In these desolate Zaslav-run times of Warner Bros. Discovery, animation has been well … think of a gutter, now dig five times deeper than that.
These days, new cartoons made at Cartoon Network Studios (which now shares a building with Warner Bros. Animation) face two outcomes: they either die a tax write-off or live long enough to see itself become an Adult Swim series. Besides, Adult Swim starts at 5 p.m. ET now, so logically, what was going to happen? This, after all, is what happened with My Adventures With Superman. Now Clark Kent has a drinking buddy in Andy from Invincible Fight Girl, the star of the latest show developed for CN that ended up being part of the Adult Swim block.
In a wrestling-oriented world, young Andy (Sydney Mikayla) is a would-be accountant living on a remote island full of accountants, but with dreams of becoming a wrestler. The moment her parents took her to her first match as a kid, she got starry eyed over seeing the swift moves and skill of Quesa Poblana (Rolonda Watts) and imprinted on the sport. After her incompetence during a tax day for wrestlers inadvertently lands her in a match with some of the best ranked fighters in the world, Andy’s secret wrestling desires are revealed to her family and she sets off into the world to train.
Invincible Fight Girl boasts a vibrant landscape that resembles, bear with me, if My Hero Academia were subjected to a body slam by the WWE, and the resulting impact on the ring spawned a fusion of the two properties. The mockup of wrestling characters around the series intermixes humans, rainbow-colored people, and anthropomorphic animal creatures, yet they all resemble familiar faces and figures from wrestling culture. While the narrative keeps things grounded by having Andy navigate the functionality of various facets within the wrestling world, creator Juston Gordon-Montgomery and his team’s episodic world building makes it all come alive.
The first four episodes of the series follow the same plot as any given action-adventure anime, with a naive yet determined lead embarking on a larger-than-life quest to achieve their dream. No different from your Monkey D. Luffy trying to get to the Grand Line or Ash Ketchum becoming the very best Pokémon trainer ever, Andy herself is such a compelling character to follow because of her type-A anime personality. She possesses flair, determination, and an excitable energy appropriate for her youthful age. Sydney Mikayla’s voice performance is full of life and energy, texturing Andy’s fiery spirit and childlike innocence.
It is noteworthy that Andy, a Black girl, possesses the same skeleton as the aforementioned anime protags, as it is a rare occurrence for a Black girl to do so. Granted, this is a Western-animated show, but it’s destined to fit within the Toonami block. So I’m counting it as a loophole of sorts. Besides the point, Andy is another great addition in the pantheon of powerful Black animated girls leading stylish action packed shows that we’ve never seen before, right next to Lunella Lafayette/Moon Girl (though her series has recently been canceled).
Andy also exhibits genuine growth the longer she navigates the town and its obstacles. One of those obstacles being Craig (Paul Castro Jr.), an annoying track-suit wearing con-artist side character who swindles Andy the moment she’s off the boat, and makes situations worse. Despite a humorous little connection to one of her idols, he’s ultimately really exhausting to watch. I will be patient until he attains a moderate level of development. However, as he stands now, he is not amusing and is merely irritating.
That’s okay cause there’s also some great other supporting characters in her corner, mainly in Mikey Beefpuncha (William Akey), a jacked 8 year old who dreams of being a sports journalist, rather than spending time training for the ring alongside his brothers in his Von Erich-like family. Besides having an innocent demeanor, Akey’s youthful and passionate voice performance just makes you instantly adore Mikey. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have Clancy Brown’s booming voice as the Fritz von Erich-like patriarch to send shivers down the spine and make Mikey’s need to escape his toxic surroundings more pressing.
Invincible Fight Girl boasts incredible fight direction. The fierce facial expressions are expressive and the fluidity of the fight movements makes each bout thrilling. The wrestling sequences are intense, cinematic, and filled with adrenaline, making you feel as if you are on the ropes with Andy as she goes Luffy meets Rocky. The rapid and consistent amalgamation of visual gags, exaggerated voice lines, and reactions throughout each comedic moment also helps amplify the anime-inspired aura.
Overall, Invincible Fight Girl is making its way up the ranks as one of the coolest animated rookies of the season. It wears its anime heart on its sleeve with a colorful world, a can-do teen protagonist, and stunning animation that shines whenever characters duke it out in the ring. Pushing it to the older teen-adult oriented block might seem odd, but this action-packed WWE meets My Hero Academia-styled series is a guaranteed winner regardless of its time slot.
The first two episodes of Invincible Fight Girl premiere at 12:00 a.m. ET on Saturday night, November 2 on Adult Swim. New episodes premiere weekly and will be available to stream on Max the following day.
Learn more about Den of Geek’s review process and why you can trust our recommendations here.
The post Invincible Fight Girl Review: My Hero Academia Meets WWE appeared first on Den of Geek.
0 Commentaires