Thoughts on 'never judge a hyena by its spots'. Spoilers?

[Squeely]

^Mufasa's appearance in RotR already felt a little weird to me, but I thought "Okay, they're paying homage to the first film, and they got JEJ back for the voice, so I can accept it." But then Mufasa appeared in Rise of Makuu sans-JEJ voice, and that really worried me. I too am happy that Never Judge omitted Mufasa. Kion needs to learn lessons on his own, or with the help of others who aren't Mufasa. There are so many still-living characters to teach him things!

[Amadi_the_Guard]

[quote="gothprincesskiara"]I really do hope we see her again in future episodes/seasons, what do you guys think the chances of it happening? [/quote]

Pretty high, actually. I believe a character like Jasiri left quite an impact on Kion and the plot itself, establishing that hyenas aren't bad as animals, and since Janja's pack plays a major role in the plot I suppose she will appear from time to time too. I think she will be making small comeos every now and then, and may even get another episode dedicated to her, in which Kion introduces her to his family... or sumthin'.


Now, I think I should throw in my two cents.

I really enjoyed the plot and the idea behind this episode, as well as the fact they decided to put it up so early in the show. I was kinda bothered by the fact that all hyenas were portrayed as bad in the original movie, and Jasiri is actually the first good hyena, which is a step in a good direction. But I can't help but feel this was at least a little bit influenced by Kopa and Asante for some reason, I'm probably wrong, but still... it's really fun how Kion and his non-canon brother are kinda similar in certain aspects.

Moving on, I also really liked Jasiri herself. When I first saw her picture... I admit I didn't like her at all. She looked kinda weird to me, but now that I've seen her in action and know what her character is like, she's grown on me. She's clearly smart, mature and competent, but I like how she still acts like a hyena, starts laughing easily and is kinda mischievous. Nice work, Disney.

But there are few things that bother me about this episode, and that just might bother me regarding the entire series.
This is an educational show for toddlers, in which Disney is trying to teach certain aspects of wild-life in Africa, and I know that this was a thing even before they decided they would use the TLK universe. Still, I don't feel this was a very smart choice on DIsney's part. The ways animals function and live is pretty rough, and in order to present it to toddlers one needs to tone it down pretty much until it loses its purpose. They will have a hard time presenting this as an educational show, seeing they will have to sweep TONS of facts under a rug, while in the original movie it didn't matter since it wasn't even meant to educate.
If they were truthful, Jasiri would probably live with her old pack, rather then alone, and she would still be slightly dominant over Janja and his pack, and Kiara would never become the pride ruler... heck, Kion wouldn't either. It would be whatever lion is able to kick Simba's furry behind once the latter is too old. Lions would never be considered some form of authority by any animal, and they would scavenge as much as hyenas, since that's survival... and tons more things.

Having this said, it is pretty obvious this won't do its task, so every time I see this show trying to be educational I feel its forced. I believe it would be better if they decided to concentrate on the plot of little lion cub and his friends protecting the circle of life, and teach about friendship and life in general.

And it really looks like Kion is going to use his roar for every single little thing. I think that beats the purpose of the roar because, with it being such a huge thing, one would expect its holder to use it only in very dangerous situations and to protect the circle of life. Not to chase off a bunch of hyenas in a fight where it apparently wasn't even needed.

I also don't like how much importance Kion gets here, or what makes him so fit to be a leader. Simply because he knows how to get to a certain location doesn't mean anything - especially since he picked the said location. Pridelands seem big, so I'm sure the rest of the crew have certain spots only they know about.
Speaking of which, why didn't anyone even think of calling for help, rather then having Kion venture trough the Outlands looking for a way out? I'm sure that some animal could have helped him. What about Simba?

[Squeely]

[quote="Amadi_the_Guard"]And it really looks like Kion is going to use his roar for every single little thing. I think that beats the purpose of the roar because, with it being such a huge thing, one would expect its holder to use it only in very dangerous situations and to protect the circle of life. Not to chase off a bunch of hyenas in a fight where it apparently wasn't even needed.[/quote]

He and Jasiri were cornered and about to get attacked by a bunch of hyenas. I'd say it was a pretty justified use of the roar.

[quote="Amadi_the_Guard"]Speaking of which, why didn't anyone even think of calling for help, rather then having Kion venture trough the Outlands looking for a way out? I'm sure that some animal could have helped him. What about Simba?[/quote]
Kion's not supposed to be in the Outlands, so perhaps he didn't want to get in trouble. His friends probably thought nothing bad would happen since he was right on the border and seemed to know where flatridge rock was. Kion kinda made it seem like he just needed to do some walking to get out, so it's understandable that his friends didn't have much reason to worry.

[Rollo]

I don't think being able to navigate across the Pridelands is the only reason that validates him as a leader. Think about Beshte and Fuli's problems. Beshte was too much of a chatterbox, too easily distracted and couldn't get straight to the point, something Kion could've done and most likely in a kind way, too. Fuli sped ahead and had no consideration for how the rest of the Guard moves, something Bunga says Kion always remembers. I don't think they're trying to disregard Beshte and Fuli as not being equipped enough. They just specialize in other areas. Beshte is very sociable and knows everyone. Fuli is incredibly fast. Kion just happens to be able to balance things out by having all of those qualities, but in bits and pieces, along with the roar.

Also, with Kion being the son of the King, he probably does have the best navigation skills for the Pridelands. His dad rules over all of it. He's most likely picked up knowledge from Simba.

In terms of the educational aspect, you are right. They're not being realistic. But TLK/TLG is, above all, fantasy. The magical element of the roar should be enough proof of that. I think they're actually aiming to be more plot-based than educational-based if I'm honest. The only educational message I can recall from this episode is what Ono said about rhinos sunbathing, and Jasiri's message as a character. That's it.

But I do have poor memory. I might be forgetting something.

[Braveheart]

Wah, everyone practically wrote a full fledged essay here, lol.

For me it's Disney Lions =/= Real lions. I think of them as humans in lions forms. It's hard to argue from a real life point of view. Anyways, Amadi:

Hyenas do hunt alone, especially spotted hyenas like Jasiri. Janja's group have advantage in numbers, but too many mouths to feed means it's a disadvantage. Clans normally have poorer coordination than individual units.

Hyenas operate on a matriarch system, only the top have access to easier food. Jasiri might be dominant over Janja, but she's outnumbered.

Kiara can be the pride leader but only as a dominant female without male company.

Simba is pretty strong and have the strong support of females. They will fight with him against rouge males.

Lions don't really recognize authorities, but sometimes they let other animals have their way if food is abundant. I agree on the scavenging part.

Kion should be leader; for good or worse because he was the chosen one. And he knows how to work the team.

[zerodix]

what i liked: - the sisi ni sawa song, it was catchy, stuck in my head and really positive vibe! wow, i really must say this is a big plus for the legacy of tlk!
- the design, movements, facial expressions and voice acting of Jasiri. they took the best voice actress. woo singing skills ^^
- the scene with the hyenas and the fight. wow.
- it had that real tlk athmospere. for me this episode is the best i have seen so far.

only point of criticism is that the other lion guard members searching for their meeting point was a bit overdone. i doubt that kids will get the jokes intended here. as for the adults, it isnt laughable.

conclusion: this episode is, for me, the best tlg episode seen so far. i loved it and i rate it 10.10!

[Lauren]

I actually liked this episode a lot more than the previous one before (even though we're only in the second episode). I really felt the connection between Kion and Jasiri and I'm glad that she came across as likeable to me. It's great that we actually got a good hyena character and the show is presenting the concept of "grey" characters instead of "black and white", meaning that not all of the hyenas or other enemies lions face are bad right away. I loved the song "Sisi Ni Sawa" and it was very catchy (I even listened to it twice after the episode).

Only complaint for me is that once again, the catchphrases need to be toned down again and not have Kion and Bunga keep on saying them every single episode. Also, I hope Kion doesn't use the roar every single time to solve the problem like in this episode and in Rise of Makuu. It's gonna get very stale if it's repeatedly used all the time.

I look forward to seeing Jasiri again and I hope the other members will get to know her in the future. ^^

[SimbaPrescott]

I thought this was a really great episode, and one I was hoping for shortly after they announced TLG.

The song was great, Jasiri was a fantastic character, and the pacing was good too. I was also glad that Mufasa wasn't here, since I was a bit worried that he'd be there every five seconds like some others. I also liked the fact that Kion was very hesitant with Jasiri through most of the ep, since some shows have a habit of getting the friendship part going way too early.

I also hope that the roar won't be used every episode, but aside from that, it was really great!

[SimbasGuard]

Wow! what an awesome episode. I can't really give a review since so many others have done that so well already. However I would like to add my opinion on points that have already been made.

I doubt this is the last we will see of Jasiri, I can even see her attempting to warn Kion if Janja hatches a plot of some kind.

Jasiri is not of Janja's clan, but that does not mean she is alone. Her clan could live in a different. part of The Outlands, perhaps one day Jasiri's parents will meet Simba and Nala.

Like Squeely said, I think Kion saying "Asante Jasiri" may have been a veiled reference to the German audio book.

As much as I love seeing Simba And Nala, it was good to see an episode without a cameo from a beloved Lion King character. I am glad to know that Kion and his friends can carry an episode on their own.

Many have said that the Roar of the Elders has been used too much, but thus far Kion has used it as a last resort, or as a means to avoid conflict. Yes it has happened in every episode so far, but not without reason.

Like everyone else, I really enjoined the fight scene (I guess those fighting lessons Nala gave him really payed off )

Now I want to make two points that I have yet to see anyone mention.

I know that it is by no means official, but Fuli seemed to assume command of The Lion Guard when Kion was separated from them. Her only mistake was leaving her teammates in the dust.

Not to encourage any Kion/Fuli shippers, but she did seem more concerned over Kion being alone than the others were. She also seemed more protective over Kion.

[KionofTheLionGuard]

If any of you still haven't watched the second episode, here it is: http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/The-Lion- ... 1?id=67421

Don't be fooled by the "Episode 1" in the title. They got it mixed up is all. It's technically the second episode.