Hit Monkey Bright Lights, Big City Television 

Five Thoughts On Hit Monkey‘s “Bright Lights, Big City”

By | November 25th, 2021
Posted in Television | % Comments

Hello and welcome back to Multiversity’s coverage of Hulu’s latest Marvel show, Hit Monkey. This time around we get to follow Bryce and monkey making their way into Tokyo and intersecting with the show’s side characters. So let’s not waste anymore time and jump right into “Bright Light, Big City.”

1. Bloody Start

The season continues to be a bloodbath which is all welcome in my book. When I think of adult animation, I expect more “dirty” or adult jokes, but in this case, it’s also a heaping of blood and guts. It feels like Kill Bill Vol. 1 strongly influenced the creators with how the blood tends to spray out whenever there is a knife or sword fight. With a title like Hit Monkey, you’d definitely think there might be one gunfight or fight sequence per episode, but it seems that every other scene is going to have some blood to it. None of this is a crack or neg on the amount of blood because it’s actually fitting with the current storyline of the protagonist stumbling into all of these new and dangerous situations because he’s unaware of the new world he’s entered.

2. Ghost Leash

I appreciate that the episode immediately answers the big questions that I have been asking since the trailer. Why is Bryce’s spirit attached to the monkey and why can’t he leave? The answer; Bryce doesn’t know either. Apparently, instead of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel or a sign for heaven or hell he just saw the monkey and is now tethered with some kind of ghost leash. Throughout the episode, Bryce helps the monkey navigate Tokyo and get out of tricky situations. At this point, it feels like since the monkey cannot talk and there are no captions for his yells, Bryce will be his voice for the audience. As of right now, Bryce cannot move objects or interfere with the world of the living, and it still hasn’t fully hit him. The audience is also given a small clue into his mindset when it’s revealed Bryce cannot fall asleep, so when left to his own devices, being trapped with his thoughts is a nightmare. I think it might have to do with a sordid past that has to do with the photo he picked up in the last episode.

3. Old Lady

One of the first situations that the monkey and Bryce get into when they get to Japan is the older woman who sold him all the weapons for the political hit. This is one of the big moments where Bryce hasn’t realized he’s a ghost because it makes no sense for a monkey to walk into an arms dealer’s warehouse unannounced. So when the monkey gets knocked out by the older woman, it makes sense because he is a wild animal after all, and no one will understand him. The two end up having a pretty entertaining battle duking it out with guns and switching who ends up trapped on the conveyor belt until her demise. It’s frustrating for the two because they’d hoped for some information on who double-crossed Bryce and set everything into motion but again, I don’t think it registered there wouldn’t be anyone who could speak with her.

4. The Cops

During the political hit, Bryce killed one cop while escaping, and his partner, Ito, is still seeking revenge for his death. Ito has the usual tropes of older cop characters; slight drinking problem, overweight, and a blemish on his record that could have made him captain. He gets paired up with a new younger cop, Haruka, from a small island, and I think it will be the spark to help him get out of his funk. Not in a romantic fashion, but to show him the beauty of the job once again. While we do learn that Ito has a checkered past, we don’t learn much about her, and I think it’s good to bring in a character with some mystery on whether she’s an ally or foe.

The first case they show the audience is the murder scene of the old lady, and they begin to find clues leading to the monkey. I can now see a clear pathway for the two storylines to meet and come to a crossway of whether the monkey is a hero or a vigilante.

Continued below

5. The Funeral

The two end up at the funeral for the man Bryce killed after following a lead from the older woman’s crime scene. Right when they arrive, the politician’s widow is speaking about Bryce and how much of a small, inconsequential man he is for taking someone who was making their community better. I find it interesting that we keep getting these glimpses of how these insults affect Bryce in that despite the fact he’s already dead, he knows that he wasn’t a good person. It’s less humility and more that he feels like he may deserve being stuck to the monkey for the sins he committed during his time alive.

Another vital point of the funeral scene was that the politician’s friend, Shinji Yokohama, decided to take his place on the ballot and continue forth for his friend. After the announcement, the funeral gets interrupted with a gunfight, and the monkey gets set off and starts shooting at whoever has a gun. It’s almost like an automatic reaction that feels like he may be out of control, but he doesn’t spray a gun into a crowd. Instead, he manages to focus his anger on his enemies. This fight proves to be a great chance to show off his developing skills and save the niece of Shinji and develop a small crush/love interest.


//TAGS | hit monkey

Alexander Manzo

Alexander is born and raised in the Bay Area. When not reviewing comics for Multiversity he's usually writing his own review for his Instagram @comicsandbeerreport. He's also a sports fan so feel free to hit him up on twitter with any and all sports takes @a_manzo510.

EMAIL | ARTICLES



  • -->