[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, Final Thoughts

We've reached the end of Cybersix, a series that's been a wonderful delight to finally explore. Check it out here.

[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, pitch pilot

"There's a dual fight where Data-7 is taking on José in the drill machine. Most of this made it to that episode. Cyber is taking on Terra, and I much prefer the Evil!Terra design here than the anglerfish version used in the episode. Here, it's still got that grinning clown mask, albeit twisted into a sinister leer, and dozens of eye-stalks emerge all over the body, all looking at its victim at once, the two on its head draping down like a jester's bells. It's really quite chilling."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix comic, volume 1, part 2

"Ultimately, it's hard to recommend this volume. I certainly don't recommend it to those who enjoy the cartoon and it's not hard to see why there's little overlap in fandom between the two, to the point where all fan attempts to translate the comic have stalled partway through volume 1. It is an interesting book, strikingly drawn, with a nice setup, interesting characters, and some really nice story beats at times. It's also mean, gross, messy, and just not a very enjoyable and entertaining read. It's just so juvenile that it's not hard to place it alongside the other dreck that was comics in the 90s Extreeeme Age."

For more, check out my latest post.

[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix comic, volume 1, part 1

"This is still a pretty strong intro piece to the series, setting up our lead and her struggle, both the streets she prowls at night and the life she leads during the day, a couple key players in her supporting cast (especially Lucas and his hunt to find answers about Cybersix and the Technos), and is also a nice examination of the world they all live in. Yeah, it's grittier and grosser, but not in a terrible way. I really do like the blocky, messy, but very dynamic and animated art. I had some complaints about the designs in the toon, especially that hair, but there's a stronger consistency to it here. It's very noir, very dank and shadow heavy, engulfing our characters in this setting just as the writing engulfs Cyber in her conflicted thoughts, and the soaring leaps across rooftops are a nice escape."

For more, check out my latest post.

[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 13 "The Final Confrontation"

"I figured they were going to pull out some stops when we reached the end of this series, but I didn't expect as massive of a finale as we got."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 12 "Daylight Devil"

"This entire run, I've sung the praises of the animation on this show, as some of the most exquisite stuff the industry was putting out at the time. Hell, for all his grumping, even Tony's admitted the animation is pretty spectacular. Yet even within the context of all that, this week's episode blew me away. Those are my socks on the ground with little puffs of smoke rising from them, that speck fading into the distance is me, blown right the hell away."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 11 "The Greatest Show in Meridiana"

"I have no problems with this episode. There isn't much to it beyond wild action, robotic animals, and circus motifs, but all of it is played well. The fights are great, especially as Cybersix is spearing herself straight through her enemies. The whole setting of the circus is played well with the cheering, then confused, then running in horror crowd, and muscle-bound Fixed Ideas slumping about in clown outfits. José's schtick is actually a great fit for the setting, him stromping about as a dictatorial ringmaster in a big fake mustache, and I love how it's another episode where everything spirals out of his control, to the point where he's even ducking behind Cybersix for protection. Love how she just stands there as the flying monkeys make off with him."

For more, check out our latest post.

[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 10 "Full Moon Fascination"

"A quibble I have is that I don't entirely get Elaine's endgame. There's the werewolf dude in the opening, but then we never see him again. Where'd he go? Why is she focusing all her time on Lucas instead of spreading around and building an entire pack under her thrall which he gradually falls into. We catch occasionally news reports of wolf attacks all over Meridiana, so maybe there is something broader going on in the background, but the focus is purely on Lucas. It's great from a character standpoint, but it does also lead the climactic battle to drag on a bit when it could have used a bit more variety and momentum, like what you'd get with a larger pack of wolves."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 9 "The Eye"

"Even José's involvement is well utilized because of his interactions with his father, showing how the boy and his maker clash over their mutual machinations and their unspooling control over the creature. Plus, I love the scale of the episode, with José quickly growing from petty crimes to enthralling entire neighborhoods, then a rather significant amount of the city. I'm surprised the people in the sports arena were such a huge deal because you'd think turnout would be low given how many people have already been hit. Still, it's a great moment, as is José marching into the mayor's office and claiming it for himself, complete with a portrait of himself in his Enemy Ace cap."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 8 "Gone with the Wings"

"We never find out a point for Von Reichter's own people being surprised to learn of the goblins, with no reveal or explanation within those ranks. There's no real motive for what the goblins are there to do beyond somehow conquering the city through their breeding. There's a string of bizarre structuring where Julian stumbles across their lair randomly, doesn't notice massive creatures hanging literally in front of his face in a fully lit room until he bumps into them, then when he's trapped, Data 7 goes for help, then goes off with Cybersix for a different action scene, then returns on his own to save the boy, then Cybersix decides to go find the boy herself right in the middle of her action, but by then her friends are already gone. The script feels very sloppily organized, like they were rushing some sequences together in a story they hadn't fully figured out."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 7 "Brainwashed"

"By removing all of Henrique's agency, there's no drama to the choices he's been manipulated into making, no actual struggle between he and Julian as the boy struggles to defend Cybersix. This could have been a great character piece that boldly dropped Henrique into the scenario, but as it is, he's little more than just a cool mustache dude with nothing explored beneath a nice surface design, and no sense of victory when he ultimately sides with Cybersix, due to it being the result of a removed helmet instead of an actual choice on his part. And back to the Techno, the cartooniness of the scenario even strips out the reveal that José's mission to conquer Meridiana has reached a point where the CHIEF OF FREAKIN' POLICE is under his control."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 6 "Blue Birds of Horror"

"There's very little actual violence, but the overwhelming flurry of the attacks really sells the danger, and even the growing flocks at rest on the rooftops has a skilled layer of tension to it. I especially like that we get outside of our main cast, finding random people around Meridiana who are falling victim in nicely staged ways. The couple who both delight in feeding the birds on their sill who suddenly find their home invaded and trashed. The guy who takes shelter in a phone booth only for the birds, instead of smashing into the windows like they did with Hitchcock, work up under the open ventilation gap near the ground, sealing him in with horror. The dude who loses a hairpiece he still has two payment on."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 5 "Lori is Missing"

"José continues to be completely unthreatening as a villain, but he's still a hell of a lot of fun. I love how ridiculously simple yet ridiculously complicated his plot is, to dig through the basement of a bank vault, all hinging on a completely off scale 8-bit program. There's really no reason he couldn't just manually do the dig given how much control he had over the vehicle in the climactic battle, but that he's put so much reliance on his pre-programming, it speaks to how stubborn and immature he is."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 4 "Yashimoto, Private Eye"

"I will say, stripping away the animation, it is a very well written episode. Yashimoto hunting down clues, finding the clothing shop where Cyber may have assembled her costume, making the connection to Adrian. Julian and Ikiko making various attempts to escape, most of which blow up in José's face, even as they still end up recaptured. My favorite is them bursting out of the grate right onto José's couch where he's playing video games. My first hard laugh of the series! The confrontation in Cyber/Adrian's apartment. The big climax. The story intercuts well, the characters are nicely explored as things unfold, the staging of the big battle at the end progresses nicely from stage to stage before slamming to its finish. Even the dialogue is sharper and cleaner than what we're used to."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 3 "Terra"

"You can definitely tell the people working on this show came out of the animation department of Batman: The Animated Series, because here they've built an entire episode around how much fun they had animating Clayface. As with so many things on this show, Terra is gorgeous to behold as its mud body flows in and out of various shapes and tendrils, using the ability to splat and pour as a part of its basic walking. Adding the face, the basic clown mask with either a smile or a frown, just kind of lumped onto the clay, is a really nice touch and really boosts Terra up as an interesting character to watch."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 2 "Data 7 & Julian"

"Data 7 feels like it shouldn't work. Cyber's brother is suddenly a panther, with a backstory straight out of a swingin' 60 Shotaro Ishinomori manga, and this should completely clash against the Julian/José plot. It doesn't. It's beautifully executed as they play Data dead straight, having him be the fantastical overseer of José for the as yet unnamed mad scientist behind everything, and use elements of the Julian plot to tie into Data's backstory with Cyber. Those flashes, of him falling from a cliff, Cyber failing to reach him in time, of flowers falling apart. The slash he makes on the photo to explain the scar over his left eye. These are beautiful narrative stings, on top of some absolutely spectacular animation of a panther in repose and action. Seriously, the fight between Data and Cyber is jawdropping and exquisitely well put together."

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[Short-Lived Showcase] Cybersix, episode 1 "Mysterious Shadow"

"Shockingly, unlike many other shows, the animation quality doesn't suddenly take a nosedive once we get into the episode proper. No, there isn't the same level of gloss and detail all the time, and a couple of shots are a bit more basic, but there's still a beautiful fluidity to the animation, with sharply composed shots, pounding, whipping action sequences, and so many little moments of character business which give things life. One of my favorites is the scene where Adrian storms out of the cafe and Lucas shoots up to follow. Instead of just sailing out the door or the directors cutting there, Lucas fumbles for his jacket, digs around until he comes up with a couple of bucks, plops them on the table, then can't resist grabbing one more slice of pizza before then making his way out, all while juggling the glowing green vile. If nothing else, this level of animation is the highlight of the episode, to the point where it's mesmerizing at times. I'm really curious if this is a standard they'll be able to maintain over the whole run."

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