Knuckles (2024) First Viewing Thoughts.

Hey everyone- I am making good progress on my full review of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero; so you will see that as soon as it's done. I have also decided to review Pokémon Horizons by entire storylines as soon as I have access to all the EN dub; though a full review of "The Departure of Liko and Roy" won't be till after I look at the SV expansion at the earliest. In the meantime, here are my first viewing thoughts on another video game adaptation- the Paramount Plus event series Knuckles! 

Courtesy- Paramount/Sega/Sonic Team

Taking place chronologically between the second "Sonic the Hedgehog" film and the upcoming third installment, the show follows the titular Knuckles the Echidna (voice of Idris Elba). As he attempts to adjust to life on Earth, he ends up joining officer Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) on a cross-country road trip to a bowling tournament in Reno, NV; crossing paths with a strange cast of characters both friend and foe. All, as you can imagine, does not go smoothly (especially with accidentally breaking car stereos).

Though it may not reinvent the wheel as streaming spinoffs go (just dealing with all the ebbs and flows as they come lately); it is still a family-friendly six episodes that capture the ideas of what make the character work. It's especially anchored by much of the movies' cast and crew being retained; along with an assortment of new cast and crew. My personal favorites of each would be the enigmatic Buyer (Rory McCann) and the Lonely Island's Jorma Taccone. Regarding the latter, it's clear the style of comedy practiced by the Lonely Island has influenced my writing significantly. So, it's definitely a show worth checking out if you have Paramount Plus. You'll certainly get more out of it as a fan of the material (Hi!), but it's also solid family viewing even among those who might have never held a game controller.

I may not be doing a full review at this time; but I might consider it at a later date as I finish more of my backlog. Perhaps before Sonic the Hedgehog 3 comes out around Christmas (especially with Keanu Reeves informally being confirmed for the voice of Shadow). I once again lament the lack of updates; but I've been feeling exhausted these last few days. Regardless, I will be back in May, and I will see you then. Take care.

Level-5 Vision Delayed To Summer 2024.

I am still working on stuff I've been meaning to finish for a long time; but this just came up and needs addressing. During their presentation last year, Level-5 announced their next Level-5 Vision presentation would take place in April 2024.

Now that this month is well underway; it turns out that we'll have to wait longer than expected. The presentation has been delayed to this coming summer; with no exact date as of this writing. The presentation was to contain more details on DECA Police, Fantasy Life: The Girl Who Steals Time, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam; and a new game under the working title "Ghost Craft."

The official announcement also stated that the presentation will now include information on Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road. Still, the announcement of the delay hasn't exactly gone over well; and I continue to wonder what's happening behind the scenes at Level-5. Either way, I will detail future updates as they become available. That will be all for now, and I will see you all again soon.

Pokémon Horizons: One Year Later

Well, that certainly was something, wasn’t it? Hello everyone, and welcome to my checkin with Pokémon Horizons- one year later. This anime has been able to last a full twelve months; and it’s headed for a new phase in its story, so let’s open it up.

When we last left this anime, we were nearing the end of “The Departure of Liko and Roy” storyline; and about to start the “Terapagos’ Shine” storyline. Now that both have concluded, I can say the latter is better than the former; but both still have their fair share of issues surrounding the anime as a whole.

Fortunately, it seems the people in charge are not just hearing my concerns and others, they’re listening. In fact, the events leading up to the current storyline, “Terastal Debut” have provided the means for a soft reset. With both the Brave Olivine and shiny Rayquaza getting wrecked at the end of the previous storyline; the new hub for the story is the Naranja Academy in Mezagoza, Paldea. Both the key art and preview materials have shown that more characters and elements from the games will be adapted; with yet more characters from Scarlet and Violet (potentially previous anime as well) hinted at.

At the same time, I sincerely hope that they can keep improving other areas. While I was never against the idea of a serialized storyline with greater focus on characterization; it’s the execution that’s the main problem I and others have. Even when I get answers about how a character operates, I’m left with more questions. Usually, I just get information drip fed about how the leads operate, and there’s lots of details I still don’t have. I’m also not confident in constantly dragging out the story for long stretches or locking key details about the lore in a “mystery box.” 

Though some have said the appearance of Shiny Zygarde intrigues them, I get more of a vibe that the Legends Z-A reveal caught the creatives off guard as much as us. I reiterate that we’re not at the stage of a hard reset yet; but the shift in setting and premise definitely signals a soft reset. I have continually pushed back against comparisons to previous entries and similar anime unless absolutely necessary; since it’s clear we’re in uncharted waters in this specific case.

With the “Terastal Debut” storyline now in motion, I will say that the anime is undergoing a strange; yet necessary experiment. That being said, I still prefer Pokémon Concierge, Paldean Winds and Path to the Peak of the adaptations that released in the last year. I also consider the Origins miniseries and live-action Detective Pikachu better adaptations that don’t feature “you-know-who.” As someone who enjoyed “To Be a Master,” I am actually glad they’re playing a potential return close to the chest (gives us time to miss him, you know). 

Much like before, I am holding off on full reviews of the Horizons’ storylines until I have an English dub for all the episodes. That is all for now, and I will see you for my full review of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. Take care, everyone.