#NinjaHaku21 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kalebishop96-blog · 1 year

Text

Cuphead vs. The Cuphead Show: If TCS is Good Now, Here’s Why And How it Could Be Better (A Critical Essay Review)

Foreword of Essay:

This critical essay was written for the growth and support of the franchise, the game, the animated series, and other future productions that may arrive. The intended angle chosen upon writing this essay will be subjective interpretations backed up with facts, lore, clips from various classic cartoons, and article reviews, and such materials will be used to be compared to the animated show. Arguments are intended to be balanced with facts on both pro and anti-bases of the scale and such angles will also be backed up with some common opinions about it.

However, please note that such intentions may not be perfected in this essay and some points of view may have been missed due to the amount of research taken and the nature of human error. I repeat the intention of making these critiques are for the sake of improvement and my passion for making art and wonderful stories.

May you have an open mind and may you be protected from negative emotions that may trigger you in reading this essay.

DISCLAIMER: THE IMAGES USED IN THIS ESSAY ARE NOT MINE, THEY GO TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS SUCH AS STUDIO MDHR, COMIC BOOK ARTISTS, AND AUTHORS. AS SUCH, EVERY IMAGE HERE IS CREDITED AND LINKED BACK TO THEIR OWNERS.

FAN ART OF OTHERS (NOT MINE) WILL NOT BE REPOSTED HERE, BUT WILL INSTEAD BE LINKED BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL POSTS. IF YOU WANT TO VIEW THEM, PLEASE CLICK THE LINKS.

The moment I fell in love with Cuphead was because of this:

I have one word for this GIF: #goals.

At the time, my relationship with my brother was already broken to the point that there was irreparable damage. Before the Double Platinum Award, I was only familiar with Cuphead. I have seen it, I have played a bit of it, but I wasn’t entirely invested in the game… until I saw this peculiar picture above. At first, I thought it was weird, goofy, funny, wholesome, and cute. This is when I started to get interested and do a bit of research about the lore of the game (because lore reading is one of my favorites), and also some background about how the game was made due to the wonderful animation and graphics. Overall, I came to this conclusion:

Cuphead and Mugman are two best friends who live together as brothers.

It was the very first glimmer of a concept to even surface in the media; a standard production would have featured an average toxic relationship, or it’s a production with a lot of fighting and it is stereotyped as ‘healthy’ because siblings fight. This picture changed everything for me and it was helping my relationship with my brother heal as well as my perspective on being a brother. Even more, there were other people within the community that made art that echoed this relationship.

Note: The following examples are fanart of other creators and will not be reposted here, but instead LINKED back to their respective pages. Please show your love and support for them, thank you!

TITLE: Cuphead and Mugman in “Mocking the Dice!”

MADE BY: NinjaHaku21

Source: https://ninjahaku21art.tumblr.com/post/166836582635/cuphead-and-mugman-in-mocking-the-dice-me-and

TITLE: CLINK

MADE BY: velvet-fox123

Source: https://www.deviantart.com/velvet-fox123/art/CLINK-709574634

TITLE: Cuphead and Mugman Cute Brother Moments

MADE BY: QueerMars

Source: https://www.deviantart.com/queermars/art/Cuphead-and-Mugman-Cute-Brother-Moments-872213389

TITLE: Collab/Redraw: Apology Cookies!

MADE BY: TheWallop-Cat12

Source: https://www.deviantart.com/thewallop-cat12/art/Collab-Redraw-Apology-Cookies-824553030

I’m here because I wanted so badly to be part of it with the added benefit of my mental healing. And so I did!

It was bliss, and having the idea of these brothers play & play, and live rent-free in my mind was some of the happiest things I’ve ever had in my life. I wanted it to keep going and going.

So I’ve made my own fan work here and there (which are irrelevant to this essay) but to keep my inspiration up I kept on following the franchise. The game, the comics, and soon the novels if I can get my hands on them. But then came… The Cuphead Show.

I wanted to love the show unconditionally, and yet I find myself agreeing to the critical reception of 67% and 70% ratings it has received. I watched a select few episodes and avoided the ones I did not like, and I would say Episodes 7 and 8 were actually decent to watch. I kept tabs on the series every now and then just to see how the story was going, and I’m sad to say my opinion has not changed. This essay will elaborate on why.

Essay Contents:

Cons:

- Character inconsistency

- Weak Plot (even if it is a comedy, compared to cartoons like SpongeBob, Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, etc.).

Pros:

- Superb Animation

- Strong appeal to the Gen-Z.

- It’s a ‘fun-house cartoon’.

This mainly talks about The Cuphead Show.

Character inconsistency

This is talking about the large disparity between the characters of the game, comics, and books, and the show. The three aforementioned materials have a consistency about the style and characterization of the franchise’s characters and that consistency has led to well-structured and well-branded stories , but noticeably they are very different from the show. Characterization is a vital part of Cuphead’s story because this is a character-driven plot. Without the key strengths and weaknesses of the characters, the plot becomes weak and less entertaining.

The characters in question are of course:

- Cuphead & Mugman

- Elder Kettle

- The Devil

- King Dice

- The Inkwell Isle Bosses

Starting with:

Cuphead and Mugman (TCS)

In a nutshell: They fight about the smallest things… but they don’t laugh about the smallest things. They are brothers, but they don’t have enough ‘bro’ moments.

At best, they are nice to each other and just talk (on seldom occasions they show how much they love each other), at worst they are verbally and physically violent, on average they are just tolerant that they are there. A lot of you might think that “hey, isn’t what I described a perfect description of brothers?” Actually, because they fight a lot and the degree of harm they cause to each other, this is an example of what a toxic relationship looks like. Realistic and healthy brotherly relationships have a balance of both wholesome and bitter moments, and by the end of the conflict they just continue playing as if nothing of the sort happened. This topic about healthy brotherly relationships is a core of Cuphead and Mugman’s relationship and characterization because even Maja Moldenhaur mentioned this during her speech in ‘The Cuphead Journey’:

They weren’t just brothers, they were best friends.

(Side topic: But wait, wasn’t she talking about Chad & Jared MDHR, not Cuphead and Mugman? And yet, the cartoon art created for that specific presentation had Chad and Jared wear red and blue shirts respectively for almost every slide. And the fact that the ‘Deal With the Devil’ was actually a metaphor for their choice of quitting their jobs and going all-in on the Cuphead video game project. You get the jist, they drew their Cupsonas in a Fleischer-inspired animation world).

Going back: Best friends, for no apparent reason, do things that make each other laugh or happy, and because they are best friends they always look for that moment. That doesn’t necessarily mean they do nice things all the time, sometimes or often they do things that are risky, stupid, dangerous, and offensive to the average person, but between the both of them it’s a language that only they would understand and only they know would make each other happy. This is what’s supposed to make the polar opposite to their consistent fighting, and combining the two polars (wholesome and bitter) will achieve a balance and accuracy to a healthy relationship.

What is demonstrated in the show however is this:

Between them it’s like they live in an atmosphere of kerosene and only a spark of antagonization is enough to light the sky on fire. This is what I meant when I said ‘the average toxic sibling relationship’ stereotype which is covered up as healthy in the mainstream; siblings don’t support you, they provoke you, at least that’s the culture that the mainstream wants to instill.

Even in the episode 7 & 8 that’s evident in these lines:

Season 1 Episode 7

“No one cares about little ole me!” Cuphead said denying his worries about the Devil taking his soul.

It’s Not:

“No one cares about little ole me…” Cuphead paused. “Except you pal.”

Mugman smiled. “And Elder Kettle.”

“AAAND Elder Kettle.”

There’s an absent sense of security and confidence that he has people who cares about him, and that’s not only shallow, but toxic that he takes them for granted, which makes his character inconsistent. He’s a loveable scamp, not a selfish jerk.

Another example:

After Quadratus instructs Mugman to nit an invisible sweater…

“Well, it looks like I have to nit an invisible sweater.”

Emphasis on ‘have to’, as in it’s a hassle he has to fulfill his obligation and there’s no benefit in that.

It’s Not:

“Well… IF IT MEANS SAVIN’ MY BROTHER’S SOUL I’LL DO ANYTHIN!” Says Mugman standing on top of a rock from Quadratus’ pond with a white glow behind him and an angelic choir, which is actually coming from Quadratus, singing on the background.

Cuphead starts to cry tears of gratitude, but then mischievously smiles. “HEY! YOU CAN’T STAND THERE LIKE YOU’RE SOME KING OF THE ROCK, GET DOWN FROM THERE!”

The scene plays on with Cuphead wrestling Mugman on Quadratus’ pond, and Quadratus becomes the wrestling referee that counts 1, 2, 3 as laughing Mugman is pinned down.

Mugman is supposed to be this unconditionally loving brother to Cuphead. No matter how much the latter screws up and makes stupid decisions, he’s always there to pick him back up and keep playing with just a high five to the chest. Plus, if he really is his ‘best friend’, then he’d keep on hanging out with Cuphead because there is an unexplained happiness he feels with him, and it usually translates into a lot of feel-good actions like high-fives, fist bumps, chest bumps, head clinks, etc. In here, he’s just as tolerant and cold, he’s no better than Cuphead, makes sense for the spin-off, but it eliminates what makes Mugman Cuphead’s pal.

Another example:

Episode 2:

“NO FIGHTING!” Elder Kettle slams the door. He opens the door again to check on them and then slams the door again.

Cuphead and Mugman without hesitation begin to fight.

It’s Not:

“No fighting!” Elder Kettle wags his finger.

Cuphead and Mugman look at each other, and smirk.

“Uhh what?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow to EK.

EK raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Because… you’re brothers?”

While looking at Elder Kettle, Cuphead and Mugman do a fist bump, followed by a complex Chicken Little high five combo and then ending with a head clink and a buddy hug.

“Yes?” Cuphead and Mugman say together.

Elder Kettle hums. “Good point. Have fun, but not too much fun!” Elder Kettle leaves.

Cuphead smiles mischievously at Mugman.

“What?” He asked suspiciously at Cuphead.

“Elder Kettle’s not home.” Cuphead smiles bigger.

Mugman’s eyes widen in shock realization about the meme reference. “NO! NO! NONONONONONONO!” He says while towering and scolding Cuphead while the latter smiles more mischievous. Eventually Cuphead’s smile infects Mugman that he starts giggling. “N-HO! UH-UH! I’M NOT DOING IT!”

“DEW IT!” Cuphead says in a goofy evil bass voice while he narrows his eyelids.

“NO! NO!” Mugman pulls out his straw from his head and begins to play it like a trumpet to the melody of ‘When Mom Isn’t Home’.

Cuphead walks over to their front door and slams it open and shut repeatedly, same way as the meme.

(Rest of the scene plays as an inspiration to the ‘Trashing The Camp’ scene from Tarzan).

Another example:

Season 2 Episode 3:

Cuphead removes the tentacle that has been attacking his face while Mugman is adoring the conversation of Briny and Cala for the latter to be the former’s girlfriend.

“Hey, Mugsy!” Cuphead whispered.

“Yeah?” Mugman whispered back.

“Ya sure about lettin’ Captain Brinyface become Cala’s mate?” Cuphead whispered.

“Yeah! It’s goin’ great!” Mugman smiled.

“No no, I mean you! Don’t you want to take your chance with Cala?”

“What?!” Mugman yelled. “What do you mean?!”

“I mean, she did call you ‘dinner’.” Cuphead winked.

“Cuphead-….” Mugman paused in thought and then smiles with an ‘I see what you did there’ face while Cuphead smiled wider. “Not that kind of dinner.” Mugman giggled.

“Eh, suit yourself. She’s a really BIG catch if you know what I mean.” Cuphead elbow nudges Mugman and winks at him twice.

Mugman giggled. “Nah, there are plenty of fish in the sea.”

Cuphead’s mouth gaped open “Oooooohhhh!”

Cuphead and Mugman start tearfully giggling at each other.

Cala Maria looks at the cup brothers confused while Captain Brinybeard looks unamused.

“Vat are they talking about?” Cala Maria Asked.

“Eh.” Brineybeard shrugs his shoulders. “Brothers.”

And my last example:

Season 3 (or Season 1C as some people refer)

Episode 1:

By the end of the episode, after Mugman asks what Cuphead wants to do, Cuphead chooses to go back to Soul Ball, indicating that nothing has changed, and despite being sorry for dealing with the devil, the thrill of the game is too much of a reward to deny. Realizing this, Mugman faints, and the cycle begins again.

What could’ve been better is:

Cuphead plays Soul Ball, but this time he offers the ball to Mugman to play. Mugman is nervous and gets angry stating he will never risk his soul to the devil, Cuphead says he knows that… but then dares him to not lose the game. Mugman then gets nervous and worries about losing the Soul Ball game. Cuphead agrees… but then says he’ll be missing out on the fun of: ‘Pissing off the Devil’. Excited and motivated, Mugman makes his 1st try on Soul Ball, but then loses. The machine sucks Mugman’s soul, but Cuphead easily catches it and puts it back to Mugman. The Devil appears pissed and tries to forcefully take Mugman’s soul, but Cuphead laughs and runs away with Mugman fearful of his life.

“The game’s not over yet buddy!” Cuphead says.

Once again, the Devil shoots fire from his pitchfork and accidentally destroys a part of the Carnevil. Mugman realizes this and starts to laugh with Cuphead as they play this game of dangerous ‘tag’ with the devil. After the Carnevil is destroyed, the Devil is horrified at the destruction, while Cuphead and Mugman laugh and run away together with the Carnevil once again burning down in the background.

-End of Examples-

I think you can see the difference; there wasn’t much significant ‘best friend’ qualities that Cuphead and Mugman shared between them, whereas it was only hinted and told that they are very close. This is the power of ‘show don’t tell’, a lot of toxicity and hostility between them is shown and they would tend to forgive each other only to repeat the cycle all over again, and only in desperate times or in the rare case they are on the same page would they call each other friends. What’s worse is that not only is this a dark concept about brotherhood, but it’s a very inconsistent characterization of Cuphead and Mugman in comparison to the game, comics, and books.

The Following are images coming from the comic: Cuphead Volume 1: Comic Capers & Curios.

The following images are from the comic: Cuphead Volume 2: Cartoon Chronicles & Calamities

(This is another fanart, will not repost but will be linked).

Source: https://twitter.com/ElCajarito/status/950834633133916163/photo/1

The concept of resurrecting either Cuphead or Mugman includes giving a high-five to either of their hearts. I repeat, a high-five to either of their hearts. Whatever the interpretation may be: it’s cute, adorable, and wholesome.

Source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mSYNJRvCizk/mqdefault.jpg

Best shot I could find.

These are the animations for Mugman and Cuphead respectively if both players choose to equip Chalice’s cookie before entering a boss fight. It’s a small detail but, but if you will take a closer look, at the very start of the animation they’re both holding a half of the same cookie, or in other words, they’re casually sharing the same cookie. This indicates one, (of course) they care about each other, and two, it directly contradicts the Cuphead Show synopsis ‘Unless there's only one cookie left, in which case it's every cup for himself.’

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftenor.com%2Fview%2Fcuphead-studio-mdhr-jumping-jump-happy-gif-19678123&psig=AOvVaw0Xypu0Kunzbbfo7smjWQGb&ust=1669258211622000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCPiUs8elw_sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcuphead.fandom.com%2Ff%2Fp%2F3100000000000000588%2Fr%2F3087692258901041559&psig=AOvVaw37IAqOTWKqP7dJBKZEzdD-&ust=1669258167955000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCIjJ0bKlw_sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

These are the jumping victory animation of Cuphead and Mugman after beating a boss level. Just two brothers celebrating side by side by jumping and jumping accompanied with lots and lots of cheers. Nothing toxic, just simple wholesome childish joy.

One last evidence:

- No mention of any ill will or criticism towards each other. Despite Cuphead had gambled his soul to the devil, Mugman pulled his own weight (2-Player game available), protected his brother from harm (resurrect mechanic), invited to race him back home as soon it was all over, and made a promise with Cuphead to never get in trouble again as if it was his responsibility too. Heck, in the DLC, he even joined him on the next adventure & voluntarily got in trouble and ate the cookie without knowing what it does. He’s as much a trouble-maker as his brother is.

However, if it was given from the start that they fight a lot, then I have no right to criticize and this essay is an example of ignorance and a lack of respect for the creative choice of the artists. But in this case, it’s the other way around, The Cuphead Show is an adaptation of the game and the franchise; despite its Executive Producers being Chad & Jared MDHR, the main director of the project is Dave Wasson.

If it were a truly healthy friendship between these two then they would be open and carefree about expressing themselves without the fear of being shut down by each other. And the following is a big yes to brotherly relationships: roughhousing, wrestling, arm wrestling, and other physical competition; it is a healthy aspect of brotherly love because it pushes them to be stronger and learn how to fight when the real threats come, and most importantly it’s the right amount of thrill and fun in playtime for boys like them.

Instead, in the show, we’ve got 2 brothers who provoke each other until they fight for the smallest reasons they could think of, and they tend to not respect each other for who they are and what they need. (Ex: Mugman uses Cuphead’s jawbreaker instead of soap to make Quadratus appear, he doesn’t respect his brother’s passion for candy. Cuphead takes an entire maple syrup bottle and is inconsiderate if Mugman would’ve liked some. Mugman thought of cutting Cuphead’s hands with shears. Cuphead attempted to replace Mugman as his brother).

Cuphead and Mugman had a special relationship, they’re like two best friends who invite each other over for a playdate except they live in the same house. They don’t have to wait until late afternoon or after school to have fun or they didn’t have to say goodbye just to wait for their playdate, because they live in the same house!

I know I’m not the only one who agrees on these differences. There are several fanart and fan creators that agree with this disparity and support the show anyway, which I am grateful by the way that they support the franchise. My part as a fan is to highlight how it could be improved.

A few pegs that could be like Cuphead and Mugman’s relationship would be:

- The Game Grumps Dan & Arin (Some specific examples may not apply)

- Fred & George Weasley (Harry Potter)

- Team Rocket

- Chip n Dale

- Goofy Gophers

- Sans & Papyrus (Undertale)

- Catdog

In conclusion, Cuphead and Mugman’s relationship is actually what I look for in this franchise because it helps me heal from a scarred relationship. I love the franchise’s interpretation of these two, but The Cuphead Show has a lot of shoes and porcelain cups to fill.

That’s it for the first part of this essay, sorry if it’s short but it’s all I could write at the moment. I will continue discussing the rest in my next post.

What do you think? Do you agree or not? Let’s start a healthy discussion! Leave a comment below!

#Cuphead #mugman #cuphead and mugman #essay #critical essay #review #elder kettle #king dice #The Devil #the cuphead show #comparison

12 notes · View notes