Pilot

TADc is overated a lot it's not that funny I didn't smile once the whole time it is a chore to watch. Jax is a horrible character that isn't even that funny although I appreciate Michael kovach. People are acting likes it's the new spawn of god but it's horrible every minute I was checking the runtime to see how much longer it would take for this episode to finish . This series does not deserve this many views likes and positivinty it should be criticized for its horrible writing. Although the animation is beautiful and I enjoyed mangle and ragatha it needs to establish its characters more and be better. Overall a solid 1/10.

This first episode feels somewhat outdated compared to the narrative quality the series achieves in later chapters (for now, episode 6 is already available). As a pilot, it fulfills its basic function: introducing the general context of the story, introducing the circus, and giving us a superficial look at some of the characters.

However, narratively, it's quite limited. The main adventure is inconsequential and unengaging, contributing little to the development of characters like Kinger, Zooble, Gangle, Jax, or Ragatha.

Pomni, on the other hand, while giving us a superficial glimpse of her character, manages to offer a first glimpse into the series' history with concepts like abstraction, emptiness, and exit, though none of these are explored in depth. Ultimately, the episode functions more as a gateway than a solid story in its own right. Its value lies in its introduction, not in the quality of its plot or the development of key dynamics that would later become the true essence of the series.

Final score: around 7.5/10.

This pilot definitely showed promise and the potential of the show and its concepts. Its animation is great with plenty of colors, a strong aesthetic and style as well as showing the emotions of the characters well. Animation is a great way to show such things and this show does a great job of showing that all off. Additionally we get a decent taste of the characters with the pilot doing a decent job of introducing us to our main cast even if perhaps your left in the end wanting a bit more of a taste of some of them. The music was great and I would expect no less from Gooseworx who is known not just for their role in YouTube animation but also their music.

I've been seeing a lot of fanart of TADC for a while now. It looks like it's going to be the next big thing, but I can't quite say the pilot has impressed me.

The production values are surprisingly polished and smooth. It's going for a PSX high definition promotional render aesthetic, mixed with a very tiny bit of creepy glitch flair. "What if you got stuck into a digital world and things were weird?". It's not the most original idea but you can make it work and put your own spin on it.

The thing is.... it mostly works like your typical saturday morning cartoon but with a Tumblr edge? It's screaming "look how weird and quirky I am!!" but it's not really all that weird nor out there. The cast's personalities are pretty standard, the weird stuff is very sanitized and has no bite, the pacing and energy doesn't match the concept, and the directing is disappointingly standard. Even the music sounds weirdly polished and musical considering the setting, something more sample/synth-based and glitchy would've enhanced the setting but instead we get very generic instrumentation.

It looks like Tumblr comfort food. And I'm sure there's people out there craving for that stuff, but for me it's very middle of the road. There's always the chance that the actual series will have a more snappier pace and it will embrace its weird ideas properly, but as it is looks to be an unadventurous show.

This first episode perfectly presents the personalities of all the characters and the main conflict of the show. I also love how Pomni reacts to being in this new world, she behaves just like any person would if this situation happened to them. She does it so well that it's very easy to feel empathy for her; the first time I watched it, I actually felt the fear and existential crisis of living in the digital circus.