News He-Man anime series from Kevin Smith coming to Netflix

[Unicron]

I've only gotten through the first episode, but speaking as a huge He-man fan when I was a kid in the 80s, I loved this so far. I don't get the whole toxic reaction. To me, I saw all the great characters I loved as a kid. It was great seeing Evilyn and Teela square off again. I highly doubt heman and skelator are dead. Biggest clue is no bodies lol.

I personally enjoyed it overall, as someone who grew up in the glorious '80s with the original. Some of the directions were quite interesting, and I agree that Evil-Lyn got a nice chunk of development (and her working with Orko worked really well also). I admit hearing Lena Headey's voice initially sounded weird to me, because her English accent is so strong. SMG's voice as Teela seemed to be hit or miss. I have to admit while I really liked some of the voice acting, others didn't seem like they were the best choices to me. YMMV.

If I had to nitpick, I do see where some of Smith's story choices could make a negative reaction for some fans (and not ones who only want to troll). If they were hoping to see more of a traditional large role for He-Man and Skeletor in the first half, I can see where that would be a disappointment. I probably would have done some things differently if it were me. But overall it's been a fun ride, and elements of it remind me of some of the modern MOTU comics which delved into some unexplored possibilities. Like Adam seeing a possible future where he rules as King He-Man, but has become a tyrant because his desire to protect Eternia led him to effectively banish his human side, Adam's persona. Without a balance on his cosmic power, his good intentions go south fairly quickly.

Spoiler: Spoiler alert

Some fans might also be annoyed at how Evil-Lyn gets such good development, how she says that being Skeletor's lackey for years was a blunt on her own ambition, but then at the end goes right back to work for him. If it were me personally, I probably would have saved such a choice for the second half and given her more of a struggle.

It was cool to see Moss Man go badass on Skeletor early on, though some people might not have liked him getting fried to a crisp so easily.

 

[indianatrekker26]

I just finished Revelations. Looks like Kevin Smith was going for a best of both worlds style cliffhanger there.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

It was on DVD but appears to be out of print.

It's on YT at the moment.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqcNVz8UuCsIlfeWdT0RI40Iq3PZyG3PL

I watched all 3 previous series' on YT over the last year+

 

[JD]

It's more about classism.

Mrs Howe did nothing.

Ginger did nothing.

Gilligan and Mary-Ann did everything ascribed to the gender rolls.

I suppose the Professor was specialized labour since no one else on the island knew how to turn a coconut into a radio.

Lost.

Right at the beginning Shannon's sexy brother bet her that she was a useless waste of skin, because she couldn't get a fish. So she she used her near nudity and sexuality to make that Hobbit Charlie, catch her a fish. And then blue balled Charlie got frustrated when Shannon walked off with his fish to have sex with her brother.

I can imagine Ginger going that to Gilligan a lot.

Not that she had any one to have incest with.

I can also see Ginger killing Lovey Howe, and taking her man, and then waiting out the clock on Mr. Magoo to inherit his millions.

Mr Howe was useless on the Island, although he had a briefcase of money that he was slowly feeding to Gilligan to keep himself fed and clean, but Ginger was playing the long game.

Sigh.

The original song described the Professor and Mary-Ann as "and the rest"

So, you see it is about class?

I didn't know it at the time but apparently the professor was a sexy leading man with an awesome body. I just thought of him as an old nerd, but apparently I didn't run my hands up and down his body to find all the bumps he had to offer a woman.

Muscles.

I was talking about his Muscles.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

I give up.


So are there any specific episodes of that it would be a good idea to watch before watching this. I'm planning on checking this out once I go back to Netflix, but I've never watched or read anything He-Man related. I've been curious about the franchise for a while, and this seems like a good excuse to finally check it out.

 

[Unicron]

The tone is much different from the original 80s version, in no small part because the target audience is different. There are similarities to me between elements of this series and the early 2000s one. I might recommend either of those if you can make time to look at them.

In thinking more about it, I admit my own perspective is kind of mixed. I kind of feel like there were some interesting ideas Smith wanted to play around with, but the execution of those didn't alway work (for me). And as I said above, that's one reason some of these elements won't click for other fans and why they'll be annoyed. I'm keeping an open mind since we've only seen half the story.

 

[Skipper]

I give up.


So are there any specific episodes of that it would be a good idea to watch before watching this. I'm planning on checking this out once I go back to Netflix, but I've never watched or read anything He-Man related. I've been curious about the franchise for a while, and this seems like a good excuse to finally check it out.

Just the synopsis in Wikipedia. Or the opening credits on YouTube. All the essential info are there.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Talk about recognizable voices. King Greyskull is the Allstate guy

 

[Pauln6]

I personally enjoyed it overall, as someone who grew up in the glorious '80s with the original. Some of the directions were quite interesting, and I agree that Evil-Lyn got a nice chunk of development (and her working with Orko worked really well also). I admit hearing Lena Headey's voice initially sounded weird to me, because her English accent is so strong. SMG's voice as Teela seemed to be hit or miss. I have to admit while I really liked some of the voice acting, others didn't seem like they were the best choices to me. YMMV.

If I had to nitpick, I do see where some of Smith's story choices could make a negative reaction for some fans (and not ones who only want to troll). If they were hoping to see more of a traditional large role for He-Man and Skeletor in the first half, I can see where that would be a disappointment. I probably would have done some things differently if it were me. But overall it's been a fun ride, and elements of it remind me of some of the modern MOTU comics which delved into some unexplored possibilities. Like Adam seeing a possible future where he rules as King He-Man, but has become a tyrant because his desire to protect Eternia led him to effectively banish his human side, Adam's persona. Without a balance on his cosmic power, his good intentions go south fairly quickly.

If I recall correctly, Evil Lynn got some development in the 2002 series very similar to this, where He-Man (I think) almost tempts her to change sides, possibly after a reunion with her father, who is sort of neutral? Based on what we've seen so far, I suspect we will revisit this. She was portrayed as a woman still in love on some level with the man Skeletor used to be. At some point, she may finally wise up to the fact that he is no more.

There is also Teela's traditional destiny, teased almost as a joke in this show because it was a secret from the original cartoon that simply never went anywhere. Does Teela have magic in her blood or just a strong right hook? Her fight in the underworld suggests the former. I think this is what I find so frustrating. Teela has always had her own awesome destiny to develop in her own right ever since the action figures first came out (she was the guardian of Greyskull with a groovy serpent animal totem to rival the sorceress). I don't see why her destiny should be overshadowed by He-Man or vice versa. I would prefer if they became equals on their own terms.

Let's see where it all leads!

 

[Unicron]

For me - and for some of the more negative/critical reviewers I've read replies from - the biggest problem with Teela is that the plot requires her to be angry over something that, in a broader context, is somewhat trivial. She watched He-Man (apparently) sacrifice himself to divert the magic orb's energy after Skeletor broke it, which also caused him to lose his powers because it split the power sword into its primal state. And while I get she would be angry (especially from grief) over Adam's unwillingness to share his secret identity with her, I find it somewhat hard to believe she'd cut herself off from friends and family so readily, or abandon her duties in the royal guard. While I do think the concept of a more rebellious, dystopian Teela is an interesting one, I'm not sure this is the way to develop that version of the character. I'd need to rewatch again and think more on it.

But I do see where some fans have significant problems with the writing, as this Teela doesn't strike them as getting the right development. She's still angry at Adam when they visit the equivalent of heaven, and the fact that he died to protect everyone (and even favors his "lesser" form there, and not He-Man's) doesn't seem to matter much. I feel like the concepts that the new series can (and should) explore would benefit from more episodes, if that were possible, and less from feeling like they're rushed and lacking the proper emotional weight. As always, YMMV.

 

[Aragorn]

Talk about recognizable voices. King Greyskull is the Allstate guy

And Scare Glow is Candyman/old Jake Sisko.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

And Scare Glow is Candyman/old Jake Sisko.

aka: Kurn


I'm a little surprised they didn't refer to them as Sword Of Power and Sword Of The Ancients. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to refer to that story.

 

[Aragorn]

So where does Orko go when he dies? Because he might have the first gravestone in heaven. Although he probably survived somehow.

 

[Unicron]

I was unclear on that, because it's somewhat vague if he was actually killed in some way or just imprisoned in some way with Scare Glow, and the others might have just presumed Orko was dead. Maybe he'll get better in future eps.

 

[Pauln6]

For me - and for some of the more negative/critical reviewers I've read replies from - the biggest problem with Teela is that the plot requires her to be angry over something that, in a broader context, is somewhat trivial. She watched He-Man (apparently) sacrifice himself to divert the magic orb's energy after Skeletor broke it, which also caused him to lose his powers because it split the power sword into its primal state. And while I get she would be angry (especially from grief) over Adam's unwillingness to share his secret identity with her, I find it somewhat hard to believe she'd cut herself off from friends and family so readily, or abandon her duties in the royal guard. While I do think the concept of a more rebellious, dystopian Teela is an interesting one, I'm not sure this is the way to develop that version of the character. I'd need to rewatch again and think more on it.

But I do see where some fans have significant problems with the writing, as this Teela doesn't strike them as getting the right development. She's still angry at Adam when they visit the equivalent of heaven, and the fact that he died to protect everyone (and even favors his "lesser" form there, and not He-Man's) doesn't seem to matter much. I feel like the concepts that the new series can (and should) explore would benefit from more episodes, if that were possible, and less from feeling like they're rushed and lacking the proper emotional weight. As always, YMMV.

Well, Evil Lynn implies that Teela is carrying a torch. It's tempting to think it's for Andra but it would be more consistent with the source material if it was for He-Man, mirroring Lynn's own unrequited love for Keldor. Certainly, her refusal to have a heart to heart with Adam supports that possibility. Did Adam keep quiet because he wanted to win Teela's heart as himself? If Teela did love He-Man (and it was often implied that she had the hots for him), her feelings of betrayal might run that much deeper if she doesn't feel that way for Adam, who was more like a brother. That's a lot to process when the dude also died in front of you.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I wonder if the initial time shenanigans will result in some sort of reset to that point, or did Kevin quash any ideas of that already?

 

[Skipper]

Some of rabid fans that are bashing the new show are saying something like "It figures!!! They made Teela a butch lesbian who is lusting after Andra!!!!". It made me think and to do a little experiment I tried to imagine their relationship if they were both men. And I immediately recognized the stereotype of the slightly gruff and disillusioned mentor and the enthusiastic and optimistic pupil. There have been countless movies and tv shows which used this particular trope, without people seriously thinking that the main male characters were humping each other (well, except fanfiction authors, but they don't matter). But if two women don't talk to each other about makeup or men, well, sapphic alert!

Now, I really don't care if in this version Teela is straight, lesbian, bi, asexual or whatever. But it's a little ridiculous that people are inferring the sexual orientation of two female characters just because they don't talk only about "feminine" subjects.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Other than seeing the movie and reading the MotU comics DC did I never watched any of the cartoons but I really enjoyed all 5 episodes. I watched them this afternoon and they were over before I knew it.

Spoiler

i really don’t think that Adam is going to stay dead. And of course Skeletor will be defeated some how.

I think Lena Heady stole the show as Evil-Lyn.

 

[Christopher]

For me - and for some of the more negative/critical reviewers I've read replies from - the biggest problem with Teela is that the plot requires her to be angry over something that, in a broader context, is somewhat trivial. She watched He-Man (apparently) sacrifice himself to divert the magic orb's energy after Skeletor broke it, which also caused him to lose his powers because it split the power sword into its primal state. And while I get she would be angry (especially from grief) over Adam's unwillingness to share his secret identity with her, I find it somewhat hard to believe she'd cut herself off from friends and family so readily, or abandon her duties in the royal guard. While I do think the concept of a more rebellious, dystopian Teela is an interesting one, I'm not sure this is the way to develop that version of the character. I'd need to rewatch again and think more on it.

Good point. I just finished the first episode, and I feel it makes the characters do uncharacteristically dark things with little motivation just for the sake of being gratuitously "adult" and edgy. Like, I can't believe for a moment that He-Man would throw out his code against killing the moment Skeletor offs some random bit character. Now, if Skeletor had killed the Sorceress, maybe I could buy it, but it would still be a stretch. As it was, it wasn't remotely earned, just forced for the sake of shock value. I hadn't thought about it, but Teela's reaction is much the same -- as is Randor's banishing of Duncan on pain of execution.

Also, since when did He-Man battle silently? He was all about the superhero quips. "This is the ten-foot pole I wouldn't touch you with" remains my all-time favorite.

I did find it amusing that they gave He-Man a magical girl-style naked henshin sequence. Let's objectify the guy for a change!

 

[Guy Gardener]

Now, I really don't care if in this version Teela is straight, lesbian, bi, asexual or whatever. But it's a little ridiculous that people are inferring the sexual orientation of two female characters just because they don't talk only about "feminine" subjects.

And her hair cut

Also...

Cringer has a real Paul Lind quality.

And isn't BattleCat a Leather Daddy?

 

[DarKush]

I'm still processing how I feel about this. I don't outright hate it, but I don't love it either. I think it works better as a fantasy-action animated story than as a return to the Masters of the Universe I loved as a kid. I read some of those old comics back in the day and also looked at the reboot that came out in the early aughts as well, which I also liked. But I'm no diehard He-Man fan, that said, I did even like the Lundgren film, more so because of Langella's Skeletor.

I know some are ragging Kevin Smith for 'lying' about what the first part of the series would be about, but I see it as more so him being artful with his words in an attempt to keep some suspense, but also hold off the internet mob that was coming. He didn't appear to do too well in either case.

I thought the animation was good, though I prefer the original Filmation look. The voice acting was uneven. I hate to admit it but wasn't that impressed by Hamill's Skeletor (really liked that he said Langella's line, "let this be our final battle"; I wish Langella had voiced Skeletor again), or Conroy as Mer-Man. Sarah Michelle Geller was fine as Teela, but I liked Lena Headey as Evil Lynn most of all I think. I did like seeing some of the old characters, though sometimes the cameos just felt superfluous. Also would've been nice to see more with Beast-Man. Why was he so loyal to Evil Lynn after all?

I wasn't a fan of quite a few of the narrative decisions, but I suspect that the second part might address my concerns there. In a way I felt Teela and how she was handled was a better version of Star War's Rey and that MOTU:R was a better version of The Last Jedi.