[Cartoon Review] Over the Garden Wall

It's time for something a little different, and let me get a couple of things straight. This is not going to be a new feature of this blog; I'm solely reviewing this thing because I recognize its quality and want to get the word out to more people. I do generally avoid american cartoons, there is a reason why I prefer anime for the most part, cartoons are mostly meant for kids, and while that's not a bad thing, I don't appreciate either being talked down to by the show or being able to guess the entire plot based on the first few episodes. Let's just say I've found that it is very rare that an american cartoon for kids can actually stand on its own as an actually good show that I can pick apart and talk about.  There are exceptions of course, namely Avatar: The Last Airbender, or something like Gravity Falls, but they are so few and far between that I don't find it worth to check out whenever a new cartoon becomes popular. So, with all this in mind, I guess it's a little bit amazing that the topic of today's review: Over the Garden Wall, is as good as it is, not only sporting tons of interesting concepts, but good characters and a surprisingly decent plot. And not only this, but being all of that, and still being something that seemingly nobody in the entire Internet is talking about. Well, allow me to change that a little, and tell you why this show is something you must get in front of your eyeballs as soon as you can.
     Hello people of "The Wired", my name is Quan, it's getting freakin' cold where I live, and today, Over the Garden Wall. The show ran from November 3-7 of 2014 as a Cartoon Network miniseries, featuring ten episodes with a duration of 11 minutes each. It was originally created by Patrick McHale, a gentleman who is best known as a former writer for the notoriously popular cartoon Adventure Time, and also wrote the show, with the help of Tom Herpich, Amalia Levari, Cole Sanchez and Bert Youn. Finally it features the voice-acting talents of people such as Elijah Wood, Collin Dean, Melanie Lynskey and Samuel Ramey. OK, we done? Good. Onto the plot.

     What I like about the story of Over the Garden Wall is just how plainly simple it seems at first.  Two brothers, older brother and resident worrier: Wirt, and Greg, the carefree younger brother and the kind of kid who tries to talk with frogs and stuff his face in barrels of candy are walking in a forest. The two walk along for awhile before they realize they are utterly lost in the forest, a forest called The Unknown, a Wonderland-type place where animals talk, pumpkins have autumn festivals, and anything weird and slightly disturbing that could feasibly happen can and will. Completely helpless in this new environment, Wirt and Greg team up with a high-strung songbird named Beatrice,  and the two brothers must now find a way home, while avoiding a crazy woodsman and a mysterious entity known as "The Beast", which for some reason, everyone in the Unknown knows about and fears. But as Wirt and Greg slowly go deeper into the metaphorical rabbit-hole, meeting craziness and insane people everywhere, it slowly begins to occur to them, and you the viewer, that something else might be going on. That the coincidences might not be so coincidental, those little unexplained details might turn out to be really important, and nothing, nothing, is exactly what it seems. Then storytelling awesomeness ensues.

Our two main characters from left to right: Wirt and Greg

In the same vain as anime like Madoka Magica and Shinsekai yori, Over the Garden Wall goes for the "unraveling" type of story. Each episode progressively builds on the next one, and even though most of the episodes are relatively episodic, the show makes a point to reveal something a little more about the plot each time. It's just really done, especially considering the time they had, as the show is able to fit in the individual stories well  before making a smooth-as-silk transition into the main plot later on. I'll talk about the main plot a little later, but as for the episodic first half of the show, there's a lot of hits and just a few misses. For one, each of these episodes manages to bring an interesting concept to the table, whether it be a slightly different take on a much-told story, or stark surrealism and downright creepy imagery. That's another thing this show has going for it, despite being a kid's show, when you actually take a step back and think about either the fundamentals of the main plot or the side-stories, you begin to realize that this is actually quite a dark show. Sure, the characters are able to keep a constant energy of funny dialogue and the quirkiness of the inhabitants of The Unknown balance it out, but seriously, this show will go wherever it needs to to properly develop the plot, and I guess I admire that in a way. With that in mind, let's talk about the actual main plot of the show, and admittedly, it may not be quite as amazing as I'm hyping up. Don't get me wrong, it's a damn good plot for a kid's show, it's just not the best thing you'll see this year. Talking about the positives first, the plot keeps an air of mystery about it, leaving a feeling that you don't really know what'll happen next, especially in the last few episodes, where unexpected twists are thrown at you and the characters arcs begin to wrap up. Another thing I really like is just how complete it all feels. Especially in anime, where you're lucky if you even get an ending, Over the Garden Wall does a huge thing right, it manages to wrap up all plot-points in a nice bundle and peak at the perfect time at the very end, as all characters arcs conjoin in the last episode and the show throws one last curve-ball your way. Honestly, the ending of the show is probably the best part, and while that's awesome, there's a little problem how it gets there. As I've stated, each episode builds on itself, but I actually wasn't completely sold on the show until episode 6, where I could actually finally see the main plot coming into view, and the characters starting to pick up. So yes, the show requires patience if nothing else, and that's fine, I just wish it hadn't taken quite as long as it did to get going. 

     As for some notes on the humor and such of the show, I'd say it's passable. While this isn't a full blown comedy cartoon, far from it, the show does undoubtedly try to be funny, and while it isn't anything hilarious for the most part, it gets the job done, at least at first. Again, I just feel like the quality of the humor, while it became sparser as the show got darker, actually improves as the show progresses, especially episode 9, which as really funny yet extremely plot focused at the same time. 

     Also, and I know this is a nitpick, but the show has a lot of out-of-nowhere song sequences. While it can be funny in how random it is, it just doesn't fit the show's somewhat melancholy tone, which encouraged quirkiness and wit but not outright silly things, so they just feel out of place. Worse, I'm really not fond of the songs themselves, they were completely forgettable for the most part, even the opening credit song, which fit the show well with it's somewhat enigmatic atmosphere, but never really did much for me. 

A typical day in The Unknown.

As we turn to characters, there's a lot of good to be had here, especially in our main character Wirt. Wirt starts off as one of those typical weak main characters, with no guts to even stand up for himself or his brother at the start of the series. And undoubtedly, watching him grow through the show was one of the best parts, seeing his confidence grow with every victory, as well as back-story justifying why he was like that in the first place. But what I like most about him is just how oddly relatable he is in his role of the skinny awkward kid, and I do need to make a quick shoutout to Elijah for his portrayal, because he captures the mannerism and overlaying nervousness of such a person perfectly. And when he does triumph at the end of the series, in a certain moment of utter awesomeness and bad-assery in his own right, it just make you want to punch the air in elation. The best part is, it's not hard to track just how he got there from the first episode; his development, and well as the ones for the other characters in the show, feels completely organic and believable, and that's rare.

     Next is his little brother Greg, and while Greg isn't really well developed as a character, his presence in the show is essential. You see, Greg is the heart and soul of the story, keeping things lighthearted and funny for a show that otherwise would have spent way too much time in darkness. His charm alone is enough to make you like him, and his overall impact on the story is measurable as well. It's never left to any doubt that while Greg is somewhat clumpy and his air-headedness sometimes leads to trouble, he is one strong little kid, and it is that strength and his kindness that makes up one of the absolute best parts of the show for me during episode 8, which was just perfectly executed in every way. 

     Next is Beatrice, the talking bluebird, and yeah, she's pretty cool too. I won't say too much about her here, what prompts her real development is really kind of a big spoiler, but she's almost like the show in a nutshell. She comes off just a spiteful bird without much too her, but gradually the show peels the layers of her character back, and while the resolution to her character arc is a little rushed in my opinion, it still works. Plus, her interactions with Wirt are pretty great, showing the true extent of the good writing with constant back and worth dialogue which is always a lot of fun. 

     The rest of the characters that show up through the episodic parts of the series are good while they last, even if you feel no particular urge to see any of them again after their respective episodes. That's alright though, because if one other character must be talked about, it is "The Beast". Firstly, the voice Samuel Ramey gives him is awesomely awesome, and secondly, he's just a really cool concept on his own. I won't give away his role in the show, because again, the last few episodes do an excellent job of revealing him, and may I say, his character design is really cool, creepy, and fits him to a tee. 

The Beast watches.

Speaking of character designs, time to transition to the animation. I'm not the biggest fan of the character designs themselves, the eyes and their lack of pupils kind of bothers me. I know it's a style, and it sorts of fits the show, but it's just a little irk. As for the actually animation itself, it's pretty good. Nothing will blow you out of your seat here, but detail is apparent everywhere, and the muted colors and grainy textures really bring the tone of the show to life. I know this is a strange thing to mention, but the animation is probably best during the scenes in the fog or deep shadow, it just looks really cool for the most part. It also helps that the show is good at designing it's world. Both the structures and inhabitants of The Unknown are richly designed, like with the episode on the frog ferry boat, or when Wirt and Greg are in the village with all the pumpkins. There's nothing else really  much to say, but if you were worried about the animation quality of an under-the-radar miniseries, don't be, it's perfectly fine.

After all this, I need to say the final score I'll be giving over the Over the Garden Wall is completely separated from everything else I do on this blog. Just as anime scores aren't comparable to those of the book reviews, this show must be judged as the fine piece of fiction that it is. It has been awhile since I've enjoyed something this good in my recent run of mediocre anime, and it's not just because my expectations have been lowered since this is a show for kids. It's not good because of that, it's good because it's well written, has awesome characters, great individual scenes, and plenty of well-hidden surprises, so go watch it as soon as you can and do yourself a favor. And while you're at it, spread the word, because this small gem deserves a lot more recognition from the public than it has gotten. Now, it's time for me to try to find something at least half as good for my next watch. See you all later. Goodbye for now guys. 

Final Verdict: 8/10

P.S: Oh... so that's why he has all that candy in his pocket. 

So, I don't have another cartoon review, but my book review of Coraline is here.

And if you like anime, my review of My Tenn Romantic Comedy SNAFU is here. 

What am I watching this Fall Anime Season? Click here. 

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