Season 1 | Sonic Boom: TV Series Discussion

[Kazzie]

1 hour ago, JmTsHaW said:

I never really liked the Metal Sonic episode. There was a lot of buildup but the actual fight came off as quite boring and stiff to me.

Shadow's episode was a lot better though.

Defeated by a horseshoe. I did laugh

 

 

[Red Hot Jack]

2 hours ago, Kazzie said:

Defeated by a horseshoe. I did laugh

 

 

Yes, the fight with Shadow wasn't as embarrassing, thankfully he didn't get defeated by a horseshoe, he got beat by a selfie.

[Kazzie]

1 minute ago, Detective Chameleon said:

Yes, the fight with Shadow wasn't as embarrassing, thankfully he didn't get defeated by a horseshoe, he got beat by a selfie.

If only a selfie defeat would be as effective for the duck face pose....My IG feed would be much more pleasant.

[Stardust]

Defeat by horseshoe, by selfie and by rock of justice (see comics).

Eggman is the least dangerous thing in Boom.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Wrong. Thunderbolt society

[Forte-Metallix]

33 minutes ago, Inspector Shaddy said:

Wrong. Thunderbolt society

Actually, it's the LIGHTNINGbolt Society. Noob.

(Also, this pic is the true least dangerous thing in Boom)

[Shaddy Zaphod]

That's because the pic isn't in Boom, it's on an internet forum

 

Still, if I can't even remember the name of the Thunderbolts I guess that says a lot in and of itself

[Haalyle]

I keep forgetting they're even a thing.

[FriendBot]

https://www.facebook.com/Sega/videos/10154111517651796/

Oh... well SEGA did a small post on the Boom show, telling that in you can get the first volume of the Sonic Boom show now on Amazon and iTunes......in the UK.

Hooray, I guess?

[SpongicX]

On 4/13/2016 at 2:32 PM, Adamis said:

Today I've been surprised to see that two Sonic Boom DVDs have been released in French. Each contains 13 episodes.

Will these ever get a Blu Ray release in America?...

 

On 4/17/2016 at 0:24 PM, Green Eyes said:

I've kind of gone off of Boom. Veiwing the cartoon as a whole, I can't help but feel there's an "attitude" from the writers that makes the whole thing less funny, the jokes alone seem innocuous, but they form a pattern that I dislike. I feel like they're patting themselves on the back for being subversive and I just can't unsee it when I watch it anymore.

At first I thought Sonic Boom was supposed to more closely resemble a domestic-setting comedy (Ie, centered around characters being at home or going to work or a "slice-of-life" setting) than a hero-villian show, but the show seems to continuously bring this up in jokes along the lines of "It's like our job or something." or other gags that highlight the fact that this is just day-in and day-out for the characters. Is this an established staple of the show or is supposed to be "subversive" when the writers pull something like this? As far as I can tell, this only works if you're aware of the original canon.

There's also moral messages that feel like they try to be subversive, but miss the point, misunderstand the complicated nature of the issue or seem suspiciously one-sided. For example. Role Models seems suspiciously meta, and I get feeling it's a straw-manning reaction to some criticisms the writers experienced(possibly involving their writing) or at the very least delivering a "complainer is always wrong" message. Holding people to a perfect standard is wrong (and perfect characters can't tell a story), but so is a knee-jerk,fallacious reaction to criticism. If this isn't what they're trying to do then I don't think they delivered their message well.

There's also Sonic's characterisation, I used to like it but now I don't really know, because I'm seeing an annoying trend.

He's lazy, he hates "cool" lingo, he lacks enthusiam, he's grumpy, he's a "subversive" Sonic, all in the name of being cool, he's literally a hipster. That's not so bad in-universe, but it's meta. He's subversive to "other Sonic's" and Blue with Envy made it clear that he's better than other Sonic's. Even IF it's only a jab at  Aosth Sonic and nothing else, it still struck me as bad taste, it's hypocrisy. Having him be a lazy, edgy hipster for the sake of being cool (and "better") is no better then him being a hyperactive, extreme dude for the sake of being cool.

Sonic Boom really needs to stand on it's own merits and stop trying to "subvert" main Sonic or Aosth/SatAM. Taking a good  look at their "social commentary" would help too.

 

Don't blame the show, blame some of the writers. Some of the writers have a terrible way at writing the characters. There are some episodes where Sonic is a good friend and team player, then there's an episode where he's a smug ass, and even puts himself before his own friends. There are the episodes where Amy is the sweet, friendly, and compassionate friend who is happy to help whoever, then there are the episodes where they make her grouchy, sassy, bossy, snarky, and rude. There are episodes where Knuckles is slow, but means well, then there are episodes where he's a big jerk. I really hate it when the characters are written so badly. The characters should be written as good people who will inspire people to be more like them, not make them despise what they've become. 

[Enesephus]

1 hour ago, SpongicX said:

Will these ever get a Blu Ray release in America?...

 

Don't blame the show, blame some of the writers. Some of the writers have a terrible way at writing the characters. There are some episodes where Sonic is a good friend and team player, then there's an episode where he's a smug ass, and even puts himself before his own friends. There are the episodes where Amy is the sweet, friendly, and compassionate friend who is happy to help whoever, then there are the episodes where they make her grouchy, sassy, bossy, snarky, and rude. There are episodes where Knuckles is slow, but means well, then there are episodes where he's a big jerk. I really hate it when the characters are written so badly. The characters should be written as good people who will inspire people to be more like them, not make them despise what they've become. 

Honestly, as much as some people, like you, seem to take issue when the characters act in such a way, I actually don't mind, depending on the context, of course. For example, Amy acts as you describe (bossy and rude) in Chez Amy, yet I find her to be enjoyable in that episode, while she's supposedly "sweet and compassionate" in Just a Guy, and I find her to be as annoying as the townspeople there. You can say those are just my opinions, but I just think it's a bit unfair to chalk every instance of the characters acting a bit immature or like asses up to them being "terribly written."

[Green Eyes]

20 hours ago, SpongicX said:

Will these ever get a Blu Ray release in America?...

 

Don't blame the show, blame some of the writers. Some of the writers have a terrible way at writing the characters. There are some episodes where Sonic is a good friend and team player, then there's an episode where he's a smug ass, and even puts himself before his own friends. There are the episodes where Amy is the sweet, friendly, and compassionate friend who is happy to help whoever, then there are the episodes where they make her grouchy, sassy, bossy, snarky, and rude. There are episodes where Knuckles is slow, but means well, then there are episodes where he's a big jerk. I really hate it when the characters are written so badly. The characters should be written as good people who will inspire people to be more like them, not make them despise what they've become. 

I kind of need to watch the show again, but such oddities don't really seem to be limited to specific writers.

For Amy and Knuckles, I'd argue both "extremes" of their characterization are kind of a part of the problem,the inconsistency exists because both characters are supposed to evoke a stereotype and not much else, Knuckles is dumb, Amy is a A Girl™. That's why Knuckles swings from the "sweet but mentally challenged" schtick to the  "dumbass jock" and Amy swings from being a "bleeding-heart" to the "naggy housewife."

[Shadowlax]

So if I may chime in something I disagree with. No they shouldn't just be inspirational, rather just good people. Them being shits is actually interesting , and keeping this show and sonic itself from falling into completely blandness. 

 

The characters do have issues though mostly coming from two areas. One, being a lack of using their abilities , the other lack of explanation. These things hit some characters harder than others. 

 

I think these things will be fixed when the TV show isn't the only media of note about boom. 

[Graystripe2000]

I don't know what this could be all about but, THIS IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU UPLOADED FULL EPISODES OF THE SHOW. https://t.co/hFG4HmduEH

[E-122-Psi]

I don't mind a variation of writers that try new things, so long as it doesn't get too erratic. For the large part I think the characters at least keep the same traits, just obviously some get punctuated or diluted a whole lot more depending on the episode. Still I prefer that method over just keeping one or two writers who overemphasise the same elements of a character over and over. Compare the first and second season of Satam and you can see why a manageable bit of this creative difference can be for the best.

I think the bigger problem is that there are too many episodes that work on the same traits and overuse them over others for that matter. If we got more episodes that shown that hidden bit of savviness Knuckles possesses in Translate This or Battle of the Boy Bands, I think he would be considered far more tolerable. Similarly Amy started off decently balanced, but then more and more episodes focused on her grouchy, narcissistic traits. In contrast however, Sonic got less excessively jaded as the show went on, as did Sticks' paranoia gags get dug into the ground less in favour of her other traits such as her wildness and snarky qualities, so it's still a two sided coin.

[Hiki]

Why is it that when the villains could win at some point, they are conveniently stopped? Examples include Circus of Plunders, where everyone got captured, but Tails magically had to leave before everyone else went into the circus, and then there's It Takes a Village to Defeat a Hedgehog. Shadow was so close to beating Sonic, then Eggman felt like he had to take a selfie, and Shadow just stands there while Eggman takes a picture. Eggman conveniently forgot to turn off the flash, and then guess what? The villains lose yet again by a miracle. "It's a kids show" isn't an excuse for bad writing like that. Either let the villain win, or find a less convenient way for the heroes to win.

It's also really annoying how SEGA doesn't allow origin stories. What is so wrong about developing characters in a kids show? Even slight character development like classic Powerpuff Girls had would be nice. You even found out why the professor was trying to make the perfect little girls. Some reveals for what happened before the show would be nice. How did they find the island? Why does Shadow have a grudge against Sonic? What got Tails into science? Where did they meet Sticks? Simple answers like that would be nice.

I just hope they can fix these problems in season 2.

[FriendBot]

I think you're looking at the show from the wrong perspective, Sonic Boom Season 1 isn't an action/adventure cartoon it's pretty much a sitcom, so the fact that Shadow gets defeated by a selfie is hilarious. The show is more focused on making jokes rather than telling an actual story. I mean, it's possible that Season 2 could have some sort of adventure arc or something but I doubt they're going to veer off from the show's established tone.

[E-122-Psi]

You know I loathe plot armour as much as anyone, but I haven't found Boom that unbearable in that regard. Either there was usually a good enough joke built into it, or the heroes were allowed to look at least somewhat competent. In fact I'd say there have been more generous times this version of Sonic has been brought out of his comfort zone and forced to use actual wits against Eggman than most interpretations.

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Operationgamer17 said:

I don't know what this could be all about but, THIS IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU UPLOADED FULL EPISODES OF THE SHOW. https://t.co/hFG4HmduEH

This needs more attention. Not just because the uploaders of the episodes need to be aware of it, but also because this is the first time I've seen a company deal with the situation like this. Usually companies will just take those videos down and give a copyright strike, and in cases like this they're in their right to do so. So SEGA trying to avoid giving copyright strikes over this is pretty nice.

[Shadowlax]

14 hours ago, E-122-Psi said:

You know I loathe plot armour as much as anyone, but I haven't found Boom that unbearable in that regard. Either there was usually a good enough joke built into it, or the heroes were allowed to look at least somewhat competent. In fact I'd say there have been more generous times this version of Sonic has been brought out of his comfort zone and forced to use actual wits against Eggman than most interpretations.

i'll give it that, sonic is just kind of some asshole in this universe... i much prefer it that way. 

Heck that fight with shadow was won via distraction, although most if not all their fights normally are non existent, non convulsive, non canon or my favorite, you are fighting a time displayed version of shadow the hedgehog via generations. This one despite Imo still a bad shadow in character in that universe, both times they have fought , sonic needed another person to help him, on purpose or inadvertently to defeat him. He is actual threat, I mean he is in the normal universe, especially with the whole inhibitor ring thing. But I like that they didn't back down, not only that eggman regularly just walts's into sonic's space and messes up his day, sonic is regularly in over his head and needs his friends to help.

I really like this sonic, it acknowledges that sonic can't do everything by himself and kind of shouldn't ( because he isn't that interesting), and has people actually contribute.Its good, it ,makes sonic actually compelling, the bevy of poor humor attempts don't. 

I hope the more adventurous elements like the games get with the qualitative program so that can be expanded on a bit more, in in way that isn't subjecting yourself to weird tourture. 

[E-122-Psi]

I think the show at least does a decent job showing how all five heroes support each other. Sonic feels like he actually cares and needs his friends around, both physically and emotionally. At the same time though he doesn't feel as degraded as say, his Satam version, that couldn't really function without his more mature teammates like Sally always directing him and telling him he was wrong. It's a two way road. All of the cast have vices and quirks and one often fills in for the other pretty evenly (par maybe Knuckles, though there are still SOME occasions he's noticing one of the others being stupid).

Boom is arguably one of the better attempts at finding a good medium with the two different extremes Sonic is usually depicted as.

I also like that, despite Eggman's bumbling small time villainy, he's actually pretty savvy and manipulative about who he's fighting. He knows all five heroes' flaws and even knows they're weakened separated without the others supporting them. If the action was a teeny bit more serious, this could make for great character based conflict.

[SpongicX]

On 5/6/2016 at 9:08 PM, sansy said:

I think you're looking at the show from the wrong perspective, Sonic Boom Season 1 isn't an action/adventure cartoon it's pretty much a sitcom, so the fact that Shadow gets defeated by a selfie is hilarious. The show is more focused on making jokes rather than telling an actual story. I mean, it's possible that Season 2 could have some sort of adventure arc or something but I doubt they're going to veer off from the show's established tone.

You can't blame people for thinking that way though, especially after how the show's tone was first presented. The show was announced as an action/comedy Computer animated series, the first video game revealed for Boom was presented with a darker and more action packed tone over the final product of the show, and even the first episode of the show gave a great sense of action and emotional story telling to come, only to immediately abandon that concept when the next episode came along. 

Although I love the show, I can see why some people would feel like the show is somewhat falsely advertised (despite barely being advertised to begin with...) Just because a show is a comedy, doesn't mean it should avoid holding deeper story telling, and unfolding continuity. There are plenty of action comedy shows that have unfolding plot lines that are explained in future episodes, with shows like Futurama, The original Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and a lot more. 

Some of us are real big Sonic fans, and would rather see episodes that explore our characters in a believable fashion, instead of an over the top quirky, or sometimes stupid manner. It is important for a show to be consistent within it's continuity, and if they try experimenting with something different, then they need to do a good job at presenting the changes at hand.

Look at "No Robots Allowed" for example. That episode was so mixed up, it started off as a funny heat stroke type of episode, and it suddenly turned into an episode about Eggman needing to hide his robots, or face eviction. Now the 2 random plot points aren't what really dragged the episode down, but it was the plot device that made the episode shaky. Eggman is forced to get rid of his robots, because  robots are suddenly illegal in the episode, and had no good explanation as of why. Heck, the episode before this one aired was about the mayor holding a robot battle royale, but the following episode suddenly labels robots as illegal, despite having no such restrictions stated in previous episodes? Does this mean Tails is a criminal for building his own robots and inventions?  That whole episode was a mess, it made me wonder why they ditched the humorous heat wave plot, in favor of the boring and incredibly stupid robots are illegal excuse for a plot. Maybe if the episode presented a good reason for robots to be banned, the episode could have worked, but it would still make Eggman look like a pathetic villain. He breaks the law all the time, why would he care whether robots are illegal or not?

There are right ways to make silly humor work, and then there are bad cases like in "No Robots Allowed". "Eggman's Tomato Sauce" is a good example of a ridiculous plot done right. The episode wasn't about Eggman just selling tomato sauce like most would suspect, it was more of a robot invasion episode, since the cans of sauce Eggman made were actually sentry robots designed to take over everyone's electronic devices and appliances. That was a good plot twist, you'd think the real twist would have had something to do with an ingredient put in the sauce, like some kind of mind control serum, but both the humor and action of the episode turned out to be fun and enjoyable, while silly, but clever. 

[Stardust]

The show could evolve from slapstick comedy to a show with a story divided in arcs, expand on the characters' personality and relationships, explore different scenarios (Sonic never leaves that island), have other meaningful villains who present a real challenge, have a character's death (that could turn out to be fake a few episodes later), make characters learn new awesome abilities and other changes that IMO would be beneficial.

Just saying.

[Hiki]

I hope they actually make Sonic Boom a little more mature. Something like the old cartoons, like the old PPG. The style of humor reminds me of those Nick Jr shows.

[FriendBot]

33 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

Some of us are real big Sonic fans, and would rather see episodes that explore our characters in a believable fashion, instead of an over the top quirky, or sometimes stupid manner. It is important for a show to be consistent within it's continuity, and if they try experimenting with something different, then they need to do a good job at presenting the changes at hand.

Look at "No Robots Allowed" for example. That episode was so mixed up, it started off as a funny heat stroke type of episode, and it suddenly turned into an episode about Eggman needing to hide his robots, or face eviction. Now the 2 random plot points aren't what really dragged the episode down, but it was the plot device that made the episode shaky. Eggman is forced to get rid of his robots, because  robots are suddenly illegal in the episode, and had no good explanation as of why. Heck, the episode before this one aired was about the mayor holding a robot battle royale, but the following episode suddenly labels robots as illegal, despite having no such restrictions stated in previous episodes? Does this mean Tails is a criminal for building his own robots and inventions?  That whole episode was a mess, it made me wonder why they ditched the humorous heat wave plot, in favor of the boring and incredibly stupid robots are illegal excuse for a plot. Maybe if the episode presented a good reason for robots to be banned, the episode could have worked, but it would still make Eggman look like a pathetic villain. He breaks the law all the time, why would he care whether robots are illegal or not?

There are right ways to make silly humor work, and then there are bad cases like in "No Robots Allowed". "Eggman's Tomato Sauce" is a good example of a ridiculous plot done right. The episode wasn't about Eggman just selling tomato sauce like most would suspect, it was more of a robot invasion episode, since the cans of sauce Eggman made were actually sentry robots designed to take over everyone's electronic devices and appliances. That was a good plot twist, you'd think the real twist would have had something to do with an ingredient put in the sauce, like some kind of mind control serum, but both the humor and action of the episode turned out to be fun and enjoyable, while silly, but clever. 

While I can agree that No Robots Allowed was weak episode but I think you're overthinking about it too much given your reasons, before the show was aired the team did say that the show will have a very loose canon. Some episodes will reference other episodes like how Just a Guy referenced Eggman Unplugged and as such but it's quite obvious that the show isn't quite focused on setting up lore and strong storytelling, the writers write jokes based on the situations given to them. Sometimes it works great for episodes like Battle of the Boy Bands or it can be like No Robots Allowed where it feel awkward and forced. For the most part, the episodes are treated as standalone episodes that rarely have any connections to previous episodes. And that's a perfectly acceptable way to write a cartoon, I mean nobody watched Tom & Jerry or Looney Tunes for an overarching story arc, people love those shows because of its witty and smart humor. I feel that Freiberger and the crew were in that mindset when they were writing the episodes for the show granted they are aware that they're working on a Sonic cartoon and they are aware that these characters are action heroes, so they do have some fight scenes here and there. 

And to be fair, Sonic Boom isn't the first Sonic comedy cartoon. AoStH was also a comedic Sonic cartoon that was wacky and insane compared to Boom's relatively down-to-earth and casual sense of humor with a good amount of variation to prevent the comedy from being stale. And from what I recall, while AoStH technically had an adventure arc, it still kept the silly and wacky tone the show established but nobody went into the show expecting an overarching story, character arcs and the works, they had SatAM for that. So if Boom were to ever have an adventure arc, they'll probably go for what AoStH did. 

Like I'm kinda mixed here, I mean I wouldn't mind if Boom had a more action/adventure feel to it but that would change what the show established itself from the first season. I just don't think that Boom is going to be the show where it's going to happen, I mean there are still great shows that are primary comedy shows like Gumball and the like and people liked those shows just fine for the quirky humor and characters.

I just don't think it's going to happen unless SEGA makes another Sonic cartoon that's more like SatAM or X (minus Chris). I personally feel that you just probably have to accept Boom for what it is, I mean if I'm proved wrong I would be totally fine with it and praise Freiberger and the crew for taking that step but if they don't, I'm not going to surprised at all, don't fix if it ain't broken as they say.