MovieChat Forums > Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011) Discussion > This show needs better writers...

This show needs better writers...

posted 12 years ago by freezing_ice_kirby-1
26 replies | jump to latest

So far, I've watched all sixteen episodes that have aired... And I have to say, I'm not all that impressed. Don't get me wrong, the animation is quite nice, and almost all of the voice actors imitate the originals cast quite decently. The action scenes and kung fu can be quite good at times as well.

But it's the writing of the show that really ruins it for me. It doesn't have the wit or charm that made both films so good, and it's really starting to get into a major rut. Maybe I'm the only one who has noticed this so far, but it seems that almost every single episode plot is practically the same.

Basically put, here's how it seems to always go; Everything's good when the episode starts out, something usually happens because of Po, and he has to fix said problem by the end of the episode, as well as "Learn his lesson". There are exceptions (like the episode where Mantis pretends to be the Dragon Warrior), but I'm amazed at how this type of plot seems to appear almost every single episode. I'm also amazed at how many times Po screws things up, but since he "Fixes it" by the end of the episode, everyone forgives him and his follies like he's some idiot child who can't help the bad things that he's doing. That's not what the movies were about, or what they tried to emphasis on, and I don't get why they do that almost constantly.

Speaking of idiot child, I also don't understand why the writers like dumbing down these characters, all for the sake of "Comedy". Remember in the movies when the Furious Five, Shifu, and all these Kung-Fu masters used to be well-respected and honored? Now, they're just the brunt of constant silly jokes. Tigress getting her face all painted up by children, the Furious Five hosting children's birthday parties... the list goes on.

I do think that there's hope for the show though. Despite guessing it right off the bat, I like that they introduced Ping as Tai Lung's nephew. I really, REALLY hope this leads into a story arc of some kind, and not just a one-or-two episode-type of deal. It has potential to go far... I just hope they don't ruin it with even more silly gags.

...But, then again, maybe all of this is just me. The movies set such a nice standard, and I was really expecting a lot from this show. It's not that I find it horrible, rather I just see it as a missed opportunity so far. Perhaps it'll improve over time... They can start by toning down some of the visual gags. Maybe it's just me, but there's just so many times I can find Po slamming into a wall of getting hit in the 'tenders' as funny. Perhaps add in some emotion like the films utilized quite nicely, and they might actually have something...

[–] hylian7 12 years ago

But it's not the films, it's a TV show made in a considerably more condensed time with less money going into it and aired on Nickelodeon. It is what it is and if you accept that you may take a better liking to it. Plus, it does have emotion, and even darker moments in it. It's not all silly gags.. which the films have plenty of by the way. ;)

[–] freezing_ice_kirby-1 12 years ago

Unfortunately, I disagree.

To me, when someone says something along the lines of "It's not like the films", that's saying to me "You have to ignore the films in order to enjoy the TV show"... That is not a sign of a good series. There's no excuse for lazy writing, and there's no reason why it couldn't be just as good, if not better, than the films (Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a fine example of this). Say what you will, but I expected better than what they are giving us now... and there's no real reason why I shouldn't have expected anything less (though I will say not every episode has been bad... like I said in my post, I like the possibilities of Tai Lung's nephew, and I hope they take advantage of it). There's been plenty of shows in history that have taught us that even with a low (or lower) budget, you can still deliver quality entertainment. Besides that, big budgets doesn't automatically equal better entertainment.

I also have to disagree about the emotion and some segments being darker (than the films) in this series. I haven't seen any actual moments that might constitute as 'dark', nor that much emotion either. There are moments that can come close, but it's usually thrown to the side for more silly gags (or it's just completely forgotten, since there's practically no continuity so far... evidence of this includes Po screwing up in almost every episode, yet never seems to learn his lesson). That leads me to another problem I have with the series; it plays things too safe. Unlike shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the DCAU cartoons (Batman:TAS, Justice League/Unlimited, etc), and even the recent Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated, Dreamworks decided to take the safe route, and created a show that takes no risks. Nickelodeon isn't to blame for this, as even their Avatar: The Last Airbender knew it had to push the boundaries of what was acceptable for a show safe for kids (and it succeeded in doing so). Hell, even My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic supposedly has great writing and pushes boundaries (Though I've only seen one episode of that show, I constantly hear that it's well written). It's the reasons why those shows are considered so great and fondly remembered... and it is the reason why KFP: Legends of Awesomeness will never become anything great.

And while I'll admit that the films did have some silly gags in it too, at least they knew to balance it out a bit better. That's just not the case with this series. I'm sorry, but I still say this show misses too many opportunities.

[–] hylian7 12 years ago

The Kung Fu Panda films are in general considered 'action comedy', so how dark or emotional should a Nickelodeon TV series based on them be? This is not Batman or Avatar or Star Wars. If you tune in expecting it to be the same or better than something it's not and accept nothing else, I think you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.

If you don't like it, that's fine. I don't think it's perfect either, but I do think the show has much of the same balance of action, humor, and emotion that the movies have, and I don't think it being lighter ruins it. Darker doesn't automatically mean better. We see more of the characters, a more expanded world, loyalties are tested, there are new challenges, we find out more about the characters and meet new ones. I think it's worth watching. So I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

[–] StrongRex 12 years ago

I think there is too much comedy and not enough drama and seriousness. What I loved about the King Fu Panda movies was that they had enough of a balance of both that made them not only funny, but capable of having a story that draws you in. Legends of Awesomeness has mediocre storytelling at best. There have been anachronisms that don't belong and really undermine their faithfulness to ancient China, the villains have all been lame, flat, and ridiculous, the inclusion of Ascended Fanon like Tigress having a crush on Shifu is annoying, and there have been some major contradictions, particularly about Chorh-Gom and Tai Lung.

And Po needs to stop acting like a stupid child in every episode he is in. In the movies, he was not only a silly fanboy but he was also a deep, compassionate character, and there were times when he was smart and intelligent. The writers are choosing to show only the sillyness and it's really annoying.

[–] mcgormanp 12 years ago

I actually think the show is fun. I'm not as into KFP as I used to be, but I think it's great that there expanding their universe. And I find it hilarious. And remember, each villain is their own person(I would in fact find it worse if each villain was just like Tai Lung and Shen). But I do think that most of the villains are weaker than either of Tai or Shen (I personally find Fenghuang to be the strongest).

I even think some of the villains are even more developed and complex than Tai Lung (but not Shen), and a chunk of them a lot less whiny. Temutai and the Mongolian Fist Demon may be your average big strong guy with anger issues, but the backstories of Fendhuang, Taotie and Junjie adds more to KFP mythos. And the most complex villain is either Hundun or Fung.

Hundun- He was part of the rhino guards that took care of Tai Lung. But after he escaped from prison in a fit of rage (because of the dragon warrior shabang), he lost his job, his wife, his kids, everything. So now he has a personal vendetta against the Dragon Warrior. He may be have his comedic ramblings or outbursts once in a while (which are great), but he can still be taken seriously.

And he's not even that strong of a villain. He only beat Po, Shifu and the five by cheating, which was usually exploiting their weaknesses. It's a gritty and cruel tactic that works.

He even befriend Po and before he knew he was the dragon warrior. This shows that unlike the completely heartless movie villains, he has humility. I think that makes him more uhhhh...? "Human-ish" than either Tai or Shen. All in all, i think Hundun is a better villain than Tai Lung, and only second to Shen.

Fung- This guy was made to be a joke from the start. He's foolish, silly and a poor bandit all in all. He even knows very little Kung Fu, if at all. But on the other hand, he has a sense of determination, and the occasional stroke of luck.

As I also said with Hundun, Fung also has a more postive aspect about him. He has helped Po in dire situations, such as when he was trapped in a pit or when he was about to be tortured. So in my opinion, being a frenemy rather than an enemy is a better description for this guy.

So both villains in my opinion are much more relatable than either Tai Lung or Shen (unless they're insane megalomaniacs). And remember, this series is set in between the two movies, so Po still has a lot to learn (and any personality traits he gains in 2 do not apply) and he is still a relatively nice guy. And the Tigress shifu thing was just a joke, don't take it seriously.

And by the way, what contradictions with Tai Lung and Chor Gom? Chor Gom could have either been A)repaired or B) that part that was destroyed was, like some places in real life, reserved for only the most dangerous and unstable foes. And about Peng (the little mary-sue he is), he is merely the nephew of Tai Lung. Peng may be searching for him, by chances are, the search is merely a lost cause.

And one more thing. Anybody who dislikes the show, think about this. Would you do any better at writing the scripts? And besides, Dreamworks is saving their big baddies for 3, 4 etc. But if you still don't like the series, haters gonna hate.

(swagger walk out)

[–] StrongRex 12 years ago

The villains are more developed than Tai Lung?

Fung is way overused, and he is annoying as hell. Taotie makes me cringe. Hundun is completely pathetic. So far, the only villain on the show that actually presented a real threat was the Owl in Good Po vs. Bad Po.

Chor Ghom had only been used for Tai Lung, and after he destroyed the prison it would have disgraced and condemned. I highly doubt it would have been repaired and reused for other prisoners. I found the Ping storyline to be pretty interesting, I hope they go somewhere with that because I think Tai Lung can be redeemed. The only part I didn't like about that episode was Po being OOC.

Yes, in fact I believe I could do better at writing the scripts. I also have read much better fanfics of Kung Fu Panda than the episodes they have written for Legend of Awesomeness. But that's besides the point. It's not about who can do better, it's about the writers and the quality THEY are putting in the shows. Just because I am supposedly "less qualified" than them does not mean I cannot form an opinion and criticize them on what they are doing wrong.

I also wanted to add that so far, the Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special has done a better job of showcasing Po's character than Legends of Awesomeness.

[–] mcgormanp 12 years ago

I absolutely love Fenghuang the Owl! And we all have our different opinions. But what do people see in this Peng fellow? Is it just because he's a cat or something? I've seen many cat OCs and they have begun to annoy me. I don't loathe them (most of them), but out of 1000s of Asian animals, they could at least be more creative.

I don't hate Tai Lung, I just don't like how he is so...underdeveloped. And tragically, redemption is doubtful, especially since he's probably dead. And about hating the other villains, not every villain has to be a diabolical crazed kung fu legend. Some (like Fung, Hundun and Taotie) are here just for laughs and such. Although I would like to hear more why you hate them so much. Just a little more explaination. And I never said that ALL of the villains were more developed that Tai Lung (like Temutai or the three pigs). But I do also like Taotie, and his son. I like unorthodox villains in a Kung Fu world. Adds more to the universe.

And remember, both Tai Lung, Shen, and even Fenghuang were a little...unhinged (unless somebody out there is). To me, that makes them a little harder to connect to than the likes Fung and Hundun. And remember, Fung is meant to be a silly recurring character and Hundun is supposed to be pathetic in a way. I still stand by my reason that they are still more fleshed out than Tai Lung though (not by too much though).

And now you've got me curious. Would you care to explain HOW you would make the show better? I'm not berating you or anything. I'm genuinely curious. Like make up some characters and story plots and such. I would be very interested to see that. And I mean it, I love seeing the imagination of others.

But I still love the show as well as many other KFP fans. And if you don't like it, that's okay, not gonna bash you for it. Just accept it as part of the KFP universe and think nothing of it. Like the Star Wars prequels. You can hate Jar Jar all you want, but deep down, you know he's canon.

But anyways, curious to see your characters and ideas. And remember, Legends of Awesomeness is set between 1 and 2, so any traits Po gains during 2 doesn't apply to the show. Hope to hear from you soon.

P.S: I also realized that Peng is not completely Mary Sue. He does wrong and come to think of it...that was the point of the episode. I would like to see him again, but I still bet Tai's six feet in the ground by now. Sorry.

P.P.S: Happy Holidays

[–] StrongRex 12 years ago

I agree about the Asian animals and the thousands of them. One of the things I particularly liked about Master Shifu is that they chose an animal I had never heard of before seeing this movie. I looked it up, and he is a red panda. When you read about them, they're so fascinating in real life!

I have to disagree about Tai Lung being under developed. He has to be one of the most developed villains onscreen, and I will explain why.

At the most basic level, Tai Lung was an innocent child overwhelmed by dreams too big for him to achieve. He is a troubled soul who has issues dealing with failure, and has a volatile temper. His crime was evil; there is no doubt about that. And his time in prison was just. However, it is unfair to chalk him up as a too-far-gone villain. When he escaped and confronted Shifu, there was a definite weakness in his strength (if that makes sense). When Shifu tried to reach out to him, Tai Lung’s eyes showed signs of kindness, sadness, sorrow, and regret in a few flickering moments. If anything, Shifu could almost be considered the villain for creating Tai Lung. There is deepness to Tai Lung’s character that in my opinion, rivals that of Po and Shifu, who are the other deep characters in the movie (which is another thing I don't like about the series; they have taken away the deepness).

To sum it up, Tai Lung’s character was incredibly deep and developed, and he met an end that leaves us wondering where he went and what happened to him. I enjoyed this movie, and thoroughly enjoyed a particular character’s journey and was not satisfied with the open end he was left with.

I also don't believe Tai Lung is dead. For one thing, we never see his body after Po performs the Wuxi Finger hold. When I first saw the first movie, I got a huge impression that his end was an open end that has yet to be closed, and the reason I thought so was because when Po used the Wuxi Finger Hold on him, he seemed to disappear for absolutely no reason. I feel like Tai Lung needs to return in some way. Because if he doesn’t, and nobody knows what happened to him, that leaves a plothole.

The reason I say that is because Shifu’s comment on the hold (‘the hardest part is cleaning up afterwards’) implies a physical, messy end. Yet there is no such evidence of such an end with Tai Lung, giving us the impression that something out of the ordinary happened. Not to mention that knowing Po’s gentle nature, I personally find it hard to believe that he would up and kill somebody in cold blood for any reason. It’s also interesting to note that Po said “I defeated Tai Lung,” not “I killed Tai Lung.”

So up to now, we have one reason for Tai Lung to return; there is no discernable end for him, which is a good preparation for bringing him back. Now there is the matter of his character, which I explained above.

There is so much that could be done with Tai Lung should he be brought back. In my mind, a story of redemption and regaining the honor Tai Lung had before he attacked and destroyed the Valley of Peace, as well as his relationship with Shifu would work best. I don't believe he has to come back as a villain, and I have read several great fanfics that bring him back as a good guy in an EXTREMELY believable way. I will recommend those to you at the end of the post.

I don't have much of an opinion on Shen, but he was pretty menacing enough for me. I think Taotie and Hundun had great setups as villains, but the writers did not handle them well at all. They tried too hard to make them funny, but it failed miserably and instead resulted in making them painfully dreadful. Fung is the same way. I don't mind villains that are annoying sometimes, but they are used ALL the time! Is it any wonder that anyone could be sick of their constant onscreen time when better villains could be used???

As far as how I would make the show better...for one thing, I would not have every single episode revolving around Po and the stupid mistakes he makes, causing everyone to get mad at him and him having to learn a lesson he never really takes to heart. That formula got old very quick, and the writers have not recognized that to my knowledge. I would use those storylines at least 1 out of 15 or so episodes, or at least keep them to a minimum.

Speaking of Po, I have stressed enough about how he needs to stop acting like a stupid child. In the first movie, Po was a silly fanboy but he began to grow out of that stage. In the Kung Fu Panda holiday special, he is loyal and has a much better grip on his responsibility as the Dragon Warrior, and in Kung Fu Panda 2 he is much more loyal and mature and a very determined warrior. But in the show he is not like this. He always behaves like a spoiled, stupid little boy, and at times even acts mean. Some episodes do get his gentleness and compassion down very well, but not very many. He even gets jealous of the attention Ping gets and resorts to lying about Shifu's intentions for him, ending up hurting and traumatizing the poor kid! That is not Po at all, and it really infuriated me to see that. He may be over enthusiastic sometimes, but he is not unintelligent, or God forbid, a mean and inconsiderate jerk.

I would focus more on getting to know the Furious Five. And I mean all the Furious Five, not just Tigress and Mantis like the show has been doing. I am interested to see more of Monkey (whom we barely got to know in the movies), Crane needs more screen time as well, and I am particularly interested in Viper.

It would also be nice to get to know Shifu more, rather than have him always be the disciplinarian for Po. I'd like to know more about his traits and personality, and even his past and how he came to live at the Jade Palace. I would love to see some flashbacks with him and Oogway, and their relationship. The Chinese culture also would be great to expand upon.

As far as villains go, read the fanfics I recommend to you, and you'll have a better idea on how I believe the villains should be. All in all, I would take the potential KFP has and devote myself to it.

Speaking of the fanfics, I am going to give you two authors that have written the best Kung Fu Panda fics I have ever read, and they both have written stories revolving around Tai Lung. Here are their profiles:

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1614847/nievelion

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/310527/Luna_Goldsun

Their stories will speak for themselves on what they are about, so you'll know which ones are about Tai Lung. I like both takes on Tai Lung from their stories, but I think nievelion's "A Different Lesson" does it the best. And I mentioned wanting to know more about Shifu's past earlier; Luna Goldsun writes a really good take on that too. I would just check them out; I'm just sad that these two people have written better stories of Kung Fu Panda than the writers for Legends of Awesomeness have. To sum it up, I don't really hate the show...yet. There are things I do like about it, but if they don't deliver better effort on it quick, this show will lose the potential it was meant to have.

Okay, I think I have rambled enough. Don't take my word, just read them for yourself!

[–] mcgormanp 12 years ago

I commend you for a great argument of proving how deep Tai Lung really is. I never thought of that. And I always love learning about new things. Makes me like him more (it threw Hundun out of second place for my favorite KFP baddie). And I respect your opinion on Po and the new villains. I understand the show isn't for everyone (no show is), and you made many good points. I can't argue with that.

And what a concidence, I've also heard of and read about Luna Goldsun. Her stories truly are gems in the fanfiction world. Rivals even many books out there. I like the stories, but my only problem is the OCs. I have nothing against OCs (in fact, I have a little too many, see my imdb history) or they're not developed enough (they are developed quite well). My problem stems from most OCs in the fandom. They're either a type of canine or feline four-fifths of the time. It's not too big of a deal, but it disconnects me from the fandom when some OCs are pretty much the same as somebody else. And remember, 1000s of animals in Asia, ticks me off that some people don't take advantage of that fact.

And despite how well written Luna's stories are, one thing weakens it for me. Kung Fu Panda is primarily targeted for children, yet the stories are T. I have nothing against it, but the occasional language and the mentions of torture and rape sort of draws me out of the KFPverse. It's a great fic don't get me wrong, but I'm a guy that's more into "keeping the KFP spirit" nowadays. I think that's why I like the animated series so far. It adds more to this unique universe, it's keeps the spirit and it's bearable to me.

But off that subject. I have a feeling you're a type of person who's into reading a good fanfic now and again. So I've got some recommendations.

I've briefly mentioned my imdb thread "a really good idea for a sequel is back", which with help became a story about Eight Kingdoms, similar to the Chinese Legend. In all honesty, it's not the best ever, and after post 150, it might've "jumped the shark". But it was a long time ago, and I'm not angered about it being retconned by 2 and such. But funfact: Before I even put it on imdb, I sent the storyboard to Mark Osborne. But of course, I was just thought of as a mere fan, but he did tell me what fanfiction is. So thanks to him, I've got myself one of these.

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1713310/mcgormanp#

That is my fanfiction.net profile. I have three stories. My first one Kung Fu Panda "The terrific twelve" is garbage, so don't bother with it. My second one is for Mortal Kombat "Minions on Break" which is a comedy/parody about the Dark Overlord Shao Khan's minions, which are OOC on purpose (An British Reptile).

And the still in progress, yet longest story I'm writing is a MLP: Friendship is Magic story known as "My Little Pony: The Lost Elements". For that, I added some OCs (but not just token love interests) but stick to the canon as much as possible. I even try as hard as possible to make the OCs seem as canon as possible. I think to myself "What would Lauren Faust do?" not "What do I wanna do?", if you get my point. If you're into that show, take a read if you like.

And there is also another fanfiction writer I'd like to suggest.

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1976547/Black_Raider

This person write good stories. They may not be as large as novels, but sometimes it's better to keep it short than having a mouthfull. I also owe much to this writer because he/she adapted the first five sequels of my imdb ideas into fanfiction.net (starting with "The Secret of the Scrolls"), and I am grateful for that.

But I just realized, I'm way off topic. So I'll say something that the writers should do. Add aquatic animals like octopus and sharks.

That's it. Over and out.

[–] StrongRex 12 years ago

I'll read those stories when I get the chance; thanks for giving me your page. Personally, I love Luna Goldsun, but nievelion is a really good author. I do wish there would be more diversity in their animals too, but it doesn't bother me too much. Also, everything on fanfiction is up for different ratings. It did surprise me at first when my favorite comedies were given a more serious perspective (like someone being murdered), but I've grown used that on fanfiction. As long as they do it well, I'm okay.

And I LOVE My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic! If you visited my page, you would have seen a good number of posts I made there. A year ago, I wouldn't have considered watching a show like that but now it's one of my favorites.

[–] mcgormanp 12 years ago

Thank you very much. I also LOVE Friendship is Magic. It's one of those shows that prove that you don't need violence or profanity to be entertaining. And the fandom makes the series that much more entertaining. So much content and effort these people from around the world create to make the universe so much more enjoyable. I think the true magic of the show is how it surprised us. The show just came out of nowhere, based on a series that everyone thought was stupid and girly. Got me completely by surprise.

I also know of some great MLP fanfics. Ask me if you're curious. And no, I'm not into rule 34 or anthro/human stuff.

Now to speak about KFP again. Uhhh? Let's see what can I say? I sure hope season 2 of LOA is twice as awesome!

Anyways,Brohoof.

[–] StrongRex 12 years ago

I wouldn't mind reading some good MLP fanfics, so can you please message them to me when you get the chance?

[–] mcgormanp 12 years ago

Alright. I'll show you a good few of them. But let me tell you, this fandom has some of the best OCs I've ever seen (But you can see a Mary-sue once in a while). I guess having only the choices of Earth, Pegasus, Unicorn, or (rarely) Alicorn somehow allows more creativity than 1000's of Asian animals avaiable for use in the KFP fandom. I don't know how that works either. But anyways, onto the stories.

Cheer on, by THE-GWFan

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7559821/1/

Cheerilee is laid off from her teaching job due to budget cuts. As she is looking for a new job, she is replaced by a new, meaner teacher. Plays as if it was an episode, humor and all.

New Neighbors, by Multiversity

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7360359/1/

Three new ponies move to Ponyville. An Edgar Allen Poe like unicorn, a plant loving but quirky and easily annoyed earth pony, and a (comically) dull pegasus architect. A lot of the story so far deals with the ponies meeting and interacting with the Mane six and such.

Upheaval: Breaking Point, by Visiden Visidane

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7360519/1/

This one may be rated M, but there's nothing sexual at all, and the mane 6 are still perfectly in character. It's just a little violent, but it has reason. Twilight and co. discover that there are ponies beyond Equestrian borders that are constantly at war with rivals, all the while rebels try to invade the "Heartland" (normal Equestria). This story is almost like Lord of the Ring. I swear, this can rival novels. Great read.

Love, Loss, and Apples, by SilentPony

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7605209/1/

I'm not too into pairing stories, but this one is just beautiful. It's a SoarnXApplejack fic that is actually really romantic. It's not at all "kinky" just pure love. It's like a rated M Disney Romance.

Incandescence, by thinkpink23

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7425646/1/

A nice Spike story. It has a nice story, funny moments, yet also has a nice balance of emotion.

To be honest, I envy a chunk of these writers. But if I had to say, my story "My Little Pony: The Lost Elements" would be at around New Neighbors and Incandescence level, but weaker than all the other three. But I do try to make it sound as canon as possible. Here's a link to that story.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7518375/1/My_Little_Pony_The_Lost_Elements

Hope you like them.

[–] StrongRex (1287) 2 years ago

Reading back what you said about Tai Lung beings underdeveloped, I do think you may have a valid point but only because the character had such great potential and his writers didn’t utilize his potential. They really missed an opportunity with him and refuse to see it.

Tai Lung was a fascinating, intriguing character that could have gone places but his creators gave him a premature death, and sadly we will never see his full potential.

[–] Insouci 12 years ago

The show's sometimes fun to watch, but I have to admit the only reason I continue to watch is because Shifu's my favorite character and he's sometimes funny. Po's personality in the show is pretty damn annoying the same way all the cliched and cheesy villains and situations are. I mean, doesn't irritate you how the characters get mad or upset all the time and you can't go through an entire episode or every episode for that matter without "Dragon Warrior" being mentioned and Po bragging about it.

</Rant>

Anyway, the first few episodes were fun to watch. I can forgive the show's animation due to a low budget but there's no excuse for poor writing and actually there would be a couple of changes I would make to the show.

[–] lumosnight 12 years ago

The whole show is about Po's training as the Dragon Warrior so of course they are going to keep mentioning it!

I agree they need to flesh out the villains a bit and I think they should include more humour like in the films. However I really enjoy the show :)

[–] StrongRex 12 years ago

My problem isn't about them mentioning Dragon Warrior; it's that Po is constantly out of character.

[–] Vegimorph 11 years ago

I kind of like the series because it does have good animation and good voice actors and one or two plot points like Ping being Tai Lung's nephew which is good, but overall, what bugs me is how it pulls away from the personalities and traits of the characters in the movies.

An example being Po. Yes, he definetely is a child-like fan boy but he also knows when to be serious and knows his limitations, even trying to avoid those limitations but in the series, he's kind of a lazy brat. I mean in the movies, he's like the world's biggest kung-fu fan boy, even having dreams about being with the Furious Five, yet in the series, he always tries to avoid training and that's what gets him into trouble. A fan boy of his caliber would not do that!

I mean in the first movie, he put himself through so much trying to learn kung-fu from Shifu and the Five, even taking their abuse along with it. In the second movie, he's driving himself nuts because he's having dreams about his true parents, feeling guilt for Mr. Ping and trying to figure out the meaning of Inner Peace at the same time.

Another thing that bugged me was the continuity of Tigress's character. I'm guessing that maybe the tv series is taking place between movies 1 and 2 but I could be wrong. If so, it would make sense that at the beginning of the series she was a bit more cold still from the first movie but eventually grows into a bit warmer character and being good friends with Po by the time it gets into the second movie, but either way, the way they do it in the series doesn't quite work because even in the end credits of the first movie, we see Tigress goofing off a little with Shifu with the noodle mustach and in the second movie, she. joined in with the Five in cheering Po on for putting like forty bean buns in his mouth. The other thing though is that she doesn't do well with kids in the series, but in the movies, she loves kids. I mean she grew up in an orphanage and before being helped by Shifu, learned to control her temper and made some good friends. She also protected a kid bunny from the Tai Lung Wushi Finger hold explosion and was feeding a baby rabbit in a cute motherly like fashion in the Holiday Special.

Finally, the biggest thing that's gotten my goat is that I saw the hour long special Enter the Dragon which features Po defeating the villain with Hero Chi and I was like, where was that when he was facing Lord Shen in the second movie?

I know they're just movies and tv shows (I'm a writer so i'm developing a keen eye for story details, although it probably sounds excessive/obsessive but still) and tv shows have different formats and a shorter amount of time to tell stories but it still could have been a bit more faithful to the stories and characters in the movies. I mean Penguins of Madagascar has done that beautifully and that's like two eleven minute shorts in one episode. They were able to stretch the logic a little bit but it still worked whereas they stretched it a little bit too much with the Kung Fu Panda series. I don't know. Perhaps I'm thinking too much about this (little story details like that drive me nuts sometimes) and I may have misinterpreted some of the information given in the series. What do you guys think?

[–] Tsavo 9 years ago

For the record, I agree with you on most of what you said, but I wanted to pop in and point out that it seems "Enter the Dragon" took place after two, you clearly hear the kids begging Po to tell them the story about how he defeated Tai Lung or the story of how he defeated Lord Shen.

[–] Sachiel-001 11 years ago

The episodes are OK, but I was expecting more.

The episodes of Penguins of Madagascar are a lot better.

[–] eldudereeno-jp 11 years ago

A few of you people on here need to get an effing life, for real. 10,000 word essays on Kung Fu Panda? Are you serious? Derpity Derps, you know who you are, because right now you're offended.

Be The Ball

[–] brprod 11 years ago

I enjoy the episode short, simple and fun. I am sad to see the way Ping storyline went. I also like that the furious five seems to be more down to earth. Think my favorite episode is Season 2 episode 13 where they introduce the "Fest." Fun episode doesn't progress the storyline any unless you want background on Shifu. Which I find it funny how his Yao box is OP'd compared to everyone else.

I purchased some action figures for my little cousins of the furious five and Po and a Temutai, had to find that on Ebay. My little oddly enough like Temutai more than anyone else and want him to be in a movie. I tell them if they do that he may not come back to the TV show ever again. Then they change their minds.

Anyway, I enjoy the show and my little cousins love it. One thing I love is they brought Pei Mai. If you are a old school Kung Fu movie fan than you will love some the characters this show pays homage too. I was hoping for five deadly Venoms reference but i haven't seen it yet. There was a joke about the 30+ chambers of ....(not of Shaolin) in late season 2.

Season 3 is starting strong and very enjoyable imo.

[–] loccomotive2000 11 years ago

Comedy wise I thought it managed to replicate the films, some of the slapstick were truly hilarious. Action was excellent, very impressive for a TV series. The overall visual quality matched the movies.

Plot wise it does seem very lazy at times. Like when we saw Po fall off a cliff but he just manages to get back up miraculously...there are quite a few instances of stuff like that. I'm also disappointed with the lack of continuity and character development; I was hoping that the series as a whole could be a progressive story, and not just with "morale of the story" individual episodes.

[–] UglytheClown 10 years ago

cry baby - it's awesome - you're a fake fan

Welcome back Mastershake_2014. How was prison?

[–] Tsavo 9 years ago

I also have to agree, of course "Kung-Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness" is a cartoon, and it is marketed toward kids, but my biggest issue really is with how selfish, egotistical and obnoxious Po is. It really takes the entire series out of continuity for me, and I will never consider it canon, regardless of what the show runners claim. As others here have said, Po acting silly is perfectly in line with the series, but the Furious Five... really do not always seem to fit, and have in the past contradicted themselves. For those claiming the story is about Po learning to be the dragon warrior, well frankly, you would have to prove to me that there actually has been any genuine development in his character. By the time the end credits roll, it feels like someone hits the reset button, and by the time the next episode begins, Po is right back to being lazy, selfish, and mind numbingly stupid at points, something we NEVER saw in his character in the films (misguided perhaps, but never really stupid).

I watch the show because I generally like something light to watch when I get home from work, or when I am not feeling well (like over the last few days), but I had hoped during the second season Po would start figuring out a few things and improve as a characters, especially after "Enter The Dragon" which I quite enjoyed, but no. Now into the third season, Po is just as selfish, lazy, rude and full of himself as usual. Whether or not it is a cartoon for kids or not does not change the fact that it can have good, thoughtful writing. This series in question DOES have its entertaining moments, which I have enjoyed quite a bit, and kept me watching, but Po being so unlikable (and this is a character we want the kids to try to model themselves after?) is really starting to take me out of it. I had actually originally watched the first film, then started going through the series (up until Enter the Dragon) At which point I watched the second film, but when you do that, you can very easily see that the continuity is jarring and makes absolutely no sense, from the first film onward, you can easily see that the series Po and the Films Po are radically different characters.

[–] StrongRex (1287) 2 years ago

“Who cares if it’s crap or low quality? It’s just for kids.”

Would we ever say that about anything else? Why are we okay with it when it comes to movies, TV shows, books or any kind of art/entertainment?