Sonic X, Episode 1.20: Cruise Blues

Sonic X, Episode 1.20: Cruise Blues

Japanese Title: Departure! Egg Fort II

Japanese Air Date: August 17th, 2003

U.S. Air Date: February 14th, 2004

You can really tell a lot about how “Sonic X” was sold in Japan versus how it was sold in America by the regional titles. The Japanese titles seem to emphasize action and excitement overall. The Japanese title for episode twenty has a big action-y buzz word with an exclamation point, that gives Eggman’s new warship top billing. The English title, meanwhile, is a dumb quasi-pun. Japan takes its hedgehog business seriously while the U.S.A. thought this was dumb-ass kiddie shit. Shockingly, the silly American title is actually a far better representation of what this episode is actually about. 

Even though the last episode had nothing to do with this plot point, Chris' dad has decided his son and his alien friends have spent too much time chasing after the Chaos Emeralds. He forces the team to take a vacation, renting a private cruise ship just for Chris and his friends. (Which is among the most ridiculous rich person vacation I've ever heard but never mind that.) This backfires horribly, as being in a closed-in area surrounded by water drives Sonic nuts. He's soon plotting how to end the vacation prematurely, which Mr. Tanaka goes to bizarre lengths to ensure doesn't happen. Meanwhile, Eggman has built new battle ships for himself and his robotic minions, which he plans to deploy... Eventually. 

I've mentioned before how "Sonic X" — or at least the original Japanese version I've been watching — has an absurd sense of humor that frequently floats to the surface. This goofball comedic impulse takes center stage in "Cruise Blues." This is an episode completely devoted to wackiness. When it seems Sonic is about to get off the boat, Mr. Tanaka instead sends a helicopter full of elderly people down there. This is an attempt to teach everyone to relax and slow down, Tanaka practically threatening everyone if they don't have a good time. Cue lots of jokes about old people falling asleep suddenly or droning on about the same topics for hours. (As someone who used to work in a retirement community, I can attest that these jokes are 100% accurate.)

In fact, the "Sonic X" version of Eggman is starting to compete with his "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" equivalent for the title of Most Ridiculous Robotnik. The villain spends nearly this entire episode debating with his own robotic henchman about what to name their new combining aircrafts. He gives his own ship a grandiose name and Bocoe and Decoe's basic descriptions, which is rejected by the robots. They then proceed to bicker for a half-hour over what to call their warships, before letting random chance pick silly names. "AoStH" Robotnik would just hit Scratch and Grounder over the head and call the ships whatever he wanted. No wonder this Eggman gets trounced by Sonic so easily and so often.

The episode's goofy streak extends to acknowledging the show itself is a fictional product. Yes, the fourth wall is breached multiple times in this half-hour. Bocoe and Decoe have a few lines that suggest they mistakenly believe themselves to be the main characters of this cartoon. During the final battle, the exciting battle ship combination sequence occurs too far away to be seen, causing Eggman to take an annoyed phone call from a network executive. Probably the funniest example of this meta streak is when Amy attempts to shame Sonic into shaping up, as the fate of this television program and it's attached merchandise depends on him acting heroic. Ya know, for a show that looks like a serious action cartoon, I have to admire its willingness to engage in silliness like this.

Definitely the funniest bits in "Cruise Blues" is Sonic's boredom-induced breakdown. Watching the usually unflappable hedgehog reduced to a totally manic state is pretty funny. After Amy gives him that attempted pep talk, he walks off, collapses, and curls up in the fetal position. This is not the hedgehog's only desperate behavior, as he has apparently makes a daily habit of seeing how far away from the ship he can jump every day. (Which, out-of-context, just looks like a suicide attempt.) Ultimately, Sonic engages in some not-so-heroic behavior, attempting to manipulate his friends — including an insincere seduction of Amy — to convince them to leave the cruise ship. Considering the "Sonic X" version of the hedgehog is even more of an unstoppable badass than usual, it's pretty funny to see him in such a neurotic state. 

"Departure! Egg Fort II" never really attempts to get serious. Even the action scenes are farcical. Sonic can't run on an iceberg and the day is saved when Ella swoops in on the X-Tornado and karate kicks the Egg Fort II into the middle distance. Yes, the matronly housekeeper defeats the bad guy this time. This follows an extremely weird subplot where Bokkun comes to the empty Thorndyke mansion, has a fit of loneliness-induced depression, and Ella is there to comfort him. This show is fucking dumb but I kind of like it. 

I have no idea if the English dub of this episode is as amusing or if 4Kids replaced the genuine absurdity with louder, more obnoxious humor. I also don't know what the wider "Sonic X" fandom thinks of a totally time-wasting, extremely goofy episode like this. (I've seen some rumblings on Twitter about how "cute" Sonic is when he has a breakdown, so this might actually be a fan favorite.) All I know is I genuinely enjoyed this slice of dumb weirdness? I wouldn't complain too much if the show continued in this vein for a while. [7/10]