Lackadaisy - Season One – More Potential Has Begun

A teaser for the first season of Lackadaisy already [25]? On Christmas in July [19] [57]? It has been months since three months since the release and widespread acclaim of the pilot [24] [51] [52]. I saw a quite lot of creative potential in the pilot, including some symbolism during one of Rocky’s poems, the rest of its spellbinding animation and its credibility as an adaption of a webcomic series that began in 2006 [21]. Moreover, contrary to what some people have claimed, Lackadaisy is NOT a rip-off of Helluva Boss as their premises are entirely different [11] [24] [32] [33] [58]. It may be all too easy to miss all those great shows from the 1990s [46] [47], but as one watches the teaser for the first season of Lackadaisy[24], the importance of proactivity and trying something new can be sensed [38]. Besides, a lot of great events have happened this year, including the delight of our fellow bronies and pegasisters galloping as they read the comic from IDW honouring the 40th anniversary of the My Little Pony franchise [17]. Safe and sound from a deprived hedgehog [56], let us travel with a certain feline who became a fan favourite [25] [51] [52], resulting in adorable and nicely detailed plushies of him being for supporters who lend fifty dollars [21]. 

The pilot was the cat’s meow and “Queen Bee”, the eventually released eighth episode of the first season of Helluva Boss was the hellhound’s howl [24] [34] [51] [52]. As for the teaser for the first season of Lackadaisy, let us head back to the past with Rocky Rickaby while Fortnite fighters head to the future with the main cast of Futurama [14] [15]. [25]

The plot of the teaser is centred on Rocky Rickaby, also referred to as “The Tornado” in a card game that made a grand return [21], the poetic violinist who can be a wisecracker and a troublemaker [9] [24] [25] [51] [52]. However, he has not shown his chaotic side whatsoever [25]. Moreover, he has not said a word. Although he is not a black cat (and he does not speak in a Scottish accent) [4] [13], his journey has been ambushed by some bad luck as he gets kicked out of an unseen character’s car, possibly because of how quickly annoyed they got with him and he gets tangled in a wire fence after hopping off a train [25]. It can be suspected that the abandoned home he knocks on the door of must be the one he was kicked out of when he was only sixteen [28], which is the saddest part of his journey as that must have been his destination before he decided to play his violin in the streets [25]. There may be a lack of dialogue for him in the teaser, but there is something about it that elevated the feeling of an unlucky but ultimately safe journey and makes him more sympathetic to an extent. 

“Get out me car! [2] [22]” [25]

Rocky’s portrayal in the teaser is rather sympathetic. [25] This is not the first time a character voiced by Michael Kovach has received some backstory and so much sympathy from fans [30], yet again, Rocky does not speak in the teaser at all [25]. He is confirmed that he is twenty-three years old [9] [28], but consistently, he would be about one or two years younger in the teaser for a reason that will be explained in a jiffy. [25]

As Rocky sits on a set of stone steps and plays his violin with a pigeon settled onto his hat, Mitzi May paces towards him and kindly says, “That’s beautiful music, honey.” as she notices his potential [25]. This leads to how Rocky became associated with searching for alcohol with Freckle and Ivy for Little Daisy Café in the pilot [24] [51] [52]. Accompanying Mitzi is no other than Atlas May, her husband, which shows that the teaser takes place before the events of the pilot as he sadly died in 1926 [9], a year before those events [24] [26]. Furthermore, the first episode can expand on the Mays’ marriage and their business decisions, providing some backstory for Little Daisy Café. I suppose that Rocky will gradually become Mitzi’s fourth love interest as a sign of faithfulness to the webcomic series, especially after the unfortunate death of Atlas [26] [27]. After all, it has been confirmed that the first season will last through five episodes, which is starting quite small but seemingly effective after the acclaim of the pilot. Furthermore, the overall structure makes me suspect that the first season will begin with a flashback on how Rocky become associated with the declining business due to the historically accurate illegalisation of alcohol [25] [44]. 

Atlas looks a little stern, compared to Mitzi’s friendliness [25]. It would not surprise me if he may have been quite overprotective of her at some point [9] [26] [27]. [25]

Honouring the critical acclaim of the pilot [24] [51] [52], the animation is once again mesmerisingly spectacular [25]. While I may not be a fan of guidelines being faintly noticed during the characters’ movements [51] [52], others will let it slide as proof of dedicated progress is appreciated. The backgrounds may not be vibrantly and cheerfully colourful like Barbie Land in Barbie and the artistry of Lisa Frank [37] [41] [48] [49], but they are gracefully detailed and their dull but easingly simple palettes suit the late 1920s atmosphere of the pilot and webcomic series as they help the richly colourised Rocky stand out from them whilst elevating the displays of his emotions throughout his troubles journey [21] [25]. The neighbourhood where he must have been kicked out of is about as lifeless but sophisticatedly detailed as London in Alice: Madness Returns [3]. The mild sunbeam that shines when Mitzi May asks “What else can you play?” in the streets and some shadows of anonymous cats walking by are some samples of splendid effects for some realism in a cartoony world of cats [25]. As spellbinding as the animation is, there still ought to be some compelling storytelling and excellent character portrayals alongside it, which ought to definitely be based on the award-winning webcomic series [51] [52]. 

And let us not forget about what appears to be a little snowfall for another great effect! Who let it go [12] [16]? [25]

The budget for the first episode has been accomplished, meaning that we will see the series flourish even more as a cartoon adaption of the prohibition era soon [21]. The animation is a lot more advanced and appealing than the animation in The Romance of Betty Boop, an animated film starring Betty Boop that was released in 1985 [40]. It is always fascinating to see a specific animation style commence to bring an adaption into the supposedly right light. [25]

Lastly, let us address the auditory aspects of the teaser [25]. The rowdy jangling and screeching of the car sound quite like what you would hear when you encounter one and get in it. The realistic chugging of the train thankfully does not overshadow the slow piano music when it comes to providing some emotion, but the sound of Rocky getting tangled into the wires of a fence and his violin case thumping onto the ground is partially louder than it, which is a little unbalanced. Surely, letting Rocky say a few words, such as “Hello?” when he knocks on the door and window at the abandoned home would not really affect the tone, but the journey says it best as he says nothing at all [42]. Do not say that to Deadpool about his journeys [50]! The sound of Rocky’s violin is calming with the animation being in sync with it at a well-timed pace [25]. There is also the roar of the mixture of run-of-the-mill city noises with the footsteps of anonymous cats passing by. Aside from Rocky’s violin, the piano music accompanying how he feels and Mitzi’s lovely Southern voice, we are once again treated to the lively 1920s jazz number that was previously heard during the credits of the pilot [24]. Even sound designers deserve praise and recognition in these industries.

Surely, we will hear some more tunes from Rocky’s violin throughout the first season [24] [51] [52]. [23]

I am delighted that the teaser for the first season has focused on my two favourite characters; Rocky Rickaby and Mitzi May [25] [45] [51] [52]. The first season is funded by merchandise sales, just like Helluva Boss, but on BackerKit instead of SharkRobot [21] [35]. With a seemingly successful future ahead of it with the aid of a gradually increasing budget, Lackadaisy is sure to get hot and continue where it left off at the pilot throughout one whole season [25], starting with the first episode that required approximately $125,000 to produce [21]. There is also hope for Tiny Toons Looniversity to excel as a reboot in a modern setting with some classic cartoon essences on Cartoon Network this Autumn [54] [55]. The toxicity of YouTube and X, formerly known as "Twitter" may have nearly eliminated my love for Helluva Boss and partly caused me to delay my review of “Ozzie’s” and “Queen Bee” [5] [6] [7] [31] [34] [39], but I am possibly not giving up on that. As for the first season of Lackadaisy, how exceptional will the first three episodes be [21]? Only time and dedication will tell after the funding for all five episodes of the first season concludes near the end of August. Kudos and the best of luck to Tracy J. Butler, the creator of the webcomic series and Fable Siegel, the director of the pilot [21] [25] [51] [52].

Dang! Getting Zib to drink an entire bottle of booze while reaching a million dollars for the first five-episode season [21]?! What about his liver?! This would be the sort of duty Conker the Squirrel would dream of [36]! I will stick to a mocktail, thank you very much [29]! [21]

And what do you know? $500,000 has just been obtained for a second episode [21]. Even after all the hard work put into the pilot and first season, it is okay to prefer the webcomic series for specific reasons [18], like how there is nothing wrong with being a comic book or novel purist, just as long as you respect other fans’ opinions and preferences [10]. Eventually, I can review the Lackadaisy webcomics as a follow-up article [51] [52]. I am also up for analysing a trailer for the second half of the second season of Helluva Boss possibly later this year [8] [20]. [21]

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