The Cuphead Show Review: An Incredibly Charming Throwback
By: Jonathan Belmonte
I just finished watching Season One of The Cuphead Show, which is available to watch on Netflix right now. I was very much looking forward to the show since the trailers looked so promising. And I gotta say, I absolutely loved it! It definitely exceeded my expectations in every way. Only problem is that after I was done watching its 12 episode season, I was craving more of Cuphead and Mugmans antics.
The show is based off the popular video game (which was also fantastic) and stars Cuphead and Mugman, two brothers who live in the Inkwell Isles getting into trouble and living out their daily lives. It’s an incredibly simple premise, but I think it’s all the better for it. So many cartoons nowadays aim to have complex lore and stories with rich themes, which is fine. I love some of those cartoons. But it’s refreshing to see The Cuphead Show take an episodic approach to its storytelling. In fact it makes it feel more like the 30’s cartoons it derives inspiration from. Serialized storytelling just wouldn’t work well for a whole show using these characters. Unless it directly adapted the storyline of the game 1 to 1, which I don’t think would’ve been as fun. Some of these storylines feel familiar, but the execution of them is what matters and the show executes them greatly. They’re mostly simple but effective. It’s the characters personalities that make these situations enjoyable for the most part. That and the various references sprinkled throughout.
Of course, the biggest draw to this show is the animation. The video games distinct art style was mesmerizing, perfectly capturing the aesthetic of old 30’s cartoon with its grainy hand drawn visuals. The Cuphead Show also attempts to pay tribute to these old cartoons, but in a unique way. You can tell the animation is digital, but the old fashioned character designs, wild movements, a film grain effect and more all contribute to it capturing the essence of those cartoons. Even the backgrounds are watercolor paintings. It’s not quite as accurate to the era as the game, but that’s forgiven as a show requires a lot more animation to be done. It’s still incredibly eye-catching and smooth. I absolutely loved how the visuals looked, and I still don’t understand how people were complaining about how this show looked. It was stunning.
However there’s more to enjoy about the series besides it’s dazzling visual flair. The Cuphead Show really just embraces that it’s a silly cartoon, and I love it for that. The two main characters are a delight to watch. The banter between them is very entertaining to watch unfold. They are fairly simple archetypes, Cuphead being the daring and energetic brother and Mugman being the more reserved and cautious one. However it never bothered me because the writing is so much fun. In fact, all the characters here are enjoyable in their own ways. The two main brothers are a blast to watch of course, but you also have unexpectedly funny additions like Elder Kettle. I didn’t expect much out of him, and he didn’t get that much screen time but he turned out to be hilarious mainly due to Joe Hanna’s performance. Especially in his dedicated episode Dirt Nap.
In fact this is a very character based comedy show. When coming in you might expect more slapstick (which there is still quite a bit of) but what you’ll get is a lot of very funny dialogue. It’s not quite what I expected, but I am not complaining in the slightest. Other noteworthy additions are King Dice, The Devil and Ms. Chalice. King Dice only gets one episode to shine here, which is a bit disappointing, but in that one episode Wayne Brady brings an admirable performance to the table. King Dice is a very slick, devious character and Wayne Brady nails it here. Some might have expected his voice to be a bit deeper but I personally think it fits perfectly. His dynamic with Cuphead was shortlived but fun. Ms. Chalice also get’s one episode to star in but proves herself to be a nice foil to the brothers. She is sort of a straight man character but also a far more dangerous individual than both of them, getting into lots of trouble. It’s an interesting dynamic, and I’m excited to see more of this trio in the future. Especially after the cliff hanger in Season One.
But of course, I have to mention probably the most talked about character… The Devil. The Devil could’ve been a very generic deep voiced villain who was just out for blood. But no, the show decided to take his character and turn it into something way better. The Devil (played by Luke Millington-Drake) is utterly flamboyant in the way he acts and speaks, and he doesn’t feel threatening at all. His obsession with collecting souls is portrayed as comedic and not evil. His dynamic with other characters such as Henchman or Stickler especially is incredibly hilarious. He’s just an absolute joy to watch, and while his characterization is nothing like the game, I really do love this spin they put on him. I honestly think it’s way more entertaining. He’s definitely a stand-out performance and character here. He provides some of the best comedic moments in the entire show.
All in all, these fantastic characters combined with absurdist comedy, fun storylines and a gorgeous animation style all create an incredibly entertaining cartoon that just wants you to have fun for a couple of minutes. It’s not concerned with complex lore or messages. It’s a silly cartoon that completely embraces it’s own identity and I think that’s something to be appreciated in this day and age. I really enjoyed The Cuphead Show and I highly recommend you watch this show as well. If you like the video game, or feel like watching some refreshingly weird cartoons than you’re in luck. The Cuphead Show is streaming now on Netflix.
Final Score
9/10