KIPO AND THE AGE OF THE WONDERBEASTS

BY COREY FLOYD

Okay so I was in standby mode waiting for the next batch of Steven Universe episodes. I needed something to secure that itch of childhood fantasy, and think I found it. KIPO And The Age Of The Wonderbeasts. This is a new series on Netflix produced by Dreamworks. I don’t wanna give away too much, but this is a show that black households need right now especially for girls. Imma try my best to not spoil this show whilst convincing you to sit down with the fam and check this out.

Please bear with me…

The story takes place somewhere in the future, and of course, things aren’t the best if you’re a human. We learn that our character “Kipo” was separated from his father when their colony was attacked by a giant rabbit.

Did I lose you already? Still there, cool!

Their world has mutated into a land where some of our favorite cuddly creatures are the size of skyscrapers and have grown additional limbs. Some of the creatures talk, and some are lumberjack cats or frog gangs that wear suits fresh from MIB (Men In Black) headquarters. The world-building is truly on a grand scale, and the breathtaking visuals will give every child and adult something to enjoy.

There are three main characters; Kipo, the show's namesake, Wolf, and Dave (sounds like they ran out of cool names right?), and all three characters are Black; which is a HUGE plus for me cause when it comes to fantasy and post-apocalyptic stories and shows we tend to not exist or barely exist.  I can’t completely express how refreshing it is to see this level of diversity, especially in animation. Also, the characters reflect different aspects of the adventurous mind. Kipo is curious and wants to know more about this world. Wolf thinks everything wants to kill you, and Dave is just in it for the fun.  It’s nice to see three strangers become some type of family in this coming of age show.

The voices acting is top-notch. Kipo is played by Karen Fukuhara. I had some serious doubts about her career because she was handed a bad first gig. Remember Suicide Squad from 2016, well she was Katana. Since then, she’s done great work on Amazon Prime’s show “The Boys” and her voice work on “She-Ra,” another Netflix original. Wolf is played by Sydney Mikayla who has been working on other animated shows like “Craig of the Creek” and “Loud House.”  Dave is Played by Comedian Deon Cole. I believe this is his first outing as a voice actor, but he was almost unrecognizable in his portrayal. Kipo is a big step up from “Blackish & Grownish.”  You also have Sterling K. Brown as Kipo’s father and he also has a wonderful singing voice.  This show soundtrack has a variety of entertaining music. Daniel Rojas has done some great scores for the show; awesome songs that are at Steven Universe tier in my opinion. For a Ballad about a legendary “lumberjack Cat” to a rap about astrology by wolf voice “The GZA” from the  Wu Tang Clan. This show is a full package of family delight. If you are looking for a quality show to watch with your peeps, or like I said earlier, you have aa Steven Universe itch that needs to be scratched KIPO is where it’s at. 

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3 other anime's that deserve a live adaptations

Cowboy Bebop is undoubtedly one of the best anime by far.
Is it the best anime to receive a live adaptation  Let's discuss this?

Whenever I need a space cowboy fix, I Bebop. I mean, I really fucking love this show, and I'm not ashamed to say it. However, as great as the series is, it does have its' shortcomings.

The show is about two down-and-out bounty hunters that traverse the galaxy in search of some bad guys. They make little woolongs (money) so they can eat something other than noodles. (They never do.)
The best character on the show is Spike, an ex-mafia thug who loses his only love. He leaves the syndicate and joins up with Jet who leaves the police after losing his wife. Faye is a defrosted con artist from the past that woke up in the future having to start a new life. She falls in with the duo because she has nowhere else to go. Then there is the fun-loving Ed. He is nonbinary you won't be able to tell his/her sex until the end of the series.  I don't believe that fact adds or takes away from the story, but I encourage you to watch and see for yourself.
Should we watch this play out in live-action?
I'm not convinced.
The story is finished we know how it ends and it's depressing. Not just the ending, but the series in itself. Not only do they never collect a bounty each of them is only there until something else comes along.

Below are 3 anime that could be better suited for live adaptation.

 Lupin the 3rd:

Lupin and his gang are a group of international thieves who steal only the best with elaborate schemes from their fearless and sometimes reckless leader. Each heist has a happy ending, well, they do for Lupin. He is a criminal mastermind from a long line of criminal masterminds. The cast includes the hitman Jigen who always has Lupin back, the samurai Goemon whose blades have saved the day more often than not, and last but not least, the grifter/con artist Fujiko. Even the detective who chases Lupin around the world with his multiple-size handcuffs is entertaining.
 Speaking of the world...

The different locations in this anime rocked hard... Vegas, France, Singapore each with their different sets of problems make for more content to pull from.
I would love to see a live adaptation for this.
Lupin has an ongoing story and there's  a remake as we speak.

 Outlaw Star:

If you still crave your space cowboy genre, I highly recommend Outlaw Star. 

"Starwind and Hawking! We fix everything from tractors to relationships."

 Introducing Gene Starwind, a part-time bounty hunter, bodyguard, pirate, and whatever else keeps him in space. Notwithstanding, his fear of flying in space, and that castor cannon of his that will basically one-shot anything in the universe, makes a very entertaining show. Outlaw Star has a deeper storyline better cast of characters than Cowboy Beebop. Gene has an actual team and not just people waiting until something else comes along. It checks all the boxes of why we love Cowboy Bebop, and it doesn't have any of the pitfalls.

BONUS: this show has space ninja pirates!

 Samurai Champloo:

If Netflix is just looking to do a one-shot or a complete story about a thrown-together band of misfits look no further than Samurai Champloo.

The premise of this anime is pretty simple. It features Jin, Mugan, Fuu and their hunt for the samurai that smells of sunflowers. The trio met through deadly circumstances, Jin, the wandering ronin, kills the governor's guards defending a person who can't pay the wages. Mugan, a crazy and unorthodox swordsman, offers Fuu some protection if she feeds him. Mugan is introduced to the story just looking for a fight and he picks one with Jin. They then rip the restaurant apart trying to kill each other. The two get arrested by the governor. Fuu offers to save them but only if they promise to help her find a samurai that smells like Sunflowers. So, the two warriors agree to put their fight to the death on hold to keep their promise to Fuu.  The quest takes them all over Edo, Japan with a different mix of bad guys in every episode. That keeps the pair of ronin on their toes. Netflix can take the story further because the story ends with them forgetting to finish their fight and they are constantly being hunted.

 So what do you think about my suggestions do you agree or disagree with? Let me know in the comments section because I, the "Comic Boss" respond to all comments. Do you think Cowboy Bebop is the best anime to bring to life or do you want to see something else? 

 Also, don't forget to check out our latest article about a new Star Wars Visions returning and the Junkies podcast going international with guest B.D Didley from Concept Moon Studios

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Ryuk Finds A New Friend: Death Note Manga Returns

By Braheim "Comic Boss" Gibbs

A few days ago I came across something that got my manga side really really happy. The return of Death Note. We haven't had a new chapter of this amazing manga since 2008 that awesome “one-shot” (a single story that was so fire it didn’t need a name!)

I was reading an article on Crunchy Roll That after a twelve-year hiatus a new one-shot chapter is dropping. This chapter will be brought to life with writer Tsugumi Ohba and drawn by Takeshi Obata. It will appear in the February issue of Jump SQ and on the Magazines website. The eighty-seven-page “one-shot” will be published in the next issue, Which goes on sale February 4th.

This new chapter plays with the idea that Ryuk once again "dropped" his Death Note. Clumsy Ryuk!

The Death Note gets a new owner and finds a new unfortunate soul to play with. The plot seems to continue on after the events of “Lights” story in the original manga. So happy days are near again. Let's all go out and grab a copy and send prayers up that they make it last a few more chapters this time. We loyal fans deserve more than a one-shot every decade.

If you need your Death Note fix there's always the movie on Netflix and the series is currently playing right now on Crunchy Roll.

Let me know in the comments if you are as excited as I? how do you think the new protagonist/antagonist will handle the power of the Death Note? Would you accept Ryuk Death Note if you came across it?

Sources: Crunchy Roll, Jump SQ Magazine

Also you can read our thoughts on the Death Note movie HERE

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