Forgotten Cartoons Ep. 51: Super Robot Monkey Team
Just like last year, I'm kicking off the year with my signature review series, "Forgotten Cartoons". I'm really glad that I was able to get this review done in time for the 5-year anniversary of the day I began this review series! I really can't believe it's been five years already, and I give a big thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way.Today's show is one I've been sitting on for nearly a year. It was requested by fellow deviant, srmthfgfan724. It is known as "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!""Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!" was created by Ciro Nieli and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, with animation being done by The Answer Studio in Japan. It aired on the Jetix programming block on Toon Disney and ABC Family from September 2004 through December 2006 with four seasons and 52 episodes to its name. Set on the fictional planet of Shuggazoom, the series follows the adventures of five cyborg monkeys and a human boy named Chiro as they work to protect their planet – and the rest of the universe – from Skeleton King and other forces of evil.This seemed like a fun show to dive into. I ended up sitting through the first two seasons (and the first few episodes of Season 3 because of Season 2 ending in a cliffhanger) in preparation for this review. So what do I think of it? I liked it quite a lot. It was pretty obvious early on that this was gonna be one of those shows that is a hybrid of western animation and anime. It particularly resembles "My Life as a Teenage Robot" in that regard.In terms of premise, it is like a mixture of "Teen Titans" and "Power Rangers". It delivers a lot of action, adventure, and humor, but it can also be surprisingly dramatic at times. It all adds up to a really solid cartoon.The cast of characters is really good. Our main heroes have good chemistry and a real sense of camaraderie.Chiro is a teenage boy and the leader of the SRMTHF. His personality is fairly basic, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It makes sense to have characters like him be the straight man to highlight the other characters around him. He gets along well with the robot monkeys, and he gets a better hold of his special powers as the series goes on. It’s worth noting that he’s voiced by Greg Cipes, who is best known for voicing Beast Boy in “Teen Titans” and Michelangelo in the 2012 TMNT show. In this show, it’s a breath of fresh air that Cipes for once isn’t voicing the ditziest and most bumbling member of the team.Antauri is the black monkey (later becomes silver) and the second-in-command of the team. He is perhaps the most mature member of the team and the most calm and collected. He also jokes around the least and takes their missions and Chiro’s training very seriously. His bravery is most prominently shown in the Season 2 finale, which I don’t want to spoil.Sparx is the pink monkey and the jokester of the team. He might be my favorite from the group. He has a cool sarcastic personality and tends to make clever quips and witty observations. He has a little bit of an ego, but nowhere near to the point where it feels overbearing; he still cares very much for his comrades.Gibson is the blue monkey. He is the scientific officer of the team and by far the most intellectual, which he takes pride in. He relies heavily on logic and can sometimes take matters more seriously than necessary. Tom Kenny does a good job voicing him. The voice he gives the character really evokes that of a snobby scholarly type.Otto is the green monkey. He’s the silliest and most fun-loving member of the team. While he generally acts rather carefree and is dim-witted in many ways, he is actually a mechanical genius. He does an outstanding job with equipment management and reparations and can invent new machines quite easily.Nova is the yellow monkey and the only female in the team. While generally very nice and friendly, she is also the physically toughest member of the team, and she can get pretty dangerous when provoked. Her getting angry can even make her overheat and cause an explosion. She and Sparks seem to have feelings for each other and flirt sometimes.Jinmay is a robot girl who Chiro falls in love with. She has many fighting powers of her own and eventually becomes a member of the Hyperforce. As weird as this is gonna sound, she and Chiro are really cute together in spite of the fact that she’s a robot.The villains are quite effective too.The Skeleton King is the big bad of the series. His body is half skeleton and half machine. He is extremely cold, ruthless, and calculating and is aiming to completely conquer Shuggazoom City. An interesting thing to note is, he was actually the one who created the monkeys who make up the Hyperforce. He was originally a good guy who hoped to help the world with his knowledge of science and magic. While studying the Netherworld, he ended up getting subdued by an evil spirit known as the Dark One, which made him the monster that he is today. It’s later revealed that he intends to free his master, the Dark One Worm. Mark Hamill himself voices Skeleton King, and he knocks it out of the park like you would expect.Mandarin is an orange monkey and the original leader of the Hyperforce. The power started getting to his head and he started to want to rule Shuggazoom. His teammates did not like this, so as a last resort they banished him to an off-world prison called the Hostile Outlaw Observation Prison, where he remained in a stasis-induced sleep until awakened by the signal emitted by his shield (activated by Chiro). Along the way, he ended up working for the Skeleton King.We also get to see many other interesting characters like Skull Sorceress, the Sun Riders, and Mobius Quint.While the series started out mostly episodic and lighthearted, it became more continuity-focused as it went on. They end up revealing many things like the fact that Chiro is the “chosen one”, the backstories of Skeleton King and Mandarin, and more on the history of Shuggazoom and other places they explore. The world building in the show is more detailed than I expected, and I really appreciated that.Like I mentioned, the show can be serious and dramatic when it wants to be. There were some scenarios where I found myself fearing for the heroes’ lives, and they often had to use their wits and resourcefulness to be able to make it out.The blend of western animation with anime is handled really nicely here. While the city of Shuggazoom is drawn in western style, it looks like a Japanese-inspired setting. I also appreciate how the character designs and the way their lips move are just like that of anime.The action scenes are a lot of fun. The scenarios are often creative and do a good job of showcasing each member of the Hyperforce. Whether it be the Hyperforce getting into hand to hand combat or having to use the Super Robot, the show has no shortage of fun and excitement.One more thing, the theme song is BOSS! Extremely catchy and gets you pumped for each episode.All in all, this show was really good. Whether you’re into anime or not, I think you’ll have fun with this show. It may not be terribly original, but it has dynamic, likable characters and an energetic flair that makes it fun to dive into. Solid stuff all around, and gets a recommendation from me.That's a wrap for this episode of "Forgotten Cartoons". Cheers to five years of doing this. Here's to many more! To my watchers and anyone else reading this, do you have any requests for what forgotten cartoons you want me to do a review on? Leave it in the comments!
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