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Ks26
Reviews
Pantheon (2022)
One of the best anime series of all time
Fantastic animation, original powerful storyline, contemporary themes, great characters, superb music and heavyweight voice acting cast including Paul Dano, Aaron Eckhart and the late great William Hurt.
This is definitely one of the best anime series around - think Invincible vs. Black mirror. Deals with concepts of technology that are probably not as far away from us as you might think.
The whole show is very intelligent and well written.
Only gripe is with AMCs handling of the show, as they cancelled after 1 season - rumour is season 2 has been completed and shelved?! This is a crime!! Hopefully one of the bigger streaming services can pick this up because it truly is one of the most beautiful original anime series I have ever seen and hopefully PANTHEON gets the justice it deserves and we get a chance to see series 2!!!
As of writing it seems to have been pulled from all major streaming sites so if you can somehow manage to watch this rare gem then consider yourself lucky!!!
Thundercats (2011)
Amazing anime reboot series
Epic storytelling on a grand scale, beautiful animation, great characters and based on fantastic source material.
Can be enjoyed by both new fans and fans of the original, as it stays faithful to original elements whilst making its own mark with some surprise plot twists and more detailed character development.
The only disappointment is that Cartoon Network decided not to renew after 2 seasons but this show will always be fondly remembered. A real shame because this series has huge potential and a massive fan base - Warner bros please bring it back or give it the reboot it deserves!!!!!!!!!
ThunderCats Roar (2020)
A message to Warner bros and Cartoon Network
The original was a cool cult classic. This is anything but cool. The general aim of the show is to take the piss out of the source material - leaving new viewers perplexed at the jokes and old fans enraged at the handling of the intricate, cherished mythology of the original.
When the original thundercats aired it spawned a fan base to rival any 80s/ 90s property including Star Wars, Teenage mutant ninja turtles and He-man. It was particularly heralded due to its Japanese animation, which was purported to be way ahead of it's time and has been referred to as one of the most important cornerstones of anime history when you consider the breakthrough popularity with a western audience.
Therefore when you consider the impact of the Thundercats on animation history, you realise what an absolute joke this reboot is using this shoddy, lazy CalArts style.
Animation aside the handling of the material is completely disrespectful. When I consider the first two episodes of the same name of the original first episodes the contrast in mood, tone and setting is shocking.
The original material portrayed voyagers fleeing their destroyed home planet. Led by the young adolescent leader Lion-o whose time suspension capsule breaks and he ages through the space travel. When they arrive on an alien planet called third earth, he has physically grown into an adult but has the mental age of a child. The other Thundercats therefore becomes parental figures as they try to build a new home, all whilst he learns to wield the mystical sword of Omens and fight off an ancient brewing evil in this planet. Each episode was underlined by a moral code of justice, honour and loyalty.
Warner bros were on the right track with the 2011 reboot with the animation and story telling, but perhaps it strayed a little too far from the source material. This incarnation is a total disrespect to the fan base, source creators and animation history.
If you want to get it right Warner bros/ Cartoon Network take a leaf out of Nickelodeon's handling of Teenage mutant ninja turtles by consistently sticking to source material, style and tone in every series reboot since the original, which has recently led to new blockbuster movie productions and spawning of a new generation of fans to further immortalise the series. Act now, whilst this property still has gravitas and give the world the Thundercats they deserve.