Excuse me while I briefly reminisce about my geeky past and bemoan the fate of childhood fixations:
What the flying f*ck happened to G.I. Joe?!?!
I caught a commercial for the new cartoon series over the weekend. Apparently, the owners of the franchise have decided that since the kids are all into Anime these days, then so goes Joe. The result is a series that barely resembles what most of us remember from the 1980's. Of the original good guys, only three main characters remain: Duke, Scarlet and Snake Eyes. Snake Eyes (Old vs. New) hasn't changed much because, well, Ninjas never go out of style. Duke (Old vs. New) is still the alpha male lead, though he looks more Street Fighter-ish here (In fact, is it just me, or does he too closely resemble another "Duke" we all know and love?).
And then there's Scarlet (Old vs. New). Good Night Irene, how the hell can that be Scarlet?!?!
I know what some of you are thinking. I mean, It's not like we're talking about classic Disney animation or something. G.I. Joe's basic purpose was to sell action figures, both then and now. So what if they're using giant mechs instead of jeeps and helicopters? The toys will sell all the same. Still, there's something disheartening about people immediately willing to jump on the bandwagon of Anime and completely abandon all that had come before it.
And it's not like I have anything against Anime. I personally think Cowboy Bebop is the greatest thing since sliced bread. But there's something to be said for retaining the old because there was something appealing there, instead of immediately jumping into what's trendy in order to cast as wide a net as possible. At least they didn't change Cobra much, but then why would they need to. After all, bad guys in the form of "a ruthless terrorist organization" doesn't get any more topical.
(This can also be viewed at Blogcritics)
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