Happy Tree Friends

[Cassini90125]

I went back for another look. Not quite so bad the second time around as far as the shock value goes but it rapidly becomes very predictable; if you see a sharp object, you know that someone will eventually be impaled on it, if you see a lit cigar then you know that something or someone will soon either burn or explode, etc. I've seen fanfics that were less predictable. The gore factor gets old very fast; you know it's coming, you just don't know how long you have to wait for it. There's no real plotline as far as I can tell; it's pretty much just an excuse for the writers to indulge in the butchery of small forest creatures in various ways, all of which are painful, both for the animals and the viewers. One wonders who exactly is the target audience for this stuff. On the plus side it's not badly drawn, and there's no real dialogue (which would take too much creative effort to write and would distract from the rupturing organs). For me the highlight of the show was before it began, when I was treated to a short commercial featuring the rockin' Erin Esurance, the only cartoon character I'd ever buy insurance from.