Drama
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a little like its titular character. It’s painful. It gets under your skin. And it just might leave a mark.
It’s Earth year 2075 and a determined Stanford Yu wants to become a pilot. It’s been his dream ever since he was 5 years old–to relive the days he spent as a young child, he and his father, watching pilots fly into the sky with their Robo Mechs.
But it won’t be easy.
At Sky Corps Military Academy, the corps’ military base in Arizona, only the top-of-the-line cadets are selected, after years of training, to become pilots.
The competition is grueling; you have to do well, for instance in the academy’s annual cadet competition. But even if you excel there, you have no guarantees. After all, it’s the job of the outerworld Robo Mechs to choose with whom they bond.
A lot has changed since Stanford was 5. Stanford’s dad has died since then, and now Stanford works, with his mother, at the academy as a janitor. And although he’s just received a slot into the engineering program, it’s not really what he wants.
He wants to bond with a Robo Mech and become a pilot. And he gets his chance when a mysterious Robo falls to earth and chooses to bond with him, of all people. Now, Stanford is going to have to figure out how to compensate for his lack of training, and how to work hard to continue to bond with Buddy, his Robo.
But most of all he’ll need to prepare for an impending, galactic war that will require Robo Mechs and Cadets to fight against the Shargs–evil, alien enemy invaders–for the planet.
It feels like I just wrote a review about mechanical beings and their enemies from space. Ah, yes. It’s because I did. It was the latest, animated Transformers series.
Apparently this genre is quite popular. At least Netflix thinks so.
Based on the BOOM! Studios Graphic Novels by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa, Mech Cadets is a TV-Y7 series that definitely has a tinge of Transformers, although nothing really “transforms” here.
The idea is that in the futuristic world of 2075, a group of young martial cadets learn what it’s like to defend the world against a bunch of evil, monstrous, crustacean-like aliens, all with the help of the honorable Robo Mechs who have chosen them as worthy pilots.
It’s not necessarily an original idea.
However, the first episode is actually really intriguing. I can see this being a favorite for kids who enjoy the Transformers world. And while Transformers: Earthspark has had both profane language (in a TV-Y7 series) and discussions about sexuality as a “spectrum,” this series, so far, has neither.
Its biggest cautions are violence, a few bad attitudes, scheming plots and some perilous scenes that might bother younger viewers. But if you opt to give this one a try, you’ll also find themes of loyalty, perseverance, kindness and the importance of family.
Teenage janitor Stanford Yu goes to great lengths to become a pilot of a Robo Mech.
Stanford attempts wild stunts on his motorcycle, nearly getting himself killed. Young cadets fight in a staged battle (kicking and punching one another).
Stanford and his mother talk about how Stanford’s father passed away when he was young. Now, Stanford will do anything it takes to make his father proud, including stealing a high-tech suit.
A friend encourages another by saying that this person will “kick butt.” A rude cadet named Olivia tells Stanford that he is “nothing.”
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a little like its titular character. It’s painful. It gets under your skin. And it just might leave a mark.
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