Zig & Sharko (seasons 3-present)

♥	This article is dedicated to the late Olivier Jean-Marie (1960-2021), who died due to an extensive fight with cancer at the age of 60.

Zig & Sharko
"Where did it all go wroooong?!?" — Lincoln Loud, The Loud House
Genre: Comedy Slapstick Surreal comedy Farce Country: France Release Date: September 2, 2019 - present Network(s): Canal+ Family TF1 Gulli Boomerang Africa YouTube Disney XD (Latin America, Africa) Disney Channel (Taiwan) ViuTVsix (Hong Kong) Nickelodeon (India) Created by: Olivier Jean-Marie Distributed by: Xilam Seasons: 2 Episodes: 156

Zig & Sharko (French: Zig et Sharko) is a silent/slapstick comedy series created by Oliver Jean-Marie, and was first released on December 21, 2010 to June 14, 2011, on its first season. It later had a revival on February 15, 2016.

While the first two seasons received mixed to positive reviews, it isn't the case of season 3-onward, which will be the main focus of this page.

Plot

The series itself focuses mainly on Zig (brown hyena), Sharko (great white shark), Marina (mermaid), and Bernie (hermit crab). The plot itself mainly involves Zig attempting to capture Marina, a mermaid who is often guarded by Sharko. Numerous attempts of Zig trying to eat Marina have failed but in creative ways.

Why These Seasons Are Ultimately Terrible That Zig CAN Finally Eat Marina

Note: some of the issues mentioned are also from season 2

1. Similar to seasons 5 and 6 of Oggy and the Cockroaches, the main problem with these seasons is that it lacks the charm that came from season 1 and to a lesser extent from season 2.
2. To begin with, the animation although decent can be considered a huge downgrade compared to the traditional animation of season 1 which was rubbery and smooth and which worked very well, the we moved to a generic and colorful flash animation at a so much so that these seasons feel more like a reboot rather than a new season.
   • The face poses are now more downgraded.
3. Many secondary characters like crabs or gorillas have been completely redesigned for no reason, although the designs remain decent they remain a bit useless.
4. These seasons have obviously Flanderized the characters of the series to levels where they have become unlikeable.
   • Zig went from a funny hyena wanting to eat Marina while failing to a huge Butt-Monkey who gets mistreated in every episode even when he doesn't do anything wrong as if the scriptwriters wanted to express their hatred on him for free, although he remain likable.
     • It doesn't help that at the end of the majority of episodes in season 4 he is transformed into an object by Sharko for free.
   • Sharko went from a Shark wanting to protect Marina but who remains friendly to a huge idiot who only serves to massacre Zig for free, even when he do nothing wrong, he even abuse Zig even when he doesn't try to eat Marina.
   • Marina went from a friendly and funny mermaid who was intelligent despite the fact that she is oblivious to the fact that she could be eaten at any time to a huge insufferable idiot who acts stupid in almost every episode which makes her unlovable.
     • Also, at time she can be unlikable to Sharko when he did nothing wrong, this is either when he try to protect her, or when by accident, destroy something.
   • Bernie went from Zig's friendly and intelligent companion to a butt monkey who suffers the same fate from Zig even when he does nothing wrong but he remains sympathetic.
5. The backstories of the main characters were also changed for no reason.
   • In Season 1, Zig was born to a clan of extremely successful hunters who have fought and killed many sea creatures throughout their lives, but it was changed to him, Sharko, and Bernie being raised on the island by gorillas.
6. The soundtrack of these seasons has become extremely boring and repetitive in the same way as the soundtracks of Grizzy and the Lemmings, especially the transformation scenes.
   • On top of that, the laughter of certain characters, particularly those of Zig and Marina, is VERY unbearable from listening to them and it doesn't help that season 4 is full of their laughter.
7. The theme song, while still decent is a huge downgrade unlike that of season 1/2.
   • Moreover, oddly from season 3, the theme song was shortened and is 30 seconds instead of 40 seconds like in the season 2 and while season 1 theme song was 30 seconds too, it was the first season and it was a very different season but here it was after season 2, which make the show appear to be more lazy than back then.
8. These seasons feel more like reboot than anything, since it doesn't take place on the island anymore (except in season 4 but still), and because of the flanderization as well as the humor being almost completely different make this even worse, this is one of the exemple of when a show change for no apparent seasons in it's run, much like the season 4 of Titeuf.
   • And while season 4 take place in the island, it somehow managed to feel different from season 2, since the plots are pretty different and some of the episodes take place in the ship and also it doesn't help that the fact that Marina now had legs, this just make this situation even worse, and it prove that it will likely not be as good as it was in season 1/2.
9. Similar to season 5 of Oggy and the Cockroaches, Sharko and Marina are pretty much always treated as the lucky protagonists while Zig and Bernie are reduced to ending with a slapstick and defeat ending, which just makes the episodes ultra repetitive and boring.
10. A lot of episodes try to be too hip to kids with a lot of unnecessary references to things that would appeal to kids hanging out too much on YouTube Kids.
11. Season 4, in addition to currently being the worst season of the show, has a strange plot in which Marina has legs thanks to magic sandals which is very poorly executed.
    • Moreover, this plot is very reminiscent of episode 20a of season 1 "Fancy Footwork" in which Marina obtains legs via a wish from a fairy but she learns that having legs is horrible and decides to go back to the way she was before. Strangely no memory of this episode was mentioned in this season.
    • Also, unlike season 3 who still had some good/decent episodes, that season had almost no good episodes and is filled with a lot of terrible episodes, either due to being mean-spirited, or because they had boring pacing.
12. Moreover, these seasons make no mention of moments from season 1, for example we never see Sharko and Marina's house under the ocean again nor the abandoned plane where Zig and Bernie lived (although this comes from season 2).
13. Many characters from season 1 are never mentioned in these seasons such as King Neptune, Japanese cargo ship captain or even the ping pong champion octopus.
14. Quantity over Quality Like Miraculous Ladybug, Angelo Rules or Grizzy and the Lemmings the show lasts too long despite the flaws mentioned with already 4 seasons and 312 episodes and it doesn't help that a season 5 is in preparation making Zig & Sharko the new cash cow from Xilam.
15. Lot of mediocre to awful episodes, which willl be listed in the notable bad episodes section.
16. Overall, these seasons, in addition to being bad, have partly damaged the image of the show because the majority of people hate the whole show because of these seasons.

Qualities So Good That Zig Cannot Eat Marina

1. At least unlike the bad seasons of Oggy and the Cockroaches the plot is still identical to that of seasons 1 and 2.
2. Despite the sudden change in animation, it's still look decent, although the animation from season 2 is better.
3. Some characters remain likeable like Bernie or even Zig, Sharko and Marina despite their Flanderizations.
4. Season 3 is considered the least bad of the lot because it still has the humor of the first seasons and had lot of good episodes, unlike season 4 who doesn't had that much good episodes.
5. These seasons sometimes have good moments and good jokes here and there, especially in season 3.
6. There's still some good episodes here and there, such as:
   • "Hide and Squeek"
   • "The Invaders" (Not to be confused with another episode of season 2 with a similar name)
   • "Marina the Explorer" (The best episode of season 4 since it feel like a season 2 episode)

Reception

Unlike the first two seasons, which received mixed to positive reviews, the season 3 received mixed reviews and the season 4 was universaly panned by fans of the first two seasons, it is often criticized for it's downgraded writting, the lot of mediocre to terrible episodes, it's animation and the characters flanderization and it was even enough to ruin the reputation of the show.

Notable Bad Episodes

Season 3

• "Do Not Disturb"
• "Frosty Friendship"
• "Under the Sea"

Season 4

• "Patching Things Up"
• "Try My Macaroni"
• "Shark Bitten"
• "The Creaking Door"
• "Gulp!"
• "Big Sister"
• "All tied up"
• "Mega-Bernie"

Trivia

Overall

• Season 3 and 4 are references to 2 episodes from season 1, "Loony Cruise" for season 3 due to the fact that the episodes take place on a cruise ship and "Fancy Footwork" for season 4 due to the fact that Marina has legs.

Season 3

• Starting with this season, the show is now animated in Toon Boom.
• Background music from the fifth, sixth and seventh season of another "Xilam", "Oggy and the Cockroaches", can be heard in some scenes this season.
• The island from the first two seasons is seen in the following episodes: Welcome on Board, Hide and Squeek, A Hell of a Friend, The Nap, Sink or Swim, The Power of the Cape, The Rare Bird.

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