天下制覇

What is it with this show and puppets?

Impressions:

This episode should get some kind of special award for being terrible, recycled, and having the budget very obviously flat-out run out at the end. Even for this show, it was just flat out terrible. It’s bad enough having yet another puppet story where Hugh and Dalian walk from place to place so every character involved can tell them their life story. This is what… the third? Fourth? And I think perhaps worse, that appears to be leading into some kind of melodramatic angsting for Dalian which will likely be the concluding arc for the show. Maybe they should bother giving the antagonists a proper introduction first. Or any introduction. Or convince me that Hugh and Dalian can handle something more dangerous than a feral teacup poodle.

Maybe last week’s little animation experiment ate up more time and resources than I thought. When the newest puppet, a violinist doll named Christobel, started playing THE SONG OF DOOM AND DESTRUCTION, the building began collapsing and the animation completely stopped. Just… full stop. Then about 25 seconds of static stills showing Hugh and Dalian escaping from the building and wistfully looking back at Christy who they couldn’t save. They didn’t even both to add any pans or other Movie Maker 101 basic effects. Just like… "here’s some key frames that we wish we had time to animate. Wouldn’t it be cool if we finished this scene?" Although, since like I said, it was yet another episode of "Hugh and Dalian do nothing while the situation conveniently works itself out," the answer to that question is still no.