Hi! I wanted to share my thoughts on the new miniseries Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings. (This is my first blog post ever, so I hope it's somewhat enjoyable!)
I'll start with my overall impression. Wow! It is amazing, simply put. The animation is gorgeous, and the voice acting and music are incredible! I love how many things they expanded upon with this series. It shed some light on things Sega has never really covered in much detail about Shadow, and it added so much more to Maria's character! I loved seeing the Commander, too! He finally got an official name-- Abraham Tower. (Archie comic reference!) This also changed my perspective on Shadow's current voice actor, Kirk Thornton. I haven't liked how Shadow sounds for a while (I prefer Jason Griffith for both Shadow and Sonic), but this miniseries changed my opinion on that. Now I think Shadow sounds much better! I also heard Rouge's current voice actress, Karen Strassman, for the first time, and I really like how she sounds. Omega is hilarious! (That "I wanted to destroy him!" line is so funny!) Maria sounds really good as well! Overall, everything is amazing! I wish there was more.
Now for episode 1, "Shadow and Maria". This one is probably my favorite of the bunch, although the others are very close. I absolutely loved how Maria and Shadow interacted, and I was intrigued when reality began to "fracture" around Shadow after punching Emerl. Oh, and they did put Emerl in! I'm super happy that Sega decided to flesh out the already awesome lore of Sonic Battle and give us more insight! I was very touched by the way Maria comforted Shadow. I think my favorite part is the aurora borealis part-- it's just so beautiful, both visually and emotionally. I liked that Sega finally clarified how Gerald died. I honestly got goose bumps during the part where Shadow sees a vision of Maria being shot. Man, those two lines! "Shadow, remember!" and "Maria!" just gave me chills. I honestly feel for Shadow. He's been through a lot. So, episode 1 was super good!
Now for episode 2, "Finding the Way". This one was really good as well! This one almost made me cry. It gave Shadow even more emotional depth, showing that he had extreme doubts about himself and maybe even a little self-loathing. Maria then makes a very good point that all of us can take to heart-- that "what you do is what defines you." It made me realize that Maria was Shadow's main emotional support, and that's why they were so close-- Maria comforted him when no one else would or could. Then we have a (rather abrupt) scene change where Shadow, in the present day, is fighting some Egg Pawns (Sonic Generations-style, of course). He then meets up with Rogue and Omega, and they team up to destroy a giant Egg Breaker. Now, I love Team Dark, and I was thrilled to see that they were back in action! We also now know why Shadow wound up at Sonic's birthday party-- Rouge bribed him! I was always a little confused by that. Shadow wouldn't be caught dead at his rival's birthday party in any other circumstance.
Episode 3, "To the ARK", was really good as well! We see the Commander again, and learn his full name! I don't have as much to say about this one, as most of it is fighting. The ending was heartrending, though. We see that Shadow still has lingering guilt over Maria's death, and that he still wishes that she could have lived on Earth. The look on his face as he imagines this just made my heart break. I was impressed he managed to steel himself. I wouldn't have been able to. I also noted how he ejected the GUN soldier as opposed to hurting or killing him. He naturally doesn't want to hurt people. Maybe it stems from his promise to Maria? I like to think so.
One of the things that I loved most about the series was how Shadow and Maria interacted. I understand now why Shadow was so traumatized by her death. She was truly important to him, and in losing her, he lost his emotional support. He basically lost his other half. I've really come to love this series because of this one relationship, and I hope that they will expand even more upon it in the upcoming game. This is also part of why Maria is my favorite character currently. I'm just so touched by her selflessness and caring spirit. We all need someone like her in our lives.
Well, that's it! If you haven't watched the miniseries yet, I highly recommend that you do so. A bonus ending was just released, and I won't spoil it. Feel free to leave your own opinions in the comments down below! I love hearing other people's opinions on things. It makes for interesting conversations!
I hope everyone has a great week! Bye now!