Torrin-McFinn77 I enjoyed this cartoon, as did my sister, and there were plenty of chills and thrills. Plus the new Ghostbusters are more diverse and we get Egon Spengler once again voiced by his original actor (who also voiced the Brain from Pinky and the Brain). And Jason Marsden makes a good role too in this. Some of my online friends couldn't stand it, but I consider XGB one of my favorite underrated shows. Still, it doesn't hold a candle to the movies or the original TV show. But hey, we get some young flesh this time!

David Roggenkamp If you are not familiar with the "Ghostbusters" craze, it started as a movie back in 1984. It starts out as one scientists's studies in the paranormal, which quickly gets turned into a business (ghost hunters for hire) and finally stumbling upon a malevolent spirit that intends to enslave the Earth. It's pretty wild and far out there; it starts out monotone and slow (common for the era) and quickly turns into what we expect of movies of the day – it was, in a word, ahead of its time.Fast forward and it gets a cartoon with a very long run. This cartoon is atypical to other cartoons of the era – good art style with fluid animation, lots of one liners and a strong plot; the cartoon isn't afraid to bend reality. You get the idea. Then along comes Extreme Ghostbusters. Rather than capitalize on the old cartoon, it is a continuation, but otherwise references elements from the past (old cartoon) only as canon needs it. Proton packs are still there, Ecto-1 is there; Janine, Egon, Slimer and the Firehouse are still there. Everyone and time has moved on (so to speak), but someone manages to unleash the gateway to the demon dimension and the Ghostbusters are back in business.This time they are known as the "Extreme Ghostbusters" and consist of former members Janine, Egon and Slimer; but are followed up by Garret, Edwardo, Roland and Kylie. One give slapstick comedy and cheesy one- liners, the other is confined to a wheel-chair and somehow manages to come out on top in just about every situation; one girl is Gothic to the extreme as well as a believer in the occult; lastly one is a mechanic that maintains the equipment and Eco-1.Most episodes open with some unsuspecting civilians stumbling upon a malevolent or trickster spirit. They give their dues and then it is called into the Ghostbusters whom otherwise investigate. Egon typically does some background checking on anything that might match the culprit; usually it is spot on, but in the event they must have a run in by themselves; then they identify the culprit and come up with some way to contain it. The hunt is usually on after some one-liners are dropped; after the ghost puts up a fight, they successfully trap it with a conclusion to the episode of the day's sideplot. Not all episodes work like this and later on they tend to pick up the pace as well as just what is going on throughout the episode.The series was never afraid to look into the occult, drop cultural references to what was modern at the time, and otherwise provide a degree of realism (New York, celebrity references, Sony brand name appearing, etc) while setting the stage for is own premise. Sure, it is animation, but looking beyond that and it looks like it is trying to set up something realistic – not bad at all. The overall music tone and animation style is Gothic noir, but maintains a dull color scheme associated with New York; it somehow manages to pass itself off as ghetto and rustic; but this seems to be by design – character designs are dull, but wild; and still manage to maintain a dirty appearance. Lastly, the series often delves into the horror genre – chains in a factory, with horrific monsters that are going to disfigure someone? I'm surprised that made it into a cartoon. This cartoon was clearly meant more for teenagers, especially with whom the starring cast is.As much as it pays homage to and continues the original cartoon; I can't help but feel this cartoon is inferior to the original cartoon. There is more understandable humor in the original that is still enjoyable and makes sense nearly thirty years later; many of the references in "Extreme Ghostbusters" are lost, too cynical to be funny or otherwise dismissive to get the point across. Extreme Ghostbusters seems to prefer to play on hypocritical and cynical themes, rather than anything else. Sure, the series manages to maintain the same tone throughout, and sure it wasn't afraid to pull some of the stuff that it did. But if there was other stuff in the genre with this same mindset, it would probably be better and this would be a poor entry. As it stands, this appears to be the 'only' entry, which makes it stand out. I do recommend the series though.Originally posted to Orion Age (http://www.orionphysics.com/?p=9332).

Rectangular_businessman I always have been a big fan of the movie "Ghostbusters" directed by Ivan Reitman, and I think that this show is a great addition to that world. The storyline takes place some years later and the atmosphere and the stories were darker than in the movies or in the first TV-show, but that is good. In "Extreme Ghostbusters" new team of young ghost-busters have to deal with some of the most terrifying creatures and villains, in a series which combines perfectly well the seriousness with some effective moments of comedy. The new stories are quite good and interesting, showing a great character development in each episode. And the animation, without being great, keeps a good level during the whole series, having some cool designs of characters and monsters.Without being a masterpiece, "Extreme Ghostbusters" is the perfect proof of how a classic franchise could be updated without losing the main essence from it, resulting in something that could be enjoyed by new viewers and fans of the original stuff as well.

fumingnitric What a rarity indeed. You don't see developers taking so many unusual and questionable approaches towards making a show like this and yet coming out with such a winner and ground breaker. While the characters in the inferior RGB series of 1986 presented a good standard which was difficult to meet, the creators of XGB have not only met but also beaten those standards in every way. They have truly achieved new standards when it comes to characters, episode writing and animation. Weighing strengths against weaknesses, this is not just the best cartoon of the 1990s but also easily the best cartoon ever made. One of the best things about it is that it can be both utter fun and so extremely mature at the same time. Problem is that you have to be pretty fortunate to come across it today. I hope that they'll release the DVD soon. This one is a real treat for Ghostbuster fans too.