One glance at the premise ofHit-Monkeyand there’s no doubt that the TV series is a little bonkers. However, given the chance, the Marvel animated show proves to be quite an interesting watch, to say the least. In short,Hit-Monkeyis brutal and bloody with humor sprinkled throughout the series, making it quite an enjoyable watch. The show follows Hit-Monkey, a Japanese snow monkey, who teams up with the ghost of an assassin named Bryce to avenge the brutal murder of his entire tribe. One might not expect much from a series that has such an odd premise, but there are various elements inHit-Monkeythat make the show quite enjoyable. Here are some key reasons why you need to see this Hulu animated Marvel show.
A Revenge Story That Will Make You Cry
Hit-Monkeyis one of the last shows developed by Marvel Television before it became part of Marvel Studios. From the very first episode, the seriesestablishes itself as a revenge story. The first episode follows Bryce, an assassin, who is double-crossed on a job and end up getting severely injured. He is rescued and nursed back to health by a group of Japanese snow monkeys. However, Bryce and the group of monkeys ends up dying after Bryce’s attackers find them. One of the monkeys manages to survive and manages to kill the attackers by opening fire on them.
Somehow, the surviving Monkey and Bryce form a connection of sorts. The two decide to track down whoever attacks the two.
For Bryce, this means avenging his own death, but for Monkey this means getting revenge on the people who massacred his whole family. Throughout the series, the audience gets minor glimpses of the trauma both Monkey and Bryce suffered through. It’s in the final episode that this trauma is addressed head-on as the audience sees both Bryce and Monkey on mirroring journeys to finally face their past in full force. For a series that relies quite a lot on humor and action, the final episode is quite serious, and it does well to giveHit-Monkeythe perfect ending.
Hit-Man Monkey’s Relationship with Bryce
In the original comic book, Bryce’s character was unnamed and most of his background is a mystery. However, in Hulu’sHit-Monkey, Bryce is given more of a storyline and character. In fact, his relationship with Monkey is one of the main elements of the show that makes it worth watching. Thedynamics between the twocharacters are actually quite interesting given how different yet alike the two are.
Bryce is a loner, whose life was turned upside down, leaving him with no other choice but to climb down a dark and destructive path. If one thinks about it, Monkey’s life is similar as well. Both characters deal with a great deal of trauma that comes as a result of various violent situations that they had to go through. However, what makes the two different is that while Monkey spends most of his time serious and brooding, Bryce never shuts up. The assassin talks so much that at times one questions how Monkey is able to bear with the constant chatter. As annoying as Bryce may be, one can’t help but root for him. In addition, Bryce is Monley’s mentor. He helps Monkey navigate his way around the human world.
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The Humor is Gold
As mentioned,Hit-Monkeyis filled to the brim with comedic moments. Perhaps, it’s the fact that the show is categorized as an adult-animated series, that it gets away with making some inappropriate jokes that would otherwise have been censored. In addition, a good chunk of the humor comes from Monkey’s relationship with Bryce, with the latter literally being tied to the former with a “ghost leash”, he can’t help but follow the Japanese snow monkey around. The communication barrier between the two leads to some rather comical situations. Bryce speaks to Monkey in English, while the latter either doesn’t respond or does so in the form of grunts and other monkey noises. The audience is left to infer the monkey’s responses based on how Bryce responds. The communication barrier definitely leads to amusing comedic banter.
Marvel Character Cameos
Marvel fans who have also read the comics will be pleasantly surprised by the cameos made by some of theminor characters in the Marvel universe. Throughout the series, Monkey encounters a variety of them in the form of friends and foes. Monkey initially encounters Fat Cobra as a foe when he has to fight against the Kung Fu master in a fighting pit. The two eventually team up to take over the overseer of the pit. Later, nearing the end of the series, Fat Cobra also shows up to help Monkeyfight against Silver Samurai. Monkey also gets help from the ghost of Yuki.
Silver Samurai is another foe that Monkey comes against during the final moments of the show. The former is tasked with the job of protecting the Prime Minister and fights with Monkey to prevent him from causing any harm. Another foe that Monkey encounters from the Marvel comic universe is Lady Bullseye, who constantly tries to kill the monkey assassin.
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The Amazing Cast
Watching Hulu’sHit-Monkeybecomes even more enjoyable when one finds out about the voice actors behind the unforgettable characters. Monkey is voiced by Fred Tatascoire, a star known for voicing a wide variety of characters including Yosemite Sam and Taz fromLooney Tunes, and even Marvel’s Hulk. Bryce is voiced by legendary American actor and comedian, Jason Sudeikis. In fact, Bryce’s character is a little reminiscent of Sudeikis’s role in his last project, which he did beforeHit-Monkey,Ted Lasso. Other notable voice actors include Olivia Munn as Akiko, George Takei as Shinji, and Ally Maki as Haruka.
The Animation Style
Adult animation seems all the rage these days with avariety of western showspremiering such asHarley Quinn,Invincible,Castlevania, andArcane.Hit-Monkeyis another to add to this list. Its animation style differs quite a lot from the series named earlier. The art style ofHit-Monkeyis reminiscent of the art style from the comic book. One can’t help but think of it as a leveled-up version ofolder animated series, such asG.I Joe(1983) orTransformers(1984-1987). Perhaps it’s because of the frame rate, which is slow and at times a bit choppy. Somehow, along with the narrative,Hit-Monkeymakes the unusual animation style work.
