Eli Shane is the son of the last Shane, the line of defender of the underground realm of Slugterra where powerful slugs transform into super warriors fired up from powerful slug guns in competitions. Shane’s father was defeated by the evil Doctor Black in a sneak attack where the villain used a modified slug opening a dangerous wormhole. It’s up to Eli to take upon the mantle of his father and defeat Doctor Black. But can Eli Shane learn how to master the art of firing up slugs?
This 3D animated cartoon series borrows heavily from the Pokemon style of fighting cartoon series with a heavy touch of Transformers’ mojo. Whether in cards, or little creatures summoned for thrown away, there are many series aimed at kids that feature the same structure. A young man or a boy befriends a few creatures and finds new friends with whom he’ll fight evil in duals. What sets Slugterra from other such series is first, the use of 3D animation and second the Transformers’ signature infused to the creatures. The creatures are slug, thus jelly like but they transform into more powerful creatures that can fight opponents. As they transform, the slugs make this cool Transformer-like sound.
This new series started in October 2012 in Canada and the United States. The first five episodes are collected in the DVD collection and include several features about the new series from the point of view of the show’s creator. Visually the series is easy for new viewers to pick up and quickly moves toward showing them what are the risks of losing a duel. The animated characters sport a cell shader that still shows the 3D perspective of forms. One thing that I appreciate about the series, is that there are many different characters, even for when it comes for secondary characters. This is usually quite expensive in a 3D animated series. I’m not sure how the show’s creators pulled off that feat, but the variety makes for a better show.
Eli Shane grows very quickly in the five episodes that he’s featured in. At first, he is a novice dualist that’s easily overwhelmed by better shooters. However, quickly, he becomes a better shooter and eventually, the top one in Slugterra. After that, the stories focus on the exploration of the various locales and different slugs that can be used in duels. As for the bad guys, there are many of them and they sometimes win their fight against Shane and his friend.
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