Xiaolin Chronicles

I loved Xiaolin Showdown. I also like Xiaolin Chronicles. This show is a different Xiaolin series, made with a different approach. For starters, Xiaolin Chronicles is not a "reboot" of the original series despite what many fans thought (or hoped). It's episodic, while the original series was serialized. This factor alone makes the two series different in storytelling. It was probably due to a network demand since the producers know better. Having said that, the magical adventures are entertaining to watch, and it's great fun to see the Xiaolin gang kicking butt. Sure, I'd love to see a real reboot, with the original cast grown up, facing new personal challenges and perhaps a new set of villains. But Xiaolin Chronicles was not made for the old fans. It was made for 6-11 years old kids! This is why it aired on Disney XD in US. Why do you think it ranked #7 on Nickandmore.com among 30 new shows that came out in 2015? It's because this new series is a very good show for kids.

When I was younger, I LOVED watching Xiaolin Showdown. Everything about Showdown is great... I wish I could say the same about Chronicles however. I saw the sequel announced years ago and it caught my attention but never got around to it until recently. I decided to re-watch Showdown first and grew to appreciate it even more as an adult. It's funny, clever, original, entertaining, and has good character development. Chronicles possesses everything BUT those characteristics. I don't even know where to begin with this huge letdown of a series.

First and foremost, this is NOT a sequel despite what it's labeled as. It's basically some form of spinoff series I guess? Reason I say this is because some of the backstories don't match up with the original at all. Shen Gong Wu have different names (I get it's because of copyright but I don't care) and some of them don't even have the same powers as the ones from Showdown such as the Golden Tiger Claws for instance. Instead of transporting you anywhere in the world, it travels through time. Most of voice actors are different (not necessarily why I hate it, but it's still a letdown). They introduce a new character Ping Pong (basically a mini-Omi who's less egotistical) who is just downright boring, obnoxious, and uninspiring. Ping Pong basically adds nothing to the series. Dojo is the worst of them all. Aside from the fact that he's yellow now for whatever reason, he also has a huge obsession/hard-on for Master Fung. Like REALLY obsessed, to the point where he's just down right unbearable. Always calling him lovey dovey nicknames and day dreaming about him. It doesn't help that when he senses a new Wu now he gets some kind of rash boil attack that's really not pleasing to look at.

Even the showdowns itself aren't even exciting to watch anymore. They decided to make them CGI which is odd since Showdown didn't do this. Even the transition from reality to the showdowns are rather weak. It used to be exciting watching two characters challenge each other, explain the game details, yell "XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!", then everything just transitions around them to transform into the showdown arena. You just knew before they even touched the Wu that things were about to go down. Now it just doesn't have the same feel. Feels like they just quickly rush into the showdown, Dojo does this spinning thing in front of the screen, then everything becomes CGI.

I wanted to enjoy this, I really did, but completing this was very difficult for me to do and I constantly wanted to drop it. I even found myself not paying attention at times because I would distract myself with other things due to how much boring it ultimately is.

If you are a fan of Showdown and plan on watching Chronicles, I recommend watching it with very low expectations.

Since I'm a big fan of the original series, Xiaolin Showdown (I grew up watching it every Saturday), Xiaolin Chronicles isn't really a continuation of Xiaolin Showdown regardless of what many people might think. I conducted an interview with the show's producer a while back on a school project, and I found out that one of the major differences was that the network/studio required this new series be episodic. This surprising requirement presented big creative challenges in storytelling for the writers, since they wanted to tell evolving stories in the tradition of Xiaolin Showdown. Evolving stories require longer arcs, spanning over multiple episodes, which resulted in many 2-parters and 3-parters in Xiaolin Showdown. The old series was serialized through and through. As each season of Xiaolin Showdown progressed, the seasonal arcs also evolved. That's one of the reasons why Xiaolin Showdown was a great kids show. Without the ability to write shows in a serialized manner, this takes a way a lot of opportunity for character growth, story build up, and evolving conflicts, just to name a few. We all know that plots need time to develop, evolve, and thicken… I understand this even though I am not a professional writer. Therefore, Xiaolin Chronicles is not meant to be a reboot or continuation of Xiaolin Showdown, and it is unfair to compare them under the same light. Additionally, Xiaolin Chronicles is made under very different circumstances, with many creative constraints. For starters, it was not even made in the US, and the crew spoke French. So there, it should tell you how different the production settings were between the two shows. The old show — a product of a major US studio. The new one - a product made in France by a small independent. So all things considered, I'd say Xiaolin Chronicles turned out great. It's a fun action adventure show. Having said that, I still like the fact that the Xiaolin monks are back! It served the purpose of re-introducing the Xiaolin monks to a new set of audience. And I love that there is a new monk joining the adventure. Sure there are always things to pick on… in any given show. But to me, it's always fun to watch Xiaolin. However, I'd love it even more if the new Xiaolin shows can be done in a serialized fashion, so that the stories can evolve and grow in order to bring out the best that Xiaolin has to offer. Stay true and stay faithful to Xiaolin Showdown. That'd be a good thing.

First of, I am glad to see the Xiaolin gang is kicking back. Omi makes me chuckle, and my favorite characters is the dragon, Dojo. I'd love to see more shows on other characters like Raimundo and Clay in the future though. More importantly, I'd love to see bigger, deeper story lines; but having worked in the industry myself, it is sometimes a struggle, especially if the networks want the show a certain way, like serialized vs. episodic. In this case, I found out (from someone who worked on the show) that they were required to deliver the show episodically. That's too bad. Because to tell bigger stories, there needs to be more time, spanning over multiple episodes. I think this series could be even stronger if the stories were serialized. And Xiaolin lends itself well as a serialized show. Take a look at the original Xiaolin Showdown, it was great and it was serialized. I'd say that Xiaolin Chronicles is not a continuation of the original storyline. The whole format is different. So while Xiaolin Chronicles is still fun to watch, it has the potential to be even better. This is why I'm giving this new series a 4-star, where Xiaolin Showdown would be a 5. What can I say? Sorry about that. But that's just did, it's show biz. Business decisions often put a lot of limitations on the creative front and sometimes things don't pan out. So all things considered, I love the fact that the new show brings back the classic characters and introduced a few new ones. I do hope they can figure out a good way to make more. And this time, please make the new shows serialized. Personally, I'd love to see Dashi and Wuya from the ancient days, to see what that world was like. Perhaps even an origin story. There's a lot of potential with Xiaolin, because there are already multiple universes in existence, with many unique and interesting characters. So please don't stop here. Bring back more Xiaolin… And this time, go back to the roots! Do a proper, kickass reboot of Xiaolin Showdown!

Love the magical adventures and the Shen Gong Wu! My favorite Wu is the Cheetah Claws so I can go anywhere. If I had to be super critical, sure, the CGI animation can be improved. Having said that, I should also mention that this is a kids TV series, and naturally lacks the big budget of a feature and the backing of a major studio. So all things considered, it's a fun adventurous show for kids. I'd love to take a dragon ride on Dojo. What fun! Can't wait to watch it again on Amazon. My nephew and I watched it together while it was playing on Disney XD. It sure brings back good o' childhood memories—love Xiaolin Showdown!