Chao in Space

Chao in Space

Original Air Date: December 12th, 2019

"Sonic" fans are fond of in-jokes. It's a perhaps inevitable side effect of a series running for so long that a whole avenue of weirdo, little tributaries appear with a fandom landscape composed of interlocking circles within circles. Any tribute to "Sonic" history is bound to include a reference to some minor background detail from twenty years ago, that will mean nothing to the majority of people but make a select few shit a brick in excitement. I guess any nerdy following gets like this after a while – what is the hyper-dense continuity of modern superhero comics if not one long in-joke? – but "Sonic" fans' obsessive attention to detail is notable. I mean, the "O.K. K.O." episode I reviewed last time is a good example of how "Sonic" dorks can't stop putting in little Easter Eggs for other dorks to find. 

In other words: About twenty-five years ago, Sonic Team artist Yoshitaka Miura designed a joke movie poster, with an Engrish tagline, for a film called "Chao in Space." It was created to literally fill space in the background of "Sonic Adventure's" Station Square hub world, to add a little color to the game's setting. Maybe get a laugh out of the people still amused by the joke of sticking long-running franchises IN SPACE. I guess you call that "world-building." It then became a running gag throughout the modern "Sonic" series, posters for subsequent entries in the "Chao in Space" cinematic universe cropping up regularly in the backgrounds of different games. Fans, of course, tracked these appearances to the point that we can now form a rough progression of the events of this double-fake meta franchise. Seems to be a "Star Wars" parody. Like "Jews in Space." Since there is a portion of people begging Sega to bring the Chao back as a gameplay mechanic, maybe these posters acted as a bone thrown to those fans. 

2019 was the 20th anniversary of "Sonic Adventure" and the beginning of what is now recognized as the "Modern Sonic" aesthetic. The "Sonic Mania Adventures" Christmas Special that Sega published on YouTube in 2018 must have been popular, as a second one would appear the next December. Tyson Hesse and his team were once again behind it and I'm betting he probably pitched the idea in the first place. Since Sega didn't have a new "Sonic" game coming out in December of 2019 – "Team Sonic Racing" still being the most recent release – and probably wanted to acknowledge the anniversary of the Dreamcast's killer app, an animated "Chao in Space" short would function as that year's festive entertainment. (There was also a new "Star Wars" movie coming out that month, which surely was a factor as well.) Fans, of course, loved it and Hesse's "Chao in Space" ditty immediately became another beloved classic. 

You might be wondering what Chao doing stuff in outer space and the Christmas holiday have to do with each other. The short finds a cute way to connect these unrelated ideas. We begin with a blue Neutral Chao fleeing in a very X-Wing looking space ship from the Death Egg. A devilish Dark Chao is in pursuit, in a matching Tie-Fighter inspired vessel. This intergalactic conflict is quickly revealed to be the dream of an innocent little Chao, who fell into a deep sleep after excitedly opening all his gifts. As the dream goes on – the pilot Chao thinking about his family and being blasted out of his ship by the enemy – the little guy gets so excited that he starts to sleepwalk. Sonic, who was napping under the tree with the Chao, does his best to prevent the somnambular fella from getting hurt. Also, Eggman shows up dressed as Santa Claus, seemingly with the objective to do some Chao-Napping and, I guess, ruin Christmas. 

Not long after "Chao in Space" came out, I marked the anniversary of "Sonic Adventure" in my own way: With a rant about how I've never really liked the Chao, I don't understand why they are so beloved by so many people, nor do I see how they have much of anything to do with what the "Sonic" series is about. Not to reiterate too much but: I find the blobby little baby things sickeningly adorable. They are unnecessary mascot characters in a series already starring mascots, whose virtual pet style gameplay don't do much besides interrupt the flow of the platforming action we're here for. Plus, their big, blank, Funko Pop eyes are kind of creepy, right? Those fuckers stare into your soul... I'm well aware that this makes me an outlier in the "Sonic" fandom. You see fan art of people's own genetically engineered Chao variants almost as much as you see "Sonic" OCs in general. 

Speaking as a Chao skeptic, I will begrudgingly admit that the "Chao in Space" cartoon is still pretty cute. The excited way the little fucker shakes his stubby, malformed Powerpuff Girl arms while having his dream is admittedly amusing. He drools and fussily shakes his head, caught up in his own dream but still too sleepy to awake up. Actual babies do that kind of thing and it's precious. Sonic's attempts to protect this stupid baby from its own misadventures also make for a series of good times. Trying to keep a clueless innocent safe is a standard cartoon trope. Seeing the usually unflappable Sonic being bested by such a tiny, squishy thing is a decent joke. Tyson Hesse, being a son-of-a-bitch after all, continues to show excellent timing here. "Chao in Space" builds up to a good – almost literal – punchline that made me smile. Sonic is in the traditional of classic cartoon characters already, so playing him as the Roger Rabbit against his own Baby Herman is a valid enough idea. 

But I know what you're thinking. "We were promised some Chao in space! What about the cuddly, pint-sized, war among the stars??!" "Star Wars," being among the most successful and iconic film series in history, has long been a prominent part of reference humor. A lot of people seem to think that simply mashing up "Star Wars" stuff with another thing is enough to qualify as a joke. "Sonic" already has its fair share of jokey homages to George Lucas' pop culture titan. The Death Egg is right there, after all. Adding some more blatant "Star Wars" references isn't too far of a stretch. The Chao-ified X-Wing and TIE Fighter are well done. Clearly the mechanical designer for this short had fun. Thankfully, "Chao in Space" is not simply reenacting the events of "Star Wars" in "Sonic" drag. It also rips off "Dragon Ball Z!" The Neutral Chao gets his own super transformation at the end and it looks even more like a Super Saiyan riff than Super Sonic already does. 

This short is not built entirely around plagiarism. There actually is a plot contained within the dream sequence. Once the astro dog fight seems to turn against the neutral Chao's favor, he looks longingly at what I can only assume is a framed photograph of his parents. That the Dad Chao has a bushy mustache and glasses is a good joke. A sad melody plays on the soundtrack every time our hero thinks about his family, which tugs at your heartstrings a little bit. It comes around at the end in a nice, if slightly implausible, way. Whether the narrative is all that compelling or not, "Chao in Space" does successfully match the dramatic beats of a stirring action story. A hero is an underdog, up against steep odds and a villain who has the upper hand before rising up and winning after all. That this victory emerges through a last minute power-up could've been a little less spontaneous... But this is a dream sequence after all, so I suppose it gets a pass if not everything about it makes perfect sense. 

Compared to the somewhat stiff animation in "Team Sonic Racing: Overdrive," "Chao in Space" looks a lot closer to the vivid, smoothness of "Sonic Mania Adventures." It carries the same level of playful expressiveness we see in Hesse's work, with lots of cute little faces. Considering the Chao already have cartoonish faces, they work well to express the kind of oversized emotions Hesse specializes in. Sonic's worried and increasingly frustrated body language goes a long way towards selling the humor of this situation. Especially once the goblin puppy starts pulling on his nose. The action scenes are extremely well done, with a sense of speed and momentum in every swerve, turn, and impact. Some humor does emerge out of such cutesy, ridiculous characters being involved in a battle that takes itself very seriously on the surface. 

Despite my best efforts to turn my nose up at all Chao centric content, I'll admit that "Chao in Space" is entertaining. That the animation is so good is a big factor in making it worth your time. Once again, Hesse's storyboards combine subtle attention to the characters with goofy faces and vividly pulled off action. I also think it's funny that they brought in Roger Craig Smith and Mike Pollack to record some sounds, despite Sonic and Eggman having no dialogue in this short. The Christmas element is incorporated in a natural enough way, though this qualifies more as holiday-adjacent than directly about the holiday, I guess. All you "Die Hard is not a Christmas movie" people can argue about the specifics of that, if you want. I guess this proves that I have come to accept the Chao as a valid part of the "Sonic" cast, no matter how indifferent or vaguely hostile I still feel towards them. Me and my friends would've killed a Chao with hammers, I can tell you that much. Uh, anyway, Merry Christmas. [7/10]

O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Episode 3.03: Let's Meet Sonic

O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Episode 3.03: Let's Meet Sonic

Original Air Date: August 4th, 2010

You know that one of your favorite little niche fandoms has reached full pop culture saturation when it starts getting referenced, parodied, and stolen from in totally unrelated shows, comics, and games. As a kid, I barely knew anyone else who was a "Sonic" fan. More pressingly, I didn't know anybody as obsessed with this character, his games, cartoons, and comics as me. Which meant, whenever a "Sonic" homage or spoof would pop up in something, it was a rare validating moment. When Sonic zoomed on-screen for a split second gag on a classic "Simpsons" Christmas episode, my eyes lit up. When Lewis Black said the words "Sonic Hedgehog" on an episode of "The Daily Show," I was elated. (Despite my deeply autistic brain being bothered by the inaccuracies in these appearances. Sonic wouldn't want Bart to shoplift!) When I saw the naked cat girl from "Darkstalkers" do a spin-dash, it confirmed that series as my other favorite video game franchise. It made me realize there were, in fact, other people like me in this world, devoted to this little blue guy who runs around. 

All of the above shout-outs occurred when "Sonic" was more-or-less a contemporary property. In the new century, "Sonic" has now been established for upwards of three decades. Meaning there are actual authors, comic creators, and show runners that have grown up as fans of "Sonic the Hedgehog." Which is a lot different than a random show yelling out Sonic's name as a riff on a newly popular fad. Now we have examples of artists who have been influenced by "Sonic," who were fans as kids and have now matured into writers and filmmakers, telling their own stories and showing the mark other pieces of pop culture has put on them. In other words, now we have concrete examples of people doing what I would absolutely do if I got to write a long-running book or cartoon: Include references to "Sonic" because it's a thing they love and our own artistic visions and dreams are influenced by the stories we consume. 

In other words, when I saw references to "Sonic" in "Scott Pilgrim" or heard from other people online that some Cartoon Network show had some jokes about my favorite hedgehog, I was delighted, slightly jealous, but not surprised. We Sonic fans like to think of this series as strictly ours but it's an iconic bit of our collective culture now. Obviously, "Sonic" will influence other stuff. However, putting some red and white shoes on a random background character or having someone run through a loop is still quite a bit different from a newer series having an official, Sega-approved crossover with "Sonic." We are in undeniable Batman fighting the Green Hornet, "Archie Meets the Punisher," "Ape Nation" territory now. This is the kind of crossover that corporate negotiations and serious paperwork must be signed off on to make happen. Crossovers of this degree with Sonic used to be rare, the odd run-in with Spawn or Sabrina the Teenage Witch aside, as Sega is fairly protective of their mascot... That has changed somewhat in our modern age though, when Sega is willing to loan out their precious I.P. to other corporate entities, all in the name of everyone making a lot of money. Now, it's not unusual to see Sonic giving exposition to Wreck-It Ralph, rubbing blocky minifig shoulders with Batman, or asking Flo from Progressive if he can save some money on his car insurance. It surprises me though, when Sonic randomly pops up like that, cause I'm still used to this series being the redheaded stepchild of the console wars. 

It's all the more surprising when such crossovers happen with stuff I've never heard of. Sonic having some sort of promotional collaboration with other video games like "Minecraft," "Roblox," or "Fall Guys" is weird to me – I barely know what those things are too – but it's understandable. That's staying within the realm of electronic gaming. When Sonic transgresses the fourth wall and ends up on a movie or TV, that's a much more unexpected event. Such a thing would happen in 2019, when some Cartoon Network show called "O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Hero" did a whole episode built around its characters meeting Sonic and Tails. I rarely emerge from my shell of selective pop culture consumption – horror movies and like six comic books – to look at a newer cartoon. When news of this episode first trickled down into my subterranean lair, I assumed this must be some show built around brand-name team-ups or something. Not true, it turns out. Apparently the creator of "O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes!" is simply a big "Sonic" fan and, presumably through the deal that led to "Sonic Boom" airing on the same network, had a chance to make a crazy dream come true. This is the only crossover of this nature in the show's three season existence, as far as I can tell. 

Obviously, I had to write about this but will admit that I'm going in as a total novice to "O.K. K.O.!" I remember seeing some, uh, creative fan art of the purple haired chick when the program was new but that's the entirety of my exposure to it. A little bit of Wikipedia skimming informs me that the program revolves around K.O., a wannabe hero who lives in a wacky cartoon city while working a mundane job with his friends, fighting bad guys and trying to prove his mettle as a hero. A glance at the show suggested to me that it was heavily inspired by classic gaming. The titular hero's name brings "Street Fighter" to mind while his bandanaed, bare knuckled appearance recalls any number of fighting game and beat-em-up protagonists. The series is also set in the year 201X, for you Mega Man dweebs, and regularly features robots, mad scientists, ninjas, aliens, and other retro gaming nonsense like that. When I pressed play on this episode, I was greeted with an eighties style theme song and some synthwave-y graphics, making the connections obvious. To find out the creator of the series is only a few years older than me and part of the same scumbag Geriatric Millennial demographic was not surprising. We probably grew up watching, reading, and playing a lot of the same bullshit.

Anyway, "Let's Meet Sonic" begins with K.O. starting another day at the bodega where he works. His friends, Enid and Radicles, are more interested in napping the day away. That's when, to his utter shock and delight, Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails the Fox come rushing through the door. The two Sega mascots heard this place had some great chili dogs. Instead, the entire thing has been a trap laid by Dr. Load Box and his minions, K.O.'s regular adversary. The villain has grabbed the Master Emerald and plans to kidnap Sonic. His henchmen grab K.O.'s friends instead. Sonic and Tails team up with the little guy, while the fox expresses some jealousy over Sonic immediately fulfilling K.O.'s request to become his new best friend. Lots of running, fighting, slapstick, and frantic bantering ensues. 

Like I said, I don't watch a lot of newer cartoons, based on my innate middle-aged fear of things that are new and different. (And I realize this "newer" series is already over five years old at this point.) With the odd exception like "The Owl House," I've mostly checked out of the animation game. I've never seen a single full episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants," a statement that will surely sound unthinkable to many of you but is entirely true. Truth be told, it's not a choice I regret any. I know "Fairly Odd Parents," "Adventure Time," and "Gumball" are esteemed classics for many of you. However, I often find modern animation to be a little too manic, wacky, and willfully grotesque for my taste. This is probably how my parents felt about "Ren and Stimpy" and "Invader Zim." "O.K. K.O.!" definitely strikes me as abreast of these programs, with its aggressively wacky comedy and wildly exaggerated characters. Not to mention an animation style that emphasizes simple shapes, rough edges, and fast and loose movements. I can handle a single ten minute episode but sitting down to watch any more than that would probably require me to get hyped-up on some Captain Crunch first. 

Having said all of that, I did find "Let's Meet Sonic" to be an amusing ten minutes. The jokes are frequent, never more than a second passing between gags or one-liners. This is definitely a hyperactive, action orientated series as, mere minutes after Sonic shows up, the heroes are already embarking on a wild chase with some enemies. The animation is intentionally crude in some respects while also being extremely detailed and, at times, rather fluid. A moment where Sonic is running along some Chemical Plant Zone style pipes and turnpikes marks a visible improvement in the gracefulness and style of the show. K.O., an extremely enthusiastic and manic little guy, and his comedically incompetent adversaries strike me as potentially kind of annoying... But within the span of one episode, I can handle it. I suspect the show runners banked on a lot of people unfamiliar with "O.K. K.O.!" watching this episode, as it's fairly low on established characters and world building. It was nice of them to hold this old "Sonic" fan's hand as I was introduced to new and frightening territory. 

This episode doesn't represent merely a cameo appearance from a beloved series but is, in fact, an extended homage to "Sonic the Hedgehog" history. Within the opening minutes, K.O. is already striking iconic poses that Sonic has held on game covers over the years. Loops, rings, the Master Emerald, the Tornado, Green Hill Zone, and shout-outs to Knuckles and Robotnik are all present. What most impressed me about "Let's Meet Sonic" is that it doesn't reference only the surface level parts of the franchise. Yes, special moves like the Spin Dash, Light Speed Dash, and Homing Attack are mentioned by name. Sonic and Tails are voiced by modern mainstays Roger Craig Smith and Colleen O'Shaughnessy, as if they stepped right out of a recording for "Boom" and into this session. However, it quickly becomes clear that whoever is responsible for this crossover mostly has affection for the hedgehog's nineties heydays. A very detailed homage to the classic title screen appears, alongside instantly recognizable sound effects. Sonic's feet spinning into a figure eight shape or the exact way he curls into a ball suggests that these scenes were assembled by someone who spent a lot of time looking at and thinking about this character and his world. 

More than anything else, "Let's Meet Sonic" is jam-packed with homages to classic "Sonic" animation. When the bad guy's robotic henchman leaps on-screen, he makes Scratch's distinctive crowing laugh. I don't know if his partner is usually a little green guy with treads but that strikes me as a probable Grounder reference. Music that sounds a lot like the "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" theme plays a few times. The bad guy ties K.O.'s buddies under a distinctive oversized weight. Which ends up crossing Dr. Load Box instead, his pancakes visage floating back to the ground. In other words, the same fate that befell Robotnik during the end credits of every episode of "AoStH." The shout-outs to the denser, wackier "Sonic" cartoon climaxes with a "Sonic Sez" segment at the end, which inevitably features the hedgehog saying something is "no good." I get the impression, from this brief exposure to this show, that the particularly unhinged tone of "AoStH" seems to have been an overall influence on "Let's Be Heroes." 

That probably would've been enough. I spent far too much time re-watching VHS recordings of that cartoon and wondering at the opening screen to the Genesis too. But "Let's Meet Sonic" proves it was made by real hardcore hedgehog nerds by including elements from other cartoons. K.O. gets tossed in a glass tube, with curling wires and tubes overhead. It's referred to as a Roboticizer in dialogue and does, indeed, turn K.O. into a mechanoid. That's when the show embarks on a extended homage to the "Sonic" OVA. Specific shots from that anime, like Sonic running down a tunnel or Metal Sonic's turbines spinning to life, are directly copied. It all concludes with a comedic recreation of the film's finale, with "Metal K.O." sinking into a pool while directly quoting the volcanic conclusion to the anime. Sonic sits in a beach chair and acts like a jerk. This is the kind of obsessive dedication to nerdy details that a casual fan would never make. Clearly, those responsible for "Let's Meet Sonic" were die hard devotees to this series, having studied and obsessed over minute elements of it much the same way I used to. Feels good to see that shit, ya know? 

Honestly, it's difficult for me to be too objective about a little piece of animation so clearly assembled by other mega-fans of this franchise. On my second watch through, I even caught brief shout-outs to the Archie Comics and another one of Ben Schwartz' other famous roles. Jim Cummings is immediately recognizable as the voice of Dr. Load Box too, though this character is clearly more inspired by the "AoStH" take on Robotnik than Cummings' ominous take in the same character. In general, I was impressed at how much Sonic and Tails felt like they always have in this cartoon. Sonic's unintentional disregard for his friend might be slightly more focused on in the name of comedy but that's not too out-of-character for him anyway. There is a special treat in hearing Roger Craig Smith say a Jaleel White catchphrase like "Need to speed, keed!" The hedgehog's inability to swim is a major plot point too. Honestly, by the end of these ten minutes, I had come around to really liking the way our familiar duo looks in this animation style. They are still totally recognizable as themselves while also fitting into this world. 

Outside of the nostalgic keys jangling handpicked to make veteran dorks like me happy, I found this to be a satisfying episode on its own merit. I laughed a couple of times. K.O.'s constant state of fanboy awe at Sonic, such as his enthusiastic response when Cream the Rabbit is mentioned, is cute and funny. Despite the briefness of the runtime and the mechanics of needing to blend one universe with another, "Let's Meet Sonic" seeks in a proper character arc for its guest stars. Sonic's immediate bonding with K.O. makes Tails a little insecure about the status of their friendship, misunderstanding that is corrected by the end. The two prove their devotion to one another and all is well with the world. This includes a genuinely sweet flashback to how Tails met Sonic and how he inspires him, taken right out of the fox's origin story from the "Sonic 2" manual. 

I went into this episode not knowing anything about "O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes." I don't know if I came away as a fan exactly. Will this one episode inspire me to watch the rest of the series? It might, though it remains to be seen if constantly taking in excessive craziness like this might be grating in the long run. However, I absolutely came away with a lot of respect for the writers and animators of this episode. I want to sit down and chat about deep hedgehog lore with some of these people now. Do they have an opinion on Ken Penders? How do these guys feel about the Two Worlds theory? Can they draw Bean the Duck from memory? Let's get together over lunch and talk about the current whereabouts of Mobie the Cavebear. Anyway, I liked this. If other more recent cartoons featuring purple haired Latinas with big thighs want to shove Sonic and Tails into an episode with little warning and prompting, I'd like that too. Let's have these dudes pop up in all sorts of weird places. [7/10]

Team Sonic Racing: Overdrive

Team Sonic Racing: Overdrive

Original Release Date: March 16th, 2019 / April 25th, 2019

You'd think the critical and commercial success of "Sonic Mania" would have prompted Sega and Sonic Team to pivot towards similar ideas. At the very least, it should've gotten a direct sequel. Instead, the galaxy brained developers at Sega kept the series going on much the same direction it's been operating in for years. 3D mainline titles of hotly debated merit every few years and a smattering of spin-off titles that make little impact in-between. I know I'm obviously bias but you'd think somebody would realize that a "Mania 2" would have a lot more commercial value than another racing game. Because the "Sonic" franchise has been cranking racing centric spin-offs for years and they've never drawn much attention outside of the die hard fan base. Did "Sonic R" make a massive impact on the series' popularity? Is "Sonic Drift" anyone's favorite game? Did the "Sega All-Stars Racing" duology revolutionize gaming? They made three of the hoverboard racing games and, I guess, they are beloved by some... But did that entire sub-series match the performance of a single "Mario Kart?" Of course not.

I get the association. Sonic runs fast. Racing titles are a natural extension of that. Instead of doing something different – like, say, focusing on how Sonic is fast without a race car – these spin-offs will always be in the shadow of Nintendo's beloved go-kart series. At least Sega had the good sense to delay "Sonic Team Racing's" long enough to insure the game was actually playable. Despite that, this particular title seems to have been even more forgettable than the other "Sonic" racing games. Maybe in a decade, some young "Sonic" nerds will emerge that consider this game an all-time classic. That seems to happen with every otherwise forgotten game in this franchise. As of right now, however, it seems like "Team Sonic Racing" came and went without leaving any impression at all. Another forgettable entry in the sprawling "Sonic" empire that will only be recalled by the most obsessive of fans. 

"Sonic Mania" was influential in one way, however. It made somebody in Sega's advertising department realized what a powerful tool YouTube was for getting the news out there. "Sonic Mania Adventures" must've been a massive success because the company has followed that same strategy – release a cool animated short or two to promote the new game, usually directed by Tyson Hesse – for just about every title that would follow. This is presumably why "Team Sonic Racing: Overdrive" would drop on the "Sonic" YouTube channel, over the course of spring of 2019. This series copied "Mania Adventures" by being released in monthly installments, though only two of them. The existence of this cartoon is another clue that Sega had high hopes for this instantly forgotten racing game. It does give me something else to talk about so might as well get on with it.

"Team Sonic Racing" has a thin plot, of an alien tanuki organizing a race and inviting all of Sonic's friends to compete in souped-up cars he's made for each of them. "Overdrive" does not get into any of this, however. Donal Peepants does not appear in this cartoon. Instead, the series is merely devoted to the various "Sonic" cast members competing, while Eggman attempts to sabotage the race with various underhanded methods. Such as distracting people with a side-of-the-road merch cart or having an Egg Pawn dress as a cat and frolic in the middle of the track. Rivalries, partnerships, and challenges arise during the race as Sonic and friends go for the gold and Eggman inevitably heads towards humiliation. 

"Sonic Mania Adventures" was clearly a labor of love, beautifully animated by a team of artists fulfilling a life long dream with this assignment. "Overdrive" is, obviously, a much more mercenary effort. This is most obviously evident in the quality of the animation. The characters move a lot more stiffly here, with only occasional flashes of the playful expressiveness and fully formed body language we saw in "Mania Adventures." One gets the impression that Hesse and his team were given a lot more free reign to go nuts with their previous cartoon. With this one, it feels like they were commanded to stay on-model as much as possible. In other words, this two-parter looks a lot more bland than Neko Productions' previous "Sonic" series. That is very apparent in the decision to render the cars through what I think is some sort of cell-shaped CGI animation. This kind of thing is standard with mechanical designs in animation these days and – as someone who grew up watching "G Gundam," "Teknoman," and "The New Adventures of Gigantor" – I hate it. Get some people in here who know how to draw some fucking robots and airplanes and racecars and shit. 

Now, those handful of moments when you can tell this was storyboarded by Tyson Hesse are still obviously the highlights. After punching a bomb away from Sonic, Knuckles skids across the track and bounced back into his car, now covered in bruises and lumps... But smiling as enthusiastically as before. After getting one over on Rouge, the echidna makes mocking goo-goo eyes at her. Blankly staring Chao going demonic or a little smirk between Sonic and Shadow make it clear that some love and effort was put into this. Despite standing alongside less attractive moments, like Eggman opening his mouth really wide in surprise or Shadow simply Chaos-Controlling out of his car when it's clear he's lost. 

In general, the jokes that are based more on the characters interacting, playing off their well known personas, produce far sharper gags than drawn-out attempts at wackiness. Big the Cat gets a, uh, big appearance here. An extended sequence is devoted to him attempting to cross the street and reach a merch cart full of Froggy themed items. This moment feels like it takes up more than half of the first episode and it's simply not that funny. Maybe I find Big's unchanging reaction to everything a lot less amusing than some people. Generally speaking, I'd much rather have repeated scenes of Sonic and Knuckles making goofy faces at each other than more extended gags like this. I feel the same way about Eggman's schemes throughout the entire two-parter, the villain feeling like nothing but a cartoonish foe to provide some degree of conflict to this series. 

That gets at a core issue with "Team Sonic Racing: Overdrive." What's the story here? Why are these guys racing? What do they hope to prove by winning first place? Why does Eggman want to stymy their success so? Friendly competition is justification enough, sometimes. It's not like the "Mario Kart" put much thought into why sworn enemies like Mario and Bowser are having a race together. The idea here is probably, if you want to find out why any of this shit is happening, go out and buy the video game. That excuse only goes so far, when Eggman is a playable character in the game and this cartoon doesn't mention Dingaling Pap and his intergalactic car company at all. I know this is only a ten minute cartoon, cut into two shorter parts, and we can't expect it to have too much story. Still, it would have been nice to have slightly more set-up here than "Sonic and friends are having a race." Surely more could have been done with that idea than a mere series of simple gags. 

I suppose this is me, once again, expecting way too much from a glorified video game commercial. "Sonic Mania Adventures" was a fully formed work and you could feel how much love and effort went into it. The artists, animators, musicians, and everyone else clearly wanted that series to be great. I get the impression that the only stated goal for "Overdrive" was to make viewers aware of the new game coming out. Story was sidelined in order to showcase gameplay. That racers can get power-ups from Wisp or use them are projectiles against other players – in a way extremely similar to the different colored shells from the "Mario Kart" games – is heavily featured here. The cars were animated in the fashion they were, probably, to guarantee fidelity to the in-game models. Because one of the selling points for the game was all these "Sonic" cast members getting bitchin' new wheels. I suppose we should be happy that "Overdrive" managed to have the small amount of laughs and creativity in that it did, considering this was clearly a much more rushed and limited production than the previous straight-to-Youtube "Sonic" animated series. 

The same team that made "Sonic Mania Adventures" such a great show getting to play with beloved characters like Shadow and Rouge probably should've been a much bigger deal. Alas, such a promise was shackled to an instantly forgotten spin-off title that was, by most reviewers' estimation, totally serviceable and functional. Given that circumstances, it shouldn't be a surprise that "Overdrive" is of similar quality. It's... Fine. Doesn't look great but doesn't look bad either. Made me chuckle or grin once or twice. A perfectly cromulent "Sonic" cartoon that doesn't annoy or offend me in any particular way but also doesn't impress me too much either. When compared to "Sonic Mania Adventures," one of my favorite things to feature the blue hedgehog in years, it feels like a massive stepdown. Taken on its own, "Team Sonic Racing: Overdrive" is a mildly cute time killer that I won't remember much about in a week. As clear cut a [6/10] as I've yet seen. Knowing more could have been done here makes me want to rate it lower though. 

Sonic Mania Adventures: Papercraft Edition

Sonic Mania Adventures: Papercraft Edition

Original Release Date: January 19th, 2019 / February 14th, 2019

In today's hyper-online world, when we live so much of our lives through social media and our phone screens, the question must truly be asked: Where does an advertisement end and everything else begin? There is now an industry of "influencers" and "content creators" who are paid by companies to shill their products, usually while disguising it as their honest opinion or as a regular post. Shockingly, many of their young followers then go out and buy these products. It's gotten so bad that YouTube actually forces uploaders to specify if their videos contain paid advertisements. Unavoidably, we have reached a point where, when looking at anything we see on the internet, we have to wonder if something is trying to be sold to us. We are constantly inundated with advertisements, trying to influence our opinions and sway our wallets, to the point that it's hard to distinguish them from everything else.

This raises some complicated questions of its own: When do advertisements end and art – an expression of something from inside the person making it – begin? To say that "commercials can't be art" is demonstratively false at this point. Corporations have hired critically acclaimed filmmakers like David Lynch or Jonathan Glazer to run wild and make weirdo short films out of sixty second spots. A case can be made that some of the great documentarian Errol Morris' most iconic works are fucking Apple commercials. We live in a society, a capitalistic one, and that infects everything we do. Drawings, paintings, sculptures, songs, books, movies: We sell them for money. Does that mean that everything, no matter how sincerely made by the artist for its own sake, is an advertisement for itself? If that is the case, then surely it cuts both ways. Something made simply to sell a product can also be art. 

Don't you love it when I open a review for a stupid "Sonic" meme video with a philosophical discussion? The truth is that most beloved pop culture franchises exist to sell something. That is the nature of the beast. "Transformers," "He-Man," "Ninja Turtles," and "Power Rangers" were all shows created to sell toys and that has done little to stop them from developing die-hard fan bases who are touched, moved, and inspired by them. The creation of fan work – art made strictly for its own sake, with no intention of monetary compensation, inspired by commercial work! – suggests that this conversation is much stickier than it seems. "SatAM" was a cartoon made to sell "Sonic the Hedgehog" video games but its stories, characters, and themes resonated with me so deeply that it still influences my life thirty years later. If you are immersed in any fandom, this is probably the case. Maybe artistic expression is such a fundamental part of the human soul that we can't help but sneak something of ourselves, a feeling or thought that we hold deeply about life and the world, into the most mercenary of work. Are the burger flippers, house painters, plumbers and trashmen not artists in their own ways? Idunknow. 

I bring this up because, after the success of "Sonic Mania Adventures" in 2018, somebody at Sega's advertising department realized they still had some copies of "Sonic Mania Plus" to move. In order to push the title back into people's timelines, perhaps reaching some dedicated Sonic fan who didn't yet own it, they commissioned two short animations to post on their YouTube channel. Tyson Hesse was busy I guess, so someone else – uncredited, as far as I can tell – was hired to make some much cheaper, quicker, far less elaborate animations. While "Sonic Mania Adventures" immediately became a beloved classic among fans, nobody has said much about "Papercraft Mania Adventures" since its two episodes were posted in the early months of 2019. I've got nothing better to do today so let us try and examine why this is the case. 

The first episode of the "Papercraft Edition" of "Sonia Mania Adventures" is called "Snow Sculpting Contest." It involves three teams – made up of Mighty and Ray, Sonic and Tails, and Amy and Knuckles – having a snow sculpture contest. They each use their special skills to build sculptures. The viewer is then asked to decide who the winner is. The second installment, called "Valentine's Day," is a little more narratively driven. For unexplained reasons, Eggman has disguised himself as a jewelry store owner and seems to be selling the Chaos Emeralds as enormous rings. Sonic grabs them, because he wants to become Super Sonic. Knuckles and Amy both see the hedgehog carrying around all seven Dragonballs and draw their own conclusions from it. Knuckles thinks Sonic has stolen his EMEROWDS and Amy thinks they are gifts for her. A chase ensues, ending with the reveal that the jewels were never real to begin with. Knuckles and Amy take matters into their own hands. 

While "Sonic Mania Adventures" told a story, invoked emotions, and contained thematic ideas, it's much easier to dismiss these "Papercraft Editions" as nothing but commercials. The first one especially. The way it presents a series of events simply to ask the viewer to respond makes it, in the parlance of our times, engagement bait. We don't know why Sonic and friends are building these snow sculptures. We don't know who wins. There's no rising action, plot twist, or climax. I spent too much time on Letterboxd and there's a lot of debate over there about what a "film" actually is. Is a TV show, a music video, or a YouTube video essay a "film?" The debate rages on with no end in sight. However, it's difficult for me to classify "Snow Sculpting Contest" as a movie. I guess we get some reflection into everyone's personalities from what they build and how they do it. But it's not really telling a story or making a point, is it? 

At least "Valentine's Day" is telling a story. Not a good one, mind you. What did Eggman hope to accomplish by dressing up as the proprietor of a jewel store – which looks more like a hot dog cart – and selling Sonic bogus Chaos Emeralds? The hedgehog does not trade money or services for these artifacts, so it wasn't to make a profit. Does it make Sonic look like a fool? Yeah, I mean, I guess. To what end though? Why does the mere sight of Sonic holding the regular Emeralds, not the Master Emerald mind you, awaken Knuckles from his slumber and enrage him? And why does he smash Eggman's cart afterwards? Why does he need Amy's hammer to do it? Knuckles is perfectly capable of smashing things on his own! Are both of them simply expressing the anger they feel about being duped? As vague as "Valentine's Day" is... At least it is telling a story of some sort. There is a degree of dramatic tension here. It does more than merely exist and distract the eyes with some bright colors for a few minutes. 

Truthfully, I think "Valentine's Day" functions primarily to do something Sega loves: Give Sonic/Amy shippers some hope that the pretend romance between these two cartoon hedgehogs they are very invested in actually exists without confirming anything one way or another. Amy is obviously enamored of Sonic and, seeing him carrying a butt load of rings with big rocks on them, brings obvious connotations to mind. At the very least, she imagines them receiving them as gifts at a romantic gesture, if not thinking of them as engagement rings. Sonic isn't interested though. He's so not interested that, the minute he sees Amy behind him, he willingly gives Knuckles the rocks. Sonic is so disinterested in making Amy think he has any feelings for her that he immediately concedes to his brawny rival rather than have the girl get any ideas. Despite that, certain audiences will use this cartoon as evidence that the fast blue hedgehog truly, deeply loves the little pink one. So it goes. 

What value is there to these "Papercraft Editions?" They certainly don't feature the lovingly rendered hand drawn and painted animation of the proper "Mania Adventures" shorts. This so-called papercraft is much, much cruder. That's by design, obviously. The charm of animation like this – ostensibly assembled by arranging specifically cut paper into various shapes and photographing it in sequence – is that it has a handmade, simplistic quality that reminds us of playing with constructed paper in kindergarten. I kind of doubt that these shorts were made with real papercraft, the old fashion way. One assumes it was all done digitally. However, it does look cute. There is certainly a charm to these images, despite the unavoidable feeling that this format was chosen more so because it's a lot faster to produce than regular animation. 

These two videos also carry on the gimmick of the first five "Sonic Mania Adventures" episodes by using music and sound effects from the games. That continues to strike me as an extremely fun, entertaining choice. However, while the series these two cartoons spun off from was undoubtedly an achievement, it's much harder to consider these "Papercraft Editions" as anything but cute little commercials. Harmless, sure. Eggman wearing a fake mustache over his real mustache in the second one is a good joke. Stuff like this, however, truly straddles the line between a creation worthy of in-depth conversation and a thing that pops up on your phone, you chuckle at and give a heart or thumbs-up to, before immediately scrolling onto the next distraction. (Though that didn't stop me from writing an in-depth examination of them... Good God, what am I doing with my life?) Is it art or is it merely "content?" I guess you can argue about that but I know I'm never going to think about these again after I finish typing these words. [5/10]

Sonic Mania Adventures, Episode 6: From A. Rose

Sonic Mania Adventures, Episode 6: From A. Rose

Original Release Date: December 25th, 2018

I've pointed this out before but it bears repeating. Sonic the Hedgehog, for whatever reason, has a strong association with Christmas. The most evident reason for this is not hard to figure out: This is a cutesy franchise for kids, designed to sell video games and consoles. Exactly the kind of thing an eager child would ask Santa Claus for once December draws near. It probably doesn't hurt that the Japanese love the secular visuals of the holiday, incorporating red and white hats, evergreen trees, colorful lights, and snowy vistas into the kawaii mascot culture the country is deeply enamored of. This is so common that cute anime girls in a "Santa Skirt" outfit has become a trope onto itself. Since Sonic is also a huggable mascot, it makes sense that his creators would often stick a Santa hat on his head and have him delivering presents. That ice themed levels are common features in the games, tying in closely with the areligious Japanese version of the celebration, furthers the connection. I'll let you know if I ever come across official art of Sonic and friends having a festive KFC feast or of Blaze being compared to day old cake. 

Obviously, a "Sonic" Xmas special is not without precedence, as I've explored in the past. Because of this – and also, I imagine, a desire to drum up some more sales during the holiday buying season – "Sonic Mania Adventures" would have one more episode tagged on in late December, several months after its main run seemingly concluded. This final episode would also spotlight the fourth corner of the Classic Sonic series' heroic cast that had, up to this point, been excluded from the YouTube animations. I guess Tyson Hesse isn't a totally despicable monster and felt he owed it to the Amy Rose fans to focus an episode on her, after leaving the pink hedgehog out of "Mania Adventures'" main narrative. In that sense, this extra installment operates as a two-fold treat: A holiday bonus and a chance to see a long-time character in animation again. 

"From A. Rose" actually picks up right where the previous episode left off, with Eggman and Metal Sonic thrown a great distance by Knuckles' fist. They land in the jungle and, disgusted by his latest defeat, Eggman leaves Metal Sonic laying on the ground there. The seasons past and winter arrives. Soon, the mechanical minion is buried in a heavy layer of snow. That's when Amy Rose stumbles across the robot, buried in the frosty layer. At first, she's frightened by his appearance. However, after pulling out of the path of a falling tree, Amy grows a little fond of the machine. She patches Metal Sonic up, slaps a bow on him, and delivers him right to Eggman's door step. It is a gift that the doctor, after a minute of consideration, accepts. Aww, ain't that sweet? 

The "Sonic" series has never been the best at female representation. Being a relic of nineties "no girls allowed!" childish sexism, the series didn't have any real female characters for its first two installments. When the first prominent heroine in the games was introduced, she still only filled the role of a helpless damsel in distress, like so many princesses and captured babes before her. Attempts have been made over the years to correct this oversight. More women have appeared in the games. (Though whether you consider sexy femme fatale, a mom and a toddler, and Token Girls on otherwise all male teams to be forward thinking or not is up for debate.) The comics and cartoons have added more diverse women to the cast, though the movies still aren't there yet. The biggest way Sega has addressed the "Sonic" series' gender imbalance was making Amy Rose more of an independent character in her own right in "Sonic Adventure," who didn't need a blue hedgehog to fight her battles for her. By the time we got to "Sonic Boom," Amy was mostly allowed to exist without the baggage of being defined solely as "Sonic's girlfriend."

This is a development that the Classic branch of the "Sonic" series has struggled to incorporate. Modern Amy hardly defies gender roles, still being extremely pink and classically girly in most ways. Her tendency to smash shit with an oversized hammer is born largely out of negative stereotypes about feminine rage, after all. Classic Amy, with her frilly skirt and short stature and perfect little bows on her shoes, continues to exist in mostly a supporting roles. She's been playable in the weird spin-off racing and fighting games – where she gained her mallet for the first time – but wouldn't be playable on a mainline "Sonic" until last year. Tie-in media has attempted to expand this version of the character beyond her crush on Sonic. Her status as a friend to the animals, dabbling in divination, and generally a loving and kind person have been focused on more lately. This has done little to move Amy past her role as The Chick in the classic corners of the franchise. That she got left out of "Mania" all together, when obscurities like Ray and Mighty were included, maybe didn't make for the best optics either. 

I can't help but I imagine that this was a factor in making the "Mania Adventures" holiday special about Amy. She is, in fact, the protagonist here. She discovers Metal Sonic and it is her kindness and love of all sentient life – something Sonic would not be expected to show towards this particular foe – that drives what little story exists here. That Amy cleans up Metal Sonic and returns him to his "family" of sorts certainly doesn't defy her conforming to feminine archetypes of being a nurturer and a caregiver. At the same time, that she protects a deadly enemy from harm, when anyone else would immediately spin-dash him, does show us what Amy can do that her bro-y teammates can't. After all, this is the same Metal Sonic who threatened her and the kindness she shows him proves what a big-hearted individual she is. In other words, this episode does not stray from the somewhat reductive role Amy has always had in the classic games while also giving her more to do than get captured, fawn over Sonic, and be a prop for him to rescue at the end of the game. 

It is also, one must point out, extremely cute. Avoiding the difficult question of how Sonic and friends know what Christmas is, "From A. Rose" favors generic seasonal signifiers like snow and gift-giving. Amy dragging Metal up to Eggman's base, and leaving him gift-wrapped for the big bad, makes her into something of a Santa Claus figure. It brings themes like unconditional kindness and giving with no thoughts of receiving to the forefront, solidifying the holiday special status. Making Metal Sonic into a blankly staring straight man, forced to endure Amy's adorable antics, is also a good joke. That Eggman, ruthless villain that he is, is also seemingly moved by this selfless act of kindness certainly also matches the Christmas-y mood of this entire production. Such a sentimental tone means this final episode of "Mania Adventures" lacks most of the action and laughs of the previous parts. I definitely still chuckled a few times. There's a good joke involving a Flicky and Hesse still gets a chance to incorporate the glib, highly expressive faces he's so good at a few times. (Especially during Sonic's contractually obligated cameo at the end of the episode.) This one is definitely designed more to warm your heart than tickle your funny bone. 

This is also apparent in how the episode sounds. "From A. Rose" is as beautifully animated as the rest of the series. However, it foregoes the use of music and sound effects from the classic games. I guess because Amy wasn't playable in "Mania?" It does make this episode stick out when watched in a row with the other ones, not quite having the infectious energy as the rest of the series. But, hey, we all deserve to slow down and relax a bit during the holidays. "From A. Rose" isn't much more than a bonus, a little Christmas gift Sega and Sonic Team handed to fans at the end of 2018. When taken in that light, it's cute enough. "Sonic Mania Adventures" works perfectly fine – and maybe better – without it but who can complain about something this harmless and good natured existing? If nothing else, the end credits do present us with some postcard worthy festive images of Sonic and the gang celebrating the season. At the risk of damning this three minute program with faint praise, I'm definitely more inclined to rewatch this around December than "Sonic Christmas Blast." [7/10]

Sonic Mania Adventures, Episode 5: Metal Mayhem

Sonic Mania Adventures, Episode 5: Metal Mayhem 

Original Release Date: July 30th, 2018

"Sonic Mania Adventures" has never been a plot heavy series, on account of mostly being made up of short, comedic-centric scenarios. In the final regular episode, the time for plot has passed and the time for ass-kicking has arrived. Sonic and Tails run to Eggman's base. Some sneaky traps freeze them in place long enough for Metal Sonic to grab the last two Chaos Emeralds. The super-charged robot takes control in the battle but the arrival of Mighty and Ray evens the fight out. It's still a struggle and only a little clever thinking on Tails' behalf defeats Metal.... Eggman still has the Master Emerald though, a fact very much of interest to a particular echidna we all know.

I've often spoken of the environmental message present in "Sonic" media, especially the early games. While the U.S. produced comics and cartoons tended to be a lot more upfront about it, this element was always present. The cold, hard, smoke-belching machines Eggman creates are intruding on green, lush earth. In "Sonic CD," you see factories pumping oil into the seas behind Sonic. Subtle enough that some dumb-asses refuse to see it but not exactly hard to find. "Sonic Mania Adventures," as a homage to that era, continues this trend. Compared to the verdant jungles of the rest of the island that we've seen in the previous episode, this one starts with Sonic and Tails running towards Eggman's base. It's a harsh, metallic shell protruding from the land, an inorganic structure that clearly has forced itself into their area. There's no life around this building, only sparks and steam from harsh machinery. When Sonic and Tails step inside, it's an entirely alien atmosphere, floating geometrical shapes above a smooth, segmented floor. Not anything you would find in nature. Potent imagery, exactly the kind that brainwashes little gentile children into become left-wing, anti-corporate, pipeline bombing wokesters... But I digress. 

Those first two scenes are also, notably, without any music. Which is especially noticeable, since music has been played such a prominent role in this series. This is all by design, of course, helping to further emphasize that Sonic and Tails are in real danger now. When Metal Sonic literally slams down into frame, he's accompanied by the final boss music from "Sonic 3" coming to life on the soundtrack. Obviously, for old timers like me, music like this activates a powerful feeling of nostalgia and recognition. However, even if I had never heard this song before, it would still be a powerful moment. I can say that for sure because, once Mighty and Ray arrive and the heroes organize, the "Sonic Mania" main theme kicks in. Which is a newer piece of music I have little nostalgia for and it rocks just as hard, making that moment equally as impactful as the one before it. The "Sonic" games have always had great music but "Mania Adventures" careful usage of familiar tunes aides it in being a fantastically entertaining cartoon.

In the last review, I talked about the obvious influence comics and manga had on the look and feel of "Mania Adventures," based in director/head story boarder Tyson Hesse's history in that field. That becomes all the more apparent in this climatic episode. There's a montage here, where all four heroes attack Metal Sonic simultaneously. This is shown by the screen breaking into four panels, each one depicting a different one of the gang attacking Metal. This is then followed by a similarly set-up shot, showing the robot countering each attack. This technique serves a few purposes. First off, it saves time in a cartoon with a three minute runtime, showing us all the action at once, instead as one lengthy battle. It also emphasizes the team effort of Sonic and his friends working to take this guy down and the sheer power their enemy is now imbued with, that he can throw all four of them back with such ease. It looks cool, obviously, while also serving the themes and flow of the narrative. 

Teamwork may, in fact, be the driving principal behind this whole show. So many of the episodes have revolved around characters meeting and meeting again: Sonic reuniting with Tails, Mighty reuniting with Ray, Knuckles shot putting Ray into the sky. When Mighty and Ray first show up at Eggman HQ, the looks they share with Sonic and Tails suggests they don't recognize each other. Or at least weren't expecting to see one another. This does not stop them from immediately teaming up and bringing the hurt down on Metal Sonic together. What we see here is a group of many standing against one, very powerful foe that would easily crush any of them alone. It's like the Justice League forming for the first time to battle Starro, man. Or, uh, I don't know, I guess this is why people like sports too? Humans are social animals, after all. Perhaps seeing many come together for a good cause, working together to solve a problem, tickles some deep need within our brains. I suppose what I'm saying is... Kids media so often featuring the message of "team work makes the dream work" isn't there only to teach impressionable babies lesson about the world. Perhaps it speaks to something primordial about the human condition. Even when it's a hedgehog, a fox, an armadillo, and a squirrel doing it. 

It's not brute force alone that saves the day. Tails using his brain – and Eggman's little handheld computer – to hack into the base and deploy the villains' own trap against them is what ultimately turns the tide of the battle. That's not something Sonic or the others could have done. If you look at "Mania Adventures" as nothing but a cynical extension of the marketing department for a video game – sure, fair enough – the show has existed primarily to showcase what characters are in the game and what their gimmicks are. Sonic runs, Tails flies, Knuckles punches, Mighty is strong, Ray glides, and Metal and Eggman are assholes to everyone. "Please buy this game you probably already own to experience this new content!" However, I do think this structure serves another master as well. It shows what everyone can do, what their skills and talents are. Each hero functions as part of the team, each bringing something new. As cheesy as the message of "Be a team player!" is, the show organically incorporates it in a meaningful way. 

If I'm going to complain about something, I could point out that this message of teamwork is totally undermined by the end. After Sonic and the gang have successfully softened up Metal Sonic, Knuckles marches in. The echidna punches both the robot and his creator through a wall. All by himself and all on his own, walking away with his Emerald without any help at all or a word to the other characters present. I, however, can excuse this. Because it's funny. Honestly, the final images of this episode – basically the end of the series, kind of – are Sonic and the others standing around, arms limp at their sides, before a hard cut to them all sitting by the Tornado and eating chili dogs. It's like a "Peanuts" comic, man. By which I mean it's perfect, showing an expert execution of timing, deadpan stares, and combining the commonplace with the unexpected.

Honestly, Sonic simply hangin' with his bros while snacking on his favorite junk food, the iconic victory theme playing over the whole thing, is about as ideal an ending to a "Sonic" story as I could imagine. Once again, the mastery of wacky faces go a long way towards selling the comedy. Tails making spinning spirals, Mighty's little smirk, Eggman's slack-jawed stare of disbelief, and many other examples all say so much without saying anything at all. Whether enjoyed as five separate episodes or watch in one solid chunk, "Sonic Mania Adventures" is an utter delight. I can't say it's my favorite piece of "Sonic" animation but it's certainly one of the best pieces of "Sonic" animation that Sega gas approved in a very long time. "Metal Mayhem" is a hilarious and perfectly satisfying conclusion to the simple little story being told here. (Even if it's not the conclusion of this mini-series but more on that next time.) Six years out, it remains a classic and with good reason. [9/10]