~~~~~
The wait is finally over for Xiaolin Chronicles!
I don't know about you, but I was pretty impressed with the new animation. Shall I indulge you with some mega spoilers on the first episode?
If you have not watched the Xiaolin Chronicles (XC) episode yet, DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS POST! Also, there will be mentions of Xiaolin Showdown (XS) as well, because it is the show that made Chronicles possible ^^
*SPOILER ALERT*
Alright, let's begin!
First off, I LOVE the new opening! It does go by pretty quick, but that just means more show time :)
The monks begin this new series as Shoku Warriors, while in XS, only Raimundo was promoted to this level at the end of the series. So it looks like all the other monks have caught up.
The monks show off their moves and tag-team to the next element: Omi to Kim, Kim to Rai, Rai to Clay. I do like the Shoku Element names, and the fact that Omi and Kim's are the same as their XS Wudai Element names.
Omi: Shoku Neptune Water (Wudai Neptune Water)
Kimiko: Shoku Mars Fire (Wudai Mars Fire)
Raimundo: Shoku Astro Wind (Wudai Star Wind)
Clay: Shoku Jupiter Earth (Wudai Crater Earth)
Master Fung finally shows up giving them congrats on their Shoku ranks, and now all 4 monks must unanimously decide on a new apprentice to train with them. And here's Omi, wearing a war helmet and carrying a swagger stick. It's official -- Omi's ego has taken over in the first few minutes of the episode!
Then we meet Boris Antonio Rolf Jean-Pierre Gaulle LaGrand IV. He kinda looks like someone, but I can't quite put my finger on it... He even speaks French and German, although none of the monks know what he is saying. (Thanks to Kimiko for her handy top-of-the-line technology to aid us in translation!) This guy is extremely fast, so fast in fact that he has time to finish using the "little warrior's room" before you finish your sentence. Omi praises him right away on his "fierce ping-pong method of pee-peeing" *facepalm*
And thus, Ping Pong's name is born! (Did it really have to come from a bathroom comment though?) I love how Ping Pong calls him "Brother Omi" and shows him the utmost respect. Omi is like his role model, hence the "brother". He even calls up some weird named moves like Omi. I have no clue if these are real or not, but it's so adorable! Piggy Taking Bubble Bath! (Lotus Locust Clan move according to Dojo).
Oh, and in case you haven't seen XS, we have a recap of the great battle between Grand Master Dashi and (Heylin Sorceress) Wuya, calling it the first "Xiaolin Showdown". Of course, good triumphs over evil and Dashi wins. Now here is where XC differs from XS -- apparently Wuya is trapped by Dashi into, um... a spring (or "springy" as they call it), a slinky basically... What--? How does that even make sense?!? Also, Dojo has the power to become a movie projector, and shows the story to the recruits.
And Dojo has still guarded the Shen Gong Wu scroll for 1500 years. Then he asks about the puzzle box, and Master Fung clamps his hands over Dojo's mouth. What's the big secret here?
Master Fung says that a long line of Xiaolin Dragons have produced the Wu and scattered it all over the world to create balance between good and evil.
Morphing Chopsticks (changes to the size of his opponent) were created by Barky Le Bois, Dragon of Wood. This guy may or may not be significant later on, but who knows? This is only the first episode.
And same old, same old, Dojo gets Wu rashes, which are clearly more disgusting looking in XC than XS...
Kim points out that Ping Pong may be the missing Wood element to their formation.
Ping Pong asks Omi to regale him in his adventures fighting Jack Spicer. What lovely graphics we have of Jack -- yeah, I'm referring to the one where he is pouting on the toilet *facepalm*
Speaking of Jack Spicer, look at his lab! It's totally surrounded by electricity and powerlines. Jack definitely has kept his mannerisms :P
Although, why is he talking about himself in third person?
"Jack want answers!"
*doorbell*
Jack: "The little ones are coming to get me!"
F-Bot: "A gift from your frrrrrrrrrenemy." (Who is this frenemy you speak of?)
(Jack opens the puzzle box containing the 'springy' and out pops our favorite ghost hag)
It looks like Jack and Wuya have met before...good! Keep those elements in from XS!
Oh, and what's this? A new Shen Gong Wu to be revealed? This one is called the Bubble Brain, which can turn a spirit into human form and vice versa.
A dark cloud has eclipsed the sun? Master Fung, what are we going to do?!?
Maybe Chase Young knows, considering that he has his evil cloud thing to spy on people.
Chase's Big Line: "Let the forces of evil rise!" *maniacal laugh*
Now that's what I'm talking about -- an awesomely evil entrance! (Sorry Jack!)
Ping Pong: Let's shoot this hoop! *high fives with Omi*
Nooooooo, Master Fung is getting old and forgetful :(
Ping Pong: "Shadow, I challenge you to up your game!"
This totally is a reference to Omi fighting his own shadow on the Heylin side (you know, when Chase stole his dots).
Wait, did Ping Pong just change into his street clothes? Oh, he changed back into his Xiaolin robe now.
Omi names Ping Pong his "Gecko" (it should be grasshopper, but you know how Omi is with slang).
Rai pops Dojo's 'Shen Gong Wu rash' and pus explodes all over his face...
Yes Rai, that's real! And the Bubble Brain is finally revealed since Wuya talked about it like 10 minutes ago...
And now Dojo burns Clay's hat when showing off his fire power, but I guess it didn't do any serious damage...
Master Fung: "You must act at once -- do not allow ANYTHING to distract you!"
*minutes after boarding the Dojo Mojo Kanojo Cho express (Yes, there's a 'Mojo' now)*
*sees a blond girl battling pond suckers*
Clay: "Looks like the young maiden's in for one nasty scrape."
Omi: "We must rescue this maiden at once!"
Kim: "But Master Fung ordered us to go after the Wu and not be distracted"
Rai: "We can't just stand by and do nothing."
Omi: "Look, with all the chitty-chatty, we could have saved a nest of maidens in dresses! DOJO, HIT IT!"
Dojo: "You got it! Prepare for landing!"
(And I thought Dojo loved Master Fung... He should've kept flying)
I always get a kick out of Omi's poor usage of slang:
Omi: Damsels in a dress
Rai: Um, that's 'damsels in distress'
So here we meet our 'maiden', Willow, and the boys of course take great interest in getting to know her. Kim, however, isn't very impressed. Willow wants to try her luck at becoming the new apprentice, and apparently, she knows a lot about our monks. Rai, Clay, and Omi all agree to give Willow a chance, despite pretty much choosing Ping Pong. See guys? Kimiko knows Ping Pong is special!
Anyway, the monks and 2 apprentice candidates ride away to find the Shen Gong Wu. Jack and Wuya are already 2 steps away from grabbing the Bubble Brain when the gang arrives. And (no surprise) Jack calls his Jack-bots to 'mince them', but the monks have no problem defeating the bots (again, no surprise). Ping Pong and Jack start fighting and then touch the Wu at the same time -- you all know what that means!! A Xiaolin Showdown :D
Omi is disappointed that he doesn't get to be in the Showdown, but wait -- Ping Pong isn't an apprentice just yet -- can he participate? What say you, Dojo? Dojo says that this is totally legal *thumbs up* Sorry Omi, you'll just have to wait for the next one! So Ping Pong will just have to borrow the Orb of Torpedo while Jack wagers his Monkey Spear (Wuya grabbed it out of who-knows-where). The game is...snowball flinging! Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!
Whoa, what's this? CGI showdowns?!? This sorta reminds me of Code Lyoko... I think I'll get used to it ;) And the winner is.... PING PONG! He's definitely proven himself to be apprentice material, don't you think? Everyone agrees, except Omi. He lets jealousy get the best of him, thinking that everyone loves Ping Pong more and will take his place. Omi decides to give Willow another shot, claiming that it is "too early to tell" which of the 2 should be apprentice.
Then we switch back to Chase Young creeping on the monks once again. Let's face it, he's evil, no matter how good looking he may be. W-Willow? How'd she get there so fast?!? What's she doing with Chase...? "Rule side by side"?
Willow is not who she seems. She takes her evil form as Shadow, a bug-eating creature. I'm not exactly sure how to describe her quite yet. If Chase still holds his reptilian form in XC, then she might be one as well.
So far, so good! Looks like this will be an interesting season for sure^^
Below is a recap of the Shen Gong Wu, comparing XS to XC
Old Wu / New Wu:
Changing Chopsticks = Morphing Chopsticks
Orb of Tornami = Orb of Torpedo
Fist of Tebigong = Fist of the Iron Bear
Star Hanabi = Kanabi Star
Sword of the Storm = Sword of Lucida
Monkey Staff = Monkey Spear
Serpent's Tail + Reversing Mirror = Bubble Brains
Brand New Wu:
Bubble Brain -- turns a spirit to flesh (Ex: Ghost Wuya to Human Wuya)
And for good measure, I'll just list the (known) Wu count of each side
Showdown:
Jack vs. Ping Pong for the Bubble Brain
Wagered Wu = Monkey Spear; Orb of Torpedo
Winner = Ping Pong
Xiaolin:
Fist of the Iron Bear, Kanabi Star, Sword of Lucida;
Orb of Torpedo, Monkey Spear, Bubble Brain
Heylin:
Jack = none
~~~~~
Thanks for being so patient! Maybe I'll break up my review posts into 2 parts for next time.
Feel free to share any ideas or comments :)
