Yo-Kai Watch 2: The First 48 Hours. Also, further thoughts on the future of the series.

Hello everyone. I know I just finished my look at the Giratina movie, but I've been meaning to address this for a while. It seems that Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (known as "Shinuchi" in Japan) will be launching simultaneously in the US and Europe on September 29. Given how it's been 10 months since Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls launched and the series hasn't "bloomed like a flower" like Level-5 hoped here, it will be interesting to see how this scenario plays out.

I mean, the games have barely sold a fraction of what they have in Japan (while they have been selling a bit faster in Europe than the have in America, admittedly), and the records still being shattered by the 3DS entries of the Pokémon series hasn't helped either. There's also Final Fantasy XV, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the Nintendo Switch taking the wind out of their sails; eating up whatever audience there might have been for this alleged "Pokémon killer."

The anime and toys also haven't been the big hits many were expecting either. Disney XD has largely downplayed promotion of the show in favor of Milo Murphy's Law, the third season of Star VS The Forces of Evil and the new Duck Tales. Even though more merchandise was teased at Toy Fair this year, most of what's already on the market has remained a bunch of shelfwarmers in my area despite numerous markdowns. Meanwhile, other IPs Hasbro has a stake in such as Star Wars, Transformers, Marvel Comics and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are still doing quite well (especially with the movie coming out in October).

So, this post will be addressing two big pieces of subject matter for me: the first 48 hours of my experiences with my pre-owned copy of Fleshy Souls, and some thoughts on the future of the series. The idea was also somewhat inspired by a video from my associate Kohdok, and you can see it here.

While the game may not be in the same league as a Pokémon game or Ni No Kuni for me, I will agree with many people that it's a bit of an improvement over the first game. Even critical reception is still mixed in many regards, I can agree that while the game might not be on the same order of magnitude as Pokémon Sun and Moon (which ostensibly took influence from YKW, I don't see it); it's definitely not horrible.

Still, I submit that many of the problems I have are the opposite most detractors of the series do. Many have accused the mechanics of being too complex, while I have had the opposite problem: I was never confused by the controls or the tribes of yokai. I had no problem figuring things out, since they're much simpler than the type balances and movesets of the Pokémon games. Still, this is a double-edged sword: the autopilot nature of the battles can be deterrent for those who are more into RPGs with active combat systems. I routinely have guzzled Mountain Dew while listening to heavy metal music just to stay awake during the battles in the game, and even many of the bosses have put up less of a fight than I thought they would.

I also mentioned before the pacing can definitely feel glacial to many who played the first game; since in both files I have started, new material doesn't really take hold until about 7 hours in or so. This can understandably turn off any people who may have played the first game. I mean, what if you played Breath of the Wild and you found out the first few hours of gameplay were just a reskin of Twilight Princess? You'd be disappointed, wouldn't you?

The "soft reboot" argument also doesn't hold much water with me, since rehashing the same plot with only a few tweaks generally isn't how a soft reboot works. That would be a more accurate description for Dragon Ball Super, which is a direct sequel to the original Dragon Ball and DBZ that ignores the events of GT (which was made without Toriyama's direct involvement). I also find it hard to get invested in a conflict about donuts after seeing how Sun and Moon dealt with themes that were intense for someone like me, let alone the games' target audience (still not spoiling them, if you play them, you'll know what I'm talking about).

The side quests are also something I have mixed feelings towards, since I will be the first to admit that I'm not a big fan of them in video games in general. It also doesn't help that many of them are "story quests" that end up taking me out of the narrative to do random nonsense just to progress further. Granted, they're not so much a slog that I want to just stop, at least not right now; but they could have been better integrated into the gameplay and narrative instead of just abruptly telling me stuff I need to do just to "unlock" more story. Sun and Moon understand this, and so does Breath of the Wild. While many missions are necessary to advance the plot, many of the other tasks are entirely optional in the main story and don't require you to be running back and forth just to progress further. However, I do give the game credit for revamping the map system with clearer waypoints to each destination, which helps rectify a problem I had with the last game.

As for the train system: it's not quite in the same wheelhouse as the elevators in Mass Effect or the Metroid Prime trilogy, and it's actually not as irritating as I thought it would be. At times, it's almost as confusing as me on the subways in New York last year; but a lot of critics didn't seem to understand or realize you could skip the cutscenes just by tapping the touch screen on the 3DS. Admittedly, that's something I discovered by accident, but still.

Last, but not least: I can concede that as someone who's been raised on Pokémon, befriending Yo-Kai can be hit or miss. There is quite a bit of guesswork in determining what food certain kinds like, and it lacks the more straightforward notion of just lowering a Pokémon's HP and throwing a Poké Ball at the right moment.

Beyond all this, however, is something I have to wonder about the future of the series. I have questioned the idea that the Yo-Kai Watch series had that much sway over Generation VII, and I have started Digimon: Appli Monsters and am considering recapping some of it in the near future. In the case of the series itself, however; it could have easily been pitched as a niche item to cater to the fans it already had outside Japan. Instead, Hasbro, Disney and Nintendo tried to shotgun the series into "the next Pokémon," which was a mistake that I pointed out fairly early on. The fans believed it could cross over beyond what Level-5 and Viz had planned, which didn't happen. It also doesn't help the line between what's divisive and what isn't is so thin these days. If people had said, "this an interesting new Japanese series," that might not have been a problem; but they didn't. They said "this is the series that will take the western crown away from Pokémon," which resulted in many Pokémon fans making sure that didn't happen. Granted, the successes of Pokémon Go, Sun and Moon and the 20th anniversary definitely overshadowed the sequels; but the despite YKW fans trying to blame Pokémon for their series' disappointing reception, in many ways; the problems came from within the very companies that were trying to make the series a hit.

1. Hasbro

In my area, the most common advertising for the series was for the toys. While the company initially put out plenty of ads and got plenty of shipments in my area, as time went on; things slowly stopped coming in. It's been roughly 18 months since the merchandise came to the US; and the amount of advertising has been significantly reduced on all networks. The toys also never did reach the same level of scarcity they did in Japan, and once again; the kids, when given the choice, went with more popular IPs. Case in point: When I went to go preorder Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon earlier this year, I saw a young man who looked to be about 5 glancing at a Whisper toy; then pass it over in favor a Mario plush, a Minecraft keychain and a small figurine from Transformers: The Last Knight. While it may not be the best indicator, I certainly knew what I liked and what I didn't at that age. When a series that people expected to be the hot new trend gets passed over by a bright-eyed 5-year-old, you know something's gone wrong. Even though Hasbro did tease new merchandise at Toy Fair, I'm not entirely sure how actually releasing it will do at this point, especially since Hasbro is gearing up for more popular tie-ins to My Little Pony: The Movie, Thor Ragnarok and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, among others.

2. Disney

This was a key problem for the anime when the news broke that it was getting an English dub. While this wasn't the only reason the show didn't do as well as many hoped, the way the series was handled definitely didn't help matters. I have spoken at length in my recaps about how the dub seems to go out of its way to disregard everything that made the original a hit. Even as someone who's not the biggest fan of the franchise, I can understand why people were disappointed. I may not be entirely against the idea of changing things for a dub like some others, but they have to be changes that make sense. While some of this is the side result of the game's translation as well, it doesn't really help that barring Johnny Yong Bosch; much of the cast seems rather wooden. It also doesn't help that decisions over how certain scenes were handled divided many online, such as bowdlerizing the swimwear of NyaKB/Next HarMEOWny. Ironic, given how a lot more crap got past the radar in Star VS The Forces of Evil. Also, Disney XD doesn't really have the same reach as Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network, and the digital catalog of episodes hasn't been handled all that well in an age where Netflix and other digital streaming platforms are the norm. Whereas the whole of the dub of Yo-Kai Watch has not been officially put up for streaming on most platforms as of this writing, many other series have been more than willing to adapt to the digital age. Many content creators understand this and put their entire seasons up for streaming; which allows people to go at their own pace, whether they want to binge-watch the whole season or stretch it out (three ones I'm looking forward to are Marvel's Defenders, Stranger Things season 2; and I'm even getting into the new Voltron as well). Even though Viz has expressed interest in dubbing a third season, nothing has been confirmed as of this writing. It's a key reason I've been holding off on my backlog of subbed episodes for recaps until I know more.

3. Nintendo

Now don't get me wrong: Nintendo is a company I have immense respect for. Even if they're not always on top, and they have been facing more competition from Sony, Microsoft and mobile gaming in recent years, I have always been appreciative of how they've taken that as motivation to try harder. Even in the days of the GameCube, whenever a big title was announced, I was immediately interested. In their defense, they did do the best they could with what they were given. They were dealt this hand by the other companies I've mentioned, and they chose to play it. To be fair, the games are actually the part of the series which didn't seem that disappointing to me. They were no masterpieces by any means, and they certainly didn't seem like they were any threat to Pokémon's status as the big "mon" franchise. Unfortunately, the games' popularity in Japan made the very concept of bringing them stateside a double-edged sword. Putting them in direct competition with a murderer's row of anticipated titles from other franchises didn't help either. Notably, the first game launched against Call of Duty: Black Ops III, and despite my opinion on the series and Bobby Kotick; there was very little that the fans could do to change people's minds. Jibanyan had chocolate bars. The black ops soldiers had automatic weapons. It was no contest. By the time the sequels rolled around, the same fate befell the games, with Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls getting overshadowed by not only Sun and Moon, but Final Fantasy XV.

So, this is how it is right now. I had my doubts about how the series would do here when I first heard about it two years ago, and it turns out that my skepticism was justified. I understand that while Pokémon is very much a fantasy counterpart to Japan and other real-world places; I could still get into the series on its own merit, despite the weirdness of the idea of a 10-year-old kid capturing strange creatures and having them battle. Heck, my favorite Pokémon is Lucario, a dog with a conflicted attitude and spikes coming out of its hands! Much easier sell than a perverted "Human-Face Dog" like Manjimutt, don't you think?

This is also left any potential for releasing the third game outside Japan hanging; especially since the game had more Western flourishes. Forget trying to modify the game to deal with the changes in previous entries: the lack of concrete details on a release in the US means that it might not happen. As for Misaho Inora: she makes Tingle look like Rambo! I also still have the same plan for the third movie: even though I have recently seen it and might be interested in talking about it, I won't do it unless there's official confirmation of Sushi, Tempura or Sukiyaki being released outside Japan.

If you were to ask me if the series will continue outside Japan for much longer, my answer is this: I don't know. Again, if Level-5 were to publish Yo-Kai Watch 3 on their own; it could happen. As for Psychic Specters somehow outselling Ultra Sun and Moon: for me at least, that's a bigger stretch for me than an arm-wrestling contest between Monkey D. Luffy and Mr. Fantastic. That will be all for now, I have some stuff to take care of and then I can start work on my next recaps for August. See you, space cowboy.

Recap: Pokémon- Giratina and the Sky Warrior

Hello everyone, and welcome to my look at Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior! While things have been very crazy lately, I want to continue my look at the Pokémon movies in honor of the success of Pokémon I Choose You; and anticipation of its release in the US and more video game content! So, let’s open it up!

This time, the world of Pokémon segment tells of how numerous Pokémon are and how they can be found around the world! I know the feeling. I’ve often been surprised at how many trade partners I’ve had from countries I wouldn’t expect to see. If I may paraphrase Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network: “they don’t have roads, but they have Pokémon.”

We also get a brief cameo from Lucas aka Diamond, the player character of the Diamond and Pearl games! While I understand why people are disappointed there are no remakes yet, I imagine we’ll get them someday. Also, key influences on my head canon version of Lucas (as well as DP Ash) are Harry Potter, Hareta from the DP Adventure manga and Jay from the View Askewniverse. 

After we get reacquainted with Ash, Dawn, Brock and a brief cameo from Brendan aka Ruby; we then see the titular sky warrior, Shaymin! This little hedgehog with flowers on it, while well-received in the games, this movie’s rendition of the “generosity Pokémon” is a bit of a point of contention among some fans. While the character is somewhat of an “a-hole” in this movie, I submit that at least it’s not “100% a dick.” Personally, I don’t believe any Pokémon is 100% a dick, even with this movie’s portrayal.

Suddenly, Shaymin is pulled into the Reverse world (this movie’s equivalent of the Distortion world) along with Giratina and Dialga, and we are introduced to the villain for the movie: Zero, and his AI system Infy! What do you know: this is the third character named Zero I’ve dealt with this month! Also, I know people will be on me if I don’t mention this, but Zero’s Japanese seiyu, Shido Nakamura is currently on hiatus while he undergoes cancer treatment. Even though I am once again basing this recap on the dub, I will watch the Japanese movie when I get a chance and wish him good health in the meantime.

In the midst of the legendaries’ scuffle, Shaymin is flung into the real world; or at least what we considered to be the real world in 2008. It also turns out Shaymin acts as a bridge between worlds!

At the 10-minute mark, Brock is making pancakes for everyone! Dawn chastises Ash for not washing his hands, and I have to wonder the same thing about that that SkulShurtugalTCG did. He was wearing fingerless gloves, so how his palms could have gotten dirty like his fingertips did is any wonder.

All the Pokémon are fed, but at that moment, Shaymin appears and eats all their pancakes!

After Shaymin wrecks the picnic area, everyone’s Pokémon confront Shaymin!

However, Dawn is willing to welcome Shaymin, even helping clean it off in the water!

As for Shaymin being telepathic: I have no comment on the matter, nor all the other times it’s happened in the movies since then.

Anyway, Shaymin falls ill; but luckily, they’re able to get it to the Pokémon Center just in time! Also, I find this image of Brock wearing quasi-hipster glasses somewhat amusing. Again, sometimes when I take screen caps for a movie, I end up pausing it at just the right moment.

Yeah, I was traveling with Ash before Souji was even a drop of ink in Yuyama's pen!

Naturally, he tries to hit on Nurse Joy; but Croagunk Poison Jab in the back. Working on practicing for Pokkén DX, even if I don’t have a Switch by September 22, I plan on doing something to tie into that as well as Gold and Silver on Virtual Console. You’ll just have to see what it is. 

While Shaymin has warmed to Dawn, everyone else: not so much. Again, while the liberties the movie takes with Shaymin are understandably a bit OOC for the “Generosity Pokémon, at least it does something with this Pokémon. Plus, I find the attitude a bit more interesting than Jirachi at least.

Nurse Joy also explains Shaymin’s special ability, Seed Flare, and its abilities are enhanced by Gracidea flowers! This will be important later, in case you’re wondering.

So, with some ribbing from Shaymin, everyone decides to help escort the Pokémon to the flower garden where the Gracideas grow! Team Rocket catches wind of this, and they decide to try and get Shaymin for themselves! 

While Shaymin’s directions are a bit vague, they’re at least more direct than most GPS instructions I’ve had lately. 

Team Rocket tries to steal Shaymin, but they’re pulled into the Reverse World along with Ash and Dawn! While I may not be as dissatisfied with DP Brock as a lot of others, I agree that it’s kind of a ripoff he didn’t get pulled in either. 

As Ash and Dawn enter the Reverse world, they notice the place is a world where normal logic no longer applies, and they have to elude Giratina to escape! OK, since Platinum was the game that helped reignite my fandom when I was 17, you all knew this was coming.

Then, a mysterious figure who I forgot to mention from before tells Ash and Dawn they can’t harm Giratina with the Pokémon attacks, they’ll just make the beast angry! Normally, I’d be wary of someone dressing like a smelly backpacker, but when they’re in a situation like this, you have to make do with what options you have.

The man is pleased that Shaymin is all right, and reveals himself to be Newton Graceland! He’s a bit a slob in his time in the Reverse world, but in a way, all brilliant men are.

Apparently, he’s been researching the Reverse World, and fills Ash and Dawn in how it’s a place that’s distorted and the rules of our world no longer apply! So, not really a stretch anymore. Also, the way Graceland runs around in a battered outfit and running shoes kind of makes him the missing link between Birch and Kukui; for me at least.

Newton adds that Giratina is master of the Reverse World, and Shaymin says that Giratina tried to eat it! Shaymin also reiterates that it has to get to the Flower Garden, and Graceland shows them the quickest way back to the real world! 

Jessie then likens the Reverse World to a funhouse, and James retorts that he’s not having fun. See Willy Wonka much, fellas? At least it’s better than that really bad and totally insane Tom and Jerry DTV movie they came out with a bit ago.

Butterscotch, buttergin? "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker."

As Newton helps escort everyone back to the real world, Piplup is narrowly stopped from breathing in a toxic black cloud! Jeez, and I thought reception to the new Ghost in the Shell was poisonous! (Side note: I have finally seen the new film, and even though it’s not as bad as I thought it would be, it’s still weak enough to make my first official look at a live-action adaptation on this blog a possibility in the near future.) 

More evidence for this film being part of a trilogy is also shown when the events of the last film are referenced by the “battle in Alamos town.” Again, while some people are split about certain elements of the I Choose You movie, I think it has a good template for my head canon of a darker; but still family-friendly take on the series in the vein of Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Giratina then ambushes everyone, and Shaymin leaps onto Ash’s head to try to escape! …If and when I get a Switch soon, feel free to insert a Super Mario Odyssey joke here. 

Newton is able to help everyone get back to their world, and he tells them to beware of mirrors! Zero and Infy catch wind of this, and decide to track Giratina’s location!

The animation in this movie is still quite nice, and I am impressed with how many little details I can still find, especially when I pause to take screencaps at just the right moment. DP is one of my favorite sagas for that reason, and I am glad that I am finally able to talk about this movie after all these delays.

Everyone has a spat about trying to get to the flower garden when they’re confronted by Zero!

While they’re attacked by his Magnemite, Magneton and Magnezone, they’re fortunately able to escape and board a train to help get Shaymin to the Flower Garden! Well, still smoother than flying United!

After some exposition from the other train passengers about the Gracidea Flowers, Shaymin assumes its Sky Form when it makes contact with some! Nice little nod to how the transformation works in the games! 

With help from a portly woman on the train, everyone else discovers they can reach the flower garden   after transferring to a boat! I wish more people I met on the train were as helpful as this big lady; who in the dub has a midwestern accent for some reason.

So, with everyone’s morale boosted; the journey to the Gracidea Flower Garden continues!

Just then, the train is attacked by Zero’s Pokémon as Shaymin tries to escape with the gang! 

While Shaymin is able to board the boat with everyone else, Zero remains in hot pursuit! I must also point out that I really like the design of Zero’s ship, very sleek and mechanical.

To be honest, there’s not a whole lot to their boat voyage: it’s basically a quiet scene at the 45 minute mark to show where they’re headed, though I am amused by this part where Ash gets splashed by Shaymin. 

After a brief joke between Ash and Dawn, we cut back to Zero’s ship, where a recording reveals that he was once Graceland’s colleague before he became obsessed with Giratina! 

Then, at the halfway point of the film, everyone is once again pulled into the Reverse World; Brock included this time by Zero and Giratina! 

Shaymin tries to fight Giratina, but then it reverts back to normal when the sun goes down! Well, that’s convenient.

Everyone tries to escape, and fortunately, Dr. Graceland is able to lead everyone away from Giratina!

Team Rocket also forms a reluctant alliance with Ash and the others, even bringing everyone water! Wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done this, and it wasn’t the last.

Even so, Zero finds where everyone is hiding and kidnaps Shaymin! 

Due to the events of the last movie, Zero wants to bring Giratina out of the Reverse World, and Shaymin is trying to absorb the toxins to save the others!

Giratina is successfully brought into our world, and he assumes his Altered Form right before Zero uses his ship to contain him! 

Graceland then explains that he designed the machine that’s captured Giratina, and needs to help set things right! 

It’s then revealed that when Graceland objected to using Giratina’s energy for the machine, Zero broke off ties with him and began his conquest as shown in this flashback!

Thankfully, they’ve reached the flower garden; and everyone goes off to stop Zero, minus Brock! Even Brock is annoyed by this, saying he’s “sensing a pattern.” Seriously, why doesn’t he get to help? 

His neglect notwithstanding, this does lead into a fairly impressive aerial battle over the Gracidea garden! The CGI may still be a bit off, but overall, it does do a good job with the traditional animation. 

After their attacks prove ineffective at freeing Giratina, everyone decides to go into Zero’s ship and shut down the machine manually!

While Ash and Dawn hold off the Magnemite, Magneton and Magnezone; Graceland uses his Shieldon (who I forgot to mention earlier) to break into the ship and shut down the machine!

Because Graceland designed the machine, he’s able to remotely shut it down, much to Zero’s displeasure! 

Giratina is freed from the machine, and obvious CGI render is obvious CGI.

The whole ship starts going down from the loss of power, and Giratina even reverts back to traditional animation! As the ship goes down over the valley, this scene of Brock witnessing it go down is quite amusing. 

Oh shit, there goes the planet!

Giratina then collapses on land before Pikachu and Piplup! (Laughs) I’m sorry, I know this is supposed to be a serious scene, but I can’t help but laugh at this. 

Ooh, whatcha say? I know that you only meant well!

So, in what’s essentially a smaller scale version of what happened in Pokémon 4Ever, Shaymin and the other Pokémon in the garden are able to revive Giratina! This movie is full of convenient things, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve seen. 

I HAVE THE POWER!

After Giratina bonds with the other Pokémon for saving its life, Zero's escape pod (which I forgot to mention in earlier scene) rises from the water!

Rise from your grave!

Zero then goes off the deep end, and opts to destabilize the link between the Reverse world and our world! Ash, Pikachu, Shaymin and Giratina then fly off to stop him! 

The chaos in the reverse world even results in Regigigas being awakened!

My body is ready.

The insanity of the final battle even results in a glacier moving towards them in the otherwise pristine garden! 

Giratina, less than pleased that it’s been had, then attacks Zero’s ship!

While everyone in the real world tries to repel the glacier (just go with it), Ash, Pikachu, Shaymin and Giratina engage Zero in battle! 

Regigigas even appears over the side of the cliff with a stampede of CGI Mamoswine!

As final battles in these movies have gone, this is probably one of the most insane ones I’ve covered so far, and this is only the second entry in this “trilogy,” and I still have plenty more to cover before I do the I Choose You movie once it’s dubbed.

Shaymin then tries absorbing all the toxic gas to prevent further harm to the Reverse world and the real world!

Shaymin is able to absorb the pollution and get everyone out just in time as Zero’s ship comes crashing down!

With the last of its energy depleted, Shaymin reverts back to its normal form and lands in Dawn’s arms!

Ash and Pikachu even come back safe on Giratina’s head! Imagine that!

So, we close on Shaymin flying off from the flower garden with all its friends! Well, doesn’t that beat all.

So, that’s “Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior.” While I can understand the problems some people have with the liberties taken with Shaymin and the kind of dodgy CGI; and it may not be my favorite film from the series or even my favorite DP film, what works about it really works. I rather enjoyed Zero as a villain and Graceland as a side character, and the traditional animation is really impressive. I also really enjoyed how the film handled the Reverse World and the titular Giratina, who’s one of my favorite legendaries in Generation IV. I still submit the question is not “if?,” but “when?” in regards to any potential DP remakes.

I definitely want to make up for the ground I lost in August and be done before the I Choose You movie gets dubbed, so check back with me soon for anything I else I’ve got planned, including my look at “Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life!” See you, space cowboy! 

Recap: Departure! Egg Fort II!

Hello again everyone, and given how it hasn’t been that long since the 26th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog; I thought I would do another episode of Sonic X to help get ready for both Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces! While I’m not sure what system I want to get them on yet, I think both should definitely try to capture the zeitgeist of speed and platforming that made the series a hit in the first place as well as potentially appeal to new fans. The series has had quite the variation in quality over the years, but I can’t imagine either game being worse than the infamous 2006 entry. I also thought it would be good to take a breather with this after my bad mecha series. I’ve been wanting to do this episode for a while, so let’s open up “Departure! Egg Fort II!”

As usual, I will be basing my recap on the subtitled version. Even as someone who liked the dub as a kid, I am getting a lot of perspective from the original. A key example is the theme song: While “Gotta Go Fast” is still catchy, I am very surprised that I like “Sonic Drive” even more.

We open on the Egg Fort II, which has been completed after two weeks of work by Dr. Eggman and his minions Decoe and Bocoe! However, the two robots bemoan how essential they are to the show, but the viewers give all the attention to the heroes. On the contrary: every villain needs henchmen. Some are threatening, but I rather like these two in any language. They’re like the Japanese equivalent to Scratch and Grounder in that Sonic show I used to watch when I was younger.

After some banter between them all, we then get our title card. While I am working with a fansub of this episode; I am pleased the subs are actually better than the official subtitles I used for previous recaps of this anime.

So, everyone is on a cruise to the arctic; and everyone is relaxing except Sonic. He’s so tense, even asks Chris if he did something wrong!

If this is about the 2006 video game, Sega offered me too much money to say no!

Professor Thorndyke is also a bit deep into his cup. While 4Kids did try to change this part, digitally removing the redness on his face; I’m kind of getting an early Rick Sanchez vibe from this. I was initially skeptical, but I’m surprisingly amused by the idea of a character based on the simple question, “What if Dr. Emmett Brown was a misanthropic drunkard?” Decided to finally bite after that April fools’ joke of the season 3 premiere pre-empted Samurai Jack and all of Toonami a while ago.

I want that Mulan McNugget sauce, Morty!

While most of the crew, sans Sonic are able to relax, Amy asks “why can’t men simply be graceful and gorgeous?” Amy, given how things have gone lately; “graceful and gorgeous” have gone out the window.

Chris then suggests that the yacht is “too narrow and congested” for Sonic. Not entirely, Chris. While that helps, I think it has more to do with being in a big chunk of metal on the water, something he doesn’t like. So, putting him on a cruise is analogous to giving chocolate to a dog: one creature’s present is another’s poison.

He’s so down with cabin fever that he actually breaks subsonic speeds inside the boat! Now that’s funny.

Amy tries to talk him down by asking him his age, and Sonic replies that he’s 15; as he has been since 1991. While her persona does take some liberties with her character in the games, this does lead to a pretty funny metafictional joke about what it means for him to be a role model as the hero. While 4Kids did cut the joke, I already used Michael Haigney’s words on the matter for an earlier installment of “Shit CEOs Say,” so let’s move on.

Amy concludes that as a hero, he should have some self-awareness. I agree, some of my favorite games and versions in media have been portrayed like that. Even if the Sonic Boom games were pretty bad, the TV show is actually kind of decent in terms of animation; and some of the jokes are relatively amusing even if they do resemble a group of Teenage Mutant Ninja Hedgehogs at times.

The next day, while Sonic initially believes Chris’ butler has come to pick him up; he instead brings a bunch of senior citizens on the boat to join their trip as well! While their intent is to help everyone relax, Sonic wants no part of it! He tries to jump back to shore, to no avail. He even attempts this stunt multiple times! 

The other people on the boat mingle with the old folks; and Chris plays some chess with one of them! He even actually asks what the old man’s next move is rather than assume he can break the rules because of who he is! No, I am not letting you forget that, Sunrise; and I reject the leadership defense in an age of “Covfefe!” I take mine grey with creamium, by the way.

Tell me, do you enjoy movies about gladiators?

Sonic then starts formulating a plan to try and trick the other guests on the ship to call off the trip and head home! He starts by suggesting that something happened to the X Tornado, a refit of the Tornado airplane from the games.

He then tries to put the moves on Amy, which surprises her given how he’s usually reluctant!

How 'bout we head to Nathan's, grab a chili dog and head back to my cabin to watch The Notebook?

He even tries to put one over on Chris and his grandfather, and they express confusion over the matter. I ask the same question about why many media outlets are so biased against the series; even when they do put out good modern installments. Game Informer’s lukewarm take on Sonic Generations, for example (giving the game the same score as the much-maligned 2006 game didn’t help matters either).

Of course, the others find him out, and Sonic sheepishly slips away. After that, we get a somewhat amusing bit between Eggman, Decoe and Bocoe about what to call their new transport; before finally deciding on the Egg Fort II! I like the sound of that. Simple, effective, and marketable. 

Back on the mainland, we see the Messenger Robo, Bokkun try to visit Thorndyke Manor, but no one is home! He is then greeted by their maid Ella, and this common archetype is voiced by people you might not expect in either version. In Japanese: she’s voiced by actress Wakako “Kujira” Matsumoto, and in English: she’s voiced by my good friend Mike Pollock!

Initially dismayed there’s no one home, Bokkun decides to play a prank on Ella with one of his bombs! That little stinker! 

After a few more days on the water, the group reaches the glaciers they wanted to see; but Amy is still angry about Sonic’s prank. I can understand why, since even if Sonic doesn’t like water; he definitely could have handled that better.

Amy tries to knock Sonic out of the crow’s nest, but the Egg Fort II surfaces in front of them and Eggman describes the situation as “intolerable!” So, he has the same pool of insults as Professor Henry Jones. 

This is intolerable!

Thankfully, Sonic wanted to fight Eggman just as much as Eggman wanted to find him! He finally gets some excitement!

The Egg Fort II combines with its smaller modules, and Sonic decides to engage it on the ice caps! 

Then, all of a sudden, one of the old ladies chastises Sonic for running on the ice! Lady, he’s been running on ice since before you needed Depends. Also, why is she driving the boat? There are people in town who can barely handle those electric scooters they have on TV!

In addition to Sonic getting one up on the Egg Fort II, the professor also taught Ella how to pilot the X Tornado! Good thing, because she has a bone to pick with Bokkun for that prank!

As they’re sent blasting off by the X Tornado’s Cyclone Kick, Eggman asks what Bokkun did! Simple: He got a kindly housekeeper mad.

So, we close on Sonic reflecting over the battles of that day, and finally deciding to enjoy the cruise with the guests from the old folks home. Good an ending as any.

“Departure! Egg Fort II” may not be my favorite episode of Sonic X, but it is a good example of how much fun the series can be; and it makes good use of the video game source material even if it’s not always directly adapting their stories. I am not sure which versions of Mania and Forces I’ll get yet (depending on when I get a Switch, probably leaning towards the PS4 versions); but I can definitely expect I’ll enjoy them. The concepts presented look like they will be relatively good takes on their lineage as well as offer some good new material. At worst, I can’t imagine either game being worse than the infamous handling of Princess Elise. Next up is continuing my look at the Pokémon movies when I close out this month with my look at Giratina and the Sky Warrior! See you, space cowboy!