Been watching: Thundercats.

 

         The new Thundercats cast. Thankfully Snarf can't talk this time around.

  Prince Lion-O, heir to the throne of the mighty Thundercat kingdom, is something of a disappointment to his father. He's clearly not the warrior his adopted brother Tygra is, has an unhealthy fascination with the lost art of "technology" and seems unduly sympathetic to the plight of the Lizards, bitter enemies of the 'Cats.

 Then one terrible night the kingdom falls. Attacked by traitors from within and Lizards wielding terrifying new weapons,  led by an ancient nightmare reborn, the Thundercats are broken and their warrior king slain. 

 Having been told for years that he's not worthy of the job, Lion-O finds himself King and the last hope for his people. Acquiring a motley collection of followers - a brother who dislikes him, a pair of street urchins, a grumpy former general and a warrior-woman who's the last of her order - the young King sets out in search of the legendary Book Of Omens

I have to confess that I never got into the original Thundercats. Oh I watched it a few times, same as I did with He-Man and She-Ra but even then I thought it was a bit cheesy.

  Cheetara was cool though.

 That probably explains why, when I heard that there was an anime-influenced remake I didn't start foaming at the mouth. I also didn't start moaning that the new Cheetara was too skinny. 

  Apparently looking like this causes girls to have image issues  or some such bollocks.

FFS.  

I digress. 

 I've been following the new series as and when new episodes pop up on  Youtube etc and thus far I am impressed. If you want a short description try: Original Thundercats + Avatar: The Last Airbender = Thundercats 2011.

 The animation is done by the same people that did "Steamboy" and is rather pretty to look at. Like "Airbender" it manages to meld the American and Japanese styles and combine the best bits of each.

 Sticking with the similarities to Avatar, Lion-O and his crew have so far been traipsing across the world in search of the Book of Omens and in the process learning more about their world, their skills  and each other. Naturally they have a persistent bad guy on their tail but since he looks like a six foot fanged newt  I can't see the fangirls getting excited about him.

 Another Cheetara pic. Just because.

 One of the major differences in the new series is Lion-O who is now an inexperienced teenager prone to hotheadedness. Luckily when he's not being a dick he's actually rather likeable and in fact all the Thundercats are people it's easy to root for, despite their occasional failings. (Even the two kids and normally I hate cute "mascot" characters with a fiery passion. ) 
 By now you've probably guessed that I'm a big fan of Cheetara. Fanservice aside, the speedster can usually be relied upon to give useful advice and just generally be a big asset to a young king who's not entirely sure he's up to the job.
  So however you felt about the original series, the reboot manages to add extra layers of depth while still being entertaining. A worthy heir to the name, in my opinion.
 Check out the trailer here: http://youtu.be/enQXITlKRgg

And one more for luck.

Cartoon characters never  had cleavage when I were a lad, I can tell thee.

I have no problem with this.