Post by Bobeddy on Jun 19, 2008 8:27:24 GMT -5
This is a blog that I posted on my Bebo.
Just thought I'd post it here seen as I know there are plenty of Sonic fans on the board.
**************************
With my recent acquisition of Sonic and Knuckles for the Megadrive, I have been given yet another reason to continue the long-term nostalgia kick that is my life. And while playing the game, I began to reflect on all the fun that the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise provided me growing up. Of course the games gave hours of enjoyment, and continue to do so today, but one of the best things for me about Sonic as a kid, were the cartoons.
A quick stop to Youtube to watch some old clips and I was shot back to well over a decade ago.
While I'd like to say that this was an entirely enjoyable experience, that would be a lie. And if there's one that I'm not, it's a liar. I may be a pig, an idiot, a communist, a liar, but I am NOT a porn star!
For you see, while in my quest to relive the fond memories, I found myself inexorably drawn towards that dark spot.
"Surely it can't be as bad as I remember?".
Unfortunately, I leave well enough alone, and succumbing to temptation, I opened that Pandora's Box. And now you must all sit through my complaints.
For those of you who forget the Sonic cartoon's, here's a quick refresher.
During the 1990's we were treated to not one, but two, awesome cartoon series starring everyone's favourite Hedgehog.
The first was 'The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog'
This show was the wacky, colourful, Bugs Bunny-esque cartoon, where everything was played for chuckles. And when looking back and watching old episodes, I still laugh like an idiot.
Next up was 'Sonic The Hedgehog' or 'Sonic SatAM'
SatAM was darker than it's predecessor, replacing a lot of the humour with mild peril and loved ones being turned into robots. But the show still told a good story, had enjoyable characters and was just great for a kid to watch. On a personal note, I think it's a shame that the show got cancelled, especially as the 2nd season ended on a cliffhanger. Damn those mysterious red eyes!
(Side-note #1: Sonic SatAM has one of my favourite cartoon intro songs ever. It's just awesome.)
So while AOSTH and SatAM were different from each other, both were enjoyable on different levels.
Now SatAM ended in 1994, and in 1999 it was decided to bring back Sonic for an entirely new show.
Which brings us to the third Sonic series, 'Sonic Underground'.
Sonic. Underground.
Two words that send chills up my spine.
Now you've seen the intro's to the other Sonic shows, here's Underground's
(Side-note #2: Sonic Underground is also of my favourite cartoon intro's. C'mon, it's hilarious! The singer explaining the show's premise with so much seriousness. I usually lose it at the "Will the prophecy come true!?" line. And ya gotta love that raspy Gremlin voice saying 'Sonic' in the background.)
So let's try and get all this straight.
Sonic is a prince. Who's mother was forced to give up, in order to fulfill a prophecy. He's also suddenly acquired a brother and sister. And they have medallions that turn into instruments that they use to thrill people in the underground music scene, while also doubling as weapons so they can take down Robotnik's reign of tyranny.
Get all that?
As you might have noticed, there's a bit of a difference between Sonic Underground and the other two shows. And coincidentally, the two major differences are my two main beefs with the show. Namely Siblings and Instruments.
Let's deal with that first one.
In AOSTH Sonic had Tails as his sidekick, and in SatAM they added Sally and all the other animal gang. Sure friends are fine and all, but y'see what Sonic really needed was some family. And with that we were introduced to Sonic's long-lost brother and sister, Manic and Sonia. Which the astute among you may notice, that if you swap the last letters of their names around you get SONIC MANIA! (Coincedence? I don't think so!)
Now what can I say about Sonia and Manic?
Sonia was a girl. She was Pink. She grew up as a princess She didn't like dirt. She thought boys were stupid....she was a girl.
Manic was a boy. He was Green. He grew up as a street-thief. He liked dirt. He thought girls were stupid....he was a boy.
Basically, Sonia and Manic were just opposites of each other and Sonic was the nice middle-ground that usually patched things together when they'd have arguments. Though at times, Sonic fell out with one of them. Just to shake things up a bit.
The voice actor for Sonic was the same for all three shows, but in Underground he did the voices for all three hedgehogs.....I'm guessing the company had a small budget. Now the voice for Manic was pretty good, but Sonia's voice was just this nasal twang that sounded strangely similar to Sonic's. Hold your nose and make your voice just that bit higher and you can do a Sonia the Hedgehog impression.
Now, I can't say Sonia and Manic are "the worst characters ever!", cos they're not. They're just typical cartoon characters. And for a long time I couldn't understand my hatred towards them. But while writing this I think I finally figured it out.
By the time Underground came around I'd already seen AOSTH and SatAM so much that in my mind Sonic couldn't have a brother and sister. I'm sure there were probably different writers and companies involved trying to put a stamp on the show, but in my 10 year old mind, SONIC COULDN'T HAVE SIBLINGS! It just didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense, so as a result I just didn't care about them and they simply annoyed me.
And I suspect that there were probably a good few other others who felt the exact same way.
Now on to number two. Instruments.
Cartoon Law #43 states that, "Any characters that carry instruments must at some point use said instruments to play an original composition".
Unfortunately for us, the characters constantly have instruments at their disposal. Which means that every episode of Sonic Underground features a song. These songs were usually about Friendship or Loyalty or some other lesson kids should learn. Think of it as like the old 'Sonic Says' promo's, but more about morality and set to music.
Now I know I've posted a lot of videos in this blog but please you MUST click on the following one as I think this video best encapsulates just why I hate Sonic Underground....
For your viewing pleasure, here's Someday
Right there! That right there, is why.
The 'Fastest Thing Alive', the 'Blue Dude with Attitude'.....singing. And it's not just that he's singing, but singing god-awful songs in that warbly voice. Horrible horrible abominations to the ear.
It makes me weep a little inside watching it. Look at him, that's not Sonic, that's Josie and the GODDAMN Pussycats.
I had a hard time choosing which song to pick as surfing through Youtube, there are some real gems on there. Two in particular would be 'Harmony' and '4-1-1'.
And then we have this third one titled Teach the Children which actually caused tears of sorrow to well in my eyes and vomit of rage to swell in my throat.
Now I really wish I could forget Sonic Underground, but I can't. And there's a good reason for that. Y'see by making this cartoon, the creators took the character that as a kid, to me, represented pure coolness. They took him, they gave him a guitar and they made him apart of the Partridge Family!
Shaking his hips and tapping his toes, even back then I could see how lame it was.
It was sacrilege.
I opened this by saying how much I loved Sonic The Hedgehog.
And thankfully, the hatred that I feel for Sonic Underground is completely outweighed by the fantastic games and the other two cartoon series. And while I can certainly choose to ignore Sonic Underground, I can never ever forget it.
But you have to wonder.
How could they allow this to happen? How could they screw up so badly?
Well, after years of wondering, I think I finally have an answer.
The country that Sonic Underground was made in and exported from?
Oh that's it! Smurf you, France!
Just thought I'd post it here seen as I know there are plenty of Sonic fans on the board.
**************************
With my recent acquisition of Sonic and Knuckles for the Megadrive, I have been given yet another reason to continue the long-term nostalgia kick that is my life. And while playing the game, I began to reflect on all the fun that the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise provided me growing up. Of course the games gave hours of enjoyment, and continue to do so today, but one of the best things for me about Sonic as a kid, were the cartoons.
A quick stop to Youtube to watch some old clips and I was shot back to well over a decade ago.
While I'd like to say that this was an entirely enjoyable experience, that would be a lie. And if there's one that I'm not, it's a liar. I may be a pig, an idiot, a communist, a liar, but I am NOT a porn star!
For you see, while in my quest to relive the fond memories, I found myself inexorably drawn towards that dark spot.
"Surely it can't be as bad as I remember?".
Unfortunately, I leave well enough alone, and succumbing to temptation, I opened that Pandora's Box. And now you must all sit through my complaints.
For those of you who forget the Sonic cartoon's, here's a quick refresher.
During the 1990's we were treated to not one, but two, awesome cartoon series starring everyone's favourite Hedgehog.
The first was 'The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog'
This show was the wacky, colourful, Bugs Bunny-esque cartoon, where everything was played for chuckles. And when looking back and watching old episodes, I still laugh like an idiot.
Next up was 'Sonic The Hedgehog' or 'Sonic SatAM'
SatAM was darker than it's predecessor, replacing a lot of the humour with mild peril and loved ones being turned into robots. But the show still told a good story, had enjoyable characters and was just great for a kid to watch. On a personal note, I think it's a shame that the show got cancelled, especially as the 2nd season ended on a cliffhanger. Damn those mysterious red eyes!
(Side-note #1: Sonic SatAM has one of my favourite cartoon intro songs ever. It's just awesome.)
So while AOSTH and SatAM were different from each other, both were enjoyable on different levels.
Now SatAM ended in 1994, and in 1999 it was decided to bring back Sonic for an entirely new show.
Which brings us to the third Sonic series, 'Sonic Underground'.
Sonic. Underground.
Two words that send chills up my spine.
Now you've seen the intro's to the other Sonic shows, here's Underground's
(Side-note #2: Sonic Underground is also of my favourite cartoon intro's. C'mon, it's hilarious! The singer explaining the show's premise with so much seriousness. I usually lose it at the "Will the prophecy come true!?" line. And ya gotta love that raspy Gremlin voice saying 'Sonic' in the background.)
So let's try and get all this straight.
Sonic is a prince. Who's mother was forced to give up, in order to fulfill a prophecy. He's also suddenly acquired a brother and sister. And they have medallions that turn into instruments that they use to thrill people in the underground music scene, while also doubling as weapons so they can take down Robotnik's reign of tyranny.
Get all that?
As you might have noticed, there's a bit of a difference between Sonic Underground and the other two shows. And coincidentally, the two major differences are my two main beefs with the show. Namely Siblings and Instruments.
Let's deal with that first one.
In AOSTH Sonic had Tails as his sidekick, and in SatAM they added Sally and all the other animal gang. Sure friends are fine and all, but y'see what Sonic really needed was some family. And with that we were introduced to Sonic's long-lost brother and sister, Manic and Sonia. Which the astute among you may notice, that if you swap the last letters of their names around you get SONIC MANIA! (Coincedence? I don't think so!)
Now what can I say about Sonia and Manic?
Sonia was a girl. She was Pink. She grew up as a princess She didn't like dirt. She thought boys were stupid....she was a girl.
Manic was a boy. He was Green. He grew up as a street-thief. He liked dirt. He thought girls were stupid....he was a boy.
Basically, Sonia and Manic were just opposites of each other and Sonic was the nice middle-ground that usually patched things together when they'd have arguments. Though at times, Sonic fell out with one of them. Just to shake things up a bit.
The voice actor for Sonic was the same for all three shows, but in Underground he did the voices for all three hedgehogs.....I'm guessing the company had a small budget. Now the voice for Manic was pretty good, but Sonia's voice was just this nasal twang that sounded strangely similar to Sonic's. Hold your nose and make your voice just that bit higher and you can do a Sonia the Hedgehog impression.
Now, I can't say Sonia and Manic are "the worst characters ever!", cos they're not. They're just typical cartoon characters. And for a long time I couldn't understand my hatred towards them. But while writing this I think I finally figured it out.
By the time Underground came around I'd already seen AOSTH and SatAM so much that in my mind Sonic couldn't have a brother and sister. I'm sure there were probably different writers and companies involved trying to put a stamp on the show, but in my 10 year old mind, SONIC COULDN'T HAVE SIBLINGS! It just didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense, so as a result I just didn't care about them and they simply annoyed me.
And I suspect that there were probably a good few other others who felt the exact same way.
Now on to number two. Instruments.
Cartoon Law #43 states that, "Any characters that carry instruments must at some point use said instruments to play an original composition".
Unfortunately for us, the characters constantly have instruments at their disposal. Which means that every episode of Sonic Underground features a song. These songs were usually about Friendship or Loyalty or some other lesson kids should learn. Think of it as like the old 'Sonic Says' promo's, but more about morality and set to music.
Now I know I've posted a lot of videos in this blog but please you MUST click on the following one as I think this video best encapsulates just why I hate Sonic Underground....
For your viewing pleasure, here's Someday
Right there! That right there, is why.
The 'Fastest Thing Alive', the 'Blue Dude with Attitude'.....singing. And it's not just that he's singing, but singing god-awful songs in that warbly voice. Horrible horrible abominations to the ear.
It makes me weep a little inside watching it. Look at him, that's not Sonic, that's Josie and the GODDAMN Pussycats.
I had a hard time choosing which song to pick as surfing through Youtube, there are some real gems on there. Two in particular would be 'Harmony' and '4-1-1'.
And then we have this third one titled Teach the Children which actually caused tears of sorrow to well in my eyes and vomit of rage to swell in my throat.
Now I really wish I could forget Sonic Underground, but I can't. And there's a good reason for that. Y'see by making this cartoon, the creators took the character that as a kid, to me, represented pure coolness. They took him, they gave him a guitar and they made him apart of the Partridge Family!
Shaking his hips and tapping his toes, even back then I could see how lame it was.
It was sacrilege.
I opened this by saying how much I loved Sonic The Hedgehog.
And thankfully, the hatred that I feel for Sonic Underground is completely outweighed by the fantastic games and the other two cartoon series. And while I can certainly choose to ignore Sonic Underground, I can never ever forget it.
But you have to wonder.
How could they allow this to happen? How could they screw up so badly?
Well, after years of wondering, I think I finally have an answer.
The country that Sonic Underground was made in and exported from?
Oh that's it! Smurf you, France!