Xiaolin Showdown

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.

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

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.

The idea behind this show deserved a better studio. This series is so impressive if it had any way to end its plots and wrap up its characters it would make a great series.

It's like, every new villain character that is introduced is taken to the absolute peak of their villain potential before getting defeated. Then instead of getting wrapped up they become another comedic relief character in the background for jokes in future episodes. No one manifests this better than Jack Spicer. Great villain potential, become a sad joke in later seasons.

The first season of this series is probably the most solid that the show was. Nothing is going to beat the final 4 episodes of season 1. It never reaches the same height again.

After the first season it's like the studio came in and said: okay, now do it again but 50% cheaper.

And you are like: excuse me? Retcon? Who is Chase Young? Where? How? Why? No idea. The studio didn't care, it just wanted to make a lore, it just didn't want to waste any time on buildup.

So if you want the authentic, the best of Xiaolin Showdown, then I wholly recommend season 1 in its entirety. THAT IS A 9 FROM ME.

The rest of the series becomes a 6,5 for me. You might like the other characters it introduces, but for me, too many spices in a dish doesn't make a better dish.

I remember how good this show was years and years ago and even now as I recently rewatched it I can still see how truly wonderful and Unique it is. I also get a lot more of the jokes I wouldn't of got when I first watched it and would recommend this show.