Integration

[SirSapphire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monkian

I get confused about the notion that something must be changed, or else it's broke, or unoriginal, or dated, or irrelevant. I don't think that is so, but is a paradigm that is subscribed to because... well, just because. For me, if the guy has hair in the original, by all means, give him hair in the reboot. If he's hair-less in the original, then make him hairless in the re-boot. It's akin to making Batman mask-less, or Superman bald, or Bugs Bunny fond of broccoli.

There is a natural inclination for people to be taken back by such fundamental changes; it's to be expected AND should be understood and met as such. Unfortunately, it is often derided and met with contrarian rationale, a sort of devil's advocation, if you will. I'm still not entirely certain why people feel that if something isn't completely different it is somehow not original, fresh or relevant. Changes such as this are artistic liberties and nothing more. It doesn't make them right or wrong, but the fact is that the more you deviate from something the more it becomes something else. To make mention of that or to take note of that is nothing out of the ordinary.

While I agree with much of what you say here I don't necessarily think it applies here. Panthro was the favorite character of a lot of people in the original show and (I could be wrong here) I think it was because he was one of the few characters who truly pulled double duty and in the process came off as a more rounded, fleshed out character.

In the 80's cartoon Panthro was both the big guy and the smart guy. Something about that resonated with people, especially at a time where the strongest character in a show was often the dumbest one as well. It's the same thing now, Panthro is still physically the biggest and the strongest as well as the smartest. He's still the guy that tosses lizards around like ragdolls as soon as he's done souping up his Thundertank. He's still the older, wiser, and slightly grizzled veteran he always was.

As for the hair and the scars, these are just set dressing. They're there as quick visual cues that this character is a BAD ASS and serve the same purpose that Panthro's original outfit did, if more modernized so he doesn't look like something out of a combination KISS/Queen concert (with just a little dab of classic 80's wrestling). A lot of people say that the hair and sideburns just make him look like Jet Black from Cowboy Bebop, and they're right. In fact that's EXACTLY what they're supposed to do, Jet is the same type of person Panthro was and is and it's kind of an homage.

Also when it comes to a revival of a series (especially once like Thundercats, which unlike Transformers, My Little Pony, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, hasn't had a continued presence in the public eyes for fifteen to twenty years) you do need to change things. For starters it's boring, people don't want the exact same thing they already got before (no matter how much they might insist otherwise) and you have to appeal to a brand-new younger demographic at the same time whose tastes are not the same as those of their parents. As much love as the producers and fans have for the series neither should forget the fact shows like this are primarily there to sell toys. If the toys don't sell the show doesn't get renewed and they don't get to tell the stories they wanted to tell, so it's a very precarious balance between making and good, solid show and showing off things like the Thundertank and the Tower of Omens. Unlike Transformers the producers of Thundercat do not own the network their show airs on, so things really need to sell in order to keep the ball rolling.

When you get right down to it though you're just not going to be able to please everyone ANY of the time. There will always be complaints that it's not enough like the old show and complaints that it's too much like the old show and everything in between. For the most part these points are perfectly valid and mostly come down to personal preference. Just because someone doesn't like a certain aspect of the show, or even the show itself that doesn't nessecarily mean they think it's a bad show in and of itself.