Relationship Spotlight: Mandu, Kipo, Wolf, Benson & Dave (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts)

Now, within this group, there are individual relationships that are more prominent than others, such as Kipo-Wolf and Dave-Benson. And I may very well come back around at some point to highlight them more specifically. But today, I want to look at the whole squad, Kipo and her friends. This odd little band is the prototype for Kipo’s Human-Mute Ultimate Friendship Alliance, and they’re pretty great.

When Kipo first gets deposited on the surface, she has a lot to learn. She’d have died on her first day if it weren’t for Wolf’s exasperated warnings, and Benson and Dave quickly teach her a few tricks of their trade. Her burrow upbringing has been a lot softer than the lives her new friends have lived, and they’re harder and shrewder than she is. But while she picks up important survival skills from her friends, she in turn teaches them the value in giving people (both humans and mutes) the chance to surprise you. She believes the best of everyone, and even though that optimism certainly gets her in trouble sometimes, it brings a big change to the dog-eat-dog world her friends are more accustomed to.

As the squad assembles, there are some major growing pains along the way. Wolf is immediately surly toward Kipo’s happy-shiny-sparkly advances of friendship, and when Benson and Dave join the group, they’re initially keeping an eye out for a potential off-ramp, planning to look out for themselves first and foremost. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the fact that, when Kipo first meets Wolf, Wolf is trying to figure out whether or not she can eat Mandu, which sends Kipo into rescue mode.

A lot of this is about trust – Kipo is all in on everyone from the jump, but the others need help getting there. Wolf has been alone a long time and doesn’t trust anyone, especially mutes; it’s a big deal when she slowly starts to let Kipo in, admitting some of the past trauma she’s been through. Dave and Benson need time to realize that Kipo’s quest is something that’s really worth risking their own necks for, and they in turn need to prove to Kipo and Wolf that the girls can rely on them after some early, shiftier actions.

But the more they gel, the more unstoppable they become. Kipo’s brains and personability, Wolf’s mad fighting skills, Benson and Dave’s savvy street-smarts, Mandu’s observations: everyone’s skills are needed, and depending on the situation, they lean on certain members of the group more than others. Even as Kipo takes on more and more of a leader role, she always needs her friends, appreciating their talents and recognizing how they ground her.

I really love watching them work through things together. Whether it’s Wolf dealing with her personal fears to support Kipo in the midst of some major upheaval, Benson honestly apologizing to Dave after getting annoyed with aspects of Dave’s metamorphosis that he can’t control, or all the others realizing that, even though Mandu can’t talk, she’s a friend and not a pet, they admit their mistakes and work to make amends. They come out stronger on the other side of these issues, and no matter what’s going on between them, they always, ultimately, have one another’s backs.

Favorite Characters: Kipo Oak (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts)

Oh, my beloved Kipo. There are a ton of characters I love on this show, but I think our eponymous heroine remains my favorite. She makes my heart happy (premise spoilers.)

I knew I was going to like Kipo from the moment she arrived on the surface. Having lived the first 12 years of her life in an underground burrow, like every human she’s ever known, she flails around worried about radiation and mutants for about two seconds… and then she looks at the sky. And she looks at the world around her, this whole, wild, beautiful, impossible surface that she’s never seen before. And she lights up. She quickly determines that she’s a smart, capable girl who can find her way back to her burrow, but on the way, she plans on getting a good look at what the world has to offer.

That’s Kipo at her core. She gets confused and overwhelmed, and her curiosity and sanguinity can sometimes override her self-preservation instinct, but at the heart of it, she’s a girl who loves new things and experiences. She meets both life and people/mutes where they are and is prepared to love them. Growing up in the burrow, life never felt small to her, and on the surface, she’s eager to check out every new expanse it unfolds before her. She’s convinced that she can make a friend out of everyone she meets, and she assumes positive intent in practically everyone’s heart.

I love her bubbly enthusiasm, her desire to see everything and meet everyone. Like I said, there’s no sense that she felt deprived/discontent in her burrow, but she greets everything new with such delight and joy. Whether it’s coming across an old guitar in a crumbling wreck of a derelict store, meeting a band of axe-wielding timber cats, or learning about the wonders of brunch, she wants it all. Wolf, the first human she meets on the surface, is her polar opposite, and Wolf spends a lot of time trying to resist Kipo’s artless enthusiasm, but sooner or later, Kipo manages to win over just about everyone. And while Kipo lacks Wolf’s savvy and street smarts, she makes up for it with her determination and ingenuity.

Kipo is also a major nerd. Raised by her scientist dad, she’s constantly geeking out about STEM stuff and takes to every puzzle the gang encounters like a fish to water. The moment where she sees stars for the first time, having only ever read about them, is so special. These proclivities come in hand at various times throughout their adventures, whether it’s deciphering a coded message or getting in the good graces of some astronomer wolves. Her other big pastime is music, and I love every time she bonds with a new group of mutes over their favorite genre (music is huge, and very tribal, on the surface.)

Finally, Kipo is a licensed badass. It’s something that takes time – both for her to learn how to wield her own power and for her to dare to use it – but when she does, it’s always in service of those she cares about. A Hufflepuff if there ever was one, Kipo fights hard for those she loves, and all her lowest moments are instances where she fears 1) she won’t be everything her friends need her to be or 2) the fight will cause her to hurt one of them accidentally. She’s a gentle person with a lot of strength, and she’d always rather connect through music or food than fight, but she’s always ready to protect her friends when she has to.