Tripping the Rift

This is actually our first review of a DVD set at Fantasybookspot (I guess we are the bookspot tangle at this point). I had never heard of Tripping the Rift before getting the call to do this review and I have to say had I never gotten that call I really would have been missing out on something special. Let me give you a little background on myself when it comes to animation, I just love it so I was primed and prepped for this dvd set. I made sure I did not watch them all in one sitting but rather over the time frame of a week so that I would really be able to get a feel for the series. I have to admit I even watched some of the episodes twice in the span of a day or two as there was just so much going on that I did not want to miss anything. Well lets get into the review itself.

"Tripping the Rift" is a true successor to Futurama in the genre of animated space humor. While it is more adult then what one would expect to find on a Saturday morning, for the adult it is well worth the trip. The stories are original enough to keep you watching but familiar enough that we can all relate and get a communal chuckle. The few things that may cause you pause are the truly over the top adult humor, this is not a show the children should be watching, sometimes I even went "Wow". There were some episodes that a tad graphic as well in terms of violence that even as an adult could have been too much. I like the exploding heart just as much as the next guy but while Im eating a veal dinner it just looks too similar for me.

The CGI animation is just stunning and very crisp; I guess at this point I have to give a little feedback on where I watched the dvds. Welp here we go, I was watching on a Maxent Plasma 42 inch with an upconverting Toshiba DVD player and it was just gorgeous. What detail went into the characters, their motion, and the backgrounds is awe inspiring. Watching what happens in the background is just as interesting as following the story. We see such detail in each of the background characters in a scene that takes place in a space port and all the funny things that they are doing it is hard to not get lost in what I will call the "back funnies". Ok, no one said I was the most creative person.

As with the "back funnies" (ok this is the last time you are subjected to that term) there is also hidden easter egg humor strewn throughout the stories. Most of it is star wars related so all the Star Wars geeks should get a kick out of it. We have a bountry hunter with a ship just like Boba Fett, we have Darph Bobo who is commander of the Dark Clowns (think Stormtroopers and the Empire"), and a multitude of others. (I don't want to ruin all the stuff) Chode, who is the commander of the ship Jupiter 42, is our funny captain whoes adventures we follow as he skips the fine line between Darph Bobo and the Confederation. We have some lightsaber battles and all the stuff one would expect from some Star Wars but with the added sex, drugs, and prostitution. Not to be outdone though we also have our Star Trek humor sprinkled throughout as well which includes the Confederation (Federation) and some good captains chair jokes with Chode who looks nothing like a Kirk, but sure acts like we all know Kirk wanted to. The rest of Chode's crew is just as interesting but why don't you watch and find out for yourself.

All in all, it is a great diversion that you may want to share with your friends that have an adult funny bone. Ok that didn't sound so good, but that is the type of humor we are here to discuss. Back on track, I really enjoyed the first season and look forward to what sort of surprises we can see in Season 2. Season 1 is now on DVD and you can also watch Sci Fi channel for the new episodes.

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