It won't be out on Cartoon Network until this August, but the channel has decided nonetheless to upload the first 6 episodes of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes to their Video On Demand service. So if you have the V.O.D., you can watch them in advance. Naturally, I got to watch them, so here's my first impressions on the show.
Before I get to that, however, a little brief history. The show was originally titled "Lakewood Plaza Turbo" and was created by Ian Jones-Quartey, best known for working with Rebecca Sugar on Steven Universe. He also worked on Adventure Time with series creator Pendleton Ward, as well as the voice of Wallow in Bravest Warriors.
After working on Steven Universe, Quartey began developing his own cartoon and in 2013, his animated pilot "Lakewood Plaza Turbo" was released. Done in an 80's aesthetic with a superhero concept, protagonist K.O. and his super-powered friends, defend Lakewood Plaza from their neighboring villains in the retail business.
No, seriously, they're just fighting over selling stuff. Imagine Spongebob Squarepants being focused entirely of the rivalry between the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket, with everyone having superpowers. It's a crazy concept that, for Lakewood Plaza Turbo, it actually worked. The pilot was well received by critics and fans that Cartoon Network has decided to order it into a full series. After four years of development, the series, renamed as "OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes", is ready for its grand debut.
OK K.O. follows the same premise as Lakewood Plaza Turbo, but this time it's a more story-based series and less episodic, at least for these first 6 episodes. K.O. long dreams of becoming a hero like the many superheroes he admires, especially Mr. Gar, the plaza's owner. K.O., decides to learn everything on becoming a hero by working as an employee at Lakewood Plaza. Our main bad guy Lord Boxman just cringes at the thought of friendship and wants it ruined by any means necessary. Boxman's character made me think if at one point he called up Black Hat from Villainous for some stuff he can use against K.O. and company.
The show's intro is a mix of 70's funk and 80's style action sequences, which gives a nostalgic feel for someone like me. Also worth noting the opening sequence is made by Hiroyuki Imaishi, the co-founder of Studio TRIGGER. Like Steven Universe, the character designs vary depending on the storyboarder. The ending theme is performed by Rebecca Sugar, with the end scenes being unique to each episode. It's probably one of the reasons these 6 episodes were on V.O.D. this early, as you will not be able to view these unique, individual end credits in the broadcast version.
It's hard not to see so many references to other works in animation and games in this series - Megaman, Dragon Ball, My Hero Academia, even Steven Universe and from Studio TRIGGER as well. The overall presentation is so over the top that I was shedding tears from laughing so hard. The voice acting is great with a number of talented people lending their voices - Quartey himself plays Rad; Enid is played by Ashly Burch, whom anime fans know as the voice of Sasha in the Englsh dub version of Attack on Titan; Voice acting legend Jim Cummings is Lord Boxman; and K.O. is played by two voice actresses depending on the episode - Courtenay Taylor, who played Ada Wong in the Resident Evil franchise, as well as Starla in Regular Show, voices K.O. in the first 3 episdoes. While in episodes 4 to 6, as well as the pilot, K.O. is voiced by Stephanie Nadolny, the voice of Kid Goku and Gohan in the FUNimation version of Dragon Ball, and Dragon Ball Z, respectively.
Four years is quite a long time to develop OK K.O. as a series, but it's well worth the wait as the end product turns up really good. A nod to great animation and video games of the past, incredibly funny, and a great cast and staff. Among the newly released Cartoon Network originals, OK K.O. Let's Be Heroes is the one show I will definitely be watching on a regular basis.
OK K.O. Let's Be Heroes will premiere on Cartoon Network in the US this August, but the first 6 episodes are now available online via the channel's Video On Demand service or the Cartoon Network app.
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