Season 1 – Iyanu

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ajala m @Michhavel Feb 2 Absolute cinema. I loved it 10/10 See more Ash P @AshParth Jul 9 What interests me the most was that this is different from other pieces of media that I had seen when I was a kid was the culture that was used. Actually, it reminds me of how South of Midnight, the game, was like as it centers around Southern American Folklore and the culture works with how magical and musical it can be, despite not being a masterpiece. I could say the same for another game called Tales of Kenzera: Zau, as it surrounds itself with various Bantu cultures. Rather, they are both sleeper hits. Iyanu, originally a graphic novel series, centers around Nigerian and the Yoruba tribe folk. After seeing this series, I was curious about reading the graphic novels whenever I get my hands on it. It's easier said than done that this series has its fair share of flaws, yet still a fun series to watch. The story centers around Iyanu, voiced by Serah Johnson, who is an orphan teenage girl who awakens her powers by accident. Apparently, she is known as "the chosen" by the matriarch of the River lands Settlement, convincing her that she fights for Yorubaland against the forces of evil that were originally sealed away from the age of wonders after their war against her ancestors. Alongside Iyanu's travels are Biyi, voiced by Okey Jude, Toye, voiced by Samuel Kugbiyi, and a black leopard who was corrupted and now purified by Iyanu's powers named Ekun, to travel to where she would conduct her trials and embrace her destiny. Behind them are various animals that are corrupted, a general of the royal guard who is also Toye's father, some of the People of the Deep, and this chancellor who carries a vessel that holds an evil essence of the past, tempting him to take over Yorubaland with an iron fist. The story itself is basic as it's the chosen one's journey while other events are happening such as the corrupted animals causing chaos and the workers of Yorubaland have had enough with lies and want answers from the kingdom. It's nice to see both sides going on, but I couldn't help but think that there were some pacing issues as the series goes. This series has some great chemistry, like the relationship that Olori, voiced by Adesua Etomi-Wellington, shares with Iyanu and the one chancellor, whose reveal was interesting. Olori might be one of my favorite characters. My least would have to be the twins who are on guard duty. They sadly get on my nerves once in a while. The animation is well-animated, yet there are times when it goes stilted. You could tell that they had to cut some corners. However, it's still nice to see how the backgrounds look and the designs of each character's looks based on the culture that influences the series. The world building is amazing with the culture that's surrounded, yet I have to admit that there is more to it than what I've seen. It's technically a minor nitpick of wanting more as well as learning more about the world itself. Also, as the animation goes, I couldn't help but feel that some of the lip movements were also stilted. Like they were talking in Nigeria and had to translate it to English just to make it easier for every viewer. Nothing wrong with that since the voice acting is great, yet some of the dialogue gets hockey every once in a while. The action in this was good, especially with the final fight at the end. The humor in this can be a hit-or-miss, if I have to be honest. There was a teaser that I hope that there will be more to this series than it had shown. This was still a fun series that might as well be labeled as a sleeper hit, that I recommend checking it out if you want something new. Sure, it's kiddy at times, yet it's nice to see something new come out once in a while. And to be fair, plenty of folks had been "begging" for something new to check out, and here is something that's worth checking out. Not perfect, but it was worth a fun time. Again, I might find the graphic novel and check out more of the Child of Wonder's world building, whether this series tied well with the graphic novel. For now, I give Iyanu seven Iyanu hugging Ekun out of ten. 7/10. See more Jacob T Apr 28 This show is not good, the story is not good. See more Kobi Z Apr 25 I wish there was a show like this when I was growing up! See more Read all reviews

Iyanu — Season 1

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