Gone Too Soon

TheWebbuilder · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:28 pm Post subject:

I've hesitated about posting in this thread for a while since all of these are fairly recent shows, to my knowledge, and my pick goes all the way back to the early 90's but I would have to say...

Sonic the Hedgehog

I'm not referring to that idiotic looney-toons rip that involved Scratch and Grounder. I'm referring to the darker version of the show, the one featuring Kath Soucie as Princess Sally Acorn and Jaleel White as Sonic the Hedgehog (if ever there was a voice for Sonic the Hedgehog, it was in Jaleel White), the one that involved a horribly evil Robotnik, Bunnie Rabbot, Rotor Walrus, the Roboticizer and the good ol' Power Ring.

I recently rediscovered the series through a DVD release, and after being anti-Sonic for many years, SatAM has brought me back into the fold and reminded me why I loved Sonic back in the days of my youth.

The show was basically anime before anime existed. The characters were deep; they had strengths and weaknesses. Each character also bucked the stereotype/trends of the day. Sally was not your average cartoon princess and Sonic was definitly not your average hero- instead he was the blue dude with 'tude.

Characters developed and changed as the seasons progressed. The plot was tight and intertwined- especially in the second season. The good guys won some and lost some, had victories and defeats and actually responded to them. It was a show about the nitty-gritty where sometimes the hero lost and that win/lost impacted his life in some way. (Seriously, how many 90's cartoon shows had the hero break down and cry over losing his Uncle?)

The show aired for two seasons, twenty-six episodes, and after being plauged by pre-emptions and movements it was yanked only to be replaced by Free Willy: The Animated Series; but it was a stellar run and ended on the mother of all cliffhangers that made Rock's deletion in EXE look like nothing. If any a show was unjustly cancelled, it was SatAM.
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Anime Master ZERO · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:58 pm Post subject:

Was that the Saturday morning one that had a Robotnik that was actually an evil mastermind & the opening went something like "Sonic, he can really move. Sonic, he's got an attitude. Sonic, he's the fastest thing alive!"?
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TheWebbuilder · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:22 pm Post subject:

Blue Streak, Speeds By, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Too fast for the naked eye, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic, he can really move,
Sonic, he's got an attitude,
Sonic, he's the fastest thing alive!

Look out, when he storms through, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Don't doubt what he can do, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic, he can really move,
Sonic, he's got an attitude,
Sonic, he's the fastest thing aliiiiiiiiiiiive!

He's the fastest thing alive!

The one and only.

Robotnik has yet to be as evil as his SatAM incarnation in any other form of media. So if you're thinking of Robotnik as being heartless, you're probably thinking about Sonic the Hedgehog.
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HeatShadow · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:39 pm Post subject:

Hm...think maybe I remember seeing a few episodes of that. Wasn't it on at around the same time as the painfully bad Megaman cartoon? I vaguely recall getting up early on Sunday mornings to watch it.

To be honest, there are a handful of other really old shows (early 90s late 80s) that ended too soon for my tastes, but most of what I like about them are nostalgic reasons, so Samurai Jack and Firefly remain my top choices.

The only exception to that would probably The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Looking back on it now, some aspects of it could probably be considered pretty crude, but its plot lines that spanned several episodes and enjoyable characters (Mendoza is the original cartoon badass. Razz

) are certainly very memorable. It's just a shame they never got around to making a real ending to the series.
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