Do we create toys to make money off poorly conceived cartoons, or do we create poorly conceived cartoons to sell toys? There are toons that interpret the toys as characters (Pokemon, G.I. Joe, etc), while some toons like Beyblade create stories around the playing of said toys. These can be card games, 4WD racing cars, or in this case, battling spinning tops called Beyblades.
Considering what actual Beyblade "battles" look like, it's not so much artistic license as it is artistic necessity to exaggerate their veneer. Beys don't simply spin and bump into each other until one of them falls; they are ambiguously sentient, following the Blader's commands to jump into the air and perform special attacks. Our hero is Gingka, who teaches violent Bladers the true meaning of Beyblade battles: making friends!
What transpires is a show of absolute gibberish, depicting kids who treat playing with tops as one would a martial bloodsport. It's the kind of world where a character would see a tornado forming in the distance and immediately think, "Must be a Bey battle!" Becoming the best Blader in the world is something everyone (even the adults) take very, very seriously. In the first episode of this DVD volume, Gingka's rival Kyoka parachutes into a deadly, unclimbable ravine; sustains multiple injuries climbing to the top; then faces down wild wolves—in order to gain a warrior's spirit. You know, so he can spin his top better.
When Kyoka realizes the error of his ways with a flashback to himself as a baby playing with his Bey, reflecting, "You've always been there for me," I've decided that there are worse things than Hollywood making Monopoly and Battleship movies.
"Beyblade: Metal Fusion - Volume 2" is on sale January 11, 2011 and is not rated. Action, Animation, Children & Family. Starring Robert Tinkler.
