Review: “Masameer Junior”

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Overview:

Masameer Junior is a spin-off of the Saudi Arabian adult animated web series, Masameer, showing the three main characers: Saltooh, Saad, and Trad, also known as Tarrad, during their schooldays.

Our Take:

The story starts off with Saltooh, Saad, and Trad trying to avoid going to elementary school by hiding in a closet in their kindergarten. Unfortunately for them, their teacher catches them and sends them on their way.

‘Masameer Junior’ – Netflix
Despite the dark themes, the film tries to have a sense of humor about things. In one notable joke, during a big brawl in the climax, two members of opposing extremist groups realize they know each other and cut the breeze like old friends.
However, the story actually does its best when it wants to get serious. Maisa Whabi’s failed love story almost feels like viewers have been taken into another story. While the twist is hinted at, the emotional moments also make the twist of her true plans all the more chilling. In other words, viewers shouldn’t expect to get a new Carl and Ellie-type story for the ages. Still, the serious moments really make the film, especially as drama is pretty much universal.

On the technical side, the character designs can be somewhat off-putting, especially with Saad’s yellow eyes once getting him mistaken for a zombie in Masameer County. The characters being younger would have one assume that they will be “cuter,” but Masameer County and even the web-series often felt like it had more stylized designs by comparison, with Masameer Junior feeling a bit too simplistic. That said, the characters are still well-animated and this is less an issue with the background characters than the main ones.

For those watching the English dub, the voices can be a bit all over the place. The talking dog sounds vaguely British while one of his friends sounds like somebody from the American South. However, the actors clearly put their all into their roles.

The series satirizes Saudi Arabian culture, but a few jokes are meant to appeal to an international audience. At one point, Trad tries to go undercover as a plumber, only to invoke the wrath of a Mario-clone whose job he took. The film’s ultimate recurring joke, of the elementary-aged versions of Saltooh, Saad, and Trad constantly misunderstanding the world around them, is something everyone around the world can have a good laugh at.

While somewhat designed to be a standalone story, viewers probably will be better off it they watch other incarnations of the series beforehand. Novice viewers probably expect some explanation as to why Trad is a talking dog, but if people aren’t going to question Brian Griffin, fans might as well let the show be. Ultimately, viewers who like the film and aren’t familiar with the franchise at large might be interested in taking a look at the characters during their adult years. Ultimately, the franchise’s deals with Netflix also gives viewers from around the world a glimpse into the work of Saudi Arabia’s  animation studios.