ep 7: fulis new family

[Gaze]

this was a really good episode! I feel like I have a lot to say about it and I'm not rly sure where to start...

I guess I'll begin w/ Fuli. I loved her before, but I love her even more now. it was cool to get more insight into her character and to learn that she apparently doesn't have family around like the rest of the Guard does. that really makes me wonder how much older she is than everyone else. doesn't seem unlikely to assume that she's the oldest of them.
the genuine concern of the Guard over Fuli's happiness was adorable. I loved watching her spending time with all of them. I thought Timon and Pumbaa were sweet in this episode. the part w/ them snuggling up to her soft fur was cute even though it annoyed Fuli.
the bits w/ Bunga and Ono were cute too, and the poop joke in the Ono scene was subtle enough that I found it pretty funny.
LOVED! the hunting scene. it was refreshing to see Nala actually....doing something, I guess? first time in the series she's been seen without Simba, spending time w/ her children, being a mother. yknow? Kiara's immediate willingness to hunt alongside Fuli was great. really hoping for more interactions between those two.
overall, the message that it's alright to enjoy being alone was excellent. Fuli's song was one of the best so far, but it was the visual accompaniment that really made it great.

I'd like to take a sec to talk about Tiifu and Zuri. I know after her last appearance, a lot of us were really disappointed at Tiifu's apparent personality shift. however, it seems she's back to normal in this episode, and she was adorable!! really reinforced her place as one of my favorite TLG characters. but also, it makes me think that perhaps her behavior in CWTBQ wasn't as out of character as I originally thought. note Tiifu's apparent jealousy when Fuli is seen hunting with Kiara, despite Tiifu having been very enthusiastic and cute prior to that point. seems like Tiifu is incredibly loyal to Kiara and very eager to please her and be close to her, which I think would explain why she was so absorbed in being a 'royal advisor' in CWTBQ and thus being kind of a jerk to everyone else.
hard to say if this is because Tiifu wants to maintain a connection to Kiara just because she's future Queen, or if she just really values Kiara's friendship. if I had any faith in same-sex attraction being present in a Disney Jr show, then I'd say it's because Tiifu has a crush on Kiara, but I don't have that faith. LOL.

as for Zuri, I really can't hate her and I feel sad when people hate her because I still see her character as one big "femininity is annoying, therefore girls are annoying!" type of joke. so it just makes me feel bad that she could have been a much more appealing character, but the creators elected not to go that route. still, even with her exaggeratedly bratty traits, I have a fondness for her and I don't even think she was particularly irritating in this episode. she just has expensive tastes. haha.

the whole Bunga side-plot wasn't too bad IMO. glad the cobra wasn't punished by the Guard for biting Bunga, since it makes sense why he did it. I can easily excuse Bunga for not understanding exactly what "immunity" means because I assume that the point is for kids to be able to relate to him, and kids can't always be expected to fully grasp concepts like that right away. no real complaints frm me about this bit. it was kind of forgettable but I don't particularly have anything negative to say.
Janja-backscratch was great, and wowww those poor hyenas on the burning log at the end! idk how they survived that one, lol

last but not least. the ending hug....I loved it!!! it was sooo nice to see some real affection btwn the members of the Guard
def one of the best episodes so far

[PridelandsPhantom]

Fuli is my favorite TLG character besides Kion. It's nice to see a show that is focused on friendship do an episode where they explore that being alone is alright to sometimes and that the rest of the guard realizes that Fuli is fine alone but she also acknowledges that she likes to be with her friends, just not all the time. I wish they'd done a bit more when Fuli sings "Go My Way" as far as the visuals are. She is a cheetah after all so I'd love to see her running cycle a much as I can. The voice actress for Fuli. Diamond White can sing! When I watched the clip for the song before I saw the episode I was like, "Wow that is amazing what a voice she has!" I like to see Fuli get some character development and her own time in the spotlight. I do believe they fixed Fuli's running cycle as it looks much better than in earlier episodes. I like that Fuli is sassy and spirited which makes sense for a cheetah I am curious though about her family as she is a cub she should have a mother. I get that maybe she doesn't have siblings, but surely a mother? I know cheetah cubs are not on their own that early in life. I am bothered by Fuli's nose as others have mentioned it just looks off and they need to fix it just a bit. I was hoping Fuli would take a swipe at Timon and Pumbaa for rubbing against her fur because she was so annoyed

I like that it shows the Fuli is a strong female character who is loyal to the guard and her friends even Bunga who thinks he can really play in a volcano. Yes, Fuli does find him annoying and a bit dense but he is still her friend and she still cares about him. I think it shows that you can try to care too much about someone and overdo it like the guard was with Fuli and that it's okay to be more of a lone and introverted. This is personal but having Asperger's it's nice to see positive aspects of those that are different and not as people (or in TLK universe animal) oriented as others. Loners are often categorized as weird or psycho. Fuli shows that even if you enjoy being alone that doesn't mean you shut others out entirely. That is a personal take on that but I think it's good for others to see it's okay for someone to not be extroverted and a people person. It doesn't mean they aren't caring and compassionate.

[gothprincesskiara]

I still want to know why they made fuli look like an anorexic leopard with rosets, but I've been thinking, I think, and I hope im correct on this if you look at fuli and focus on her form a bit then use your peripheral vision on her, you can tell that its looks like a break of of a spotted dotted fur coat, that is my hypothesis. or conclusions or what ever you want to call it guessed opinion, try it looking at her like this using your peripheral vision and tell me if you agree or not? still I want an answer to my question fro the animators, and im still waiting until they do. (pouts)

[Gaze]

[quote="gothprincesskiara"]I still want to know why they made fuli look like an anorexic leopard with rosets, but I've been thinking, I think, and I hope im correct on this if you look at fuli and focus on her form a bit then use your peripheral vision on her, you can tell that its looks like a break of of a spotted dotted fur coat, that is my hypothesis. or conclusions or what ever you want to call it guessed opinion, try it looking at her like this using your peripheral vision and tell me if you agree or not? still I want an answer to my question fro the animators, and im still waiting until they do. (pouts) [/quote]
my guess is that there isn't a specific rhyme or reason to why her design is the way it is - that's just what the production team decided on. it is a little strange that this is intended to be an educational show, and the cheetah character doesn't have some of the most defining marks of a cheetah - the spots and the tear-stain markings. I think her shape is fine, however; it just looks like a stylized version of a real cheetah's shape IMO and I really like it.

as others have said, we can just say she's a king cheetah, since that's what her markings most resemble. it's not a perfect match, but it's close. hey, maybe that was intentional and there will be an episode about it someday....who's to say? but my prediction is that there won't be an explanation for her unconventional design.

personally, I don't really take issue with it, even though I love cheetah tear-marks and wish she had those....my biggest gripe with her design is probably that bright highlighter yellow. I still think she's super cute and want to buy all the merch of her, but one of the most beautiful things about a cheetah is that gorgeous sandy golden color! she'd look a lot better with the rest of the merch if her coat was a different color....I guess they really wanted her to stand out.

[Squeely]

Loved this episode. How Fuli feels about having her friends around all the time is how I feel about talking to friends all the time. I relate.

[Timon the great]

Even though I'm not a fan of this series, I actually find Fuli to be a somewhat interesting character (nowhere near as Timon is to me though), and I heard about this episode so I watched it on YT a little while back, and it was actually kinda good altogether. I do like the message from this episode though of having / needing friends and them especially being there for you. But when you want them to, since this episode seems to deal more about a person's personal space from Fuli and since this would be one of her episodes.

But moreover in my post here, am I the only one who finds it funny and uniquely interesting about that idea of Fuli's fur being really soft from Timon and Bunga? Lol

I just thought that was a really funny and interesting idea the creators did, and I actually thought about this once when I first saw Fuli on the premiere and because of her appearance. I mean, now that I'm thinking about it again right now, her fur does seem to look soft. But pleasantly soft for a protagonist / supporting character? That's a question mark.

[Squeely]

[quote="Timon the great"]Even though I'm not a fan of this series[/quote]
Timon and Pumbaa make a lot of appearances, as they are the adoptive parents of Bunga in this series. It may be worth checking out for you for that factor. I recommend "The Search for Utamu", it goes more in-depth into Timon, Pumbaa, and Bunga's relationship.

[gothprincesskiara]

yeah and I see no difference in timon compared to the others, they did him quite well I hardly notice a difference in them