Jman

That is what they’re doing. They’re switching the name. HBO Max becomes Max. Also apparently continuing to gut animation.

Yes, the caveman is called Pickle. ...I'm so sorry.

Cartoon Network is really pushing this show, but this ain't helping one bit with the "kids show" look.

It's kind of funny to see that Dexter is being dumped just as Cartoon Network/Adult Swim was going all in on promoting Genndy as one of their great auteurs. Meanwhile, Zaslav found something he wants to spend money on. This seems to fit a continuing pattern of Zaslav de-emphasizing animation in favor of sports and reality program (even if the sports are fake).

This is probably why Vic’s competing service is unlimited.

Not too expensive either apparently.

Apparently the F-bomb take was the original take. Still, this was my reaction.

I’m a big proponent of the mantra “You have one chance to make a first impression.” There should be something hinted at which makes it either funny to revel in their terrible nature or to make us root for their development. I’m not sure if I see either. Especially since the stated goal for the characters is not a sympathetic one in the least. If they are meant to be terrible people and this series ends with them all dying horribly, well, that might make it worth it. Still, I’m not giving up on them yet. Genndy has earned at least a little benefit of the doubt at this point, wouldn’t you say?

Late 90s dub vibes abound.

Looks like the UFC dominated the night but reruns are reruns. I guess we’ll see if Unicorn’s rerun heavy strategy builds an audience or if adults aren’t interested in a family friendly action cartoon.

The show debuts this month, and here’s the big robot combination sequence. Don’t suppose anyone is interested in international distribution.

Preview of Episode 3, which feels like the old Cartoon Network previews for Samurai Jack. Maybe future episodes can make our heroes more sympathetic.

Sanctuary (2023) 1-4. White House Plumbers 1-2.

Witch from Mercury 17. Hell’s Paradise 4.

Censorship is admittedly in the eye of the beholder. Remember how Beware the Batman went to laser guns after the Colorado theater shooting? Sometimes it’s the political climate rather than any personal preference. That being said, we have no way to verify if the claim is true or not.

It's not shilling, it's just me finding that opposite content and characterization interesting. This is why I didn't want to bring it up. I'll stop now. I still contend that none of these characters are very likable as characters, but they are fascinating as creator avatars for Genndy and his own frustrations with the industry and the forces that claim to know better leading his career around. The problem from that angle is...shouldn't we be rooting for the characters to throw off their spirits and live their own lives in that case? You've set up a scenario where we're sympathetic with the people whose lives have been usurped, and we're supposed to root for them to...lie down and take it?

There's a lot to go over here, but I took a break after the first episode so I'm not going on that endless "This sucks because it's not Show X!" train, which is rough. I don't want to be that guy, especially given how different 2008 ASA was from 2023 Toonami despite the equal lack of shows. There's two things that interest me intellectually about this series, unfortunately neither makes this a good show. The first is that while Genndy is claiming that he's been working on this story for quite a while, it feels like it's channeling a lot of his recent frustrations on the screen. Characters that he's said he wants to work on, characters from an entire movie Sony canceled for the Emoji movie (which I think hardcore animation enthusiasts haven't quite forgiven Sony Animation for, Spider-Verse be damned), and a plot that centers around a "You want to do this thing with your life, but boo friggedy hoo, forces more powerful than you have their own plans." It's very tragic from that angle as a creative. That unfortunately leads to what will likely be the big issue with this show. None of the main heroes are remotely likable, nor are they given any agency in their actions. The whole bit of the wedding being interrupted by this mechanical monstrosity and trying to frame it as Melinda heroically emerging, but it doesn't work. None of these characters are endearing, and the fact that we're supposed to root for them to essentially take over the lives of others doesn't make the sympathetic in the least. And I know this dead horse has been beaten into glue by me, but I do find it funny how the character development in Unicorn and Hell's Paradise among their leads are essentially inversions, which also serves to demonstrate why people like Hell's Paradise. (spoilers for the first episode) Also, Genndy totally thought Copernicus was going to be the show's mascot when it was still earmarked for regular Cartoon Network. He probably saw toys of the robot. Not happening now.

Happy birthday.

*Looks forlornly at HIDIVE*. There’s at least half a dozen shows there that would get more attention than the umpteenth Primal rerun.

Ok, so we know ChatGPT fails at original pitches. Let’s try an existing show - Seinfeld. Here’s one that’s a bit more…unusual but still sticking with the same theme. A bit too…neat for Seinfeld, isn’t it?

First episode is on YouTube for free if you’re busy with the UFC, NBA, WWE or any other sports (real or not) league with an acronym.

The future is now…or the end of the summer if this strike doesn’t resolve itself -

It’s got the Genndy style, but I’d say it’s a downgrade from Primal, which was much more free with how it used the medium. And since I beat the dead horse in the other thread, it’s the clear inferior of Hell’s Paradise. But it has a lot of style points and Genndy is the only one doing this kind of animation. That goes a long way.