Detentionaire

This show deserves so much more love and attention than it currently has. It's not perfect, but it's genuinely one of the best mystery shows, best cartoons, and best overall tv shows I've ever seen.

The writing in this is absolutely phenomenal! I went into this as an adult who loves cartoons with good stories, having never seen or heard of it before, and holy cow it did not disappoint! From episode one, every single episode, and countless seemingly minor details, are all about foreshadowing a number of huge plots down the line that all fit so well as they come together.

The character are honestly so much fun both on their own and in all their interactions with others. I love that as the story progresses, more and more side characters join in on important aspects of the plot, and you get unique teamups between characters that aren't the same main three. Which, those teamups are still just as good, but it's fascinating to me that the world and characters are so well developed that each character can play their own pivotal role, merging different groups or cliques together to create unique interactions and unique solutions to problems that would have otherwise been impossible to face. It makes it feel more real than what could have been a small, forced, consistent teamup in a world where everyone is involved in the conspiracy. Detentionaire isn't afraid to show that.

Around Season 2 was when I realized just how clever the story was. Each season has it's own unique and interesting plot that is built up in every single episode. But the later seasons aren't built upon only those specific episodes. From Season 1, and even the first episode, huge plots for the rest of the show are foreshadowed in a seamless way that makes the end so much more satisfying. You can easily tell that the entire plot was conceived before the first episode was written. There are no plot points thrown in at random as the show was preparing for each season from the very beginning.

If you're not convinced after the first couple episodes, where you're hopping into a world that feels so strange and different but seems so normal to the characters, then keep watching. There are reasons for every strange creature, event, etc. That are slowly revealed throughout the series. Not to mention the show is full of funny moments, jokes, and high school experiences that make the world feel so much more vibrant and fun.

If you like shows like Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall, Infinity Train, The Owl House, or any shows in that vein, you'll love Detentionaire. Here's hoping the show gets a renewal one day so we can get the final season that ties everything together!

If you can look past the racial stereotypes, this show really is worth a watch (thank you Diamondbolt).

Seriously, the episodes are so well written that an older audience can enjoy the show too, despite it being aimed towards a younger demographic.

Each backdrop is so oddly gorgeous to look at that I honestly find myself taking in the subtle details. The school and its surrounding locations have a slight sepia filter over them, perfectly conveying the overwhelming boredom that lingers in the air of a real school environment.

If I'd found this show sooner, it's the sort of thing my edgy thirteen year-old self would have clicked with, having been a regular attendee of detentions. If only they were really so thrilling.

So the first episode didn't really grab me, but by about 4 I was pretty much hooked, and as it went on I became totally addicted!! This show has one of the most complicated plots/mysteries I have ever seen, especially in a cartoon! There's also a fair amount of action considering that this is a mystery drama series. It's so intense on a few episodes that my chest gets all tight and my heart races-the reason it's so intense at times is because everything is personal-these bad guys seriously have it in for Lee. Whoever wrote this series seriously pit a lot of thought into it, there's so much detailed foreshadowing that you may not even notice and then bam, something crazy happens!! A couple of the characters are some of the most fun I've seen-I won't say who, but one of them is so sadistic and funny that nearly everything he says makes me burst out laughing. Another character is so slimy and sinister that I get chills whenever he talks!

All that said however, this show does have its flaws. A few of the characters can be very annoying (though not one-dimensional) and the show often cuts from something super interesting or intense to some random "funny" scene. Sometimes it actually is very funny, but sometimes it's annoying, though they don't usually cut for very long. And while the animation may not be the highest quality, they do a surprisingly good job with what they have, and even improve over time, with facial expressions becoming more expressive and less stiff, and certain characters moving in a very smooth and dramatic way.

Overall, this is one of the most entertaining shows I have ever seen, and idk why more people aren't talking about it! The voice acting is also decent, and improves a lot over time, so that the main character's screams and heavy breathing sound very realistic and make the episode that much more exciting. If you don't normally like cartoons, there are a few goofy elements to this show that you may not be able to stomach, but those things aside-THIS SHOW IS SO GREAT! if you stick with it you probably will not regret it!

I believe this show to be one of, if not the greatest cartoon ever made. It has, without doubt, some of the finest writing in animation history, a story for the ages, weird yet relatable characters, and best of all, one of the greatest conspiracy plots in TV history, rivaling even the works of series like Lost and Stranger Things. Now, yes, I did grow up on this show, so therefore I am quite biased, but I do mean it when I say this shoe has it all. Sadly though, it is criminaly underrated, with only Canadians like myself understanding and appreciating the greatness of this show. If somehow you've come across this cartoon and are asking yourself whether to watch it, the answer is yes, no matter what.

Detentionaire is one of those shows I loved to watch in my childhood. Every Thursday, a new episode would drop, and after that, my mind would focus on where the story would go next. I loved it, but I was worried that it wouldn't hold up if I revisited it. Well, after a rewatch, I am happy to say that 10 years later this series still rocks!

The show follows Lee Ping, a 10th grader who is framed for a huge prank he didn't do, and thus has to prove his innocence, "breaking rules to prove he didn't break any rules" as he puts it. This setup seems like it would be a simple whodunit type of plot, but the more Lee (and the audience) learn about the prank, the deeper the mystery gets. I love how even when the stakes are high, there are still callbacks to earlier seasons. It's clear that everything in this show happens for a reason, like an intricate puzzle. Despite the show touching on some dark themes, it also knows how to have a sense of humour, and has lots of funny quotable moments!

The characters are really likable because they subvert your expectations. While at first glance they may appear to be tropes you can find in any other show set in high school, each character soon reveals there's so much more to them, or a trope is flipped on it's head entirely. A "dumb jock" could actually be pretty smart, a big tough guy could actually be a softie, and the shallow popular girl could have many insecurities of her own. The voice cast helps to bring these characters to life. In particular I loved Jonathan Tan as Lee, David Berni as Chaz, and Brian Froud as Lynch. Each performance is just oozing with charisma, helping the characters stay that much more memorable.

While we can always hope for a continuation of the show, one thing is for sure: Detentionaire is one of the best story-based mystery cartoons out there, and is criminally underrated. If you see this review, I urge you to go check it out for yourself!