Sonikku za hejjihoggu

I remember back when I was around 10 I saw this movie on VHS at my local Fred Myers and being the huge sonic fan I was (and still to this day is) I bought it and I loved it through voices and all and I dunno if I followed the plot that well either. Now years later, I get my hands on the DVD with the Japanese sub and now heres where my real opinion of the movie comes in.

The plot is actually really clever, as far as a 60 minute movie goes. Eggman comes to Sonic and Tails for help. He's been kicked out of his home by a monster known as Black Eggman (metal Robotnick or something in English). Why should Sonic care? The generator powering Eggman's city is about to explode putting all of Planet Freedom in danger and everyone is counting on him. The whole trip seems like its from a Sonic video game itself and things get really heated up when Sonic and Tails face Black Eggman in a deserted city. When things look bad, the two get a helping hand from Knuckles and a well animated battle takes place what with great action (how they take out Black Eggman was pretty cool) and some nice humor (After taunting Black Eggman, Sonic and tails begin to leave him until he reveals a pair of metal wings and rocket jets, getting ready to run them down. Their expressions are great and how they both say the exact same thing "Noooo waaaayyy..." always cracks me up.) But Sonic soon has to fight something much more dangerous than Black Eggman, or anything Eggman has ever cooked up. A robot that not only looks like Sonic but thinks like Sonic, acts like Sonic, and fights like Sonic takes on the his perfect match, the fastest thing alive.

I remember the days of Sonic CD and boy oh boy did I love that intro. Never got to see the ending until Sonic Mega Collection. It was these two videos that opened my eyes to what the blue hedgehog can do. Never slowed down, thinking on his feet, looking cool all the while. The animators, as probably most of you know, where behind this. Compared to todays standards the animation might seem dated, but it still works nicely The voice overs in Japanese are done real nicely. Sonic has a tough voice with a bit of sarcasm thrown in there. Tails sounds more like a female, but in turn sounds younger and his voice is much more tolerable than the English. Knuckles sounds tough but in a way friendly. Eggman sounds good, though he sounds more goofy than serious usually. Supporting characters have fitting voices as well.

I will be honest, I haven't heard the movie in English in years so I can't compare ^^; The music deserves to be put on CD, nothing seems out of place really and the main theme of the movie, Look Alike, is done very nicely.

As for my rating I'm taking one point off for some dated animation and another point for the English dub over. At least they didn't edit anything and the dialogue is pretty much the same in either one.

Recommended to Sonic fans, highly recommend Japanese dub. 8/10 I have heard some complaints about this movie that have to do with this film being to different from the cartoons of the early 90's, like being set on Planet Freedom and not Mobius. The game is based off of Sonic CD and from what I can tell the the writers used most of the ideas from the game for the movie (Metal Sonic *of course*, time warps, and the areas in the movie reminded me of the game as well.) This Sonic world was made in Japan so it has nothing to do with the cartoons and comics of America. At least I don't think Mobius was the planet they used in Japan.

Comparing them seems a little unfair in my eyes. And don't give me a hard time if I'm wrong.

It's an mediocre OVA if you had no expectations and an open mind. The storyline itself is actually pretty decent, but the English voice actors don't add to the quality. This OVA also contains THE most annoying Sonic world character I have ever encountered in my life. Sara. She's selfish, arrogant, and loud, among other things. The ending theme of "Look-A-Likes" by Riu Konaka was pretty good. The words make no sense early on though, and it's only when you really think about it do SOME parts make sense. Knuckles fans who liked the dedication he has in other universes will cry. There's no sign of a Master Emerald anywhere, and the closest thing to hinting of it is in the fact that he likes to treasure hunt. There are a few questionable scenes in the OVA, but they're all really subtle. I didn't even notice most of them, so they're mostly only obvious if you're looking for them. The story is an overused one, though it's probably the best part out of the OVA. Sonic and Tails are tricked into going down to Robotropolis to deactivate a bomb, and meet Knuckles on the way down. From the DVD description, you can probably tell how Metal Sonic is involved in all of this. There's some fighting, but no blood, and lots of yelling. There are some useless characters that had little roles in the movie's context, but it didn't get to the point where it was overly ridiculous. Overall, the OVA was rather disappointing, but a mediocre film for those who had few expectations anyway.

Unfortunately, many people were turned off by this movie; first problem being that it was not so much a movie as it was a long cartoon. Never the less, there was enough content to fill the time.

I don't quite understand what beef people have with the story line, it wasn't much more of a deviation from something you would encounter in one of the games. The only difference this time was that it was the first introduction of Sonic into a "real" world (disregarding the US cartoons, because this movie passed under the inspection of Sonic Team, making it essentially legit). I thought it proposed a decent solid story line, it introduced the characters, the problem, etc etc...

The movie was the best animated representation OF the whole Sonic/Robotnik rivalry, while still keeping the same "friendship"/interaction with all the characters that people have grown to know; Sonic and Knuckles giving each other a hard time, Tails following Sonic around like a puppy, Sonic and Robotnik fighting while Sonic always remains light hearted about it all in the end.. Although they introduced alternate, "non-Sonic" characters, this is also actually the best animated representation of a world that Sonic exists in. The president reigns over "South Island", which is a place the Japanese manual for Sonic 1 references when talking about the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic and Tails' trek to the center of Robotropolis brings them through scenery and obstacles that are immediately reminiscent of the early Genesis games (I loved the scenes with the Caterkiller and the Buzz Bombers).

The inclusion of Metal Sonic was the pinnacle of the movie, though... Metal Sonic has developed a HUGE fan-base in the Sonic community, and it was only proper he finally be given a real character background and personality. There are multiple versions of him throughout the Sonic games, he had a different design for every one of these games: Sonic 2 (Genesis/MegaDrive), Sonic 2 (GameGear/Master System), Sonic CD, Sonic & Knuckles, Knuckles' Chaotix (final boss), Sonic Heroes (final boss). But the design that caught on the most was from Sonic CD, Chaotix (first encounter w/ him), and Heroes (after his new form was defeated, he reverted back). While alternate universes exist within many other long running series (be they TV, Movie, or games), no real beginning of Metal Sonic was ever explained or described, other than the game manuals saying Robotnik designed a copy of Sonic. The movie gave life to this character.

The English voices weren't the greatest, but they at least fit the characters very well... Sort of like how the American music for Sonic CD is more appropriate for the level designs than the original music is, despite the original music being more popular. They should have used some of the voice actors from the animated cartoons here in the US, rather than getting new people; but the voices were still better than the English voice actors Sonic Team used in the most recent Sonic games.

The animation was excellent, cleanly drawn, very expressive character movements. The animators captured the way Sonic moved and attacked perfectly, about as "realistic" as you can get with animation.

Take reviews with a grain of salt... don't believe just one person's opinion. I say it's good, other people may say it's bad. See it for yourself, just don't approach it expecting a miracle. It's a fun getaway, retreat from the norm...and savior from Sonic X.

This movie is just cool.

Dr. Robotnik, Sonic's enemy, says that the generator in Robotropolis is acting very werid. And if it isn't stopped by sunrise the next day, it will explode and destroy their world. Sonic agrees to take the task. Although, when he arrives down there, there's some trouble waiting for Sonic...

This movie definitely worth watching to fans of Sonic the Hedgehog, or anime. This movie has slightly below average voice acting, but it isn't bad enough to disturb you while watching. The humor is funny, and the battle scenes are super action packed. This is worth watching.

9/10

Sweet story, good animation, amazing music, definitely worth watching.