(SPOILER ALERT) The Rise of Makuu review good or bad

[KentuckyWildcat]

Although it still had its ups and downs, I might have liked this a bit more than Return of the Roar overall.

Pros:
Solid plot- As far as kids shows go, the main plot was actually good. If there's going to be some sort of lesson or moral to most episodes, learning the important differences between looking for a fight, standing up for what's right, and being a pushover was quite a good one in my opinion.

Makuu was a quality antagonist- His character was understated in that he didn't have some ridiculous take-over-the-world plot that was bound to fail, but his actions still had far-reaching consequences at the same time. I'd be pretty pleased if all the antagonists for the show turned out this way.

It gave us a glimpse at life in the Pridelands- We saw the interactions between different animals, a glimpse of their power structures, and Simba interacting with the leaders of other species in his role as king. Pretty cool.


Cons:
The opening scene sent an inconsistent message- The Lion Guard is supposed to be protecting the Circle of Life. So why did they beat up that snake for trying to have lunch? Because his intended prey was cute? This bugged me.

Bunga- I still don't like much anything about him. He has to shout his catchphrase before doing the simplest of tasks. The way he went on during the mashindano like he was a commentator for UFC: Pridelands really detracted from the seriousness of the moment.

And last but not least, can we please stop with his primary attribute being that he stinks/farts? I know honey badgers stink in real life, but real hippos are disgusting creatures and look at how Beshte and his family are portrayed in the show. There has to be something better they can do with this character than using his smell/flatulence as a cheap way to work Timon and Pumbaa into the proceedings.

Mufasa's appearance- This opinion seems to be near unanimous around here, but I think that's for a good reason. If he makes weekly visits to Kion, it really cheapens one of the most memorable and moving scenes in the original film. I'd hate for that to happen.

[Squeely]

[quote="KentuckyWildcat"]The opening scene sent an inconsistent message- The Lion Guard is supposed to be protecting the Circle of Life. So why did they beat up that snake for trying to have lunch? Because his intended prey was cute? This bugged me.[/quote]
Respect the Circle of Life! Unless you're a carnivore, in which case, eff you!

In all seriousness, that bugged me too. I forgot to mention it in my earlier post. I found it kinda confusing, though I get the feeling that the snake is going to be an antagonist later down the line.

[Leviara_Lioness]

[quote="Squeely"][quote="KentuckyWildcat"]The opening scene sent an inconsistent message- The Lion Guard is supposed to be protecting the Circle of Life. So why did they beat up that snake for trying to have lunch? Because his intended prey was cute? This bugged me.[/quote]
Respect the Circle of Life! Unless you're a carnivore, in which case, eff you!

In all seriousness, that bugged me too. I forgot to mention it in my earlier post. I found it kinda confusing, though I get the feeling that the snake is going to be an antagonist later down the line.[/quote]

Yeah i have to agree too on that, Squeely and KW! both good points!

[Gaze]

just watched it!

pros
- the opening sequence! i thought it was very beautiful and i liked the 'epic' vibe of it (hate to use that word due to its outdated meme associations but really not sure how else to describe it, LOL). seemed very much in the spirit of TLK.
- the animation overall was really pleasant
- seeing the relationships btwn the members of the Lion Guard continue to develop
- Beshte! he's so cute, I love his personality and his popularity with the other hippos
- getting a closer look at Simba's responsibilities as king
- everything about the crocs was pretty neat. i like their designs and the opportunity to learn about their customs. the fight sequence was great, and I'm glad to see the creators are willing to portray some (still toddler-appropriate) violence. also cool that Makuu isn't strictly a villain - there's plenty of room for him to grow as a leader.
- the animal education aspect is great!
- the lesson is a good one. i like that Kion is encouraged to avoid direct violence, but learns that it's OK to fight against something you know is wrong, if it comes to that.

cons
- as others have said: Mufasa's constant appearances in the sky. i actually don't mind this too much but i hope it won't happen in every episode.
- i don't have any issue with the song itself, but it seemed unnecessary and like it kinda popped up out of nowhere
- can we cool it w/ the fart jokes, people

overall: I'm pleased!

[quote="Squeely"][quote="KentuckyWildcat"]The opening scene sent an inconsistent message- The Lion Guard is supposed to be protecting the Circle of Life. So why did they beat up that snake for trying to have lunch? Because his intended prey was cute? This bugged me.[/quote]
Respect the Circle of Life! Unless you're a carnivore, in which case, eff you!

In all seriousness, that bugged me too. I forgot to mention it in my earlier post. I found it kinda confusing, though I get the feeling that the snake is going to be an antagonist later down the line.[/quote]
my guess is that the Guard understands the more 'unpleasant' aspects of the Circle of Life but are willing to show a little mercy now and then when they have nothing better to do. haha.
in this case, Bunga's line "we just saved that guy!" suggests that they wanted to give the lil critter a bit more time to survive since they had just gone through the trouble of rescuing him from danger. wouldn't wanna do all that work for nothin!