Primos Episode 1 LEAK review (SPOILERS)

 (SPOILERS, DON'T LOOK AT THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE LEAK FIRST EPISODE OF PRIMOS)
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Oh boy

where do I even begin




When this mediocre dribble was announced, it angered so many Latin American communities

Mexicans hated it
Puerto Ricans detested it
Cubans loathed it
Guatemalans wanted it dead

Brazilians got furious

and come to think of it

Nobody liked it, not even honkies


I have my reservations, though too be honest a lot of the problems just stemmed from "I don't relate to this personalized experience" and "I don't know if they have an ace up their sleeves or what"

My only gripes is that they have the city be named "Terremoto Heights" and that Tater is kind of a bitch at times


Flashforward to know where I heard that the city will be renamed amongst Cookita will become Lucita as they're taking criticism

but Myrna Velasco isn't

yeah, newsflash internet, Myrna Velasco didn't create The Primos nor did she even work on the show aside from being a voice actress on it, and if she went too far she would've been recasted with someone with more professionalism like Candi Milo or Grey DeLisle Griffin

Natasha Kline created the show

Artist on South Park and Big City Greens

and she really just cracked to the pressure and said "she's making her show based around her life"

and tbh, I think that's fair considering that this does come from a personalized experience that only she can relate to

and newsflash internet, she wasn't as bad at taking criticism as Myrna was

oh god my respect for her went down after the stupid shit she said using the fact that "The Spanish forced their language onto the natives"

while it did happen, we're at the point in which Spanish is now your language and many Native Mexican and Latin American people use Spanish and made new meanings with that language unique to them

This would be like if Jorge Gutierrez did the same thing when being criticized for any of his shows (but you don't see him freak out like you Myrna, do you)

As for Natasha's reaction, I resonate with it more because she was just writing what she knew and was unique to her experience, and while there is pushback about a show involving sepia toned sky and Latin American families all coming together to visit under one roof considering we see a lot of that in media, not only does it come from a Latine artist but the whole family thing is unique to her own experience so it's not a total travesty towards the Latin American community despite it looking like an AI generated show

Hell I'm not even Latine and I know I've seen better representation from anything Jorge Gutierrez makes

anything that guy has been involved with feels genuine and badass and often strays from the stereotypes of Mexicans having big families or sepia colored skies (with the exception of El Tigre which I would say used that color for thematic reasons considering the whole series has a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western motif)

Primos on the other hand doesn't really do anything that no story with Latin Americans in it does

and it's not like we can't have stories like that anymore or even that your Latin American protagonist has to live alone or with 2 family members, it's just people are getting tired of those stories with Latin Americans living with big families and want to hear newer stories that aren't too stereotypical

With that being said, don't attack Natasha Kline for not making the ultimate and monolithic Latine experience cartoon show

hell my gripes with it are that Tater is a total annoying bitch and the animation is constantly on the peaks and valleys (where it mostly goes into the valleys).

There are moments where something's well animated but then there are a lot of limited animation that often feels robotic and sterile almost like they hit the make a cartoon button

I guess Disney should've never gave 2% of the Primos budget to Israel, otherwise The Primos would've been animated better

With that being said, Natasha didn't do anything wrong besides having an obnoxious character that isn't interesting and having the city being named "Terremoto Heights" which like I said earlier will change

Anyway, onto the episodes I watched



The Summer of Tater and The Summer of Primos





Lets start with "The Summer of Tater"


It starts out with Tater proposing that she'll have the summer that will help her figure out her purpose in life as her sister Nellie, played by Melissa Villasenor, realistically breaks it down for Tater that dreams aren't made for a town like Terremoto Heights and that she should lower her expectations. Hell even her family tells her to dream small, which leads me to believe that dreaming big is gonna be a huge theme in this show. Then as soon as Tater get's her "Tater time" after an embarrassing music number about dreaming small, The Primos arrive to see Nellie and Tater by request of Bibi



No not that scumbag

This Bibi

This is Bibi Ramirez Humphrey, and she wants Tater to have the same childhood experience she had. Despite that out of nowhere action she did without telling Tater or Nellie, she's very well meaning and rarely gets mad at anyone making Tater's frustration for this newsflash unwarranted as she'll soon learn to respect her Primos

Speaking of which, her Primos arrive and needless to say both Nellie and Tater are clueless and confused at them despite it being implied that they have met them. Then they're introduced to their cousins and their uncles as well and see how quirky and interesting half of them are

You got Tabi, Tere, and Tonita, the 3 eccentric debutante ballerina things

Then there's Nacho and Nachito who I suppose are the Strong Bad and The Cheat of this show considering it's a tough guy and his little pal who acts like a surrogate brother except they are actually brothers

Then comes Bud Jr and Gordita. Bud is the more earth-friendly hippie who wants people to respect one another and Gordita is the weird scientist who is just that one dipshit for the Loud House with no variations. C'mon Gordita at least Bud has more of an original character besides being a hippie who gives his cousins his plants

Then there's Lotlot who is the more morbid and horror-loving cousin despite her supposedly comfy demeanor. Much like a more morbid Osaka from Azumanga or a fully realized version of Lucy Loud from The Loud House

Then there's Lita, Scooter, and Lucita (formely known as Cookita). Scooter reminds me of a more shy and mute version of Johnny from Ed Edd n Eddy, I can't exactly pinpoint much about Lucita's character in this show aside from her being cute and sorta wise at times. Lita on the other hand is kind of just the Luna Loud of the show except I like her better on the grounds that she is more of a punk and seems to be the more responsible cousin often being better at Spanish than Tater while being humble whereas Luna would flip from being responsible to a metal head with no thoughts other than scream like Mick Jagger.

Lastly, Chacha is just a reckless unibrowed toddler who bites things, chews up her toys, and likes to get dirty. I don't mind her despite so many people using her as the poster girl for the design criticisms and accusations that Natasha Kline is self-hating Latina (I'll contextualize that later). She reminds me of Treelo from The Bear and the Big Blue House and Donny Thornberry as they both don't talk real well and are reckless.

amongst the dads who hang out with Bud Sr who is the father, they remind me a bit of the adults from Rugrats although they don't get much focus because Gustavo seems like a real funny character that reminds me of Eddy from Ed Ed n Eddy if he was doing odd jobs after The Big Picture Show

The episode ends with Tater complaining that The Primos have moved in during when she wanted "Tater Time" as she get's her picture taken with everyone else



My thoughts on this episode before we go to it's sister episode are as follows

It was just ok

a little embarrassing, mediocre, and corny, but It's still innocent and relatable if you ever been through this experience and I can't really fault the show for not appealing to a wide range of Latin Americans who don't have big families. Essentially I get a good glimpse of what Natasha wanted for the series

It's a slice of life about having your cousins move in with you for a while and it's not too bad, although Tater can be annoying and selfish sometimes especially when she bitches about how "I want Tater Time" or "This was supposed to be my summer" which eventually she'll learn to love her siblings during the series so I can't say she's so vengeful like Velma

Separate Rant here, I seriously don't see how people can compare Tater Ramirez to Velma from Kaling's Velma. Aside from them being Nerds of Color, there is no similarities that could possibly have Tater be just like Velma, and that's just it, They're Nerds of Color and that's why apparently it's valid for 1st Amendment thumpers to compare a more dorky and optimistic kid to a bitchy and cynical piece of shit that was made on this earth just to piss everyone off for no reason.

If you didn't get it, Tater is more cheerful and open about her nerdiness where as Velma is cynical and constantly spouts out references in her dialogue for no reason.

anyway, Bibi is ok, Bud is ok, Nellie is alright

But the characters I like the most are the more interesting Primos

Lita
Bud
Nachito
Nacho
Lotlot
Chacha
Lucita
and Scooter

Lita seems like she would be a real blast to hang out with not to mention she gives me the vibes of Lammy from Um Jammer Lammy which she might become just like Lammy

Bud reminds me of if you put Skeeter from Doug, Brad from MLAATR, Bud from Space Goofs, and Sheena from Hey Arnold in a blender

Nachito is kind of just Harold from Hey Arnold and Sperg from Billy and Mandy except with more attitude and etiquette

Nacho is just Nacho's lackey and I would imagine he's more hyperactive

Lotlot is a better and less one-dimensional version of Lucy Loud where she doesn't look too gothic and doesn't act too cynical. Besides I find it cool that she just teleports whenever she damn wants to

Chacha is the wild cousin who can't comprehend speaking and can only say her name and I kinda like it

I already talked about Scooter and Lucita during the first half of the review but essentially I see Lucita as Scooter's mouth piece on a count of Scooter being shy and afraid of communication

every other Primo like Gordita and the T sisters don't really interest me that much so I talk about them less


But yeah, the characters are ok, Tater is the only one in which I get annoyed by but it's by an inch



I will share my thoughts on the animation and other aspects later but I'll give this a 5/10 because it wan't as obnoxious or totally incompetent

It's very standard but not painfully standard where it's by the books

I can see what it was going for it's just it was mediocre

Not good but not bad

but not terribly mediocre

now onto the 2nd half of the review


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"The Summer of Primos"

After the previous episode, Tater then has to bring in the luggage for her cousins much to her exhaustion as she tries to make them agree with her arbitrary rules of her and Nellie's room much to everyone's disapproval

The Primos then try to revolt against Tater for trying to be a busybody and forcing everyone to adhere to her trifling rules and it results in Tater sneaking to her room via air vent in order to get her diary and that results in The Primos getting their luggage so that they can move in with Tater as she sadly plays some strategy board game which name eludes my grasp. After Tater gives in to the requests of her Primos via negotiation for points for the game, she gives in and lets them do whatever they want in their room. And just when you think Tater would go to a never-ending downward spiral because she wants order in a chaotic world, The Primos actually renovated a special closet for her to pursue her dreams.

As it ends with another weird board game to decide who gets to clean the hallway and too be honest, it's a wholesome and fun ending


It's kind of a bland episode that I could care less about considering that the middle of it was just Tater trying to protect the integrity of her room and everyone else just going into their room to just be their Primo-selves, other than that I do see a bit more appeal in the show and also I see the theme of the show. A busybody obsessed over-ambitious nerdy girl learns to love her ample cousins who cause so much insanity wherever they go

She tries to be a busybody and is defied by her cousins leaving her to cave in and accept them for who they are

It's a very standard episode and premise for an episode and considering this episode bridges the last one shows a before and after situation that I'm picking up and the show wants me to pick up as well

It's a story about growing to love your cousins no matter how crazy and reckless they may be

but it's still pretty forgettable and mundane

than again, Hey Arnold was mundane despite it's more crazier and more soulful appearance


Regardless, this episode gets a solid 6/10

Not memorable or even the best, but a happy ending to a sticky situation







Now, lets talk about Natasha Kline

Lets start with ChaCha and Tater

Now there has been speculation let alone just flat out slander that Natasha Kline is a self-hating Latina often there are people claiming she's Velma/Mindy Kaling levels of self-hating for having Tater have braces and ChaCha have a Unibrow and outie bellybutton and to that I say NO!!!

There is no rule book that says a Latina can't be purposefully ugly let alone a kid unless it's done in a very mean-spirited and racist way much like a Censored 11 cartoon showcasing a race to have the audience laugh at the group of people and "how they act" or whatever

secondly, If the intention for the character is to be kind of a feral toddler much like Donny from the Wild Thornberry, than no shit she would have to look ugly

hell I would even say the same thing about Tater, she kinda looks ugly the same way Eliza Thornberry looks ugly

It doesn't mean that Natasha hates Mexican women let alone Latin American women, she just has a sense of humor

that's why Zach Hadel draws his character with big noses or why CH Greenblatt draws bald character with glasses

It's because they like to laugh at themselves

honestly I'm glad there's some level of exaggeration in Primos. Everyone has like round goofy teeth, even the more feminine and pristine characters. In Velma it's overly bland and anatomical like the Venture Bros but it lakes the fun and charm let alone structure

Let Natasha have fun, she's not actively trying to desecrate any Latin American races unlike certain Nazis in Mexico

third, maybe Natasha added the unibrow on ChaCha not only to showcase ChaCha's unruly behavior and attitude, but to also pay homage to Frida Kahlo

the less I say about the unibrowed artist, the better

I'll just say that she's a very important figure in Mexican culture let alone the arts



Now lets talk about the Mexican siblings under one roof thing

It's a common stereotype the way that Italians have grandmas that cook really good food and smack you with a wooden spoon if you act up

some people are tired of hearing about the stereotype, some people can relate

Natasha is one of the Latin Americans that can relate

That doesn't mean she's racist or that she's a self-hating latina who wants her kind to be set back to the stone ages

it just means a stereotype commonly applied to Latin American communities applies to her and she's writing from experience

hell the Italian Grandma quip came from my experience

with that said

this makes me wonder how received it will be if it was about a white family

I don't think people would be wondering if it's a perfect representation if that happened


lets talk about race and representation in cartoons

Coming from someone who is white, White people rarely get their race or representation put into question considering a lot of societies such as America hold white people to high regard and often don't need to wonder if something doesn't feel "White" enough if "White people" would be offended by something

It's often because most of the people in power of America are white and more conservative white people think for themselves (maybe way more than they should)

Now for minorities, they are questioned constantly if their representation is good or bad enough

I can't speak too much on it considering that I'm white, but I'll just ask you a question

Have you ever, as a creator, had been questioned for the portrayal of your own people?

I'm curious to see your answers



That brings me to Primos, It sucks that when you make something that coincidentally adheres to a common stereotype let alone the stereotype of a minority and then people in bad faith assume you're a self-hating racist

That stinks especially when you make something that is true while coincidentally is a part of a stereotype as if to say you're an insult to your own kind if somehow what you make involves something that happens to be a part of a stereotype, and that sucks because there are creators that make genuine stories centering around those issue or even aspects that apply to them and their being questioned if they're perfect representation let alone if it's accurate to a certain race or even if it's too specific or if the person who made it had any vitriol for their own kind and that's unfair to assume those things unless there's a huge pattern

It sucks because all stories are valid (except for bigotted stories) and the best part of animation is that you get to showcase a different perspective on anything, even an already told story

as much as we seen so many slice of life cartoons involving cousins and finding your purpose in the world, it's always different because there is a level of perspective to them (unless it is a very decentralized story made by a hack job writer on SNL or Rick and Morty)

part of being an artist is that you even get to exaggerate or even dramatize an everyday occurrence or slice of life into whatever you please

so I welcome Natasha Kline in the world of animation especially since her show is based around her life



with all that said, I have my critiques

Tater can be a little annoying but then again that's the littlest critique I got

I'm not interested in Tater as a character and often I don't care about her and would like to see more episode about the other Primos like Lita, Nellie, ChaCha, Cousin Bud, Lotlot, or even the Nacho bros

They're the most interesting characters TBH

The Animation is very stiff at times when it should be fluent and sometimes they don't even hide the fact that it's rigged in parts

The art style is ok I guess, it's very sterilized and it's the same late 2010's/early 2020's art style we're used too

at this point I'm just trying to break the mold in terms of my art

I love my neo UPA inspired style and Spumco sensibilities

if you haven't guessed yet, I've been obsessed with Marc Perry of Billy and Mandy, Cow and Chicken, and Teacher's Pet fame

You can check out his blog and maybe give him a shout out if a show needs his help https://mpartanddesign.blogspot.com/

But yeah, I would kill for a show drawn by Marc Perry again, because Primos, Big City Greens, Hilda, Bojack Horseman, Common Side Effects, Undervale, Krapopolis

These bland looking shows are getting on my nerves

At least I'll say there is a unique aesthetic to Primos and it does remind me of Hey Arnold and Doug a bit

but it's not as whimsical or unique as Hey Arnold or even Doug

The animation ain't doing the art any favors either


Other than that, It's no surprise that my arch nemesis Snipple is behind the seemingly AI generated animation

yep, as if more Filipino artists need to suffer a dead end job animating for a rich studio's work

I share my solidarity for the great artists at Snipple, here's to better jobs for y'all


anyway, what else can I say other than some of the dialogue is annoying but not too bad

I wish they didn't add those corny show tunes based off of modern songs in there because they're not capable of good music on this show

and that sucks because Jim Lang is a really good composer

Some of the tracks he did for this show kick ass and harken back to his days on Hey Arnold, but it just couldn't pick up this bland and annoying show

Hell those music numbers in the show might as well be written by Disney's other overused Latin American Music man, Lin Manuel-Miranda

at first, I like his music in Moana and maybe even Hamilton, but then during 2017 I started to see how lazy Lin Manuel-Miranda's songwriting was

just have a hastily pasted in conversation and fast rap in the song and it'll work for the 400th time

I'm just not a fan of the music

not a huge fan of Primos

not even a huge fan of the toxic discourse around the show

but it's fine

not good

not bad

not even extraordinary or painfully mediocre

It's just passibly mediocre

I give it a solid 5/10

good stories

good colors

I can see where Natasha is going with this

but it's bland

it looks AI Generated

and the dialogue is just Gravity Falls dialogue but boring and stupider

I can't really get mad at it though

I can just watch something else worth watching


Welp, that's all I wrote for this one

Tune in next time where I might review some shit I like or hate I guess

See you next time!