Nicktoons brings a new action-packed, martial arts cartoon to its Friday prime time lineup. Introducing Three Delivery, a kung fu show about three orphans working as Chinese food deliverers for Wu’s Garden in Chinatown. However, their job at Wu’s Garden is merely a front. Their real job: to retrieve all of the missing recipes of Nana’s magic cookbook to prevent these magic recipes from falling into the wrong hands. The wrong hands in this story belong to an evil magician, Kong Li.

A Dash of Magic and Kung Fu Background

When Kong Li was a magician’s apprentice, he stole the magic cookbook from it’s guardian, Mae Hwa, and scattered the recipes around Chinatown. The recipes appear to be actual recipes for Chinese dishes, but they instead conjur up powerful demons. For example, the recipe for Crab Rangoon summons a giant demon spider-crab. Mae Hwa eventually defeated Kong Li and recovered her cookbook. To keep the magic of the missing recipes within Chinatown, she unleashed a spell around Chinatown, creating a force field to keep the magic from escaping and thereby protecting the rest of the world.

Chinatown remained peaceful for a number of years, but then Kong Li returned to find the scattered recipes. Mae Hwa, now going by Nana, recruited three orphans to help, but under the guise of delivering Chinese food for Wu’s Garden. Sid, Sue, and Tobey thought they were going to get to ride cool bikes around Chinatown and learn kung fu, but they had no idea they were meant to save Chinatown and the world. Baraka

Oh, and Mr. Wu and his son have no idea about the magic cookbook, kung fu fighting, or Nana’s past.

A Pinch of Jackie Chan Adventures

Does it all sound a little familiar? In a way, it should. Jackie Chan Adventures was also about a martial artist saving the world from evil magic artifacts. Three Delivery has Nana instead of Uncle, a Chinese food restaurant instead of an antique store, recipes instead of talismans, Kong Li instead of an entire evil organization, three kung fu teenage fighters instead of the J-Team… you get the idea.

The influence is definitely there, whether or not it was intended. Does it take away from the fun if you are a fan of Jackie Chan Adventures? No, not really. The set-up is really where the similarities end. The art style, characters’ personalities, wit, and subliminal messages to crave Chinese food set Three Delivery in an entree of its own.

Stir in Three Teenage Kung Fu Heroes, a Clueless Restaurant Owner, and his Son

Nana may have been the hero of the past, but the new heroes are Sid, Sue, and Tobey. Sid and Sue are the typical competitive siblings. Both are very serious, full of snappy comebacks, over-protective of one another, and very talented martial artists. Tobey is no less talented, but he’s the goofy, klutzy, sometimes thick-headed comic relief. Even though he isn’t related to Sid and Sue, they still treat him like one of their own.

Other comic relief comes from the banter between Mr. Wu, the owner of Wu’s Garden, and his son, Barney. Mr. Wu does his best to cut as many corners as he can, and his son does his best to cut his father to the quick as often as he can. Neither have any clue what Nana, Sid, Sue, and Tobey do other than help run the restaurant. Sue seems to have a small crush on Barney, which unfold into some form of wacky hijinx down the road if he finds out about Sue’s side job of saving the world.

Three Delivery Delivers to a Cable TV Near You

Although Three Delivery appears to be a typical action cartoon with some Jackie Chan influence, it delivers a spice and flavor all of its own. Fans of comedic action cartoons will find a new cartoon to add to their Tivo lists. Be sure to have some Chinese food on hand as well. You will be craving it by the end of the thirty minute run. Three Delivery airs on Nicktoons on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. EST.