My thoughts on the Knuckles series
I want to preface this by saying that if you haven't watched the series yourself and have the means to do so, I suggest watching it yourself and forming your own opinions on the series. The episodes are about 25-30 mins long, so it should take about 3 hours. But if you'd rather give the show a pass, I understand, especially given that so many people have given rather mixed reviews on the series. I don't think I have much to say that hasn't already been said, but I thought I'd share my personal thoughts on the series.
I will be discussing spoilers in this post, though I won't be breaking apart the plot per se. I just want to discuss some thoughts on the series, good and bad, since I know some people have been very harsh on this series. And as a disclaimer, these are personal opinions rather than outright critiques.
For a tldr rating though, I'd give the series like...6.5/10?
Things I Liked
I really enjoyed the plot of the first episode or so. The scenes with the Wachoski family was probably some of my favourites for the series, even if only brief. I wasn't sure that they would include the other characters, so it was nice to see most of them. I wasn't super keen on the GUN agents necessarily, but I thought their story parts were the most enjoyable. I enjoyed watching Wade scheme to save him and immediately fumble the bag, but ultimately sort of recreate his plan? I also appreciated him using the siracha to free himself from the GUN agent since it was starting to wear a little that he seemed utterly incompetent - more on that later.
I once again appreciate the references to the Sonic universe. I only really noticed the Knuckles hat (which if I'm not mistaken is a reference to the OVA cartoon?), but I also saw someone mention Sonic 06 before watching it, which helped me recognise the reference to the game (both Knuckles' power and the creature that I assumed to be Iblis). I also saw a Reddit post pointing out that the alien attack mentioned by the bowling tournament announcers took place 50 years ago, which could be a reference towards Shadow, but it's not outright stated to be that.
The animation was surprisingly good. Part of me thought the animation quality would be off, but it was more or less on par with the movies from what I could see. Some scenes were a little off, but I can't really fault it since they're trying to incorporate an entirely CGI creature interacting with everything, but for the most part it was awesome.
Things I Didn't Like
I think one of my bigger issues with this series was the humour. That's not to say I didn't find it funny, but the constant surreal/cringe humour eventually wears on you. It worked at the beginning because Knuckles and Wade alternated being the 'straight-man', but for the most part, the characters fell into the same 'I'm dumb' type of humour. I don't quite know how to explain what I mean by this, so I guess I'll give a few examples to illustrate what I mean.
There's Knuckles himself, whose 'stupidity' mostly comes from him not fully grasping human culture. There's also Wade Whipple, who is portrayed as an idiot or loser, something he's called by the other characters. There's Jack Sinclair who acts intimidating while still being dumb behind his seriousness, and was the kind of character that seems threatening until they're dethroned, by which time they start wailing like a baby. We see this mostly when Wade is captured and 'duels' with him, only for him to lose and plead with Wade not to take his clothes this sounds really sus out of context. I didn't particularly care for him, which made some scenes drag as Wade's story with him was being addressed, but he's more of a stepping stone character for Wade's development.
I thought Knuckles and Wade themselves were funny for the most part, but it does begin to grate a little when their goofy humour is pretty much all you get. I get that Wade is the underdog guy, but it didn't feel much like he actually grew as a person. I thought perhaps he would learn to be more self-reliant and competent, but even at the end of the series, he mostly just stalled for Knuckles. This sort of ties into the complaint a lot of people have that the series focused less on Knuckles and more on Wade, which I agree with. It was set up at the start that Knuckles was looking to find his home and purpose, but it didn't feel like that was fully explored. It was sort of implied at the end that the Whipple's were his home, but it felt like a lose end more than a solid conclusion. I also wouldn't have minded if Knuckles actually spent time training Wade, but that didn't really happen either. Most of Wade's 'development' happened away from Knuckles, which made Knuckles feel more like a bit character a lot of the time.
And then there's Wanda Whipple. I'll be honest, I really disliked her character. For the first few minutes it was fine, but the entire scene with the Whipple family dinner just felt awkward and annoying to me. It felt like I was watching two children argue, which I suppose was the point, but watching a grown woman act like a child was just uncomfortable and felt like it was dragged out for ages. I think the only scene I found her funny in was towards the end when she dislocated her thumb, but that was about it. Every other scene she was in felt unenjoyable for me, and frankly I hope she's not in the third movie at all (or if she is, please make it short).
I suppose I could sum this complain up as there being too many comedic relief characters without there being straight-man characters to balance out the chaos. The beginning worked well because Sonic, Tails and Maddie worked as straight-men for Knuckles, so it was funny to watch him be a menace since we could see everyone else's reactions. But for the rest of the series, it was mostly just silly humour. Even the 'adult' jokes weren't particularly funny to me (thinking specifically about the metal detector scene), but maybe I'm just not the right demographic for this kind of series? Who knows.
I watched the series with my dad, and I agree with his thoughts on the series. He felt it could have been done in a movie instead of having a tv series that seemed to drag on a lot. I do agree that some scenes felt like they were going on for too long, which at times felt like I wasn't even watching a Sonic series at all. I guess they want to flesh out the characters unique to the movie universe, but it felt a bit weird to have Knuckles barely involved in the plot given the series was named after him.
It's unfortunate because I think that they initially set up something interesting. I thought they'd focus on the GUN agents pursuing Knuckles, with Knuckles training Wade along the way. But the GUN story got shelved almost immediately to focus more on the bowling stuff - Wade and Jack had an awkward sword dual, and Wade had a bowling match with his dad? I honestly thought The Buyer (that ex GUN weapons guy) would be Wade's dad, but instead we randomly got introduced to Pistol Pete...I dunno, it felt weird to me. It felt like they mashed three unfinished stories together into one weird amalgamation.
I feel like they could have focused more on the GUN agents plot. Perhaps they could have clashed a few times with Knuckles and Wade, but ultimately fail over and over. Wade would have learned indirectly from his warrior training to be strong enough to defeat Jack at bowling and show his progression. The GUN agents would be replaced by The Buyer after he grows tired of waiting for them to fulfil their deal, and who would be more of a threat. While that's happening in the background, we could watch the bowling tournament with Jack losing instead, then have The Buyer crash the party like he did in the actual series. But this is all just me brainstorming what I would have done.
Anyways, those are my thoughts. It's a shame since I love the Sonic movies a lot, but I'm not too worried about Sonic 3 based on this series. Jeff Fowler (the writer for the movies) only wrote the first episode of the series, which was arguably the best episode, so I am confident that Sonic 3 will be good. Admittedly it has me a little worried, but I'm trusting them to do Shadow justice with his debut.
Sorry this is such a long rambly post, but hopefully it's cohesive enough to follow for anyone actually reading it.
0 notes
A Star That’s Out of Reach (Chapter 9)
[Previous] - [x]
[Masterlist]
It’s been a while since I updated this, huh? I saw the news about Keanu Reeves and it kickstarted another hyperfixation, so I decided now would be a good time to try and get at least a few chapters out. I can’t say my posting for this fic (or any fic) will ever be fully consistent though, sorry. ^^;;
Anyways, hope you enjoy~
— x —
Shadow quietly opened the door to the house, his ears drooped and his face pointed to the ground. Much to his dismay, Rouge was still awake and sat on the couch despite it being late. She immediately turned to look at Shadow, seemingly excited about his return, but her disposition shifted as she read Shadow’s body language.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked worriedly, quickly flying over to him. Shadow remained silent and simply shook his head, feeling too emotional to respond verbally. “I see that you may not be up to talk about it. For now, why don’t you join me on the couch?” Shadow nodded compliantly, still refusing to make eye contact. Shadow laid on his side, resting his head against the armrest. Rouge took her seat next to him, occasionally glancing over at him to make sure he was okay. To her discomfort, he simply stared at the screen, showing no intention of falling asleep or moving. After a couple hours had passed, Rouge paused the tv.
“Shadow honey, I am happy to keep the show on, but maybe you should consider resting your eyes while you watch? You’ll wear yourself out if you don’t.” Shadow let out a small grunt and then closed his eyes compliantly, which brought Rouge a bit of comfort. She resumed the program and after checking on Shadow a few times and finding his eyes still closed, she allowed herself to fall asleep too.
Amy opened her eyes as the sun crept into her room. She rubbed her eyes, still incredibly tired from a restless night's sleep. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t get her mind to calm down enough for her to sleep. Sighing defeatedly, she rose from her bed and drowsily wandered to her calendar. Her eyes widened and she read what she had scheduled for the day.
“Oh, that’s right,” Amy spoke to herself. “Silver and Blaze are coming to visit. Given everything that’s been happening, I sort of forgot.” She then stretched her arms out and exhaled again. “Right, I need to get myself ready.” She dressed herself and then headed outside, joining her friends outside Tails’ workshop where they had agreed to meet. They waved her over, then seemed to become uncomfortable as she approached.
“Woah Ames, are you okay?” Sonic asked worriedly.
“Of course I am! Why?” Amy panicked a little. “Is something wrong with my outfit?”
“No, it’s not that,” Tails interjected. “It’s just…uhm…”
“You look suuuper tired,” Knuckles added tactlessly, warranting an angry stare from both Sonic and Tails. “What? Am I wrong?”
Amy became flustered and shifted nervously in place, trying to decide what to do. “L-let me go back and change and-” Before Amy could even finish her thought, Silver and Blaze arrived in unison.
“Hey guys,” Silver called out, waving enthusiastically. Amy panicked and turned the other way, but then realised Blaze had come from that way.
“Hello everyone,” Blaze greeted politely. She almost immediately noticed that Amy was worried about something, then took note of her tired appearance. She decided, however, not to comment on it for the time being.
“It’s so good to see you both again,” Sonic beamed, high-fiving Silver as he approached. “How have you been?”
“Busy,” Blaze sighed. “I’ve been looking forward to this little vacation.”
“Pretty good on my end,” Silver added. “Though as much as I love the peace, I will admit I’ve been rather restless because of it. I’m happy for the distraction.”
“Is that your way of saying you want me to cause some future-altering disaster for you to help me fix?” Sonic teased, jabbing Silver gently with his elbow.
“I don’t feel like I can answer that without landing myself in hot water,” Silver replied anxiously, taking Sonic a little too seriously. The group laughed cheerily at this exchange, all energised by each others’ company.
“I’m starving,” Sonic then continued. “Let’s go get some breakfast.”
Blaze smirked as she sceptically placed her hands on her hips. “I hope by that you don’t mean chilli dogs.” Sonic looked away and whistled, to which Blaze softly chuckled in amusement.
“Don’t worry,” Tails chimed in. “When Vanilla heard you two were coming, she offered to host breakfast for us. I’m sure Cream will be excited to see you again, Blaze!”
“Well then,” Blaze spoke as she began to lead the group. “Let’s get going!”
The group of them made their way to Vanilla’s house, everyone chattering away except for Amy, who lagged behind the group a little. Blaze looked over her shoulder, observing the vacant expression on her face. Blaze slowed her pace to match Amy’s, now walking alongside her.
“Is everything okay, Amy?” she asked softly. Amy took a moment to respond, then appeared more attentive.
“Oh...y-yeah, I’m okay,” Amy stuttered in reply, her voice lacking conviction. Blaze raised a sceptical eyebrow at her. “I just didn’t sleep very well, that’s all,” she confessed due to nerves.
“Is there a particular reason for that?” Blaze enquired, causing Amy to tense up a little.
“No no, nothing!” Amy insisted, flailing her arms. She noticed Blaze staring at her doubtfully, then sighed defeatedly.
“If you insist,” Blaze conceded. “But I’m here to listen if and when you decide you would like to talk about it.”
Amy smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”
The group eventually made there way to Vanilla’s. Cream excitedly greeted Blaze with a hug, which was hesitantly but warmly reciprocated. They then all made their way into the house and enjoyed eating breakfast together, with Blaze, who was sat next to Amy, occasionally nudging Amy back to consciousness as she drifted in and out of deep thought. After some time, the group left the house, content from their fill of food.
“Man, I could really use a nap right about now,” Sonic spoke as he stretched out.
Blaze’s ear twitched as an idea formed in her mind. “Why don’t we take an hour to rest and then meet up later?” she suggested, which surprised the rest of the group. “No point in us doing anything heavy after such a large meal.” The group looked at one another then nodded in agreement with the plan. Blaze then looked over at Amy, which startled the pink hedgehog. “Amy, perhaps I can come over and help you set up for my stay tonight?” Blaze asked, hoping Amy would pick up on her ulterior motive. Amy stared blankly for a moment, then realised what Blaze meant.
“Oh sure, that’s a good idea!” Amy replied, mustering as much enthusiasm as she could.
“Can I come too?” Silver asked, waving his arm energetically. Blaze glared at him, causing him to flinch a little.
“I don’t mind,” Amy assured, giving Blaze a comforting look. “Did you want to spend your first night with Blaze and I?”
Silver beamed. “Yeah, that would be awesome!”
“Are you sure that’s okay?” Blaze reiterated, unsure of Amy’s thought process.
Amy placed a hand on Blaze’s shoulder. “It’s fine, I honestly don’t mind.”
“I actually have something I need to work on, so I’ll catch up with you all later,” Tails announced before turning and flying away, waving as he left.
“That settles that then,” Sonic sighed contently, then let out a yawn. “Smell ya later.” Sonic then dashed away in an instant.
“I’ll go check on the Master Emerald,” Knuckles stated before he excused himself.
“Well, I guess we should go too, then,” Amy thought aloud. “Did you guys bring any gear with you?” Blaze and Silver looked at one another, then shook their heads.
“I apologise, Amy, but this is actually my first slumber party,” Blaze confessed. “Being a princess doesn’t exactly accommodate this sort of tradition.”
“I’m usually on my own,” Silver followed up, scratching the back of his head nervously. “This is the first time I’ve ever been invited to one.”
“That’s okay,” Amy spoke. “I actually somewhat expected this, so I got some spares for you. Though I will admit, I was expecting Silver to sleep over with Sonic and the others.”
Silver tilted his head. “Is there a reason you don’t want me there?”
“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!” Amy panicked. “It’s just…unexpected. I wasn’t sure you’d want to sleep over with a couple of girls.”
Silver’s confused expression grew. “I still don’t get it.”
“Let’s just leave it at that,” Blaze suggested, keen to move along. “Amy, lead the way.”
The three of them made their way to Amy’s house, casually chattering along the way. They quickly arrived, then began to set up for later. Silver moved the furniture with ease using his telekinesis, following Amy’s instruction. Blaze rolled out the sleeping bags next to each other, placing a pillow at the head of each one. Once they’d finished, they all sat on the now moved couch.
“So,” Blaze spoke up. “Care to explain what kept you up last night?”
Amy’s cheek tinted red, then looked at Silver and Blaze, who were sat next to each other. “You promise not to tell anyone about this?”
“Of course not,” Silver immediately promised. “An important component to friendship is trust, right?” Silver’s expression shifted to one of sincerity and keen interest. “I know I may not seem like it, but I’m very good at keeping secrets.”
“You have my word that what is spoken of here shall not be uttered again,” Blaze assured. “Please speak your mind with confidence.”
Amy looked away, hesitating anxiously. “I think there’s someone that I like,” she confessed, twirling her fingers around one another.
“Do you mean Sonic?” Silver asked curiously, to which Amy shook her head.
“Well, I mean,” she stammered. “I do like Sonic, but I confessed to him a while ago.” Amy’s ears drooped a little. “He rejected me.” Blaze and Silver began to look concerned.
“I’m so sorry, Amy,” Blaze comforted.
Amy shook her head again and smiled. “It’s fine. I was anticipating it anyway.” She looked up sombrely. “This isn’t about him, anyway.” This peaked both Blaze and Silver’s curiosity.
“Who is it then?” Silver asked with blunt curiosity, though it was without a hint of malice.
“I’m…not comfortable saying,” Amy admitted as her face became redder. “It makes no sense.”
“Come on, we won’t judge!”
“Silver,” Blaze snapped sternly, causing Silver to recoil a little. She then sighed. “The ‘who’ isn’t what’s important.”
“Oh, you’re right,” Silver acknowledged, realising his misstep. “Sorry Amy. Please continue!”
“It’s just,” Amy continued. “He is such a nice guy despite what other people think. I have only ever seen him as a friend up until now.” Amy leaned forward in her seat, resting her chin in her hands. “But as soon as he confessed to me, I felt so overwhelmed. I was so sure I only viewed him platonically, but now…now I’m not so sure.”
“Is there something wrong with liking this person?” Silver asked genuinely.
“Not necessarily,” Amy answered. “I guess it’s just a bit…strange, from an outside perspective at least. I doubt he would be the first person you’d think of when you imagine someone compatible with me.” Blaze had a sudden look of realisation, but quickly stifled it.
“Just because something is unconventional, that doesn’t necessarily make it wrong,” Blaze commented.
“I know. I guess I’m just worried what would happen if people found out about us.”
“But they’re your feelings, right?” Silver noted. “It doesn’t really matter what other people think.”
“It matters to me!” Amy snapped accidentally, quickly covering her mouth in shock. She then looked at the ground, seemingly conflicted. “I get what you’re saying, I’m just worried what it would mean for everyone if we ever dated.” Silver seemed deep in thought, then suddenly lit up.
“Wait, is it-” Silver started, but was interrupted as Blaze made a cutting gesture at her throat. “Uhm, what I mean is, wouldn’t your friends want to support you regardless of who it is? Besides, knowing you, I’m sure there’s a very strong reason who liking this person.”
Amy remained silent for a moment, twirling her thumbs around each other. “I guess they’d be supportive, even if it takes some time. And this person is remarkably sweet, despite their cold exterior. I guess I’m just worried. It all feels so sudden.”
“You don’t have to rush into anything, right?” Blaze pointed out. “Should you both decide to date, there’s no reason that you have to rush the relationship. You can take it at your own pace. You don’t even have to label your relationship as romantic at first if you don’t feel comfortable doing so.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Amy acknowledged. “I guess I’m also worried that I might hurt him. I know he’s strong, but deep down I know he has a delicate heart.”
“I’m sure he feels the same way,” Blaze spoke softly. “But that’s something that you’ll only find out if you talk to him. The fact he even confessed to you shows how much he cares about you. I doubt he’d want to do anything to hurt you, just as much as you don’t want to hurt him.”
“Everyone hurts their friends at some point, right?” Silver noted. “No one’s perfect.”
Amy chuckled a little. “It’s funny. I remember saying something similar to him once before.” Amy took a deep breath. “I guess I really should talk to him. But not tonight – tonight is about you guys.”
“By all means, don’t hold back on seeing him on our accounts,” Blaze assured. “Equally though, please take your time. I want you to be comfortable in your decision.”
“I’m sure Shadow will understand and accept your choice either way,” Silver added. “I’m sure he just wants to be by your side in whatever capacity he can.”
Amy smiled. “Thank you both. Speaking to you both has been very helpful.” Amy’s eyes widened and she suddenly sprung up, her face burning red. “W-wait, how did you know it was Shadow?”
“Oops,” Silver croaked nervously.
“Apologies, Amy,” Blaze spoke up, raising her hand. “I also deduced who it was.” Amy stood stunned for a moment, then dived onto the couch face first, hiding her face and kicking her legs restlessly as she squealed from embarrassment.
“I-if its any consolation,” Silver nervously stuttered. “I think Shadow is an amazing person, so I don’t blame you for wanting to date him!” Instead of comforting Amy like he’d hope, he only furthered Amy’s embarrassment. Blaze glanced at the clock, hoping to find a way to bail both of her friends out of this uncomfortable situation, when she noticed the time.
“Oh, it appears our time is up,” she announced, causing the both of them to look at the clock as well. She then smiled warmly at the two of them. “Shall we meet up with the others?” Silver hopped out of the seat excitedly.
“I’m ready!”
Blaze stood up, then turned and offered her hand to Amy. The pink hedgehog sighed, then smiled and took her hand and was lifted onto her feet.
“Let’s go and have some fun, shall we?” Blaze suggested, hoping to ease Amy’s stress.
“Okay,” Amy responded. “Let’s do this!”
14 notes
·
View notes