A surf-rock band I recall running across in the mid-1990s, The Aquabats have been reborn as superheroes in these utterly insane adventures, drawing more influence from ’70s-era Asian monster matinees à la Infra-Man than anything else.
In
each half-hour, our costumed quintet fights some rubber-suited creature
(Manant and the Floating Eye of Death among them), stumbles upon a
cartoon short (starring themselves, natch) and rocks out.
Lather, rinse,
repeat. Wallowing playfully in absurdity, it has all the depth of an
Internet meme, yet all its viral infection.
Shout!
Factory’s two-disc set rounds up all 13 episodes of the inaugural
season, adding up to a cathode-ray experience so colorful and energetic,
kids won’t appreciate it properly.
They just don’t know how good they
have it; I would’ve sold off one of my younger sibs to see this show in
1979. —Rod Lott
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