ITERATION OF SONIC.
So, that is about all the original fans alienated, and the episode hasn't even started...


Once the episode starts proper, the reason is clearer. Sonic is looking for a new sidekick so Tails doesn't go into the line of fire again. Which is better. But the synopsis problem still stands: if someone reads that before heading in, they might not be inclined to give it a chance. Not the right foot forward.

The episode itself... It is... Ehh...
The jokes aren't that great right now. They still need to establish characters before they can get rolling. It's just throwing random stuff right now.
Though by the antlers of the deer god, they managed to do the impossible: they made Amy Rose EVEN MORE ANNOYING. And this is coming from a guy who LIKES her character!
She comes in for the audition to be Sonic's side kick, and quite honestly she could've gotten the job if they didn't decide to have her be freaking stupid, and start juggling, singing, and doing a horrible Italian impression that makes Mario look authentic.
The first episode really felt like a pilot episode. Which isn't too bad, but there is a problem in TV: producers don't want set-up episodes. They don't want everything explained in the first couple episodes. They want to start right in the middle. Problem is, only Sonic fans know who these people are, and Sonic fans aren't fans of a lot of the changes. So, jumping in, newcomers have no idea who anyone is, and longtime fans are alienated. Great show pitch!


The second episode is also ehh, and is forming an unfortunate pattern. The second episode is about Eggman becoming Sonic's roommate while his home is being rebuilt.
Another fairly dumb idea, but for reasons not completely apparent. The idea is fairly shallow, but the other problem it creates is far worse:
Eggman is not a credible threat.
In the main Sonic universe (Sonic Boom is an American spin-off), Eggman regularly pulled eldritch abominations out of the earth and tried to bend them to his will. He plans to conquer the earth and actually succeeded once. He managed to grab a hold of several planets, and turned them into an intergalactic amusement park. MU Eggman is a credible threat.
But Sonic Boom Eggman? When he reveals that his entire plan was to just tire Sonic and Tails out (There are a lot better ways to do that... Just have a bunch of small attacks at all times all around... wherever they are), and unveils his obliterater bot, the bot immediately goes to destroy Eggman's base, and Eggman has to ask Sonic to help him stop the robot.
Just... just why. If Eggman isn't a credible threat, then he is just the crazy guy with some robots that malices Sonic and co. with a shoehorn every now and then.

As a side note, Sticks, a Sonic Boom original character, is so far a lot more interesting than the rest. She's paranoid to the point of yelling at her own shadow. That works. It also helps that she was actually right about Eggman's plan, making her far more competent than pretty much everyone else.


There are a couple synopsis available for the upcoming episodes:
Episode 3: Sticks is invited to a gala but doesn't know how to act lady-like. It's called "My fair Sticksy"
Putting aside that they are already using ideas completely unrelated to Sonic, I am glad to see it isn't just Sonic and Tails in the spotlight. Hell, Sticks came out the best, so maybe it could be good.
Or there will be about 3 jokes based on heels. One of them will be that a heel is used like a boomerang (Sticks' primary weapons are boomerangs).

Episode 4: A traveling circus captures Sonic and his friends.
... Really, we are going there already? Is this like an arrested development thing where we are watching the entire season backwards or something? We are dropping all possible stories to tell with Sonic fighting Eggman, because the story about a traveling circus capturing the heroes must be told first.
This is an idea that comes late into a second or third season, when they start being strapped for ideas. Are they desperate already?
The perfect solution to that problem is simple: have an over arching story. Then you got something to build off of, and interesting situations can come off that. But when you just bounce things off the wall, you get this.


This isn't even fun stupidity like AoStH, it's just... dumb right now.

Maybe time will improve the show, but if this current pattern holds, I don't expect Sonic Boom to get another season...