Three Delivery (Nicktoons)

In the heart of Chinatown sits Wu's Garden Chinese restaurant, whose unremarkable exterior belies the extraordinary things that go on inside. It's here that three teens train under Nana (voiced by Nancy Wu), an expert in martial arts and Eastern magic. With the help of her apprentices, Nana must locate the contents of a magic cookbook long since scattered by the evil Kong Li (Lex Woutas), who wants to use the recipes in the book to destroy the force field that protects the city and wreak havoc on the people there. Only through their mastery of kung fu can Sue (Stephanie Sheh), Sid (Johnny Bosch), and Tobey (Robby Sharpe) defeat Kong Li and ensure Chinatown's continued safety.

It's clear that the creators of THREE DELIVERY realized there's nothing particularly original about the concept of average-teens-turned-superheroes who, despite their age and worldly inexperience, manage to undermine a villain's best-laid plans. So the show attempts to distinguish itself from its peers with the concept of the magical cookbook -- its recipes can awaken mythical dragons and brew exponentially multiplying batches of soup that envelope entire towns. True, it rates high on the hokey scale for adults, but it's the stuff young tweens -- especially adventure-loving boys -- probably will enjoy.

That said, the show is so rooted in fantasy that it could send mixed messages to younger viewers. Martial-arts style fighting is central to the plot and serves as the main means of conflict resolution -- and none of it results in realistic injury. The teens fly solo in battles against Kong Li and his minions, and (as per usual in cartoons) the good guys always win. One bright spot in this otherwise so-so cartoon is its attempt to expose viewers to aspects of the Chinese culture by referencing Chinese phrases, celebrations, food, and mythology. And it has a strong female lead in Sue, who's a worthy kung fu fighter but also relies on her book smarts to undermine the enemy.