Ruby Gloom was a show that grabbed my attention due to the art style, which I found really charming. Having binged the entire first season recently, I can confidently say that this is a very good show.
To start, the writing is quite solid. The episode plots generally aren't anything too special, but unique spins are sometimes put on them to keep them fresh, and in execution, this definitely works. Also, when I was about to watch the episode Time Flies, its premise had me scratching my head at first, but they do give a proper explanation in the episode, so I'll give the show credit for that. The humor more often than not lands; it consists mainly of visual gags but also some risque and morbid jokes and the occasional one-liner and pun, and they do get me to laugh - occasionally out loud. Instances where Misery (more on her later) says "ow" are usually timed well.
Now to the characters, starting with the bright side of the dark side herself: Ruby, who is kind-hearted, friendly, cheerful, optimistic, and helpful. She often encourages her friends to see the bright side of things, is the voice of reason among everyone in the cast, and rarely ever has a bad thing to say about anyone. She is also shown to have feelings for Skull Boy that are almost confessed to him in one episode. Iris is the most enthusiastic out of the characters, as she's often seen jumping around with her springs and is the most cheerful character, even more so than Ruby. However, despite wanting to live life to the fullest, she doesn't think before doing things and this led to her falling in a hole one time. Skull Boy is not only an inventor, but someone who often questions who he's related to, which is really interesting. He even tries to find his ancestors in the aforementioned episode Time Flies. Frank and Len are members of their own band called R. I. P., and as such, they are shown to write songs that they eventually perform. Poe didn't leave as much of an impression on me as the other characters, because there isn't a lot to say about his personality, but I do like the presentation of his character; it makes him entertaining to watch. Scaredy Bat is afraid of a lot of things, and while Ruby tries to help him overcome his fears, he never quite makes it in the end, but he still lives life despite it. Although Boo Boo is ordered by Mr. White and Mr. White (yes, really) to scare people, he's more of a prankster and is shown to somehow get along with Scaredy in at least one episode despite him being the only one he chooses to scare. Go figure. Doom Kitty is Ruby's pet cat, who doesn't speak but rather communicates through violin notes. She also uses body language, and thus she can be quite expressive when explaining things.
But the most interesting character by far is Misery. She has incredibly bad luck, and because of this, things sometimes fall or break in her presence and she takes a lot of hits, mostly by lightning. But what makes her such a well-written character is that she powers through everything no matter what and doesn't let her bad luck get herself down. Basically, it's what Stressed Eric tried to do but done right. She also frequently talks about her relatives and ancestors (a few of her relatives even come to visit in one episode) and has knowledge about historical disasters.
However, if there's one thing that most of these characters have in common, it's that at the end of the day, despite whatever may happen, they care for each other. It's really sweet.
When it comes to the visuals, the show has its own unique flair to it. While there are dark colors, the more vibrant colors create a good balance. The character designs are very appealing (with some being more intricate than others), the backgrounds have a lot of detail and can be imaginative at times, and the actual animation is very good. It tends to alter between smooth and stilted, which doesn't bother me too much as I've seen such animation before. Sure, it may bother some, but hey: the characters move in an organic way and the mouth movements match what they say.
The voice acting is really good as well. Every voice actor gives their character a fitting and sometimes even believable voice. I won't go into too much detail, as I don't want to repeat myself over and over again, but I have to give credit to Emily Hampshire for her role as Misery, as her crying in episode 1 is very realistic. Jeen O'Brien, who provides Misery's singing voice, does her job well too. Michael Dunston also deserves credit, as he makes Skele-T sound like such a fun guy to be around.
Another thing should be said: I absolutely love this show's theme song. The synth melody sounds so different from everything else I've ever heard, the bassline is lively, the voice reverb title drops are a nice touch, and above all, it's insanely catchy. The lyrics are pretty basic, but the other elements of the theme make up for that.
If there's any flaws with the show, it does have its weaker episodes, such as Bad Hare Day and Happy Yam Ween. Though I wouldn't necessarily consider them bad episodes per se.
VERDICT: Ruby Gloom has a sizable fanbase despite its relative obscurity, and it's easy to see why. The show has very good writing, a likable, interesting, and entertaining cast of characters, eye-catching visuals, and great voice acting. I definitely recommend giving this show a watch if you're interested.
FINAL RATING: 7.4/10.
To start, the writing is quite solid. The episode plots generally aren't anything too special, but unique spins are sometimes put on them to keep them fresh, and in execution, this definitely works. Also, when I was about to watch the episode Time Flies, its premise had me scratching my head at first, but they do give a proper explanation in the episode, so I'll give the show credit for that. The humor more often than not lands; it consists mainly of visual gags but also some risque and morbid jokes and the occasional one-liner and pun, and they do get me to laugh - occasionally out loud. Instances where Misery (more on her later) says "ow" are usually timed well.
Now to the characters, starting with the bright side of the dark side herself: Ruby, who is kind-hearted, friendly, cheerful, optimistic, and helpful. She often encourages her friends to see the bright side of things, is the voice of reason among everyone in the cast, and rarely ever has a bad thing to say about anyone. She is also shown to have feelings for Skull Boy that are almost confessed to him in one episode. Iris is the most enthusiastic out of the characters, as she's often seen jumping around with her springs and is the most cheerful character, even more so than Ruby. However, despite wanting to live life to the fullest, she doesn't think before doing things and this led to her falling in a hole one time. Skull Boy is not only an inventor, but someone who often questions who he's related to, which is really interesting. He even tries to find his ancestors in the aforementioned episode Time Flies. Frank and Len are members of their own band called R. I. P., and as such, they are shown to write songs that they eventually perform. Poe didn't leave as much of an impression on me as the other characters, because there isn't a lot to say about his personality, but I do like the presentation of his character; it makes him entertaining to watch. Scaredy Bat is afraid of a lot of things, and while Ruby tries to help him overcome his fears, he never quite makes it in the end, but he still lives life despite it. Although Boo Boo is ordered by Mr. White and Mr. White (yes, really) to scare people, he's more of a prankster and is shown to somehow get along with Scaredy in at least one episode despite him being the only one he chooses to scare. Go figure. Doom Kitty is Ruby's pet cat, who doesn't speak but rather communicates through violin notes. She also uses body language, and thus she can be quite expressive when explaining things.
But the most interesting character by far is Misery. She has incredibly bad luck, and because of this, things sometimes fall or break in her presence and she takes a lot of hits, mostly by lightning. But what makes her such a well-written character is that she powers through everything no matter what and doesn't let her bad luck get herself down. Basically, it's what Stressed Eric tried to do but done right. She also frequently talks about her relatives and ancestors (a few of her relatives even come to visit in one episode) and has knowledge about historical disasters.
However, if there's one thing that most of these characters have in common, it's that at the end of the day, despite whatever may happen, they care for each other. It's really sweet.
When it comes to the visuals, the show has its own unique flair to it. While there are dark colors, the more vibrant colors create a good balance. The character designs are very appealing (with some being more intricate than others), the backgrounds have a lot of detail and can be imaginative at times, and the actual animation is very good. It tends to alter between smooth and stilted, which doesn't bother me too much as I've seen such animation before. Sure, it may bother some, but hey: the characters move in an organic way and the mouth movements match what they say.
The voice acting is really good as well. Every voice actor gives their character a fitting and sometimes even believable voice. I won't go into too much detail, as I don't want to repeat myself over and over again, but I have to give credit to Emily Hampshire for her role as Misery, as her crying in episode 1 is very realistic. Jeen O'Brien, who provides Misery's singing voice, does her job well too. Michael Dunston also deserves credit, as he makes Skele-T sound like such a fun guy to be around.
Another thing should be said: I absolutely love this show's theme song. The synth melody sounds so different from everything else I've ever heard, the bassline is lively, the voice reverb title drops are a nice touch, and above all, it's insanely catchy. The lyrics are pretty basic, but the other elements of the theme make up for that.
If there's any flaws with the show, it does have its weaker episodes, such as Bad Hare Day and Happy Yam Ween. Though I wouldn't necessarily consider them bad episodes per se.
VERDICT: Ruby Gloom has a sizable fanbase despite its relative obscurity, and it's easy to see why. The show has very good writing, a likable, interesting, and entertaining cast of characters, eye-catching visuals, and great voice acting. I definitely recommend giving this show a watch if you're interested.
FINAL RATING: 7.4/10.
