Duelo Xiaolin

I am surprised by how much I enjoy this show. It does have its flaws, but this initial order has so far been better than most other first seasons launched by Kids WB, including my fav, The Zeta Project which died an angonized death.

Omi is hilarious, Clay is admirable, Kimiko is sweet without annoying the fudge out of me, Master Fung floors me, and Jack Spicer is a good arch nemesis.

I have problems with Raimundo, Katt Nappe, and that ghost lady with Jack however. Fortunately, the last couple episodes have been Katt free. Best of luck to the show!!

At first glance, Xiaolin Showdown might appear to be formulaic, with four monks embodying the four elements and a largely comedic villain (Jack Spicer). Many episodes follow a standard "showdown" plot. However, as mentioned, the good guys don't always win, and as time goes on, we discover that this series, unlike so many American cartoons, dares to explore its characters and (gasp) allow them to grow. The good characters are allowed flaws, and the bad ones allowed (sometimes to their own consternation) to have good aspects. The introduction of Chase Young in the second season as would-be evil influence on Omi improved the series by providing the monks with a more formidable--and less straightforward--opponent. But who is influencing whom? The occasional depth of the series continues to surprise. Bonus: The magical aspect of the series allows for imaginative psychedelic sequences that can be a hoot.

When I first heard of Xiaolin Showdown, I thought that it was just going to be another one of those stupid action cartoons that try to keep kids around with really lame jokes that even they hate. So, I never watched it until two years later. It was summer, and I had nothing better to do than watch some childish cartoon and make fun of it later. First thing I noticed was the characters. Most of them were overused stereotypes, and I hated them. The only character that I took a liking to was Jack Spicer. Sure, cartoons often make fun of the villain, but they never intentionally make you laugh. Jack broke that chain and actually came off as being the most amusing villain I have ever seen in a cartoon. In general, the entire style of humor in Xiaolin is fairly decent. It has that kind of humor that everyone likes. You know, the kind where you can tell it to an eight-year-old and you both will think it's funny. Second thing I noticed was the animation style. They seemed to have combined modern American with ancient Asian scroll styles. It makes for a good combination for both humor and action. Plus, the Xialon Showdown scenes really are fantastic. The animators make good use of what would naturally be around and turn it into something totally unrealistic and fantastic. Xiaolin Showdown may have some pretty major characters that are just stereotypes, but they have managed to break the chain of predictable cartoons. The villains are the main source of humor, the animation style can easily be turned from humor to action, and my favorite part, the good guys don't always win.

I remember this show growing up. It had enough going for it that I have a positive view of it years later. Some may say there weren't many shows that stood out in the early 2000s, but I think this is a show with style that sets it apart. Other shows like Jackie Chan Adventures had a similar style of Asian culture mixed with American animation, and this one definitely shares some similarities (heck, both shows came out from the same network). However, I really enjoyed this type of style, and while the characters and story aren't the selling point, the imagination put into some of the concepts got me hooked. It works well in the show, and there's even significant character and plot development moving along (such as the writers bringing back a certain plot point in the past), which is definitely something I really appreciated.

Xiaolin Showdown is not a perfect show, but it is very good. I feared it would not be my thing and that it would be lacklustre, that it would fail at any attempts at humour or that it would have obnoxious characters. It was a really nice surprise that it had neither of those negative traits.

The animation is actually pretty good with interesting use of colour and character designs. The music is funky and cool, especially the theme tune, while the story ideas are a lot of fun and have originality and energy. I agree the writing can be a tinsy bit poor and predictable at times, but it does have a good balance of intelligence and humour. The characters are engaging, the title character for example while flawed is brave and loyal while the villain Jack Spicer is more comedic than threatening, but when he is amusing he is amusing. Another strength is the rock-solid voice acting from the likes of Danny Cooksey, Tom Kenny and Wayne Knight.

In conclusion, interesting show, and quite clever and fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox