"Double Dragon" (1993) TV series

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Writer:

Phil Harnage (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

12 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Plot Keywords:

Sword | Based On Video Game | Martial Arts | Double Dragon

Cast

Michael Donovan	...	Billy Lee / ... (1 episode, 1993)
Scott McNeil	...	Jimmy Lee / ... (1 episode, 1993)
Jim Byrnes	...	Shadow Master (1 episode, 1993)
Wezley Morris	...	Michael (1 episode, 1993)
Alvin Sanders	...	Blaster / ... (1 episode, 1993)
Cathy Weseluck	...	Marian Martin (1 episode, 1993)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-Y7

Company:

DiC Enterprises

Quotes:

Jimmy Lee: For Might!
Billy Lee: For Right!
Jimmy Lee, Billy Lee: We are Double Dragon!

Movie Connections:

Spin off from Double Dragon (1988) (VG)

One of the Worst Adaption of any Video Game series.

Double Dragon was originally an Arcade game by the late Technos Japan Corp., about two brothers trying to save their girl from a street gang. While it was not the first of it's kind (Technos' Kunio-Kun came first), it was very popular and spawned three sequels at the Arcade and three home versions for the Famicom/NES and even a Super Famicom-only sequel, Return of Double Dragon. A company called Tradewest took over the franchise in the U.S and they made this abomination of an animated series (among several other abominations) that eventually destroyed the franchise.

The pilot episode is loosely based on the NES version of the first Double Dragon (noticed the word loosely). Billy Lee is a martial artist who was raised by a wise old master. As a result, the old master advices Billy that he must leave (actually he dies, but they can't use that word in a Saturday Morning Cartoon), so Billy must take the Dragon Sword and protect Metro City (Ed's Note: W.A.M! I though this was based on Double Dragon, not Final Fight) from a group called the Shadow Warriors.

I don't remember much after that, except that Billy gets reunited with his long-lost twin brother, Jimmy. It seems that everythings that happens to Billy, also happens to Jimmy (this includes stains on clothes). However, Jimmy and Billy's female cop girlfirend, Marian, are kidnapped by the Shadow Warriors and Billy managed to beat the Shadow Bosses' two henchmen: Abobo and Willy and confronts the Shadow Boss, who at the end turns out to be Jimmy (surprise, surprise).

In the series, we learn that Jimmy is actually a pawn of a guy called the Shadow Master (who looks nothing like his NES counterpart). The Shadow Master kills off Abobo and Willy and replaced them with more incompetent bad guys (none which were actually featured in the videogames). Jimmy is betrayed by the Shadow Master, so he becomes a good guy, teams up with Billy and unleash the power the Dragon Sword together, which splits in two. Then they wear ridiculous looking costumes.

This is one of the worst adaptation a video game could have. The animation was bad, the music was cheesy and the writers has obviously never touched a Double Dragon game in their life. Billy and Jimmy wore ridiculous looking costumes and they didn't even use their martial arts. Instead, they fought with magical swords instead. I thought Double Dragon was about martial arts. None of the supporting characters or villains were actually from the video game and the ones that were bore no resemblance with their videogame counterparts.

The anti-drugs messages and voices are the only good part about this show. Jim Byrnes makes a wonderful villain with his deep voice. He could had used that talent as a Highlander villain instead of playing goody two-shoes Watcher, Joe Dawson (or maybe he could have a double role as well). Michael Donovan and Scott McNeil were not bad either.

It's too bad that Tradewest destroyed the franchise with this crap.