Sonic X, Episode 3.05: A Chilling Discovery

Sonic X, Episode 3.05: A Chilling Discovery

Japanese Title: The Battle on the Ice Palace

U.S. Air Date: October 8th, 2005

Japanese Air Date: April 1st, 2020

The quest to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds before the Metarex continues in the fifth episode of season three. Chris has developed a machine that can detect Chaos Emerald energy, leading the Blue Typhoon to the frozen planet of Breezy. They immediately encounter Metarex forces and the ship is damaged, forcing Tails to do repairs while everyone else seeks out the emerald. They soon discover the gem is encased within impenetrable ice and guarded by a fierce Metarex warrior named Crystal. Meanwhile, Eggman and Rouge both have schemes of their own. 

If you ever wanted to know what a "Sonic" version of "Star Trek" would be like, this gives you a pretty good idea. (I'm really surprised Ken Penders never wrote a parody like that, since we all know he's a huge nerd.) There's an elaborate sequence where the Blue Typhoon activates its warp drive, which includes generating a portal and passing through it via sparkly rainbow colors. Eggman gets one of those two, though his warp drive involves the amusing visual pun of wrapping his ship in a CGI egg. Later, after the ship is damaged after arriving on Breezy, there's a few scenes of Tails pulling off some Geordi La Forge shit and doing repairs. I'm curious if the show was lightly poking fun at sci-fi tropes like this, as Tails laments that he doesn't get to act like your usual starship captain very often. 

But intergalactic work place drama is not the main focus of this episode. Instead, “A Chilling Discovery” focuses mostly on the novelty of the ice planet setting. There’s a long tradition of ice levels in the "Sonic" series, starting with the third game and continuing onward. This episode even includes a scene of Sonic riding a board across the slippery surface and through spiraling icy structures. (Though his board here looks and acts more like the Extreme Gear hoverboards, that wouldn’t premiere until the next year’s “Sonic Riders.”) The episode even manages to play this series tradition for some comedy, such as when Sonic drops up to his nose into snow. I guess he likes solidified water particles as much as he likes regular water. 

While the Arctic shenanigans are mildly distracting, “A Chilling Discovery” eventually turns it’s focus to less interesting action sequences. The Metarex is seemingly waiting for Sonic and the gang and have prepared a small army of floating, crustacean-like troopers. Unlike previous Metarex threats, which were impervious to all the typical Sonic Team attacks, these guys are pushovers. A long, repetitive action scene is devoted to our heroes wrecking, exploding, and twirling Metarex Troopers around like they’re nothing. It’s quickly revealed these guys are leading the heroes into a trap but they are still super easy to destroy. 

At least the Metarex generals are still creditable threats. Metarex Crystal is not as girly as his name implies. Instead, the machine is encased in indestructible ice crystals. He’s also the size of a kaiju and able to launch further crystals as a projectile weapon, essentially making him the “Sonic” version of Space Godzilla. As unstoppable as Metarex Crystal seems at first, it turns out he has a weak sauce weakness. It is, in fact, the same weakness all ice has: Heat. A blast from a super hot laser beam cleaves off Crystal’s arm and another, more direct blast leads to a shockingly graphic scene of him melting alive. In other words, this week’s Metarex villain is defeated the same way as almost all of them have been so far. The good guys just shoot a big-ass gun at them. It makes a climax that starts out as exciting melt into a big nothing, like ice under a heat lamp itself. 

But there are a couple of moments in this episode that stand out. Not long after arriving on Planet Breezy, our heroes wander across the planet’s bitter surface. (Chris wears winter gear but all the Mobians are buck-ass nude, which raises some interesting questions.) Cosmo soon comes across a tree standing in the snow. She has an empathetic connection with this plant life, dismayed that it seems dead and hopeful that it can be restored to life someday. At the episode’s conclusion, after the Planet Egg is restored, Cosmo spots some blades of grass poking through the snow. It’s a nice visual summation of her personality, of holding out hope that life goes on and that dark times are not the end. 

This episode also continues the rehabilitation of Chris Thorndyke… But now I’m wondering if the show isn’t overcorrecting with that character. In the opening scene, Chris casually reveals that he’s invented a device that can detect Chaos Emeralds across the span of the universe. The Blue Typhoon has to warp to Planet Breezy, so something Chris cooked up in his spare time can locate a faint signal across hundreds of millions of miles of open space. It strains believably and that’s before Chris sends Sonic a hover board he also invented. Having Chris mature from being a mentally ill child is nice but turning him into this improbably brilliant inventor pushes too far in the opposite direction. (Not to mention it sidelines Tails as the smart one, reducing the fox to simply a pilot.)

And what about Eggman? He’s yet to do anything actually useful in this season thus far. He follows the Sonic and gang to Breezy. Rouge continues to fuck up his plan, this time by having Bokkun bring sake and rice cakes to the igloo, shaped like his head, that the doctor is hanging out in. Eggman immediately downs the booze and passes the fuck out. (Decoe and Bocoe do too, which raises some real questions.) Considering the mere sight of a rice ball was enough to send 4Kids censors into a blind panic, it is unsurprising to read that this entire sequence was cut from the dub. But it amuses me to know there’s an officially endorsed-by-Sega cartoon where Eggman gets blackout drunk.  

This episode also seems to confirm that Rouge is just doing this shit because she wants to own the shiny, shiny emeralds. This reveal sets up a last minute plot twist that pissed me off. While taking a bath — a scene that was not cut from the dub, presumably because she’s wearing her gloves the whole time for some reason — Rouge realizes the Chaos Emerald is a fake. It turns out this entire episode was a wild goose chase, a massive waste of time. Why the Metarex created a fake Chaos Emerald, which apparently put off a convincing enough energy signature to fool Chris’ super-duper machine, may or may not be important later. But it does reveal this entire episode as superfluous filler. 

And that’s disappointing, especially when most of the rest of the episode is underwhelming. I guess the season would be over too quickly if Sonic and the gang immediately found the other planets containing the Chaos Emeralds. But the show has to find better ways to occupy its time than with lame filler episodes like this. [5/10]

Sonic X, Episode 3.04: An Enemy in Need

Sonic X, Episode 3.04: An Enemy in Need

Japanese Title: Dr. Eggman Joins the War!

U.S. Air Date: October 1st, 2005

Japanese Air Date: March 31st, 2020

I guess I was wrong when I supposed season three of "Sonic X" was going to have a "planet of the week" structure, as the next episode lingers on Planet Hydo a little longer. The grateful citizens of the world throw a celebratory parade for Sonic and the gang. Unbeknownst to our heroes, Dr. Eggman has arrived on the planet. Rouge — also on this journey — blackmails Bokkun into hatching a scheme for the doctor. He asks Knuckles to bring him the Chaos Emerald, promising that he only has good intentions. The gullible echidna falls for it and, when he tells his plan to Sonic, they point out it's an obviously terrible idea. A fight between Sonic and Knuckles ensues, with Eggman planning to steal the emerald while they're distracted... But Bokkun alerts everyone to the doctor's position, ruining his scheme. Before Rouge can perform her part of the plan, a Metarex machine attacks. Eggman attempts to fight the alien robot but is quickly defeated, forcing Sonic and the gang to save the day once again. 

If "Sonic X" is going to build an entire season around intergalactic adventures, they're going to have to show a little more imagination than what's on display in this episode. What we see of Hydo society —  which doesn't seem nearly as effected by their entire planet being flooded as they should — is uninspired. They throw a parade with floats based on very European looking boats. The only real insight we get into their culture is an obsession with tossing people into the air and some repetitive shots of them dancing. The Hydolians are not the only alien culture that seems very Earthly. The Metarex minion in this episode is Jumpee, a giant mechanical frog. How does the Metarex empire know what frogs are? 

Then again, the entire episode is pretty uninspired. "Sonic X," for the third goddamn time, returns to the idea of Eggman tricking Knuckles. The fandom perception of Knuckles started to shift during the "Adventure" era. With Shadow now filling the tough, shoot-first-ask-questions-later rival role that Knuckles occupied in the classic era, a different characterization of the echidna emerged: That of a strong but extremely dumb idiot. (This characterization would see its ultimate Flanderization in "Sonic Boom.") As someone used to the more complex Knuckles from the comics, I've always hated this. I assumed the first "Adventure" game revisiting Eggman fooling Knuckles again was responsible for this idea taking root. Now I'm starting to think "Sonic X" is the guilty party. Because Knuckles should really, really know better than to take Eggman at his word by now. Hard to like or root for this guy if he's so chronically a dumbass. 

The show returning to this well once more seems largely to be set-up for another idea the franchise has repeatedly hammered: Sonic and Knuckles fighting. I'm not opposed to these two homoerotically sparring with each other every once in a while. It's even pretty funny that the rest of the gang's reaction to this fight is to shrug and sit back and watch. They know Sonic and Knuckles just gotta work this out of their systems. But even the early Archie Comics found different reasons for Sonic and Knuckles to periodically bash each other's heads in. It doesn't help that the Sonic/Knuckles fight here is pretty listlessly animated, as is the entire episode. The movement is stiff and there's lots of reused animation. 

Something I was right about is Eggman largely becoming comic relief in a season with a more dangerous antagonist. Aside from the handful of times he's threaten to kill somebody or unleashed an eldritch abomination on a city, "Sonic X" has largely treated Eggman as a joke. That definitely continues here. There's a long sequence where he comically chases Bocoe and Decoe around the interior of his space ship with a big mallet. The quipping droids and their rotund boss also make several fourth wall breaks, joking about how their reoccurring characters on this show. By the end, when they're launched into the sky by the Metarex minion-of-the-week, I was getting serious Team Rocket vibes. These types of japes are not my favorite interpretation of Robotnik, as you've probably guessed. 

About the only cool thing Eggman does in this episode is climb inside a giant robot Bocoe and Decoe pilot when Jumpee attacks. The machine is human-shaped but boxy, with multiple special weapons (including a sword), and distinctive markings and colorations. That alone was giving me "Voltron" vibes, so I was not surprised to read the robot is another one of those homages "Sonic X" loves. The "Egg Mars" is a tribute to eighties super robot anime "Godmars," another show featuring heroes in colorful suits who pilot giant robots that then combine to form an even bigger robot. This nerdy reference is brief but still probably the most interesting thing about an uninspired action sequence, which features the Metarex goon once again being defeated by the Sonic Hammer. 

The sole bright spot of an underwhelming episode is, once again, Rouge. I don't know if Rouge wants the Chaos Emeralds just because they're shiny jewels or if she's working for someone else. Either way, her plan to play Sonic and Eggman against each other, while she sneaks in and furthers her own goals, is some real "Yojimbo" shit. I would gladly watch a whole series of Rouge just tricking being people and being a femme fatale, all in service of her own capricious needs. Though the specific way she blackmails Bokkun — by threatening to reveal the contents of a locket the little robot carries — is a little odd. I'm guessing there's, like, a picture of Ella or a pie or something in there. (For the furries reading this: That scene does feature a lingering shot of Rouge's mammalian cleavage, that 4Kids deemed Too Hot for the FoxBox and cut out of the dub.)

Season three started strong but hits its first roadblock with this one. I'm considering declaring this one a filler episode, though I guess Eggman revealing his presence to Sonic and the gang makes it important to the overall story. There's also a little more character development for Cosmo and Chris. Cosmo is shown to have a strong dislike for any conflict and Chris displays his growing ingenuity by thinking up a scheme to distract the bad guy.  The episode also has Amy repeatedly reference how much her butt hurts and even asking Cream to look at it, and that's pretty funny/weird/inappropriate. Aside from that, you could probably safely skip this one. [5/10]

TEN THINGS WE WANT TO SEE IN THE KNUCKLES SHOW!

As I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, Paramount Studios has announced that, in addition to continuing the “Sonic the Hedgehog” film series, they also plan on doing a “Knuckles the Echidna” show for their Paramount+ streaming service. This, of course, is a hugely exciting announcement for everyone here at Hedgehogs Can’t Swim. Knuckles has probably been my second favorite “Sonic” for many years. Not only will everyone’s favorite grumpy echidna be sexily voiced by Idris Elba, there will now be an entire season of television devoted to his adventures.

If you’re reading this blog, you know what a convoluted spiderweb the “Sonic” multi-media franchise is. That means there are many different sources this streaming series will be able to pull. So it’s time for some baseless nerd speculation. Here’s my top ten things I hope to see in the Paramount+ “Knuckles” show!

10. Rouge the Bat!

From her debut in 2001, Rouge the Bat was designed as a foil for Knuckles. Her obsession with jewels puts her at odds with the Master Emerald protecting echidna. Moreover, her flirtatious manner and tendency to do her own things puts her at odds with the naïve, honor-bound Knuckles. She’s the Catwoman to his Batman and the two have played off each other nicely in the games, comics, and cartoon shows. It only makes sense that Rouge will be a part of a “Knuckles” show, for all of these reasons and more. I can’t wait to see the seductive she-bat strutting her stuff in CGI.

9. More Tom!

When it was first announced that Sonic would have a live action buddy in the first movie, taking screen time away from our beloved Blue Blur and focusing precious minutes on some fucking rando, I was skeptical. Luckily, as soon as the thundering kettle pot of charisma that is James Marsden was cast, I put all concerns aside. Tom Wachowski immediately became a beloved member of the “Sonic” supporting cast. And while we don’t know the exact direction this “Knuckles” show is taking just yet, it would be a blunder of titanic proportions to continue to set stories in the Live Action Sonic Universe and not devote at least a fifty episode arc to everyone’s favorite small town law enforcement officer.

8. Locke!

If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you know that the Archie “Sonic” comics are, by far, my favorite iteration of the entire franchise. In the comics, Knuckles soon developed a convoluted backstory of his own, rich with supporting characters and an entire network of family members. Obviously, this material would be great for an on-going show to pull from. Once Paramount cuts Ken Penders a check and agree to his assuredly reasonable stipulations, it means the most beloved and important of Knuckles’ supporting characters can appear: Locke, his dad! Oh, I can’t wait to see Knuckles be guided from the shadows by a wise and powerful father figure who respects his boundaries and wants the best for him! Let’s get, like, Patrick Stewart or someone like that to voice him. That shit would be so cash.

7. Chomps!

If you’re a slightly less longtime reader of this blog, you know that Knuckles’ first appearance in a non-video game, non-comic book was the animated series “Sonic Underground.” “Underground” made many changes and additions to known “Sonic” lore, all of which was brilliant and totally fit in with the established characters. Among the most enjoyable of these additions was the totally-not-coke-induced choice to give Knuckles a pet dinosaur named Chomps. Come on, who doesn’t love dinosaurs? Are you going to look me in the eyes and say you genuinely believe that this series wouldn’t be improve by giving Knuckles a dinosaur friend to follow him around? Because if you are, I’m going to spit in your face and call you a goddamn liar. 

6. Knuckles joins Starfleet!

Alright, I know this is getting a little conceptual, but hear me out. Paramount making the “Sonic” films such a prominent part of their IP library makes it clear that they value this series. The other biggest franchise Paramount has is, of course, beloved and influential science fiction series “Star Trek.” Now, in the film universe, Sonic and Knuckles are explicitly from other planets. They have been referred to as aliens. Is it too much of a stretch to have space alien Knuckles the Echidna encounter a Starfleet away team across his adventures among the stars? Is it really outrageous to think that the structure of Starfleet life and the goal of exploring the galaxy would give meaning and foundation to Knuckles’ wandering life? Would it be insane to think about him having a baby with Tasha Yar? Hell, Ken Penders used to write “Star Trek” comics too, so let’s invite him along and really make a truly logical and out-of-this-world crossover! 

5. TIME TRAVEL, BABY!

Of course, I know what you’re thinking: “Integrating Knuckles with the “Star Trek” universe — and having him wear a cool, high-neck uniform — makes all the sense in the world… Except the “Sonic” movie universe is ostensibly set in the modern day, but “Star Trek” takes place in the 23rd century!” Well, there’s an easy solution to this problem! Implement everyone’s favorite “Star Trek” plot device: Time travel! Whose to say that the warp rings that the “Sonic” movie characters use to traverse space don’t also travel through time? I mean, where in the movies does it directly contradict that statement? You don’t know, they might do that! And once we cross the boundaries of time travel, the canvas of adventures Knuckles can have become truly limitless! Maybe him and a hot Gorn female can go back in time and fight in the Roman Colosseum, sail with Columbus across the ocean and colonize the Americas, punch Hitler in the face, and debate ethics with Andrew Jackson. Shit, maybe they go back to dinosaur times and that’s how Chomps gets into the show??? It’s all coming full circle, baby!

4. Knuckles runs for President!

We don’t want the “Knuckles” series to just be bursting with creative ideas, I want it to be socially relevant too. And what better way for this series to address the woes of American society than have Knuckles run for political office! Obviously, after retiring from Starfleet, he returns to Green Hills and finds it local politicians to be hopelessly corrupt. Riding a wave of populist policy and forward-thinking strategies to root out corruption and protect and reward hard-working Americans, Knuckles’ political career takes off like a rocket. He ascends through local offices, into congress, and is soon after the White House itself! Obviously, Knuckles will struggle with having to balance his personal beliefs and the realities of the two-party system in America. It all comes crashing down when everyone realizes Knuckles wasn’t even born on this planet and isn’t an American citizen, making him unable to hold the highest office in the land. But what a ride it’ll be. What a ride.

3. Knuckles goes to high school!

And after a teenage echidna goes on a whirlwind race through the American political system, what do you do for an encore? Why, go back to school, of course! Knuckles is canonically sixteen years old, which would put him right in the middle of American high school. Can you imagine the hijinks that would ensue! Knuckles having to balance his life as guardian of the Master Emerald with doing homework! What if one of the many enemies he’s made were to attack while he had a really big test to do? Maybe he forgets his lunch back on the Floating Island and has to race back to get it before the principal finds out! And all of that is excluding Knuckles dealing with the deadliest danger of all: Dating! It’ll be fun for the whole family! 

2. The Chaotix

I mean, duh. Of course these guys have to show up eventually. I mean, the game was called “KNUCKLES’ Chaotix, after all! It’s just naturally that these goofballs will appear sooner rather than later. 

1. Knuckles gives me, personally, a hug

Finally, this last idea is completely non-negotiable. I demand that, at some point within the “Knuckles” streaming series, he breaks the fourth wall, looks directly into the camera, and says that he’s proud of me. This will proceed a scene where Knuckles lands on my door steps, walks up to me, and gives me a big hug. Not one of those quick over-the-shoulder things. I’m talking a full-on hug here, with both arms, that lasts a minimum of at least two minutes. Idris will whispers in my ear that it’s okay, everything will be alright now. Maybe I cry a little. I don’t think this is unreasonable. People love it when tough guys show their sensitive side, it’ll be huge! I won’t tell you where the bodies are buried until you agree to do this.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill

Publication Date: March 30th, 2022

When the "Sonic the Hedgehog" was first announced in 2014, I was skeptical of it ever making it to the big screen. All sorts of dumbass adaptations and projects get announced in Hollywood every day. Most of them never make it to theaters. When the movie made it out of Development Hell, into active production and before real movie cameras, I was still skeptical. I had dreamed about a "Sonic" movie for ages but never expected a real motion picture to live up to my half-mad imaginings. When that disastrous first trailer debuted, it seemed the video game movie curse had struck again and the "Sonic" film was doomed before it even came out.

Through all of this, the idea of a sequel never struck me as a probable proposition. Hollywood is franchise hungry but I have a "let's wait and see how the first one turns out" attitude towards these things. By some fucking miracle and extensive effects reworking, the first "Sonic" movie was actually fairly entertaining. Moreover, it made a lot of money. And now Paramount Studios is going all in on "Sonic." The sequel comes out next week. They've already announced a third film and a "Knuckles" spin-off streaming series. While the specific vision of a "Sonic" movie trilogy that existed in my head was never going to come to life, my dream of "Sonic" being an honest-to-God cinematic universe has somehow come to pass. What a time to be alive.

The release of a big budget sequel, that the studio is pinning a lot of future success on, brings with it a plethora of tie-in merchandise. There's toys, Happy Meals, VTubing experiments, and even a breakfast cereal. Most intriguing of all is the idea of a comic book tie-in. "Sonic" has a rich history in comics, as anyone reading this blog knows. IDW, the current publisher of "Sonic" comics, practically specializes in film and television tie-ins. So I was pleasantly surprised, but not shocked, when IDW announced a one-shot special to proceed the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." You know the "Sonic" Movie Universe is the real deal when comic books expanding on its lore are coming out.

Much like the annuals that IDW has published in the past — which this "pre-quill" seems to be taking the place of this year — a selection of stories are included. The first of the five tales is "Hedgehog Day Afternoon," which involves a bored Sonic foiling a bank robbing plot... Which soon reveals a connection to the exiled Dr. Robotnik. The second story, "The Secret of My Distress" concerns Robotnik's minion, Agent Stone, following his boss' ruthless game plan to take over a humble coffee shop. "Always Bet on Red" follows Knuckles traversing the universe, ending up on a wacky casino world, and fighting a giant monster. "Two for the Road" has Tails also traveling through various "zones," trying to locate Sonic and being pursued by a mysterious force. Lastly, "Mushroom with a View" picks up shortly after the end of the movie and depicts some of Robotnik's adventures on the mushroom world he was stranded on.

All of these stories were plotted by Kiel Phegley, who previously wrote the novelization of the first movie as well as some other "Sonic" related books. Phegley has done a pretty good job at replicating the tone and feel of the film. This comic is surprisingly funny! This is most notable in the first story, where Phegley accurately recreates the voice of Ben Schwartz' quipping Sonic. He even makes several passing references to the hedgehog's loneliness, continuing to be the defining trait of Movie Sonic. His search for a good superhero codename and his ADHD-driven mischief he gets up to in Green Hills are all pretty funny. The story's antagonists, a group of scheming bank robbers led by a sardonic redhead named Lindsey, even gets a few funny lines. Her begging Sonic to shut up at the end of the story surprisingly made me chuckle.

Of all the stories in this book, "Hedgehog Day Afternoon" feels the most like it could be a scene in the actual sequel. It has pretty big action beats, when the robbers use a glove that belonged to Robotnik to activate some of his drones. Sonic saves the day with his typical speed and quick thinking, in a fairly clever manner. The story is also the only one in the book to give a sizable role to Tom, who helps out after hearing about the robbery while on a fishing trip with goofy Wade. He even gets involved in the action, swatting an Egg Drone with his fishing rod in a fashion that would make Big the Cat proud. This one ties into the first movie in a logical way, Robotnik leaving lots of exploitable tech lying around being a reasonable enough assumption. It's fleet-footed, funny, and entertaining and that's really all I can hope for from the "Sonic" movies.

Despite only having a few minutes of screen time in the first movie, Lee Majdoub's Agent Stone quickly became a fan favorite. (And, of course, a certain breed of fan immediately began to ship him and Robotnik.) The sequel looks to capitalize on that. Or at least this comic does. There's a certain degree of absurd comedy here, of Stone using supervillain tactics to upend the hierarchy of a humble coffee shop. Robotnik's grandiose monologue, which Stone replicates, is repeatedly contrasted against the inanity of his coworkers. His new boss is literally named "Karen." His assistant manager repeatedly emphasizes how little compensation is to be expected at this job. A coworker asks him to cover for her despite barely knowing him. Probably the funniest interaction occurs when another coworker asks Stone if he wants to hear his movie review podcast, Stone fires back with some sinister supervillain prattle, and the guy deadpans "That's a really weird thing to say, dude."

If nothing else, this amusing but fairly goofy story does develop Agent Stone as a character more. From the first movie, all we really know about the guy is that he's totally devoted to Robotnik and that he makes a mean goat milk latte. The story expands on that, as coffee still seems to be his main hobby but obsessing over Robotnik's teachings is his real passion. In fact, Stone's action come off as rather ruthless here. He frames Karen for money laundering, trotting her off to jail and using her one phone call to taunt her. The assistant manager gets dragged off by Egg Drones to parts unknown. Is... is that guy dead now? I kind of doubt Stone's job in a coffee shop will be all the important to the sequel's plot but, if nothing else, it paints a picture of Robotnik's sidekick as just as dangerous as he is. (And also furthers my suspicion that the character was inspired by scheming villainous sidekicks like Snively or Starline.)

The two middle stories are, I suspect, the ones that will be most interesting to hardcore Sonic nerds. "Always Bet on Red" is our first real look at the movie-verse version of Knuckles. And it's already apparent that he's quite different from other takes on the echidna. There's no mention of Angel Island or Chaos Emeralds. Instead, Knuckles is depicted as traveling from world to world with the same warp ring technology Sonic used in the first movie. He's still the last echidna and a treasure hunter of sorts but his primary goal seems to be to locate Sonic, for vaguely defined reasons. He also has weird glow-y, red energy punching powers, not unlike Sonic's electric blue running powers. It's already very clear that the "Sonic" movies are putting their own spin(dash) on "Sonic" lore. I'm still not sure how I feel about these changes but at least the movie is harkening back to Knuckles' original characterization: A gruff and angry loner who is driven by circumstances to act rashly, a mysterious past always being hinted at. In fact, this might be the surliest take on Knuckles that I've seen in a while, after so many years of him mostly functioning as comic relief. 

Honestly, world-building might be the main goal of this story. There's not much to the plot, which has Knuckles being snagged by some weird alien dudes, dropped into a fight with a giant lobster monster in a casino, and quickly punching it out. It's certainly a far more sci-fi orientated version of "Sonic" lore than what we are used to seeing. Yet there's still the occasional shoutout. The casino is called the Casino Nights Zone. It's populated mostly by furry humanoid cartoon animals. Vector and Espio have cameos. Mostly, though this is an introduction to the movie take on Knux and I guess it does its job in that regard. I wish we got a little more character development, a little more insight into his goals and his past, and less random giant space crabs. It also ends a little abruptly. But I guess all of the important stuff is being saved for the actual movie. 

We've already technically met Movie Tails, thanks to the end credits teaser of the first film, but "Two for the Road" feels like a more thorough introduction. Tails is also shown leaping around the galaxy through warp rings and doggedly pursuing Sonic. Yet he seems to be a little closer to the Tails we know than what we glimpsed of Knuckles in the last story. He's still an admirer of Sonic, treating Longclaw's shack as sacred ground and excitedly talking about Sonic's powers. He wants to find the hedgehog not just to save the world but also because he's a fan. He's also still the whiz kid we expect from Tails, creating a wacky device that can track people through the portals. This story also has more shout-outs to the classic games, with stopovers in the Marble Zone, Spring Yard, Aquatic Ruins, and Hilltop Zone. Which seems to confirm that all these places exist in the movie canon. (There's also a cameo from Rava the Destroyer, the lizard guy cut from the first movie. So even this early on, the movie "Sonic" verse is developing its own in-jokes.)

Mostly, this story works for a little better than the last one because it has more narrative drive. Knuckles getting abducted and fighting a monster was obviously just a detour on his mission. This story has Tails directly on his way to his cameo in the first film. He's being pursued, adding some tension and making the entire story a chase scene of sorts. There's a lot of talk of "Chaos Energy," furthering my speculation that the movie versions of Sonic and Knuckles get their powers from the Chaos Emeralds. Or may even be walking Chaos Emeralds themselves. So this one does a good job of whetting my appetite for the movie and getting me excited to see Tails on-screen, even if it also ends suddenly. Also, Longclaw died at some point. R.I.P. Owl Mom. 

The last story was, supposedly, heavily suggested by Jim Carrey himself, showing that the rubber faced comedian really must be invested in playing Robotnik. "Mushroom with a View" returns to the goofy, action packed tone of the first story in this collection. It's simply a tale of Robotnik monologing to himself in glorious fashion while eating magic mushrooms and fighting off some alien critters. The mad scientist's hammy, egotistic way of referring to himself and everything around him makes for an amusing read. The appearance of biting little mushroom creatures is kind of random but it concludes on a nicely fiery note. Stories like these is really what I expected from this comic, little side stories that won't spoil the movie's events but does fill the gap between the films a little bit. Watching Carrey-botnik rant and fight aliens is an entertaining way to spend five pages.

While the entire comic is written by one dude, who is a newcomer to IDW's "Sonic" line, the slate of artists contain familiar names. Adam Bryce Thomas draws the first story, Tracy Yardley penciled the second and fifth, with Evan Stanley handling the middle two. Since the movies are so very different visually to the usual "Sonic" settings, on account of starring actual human beings and being filmed on Earth, there were some challenges. Sonic looks great in Thomas' story and the action scene have the sense of motion you've come to expect from him. The humans are drawn in an animesque style that is a little distracting at times. Lindsey or the little beat cop we meet are cute but Tom does not especially look like James Marsden. 

Yardley is a lot better at adapting his cartoony style to real people. His art in the second story is expressive and fun while still being grounded. On the last story, he manages to make Robotnik resemble Jim Carrey while still having him look like a Tracy Yardley drawing. (Though the mushroom monsters are notably a little more exaggerated than everything else in the story.) Stanley's stories don't feature any humanoids, so it doesn't have that problem. Her artwork looks the most like your typical "Sonic" comic, if a little more detailed and realistic in terms of environments. And that works just fine for me. 

Ultimately, the "Sonic 2: Official Movie Pre-Quill" is about the fun little bonus I expected it to be. It gives us a peek at the new introductions the sequel will be making, while expanding on the movie universe's lore a little bit. It also doesn't give too much away, making the stories feel a little frustratingly thin at times. That's probably why the three tales devoted to characters from the first movie just doin' stuff work a best for me. Still, this comic made me laugh, kept me entertained, is consistent with the depictions from the first film, and successfully got me hyped to see the sequel. I think that means it did its job. Honestly, assuming part two doesn't totally flop and the Sonic Cinematic Universe is going to be a real thing going forward, I'd be really interested in seeing IDW do more comics set in this world. It's fun to see "Sonic" comics actually interact with other parts of the franchise, rather than being confined to their own little ghetto, for once. [7/10]

Sonic X, Episode 3.03: H2 Whoa

Sonic X, Episode 3.03: H2 Whoa

Japanese Title: The Water Planet Hydo

U.S. Air Date: September 24th, 2005

Japanese Air Date: March 27th, 2020

"Sonic X's" intergalactic voyage truly begins with the third episode of season three. Using the Master Emerald as a tracking device, Knuckles determines that the near-by planet of Hydo is home to a Chaos Emerald. Sonic is appalled to find what was advertised as a world full of flat, runnable terrain is actually almost entirely covered by water. This is a result of the Metarex army already stealing Hydo's Planet Egg. While Knuckles, Cosmo, and Cream search for the Blue Chaos Emerald, Sonic attempts to battle the local Metarex. When his hydrophobia inevitably gets the best of him, Amy and Chris swing in to save the hedgehog. 

It's still early in the season, so who's to say, but I can suspect the direction "Sonic X" may be going in from here on out. In this episode, Sonic and the gang's search for the Chaos Emeralds brings them to a planet defined by a singular gimmick. While there, they fight the Metarex army and restore the world by the end. This is an easy enough premise to repeat every week, changing the gimmick of the new planets accordingly. I'm sure the show will mix it up but I bet we have quite a few more of what TVTropes calls "Planet of Hats" episodes to come. 

I actually have no issue with this set-up. I like "Star Trek" after all and there's lots of fun that can be had with this idea. "H2 Whoa" does indeed amuse me with its variation on the "water planet" premise. That means lots of blue and some beaches. The Metarex minions on this world wear bipedal fish-like armor. This makes them resemble the Deep Ones of Lovecraftian lore a little bit and I can dig that. The info cards even inform us that these guys are called "Metarex Gilman," making the horror connection even more obvious. What we see of native Hydolians shows them to be batfaced humanoids. Which makes it funny that they named their world after the Latin word for "water." 

Aside from giving our heroes a chance to tango with some fish men, this episode's premise works for another reason: It brings up Sonic's fear of water once more. The "Sonic X" version of our hero has already gotten a big downgrade this season, no longer blasting through enemies with ease. The hedgehog is challenged even more by once again encountering his fear of the deep. I support this, as a hero that has the odds stacked against him is more compelling than a hero who can bulldoze through any threat. The episode mostly plays this for humor, as Sonic gets seasick inside the little personal submersibles Tails builds for everybody. He still gets to fight off some Gillmen, so Sonic isn't a total joke in this one either. 

Sadly, humor and mixing up the expected story beats a little is all the hydrophobia angle is really used for. Sonic does not face and conquer his fear of deep water in this episode. Instead, it ends with him plummeting to his doom when Chris shoots a new pair of sneakers at him. With these shoes, Sonic can run on water. He uses his new ability to kick some Metarex ass and that's pretty much where we wrap up. This reminds me a lot of the early episodes of the show, where the plot essentially ended with Sonic grabbing a Power Ring and becoming an even more unstoppable bad-ass than usual. 

Sonic doesn't get any character development but another member of the cast does. Chris Thorndyke continues to undergo a serious redemption arc. We learn that, in the last six years, Mr. Tanaka trained him in karate. He learned to drive multiple kinds of vehicles. (Which explains why he’s such a casual pilot now.) He patented several inventions and even had a part-time job at McDonald’s at one point. Good on the rich kid for pretending to be normal. Despite all he’s accomplished, he’s still stuck in his childhood body now — which is amusingly demonstrated when he tries to karate chop some fish men — and Sonic still perceives him as a child. While young Chris would’ve just moped about this, mature Chris decides to do what he can with the skills available to him currently. Which is when he builds those cool shoes for Sonic. Honestly amazed and impressed Chris grew up to be this functional!

While Chris is the only cast member to really grow here, others do get some fun stuff to do. Sonic is captured by the Gilman Boss — the official name for the big blue leader of the Gillmen, though I don’t know if the comparisons to a video game boss we’re intentional — after he falls in the water and freaks out. Amy sees this as an opportunity to, once again, earn Sonic’s love. She goes running into the Metarex base, swinging her hammer, and knocked lots of fish folks aside. I always like it when Amy displays her considerable superpowers and action hero capabilities. I especially like it when that is balanced with her girlishness, such as when she has an extended fantasy here about Sonic admitting his love for her after she saves him. 

Previously, I characterized the set-up for this season as rather bleak. The Metarex have been waging a campaign of destruction and conquest across the universe, seemingly wiping out the entire populations of whole planets. In this episode, we learn that things aren’t quite that hopeless. If a plant’s egg is retrieved and returned, the world will return to its previously fertile status. One assumes that millions of lives were ended when Hydo was flooded but I guess there’s still hope to rebuild and repopulate… At least for the worlds were everybody hasn’t already starved to death, I guess. The impression I got is that the Metarex have been at this for quite a while, so presumably their collective body count is still way higher than you’d expect for “Sonic” bad guys. 

I wish the supporting cast got a little more to do in this episode. Knuckles is reduced to a joke scene involving his shovel claws. Tails gets a largely superfluous (though admittedly nicely animated) sequence where he flies the X-Tornado. Cosmo spends most of the episode napping in a hill. There’s a brief scene set back on Earth, showing Chris’ friends and family pretty freaked out by his departure. (And also shows that his parents and grandfather have aged in no discernible way.) Still, this is a relatively fun one. It’s obvious that the change in premise has reenergized “Sonic X.” [7/10]

Sonic X, Episode 3.02: Cosmic Crisis

Sonic X, Episode 3.02: Cosmic Crisis

Japanese Title: The Spaceship Blue Typhoon

U.S. Air Date: September 17th, 2005

Japanese Air Date: March 26th, 2020

Suggesting the show may become more plot-heavy now, the second episode of "Sonic X's" third season picks up right where the last one left off. Chris, now in his childhood body again, steps through the Master Emerald. He has a tearful reunion with Sonic before the hedgehog collapses from exhaustion. As he recovers, Cosmo explains how grave the situation is. The Metarex are traveling the galaxy, destroying life on all the planets they find. It becomes clear the heroes have to gather the Chaos Emeralds before their enemies can. Luckily, Tails built a massive battle ship when no one was looking that he easily converts into a spaceship. Just as the Sonic Team is getting ready to take off, another Metarex warrior attacks. 

"Cosmic Crisis" is obviously one of those episodes designed to set up the rest of the season. Within this twenty-four minute installment, what is likely to be the motivating goal for the entire season is established. The good guys are going to be traveling across the galaxy, trying to collect the Chaos Emeralds before the bad guys can. They'll be performing this mission from a big ol' spaceship, which will obviously be their base of operation for the rest of the series. This premise is a little bit "Dragonball" and a lot of space opera, with the "Sonic" characters in it for some reason. But it's a bold direction nevertheless. 

I mused on Cosmo's personality little bit in the last review and we learn a lot more about her this time. The plant girl is still unfailingly polite but there's a good reason for it: She's a survivor of genocide. The Metarex killed off her entire species and she's the sole survivor. She's determined now to make sure nobody else ever experiences that kind of tragedy. Which is a pretty fucking heavy back story. Remember when this show was about the wacky adventures of a millionaire child and his furry friends? Cosmo is also kind of clumsy, we learn during a fairly cute bit of physical comedy. But I'm pretty on-her-side now, as I'd be with anybody with that kind of fucked-up background story. 

As grim as this show is getting, it still has some wacky humor. It even emerged pretty organically from the plot and character interaction. The heroes obviously need a large energy source to power their giant space ship. They decide to burrow the Master Emerald — which you'd think the Metarex would be interested in but I guess not — when Knuckles isn't looking. (Once again suggesting Knuckles is bad at his job.) The echidna is pretty reasonably upset about this but the heroes bully him into coming along on this intergalactic journey with him. I'm not exaggerating either: Cream nags at Knuckles and Amy threatens him with violence until he agrees to join them. That probably shouldn't be funny but it is. Knuckles' friends treat him badly and Amy is abusive, haha! 

I'm still skeptical if "Sonic X" can successfully blend this space opera stuff with more traditional "Sonic" elements. This is the second episode in a row to feature a Metarex robot warrior — this one is named Spike — who has the toyetic ability to change into a flying mode, shoots lasers from his fingers, missiles from his chest, and has a weirdly reptilian-like tail. The Blue Typhoon resembles the flying battleships we've seen in previous seasons of this show but also looks like White Base from the original "Gundam" somewhat. (With a little bit of Gotengo thrown in yet again.) "Sonic" has always been sci-fi but I associate tropes like this specifically with shows like "Transformers" and "Macross," both of which were obvious influences on the dorky guy who designed the show's mecha element. 

Yet, for what it's worth, "X" is at least attempting to blend these elements here. There's lots of scenes of Sonic and Knuckles using their specific superpowers to fight off Spike. Knuckles even digs a hole under the robot at one point, the first time in a long time that this show has referenced his digging ability. Once everyone gets aboard the Typhoon, they have to combined all their special skills to activate the ship's fanciest weapon. That includes Knuckles powering-up the Master Emerald with a chant, Tails and Chris using their brains, and Sonic spinning deep inside the ship. I thought Sonic was just using his speed to activate the "Sonic Driver" but, nope, the cannon actually fires him as a projectile. So you still get the required amount of Sonic smashing shit in this episode. It's a novel way of combining the different tropes at play here. 

And, oh yeah, what of Chris Thorndyke? This episode gives a shrug of an explanation with how he's returned to his childhood body — something went screwy during the teleportation process! — and then moves on as quickly as possible. Vanilla even knits him a perfect replica of his old clothes, so it's like Chris hasn't changed any at all. Except, it turns out, he has. First off, Chris apparently grew into the same engineering genius as his grandfather. He helps Tails space-ready the Blue Typhoon and is seen at the ship's controls in the episode's last third. This gives the whiny, clingy man-in-a-boy's-body an actual function in the show's cast. He's still really attached to Sonic. He's the one who gets to pluck Sonic out of the sky in the Tornado II after the hedgehog is shot out the ship's cannon. Yet something about the scene where Chris hugs Sonic close to his body after saving him seems to bring some serenity to the character. I have no idea how aware TMS was of the American fandom's reaction to Chris but it seems season three is already making some moves to address common criticism of the character, without sacrificing any of the development Chris underwent at the end of the last season.

"Cosmic Crisis" leaves plenty of dangling plot threads for future episodes to pick up. Eggman planted a tracking device on Sonic when he rescued him — I knew he was up to something! — and pursues the gang into space in the final minutes of the episode. Rouge also follows along, in her own private little flying saucer. Cream also leaves Vanilla on the home world. Since we already know Not-Mobius' natural resources are soon to dry up, now that the planet is without its Egg, one assumes Vanilla will have to learn to survive in the Mad Max-ian hellscape the world will soon become. At least that's what happens in the fanfiction I'm writing in my head right now. As for this episode, it's pretty good! I continue to be intrigued by the radical change in tone this season has already enacted. [7/10]

Sonic X, Episode 3.01: A Cosmic Call

Sonic X, Episode 3.01: A Cosmic Call

Japanese Title: A Messenger from a Meteor Shower

U.S. Air Date: September 10th, 2005

Japanese Air Date: March 25th, 2020

If you're reading this blog, you already know this but allow me to explain it anyway: "Sonic X" was, apparently, not all that popular in Japan. It's been said that "Sonic" has always been more successful overseas than in his home country. Yet more evidence for that statement can be seen in this show. The first two season of "Sonic X" had low ratings in Japan. In America and other parts of the world, however, the series was the most successful of any of the "Sonic" cartoons. And so a third season would be produced specifically for foreign markets. Season three of "Sonic X" wouldn't even air on Japanese television until 2020, presumably to help promote the movie or something. 

It seems tailoring the third season of "Sonic X" to western sensibilities worked. While reading up on this show, I found a lot of fans of this season. In fact, I found a lot of people who say this season is the whole reason to watch the show. Some even claim it's the best bit of "Sonic" animation period, with an epic story and tone that's far darker than the previous ones. All I know about this season is that Sonic turns goth for an episode, Tails falls in love with a house plant, and some weird Gundams are the bad guys. I guess it's time for me to really explore "Sonic X: Season Three." 

The tonal change is immediately apparent, as this episode opens with a sequence of Super Sonic battling a black robot warlord above Not-Mobius. The villain demands the Chaos Emeralds, causing Sonic to scatter them across the universe and plummet to earth. Meanwhile, Tails, Amy, and Cream are watching a meteor shower. That's when a small ship crash lands nearby. Inside is a plant girl named Cosmo, who has come to this world with a mission. That'll have to wait, as another evil machine attacks and Sonic — greatly weakened — and Knuckles have to fend off the unstoppable threat. But the danger is just beginning. 

This almost feels like a different show. Aside from a brief scene involving a typically jokey Bocoe and Decoe, this episode is characterized by rather grim action. Literally the very first scene features Super Sonic destroying a fleet of space ships floating ominously above his world. The plot is concerned with the fate of the entire planet and maybe the whole galaxy. Most of the episode is devoted to Sonic and the gang fighting with an indestructible machine armed with razor clawed tentacles. And this guy isn't fucking around. It feels completely different from even the most serious episodes of the previous two seasons. 

What makes these action scenes truly different is one important fact: For the first time on this show, it feels like Sonic can lose. The conquering cyborg he fights in the first scene, who wields a gold sword that makes light saber noises, seems to even have Super Sonic on the ropes. In the second half, Sonic tries spin-dashing the other attacking robot guy. It doesn't work. He just bounces off. Knuckles' punches and Tails' missiles are similarly ineffective. Considering every previous threat on this show could be destroyed just by Sonic winking at it, it's a pretty serious shift. (Though Sonic survives falling through orbit, so he's still a God-tier superhero.)

Previous "Sonic X" installments always had to balance wacky comedy, sentimental Thorndyke melodrama, and the occasional video game adaptation. Free of most of those obligations, "Sonic X" seems ready to head into a space opera style plot. Those evil invading robots are called the Metarex. They travel from world to world, stealing "Planet Eggs." That's a magical plot device hidden inside every planet that contains its life force. Without them, the world will slowly wither and die. Kind of crazy that we've gone from plots like "Sonic gets stuck on a cruise ship" to this. But I guess all "Sonic" media is destined to spin-off in weird, dark, sci-fi plots eventually. 

Most of the above information is explained to us by Cosmo, the plant princess that is rescued from an escape pod. This character seems to be a fan favorite and the one love interest for Tails people actually seem to like. Just based on this first appearance, it's hard to get a read on her. She spends most of the episode in something of a daze, seemingly uncertain if she can go ahead with her mission. (Which appears to be to recruit Sonic to fight the Metarex, which he was obviously going to do anyway.) Right now, she strikes me as a super polite young girl, a role pretty similar to Cream. But one that's been burdened with a grim destiny or something. We'll see how the show develops her. Also, she can jump out of airplanes and float to safety with her petal-like dress. 

With all this crazy alien invasion shit going on, you might be wondering: What's Eggman up to? He definitely seems to be up to something. He rescues Sonic from his fall, after discovering his body on the beach during his morning jog. (The visual of which is the best joke in the episode.) I don't know if this is part of some evil scheme the doctor is planning, if he's simply operating under "only I can defeat you" rules with Sonic, or if season three's pressing threats will reduce Eggman to a comic relief role. Either way, I'm intrigued by the crumb of complexity he shows here. 

In the middle of that big fight scene with the "Metarex Carrer" (which feels like a typo of "Carrier"), the episode suddenly cuts away. It's back on Earth, in eighteen-year-old Chris Thorndyke's laboratory, where he has completed the device that will allow him to travel to Sonic's world. It says a lot about Chris' personality that he would be willing to abandon his family and friends just to see Sonic again. He travels to Sonic's world with seemingly no way to get back either. So all that shit I wrote about Sonic finally giving the kid a sense of self-worth at the end of season two was premature, I guess. Clingy Chris is as clingy as ever. Also, for some reason, traveling through the Stargate and emerging out of the Master Emerald turns him back into a little boy. That's weird! But I guess having him be a teenager, who can drive and buy cigarettes and likes girls and gets boners, would've alienated the young viewers Chris is ostensibly the audience surrogate for. 

Some final thoughts on this episode: The first thing Amy does upon meeting Cosmo is threaten to hurt her if she so much as even implies a romantic interest in Sonic. Damn, Amy, maybe you need to chill out? No wonder the poor little house plant is so confused through most of this episode. Also, instead of creating a new ending theme to go with the new season, "The Golden Road" and the same accompanying animation is trotted back out. Booo! Bring back "To be free! To be shy!" Anyway, this episode definitely has me interested to see where season three is headed. [7/10]