Sonic Boom

[jkid101094]

If there's one thing that stands the test of time when talking about fans of Sonic the Hedgehog it's that we can't accept change. From the time Sonic first hopped into 3D and adopted green contacts to the time Ken Pontac took over as the series' head writer Sonic has just not been able to catch a break. So when the initial teaser images for Sonic Boom dropped and the character designs were revealed you better believe fans cried and whined about sports tape and missing leg day.

Turns out that maybe being quick to the punch has it's quirks though as the Sonic Boom games that soon followed have been notoriously bad. With people making comparisons of Rise of Lyric to some of the worst games of all time it's no wonder the cries of this new take on the franchise has fallen on deaf ears. With the 3DS version not doing much better and it's sequel coming out to negative acclaim it leaves one to wonder if the franchise has any saving grace at all.

Turns out Sonic Boom had an ace in the whole this whole time, however, as ratings for the TV show have been booming (pardon the pun) since it's debut in November of 2014. While not as large as bigger shows like Teen Titans Go! (partly due to it's Saturday Morning only showing) Sonic Boom has picked up quite a following amongst fans and newcomers alike. With the series 41 episodes in as of this post and 11 episodes away from it's finale it's safe to say that Sonic Boom has had it's time to show us what it's made of. So, from the viewpoint of an avid fan of the series, how does it hold up?



First and foremost Sonic Boom forgoes it's brothers Sonic X and SatAM by instead focusing on 11-minute, self-contained episodes rather than one giant narrative supported by 21-minute running times. While normally this would result in two brother and sister episodes being created each Sonic Boom made the odd choice of randomly airing episodes together. Just last Saturday, for example, a new episode (#41: Brodown Showdown) aired followed by it's predecessor (#40: Tails' Crush) in a rather confusing attempt to avoid showing Episode 42 before it's September 5th airdate. While I'm personally not sure how common this trend is I was incredibly thrown off guard by it and ended up leaving my seat before the next episode finished.

The content of the episodes themselves is rather hit or miss for most people. The show focuses mainly on humor rather than storytelling but the stories tie in so well to most of the humor that it's rarely noticeable. Quite a few episodes end feeling a bit rushed and more than a handful seem to just end without warning. While those times are a bit jarring other episodes (like Episode 22: Curse of the Buddy Buddy Temple) have rather satisfying endings. This is mainly the result of having the episodes produced the way they are, with multiple American authors sending scripts at the same time to the single French Studio that animates them.

When talking about the humor of Sonic Boom, however, it's hard not to address its habit of breaking the fourth wall and cracking self referential jokes. The show really enjoys poking fun at plot holes, common tropes and even it's running gags and for some this may be a major turnoff. For me, however, this is but one layer of the gem of a show hidden under the layer of dirt that is today's TV shows.

Unfortunately for most who grew up with the franchise the characters themselves are closer to their Sonic Boom equivalents with Sonic being somewhat of a douche and Knuckles being a blatant moron but I tend to find it not to be a problem. Sure the characters aren't how I remember them being but in the end Sonic Boom is an adaptation, not a sequel. It's not like there aren't some funny jokes that center around these changes either with Brodown Showdown having a particularly humorous ending showcasing both of the aforementioned character's changes. In essence the characters in Sonic Boom take what the games provided them with and works to make them likable and I think the show deserves praise for that at the very least.

Now here is where I'm probably going to get the most flak for my opinion but I feel this needs to be said. I've saved talking about Eggman for this point because he provides a very key part of why I love this show so much. In Sonic Boom Eggman is unchanged from what you'd expect from him except in one very important aspect. In episode 38: New Year's Retribution the gang is getting ready to celebrate New Year's day when they are attacked by Eggman. True to the games they make short work of his robots and even go as far as to use the spare parts to replace broken ornaments. Normally this is where Eggman would swear revenge and fly off but...he doesn't. Instead he actually shows some emotion and becomes depressed, flying back to his lair and seeking his robots for advice. After a talk he explains that his previous resolution for the New Year was to beat Sonic at least once. After a rather hilarious joke about the show's logic Eggman develops a device to slow down time for everyone but himself and what follows is probably one of the most humanizing moment he and Sonic have ever shared. If any episode of the series should win you over let it be this one because, while the Knuckles jokes are a bit groan worthy, it succeeds where the games themselves have failed in actually making Sonic and Eggman relatable and showing that, while enemies, that they still need and care about each other.

Overall Sonic Boom might have two poor games on it's record and an even worse reputation to it's name but don't let that stop you from actually the diamond in the rough that is the television adaptation. While not every joke can be funny, not every plot can be amazing and not every single bit of acting can be top notch the Sonic Boom TV show succeeds where it's games and even some of the main series Sonic fails in providing a fun and humorous experience to remind you while we fell in love with the blue blur in the first place.

[Hakudamashi]

The Archie comic is best.

[jkid101094]

I think the only reason you hate Sonic Boom is because you keep comparing it to the comic. They're two completely different things. Love them for what they are.

[NiGHTSfan]

I think the only reason you hate Sonic Boom is because you keep comparing it to the comic. They're two completely different things. Love them for what they are.

same here jkid i like the cartoon of sonic boom the graphics are amazing but the game story is shit i do want the game but i cant play it because my gamepad is fucked up i broke the touch screen on it

[Hakudamashi]

I think the only reason you hate Sonic Boom is because you keep comparing it to the comic. They're two completely different things. Love them for what they are.

I don't like the cartoon because I don't like the writing.
It's a comedy show that doesn't make me laugh.

[jkid101094]

Well that's understandable. I can see how it's humor wouldn't be for everyone. I'm surprised Mr. Enter hasn't shit on it already.