Power Stone - Battle Training! (Vol 2)
This 1999 TV series careens along in the second quartet of episodes. Heir and "fighter-in-training" Falcon travels to Wood Land (a thinly disguised China), followed by samurai Ryoma--plus fortuneteller Rouge, the circus acrobat-ninja troupe, and pirates Octo and Pus. Falcon befriends chef and martial artist Wang Tang, who transforms into a blond warrior via the third Power Stone. Ryoma and Falcon join Wang Tang at a temple-dojo headed by a monk who offers fortune cookie pronouncements in a voice reminiscent of old Charlie Chan movies. This martial arts comedy is aimed at a younger audience than the game it's based on, and the battles have been reduced to brief slapstick encounters that lack excitement. The situations aren't much sillier thanRanma 1/2, but the characters lack depth, so there's little reason to care about them. Unrated; suitable for ages 9 and up: Cartoon violence, ethnic stereotypes.--Charles Solomon