[8.2/10] Loved this is an introduction to the future for Jack (apparently not his real name!). It’s easy to see why George Lucas wanted Tartakovsky to dabble in Star Wars after watching this episode. This episode deposits Jack into a city that may as well be Coruscant (with a touch of Blade Runner for good measure) and then sees him stumbling his way into a Cantina where he ends up cutting the arm off of an alien ruffian. It’s all done with such style and flair and visual imagination that it’s engaging as hell.
I also want to compliment the sound design here. So much of what signifies that Jack is not in Kansas anymore comes down to the sound of this place. Whether it’s the crunch of garbage underneath a monster truck, or the thumping techno of the cantina, the place feels sonically alive.
There’s also cool designs out the wazoo. I love how alien everything feels here, from the bustling ubermetropolis to the hive of scum and villainy inside the bar. There’s a lot of taking time to just pause and appreciate how busy and weird this new zone is, and it’s cool as hell.
I also appreciate the chance to see what Aku has done in the future. The idea that he is not only a resource miner -- going to various worlds and extracting what’s valuable from them -- but also a one-man surveillance state and apparent multinational corporation (given the soda ads) is a really interesting tack to take with the villain. His simple act of demanding fealty and the building of monuments to his greatness from displaced aquatic refugees is frightening and makes for a good representation of his particular brand of evil.
The episode also does a good job of letting us know how foreign all of this feels to Jack. The Samurai in the future bit is a good one, but letting us feel Jack’s status as a fish out of water is a good way to give the audience his emotional state while also introducing the world. Just hearing those guys on the sidewalk amusing praise him in the local slang gives you a sense for how different things are for him, and his experiences in the Cantina do the same.
I’m intrigued by this association with these British explorer dogs, who feel a little silly and oddball, but in a good way. The notion of Jack as a liberator, saving peoples enslaved by Aku from having to work themselves to death for his benefit is a good thread to kick off with.
Overall, a stellar follow-up to the incredible opening episode.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-01-04T17:04:06Z
[8.2/10] Loved this is an introduction to the future for Jack (apparently not his real name!). It’s easy to see why George Lucas wanted Tartakovsky to dabble in Star Wars after watching this episode. This episode deposits Jack into a city that may as well be Coruscant (with a touch of Blade Runner for good measure) and then sees him stumbling his way into a Cantina where he ends up cutting the arm off of an alien ruffian. It’s all done with such style and flair and visual imagination that it’s engaging as hell.
I also want to compliment the sound design here. So much of what signifies that Jack is not in Kansas anymore comes down to the sound of this place. Whether it’s the crunch of garbage underneath a monster truck, or the thumping techno of the cantina, the place feels sonically alive.
There’s also cool designs out the wazoo. I love how alien everything feels here, from the bustling ubermetropolis to the hive of scum and villainy inside the bar. There’s a lot of taking time to just pause and appreciate how busy and weird this new zone is, and it’s cool as hell.
I also appreciate the chance to see what Aku has done in the future. The idea that he is not only a resource miner -- going to various worlds and extracting what’s valuable from them -- but also a one-man surveillance state and apparent multinational corporation (given the soda ads) is a really interesting tack to take with the villain. His simple act of demanding fealty and the building of monuments to his greatness from displaced aquatic refugees is frightening and makes for a good representation of his particular brand of evil.
The episode also does a good job of letting us know how foreign all of this feels to Jack. The Samurai in the future bit is a good one, but letting us feel Jack’s status as a fish out of water is a good way to give the audience his emotional state while also introducing the world. Just hearing those guys on the sidewalk amusing praise him in the local slang gives you a sense for how different things are for him, and his experiences in the Cantina do the same.
I’m intrigued by this association with these British explorer dogs, who feel a little silly and oddball, but in a good way. The notion of Jack as a liberator, saving peoples enslaved by Aku from having to work themselves to death for his benefit is a good thread to kick off with.
Overall, a stellar follow-up to the incredible opening episode.