Despite not being innovative in terms of setting for animation and even for DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, the setting was an interesting one for the Tijuana Toads series and stood out amongst those for the series' other cartoons. The many cartoons though set in a western setting, before and since 'Fastest Tongue in the West', varied in execution with some even not doing enough with making the most of what is a very exciting setting at its best.
'Fastest Tongue in the West' is another one of those cartoons that could have done more with its potential. It is actually one of the better faring and more watchable Tijuana Toads outings, with a few amusing moments and El Toro (who along with Pancho usually does little for me) fares surprisingly well. 'Fastest Tongue in the West' is also though rather uneven and all feels a bit too conventional and under-explored in my view. Which is a shame.
Doug Goodwin's score is as always a high point, there is a light hearted energy that isn't there enough in the rest of the execution and it is not discordant with the action or overused. It is also appealingly orchestrated and the main theme is another memorable one from Goodwin. The dialogue, such as the wordplay between El Toro and The Cactus Kid, is funnier than is seen generally with the series and is not as stilted.
Also did like El Toro's dialogue and El Toro's appearance here is one of his few amusing and rootable ones. A few of the gags involvivng the tongues, with some nice visual humour, made me smile, despite not being innovative. The setting does look good.
It is a shame that not enough is done with it. Quite a number of genre conventions here, but sadly they don't really go anywhere and are basically placed all present and correct but not much more. The Hoot Kloot series did this all better. All the supporting characters are genre cliches and too stereotypical. Of the supporting characters, only the Cactus Kid has any glimpses of personality but sadly it is of the goofy one dimensional villain kind.
Conflict generally doesn't have enough sharpness or tension. The story is an over-familiar scenario executed in an underbaked and routine way, basically a stringing along of excessively predictable from recycling gags set in the West. A few vibrant colours aside, the animation is not too good. Again simplicity taken to extremes, no elegance or finesse, the colouring in some of the backgrounds being garish. The ending felt to me anti-climactic, instead of being thrilling it literally ends on a whimper and like the crew were not sure to conclude everything.
Overall, worth a one time watch but not much more than that. 5/10.
