Nu, Pogodi! (Post-Soviet era)

This article covers four episodes of a cult Russian comedy cartoon Nu, Pogodi!, which were made after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Episodes 17 and 18 were made by Soyuzmultfilm in the 90s while episodes 19 and 20 were made by studio Kristmas Filmz in the mid-2000s. These episodes are widely considered to be worse than others, especially the 19th and 20th.

Episodes 17 and 18

 * 1) They contain product placement and even straightforward advertising.
 * 2) They were made in the mean Russian nineties and didn't evade having criminal references. In episode 17 there is a scene where Wolf thinks that bandits came for him and imagines unshaven muscular guys with guns and crowbars standing behind his door. (By the way, how Wolf could even get those rich apartments, and why he is scared of bandits? What if he was involved in crimes?) In episode 18 Wolf accidentally locks himself in a safe, and while he sits there, "Taganka" (a famous Russian prison song) plays on in the background.
 * 3) Episode 17 has a scary scene of Hare turning into a monster here (thankfully, only in Wolf's dream).
 * 4) Episode 17 in general feels fragmented and weird, and the main event "ark" starts only when half of the episode is over.
 * 5) In episode 17, Wolf gets captured and cooked by cannibal rabbits.
 * 6) This weird scene with a phone in episode 18. Was it a "phone sex" service reference?

Episodes 19 and 20

 * 1) Almost all gags are banal and not even funny.
 * 2) The animation and music barely fit the tone of these episodes unlike the ones from the 60s to '80s.
 * 3) Awkward voice acting. Igor Hristenko voiced Wolf very rough (even when compared to Vladimir Ferapontov's voice on Wolf in 1980-1981 and Alexey Kolgan's voice on Wolf in PC games).
 * 4) Episode 19 has a scene where Wolf steals a bra, pareo, and hat from that pig with three bras to disguise as her. It's not just gross - it shows Hare as a complete moron because he fell for it.
 * 5) In episode 20 Hare also listens to "Shokoladnyj Zayats" (Chocolate Hare), an infamous Russian pop song that is not only kid-unfriendly - it isn't even good. No wonder it makes Wolf rage.
 * 6) In the same episode it is shown that Wolf has a "PLAYWOLF" poster on a wall.
 * 7) This episode also has a scene of Wolf landing on a wheelbarrow with dung.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) 17th and 18th episodes are still somewhat enjoyable.
 * 2) Tamas Deak's composition of the Nu, Pogodi! the opening credits theme music is still used in the opening credits.
 * 3) Wolf retained his original design in the 19th and 20th episodes.

Trivia

 * Since Anatoli Papanov, Wolf's original voice actor, died in 1987, the 17th and 18th episodes used archived voice recordings. The 19th and 20th episodes have a different actor doing Wolf's voice.