Saturday, September 26, 2020

Whacky Jaxxyz - (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes Season 2 Episode 28) - 'Toon Reviews 40

If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on TwitterNow on with today's review:

Whacky Jaxxyz

Cartoons of continuity heavy shows don’t always have to connect to any major series plot points to be good.  They can also make the time to just be fun watches in their own right.  In other words, they can benefit from creative concepts done well.  This cartoon, following fun times at K.O.’s school, features such a creative concept of what’s done with fads and offers creative ways of showing how they can go too far.  

K.O. starts off with his usual fun of playing Pow Cards with Dendy where they both use a little imagination through it all.  Soon he sees interest in what another one of his classmates, Nanini, is playing.  With a concept of jacks and a golden device that allows for several unique powers, she owns a special kind of game called Whacky Jaxxyz.  K.O. is taken in by the fun of its appearance and Nanini saying how great it is, so he decides to get some jacks and a device of his own.  He also sets out to just give up Pow Cards because of this new game, which is a tad concerning given how Pow Cards have been established to be more than just play things.  Dendy brings up a wise suggestion that K.O. can just enjoy both, but he insists that he’s not good at multi-tasking.  At least K.O. legitimately enjoys the pastime he just took part in after choosing it over one he’s loved for much longer.  He even poses as a solid challenger against Nanini despite just getting the game.  

Then they’re both challenged by an exchange student who appears to only be here for Whacky Jaxxyz purposes called Johnny.  He leads them to a simple looking store in the plaza that’s said to lead to a Whacky-Jaxxyz themed dimension.  Going through that store, they end up at such a dimension and encounter the ruler of the place, Jack Wacky.  This is where the messages the cartoon is setting out to teach become known.  While K.O. and Nanini play the game for fun, everyone in this dimension plays Whacky Jaxxyz as a way to fight for survival.  If players dare to lose, they end up in the loser zone which is another way of saying they end up encased in crystals for all time, and that  happens to Johnny.  K.O. and Nanini manage to hold up a strong fight against other muscular Whacky Jaxxyz opponents, ultimately becoming big and muscular themselves.  

However, they realize how far everyone’s going with what’s meant to be a gun game when they’re led to fight each other and eventually see how big they’ve become.  This gets them to see fault in the rules, so they create their own as they free everyone from the loser zone.  As for Jack Wacky, it’s revealed that he’s actually an average human, Johnny’s brother in fact.  He sees K.O. and Nanini’s point and goes back to his life not completely consumed by a game though he has warped everyone else there to stay and keep playing.  For that, it’s unsure if this is an acceptable conclusion with Jack going free after causing legit damage. As for K.O. and his friends, they end the cartoon deciding Pow Cards are the true way to go and it’s nice to see him playing them not just with Dendy, but Nanini and Johnny as well.  If only this bigger circle of friends was seen more often.  

The messages may not be perfectly represented and it might not leave that big an impact, but the creative direction over a simple childhood game is commendable.

A-

Season 2 Rankings

1.      Your World is an Illusion

2.      T.K.O.’s House

3.      Final Exams

4.      CarolQuest

5.      All in the Villainy

6.      Dendy’s Power

7.      Crossover Nexus

8.      Lord Cowboy Darrell

9.      Bittersweet Rivals

10.  Red Action to the Future

11.  My Fair Carol

12.  Are You Ready for Some Megafootball?!

13.  Boxman Crashes

14.  Wisdom Strength and Charisma

15.  Mystery Sleepover

16.  Super Black Friday

17.  Point to the Plaza

18.  Special Delivery

19.  Seasons Change

20.  The So-Bad-Ical

21.  Monster Party

22.  Sidekick Scouts

23.  Whacky Jaxxyz

24.  Plaza Film Festival

25.  Let’s Watch the Boxmore Show

26.  Be a Team

27.  Plaza Alone

28.  Soda Genie

The next OK K.O. review pits Rad and Raymond against each other in the ultimate fashion battle.
The next two reviews for MC Toon Reviews are going to introduce two of today's most acclaimed Disney TV shows to the review roster, The Owl House and Amphibia.
If you would like to check out other OK K.O.! reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

No comments:

Post a Comment