It took me a few months to get through it but last night I finally finished the third and final season of Amphibia. An animation that I feel had a plethora of great moments and stories told throughout those three seasons, but fell a little bit flat when it came to its third and final season due to some very, very strange reasons, of which I will mention later on this post. I will attempt to refrain from posting large spoilers, but some of these issues pertain to characters and stories within the third and final season that may ultimately be seen as spoilers by some, to some degree I'm sure. Despite a relatively weak third season, Amphibia was a surprise. Having not seen many western animation series in a long time, I did not really know what to expect going into Amphibia.
What made Amphibia for me was a series of unique characters that were given plenty of time to have their stories really told, developed over a series of adventures with each other that not only contributed to their characters, but to the building of the world that seemed so mysterious and exciting, particularly due to its idea of a frog world filled with monsters though with some fantasy elements and still relatively grounded ideas that still connected to the world humanity lives in. Within this, for the most part of its two seasons is a narrative that is slowly introduced and set up for its third season, but is rarely the main idea as the show focuses on just having fun. Of course that inevitable adventure has to come to a conclusion, but I feel that conclusion itself was, well, strange.
That said, I really did enjoy Amphibia for the most part. While I did expect a bit more from its ending, the characters it followed for three seasons were ones you could easily connect with, and very easily cared for due to a series of stories that focused on growth and empathy.
Amphibia
The main narrative is pretty simple in regards to Amphibia: three teenage girls find a strange box, which when opened takes them to another world. They find themselves split up, on their own, and each finding their own ways into finding a way to survive. This world's people are variations of frogs, toads, and tadpoles. With plenty of strange monsters of different sizes between, some relating to the insect kingdom, others holding similarities to real nature but being a strange hybrid of other animals. This world appears to be some alternate dimension in which people are frogs and humans don't exist, and as you would expect the arrival of humans is quite a strange event for those who inhabit the world. Our main character, Anne, finds herself getting adopted by a humble frog family that sells farm produce.
Over the series of two seasons, these characters slowly develop trust and engage in various problem solving missions to help others, themselves, and seek out more information regarding how Anne arrived there and how she may be able to find a way home. For the most part, these episodes are different, with no relation to the prior, telling a different story and thus showing a different location and adventure each episode. I loved this since it allowed us to see more of the world and its characters as they flourished, failed, and grew together with each challenge. Character development was given the main attention and it was very evident; also allowing each episode to feel fresh, different, and just full of dumb fun.
The animation promotes the idea of fun through very exaggerated character expressions in moments, poking light at various frog facts and placing the characters into strange scenarios that they definitely aren't prepared to deal with. The way this was done reminded me often of SpongeBob SquarePants in which jokes suddenly result in an up-close shot of our characters, highly detailed and heavily exaggerated in their emotions; this was often done in a sudden and rather unexpected manner which amplified the comedic elements with just that extra seasoning. Reminding you that while it ultimately is a Disney animation made for younger audiences, that it still can be enjoyed by older ones too. This was also evident in some of the jokes, which were either a bit more adult or just more graphic and dark in humour.
Still remains the animation that was bright, simple, and quite mystical in parts as it explored the world it holds dearly, showing this world as something full of excitement, darkness, but plenty of great things as well. There was some clear reflection on reality in this manner, as the creator looked at our own world as something that is fragile, yet mysterious; something to be explored but with caution. Showing how travels and exploration with an open mind can result in personal growth. The show going as far as having these relaxed, gentle title cards that played out during the credits that showed our travellers on the road under dim light, with a soft music playing. I liked that the show looked at this world of Amphibia with such a warm tone, despite its danger, being full of wholesome and loving characters that Anne could help and grow from too.
Our third season takes us into the human's world and this is where I felt things fell flat. The show in its third season quickly establishes its main narrative and tries quite fast to tie things up; though while this would not usually be an issue to me, much of these episodes were just, well, not needed. Particularly in characters that appeared that were very evidently present only to push political agendas. I'm not sure why a drag queen FBI agent is necessary, particularly when this character offered absolutely nothing to the show's characters and story. This character was focused on for far too long through multiple episodes and I was very tempted to just skip through these parts knowing I would not be missing out on anything important in regards to the characters or story itself. Though while I believe this other part is more intentional, the show coming back to Anne's world takes a less interesting turn, returning to the norms of her world and culture.
I do want to add real quick that it was nice to see that Matt Braly's mother voiced the mother of Anne, despite her not being a professional voice actress. While it was clear she had no experience being a voice actress, the addition of her voice and discovering the connection felt quite wholesome, giving the show a much more personal touch. Making Anne's mother definitely seem more authentic. Softer in her line delivery, and thus a bit more immersive.
Conflicting lessons
Amphibia is a story that shows us of the personal growth in early life. How our youths often define us through the exploration of the world and its many elements. How culture, parents, friendships, and fears both control and guide us into becoming who we are later on in life. While the show tells us that we inevitably grow older and have to face reality sooner or later, it also shows us of how important our youth is, how it impacts us in a way that we never forget, and that many of us struggle to let it go. There's reflection from Matt Braly's own life which is evident, with heavy references throughout the show of the many cultural and entertainment influences which shaped his own life and direction. All of which coming together to show us that we move forward with the help of others, as people share ideas and thoughts and ways of life with each other, leaving lasting impacts on each other. Though, with the ending we are given, we see little has really changed in certain regards. I won't say how and why exactly, but it's clear that some things, while changing and shifting forms, never truly leave us.
Amphibia was an interesting watch. One that pulls on emotions throughout while offering plenty of adventure. While its third season is quite weak in comparison to its other two seasons, I still very much enjoyed it, and I think it will be a while until I find something similar that can compete on filling that same gap.
