She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Review - Colours of the Rainbow

Written by Shiggins

Colour me impressed.

So I know this isn't an anime or a film, but... come on, it clearly wants to be an anime and was influenced by anime, and it's worth talking about anyway. Consider this a rare exception, with the loophole that this is as anime as a non-anime can get. Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, based on the original 1985 spinoff of He-Man, has gained some fame over the past two years, and it's not hard to see why. Does that mean we can treat it as the next Avatar: the Last Airbender or Gravity Falls? Well....

Note: Mild spoilers ahead for seasons 1-3!

A complete reboot of the original series and her debut movie, She-Ra and the PoP is about a teenager named Adora, who has been a part of the army known as the Horde her whole life, with her best friend Catra, training to fight the evil of princesses and magic. When she later discovers that she is a princess herself, Adora abandons the Horde and joins the side of good, unlocking the amazing power of She-Ra along the way, making many new friends, and causing Catra to become darker and crazier in the process. See? I told you this was basically an anime!

The series uses traditional 2D animation, something we all really need to start returning to properly, since She-Ra does look pretty damn great visually. Every character is bright, expressive, bouncy and always on-model for fight scenes and the more wild stares, and I can already tell this is going to age better than a 3D animated show, like that Skylanders stuff. 2D is just better, guys. Accept it. In fact, the only real hiccup for me is when Adora turns into her She-Ra form, since her body grows larger but her proportions and movements don't. So it's almost like we've zoomed in on her, and it feels distracting when she's fighting Catra or soldiers.

No joke, this is the gif that got me to check the show out.

For a lot of fans of the original series, these new designs might be a bit... distracting. Adora looks more like a teenager instead of "a perfect woman" from before, Catra looks more like she's half-cat rather than a cosplaying sex icon, Adora's friend Bow doesn't look like a white Carl Weathers anymore... When this series decided to reboot everyone, it didn't hold back. I have zero connection to the original, but personally I prefer these new designs for their more diverse range. Instead of every woman looking almost the exact same, we have some that are super-thin, some chubby girls, a few muscled men and women, and some that look like actual monsters, not just cheap dress-up. And as I said before, the new animation style gives them a lot of different expressions that feels just... fun! These are fun faces!

Fairly Odd Parents?

The characters are definitely the focus of She-Ra, as it should be. Adora herself is a very fun protagonist, able to balance her drama with light-hearted moments exceedingly well. We don't spend hours watching her blame herself for everything, we can watch her play games with her new friends, but she can get frustrated and angry when it's appropriate to do so. She's almost like this generation's Kim Possible actually. Her relationship with her friend, and possible romantic interest, Catra is probably the show's most interesting aspect, since she finds herself feeling guilty about leaving her but knows she has to fight her, but she doesn't want to, but Catra makes her have to... it's complicated, but told in a simple enough way.

The other heroes are good enough. Princess Glimmer is a teleporter who refuses to stay behind, Bow is a fun bit of comic relief but has a dependable side to him, the captain Sea Hawk is very funny in his brief appearances due to being so smug and arrogant, and the other rebel princesses have their own shining moments too, especially in the first two seasons. My personal favourite princess is Mermista, who I'm pretty sure was meant to be in Mean Girls but got lost on the way there and can't be bothered getting back up.

Unfortunately though, almost all of the supporting cast are completely overshadowed by the villains, who make this show what it is. Catra is my ultimate She-Ra character, the rising rival of Adora who is working her way through the ranks, getting crazier and angrier with every step she takes. She's a character that can be so utterly frustrating sometimes as she ruins her own chances of happiness, but it's because she's so interesting and enjoyable that I can get frustrated with her in the first place. If I didn't like her or get her motives, I wouldn't feel anything when she messes up. And her partner Scorpia is just a fun laugh and nice person that brings some needed comedy to her side. She's almost too nice actually, making it hard to believe she's evil.

Hordak's development in season 3 is... let's use the word, fascinating. Anything else is too much of a spoiler. Fascinating.

The other major villains are Hordak and Shadow Weaver, who I won't spoil much but... let's just say Hordak is actually pretty useless when you take a step back and look at how he is. He seems to be quite the cock-up, and never really achieves much. They make an excuse for why he is the way he is, but it's still pretty sad. As for Shadow Weaver, she's a lot more capable and disturbing, but it's super-distracting to see Adora and Catra ever trust this person. Her name is SHADOW WEAVER, and she rules THE HORDE! I know we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but when the book is called Viktor von Doom or Sinestro, it's a safe bet to make!

The story itself is fine, but heavily flawed. Somehow, Adora starts off trusting a massive entity known as the Horde that lives in a place called The Fright Zone and is ruled by Shadow Weaver. And there's a lot of filler episodes, some more appreciated than others, and a lot of poor decision-making on the writing team. Did anyone really want the horse to talk, and to talk with a voice as grating as that? Also, this series is way too fond of dream worlds.

Need more Catra images! MORE!

Like I said earlier, Catra is a character who makes many weird choices, and sometimes it feels like she's being forced to take a certain action purely because the plot needs to move forward in that direction. For example, there's a scene where she can easily stay somewhere she's never been and rule happily, but she decides to go back to the chaos of the main story. Why? Well, because then she wouldn't be around in the story anymore and we can't have that. Adora needs Catra, and Catra reeeeeeeally needs Adora.

Oh yeah, this series is pretty bold with the LGBT+ stuff. Catra and Adora are obviously in love, Bow has two dads, there are two married princesses... In fact, I can only think of one or two heterosexual relationships in the entire series. For a show aimed at all ages, you have to give credit for it actually trying to do something that basically no other animated cartoon does. You might not personally care who humps who, but someone will and they'll appreciate it. You'd never get a show like this ten years ago. (We can probably thank shows like Steven Universe and Legend of Korra for that).

When did D&D episodes become so popular in EVERY show? And before you say anything, Game of Thrones basically was a D&D game! With a very messed-up dungeon-master...

The action is fun, if simple, and the variety of locations on display is impressive. The voicework is also rather great, which is notable for a cast that is mostly unknown to a mainstream audience. (Although fun fact; Glimmer is voiced by Suicide Squad's Katana! She's got Adora's back!) It might look too girly for you, but this is 2019. We live in a world where the Lego Movie was great. Where Teen Titans Go got a good movie. We can't judge things like we used to, damn it!

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is corny, ridiculous and sometimes difficult, but it has a surprising depth to it thanks to the villains and some clear self-awareness. It's by no means a perfect product, but it is worth your time. A story for all ages, and surprisingly all genders, She-Ra is a reboot done right. I don't have anything else to say, so here's Scorpia being too pure for this world.

I am so freakin' jealous. My friends don't ever draw me...

Shiggins:[Admin]
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Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/