Originally Posted by The BATman

Well, the only thing i can say about this really, is that i absolutely loved the cartoon as a kid. Totally. I was blown away by them. I still remember, to this day, the feeling i had after watching the first episode i ever saw (the one with radioactive Snake-Eyes): i was utterly exhilarated, and i rushed from the television to my parents to tell them about this great new cartoon i just saw, which i never did for any other television show.

Even years after seeing my last episode, i remembered a lot of the storylines, like the one from that first miniseries, and the episode where a Joe (Shipwreck ?) was captured and placed into a fake town with fake people that all melted in the end. And The Viper is Coming. And the one with the female Strato-Viper.

So i had absolutely no problems with all the odd stuff in them, like the mind controlled arena fights, and all the weird monsters employed by Cobra, and everybody flying a Skystriker (did anyone really have a problem with that last bit ? As a kid ? Seriously ? Kids cared about stuff like that ? Mindboggling.).

And today ? I recently purchased a few second-hand (third-hand, fourth-hand ?) GIJoe video tapes (you know, the stuff from before DVDs were around). And sure, the ridiculousness of it all clashed somewhat with my memories. But hey, it's a cartoon, i can live with ridiculous. I also bought a DVD with The Movie on it. Watched it for the first time since i saw it on TV those many years ago. And quite honestly, i didn't like it anymore (i did back then). It was bad, real bad. Then i watched it a second time, and it's kind of growing on me. I rather love seeing my toys come alive on the screen.

I think a lot of this can be thought about in terms of the eternal divide between GIJoe cartoon fans and comic fans. Personally, i'm a fan of both, but on all Joe forums it's quite clear that most GIJoe fans have picked a side. It sounds to me that those of you that are put off by the level of strangeness in the cartoons, are really expecting to see the (definitely more realistic) comic in animation (or the toys, which are more closely linked with the comic than with the cartoon). Which just simply isn't the case for the eighties cartoon, but might be so for Resolute.

Originally Posted by vespapilot79

So here is my feelings about the cartoon. I hauled ass home everyday from school just so I wouldn't miss an episode. I remember after watching, my brother and I would grab the Skystriker and Rattler and run around the back yard and front yards of our neighbors shooting the hell out of each other. I didnt care that they made some snake critter/guy out of some crazy dead a-hole leaders and tyrants from the past. I didnt care that there were big tube worms,or that a big stone statue came to life in Montezumas temple. (That was a bad case of Montezumas revenge)LOL. I just looked at it as the best thing to happen to cartoons since Scooby Doo and Robotech!! Sure everyone could hop in a Skystriker,they were a highly trained special mission force werent they? Im living proof anyone can fly a plane!! I can really. I think now there could have been some things that could have been different in terms of the reality of some of the equipment and their functionality. Didnt it get your imagination going as a kid of how you could play with your Joes? It did with me!! It was a great platform to which the possibilities were limitless with what we could do. As adults we are faced with the cruelty of reality and what war is really like and what is possible and whats not. I love the fact that there were jetpacks. Harsh reality, those things would burn the shit outta your legs and lower back!! Cobras jumping out Fang helis and deploying a chute in time to make it. Yeah right. You know what I say to it all??? F**K it! We got a kickass toyline that has lasted for 25yrs and still strong as ever. Look at some of the things we produce as a hobby/obsession? The best dio stories are here, custom figures and vehicles. All because of what we watched as kids 25 yrs ago.