Xiaolin Showdown

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!!

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.

Using cartoons as a link to my passing childhood, I am tending to watch a lot of them. I was surprised, in fact, to find Xiaolin Showdown as such a delightful show, not just for younger children but for teens, and even my dad finds the show's humor amusing. Even though it is animated, it has fantastic battle-like scenes between the good Xiaolin side and the evil Heylin side, jokes and wisecracks that are actually funny, and characters that viewers grow to like despite their human-like flaws. The storyline centers around four Xiaolin warriors that live in the Xiaolin Temple: Omi, a short yellow orphan who appears to be the main protagonist, is the Dragon of Water; Raimundo, a hot-headed Brazillian character, is the Dragon of Wind; Kimiko, the rich, clever, and electronically adept Japanese girl, is the Dragon of Fire; and Clay, a cowboy from Texas, is the Dragon of Earth. Their duty is to retrieve the mystical ancient artifacts known as the Shen Gong Wu before they fall into the hands of the evil Heylin side. The warriors are aided by a wisecracking Chinese dragon by the name of Dojo. As seasons go on, the warriors are confronted with different and increasingly dangerous Heylin villains, but the villains that are most focused on would have to be Jack Spicer, a whiny, red-haired goth wannabe villain who has dubbed himself "Evil Boy Genius"; and Wuya, the 1500 year old evil spirit of a Heylin witch.

It is very interesting to watch as the characters grow and develop as they learn to work together to meet their goals. However, I find the characters of Omi and Clay to be most irritating. Omi is sometimes used for comic relief when he uses arrogant comments and claims to be the best of the dragons. Though this is used for entertainment, it feels to me as though it is strained. The show revolves around Omi, and he comes off sometimes as a self-important, arrogant little jerk which takes my admiration away from him.

Clay, on the other hand, is arguably the least focused on of the 4 dragons, yet he still succeeds in annoying me. Having being a "cowboy", he possesses all the stereotypical qualities of what one would think a cowboy would have. I think his stereotypical way of speaking, acting, and even fighting takes away from seeing him as an actual character, which also allows him to be considered less interesting. When I look at him, all I see is "cowboy".

Now, this show, however, possesses the most interesting, creative, and entertaining line of villains I have ever seen, Jack Spicer being my personal favorite. Though he is a whiny, girly, mama's boy, he succeeds in being the most entertaining villain. He has the best wisecracks, and his constant bickering with Wuya is very funny. He spends the majority of his time creating a vast array of creative and sometimes humorous robots that he calls "Jackbots". As a viewer, I have mixed emotions about Jack. Though he is a villain, he is so likable and you eventually begin to sympathize with him.

The character design and animation in this show is, in my personal opinion, stunning. It combines the clean-cut American style of animation with Asian animation techniques including many spirals and curly-q's. I also enjoy Kimiko's ever-changing outfits and hairstyles that define how creative the animators are. The voice acting is also fabulous, and the plot line is very intricate for a cartoon. Also, I rather like the theme song. It's really something you can jam to.

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.

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.