She Ra is worth your time Intro 2018 She Ra is a fantastic show--ive run through
it three times and are planning on a fourth. And since then, ive done the arduous work
of trying to convince everybody i love to watch it--which has been easier than i expected. But i realize people have their own misgivings
about shows maybe outside their typical roster, so for anyone that has doubts, im here to
tell you FLASH TITLE
WHY SHE RA IS WORTH YOUR TIME You may have seen this going around
Catgirl Tall blonde lady with a sword. Though sometimes shes a smaller girl with
a sword and a spiky red jacket (whatsupwiththat??). She Ra and the Princesses of Power is a 2018
reboot of an 80s show meant to sell toys and turns it into a worthy successor to avatar’s
style of ‘kid marketed show that will make you think feel and possibly go insane with
its emotional intelligence’ Without too many spoilers: She ra is about adora, an 18 year old girl,
pulls a king arthur and finds a sacred sword that turns her into she ra, a 9 foot tall
mystical warrior with beach waves. Theres a war between elemental magical princesses
and the unambiguously named “horde,” an evil army hellbent on conquering the planet
headed by better-hair-deadpool and…… guy whose name sounds like “horde” (zoom in
on hordak) Beyond that, you’re sort of just, thrown
into the story as it goes but you figure things out as the characters do, and it’s not too
much to learn. Now, evil horde vs magical princesses seems
like it would lead to boring black and white kids show morality WRONG--both the horde and
the princess alliance have nuance to the motives and choices of their members, and most of
all are shown as people, capable of good and terrible things, leading to incredibly moving
moments on either side. First season disclaimer Now, there’s the ubiquitous disclaimer about
rough first seasons-- s1 isn't bad by any means, but does take time to get started. I’ll be honest, I personally wasn’t hooked
on the first few episodes--but there’s hardly a show i can say i was. S1 starts out feeling like a series of ‘one
offs’-- but here’s what i think: by ep 8, you’ll be intrigued, by ep 11, the show
will have proved what it’ll do at its heights. It’s a pretty breezy watch--the 2nd and
3rd season are really one season split in two sets of 6/7 episodes, making she ra’s
5 seasons more like 4, each around 20 minutes. But there is so much packed into those 17
and a half hours of content. The show is set in Etheria, a completely different
planet with miyazaki-like forests and on-the-nose naming trends [mini comp of CASTASPELLA, FROSTA,
BOW, CATRA, MERMISTA] While the art style isnt as detailed as,,
say, avatar, [budGET] it does get its moments, especially in the landscapes--which are just,
really stunning. There’s this kind of ode to the 80s roots
with a smattering of pink-and-blue and neon setpieces that just burst with color like
LOOK AT THIS It’s nice. But really, the reason we stay hooked on shows
is the emotion, and hoooooboy does she ra deliver. And what’s interesting is that the protagonists
are older--theyre still written for dreamworks, but--theyre 17-18 at the start and 20-21 by
the end, which makes for less a coming of age feel and a slightly older “finding your
purpose” feel which, as someone closer to that age, i found really enjoyable
Each season successfully ups the stakes without feeling forced or bloated, which i have to
commend them for because it’s, it’s so easy to do that in such a free-form fantasy
world. So much of it works because it is character
driven, most of the plot consisting of exploring the characters evolving thoughts and feelings
and propelled by the choices they make in kind And most of those are due to relationships,
which are at the core of she-ra’s storytelling momentum. The central one is between Catra and Adora--two
childhood best friends turned enemies and maaayybe there’s also something else going
on there (“gay people????”) In addition to that, She Ra introduces us
to a plethora of dynamics we don’t usually see--. And it’s in no small part due to the fact
that the cast flips usual dynamics on its head with its 95% or so female roster, effectively
slamming the bechdel test into hot concrete. Humor
It’s also genuinely really funny, and you get the sense that whoever worked on it had
a lot of fun doing so. It boasts a surprisingly gilded voice cast
including aj michalka (yes that aj michalka), daniel dae kim, lorraine toussaint, jordan
fisher, and…. S..sandra oh?? The voice acting is, really, really good--expressive
and fun and makes these 2d ms paint figures feel like… friends. It’s so charming, and honest,... and human--which
is notable since some of the characters aren't, one is a lobster--ii mean scorpion, the other
is…. Just a.. A cat shes just a cat. Sure, sure… but “magical princesses?” Isn’t this for little girls? First of all, young girls are awesome and
have great taste and have always been at the forefront of fantasy and sci fi trends. Second of all, there’s intended audience
and there’s talking exclusively to that intended audience. She ra is the former. The show can be enjoyed by preteens, and it
can be enjoyed by teens, adults, and anyone who enjoys good storytelling. There’ve been movies apparently aimed at
adults that I’ve found lacking in the emotional substance i love in she ra -- it’s all subjective. In its 52 episodes, she ra poses questions
like how do you repair broken trust? How do we reconcile different perspectives
on the same truth? How does past conditioning inform who we are,
and how do we make new choices, do someone else’s expectations define you, what does
it take to heal from trauma -- all within an engaging fantasy backdrop. Worldbuilding
She Ra has a soft magic and lore system that works completely to its advantage. Yeah, there’s princesses and runestones
and sorcerers, but the technical bits of their power aren’t ever explained, which gives
the whole world this sense of mystery and otherworldliness. making etheria seem…. Ethereal ha ha ha Yes, some people are animal
hybrids. ….and? And it’s self aware of some of the ridiculousness
inherited by tis 80s roots self referencing but not in a distracting way
Adora’s hair poof, “i TOSS NETS,” catra being a cat, “you are a big bug” “yeah
i am” “i like bowling, it’s very difficult w my claws” Finally, the music, i have to talk about the
music... The music in she ra has no right to be this
good. It’s this perfect mix of synthy 80s tribute
in the action sequences, and more typical orchestral bits that absolutely rip your heart
out. This person [sunna wehrmeijer] (who’s name
im afraid to pronounce so terribly this video gets blocked) did a PHENOMENAL job sonically
tying the show together and making me feel unhinged at the sound of like 2 piano chords. But for real, the leitmotifs are gorgeous
and a functional narrative organ as much the dialogue itself [on a black screen play childhood
corridors theme] also half the tracks make me want to lay in
a cornfield and be swallowed by the earth and she owes me emotional reparations. All of these elements harmonize (hee hee see
what i did there) together to create a product that feels incredibly cohesive extremely rewatchable. Trust me
I know If you give it a try, there’s a good chance
She Ra will be one of those shows that sticks with you for a long time If someone sent you this, it means you should
watch it, And if youve already seen it and are watching
this for fun to confirm things you already know--do it watch it again you know you want
to
