“Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake” is an animated action adventure show first released on August 31, 2023 on Max and finished on September 28th, 2023. It is a continuation of the popular early 2000’s show “Adventure Time.” It stars Fionna, the female version of Finn, and her cat Cake, the female version of Jake, and their adventures through the multiverse. They are also trying to save Simon, the previous Ice King, and return to their world.
The series “Fionna and Cake” is about Fionna and Cake as they travel into the world of Ooo and end up becoming cosmic outlaws when they find out some interesting things about their universe. Simon decides that he is responsible for helping them and joins them on their journey.
As a long time “Adventure Time” fan, I was stoked for this series. They had a few of their own episodes in the original series because they were characters in a fanfiction the Ice King wrote. In the very few episodes they have in “Adventure Time,” Fionna and Cake are heroes in the magical world of Ooo. But in “Fionna and Cake,” they live in their own mundane, non-magical universe.
“Fionna and Cake” is a unique spin-off of a cartoon network show because it is rated TV-14. There is more blood and gore, a couple of minor curse words and alcohol consumption. I adored this aspect of the series, because it really makes the people who grew up watching “Adventure Time” feel represented now that they are part of the older audience. I was able to relate to Fionna and Simon about things I never would have if I were watching this series as a kid.
Another reason why this show is so amazing is the animation. The style of the characters and the way they created this new version of Ooo is absolutely breathtaking. I was a huge fan of the way the backgrounds were drawn. It was a completely new style from the original series and it is so pretty to look at. Although both this series and the original series were animated by the same studio, you can tell how much the art had improved and changed which was really cool to see from a long time viewer.
Simon’s character was probably my favorite in this series. The creators turned the once comically evil Ice King into a complex character dealing with the guilt of his past. When he gets dragged along, it helps him find his purpose all over again. We get to learn so much about his character and his progression is by far one of the best.
Gary and Marshall Lee, the genderbent versions of Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, are also great characters. It was amazing getting to see them end up together. Gary and Marshall meet a few episodes into the series and immediately click. They start going on dates and develop feelings for each other very quickly. This is huge for Cartoon Network, as it took Bubblegum and Marceline ten seasons to get together due to fights behind the scenes about showing an on-screen gay couple – but Gary and Marshall got together in a few episodes. This was very exciting for the LGBTQ+ fanbase because it shows us that characters can just be gay now. This is a huge step for cartoons and hopefully we get to see more LGBTQ+ characters in the future.
The creator of “Fionna and Cake” and “Adventure Time,” Adam Muto, wanted to make this series an homage to the original. This is why we often see characters from “Adventure Time” in the series. There are tons of small easter eggs from the original series, such as seeing minor characters from the original series sitting on the bus or walking on the sidewalk. That makes this show engaging for long time viewers.
Although I believe the show was amazing in a million different ways, there are a few things that threw me off a bit. For example, Gary. Gary is the male version of Princess Bubblegum, whose real name is Bonnibel. So why is his name Gary? Fionna and Finn, Cake and Jake, Marshall Lee and Marceline and then Gary and Bonnibel? I think they definitely could have come up with a name a little closer to Bonnibel.
Another thing I missed a lot during this show was the female version of Ice King, the Ice Queen. In the series “Adventure Time” there are three episodes that feature the Fionna and Cake universe. The Ice Queen plays a big role in one of those episodes and I adored her character. Unfortunately, she only appeared twice in this series and I just thought there was a lot more they could have done with her.
“Fionna and Cake” lives up to almost every expectation I had. The development of Simon and Fionna’s characters drew me in and I could not stop watching. Gary and Marshall Lee’s subplot was just absolutely perfect. Prismo, the man responsible for overseeing the universes, got the ending he always deserved. The show was everything I could’ve asked for. As someone who grew up with these characters on “Adventure Time” it was a great feeling to see the way all these characters progressed. If you have never seen “Adventure Time”, you probably would not enjoy this show as much. There is a lot of context that viewers who had seen the original show would understand. But if you have seen all 10 seasons, I highly recommend this show. I would rate it a 9/10 and recommend it to anyone who loves a good adventure show.
