Kid Cosmic Series Thoughts/Review

Kid Cosmic Series Thoughts/Review

I’ve been a casual fan of Craig McCracken and his cartoons, catching them on air here and there, until recently (well I say recently but it’s probably 5+ years now) when I really got into animation and decided to binge watch his cartoons. I can easily say that he manages to entertain me, make me laugh, and break my heart all at the same time within each of his shows and Kid Cosmic is no different. His unique and quirky characters are always a fun time. I have nothing but respect for his creations. Craig McCracken simultaneously makes his shows both a love letter to their genre and a deconstruction of it and Kid Cosmic is no different.

Kid Cosmic just dropped its final season on netflix and like a lot of people I have a lot to say about it unlike most people I didn’t get into kid cosmic until its final season dropped. So I spent the last few days having a binge of the series as a whole. As a huge fan of superheroes I loved how this show played with classic superhero tropes and brought its own spin to it. It was a really fun ride from start to finish full of the same heart, passion, and adventure that drew me to animation in the first place.

Now to get into my actual full thoughts.

I had so much fun with the characters. They all had this playful, heartfelt innocence about them that is a staple of many Craig McCracken characters that draws you in and makes you want to see them succeed. I especially loved Jo, Kid, and Papa G. I think Jo was my favorite character. I loved Jo’s arc and her growth into becoming a better leader. The fact that it was her empathy and anxiety/caution that made her the best fit to be a leader is something I really appreciate. I’m really liking this trend in animation that deconstructs/subverts the hard, tough, super prepared leader trope that many characters grow into or start out as. Especially with the way the show sent that message with Xhan and Flo. I really loved that Jo and Flo had such a strong relationship in the show and it was her mom that taught her how to be a leader even though she didn’t have a job that would conventionally put her in the place to mentor Jo in that way. Jo’s heart and intelligence are what make her both a great leader and a great fighter. Her fighting skill is also something I like about her. She doesn’t have the stone with the most raw strength, that would be kid’s telekinesis stone or Rosa’s growth stone, but she has the mind to use her stone to its full potential which makes her portal power really fun to watch in battle. 

Kid’s relationships to Jo and Papa G are what elevated this show to me. Jo and Kid had an amazing sibling relationship and Kid and Papa G got the most emotional moments of the series. I don’t think there was a single dry eye when watching the scene pictured above. I know that this moment had me on the edge of my seat begging for Papa G to make it. The flashback to when he first took Kid in at the start of the episode being juxtaposed with this final scene hurt more than I ever thought it would. When he appeared at the beginning of the finale I have never felt so relieved over a cartoon grandfather. 

I also loved how the third season really wasn’t afraid to critique and deconstruct or poke fun at comic book tropes. The perfect world, the parents returning from the dead, the long living mentor, the kid getting powers and immediately mastering them, etc. And how many callouts to Craig McCracken’s other works there were. It worked really well. I think the show became better with each season and that’s because it let itself do wackier and more crazy things with its superhero inspiration. 

There were only a few things holding this series back from being one of the top 5 of 2021 for me. The first is that it took me a while to come around to Kid as the main character. Don’t get me wrong I felt he was well written and an accurate portrayal of what a kid who got powers would be like but I personally didn’t feel as strong of a connection with him as I did with Jo and I wasn’t as intrigued by him like I was with Papa G and I didn’t laugh at him as often as I did Chuck. He wasn’t one of my top 3 characters until season 3 came around and really made him grow on me (Which is part of why the 3rd season is my favorite). I never hated him but I was neutral about him which is something a protagonist shouldn’t be in a series to me. I think this is my most personal problem because I’m sure there were plenty of people who were able to relate to Kid and loved him from day one. I just wasn’t one of them but I wish I was.

The second is that I found the first season didn’t hit me nearly as hard emotionally as the second or third seasons (especially the third). It struggled with letting us sit with the most emotional moments. It used bathos a lot more then the other two seasons which I think took me out of the moment too frequently and I found myself taking a break from it more than once whereas I binged the second and third seasons. The second and third seasons weren’t afraid to let us stay in emotional moments without a joke to break the tension and really feel them which is something I really appreciated about them. I’m someone who loves drama and I think children’s television can tackle heavy themes in a unique way that sometimes hits harder than things that are rated mature but only if the show respects it’s audience and lets them experience them fully. Kid cosmic doesn’t do this as well in the first season as it does in the other two which disappointed me.

This wasn’t my favorite animated show to come out of 2021 but don’t take that as a slight against Kid Cosmic. Animation in 2021 was amazing both for films and for shows and the company it finds itself in for that year is phenomenal: Arcane, Invincible, Inside Job, Maya and the three, and centaurworld to name the standouts. It may not have been my favorite but it had just as much heart as the others I listed and managed to hit me in a different way. 2021 will have a special place in my mind when it comes to animation and kid cosmic will always be a part of that. I can’t wait to see what Craig McCracken does next.

Me: There is definitely not a pattern to the characters I project onto.

The characters I project onto:

Top 5 Animated Shows of 2021

Okay so ground rules first: The show must have started airing for the first time in 2021. I don’t want people being confused as to why amphibia or owl house or any other amazing show that aired episodes this year isn’t on the list. That’s a different ranking for a different time. Also this is my list. If you have a different opinion then that’s great. Everyone having their own views and experiences is part of what’s great about media. Everyone connects to different media and different characters and that’s what I love about it :)

I’m gonna start with my favorites and work my way down because the top 2 shouldn’t surprise anyone who kept up with animation this year. The order may shock some people though. I know it shocked me because I thought my #2 had #1 in the bag until this show premiered.

Number 1: Arcane

This show came out of nowhere for me. I really regret not taking it seriously after it was announced because I connected so much with this show and its characters that I get emotional thinking about it. I really thought Invincible had the number 1 spot for this year until this show came out. Both shows are phenomenal but the things that pushed this show over (other than the fact that I relate way too much to Vi) is the fact that Invincible’s weakest episode (episode 6) was weaker than Arcane’s weakest episode (which I don’t even know if I can name which episode is even the weakest of arcane because they are all really airtight) and the fact that I’ve rewatched the entire season of arcane many times while I mostly only rewatch 3 episodes of invincible, not the whole season. I also don’t know if another piece of media has hit me this hard in years. Seeing struggles that I have had to face portrayed so raw and honest has given me a connection that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to shake to this show. This is why I love animation and storytelling. It has always made me feel seen and less alone and Arcane was the piece of media that did that for me during a huge transition in my life. For me everything about this show is a masterpiece. The animation, the writing, the characters, the voice acting, the relationships, the tragedy of it all. Everything was perfect. 

I’ve posted quite a lot of long meta about arcane so this may not surprise anyone. Arcane legitimately blew me out of the water and it is far and away my most rewatched series of this year. I’m torn between wanting season 2 immediately and being grateful that the studio is taking its time to make sure the next season is just as polished as this first one was. This made me fall even more in love with the animation medium. (for my more complete thoughts on the series use this link)

The animation in this show is absolutely gorgeous. It looks like a painting come to life and I couldn’t look away. The textures, the lighting, the effects they used to emphasize impacts during fights be it their flashes of white blinding effects or dust being misplaced or the spit and blood that would leave the characters mouth all made each fight scene better and more mesmerizing. The animation alone makes this show worth watching from start to finish. I can’t believe how far so many studios that I never would have expected have pushed animation in the past 5 years alone. They really push what 3D animation can do. It’s astounding and proves what a groundbreaking series this is.

Episode 3 alone is one of the best episodes of television I’ve watched ever. Arcane is a masterclass in writing in general but it especially knows how to build the ending into the beginning. Everything in episode 3 comes around and sets up the finale of episode 9. Silco’s fate, Jinx’s final decision, Vi’s helplessness while watching the loss of her loved one(s), the hopefulness in piltover juxtaposed with the hopelessness in Zaun, etc are all set up and/or in a way mirrored in the finale. It’s incredible and reminds me why I love animation and storytelling. If you haven’t watched this already, what are you waiting for? Start right now! I guarantee you won’t regret it.

Number 2: Invincible

I know I already gave away that this was number two but like I said the top two shouldn’t surprise anyone. Invincible was my most anticipated animated show of 2021. I had already read all the comics and was a massive fan and I was so excited for other people to be introduced to this incredible series by Robert Kirkman. And this adaptation does not disappoint. It even managed to improve on the father and son fight from the comics significantly. I wasn’t a fan of the Amber and Mark romance though. I kinda wish they had skipped the Amber romance and gone straight for the Mark and Eve romance with how they played it out. (I think they were both wrong in certain ways. And I just wasn’t a fan of their scenes together. I don’t hate Amber like a lot of people do. I just don’t think she had as much chemistry with Mark as the writers intended and they made their relationship dysfunctional to a ridiculous degree to where I think they were both better off staying broken up.) Everything about the family struggles of Mark’s family was amazing though. Every interaction between the members of Mark’s family was amazing no matter who was paired with who. The family drama was the highlight of the series. 

Invincible also does an excellent job of subverting classic hero tropes just like the original comic. As a comic fan knowing what is to come for this series I’ll just say it gets even better from here and I can’t wait for the 2nd and 3rd seasons. I’m so happy that so many people got to be introduced to the series and enjoy it just like I did even if it is in a different medium.

I think my criticisms may give people the idea that the show is worse than it is, which isn’t my intention. This show is amazing and I absolutely love it. I was just wanting to explain why arcane beat it out for the top spot for me. This was a really close call and I think it could be argued that Invincible’s best episode is better than Arcane’s best which should tell you the quality of the show. When this show wants to give you an emotional gut punch it doesn’t hold back and goes for the KO. It’s also an adult animated show that goes all out with the gore but never feels gratuitous. Too often I think adult animation takes its rating as the go ahead to put cursing, sex, and gore everywhere just because it can but arcane and invincible know how to use these adult aspects and themes correctly. The train scene, which had everyone gasping and going crazy on social media, was gory and extreme but it served an important purpose in the episode. You take it out and I think the episode loses something. For another example episode one doesn’t really have any gore at all until the mid credits scene. This decision was perfect to shock viewers with the reality of who Omni-man is and the seriousness that the show will embrace which directly juxtaposes what people usually think of a superhero origin story. Honestly I’d say that adult animation should take notes from these two about when and where the mature rating should be used to enhance the experience. 

2021 was amazing for adult animation and I think did a lot for changing the perception of what an adult animated show could be. Invincible and Arcane were both integral to this shift and I am very grateful for it and I love them both.

Number 3: Maya and the Three

I was a little late to the party for this show but I’m glad I got around to it. I had a complete blast. Jorge Gutierrez is a creator I have nothing but respect for and I really like his other works so I was looking forward to watching this show. He brings his unique storytelling style, art direction, and heart which is all I can ever ask for from a creator. You can feel his passion and love for the story and characters and it gives me an even greater appreciation for this show.

It’s another show that’s “for kids” (aka has a TV-Y7 rating) that deals with heavy subject matter such as infidelity, racism ellegories, death, mourning, etc and I feel like it handles a lot of it with the tact necessary for its target audience. I especially liked how it handled Maya’s non-biological mother and how they assert that she is her real mother and, while Maya was a product of infidelity, she couldn’t hold it against the baby that she saw and came to raise. It’s not how it always plays out in real life but it was touching how it was explained and handled. It does an excellent job of tackling grief and all the different ways in which it can manifest. The characters and their individual journeys were all great.

The top two entries are in a league of their own if I’m being honest but that doesn’t detract from this entry or the next two. This is a very good series that I think would be great for the whole family to watch together. It may hit you emotionally in the way Arcane and Invincible did for me. All the characters are strong and could easily carry their own show and I think that’s the most you can wish for from an ensemble cast. I respect the ambition and care that went into this show and hope that it reaches an even wider audience than it already has.

Number 4: Centaurworld

I already wrote about my overarching thoughts on Centaurworld here if you want to read it. This has got to be one of the most unique shows I’ve seen in years. This is a show I think shouldn’t work as well as it does. From the wildly clashing tones to the unique and over the top characters to the surprisingly dark, twisted, and yet sympathetic villain. This is a show that if given the broad strokes sounds like it shouldn’t work but somehow it all comes together to create an unforgettable and wholly enjoyable experience.

Centaurworld wasn’t a show I was expecting. I had seen the trailers but didn’t know what to think of it. It wasn’t until I saw Sarcastic Chorus’ review that I decided to give it a shot. And I wasn’t disappointed. It managed to cover unexpectedly heavy themes about depression, suicide, grief, and loss. It was a bit of a shock to the system because of the bright, colorful, toony, place that most of these themes were explored in. Wammawink and Horse are some of the most fun and complex characters I’ve seen in a while that aren’t angst fests (don’t get me wrong I love an angst fest. I just haven’t seen a character I loved that wasn’t an angst fest this year until them). The music is all good but I agree with sarcastic chorus. It's “all bops but no bangers”.

This show is very much an acquired taste. It’s so subjective on whether or not you’ll like it that it’s hard to know who to recommend it to but I’ll just say I think you should give it a shot if you’re reading this for some reason and haven’t seen it.

Number 5: Inside Job

This is another show this year that I think helped change the perception of adult animation. Inside Job is really fun and I wasn’t expecting to have such a blast with this show. It’s animation isn’t as inventive as Arcane’s or Maya and the Three’s but that doesn’t mean it’s anything to scoff at. It’s nice and fluid and the simplistic designs work well for the overly expressive faces and body language of the characters. In a weird way its animation reminds me of star trek lower decks and it’s also similar to lower decks in its ability to play with established tropes for its genre to create a unique, fairly episodic experience.

This show was my relaxation show for this year. I’d turn it on and turn my brain off and just let myself just have fun. Considering everything that happened for me this year I needed this but that’s not to say that it’s a dumb show. That is far from the case and it actually had me invested in the ideas and characters in a way I wasn’t expecting. I really want season 2 especially after that cliffhanger. I think this was the show I had the most pure fun with out of all the shows on this list and in a year like 2021 that is a complete win.

Arcane - Ghosts of the Past

During the tea party is episode nine while Jinx is having her breakdown Vi tries to pull her back by reminding her of all the people they have lost. This is a disconnect on Vi’s part because she used her memories of those who she has lost as motivators to keep going and keep trying to protect others. Whereas for Jinx all those people are ghosts that haunt her.

Vi says at the start of the tea party “ I spent so many nights in that shitty prison. On the freezing floor, hungry, bloody, counting the hours. The only thing... The only thing that kept me going was the thought of getting back to you.” She used Powder as motivation to keep going while in prison just like she used Vander as a motivator to continue to try and do what’s right and help the people of Zaun despite there being no guarantee that she will get her sister back. She helps Caitlyn genuinely (it takes a while but she eventually gets there) because she notices that Caitlyn actually wants positive change and once again she is following in Vander’s footsteps. She is called Vander’s protégé and compared to her “old man”. Vander’s ghost helps and influences her long after he is gone.

Unlike Jinx when we see “ghosts” from Vi’s perspective they are either of the happy moments she shared with them or of them helping her get back up. Vander appears to Vi when she is knocked down while fighting Sevika and says “ I wish I could say it gets easier, kiddo. But I'd be lying. What I can say is... She still needs you. They all do. So what do you say?”. When she sees Powder in their old dilapidated home her visions are of Powder happy and of her innocence. Once again her sister is pushing her to keep going like she did in prison (this time it is getting her through getting stabbed).

For Jinx the ghosts haunt her and are constantly looming over and around her. Every time we see visions of those Jinx has lost from her own perspective they are either warped almost beyond recognition or they have a grey tinge and look dead rather than the ghosts that look just like they did when alive that Vi sees. These ghosts blame Jinx for what happened and her part (however big or small) in their deaths. They are constant reminders of her guilt which tower over her and consume her. Even when they aren’t towering over her they are always right there at her back, following her so she can never escape. The more she is reminded of them the larger, louder, and more distorted they become. Those ghosts overwhelm her until she finally snaps under their weight. Powder is gone and Jinx has fully taken her place.

Jinx needed someone in that moment to help fight them off and protect her from them instead of someone who welcomed them. But that’s not something Vi could have known. She hasn’t seen Powder in years and she didn’t see the evolution of Jinx. She doesn’t know the weight that those ghosts bury Jinx under each day because those same ghosts have been there to lift her up not knock her down. This is just another sad disconnect between the sisters and the two very different people they have become. Both Vi and Jinx can’t understand each other fully at this point and there’s no telling if they ever will be able to again.

Ekko vs. Jinx was absolutely masterclass, such an immaculate display. The foreshadowing flashback with implication they shaped and mirrored each other in combat/tech ingenuity. Showing the routine reenactment of their formative days, as a means of Ekko reaching out. Brought on one of few comforts in Jinx's shattered memory. Imo, the glimpse they shared in the end signifies Jinx saw that Ekko still cares for her; the Powder within Jinx and possibly even who she became (reason for why her expression was solemn yet wistful as she pulled the pin). As he's all but certainly the only one who can empathize as well as fully comprehend the process that shaped her beyond the deaths of Mylo, Claggor, Benzo, Vander and the loss of Vi (he went through it all the same. Witnessing all the fallout firsthand alongside her). She's just too far gone. Their shared, ill-fated experience made them greater. Yet caused one to break; Jinx. As one harnessed it for the good of those around them; Ekko. Such a poetic tragedy.

That pain that feels like it'll eat you from the inside out, can either break you or forge you into something greater. -Silco

— a youtube comment

The Cuphead Show! Thoughts

I want to preface this by saying the serialized vs non-serialized television debate is a bit ridiculous. Each has different strengths for the type of stories they want to tell and no one is inherently better than the other. I can understand preferring one over the other, that’s fine, in fact I typically prefer serialized television but I don’t think just because something is serialized that it makes it a better show. Now to get on with my actual thoughts.

This show is just bursting with energy and you can see all the love and care put into every frame. Every second I watched it I was amazed that something like this got greenlit, not because it was bad, far from it, but because of how unique it is in our current landscape of animation. I’ve got to once again give netflix props. They’ve been really willing to take risks with the animated shows they produce for their platform and I hope it continues because they’ve been on a real hot streak as of late.

The opening to this show may be the best example of the amount of care and just pure fun the people working on this show infused into it. I had that opening theme stuck in my head right away and I was singing along before long. I have a soft spot for cartoon openings and this has found a place among the countless openings that live rent free in my head.

All that being said I don’t think the leads of the show are as strong as I would like. The side characters steal the show every time they pop up. The Devil, Kind Dice, and Ms. Chalice (when she showed up in the final episode) all stole the show easily when on screen and every time I pressed play and they weren’t there I was a little disappointed, especially when the devil was absent. I couldn’t get enough of him. Everything about the Devil was played up to 11 and that always works well for this kind of character in animation. I easily got lost in the showmanship of the character, the exaggeration. The amount of fun I had with these characters cannot be understated because they really pulled me into the show.

I had a lot of fun with this show. It wasn’t my favorite show all around to be released. It unfortunately dropped on the same day as Vox Machina’s final 3 episodes which distracted from it. I’m impressed with this show nonetheless and the stylization of this show will never cease to pull me in. I look forward to seeing the rest of season 1’s episodes drop later this year and want to see what the animator’s are able to do with what’s on screen next.

I saw the lie about The Cuphead Show being renewed for season 2 which is just a disappointing move especially during #newdeal4animation which is important for all those who work in the industry. The reality is that these episodes were made under a single season order and split in two so they can drop the episodes at different times without having to up the pay they give the workers for another season. This is why we need a new deal for animation.