In an attempt to bring in some more western animation here comes this post. A series that is on Netflix right now from the famous Cartoon Network visionary Genndy Tarkatosvky. It originally aired on Cartoon Network in later 2010. Yeah, surprise. At the time this post comes out, I’ve probably started watching She-Ra and possibly Exo-Squad along with it. That second one is a maybe because it requires paying Amazon a little extra money to watch it. In the case of She-Ra being multiple seasons, I guess that would require multiple posts wouldn’t it? Something that I’ve been doing for other series anyway, so why not a western cartoon to go along with it. But we aren’t here to hype up She-Ra posts in the far-off future. Instead, we are here to talk about Sym-Bionic Titan. You’ve read the title, right?
Sym-Bionic Titan is largely a super man like scenario with a larger amount of tension behind it. Princess Ilana, her protector Lance, and the robot Octus don’t travel to Earth because their home planet called Galaluna was destroyed. No, it was invaded. A former General of Galaluna’s forces, General Modula, worked with the Mutradi to invade the planet. As you can tell, their villionious invasion plan worked out too well. That’s why Ilana had to escape. She’s the heart of Galaluna and if she dies, so does everyone else. With their appearance on Earth, what do the three of them do to fit in with Earth’s society? Become high schoolers of course. What else where they going to do? They look like the right age for it and Octus can look like whatever he needs to. Why not?
So here is the reality of the situation, a lot of episodes focus on some character development and setting work before either the inevitable monster attacks or anything happens honestly. I say most of the time, because the show changes a lot of the settings, does a lot of things you wouldn’t expect, or just has some fun because it can. It’s very classic monster stuff with a lot more added meat into it as well. The titan comes from when the three combining their likenesses together. Separated from each other, they have their own armored modes with Octus having his own form of course. Together, the three fuse together and form the famed Sym-Bionic Titan that combines all their thoughts and likenesses together. It’s a pretty classic super robot kind of situation when fighting against the monsters. Very super robot.
There are always many outside forces going after the Titans and its crew members. The military, a mysterious shield like Agency with advanced technology called G3, the Mutradi monster of the week, and day to day humans. I won’t lie when I say that Sym-Bionic Titan carries some Invader Zim like qualities to it in that way. That last one is the largest threat for them at the moment. Here are the people from Galaluna watching these dirty, scummy humans eating gross things and generally being smelly and disgusting. Like I said, Invader Zim. Here is the thing about this though, the tone is different. Invader Zim is very cynical and full of people hate. Sym-Bionic Titan has hope and positivity to maybe change the lives of humans without forcing the issue. This series is very soft in what it wants to achieve.
How our Galalunians choose to fight each different scenario is what defines them and makes them like Superman in tone. Anything involving giant monsters, heavy weapons from outer space, the military that hates them in such a harsh way, and everything else need the titan now. Those are threats that most humans can’t and need a force beyond reckoning. Humans though? Human problems need to be dealt with in a more human manner. How do you offer humans better food? Make something better and see if they are interested in them. A band wants to recruit you, play guitar. Annoying street racers being annoying? Race them and win. Meet them on the necessary level your goals. This is how the best side episodes happen.
The best part of Ilana’s, Lance’s, and Octus’ journey on Earth is how it changed them. With not as much push of the Galaluna Society on them besides the obvious, all they can do is change now. Gone is hopeful princess, her body guard, and their watch robot. Now here is the geeky and peaceful girl whose called a geek and learning to lie with that, a body guard that has slowly figured out his way to live in society and have fun., and a robot that started dating a cheer leader. How wild is that? A robot finding out that there is more to him than being a robot hiding as a nerd is great stuff. The three also become the largest family that could come from this. It’s strange how many conventions the show breaks because it can. Lance and Ilana don’t date each other, just form a strong bond. Same with Lance taking most of the fanservice moments instead of Ilana.
With this larger cartoon that moves and breathes like a show from the best Cartoon Cartoon spot with some cooler cg effects regarding the Sym-Bionic Titan aside, the show is a little bit of a mess. I mean that Cartoon Cartoon thing, it’s a nostalgic show that was new if that makes sense. Also, the titan and mechanical designs are cartoony but cool. Still, the show is a mess because it’s not finished. There are so many balls up in the air right now that never landed. Twenty episodes and there isn’t a conclusion yet. Just a season end that does nothing but move plot threads in a slightly different direction for another season. A season that never came to being unfortunately as of this post coming out. That lessens the show a bit for me. If the show was finished, season one would be a solid watch. Since it’s not and ride ends in disappointment, it’s merely good. Absolutely still worth watching though.
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Mechanical Anime Reviews 
Yeah it was too bad this show never got a season 2. Since Young Justice semi recently got a new season I feel like there’s always some hope left but it does feel like a longshot at this point. There are just so many more plotlines to continue though
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Exactly. I don’t feel like another season is going to happen at all because it doesn’t have the prestige and fame of shows that have had another season which is sad.
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Thought this comment should remind that Western animation isn’t always terrible after you know the one. Yeah I feel like I egged you on to write this but I also caught a couple episodes and didn’t know if I was going to watch the whole thing and apparently I didn’t. I still haven’t seen this season in whole but I do think it is a little bit of a lost gem.
I just got that it pays a lot of good homage to the big robot show genre but it definitely takes advantage of being a cartoon mostly with how disgusting all the humans are to be that sort of caricatures. Its a really good example in that our story doesn’t have to be mature but we can be so with our execution and storytelling capabilities.
I appreciate it, but yeah I agree it’s just a bummer that it is very incomplete, and that does soil it a bit. Who knows give Genndy another decade and maybe he’ll get to finish it as a one-season mini-series on Adult Swim so there can be, even more twerking scenes. Get likebacked!
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I never thought that you egged me on at all. I would probably have done it anyway at some point after watching it because I did feel like it was worth writing about and exploring a bit more.
There is something about how Sym-Bionic was able to play with a lot more of its art and animation a lot then what it was influenced by, but what sorts of artistic decisions it wanted to do to tell its own story on a script and through what art style it wanted to present.
I say this having watched even more older robot shows in which the story of that one feels like it influenced that one too. Or maybe it’s my own brain connecting the two after almost finishing it. Seeing that western idea of anime has always been pretty fun.
I hope that he actually does get some time to close this show off. In some way. Would love to see it.
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