Monsuno has proven to be a
strange bird in the anime world. While the genre has been
pushing the limits more and
more with improving long-running series and wonderful new
original works; this show
is content with attempting to set the genre back to the 1980s and
Carl Macek's infamous
methods of storytelling.
How did it come to be?
Well, like a lot of series I've covered in this blog; it was
created to sell a toy line
and trading card game. Jakks-Pacific, who currently owns the American
license for Pokémon toys;
partnered with trading card publisher Topps to make a new
trading card game and
trading figure game in the vein of Bakugan. They also planned out an
animated series that is a
coproduction between Fremantle Media, who produces game shows such
as “The Price is Right” and “Let's Make a Deal”, and Man of
Action Productions, who
animated the original “Ben
10” and sister series “Generator Rex”, which both draw
influence
from anime and tokusatsu,
the live-action special effects genre of shows and movies in Japan.
I am well aware that it's
sort of cheating to do a recap of this series, due to the nature of
its production (the scripts and characters are American-made, but
the monster designs and animation are done in Japan); but it
resembles an anime of its type so closely that it fits here.
So, let's open up the
1-hour pilot, “Clash/Courage” and see how this is all going to
go.
We open on a teenage boy
being chased through the forest by a dinosaur. Definitely an
interesting way to go about
the cold opening.
The boy is cornered on a
ledge, and we instantly cut to our theme song. Director Nicholas
Meyer, who made “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan” once said that
every work inevitably becomes a product of its time. Given the fact
that the theme song for Monsuno is
a garbled mix of Auto-Tune
and digital warbling, it will definitely be pegged with me 10 years
from now as being the first
piece of dubstep I have ever heard.
We go back to the show
proper, and we see the earth experience a cataclysm that destroys
it.
 |
| Don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep,'cause I'd miss you baby, and I don't wanna miss a thing! |
We then see another boy and
a girl, and the first two minutes are revealed to be a dream.
As the teenagers partake in
banter about how they've been living off packaged trail mix for
almost a week; I notice
that the animation quality is remarkably shoddy. While the character
design and environments are
well-put together, the animation itself moves so rigidly that it
could have easily come from
a show that's 20 years older.
I could think of little else
as the three continued their conversation. Between Chase Suno, our
lead, Bren, our nerd, and Jinja, our fulfillment of the Smurfette
principle; they don't
really move like an anime
that was made in this time period. It could easily be mistaken for a
parody of such series produced with one of those cheap animation
software kits.
In an age where a dullahan
stalks its prey in the city lights of Ikebukuro, young women
wield undergarments that
turn into firearms and blades, and there is finite proof that
tokusatsu
and American comic book
heroes can exist as the same people; is it too much to ask for a show
to have an almost cinematic
quality to the most mundane situations? I think not. Most of
the slice-of-life shows
with female-centric casts I've seen can make things as simple as
ordering coffee drinks or
mishaps with lost shoes almost Miyazakian. So, what was the logic
of pouring most of the
animation cost into the first two minutes and making the rest look
like
the infamous
Korean-animated knockoffs of Macross and Mazinger Z?
Wow, three minutes in,
three paragraphs spent complaining about how off-model the animation
is. I have an idea, let's change the subject. Bren remarks they are
on their way to
the Core-Tech laboratory,
where hot food and beds wait. Jinja replies that the situation in the
forest has made Bren neurotic. It's not the word I would have
chosen. As it goes along, we will
see that it would have been
more apt to use completely FUBAR.
Anyway, they not only come
across the Core-Tech Laboratory, they commit their first
felony by breaking into it.
Our heroes, ladies and gentlemen!
We then meet Jon Ace, our
resident Duke stand-in. Ace shows Chase and his friends
the vault where Chase's
father, Dr. Jeredy Suno has things waiting for them. They get a
Core- Tech tablet; further proof that this show was indeed made in
the 2010s as it is clearly this
universe's iPad.
Just then, the evil STORM
organization comes in with a furor not that different from
Cobra. If that's not
enough, check out Trent, the guy running the job. With that goatee
and
glare, he couldn't be a
less obvious villain. He's just a top hat and handlebar mustache away
from becoming Snidely
Whiplash.
Trent starts making all
these demands for a Core and this thing called The Lynchpin.
Look, if you're going to
make all these plot-important elements, set them up. You can't just
throw them randomly in the
script and expect people to be invested.
Chase activates the Core
by spinning it with a flick of his wrist, until it hits a hard
surface. It releases...Iorek Byrnison. Okay.
Chase and crew escape on
Iorek's back as STORM gives chase. We also get one of the
most peculiar profanity
substitutes in a kids' TV show since the SpongeBob episode where
profanities were replaced
with nautical sound effects.
Bren: Crag!
Crag? Crag?! What is
crag?! (checks dictionary) Oxford English definition: Crag (krag)
Noun. A steep and rugged
cliff or rock face. Huh. Something tells me this is going to be a
catch- all word for whenever something bad happens, and I don't like
that.
Chase and his friends manage
to elude STORM, at least for a little while. He decides
to name his Monsuno Lock,
after a poem he and his father used to say.
Speaking of which, Chase
discovers a message from his father about the world of Monsuno. We
get a big exposition dump here, so I'll just sum it up like so: the
event that killed
the dinosaurs created the
Monsuno essence, and Jeredy wanted Core-Tech to help make
Monsuno beneficial to
mankind. Unfortunately, since STORM also helped fund the project,
they became power-hungry
and wanted to use them for world conquest.
 |
| Even I get boarded sometimes. You think I had a choice? |
Chase says “return” in
order to get Lock back in his core. This reminds me of another
famous franchise, but I
made a commitment not to use the p-word when talking about this show.
Once again, STORM confronts
Chase and demands he hand over Lock and the core. Chase
refuses, as if to say, “I'm
not going to give you my mass-produced, affordable Japanese junk!
God!”
This results in the first
Monsuno battle with STORM's toy-er, monster, Crumple, a
kind of mammoth/lion
combination. It is an action scene that drags on with hokey special
effects and bad direction.
STORM is forced to retreat.
Trent confers with the leader of STORM, a woman named
Charlemagne. She is
essentially this show's version of The Baroness-same skintight
military
outfit, same ambiguous
European accent, same pouty lips and flowing hair.
As we close the “Clash”
segment of this recap, I note that I made a lot of comparisons
to GI Joe here. Part of the
reason I seem to be doing that is the whole idea of a
merchandise- driven show like this would be right at home in the
1980s, where a boy's power could be
gauged by his collection of
Masters of the Universe figures, or their economic status could
be told by the fact that
they could afford Transformers and not have to settle for Go-Bots
(which would later be bought by Hasbro so they could apply the
concept to Transformers-it's kind of
weird); where My Little
Pony was still the object of exclusively little girls' affection
before
Lauren Faust decided to
change that and make a My Little Pony show for everyone.
With that said, here are
some old commercials while I work on the “Courage” segment
of the recap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpDRO_osJeE&list=FLnowvFZVV_ieO_lPxqG2V8g&index=56&feature=plpp_video
Now we shall
tackle the “Courage” segment of the 1-hour premiere of
“Monsuno”. No
discussion of the theme song this time, we move right on to the
episode proper.
We began with Chase, Bren,
and Jinja once again breaking into the Core-Tech laboratory, this
time making some small talk about toiletries. The remaining STORM
forces
leave, and our heroes (I am
using the term loosely) discover a bomb. It explodes as they duck
for cover.
 |
| Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb! |
I've always wanted to make
that joke. They decide to attack one of STORM's vehicles.
Well, you've already got
breaking and entering, vandalism, and destruction of private property
on your rap sheet, why not
add grand theft auto?
Two of STORM's soldiers
are driving their vehicle across the mountainside to elevator
music, when Chase jumps out
in front of it. The soldiers grab their guns when Lock pries open
the door of the truck and
looks in on them.
 |
| Do you think we're interrupting something? |
The two soldiers promptly
fill their fatigues with fudge and make a run for it, with Jinja
remarking that she always
wanted to be a human shield. That's an interesting fetish.
 |
| Here's some shipping fuel for you. |
As Lock continues to
rampage, the soldiers flee to regroup and change their pants, with
Chase frantically trying to
use the “return” command on Lock.
Chase succeeds, and the
gang decides to go through the truck for anything of value.
Breaking and entering,
vandalism, destruction of private property, grand theft auto, and
burglary. They're not of consenting age, and now they have a whole
criminal record between them.
They gather documents
about the Monsuno essence, and come across some equipment
that could come in handy,
which Chase deems “lish.” Crag? Lish? Do these writers honestly
think these will catch on
with 2010s vernacular?
 |
| Monsuno Holder and Cores on sale now! Available at Target. Expect More, Pay Less. (C) |
They also discover a used
core as the Core-Tech tablet pings, signaling the start of
more exposition. Jeredy
narrates that he created another Monsuno, Quick Force, and intended
to put it to good use, but
STORM gained more power and subjected it to cruel experiments.
 |
| They thought I was mad, but I'll show them! I'll prove that battle of the sexes stories are always funny! |
Jeredy goes on to say that
much of his lab was destroyed, and he felt devastated by
what STORM did. His voice
actor just sounds so listless though. He might as well say,
“Now I must do my
laundry. Did STORM leave any change when they ransacked the place?”
We cut to a STORM
laboratory, and we find that Quick Force is being tortured. One
thing that amused me is a lab worker that resembled a rice ball
filled with egg pudding.
 |
| Just, look at him. |
We see Jon Ace and Trent,
talking with each other about the morality of the experiments
they're performing. We can
replace you with Leno, you know.
 |
| Since GI Joe Retaliation got delayed, Duke and Flint had some unused vacation time. |
We cut back to the gang, and
Jinja hotwires the stolen vehicle. She intends to use it to
storm the facility (no pun
intended). Wait, after they put on their seatbelts. Remember kids,
always put on your seatbelt
when you drive a stolen military vehicle!
 |
| Ain't nobody gonna take my car, gonna race it to the ground! Ain't nobody gonna take my car, gonna break the speed of sound! Ooh, it's a killing machine, it's got everything... |
They reach the facility,
and they try to get in. I don't know, drive casual. STORM demands a
passcode. Bren modifies his voice for the code, dropping a phrase
that the situation
is “messed up.”
Alarmingly, it works. It's an older code, but it checks out.
Chase goes in, using the
excuse that he has to use the bathroom. STORM doesn't fall
for it, but it does provide
a distraction for Bren and Jinja to do their dirty work. Jinja
remarks
that Chase may be lacking
in brains, but he has it where it counts. …
What?
This guy managed to mastermind a break-in, elude and outwit trained
security forces, and trick said forces into letting them in, and
you're saying he's lacking in brains? Oh sure, those tactics reek of
idiocy! Did you forget to take your Paxil this morning?
Bren
then decides to hack into STORM's computers in order to find Quick
Force's location. They find the room where Quick Force is being
held; and cause a distraction.
 |
| Oh, will you just propose to her already? |
The
STORM forces evacuate the lab because of a Halogen leak. Oh no! Our
florescent lights will be useless! Chase wonders how they're doing,
and the truck comes barreling down the hall.
 |
| Oh boy, looks like Jake and Elwood are going to another show. |
The
gang meets up in the lab where Quick Force is being held, and Chase
determines
which
of his friends will get the Core that holds Quick Force. Where does
he get those
wonderful
toys?
Jinja
says that she wants to be in control of Quick Force, while Bren
insists he can
do
it. Jinja goes all Roget and rattles on about “courage” and many
of its synonyms. Bren says
that
he's up to the task, and the containment field is deactivated. Bren
tries to calm Quick Force
down
by saying “Nice Horsey!” It actually looks more like gryphon.
Finally, he musters the courage to say “Return,” further
associating with a series I swore not to mention when talking
about
this.
Trent
and his men catch up with them, and claim that Jeredy and the other
scientists don't see the big picture. Baloney. If anything, they
know more about this “sitch” than your
thugs
do.
In
the exchange that follows between Trent and Chase, the word “danger”
and its variations are used 12 times in 30 seconds. I never thought
I'd have to dig this song up from
The
animation is still proving to be quite inconsistent. At times, it
almost looks like
something
done by Katsuhiro Otomo, but at others, it looks like that really
crappy movie from
We
get another action scene, it ties into the above statement about the
animation. It seems the animators put the good animation toward
posing, and left the bad animation for fighting. It's like how most
Kamen Rider shows have a costume for posing and a costume for
fighting.
It
has become quite clear where this show's priorities lie. The problem
is, they lie in
the
wrong place. Chuck Sonnenberg, better known by his screen name of SF
Debris, said
in
his review of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier that a director might
not always be able
to
pursue the vision he wants with the budget constraints, and may have
to change his vision
to
make it applicable to the budget. It is entirely possible to make a
vehicle for selling toys
a
well-written, well-animated series. Beast Wars managed to save
Transformers by slowly
morphing
into a science fiction story with real consequences for characters
and engrossing,
emotional
plots; while also paving the way for CG animation in television, much
like fellow
series
Reboot. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic took a series that was
infamous for
being
reviled by any male and gave it great life lessons and almost
Disney-quality animation;
just
by virtue of being a well-written, well-animated show.
Despite
my rant, it is highly unlikely that this show will aspire to reach
the heights of
more
cinematic cartoons like Transformers Prime or Green Lantern: The
Animated Series.
I
also realize that I still have five minutes to go.
Chase
unleashes his second utterance of “Crag”, and he breaks model. I
will now
retract
my statement about decent character design that I had in the “Clash”
segment of the
recap;
as it is now not much better than what I drew in the margins of my
notebook in high
school.
STORM
troops continue to tear up the location to stop Chase, even
destroying some
of
their own vehicles and equipment.
 |
| Must be a pretty swank organization to throw away a $1.50 helicopter! |
Trent
pulls out a Monsuno launcher, and fires out his Monsuno, Rico-shot.
It resembles
a
massive beetle.
 |
| Rico-Shot! Only $5.99 at most toy, game, and retail outlets! |
Rico-shot
attacks with a Guile Sonic Boom, which causes a whole mess of
explosions.
Somewhere,
Michael Bay is creaming himself.
Just
then, Bren comes in with Quick Force, which can fly. This comes in
handy as Chase
and
Bren escape; leaving the Core-Tech laboratory in a massive wreck. I
wonder how many
scientists
are in that rubble.
Jinja
comes in with this golf cart, which she probably lifted from some
country club.
She
then states as they drive off that controlling Quick Force must have
taken courage. That's
right,
courage to fight armed forces, steal things, and destroy property!
Bren then says
that
this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. Bren. Never. Make.
A. Casablanca.
Reference.
Again.
What
can I say about Monsuno from “Clash/Courage”? Oh, what a series
it is. It
has
the animation quality of a Korean knockoff of an anime. Its story has
even more shonen
clichés
at its disposal than Dinosaur King. Chase, Bren, and Jinja are
hilariously unrealistic
characters.
STORM is every bit as transparent a villain as COBRA.
What
else? Well, in its own way, Monsuno is so marvelously bad that it
wraps all
the
way around to being entertaining to watch. It is undeniably stupid;
but I had a lot of
fun
watching it, and I'm willing to see where Jakks-Pacific and Topps go
with their game of
it.
It is enjoyable in the same way that films like “The Room” or
“Plan 9 From Outer Space”
are.
If you ever want to see a show that revels in selling plastic
trinkets and takes part in
every
action anime cliché in the book, this is your show.
That's
all for now. I'm going to take a break to take care of some business;
and try
to
get away from the Oregon Jamboree, the annual country music festival
that comes to our
town.
I will have decided what I want to recap by then, and you won't know
what it is until
the
recap is out.
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