'Toon Reviews 19: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes Season 1 Episode 1: Let's Be Heroes

Today, this blog is starting reviews on one of the more recent Cartoon Network shows offering a creative art style, charming childlike endearment to the normally action-oriented superhero genre, and a tone that’s hysterical as well as inspirational:

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes (Season 1)

Basic Premise

I’m always looking for new animated TV shows to broaden my outlook on my favorite medium, and Cartoon Network has some of the most appealing, creative, entertaining, and even charming shows of this era.  Most of their acclaimed shows may not air a lot on TV, but there are other viable ways to watch them these days, particularly on their app.  That way, people can still get a good idea of how much respect the network has for animation, allowing talented and imaginative creators to open up and express their creative ideas in a medium where literally anything is possible.  If my frequent praise of its first two seasons wasn’t a clear indication, I feel that the show that best represents Cartoon Network’s current creative spirits is Steven Universe, so you can imagine that I’d be interested in whatever alumni from that show have to offer.  This set of reviews is on the first season of a show from such an alumnus, who happens to be Ian Jones-Quartey, the former co-executive producer of Steven Universe and boyfriend to its creator.  His show is called OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes.

Just from watching a clip, there’s genuine appeal to this show.  For one thing, it’s a big example of stretching animation’s endless possibilities through taking place in a world populated by uniquely designed characters with superpowers to call their own, mostly hanging out at a huge shopping center called Lakewood Plaza Turbo.  At the center of this show about a world of heroes learning to control their powers is genuine charm from the main protagonist.  K.O. is a young impressionable kid with big dreams of becoming the greatest hero of all.  Through cartoons of working at a bodega run by the plaza’s owner, Mr. Gar, with his co-workers, Rad and Enid, fighting opposing robots from the neighboring evil factory, Boxmore, or simply doing a fun activity, K.O. grows from each experience which gets him closer to becoming a hero, bringing a cute sense of childlike innocence along the way.  This makes for quite a setup for a show that not only is sure to give a healthy dose of action, but also astound with creativity and be emotionally pleasing to watch all at once.  So, just as K.O. is continuously eager to become a hero, I’m eager to look into Season 1 of one of the best shows Cartoon Network has currently created.  As the theme song says, “let’s start the show!”

Now on with the reviews:

Let’s Be Heroes

Some of the most impressionable premiere cartoons set the main events of the series into motion.  This premiere cartoon introduces all the prominent elements of the series as well as the overall tone and theme. 

From the first moment of studying his collection of Pow cards, trading cards that describe the hero levels of nearly everyone in existence, K.O. is instantly relatable through his interests and wanting to follow in the footsteps of his heroic idols like the highest rated hero of all, Mr. Gar.  It also helps that these relatable traits mesh well with his adorable eagerness and friendly attitude.  K.O.’s undeniable charm is present through all the cartoon’s introductions to the key components of what’s to come. 

He gets endless support from his mom, Carol, who is instantly one of the greatest mother figures in TV animation.  She has her own strengths while running the Fitness Dojo at Lakewood Plaza Turbo and is completely devoted to her son, especially when it comes to supporting him with advice on becoming a hero.  In fact, Carol sets K.O.’s path to becoming a hero in motion by deliberately giving him a reason to go to Gar’s Bodega, where he hopes the heroic qualities of the owner will rub off on him. 

All the way, K.O.’s heroic determination is given a nice depiction with an inner monologue describing what he’s doing as a step in his quest, and how he views the main players of the bodega, Mr. Gar, and his employees, Rad and Enid.  They’re all introduced with texts describing their strengths and weaknesses common on trading cards placed over a scene depicting their main personalities.  Mr. Gar is godly with amazing powers as he appears while also being a tough man in charge, though he’s bashful when Carol is around.  Rad is an egotistical alien with super powered fingers in charge of stocking while Enid is much more sarcastic and unsociable with the customers at the counter.  It’s through K.O.’s charm and cheerfulness however when they both show hints of having much more friendly aesthetics to them which grow a lot more throughout the series. 

As for K.O., his time at the bodega is also charming as he purchases various items to become a hero, though they really make him look the part instead of actually being the part.  It’s here where the story presents the downsides of his childlike mindset when he tries being a hero by fighting a Boxmore robot called Darrell.  There’s a lot of time on it seeming like K.O.’s powerful enough to defeat him which is hard to believe, not just because of his size, but also because it’s near impossible for people to be this heroic through not doing anything.  However, that’s the message the cartoon is trying to teach, and it shows when during K.O.’s fight with Darrell, we cut to him knocked out against a wall, and is told that he didn’t have a chance against him at all.  The reveal is unfortunate, but it is believable, and what follows is a nice way for K.O. to realize that becoming a hero means hard work and patience. Him deciding to work at Gar’s Bodega to do that and the last scene of Rad and Enid liking the idea of having him around set up this path for the series. 

K.O. might not have left a strong impression as a hero, but this cartoon leaves a great one by introducing a charming and creative world with relatable characters.

A

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where K.O. tries to apply for the job at Gar's Bodega and befriend Rad and Enid while we also meet the head of Boxmore, Lord Boxman.


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If you would like to check out other OK K.O.! reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.