Regular Show Slack Pack

25/12/2012

Regular Show
Slack Pack DVD

Somewhat relatively unknown, unless you watch Cartoon Network, Regular Show has been this odd snowball that seems to catch people's eye somewhere between episodes of Gumball and Adventure Time. The show features Mordecai and Rigby, two best buds who live in a house and seemingly fail to do the most simple of tasks. The show is about their lives and their bizarre world filled with animals, humans and things that may or may not be made of candy.

The two twenty-something slackers are the stoner equivalent to the brash heroes of Adventure Time but are still enjoyable to watch. Their adventures get out of hand incredibly quickly and amount into some crazy hijinks that never seem to have a clear ending or resolution ahead of it.

Both Rigby and Mordecai personify a generational issue of getting and holding motivation when everything else seems more cool, fun or interesting. It's great to see each minute of minutia turn into something far greater than you could imagine from the title screen. Each episode begins with a throbbing synth sound followed by a few switches or buttons being pressed. It gets you in that lazy, comfy position; a perfect mood-setter and something the creators and producers hope you enjoy.

The show bends reality and tries to never take itself seriously but always focuses on Rigby and Mordecai and how they're trying to get out of work or into some kind of awesome plan. One episode begins with them having to unfold some chairs and ends with them being chased by a demon that comes out of an arcade machine and they take it on with the people they work with.

The animation style is scratchy and plain in some areas but strong in others. There’s a simplicity to some of their background sheets and props but every character has a distinct style and series of expressions so that it's always enjoyable to see how they react to the situations cooked up. The voice acting is almost always laidback for our protagonists, but the secondary characters are either the high-strung straight-man or the bully to our early-twenties slackers. Each has a specific style but I'm often left wanting more depth and background.

Some episodes lose their coherence after a few minutes and you may find you struggle to empathise with the lazy heroes and are tempted to switch off, but for those who find it really funny, stick with it. It's just a shame this first DVD wasn't offered as a first and second season double pack, as it features a mix of episodes from both.

Overall, the show is a mix between surreal animation styles and the best imagination a lazy Sunday can come up with. While not incredibly colourful or over the top, the show is best when you've got nothing on and just need to chillax with a few brewskies and friends as you come down from a big weekend. Regular Show is definitely anything but, and I hope to see and enjoy it so much more.

Notable DVD extras

• Trailers from the [adult swim] and Madman catalogues
• A vignette of Rigby and Mordecai recording a hit ringtone.

Highlight Episode: ‘Death Punchies’

Score: 7/10

Written by HE