Alternatively, "Why Nu-Spongebob Squarepants Writes Like A Bad Fanfiction". Why the adamant insistence of altering legacy for the new characters such as Kamp Koral and the Patrick Star Show original characters as if they're seeking for the oldhead's validation?
Preface
Firstly, this review is inspired by a YouTube Channel Awe 
I do not watch recent episodes of Spongebob nowadays, as I grew past that phase. And seasonal fatigue is pretty much real with ongoing cartoons. I visit time from time when there's interesting episode hyped (or glazed) by fans, but mostly nu-fans, of this show.
In due time, I will make reviews of ongoing cartoons and TV shows such as The Simpsons and probably Family Guy.
How It Has Lost Its Touch
I, among many others, have adored the yellow sea sponge since its debut in 1999. Clever, relatable humor, and has the charming animation style both its traditional drawn cel of Season 1 to digital onwards. There are brief periods of post-Movie—as in the first and most iconic movie of the franchise—
seasons to be enjoyable while others already lost interst of them. Yeah, yeah, the toenail scene from that Squidward episode still haunts me to this day, but I remember I have the DVD and religiously watch them.
It's been over twenty years since its debut and I lost interest sometime after Spongehenge episode (very creepy one I tell you that). After seeing Awe's reviews of this latest Spongebob episodes, I find them... jarring. Incessant callbacks to one-off gag characters such as Bubblebass and, for some reason, Nosferatu being reoccuring characters. The visual and gross-out humor is not my cup of tea.
It's giving me the Ren and Stimpy vibes, not that it's a bad show, I don't really consider it my favorite. It's not Spongebob for me at all.
I felt like a caveman thawed from the ice and discovering the smooth monolith for the first time. I just couldn't see this as the Spongebob I knew of!
The Patrick Star Show and Whatnot
This recent SpongeBob SquarePants has lost its magic due to seasonal rot, what else is new? I knew nothing of the spin-offs beforehand and only was notified, and reminded, through online discourse. I don't bother with these spin-off titles and will never consider in-universe continuity yet has become insistent on proving its canonity by inserting itself in recent episodes. A lot found this annoying and frustrating, so I'm not alone in this.
From what I've watched in Awe's videos, bless his heart because I am not motivated to seek the latest episodes, here are the things I've observed:
Colors are highly saturated, almost neon. Not really bad on its own, as one would move to digital animation. But, bright colors often are made for stimulating babies. And the exaggerated facial expressions with everything frantic, added sfx per second, and over the top relies a bit too much on visual humour rather than subtlety.
The original show has exaggerated expressions but they're used sparingly to enhance humor and storytelling.
And speaking of kids' attention span, it's too fast pace or clumsily paced. It's as if... This shift from the early seasons mirrors the style of fast-paced, short content on the Internet. I find it rather overwhelming and less rewarding for us the viewers who appreciated the narrative depth.
Oh, and let me tell you. The flanderization of notable characters—a glaring symptom of seasonal rot. It's there.
I cannot ignore this gross reliance on nostalgiabaiting and callbacks. A TV special was shameless with this example, blasphemous if you hold Spongebob sacred, vandalizing classic episode by using the Patrick Star Show's faux family. A spin-off where they supposed to exist exist on their own, mind you.
More Like Vandalized the Classic Episodes
I reckon no one would bother watching a 20~ minute video so here's the key points.
The uploader in the video argues that this special not only fails to honor classic SpongeBob episodes but actively diminishes their value by inserting weaker modern characters and writing, making it a disappointing experience for longtime fans and a poor example of how to integrate new content into the SpongeBob canon.Spoiler: Key points from the video
"Did Modern SpongeBob Just Ruin Classic SpongeBob Episodes?" critiques a recent 44-minute special where modern SpongeBob and Patrick interact with classic episodes by traveling through time. Awe finds the episode poorly executed and disappointing for several reasons:
>It's Just A Drawing
Apologies if my tone scares you, or maybe I should have been scarier then.
⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞ᵐᵘʰᵃʰᵃ
In all seriousness, what a non-argument. I totally get that SpongeBob is a cartoon and that it's meant to be fun and entertaining for all ages. Enjoying the show in whatever way feels good is totally ⋆˙⟡ valid ⋆˙⟡
Everyone's experience is personal, and there's no "wrong" way to be a fan.
That said... For many longtime fans, such as myself, continuity and character integrity aren't just about nitpicking details or being overly serious. They're about preserving what made the show special in the first place.
SpongeBob SquarePants is a series that has a rich history and well-developed characters, basically a cultural phenomenon at this point, then has sudden changes or spin-offs that contradict or undermine that history feels real jarring and soulless.
Well, if it was nothing more than just a drawing, why are there also defenders for this show as much as there are critics? This show obviously has a community dedicated to them, for better or worse.
Sure, people can express their enjoyment for the new changes, people are also free to express their disappointment to what the series has become.
Art has its subjectivity I'm not going to ignore that there are some objectivity in the execution of said art.
Nu-Spongebob Defenders
I never encountered many of them in real life, thankfully, only coming across them through online spaces. Basing it off Awe's comment section—the smelly armpits of YouTube. Modern SpongeBob Defenders aren't as clever as they think.
Misusing Stephen Hillenburg's Legacy as a Shield
I don't have a horse on this race, but I have the slips. This also goes for those who are against these spin-offs.
Yes, from what I've understand, Stephen Hillenburg was aware of and gave initial approval to the Kamp Koral concept before his death.
However, approval of a concept or early development does not mean he endorsed the final product's quality or creative decisions. Hillenburg's involvement could be really limited, due to his illness, and he never really saw the finished show or its writing quality.
Creative projects often evolve significantly after a creator's initial blessing, especially when the creator is no longer involved.
This has been circulating within fandoms for the past years: Paul Tibbitt, who was Stephen Hillenburg's successor as SpongeBob SquarePants showrunner, has publicly expressed strong criticism of the spin-offs, particularly Kamp Koral.
On June 4, 2019, he took to Twitter to call the executives behind Kamp Koral "greedy" and accused them of knowingly producing a show that Hillenburg "would have HATED".
https://x.com/paultibbitt/status/1136035312113553408
With the "wishes" being that Hillenburg was supposedly against spin-offs aging down SpongeBob's character, which Kamp Koral does by featuring a 10-year-old SpongeBob.
While Tibbitt's stance is clear and often cited by critics of the spin-offs, other insiders like current showrunner Vincent Waller have suggested Hillenburg was aware of and approved early spin-off concepts before his passing.
It could be that even within the production team has some disagreement or different interpretations.
Basically, Hillenburg's initial approval is not a free pass for the spin-offs' quality or creative choices. The fans are justified criticizing Kamp Koral (and rightfully The Patrick Star Show) or other modern content on their own merits, independent of Hillenburg's limited involvement.
How about let's just respect Hillenburg's legacy and hold these new content to the high standards he set, not just accepting everything under his name unquestioningly like it was the word of capital "g" God.
Talk about the SpongeBob Squarepants community's own version of the Great Schism.
Oversimplifying Classic vs. Modern Comparisons
Defenders sometimes claim that modern SpongeBob is no worse than classic episodes (WRONG) pointing out that the original show also featured silly or "stupid" moments. It's true that SpongeBob's character has always had a naive streak, the key difference is moderation and balance. Classic episodes used SpongeBob's naivety to build relatable, heartfelt stories. Whereas modern episodes often push it to extremes, resulting in unrelatable and repetitive humor splattered in oversaturated technicolor of a mess.
Dismissal Because of "Rose-Tinted Lenses"
Ah, yes. Another tactic is to dismiss all criticism as mere nostalgia or resistance to change. While nostalgia does play a role in how fans perceive the show, many critiques focus on concrete issues like pacing, character flanderization, and storytelling quality. Labeling critiques having "rose-tinted lenses" or likewise is a lazy defense that avoids addressing the real concerns fans have about the show's creative direction.
Equating All New Content as Equally Valid
Some defenders argue that all SpongeBob content should be accepted because it's "for kids" or because it's part of a long-running franchise. This argument misses the point! Quality and respect for the characters matter regardless of the target audience and medium. I'm not going to go ham on this section. It's exhausting, and explaining to the normies about how animation should be valued as art, on the same merit as live action TV dramas. It's utterly retarded, simple as.
Using Stephen Hillenburg's legacy as a shield, oversimplifying comparisons, dismissing critiques as nostalgia, and excusing poor quality because it's "for kids" are NOT clever defenses. They are avoidance tactics.
Now, some may have asked:
Spoiler: My Answer
YES
TL;DR
Modern SpongeBob SquarePants lost its original charm and quality mainly after season 3 and the 2004 movie, due to the departure of creator Stephen Hillenburg and many original writers.
The show shifted toward exaggerated, over-the-top animation, faster pacing, and one-dimensional, often mean-spirited characters, resulting in less clever humor and weaker storytelling.
Spin-offs like The Patrick Star Show and recent specials disrupt the original canon and annoy fans by disrespecting iconic characters and iconic episodes.
Defenders of modern SpongeBob often rely on weak arguments that ignore these clear declines in writing, character integrity, and overall quality, making the current era feel like a shadow of the classic series fans once loved.
Will I give a shit about it? Am I malding, seething, sniveling and coping? Not at all. I have since moved past the phase of caring corpos ruining beloved IP with nonsense. Here's my final send-off for this wretched thing.
Nu-Spongebob cannot handle Squilliam.