The Boondocks tek's rating:

The Boondocks, on Cartoon Network
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This is based on the comic strip of the same name. I've rarely had a chance to see it in any newspaper, but I've always quite liked it when I have seen it. And now I try to read it online once in a while. I should say, the cartoon version looks kind of like anime, but that's okay, cuz the strip looks kind of like manga. (The strip's author, Aaron McGruder, is an anime fan.) Anyway, I think the show's pretty awesome....

The story is about an African-American family. Robert Freeman, aka "Granddad," has recently become the guardian of 10-year-old Huey Freeman and his 8-year-old brother Riley, and moved them from southside Chicago to suburban Woodcrest. Both kids are pretty intelligent and articulate for their age; especially Huey, who seems to be the sanest person in this show. He thinks of himself as a revolutionary, though. A lot of the people he comes across, as well as the media, all seem kind of crazy and stupid, and he tries his best to speak the truth and educate everyone (including his family), but to no avail. Riley, meanwhile, thinks of himself as a sort of a gangsta, I guess. He tends to idolize rappers and thugs. Another character is this crazy guy called Uncle Ruckus, who appears to be African American (though he claims to be a mix of a few Native American tribes, plus a dash of Irish). He hates black people and loves white people. The Freemans also have a neighbor named Tom Dubois, an African American laywer married to a white woman named Sara (just about every source I've seen, including official sites, spells her name alternatively as "Sara" and "Sarah"; I've never seen her name actually written in the strip), and they have a young and naive daughter named Jazmine (who I think is like the most adorable little kid ever).

There's a lot of social and political commentary in the series, of course, and it's very smart and funny. There's also a fair amount of surrealism, at times. My only problem with the show is that most of the characters use the N-word way too much. But I suppose it does add a certain realism to the series; and it's pretty amazing that they get to use the word, uncensored, on Cartoon Network, even if it is late night. Anyway, can't think what else to say right now, except that I quite like the opening theme song, and the instrumental closing theme, both by Asheru.... And the opening theme always rather put me in mind of the theme from Samurai Champloo, "Battlecry." Yeah, wish I could think of more to say, but I will reiterate my earlier sentiment that the show is totally awesome.

The show ran for four seasons, though there was a gap of two years between seasons 2 and 3, and about four years between seasons 3 and 4. (I think I saw part of season 3 on TV when it first aired, and part of it I didn't get to see until I got it on DVD. I didn't get to see any of season 4 until I got it on DVD.) The fourth season had no involvement from Aaron McGruder, and it's generally considered inferior to the previous seasons. (I basically agree with that, although I did still enjoy it.)


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