Season 1 | Sonic Boom: TV Series Discussion

[Kiah]

A little more than a year since Sonic Boom made it's debut and we've now gotten to the Season Finale by means of "It Takes a Village To Defeat a Hedgehog". Even though this episode was spoiled for me long time ago via the French version it was still awesome to see and hear it in English. It was a really good episode with familiar faces, a nice blend of comedy and action, fourth wall jokes, and of course, Shadow (whose voice I'm still not feeling btw), who made his debut in the Sonic Boom cartoon

Additional observations for this season finale of Sonic Boom are as follows:

Dr. Eggman having a meeting with the "villains" of the village, including T.W Barker, the Stuntbears, the Lightning Bolt Society, and Charlie! 

Shadow! "He's only the second most popular character in the whole canon!" 

It's time for these villains to learn the Power of Teamwork!

Team Sonic sticking together doing things together...This time they are building a bookcase! Or trying to anyway as this isn't looking good at all!

During the teamwork segments Tails roasts some marshmallows Sonic, Tails and Dr. Eggman had some while camping out in Episode 11 ("Cowbot")

Sonic and Shadow being Sonic and Shadow by fighting. This battle was more interesting than the one Sonic had with Metal Sonic!

Say Cheese! Who knew that a selfie of all things would be the catalyst to Shadow losing the battle to Sonic?  

A celebratory brofist-Team Sonic-style!

And Season 1 of Sonic Boom comes to an end with Orbot and Cubot with a fourth-wall breaking commentary. Jabs at the limited cast and locations of the cartoon FTW

Again this was a very enjoyable episode due to the humor (especially Dr. Eggman being such a fanboy of Shadow) and action and the nice balance of the two along with the great moments of breaking the 4th wall, the cameos of the villains, and of course, Shadow. Great episode to end Season 1 on IMO.

And that's it! 52 episodes of fun, action, comedy, plenty of discoveries via cameos and references to previous episodes, excellent character interaction good characterization for the most part has come and gone by means of the first season of this awesome Sonic cartoon. But that means no more getting up early on Saturday mornings and no more of these lengthy takes of mine that took me several hours to do for each one

...For now anyway as we have Season 2 happening at some point! Definitely looking forward to doing this again as I had a blast. Among several things I am hoping for I definitely hope to see more of Shadow, Metal Sonic, and other characters that were introduced to us in Season 1. It was a fun ride as for ALL 52 episodes I made these takes that were very time-consuming yet it was worth it as well as a lot of fun. Bar some derailments it was fun participating in this topic for the Sonic Boom cartoon throughout the entire season.

But at least now I can go back to doing this later on Saturday mornings :

Finally, to everyone that contributed to and supported this topic for Season 1 of Sonic Boom:

Thank you! Take a bow! And see you when Season 2 debuts!  

[Irish David]

Hard to believe all 52 episodes have been shown. But I very much enjoyed the series, the writing and voice acting made the series extremely enjoyable. The target audience certainly liked the show and we have a 2nd season to look forward to. More of the same please and well done to all involved and keep up the great work. 

[Shadowlax]

 

Say Cheese! Who knew that a selfie of all things would be the catalyst to Shadow losing the battle to Sonic?  

 

 

That is the weird thing, someone mentioned somewhere else. He didn't lose, he just stopped. LIke he beat up sonic and threw him into a crator, and then sonic hit him, and he was ... fine. He could have just kept fighting sonic, it was like he had some achievement to beat up sonic with minimal hits and he just fell out of the parameters got pissed and rage quit.  he was beating him up... like there was no reason why he couldn't just continue beating him up. Like, that was weird. I guess the idea that eggman was going to continue being a distraction, but, he could he kept beating him up. Eggman could have just turned of the flash for subsequent victory pictures. I know the actual reason is they have 15 minutes, but like... still, there was nothings stopping him. 

Edited November 15, 2015 by Shadowlax

[Forte-Metallix]

 

That is the weird thing, someone mentioned somewhere else. He didn't lose, he just stopped. LIke he beat up sonic and threw him into a crator, and then sonic hit him, and he was ... fine. He could have just kept fighting sonic, it was like he had some achievement to beat up sonic with minimal hits and he just fell out of the parameters got pissed and rage quit.  he was beating him up... like there was no reason why he couldn't just continue beating him up. Like, that was weird. I guess the idea that eggman was going to continue being a distraction, but, he could he kept beating him up. Eggman could have just turned of the flash for subsequent victory pictures. I know the actual reason is they have 15 minutes, but like... still, there was nothings stopping him. 

At that point, Shadow knew that continuing this fight was a fool's errand. Eggman wasn't going anywhere, and neither was the battle with him around.  When Shadow said he'd fight Sonic again "on his own terms", he probably meant when the two of them were alone.

[Myst]

I'm very mixed about this episode. First off, the premise focused on Eggman assembling all the villains, but the villains on this show are cute and wimpy. Since they debuted Shadow on this show, why not go the extra mile and have the villains Eggman assembles be from the games? The Babalyon Rogues, Chaos, Rouge (Not technically a villain, but not a hero either. Maybe Eggman could offer her jewels in exchange for her cooperation?) Metal Sonic, Silver, (Not a villain either, but has fought Sonic on occasion.) Gamma, and Shadow? It had some funny moments, but I don't know if I like the idea of Eggman geeking out over Shadow. And Shadow's voice.. ugh, it's awful. The great thing about David Humphrey was he played it very calm and mellow. Kirk on the other hand, seems to growl with every line. 'I'M SHADOW, I'M THE BAD GUY! RAAAR!' I did find the trust fall bit funny, I liked Shadow's use of teleportation and thought Shadow's defeat was pretty funny too. Sonic snapping at Tails got a laugh out of me. 'Tails, so help me..' Best part was CuBot talking about an internet petition. Thank goodness we know it's already been picked up for another season.

[Shadowlax]

At that point, Shadow knew that continuing this fight was a fool's errand. Eggman wasn't going anywhere, and neither was the battle with him around.  When Shadow said he'd fight Sonic again "on his own terms", he probably meant when the two of them were alone.

sure, thats a nice way of putting it. 

It just seems more like they had 15 minutes. 

[J&/MA/MC]

What's the timespan on binge-watching this whole season? I guess it's something around 6 hours. What do you think?

[Drawloverlala]

ʘ‿ʘ  wweeehww! that episode was pretty nice!!

XD hehe i say this. because when i saw it on french i was kinda disapointed.. the half of the episode gone on Eggman and villains doing stuff like training... and then the so waited fight between shadow and Sonic........ maybe i didn't enjoy it too much...before because i didn't understood the jokes.... XD

but now that i saw it again.. i think it was pretty nice!   speccially when i got realize.. Eggman learned what teamwork can do.. the other villains supported him.. and i'm really really glad they didn't comite the cliche of "all the villains united wants the spothlight over the leader and then they prejudice each other to be the leader thing" so very nice! i love that.. they even almost got to defeat Team Sonic

it was also funny the part when... Eggman trows "zip" then Barker trows "zap" and shadow was like.... "nope"  hahaha

and the when he just "tsk"   XD ahaha that was actually cute ..

the only thing that i still don't get used to.. its Shadow's english voice actor.. X'3 i hope next season he appears more often.. i think i would get used to it or he also can get better just like Roger Craig did on this Show... 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2015 by Drawloverlala

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

When you realize Jason Griffith is a better voice actor for Shadow...

It's a real shame that this episode lasted like 11 minutes when it could have been more epic. But what can Sega/Ouido do when CN wants the episodes split to 10-11 minutes each, since 95% of current CN shows are like that.

And I felt much of the time was wasted showing Sonic and the gang creating that shelf. It's unfunny and the scene doesn't make it feel like a finale.

Please make season 2 with at least some episodes 20 minutes long. Especially the episodes that guest star Shadow or Metal Sonic. The series will benefit much much better with that. Or a TV movie. I get it, Sonic Boom is suppose to be more comedy than action, but even SpongeBob and Fairly Odd Parents once before put an amazing plot first before comedy.

But it has been a ride. Let's hope season 2 airs as soon as possible and not until Winter 2016!

Also 4 locations Orbot said? I think there were more...

• Beach/Sonic and Tails' home
• Amy's home
• Sticks' home
• Tails' Workshop
• Town
• Eggman's Lair
• That open sandy desert like place they visit almost every time

[Bolt]

Okay, this episode convinced me to watch the rest of Sonic Boom. Pretty much all of Eggman's lines relating to Shadow made made me laugh, and the Shadow vs Sonic stuff was pretty cool too. I'd love to see more of it in the next Season, but for now, I feel like I can enjoy the previous episodes a little more now, knowing there is likely more comedy gold in them too.

[DarkLight]

I'm very mixed about this episode. First off, the premise focused on Eggman assembling all the villains, but the villains on this show are cute and wimpy. Since they debuted Shadow on this show, why not go the extra mile and have the villains Eggman assembles be from the games? The Babalyon Rogues, Chaos, Rouge (Not technically a villain, but not a hero either. Maybe Eggman could offer her jewels in exchange for her cooperation?) Metal Sonic, Silver, (Not a villain either, but has fought Sonic on occasion.) Gamma, and Shadow? It had some funny moments, but I don't know if I like the idea of Eggman geeking out over Shadow. And Shadow's voice.. ugh, it's awful. The great thing about David Humphrey was he played it very calm and mellow. Kirk on the other hand, seems to growl with every line. 'I'M SHADOW, I'M THE BAD GUY! RAAAR!' I did find the trust fall bit funny, I liked Shadow's use of teleportation and thought Shadow's defeat was pretty funny too. Sonic snapping at Tails got a laugh out of me. 'Tails, so help me..' Best part was CuBot talking about an internet petition. Thank goodness we know it's already been picked up for another season.

Bill Frebeirger has said other game characters are unlikely to appear and not in a "we're saving them for next season" sort of way. Besides, the villains we got, whether you like them or hate them, did their job just fine

[FantasticMrRobb]

I loved the new episode! Seeing Shadow for the first time in the TV series was very unique, but I wish he could have done a little more and Egghead would have backed off a bit, lol. I hope he becomes a more recurring character!

[YoshiAngemon]

I almost forgot: Back in "Designated Heroes," if Sticks were barefoot, wouldn't she have been denied entry at Meh Burger, due to a proverbial "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" policy, or is that policy thrown out the window? Because Mickey and Donald were denied entry at that beachside restaurant in the Mickey Mouse Cartoon "No Service," Because Mickey had no shirt, and Donald had no shoes. But they forgot that Pants were optional.

Edited November 15, 2015 by YoshiAngemon

[Kuzu]

So I watched the episode, pretty good for a season finale; brought back all of the known characters and even a very known one in Shadow. And yea, its pretty obvious the writers are very aware of Shadow's more vocal fans, Eggman being a big Shadow fanboy just seemed a big nod to everybody harassing Mike Pollock's twitter about him. The actions were even somewhat decent this time, although they still weren't very good :V Its kind of weird tho how for a season finale, Sonic isn't really the focus of it.

As for Shadow himself...eh, at the very least the comedy is good for how people are reacting to him, so it makes the fact that he's played completely straight all the more hilarious. That said, I wished he would have interacted a bit more with Sonic. 

 

So yea, Sonic Boom...its a show, that existed. Ok yea, real talk, it was just...ok. Fortunately, there are no glaring flaws and the show definitely picked up as time went on with it's comedy. But for the most part, it doesn't really do anything that I haven't already seen. There are funnier shows, shows with way better fight scenes and animation, and with a bit more nuanced writing. So overall, it wasn't bad but it could have been better. Hopefully Season 2, the show staff can get a handle on how to make an 11 minute format work in terms of pacing, one thing that stuck out to me was how abrupt some of these episode end with almost no resolution, they just...stop. 

[fia]

I really hope they get a 30 minute timeslot next season, there are so many more things you could do with that.

Also, the one joke this episode was missing was a joke to SA2 about Shadow being ""mistaken"" for Sonic.

I know it's never gonna happen, but with the way they handled Shadow... I really, really wanna see other characters, especially Silver, Blaze, and the Chaotix (they would be amazing in this show!!).

All in all, I liked the little jabs and fourth wall breakers, and I'm excited to see what to do with the second season. 

edit: ech, forgot the mention shadow's voice... i know people aren't a fan of the 4cast, but oh dear lord bring back Jason Griffith or just find someone better. 

Edited November 15, 2015 by BlazeTheHat

[Pawn]

The Shadow episode was a hell of a lot better than the Metal one, that's for sure. I think they handled the comedy surrounding him really well, but the voice direction is way off. It's clear that they tried way too hard to make him sound angry with all that growling, which is unintentionally funny at best and distracting at worst. I also found the whole hedgehog pride thing a bit silly and way too reminiscent of Saiyans but whatevs.

Still, the fanboy moments with Eggman were hilarious and Shadow's silence and blank stare in the face of the team-building exercises were genuinely amusing. I really hope they reconsider the use of other characters, like Rouge and the Chaotix. The series' attempt at comical "villains", if you can call them that, are designed not to stand out, so really don't provide much of an extended cast on their own. Rouge and/or the Chaotix as Eggman's paid goons would be great, or the Babylon Rogues challenging Sonic and friends to a race. Most of the characters could easily be written to fit this series, which makes it baffling that they (whether its the writers or SEGA) wouldn't want to.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Pawn

[Zaysho]

Welp, that's season one, I suppose.

It's no secret that I've had a lot of mixed, generally negative opinions on Boom. After about a year of everything Boom, from the games (which I've only demoed and watched the stories for), the TV show, and a short-lived comic book... I can't say I really see a point to it. For a sub-brand that had the creative freedom to take the series in a unique direction from the main brand, I honestly feel like it does very little that the games haven't been giving us for the last five years (though a focus on an ensemble group is a nice step up from the Solo-Sonic nonsense we've had for a while now), with only a few cosmetic changes and questionable personality adjustments to differentiate it. It's pretty safe, really. It does a lot to try to appeal to pre-existing fans while trying to juggle new fans, and I think the results are a little mixed because of that. We get token appearances of characters like Shadow and Metal, which largely feel unearned and are there to satisfy fans without bothering to put any work into why they exist. I'm appreciative that they're there, but I'd be more appreciative if they didn't feel like their roles, as seen in Boom, could easily have been filled by new characters or they didn't just feel like blatant fanservice.

Metal I can kinda forgive, but there was never a surprise or wow-factor to him. He turns up and no one ever seems surprised that he's there. In a universe that operates on different rules from the main universe, I kind of expect his first appearance in either Rise of Lyric or the show to have a little more punch to it. Again, it's a different universe, so just a little thought into why he's so important would mean a lot more to a fan like me rather than him simply being there.

And then there's Shadow. I wrote a rather lengthy critique on his appearance in Rise of Lyric, which got lost in the wipe, and was largely displeased with this take on him. Not so much that he's a belligerent asshole that's just there to get on Sonic's case for reasons (though there is that)... but I don't understand what his deal is at all in this universe. He was obviously thrown in due to popularity, but now that he's there, I want to know what makes him stand out from his main counterpart. What makes him tick? Why does he like picking fights with Sonic? What's his ultimate goal? RoL didn't answer any of these questions, so maybe the TV show would.

"It Takes a Village..." doesn't. He pitches into a fight with Sonic just so he can fight him himself, and seems to look down on Sonic, but I don't see why. What is he trying to prove? Is he actually trying to train Sonic? Or is he just picking fights with him because he's bored? He's not weighed down by SEGA Sonic baggage here, and they had the opportunity to do something new and unique with him, but instead it feels like they took the original Shadow, stripped him of most of his personality, and just played up his rivalry with Sonic to the point that he seems like a really jerky version of Vegeta. All his actions and words do is keep making me ask "why?" And not because the show has me hooked, but because I'm not understanding the intention here. Even Boom!Knuckles seems like he had more thought put into him.

Now, I don't want this post to be ALL negative, so I want to say that while I'm still rather displeased with how Shadow as a character is handled in Boom, I thought the episode was one of the more fun episodes. I'd grown really bored with the show as of late, but this was actually pretty funny and decently plotted. The jokes about Shadow's appearance got a good laugh out of me, and while it reminds me that, yes, Shadow was just thrown in as fanservice, it shows they're willing to at least acknowledge it. Watching him and Sonic fight was actually pretty exciting, too. It definitely felt like a Sonic and Shadow battle. And, I'm in the minority here, but it was satisfying hearing more of Thornton. His casting was one I supported all these years, and I still think he's the best Shadow, but he's given a lot of crap to read that's about as subtle as an airhorn. I like his tone and delivery, but the Shadow he's given to read right now is pretty one-dimensional, so I'm always hoping he gets to voice Shadow in something that allows him to show off his range more.

My hopes for season two is that we get to explore these characters a little further. I ask a lot of "why" when it comes to characters like Shadow, and I think it'd be worth fleshing out his role in the show as a secondary character a bit more, just so he feels like he fits into the universe. I don't need a big tragic backstory a la SA2 here, I just want to see some reasoning that fits within the context and internal logic of this universe. I like to think that's not asking for very much.

All in all, my final opinion of Boom as a whole is that... it exists. I criticize it a lot, but I don't think it's all bad, either. It just feels like another experiment with Sonic that didn't do anything really special. Now that they've, hopefully, found their footing, maybe Boom can really strike out on its own as just a part of the larger Sonic franchise. Guess we can wait and see, huh?

[SonicWind]

And then there's Shadow. I wrote a rather lengthy critique on his appearance in Rise of Lyric, which got lost in the wipe, and was largely displeased with this take on him. Not so much that he's a belligerent asshole that's just there to get on Sonic's case for reasons (though there is that)... but I don't understand what his deal is at all in this universe. He was obviously thrown in due to popularity, but now that he's there, I want to know what makes him stand out from his main counterpart. What makes him tick? Why does he like picking fights with Sonic? What's his ultimate goal? RoL didn't answer any of these questions, so maybe the TV show would.

"It Takes a Village..." doesn't. He pitches into a fight with Sonic just so he can fight him himself, and seems to look down on Sonic, but I don't see why. What is he trying to prove? Is he actually trying to train Sonic? Or is he just picking fights with him because he's bored? He's not weighed down by SEGA Sonic baggage here, and they had the opportunity to do something new and unique with him, but instead it feels like they took the original Shadow, stripped him of most of his personality, and just played up his rivalry with Sonic to the point that he seems like a really jerky version of Vegeta. All his actions and words do is keep making me ask "why?" And not because the show has me hooked, but because I'm not understanding the intention here. Even Boom!Knuckles seems like he had more thought put into him.

Honestly, I kind of share your opinion on this. I find myself wondering why the heck Shadow makes such a big deal about taking Sonic down in this continuity. Maybe he's trying to prove that he's better suited to the job than Sonic. Maybe he wants to prove the lone wolf approach really is the best way. Maybe he's just some guy who scoffs at Sonic's skills and wants to prove he's not all that special. Or as you suggested, maybe he's just preparing him for something.

I would like to know more about him, but I don't mind not knowing too much. Perhaps they'll elaborate on him later down the road-- we don't know for sure. But seeing as this show doesn't really focus on stuff like that, I doubt it.

[fia]

Honestly, I kind of share your opinion on this. I find myself wondering why the heck Shadow makes such a big deal about taking Sonic down in this continuity. Maybe he's trying to prove that he's better suited to the job than Sonic. Maybe he wants to prove the lone wolf approach really is the best way. Maybe he's just some guy who scoffs at Sonic's skills and wants to prove he's not all that special. Or as you suggested, maybe he's just preparing him for something.

I would like to know more about him, but I don't mind not knowing too much. Perhaps they'll elaborate on him later down the road-- we don't know for sure. But seeing as this show doesn't really focus on stuff like that, I doubt it.

I kinda wanna see them take an approach where they start building up towards stuff like arcs and backstories, kinda like how Teen Titans and Steven Universe started out (but still lighted out with the comedy, maybe not as deep as TT and SU). Just some backstory on the characters would be nice.

[Drawloverlala]

i've been wondering that too.. i really hope they build up something good and accourding to the things he says and to the games.. and i really hope its not just because they wanted Shadow to be a bullie stereotype character to Sonic..

i have a little theory tho

i was thinking on a good reason to be that mad at Sonic... and i though he is very disapointed ... maybe because Sonic  is not strong enough to face real enemies without his friends..

why? well... the only argument i have for it.. its that at RoL first he is like

and then ...he seemed to be inpressed when Sonic and Co defeated Lyric.. he was like "not bad" .. that's something  i guess...

but.. ehh.. i really hope they explain that with details someday...

 

[Haalyle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5rn2lJPg4g

Here's my reaction and my thoughts are at the end.

[Myst]

So, looking back at season one, what was everyone's top ten favorite episodes? Here is mine.. 1. The Sidekick 2. Can an Evil Genius.. 3. Sleeping Giant 4. My Fair Sticksy 5. Double Doomsday 6. Unlucky Knuckles 7. Curse of Buddy-Buddy Temple 8. Sole Power 9. Guilt Tripping 10. Closed Door Policy

[Kuzu]

You know, Zaysho pretty much brought up why I'm not feeling this series as much as everyone else here is. It really doesn't feel that different than what the main line games have been giving us. Sure, there are more characters involved now (which I do genuinely like btw) and the writing is nowhere near as obnoxious as Pontac or Graff, but at the end of the day, its just more comedy and wacky hijinks Sonic. I've had five years of this and I was bored with it after Generations. So the fact that this subseries could have literally went in any other direction, but also is doing the comedy route...it just makes it feel extremely redundant. Like, nothing is explained or established and things just sort of happen. If you tweaked the designs to their main counterparts, its almost indistinguishable from how the games are now.

This isn't to say the series is bad no, its definitely enjoyable and the few times I do watch an episode, I always find myself having a good chuckle. Its just...this universe is so barebones and devoid of world-building or motivation, its just hard to get invested in anything unless I just wanted a laugh. And not to say I don't like a good laugh once in a while, but your comedy needs to be extremely out there to run an entire series on it. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Teen Titans Go! does that way better than Sonic Boom.  I'm not against comedy in the series, its just the comedy that's there is born less out of genuine quirks in the characters and more out of putting them in really weird and bizarre situations. 

I'm glad people are enjoying this and I hope the series keeps the things you like about it so you can continue to enjoy it, but my personal wish next season is that the writers actually attempt to flesh the setting and characters out a bit more. Use a bit more continuity to establish things and give these characters a solid foundation to build off of so I can actually give a damn about them. 

[Kiah]

I almost forgot: Back in "Designated Heroes," if Sticks were barefoot, wouldn't she have been denied entry at Meh Burger, due to a proverbial "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" policy, or is that policy thrown out the window? Because Mickey and Donald were denied entry at that beachside restaurant in the Mickey Mouse Cartoon "No Service," Because Mickey had no shirt, and Donald had no shoes. But they forgot that Pants were optional.

Okay that's it. You were warned and even disciplined several times for posting your fetish nonsense on the boards and yet you continued doing it. That said, in addition to your constant derailment of this thread with your irrelevant posts that you had the nerve to post again after they were deleted (that should of been clear indication that the posts weren't appropriate for the topic) you have to go since you refuse to adhere to the rules established here at the SSMB. We have no tolerance for your blatant and ignorant disregard for these rules that you were obligated to follow as a member here as well as the warnings you received.

[Shadowlax]

 I have voiced my ... displeasure for some aspects of this series. However, someone has suggested something to me, and I am now very upset that this might not happen.

So a friend of mind was interested in why shadow's gear seems to be in way better shape, than everyone elses. And she came up with the hypothetical , what if shadow was super rich? And and that's also part of the reason he's all pride filled. Like he has his bike , and like his cars from SA2, His game, And the Transformed, and a bunch of other cars. And he lives with his grandpa who's just this hedgehog named gerald, or like his dad was just black doom and thats it. And he was super nice. He's still evil but like super nice. And like one episode sonic and crew have to go to his house, and its basically a castle. 

I would totally walk back my criticism of this shadow, if they went full on , he's some pompous rich kid. With this character.