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Supa Team 4 Spoiler-Filled Review

Supa Team 4 is a computer-generated superhero action-comedy series. Malenga Mulendema is the series creator and co-executive producer. Trigger Fish Animation Studios, known for the recent animated series Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes and Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, and various television specials and films.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the forty-fifth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on August 21, 2023.

This series shows its Zambian roots from the get-go, beginning in Zambia's capital, Lusaka. A reporter, Geoffrey (voiced by Sne Dladla) talks about a mysterious tornado striking the city. Former secret agent Mama K (voiced by Pamela Nomvete) brings together all the protagonists. They include a gutsy and agile girl with hair parted into two box-like sections named Temwe Chiti (voiced by Kimani Arthur) who is a bit of a juvenile delinquent" and troublemaker; a smart, organized, and creative techy girl named Komana Mwinga (voiced by Zowa Ngwira); a brainy, industrious, athletic, and tall girl named Zikomo "Zee" Phiri (voiced by Nancy Sekhokoane); and a physically strong, calm, and wise girl with an afro tied at the top named Monde Wamunyima (voiced by Namisa Mdlalose). Each has their own superhero names. Temwe is T-Mlilo, Komana is K-Bongo, Zee is Za-Mpezi, and Monde is M-Kozo.

In some ways, Supa Team 4 is like other teen superhero series in recent years (DC Super Hero Girls, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Young Justice) and classic series from the 2000s (Static Shock and My Life as a Teenage Robot). It comes at a time there are is growing number of Black animated series, like Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, My Dad the Bounty Hunter, Craig of the Creek, Central Park, Iwájú (upcoming), Iyanu: Child of Wonder (upcoming), and Karma's World. The latter series ended in September 2022. There are indie animated series focusing on Black stories such as Defenders of Alodia, Jumbie, Captain Zero, LimeLight, and Diver: The Animated Series. Most are in development or on hiatus like Diver.

The difference with this series is that its stories are completely Zambian and said to be "something special for Zambians." Even so, it is relatable to everyone, like Kizazi Moto, a series primarily produced by the same animation studio. In both cases, the shows bode well for the development of the African animation industry. Supa Team 4, like Kizazi Moto, emphasizes the importance of family, Monde is close to her sister Marjory (voiced by Celine Tshika), sports (through Zee), and political corruption. City residents call for Mayor Sikazwe (voiced by Sne Dladla) to resign, which the villain exploits. Temwe's love of eating food may be relatable.

Like any other superhero series, there is a need for them to keep their real identities secret, even from those that they know well. This is accomplished through their transformation into superheroes wearing specialized super suits ala magical girl style. Unlike any other transformations I've seen, each transformation has upbeat music and a distinctive flair, making it stand apart.

All four girls are chosen after being watched for weeks. It echoes Jerry's reasoning for bringing in Sam, Alex, and Clover in Totally Spies! or "choosing" the Mew Mews in Tokyo Mew Mew New. Different from that series, Mama K lets the girls choose whether to be superheroes. The girls in that series were experimented on without their consent and forced into the superhero role. In this series, the girls have gadgets to entrap and defeat villains. Temwe's ribbon wand reminds me of Mega Pearl's weapon in Steven Universe Future or Cure Parfait's rainbow ribbon in Pretty Cure.

There is one other similarity between Tokyo Mew Mew New and Supa Team 4: the importance of preserving the environment. Komana builds a carbon-capture machine in the first episode, allowing her to capture a tornado. She receives a scholarship from Lee Magedzee (voiced by John McMillian), owner of a local energy company, Magedzee Power Corporation (MPC). He is impressed by her portable invention. It purifies carbon dioxide into safe carbon-based fuels. He later praises her solar-powered "smart art" that can charge phones and other devices.

Having an A.I. like T.O.M.I. (voiced by Thabe Ntebe), otherwise known as Technical Operations Management Interface, is not unique. Other series have featured A.I. as well. This A.I. is not a be-all-end-all. It is only one of the tools they use against villains, such as Storm Drain, Locus Pocus, Snap Back, Alley-Gator, Trash Man, Otherwise, I liked the role of Mama K's goat, Chomps (voiced by Gary Martin) throughout the series. It is even revealed that he is a secret agent!

Through the series, there is a push-and-pull of responsibilities to family and school. Temwe manifests this by her often run-ins with the school principal, Nkwashi (voiced by Abubakar Salim), who has it out for her. She gets suspended when Nkwashi thinks her ribbon wand might hurt someone. She later learns how to use her "hangry power" during battles rather than provoking Nkwashi's ire during the school day.

The series encourages viewers to believe Nkwashi is the shadowy villain, Bad Magz (voiced by John McMillian). There are hints. He has files on every student at Kamiji Secondary School. In the final episode, Temwe thinks that Nkwashi vanished like smoke. She is convinced he is the villain, after he declares she can't volunteer with Mama K (cover for their secret activities) if she fails a chemistry test. The girls don't buy her hair-brained explanation.

The series opening, first shown when the second episode begins, makes each episode pop. While the series music is by Ben Onono. Sampa the great does the theme music, in collaboration with Mag 44. It has to be one of the best opening sequences that I've seen in some time, and I watch a lot of anime series.

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Following the first episode, Supa Team 4 turns to subjects like nanotech. The team reverse engineers some nanotech locusts for their own purposes. The obsession with popularity, homesickness (in the case of Monde and Marjory), garbage/rubbish collection, vlogging, value of art, education, and mind control are other topics. In the first half of the series, the villain is a shadowy figure not unlike the character of the same name in OK K.O.: Let's Be Heroes!. But, this person is more malicious.

He wants everyone in the city to lose electric power. This leads to random power cuts (load shedding) to compensate for electric energy loss after the hydroelectric dam is damaged. This allows Lee Magedzee to step in, declaring his wind farm will be upgraded and generate more electricity. At the same time, the villain exploits anger against the mayor for his own benefit. All the while, people hanker for more solar power.

Mama K has her own secrets. Formerly, she headed a crime-fighting team at the Intelligence Agency for Zambia (IAZ) and had the code name of Mkango. She, a computer expert named Rhino/Chipembele/Uncle Chi and a confidante (and inventive genius) named Towela, worked to bring down Chusi.

Even worse, this villain steals top-secret information, uploading the information to his mind, and destroys the original documents. As a result, the government didn't have access to their own intelligence! This ends sadly. Chusi used their device, the Brainstorm, to wipe the memories of Towela. It gives her amnesia. He also blinds Chi. Mama K is alone. The four protagonists cheer her up, convincing her they can all take down Chusi, also known as Bad Magz, together.

The Supa Team 4 season one finale blows everything wide open. Chusi gets, thanks to Professor Greenthumbs, some of the tech that Team 4 is using. Principal Nkwashi says that his own goal is to help Temwe. He is worried that she will become like him. He was a feisty and spirited kid who lacked focus. The four team members follow a Baobab tree to an abandoned mine. Greenthumbs deactivates their super suits, takes away their weapons, and pulls them into an underground lair! The biggest reveal is not that Nkwashi isn't the villain, but that Chusi is Lee Magedze!

This unexpected twist shows how devious the writers and animators were, leading the audience to believe that the Principal was the villain. The fact that Lee Magedze is the villain means he has the duality of being a Black leader who is trying to increase people's power and trying to take it away. My prediction is that he will attempt to unseat the mayor. The citizens would elect him if he ran on a Black empowerment platform. Once in office, he will have even more power, as the villain and the mayor.

There are reports that Supa Team 4 will have at least 25 episodes. In fact, the Director of Production at Triggerfish Animation Studios, Mike Buckland, confirmed a second season, writing "hold your breath for Season 2, because it just gets better from here." Such a season will undoubtedly continue to center on African stories, without any White characters, and remain relatable to Black girls and Zambians. The series may lean more into romance as well, as Zee's friend, Chipo Hamoonga (voiced by Daniel "KStar" Lyapa), has a crush on her, and a boy has a crush on Temwe.

Furthermore, the series may influence more Africans to tell their stories through animation, as they may see themselves, and their experiences represented, even as some Zambians claimed the character accents weren't authentic. Supa Team 4 is indicative of how collaboration is important in Africa, as the animation industry deals with many challenges, that "anyone from anywhere can be a superhero," and the great storytelling traditions on the continent. At the same time, I'm glad that the series was renamed from the original title ordered in 2019, Mama K's Team 4, as the current title makes the less about Mama K and more about the team.

Significantly, the series is dubbed in isiZulu. Mama K voiced by Linda Sokhulu. Many of the same voice actors re-appear. This dub promotes accessibility to a new audience. It provides the opportunity for people within South Africa, and other areas where Zulu is spoken, to connect with the characters within the series.

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I find it funny that some complain about threats and violence in this series, since that is common in animation. Such complaints make the series appear more mature than the reality. It is more accurate to say Supa Team 4 is an all-ages series full of adventure, action, and humor, with a diverse cast. In addition, it defies oft-stereotypes of Africa. Others reported that the series draws visual inspiration from hip-hop girls groups and retro 1990s R&B groups. Malcolm Wope, an artist from Cameroon, does the visual design. The series has distinct characters, a real world but futuristic setting, while working through the girls' interpersonal issues.

Despite calls by Morrow for sharing the show, which she called a "project of passion," there is little chatter about the series on Reddit, and only one mature fanfiction written on July 30. There is more chatter on X/Twitter, with one account even as an unofficial fan page. Furthermore, on Tumblr, fans praised the show's animation, described the series as relatable, cute, have listed LGBTQ+ headcanons, drew fan art, and liked the magical girlesque transformations of the four protagonists. There may be chatter on other platforms, like Mastodon servers, but I am not personally aware of it.

Like they do with many series these days, Netflix did the fans of Supa Team 4 a disservice. All eight episodes dropped the same day on Netflix. While this makes it easy to binge the entire season, it creates a situation of catch-up among fans who run the risk of seeing spoilers on social media for episodes they haven't watched. This severly limits the possibility to discuss each episode without spoilers and can ruin pacing for a series. Netflix should have followed the model used for anime: dropping one episode each week. That would have allowed for more community to build around the show, than dropping it one day and moving on. It is irresponsible.

Although I wasn't familiar with series writers Ng'endo Mukii, Khadidiatou Diouf, Voline Ogutu, Maame Boateng, Omotunde Akiode, Tshepo Moche, or Gloria Huwiler, I knew of Vanessa Kanu. She directed the third episode/film of Kizazi Moto entitled "Moremi." It centered on the frailty of the human condition, family togetherness, and the value of one's soul.

Series director Dave Osburne, assistant director Tabitha O'Connell, production designer /art director Alessandro Chirico were names. I did not know series producer Ceri Barnes, head writer Amy Keating Rogers, and story editor Cindy Morrow either. Rogers worked on other girl-power series like The Powerpuff Girls and My Little Pony: Friendship. In addition, Osburne has worked on his share of animated series since the mid-1990s, as did O'Connell. At the same time, Chirico worked on Black Mirror, a series based upon The Twilight Zone. Barnes has been producer since the late 1990s.

For many voice actors, this may be their first voice role. Arthur previously voiced Willow in Nella the Princess Knight. MacMillan provided his voice for video game characters, as did Martin. Salim voiced Zanror in The Legend of Vox Machina. Animators have worked on series such as Kazazi Moto, Star Wars: Visions, and The Amazing World of Gumball, and films (Seal Team and Storks).

I excited to see where the series goes from here. Maybe Mama K will practice Nichiren Buddhism like her voice actor. Perhaps Zee will have Cuban roots like her voice actress or some of the main cast of Supa Team 4 will be queer. Looking through the social media of the protagonists, I am seriously doubting the latter.

In Zambia, same-sex sexual activity, for men and women, is illegal, a legal measure inherited from British control, and reportedly many queer people are closeted. Unfortunately, there is a slim chance for change. The Zambian High Court upheld acquittal of a human rights activist, who called for the country to recognize rights of sex workers and LGBTQ+ people, in 2013. However, a public opinion poll, released in 2010, indicated widespread disapproval of "homosexual behaviour."

Even so, the series is primarily produced in South Africa. After the end of apartheid, it outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation. Furthermore, it is the only African state to legalize same-sex marriage. In addition, there are legal protections for LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in employment and elsewhere. At the same time, the creators may want to avoid making the series controversial and won't have any queer relationships so the show can appeal to all Zambians.

Ultimately, I hope Supa Team 4 reaches new heights in season 2. Maybe it will pave the way for African animation in the Africanfuturist, superhero, comedy, adventure, action, and other genres.

Supa Team 4 can be streamed on Netflix.

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