'Smiling Friends' - Surreal Lemon Drop With A Sweet Center

 


(You get a cookie if you get the reference I put in the title)

Smiling Friends is the latest [adult swim] series. It was originally a pilot, but proved so popular that [as] greenlit it. As expected, the full series received so much hype upon release, which surprisingly ran eight episodes at once.

The show revolves about two Technicolor humanoids -- the ever-cheerful Australian Pim (pink) and the cynical Charlie (yellow) -- as they embark on a quest make people smile, hence the show title. Well, in every good show, you need conflict. Their attempts to bring happiness to the world prove to be rather difficult.

Like with most [adult swim] cartoons, the animation is intentionally simplistic and choppy, yet it evokes a particular charm. It even mixes other mediums, such as CGI, claymation, and live-action, sort of like The Amazing World of Gumball. Also, Zach Hadel, the co-creator of the series, is a Newgrounds user, which explains... a lot.

There was a particular article bashing the show for being offensive -- and yeah, it is, but then again, almost every [adult swim] show is. But compared to stuff like Rick and Morty with their (shudders) incest baby, Smiling Friends is very tame. Although one may occasionally wince at a joke, the show ultimately has a good heart and message at its core.

One little detail of this show that I enjoy is the semi-realistic dialogue. The way the characters converse feels so natural. In other words, they talk like real people and don't have perfect diction. Imperfection really is beautiful.

Animation - 2/2, it pulls off its crudeness very well and also cleverly incorporates mixed media.

Characters - 2/2. Our leads, Pim and Charlie, utilize the tried and true grumpy-and-sunshine format in a way that isn't annoying. The wide variety of characters that they encounter in every episode are quirky and memorable, such as talking food mascots and a gamer shrimp. Episode 8 does a fantastic breakdown of both Pim and Charlie, although no spoilers!

Writing - 2/2. There are only a few potentially off-color jokes (like in the Halloween episode), otherwise it is surprisingly tame for an [adult swim] show, and especially compared to the likes of Big Mouth. While the first few episodes are pretty standard stuff, the second half kicks things into high gear, especially with the introduction of the Frowning Friends.

Voice Acting - 2/2. The lead actors for Pim and Charlie pull off spectacular performances -- especially with that Australian accent of Pim's!

Music - 1/2. Unfortunately, the show doesn't even have a theme song, just a title card. WHY?????????? 😤#BRINGBACKTHEMESONGS2022 it gets just one point because of the licensed music, particularly Your Smiling Face by James Taylor in the series trailer.

Final rating - 9/10




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