Sonic Boom, Episode 2.05: The Biggest Fan

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.05: The Biggest Fan

Original Air Date: December 16th, 2016

Let's just be honest about one thing: The "Sonic" fandom has a reputation. I think, in this day and age, we've all made peace with the fact that "Sonic" fans are generally perceived to be weird. In 2023, it's regarded almost as a charming quirk of the series. "Oh, you wacky Sonic fans, with your recolors and autism and disturbing paraphilias." In the modern day, when we've seen the horrors of the internet radicalize nerds into fascists and mass-shooters, it's generally recognized that just being really passionate about a blue cartoon hedgehog isn't that big of a deal. Not to mention "Sonic" weirdos have largely been surpassed in freakiness by Bronies and other more visible, more risible subcultures. 

This was not necessarily the case in 2016, when the series was still trying to rehabilitate itself after years of high-profile flops. Part of that healing process began when the franchise started to become self-aware about its own notoriety. Ambitious fan works like "Sonic Dreams Collection" and "Tails Gets Trolled" turned this reputation on its head, making the "Sonic" fandom's penchant for strangeness into a self-aware joke. The "you can't make fun of us, if we make fun of ourselves first" strategy. When the official "Sonic" Twitter account starting playing along with the memers, it became clear that Sega – or at least the social media branch of Sega – was embracing this technique as well. This, alongside never letting people forget the series' glory days, is what eventually led "Sonic" to becoming a beloved point of nostalgia among the mainstream, that can still be popular and well-received while also cracking jokes about its own infamy. 

I don't know how much of an impact the "Sonic Boom" animated series had on this. I suspect we won't know for sure until the kids who watched this show when it was new grow up to become game designers and show runners themselves. Yet I suspect that "Boom," with its frequently meta and very self-aware writing, had a role to play in this refurbishing. Which is to say: It was really only a matter of time before "Sonic Boom" did an episode making fun of the "Sonic" fandom. That time would arrive early in season two with "The Biggest Fan."

After Amy talks Sonic into speaking at a local school's career day, he is met in the audience by Mark the Tapir. The deeply nerdy Mark declares himself to be Sonic's biggest fan. The hedgehog is made a bit uncomfortable by the guy's lack of boundaries but eventually warms up to him. He even hires Mark to be his personal assistant. This turns out to be a huge mistake. Mark soon reveals himself to be an unhinged stalker, who takes Sonic captive and forces him to act out all his disturbing fantasies. Amy, Tails, and Knuckles quickly deduce what is going on and get wrapped up in this themselves. 

 

"Sonic" fans being the uniquely passionate individuals that they are, it's unsurprising that "Boom" was divisively received. What is surprising is that the show's writers so quickly picked up on the most common criticism among the most perturbed fans. "The Biggest Fan" includes in-jokes about "Boom" Sonic having blue arms and wearing too much speed tape, minor cosmetic changes that some folks lost their shit about. Gags like this characterize this episode's general approach, which is heavy on the in-jokes. Early on, Sonic mentions he has many fans who criticize everything he does, a good example of biting-the-hand-that-feeds humor. There's even lines about fanfiction that isn't family-friendly and the SonAmy pairing. Mark dressing himself up as Sonic can even be seen as a jab at fursuiters or the recolor phenomenon. 

"The Biggest Fan" being such a self-aware episode has led some to speculate that Mark the Tapir is a spoof of one especially notorious "Sonic" fan. In all the years Hedgehogs Can't Swim has existed, I've managed to never explicitly mention Christian Weston Chandler and I guess that streak ends today. Yes, some believe that Mark the Tapir is a direct parody of the notorious – so notorious that no introduction is really necessary and if you don't know who this person is, I'm so sorry for telling you – Charlottesville, Virginia resident and the creator of Sonichu. Proponents of this theory point towards Mark wearing dorky glasses, an unflattering polo shirt, and being tubby with a bad haircut. Of course, his disturbing fixation on Sonic is the biggest common denominator between Mark and the mayor of CWCVille. 

I personally believe this theory to be a stretch. I have no doubt that the "Boom" writers were aware of Chris-Chan. You can only exist in the "Sonic" sphere for so long before discovering them. People officially employed by Sega have referenced Sonichu before. Yet it's clear to me that Mark is a more general parody of obsessive fans than Chris-Chan specifically. First off, it's weird that writer Doug Lieblich would base a character on Chris without paying homage to their tendency to create nearly identical mash-up fan characters, what first brought this person to infamy. 

Secondly, Sonic is actually rather receptive to Mark at first. The tapir is even helpful, giving the hedgehog pointers on how to defeat Charlie at one point. It's hard to imagine the notoriously awkward Chris-Chan pulling those feats of. The only moment that seems potentially directed at CWC, in my eyes, is the blue arms joke. And even that could be a coincidence, as CWC was not alone in being offended by this change. (Lieblich would officially deny basing the character on anyone specific and I'm inclined to believe him.)

Otherwise, Mark is a generic creepy nerd type, his appearance based on well understood physical stereotypes. He's even rather conniving at moments, his obvious unsavory tendencies rising to the surface not-so-subtly. In fact, "The Biggest Fan" is clearly more influenced by Stephen King's "Misery" than any depraved, deranged fan comics. A moment when Sonic attempts to escape and disrupts a display of knickknacks Mark has set up, the minor disturbance of which the obsessive fan immediately notices, is a direct homage to King's novel. Mark's desire to take care of Sonic's needs, holding him captive, while forcing him to validate his weird, personal fantasies generally have more in-common with Annie Wilkes than anyone else I could name. 

Even then, I wish the episode got a little more into Mark's motivations. King's "Misery" is one of the greatest works ever on the toxic codependency between fans and the properties they obsess over. Annie Wilkes made her very specific, very personal interpretation of the "Misery" books part of her personality, part of her dogma. When Paul Sheldon, the creator of the thing she loves so much, threatens that interpretation, Annie becomes totally unhinged. You see this exact same dynamic in the "Sonic" fandom, where people become so obsessively attached to the version of the franchise that exists in their heads, that even official deviations from that vision amount to blasphemy. 

"Misery" also makes it clear why Annie fixated so much on these books: She's a sad, extremely lonely individual who has been rejected by the world, owing to obviously untreated mental health problems. With no one in real life to turn to, she has taken solace in fiction. Now, I'm not making any accusations against Sonic fans. I don't think anyone reading this blog would ever kidnap Yuji Naka or Ian Flynn and hobble them. But, I'm just saying, I've definitely seen similar attitudes during my many years in this fandom. Love can make you crazy and that includes love for fictional narratives and media properties. 

"The Biggest Fan" doesn't get into any of that. I mean, of course it doesn't. It's an eleven minute long comedy cartoon intended for children. It doesn't have the time nor inclination to examine the deeply rooted causes of obsessive fandom. Yet it does bug me some that we learn so little about Mark. Why he's so devoted to Sonic is never elaborated on. He just exists as an idea – a clingy, nutty fan who takes things too far – and doesn't receive any depth. The specific things about Sonic that appeal to him aren't explained. In fact, his exact plans for Sonic, outside of taking him captive and making him read his fanfics, aren't shown. I get that "Boom" only has so much time to tell its story and that delivering the yuks is its main concern. Yet a real chance to do something more was thrown away here. 

For what it's worth, the yuks are reliably delivered in this installment. The episode begins with a good barrage of jokes, when we hear the various people from around the village discuss their jobs. Lady Walrus asking why poor people aren't simply born wealthy is definitely a highlight. As is the big finale, where Sonic and friends attempt to fight off Mark while wearing restrictive body-casts. That's a rare example of this show using its limited animation budget to its advantage. Knuckles also gets a good moment involving spinning plates while Tails directing a line towards Amy about unhealthy attachment made me laugh loudly. 

"The Biggest Fan" is ultimately a merely good episode that easily could've been a fantastic episode. Even its final moment, that shows Sonic reacting to a different fan approaching him, could've been made into something deeper. In our modern age, when content creators intentionally seek out parasocial relationships with their fans, an ending that so definitively established the need for healthy boundaries could've been profound. Instead, it's just a gag. That's how it goes, I guess. I suppose an official "Sonic" product referencing dirty fanfic should be reward enough of its own. [7/10]