Episode 8 - The Search For Utamu

[Rollo]

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[Elton John]

I remember treading somewhere that tlg was made mostly with boys in mind. Like marvel and star wars, old corporate suits don't understand that these three things can also appeal to females and most males will buy merch of the female characters and or aren't offended by a lead female presence (just a vocal minority).

[_TravelerBlu_]

I just saw the episode and I really liked it!!!! The songs were awful but Kion's "yeah Bunga has got into trouble more than a few times" face was so funny! And that Serval... I LIVED HIM!!! His voice was so cute and just how he acted I just love him so much and I want to draw him!!! <3

[Tsuki]

Just watched it on Kiss Cartoon. That Serval so so cute! But yeh...the songs were annoying .

[Elton John]

I don't mind kion using his roar if it makes sense to use it. In this episode he used it as a way of telling the vultures to 'eff off'.

[Gaze]

hmmm, not totally sure how much I liked this one! something about it felt....a little disjointed, I guess? still, I'm glad for any episode where Fuli is a major focus, so I can't complain too much!!

the Bunga subplot was nice in that I think we've all been wanting an 'origin story' for him, but I think I would have preferred for it to be a separate episode, in which Bunga's backstory could have been focused on a little more. it had the potential to be 'deeper' and more emotional, but instead was very brief. not even a vague explanation as to why Bunga's parents weren't around?
I would have really enjoyed more flashback scenes showing how Bunga bonded with T&P. when they first met, Timon had little interest in Bunga aside from the fact that he could provide desirable resources. however, we know that now, Timon genuinely loves and cares for Bunga, as evidenced by T&P's celebration of the day they met him, the concern Timon shows for Bunga's wellbeing in RotR, etc. so it would've been nice to see what happened in between then and now. it would have been cute to see Timon progress from not being particularly attached to Bunga, to loving him like a son (err, nephew).

I love Fuli!! was cool that the show finally addressed how cheetahs can only run so fast in short bursts, and this subplot also helped reinforce how well the Guard works as a team and how essential that is. I really liked Kion's use of the roar here because it helped show how much he cares about protecting Fuli when she's weak.

definitely NOT a strong episode musically. the Utamu song was cute, but of course nothing special, and the vulture song seemed much too sudden and out of place (and, overall, forgettable).

[SimbaPrescott]

This wasn't a favourite of mine, either. I was disappointed with both songs, which is a shame since I was really looking forward to hearing Mzingo and Mwoga sing a song of their own.

I enjoyed Fuli's plot. Good piece of info for the kids, too. Bunga's was... okay. Seeing him as a kid was cute, but I was kinda hoping we'd see another member of the Guard somewhere in the background while that happened. I personally believe that Fuli Speeds Ahead was a much better title though.

[Squeely]

A cute episode, the stuff between Bunga and Timon and Pumbaa was heartwarming.