Code Geass and Transformers Animated: My thoughts
So, once again I jump on LATE bandwagon, and started watching Code Geass and TF:A(Although, not at the same time).
I'll start with Code Geass;
After everything I'd heard about the show(and all the spoilers I'd seen) I was expecting one hell of a trainwreck fron start to end. Surprisingly, I actually found myself engaged in the show, and actually found myself caring for the characters in the show. Euphie's death made me tear up, Rivalz and Tamakis antics made me both lol and feel symapthy for them(especially towards the end of R2 - I've always had a soft spot for characters that try so hard at doing something good, fails, but still keeps on struggling)and some of the mecha fights almost had me at the edge of my seat. Shirley and Kallen became my favorite female characters on the show, one being a normal girl who tries so hard to help the ones she loves, and the other being a fierce fighter fighting for her peoples freedom, yet at the same time struggling with her own feelings(also, Kallen's 7-combo beating of Suzaku - Classic\^o^/). I even felt sad for Rolo, whom I disliked, when he sacrificed his life to save his "brother". Hell, if you manage to make me feel sad about a character that I didn't like, you must have succeded somewhere, right? Lelouch's sudden villain turn at the end of R2 made me despise him for becoming the thing he had been fighting against, but when the truth behind his actions became clear...Damn, Lelouch, you magnificient bastard. You pull of a heroic sacrifice like that, and seeing Nunally's and everyone's else reactions...had to fight back my tears, since I did'nt want to cry in front of my brother. All in all, it was a good show, not THE BEST SHOW EVAR, but it was enjoying, I had a good time, and that's good enough for me.
But the animation, on the other hand...It was hideous. It didn't bother me too much after a while, but there were places where it became painfully obviuos. And the pointy faces...Leluoch's chin could qualify as a deadly weapon.
Speaking of pointy faces....
Transformers: Animated;
Ok, maybe the bot's faces weren't so much pointy as they had BIG FREAKING CHINS(will from now on be refered to as BFC), but I think they could still qualify as deadly weapons. After watching teh drama that was CG, it was nice to settle in with good ol' family fun cartoon. I didn't come with any big expectations on the show, and didn't really had any of the other shows to compare it with(The first Tranformers is a faint memory in my head, and the only other Transformers cartoon I've seen in modern times was Armada - Beast Wars and what- the- hell- the other- shows- were- called, never aired in Sweden. I think. And, of course, I saw the movie last summer, and I liked it, even though I wished they'd put more focus on the Bot's instead of the humans),so I was going into the shows without any prejudices and, for once, unspoiled.
And it was love.
Ok, it wasn't love at first sight, but I did enjoy the show a lot, and even though it was a bit kiddie(Then again, what do you expect from a show that airs on Cartoon Network?), it gave me warm, fuzzy feelings and made me remember what it was like being a kid again, going up early in the weekends to watch your favorite cartoons with a jug of candy(Yes, we had our saturday candy in jugs). The characters were likable, I liked the jokes, the subtle nods to the old shows, and finding out that they managed to get Peter Stormare as a recurring voice actor on the show...that's nerdcore ^__^b(even though I kinda wish he had made the voice to one of the bot's instead)Also, Wreck-Gar. Wreck-Gar is adorable. And voiced by Weird Al!("I dare to be Stupid" :D).
As for the downsides...well, first of all, I was a bit skeptical towards the use of human villians in the show. I came watching it for the bots, not a bunch of C-grade villains. The BFC's were...kinda distracting>__> I mean, you get used to them after a while, but still, it looks very...odd(I wonder if it makes me a hypocrite to watch and enjoy TF:A and not be bothered with the style, but not watching Akagi and Kaiji because I find the style awful?). The morality lessons. Yes, I know, they were there in the 80's cartoon, but Jesus Christ, they always manage to grate me. I guess, what I disliked about them, was that there didn't seem to be any point to them, since the bot's would just go back to the way they behaved before in the next episode. If you're going to teach the kids a lesson, then let the bot's have some friggi'n character development, and don't make them repeat the same mistakes again, The same could be said about Sari, who in one episode promises to be more careful with the key, and an episode or two later, goes back to treat it like a magic toy. To sum up, make character development that stays. You don't have to change the characters - just make them better. Make them learn from their mistakes.
Conclusion:
Overall, I liked both shows, and am eagerly anticipating the next season of TF:A(Why must spring be so far away??). I kinda hope the rumours of a third season of CG are just rumours, though. R2 had a good ending, and I would hate for it to be ruined. But, I'll guess we just have to wait and see.
I'll start with Code Geass;
After everything I'd heard about the show(and all the spoilers I'd seen) I was expecting one hell of a trainwreck fron start to end. Surprisingly, I actually found myself engaged in the show, and actually found myself caring for the characters in the show. Euphie's death made me tear up, Rivalz and Tamakis antics made me both lol and feel symapthy for them(especially towards the end of R2 - I've always had a soft spot for characters that try so hard at doing something good, fails, but still keeps on struggling)and some of the mecha fights almost had me at the edge of my seat. Shirley and Kallen became my favorite female characters on the show, one being a normal girl who tries so hard to help the ones she loves, and the other being a fierce fighter fighting for her peoples freedom, yet at the same time struggling with her own feelings(also, Kallen's 7-combo beating of Suzaku - Classic\^o^/). I even felt sad for Rolo, whom I disliked, when he sacrificed his life to save his "brother". Hell, if you manage to make me feel sad about a character that I didn't like, you must have succeded somewhere, right? Lelouch's sudden villain turn at the end of R2 made me despise him for becoming the thing he had been fighting against, but when the truth behind his actions became clear...Damn, Lelouch, you magnificient bastard. You pull of a heroic sacrifice like that, and seeing Nunally's and everyone's else reactions...had to fight back my tears, since I did'nt want to cry in front of my brother. All in all, it was a good show, not THE BEST SHOW EVAR, but it was enjoying, I had a good time, and that's good enough for me.
But the animation, on the other hand...It was hideous. It didn't bother me too much after a while, but there were places where it became painfully obviuos. And the pointy faces...Leluoch's chin could qualify as a deadly weapon.
Speaking of pointy faces....
Transformers: Animated;
Ok, maybe the bot's faces weren't so much pointy as they had BIG FREAKING CHINS(will from now on be refered to as BFC), but I think they could still qualify as deadly weapons. After watching teh drama that was CG, it was nice to settle in with good ol' family fun cartoon. I didn't come with any big expectations on the show, and didn't really had any of the other shows to compare it with(The first Tranformers is a faint memory in my head, and the only other Transformers cartoon I've seen in modern times was Armada - Beast Wars and what- the- hell- the other- shows- were- called, never aired in Sweden. I think. And, of course, I saw the movie last summer, and I liked it, even though I wished they'd put more focus on the Bot's instead of the humans),so I was going into the shows without any prejudices and, for once, unspoiled.
And it was love.
Ok, it wasn't love at first sight, but I did enjoy the show a lot, and even though it was a bit kiddie(Then again, what do you expect from a show that airs on Cartoon Network?), it gave me warm, fuzzy feelings and made me remember what it was like being a kid again, going up early in the weekends to watch your favorite cartoons with a jug of candy(Yes, we had our saturday candy in jugs). The characters were likable, I liked the jokes, the subtle nods to the old shows, and finding out that they managed to get Peter Stormare as a recurring voice actor on the show...that's nerdcore ^__^b(even though I kinda wish he had made the voice to one of the bot's instead)Also, Wreck-Gar. Wreck-Gar is adorable. And voiced by Weird Al!("I dare to be Stupid" :D).
As for the downsides...well, first of all, I was a bit skeptical towards the use of human villians in the show. I came watching it for the bots, not a bunch of C-grade villains. The BFC's were...kinda distracting>__> I mean, you get used to them after a while, but still, it looks very...odd(I wonder if it makes me a hypocrite to watch and enjoy TF:A and not be bothered with the style, but not watching Akagi and Kaiji because I find the style awful?). The morality lessons. Yes, I know, they were there in the 80's cartoon, but Jesus Christ, they always manage to grate me. I guess, what I disliked about them, was that there didn't seem to be any point to them, since the bot's would just go back to the way they behaved before in the next episode. If you're going to teach the kids a lesson, then let the bot's have some friggi'n character development, and don't make them repeat the same mistakes again, The same could be said about Sari, who in one episode promises to be more careful with the key, and an episode or two later, goes back to treat it like a magic toy. To sum up, make character development that stays. You don't have to change the characters - just make them better. Make them learn from their mistakes.
Conclusion:
Overall, I liked both shows, and am eagerly anticipating the next season of TF:A(Why must spring be so far away??). I kinda hope the rumours of a third season of CG are just rumours, though. R2 had a good ending, and I would hate for it to be ruined. But, I'll guess we just have to wait and see.