Monsuno: Combat Chaos 'Flash' Review

The second season of Monsuno premiered last night. To this day I'm honestly surprised that we actually got another season. It's really hard to find people talking about the show, it's not exactly the most popular thing. But, somehow it was popular enough to warrant a second season, which is pretty cool since there's a lot of potential. The first season introduced the characters, concepts, villains, and how things would go. Overall it was a fun monster battle toon like Pokemon or Digimon, but there were some problems preventing it from being called 'great.' Really generic villains, the writing was average, and it just overall needed a better story. Searching for Jerdey got old quick. So I was looking forward to this season because it would be a fresh start, no more searching for the dad, and a new plot with (hopefully) better villains. Sadly the premiere retains some of the same problems, but the ending does make up for it.

The story is usual Monsuno fare. Interestingly, the show is fully under the impression that you've seen the first season, because it jumps right into the action with the characters. Chase is on a mission from his father to retrieve a device, but before he can get to it a double agent S.T.O.R.M. trooper steals it. I will give the show credit, it can truly surprise. This is one of two plot twists. The second one involves Drezz, Jerdey's 'source.' It turns out he's actually working with a brand new evil group called Forge. It was a pretty good twist, considering the fact of how well he played a crazed lunatic. So these two are the new characters here. While not fantastic, they are serviceable as side-villains. I say side because they're working for someone called Professor Tallis, whom is thankfully not Dr. Klipse. (Though sadly it looks like he will return.) He's basically Cobra Commander, and already a far better antagonist than Klipse. Of course that's not saying much, but he's off to a decent start.

A major plot point of the new season are these core-bombs, which are capable of destroying cities. (So that makes two G.I. Joe inspired things.) Such a powerful scene when it ignited, which literally destroyed a whole city. Already the second season looks to be slightly darker than its predecessor. Naturally there's a new theme song. It trades techno for rock, it doesn't have that 'classic' feeling like the previous one, but still isn't bad. Charlemagne (whom appeared in this episode) and Dr. Klipse are returning, which is disappointing. Now I don't mind Charlemagne too much, but Klipse is by far one of the most generic villains of all time. I hope his role is being canon fodder to Cobra Commander 2. There's quite a few new Monsuno making their debut. The designs never fail to impress. The standout is Drezz's, a three-headed dragon named Ghidorah Afterburn. Interestingly, between seasons the heroes seemed to have picked up some new Monsuno, which is pretty cool. One of the new things established is the use of cyborg Monsuno, which is a great concept. Sadly the fights are rather lackluster, with sometimes the Monsuno literally just standing there and getting hit, truly disappointing for a premiere. Animation is crisp, though the facial expressions aren't that great, virtually no emotion is conveyed. They always react the same to everything. While the majority of the episode is average, the ending is quite amazing, because it features...

THE DEATH OF QUICKFORCE

This was truly shocking, and by far the most emotional moment of the entire series. Here we have Bren telling Quickforce to make a barrier against the fire. Once that was done he ordered him to return, but Quickforce wouldn't. With a look back at his master, he disintegrates into the fire, but in the process saves everyone. This was truly an amazing moment, the show literally killed off one of the major Monsuno. The look Quickforce gives Bren before being engulfed by the fire was tear-inducing. Now the challenge is staying dead. Quickforce is one of my personal favorites, so I technically wouldn't mind him coming back...it would just destroy such a powerful scene.

Overall, Season 2 of Monsuno opens up with a just above average premiere. If it wasn't for the ending, it would have just been another episode. The city getting blown up followed by Quickforce dying might be the greatest scene in all of the series. I hope as the episodes go it can shock us with more surprising stuff. Surprisingly, the fights aren't that great here, so I hope to see some memorable ones soon...and a much better soundtrack.

3.5/5

Monsuno Review

Monsuno is an anime that aired back in February of 2012 on Nicktoons. Much like Pokemon or Digimon, it deals with humans whom use monstrous creatures for battling, saving the world, and all that stuff. I was looking forward to it after seeing some previews. I love monsters, and I use to enjoy Pokemon back in the day when it was actually good. So I went ahead and gave Monsuno a try. I know it's been over a year, but I finally got around to finishing it. It's a fun show with some of the most unique creature designs I've ever seen. Some of the things it fails in though is story telling and villains. Indeed, Monsuno has a great concept, but some of it is wasted on some pretty questionable things. But first, let's talk about the story.

The story follows five characters. Chase Suno is the main guy, then we have Bren, Jinja, Beyal, and Dax. So what's the driving source behind the story? Chase is after his father, whom has seemingly gone missing. So they spend over 15 episodes looking for him. The actual story of them attempting to find the dad is pretty average. It's not thoroughly engaging, but it would do. Of course, Jeredy, (the dad) is pretty annoying when we're first introduced to him. We learn that he's been in contact with Dax the whole time, but didn't want his son to know. Why? It was never fully explained. Now regarding the main characters. Chase is pretty much your average main character. There's not much wrong with him, he's basically like Ash Ketchum. Sadly the series is pretty much devoid of character development, all of them are pretty much the same by the time Episode 26 airs. I will admit that I wasn't too fond of them when they were first introduced 26 episodes ago, mainly due to the extremely sub-par voice acting. But they do grow on you. Beyal is by far the most interesting one. He was a much needed addition to the team, with his smart monk way of doing things. Dax is another interesting one. He's the hotshot of the group. However, he does have some of the more interesting scenes. One of my favorite quotes from him is "We all have a past to deal with." Him telling Jinja that she doesn't want to about his past makes for an interesting plot point for the viewer.

While the heroes grow on you, the villains are quite the opposite. Early on the evil organization known as S.T.O.R.M. is established. They're pretty much the usual type of sinister organization. I do like however they went with a woman as the leader, Charlemagne. Sadly the writing doesn't do wonders for her. She's given no development throughout the entire 26 episodes. With better writing she could have gone places, but in the end she's just a generic leader of an evil organization. The other main villain Dr. Klipse. This guy is just awful, he makes Charlemagne seem compelling. He is one of the cheesiest villains I've ever seen in an anime. Every time he laughs the viewers laugh because it's just so ridiculous. Are we supposed to to take him seriously? An antagonist that pops up later is One-Eyed Jack. This guy is by far the most interesting and best villain. For once we had a guy with interesting backstory and is kind of a maniac. Also his voice actor did a really good job. Sadly he was absent during the final battle. What I find ironic is that his plan is to 'liberate' all Monsuno, yet he and his comrades carry their own. Besides that hypocrisy, One-Eyed Jack was a highlight. Another villain pops up in the form of Digby Droog. When he first appears he fools the viewer into thinking he's a cool good guy. Soon we learn otherwise. He's an interesting character, but was heavily under-utilized. If he comes back in Combat Chaos, then I can forgive it. We also have a double agent called Medea. She was pretty cheesy in the beginning. However, while I'm not sure if it was her exotic look or interesting voice, she grows on the viewer. Sadly she was strangely missing from the final battle.

Now, if it's one thing this show does succeed in, it's the monsters, or rather Monsuno. The designs are so incredibly unique, props to the designer. They even match how unique some Ultraman monsters look. The main one owned by Chase is Lock, whom is basically a polar bear with blue spikes. He's the Gomora or Pikachu of the show, extremely loyal and gives 110% in every battle. There's also a very interesting subplot of him going against Chase because their bond wasn't that strong. Some actual character development between the two happens. But yes, Lock is a great monsuno. I wish however more of them got some backstory. The only ones that really had were Lock and Quickforce. The rest just appear as tools or 'pets' as Medea calls them. Still, Quickforce had probably the most interesting. It was a crazy and unstable Monsuno that Bren got under control. Sadly the roars are all kinda generic monster sounds. I think the only one that has a unique roar is Airswitch. Probably the best thing about Monsuno are the fights. Unlike in Pokemon where the fights...weren't fights, here they're pretty intense. Tackling, punching, slashing, the battles really shine. And every episode has at least one. I do have to question the use of Babbeon however. Jeredy said "Use it when you need it most" like he's a legendary and powerful monster. He never looks that impressive in his few appearances.

There are some other characters that pop up later on. We have the crazy Carnage-like Dom Pyro. Somehow the show successfully captures this guy's insane personality. In his second appearance he is presumably crushed by debris. But at the end, he's shown to be alive and grabs a rat. (What happens is off screen, but still pretty hardcore ) But he doesn't appear after that, not even in the final episode. Again, if Combat Chaos brings back all these loose ends, it can be forgiven. We also have Dawnmaster, one of the more interesting characters. His emergence in the second-to-final-episode was plain awesome. I hope the show uses him more in Season 2. Then there's Jon Ace. He leaves S.T.O.R.M. and joins up with Chase and friends later. It makes his 'sacrifice' in Episode 13 very good. Of course, nothing can stay dead in a Nicktoons show, so he was brought back. But in a very cool way. He was transformed into a Monsuno/human hybrid by an explosion. A pretty interesting plot point that is used effectively. The final episode is very climatic, with Charlemagne, Dr. Klipse, and Chase having a three way battle. It's the perfect kind of final showdown. Strangely however, we don't know what happens to the two villains afterward. Did they escape? Were they thrown in jail? The theme song is great, very catchy. As for the show's soundtrack, it's pretty standard. There are however occasional 'epic' tunes with some great choir. If Combat Chaos can use these more with a better soundtrack, we'll have a real winner.

I may have sounded a little harsh, but really Monsuno is a fun monster anime. The main characters grow on you as it progresses. The creatures and fights are FANTASTIC. The villains aside from One-Eyed Jack and Medea are pretty sub par. Well, Charlemagne is OKAY, but Dr. Klipse...I really hope someone offs him in Combat Chaos. The story could be a bit tedious. Not that it's slow, but searching for Jeredy becomes quickly annoying. At least with him found, Season 2 can concentrate on a more engaging story. Monsuno is an anime with great concept. The main characters are there, the monsters are there, and the fights are most certainly there, it's the villains and story that need to arrive. Hopefully Combat will improve upon all of the first season's faults.

3.5/5