Television Review: Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this cartoon series is based on a
popular Nintendo video game character. While he looks cuddly
and pink, Kirby is a star warrior-in-training and gets into at
least one skirmish per episode. There are scary voices and
situations that show the main characters in peril. Young
children may be upset by some of the booming, spooky sounds and
alarming images of monsters -- preview this one first.
Families can talk about the franchising of products. Why do you
think the producers of this TV show wanted to make a program
about a popular video game character? Do you watch other shows
with characters you've come to know through merchandise? What
book character would make a good TV star?
KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA! is based on the original video game and its characters: Kirby (voiced by Makiko Ômoto), Tiff (Kerry Williams), Tuff (Kayzie Rogers), King Dedede (Ed Paul), and many others. In each episode, Kirby and the "good guys" happen upon a problem. The bad guys (King Dedede and various sidekicks and monsters) put Kirby and his friends into danger, but in the end, Kirby saves the day with his special powers as a star warrior-in-training.
Casual viewers unfamiliar with the video games are likely to be puzzled by the plot, as well as by the characters and their relationships to one another. And while the show does sometimes make a stab at weaving in some educational content, but it doesn't really work. In one episode, for example, the storyline uses archeology as a way of learning about history. While, on the face of it, such information sounds interesting and potentially educational, in this case it's just a lame attempt to make a program that's really about anime characters who like to fight monsters (and each other) look smarter than it actually is.
Between the program itself and the commercials that interrupt it continually, Kirby feels like one continuous ad campaign peppered with animated violence and plots that make little sense. Kirby's pink ball body is a perfect metaphor for the entire show: pure, empty fluff.
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