Kappa Mikey

 Review

Common Sense Media says

A home-grown anime series for the tween set.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this show lacks meaningful substance and has little educational value, but aside from that, it's harmless entertainment. Any violence is confined to the LilyMu scenes (the superhero show-within-a-show portion of each episode), and characters are not harmed.

  • Role models aren't exactly strong; the characters are two-dimensional, and, for the most part, they're either really high-strung, selfish, or dumb. One exception is the sweet and generous Mitsuki, who has a crush on Mikey and does everything she can to make him feel welcome in his strange surroundings. There is one brief mention of "working as a team," though the show doesn't make a huge effort to drive that point home.
  • Futuristic (probably laser-powered) weapons are fired during the show-within-a-show scenes. No one is struck or injured.
  • In keeping with anime style, one of the female characters wears some skimpy outfits.

What's the story?

Nicktoons' anime series KAPPA MIKEY follows American actor Mikey Simon, who wins the chance to star in the Japanese anime series LilyMu via a scratch-off card contest. Mikey delves into his new gig, suddenly finding himself living in Japan and adored by millions as the series' new superhero. His presence helps revive the show's sagging ratings, but not all of his co-stars are happy to have him around -- particularly the show's former darling, the jealous and petulant Lily. Fellow actors Mitsuki, Gonard, and furry little Guano are a bit more welcoming, helping Mikey adjust to his new life.


Is it any good?

 

If you're looking for substance and strong messages, you'll find them lacking; Kappa Mikey's entertainment value lies more in the constant blur of color and action (and dancing sushi between scenes) rather than the script. The show is also an odd mix of animation styles; to emphasize Mikey's fish-out-of-water situation, the creators made him look very flat and two-dimensional, whereas the other LilyMu cast members are drawn in typical anime style, with their facial features becoming strangely distorted according to their mood. Speaking of those moods, two of the characters, Lily and Guano, often throw screaming temper tantrums, which grates on the nerves after a while.

 

Kappa Mikey might be a bit more engaging if it had stronger plotlines and more likable characters; even Mikey acts like a dumb, inconsiderate college kid at times. The show generates a few laughs here and there, but the mix of animation styles and the high-strung characters are somewhat off-putting.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the characters' attributes. What are their positive and negative traits? How does each one set a good or bad example by his or her behavior? How could Lily moderate her behavior to be more likable? How could Mikey be more considerate of his roommates when he first moves in? How does Ozu create bad feelings between Lily and Mikey, and how could he be more fair and helpful?


This review was written by Larisa Wiseman
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
The Best Show Ever
This show rocked big time! Kappa Mikey is to Best American Anime as The Electric Company is to Best Educational Comedy. It's also fun to record Kappa Mikey episodes with my VCR (the show pops up on Nickelodeon while I'm away at church sadly). The animation feels different, the characters rocked, nice plots, a moral in EVERY episode, and a lot of humor. Much better than Avatar (not funny) and Ben 10 (throw it away, Cartoon Network and bring back the classics you used to air) garbage, those two shows are even worser than Barney, CatDog, and Teletubbies combined. Kappa Mikey is not pointless, it's fun to watch. Record Episodes on Nickelodeon or get Digital Cable/Satellite with the Nicktoons Network (and more) to watch it!!!

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Nick's best show in a while

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Kid, 12 years old
May 1, 2011
 
You should get other things that work as highlights so that people can see how much we like it for its madness.
This is a show about an American TV actor in Japan, and probably one of the greatest examples of "Screwed By The Network" and "Too Good To Last". Yes, Guano in "LilyMu" mode is just like Pikachu. He's supposed to be like that on LilyMu because Guano is supposed a character like Pikachu BECAUSE HE WAS CAST FOR THAT. Lily throws tantrums because she's used to being the star all the time, and Gonard is pretty much a little kid, he doesn't know any better. The reason I put the Educational button on is because this show inspires kids to learn more about Japan, and to learn how to read the signs in the back round, they'll need to learn Kanji.

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Kid, 11 years old
August 26, 2010
 
Eh, OK
I honeslty liek the show know 8/10

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Adult
March 5, 2009
 
Good for Otakus
This show is excelent in my opinion. Okay, the animation lacks sometimes, and it has some problems here and there, but it is still a good choice. The reason why I think so many people have misrated this, is because they hate Anime or haven't watched Anime at all. A lot of the jokes here lies in the Japanese text in signs (Which I noticed, since I know a bit of Japanese) and all those weird expressions... well, they are common in Anime. But they don't overdo the use, like they do in this one... Anyway, people who are "Otakus" or in English, 'Anime and Manga maniacs' will find this quite entertaining. It does often feature camoes of different people from Anime shows in Japan, like Chobits. So... The show will most likely be enjoyable for that type. Both Teens and Adults. It doesn't really have too much violence either, but can still be pretty crude for kids under 7, like the age rating states. So go on, fellow Otakus! Watch it!

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Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
 
the best anime wanna- be you'll ever see!
this series is funny,cool, and has heart warming moments. from the on-off relationship with mikey and mitsuki, to the love-hate relationship with mikey and lily, this show sometimes leaves in a cliff hanger, but usually just solves itself by the end of each 22 minute episode. my favorite episode is "the fugi-kid"

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Mediocre at best...
The plots in this show are terrible, if they exist at all. The jokes aren't that funny and overall, the show looks like a mis-happed hodgepodge of bad cartooning from a tired director. This shames real anime. If you want to see anime, go watch the real thing, not this.

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Teen, 16 years old
April 19, 2009
 
Cute Show
It's a funny show, I really recomend it for kids.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
WHAT KIND OF SHOW IS THIS!

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
THE MOST FUNNIST SHOW IN YEARS
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO WATCH THIS SHOW! THE MOST FUNNIST IS THE YES MAN. I WANDER WHY THEY CALL HIM THE YES MAN? MY FAVORITE EPISODE THE FUGI KID. IN THAT EPISODE THE YES MAN IN ONE PART IS DANCING WITH FRUIT ON HIS HEAD AND SHOWING HIS BELLYBUTON. OF, CORSE THE GOVERMENT AGENT SAW THAT.IF YOU HAVENT WATCH THIS SHOW YET WATCH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This review was written by Larisa Wiseman
This review was written by Larisa Wiseman
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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