some spoilers ahead for kipo, she-ra and the princesses of power, avatar: the last airbender, and the legend of korra.
this show wound up in my recommendations after watching beastars - which had a very positive reception here and managed to underwhelm from start to finish - and b.n.a. - out of love for studio trigger's more enjoyable shows like little witch academia and kill la kill (note to everyone: do not watch b.n.a.). it really wasn't my intention to start watching furry cartoons in the first place, but the reviews for kipo were strong and i was looking for another quality animated show to watch after she-ra (and to wipe b.n.a. from memory). and it is... okay. okay bordering on good. and in a lot of places, great!
first impressions were positive. kipo is a fun protagonist - a relentlessly optimistic and naive science nerd. being headstrong and smart is a fun combination and watching characters try and work their way out of situations through problem-solving is one of the strengths of the show. 'how are they gonna get outta this one?' is not always a big action scene. but when we do get an action scene - especially in the first season, they're pretty solid. nothing is at the level of avatar: the last airbender, but the different mutes make for creative setpieces. it's much more entertaining than she-ra and the princesses of power in that way.
and most of the presentation is, for that matter. there's going to be a lot of comparisons to she-ra, which i hold in pretty high regard, but there are places where kipo clearly outclasses what i think is a better show. the art style apparently tries to mimic the art from the comic book on which it's based, and it helps to give it its own sense of visual identity with the sharp angles and bright, eye-catching colors. the music is fantastic. working beyond the conventional action show genre with a blend of hip hop and pop music adds to the energy in action sequences (and intro music! the buildup to the 'woo!' had me hooked every time).
the representation is also a welcome change of pace. most of she-ra's cast is pretty white, but kipo's lead, and its two main supporting characters are people of color. benson is openly gay, complete with a funny/awkward introduction to his love interest that is usually reserved for straight characters. and they even share a hug and a kiss before the actual end of the show. i don't think it's developed particularly well - troy often feels like a prop for benson to further develop on his own, where the main relationship in she-ra was the key driving force of the show for five seasons. but it's cute, and it's nice to see this further being normalized. between seasons 2 and 3, i watched all of daria for the first time. more than the technology and pop culture dating that show, what most felt out of place was the complete lack (except maybe a single side-character?) of lgbt representation. it just feels so much more present in media now, that when it's not there, it stands out. it's shocking and welcoming to see how far things have come.
where the show stumbles is in its writing. if i were grading it, it would be a b-. better than average, but had potential for more. it does what i had expected out of she-ra before that show defied my expectations. the jokes are more generally predictable, with reads that don't feel natural. the delivery in she-ra made the jokes stand out as as though the reactions were happening spontaneously among friends. in kipo, it's a symptom of a larger problem where the plot moves people along faster than the characters can develop. people get along just a bit too quickly. if there was a fourth season, there would probably be enough time to flesh out the relationships beyond kipo and wolf and to a lesser extent, benson and dave. too often and too quick are supporting cast members out to say, 'well, that's kipo for ya!' like they've known her for ages. it doesn't come across as earned.
and unfortunately that affects the drama going into seasons 2 and 3. emilia has pretty solid reasons to want to do what she's doing. scarlemegne is playing god and will kill people to get his way. people are right to be afraid of him and side with someone who has been working to take the surface back for humans. outside of dan stevens's performance, there's nothing to either scarlemagne or emilia. scarlemagne most closesly resembles catra from she-ra - someone who feels betrayed by someone they love, and replaced by new friends/family, and goes to extreme lengths to prove their greatness. what works in she-ra, and what doesn't work in kipo, is that catra has numerous chances to make right, and constantly, constantly, is the one fucking things up. scarlemagne goes through something similar at the end of season 2, but the result in season 3 is not as compelling. if this was avatar or she-ra, scarlemagne would have betrayed the main characters big-time - maybe challenge their belief systems, dig the hole even deeper, have this character give up something meaningful to them for their redemption. zuko gave up his seat next to his father and position in the fire nation. catra committed a major form of self-sacrifice. scarlemagne gets a talking to and after a runaround, just stops acting like a jackass after he has designs to kill everyone. it doesn't track.
dr. emilia's thing is that she's so unrepentantly focused on one thing that there's nothing else to her character. we only learn about her backstory from song (somehow? i might have missed how song knew these details), and long after we've had time to get to know her. so she only exists as a protagonist for little more than a season. unlike hordak, who is also unrepentantly focused on one thing, she never grows close to anyone around her, even as a way for us to see what makes her tick or why anyone enjoys her leadership. she lacks the rapport with her cohorts that zaheer does in season 3 of korra. she also isn't a good final boss like horde prime, whose race supremacy is viewed as dangerous, legitimately terrifying, and not to be treated with kid gloves.
as a result, kipo's quest is not too interesting. when she gets challenged on something, she'll either turn out to be right, or the problem will resolve itself without her needing to learn anything. this works well enough in the first season at least. kipo's quest to find 'her people' (damn i got tired of hearing this term) set up fun one-offs about a fish out of water learning about a new world and the people in it. but as fun and as refreshing as her general outlook makes her character, it doesn't make for compelling storytelling later into the series. i think avatar and she-ra also have an issue with this. kipo doesn't even pose it as a question - because the right answer is always to make friends with people different from you. avatar asks the question 'what do you do with someone who will kill you and everyone just to remain in power' and the answer is a thud in 'deus ex machina.' she-ra doesn't bother presenting this as a moral dilemma, but in a show about friendship and coming together, the answer to race supremacy is to wipe it from the planet and destroy it throughout the galaxy. there is no redemption there.
it goes beyond the general story too. kipo can't return back from being a mega jaguar? nah she figures it out in the same episode. scarlemagne is untrustworthy? kipo was right everyone - he's on our side now. emilia just tried to kill everyone in the worst kaiju fight since the end of legend of korra season 2? she's probably changed - just help her up and hubris will take care of the job for you. it's all too neat and easy, and it lessens the overall experience.
i know that's a lot to write about a show intended for children, but we've had some really strong examples of storytelling and character development in the all-ages animated action show in the last 15 years, and it's disappointing that when so much of this show gets it right, it stumbles on the core element that could have made it great.
