Mixels S2, E3: Every Knight Has Its Day review
Posted by TheBrickPal,
It's not often that Mixels gets a new 2D animated episode from the team at Cartoon Network Studios. Often, the channel seems to forget that the show exists, and since the beginning of 2015 have resorted to producing only one half-hour special per set wave with little to no promotion. Mixels has a steadily growing and dedicated fandom from both the Cartoon Network and LEGO sides, so the fact that half the owners of the franchise seem to neglect it irks me and many others.
However, when we do get a new episode, it's quite a treat; there's tons to dissect, interesting characters, an ever-expanding universe, plenty of fun Mix, Max and Murp combinations, and hilarity abound.
So now that the Series 7 special, titled Every Knight Has Its Day, has aired, what have the MCPD, Medivals and Mixies tribes gotten themselves into? How does the city of Mixopolis change the dynamic?
There are many questions to be asked, but these last ones are the most important: should you try watching if you haven't checked out the other Mixels specials, but remember enjoying the shorts way back in 2014? And, if that happened, then did you still think something was missing? Well, if you answered yes to any of that, then this episode is just for you.
Storyline
From Cartoon Network: "When two competing Mixels start public school, sparks fly when one eagerly wants to mix while the other doesn’t."
The story is simple enough that it just works, and it's nice to have an episode where nothing totally world-changing happens.
Nixels don't even appear, for instance, and I think that was a good idea on Cartoon Network's part; the last episode we got heavily involved them. It's easy to think that while the events of Every Knight Has Its Day are happening, King Nixel and Major Nixel are scheming their revenge behind the scenes.
Score: 4.5/5
Animation and Visuals
Both the visuals and animation are bright and lively. It flows naturally and just looks great.
There are few errors; and even when there are, they do not detract from enjoyment of the episode. New animation studio Big Star seems very competent at their work, unlike how Digital eMation wasn't when working on A Quest for the Lost Mixamajig; that last episode had many errors.
The traditional style is a pleasant diversion from the CGI programming that LEGO usually offers, giving Mixels a very unique feel.
Score: 5/5
Character Development, Voice Acting and Humor
This episode allowed Mixels to excel at this section on a whole new level. Instead of focusing only on the nine characters from Series 7 that are supposed to be advertised, character designer Miranda Dressler stepped up and gave us many specially-designed background characters from different tribes. One of these is Booger, a Glorp Corp student Camillot meets at Mixopolis Middle School who he immediately becomes friends with. There are also more minor students as well as some major new adult characters who staff different locations of the city: the Teacher (Flexer, the first female character no less!) and Principal (Klinker) of the school, and Ranger Jinx and the Gate Keeper (Spikels) of Mixopolis Zoo. All of these new faces really help flesh out the world, especially with the new, major location of Mixopolis there to guide the story.
Ironically, advertising the Series 7 LEGO sets is where this episode fails the most. Tapsy, who I know is a favorite among many, is completely absent from the episode save for the title sequence, and Trumpsy only appears in a few shots and doesn't even speak. And MCPD fans, sorry to disappoint you; they only appear for a little less than a minute. Better than the Weldos, at least!
Of course, the Medivals are the focus here, and all three of them shine. You end up still liking Mixadel despite his bratty nature, and Camillot is absolutely adorable; in part due to his innocence to modern society. Even in the short time Paladum is on screen, you'll also fall in love with him. Jamzy is also another interesting character; the only Mixie who actually does something.
The humor in this episode is indeed something; it's almost like Mixels is becoming self-aware of where its current audience is coming from. Sure, there's still the silly slapstick meant for the younger demographic; that part of Mixels hasn't and probably will never change. However, there are other, even smarter jokes that adults will crack up at too.
The voice cast is also superb, using famous actors such as Tom Kenny, Jeff Bennett, and more. You can't get a better lineup, I'd say, and I find it so neat how such a "small" show can acquire so much talent.
Score: 4.5/5
Verdict
Every Knight Has Its Day is a winner. Watch it even if you have never seen Mixels before. Trust me; even if you think "it's for kids", it will be worth your time. To be honest, it's no more "childish" than Ninjago is; they are only different styles of cartoon and, yes, LEGO theme.
So, in conclusion, if you want to shut your brain off for a quick and fun little half-hour of adventure and wonder with the creative and crazy Mixels, then that would be quite a good idea.
Final score: 14/15, A
Every Knight Has Its Day can be watched right here. Want to start from the beginning? Watch Mixel Moon Madness here and A Quest for the Lost Mixamajig here. Remember, "things get better when we mix them together!"
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6 comments on this article
My thoughts exactly on the episode. Loved it, but it still could have used that tiny bit of "oomph".
I feel like they should have focussed on more characters rather than the castle characters, but it was still a fun time!
Cartoon Network in general is kinda bad about treating the shows well. Sonic Boom got in this same situation. I hardly saw any commercials for it, much less it actually on the TV. Mixels only seem to be appearing in shorts during commercials.
^Even then, they're not doing that anymore. The shorts all moved to Boomerang and play sporadically there, they don't even show on Cartoon Network anymore.
I agree with Zoot. It was amazing, it just could have used a little more extra power. A bit dissapointed that Tapsy didn't even APPEAR, but eh, its not a total loss to me.
I really liked how the animals/monsters portrayed did a good job of looking intimidating, while still retaining the Mixels style.