Martin Mystery

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.

I used to really like this show as a kid. It was removed from Nicktoons Network in 2008, but i recently found episodes on youtube, been watching them a lot. And now, i now know how to critique things on different things, and i would like to do it here.

Tension- This show definitely knows how to develop tension. The dialogue and the music that plays during the scene where its building up make the pay offs very effective. There are many episodes that scare the c--p out of you. Return of the Dark Druid is a prime example.

Storyline- This show has quite a bit of story lines that are very interesting. Paranormal, extraterrestrial, and mysteries lie within and you want to know what is going on.

Characters- There are many characters in this show, each and everyone are very likable and have their own personality, and you definitely feel for them.

Humor- The show is on and off when it comes to its humor. Most of it is kinda cheesy and falls flat. 90% of it is between Martin and Diana. Martin torments Diana and her reaction is sometimes priceless, others are unfunny

Music- The music fits everything, sometimes i don't really pay attention to the music, but this time, its effective and sometimes beautiful.

There are other points i didn't get to, but it sums

My boys LOVE this program. Minimal violence, no bad language, funny happenings. If your kids love aliens, etc. This is it. Some younger kids might find the aliens a bit scary but I doubt it. My wife and I enjoy it also (a bunch more than other animation such as Fairy Odd Parents which we refuse to allow on the TV).

I am really impressed with the different plots also. Actually kind of nice to see something that is not a rehash of the 10,000 Scooby Do episodes out there. If you TiVo or DVR episodes, watch out for the marathons which will fill your recording space up in a flash.

Also check out the Martin Mystery web site: MartinMystery.com for some fun things for the future alien agents to do!! The programming has some holes but is it is quite functional and fun.

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

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.