*Spoilers Ahead! Spoilers Ahead! Enter At Your Own Risk!*

About a week ago, Mr. J. Carr and Mr. Mo-Effin’ Kahn passed the duty of blogging about PvP: The Series onto me. As with my previous review, I just don’t know where I fall yet, with so many pros and cons rushing to the surface with each viewing. So I’ve decided to start writing and just see if it gets me somewhere. Join me, won’t you?

Enjoyment is ultimately what you want from entertainment, right? Especially from a cartoon? Well, for me, episode 2 did not deliver in that respect.

Though it’s been a talking point about the series dating back to the release of the first teaser, the voices are mostly just not gelling with the characters. This could be because it seems they were all recorded at different times and then edited to seem coherent or it could be that Skull’s voice makes me want to put my fist through a wall, I’m not sure which is the more prevalent of my dislikes. But the discussion of Skull’s voice acting has already come and gone, so that shouldn’t really figure into this particular write-up, right?

Well, when you’ve got an entire episode that revolves around him, any latent dislike turns to fiery hatred even quicker. Round it out with the fact that I, personally, feel that Brent’s voice is the only one that matches with the character, and you’ve got a unianimous thumbs down for the voices this time around. It’s possible that, over time, I could come to accept these depictions as canon, but with only one episode a MONTH, it’s not really something that has the chance to sink in.

But even the worst voice actors can be saved by a great story. Sadly, that hail mary pass is not coming this time around. In fact, I think the quarterback kept the ball and ran home with it. The pedigree of the PvP webcomic has yet to be achieved by The Series and this can certainly be attributed to the fact that we’re still in the pilot season.

However, I’m reviewing episode 2 and the story in episode 2, based solely on it’s own merits, is incredibly predictable. Did you think Skull would hound Brent about his birthday, even after he said not to? How about Skull running off while tethered to Brent, thus snapping him forward violently? Jade is the voice of reason, Skull is incorrigible, and Brent suffers them all. It’s the building blocks the webcomic was founded on in animated form and though I’m sure those new to the series still need some setup as to the characters and their individual motivations, it’s tough for someone who’s read the archives and keeps up with the strip regularly to slog through it all to try and find a joke or two.

And look at that! I think I found the source of my disdain! Were I just coming on board and getting to know the whole gang for the first time, these depictions would either turn me directly on or off of the series. However, I’m well versed in the universe Kurtz has carefully constructed and I’d like for these iterations to echo those currently seen in the webcomic, not the ones from the first two or three years. Jade was a bad girl in high school, Brent has a softer side, and Skull is… ok, Skull can stay as is. Add some depth and make it quick; the audience is mostly made up of people who already know the cast and without a weekly series to keep coming back to, they’re not waiting around for The Series to reach the level the webcomic has already reached.

I’m not going to cancel my subscription just yet because I know a great deal of quality could possibly be squeezed from The Series eventually. But the jovial Halfpixel duo is on notice! Get some better stories or this thing is doomed.

Saved by the potential of the pedigree Kurtz has already established, I give Episode 2 of PvP: The Series five Golden Fists of Justice out of ten