Sonichu: The Animated Series (Geno Samuel)
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Ongoing
The things described in this article are still happening, or are still being looked into. As a result, it may be subject to frequent change, and the information provided may not be entirely reliable.
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Sonichu: The Animated Series (no relation to the prior series by Spazkid) is a cancelled animated series by Geno Samuel which infringed on Chris's work and was taken down by YouTube after Chris submitted a copyright complaint. The trailer and two episodes had been uploaded at the time. Chris later lifted the complaint after talking with Geno.[1]
The series was directly based on Chris's comic. Several voice actors were recruited (it is unclear whether or not they were paid) to read lines straight from the comic. It heavily used Chris's artwork and applied motion effects and limited animation to it, but without his permission. Geno monetized the project through his Patreon.[2]
On 7 December 2024, Geno posted a short video of himself editing the beginning of the first episode.[3] On 13 April 2025, Geno posted a trailer for the series (the series intro), then on 20 April, he uploaded "Episode 1: Sonichu's Origins",[4] acknowledging Chris with "Written & Drawn by CHRISTIAN WESTON CHANDLER" in the end credits. This was followed by "Episode 2: Genesis of the Lovehogs" on 3 May.[5]
Chris then made a copyright removal request to YouTube due to the videos using content from his comic Sonichu 0, which was granted and resulted in the first two episodes, along with the trailer intro video, being taken down and a copyright strike placed on Geno's channel on 5 May 2025. Geno has commented that Chris had a case due to him using Chris's artwork, and he claimed the series would not be continuing, noting episode 3 was finished, 4 nearly so, and voicework had been completed through 6.[6] A few hours later, Chris made a statement confirming the legitimacy of the strike:[7]
| “ | Hey, everyone. As some of you are aware, I have, indeed, personally struck down #GenoSamuel 's recent animations based from my books. I had felt ill will, as I was not personally consulted with nor involved in that project. Not to mention that he did not include links to my Etsy and Cwclight. In any event, had I been contacted, I would have considered collaborating with him and lend my voice for Sonichu Prime and Chris Chan. That remains a possibility, though. Regardless, I did feel like after the success of the documentary series, this endeavor would not have netted him the views he desired, as it does not recapture that metaphorical lightning in a bottle he had before. It is a shock, as others have experienced, when one's content or even channel gets taken down. I've been there before when my websites were hacked into and needed to be taken down, so I do empathize. ⚡💙⚡ | ” |
Later that day, Geno evaded the takedown issue by turning to Twitter, where he premiered Episode 3, going against Chris's wishes.[8]
A day later on 6 May, the YouTube videos were restored,[9] before being privated.[10][11][12] During a livestream later that month, Chris confirmed he had rescinded the strike. A donor had asked, "why copyright strike geno's animated series" and Chris answered:[1]
| “ | Ah, you see it was premature for one thing, because we do have a better animated series in development which will take a few years to do because animation takes time. And I felt like it had been long enough overdue that, uh, people would just copy and use my art style without linking me my Etsy and all that or just give me, uh, the basic credit - in the - in the things and whatnot. Just - it was meant to be, but I had talked with Geno, and we have things in the works and I have rescinded the copyright strike. It does not, uh, disregard the fact that I did do that in the first place. | ” |
Credits
Note: Pseudonyms for voice actors were permitted on the project.
| Episode | Directed, Edited, Animated, Music by | Written & Drawn by | Starring | Public release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1: Sonichu's Origins | GENO SAMUEL | CHRISTIAN WESTON CHANDLER | COUGAR MACDOWALL as Sonichu SIR REAL as Christian MAC KURO as Rosechu COUGAR MACDOWALL as Sonic DAIKAIJU ZILLA as Kel FRANK LOUIS as The Narrator |
20 April 2025 |
| Episode 2: Genesis of the Lovehogs | GENO SAMUEL | CHRISTIAN WESTON CHANDLER | COUGAR MACDOWALL as Sonichu MAC KURO as Rosechu DAIKAIJU ZILLA as Kel SIR REAL as Christian GENO SAMUEL as Advertiser GENO SAMUEL as "kissing sounds" |
3 May 2025 |
| Episode 3: Sonichu vs. Naitsirhc | GENO SAMUEL | CHRISTIAN WESTON CHANDLER | COUGAR MACDOWALL as Sonichu SIR REAL as Christian/Naitsirhc MAC KURO as Rosechu DAIKAIJU ZILLA as Kel FRANK LOUIS as Narrator |
5 May 2025 |
External links
- Sonichu: The Animated Series | Episode 1: Sonichu's Origins
- Sonichu: The Animated Series | Episode 2: Genesis of the Lovehogs
- Sonichu: The Animated Series | Episode 3: Sonichu vs. Naitsirhc
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jesus Christ Chan - Sonic 2006 Speed Playthrough Part 3
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/@genosamuel2.1/community (archive)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPWfg5NlAm8
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oJLLPSMeZE
- ↑ https://youtu.be/OlUDkPHWZEA
- ↑ Official CWCki Server chats#Termination of Sonichu: The Animated Series
- ↑ May 2025 social media posts#Geno Samuel copyright strike
- ↑ https://x.com/genosamuelgeno/status/1919555649316508051 (archive)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/@genosamuel2.1/videos (archive)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdy34aLEOE8 (archive)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oJLLPSMeZE (archive)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlUDkPHWZEA (archive)