A few nights ago, I inadvertently stumbled upon one of Netflix’s latest additions, Neo Yokio. The story follows the main character, Kaz Kaan, as he navigates through his hometown Neo Yokio (New York) as a newly single man fighting off dispersed demonic spirits. (Yeah, it’s as wild as it sounds.) It features a wonderful selection of a cast, including Jaden Smith, Amandla Stenberg and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig as the creator. But after about two episodes, I willingly shut it off, still absorbing what I had just watched.
While the show presents a delicate palette of pleasant colors that dance around the screen, it features comical, haughty banter that is both cringe-worthy and regrettably enthralling. In one particular episode, the protagonist (played by Jaden Smith) ceaselessly whines for 10 minutes on how he sought out for a black tuxedo, but instead ended up with midnight blue. Oh God, what a f***ing nightmare.
Courtesy of Netflix
There’s no initial plot of the show, just mere anti-climatic events that seem to drown out each episode. The only thing shocking is that the characters all seem to think that Toblerone is actually palatable (sorry Switzerland). If you’re somehow able to neglect all that stuff, however, the show can be pretty refreshing. How often are you able to gander into the life of an affluent black New York bachelor/demon slayer? Sporadically. Plus, you might even acquire a few nifty quotes from the show that you’ll possibly need one day in your mundane life, such as, “I can barely navigate the hellish vortex between breakfast and dinner” or my personal favorite, “that’s enough vaping for me.”
Overall, the show probably isn’t the worst thing you’ll find on Netflix right now, but it definitely isn’t the best either. It’s the perfect blend of mediocre television to accompany your 3 a.m. insomnia.
