This is another one of my favorite animated shows of all time and once again another show that has flown under the radar. It wasn't really overlooked it did hit the target, but sadly it just didn't hit hard enough and became another slightly forgotten gem.
It's another one of those in the anamorphic sub-genre of animation but it's one of the best in my book. Really like the premise, it's sort of a mix of both "Batman" and "Top Gun" and both are an awesome mix as this show is basically a mix of different genres neo noir, super sentai and gearhead action. The animation is great I really love the use of the dark coloring which make the city a place of mystery as well as danger in almost every corner. But I also like the character animation making the felines humanoid as well as some of the monsters and opposition they must face. Though the best animation peace is the S.W.A.T. jet itself which is just awesome, I'll explain more latter.
The character are cool, the S.W.A.T. Kats duo are awesome they really go together their sort of the brains and brawns dynamic; much like other duos through the years that despite on the fence with each other they work well together like Raphael and Michelangelo from "TMNT" or even Mr.T. and Murdoc from "The A-Team.
Jake/Razor is awesome, he's my favorite character in the show as he's the hot shot aggressive type that is always itching to fight and never backs down. He has some of the best lines along with his buddy.
Chance/T Bone is just as cool. His character is sort of like Donatello, as he's sort of the brainy type. Whom is always coming up with the strategies depending on the situations as well as inventive for the weapons for their jet and ground.
Felina is awesome she's another favorite female animated protagonist, I know that a lot of fans had a crush on the character Calie but for me it was Felena. I always found her hot in physical, professional, and persona. From that white streak on her hair kind of like Rogue from "X-Men" but I love the fact she can kick ass, hold her own against danger so she's not a stereotypical damsel in distress unlike Calie whom is; things like this make me wonder why the hell is Razor wasting time crushing on Calie personally I felt Felina is a better match for him and maybe that would of happened had another season been made. The only disappointments is never seen her wear anything else other than her paramilitary uniform and another is she's not in the show enough which is one weak point of the show, as I said had there been another season maybe we would have had a little more of her.
Even the villains are solid and memorable, my favorite villain in this show is Dark Kat whom is another honorable mention in animated villains. He's sort of the kind of villain/super villain you'd see in Marvel's "Doctor Strange" as he's basically just the typical evil sourcer trying to take over the world, but I don't mind it's really in the execution that makes him stand out as he's fully of menace and memorable lines. I love the fact the S.W.A.T. Kats are pitted against a villain like this which is something different, in a way it's basically the motif on science versus mysticism.
But of course, what really powers the show are some of the stories and the action itself. The stories are suppringly very well written, some of them are typical fun fare however not all of them are fun and games and there are some that are dark and series. One of my favorite episodes is when Razor loses his edge after a disastrous mission that almost got an innocent killed and makes him question weather he's worthy to continue on.
The action is great, from some of the ground assault sequences. But of course, the real high liner is the aerial action, I really love how they captured the illusion of flight perfectly and is just fast hitting action. I remember seeing that jet in action, I wanted to fly that jet. I really love the weapons they use on that jet which are creative and inventive enough to make even Q from James Bond or Batman envious. Like missiles that emit electro wave or other missiles when they detonate expel out a special kind of cement. And plenty of other kinds of weapons I don't want to give away you just have to see them yourself. Really love the battles against some of the giant monsters they are sometimes pitted against, much like the giant battles you would see in "Power Rangers" and "Voltron Legendary Defender".
Even the music is awesome, has a high octane vibe that fits this show, really like both theme songs that are on my honorable mention list of favorite themes but cool all the same.
Personally, I'd love a revival go into darker mature territory, maybe even actually get some depth as to how both our protagonists became jet fighter pilots and became vigilantes. Or even a series of animated movies I see no reason why Hanna Barbara can't it would be a nice break for the company to make a film based on their other properties. Or better yet a comic book continuation from DC Comics since they have some rights to Hanna Barbara, why not; it's a thought anyway.
S.W.A.T. Kats flies high and hits.
Rating: 4 stars
