As a cartoon lover, this show is definitely on my radar. After Netflix pulled off an amazing second and final season of Arcane and with the final season of The Dragon Prince coming before Christmas, I thought why not give this show a watch. If anything, Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld is not getting that much attention even before it's release - and it needs to because this series is absolutely good. I was expecting this to at least be decent, but it didn't need to go that far and entertain me so much.
For starters, Jentry Chau is a solid protagonist. She reminds me of Mei from Turning Red in which a curse has been brought down upon her which is fire power. And now, it's up to her on how she would be able to master them by not only fighting off evil creatures from the other side, but also trying her best to live a very normal high school life. I bought Jentry's personality and rooted for her whenever she is at an emotional low or trying to use the fire powers cursed on her for good.
The characters that assist her, Ed and Gugu, were great. At first, I was annoyed by Ed gives off Mister Mxyzptlk vibes from My Adventures with Superman. But as the show went on, the friendship that was formed between Jentry and Ed was real. Gugu, on the other hand, was a really interesting character. While I see her as someone trying to protect Jentry from understanding her past, you can't help but see where she is coming from as an aunt to her. She is not just one-sided character at all and that's what makes her so interesting.
The love interests, Kit and Michael were good enough as their interactions towards Jentry creates drama and tension, making it some sort of a love triangle. That being said, this isn't something that is being stretched out and just goes straight to the point. In terms of character, Kit was fascinating because of his dual side and how he relates to Jentry. However, even Michael also has problems in figuring out who he wants to be in life and that bodes well to Jentry too. There was a part of him that was left unexplained which is a flaw to his character but Michael still works nonetheless.
The show had a rough first episode. It had to set up everything regarding how Jentry realizes the curse, what is going on with Gugu, the reason needing to come back to where she came from and Jentry at least having control over her powers. But as the show went on in episodes two to five, it already found its footing and the pacing was consistent. But the highs were definitely in six to ten that did make me very emotional at times. I thought it was already over. But once I got to episode eleven to thirteen, it basically wrapped the story up as well as the character arcs for Jentry and even Gugu. It was really satisfying.
Don't get me started by the way when it comes to references because not only it gave off Star vs. The Forces of Evil vibes, it also had a lot of anime, specifically Naruto and even certain episodes that feels like Jujutsu Kaisen and even Parasyte: The Maxim. It also had some K-pop in early episodes like NCT 127. Also, each episode having a song was really cool to boost the action sequences and the animation was good, especially whenever the action scenes kick in.
For a show aimed at 10 years old and above, Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld did not hold back with the violence. Like characters being stabbed and eaten by monsters, the stakes were actually real which does make you care for Jentry and her friends, hoping that none of them would get hurt.
So yeah, Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld is definitely worth the watch, a recommendation to cartoon fans who just want to watch a good cartoon series.
