Iyanu, on Cartoon Network (USA) / Showmax (Sub-Saharan Africa)
Cartoon Network Wiki; IMDb; Lion Forge Entertainment; official website; Wikia; Wikipedia; YouNeek Studios
streaming sites: Hulu; Max

Caution: spoilers.

This animated series is based on the graphic novel series "Iyanu: Child of Wonder", which I haven't read. I really wanted to like the show more than I do. I like the animation, and the overall story, but I feel like the dialogue tends to be clunky, and there's not enough character development. I also get the impression that it's meant for children, more than adults like me. In some ways I find it too simplistic, but in other ways it has a certain degree of complexity that might be a bit too much for young children to follow. I dunno. Still, I like it well enough to keep watching.

The show is set in Yorubaland, whose peoples have been divided since the Age of Wonders ended, 500 years ago. It was a time when people were blessed with spiritual and technological wonders, given to them by the Divine Ones. But then the world had been corrupted by someone called the Fallen One, and many of the animals (called "Corrupted") have basically been turned evil, or whatever. However, there is a prophecy about someone called "the Chosen", who will break the curse on Yorubaland and unite its peoples.

The title character, Iyanu, is a teenage girl who lives in the forest outside the city of Elu. She doesn't remember her past, but she is trained by an Agoni witch named Olori. One day she meets a boy named Toye, who lives in Elu, and is the son of Kanfo, the general of Elu's Eso warriors. Toye is bullied by other kids, and then they're all attacked by a Corrupted beast, but Iyanu saves them when her powers unexpectedly activate. She is later chased by a Corrupted leopard named Ekun, which uses its own spiritual power to blast her into a river. Meanwhile, Olori is captured and imprisoned in Elu. Iyanu is rescued by a boy named Biyi, who leads her to the Riverland Settlement where he lives. He introduces her to his adoptive mother and town matriarch, Mama Sewa, who continues Iyanu's training. She believes Iyanu is the Chosen, and teaches her that she has three types of powers: natural, unnatural, and supernatural. Meanwhile, in Elu, the king (or "Oba"), Adeyinka, is under the influence of an advisor called Chancellor Nuro. Unbeknownst to the Oba, Nuro is himself under the control of the Fallen One. The Oba's brother, Uwa, doesn't trust Nuro. He's also against Elu's isolationist policy, and wants to help the people of the Workers' District, who are on the brink of starvation. But Nuro is only interested in capturing Iyanu, and gets the Oba to focus on that, sending out the Eso to find her. Kanfo brings Toye with him, wanting him to learn more about being a warrior, though Toye is more interested in books about the Age of Wonders.

Eventually, the Riverland Settlement is attacked by warriors of the People of the Deep, led by General Zaza, at the same time that the Eso arrive there. There is a battle, in which Mama Sewa is killed, and the Eso ultimately lose. However, Kanfo escapes, and Zaza becomes obsessed with finding and killing him. He also wants to capture the Chosen. Meanwhile, Iyanu and Biyi meet Toye, and they escape together. They are attacked by Ekun, but Iyanu uses her powers to cleanse him of his corruption, and the three kids begin riding the leopard as they travel to search for something called "the Source". Also, Olori escapes from her prison, and leaves to search for Iyanu. She eventually meets up with Kanfo, who is searching for Toye, and the two of them agree to work together to find Iyanu and Toye. Nuro uses the Fallen One's power to corrupt some of Elu's warriors to use as his own personal guard, He also summons Corrupted animals to attack Elu, while he and his guards go off in search of Iyanu. He eventually meets and takes over the People of the Deep, as well.

Iyanu and her friends are eventually found by the Guardians of the Source Mountain, and make her undergo trials to determine if she is truly the Chosen. Kanfo and Olori join the kids, and they and the Guardians hold off Nuro and his guards while Iyanu and Ekun make their way up the mountain. When Nuro fails to defeat his enemies, the Fallen One takes over his body and uses his full power against them. The Oba shows up, having followed Nuro, and dies defending the others. Their only hope against the Fallen One lies in Iyanu, who finally finds the Source, and must make a difficult decision. I don't want to spoil the nature of that choice, but suffice to say she ends up gaining new powers and a new bow, and she and Ekun both gain divine armor. They travel back down the mountain and fight the Fallen One, who is eventually cast out of Nuro's body, and Nuro is arrested. It's unclear to me whether the Fallen One was truly defeated or not, though the heroes seem to think he was. And the animals that were attacking Elu are cleansed of the curse, and leave peacefully. Meanwhile, Zaza makes his way back home, where the People of the Deep plan on attacking Elu. While the others begin rebuilding Elu and the Riverland Settlement, Iyanu and Ekun depart on another quest, and that's where the first season ends.

There's going to be another season and a couple of movies, which I look forward to watching, and hopefully the series will grow on me more than it did in the first season. It is an interesting story, even if I feel like it could have been better written. Anyway, I hope i'm not forgetting any super important details.