Why You Should Watch The Amazing World Of Gumball
by Tito W. James
I know I won’t be the first one to say that cartoons have gotten pretty weird. When I was growing up, cartoons would be about a dog who solved mysteries, or a kid with a secret laboratory, or a boy with ghost-powers. In contemporary cartoons, those three characters would be roommates living on Mars and ordering pizza from a T-Rex.
I originally avoided watching The Amazing World of Gumball because I had it pegged as another random psychedelic cartoon.
My opinion went into full-throttle reverse after I watched an episode called “The Question” where the main characters try to discover the meaning of life.
After that episode, I became hooked on the show. The creators of Gumball do an amazing job of delivering jokes that are more than just funny. The characters are brutally honest about difficult aspects of life.
While Gumball is not an action show, the comedy does occasionally escalate to something worthy of an action film. Take the clip above for example–where Gumball’s family have a pantomime car-chase as they argue over a check for $5000.
Gumball also experiments with different art styles. This one fight scene between two moms was animated by an Anime studio.
The previous clip of Gumball in anime style helped inspired fan-animators to do their own rendition of the show, including a high production hentai parody (or so I’ve been told).
Gumball has become so popular that China has produced their own rip-off show.
Not to be outdone, the creators of Gumball made an episode where the cast meets their Chinese bootleg counterparts.
The writers also deliver some cutting social satire–taking some of the most contentious political discourses and deconstructing them.
Ultimately, the reason you should watch The Amazing World Of Gumball is because it’s a ray of sunshine in this dark world. It’s a cartoon that looks like an acid trip but has a lot to say about reality. The creators don’t sugarcoat their jokes, but instead find humor in the difficult aspects of life.