Sonic X

Much like Pokémon, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has had so many different adaptations over the years that narrowing it down to one is tough. The live-action movies are pretty alright. I saw the second one multiple times in theaters in an effort to recapture the high of seeing live-action Shadow the Hedgehog in the post-credits scene. Sonic Boom, the animated series that ran from 2014 to 2017, has some of the best dialogue writing and gags in the Sonic franchise. Some OGs are also probably screaming that the original 90s cartoon deserves a shout. Perhaps the new Sonic Prime Netflix series comes to mind? But ultimately, I had to give it to Sonic X. The anime covers the stories of so many different games over the course of its 78 episodes, and it’s not afraid to touch on some of the darker moments in Sonic history

Sonic X wins over other Sonic adaptations because it is very much representative ofSonic’s best era in storytelling. The mid-2000s Sonic games were darker, more elaborate, and more character-driven, with clear anime and comic-book inspiration in a way the series has gotten away from as the series’ brand has sanded off its rough edges and Flanderized its cast. Based on what we know so far, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 seems to be a more direct adaptation of this period in Sonic history, but it will be interesting to see how the franchise handles those storylines as it’s moved further away from the edge that defined it during the height of Sonic X. — Kenneth Shepard