Note: I've only watched the dubbed version.
Spider Riders is... special. One thing in the dub that sticks out very sorely is the pacing of speech. I realize the VAs were kind of constrained by the timing of mouth movements, but the dialogue is hilarious nonetheless. Very often there would inexplicably be a 1+ second pause in a random part of a sentence. However, it was quirks like this that made the otherwise completely campy show more enjoyable.
For most of the episodes, the show is pretty typical for something aimed at kids. Most of the characters are flat and usually don't have anything profound to say.
As is typical for "good vs. evil" cartoons, the evil side is much more entertaining in both humor and development. Grasshop in particular is a great character who eventually goes to the "good" side and is genuinely concerned about supporting his family. Stag is one of those good old honor-driven enemies who prefers fair fights. Buguese is insufferably misguided until the end, but when he finally comes around it's worth it.
Toward the end, the show finally starts picking up some steam as the stakes get higher, and we finally learn that the Invectids have been lied to, about the sun, by their leader. The last quarter or so of the show is what bumped it up to a 6 for me.
One thing that's always bugged me is that, although the show gets a proper ending and wasn't abruptly cut off, we don't see Hunter make any kind of decision about the rest of his life. Presumably, he has a family on the surface world who must be wondering by now what's happened to him. No one addresses this throughout the entire show.
On a brighter note, the theme song is all kinds of awesome. It's a high- octane, high-energy mix of electronic music and rap. Drake is credited with delivering the verses, and he is (uncharacteristically) enjoyable during them with a very exaggerated accent. The chorus is a simple, yet great anthem: SPIDERRR RIDERRRRS! Get used to the music because the instrumental plays during every transformation; thankfully it never really gets old.
Overall, Spider Riders is enjoyable, albeit for a few unintended reasons. Don't go into it expecting a lot, and you'll be good. It wouldn't be right to not end a review with a particular set of four words, so here we go: CALLING ALL SPIDER RIDERS!
Spider Riders is... special. One thing in the dub that sticks out very sorely is the pacing of speech. I realize the VAs were kind of constrained by the timing of mouth movements, but the dialogue is hilarious nonetheless. Very often there would inexplicably be a 1+ second pause in a random part of a sentence. However, it was quirks like this that made the otherwise completely campy show more enjoyable.
For most of the episodes, the show is pretty typical for something aimed at kids. Most of the characters are flat and usually don't have anything profound to say.
As is typical for "good vs. evil" cartoons, the evil side is much more entertaining in both humor and development. Grasshop in particular is a great character who eventually goes to the "good" side and is genuinely concerned about supporting his family. Stag is one of those good old honor-driven enemies who prefers fair fights. Buguese is insufferably misguided until the end, but when he finally comes around it's worth it.
Toward the end, the show finally starts picking up some steam as the stakes get higher, and we finally learn that the Invectids have been lied to, about the sun, by their leader. The last quarter or so of the show is what bumped it up to a 6 for me.
One thing that's always bugged me is that, although the show gets a proper ending and wasn't abruptly cut off, we don't see Hunter make any kind of decision about the rest of his life. Presumably, he has a family on the surface world who must be wondering by now what's happened to him. No one addresses this throughout the entire show.
On a brighter note, the theme song is all kinds of awesome. It's a high- octane, high-energy mix of electronic music and rap. Drake is credited with delivering the verses, and he is (uncharacteristically) enjoyable during them with a very exaggerated accent. The chorus is a simple, yet great anthem: SPIDERRR RIDERRRRS! Get used to the music because the instrumental plays during every transformation; thankfully it never really gets old.
Overall, Spider Riders is enjoyable, albeit for a few unintended reasons. Don't go into it expecting a lot, and you'll be good. It wouldn't be right to not end a review with a particular set of four words, so here we go: CALLING ALL SPIDER RIDERS!
