Martin Mystery

I'm not exactly a fan of Martin Mystery, but I think this show is really nice. Only for the exception of too much slime. I understand that it's one of the 'highlights' of the show, just like the stereotypical teenage girls and gadgets of Totally Spies, but I can't get it why it always has to be green and opaque...It's like they don't know that there are other colors of slime and other forms of liquid. Not to mention slime is always in EVERY SINGE Episode of MM...

I also noticed that they don't change clothes. I mean, yeah, cartoons don't usually change clothes and have 23 pairs of each shirt and stuff (Dexter?) but this is like, a 'newish' cartoon made anime-style, so I was thinking add a little wardrobe in it, eh??

Bottomline: Good 6.9/10

The animation is a bit like anime meets the old Spiderman but somehow it works. Sometimes simpler is better. My teenage son and daughter get a big laugh out of every episode and the Martin/Diana relationship is so much like my kids it is creepy! Martin is all teenage boy with girls on the mind and an overactive imagination (er.. think "sock gnomes" being responsible for missing socks). He jumps to conclusions based on limited knowledge and has an unshakable faith in his own opinions; he also has absolutely no clue about acceptable social interaction. He can be a total pain but when it counts he stands up for his step-sister and his friends. Diana is all about doing the right thing and making sure the rules are followed... but the teenage girl in her manages to get out anyways.

Martin and Diana often act like 2 year olds when fighting with each other, and to emphasize the point they get redrawn as immature kids. The effect can be hilarious and my kids love their childish arguments. I don't point out to them how much it matches reality around our place.

The comment someone made about Martin/Diana being incestuous is just totally out to lunch. There really is nothing offensive about this show. Just fun with slime, aliens, weird monsters attacking quiet rural towns, and cursed objects that are found by innocent people. No one is hurt in the end, and Martin usually saves the day despite being such a doofus. And sometimes his bizarre theories ARE correct.

Not sophisticated but provides surprisingly satisfactory entertainment.

BTW: Martin's closet contains several outfits that all look the same. He changes his clothes but not his look.

This show is actually pretty cool. Every episode is short and right to the point. As for DOUG and other old Nick shows, I'm sure many viewers can rehearse every episode line by line. Let NICK air some new cartoons and try something different for a change. Martin Mystery is on late night and does not interfere with any of the Nicktoon network show line-up schedule. This cartoon has very interesting plots and ideas. Its based on an old comic book series with a few differences. (character relationships, Name Changes) I here that it is a big hit in Europe and has many great reviews, with many die hard fans. I myself TiVo all the late night Martin Mysteries, and enjoy the show for it's sometimes corny but interesting stories. I suggest this Cartoon series for any Nick Toons lover, its not a new show, but since it hasn't been aired in most areas of the United States, its new to all of us. So make the decision for yourself and check out an episode or two, its better than watching a million time played over episode of DOUG or any discontinued NickToon.

Monsters and sympathy in a cartoon that is very distantly inspired by an Italian comic of a completely different kind. Although the episodes are totally self-contained and there is no evolution of the characters, this cartoon manages to stand perfectly on its own legs. It is interesting and manages to scare you when you work hard. Martin is a silly, funny but likeable protagonist while Diana and Java are shoulders that work perfectly with their interactions and reactions.

I used to watch this show on the T.V. before I got rid of it. It's a good show, considering that each episode is only like 23 minutes which is a rather tight time frame. There are a few weird things about the show I noticed, like sometimes the animators reuse the same clip, or sometimes they use the clip and run it in reverse. There's also the thing where in the original Martin Mystery comics, Diana is actually Martin's lover, and they are not related. I am unsure as to why they made the two step-siblings in this series, although it was probably to stamp out any temptation to show any chemistry between the two.

However this show is definitely for kids, not that you cannot enjoy it as an adult. The entire show is generally light hearted and not serious, and the show lacks anything that I can really relate to, with a few exceptions like the disappointed father, although as the series goes on if you watch enough episodes, you do become a bit attached to the characters. There is nothing serious relationship wise as I mentioned already, since the show is aimed at children they probably just took that aspect out which makes sense. But with this said, the show is aimed at being a fun mystery/horror type show and it delivers just that. The suspense is well paced and the violence is minimal. Most of the time it's the leading up to whatever monster is causing the trouble that is more interesting than Martin and his team actually confronting the problem.

However being the kind of person I am, I look a bit too hard into the show. I'm not sure if this is intended but I can't help but feel kind of bad for Martin and Diana, especially Martin. Here is a teenager who goes to school and works a job. He saves lives and yet he's a total reject, as in all the girl's thinks he's some type of creep. And whenever he saves the girls that he likes, they just get memory wiped and they hate him again. And somehow, Martin keeps up a chipper attitude, seldom ever showing any signs of being sad. He does have friends, but they seem extremely minimal, and although Diana and Martin do care for each other as siblings, I find it hard to believe that they would ever offer each other any emotional support. The writers might not have been aiming for this, I'm not sure, but although the characters have kind of shallow personalities, if you look past the surface they seem quite a bit more deep and complex. But it is just a show, and I'm very sure I'm looking way too hard.

Bottom line is this is a show you would watch for entertainment purposes only, but you may be presently surprised by it, like I was, and if you can make the show deeper then it might actually be, like I did, it really rounds out nicely and you will be a bit sad the series are no longer airing.