Today on A Look at Disney, were doing something a tad different as I take a visit Okinawa to take a look at Stitch! The Anime. Now I'm only taking a look at the first episode and therefore this will just be an episode review and also this is a dub as that is what was aired. Now before we get any further into this, I normally don't watch anime and I probably won't after this. Really the only reason I'm watching this is for Stitch. Now apparently this is based off of a children's Manga series but seeing I have never read it and know very little about it, I'm just going to focus on this episode.
Episode Title
When we meet, We become Family
Now this is the English translation for the title of this episode. I like the title, it fits with the world and lessons of this franchise. Simple enough and one of the better aspects of this show in my opinion.
The Plot
Now to get a better hold on the plot of this episode and series, there is one thing that needs to be addressed. Lilo doesn't appear in this series. From my understanding this series takes place after the events of Lilo & Stitch: The Series and according to some information, Lilo is now an adult and married and has a daughter of her own. To be fair my statement of Lilo not appearing isn't truly accurate as she does appear in one episode but that is later down the line and not this one. From what I can tell of this episode's plot, Stitch steals a spaceship and starts acting up and crashes on an island in Okinawa. There he meets Yuna, our Lilo stand in so to speak. I'll talk more about her when I get to the characters.
Location
Okinawa, Japan
In the anime, Stitch has left Hawaii and when the spaceship that he stole crashes he lands in Okinawa, Japan. My thoughts, nice idea. Have Stitch go from island to another. It's able to keep that island feel to it. Nice choice of location.
Characters
Per usual, format I'll be breaking this down into Main, Supporting, & Villains. Just a quick note, I won't be listing the voice actors as this was a dub and I couldn't find the names of the English voice actors. Sorry about that.
Main Characters
Stitch
Ah, Stitch! He's just his old lovable self. Which is both a good and bad thing? As you seen the version I saw and I believe that this is not true for the original that this is show is supposed to be a continuation of Stitch's story where Lilo & Stitch: The Series left off. I say that this is a good thing because I don't think that you should mess with character too much but on the same token, you need to let them grow and here it just feels as though Stitch has regressed somewhat. One of the very first things that was set up in this episode and continues on throughout the rest of season 1 from my understanding is that Yuna has to teach Stitch how to be good and Stitch has to do a certain number of good deeds. This is where the bad comes in because if this is supposed to be a continuation of the franchise and take place in a future where Lilo is an adult, you would think that Stitch would understand certain behavior such as to be kind. Now it is never stated if Stitch's aging process is any different than that of a human. That is something else I took into account. Because if we go by what I stated in my review for Lilo & Stitch that he was just a baby, that would mean in The TV series and subsequent sequels that he was a young child and seeing as Lilo is now an adult, I'm going to hedge my bet and say that Stitch is in his teens. Now that is if his aging process is the same as that of a human. If not, I just made myself look like a fool. Now again, Stitch is mischievous and always has been but I don't know it just feels like that is this is supposed to be a continuation, there should be some sort of growth. Now another thing that I forgot to mention is something is the Spiritual Stone, which grants wishes to people that have been good. That is part of the reason why Stitch is doing good deeds because he wishes to be the strongest in the universe.
Yuna
Yuna is a young girl in the fourth grade and much like Lilo she is a tomboy. Whereas Lilo took Hula lessons, Yuna teaches karate. This was a nice touch as it helps to incorporate Japanese culture When we first meet Yuna, we see that she is a typical young girl. She loves adventure and likes to have fun. Now she's live with her grandmother as her father is away at work and her mother died when she was very young in a typhoon. Something that I found interesting and I liked is that when she first met Stitch she wasn't scared but rather assertive. Her and Stitch spend the night together in a caver and that is how they grow and bond. She was probably my favorite character.
Supporting Character
Jumbaa
Now in this first episode, Jumbaa is searching for Stitch after he has escaped and we don't see much of him except for when he reunites with Pleakley.
Pleakley
Now Pleakley wasn't seen too much in the episode until right before the end where we learn that he had stranded on a planet for some time. Other than that he doesn't play that much of a role in this episode.
Obaa (Grandma)
Now I couldn't find a picture of this character but this is Yuna's grandmother whom she lives with. From the little bit I saw of her, she was a kind and caring old lady. Simple enough character but I liked her.
Villains
Gantu
Now Gantu also returns and as a villain yet again. Now here again is another problem I had because when we last him he was once again, a good guy. What may him decide to return being a bad guy and work for Hamsterveil at that. Perhaps that is explained later on down the road but going into this, I was just lost.
Hamsterveil
Hamsterveil is once again the main villain and I don't think that he was featured too much in this episode. It was just established that he wants power and has a personal vendetta against Stitch. He also want to go the Spiritual Stone to use it to become a supreme ruler. Again, not much of him was shown. So I can't say how he plays out in the series.
My Final Thoughts
This was a rough show to review as I don't watch anime and this episode set up plot points that appear to be important to the anime later down on the road. I can't comment on these too much. Now I did have some qualms with it such as the contitunity but I think that it can be overlooked if you like Stitch. Me, I don't know if I'll continue to watch. Because while this wasn't a bad episode, I was just left unimpressed. It's not bad but I was just left with a "meh" feeling about the show. It did nothing that would make me want check out any further episodes well save for the one where Lilo shows up to see how they explain that. Would I reccomend this show? If you like Stitch, then perhaps. Though I like Stitch but I just had too many problems with this show. On the one end, it felt as though it wanted to distance itself from everything else that we have with these characters while at the same time be a continuation of their stories. That's part of the problem, right there. I don't think there are enough stories or new ideas that can be explored with Stitch. In the end, I wouldn't say this is a bad show but rather one that is there.
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