"The Most Famous Fastest Hedgehog Alive In The World"

[PorpoiseMuffins]

(Try saying that 3 times fast)

We have a way cool new editorial from Mercury. Check it out in the features section!

http://www.saturdaymorningsonic.com/features/famous

[Elisto Dragonwings]

Yes! Archie is totally a katamari ball of random Sonic-y stuff!

[GREG THE CAT]

Mercury.... Never stop being a cool true blue fan, man. You are one of the best members in this entire fanbase. Just don't leave.

[Hyram the Hedgehog]

Curious thing how he Barrage against who insult / cuss on any part of the fandom ..."And Now for Something Completely Different" he Barrages against a part of the fandom (the US comic) like in the average South Park 'joke'.



Lucky to be an Universal Fan (True, unless Sonic Labirinth and Furverted 'art' I like almost anything related to the bluehog)

[tross]

I really liked the article, except for how the writer described the Archie comics. As an Archie/SatAM Sonic fan, the Archieverse is one of my two favourite Sonic continuities. Plus, a lot of my favourite characters are Archie exclusive. However, I do agree that in trying to bring in elements from other continuities to please other Sonic fans, the Archie comics almost lost its identity.

A lot of the modifications to the series to accommodate Sega Sonic/Japanese Sonic elements either felt really forced to me, or were poorly handled, or both. Especially most of the Sega Sonic additions to the cast(So far, Rouge is the only exception for me). Perhaps my problem with Shadow is simply that I can only judge him as an Archie Sonic character, without any exposure to the character outside of the series. Maybe my problem with Amy is that she didn't develop the way I wanted her to, from the perspective of an Archie Sonic fan.

I will say that Penders almost killed the series for me(no joke). I'm so glad Flynn took over. He seems to be slowly resurrecting the series, one step at a time. He's made some questionable choices, but I think his positive contributions have outweighed them. Don't get me wrong, Penders' earlier work, especially the Knuckles series, was fantastic in my opinion, and really helped to develop the series. But he seemed to have lost his way, at times forgetting he was writing for the main series, and not the Sonic X spinoff series.

That said, I do think the series still has a ways to go before its identity is truly re-established, but I think it's on the right track(based on how far I've read so far). So, yeah, I think the writer has a point, but I don't think the series is a lost cause either. There is still a lot that is distinct about the Archieverse, and those elements are enough for me to read on, though I still have to bring myself to finish reading the hedgehog battle arc.

[David The Lurker]

So I stumbled across this article that was posted on your website, and while I would normally not say anything, I feel that I should write a rebuttal as I was quoted in the article. I would like to say beforehand that, just as Mercury holds no ill will towards me, I hold no ill will towards him. And to be fair, I hold no ill will towards the concept of "Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog." I would like to make that perfectly clear. I am not replaying because "lol ur furries so ur gay" or anything like that. That's just retarded.

In my post that Mercury used in his article (which can be read in its entirety here) I was responding to Richard Kuta in the context of a conversation that actually started in the topic on Retro about Eddie Lebron's fan film, but was moved to the topic about his animated fan film because, really, that's what we were talking about. But my response was aimed toward his statement that the original Japanese style and storyline would not have succeeded in the United States if left untouched, and my point was using that line of thinking was flawed. I did talk about other elements in both threads, but instead of linking all over the place I'm going to try and lay everything out here.

What so many people seem to forget (or not even realize) is that the team behind the original idea of Sonic the Hedgehog set it up with a western audience in mind. Everything from the look of Sonic and his world to even his perceived "attitude" was done to appeal to Americans. There was no reason for SEGA of America to change anything they were given, and yet they felt compelled to. Even the way they changed it? That was completely thrown out too when the show this site is about was created. The original American storyline involved Dr. Robotnik once being Dr. Kintobor, a benevolent scientist that created the R.O.C.C. in an attempt to seal away all evil in the world inside the Chaos Emeralds, and having it all blow up in his face causing the transformation. An extremely ridiculous premise that confuses me simply because they created a scenario that SEGA had no intention of resolving. The people who created the classic games were only vaguely aware of what the west was doing with their property, and certainly wanting nothing to do with Kintobor/Robotnik. So when I was a kid and was waiting for the moment in the games when Robotnik would turn back...that was something that would never happen. Which I know now. But I didn't know then.

Ben Hurst may not have been the "main" writer of the show, but he certainly is the most well known, and was a the driving force behind many of the elements within. Season two was more or less Ben Hurst's baby. And he had the ability to use plenty more elements from the games, but decided against it. I do not pretend to think that Yuji Naka or Ohshima or Yasuhara flew out and sat down with Ben and spoke about the games and what they meant, and then he turned around and threw it out the window. I know that he was shown Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and was told to make a show about it. But even if you looked at the SEGA of America Bible or any of the materials available to the west at the time...what he came up with was so far removed from the original spirit of the series. That is why the show can sometimes feel like Sonic was shoehorned in, even though I know the show was built around the title character. Going from a world full of bright, primary colors in surreal settings to a dark and dreary place that was already conquered years ago is a giant leap. It makes it feel like the entire creative force behind the series just didn't care about the source material. That they were essentially bored with it, and decided to do their own thing. And it points to SEGA not really caring about the series aside from "hey it'll help us sell more games." Having two shows that contradict each other that also contradict their games does not help build a brand. It fractures it.

One of the main points in Mercury's article is that the people who made the show had no choice but to come up with the elements they did. Perhaps they did if you only consider the western storyline. That is why I lay the blame not on DiC, but on SEGA of America. Because they helped strip so much of what they could have used to advertise and promote Sonic. One thing I am eternally grateful for is that they never tried changing anything within the games, and released it just as the original team had it. The graphics, the levels, the entire style and flow of the game once you turned it on was preserved. And really, in the end, that is what helped Sonic become a success. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is still one of the most successful Sonic games, and sold more than Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. And that game came out before either show, and before the comics. When Sonic was running through the Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant and Star Light and Metropolis, there was no Princess Sally. There was no Rotor or Antoine or Bunnie. There was only Sonic, Tails, and Eggman. Yes, Eggman. The name the team came up with. The fact that SEGA of America went their own way with Sonic was not something the creators were aware of. The three main players have gone on record saying they were shocked that the west had to redraw Sonic. That they had to modify the elements and the storyline they had come up with. A character that was done with a western mindset in the first place! The subtle elements about South Island and the Chaos Emeralds that was found in the Japanese manual was not something that just appeared overnight. That was something they talked about and discussed. The name "Dr. Robotnik" came about from an executive asking Dean Sitton what a fat guy should be called. He gave him the first name "Ivo" because it sounded like "Evil." That's a bit ridiculous in itself.

But even with all this, my point is not "SatAM is stupid because its not the original." My point was simply that the Saturday morning series is not a reflection of what Sonic actually is. It was designed outside of the sphere of what the games were supposed to be. And when I said that I liked the show as a kid, I don't see why suddenly the fact I like the classic games and original Japanese elements means I'm drinking "SEGA Kool-Aid" or being brainwashed. There is still a part of me that enjoys SatAM. But that is more of a nostalgic fondness. If for some reason there was a season three or a movie or something based on the show like that? I would watch it. But that doesn't mean I think that it is the definitive version of Sonic. Because it never was meant to be. If SEGA of America had not gone about changing Sonic, I would say that it still would have been a success. Because the games were just that good. And in the end, the comic and the shows were only tools to help promote the games, and were not the source of his success. So really, what bothers me is people who say that this one show - the characterization of Robotnik, Princess Sally and Knothole and the Great Forest and everything else - is the "real" Sonic. Because it isn't. It wasn't the "real" Sonic even when it was on in America.

Now that I am older and fully aware of the entire spectrum of what Sonic the Hedgehog is, I have decided that I enjoy the original elements far more than anything else, even though when I was a kid I would have defended SatAM up and down. It's not because I'm trying to be cool (if that was the case I wouldn't be a Sonic fan ^_^;;) but because those elements appeal to why I enjoyed Sonic in the first place. The classic five games are still enjoyed by people all over, including people who weren't even alive when Sonic Adventure came out. The Saturday morning show...just feels very dated. It feels very 90's. The original games hold a timeless element. Even though they were made in the 90's they don't look 90's. They don't feel like a relic from a different generation. If they were released right now for the first time, they would be fun, refreshing games.

One final note...why didn't anyone respond to this story in the fanworks section. It is part of the greatest fanfic series of all time!

[Gojira007]

So I stumbled across this article that was posted on your website, and while I would normally not say anything, I feel that I should write a rebuttal as I was quoted in the article. I would like to say beforehand that, just as Mercury holds no ill will towards me, I hold no ill will towards him. And to be fair, I hold no ill will towards the concept of "Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog."

Insert appropriately revised version of this disclaimer here. Lazy? Eh, a little bit. Just think of it as a compliment; your disclaimer was so good I decided to use it in place of my own.

But even if you looked at the SEGA of America Bible or any of the materials available to the west at the time...what he came up with was so far removed from the original spirit of the series.

What constitues the "original spirit of the series", though? How rigidly are we willing to define that? Is it purely aesthetic? Is it thematic? Can only the original three/four Genesis games be considered the parameters by which it can be defined? Can only the very first game? Only the first two, as those were the ones made before the various continuities started branching out in their own directions? I'm genuinely asking here, because one of the reasons I like SatAM is that I feel it actually does honor the spirit of the original games, just not the specific details; but I have to imagine my definition of what that spirit is would be quite a bit different than yours, so I'm just trying to figure out what you mean exactly.

That is why the show can sometimes feel like Sonic was shoehorned in, even though I know the show was built around the title character. Going from a world full of bright, primary colors in surreal settings to a dark and dreary place that was already conquered years ago is a giant leap.

Not THAT big, actually. For all that it has its dark and dreary places, SatAM is not without its bright, primary colors and surreal settings. Just look at the Void,
both outside and inside. Or the City of Maga from "Sonic and the Secret Scrolls"? And there are others too; the world in SatAM could be as colorful and bizarre as anything in the games, and likewise the games had their drearier spots too. Scrap Brain Zone and Metropolis Zone had color schemes comprised mostly of grays and muted browns and were every inch as much an industrialist nightmare as SatAM's Robotropolis, while Sandopolis Zone Act 2 and Mystic Cave Zone were creepy, haunting places that could get downright creepy at times. I'm not saying the games and the show were perfectly in sync, but I AM saying they have perhaps more in common than you might think when you really look at them.

It was designed outside of the sphere of what the games were supposed to be. And when I said that I liked the show as a kid, I don't see why suddenly the fact I like the classic games and original Japanese elements means I'm drinking "SEGA Kool-Aid" or being brainwashed.

Just so this is on the record, I think the logic that dictates that if you are not in love with SatAM you're a brainwashed SEGA slave or whatever is utter nonsense, and that sort of all-or-nothing thinking peeves me to no end.

So really, what bothers me is people who say that this one show - the characterization of Robotnik, Princess Sally and Knothole and the Great Forest and everything else - is the "real" Sonic. Because it isn't. It wasn't the "real" Sonic even when it was on in America.

I'm rather bothered by the idea that there is a "real" Sonic that can be defined by anything more objective than peoples' personal preferences.

[henryii]

Amen, Gojira nailed pretty much everything on my mind when reading that.

I just want to add this: it really strikes me odd when people say that the Japanese canon is Superior, when that canon was never successful in Japan and SEGA of Japan was always maddened why the western version was the on that made Sonic a house hold name and as soon as SEGA in a jealous rage, selfishly and stupidity made there's the main continuity, and then the name of Sonic became a joke and the series was then thought to be passes it's prime.

Now really, if you had the choice, would you chooses the option that made you famous or the one that lost you money and the laughing stock of the world?

There is more to a game then the gameplay, it's the iconography and context that make it popular, i'e Robotnik and the environmental message/struggle/resistance and everything else that made the west popular and not the idea that funny Eggman guy is causing another one of his silly ruckuses again.

[Gojira007]

Amen, Gojira nailed pretty much everything on my mind when reading that.

Really? 'Cuz, I gotta be honest, reading the rest of your post makes me wonder if you got my point.

[henryii]

Amen, Gojira nailed pretty much everything on my mind when reading that.

Really? 'Cuz, I gotta be honest, reading the rest of your post makes me wonder if you got my point.

The idea that all forms of Sonic are valid as the next and that there is no real Sonic is what I think you were Saying.

All I was saying was was an extension of what you were saying, by saying the folly of believing SEGASonic as the one true Sonic, when that canon was never big to begin with and that one led to the ruin of the franchise as a whole.(in my own, admittedly biased way.

I like many elements from SEGA Sonic, like the atmosphere; magical cities and skylines surrounded by balloons and moist tropical islands. But they only really work when merged with the Western ideas I mentiond above and if you took those away you get something hollow and without any ground to stand on.

[Elisto Dragonwings]

I have to disagree that SoJ was only vaguely aware of what was going on in the west. Weren't some of the games produced in the US? And I was under the impression that much of the material for SatAM was sent to Japan for approval. I don't know if that means they actually looked at it, but that's there fault if they didn't. As for the strange original plot involving Kintobor turning into Robotink, that was Sega's idea and was heavily changed (I think we can agree for the better) by the time SatAM came out. Just look at the multiple versions of the Sonic Bible to see how it changed.

Additionally, and I see this a lot, you seem to be treating SoJ and the "real" Sega and SoA as just a small group who should have been listening to their boss. But that's not the impression I got of the company. To me, SoJ and SoA were two equal parts of Sega each producing games, managing spin off comics, etc, and the fact that their work didn't always agree with each other didn't matter because it was intentional...each branch of Sega was deliberately left to make Sonic into something they thought would be most appealing to their region, and each had equal say in what happened. Maybe someone should do an article on the history of Sega as a company.

[Gojira007]

The idea that all forms of Sonic are valid as the next and that there is no real Sonic is what I think you were Saying.

That part sounds about right, yes. ^_^

All I was saying was was an extension of what you were saying, by saying the folly of believing SEGASonic as the one true Sonic, when that canon was never big to begin with and that one led to the ruin of the franchise as a whole.(in my own, admittedly biased way.

And see, this is where we miss each other, I think. I was not trying to make assertions about which canon is or is not responsible for Sonic's success or failure, because I'm honestly willing to bet none of them are.

But they only really work when merged with the Western ideas I mentiond above and if you took those away you get something hollow and without any ground to stand on.

I don't know, I got into the games well before I knew SatAM and the comics existed as a kid and was instantly attracted to the series even without that context. I'm not saying your feelings on the matter are invalid, either; it's not hard to imagine the game elements being less interesting without SatAM's for you, but I think it's a bit much to say that's the only way they work, if that makes sense.

[David The Lurker]

Insert appropriately revised version of this disclaimer here. Lazy? Eh, a little bit. Just think of it as a compliment; your disclaimer was so good I decided to use it in place of my own.

Fancy.

What constitues the "original spirit of the series", though? How rigidly are we willing to define that? Is it purely aesthetic? Is it thematic? Can only the original three/four Genesis games be considered the parameters by which it can be defined? Can only the very first game? Only the first two, as those were the ones made before the various continuities started branching out in their own directions? I'm genuinely asking here, because one of the reasons I like SatAM is that I feel it actually does honor the spirit of the original games, just not the specific details; but I have to imagine my definition of what that spirit is would be quite a bit different than yours, so I'm just trying to figure out what you mean exactly.

I would say that if one was to take what Sonic is and boil it down to its very essence, what you get is the original game and the supplemental material the original team created for it. The subsequent "main" games in the series built upon that (Sonic CD, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles), but still used the cues that had been created in the first game. The work Ohshima, Yasuhara, and the rest of the "Sonic Team" did wasn't a quick job. The first game took over a year to make, which at the time was an almost unheard of production schedule. Like...this guide on how to draw Sonic and the rest. Or these concept drawings. And the original storyline, along with the Japanese manual and of course the first game itself. Those five items are what I would constitute as the primordial material for what makes up Sonic the Hedgehog. What sets the tone of the series. It was those elements that were used in the comic the Japanese used to advertise Sonic, which can be read here (though bare in mind the translation is badly done). That is the original Sonic the Hedgehog from which everything else derived from, even if the people who were creating other material weren't familiar with these details. Like I said, part of this is SEGA of America's fault. That guide on how to draw Sonic and the rest of the cast? That was scanned by Tom Payne, who worked on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (as part of the American Sega Technical Institute). They had this guide right there at their fingertips, yet the American marketing department still felt the need to change the way Sonic looked. I'm not even talking about the storyline elements, I'm talking about the physical representation of Sonic. I sincerely doubt that any kid in America would have gone "oh god sonic looks too japanese" because...hey, he didn't. And look at how much "retro" merchandise is sold nowadays. They don't use the American boxart, they use art that is based on the guides the original team created.

Not THAT big, actually. For all that it has its dark and dreary places, SatAM is not without its bright, primary colors and surreal settings. Just look at the Void,
both outside and inside. Or the City of Maga from "Sonic and the Secret Scrolls"? And there are others too; the world in SatAM could be as colorful and bizarre as anything in the games, and likewise the games had their drearier spots too. Scrap Brain Zone and Metropolis Zone had color schemes comprised mostly of grays and muted browns and were every inch as much an industrialist nightmare as SatAM's Robotropolis, while Sandopolis Zone Act 2 and Mystic Cave Zone were creepy, haunting places that could get downright creepy at times. I'm not saying the games and the show were perfectly in sync, but I AM saying they have perhaps more in common than you might think when you really look at them.

I will concede that, yes, SatAM was not all "dark fortress dark fortress dark factory forest near dark factory," but I feel that so many people focus on the "dark and mature" aspects of the show that they forget what it was trying to do. There were plenty of scenes that were silly, characters that were not much more than comic relief, and the tone was not all "death and destruction." Sonic himself is not a dark character. Robotnik is certainly darker than any other interpretation of the character, but Snively is nowhere near that level. And yes, levels like Scrap Brain and Mystic Cave can be dark/scary. But with the games, I feel there is a much more...balanced feel to it? You start off in the Green Hill Zone, and when you run through the rest of the levels in Sonic, you don't find a place that is "Mechanical Pollution Type Place" until Scrap Brain. SatAM gives you the feeling that the Great Forest is an exception to what Mobius is now, while in the first game Scrap Brain is actually the exception to the rule.

Just so this is on the record, I think the logic that dictates that if you are not in love with SatAM you're a brainwashed SEGA slave or whatever is utter nonsense, and that sort of all-or-nothing thinking peeves me to no end.

That's good to know! Because I want to make clear (even though I have said this many times) that I am not here going "lol satam sux ur all gay" or anything like that. The show has its good elements as well as its bad, I just can't say that it is "the be all, end all" of what Sonic the Hedgehog is. And if someone is new to what Sonic is? Maybe the show shouldn't be their first exposure to what makes up Sonic. Ideally, that should be the first game, since that's the springboard for everything else.

I'm rather bothered by the idea that there is a "real" Sonic that can be defined by anything more objective than peoples' personal preferences.

Either way, I know this topic won't be the end of this discussion. Heck, people'll probably be arguing this same thing for years to come...we'll be sitting in rocking chairs, talking about how kids have it so much better than we do, and random 12 year olds will be screaming at us about how "Sonic the Hedgehog 2047 was the best game ever so suck it gramps!"

I have to disagree that SoJ was only vaguely aware of what was going on in the west. Weren't some of the games produced in the US? And I was under the impression that much of the material for SatAM was sent to Japan for approval. I don't know if that means they actually looked at it, but that's there fault if they didn't. As for the strange original plot involving Kintobor turning into Robotink, that was Sega's idea and was heavily changed (I think we can agree for the better) by the time SatAM came out. Just look at the multiple versions of the Sonic Bible to see how it changed.

Additionally, and I see this a lot, you seem to be treating SoJ and the "real" Sega and SoA as just a small group who should have been listening to their boss. But that's not the impression I got of the company. To me, SoJ and SoA were two equal parts of Sega each producing games, managing spin off comics, etc, and the fact that their work didn't always agree with each other didn't matter because it was intentional...each branch of Sega was deliberately left to make Sonic into something they thought would be most appealing to their region, and each had equal say in what happened. Maybe someone should do an article on the history of Sega as a company.

I suppose the real question is how much were the original developers aware of what was going on in the west. I'm sure the corporate heads at SEGA of Japan were fully aware of what their American branch was doing. The two sides have never gotten along well, especially during the 90's when Sonic was doing phenomenally in the United States and wasn't doing all that well in Japan. I think part of the problem on Japan's side is that the country has always been in love with Nintendo. To them, Sonic could not replace the plumber in their hearts. Even if certain games did phenomenally in arcades, it wasn't enough to make a Japanese gamer go out and buy a Mega Drive. The only time SEGA found success in their home country was during the Saturn years, and that was because of the phenomenon that was Virtua Fighter. That, along with an aggressive advertising campaign (Segata Sanshiro) they were able to be more popular than ever before. That wasn't able to last into the Dreamcast years...but you can put that on the fact the PS2 could play DVD's and the Dreamcast couldn't.

SEGA of America was able to get away with a lot more things because, at the time, every game from any country was localized in some fashion. And while SEGA was banking on the success of Sonic, SEGA of Japan was far more concerned with how their branch would fare. I mean, yes, they enjoyed money. But if it had been the opposite? If Sonic had taken off in Japan and it was only moderately successful in America? I doubt Sonic would have changed. He'd still look the same, the games would be given far more care, and SEGA would not have gone through some of the trouble it has. But because it played out the way it did, SOA and SOJ had a feud that should not have existed inside a company. That's why the Saturn was such a debacle everywhere else. SOA were the brains behind the 32X because they didn't know what was going on in the land of the rising sun. They were also working on their own, cartridge based machine similar to what the N64 was. All the money and time spent researching these items SOJ was fully aware of, but they did not tell SOA one word about their own research and development into what became the Sega Saturn. And even that console was put together hap-haphazardly, with the 3D capabilities being shoved in at the last minute. Sometimes, its hard to believe that SEGA was ever successful to begin with, when you really start digging into their internal policies.

You are right about some of the Sonic games being made in the United States. The Sega Technical Institute which was based in San Francisco helped out on Sonic 2, 3, and Knuckles, but were far more involved in 2 than any of the others. Tom Payne (the guy I mentioned earlier) told this one story that Yasuhara (basically the guy who made sure the game was fun) would stay after work when all the other staff members would go home, and fix up everything the Americans had done to make sure it all fit together stylistically. It's an interesting thing to think about, to be sure. But even though the games were made in the U.S., I don't know how much the Japanese team members were paying attention. STI created Sonic Spinball all on their own, and a couple weeks before it was set to go out, one of the guys from the Japanese crew stuck their head in, looked at the game, and asked how they got rights to the original Sonic theme song done by Dreams Come True. In reality they hadn't, but STI had no idea they couldn't use that song. That's why Howard Drossin had to quickly come up with the Spinball theme we have now, and why there are copies out there that use the theme from Sonic 1 and 2 by mistake. The point of this, though, is that if the two sides were really aware of what was going on, the Spinball debacle wouldn't have even come up. It was the title screen! Not some incidental music that is occasionally heard in rare circumstances! The Japanese team just...didn't care what the American half was doing. And they were in the same building!

And yes, the original SEGA of America Sonic Bible? Oh man, that thing is insane. When it starts off with us being told Sonic lives in Nebraska and that a bunch of children taught him how to read and write...well, things start getting weird.

[Elisto Dragonwings]

I get what you're saying, (and I agree thank goodness they didn't stick with the original Sonic Bible).

But what I'm trying to say is, if so much Sonic was developed by SoA so early on and is what became popular, why is SoJ considered the default that "should" have been followed? Because they created the character or the first game? It's not like we're talking about 2 different companies, one which had to get permission from the other to do anything. We're talking about two branches of the same company. They may not have been any good at coordinating themselves, but why is one branch's work more "legitimate" than the other's?

You say to look at the essence of what Sonic was, and I'm not sure how the western-developed plots don't also contain that. Sonic runs fast, lives in a brightly colored unrealistic world, fights robots, rescues animals from Robotnik. I think there's definitely a difference between what stood out as defining Sonic for different people (For example, I always saw the robots as adding a much darker tone to the games than I think other kids did, so to me SatAM's darkness wasn't out of place in Sonic, even if it looks it to others).

As for the music issue in Sonic Spinball, I'm not sure I understand your point. If Sega was only licensed to use it for certain games, that would have nothing to do with a difference between what one branch or the other could do, just potentially mean that the SoJ branch didn't share legal info the rest of the company, not necessarily that they were the only ones who could manage that.

[Gojira007]

Fancy.

I try. ^_^

I would say that if one was to take what Sonic is and boil it down to its very essence, what you get is the original game and the supplemental material the original team created for it. The subsequent "main" games in the series built upon that (Sonic CD, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles), but still used the cues that had been created in the first game. The work Ohshima, Yasuhara, and the rest of the "Sonic Team" did wasn't a quick job. The first game took over a year to make, which at the time was an almost unheard of production schedule.

And this, to me, is where you and I probably disagree most fundamentally. You feel the spirit of Sonic was defined by his creators and the story elements they conceived for the game. I, however, do not believe authorial intent survives the creative process, and so what a story's "spirit" truly is belongs entirely to each individual who interprets it. I find this particularly true in Sonic's case because of how little information is actually in the games themselves; even the American manuals provided little more than a rudimentary background, character names, and item descriptions. Beyond that, the events within the game are almost entirely without context, and I have to imagine that's more or less true for the Japanese version as well, though admittedly I don't have a copy to see for myself. Either way, though, taken entirely by themselves, the original "Sonic" games are pretty open to all manner of varying interpreations well beyond what Oshima and co. may have intended; you need only look at how differently you, Elisto, and I all see them to realize that.

It was those elements that were used in the comic the Japanese used to advertise Sonic, which can be read here (though bare in mind the translation is badly done).

I just want to point out, right there on the first page, we see a bunch of SWATBot-esque robots who would not appear in the original games in any form until "Sonic Heroes", while Sonic's concert is attended by a bunch of cat-girls, a specific type of anthro who have yet to appear in any of the games. The manga, in other words, takes liberties of its own with the source material, apparently.

I will concede that, yes, SatAM was not all "dark fortress dark fortress dark factory forest near dark factory," but I feel that so many people focus on the "dark and mature" aspects of the show that they forget what it was trying to do. There were plenty of scenes that were silly, characters that were not much more than comic relief, and the tone was not all "death and destruction." Sonic himself is not a dark character. Robotnik is certainly darker than any other interpretation of the character, but Snively is nowhere near that level.

I must admit, I find myself confused; you seem to be treating these lighter elements as a bad thing, and yet I thought your whole problem with the show was its overt darkness? I'm not trying to be rude or confrontational, either, I'm genuinely trying to understand.

You start off in the Green Hill Zone, and when you run through the rest of the levels in Sonic, you don't find a place that is "Mechanical Pollution Type Place" until Scrap Brain.

No, but you do find all sorts of grim settings of different kinds as well. Look at Marble Hill Zone; crumbling ruins on the top portion, lava-flowing death traps below. Likewise Labyrinth Zone is an ancient city filled with automated spears and fireball-spitting statues. Springyard Zone and Starlight Zone are obviously cities of some kind, yet the only things in them are weapons and evil robots. No, it's not all "Mechanical Pollution Type Place" all the time, but it isn't all "Green Hill" forestry either.

SatAM gives you the feeling that the Great Forest is an exception to what Mobius is now, while in the first game Scrap Brain is actually the exception to the rule.

Well yes, the Great Forest is the exception moreso than the rule, but again, it isn't all one or the other; there are any numbers of places seen throughout SatAM that fall between "natural and unspoiled" and "corrupt and polluted", and taken together it is THOSE places which comprise the true majority of SatAM's world.

That's good to know! Because I want to make clear (even though I have said this many times) that I am not here going "lol satam sux ur all gay" or anything like that.

I know, and appreciate that quite a bit in fact.