AnimatedFan01
Active Member
On the flip side, where not too long ago I made a thread dedicating to cartoons perceived as overrated, this thread does the exact opposite approach, and focuses on cartoons you find to be or have been unnecessarily hated or not really hated but vastly unappreciated. (I know there may not be too much point to this thread when we already have the unconventional/unpopular opinion thread, but that one isn't limited to just cartoons one finds overrated or underrated, so no big deal.)
Here are my picks for underrated/overhated cartoons:
-Robotboy: As someone who was never fond of My Life as a Teenage Robot (trust me, it was just a teen sitcom in animation with action thrown in), this certainly sufficed for me as a gender-inverse substitute. I honestly feel like the only reason people disliked this show was because of Gus, the obnoxious, crude troublemaker and G-rated Eric Cartman. Well, I'm in the minority of people who found Gus to be pretty darn funny what with his big ego and obsession with food, as well as his voice. While he did get a little unnecessarily gross with his propensity to fart and pick his nose and I didn't like his selfish behavior, he at least made up for it in comedic root. That, and because it rips off many other cartoons (MLaaTR, Megas XLR, South Park for Gus, Foster's for Tommy's square head and hair, and Dexter for Tommy's mom), but who said rip-offs can't be good? Look at Jimmy Neutron, a blatant Dexter ripoff which is regarded as a classic. I mainly liked the episodes that revolved around the kids being kids and wasn't too interested in the antics of the villains, but I'd take enjoyment in watching Robotboy save the day with his spontaneous transformation. Robotboy himself also deserves credit for being cute as a button, yet badass and bold when trouble calls. The only characters I didn't like were Tommy's dad for being stupidly abusive and negligent to his loyal son, and his brother as well for being a jerky teenage bully stereotype who, much like Terrence aka Mac's brother from Foster's, always got his just desserts when meeting his end.
-Squirrel Boy: How ironic of another "boy" cartoon to come up on this list just after the first one. Anyway, I loved the Calvin and Hobbes vibe this show offered with the boy-and-talking-animal concept only the personality roles are reversed (boy is the rational one, animal is the troublemaker). This show did a stellar job at combining childhood naivety with cartoonish antics and slapstick, what with all the zany sound effects and unexpected pratfalls. While Rodney's dynamic with Andy was pretty entertaining, it was really his interactions with Mr. J that made the show. I enjoyed how much he absolutely detested Rodney's guts and wasn't afraid to emphasize his cynicism through sarcasm, and how Rodney intentionally caused him grief in the most comedically painful of ways. Rodney himself was hilarious with his over-the-top craziness and stupidity; he's a perfect example of how jerk characters can be done right with a good amount of consideration (at least he cares about his best friend and owner Andy). Andy was pretty admirable too with his cheerful demeanor and childlike innocence, with a bit of nerdiness to show that he's not so above it all. Leon was a cute lovable doofus in a similar vein to Patrick Star and Ed. Lastly Mr. J was easy to root for because you always pity the annoyance he suffers from an imbecile, just like Squidward and Mr. Wilson. The voice acting was spectacular too - Richard Steven Horvitz meshes his Billy and Dagget inflections to once again portray a hyperactive dimwit, and does it with such a unique vocal range. Pamela Adlon is always good at portraying nerds, and I hear the same talents in Andy which she used for Bobby Hill and Milo Oblong. Red Foreman had just the right deep tone to voice a character as jaded and no-nonsense as Mr. J. My only complaints are the humor felt a little too forced and corny (one episode has Andy visit a fair with Rodney and he remarks, "I don't know why they call this a fair; they should call it an awesome!" but there were enough funny moments to make up for it (I remember the flea market episode where a thought bubble of Andy tells Rodney "Whatever you do Rodney, make sure you spend my 5 dollars on something really stupid" which was hilarious). Also some of the character designs were a bit ugly (especially Kyle the bully's and Andy's crush Martha's) and animation was a bit sluggish, but the colorful artwork and realistic set designs sufficed. The only character I truly hated was Kyle, the big fat bully (at least his bird Salty Mike was somewhat generous).
-My Gym Partner's a Monkey: I feel like had it not been for the butt jokes and horrendous title, this show would have been better-received. It's a shame too, because the show was quite funny in my opinion. Jake the Spidermonkey was hilarious! As with Rodney he's the perfect example of how to do a jerk character right. He's right up there with Bloo. I loved Tom Kenny's voice work as him involving the dramatic and hyperactive SpongeBob-like inflections. While the humor did get a little over-the-top gross with episodes like Bubble or Nothing and The Butt of the Jake, more often than not I found myself laughing at Jake's own obsession with his butt. It's always entertaining to watch Adam's misfortunes of his miserable school life unfurl and how Jake's always winning in the end. Poor guy can never seem to catch a break, though thankfully he's lucky every now and then to end on a high note. Nika Futterman did an impressive job capturing the nerdy, unlucky everydude category Adam was intended to fall under. I loved the unique animal setting designs and how the show did a good job at portraying the type of animal with a matching personality, such as the shark being a bully.
-Johnny Test: At least the earlier seasons; the newer seasons aren't really that good. But early on the show did a pretty good job at portraying childhood mischief with innocent intent. Johnny is a typical boy who likes being cool and everything a kid could dream of, such as expensive toys and superheroes. Dukey was a funny comic relief and I supported his voice of reason; dare I say he was a better talking dog sidekick than Jake? The sisters' obsession with Gil was pretty funny too. I wasn't too fond of the villains and perceived them as obnoxious rather, but at least they'd get their karma at the end. As it became too formulaic and cheesy later on, as well as Johnny becoming more annoying and narcissistic, I eventually lost interest, but the earlier seasons are under-appreciated massively.
-Skunk Fu!: I thought this was a pretty cool show with entertaining action resolutions and character dynamics. While it was pretty lame of them to lazily use the "A Dog Named Dog" trope, the animation wasn't that creative and it didn't have to use so many fart jokes, I found the characters to all be pretty likeable and the stories entertaining.
Here are my picks for underrated/overhated cartoons:
-Robotboy: As someone who was never fond of My Life as a Teenage Robot (trust me, it was just a teen sitcom in animation with action thrown in), this certainly sufficed for me as a gender-inverse substitute. I honestly feel like the only reason people disliked this show was because of Gus, the obnoxious, crude troublemaker and G-rated Eric Cartman. Well, I'm in the minority of people who found Gus to be pretty darn funny what with his big ego and obsession with food, as well as his voice. While he did get a little unnecessarily gross with his propensity to fart and pick his nose and I didn't like his selfish behavior, he at least made up for it in comedic root. That, and because it rips off many other cartoons (MLaaTR, Megas XLR, South Park for Gus, Foster's for Tommy's square head and hair, and Dexter for Tommy's mom), but who said rip-offs can't be good? Look at Jimmy Neutron, a blatant Dexter ripoff which is regarded as a classic. I mainly liked the episodes that revolved around the kids being kids and wasn't too interested in the antics of the villains, but I'd take enjoyment in watching Robotboy save the day with his spontaneous transformation. Robotboy himself also deserves credit for being cute as a button, yet badass and bold when trouble calls. The only characters I didn't like were Tommy's dad for being stupidly abusive and negligent to his loyal son, and his brother as well for being a jerky teenage bully stereotype who, much like Terrence aka Mac's brother from Foster's, always got his just desserts when meeting his end.
-Squirrel Boy: How ironic of another "boy" cartoon to come up on this list just after the first one. Anyway, I loved the Calvin and Hobbes vibe this show offered with the boy-and-talking-animal concept only the personality roles are reversed (boy is the rational one, animal is the troublemaker). This show did a stellar job at combining childhood naivety with cartoonish antics and slapstick, what with all the zany sound effects and unexpected pratfalls. While Rodney's dynamic with Andy was pretty entertaining, it was really his interactions with Mr. J that made the show. I enjoyed how much he absolutely detested Rodney's guts and wasn't afraid to emphasize his cynicism through sarcasm, and how Rodney intentionally caused him grief in the most comedically painful of ways. Rodney himself was hilarious with his over-the-top craziness and stupidity; he's a perfect example of how jerk characters can be done right with a good amount of consideration (at least he cares about his best friend and owner Andy). Andy was pretty admirable too with his cheerful demeanor and childlike innocence, with a bit of nerdiness to show that he's not so above it all. Leon was a cute lovable doofus in a similar vein to Patrick Star and Ed. Lastly Mr. J was easy to root for because you always pity the annoyance he suffers from an imbecile, just like Squidward and Mr. Wilson. The voice acting was spectacular too - Richard Steven Horvitz meshes his Billy and Dagget inflections to once again portray a hyperactive dimwit, and does it with such a unique vocal range. Pamela Adlon is always good at portraying nerds, and I hear the same talents in Andy which she used for Bobby Hill and Milo Oblong. Red Foreman had just the right deep tone to voice a character as jaded and no-nonsense as Mr. J. My only complaints are the humor felt a little too forced and corny (one episode has Andy visit a fair with Rodney and he remarks, "I don't know why they call this a fair; they should call it an awesome!" but there were enough funny moments to make up for it (I remember the flea market episode where a thought bubble of Andy tells Rodney "Whatever you do Rodney, make sure you spend my 5 dollars on something really stupid" which was hilarious). Also some of the character designs were a bit ugly (especially Kyle the bully's and Andy's crush Martha's) and animation was a bit sluggish, but the colorful artwork and realistic set designs sufficed. The only character I truly hated was Kyle, the big fat bully (at least his bird Salty Mike was somewhat generous).
-My Gym Partner's a Monkey: I feel like had it not been for the butt jokes and horrendous title, this show would have been better-received. It's a shame too, because the show was quite funny in my opinion. Jake the Spidermonkey was hilarious! As with Rodney he's the perfect example of how to do a jerk character right. He's right up there with Bloo. I loved Tom Kenny's voice work as him involving the dramatic and hyperactive SpongeBob-like inflections. While the humor did get a little over-the-top gross with episodes like Bubble or Nothing and The Butt of the Jake, more often than not I found myself laughing at Jake's own obsession with his butt. It's always entertaining to watch Adam's misfortunes of his miserable school life unfurl and how Jake's always winning in the end. Poor guy can never seem to catch a break, though thankfully he's lucky every now and then to end on a high note. Nika Futterman did an impressive job capturing the nerdy, unlucky everydude category Adam was intended to fall under. I loved the unique animal setting designs and how the show did a good job at portraying the type of animal with a matching personality, such as the shark being a bully.
-Johnny Test: At least the earlier seasons; the newer seasons aren't really that good. But early on the show did a pretty good job at portraying childhood mischief with innocent intent. Johnny is a typical boy who likes being cool and everything a kid could dream of, such as expensive toys and superheroes. Dukey was a funny comic relief and I supported his voice of reason; dare I say he was a better talking dog sidekick than Jake? The sisters' obsession with Gil was pretty funny too. I wasn't too fond of the villains and perceived them as obnoxious rather, but at least they'd get their karma at the end. As it became too formulaic and cheesy later on, as well as Johnny becoming more annoying and narcissistic, I eventually lost interest, but the earlier seasons are under-appreciated massively.
-Skunk Fu!: I thought this was a pretty cool show with entertaining action resolutions and character dynamics. While it was pretty lame of them to lazily use the "A Dog Named Dog" trope, the animation wasn't that creative and it didn't have to use so many fart jokes, I found the characters to all be pretty likeable and the stories entertaining.
