u/Floathy

While I like TADC, it is in no way a "masterpiece of indie animation" as some people have been describing it. My thoughts are as follows:

• The characters, while potentially interesting, are generally one-dimensional and feel like they were written by a 14-year-old on Tumblr.
  • Jax? "Class clown who jokes and bullies to cover up his previous trauma" trope.
  • Ragatha? "People pleaser who helps everyone but herself" trope.
  • Gangle? "Shy girl drawing in her notebook in the back of the classroom" trope.
• I could go on, but this writing is just really categoric.
  • In fact, it was so categoric, that I originally theorized that each character was meant to represent a mental illness (sociopathy, body dysphoria, dementia, depression, etc). Each character was so flat that they could be entirely summed up by an entry in the DSM-5.
• Also, the complete detachment of characters from their real lives ruins immersion.
  • This might sound like a stupid example, but ever since I played GTA IV, I've always loved Nico Bellic's character. As an immigrant, he essentially "bonded" with me the more I interacted with him. Rockstar's writers managed to craft a complex character; one with a dark past, an optimistic future, and the conflict between hope of peace and the reality of America's criminal underworld.
• There's simply not enough information to go off of.
  • None of the characters in TADC, however, have ANY background information, clear ideals/beliefs, etc. Jax's backstory (which I won't mention here but was spoiled for me online) would've been a FANTASTIC edition to the earlier bits of the story and would really help his character make sense. Backstories or memories or even dedicated goals would turn characteristics into characters!
  • No one even has a clear goal in the circus! The crew essentially just dicks around for like the first 6 episodes, and then 7, 8, and 9 have story value. Let's say Pomni was determined to leave, so throughout the first episodes she would be convincing Caine to have specific adventures. Those adventures would contain items she needed to create a lag machine (for example) and crash the game, hopefully booting them out of the circus. Then, other characters could argue whether the risk was worth it, and you could have genuine conflict over whether taking a risk for freedom is better than guaranteed imprisonment.
• That's pretty much it on the character front. When it comes to artstyle: the show is okay. Not ugly, but also not innovative. In my opinion, the digital setting acts as an excuse to have boring, simple, flat animation. Look at Glitch's other shows, especially the 2D ones. While I have issues with those shows as well (will discuss later), their art style is at least new and interesting.
• Glitch is also no longer an "indie" animation company. The second your "pilot" comes out with plushies, shirts, and figurines, I can't consider you indie. They're in this weird spot in between genuine independent animation and large, commercial studios. I'd place them roughly around where Ludo Studio is (creators of Bluey). Large enough to partner with giant companies and to be making tons of money, but not a giant corporation (yet).
• Glitch is also selling out an extreme amount. Every single episode has "new merch drops", which are usually mid. I don't mind buying stuff for shows I support, but this amount of insistence upon capitalism just pisses me off (as well as the non-stop promotional videos). And the movie was a stupid idea. I understand that they want to get more legitimacy as an animation studio, but it just wasn't a good movie OR idea in the first place.
• Some of the jokes are good, some are bad. It's really hit or miss- half feel like they were written by (again) 14-year-old Tumblr users. Some, however, are actually really strong and are a breath of fresh air when it comes to animated shows.
• The dialogue is okay, nothing to write home about. I did find Jax's big "crash out" in Episode 6 to be really corny. I get that he's supposed to sound like a dick, but "You are my playthings, and I get joy out of making you suffer! I'm the one who causes pain for fun!" is just so insanely corny that I visibly cringed while watching the scene. Oh, and while we're on that episode, can we PLEASE stop making "Realistic Depictions of Panic Attacks™"? Wow, his eyes are scribbly and his feet are tapping. Incredible work, Glitch.
• Oh, and the ending sucks. Obviously, no spoilers are allowed, but it just leaves things off on a sour note.
• Can't really think of anything else to say. The show is okay, and I did ENJOY it. But Glitch should focus on getting their other projects past the first season instead of making movie versions of their mid 3D animated show. (KoG PLEASE IT'S LIKE THE ONLY GOOD ONE THEY'VE MADE).