Janja - Tumblr Posts
Got some inspiration and drew... this…..
I did a screen edit by slightly tracing over the shape of his ears and face cuz I couldn’t get them how I wanted and was frustrated.
I’ve been asked several times what I think about The Lion Guard. I have to admit that I got curious and, despite my old-ass age and despite it being a cartoon airing on Disney Junior, I watched the whole season. My opinions are a bit conflicting, so it’s better if I explain myself in terms of pros and cons.
Pros: first of all, I loved the design. All of it. Characters and sceneries. Ah, the good old 1990s 2D animation! Of course, the quality doesn't reach that of the original movie, but nonetheless the background paintings and character design were great – we know, after all, that when it comes to character design Disney is the best. The voice acting was great, too! Then, what a lovely bunch of bad guys! I liked how Janja wears his spiky mane backwards like a true gangster, I liked how Cheezi bears an amazing resemblance to Ed, I liked the jackal couple, the cunning committee of vultures… And, not surprisingly, the villains songs are the best. And then, Jasiri! I think she’s the best character in the show so far. Her design is beautiful, her tough and mocking attitude balanced by her good heart make her downright adorable, and the message she carries (Sisi Ni Sawa) is one of the most important things to preach to children. Also, I thought that making up the Guard with different animals was not a bad idea in this sense. Another thing I appreciated was the accuracy as far as the animals’ behavior is concerned (the aardwolves being shy and nocturnal termite-eaters, the honey badger being a little pest and his immunity to snake venom, the zebras being the predators’ favorite dish, the cheetah’s strong sense of independence, etc.), and the fairly more significant presence of other species than what was shown in The Lion King movies and in the Timon & Pumbaa TV show: I found all this potentially edifying for kids, and I hope the producers and writers will continue on this line. Last but not least, I loved the usage of that awesome language that is Swahili: maybe the catchphrases were a bit too much repetitive, but surely the choice of names was damn clever.
Cons: “After all, hyenas are scavengers…” Again. We know it’s not always true; actually, accredited research has shown that this behavior is most of the time attributable to lions. Speaking of hyenas and their enduring bad image in the human mind, it’s shocking how this cartoon criminalizes this species. Okay, it’s a cartoon and bad guys are needed and who better than hyenas, jackals, and vultures if the protagonist is a lion? I get that. But the blind, senseless racism against these species, no. That, I don’t like. Despite the sporadic positive messages like Jasiri’s, the selective racism – or classism is predominant and it is also expressed in the settings: the sunny, luxuriant Pridelands versus the barren, dark, creepy Outlands; the beauty and wealth are reserved to ‘good’ animals, while the ‘bad’ ones (the POOR, the STARVING) are exiled in the ghetto without any clear reason. The song from the pilot, “Tonight We Strike!”, is about a fair rebellion of the outcasts against the privileged Pridelanders, yet it is represented as a vicious, despicable act, without specifying the fact that who is excluded from the sharing creates chaos as a natural reaction. In the same way, that ridiculous Kupatana thing was nothing else than a pathetic, fake pietism towards the outcasts. This leads me to the question of the Circle of Life, which is rightly depicted as the natural balance for survival and preservation of life; but the Guard also has a fanatical attitude towards it, as if it were a goddamn Reich! Like, “You, filthy hyena, you’re ugly and evil, no I don’t care that you have to eat and survive as well, you don’t respect the Circle of Life so you’re out!”, and “You, beautiful zebra, you’re every carnivore’s yummiest dream, I can save you from the hyenas and you can live in the Pridelands, and no don’t worry about me getting hungry and chewing up your stripy ass, it’s the Circle of Life!” To quote Fuli, see what I mean? I know, I'm almost 30, I have an education that has given me the skills to read between the lines, and all this may sound like a bunch of philosophical details kids will never catch. Maybe. But some of these ideas should be rethought, because kids do acknowledge the message, at least subconsciously! Never underestimate the kids’ powers of reception, guys. They notice everything. Their little minds are huge containers and their memory is fresh and amazing. We don’t want wrong stuff to get to them, do we?
That would be all. This is not the first time Disney subtly expresses such ideologies, after all. Anyway, as a cartoon freak and artist, I’ll gladly watch the next season. I think I’ll watch cartoons as long as I’m alive.
Come on, Janja. You can't resist those gorgeous blue eyes. Join the Hyena Resistance.
YASSSSS
i been drawing yeens again, whatcha gonna do 2 me
What a time to be alive u guys
Also, Janja's tail wagging got me 😂💓
YESSS. JUST YES. ❤
Cheezi and Chungu in the College!AU you wrote about (which was pretty damn good): how will our fav furbrains get along with the gurls giving them temporary shelter?
Ohoh, lemme tell you, those boys are the sweetest things ever with the girls!
I mean, at first the cohabitation is very awkward and tense. Cheezy and Chungu are not particularly menacing as Nene or Janja, they would love to get along tbh, but they basically follow their leader's mistrusting behaviour towards their generous roommates.
But I also like to think they would be the first to make a step, of course involuntarily. I can totally see those two sitting on the couch with Madoa&Co and watching a dramatic movie/sappy soap opera with them. And crying for hours about it, while drinking hot chocolate and eating ice cream, supporting each other emotionally. While Janja and Jasiri are in the backgroud, physically very far away from each other, but mentally asking themselves if they are the only ones with a braincell under that roof.
Spoiler: They do, but Jasiri has that braincell for, like, 95% of the time.
And oh, pillowfights! Cheezi and Chungu would totally join in, and then be wrecked by the girls' (friendly) wrath. Cannot beat them at their own game, in their own territory lmao. They get destroyed.
And cooking together. I dunno why, but I think Chungu would be a pretty decent cook (NOT Cheezi tho, we do not want the girls to be homeless as well because of a fire), once someone explains him the basics (Madoa probably). That soft boy baking cookies and cakes for his new friends gives me life.
Last thing, I have this headcanon with Cheezi having a small crush on that hyena with large fangs we see in the show (during "A new way to go"). Dunno way ahah. They both have this dumbass energy around them, and Cheezi trying to woo the girl he likes would be... something? 😂 Chungu is not helpful, so Janja could be his wingman.
Thinking about it, Janja would probably be the first one to notice that one of his best friends' in love. And despite the initial fake disgust and warnings such like "love sucks", "girls are just a world of pain, trust me", "snap out of it", blah blah blah... I bet he would be his wingman. With Jasiri's help, of course
I was trying to decide should I draw Kung Fu Panda fanart or my original character, and ended up drawing these three out of nowhere.
It was four years since the last time I drew anything related to The Lion Guard...
I still stand by this headcanon; where Mzingo and Mwoga adopted and raised Janja.
Kinda inspired by posts by @spinnysocks
This series is pretty violent, isn’t it?
The villain directly threatens the main character that he will kill his siblings, friends and parents. I think it is not very often in Disney Junior series xD
This season really gets darker.
Fuli: *Glaring at bunga*
Nne: Well, this should be interesting.
Tano, Cheezi, and Chungu: *Confused*
literally Kion when he was talking with Janja that he will make anything bad with his friends or family on the episode the rise of Scar 💀🤚🏻
Janja: “Okay, seriously! How many of you freaks do I have to fight?!” Kion: “Oh, I'm the only one that matters. See, you messed with my friends and my sister, and now, I am going to FUCK you!” Everyone: *quiet*... Bunga: *cocks an eyebrow* Kiara: “It's fuck you up, Kion.” Kion: “...Wait, what did I say?”
source: Hazbin Hotel EP8
another incorrect quote that i made