The ninth season of Adventure Time contains the same mini-series approach that the previous two seasons used to good effect. Here Elements is the best part of the short season, as it does produce a sense of cohesion in the storytelling, with each episode connecting to the next in a way that the full season doesn't do (and previous 30+ episode seasons couldn't reasonably have been expected to do). I didn't think this miniseries was as strong as Islands, but it had the same strengths in that it did enhance the characters and the wider sense of place and world. It was also creative in its world and the way it twisted everything we knew.
The standalone episodes were mostly of a high standard too, and none felt like filler. Some were weirdly amusing, abstract (obviously so), and then produced a strong finale that came out of nowhere but still worked as an impact. The shortness of the season was not a problem for me, and I have found the shorter episode runs to be easier to engage with that those that ran for loads of episodes scattered all over the place. The animation remains of a very high standard, with plenty of creativity, and the voice cast equally keep their performances high, and make the material work.
The tenth season will be the final one, and I hope it can carry the same quality it had in this season through to the end.
