They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot/Western Animation: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
Examples of [[{{TOPLEVELPAGE}}]] in [[{{SUBPAGENAME}}]] include:
 
* ''[[Kappa Mikey]]'' had the brilliant idea of mixing a [[Western Animation]] American in a [[Anime]] and [[Animesque]] Japanese setting to create a unique [[Fish Out of Water]] story. The only problem? The show ''barely'' if any utilized any real [[Japanese Media Tropes]] or Western [[Animation Tropes]] that would've made it a unique blending of the two mediums. Any Anime related things were mainly for the [[Gag Series]], that eventually turned into a [[Gross-Out Show]], certainly not the [[Genre Busting]] concept it could've become.
** Pretty much true of any anime parody ever. The gags--lips moving wrong, J-Pop, giant mecha--are always the same, often outdated, and represent a small sample of anime. It's not really "plot," but the point is, who is this for? People who don't like anime don't get it, and those who do have made these jokes a billion times over during Dragonball Z.
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** In S2, a few eps were leading up to Cree trying to send the Moonbase flying into the sun. The season finale indeed, ''does'' see a plan to send the Moonbase flying into the sun... but it's being done by ''Chad''. Cree only shows up at the end to be told by Chad that her plan's already been tried and backfired. Still, it set up Chad joining the teens, so it's not that big of a deal.
** Also, the KND "Splinter Cell" arc foreshadowed an internal civil war in the KND between the extremist Splinter Cell that believes all adults must be destroyed vs. the more moderate faction that believes only the ''evil'' adults should be stopped. It is also revealed that the Splinter Cell had been kidnapping KND scientists for unknown reasons. However, near the end of the series, it turns out that the Splinter Cell is just an front for the KND scientists, who fake their kidnappings so they have more free time to watch their favorite science fiction shows as well as manage "the Galactic Kids Next Door", the workings of which were left very vague in the end.
* ''[[Hey Arnold!]]!'', "Gerald vs. Jamie O": [httphttps://web.archive.org/web/20030610052501/http://home.earthlink.net/~hey-arnold/arn_eps5.html Actual pre-US-broadcast plot description] from an unofficial website: "Gerald gets a crush on a new girl. All together now: What about Phoebe?" Sounds like [[Ship Tease|the perfect bait]] for Phoebe-Gerald [[Shipping|shippers]], right? Well, you could probably guess this from the ep title, {{spoiler|but it turns out that the story isn't about how this new crush affects Phoebe, but rather about how the new girl is actually attracted to Jamie (Gerald's brother) and G thinks he's trying to steal her from him. Phoebe is absent both in presence and mention.}}
* The ''[[All Grown Up!]]'' [[Christmas Episode]] Missed Out an a Perfectly Good Subplot: Actual exchange from the episode:
{{quote|'''Susie:''' [[Written-In Absence|Angelica's skiing in Aspen]], and Phil and Lil are decking the halls. What are you planning to do, Chuckie?<br />
'''Chuckie:''' The usual. High expectations met with crushing disappointment. }}
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** The introduction of Jericho into the Titans had the potential for a fantastic storyline to tie into Slade's obsession to find the perfect apprentice. Instead, after "Titans Together", nothing comes of this.
*** This probably has more to do with the fact that the series was cancelled, with "Titans Together" being the penultimate episode for the entire show.
* ''[[The Fairly Odd ParentsOddParents]]'' "Big Superhero Wish" episode promises to be a full half-hour of Timmy and his friends kicking butt with their superpowers. One imagines plenty of fighting, leavened of course with humor and suspense. As it turns out, Timmy and his friends spend less than a quarter of the episode before the villains strip the good guys of their abilities. Our protagonists prevail with the help of the ordinary heroes who first let Timmy down at the beginning of the story. Ah, [[An Aesop]]. So much more rewarding than fulfilling the promise for a good action story.
** Another good example: early in the show Trixie Tang had an episode called "The Boy That Would Be Queen" that hinted she was more than [[Alpha Bitch|an inconsiderate snob.]] It involved Timmy finding out she had "boy" interests, i.e. comic books, video games, etc. It looked like they were slowly going to give her [[Character Development]] and let her evolve into a decent character. Then the mass [[Flanderization]] of every character in the show set in, and her secretly being a [[Tomboy]] has never been explored again in favor of [[Character Exaggeration]] of her as a shallow [[Alpha Bitch]]. What could have been a good character [[They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character|went down the tubes]].
** Actually, Trixie had [[Hidden Depths]] hinted at in her ''FIRST appearance'', where she told Timmy that, while she can't afford to be seen hanging with him and his friends, she admires him giving up popularity so that he can stay with his own friends, thinking that decision to be "cool". That Trixie became such a ''bitch'' in later episodes is a truly staggering fact when one considers how she was early on.
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** The one that takes the cake though was the one at the end of the movie ''Into The Wild Green Yonder'' where the entire group of protagonists were on the run from the law even though they were doing good. At the end of the movie, they came across a huge wormhole that could take them millions of light-years away without any way of knowing if they could ever return. Unanimously agreeing, the heroes went into the wormhole as it converted into a similar pattern of lights in the opening sequence of each episode. Originally, this was intended to be the series finale, but due to its popularity increasing due to sales of the four movies, it was granted two more seasons. Unfortunately, instead of continuing the plot of the heroes being on the run and making it an overall [[Stern Chase]] plotline or having the heroes have adventures in exotic new lands, a [[Snap Back]] is made and the heroes find themselves back at Earth. Even more so, a subtle [[Hand Wave]] is made and all the heroes' actions from "Into The Wild Green Yonder" are forgotten, allowing them to resume their normal lives, because of course, [[Status Quo Is God]].
*** It is worth noting that some elements remain, some things that were really long in coming, like oh I don't know, Leela & Fry finally establishing a (rocky) relationship?
* ''[[Invader Zim]]'' was never really meant to be more than a dark sci-fi/comedy set in a [[Crapsack World]], but at least some fans wish the show had been at least a ''little'' more serious at times, especially with the moral implications of a [[Villain Protagonist]] whose [[Always ChaoticExclusively Evil|species regularly utilizes genocide]]. In particular the creators seemed to throw in a lot of minor plot elements -- for example the Irkens' PAKs, the society based on height, etc. -- that could have been fascinating if it was expanded on, either because of cancellation or [[They Just Didn't Care|the creators just not being interested]].
** Actually, it [[What Could Have Been|WAS supposed to go from]] the idiosyncratic, self-contained episode system to a mature [[Myth Arc]] with much more continuity and less humor. Unfortunately, it got cancelled.
* ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]'':
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* ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'' is a pretty darn awesome superhero in concept, but he spends the entire series gleefully clutching the [[Idiot Ball]] and generally being useless (only a handful of episodes [[Let's Get Dangerous|showing his potential as a competant hero]]). Alot of people say that Penny's a lot better a protagonist, and wish that she was the series' primary focus.
 
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[[Category:They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot]]