SUMMARY
Dedo(Little Monk) and Old Monk live in an obscure monastery deep in
the mountains. Old Monk is a strong believer in discipline and
proper etiquette. Little Monk is always trying to touch the sky.
The
two of them not only discover the wisdom in each other, but how to
get along in this ever changing world.
WIDESCREEN
REVIEW
STORY: This is a pretty static story. Each
episode focuses Little Monk's attempts to challenge something, and
Old Monk's attempts to convince him other wise. Occasionally you
will see a supporting character, but they are few and far between.
ACTING:
The
English voice cast are all well known "anime" voice
actors. While the ADR is a little rough at times, they do a fine
job. Unfortunately, as these are screener copies, we are missing the
Chinese language track. According to our interview with Brian
YuZheng, the original Mandarin audio track will be included in the release
version.
FAN SERVICE: This is a kids story, so no fan serve to be
found here.
CONCLUSION
Of all the "Chinamation" titles, this one is geared directly
at young children. A nice blend of slapstick humor and life lessons,
Little Monk is exactly the kind of show that parents and kids love.
Dedo is a young monk in training. It is his goal to learn the
ways of the Buddhist and become a Kung-Fu master. Yet, like all
young kids, his mind easily wonders. Many times, he tries to take
the easy way out. His attempts often meet with hilarious but disastrous
results. It takes the wisdom of Old Monk to show him the error of
his ways.
Along with the life lessons, there is plenty of comedic action that
will have the little ones rolling on the floor, laughing. From rocks
landing on his head, to being beaten by a girl, Dedo's life lessons
involve a lot of physical humor.
The animation is no where as detailed as the other
"Chinamation" titles, it flows better. There is a
smoothness and broader range of motion that the others lack. There
is a lot of simple digital video effects used, giving it a smoother look.
Overall, this one is the most kid friendly of all
"Chinamation" titles. I think that Little Monk would do very
nicely on PBS. With it's emphasis on learning and respect, it
would make a nice companion to "Sagwa The Chinese Siamese Cat".
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
