Netflix-DreamWorks new SHE-RA series -- whattya think?

[kidfresh512]

I would say this-watch a few episodes before letting your kids watch it.

People have different feelings towards LGBTQ content. If you feel comfortable with it-let the kids watch.I liked the fact you have LGBTQ folks and it was NEVER made an issue. They were just there. They were people.

I binged the first four seasons last month and enjoyed it.

The biggest strength to me this series had was fleshing out so many characters I saw in the 80s version

This was not made to sell toys and everyone looked the same to match toy molds or repetitive animation models.

I would say the He-Man series has a high bar to reach after this one.

100% agree. Its not preachy with the diversity and LGBT content they are treated as normal characters and the relationships are just organic story beats like they should be.

But, there are those that think any LGBT content at all is "adult" or wrong for kids. Even though it's completely G rated basic relationships that no one would bat an eye over if they were straight.

[titanfan]

If you like other shows similar to Avatar, or other similar Netflix shows (The Dragon Prince, Voltron) you'll love this.

[Frontier]

I would say the He-Man series has a high bar to reach after this one.

I'm just hoping it's up to the standard of the 2002 reboot.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

I'm kind of apathetic about the Kevin Smith mini-series, but the actual CGI reboot seems more interesting. I hope we get more news about it this year.

spoilers:

I'm not entirely sure if Bow/Glimmer were meant to be seen in a romantic light. I can see it, but it felt more ambiguous than other declarations of love in the final season. I've never actually watched the Stretch Armstrong cartoon, any good? The toys were never really an entity for me as a child so I was never really drawn towards it.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

It's a little more obvious they had feelings for each other this season. I guess Glimmer/Bow, Mermista/Sea Hawk, and Entrapta/Hordak didn't have a huge kiss like the others did was because it was a reverse on same-gender relationships being very implied, while the hetero relationships being explicit with kissing. But Noelle did confirm they were in a romantic relationship by the end.

end of spoilers

Also, this one's not really a spoiler, but yeah, I recommend Stretch Armstrong. I didn't care about the toy either, but hearing one of the showrunners behind The Spectacular Spider-Man and Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated was working on it convinced me. The only sad thing is that it ends after two seasons and an in-between special, and on a cliffhanger.

[Frontier]

I'm kind of apathetic about the Kevin Smith mini-series, but the actual CGI reboot seems more interesting. I hope we get more news about it this year.

With how all-star the voice cast is to an almost ridiculous extent (Kevin Conroy as Merman!?), I hope the actual quality of the show is able to match that. My frame of reference for the franchise is the 2002 cartoon so I'm not sure what to expect from a more adult continuation of the 80's show.

Also, this one's not really a spoiler, but yeah, I recommend Stretch Armstrong. I didn't care about the toy either, but hearing one of the showrunners behind The Spectacular Spider-Man and Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated was working on it convinced me. The only sad thing is that it ends after two seasons and an in-between special, and on a cliffhanger.

Stretch Armstrong is the best Spider-Man cartoon since Spectacular .

It also ironically has the same showrunners/writers as Marvel's Spider-Man but the quality is like night and day. I guess Victor Cook makes that much of a difference...well, that and not having to abide by Marvel's mandates, I guess?

[GamerSlyRatchet]

With how all-star the voice cast is to an almost ridiculous extent (Kevin Conroy as Merman!?), I hope the actual quality of the show is able to match that. My frame of reference for the franchise is the 2002 cartoon so I'm not sure what to expect from a more adult continuation of the 80's show.

I never watched either show and I do like the cast, but I got the feeling it's going to be an edgelord version of the original, and I'm not excited for that. Even if it's something I'd like in Castlevania and Seis Manos, it's going to stick out like a sore thumb as an 80s cartoon continuation.

It also ironically has the same showrunners/writers as Marvel's Spider-Man but the quality is like night and day. I guess Victor Cook makes that much of a difference...well, that and not having to abide by Marvel's mandates, I guess?

A bit of this, a bit of that. But yeah, the advantages of using such an underdeveloped and neglected IP probably granted them a lot of freedom with it. Just like I'm sure Noelle Stevenson appreciated the lack of oversight when working on She-Ra.

[Frontier]

I never watched either show and I do like the cast, but I got the feeling it's going to be an edgelord version of the original, and I'm not excited for that. Even if it's something I'd like in Castlevania and Seis Manos, it's going to stick out like a sore thumb as an 80s cartoon continuation.

I'm expecting something more in-line with G.I. Joe Resolute if it was a 22-minute show.

[BeastieRunner]

haven't seen a single episode--
how is the show structured thematically? Is it clearly aimed at "kids"? (age 5-10? middle-school aged?) Is it something that is more for "adults"?

I'm curious, too, which is what got me to this thread. I haven't seen the show yet, but my social media feed has been showing that a *lot* of my friends across age groups (from parents and their little children, to teens and adults up to their 40s) really, really dig this show. So I came here to see if the board matched that enthusiasm more or less, and it seems to be so.

The new She-Ra show is very stereo-typically "girly" like My Little Pony yet it has a lot of variety in terms of roles "girls" can play. It has tough, kind, strong, weak, tall, short, round, fat, skinny, brown, white, green, sparkly, loud, quiet, geeky, dumb, lesbian, bi, straight, feline, alien, long hair, short hair, etc. female characters all over it. I would compare it more to Lumber Janes (the creator was the head of this show) and the new Voltron in that regard; it plays with stereotypes and tropes for the betterment of all. Pretty much any person can seem themselves in the show.

And I mean person.

There's even a non-binary character.

It is accessible to everyone but it does lean heavily feminine. Again, I would say think like the new Voltron or even Avatar. The themes and language does not talk down to kids which I love. Personal anecdote: my friends who have a 10 year-old son loves it because he's just like Bow, the major male character for most of the show. He has two dads and is straight. He finally can see himself in the family dynamics on the show. Another plus is the families are varied from "traditional" to single parents, to same sex parents, divorced, widowed, etc. Lots of kids will be able to seem themselves in the show.

The stories range from one-offs to full arcs. They pull no emotional punches and rarely backtrack. Some twists and turns are predictable but they still feel earned. Again, the show doesn't talk down to kids while still being totally appropriate. It's a great family show and I have to say, like the new Voltron, I would watch it even if I didn't have children. The animation style is different that all current cartoons. I would say the background work is lacking at times but the color pallet is soft enough to hide that. I prefer Voltron to this but I have to say ... She-Ra never had cringy visual anime moments like Voltron did (but that is a matter of taste for some). It feels like a cartoon when it needs to be and feels like art when it wants to be. The design and character work makes it gel. The voice acting is very, very good, too.

I would rank it in the top 5 children's series of 2000-20. Yes, you read that right. I would say it's in the top 5 for the last 20 years, right up with Voltron and Avatar.

[Personamanx]

I just have to echo the fantastic voice acting. The casting is impeccable, everyone really gives it their all and the results are amazing. I'm going to single out Karen Fukuhara (Glimmer), and AJ Michalka (Catra) as the picks of the litter though. They just bring so much fantastic energy and emotion to their lines. I have no idea why Fukuhara is given so little dialogue in her live-action roles, it's arguably a little high but she can speak circles around some of her live-action cast-mates.

[titanfan]

I just have to echo the fantastic voice acting. The casting is impeccable, everyone really gives it their all and the results are amazing. I'm going to single out Karen Fukuhara (Glimmer), and AJ Michalka (Catra) as the picks of the litter though. They just bring so much fantastic energy and emotion to their lines. I have no idea why Fukuhara is given so little dialogue in her live-action roles, it's arguably a little high but she can speak circles around some of her live-action cast-mates.

Frankly, there's not a lot of roles for Asians on American Television, not indicative of her talent.

I love Lorraine Toussant (Shadow Weaver) in terms of voice acting.

[Personamanx]

Frankly, there's not a lot of roles for Asians on American Television, not indicative of her talent.

I love Lorraine Toussant (Shadow Weaver) in terms of voice acting.

Too true. DreamWorks Animation is treating her well, but it's still a shame. I would have probably caught Birds of Prey if they had Katana show up. Just give Karen a sword, and I'm in.

She was pretty great as well.

[Personamanx]

It might not even be worth bringing up, but today I realized that for people my age their first exposure to She-Ra as a character may have been in a crude sketch from Robot Chicken. Re-runs of the original He-Man, and She-Ra shows were infrequent if not non-existent for much of the late '90s and early 2000s. The 2002 reboot of MOTU was also by, and large ignored by myself and similarly aged children at the time.

But by the time Robot Chicken rolled around in 2005 it was every 13 year old's favourite show. It was ostensibly an adult cartoon that came on early enough every night to catch, and He-Man and other '80s properties were its primary fodder. I even asked around to my friends earlier today if they had ever even watched an episode of the original She-Ra before the reboot. Most said no but they all saw the Robot Chicken sketches. They even all agreed that they had permanently tinted their perception of the MOTU characters. For the most part they all love the reboot, but before it started She-Ra was just an action figure and a crude PMS joke.

Wild.

[Frontier]

It might not even be worth bringing up, but today I realized that for people my age their first exposure to She-Ra as a character may have been in a crude sketch from Robot Chicken. Re-runs of the original He-Man, and She-Ra shows were infrequent if not non-existent for much of the late '90s and early 2000s. The 2002 reboot of MOTU was also by, and large ignored by myself and similarly aged children at the time.

Really? I was only, like, 7 and I watched it all the time. I didn't know I was in the minority...that was back when Transformers: Armada was on too so I felt like it was an 80's revival period.

[Personamanx]

Really? I was only, like, 7 and I watched it all the time. I didn't know I was in the minority...that was back when Transformers: Armada was on too so I felt like it was an 80's revival period.

I mean, like with any cartoon there was an audience that found it. It did manage to last for two seasons after all. But generally speaking it's reception in terms of initial viewership, and sales of the toyline were considered extremely disappointing. They weren't able to cover the 6-10 year-old market they desired. Personally I was towards the end of that age range, as were my friends. He-Man just didn't really appeal to us at the time, outside of a few Flash Games on the internet that were pretty cool to play during computer lab.

I would say it's been vindicated since then, a lot of people who dismissed it as children have watched it in more recent years to positive reception.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

I just have to echo the fantastic voice acting. The casting is impeccable, everyone really gives it their all and the results are amazing. I'm going to single out Karen Fukuhara (Glimmer), and AJ Michalka (Catra) as the picks of the litter though. They just bring so much fantastic energy and emotion to their lines. I have no idea why Fukuhara is given so little dialogue in her live-action roles, it's arguably a little high but she can speak circles around some of her live-action cast-mates.

Keston John did an excellent job in the final season as Hordak, Wrong Hordak, Horde Prime and the multiple Horde clones. Plus, many bit male roles.

I was familiar with AJ Michalka as Stevonnie in Steven Universe, which is a different character, but not one that had a huge role compared to Catra. She was not recognizable in the latter role, but in a good way.

I've been really warming up to Karen Fukuhara between this series and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and I agree. She was wasted as Katana, but then, most of Katana's portrayals in other media save Beware the Batman have her as being silent and rather one-note.