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my-yuujin · 5 years

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Ryusoulger Solo Interview from Mynavi: Osaki Ichika

-It has been more than half of a year since the filming of “Ryusoulger”, has there been any change in your daily life before and after that?

Because the shooting is always early in the morning, it also changes my life schedule. I used to sleep until evening (laughs), but recently I can sleep and wake up early, even when I don’t have any shooting schedule. My body is already used to it.

-Is there anything that changed a lot as you are now playing as Asuna?

Recently, people told me that I have become a cutesy girl (laughs). I can see that Asuna’s fluffy character is slightly absorbed inside me. When I play as Asuna, I tend to speak with a slightly higher voice tone, and because I spend a lot of time as Asuna, my voice is a little higher even when I’ve returned to Osaki Ichika (laughs). “I may end up letting out a little flirty personality?” sometimes I also ponder about that.

-While it doesn’t suit her appearance as a cute girl, Asuna actually has tremendous strength. She shows extreme monstrous power, such as lifting someone with one hand and throwing it away easily.

Asuna is a cheerful character. It’s very fun to make her involved in many funny scenes with Kou and Melto. “Strong, but reckless” is the impression of Asuna’s personality that we try to convey, as she has been showing a lot of power since the first episode.

However, what worries me when playing Asuna is “How far should her strength be shown?”. I often consult with the directors, “Since Asuna has monstrous power, should she touch things like this, or should she be careful not to touch anything?” I myself am not strong like her, so sometimes people forget about that and say, “Huh? Shouldn’t it feel much lighter?” when I lift something. Oppositely, when it’s a scene when I want to use Asuna’s strength, I usually remind everyone, “I will hit this with a “BOOM”, so you all must react exaggeratedly, alright?” They will actually help me out with that.

-In Episode 1, Kou who teases Asuna as “Monstrous Power”, gets pushed and crashed against a rock. While Melto who witnesses that, seems to be reminded how strong Asuna is. That scene sure has huge impact in introducing Asuna.

Actually, Kamihoriuchi (Kazuya)-san directed that scene with a little surprise. In its rehearsal, I was told that it should go like: Asuna got angry with Kou, pushed him, and Melto reacted “What a strength!”. But when we actually did it, after I pushed Kou, suddenly an explosion happened with a loud “BOOM!!”. I was so surprised, and went “EHHH??” inside my heart. But since I didn’t show it on my face, the recording was regarded as an OK. Director Kamihoriuchi laughed and asked, “How’s that? Are you surprised?”(laughs). And thanks to that little surprise, Melto’s startled expression went out very real.

–Director Kamihoriuchi directed Ryusoulger The Movie, and also was in charge of episode 1 and 2 from the TV series. It can be said that he was the one who built the foundation of Ryusoulger’s shooting environment. Osaki-san, what was your impression of Kamihoriuchi-san?

When I played my part, but didn’t know how I should act for the next scene, the director said to me, “Your acting back then, when you play it by yourself, it gives you bad feeling, doesn’t it?”. He totally saw through it right away. And when I replied, “Yes, it feels bad. I can’t properly digest it within myself.” Then, he told me, “At this part, how about you do it like this?” That side of him really helps us the actors. While he does sound strict, everything he says can be easily understood by us. Even though it’s an important shooting, he’s a director who can make the work environment feel relieving.

-Action scenes are things that can’t be separated from a hero show, and you are now being challenged to perform those. Are you also good at action?

Action scenes are fun, and I love them. But I myself don’t really have a good sense (laughs). I thought I was good at moving my body, but since everyone around is a boy, it’s still hard to keep up with their speed and range. After being shown how it goes, the boys could do it quickly. But for me, it usually takes longer. So when there is time, the suit actors will teach me how to move my body and how to use the sword. After all, it must be fun if you can do at least one technique, but if you can’t, it will not be fun (laughs). There are some parts in me that hate losing. Therefore, I’m practicing every day so that I won’t be defeated by the boys. Basically, the action scenes are always exciting, as it really feels that you are being challenged.

–Asuna is presented as a character who loves to eat. In episode 9 she was shown eating yakiniku. In episode 13, it’s potato chips. In episode 16, she’s holding two fried chickens with her both hands. It’s a simple question, but did you really eat those?

Yes, I did. I originally like to eat, and the staffs also always prepare some snacks for Asuna. Even for myself, when it is a scene that I don’t have to do anything, I usually ask if there is any snack, as I’m really conscious of Asuna’s personality who always wants to eat something.

–Surely when you look at Asuna who excitedly eats anything, it is as if giving you energy, too, isn’t?

Of course, I’m also careful not to eat too much. That being said, after one scene is cut, and I don’t have to take part in the next scene, I will ask “Can I eat the leftover?”, and they let me (Laughs) Everyone else also takes part in eating them. The curry from episode 3 and yakiniku from episode 9 were delicious. I recently did a scene where we ate takoyaki. Every time Asuna eats something, I also always eat it, so I look forward to that because every food that has been prepared were so delicious.

-Ryusoulger ending song “Que Bom Dance” seems pretty popular on (T/N: Toei’s) Youtube official channel. Can you tell us some tips on how to dance “Que Bom Dance” well ?

The choreography for every dancer is the same, but when you dance, you may bring out your own personality, too. I’m not that good at dancing, but I dance with a feeling to have fun. If you bring out that kind of feeling, anyone who see your dance would say that it’s energetic, or looking cute. I guess such simple stuff is what makes you dance well (laughs).

-In episode 12 “The Illusion of scorching flame”, Asuna grew huge, because of that illusion, along with Ui and Melto. I guess it’s rare to see a real character standing on the stage of miniature set where Kishiryu and giant Minusaur usually fight. How was your feeling when being huge around buildings?

Dime Volcano really gives cool impression. Its face is small and looks stylish. I was entering the shooting site, thinking that the scene would be filmed with (T/N: green screen) compositing. I felt glad to be able to stand among Tokusatsu’s miniature set.

-Using a green screen, it seems difficult to act in the absence of anything, doesn’t it?

It is difficult to play emotions in such situation, because it is important to receive emotions sending by seeing the other person’s eyes. Instead, I have to act against the green screen, so it’s hard to insert my feelings into my acting.

–Ichinose-san, who plays Kou/Ryusoul Red, said that all six members of Ryusoulger have slight difference between their roles and their real personalities. Do you feel that you are also different from Asuna?

It’s a little different … but I guess recently, it may not be as different as before. Among the six members, Asuna and I may be the most similar in term of personality. I’m usually a very talkative and energetic person, so I feel that those parts are naturally brought out as Asuna. It’s also the same with her fond of eating. If I have to say the difference, I think it’s Asuna’s habit of puffing out her cheeks when she’s angry. I don’t do such cute expression (laughs). But, that part isn’t so difficult to act, and I can become Asuna very naturally.

-Asuna is always full of spirits, cheerful, and happily eats a lot. She is a very important character among the members, as their mood maker, isn’t she?

There are people who look forward to what expression Asuna will show, and what action she will take. Therefore, I’m working hard to enrich my expression, so that I can answer their expectations.

-On Twitter and such, we can find lots of Ryusoulger’s off-shot photos. Everyone always seems to have very much fun. Among the members, who is the most amusing when you are taking such pictures?

It’s none other than Melto’s actor, Tsuna (Keito)-kun, I think. He’s recently been bullied by everyone. It ‘s amusing because he’s a serious character. There are times when I tease that seriousness of Tsuna-kun (laughs). In episode 13, Asuna tells Melto her “real feelings”, and their friendship is broken. While it’s not realistic to reconcile that quickly later, but I guess it’s how the trio childhood friends are. I myself can be relaxed the most when there are Kou, Melto, and Asuna being at the same place, like they usually are.

-In “Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger THE MOVIE: Time Slip! Dinosaur Panic!!”, Kou, Melto and Asuna experience taking different moves among themselves. Is this a fresh sensation for Melto and Asuna?

Certainly, it was a great experience for us to not have Kou around. However, Melto works hard to pull everyone together, in place of Kou. And I think he’s done well in covering Kou’s absence.

-I would like to ask you some highlights in the movie. What was your impression when you were with Sano Shiro-san (Velma) as the the movie’s guest star?

In the scenes when I was co-starring with him, I felt overwhelmed by Sano-san’s aura. It’s not that it was scary, but when I was watching the scenes where he was playing, as expected, I goosebumped. But in usual situations, Sano-san was very kind, and he was even willing to start conversation with us.

-Please tell us Asuna’s important highlights in the movie.

Asuna on the TV series is always smiling and eating, so she makes lots of funny scenes. However, in the movie, the story itself is serious, and there are scenes where Asuna shows an explosion of emotions that exceeds the usual “emotions”. They’re not “anger” or “sadness”, those feelings filled my heart so much, that I didn’t even understand…. In one scene, the director (Kamihoriuchi) asked me, “Those lines, can you act them while laughing and crying?” I was worried for a brief, “What should I do?”, but I just tried to digest it within myself, and act it out by being myself. At that time, I left everything to the momentum, and the atmosphere that was created by the director and staffs. I acted while leaving my feelings going bare, so…, if I try to remember it now, the memories at that time were almost nothing. It almost felt like I was so high, like being suffocated. I was able to put out fierce expressions that may not be found on the TV series, so I would like you to check what kind of emotion Asuna expresses in the movie.

-Is there any trivia scene that you want the audiences to pay attention to in the movie?

Asuna is not only cheerful, as she also can sometimes act firm. There is a scene in the movie where she throws a peculiar gaze towards Banba, so please be sure to pay attention to it. I haven’t confirmed it (by seeing) the completed movie yet, so I’m sorry if it was ended up being cut out (laughs). Asuna is also expressive in the movie, and I hope you can support Asuna exploring those expressions.

-In the movie campaign, there should be more opportunities to meet children fans directly. Have you ever had any interaction with those children fans before?

Recently, we get talked to more often by the mothers who bring their children outside. There are a lot of girls who say they like Asuna, but boys who likes Asuna are quite a number too. Many children appeared in the movie as extras, but since my turn was in the afternoon, I couldn’t get involved with them. It seemed that one of the girls who had been filmed since morning cried, “If I don’t meet Asuna, I won’t go home!”, so I rushed immediately to meet her. I’m very grateful to her feeling, and the children’s support always become our energy. I would like to create an environment where I can interact with the children directly in various places, so please continue to support Ryusoulger and Asuna!

source: news.mynavi.jp/article/20190725-ryusoul/

#kishiryu sentai ryusoulger #asuna #osaki ichika #ryusoulger #translations #ryusoulger interview

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doocentral · 7 years

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SCOOBY APOCALYPSE - A REVIEW OF YEAR ONE

The iconic group of teen sleuths and their talking, hungry dog has resonated with many, young and old throughout the years. Scooby-Doo has always been a favorite and has generally been geared towards younger viewers (despite the trekking new waters of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated). But nothing quite as unique or dark has ever been released like Scooby Apocalypse, the DC comic book series that was launched in May 2016. It has been almost a year since its initial release and the twelve issues that fans have had the opportunity to read so far have told a story unlike any Scooby-Doo story told before. Since its birthday is coming up on May 25th, I thought it was time to really look at the series overall and analyze its successes, faults, and other curious qualities.

Before I begin delving into Scooby Apocalypse’s contents, lets first make sure we know the basics of what the story is about. The name really says it all. Scooby-Doo and the four teenaged sleuths are now given a modern, darker, and more grown-up perspective in a post-apocalyptic setting. A nanite-technological virus goes haywire and transforms the entire world population into homicidal, malevolent, and truly frightening monsters. The gang must band together to find out what has happened to the world while simultaneously fighting to survive in a world where everyone is literally out to get them.

Understand that this review will contain many SPOILERS for Issues #1-12 so if you intend on reading the series at some point and don’t want it spoiled for you, you may want to skip reading this.

STORY

First allow me to address the story’s progress over twelve issues: it hasn’t gone too far. Scooby Apocalypse, while presenting a unique perspective on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, is a very slow-moving story despite the plot. It really isn’t clear how much time has passed between Issue #1 and Issue #12 but it could be estimated to be about a month. Over the course of this month, Scooby and the gang have managed to travel from a Nevada desert to Seattle, Washington.

For a group that is supposed to be based on teenaged mystery-solvers, the 2016 post-apocalyptic Mystery Inc. is not very good at solving mysteries at all (despite this portrayal of Velma being a genius with seven doctorate degrees under her belt). So far, all that we’ve really been able to decipher from the mystery is that an elusive technology-development organization called the Complex has, with the direction of the Dinkley family, spread nanite technology worldwide in order to improve the human condition. But things go awry when the technology is activated prematurely and malfunctions, transforming humanity into a race of monsters that have decimated the planet. Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred are all inside a safe zone within the Nevada Complex facility when the nanites are activated, protecting them from the transformation. As they venture out into the unrecognizable world, they try to figure out what happened. All we’ve learned is that not all humans were transformed and that the nanites also have a sense of artificial intelligence. This isn’t a lot of information regarding the apocalypse to be relayed to readers over a whole year of reading.

Another thing to address is the small stories at the end of select issues. At the end of the main story, there are sometimes short stories that are included in the issue that tell another developing aspect of the Scooby-apocalyptic world. In the first issue, the short story revealed how Scooby and Shaggy first meet in this story. Other stories that have been shown throughout this story have been about Scrappy-Doo, a mutated dog experiment from the Complex who has a grudge against Scooby. As the stories progress, it becomes clear that soon the main story and the small stories will collide.

I’m personally not fond of the writing when it comes to Scooby Apocalypse. I find the dialogue to be severely repetitive, tiresome, and a bit flat. The dialogue is constantly pandering and trying to crack jokes in moments when it really isn’t necessary or warranted. It also makes the characters a bit exaggerated and unbelievable. There is a constant bickering between several characters over the same topics throughout all twelve issues and it gets old fast. Aside from that, we don’t learn much from each issue. There are times that an issue doesn’t really progress the plot at all, but rather the gang’s location.

I think the writing really hinders my opinions on the characters, which I will address in a moment, but it doesn’t do the story any favors. Looking back at the year this comic series has had to tell a never-before-seen Scooby-Doo story, I think its story is too slow, repetitive, sometimes pointless. There needs to be a change because readers will not be learning much about the apocalypse’s cause over the next year at this rate.

GRADE: 5/10

CHARACTERS

The problems with the storytelling in Scooby Apocalypse translates to the characters as well. It is obvious that the Mystery Inc. we all know and love have been transformed dramatically for this version of Scooby-Doo. The changes do play big roles in how the story has and will unfold.

Scooby-Doo has taken on a subtle role so far in the story as compared to the other characters. This isn’t a bad thing. Scooby has been portrayed in many ways over the course of the Scooby-Doo franchise’s history. The original cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! had the character use minimal dialogue but lots of action and comedic roles. This has changed in later series such as Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated where Scooby’s role was central and vital to the overarching plot. He had more dialogue and relevance to the story. But the most recent iteration of the franchise, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! has brought Scooby back to his core role in the show as has this comic book series. The rest of the gang really drive the story while Scooby talks very minimally. He isn’t the most important character when it comes to the plot because there are four other main characters to consider. The speech he does have is primitive because he was an early Smartdog experiment in the Complex. He acts like a real dog which is refreshing considering the new storyline being oriented towards adults. The character still draws on some of the key qualities of the source material: always wanting to eat food, scared of most things, and is courageous when his loved ones are in danger. Design-wise, I love the emoti-goggles that Scooby sports in this comic. They make him stand out compared to past iterations and make this version of him unique and recognizable.

Shaggy has some good and bad qualities in this comic series. Fans were split on how they felt about Shaggy’s new character design. Some were praising the design as it speaks to the modern-day idea of hipsters while others found it pandering and a cheap ploy to make the character more likable. But this isn’t about making Shaggy more likable; rather the design was an effort to make the character more relatable. The original Shaggy was a stereotype of 1960s/1970s hippy teenagers. It could easily be argued that Scooby Apocalypse’s Shaggy is designed to be a stereotype of the 2000s/2010s hipster culture that is observed among many millennials. This Shaggy is an employee at the Complex whose responsibility is to oversee and train the Smartdogs including Scooby-Doo. He’s an opinionated individual and is not afraid to voice what he thinks (despite this sometimes making him appear as a stereotypical hippy-minded pacifist). This Shaggy appears to be the glue in the group at this point in the story. When characters bicker or fight, he tends to try to break it up and calm the situation. Like his original counterpart, Shaggy in Scooby Apocalypse is easily frightened but does have courageous qualities when need-be. He loves to eat like Scooby, and like the original Shaggy, is best friends with the canine.

One of the most developed and interesting characters in the Scooby Apocalypse story so far is Velma. Dr. Velma Dinkley to be exact. She is one of the leading scientists in the Complex who conceived and spread the nanite technology that has transformed the human race into monsters. This character is unique compared to the others because so far, she is the only one whose backstory has been fully fleshed out and explored (Scooby’s in the first issue isn’t really comparable as it only covers two or three pages). Readers know where Velma’s choices, opinions, and motivations are coming from unlike other characters such as Daphne and Fred. Her backstory addresses her perceived neglect from her parents, superiority to her peers, and simultaneous inferiority to her four older brothers (who I will discuss later). These ideas in her head influence her career path and adult motivations because she seeks approval from her brothers. She is super intelligent (having earned 7 doctoral degrees by age 17) and still doesn’t seem to stack up to her brothers’ successes in the eyes of every member of the Dinkley family. Velma tries to remedy this by developing Project Elysium during her work at the Complex with her brothers. Project Elysium was the nanotech effort to improve humanity which has been corrupted. Velma is conflicted in regard to her role in the project and whether or work on it is responsible for the world’s demise. Visually, her design is unique as it exaggerates her smaller stature compared to the other members of the group. Velma is reserved and prefers to work alone which resonates in her character design. Her development and role in the story makes her the most interesting and successful character among the story’s roster.

Daphne is the character that has changed the most compared to original Daphne. Her character in Scooby Apocalypse is probably the most problematic as she drives a tiresome conflict that most readers are over at this point. Daphne is a journalist who sought to uncover the nefarious plans of the Complex. When the apocalypse breaks out and the gang begins their quest to remedy it and survive, Daphne devotes most of her dialogue to interrogating Velma and trying to blame her for the result of spreading the nanotechnology. This Daphne is good-hearted deep down as she has a strong distaste in killing monsters because she views it as murder. But the character is aggressive, impulsive, and blunt otherwise. Her friendship with Fred is complicated by his love for her which she does not reciprocate. She gets along most with Shaggy and Scooby in this story which is odd considering her long history with Fred in it. I don’t think her motivations are consistent and even when they appear to be, Daphne backtracks on the same old argument against Velma. It does appear that this is beginning to end as Issues #11 and #12 see them finally arriving in Seattle, but it has not done her justice otherwise. The only thing worth praising about Daphne in this storyline is her leadership role. Unlike most Scooby-Doo incarnations, Daphne takes on a stronger leadership role. It’s interesting because the only times she has shown leadership qualities otherwise in the franchise is when Fred is not present, but in this story where all characters are present, Daphne resonates as the one driving the gang. It’s an interesting and progressive choice on the writers’ part and it’s worth acknowledging and praising despite her exaggerated anger and distaste towards Velma.

There isn’t much to say about Fred. Fred has not impacted the story much at all in Scooby Apocalypse (which may be attributed to making Daphne the gang’s leader as this leadership role has always been characteristic of Fred). Over the course of 12 comic book issues, all readers really know about Fred is that he works with and is in love with Daphne. And that’s it. Fred has no real motivation other than his love for Daphne. He has tried proposing to her and at this point the jokes about his proposal have become awkward and repetitive. The character has been injured twice so far in this story which has only hindered his role and relevance to the group. This is not a complaint that Fred is not the leader; it’s an intriguing and progressive idea to make Daphne the group’s leader. But otherwise Fred doesn’t really have anything to offer the gang other than being dead weight. While the rest of the gang is off completing tasks that have been presented in each issue, Fred spends most of his time sitting in the Mystery Machine either sleeping, being unconscious, or worrying about everyone. This just isn’t a character anyone would find interesting or to be driving the story.

Oddly enough, Scrappy Doo is actually more interesting than Fred in Scooby Apocalypse. I won’t spend too much time talking about him but it should be noted that the transformation of the character into a bipedal mutant Smartdog that is rallying other Smartdogs to find Velma and Scooby-Doo is a fun idea. The mutation is a subtle reference to the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo movie and it’s fun to see Scrappy’s revival as a character since that movie (despite many fans not liking the character in one or all of his performances throughout the franchise). His role is antagonistic in the story which is great because of his complex personality. He is spiteful towards humans for how they experimented on him in the Complex, but fears how these experiments and the apocalypse have transformed him into an inhumane monster. While I find his motivation to kill Scooby a bit weak and unprecedented, he does present a threat to the gang as he searches for Velma to improve and fix the Smartdog technology allowing him to be so intelligent and observant. He may also take a stab at her too. His short stories have been giving readers a good idea of what he’s been up to since the beginning of the apocalypse and it’s going to be fun to see how Mystery Inc. will collide with Scooby’s reimagined nephew.

The only other notable character that can be discussed in Scooby Apocalypse is Rufus Dinkley, one of Velma’s older brothers. We’ve only seen him in three issues and he’s only had dialogue and a real role in two (Issues #11 and #12). He’s notably violent and impulsive. A selfish and evidently childish businessman, Rufus is abusive to his wife Daisy and his current motivation is to keep the monsters out of his tower in Seattle, Washington. We the readers know he has killed two scientists trying to figure out how to fix the transformed world and that he feels superior to his siblings. It’s going to be a violent turn-of-events come Issue #13 when he is confronted by Velma and the rest of Mystery Inc.

Overall the characters have varying levels of development, interest, and relevance to the story. I find some of them to have very weak motivations and personalities while others have clear ideas on what they are trying to accomplish in the story. Their designs are unique takes on the original counterparts and the new characters that we’ve been briefly acquainted with do present conflicts. There is a weakness though in the lack of characters in the story. Aside from the main five characters and Scrappy, the only human characters that have been introduced at all are Rufus and Daisy Dinkley in Issue #11 and Issue #12. The lack of any other characters driving the present events of Scooby Apocalypse do make the story slower and the dimensionality of it weak.

GRADE: 6/10

ART

This portion won’t be as extensive as the discussions on Scooby Apocalypse’s story and characters but the conciseness will get my opinion across. Scooby Apocalypse, over the course of 12 issues, seems to have been divided into two different categories being Issues #1-7 and Issues #8-12. My reasoning for this statement is that for the first seven issues of the comic series the art style has been consistent and appears to have been drawn or directed by the same comic artist. This then goes into Issues #8-12 where mid-comic book, the art style will dramatically change. No joke, the left page could be drawn by one artist and the right page will suddenly change art style dramatically giving the reader a quick idea that a new artist has taken over. This is a weakness for many reasons. First and foremost, I had to take a second midst reading to compare the conflicting art styles. I literally have to stop reading the story and take a look because of how dramatic the change can be at times. It also invites inconsistency to the story making me concerned about whether this problem is going to be evident in future comic art and writing for Scooby Apocalypse. I recommend that if other artists are going to experiment with how they draw Scooby Apocalypse, they do it with whole issues rather than a quarter or half of an issue. It pulls the reader out of the story and subtly but effectively changes the tone of the story itself. There are times the comic art is very sharp and intimidating, giving the reader a sense of danger which is appropriate for Scooby Apocalypse. Then the reader turns the page and the art style has changed to something a little more cartoonish which diminishes the prior tones and moods the first artist was effectively portraying.

Despite the inconsistency and changing of artists mid-issue, Scooby Apocalypse does provide a beautiful palette of colors, line art, and character designs. There was careful consideration before the comic was launched as to how the writers and creators wanted to portray Mystery Inc. in a post-apocalyptic story. It is no secret that Scooby Apocalypse stands out compared to the art of every other iteration of the Scooby story ever made (including its simultaneous cartoon on Cartoon Network Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! which is more light-hearted and comedy-driven with a modern animation style). The comic has great artists at the helm and it really does help my eyes wander throughout the books. The backgrounds are very detailed and helps with the world-building. The colors are vibrant and arguably drive the sinister aspects of the post-apocalypse at times throughout Scooby Apocalypse’s freshman year.

Whether fans love or hate the character designs, it can be agreed upon that the designs set the characters apart from their original counterparts. Seeing any of these characters will instantly make a fan identify them with Scooby Apocalypse which is a good thing if DC Comics and Warner Bros. is trying to gear Scooby Apocalypse towards older mature audiences as compared to current Scooby-Doo television programming and direct-to-video releases. The art should be praised despite its faults because it really does make Scooby-Doo fans like myself appreciate comic book art.

GRADE: 7/10

CONCLUSION

Scooby Apocalypse strives for uniqueness in a franchise filled with cartoonish chasings of bad guys in costumes. I can see the writers, artists, and producers trying to pan the comic book series as something that is very “out there” but simultaneously respectable.

The writers do want to create a post-apocalyptic world where Scooby and the rest of Mystery Inc. need to face serious problems in a sinister and adult-oriented story genre (which has been done many times before). If they can get organized and stop depending on the same flat motivations of some of these 2-dimensional characters, the story will improve and progress (readers really want to see progress; arguably nothing has happened over the course of 12 comic book issues). A lot of these issues seem like filler and could easily be cut out and replaced with more character development and progress in the gang’s quest for answers in this chaos.

The artists are doing great for the most part but need to get consistent in what they’re trying to portray. Artists that do cartoony renditions need to stay out of the mix if DC is really trying to push an adult Scooby-Doo story (take some notes from some of the villains and episodes in Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated for God’s sake!). Unless the writers and artists plan to do an issue where all the characters, monsters, and backgrounds are drawn like the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, I don’t want to see cartoony. I, as well as many reading, want to see sinister imagery and graphic content in a sharply drawn world of danger and uncertainty.

Scooby Apocalypse does deserve credit though for not completely abandoning its source material. I’m not talking about the main characters here but the subtle hints of dialogue and artwork that are trickled throughout the comic series. It should be noted that Dr. Krebs, a Complex scientist Shaggy worked closely with who invented the Mystery Machine, is named after Maynard G. Krebs, the beatnik character of the 1959 television sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis who inspired the character design of Shaggy himself. Velma’s father, Dale Dinkley (credit to him keeping his name from Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated), works in politics and notably worked with Senator Jaffe when Velma was born. Senator Jaffe is named after Nicole Jaffe, the original voice of Velma in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! It’s also stated that Daphne still comes from a rich family background due to her family’s business, Blake Bubble Bath, which is inspired by her family’s business in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Blake’s Bubbles. It can’t be overlooked in Issue #12 that Rufus Dinkley has killed Complex scientist Cassidy Williams (named after the character of the same name from Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated). Outside of writing, background artwork in Scooby Apocalypse has shown the small classic Mystery Machine (Issue #3) and pet store signs that say “puppy power” in a Scrappy Doo short story (Issue #9). These many Easter Eggs are subtle and fun for Scooby-Doo fans like myself so I can’t help but give Scooby Apocalypse some extra credit.

If you are a Scooby-Doo fan, I do hope you give Scooby Apocalypse a try at least. Its slow story, inconsistent art (as of late), and various character development levels and motivations do hinder the comic overall but I’d say it’s still worth a read for those who love Scooby-Doo and want something adult-oriented. While you could arguably say that Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated can give you the same thing, which it can, Scooby Apocalypse is not for children. The story does struggle to live up to stronger and more complex subject matters but it does hold onto source material that many are excited to see in this kind of genre. Scooby Apocalypse is stuck in a limbo state because while it wants to be loyal to its source material, it has yet to push the material to a point where it really takes a good stab at the story genre it’s trying to imitate.

FINAL GRADE: 6.5/10

Scooby Apocalypse is published by DC Comics and has released 12 total comic book issues. The first six are available in a Volume 1 graphic novel edition and Scooby Apocalypse Issue #13 will be available for purchase on May 10th.

Let me know what you think! Do you think that I was right in what I said about the comic? Do you disagree? Reply to this post or send me a message or chat to further the conversation!

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