TailsTube #3 (feat. Knuckles)

TailsTube #3 (feat. Knuckles)

Original Release Date: September 22nd, 2022

The third installment of "TailsTube" begins with every one's favorite freakishly two tailed little fox buddy declaring "it's been a while." This episode was uploaded three months after the last. Tails' comment here implies that time has passed "in-universe" too. This is a tactile admission from Sega that the "Sonic" universe is always operating independently of our own. That, when we aren't playing the games or reading the comics or whatever, these characters are doing other stuff. Which really begs the question of what Tails and the gang get up to when they aren't fighting Eggman and saving the world and all that. I guess that shows how different franchises have different approaches to their characters' lives. In a lot of shows and comics, we can assume that, when we aren't watching/reading/playing these stories, these characters don't exist, right? Others imply that there's a whole horde of off-screen events happening, that we aren't privy to. This confirms "Sonic" as the latter. Smart, I suppose, considering fans have always been happy to fill in the missing spots. 

Anyway, that's how I welcome you to another review of "TailsTube," where I take literal single lines of dialogue and read entirely too much into them. In this installment, Tails is interviewing Knuckles, a natural progression from the last two broadcasts. However, in comparison to Sonic and Orbot, Knuckles is not interested in playing along. He doesn't want to talk about Sonic and he seems reluctant to answer any questions at all. This means that "TailsTube #3" breaks with the tradition of the heroes answering questions from "fans." This serves a few purposes. First off, it's funny and consistent with Knuckles' characterization. The Guardian of the Master Emerald is a gruff guy who doesn't give of himself easily. He's here to do his job, not suffer fools. Imagining Knuckles answering questions from whatever the "Sonic"-verse equivalent of Twitter is gives me flashbacks to that one time Woody Harrelson did a Reddit AMA. It wouldn't go well and hilarity would ensue. 

As I describe that, I actually wish that's exactly what the episode had done, because it would've been funny. However, that also would run counter to what Sega's intentions for "TailsTube" clearly is. These little videos are basically primers on the series' lore for new comers, acting as introductions to the cast and what each of them is about. Knuckles presents a problem though. More so than the other intentionally vaguely defined characters, Sega has kept Knuckles' back story as mysterious as possible. He can't answer questions like who his parents are, where he came from, why he is the last echidna, how Chaos Energy works, what the origins of Angel Island are, or a hundred other questions. Functionally, answers to these questions don't exist. Whatever thoughts the writers and game designers have on these topics will not be disclosed. That makes the third "TailsTube" essentially a self-defeating exercise. Tails asks Knuckles some general questions and he only provides the simplest, most obvious answers, telling us information we all already know: That he's the Guardian of the Master Emerald, he takes that job very seriously, the island is terribly mysterious, and anything else is none of our damn business. 

With so little to go on, "TailsTube" has no choice but to fill these four minutes with banter. Maybe somebody noticed that the last "TailsTube" was kind of bland. Ian Flynn and Tyson Hesse are credited with this script and you can tell. There's jokes a-plenty, based on Knuckles' inability to handle technology more advanced than a switch and his disinterest in Sonic or Tails scientifically studying the Master Emerald. Rouge is briefly mentioned and Knux's reaction makes it clear that, despite his stated dislike and annoyance with her, he's intrigued by the sexy bat girl. When Sonic butts into the conversation, the echidna becomes self-conscious, in his own gruff and tough way, about his tendency to stick around his island rather than have adventures. Flynn and Hesse have worked on these characters for so long, that they have no problem crafting natural seeming and relaxed dialogue for them. That's the benefit of doing something like a podcast with these guys: We want to hang out with Sonic and friends, casually hearing them chitchat and goof around. It's part of what made "Sonic Boom" good. If "TailsTube" was allowed to be an actual series, it could lean into that vibe some more. 

Unfortunately, "TailsTube" isn't truly a series, now is it? These are four minute long advertisements, meant to remind absent-minded YouTube viewers that this franchise exists and new games about them are still coming out. Number three blatantly operates like that. The episode ends by leading directly into "Sonic Frontiers," Tails asking Sonic if he wants to look at these mysterious new islands they just found. I guess, within the timeline, we can assume the guys recorded this Livestream right before the beginning of the "Frontiers" prequel comic. As I've expressed in the past, I do find it mildly annoying when these YouTube shorts exist as little more than commercials for whatever the new game is. However, this teaser at the end shows a better way to handle it. It makes this little animation feel like a real part of the world and it's on-going story. Ian Flynn is especially good at that kind of world building. I wouldn't be surprised if that final moment wasn't entirely his idea. Years after the fact and totally devoid of context, that moment honestly feels less like an annoying preview of the next product you should consume and more like a gentle reminder that the adventure continues. 

If there's any problem to be had with the third installment of "TailsTube," it is strictly a personal preference of mine. I'm very used to hearing Roger Craig Smith and Colleen O'Shaughnessy's voices come out of Sonic and Tails' mouths. Fans debate endlessly about which voice over actor, and which interpretation, they prefer. In the wake of "Boom," I've grown fond of Smith's sarcastic, fun-seeking Sonic and O'Shaughnessy's unfailingly kind Tails. I'm not sure I've ever liked any of Knuckles' voice actors, at least in the games. Dave B. Mitchell is Knux's English VA these days and, as is usually the case, I find him too self-consciously gruff sounding. His take on Knuckles, and many others in the past, sound like teenage boys that are trying to be tough meat heads. If that was intentional, and Knuckles' personality had him intentionally trying too hard to seem tough, I'd like that. But it's fairly apparent that we are supposed to take the echidna merely at face value and accept his tough guy act as genuine. We get a little of that, when the Guardian gets insecure here, but that's not usually a mode he operates in. 

Nobutoshi Canna has been Knuckles' voice in Japan the entire time and he gets it, making the echidna sound a lot more like the noble but hot-headed ronin type he's clearly meant to be. He's strong and rough, sure, but he's introspective too. Knuckles may not be book smart but he's a very thoughtful monotreme in his own way. Being alone on that island all the time causes a guy to think about shit, ya know? Travis Willingham's child-like dumbass take from "Sonic Boom" and Vincent Tong's distinctly Raphael-ian reading from "Prime" were pretty good. I've slowly grown accustomed to Idris Elba's performance. All of them brought some more depth to the character beyond his surface level strength. But none of these guys – and certainly not Mitchell – match the voice I hear in my head when I read the comics though. Canna the only one that comes close. It's the definition of bitchy nitpicking. If it bothers me that much, I can simply turn the Japanese audio on. However, it does put me off slightly whenever I hear Knuckles talk in something and all I can think is "Knuckles doesn't sound like that." Sorry, I have very deep feelings about what the red punchy guy sounds like. 

What else does this brief excursion give us to think about? Not a whole lot else. There's an icon on Tails' desktop labelled "SeaFox Ver. 2," suggesting his little blue submarine hasn't totally been forgotten by Sega. He also has folders for "Emerald Sightings," "Dance instruction videos," and "Machine Maintenance," all likely topics to see on this fox's computer. What other dark secrets does Tails hide within his personal computer? Coding for disrupting Eggman's entire infrastructure? Blue prints for platform shoes to subtly make him three inches taller without anyone noticing? The location of the secret detention center Infinite and Witchcart are illegally imprisoned in? Indiscrete photographs of Princess Elise? The mind boggles. Anyway, this is a fairly amusing little four minutes that adds almost nothing to the "Sonic" franchise but I did enjoy watching it, I guess. [6/10]