episode 5: eye of the beholder

[Elton John]

Liked the episode, didn't love it.... It was better than bunga the wise but not as good as the jasiri ep or just can't wait to be queen.

I guess I can understand why people would not like kion using his super powered roar but it's not like he uses it recklessly. This show is about a 'superhero' team set in the tlk universe. It'd be like complaining about superman using his powers to save the day. No superman doesn't use his powers all the time and supes can solve situations without them but he does use them when he needs to the most and I feel that kion is the same way.

I feel that he used his super rawr in a kind of clever way. And by clever i mean the way they handled not harming the zebras.

[_TravelerBlu_]

I love it!!! It was so funny and when Kion attempted bunga's "feirce lion" it was so funny I was laughing so hRd!!
Also the song is great and I love the
janja: "if you know what I mean!!"
Cheezy and chungu: *nods eagerly but nods and smiles slowly turn into shakes and frowns*
XPXPXP
I actually like Ono now

[Rollo]

I've always really liked Ono. I hope this episode changes people's perception of him, he's a neat character.

[_TravelerBlu_]

Did anyone else notice that the other lion guard paintings of Scars Guard have the paw print mark and not the roaring lion

[Squeely]

Looks like KissCartoon's upload got fixed, when I checked yesterday the audio was slowed down for some reason.

This is my second-favorite episode, I feel it doesn't have any glaring flaws, unlike other episodes. Ono's been my favorite for a while, so naturally, I love that he gets focus. Janja's plan was well thought-out and effective, Kion and Ono's moments were very sweet, as were Beshte and Ono's. Bunga managed to be more on the funny side than the annoying side, and a good amount of Rafiki is the icing on the cake. I also thought the roar was used well here, and seemed better-integrated into the plot this time. Seeing paintings of older guards was interesting, especially since where were so many of them! I guess the TLG writers weren't as inspired by 6NA as "Hyena" might lead one to believe, as 6NA said Mohatu was Pride Rock's first lion king, while this episode clearly shows they've been there for possibly hundreds of years. The fact that a couple of the guard paintings were so faded you could barely make them out was nice attention to detail.

The only negative I have for this episode is that "Outta the Way" is kind of a weak song, both lyrically and visually. I don't think it's an outright bad song like "Don't Make a Stink", but it's a bit of a step-down from the previous efforts. Hence, "Hyena" remains as my favorite episode thus far because it's mostly flaw-free with a great song.

To lelizwe's headcanon that Rafiki is immortal, I present a second possibility: There have been many pride shamans before Rafiki who painted pictures of the Guards. They were presumably all simians of some sort, because only simians could paint and mix medicine with ease. Perhaps when the shaman starts getting old, they take in an apprentice and teach them. Yes Rafiki appears and acts old, but he's shown to be very spry through his use of kung fu at the end of the first film, and to a lesser extent the "Upendi" sequence in TLK2. So Rafiki probably isn't old enough to take in an apprentice yet. This is just my headcanon though, neither one is wrong or right as neither one has been confirmed.

[SimbasGuard]

I enjoyed this episode, I was surprised that Janja just wanted to trap The Lion Guard. I was certain that is plan would be more sinister. I felt that given that The Hyenas were after The Zebra, The Roar was used appropriately. there was a lack of time issue. I also enjoyed seeing how many other Lion Guards that there have been. I also got a kick out of the fact that an upcoming song Panic and Run was referenced. Mufasa not appearing again was also a plus.

[Rollo]

^ Yes, I forgot to mention the Panic and Run reference. Pretty neat!

Nice theory about Rafiki, Squeely. I think I can recall seeing the apprenticeship idea brought up in a popular deviantART user's comic once. I'm open to almost any headcanon about Rafiki because I think he's one of the more interesting characters to work with. Realism is very lenient with him. It's nice to be able to incorporate actual fantasy once in a while, i.e in his magic.

So perhaps instead of being immortal, his kind simply live longer than other species', possibly due to this 'magic'. Maybe they have to oversee a certain amount of Guards/Kings/Queens before they're allowed to pass on. There's all sorts of possibilities within his character.

[Squeely]

The lifespan for a mandrill is roughly 20 years while lions get 10-14. With magic and herbal remedies to increase longevity, I could see a mandrill make it to 35, if not longer. So it's likely that Rafiki painted at least two of those Guard paintings not counting the Kion one.

[zerodix]

a little late, but I finally got to see the episode. It was nice, but not the best. The song was catchy and also, not bad at all. But I found it kinda mediocre. Nice thing was the bureaucratic vulture meeting, I had a good laugh at that. It is fun to see they still have some comic relief for the parents that are watching along. The animation was good as usual, and that was about it for my opinion on this weeks episode

[Gaze]

super late response cuz I've been so busy....and also, I guess my feelings on this episode aren't really too strong.

indeed, there aren't any glaring flaws in this one. but there's also nothing that makes it particularly special or appealing, from what I remember..

I do like that it focuses on Ono because he's adorable and deserves attention!
Bunga didn't seem too irritating here. he actually was pretty funny in this episode.
Rafiki is one of my top fav characters, so it's really great to see more of him. the look we got at the paintings of past Guards was also super cool....but from what I could see in those brief shots, looks like female Guard leaders are practically nonexistent...)~:

I didn't mind the roar being used because I liked how it was up to Ono to ensure it was used safely.
it was neat to see the impact of Ono's injury, and to realize exactly how vital a role he plays in the Guard.
but I think the message this episode was trying to send could have been done better overall. it wasn't very straightforward or impactful. there probably could have been a more clear and meaningful way to illustrate that Ono is important even if he can't help the Guard.

as always, thrilled to see the hyenas, esp. my beloved Janja! the song was good, but I felt a little disappointed in the visuals. I really enjoy the lighting effects as seen in RotR, but re-using them for another hyena song made them seem a bit less impactful, especially since the whole thing was overall a lot less visually engaging than Tonight We Strike IMO.

good episode for sure, but I doubt it'll stay high on my list of favorites as new episodes are released. eagerly awaiting the jackal ep!