Mad Over You is an animated Nigerian romance drama that’s honestly, a fresh extension of Nollywood drama

Nollywood productions have taken their stand in entertainment, ever progressing with each film. This progress hasn’t escaped the world of animation as Splendid TV geared up to launch in 2010. Since then, Splendid TV has created an entire universe – released as mini-series – within the animated films they churn out. 

Each sub-series focuses on different themes and the stories that run through and connect the various characters. One of the sub-series within the Splendid TV ‘‘universe’’ is Mad Over You – which follows the challenges faced in the diverse relationships of different people and how their decisions make or break their bonds.

Coming after the Side Chick series, Mad Over You shows viewers the consequences of the actions of characters. The show grows on you as it measures the key foundations of friendship, love and trust.

From Episode 1, you are immediately immersed in drama as the story creates its own context. From an alcohol-induced one night stand, a butterfly effect is set in place shaking the trust people can have in each other and in themselves. 

If you’re thinking, “whoah! Slow down sis, that’s a lot for a little sip!” then welcome to the bumpy road of WTH (why the heck) actions, and don’t-try-this-in-life decisions that we are always convinced we would never fall for in real life and then do.

If you haven’t tuned into the show yet, I’m going to pause here for you to take a moment and explain how you expect us to have an engaging discussion if you haven’t watched it yet. Watch Mad Over You and check out my thoughts on it below. 

How to Survive a Nollywood Drama

Here’s a quick English lesson. Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the characters don’t. Thanks for joining my masterclass. 

Doesn’t it drive you mad when you’re telepathically telling the person you’re rooting for to make a certain decision? If you’ve watched enough Nollywood, you’ll know that it is merciless to the casual smoker, wine drinker and general non-conformist, always setting those characters up as antagonists and preparing them for their inevitable fall. 

These ideas betray some realities of life which are that people can be whatever they are and still succeed or fail or go through both. The world is too big for everyone to follow a particular way of life until the end. I like that the series stretches enough for you to see characters go through both the hard times and happy times.

Takeaways

Mad Over You’s simplified animation style is unremarkable, yet, it has attracted an average of 813, 432 views per video (it’s amassed 17, 895, 520 views across 22 episodes). The juice is all in the cheesy but simplistic and relatable storytelling which favours rich guy meets poor girl plotlines and their derivatives. In that is a winning formula that other animation producers might want to consider for their own success. 

It’s wonderful to find a Nigerian animation that lasts as long with stories not too ludicrous to build a genuine connection with. Splendid TV has given us a show to fall into after a long day. The show is a way to kick back and watch someone else navigate your issues for you. 

Check out Mad Over You (playlist below) and let us know your thoughts on the series and whether you’ve ever been in any of the situations shown and how you handled it.

Until the next one, ✌?!

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