Sonic X

Sonic X is a 78-episode anime series based on the Sonic The Hedgehog video game series. For those who aren't familiar with it, the games follow Sonic, a blue, talking hedgehog that can run at the speed of sound, who fights the evil Dr. Eggman, a mad scientist who desires to conquer the world, and in doing so, turns Sonic's friends in robots and pollutes Sonic's home. These fights are usually waged over the powerful and coveted Chaos Emeralds, which are seven gems that, when all brought together, provide the user with unlimited power. The anime series doesn't stray from that concept. It starts with Eggman having collected all of the emeralds to power a doomsday machine, which Sonic damages so that when activated, it sends them all to an alternate dimension, that dimension being that of our own planet earth. From this point on, Sonic meets up with a 12-year-old boy named Chris, whose grandfather welcomes him and his friends into their home to help them find the emeralds once more in order to find a way back home. The series follows a number of original story arcs, alongside adaptations of the Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Battle video games. The third and final season of the show a story unlike anything the series has ever received, where the crew venture into space to battle the evil Metarex: robotic monsters that are terrorizing planets, seeking to rule to galaxy. The story has a much darker tone to it than anything the series has ever received, even to this day.
The Sonic series only delivers so much in terms of storytelling, so this anime is an essential watch for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the series. That doesn't mean that it's anything too, too special though, do bear in mind. Production quality changes from episode to episode: big, important episodes are very well animated, while everything in-between can range from decent, to acceptable, to straight up horrible, with poorly drawn character models being a constant source of contention. Character development only ever happens to a handful of characters, and only ever happens when an arc reaches its conclusion. This means that the show is mostly a generic children's action anime, which, if you're into the series and its characters, is still worth a watch, even if you aren't nine years old. Like I said earlier, if you're a fan of the series, the show has some great stories and awesome moments that you absolutely need to watch, even if there's a lot of generic kids'-show filler to round out the majority of the experience.
Now, I can't end the review without mentioning the Western adaption, handled by 4Kids Entertainment. 4Kids is known for taking series and injecting a more "Western" flavour to it, changing the overall tone and dialogue to feel more like your typical American Saturday-morning cartoon. In the case of Sonic X, it makes the series feel a little more juvenile, but it definitely makes for a far more entertaining watch. The original Japanese series is honestly pretty boring, with the English dub opting to give the characters more comedic personalities, which fits right in with the Sonic franchise--a franchise that doesn't take itself very seriously in general, and that's a good thing. For this reason, I recommend sticking with the dub. Besides, if you're a fan of the games, you'll recognize all the voice actors, since they appeared in the games from 2005 through 2009 (granted, they aren't games I would recommend playing...those years were dark times for the Sonic series...).
In my books, an anime is a must-watch if in the 90's, worth watching if in the 80's, casually enjoyable if in the 70's, and not a complete write-off if in the 60's. At a 69/100, I'd say that the show definitely isn't for everyone, but middle schoolers and fans of the series should definitely check it out.