SWAT Kats: Radical Squadron

SWAT Kats show logo. Courtesy of http://epguides.com

No other cartoon has come to symbolize the Cartoon Network of the 90’s quiet like SWAT Kats. Created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay, SWAT Kats became one of Cartoon Network’s biggest action series of the decade. SWAT Kats was produced by Hanna-Barbera, who worked on shows such as: The Jetsons, Top Cat and Scooby-Doo among many others, and produced several other hit shows for the network (e.g. Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo and Dexter’s Laboratory). However, while those shows were comedic and light-hearted, SWAT Kats was a heavily loaded action series, full of action sequences and big explosions. However, the premise of a world of anthropomorphic cats that are protected by a vigilante duo flying in a sleek fighter jet reeled in the viewers, my brother and myself included. First aired September 11, 1993, the show released twenty three episodes on TBS and Cartoon Network. After getting through at least half of its second season however, SWAT Kats was taken off the air on August 9^th 1995. While there was never an official stated for the show’s cancellation, there have been plenty of rumors. One of the most prominent was parental complaints to the channel that the violent content in the show was unacceptable. Could this be founded? Sure, SWAT Kats had a lot of action which was one of the many reasons kids, particularly boys, got really into it. However was it really bad enough to warrant a cancellation? Let’s take a closer look at the show’s three qualities to find out.

Writing: SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron follows a pretty simple formula. The metropolis of anthropomorphic cats, MegaKat City, gets attacked by a villain or monster of the day, and the SWAT Kats, T-Bone and Razor, are notified by Deputy Mayor Callie Briggs to come and help. The duo use their jet, the Turbo Kat, and a wide arrange of tools to outwit their enemies and stop them. The plot is very simple, which means that the show can focus more on the action. However, one of the aspects of having a simple plot that I did appreciate, was that it also gave more time to focus not just on the action, but on the characters as well. For example, the show takes time to explain the SWAT Kats’ history and how they became who they are.  Chance Furlong (T-Bone) and Jake Clawson (Razor) were dishonorably discharged from the the city police force, The Enforcers, when they failed to follow the orders of Commander Feral, who gave the order out of arrogance. 

The titular heroes, Razor(right) and T-Bone(left). Photo courtesy of http://www.the-other-view.com

The two were sent to work in a military junk yard to pay for the damages they caused. However, the team-mates make the choice to build their own jet and tools to go after criminals without having to follow bad orders. Although this does glorify vigilantism, the SWAT Kats do show that they have moral standards. Although sometimes their exploits may cause property damage; no one is harmed and the damage is small-scale compared to what would have occurred had the villains succeeded (At least that is what the SWAT Kats and their allies argue).

The SWAT Kats are not alone in their endeavors to protect the city. Their main contact is the Deputy Mayor of MegaKat City, Calico “Callie” Briggs. She is always quick to call the main duo should trouble arise, and is the first to defend them should Commander Feral try to pin blame on them. Being the show’s main heroine, Callie does a decent job. There are plenty of times where she needs to be rescued by the heroes, but when push comes to shove, she is willing to do what she can to help take down the villain of the day. She is a smart, shown by how she does most of the work for the actual mayor, and has a strong sense of justice. This often puts her at odds with Commander Feral, who strongly disapproves of the SWAT Kats and her trust in them.

The rouges gallery of SWAT Kats has an interesting line up. There is Dark Kat, a mysterious criminal mastermind and main antagonist of the show; Doctor Viper, a mutated scientist eager to reduce to city to a swampy wasteland; and the Metallikats, a gangster couple that died while escaping prison and were revived as robots, just to name a few. Their motivations are the stereotypical villain fare; take over the city/world and destroy anyone who gets in their way. Although both the Metalikats and Viper where given a decent back story, the main antagonist, Dark Kat, while intimidating, really doesn’t have an explained back story or motivation to why he wants to take over the city (He is a criminal and he is smart so I just assume he’s doing it for fun). Among the many more adversaries for the SWAT Kats, such as an ancient imp with the power to control time, aliens and even ghosts are revived to face the heroes. Some are more interesting to watch than others but I have to admit, the villains were just as interesting to watch as the heroes at times, especially when multiple villains were together in the same room.

Despite having good characters, dialogue on the other hand can be hit and miss with this show. Most of the dialogue is decent but it also often falls into a common cliché for action cartoons: stating the obvious. This mostly occurs during the action sequences in the jet, say if a missile failed or a new development arises. While it isn’t necessarily grating, as a visual story, this kind of writing is not very appealing. A key role of any fiction is to show rather than tell. This is even more potent for movies and television since they can actually show the action unlike a book. The writing doesn’t need to state outright what we just witnessed. A mistake like this may go over a kid’s head but not an adult.  However, it’s a minor annoyance at best and if you can get past it to enjoy the action and characters, than you will get your money’s worth.

Animation: Impressive by early 90’s standards. The backgrounds set the tone well by showing a New York City-like metropolis, that while beautiful, can be dangerous as well. The action sequences are fast paced with a very cool sounding soundtrack with lots of electric guitars. 

The opening sequences did a fantastic job of demonstrating the tone and animation. Here is the second season opening to let you get an idea how the show looked and prepared its audience for the upcoming episode.

 Those of you who have seen the film Top Gun may recognize that more than a little influence was taken from the movie as far as both sound and choreography of the action scenes. Parents should also take warning that there are plenty of animated scenes in this show that may scare young or sensitive kids. Villains, such as Doctor Viper, have creepy moments that are animated in an almost horror film-like style. This adds to the suspense and makes the villains seem much more of a threat, but depending on your child’s temperament, it may be too much. If I had to describe SWAT Kats’ overall theme through the visuals in just one word, it would be big. Big settings, big action sequences (Both on the ground and in the air), and a big cast of characters, which gives the setting much more depth. 

Timeless: Considering how reflective this show is of the 90s and how today those common media themes of big action and big explosions are a subject of humor, I would have to say SWAT Kats is not a timeless show. If you watched as a kid and still enjoy it, then there is nothing wrong with that. It was a neat idea that could have had the chance to become much more if given the chance. The sad fact is however, it didn’t. Due to this short coming, it is not a show that can really entertain adults who haven’t grown up with it. The occasional cheesy dialogue and lack of an overall narrative moving from episode to episode hurts this show from a writing perspective. The big action, while it may keep a kid’s attention, can get a bit repetitive from an adult perspective and there are little to no moments were the story stops to breathe. All in all, while entertaining for action-loving kids and old fans, there are really few others who could really benefit from watching this show.

In conclusion, I give SWAT Kats: the Radical Squadron a 1.5 out of 3, an interesting story idea with great animation but overall lacking qualities that could have made it so much better. However, I do not believe the show was violent enough to warrant a cancellation. Though there are animated shows far superior to this one, SWAT Kats is by no means bad show. If it had more time, I have a good feeling that a lot of the problems I mentioned above could have been worked out. Sadly, it never got that chance. SWAT Kats is still being aired on Cartoon Network's Boomerang and the complete series DVD box set is available on Amazon. Take a look for yourself and see what you think.

Animtated Fiction: Sym-Bionic Titan

Sym-Bionic Titan

Promotional poster with the main cast and titular robot. Courtesy of  tvtropes.org.

There is a strange but unavoidable truth of television that even shows that are entertaining, well-written and well-presented are not immune to early cancellation. Regardless if the show has a dedicated fan-base, the decision is ultimately up to the powers that be of the channel hosting the show. While low ratings are normally what kill a television program, who would have thought that “legitimate” reason to kill a good show would be lack of merchandising. The show I am referring to is Sym-Bionic Titan. An animated science fiction series created by Genndy Tartakovsky, who worked on shows such as, Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and the 2-D short series of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Aired on Cartoon Network on September 17^th, 2010, the show ran through an entire season before being canceled on April 9^th, 2011. As a result, there has been a huge outcry among the show’s fan base, enough to dedicate their own Facebook page in order to rally a response in order to get Sym-Bionic Titan renewed for another season. While Genndy has an big reputation in creating very unique, interesting and well thought out animated shows, does Sym-Bionic Titan deserve all the hype it has been given? Is this a show that has been cut way too quickly? Let’s take a closer look and find out.

Writing: The story of Sym-Bionic Titan centers around two humanoid aliens, Princess Ilana, Corporal Lance and their robot companion Octus as they escape from their war-torn world of Galeluna. Landing on Earth, the group decides to blend into human society in order to keep enemy forces from finding and killing the Royal family’s heir. However, General Modula, the primary antagonist of the show, continues to send alien monsters to Earth in the hopes of destroying her and Galeluna’s last hope. To combat this threat and protect earth, Lance and Ilana’s robotic armor combine with Octus to create the Sym-Bionic Titan. While this is the basis for the plot, the real heart of the story is the three main characters adapting to human society, or more specifically high school.

It is in these parts of the show where the time spent on the show’s writing truly shines. The way they have depicted high school life and social hierarchy feels very reminiscent of material written by the late John Hughes. To me personally, I feel it is a more accurate representation of my high school life than in most live action shows aired on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.

 The main characters and even the side characters are fun to watch and sympathetic. For example, one of the side characters, Kimmy Meisner, is introduced as the captain of the Sherman High cheer squad. Very first impressions depict her as a stereotypical cheerleader (at least how they are normally represented in media) selfish, cruel and looks down on anyone who isn’t considered popular. However, as the season progresses you get to see another side of her and it is revealed that her bad attitude in the beginning is a result of peer pressure and the idea that she will never be more than popular. A side story made even more interesting when she and Octus’ human alter ego, Newton, start dating. It is also fun to see some of the show’s humor is based on high school interactions and misconceptions. For example, Lance who has a brooding and loner demeanor is immediately popular among his new classmates, whereas Ilana who is a kind and an upbeat activist is considered an unpopular doofus. The main cast goes through a lot of development through the first season, from strangers forced to live together to a close family. Lance, for instance, becomes more comfortable living on earth and Octus begins to face an identity crisis between his robot programming and his new human identity. Ilana on the other hand remains the same for most of the episodes personality wise, but has her own share of conflicts, from fitting in at school to worrying about the state of Galeluna and her father. This is only scratching the service of what this show has to offer in terms of writing and in my opinion is an extremely creative story that could easily be compare to a lot of popular fiction today.

Animation: People who have seen Genndy’s work should be familiar with his animation style in terms of character design. Yet, Sym-Bionic Titan seems to taken that style and amped it up ten-fold. The action sequences are nicely choreographed in both 2D and even 3D animation. Having both 2D and 3D in the same frame can be very tricky to pull off seamlessly but, I am very happy to say that the 3D effects that are applied to the giant robots and vehicles in the show works perfectly side by side with the 2D environments, characters and even monsters. The backgrounds such as Sherman high school look like something out of a picture book and made me feel a combination of pleasure and nostalgia from my own high school. That being said, there are a few flaws I noticed. Some of the battles between Titan and the monster of the episode can be very destructive, one in particularly explodes and wipes out a whole section of a city. While the destruction is carried over into the next episode, there is no mention to how many lives could have been lost or the main cast’s feelings on how they need to keep battles away from populated areas. These fights also tend to be a bit gruesome. Some of the monsters confronted are defeated by being blasted apart, dismembered or even beat to death  (complete with green blood splattering). With this kind of graphic content, I would understand why a lot of parents would be upset if their five year old was watching (The target audience of this show is more for teens than kids).  Along that line there has been at least one moment between Kimmy and Newton that probably raised a red flag with a lot of adult viewers. 

However, to Genndy’s credit, I applaud him for being bold enough to take a chance like this. A scene like this shows how Kimmy, as a character, has been taught to view herself. Yet despite Sym-Bionic Titan pushes the envelope for what can be accepted in an animated show, it also took chances and in my opinion succeeded with something that isn’t normally used in an action series, musical sequences.

Here is one from the exact same episode as the earlier clip.

Imagine my surprise watching this show to suddenly hear “Space Age Love Song” by Flock of Seagulls. These little montages are few but they leave an impression. I also want to applaud the soundtrack choice since all of the songs used in this series have been well selected. Music works well with the animation on screen providing a near flawless presentation.

Timeless: Can Sym Bionic Titan be considered a timeless animated show? Yes and no. There are a lot of qualities about the show that can appeal to the older crowd, namely the high school hijinks. People who also enjoy big fights with giant robots and grew up watching shows like that would also find it appealing no matter their age. That being said some of the modern cultural references may not still hold up a few years from now. For example, one of the jokes used in one of the early episodes is based on text abbreviations, such as "HTF" (Hold the phone, misspelled for humor) and using them instead of actual saying a full sentence. While we find this funny today, there is no way of knowing if this going to remain as funny as technology changes. Same goes for a plot point in a following episode where all the students in the school use their phones as weapons to destroy an attacking monster. Despite this, I feel that there is a lot about this show that would make it enjoyable for years to come, even if it never moves beyond the first season.

In conclusion, I give Sym-Bionic Titan 2.5 out of three as a solid piece of animated fiction despite its occasional flaws. This is hands down Genndy Tartakovsky finest achievement and it was a shame it ended when it did. Check it out for yourself and see what you think. If you have seen the show and want to support a new season, check out the "Save Sym-Biotic Titan" facebook page. Another way to support the show’s creator is by going to see  Hotel Transylvania, which he is the director of. I may not be a huge Adam Sandler fan but I am definitely seeing this movie to give Genndy my support.

Good stories are powerful, no matter how they are presented

Photo courtesy of www.ufunk.net
 "Thought of You" a two minute animated short created by Ryan J. Woodward. 

As a kid, my favorite activity I shared with my parents was when we would read books together. Growing up with dyslexia made reading a constant challenge but I would become so invested in the story that I would push through to the end. I have always kept this passion for stories and reading, particularly sci-fi and fantasy literature. However, as a kid of the 90’s there was another form of entertainment that I enjoyed just as much, animated television.

I can’t tell you how many Saturday mornings I spent sitting on the couch watching some of my favorite programs, such as Batman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs, Looney Tunes, SWAT Kats, and Voltron to name a few. While the medium was moving pictures instead of written words, these shows still presented stories and characters, some simplistic, others complex. This medium had a big impact on me as a child and it still does today. I never would have made the connection between stories from a book to television if I had not spent my earlier years learning to love reading. Now that I am a adult, and pursuing a career in media education, I wish to take a better look at animated media and which stories stand out above the rest, in terms of quality and have more to offer kids in both learning and entertainment.

Since this is a blog, my analysis may be biased at times but I will attempt to look at the pros and cons of each subject. This can range from animated TV, video games, comics, anime or graphic novels that I have had the chance to look at. If there is anything in particular that anyone would like me to look at to review, let me know. I’m always looking for new material, so please email me or leave a comment on this blog and I will do my best to look into it. Each piece of animated fiction I looked at will be based on how it holds up as good quality fiction, much like how you would examine a book. As such, my posts on any item will be separated into three categories:

1)    Writing Quality: This accounts for the plot, characters and dialogue of the item. Are the characters relatable? Creative? Entertaining? Is the material suited to kids but also to parents watching the show as well? Does each episode or story arc have a beginning, middle and end?

2)    Animation: Quality or attention to detail is very important for animated fiction. The quality can determine how much a scene or moment sticks out in your mind and makes the story memorable. While a show like Looney Tunes may have a more simplistic animation style compared to the anime Casshern Sins (I can’t believe I just put those two shows in the same sentence.) the style is unique enough that it serves the purpose that the writers are creating for a story.

3)    Timeless qualities: What is it about the show that makes it rewatchable? There are plenty of shows that I watched in my youth that even years after, I can see the show again and still enjoy it. These qualities can include: memorable moments in the plot, iconic characters, or important messages that you feel are necessary in your everyday life (Believe it or not, animated TV and even video games can sometimes have these.) This can go hand in hand with writing at times since shows with good writing tend to be memorable. However, there are those rare exceptions where a show may not have the best writing but has traits that make the show stick out in your memory.

I should also mention when it comes to big franchises such as, Transformers, GI Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony and so on, I will focus on a show based on those franchises that does a better job at telling a story. However, I will also discuss my opinion on other shows from those franchises that I’ve seen. Most of these franchises are huge in scope and I will do my best to give them equal amount of respect.

While the focus of TV has been mostly in entertainment, its ability to reach a large amount of people also makes it a perfect tool to provide information that can improve lives. However, much like the Internet, most people haven’t thought to use the medium in this way. Educators are beginning to getting a grasp on this concept now, but it will still take a lot of support in order to introduce more media education into schools. Groups like Common Sense Media are making the first steps in spreading easy-to-access information about popular media and their potential to educate as well as entertain. In my opinion, more potential to educate can be found if we take a look at what visual media has added to storytelling. The main purpose of this blog will be to take this mission and spread the idea that we need to be better media consumers and have better criteria when it comes to what we watch and play.

I’d like to close with a quote from one of my heroes, Edward R Murrow.

“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful."