Review: Dinosaur King on the CW
CW Network Picks Up the Second Season of 4Kids' Dinosaur King
Oct 13, 2008
With the CW Network's 4Kids Saturday morning, the station picked up the second season of Dinosaur King. The first season aired on Fox when it had the 4Kids lineup, but viewers who missed the first season will not be completely in the dark. The show is easy to pick up, and it's so similar to other gaming anime such as Pokemon and Bakugan Battle Brawlers, that unless the viewers are into dinosaurs, most will prefer the former shows anyway.
Dinosaur King is Pokemon with Dinosaurs
For those who missed the first season on Fox, here's a basic summary. The anime is of the gaming genre and is quite the combination of Bakugan and Pokemon with dinosaurs. (It doesn't help that the Dinosaur King cast has some of the same voice acting talent from Pokemon.) Three friends -- Max, Zoe, and Rex -- discover some cards with dinosaur pictures and then discover how to summon the dinosaurs in the cards to life. These dinosaurs are little cutsie chibi versions of dinosaurs who can transform into the giant, well known forms of these prehistoric reptiles. In addition, when the dinos morph into their giant counterparts, they have elemental powers quite similar to the powers of a Pokemon.
The Alpha Gang is a band of villains who are trying to harness the powers of these dinosaurs for their own selfish ends. The heroic trio, calling themselves the D-Team, set out to collect all of the dinosaur cards so that one of them may be crowned the coveted title of Dinosaur King and to save the world from the Gang.
Unattractive Animation Style
Most of the animation is in the typical anime style and two-dimensional format. However, the dinosaurs, when in their battle forms, are displayed in three-dimensional animation. While this style is sometimes successful, this is one of the cases where it is decidedly not. The dinosaurs look as if they have been cut and pasted from an entirely different show. It would be very easy for a child to determine what does not belong amongst the rest of the brightly colored, two-dimensional animation.
Only Appeal is the Educational Value
Young children may enjoy this show for the education about paleontology, but that's probably it. If anyone wants to watch an anime about saving the world with fun little creatures, there is always Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Pokemon. Not to mention that the script and plot is quite a bit better in both Bakugan Battle Brawlers and any Pokemon show.
Dinosaur King airs on the CW every Saturday morning at 11 a.m. EST.
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