Monkie Kid Season 5 Transcends Being A Lego Show

[@wumplepuff]

minor disclaimer, i'm pretty sad about the animation of season 5. To me, it really does feel like it lacks a core part of the show's identity, which was the animation quality. I completely empathize with anyone who feels similarly. I also realize that you do say some nice things about the new team in this video, most of which I watched after I began writing. That being said, I still think what I have to say is important, especially because I feel you've made some factual errors about wildbrain. I hope this comment helps to provide context on the projects that wildbrain has taken on in the past. Wildbrain is not "not well versed in 2D", and to imply that flying bark's animation quality was just so incredible that no other studio could possibly replicate that, doesnt sit right with me. because in a way it implies that the animators at wildbrain are simply not as good as those at flying bark. The reality is, wildbrain DOES do 2D, and they don't do it badly. On top of that, LMK mostly did hand drawn animation up until season 5, which is the main reason for it looking this different. For season 5, it seems really like they were rushed, tbh. they had to use puppet rigs, and for the vehicles tended to rely on 3D that looked a bit unfinished. That doesn't mean that the choice of animation studio was inherently wrong. corners get cut when there is not enough time to meet a deadline and produce a product of the same quality. The fact is that season 5 as it is, is the job they were hired to do, and they delivered. these are artists who know what they're doing. In my honest opinion, I don't think season 5 is a good example of what these animators are most likely VERY capable of. I'm hoping personally, that in the future they will have more time to produce a more polished product, like what we're more used to. (assuming they continue to animate for the show) If they are given the resources and time, I'm very optimistic that the animation will end up being more like seasons 1-4. Of course, maybe i'm horribly wrong, but my point does still kind of stand, that season 5 is a bad point to judge these animators off of, and saying things like "this studio ONLY does 3D" really screams to me that you didn't even try to look at this studio's history. (alongside you calling them "wildbarn" the whole time, lmao.) PLENTY of their projects are 2D. for reference, here are some clips of 2D projects they've done work on, that i think look really nice: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHmpma17pLGNj6M (carmen sandiego) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGSYnJRoh9KVoaM (lucy's school) kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2Wrp2CiqtN5pKs (lucy's school) kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3_Po6B4jL5la7M (the proud family, louder and prouder) and here's their wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WildBrain_Studios finally, I think this video does a decent job at explaining why there was very likely huge pressure to release season 5 in the summer of 2024: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGW4l5ueqpZ_g8U In the end, I think if anything holds back future LMK from looking as good as it did with flying bark, it may be the culture of the studio to favour just doing exactly what is asked of them, nothing more, and nothing less. Not the animator's familiarity with 2D.

[@MegaManiacs]

@wumplepuff I think in many ways you misunderstood what I was trying to say in the video. The animation team is absolutely fantastic and did a great job with the season in many ways. The point I and many others are making is that for a new studio just jumping into an already existing show, it's really difficult to emulate that style, especially because it's so unique. I do agree with you that if they had more time, it'd look a lot better, but in no way, i wanted to say that flying bark are the only ones that could do that animation style because that's simply not true and I'm sorry if it came out that way. I will take the hit for saying "wild barn," and that's completely my bad. Even though I might not agree with everything, this comment says you do bring up some valuable points that I failed to bring up in the video

[@wumplepuff]

@@MegaManiacs From my perspective, my comment was intended to address two things, one was what seemed to be a misunderstanding of what projects wildbrain has taken on in the past. This was the kind of "wildbrain is primarily known for 3D, not 2D animation" idea, which is just not really accurate. I've seen this one sentence get said by *a lot* of people, not just you, and I suppose my frustration kind of bubbled over here. I apologize for that. The other was a general sentiment that no studio could produce animation to the quality of flying bark. for this point, I want to clarify, I was not trying to accuse you of feeling this way, though in retrospect it does sound like that's what I'm implying. In fact, I think you definitely didn't mean to say that. This second part was fully something I've seen from others in the community, not you at all. I guess I was hoping if I mentioned it in the comment, people who do carry that sentiment might come across it and focus their frustration less at the new team and more at the circumstances in general. I really don't harbour any ill-will towards your video or you at all, and I'm sure if there were any major miscommunications they were on my end. I tend to have trouble writing in a way that always makes sense, so I hope this reply doesn't come off wrong in any way, I mainly just wanted to clear up the misconception that wildbrain is more well known for 3D animation, when they actually do all kinds of things.

[@spacecowboy7148]

A slight copy paste of my comment; As for the comments about the fight scenes and animation, there are some stiff moments that don't particularly match up with the music, however you cannot be expected to get everything perfectly handled on crunch time with 8 sets to show in the show. Now that a season 6 has been greenlit with only 2 sets next year it should be better for the new production team to get more under their belt and properly adjust. Feasibly the animation team was not given enough time to iron out the kinks to the new season and some of it is more noticeable, however the actual transition from season 4 to season 5 does NOT show a decrease in GENERAL quality of the animation even WITH the crunch time. The artists worked on Carmen Sandiego and Ninjago for crying out loud. They are NOT a bad studio by no means and they DO have good work when given the proper time, however even when using both shows as examples, both of those ALSO had had crunch time. So it's NOT the studio's fault, it was an executive decision made for the health of the project so it may continue the story. The writing and the work behind it has still kept to the par of the previous seasons and was executed fairly well. Given that FlyingBark worked on TMNT: Rise they had previous works in that field but that doesn't discount what WildBrain has to offer with their own works. They do GOOD.

[@TARRSS]

Yeah the previous seasons let the bar too high, not complaining tho

[@Commenter3726]

Season 5 for me, felt less fluid and quick in the animation style. Its still a good season, especially the end and how the writing team had been cooking up with only 11 minute episodes with a 40 minute special but the animation style also held most of the uniqueness Wish it did have more time but this isnt what we got but this still did justice to the source material and i hope they still keep it that way

[@Hooflepof]

season 5 had me gagging, choking, crying, rolling on the floor, screaming. it felt a bit rushed to me, but it's still a good season overall. I have a personal grudge against Xiangliu (nine-headed demon) for ruining wholesome moments and stuff, from what I have seen of the English dub the VAs had bills to PAY. Wukong's scream when MK was about to sacrifice himself I felt it in my bones dawg. pretty good season, I wouldn't have minded if it ended here but I won't be sad if we get another, this is a pretty good video as well, hope to see more from you dawg

[@afrofaeries]

REALLL SEAN SCHEMMEL AND JACK DE SENA ATE THIS SEASON UP

[@MegaManiacs]

I could definitely see how it felt rushed. And yeah, I didn't talk about it in the video, but the voice actors absolutely killed it in this season, which really made the emotional moments hit that much harder. That scene where MK fights wukong near the end when he's trying to sacrifice himself... man, did that get me tearing up, lol

[@deathmastersful]

The jokes were funny and perfectly timed. The lessons were amazing and the ending was perfect. I especially love how the reacted to the budget cuts. Cause they practically said “fine, less money won’t stop us. We’ll cut corners only in the animation. Not the writing”

[@ARandomPersonWhosOnTheInternet]

Sean Shemmel’s screaming in that scene,, omg???? My throat hurts just listening to that, he has his bills and groceries payed for weeks just from that

[@killerqueen5633]

Sean Schemmel put his whole Schemmel in that scene change my mind

[@infiniteoctopaw]

The voice acting in this show. This season- no one slept. This season made me want to vomit (in a good way), which had me stressed on that good angst.

[@TheJaredPunch]

There is no denying that the voice acting carried this season hard. Sean Schemmel’s performance as MK was about to enter the pillar reminds me of why he was my favorite actor in the first place. And getting Matthew Mercer involved. Chef’s kiss. 13:55 that group hug with MK, and Mei calming MK down was again, 💋 I love the found family trope, and that moment really shows why.

[@MegaManiacs]

Yeah, dude, the voice acting from everyone was fantastic. It also helped how good the writing was. Some of my favorite lines are when MK is battling with his other form. "Harbinger of chaos" gave me chills that line went so hard

[@goldengrove5880]

I think the Nine Headed Demon is a character that'll get explored on later in season 6, because he said he can go in and out of choas freely now, but i think well find out later

[@MegaManiacs]

Yeah, even though I didn't like him much in this season, I hope we see more of him so his character can get fleshed out more

[@squiddlethief]

oh mannn you have no idea how much you’re doing gods work by posting a positive video on the season i loved season five, i think it’s below 3 and 4 but still so so incredible. i could get into the weeds about the hand holding scene and the glance between wukong and macaque, or my perception on how the aftermath of s5 could be seen as a metaphor for the aftermaths of people struggling with mental health and almost doing something, i could go on and on and on about the communication (or lack thereof) between swk and mk i think s5 took s4 and built on it beautifully and organically while still bringing up the numerous elephants in the room. lmk has been so special to me since s4 first aired and i’ve known abt it since the s3 specials and it’s been over a year since then and it still means so so much to me. having a show that delves into deep and dark topics in a way that is heart wrenching and interesting and fun, a protagonist that is very expressive and open abt his trauma, and a kickass story with characters that have been beloved for centuries (even longer than that in someone like nezha’s case) i’m so glad that s5 is receiving an appropriate reception from some people and i’m so hopeful that s6 continues to build on the things that makes mk as a protagonist and lmk as a whole so beautifully written.

[@MegaManiacs]

Yeah, dude, same. After watching it for a video last year, it's become one of my favorite shows. Because by not restricting itself by being a Lego show, it's able to obtain a perfect balance between light-hearted fun and gut-wrenching emotional moments. Here's to hoping season 6 will be just as good!

[@misc9872]

season five had me questioning if i was even watching a kids show 😭

[@claudius3359]

Lol yeah,I feel like I'm being tricked to watch a tragedy disguised as a kid's show

[@Purpleprinceblood]

I think most of the problems i have with season 5 is just that it feels rushed. The ending, the villians, it just doesnt feel done. I'm hoping we dont get season 6 for a while, because i want this show to end well. I want season 6 to have time for wild brain to get a feel for the characters, time for the story to develop, time for the plot to stew. I think season 6 should be the end, and the minimum being season 7. Nothing after that.

[@MegaManiacs]

I completely agree 100%. I would absolutely hate if this show were to drag on endlessly, so ending it in either season 6 or 7 would definitely be the right call

[@maddiemare5093]

They relied on flashbacks from the previous seasons too much that anytime they cut back to the current animation I got total whiplash each time.

[@critter_core]

Yeah, they reminded us of how good the animation was ;w; They should have done re-dos of the flashbacks but in their style, so it wouldn't pull you out so quick, but I get that'd be more work. It'd just fit better

[@brickdragon7131]

22:22 The thing is, you can just tell that the nine headed demon isn’t really the big bad sure he was the antagonist for the season but it’s cleared that he wasn’t the main big bad like Lady Bone Demon just just like DBK and spider queen set up the lady bone demon. He’s now set up the next big bad, which is whatever it’s inside the chaos. And I wouldn’t say he came out of nowhere because he was the one that release Azure, the one who woke up MK, and also he did it set up a new little mystery especially when he was talking to MK near the end of episode 10 he said “he’s winning “and also He’s met Wu Kong before in the past, but Wu Kong doesn’t remember which is strange because it’s clearly that he hasn’t told everything that he knows.

[@MegaManiacs]

When I say he "came outta nowhere" I don't mean story wise because obviously he was a huge part of the story since the beginning. My main problem is the lack of screen time for him. For a character this important I expected a little more from him. I really hope we don't move onto someone else in season 6 because as much as I didn't care much for him in this season the potential he has as a character is still huge and I'd love to be proven wrong and him end up being a fantastic villain

[@claudius3359]

@@MegaManiacs I agree with you.I often feel like the writing departement is also as rushed as the animation and it results in the season's pacing being too fast.And I think the pacing is the reason why I don't quite get NHD's motives without rewatching. Idk if it's just me,but I feel like they should've at least put a clue about Zhuanlun Wang being NHD so it feels less like something they pulled out of nowhere.Some Chekhov's gun stuff.

[@faithamao3565]

Season 5 definitely proved to never knock it before you try it. Though the animation was a different team, they improved, and you see it as the episodes progressed. And the story line had me gasping and smiling. Seasons 2(mid way) to season 3 is my fav, but season 5 probably just changed my mind. Even the voice acting was probably its best ever in the series with this season. I genuinely cant wait for the next season because they really put the effort in this season.

[@kiksogue]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that the main villain could've been handled better. I tried my best to care for him, but I just couldn't. This is a personal opinion, but I feel like it would've been cool to see Azure come back in this season, as when he restored the world and got rid of the cracks, he died. Since the cracks have returned, I thought it would've been cool to see him come back as well, as if he had a connection with them.

[@maycealamasi346]

I cried for the show, which was a first time, THREE TIMES IN FACT! so insane

[@creep9266]

I just hope we get one final season that focuses on the chaos and the new world MK created. A season that has the final villain being the chaos or something. Or maby make Maquaces past with Sun Wukong the main plot or make Maquaces deal the main thing. I just want to know what happend to Maquace and where his powers come from. I think you could tell one final story but not more without turning the show into ninjago

[@MegaManiacs]

For sure. And for macaque, I definitely agree we need to see more of his past, the bits and pieces we got in season 3/4 were fantastic and I'd love to see more of that

[@creep9266]

@@MegaManiacs The Nine headed Demon spoke from a deal. So Maquace probably realy made a deal with someone maby the chaos or the quy Nine headed demon mentiont. Maby Maquace becomes possessd by the chaos or this evil guy and becomes the main villain

[@creep9266]

Wups I spelled guy wron sorry😅

[@GameMaster-sh7tr]

Season 5 was the first time I ever cried watching this show. Like the final episodes had me in straight I had to pause several times to get myself together

[@wolfiethe2nd]

Yea it hurt a lot

[@kiriiaa]

UR ACCENT IS SO CUTE! But yeah, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with your opinions, sure the animation is different, but not bad, and I also agree that by season 6 they will improve a lot more, also I heard lego actually told them to use rigging instead of actual by hand animation because they didn't have time, maybe by season 6 they will get to hand animate, all me need to do really is give them some more time, we have to be patient, and with the amazing storyline still being held up its going to be AMAZING!

[@MegaManiacs]

Thank you! And yeah, it would make sense that Lego told them to animate with rigs to save time. Even so, I'm sure the animation will only get better from here!

[@kiriiaa]

Agreed!

[@dragon-Knight546]

TRUE also he's right your accent fire...in a good way I promise ^^"

[@MegaManiacs]

Thanks lol ​@dragon-Knight546

[@claudius3359]

29:22 Meanwhile Flying Bark doing the next chapter is the reason why we're left with Wildbrain's animation at all lol I kinda agree & disagree with your last segment though.I agree that the show shouldn't drag out their story & end it when it's time.But that is not now,since there is still a lot of things left untold,unlike Gravity Falls' Weirdmageddon or ATLA's Book of Fire.For example,we still haven't known much about Macaque and I don't think we're gonna end the show with Celestial Realm without a leader & only leaving us with Nezha & Li Jing.Plus it's just weird we haven't seen important characters like...oh I dunno,Jade Emperor's literal wife who controlled the five stones,controls calamities and owns the peach orchard that Wukong robbed. And I don't think they'll run out of stories to the point of repeating them very soon either.And if they do repeat stories/formulas,then they're wasting a good source material since JTTW has 100 chapters.Not to mention other cultural/mythical stuff you can connect it with,like Nüwa here that I don't remember being mentioned explicitly or involved greatly in the novel,she is mentioned more in detail in another literature called "Classic of Mountains & Seas".

[@claudius3359]

Ok maybe not 'literal' wife since it differs from one version to another

[@MegaManiacs]

You are very much right in many ways. I definitely think there's still a lot to cover I just hope it'll be done right (which i have 100% faith it will be with this team). I just hope this show gets a great ending that raps up all the storyline nicely without having anything dragged out

[@strekozaanims7124]

It's NOT a miracle that WildBrain could do 2D animation this good. Their 2D animation is ALWAYS about this good and they DO have experience in 2D animation. They worked on Carmen Sandiego reboot, the snoopy show and strawberrie shortcake show. Just because they do hybrid rig and frame by frame animation and not high end frame by frame animation like flying bark, doesn't mean they are inexperienced in 2D. They just specialize in a more time saving technics.

[@MegaManiacs]

@strekozaanims7124 let me clarify it's a miracle that it looks so good despite them being new to the show and the time constraints. For the time they were given, it looks absolutely fantastic, and I say that in the video. Despite having a lot against them, they managed to make something peak, and it just goes to show how passionate the team really is.

[@NemoCrumpetJoe]

in the 2nd episode, after Macaque got locked in the prison little house thing (forgor what it's called) One of the hooded guys had a little evil villain laugh moment. I think that was them trying to hint at him being a Xiangliu? I can see it now, after finishing the season, but i feel like that would've been a great moment for them to add some more information or hinting at the nine-headed demon. Just an idea.

[@MegaManiacs]

Yeah, I would have definitely loved to see some more build-up for the nine headed deamon. As much as I didn't care for his character in this season, I hope they build on him more in later seasons

[@claudius3359]

It's a Pagoda.And I think it's still lacking & confusing since it's so unclear what exactly the show is turning Nine-Headed Demon into that makes him powerful enough to usurp the Kings of Hell,personally 🤔

[@keilasanchez1518]

Red son also needs more screen time because why give me this fun character and then rip him away.

[@shade1elispe369]

I feel like season 5 follows the same pattern of the previous seasons. Like with LBD, in season one she was an unknown force and knew little about. In season two, we actually she her and get insight into her big goal/main plan. Season three is when everything is on full display and she finally gets defeated. I think the nine headed dragon is meant to follow the same pattern. In season 4, he’s just this unseen force, a mystery about who freed azure. In season 5, we actually see him and learn about his big goal. Presumably season 6, is when we’ll get all the information about him and when the main gang will defeat him. At least that’s the pattern I’ve noticed with the seasons. Though I feel like they should’ve laid more groundwork for his appearance in season 5, I get why that would’ve been difficult due to season 4’s plot. Kinda feels like they tried to force the groundwork into season 5 but it didn’t really work that well.

[@GameOver-13]

So something I have to say about the animation in particular is… it feels like the new studio were trying to keep the characters on model. Which isn’t how lmk is animated, the characters are fluid, they go off model, show angels that aren’t modelled, you can see it in season 1 the most. Seriously go watch macaques first episode and you’ll probably see what I mean. However season 5 being a new studio likely meant they tried to keep the characters on model in the hope to copy the style, it’s why everyone’s so stiff, they’re on model, it’s why scenes with reused animation look right. I’m hoping the new studio realises this because right now, while you can get used to it - it’s still very jarring. It’s not bad, no I’ve definitely seen worse but compared to the previous studio it’s a difference that needs to be adjusted to.

[@MegaManiacs]

@GameOver-13 Yeah definitely. Ngl, I hope Monkie kid takes a little break to give the animation team more time to breathe without having to rush a season out. That combined with the change to rigged animation are the biggest reasons it looks so different

[@claudius3359]

One thing that's definitely a plus for me is Wukong's Heguan being in the center top of his head and not a weird ponytail thingy lol

[@Dragon2B4]

I don't think it will ever not be noticeable. We get used to it and the animators will learn more and get better. But riggid vs hand drawn is just too big of a different to not be noticeable.

[@MegaManiacs]

Yeah that is true but I think over time the animation will get closer to the original and we'll also just get more used to it

[@Dragon2B4]

@@MegaManiacs that's what I said. Tho I don't think they will ever get as good as FB was but that doesn't mean they can't become better in their own way.

[@l0rdapophis]

Safe to say this show has me in a chokehold

[@fantasycreed]

They swapped studios for good?? Oh gosh… I was hoping that Flying Bark would get it back for later seasons… ugh I feel crushed. I watched this new season and could only think of how Flying Bark might do something, how much better of a scene they could create etc :( Edit: I also think this season was incredibly fast-paced… character arcs and issues were introduced and solved in five minutes, they wouldn’t slow DOWN Also yes, LMK should have an ending, as much as it pains me to say. It deserves a good, solid ending, but I want, I NEED more downtime bonding. I need Macaque and WuKong not to be separated for most of the season, I need them to work out their problems. I want a simpler story with less higher stakes, one with just emotional difficulty, rather than physical. I know the show dealt with emotions a lot, but grudges and bonding is difficult enough without world ending threats on the horizon… and I don’t want it to get too stupidly complicated with a buncha new characters and selfinserts :[

[@MegaManiacs]

Took the words right outta my mouth. Macaque and wukong definitely deserve some more character moments because the few they do have are peak

[@spinjitzumasterfalcon]

Despite the lack of animation, the story is absolutely phenomenal. I don’t think I’ve come this close to crying in awhile

[@Namesareoveratedd]

For 4:50 , no, it’s not true, the only jobs that stayed the same were the voice actors and the writers, EVERYTHING else changed, the sound studio, effects, you name it, all different

[@MegaManiacs]

Sorta, not really. It's complicated, but from everything I've read, the sound team is different, but the old team is still helping out, but that's about it. If the effects team wasn't separate from flying bark, then there's no indication from what i could find that they've been replaced. Only flying bark fully left, and the sound team sorta left

[@dangerbuffrocky]

The new LEGO shows this decade are proving themselves to be some of the best pieces of LEGO content that we have ever gotten. And I don't say this lightly.

[@lallelol9516]

Awesome video :) I think I understand your confusion about lady bone demon looking off, because like, they did nothing outwardly wrong with her, right? She’s on model, she looks creepy, the acting is still great, all the effects are there. Sure, the animation flows a bit worse, but nobody’s saying Wukong seems off because his model is partially rigged. From an animator’s perspective, I think the only thing that changed for LBD is framing and staging. In past seasons, she is always the most important, commanding character in the frame. Either she takes all the focus, or she towers above others with her presence (using tools such as tilting the frame, pushing the perspective, making other characters back up, jumping from corner to corner with ease). Whereas in s5, she’s mostly standing, talking and being framed like any other character in the show. Again, her acting (va and posing) is still great, only her weight in the frame has changed. Ty for coming to my ted talk 🤝

[@hybridvenom9]

I like it even with the problems i still will call it the near best season

[@MegaManiacs]

Yeah for sure. Not as good as season 3 and 4 but still extremely good

[@Brickspiration]

This video convinced me to finally catch up in this show 😂 I've only seen up to season 3 so I have a lot to catch up on

[@MegaManiacs]

Yeah you definitely should it's peak

[@oheyitsrae]

Cool video! I really did enjoy the newest season, I agree some of the characters dont flow as nicely as they used to, but I have high hopes that the animation will improve by next season. But I do have to note that the new studio is called Wildbrain, rather than Wildbarn, just a small gripe I had with the video lol Other than that, loved your analysis! Keep it up! :) 💜

[@MegaManiacs]

Oh yeah your totally right lol. Thanks for the heads up

[@critter_core]

xiangliu's a weird villain because we're not sure. He's like a weird chaotic neutral vibe?? And he's also really weird with MK and he's like "You have a choice! I just want you to do whatever I guess! Be your own person! You should kys if you want lol" It's,,, weird and not well orchestrated... ALSO WHAT?? GOLDEN SILVER DEMONS ARE SO NOT LAME, HOW DARE xD

[@modtheartifex9785]

on the story, because. whoo i feel so strongly about this seasons writing strengths. i agree, the story is so good that you dont even care about the animation. however nine headed demon, the 10th king, consort, xianliu, is NOT a villain. he is an antagonist. nuwa is also an antagonist, her goals are good but she is inherently standing against mks goals of keeping his family and friends safe. there is NO villain in season 5 of lego monkie kid, only characters who are built upon layers and layers of nuance. when i was first watching the season nine stood out to me. he just wants out, he wants so desperately out he CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE TIMELINE to do it, all to give MK the *choice*. in the season so many people call him kid, child, maybe mei calls him mk, but nine goes out of his way to call mk by his name. he talks about how its all mks choice in the end, how he will not let mks choice be taken from him. the only time that breaks is when he thinks he is going to be stuck again, and this time for *good*. nuwa is an antagonist in the way that she created mk just to be a sacrificial lamb, did not care for the person shed create, he is just a harbinger of chaos to remove it from the world (when in chinese mythos chaos is a core aspect of the world, and if writers will explore that in a possible season 6, she was keeping the world from being complete), when he expresses concern about his friends surviving, she just turns to him with a smile and says "theyll live again" or something along those lines. she is disconnected from her little cave, her little people. the only one you could even call a villain is the thousand eyed demon and even then that guys only in one episode and that is it, hardly a villain. there are no villains in lmk season 5, only characters filled with nuance upon nuance and implication upon implication.

[@mirandaross4625]

The Nine Headed Dragon (or whatever his name was) was seen in both sides of season 4. He was seen taking the scroll of memories in the beginning of the season and was seen again in the end. He was built up prior to appearing to confront MK and the team.

[@critter_core]

If fans are so mad about s5 animation, someone should orchestrate a season 5 lmk reanimated project. Genuinely, people can totally do that

[@Dragon_Aoi]

I am still watching this video, but I did really like seeing a more positive S5 video, from what I have seen of it so far. I think this video might give me the want to get back into a watch-through of LMK again (I was towards the end of S2, when the whole, S5 "Controversy" started happening, and I got a bit put off continuing, because of that), because I do truly love the series so far, from what I have seen of it, both from my watchthrough(s), amv's, edits, videos, art, fics, comics, etc., so I do really want to continue. And videos like this, make me more so want to do so. Now with that said. I was reading some comments, and with S6 greenlit, apparently (which is great), I do hope we are still getting specials. Which we usually get before or after the usual season. So it would be after, in the case of S5. They are usually some of the awesome-est things, and the longer episode(s) (well, at least when you combine it/them, at least, sometimes. Not the case for like the S1 and S2 specials) I think really allows for really cool stuff. So I do hope the specials are still a thing. I am also hoping, in S6 they are given more time, and either have another studio do it instead (I am not saying WB is bad. But they are already working on DreamzZZ and Ninjago Dragons Rising and now LMK too. Like, I love all these 3 series so much, and I think they are great, and I am excited for more of them. But I just want the series's themselves to get the proper time and care they deserve and the people behind get the time and stuff they deserve as well. And I am just kind of worried WB might get stretched too thin with working on so many series's) or they get help. I am also hoping with more time, means they can do hand drawn animation again or more hand drawn animation again in S6 (and maybeee??? the S5 Special, that I am still hoping is a thing. Really hoping Specials will still be a thing in general), and/or they can really improve on/iron out the kinks (From what I have of S5, because I have been spoiled a fair amount, lol, I think they did great for the time they were most likely given and how they are still adjusting to LMK. I just hope to see continuing improvements in animations, art style, and expressions in the coming season(s)). And I think they were some weird sound design and/or music changes that might have happened too, which I am hoping we can some of the old missing stuff again, and/or they will get even better too (not saying they are bad, and I don't even know how much got changed, but I did see some discussions and stuff about this). Besides that though, I still think the stuff I mentioned I hope could get improved on (like sound design/music, animation, art style, etc.) is still great. The writing, story, characters, VA's, diving into themes and topics, including more darker and mature ones, and etc. remain awesome, and I hope continue to remain awesome and to get even better. "Monkie Kid Season 5 Transcends Being A Lego Show" Nice title, though, I like some other Lego shows are also great too (like Ninjago and DreamzZZ for examples). But I get that u more so mean, that they don't let being a Lego show restrict them (LMK), which LMK (do think Ninjago and DreamzZZ can do this too though) does and truly shines in that and many ways; it is great. I think LMK, Ninjago, and DreamzZZ as a few examples, both do really well, at being Lego shows, but also, being very much their own thing(s). Saying that, I still like the title, it got me to watch in the first place, because it seemed like it would be more (at least some) of a more positive LMK Season 5 video/thing, which is nice. Anyways, I hope to be back to finish this video someday, maybe...once I actually start up my a LMK watchthrough again, probably. Which this video and some comments, has actually helped me in hopefully doing so. So thank you for that!

[@pardo_nme6048]

I feel like the chance that the villains are going to get reused over and over again is not so big. Hear me out. This whole show is based on the old Chinese novel The journey to the west. I have read it (not the whole thing because it is massive) and trust me when I say that there are many possible villains to be used in the next seasons. The amount of shear content in this novel is so vast and intertwined, there could be a season only about only Macaque and Sun Wukong and it would not get boring (if done right of course). Now I only hope that the makers of this show take their time with the next story plot. Seeing all the eastereggs to the original novel is so exciting too.

[@Darkus_Da_Arcadian-Dragon]

I do think LMK should at least go until S10 I feel like 10 seasons is a reasonable amount granted I do think a war arc is coming though but there’s still a few unanswered questions in the show so given Ninjago S10 was originally where it was supposed to end for the 2nd time I think that’s a fair amount plus they can drag it out build up the big war arc introduce some more characters make it an avengers endgame team up in the final season

[@critter_core]

It terrifies me every time going from season 4 to 5, but halfway through and I forgot it even happened lol

[@zephon6745]

LBD can return if she appears in Monkey Kings past or flashbacks to previous seasons.

[@MegaManiacs]

Well, yeah, that's fine, but what I meant was her coming back as a main villain. Her character arc has already happened. We don't need to just repeat season 3

[@AM-vf6id]

I think the Wildbrain team did good with the limited time they got to work on season five. I don't think that this animation problem will be much of an issue for following seasons cause like I said, wildbrain had limited time to work on it and submit the finished product on the ideal deadline since Flyingbark did leave so suddenly and the executives for Lego had to find a replacement which gave animators limited time to work on it. Also i get their not too well versed in 2d animation but from one of their more recent ones like Carmen Sandiago, I think they'll do really well once given enough time to learn the artstyle of the show and to draw and animate. Also I bet action scenes will be better since they also made Sonic Prime and one of the good things of that show is its fight scenes. I know 2d and 3d are different, worse Monkie kid from what I heard uses hand drawn animation, but we can atleast say they have some experience in fight scenes so they know what they're doing or atleast have an idea on how to come across doing them when it comes to movements and whatnot. All im saying is have a little faith and don't be hard on them.

[@KyleHenderson-ru8ef]

I wanna say one thing, that I notice ever since I saw season 5. (No hate but) I don't know if its just me but, Wukong's model or (Art style) Is very off. I always pay close attention to the characters Designs. And I kinda did lose all hope for season 5, until I watched some spoilers. And its pretty good! But still Wukong looked pretty OFF in season 5, but its a still good season. I just hope I see more improvement in the future.

[@Soodaaaaaa]

I heard that they wanted the show to have 10 seasons in total, so I’m assuming that’s where it will end.

[@RandomPerson-q1d]

Honestly, as a fan of lbd, I feel like she was only there for mk's character development, because like in the beginning of season five when he was looking for the second stone the lady bone demon showed up for mk to accept his past and was able to get the stone.

[@NikKolev_10]

I really couldn't understand the whole deal of that Snake Goddess with the stones, her connection with MK and this cycle thing, pls someone explain. I'm super curious about the story of the Nine headed demon, how he tricked the Underworld kings. I agree and think it would be better after season 4 showing that someone else pulls the strings, season 5 should showed him in the last episode and only teased that he wanted to destroy the pillar and connect with the chaos. And season 6 use him like a main villain.

[@claudius3359]

So I'm a guy that overanalyze this show too much,and I can safely say that we don't actually have much explanation.All we have are implications upon implications that can only be connected by knowing some of the source materials.Even if you read the book,you'll barely understand anything.All the fandom has is that theory made by Cherrlyo and the season doesn't really confirm whether or not all of it is true. But basically,this season is based on a folklore called myth of the great flood.The version used for S5 is the one where Gonggong hits his head against mount Buzhou that broke the pillar that supports heaven and basically disaster for all of China.Leading to Nüwa mending it with the 5 coloured stones (these stones represents the element of fire,water,wood,metal and earth,as far as I can remember.They're called the wǔxíng,used a lot in chinese philosophy to explain things,and you can see the symbols on MK's magic seal).Then she kills Xiangliu,a serpent with nine human heads. The thing is,Nine Headed Demon/Pest or Jiutouchong is a different thing.It's said that his prototype is a nine headed Fenghuang worshipped by Chu people thousands of years ago and in the book he did a lot of damage but not an apocalyptic level.His true form in the show matches the one in the book: reptile-like,loud,comparable to a bird,heads forming a ring...hideous enough to confuse even a yaoguai. Besides the sky mending thing,Nüwa is a part of the chinese creation myth.She creates humans from clay,while the show's story is based on the popular chinese theory that Wukong is made by one of her stones (idk if I just forgot,but I don't remember it being in the book,it's just a rock that absorbs energy from nature.But you can find references of it in some JTTW spin-offs). Her name means "Goddess of Spiral",hence that scene where she moves in circles.Because of that,she's connected to the 4 directions (hence the drawing of Buddha's guardians of 4 directions in celestial pagoda set) and she's connected to the cycles. But the thing about LMK's cycles is it's...not the usual one that would come up in a Buddhist related conversation.The usual one is the cycle of reincarnation,which is Zhuanlun Wang's jobdesc.Basically,Diyu isn't exactly like hell,but a purgatory.You get dragged by either niutoumamian or black & white agents of Yama,you go through these kings' courts,you get tortured,you get the tea that makes you forget your past life,and then you're sent onto the next life.Your next life depends on what you did in the previous one,so when Tian Peng harassed Chang Er,he became the Zhu Bajie we know.Meanwhile the one in LMK involves the whole world,and I accidentally found out that it's more similar to how the world goes through cycles in Hinduism?? (This is oversimplified obv,I'm in neither religion so there are gonna be a whole lot of blindspots.But I do have my own suspicions since I recognised the symbol that appeared on Sandy when MK accidentally hit him with the staff is the symbol for Hinduism) And why is MK required? idk, that's also what I don't get.I also found out that Nüwa died in one version,but does she die in LMK so she needs MK to be a stone delivery boy? idk.How exactly does a demon schmuck that ran away from a fight gets the Zhuanlun Wang position? idk. Anyways that's my attempt explaining it,sorry for the barrage of words-

[@spacecowboy7148]

As for the comments about the fight scenes and animation, there are some stiff moments that don't particularly match up with the music, however you cannot be expected to get everything perfectly handled on crunch time with 8 sets to show in the show. Now that a season 6 has been greenlit with only 2 sets next year it should be better for the new production team to get more under their belt and properly adjust.

[@NoelS14]

the fact it’s out in every other tv channel and every other tv console except Alexa fire/amazon tv console and not happy kids either blows my mind and I’m literally so tired of waiting for it to come out to happy kids😐

[@jjaynee.]

27:09 gotta agree on this part to be honest

[@Takisan111]

I honestly didn't have any issue with the animation. It still looked really good to me.

[@irismayphoenixhero7356]

okay so fun fact this season 5 the voice actors they said its gonna have 10 seasons and the voice actor sean said that is whats going down

[@MegaManiacs]

@irismayphoenixhero7356 Honestly, I'm down with it. The fact they said that already makes me think they already have it planned out, which gives me hope that the series won't feel like it's dragging

[@bowserbreaker2515]

While I liked season four more, this was still a really solid season. I hope that season six is the finale though, because I don't want Monkie Kid to be run into the ground like Ninjago post-season ten. MK's origin was worthy of the suspense that was built up in the previous season. However, nothing will beat Ninjago as my favorite Lego show. And I did wait for the English dub, by the way. The voice actors did an amazing job. It's incredible how the show went from good to spectacular. And is it true that the villain shows up out of nowhere? Yes, but I liked him as a villain. And yeah, Avatar didn't need a fourth season. The ending was great, and the comics that continue ATLA are awful.

[@nox._.meigui]

i feel like s6 animation will be so much better due to s5 being rushed to get it out this summer. I'm so excited for the new season but it may be coming out in 2026 😭

[@MegaManiacs]

@nox._.meigui That'd be such a painful wait 😭 but as much as that would suck it'd probably be for the best since it'd give the team more time to breathe

[@BagelGabel]

I don't interact with the LMK fandom like at all OR comment often, but, honestly? I heavily agree with the idea of having the show end at some point. And, personally, I wanna go as far to say that, (and this might just be me, but-) i firmly believe Season 6 should be the end. Not 7 or something, *6*. (SPOILERS AHEAD, DUH) Along with the inevitability of writers getting replaced, ideas and themes being rehashed (or just flatout having NO ideas), etc., there's also the inevitability of the stakes and threats eventually getting to a point where they just aren't interesting anymore. Every season of this show has had higher stakes than the last- with slowly building up from the city, to the world, to multiple realms, so on and so forth. The threats have been ramping upward. Season 5's ending sets up a force (the "chaos") that was the entire *REASON* that the pillar of heaven, the cycle, and MK HIMSELF were even created in the first place, and Season 6 likely would focus on that force. The issue is... where could you even go from there? From something that quite literally played an essential part in *causing* the entire series as we know it now? How would you even *one-up* something like that and do so in such a way that isn't BS or something? How would you make us, the viewers, CARE and make it not boring? It just doesn't seem like you realistically could, honestly. Of course, maybe they could pull out one or two even bigger threats, it's still kinda POSSIBLE... but I just don't see where you could possibly go from there. Also, Season 5 already had HIGH end-game vibes, with all of the emotional high points and the theme of the season in general, so it wouldn't even make much sense to go past one more season imo. Maybe its just me, though. I dunno. I don't look and analyze these things too hard anyway (I probably got some things wrong) so lmao also unrelated, but I do have to say I am genuinely pretty upset with how the animation was in this season. it was still GOOD in its own right, but it was also extremely noticeable in a way where, to me, it just felt *wrong*, and kinda pulled me away for a moment. I really hope it gets better for the next season(s). also i wrote this at like 2am sorry if this doesnt make sense lol

[@claudius3359]

Don't worry,it makes sense.Honestly I agree. The only thing that can solve it is to stop making the story go on breakneck speed and merely relying on the action,cause there are a lot of character,worldbuilding and JTTW plot begging to be expanded but usually outshined by all the action stuff.I really,really don't mind character drama as long as it's not as rushed as the thing with Li Jing & Nezha.I mostly want an answer on why Wukong's friends died and expanding on Wukong's overall loneliness (like his feeling of having to fight his former brothers,that would have to include a Macaque backstory reveal).I hope we can atleast hear other deities talk more,reveal about stuff instead of just revealing them when they're needed. So overall,I'm just hoping whoever writing the next season wouldn't screw up and pull a Phase 4 MCU.

[@RealWAsian]

One thing is the animation it just feels Super rush to get it out

[@sebchambers7140]

Ok so I’m gonna save this video and rewatch it when I’m done with season 5 bc this genuinely seems like a very well made vid (also it’s 40 mins long lmao!) can I ask where you are watching it in English?

[@MegaManiacs]

@sebchambers7140 On youtube because, sadly, it doesn't air in most regions. Just looking up "monkie kid season 5 English" should give you what you're looking for. Keep in mind that only two episodes of the English dub are out right now with them releasing weekly. You can find the other episodes subbed, though

[@squiddlethief]

english dubs are out now, where to watch it i don’t know unfortunately :(

[@nauzdrajka.]

​​@@squiddlethiefon channel named Plate. all episodes are there

[@nauzdrajka.]

​@@squiddlethiefon mksfavoriteperson

[@scasarteydiseno5253]

Me gustó la historia, pero, en si, uno puede imaginar que la animación no está ahí y listo. Ok no, lo que si pido con todo mi ser es un especial de 40 MIN, o bien para un buen cierre o para una próxima continuación... P. D.: veremos que pasa para la próxima continuación, pero por ahora, buen video mano, saludos desde Bolivia 🗿🍷🇧🇴🤙

[@Darkus_Da_Arcadian-Dragon]

Well Ninjago S2 Part 2 might have some competition 😅

[@plebeychips]

No seriously am I the ONLY person who genuinely didn’t notice ANYTHING until the mechs showed up?! If anything I disliked the seeming lack of development or change in Mk at the beginning though Ig that wasn’t an issue for others cuz I’ve heard NO ONE mention it ever!

[@gtcproductions4097]

I think we can call it after a Season 6.

[@ninjamarius9891]

IMO, decent season. i liked what they were going for. The episodes: interesting at ep1-2, a bit bland around the guardian episodes, really good at ep 9 and an ok ending. the music was goated 🔥🔥🔥🔥 especialy in the last episodes with the god lady (dont know her name). animation was better than i thought, (but defently different, but i dont judge). And the voice acting was a bit better compare to season 1. i feel like this series will end in the near furture, il say 1-2 more seasons.

[@MegaManiacs]

Yeah, for sure. I agree that the Muisc was absolutely peak along with the voice acting

[@PabsEI]

you got me hooked untill the end

[@shade1elispe369]

Btw, did spider queen just die? Like did I miss her in the background somewhere or is she just dead?

[@MegaManiacs]

@shade1elispe369 Yeah she technically died in season 2 but her sprit that was controlled by the lady bone demon died in season 3

[@hhxd4198]

I like Ninjago more but this show is still amazing

[@VeneerOfSanity]

Flying Bark's scheduling problems arose because they're working on a freaking LAST AIRBENDER MOVIE. Frankly I ain't mad that MK got a slight visual downgrade when we've got a Flying Bark-made AtLA movie in the future. Like, Flying Bark can go off, I would prefer their efforts focused on an AtLA movie. I'm just glad we've still got MK at all.

[@MegaManiacs]

Wait they're actually working on the ATLA movie???? That's actually fire if true

[@AdamAli-nk1nz]

Story was awsome. The problem is that they set the bar soo high with previous season animations. But they still did a decent job. But personally its the seasons greatest downfall🥴

[@vickyshinoa1270]

Yeah the animation is kinda mid, but it’s waaaay better then other animation who’s lead stepped down. RWBY is a good example of being a terrible animation, it lived up to the hype at the beginning and then fell. But I think the story of LMK S5 made it pass a bit, even tho some parts are stiff but still- better than RWBY.

[@sydryi3086]

eat your heart out disney. A Lego show for kids makes me feel more than any of their Crap.

[@MegaManiacs]

Real lmao

[@Hanster537]

Personally, Monkie Kid could go on for more than 7 seasons if they start with a different main character. Similar to a state of Naruto and Boruto Or doing MCU stuff like the multiverse

[@Brick_kproduction]

You said you watched it in English can you please tell me where

[@MegaManiacs]

KZbin is probably the best place. Some absolute saints re-uploaded the first 2 episodes dubbed, and the rest subbed (more dubbed episodes should be dropping every Thursday/Friday)

[@narrowwing]

www.youtube.com/@Pllatess www.youtube.com/@Swkss.toes0/videos these are the two channels I watched it on

[@Pixal2014]

I’m confused what happened to red sun mom and dad

[@MegaManiacs]

Unless I missed something, they should still be around. Just aren't big parts of the story anymore, although I'd love to see more of them

[@Pixal2014]

@@MegaManiacs I thought they were still trapped but I check they did get out

[@ravenlight6373]

Ha ha, I haven’t seen avatar the last airbender yet. Just never got around to it lol, to bad I can’t watch the rest of your video yet

[@ruthaguila91]

IM SOBBING BC OF S5 SHADOWPEACH AND FREENOODLES MY BABIES…..

[@Arl0xer]

I LOVE S5

[@AM-vf6id]

I also had some beef with Nuwa for making MK just for that purpose and kept yelling at the screen that I was gonna kill her that and all the other things she planned like ending the world to start a new cycle and what not. I was willing to throw hands with this woman and I bawled the last couple episodes. Especially when Wukong and MK fought. I swear i see this woman again and Imma throw hands

[@OriQinzzi]

holy shit the animation is bad