Adult Swim. As a concept, I am totally, one hundred percent, behind it. Give me a form and I’d vote for it. It would have to be postal voting though as I can’t be asked to get off my fat arse to put a X on piece of paper at a school 200 yards from my front door.

Adult themed animation is a great idea. Who doesn’t like drawings and doesn’t like adult things? However it has been quite the hit and miss affair in the west and the genre has never had the following its oriental brethren enjoy. There is still the stigma of the Saturday morning kid show about it. To this day I have a work colleague who has never seen a single episode of The Simpsons because “cartoons are for children”. And there is absolutely no reason for adult themed animation not to work and succeed. I am behind the concept.

Then we approach the content. Strange as this may appear to people who know me, I’m not such a massive fan of violence as comedy and the idea that people getting stoned is inherently funny. And, inevitably in an affair, like “Adult Swim” you are going to have to take the rough with the smooth. Some of the rough is painful to watch: sat butt naked on a bacon slicer while someone flicks the power on and off while drenching you in a warm stream of vinegar, kind of painful.

Metalocalypse is one of the better series. It’s not hysterical by any means but it has the occasional hidden gem. DethKlok are a five piece death metal band who are phenomenally successful; by the end of season two they are one of the seventh largest economy forces in the world. They are: -

Lead singer: Nathan Explosion, unusual in that he has absolutely no negative issues with his dad.

Lead guitar: Skwisgaar Skwigelf, legendary axe and woodsman (if you don’t know what I am referring to in the second instances then it’s time to jump to urban dictionary dot com).

Bass: William Murderface, dangerous psychopath and born loser.

Rhythm guitar: Toki, the bunny rabbit of the group.

Drums: Pickles, ... er... balding.

The series consists of the band attempting and failing to do anything which doesn’t involve being part of the world’s biggest death metal band while their manager watches on, waiting for the time he has to step in and resolve their problems.

In the background is the mysterious group known as the Tribunal. They follow the actions of the band with great interest and growing concern. However they are largely an exposition piece as they tend to allow the band to continue their actions unmolested.

And that’s it. Each episode is DethKlok trying and failing to do a simple task. While the series is not laugh out loud funny it certainly has its moment.

7

Dean Lester Smales