Max Steel: S01E01 ~ E03 - Come Together.

Hey do you guys remember Max Steel? I can't believe it got a brand new, reimagined series and I didn't known about it! Either way since I have nothing to talk about on here at the minute, I thought I'd check out the opening three partner.

So I will just go out and say right away that I really enjoyed this opening three parter and as such I want to get the main negatives out of the way first. And the biggest negative with this series? The writing. Pretty much nothing here is original, which isn't a problem in itself but none of the recycled ideas here are recycled very well, with storytelling about as subtle as a barbedwire baseball bat to the face and it piles so much on in these opening three episodes, with so much of it hand waved by "SCIENCE!" that it goes from muddled and bumbling to flat out nauseating by the end. If anyone in the audience can tell how the logic of this show works by the end, do let me know, I was frankly lost before the second episode finished. Max Steel is basically Spider-Man meets Batman Beyond meets Power Rangers, all framed in basically every sci-fi film ever made.

With so much crammed into the opening three parter, the pacing of course suffers as well. For the most part the show manages to world build very well, without having to put the brakes on to do it. However on the other hand, there is a lot here that isn't given the proper space to breathe and in turn ends up undermining moments that could have been much more epic than they actually turn out to be, as they finish barely after they've started.

With that out of the way, can we just talk about how great these opening three episodes were? Firstly, I'm so glad it doesn't feel censored to the point that the show feels conflictless. I understand these shows are for the kiddies but without stakes a show is uninteresting and unengaging. I felt more engaged by the end of this, than I have through the entire run of other cartoons. I mean hell, the villain is basically a drug addict, willing to kill his fellow man just to get his next fix...mental!

Max Steel is a gorgeous looking show...for the most part. I've never been much of a fan of CG animation in cartoons, they rarely have the budget to make it work, leaving us with stiff and goofy animation. Here however the CG animation works... for the most part. The biggest drop in quality really is in action scenes, when it comes to fast paced chase style action sequences it all looks gorgeous, but whenever characters are punching or throwing one another that CG goofy stiffness comes into full play. The same can be said for the city and the civilians, whenever the camera panned out to show empty streets bar one or two stiff robotic like humans shuffling along I kept waiting for the camera to pan out further and reveal we were in fact zoomed in on someone's model town but alas this is sadly what Max Steel thinks a living breathing world looks like.

The action scenes are also really well directed, really imaginative and full of heart, seemingly all imagination missing in the plot was put in the fights. Akin to the Kamen Rider toku series Steel provides Max with a range of different forms, all with unique uses and abilities and as more and more become available, it's heaps of fun to see them used in sequence to benefit each form, mixing them together for devastating effect.

You know what I've never understood? Why anime dubs suck most of the time, with voice actors so bland you can barely distinguish one character from another because whenever its an English spoken show, everyone seems to put in huge effort and have unique and interesting voices. Maybe the dub companies just don't give a shit about quality, as long as they can make money from it, I wouldn't be surprised.

Thanks to the strong voicework, it makes the characters and their interactions a lot of fun. The chemistry between Max and Steel especially is a joy to watch, I can't wait to watch them bond over the course of the series. Characters in a series like this aren't easy to get right, on the one hand you want your hero to be the coolest part of the show and so you don't want to create side characters that outshine them, on the other hand you don't want to make your hero so perfect that the side characters become completely worthless. And at least at this point of the series, Max and Steel were awesome but none of the side characters felt like spare parts, minus perhaps a forced love interest and a future friend for Max whose scenes feel like they were added in post.

But yeah, overall, this was a fantastic way to start your series. As long as future episodes give greater purpose to the school side, or just cut it out all together and they start mixing in some original ideas of their own, this will grow into one of my favourites. If it continues to be as unoriginal as this opening three parter though, I'm not sure how far the fun action will carry me, but it certainly carried me through these opening three episodes with a massive shit-eating grin on my face. 

Pros;

• It's just so much fun.
• Although still obviously made for kids, the censorship doesn't feel like it's getting quite in the way as much as it does in other shows.
• Although still not perfect, this is some of the better CG animation that I've seen.
• Great action.
• Strong voice acting.
• The dynamic between Max and Steel.
• A strong supporting cast. 
• Good dialogue.

Cons;

• A lack of originality. 
• A lack of subtly. 
• Weak writing.
• Bad pacing.
• What was the point of the highschool sections? To appeal to the kids? Meh.

Think About It!

-Locke

What would you rate, 'Come Together'?