Just Sayin'--SYM-BIONIC TITAN

So, while everyone's been creaming their jeans about Young Justice (short answer: "It's good, fitfully interesting, notion of hyperactive children as your black-ops squad is utterly laughable and is studiously ignored as often as possible to the benefit of all, but I still miss Brave and the Bold) I have been enjoying a little-noticed show called Sym-Bionic Titan.

Sym-Bionic Titan is the latest from Genndy Tartakovsky, late of Samurai Jack and the Star Wars: Clone Wars episodes from the early 00s that I actually liked, and the action scenes in the last act of Iron Man 2 (otherwise known as "the only indisputably good part of the movie"). Apparently, the intent here is to create a hybrid of Voltron and Sixteen Candles.

Even more amazingly, it actually works.

Here's the briefing as briefly as possible: To protect the Galalunan princes Illana, brooding tough-guy Lance and mysteriously opaque robot Octus (played by Brian Posehn, another feather in this show's cap) get sent to Earth, where as luck would have it, they look exactly like Earthlings, and decide to hide out in high schools, because if Invader Zim taught us anything, it's that it's easy as hell to hide out in the public school system if you're an undercover alien.

While they're doing this and dealing with the usual teenage stuff, the Mutraddi, who conquered the Galalunans, keep sending monsters to attack Our Heroes. Fortunately, our heroes can link up to form the Titan, who then proceeds to wreck monster ass in high style.

There's more to mention (a couple running subplots have emerged, one of which involves the leader of the Mutraddi and his connexion to the Galalunas and the GGG and their mysterious leader) for instance, I would be remiss if I didn't tip my hat to the GGG character design--all their soldiers wear bell-bottoms and scarves like all good 70's anime characters should) but really, the synopsis isn't important. All you need to know is this show is hellaciously entertaining and the animation is god damned beautiful, especially as we're talking 2D animation on a TV budget.

Oh, and they have made the best use of A Flock Of Seagulls ever, as seen in the following clip (hit "full-screen" and enjoy it while it lasts!)



Yes, you just saw a girl dancing while a giant robot blasted the shit out a giant monster, all to the strains of an 80's new wave song, and you and I both know it was face-rockingly awesome, so don't lie to me or yourself about that.

Currently Sym-Bionic Titan has been wedged in CN's schedule between their utterly despised live-action shows, which means it will be dutifully lost in the shuffle and this will be axed any day now, and there's no DVD release I've seen planned, which is a double shame, so really, catch it while you can. I think you'll enjoy it.