NOTE: I'm updating this page over the course of the day, hope you're okay with that!

aight so there's this fancy new EEnE reboot that came out yesterday. here it is:

and it pretty much is an angsty teen slice-of-life show. lovely.

This is pretty cool, but it does feel like a product of the internet more than it does a continuation of EEnE. With that in mind, it is prolly gonna do a lot of its own things that the creator wants (more than align with what generally makes sense with EEnE). That's fine as a fanfic, but ik for a fact that a lotta people are gonna be watching this expecting it to be a continuation of EEnE. Like catching up with friends from primary school years later. (seriously though, people definitely care. some of the minisodes have 1mil+ views alone. that's quite mindblowing since not a lot of cartoons have that.)

Unfortunately with that alone, there are unexpectedly big expectations for this series, and I know it's going to be hard to tick all the boxes for it really. I'm gonna go into my own personal thoughts later on what could make a successful EEnE reboot, if anyone else wants to have a go at the idea. Because it is more than just the characters that matter.

Right off the bat with the intro, this did not feel like a continuation of EEnE but rather a slice-of-life teenage drama. Fair enough. But was there something more creative they could've done with that intro? EEnE did a whole camera readjust bit. I feel like this could've been something that homages to that, but still retain the current tone.
Like, what if the intro comprised of this shaky handheld camera footage where the main character is recording people in the cul-de-sac with a miniDV camcorder (and we see the VA's names too), and it ends with us seeing the Eds recording themselves?

Like how Succession does it, but more homemade and teenager-y (and way less tense)? TRUST ME. This would also pay homage to the episode "An Ed Is Born" anyway!

Overall though, the show feels like it's trying to do its own new thing, but in the EEnE universe. And I can say nothing but, that's completely fair. I really do not want to deem it as a "sequel" but as a "spin-off" though.

• - lingers for quite a bit
• - does not do a whole lot, when it very easily could've.
  • ig this is a nitpick, but you have to remember: cartoons only had 11 minutes, so they REALLY had to make do with that time.
  • doesn't detail on a lot of characters when it very easily could have, esp for a 13min episode
  • instead we get a 2min dream sequence for a barely introduced character (marie kanker). again, we're just expected to know about her right off the bat?
  • ig it is cool to think about why Lee Kanker wasn't there with them.
  • infact, as a new show, it generally should have introduced the characters as new, but linked it to the past, instead of relying on us already knowing. otherwise, you are isolating your audience members
• + the references are nice
• + the voices are alright. feels a bit forced but whatever
• - nice acoustic cover of House of the Rising Sun. except that it plays too loud over the beginning sequence and the vocals mix with the characters. lol
• - 4th wall breaking is waaaay too apparent, and not thrown in there really quick and witty. it's jarring and brings you out of the immersion.
• - almost tries too hard to be deep and dark immediately.
  • like with the dream sequence, and it starts flashing images really quickly. it feels more like a creepypasta than an actual "oh god, yeah that happened".
• - the show tries to tread that fine line between being absurd and comedic. unfortunately, the differences are too stark.
• - the dream sequence was trying really hard to be deep and dark, but it just ended up feeling like a cheesy creepypasta, especially since we're dealing with a kids cartoon here.

is that a bad thing? Naaaaaaahhh, I'ma say not really-- BUT. and there is always a big ASS BUTT. Tonally, this drops a LOT of the attitude that EEnE had. You can say that it's sensible, because they were kids, but trust me, teenhood can be just as hyper lol. Just add drugs. Even adulthood, just watch Trailer Park Boys. That's seriously almost live action EEnE.

This is just not all that fitting for the Eds, honestly. It would make far more sense as a standalone series. It's really cool seeing this concept happen to characters we love and care to see more of, but it's bizarre.
don't get me wrong. I really like this tone it's going for. This sorta polaroid, nostalgic, sunset-y, Life is Strange tone, and I know I would like to watch this kinda show (if there are some really good examples, please lmk). Hell, I'm even interested in seeing the Eds go through this mood in and of itself.
HOWEVER, as an only existing reboot, I just don't see it fitting for the Eds

you know what? that's not a bad idea at all, because that can happen, and that's a fun angle. like, what if the eds aren't as happy as they used to be as kids? that being said, part of the appeal of EEnE was the attitude, and it mattered a LOT more than anything else (including character, although that does matter a lot).
for the show to take off, we need a reason to care about these characters. and right off the bat, it is expected that we already know. i mean is that a bad thing? nah, but it overwrites the tone of the OG show. that's NOT to say that it needs to have that same attitude, but we are facing the same characters here. except everything has changed.
that being said, I AM HAPPY that it exists! Seeing EEnE STILL get attention to this DAY shows how much people still give a damn. It's one of the few shows where I've seen WAAAY too many people request getting revived.
KEEP IN MIND: this is NOT the first time someone tried to make an EEnE reboot.

This is purely from me thinking "realistically, where would these lot be in 3-5 years?" It's less of a "wouldn't it be cool if they're X" and more like "it makes sense that they would be doing this".
At the same time, I welcome people taking fanfictions of current IPs to new territories, that is ALWAYS fun and unlocks opportunities.
Writing in progress.

• characters
  • focus on them as people. keep an eye on nuances, and ensure that they do not get flanderised. the way to do that is to think of them as people. what would they do? intervene and make them do something different only if it makes sense for them to do that in the first place.
  • on making characters "grown-up", try to evolve from the traits they previously had? how would they be now with those traits? if you wanna make them "grow out of a trait", try to come up with a convincing reason as to why.
  • re-introduce the characters from anew. do NOT alienate your current audience, bring them up to speed. make use of references and being alike to their original forms to keep in touch with the OG fans.
• style
  • continue with the same wacky, zany, stretchy tone, but be sparing with it. this was the case for S1+S2 of EEnE before it started doing it way more often, to the point where it was flanderised.
• episode structure
  • look at the structure of an average episode of EEnE, and try to evolve that. this goes with energy (pacing), the way characters are used, etc.
  • OG: every episode is a collection of misadventures. NEW: every episode is a misadventure with more adult
  • OG: one thing always leads to another. they're in one place for 2 mins, then
• also to do with characters, do NOT replace traits of the characters, unless it makes sense that they "grew out of it".
• know what made the original click in the first place
• perform a 50/50 balance of old and new.
  • e.g. with Edd's personality, he's still passionate about science and stuff, but it's far more controlled and nuanced, developed. anything that was embarassing about him before he has kinda removed, but at the same time
• the characters should feel like how they did in the original. think of it as like talking to an old friend after all these years
• it should still have the frantic nature of OG, but more controlled and with more sensible overarching plots.
• if grown up, the stakes should be more expensive. but they can equally be as stupid