'Be Cool Scooby Doo' really did not appeal to me on paper at first, having been put off by the animation style. Like has been said before though, this reviewer is glad that she gave it a chance as a big fan of the Scooby Doo franchise, as despite taking a bit of time to find its feet and with no episode being perfect it for me is quite a lot of fun with plenty to like about most of the episodes. Did like the premise for "El Bandito" quite a bit, which is always a big interest point for me watching anything.
"El Bandito" was another enormously enjoyable and very good outing of 'Be Cool Scooby Doo'. Didn't think it was one of the best ones of the show, or at least not quite, as the subplot was a bit of a missed opportunity. Regardless of whether it is one of the best 'Be Cool Scooby Doo' episodes or not, "El Bandito" is still one of the funniest, with it being spot on in humour and there was a good deal to enjoy about the mystery and characterisation.
Was a bit underwhelmed by Fred's subplot, which felt very vanilla and didn't remember very much about it after watching the episode. It could have been a good opportunity to develop Fred but he came over somewhat bland instead.
The character animation is still off model and the colours garish, the animation has always looked rushed and unintentionally creepy in even the best episodes and all that is here (though worse in other episodes).
However, there is a huge amount to enjoy about "El Bandito". Shaggy and Scooby are such a funny and endearing double act and Daphne is so refreshingly quirky, everything with her here is never less than amusing and had enough variety to stop it from being repetitive. The chemistry between the gang still has spark, where it is easy to see their friendship, care for each other and how they work together. The voice acting is very good and did like the supporting characters, especially the very funny mayor.
Furthermore, the mystery is full of energy and atmosphere and it is easy to follow while being overly predictable. The reveal isn't unique, but there are far more obvious ones too. The monster has grown on me a lot, didn't care for the design on first watch but the monster is as a character quite cool and has the right amount of creepiness. The writing is funny and smart, absolutely loved the tomb sequence which was a riot. Same with the air running out scene, which was both fun and tense. The music fits well and has groove and atmosphere.
Very enjoyable overall. 8/10.