Velma animated series review

[Steel Sponge]

Hello, internet. Steel Sponge here, I am your local animation reviewer. Today, I've finally caved in. I've decided that I'm going to review the newest series from HBO Maxis, and all I can say is that it's the best thing I've seen since the Sopranos got canceled.

This is my deep, earnest, emotional review of show called Tyrant.

...Or as it is known by most people, Velma. Velma is developed by former Saturday Night Live writer Charlie Grandy and it stars Mindy Kaling as the titular character. Mindy Kaling is best known for her role as Kelly Kapoor, but her subsequent appearances in shows like The Mindy Project have shown that she can be a capable actress on her own as well.

Velma is an adult-animated series based on the Scooby-Doo franchise that puts the aptly-named character in the spotlight. Velma is a young woman who is raised by a single mother after her parents were brutally murdered in the Middle East. She lives her life seemingly blissfully ignorant of the fact that the world is plagued by mysterious murders taking place within her vicinity. You know, just the kind of stuff that you'd expect from an edgy reimagining of Scooby-Doo.

Although Scooby-Doo doesn't make an appearance in Velma whatsoever, the other members of the mystery solving gang are there, including Shaggy, whose character is obviously inspired by Scooby-Doo himself. Both Shaggy and Daphne have a noticeable sense of insecurity about their lives, but Velma feels her brains are far more useful to solving mysteries.

It's also worth noting how much some of the other characters have been changed compared to their original incarnations. Daphne, for example, is now voiced by Amy Poehler, and is the only one who doesn't have a catchphrase. Velma has been replaced by a young lady named Vanessa. Despite this, the original voice actors like Adam Carolla still keep their original roles. Then there's Fred Jones, whose character is now voiced by none other than Jason Sudeikis. In addition, the usual suspects Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and Daphne have been replaced with new characters such as Marsha Warfield as the Mayor's wife.

Where the problems start with Velma is hard to explain, because there's just so much to unpack, but for starters, the show actually is based on Scooby-Doo, which means that I'm fairly familiar with the source material. Velma's move to the Middle East may have been the source of a lot of unrest in the region, but that's not what I'm going to focus on for the review.

I realize that not everyone reads this thing, but I'm sure everyone is aware of the outrage that this series has caused, with the backlash including and not being limited to people who are either conservative Republicans, right wing Islamophobes or David Duke. You see, the show is set in Syria, with Syria being a very corrupt, autocratic dictatorship. Considering the portrayal of the country, the criticism is, of course, justified.

However, that's not the main issue most people tend to have with Velma. The series' flaws are within the presentation, in which the decision to use the Arabic alphabet to script the show is its own, unique burden, as well as the fact that the main antagonist of the series is named Juma. Okay, back on topic. One of the main issues with Velma is actually the writing. The writing in the show is so awkward and forced, it feels like some sort of inferior version of Archer that someone like Pamela Adlon would be making.

A few examples: Velma ends up paying a visit to her absent father on a side trip to Syria, with the promise to stay for a few days. Before she does that, however, she takes the time to (rather poorly) check her emails.

Second, Velma's mother tells Velma that her father left his wife and children a gift. Unfortunately, she takes so long to decide what to give her dad that it turns into three hours. Like, how is this taking three hours to decide what to give the man is beyond me.

Another one of the main issues with the series is the humor. The jokes are not very funny at all and at times are borderline unfunny, which is especially true when you compare them to the writing in Archer. All jokes in this show are well placed and delivered with a modicum of class. There are just so many meta jokes to the point of redundancy. Velma's meta humor is actually not that bad. She's an art major. And, as you've probably noticed by now, art is usually pretty hilarious, which is why I know the other characters aren't always laughing with her. And then, you have to deal with the show's typical edgelord humor. Some examples of the worst jokes from Velma include :

(Referring to people as a "handicap")

Another part of the show's edgelord humor involves Fred Jones' obsession with slop dishes. For whatever reason, Fred Jones enjoys eating slop, but doesn't want people to know about it, which is why, at one point, Velma decides to surprise her friends with a recipe book that's full of weird eating habits. One of the pages actually reads: "Nom nom nom.” Now, I'm not usually so much of a good jokester, but I feel like even I could write a better joke than that: "What do you call the clientele of a dentist's office?" "They're my cheerleaders." It doesn't even matter that I write like that. It's still one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen.

Despite the humor being incredibly juvenile at times, the one aspect of the show that's undeniably a huge asset is the music. The songs in the show are fine, just fine. It's one of the few positive aspect the series has going for it. Although, I do take issue with the licensed use of the song titled "Syrup On the End," featuring Irish boy band Westlife. Not sure what the specific licensing issues were, but it's just a little jarring.

However, when it comes to the visuals, Velma is as visually impressive for an animated series that is bad in multiple other aspects. It's like if I told you that Jessica Jones was an enjoyable film, even if Jessica Jones herself wasn't that great. This is the same scenario.

I think one of the worst scenes from the Velma show would have to be the lead-in to the very end. You have to go into this show with an assumption that the villain is Juma. Therefore, you don't really care who the main protagonist is. As it turns out, Velma and Juma are mortal enemies, which is so incredibly obvious that it should be a red flag to the creators of the series that no one was watching the pilot when they titled it "Turbo Teen!" I think I know they want the audience to think it's such a pivotal moment, but that doesn't make me wish for more. Another scene I really didn't like was the part where Velma and her friends have a party for their mothers. These girls would have benefited from a deeper character study. It would have added an extra layer to the story, but the writers clearly weren't interested in giving the viewers more insight into their characters. If they were going to put themselves in Velma's shoes, the least they could have done was get the likeness right.

Although, the series is filled with negatives, there are a few moments that I did like. One of the few redeeming moments from Velma was the surprise cameo from none other than Lady Gaga, in which her character seeks revenge on a public school Velma attends. This is probably the closest thing to a likable character in this show, but only because Lady Gaga is highly talented and is a well-respected public figure. The only other part I kinda liked was the part where Velma said "It's a paint gun." Oh, Velma, you fool. You should have said "It's a paint bomb."

Source: Read More on BrickWire

Melissa McBride Returns to 'The Walking Dead' in Season 9 Teaser

PATH To Fuller House

Excuse me from ending the review too early without summing up my thoughts. I could really use an editor. Anyways, Velma was not good. The series is bad and needs to be dead. RIP. To explain myself further on why this wasn't a good show, it's because I watched it for an easy reference for my sister. At least I tried. I still do not recommend the show.

Disclosure: I am/we are long MGA, VIAB.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinion on this otherwise very infamous animated series. If I were to give Velma a score between 1 and 10, I'd say that I would give it a 0. Instead of this show, I would suggest watching "Tom and Jerry Kids," which is a safer choice for kids who are still being exposed to animated programming.

Additional disclosure: Please don't sue me for any physical or mental damages that might have occurred by watching this show. Thank you for your time.

I'll end this review by saying "If this were a show, I wouldn't have watched it." And just like what the great late animation veteran William Hanna once said, "I would have been embarrassed to have been associated with it."

Ahhhh, Velma. Velma was definitely good at the end.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or follow my YouTube. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going on a trip to visit my relatives in Canada. Have fun out there!

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of an AI, who certainly didn't help write most of this review. Yep, nothing out of the ordinary, just keep enjoying your April Fools day like normal.