"Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!" is, in spite of outward appearances, an American-produced cartoon series that tells the tale of five bionic monkeys and their teenage human leader, Chiro, as they protect Shuggazoom city from the evil Skeleton King.
Despite having a title and premise that sounds somehow less intelligible than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Powerpuff Girls and Pokémon combined; S.R.M.T.H.F.G, is a multi-leveled, intelligent and surprisingly complex cartoon. We constantly get hints about the origins of both Chiro and the monkeys, there are references to killing and death, and the show possesses a level of maturity that lets it have some very dark and serious moments when it wants to. In fact, towards the final seasons of the show, it seems to have entirely abandoned the childish aspects for a straight-up dark and moody storyline that feels genuinely suspenseful and gripping.
Each season is its own arc within the bigger plot, with each arc feeding into the next one. This makes the show very continuity-conscious and very rewarding to watch
The show has an overall tone and look that gives of a "Teen Titans"-ey vibe, which is to say that the show knows when to take itself seriously and tone down on comedy.
In a similar vein to shows like Fillmore! and Static Shock, SRMTHFG also provides moral and ethical lessons for kids to learn, there are episodes that deal with fears, about making mistakes and how to own up to them, and the show is not of the kind where the heroes fight without a good reason. Unlike most other shows that do this, it doesn't feel contrived or forced, because it's used to develop the characters or the story, and thus serves a purpose beyond just force-feeding you a lesson.
All the characters are well fleshed out, and as the series progresses we get to see some great relationships develop between them, chief among them the gradual development of a romantic relationship between Sparx and Nova. Otherwise there's a very clear father-son relationship between Antauri and Chiro, and a brotherly relationship between Gibson/Otto and Chiro/Sparx.
The main villain, Skeleton King, is also pretty intimidating (how can you go wrong with Mark Hamill doing the bad guy?), and is a villain of the type you rarely see in kid's shows. He's the type of villain who actually gets sh*t DONE. The Skeleton King actually achieves his ultimate goal before he is defeated.
Most of the voice actors do a good job, and this show has quite the stable of celebrity voices, too. Greg Cipes (Chiro), the previously mentioned Mark Hamill, Kevin Michael Richardson (Antauri), Corey Feldman (Sparx),Tom Kenny (Gibson), Kari Wahlgren (Nova), and Clancy Brown (Otto).
The only real complaints I have is that KMR's performance as Antauri sticks a little too close to his performance as Joker in "The Batman", the animation gets a little wonky at times (there's a healthy use of stock footage), and sometimes, especially in the first season, the show can get pretty stupid, or even a bit disturbing. And of course, the show was cancelled on a spectacular cliffhanger.
If you're in the mood for some creative visuals with a good mix of drama, character and positive messages thrown in, then Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go! has you covered.
Despite having a title and premise that sounds somehow less intelligible than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Powerpuff Girls and Pokémon combined; S.R.M.T.H.F.G, is a multi-leveled, intelligent and surprisingly complex cartoon. We constantly get hints about the origins of both Chiro and the monkeys, there are references to killing and death, and the show possesses a level of maturity that lets it have some very dark and serious moments when it wants to. In fact, towards the final seasons of the show, it seems to have entirely abandoned the childish aspects for a straight-up dark and moody storyline that feels genuinely suspenseful and gripping.
Each season is its own arc within the bigger plot, with each arc feeding into the next one. This makes the show very continuity-conscious and very rewarding to watch
The show has an overall tone and look that gives of a "Teen Titans"-ey vibe, which is to say that the show knows when to take itself seriously and tone down on comedy.
In a similar vein to shows like Fillmore! and Static Shock, SRMTHFG also provides moral and ethical lessons for kids to learn, there are episodes that deal with fears, about making mistakes and how to own up to them, and the show is not of the kind where the heroes fight without a good reason. Unlike most other shows that do this, it doesn't feel contrived or forced, because it's used to develop the characters or the story, and thus serves a purpose beyond just force-feeding you a lesson.
All the characters are well fleshed out, and as the series progresses we get to see some great relationships develop between them, chief among them the gradual development of a romantic relationship between Sparx and Nova. Otherwise there's a very clear father-son relationship between Antauri and Chiro, and a brotherly relationship between Gibson/Otto and Chiro/Sparx.
The main villain, Skeleton King, is also pretty intimidating (how can you go wrong with Mark Hamill doing the bad guy?), and is a villain of the type you rarely see in kid's shows. He's the type of villain who actually gets sh*t DONE. The Skeleton King actually achieves his ultimate goal before he is defeated.
Most of the voice actors do a good job, and this show has quite the stable of celebrity voices, too. Greg Cipes (Chiro), the previously mentioned Mark Hamill, Kevin Michael Richardson (Antauri), Corey Feldman (Sparx),Tom Kenny (Gibson), Kari Wahlgren (Nova), and Clancy Brown (Otto).
The only real complaints I have is that KMR's performance as Antauri sticks a little too close to his performance as Joker in "The Batman", the animation gets a little wonky at times (there's a healthy use of stock footage), and sometimes, especially in the first season, the show can get pretty stupid, or even a bit disturbing. And of course, the show was cancelled on a spectacular cliffhanger.
If you're in the mood for some creative visuals with a good mix of drama, character and positive messages thrown in, then Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go! has you covered.