RIOTUS

Earlier in the year, I had the privilege to see the first three episodes of the animated series IYANU, produced by Lion Forge Entertainment and Roye Okupe. Based on Okupe’s graphic novel series, Iyanu: Child of Wonder, the series follows the adventures of Iyanu, an orphan teenage girl who lives in the Yoruba-inspired world of Yorubaland. She finds out she has powers and that she’s a chosen one who is tasked with saving Yorubaland from a great evil and healing the land. The show, which airs on Cartoon Network and HBO Max, has the feel of an animated series from the early ’90s in terms of its serialized nature as well as the influence of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The pulling from Nigerian culture and stories makes it feel very unique here in the United States.

The show felt like it had just the right tone for school-aged children, with a story that was interesting enough to keep parents and adults entertained as well. The animation was solid with creative designs of the characters and creatures of this world. The ten-episode season built well to a good season finale, but here I’m going to talk about Iyanu: The Age of Wonders movie, airing on Cartoon Network and HBO Max. Much like animated series in the past, like Thundercats or Justice League, this is more than a special episode; it’s a whole story showing you the backstory of what was before the series started and how things came to be.

This starts with Iyanu (Serah Johnson) and her two friends/companions, Biyi (Okey Jude) and Toye (Samuel Kugbiyi), who are told the story of the Age of Wonders and how Iyanu came to be by Olori (Adesua Etomi-Wellington), an exiled warrior woman who found and raised Iyanu. This framing device works for me because you could watch this without seeing any episodes of the series, and you will understand and get interested in the series from this movie. At a little over an hour long, the pace of the story moves pretty well and has enough action to keep your attention and most likely the kids’ attention. The themes and messages of this story and series are presented clearly without the need to have a PSA at the end of cartoons like they did in the ’80s.

With a break in between seasons of the show, Iyanu: The Age of Wonders is a very solid chapter in the story. It takes me back to shows I grew up on when I was a kid, and I like that there are new shows that can give children that type of feeling of having this great story unwrapping over time. Those types of shows stick with you through to adulthood. I hope people take some time out this holiday weekend and give it a watch for an entertaining hour.