Favourite/Best New Adventures Episodes?

[Fisto]

Hello People,

I was wondering which episodes make your fans top ten favorites?
So "NA" fans, please share your thoughts. I will let you know, which ones stick in my mind.

Take it easy,
Darren

[Wacky Martin]

Ok Mine are-

1.Sword and Staff
2.Four Ways To Sundown
3.Skeletors Victory
4.The Ultimate Challenge
5.Once Upon A Time
6.Mutany On the Mothership
7.Bride of Slush Head
8.Queens Gambit
9.The Power of the Good and the way of the magic
10.Brain Drain

[He-Fan]

Chris here...

The New Adventures of He-Man rocks!! OK, just had to get that out of my system...!

Hmmm, I last watched about 90% of all the NA episodes in 2002 - let's see...

1) "Sword & Staff"
2) "A New Beginning"
3) "The Gift"
3) "Skeletor's Victory"
4) "He-Man in Exile"
5) "The Seeds of Resistance"
6) "The Battle for Levitan"
7) "Dreadator"
8) "The Ultimate Challenge"
9) "Once Upon A Time"
10) "You're In The Army Now"

I also have to give an honourable mention to one episode in particular, not one of my favourites but with perhaps the best title out of the entire MOTY mythos - the episode was entitled "He-Fan"!

Take care...

[Fisto]

Chris here...

The New Adventures of He-Man rocks!! OK, just had to get that out of my system...!

Hey Chris,

I have to agree with you, mate! This series is very underrated. While, I will
be the first to admit, I do love the "MotU" concept and "PoP", more, this series is great!

I love the idea, that those living in Primus, destroyed their weapons in an effort to live peacefully. I love the idea, that He-Man, the most powerful
man in the Universe, is their way out of this, with a new war with The Evil Mutants.

I love Skeletor, pretending to be surbordinate to Flogg, in an effort to scucceed in his own evil objectives. However, I may have brought He-Man and Skeletor back to their own world and time at the the end.

Overall, though this series is fun. However, I am pretty biased when it comes to the whole "MotU" property!

Take it easy,
Darren

[pH6]

1. Sword & Staff
2. Four Ways to Sundown
3. The Bride of Slushhead
4. Mutiny on the Mothership
5. He-Man Mutant
6. The Ultimate Challenge
7. Planet of Junk
8. Sanctuary
9. The Tornadoes of Zil
10. The Sheriff of Gorn City

[Toymaker]

I know Bustas very busy with the DVD's at the moment, but were he able to find time to add to the HOF on the ERW, he once told me all series were eligible, so which episode would you include.

Mine would be a new beginning, where Adam tells his parents the secret he kept from them for 223 filmation epidodes!

[Killian]

Can't remember the episode titles, but the one where Skeletor gets empowered by the crystal he finds on Nordor and gets his new armor, the one where Teela visits and the final episode where He-Man finally defeats Skeletor...

[Dagar]

Can't remember the episode titles, but the one where Skeletor gets empowered by the crystal he finds on Nordor and gets his new armor, the one where Teela visits and the final episode where He-Man finally defeats Skeletor...

The former is "Sword & Staff" and the latter is "Once Upon a Time".

For me, the best episodes are the like of "The Running of the Herd" and "Four Ways To Sundown", but I'm interested to know what everybody else's favourites are seeing as I'm well known to be a big fan of The New Adventures.

BTW, The New Adventures of He-Man gets referenced on the volume 7 commentary by myself in a rare occasion of me actually criticising the show for something!

[Sir Reilly]

Four Ways to Sundown all the way. Best episode ever!

[Wacky Martin]

BTW, The New Adventures of He-Man gets referenced on the volume 7 commentary by myself in a rare occasion of me actually criticising the show for something!

I look forward to that! On the Volume 5 commentaries I was happy to hear The New Adventures get a little mention

Like Dave I also like 'The Running of the Herd', because it has such a good mix of character development and action, and the animation is superb. One of my favourite moments from the series is when He-Man sets alight the oil from the Terroclaws with Skeletor attacking in his Skullcopter.

And of course, 'Four Ways to Sundown', which is one of the most original and funny episodes of He-Man ever produced. Slush Heads view of events in particular is hilarious, as are Skeletor, Crita and Floggs reactions to his story

Then of course 'The Ultimate Challenge', 'Sword and Staff' and 'Bride of Slush Head' are all personal favourites of mine. I'd like to mention 'Escape from Gaolotia' too, which might seem like an odd choice, but I like the way Skeletor is portrayed as so incredibly evil, willing to kill Flogg and the Mutants, the prisoners and He-Man in all one episode while making his own escape.

[orkoclown93]

Fist off, I personally haven't seen too many episodes, maybe about a dozen or so straight through, with many others watched with the dvd player just on for background noise (like right now). But out of the episodes you have seen, wich is your favorite, why that particular episode, and maybe even write a short review of it.

Out of the episodes I've seen, I'm definately going to have to go with "A New Beginning". I've already given this episode praise in another thread, so I'll try to keep it quick.

I particularly liked this episode because despite the drastic change in animation compared to the classic MOTU series, I still felt that it was a good transition from the old show to the new one. It had some of the same feels as the old show (Skeletor's bumbling henchmen, He-Man's nobility), with a hint of maturity in a way, (not an overabundance of comic relief scenes in this episode) more drama thrown in (Adam saying goodbye to his parents, and then transforming right in front of them and the embrace that followed), the characters' evolution (most obviously Skeletor, who shows some of his trademarked evil intentions by wanting to use Hydron and Flipshot for his own dastardly deeds, but at the same time shows his character has evolved, with his newfound humour that would stick with him and grow throughout the series), and just the right amount of classic characters (He-Man, Skeletor, Randor, Marlena, Sorceress,and yes, I will admit, I would have liked to see more, but I understand why we could not) to show that yes, this is Eternia and the He-Man we all love, but not too many classic characters so as to not take away from the new ones we were suppose to be focusing on and getting to know.

Wow, so much for keeping it short, huh? That's what happens when I get to writing about something that really interests me. Well, so let's have it, wich episode is your favorite and why, and if you're up to it let's see a short () review.

And this one I will actually keep short. My least favorite episode was the western one, I don't recall the name. Not because it was badly written or anything, but I just don't like any cowboy/western themed shows or movies.

[Killian]

I don't remember it very well, but I really liked the episode where Teela came to visit with her POP style makeover. It was cool to see a classic character show up and I liked that Skeletor was using a book of spells, it was good to see a magic based episode after so many that relied on technology etc..

But having said that, my favourite episode is the last one where He-man finally defeats Skeletor after all those years... I love Skeletor's tantrum when the Mutants surrender to the humans and his show of power appearing huge across the sky before whisking He-Man, Mara, and Critta away for the final battle... Ohh, the drama!

[Dagar]

Favourite episode is probably "The Running of the Herd", although there's a lot of episodes I'm fond of, particularly from the two five-part storylines early on in the series. My least favourite is probably "The Taking of Levitan" because of a couple of animation errors and the two new characters introduced in the episode not really catching on (KOG and Gleanon Private Dobson).

[Wacky Martin]

Theres lot of episodes that I consider my favourites, 'Mutiny on the Mothership', 'Bride of Slush Head' and 'Running of the Herd' are probably at the top of that list. With my favourite storyline being the second five parter and the Mutant occupation of Primus.

Least favourite? Not sure really, I didnt notice the animation errors at first in 'Taking of Levitan' until Dagar mentioned it in another thread, and when I watched the episode again I couldnt believe I missed them. I also dont really like 'Floggs Revenge', simply because I think its a pointless episode that adds little to the final story.

orkoclown93, the episode your thinking of is 'Fading Star'.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Okay. Here we go: The first five episodes, for sure. Imagine how much fun it was for me to create a whole new world and bring new characters to life! Seige of Serus 'cause of its depth. Misty Taggart's GREAT epsiode, Once Upon a Time in which she makes He-man so human through his homesickness and makes the brilliant stroke of bringing in Teela. Four Ways to Sundown because I like anything that's got Slushhead and the Quagmire Swamp in it and because, hey, how many times do you get to pay homage to Akira Kirosawa in a toon? And, finally, Running of the Herd because it was a beautiful episode and it touched my heart with its scope.

[Wacky Martin]

Four Ways to Sundown because I like anything that's got Slushhead and the Quagmire Swamp in it and because, hey, how many times do you get to pay homage to Akira Kirosawa in a toon?

I'm not really familiar with him Jack, I dont suppose you could explain what the homage was?

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

I'm not really familiar with him Jack, I dont suppose you could explain what the homage was?

Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors in the history of film -- and not just Japanese film, where he made his bones. Along with Sergei Eisenstein and DeMille, Kurosawa is considered a seminal director, his innovative work influencing many directors who would come after him. He directed classic such as Ran, The Seven Samurai -- upon which The Magnificent Seven and A Bug's Life were based -- Kagemush and Rashomon among many others. He also director (uncredited) the Japanese segments of Tora! Tora! Tora!
The Quagmire Swamp episode was a nod to him because it portrays the details of an event from a number of different points of view, showing how individuals interpret things differently. In the case of Rashomon, Kurosawa's event was a rape and the event was explained from vastly different points of view.

[Wacky Martin]

Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors in the history of film -- and not just Japanese film, where he made his bones. Along with Sergei Eisenstein and DeMille, Kurosawa is considered a seminal director, his innovative work influencing many directors who would come after him. He directed classic such as Ran, The Seven Samurai -- upon which The Magnificent Seven and A Bug's Life were based -- Kagemush and Rashomon among many others. He also director (uncredited) the Japanese segments of Tora! Tora! Tora!
The Quagmire Swamp episode was a nod to him because it portrays the details of an event from a number of different points of view, showing how individuals interpret things differently. In the case of Rashomon, Kurosawa's event was a rape and the event was explained from vastly different points of view.

Ah Okay, Thanks, before my time I think!

I think Four Ways to Sundown is the most unique episode from all the He-Man shows, there's never been anything like it in the other cartoons, and the four different stories all go together perfectly. I particularly like how He-Man and Skeletor are paralelled at the end, both asking 'I wonder if he has to go through this?' And it's all the more interesting reading what inspired you to do it!

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Ah Okay, Thanks, before my time I think!

I think Four Ways to Sundown is the most unique episode from all the He-Man shows, there's never been anything like it in the other cartoons, and the four different stories all go together perfectly. I particularly like how He-Man and Skeletor are paralelled at the end, both asking 'I wonder if he has to go through this?' And it's all the more interesting reading what inspired you to do it!

Waaaaaay before your time. But it's an area of interest to me because the entertainment industry is my business. I've always believed that one should know the history of any endeavor one seriously undertakes. I think it's important to know the foundation upon which a school of thought was built if you're going to labor in that field. So if you're going to make the military your career, I feel you should study everyone from Alexander and Sun Tzu to Patton and Schwartzkoff. Going into aeronautics? You want to read about not just the Wright brothers but da Vinci, Anthony Fokker and Howard Hughes. I think it's important to understand how the principles of your craft were developed and who its pioneers were.
Of course for most people it's not important because it's not their field of endeavor -- just something they enjoy. You don't need to understand how an internal combustion engine works in order to operate and enjoy a car. And you don't need to know the difference between a grip and a gaffer or what a proscenium arch is and how it was broken to enjoy FINDING NEMO or CITIZEN KANE or FLIGHTPLAN. So the problem is that when I start talking about film and old-time directors, I sometimes bore the hell out of people who couldn't care less about all that stuff. Hope I didn't do that to you.

[Wacky Martin]

Waaaaaay before your time. But it's an area of interest to me because the entertainment industry is my business. I've always believed that one should know the history of any endeavor one seriously undertakes. I think it's important to know the foundation upon which a school of thought was built if you're going to labor in that field. So if you're going to make the military your career, I feel you should study everyone from Alexander and Sun Tzu to Patton and Schwartzkoff. Going into aeronautics? You want to read about not just the Wright brothers but da Vinci, Anthony Fokker and Howard Hughes. I think it's important to understand how the principles of your craft were developed and who its pioneers were.
Of course for most people it's not important because it's not their field of endeavor -- just something they enjoy. You don't need to understand how an internal combustion engine works in order to operate and enjoy a car. And you don't need to know the difference between a grip and a gaffer or what a proscenium arch is and how it was broken to enjoy FINDING NEMO or CITIZEN KANE or FLIGHTPLAN. So the problem is that when I start talking about film and old-time directors, I sometimes bore the hell out of people who couldn't care less about all that stuff. Hope I didn't do that to you.

Not at all

In fact I'm very interested in the entertainment industry, films, directors etc. I'll even be studying it at University next year, so it's all fascinating stuff for me! Maybe I'll end up writing a paper on how 'Four Ways to Sundown' paralells the work of Akira Kurosawa!

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Not at all

In fact I'm very interested in the entertainment industry, films, directors etc. I'll even be studying it at University next year, so it's all fascinating stuff for me! Maybe I'll end up writing a paper on how 'Four Ways to Sundown' paralells the work of Akira Kurosawa!

I think he'd smile at that, from whatever plain of existence he's presently on.

[Dagar]

I'll be honest, when I was a kid, "Four Ways To Sundown" was one of my least favourite episodes because I just didn't get it. When I got a little bit older and was able to appreciate it, it became one of my very favourite episodes.

Of course, when we talk about Kurasawa, it would be silly not to mention that George Lucas famously took some inspiration from The Hidden Fortress when he came to make Star Wars.

[Mosquitor]

Interesting to hear that Four Ways to Sundown was influenced by films like Rashomon; I had indeed thought of that in connection with the episode.

I hated that episode when I first saw it; but appreciated it more after Dagar explained why he liked it so much.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

I'll be honest, when I was a kid, "Four Ways To Sundown" was one of my least favourite episodes because I just didn't get it. When I got a little bit older and was able to appreciate it, it became one of my very favourite episodes.

Of course, when we talk about Kurasawa, it would be silly not to mention that George Lucas famously took some inspiration from The Hidden Fortress when he came to make Star Wars.

You go, Dagar!

[Todd Luck]

I don't specificly remember my least favorite episode. My favorite, hands down, was the last episode. What a great ending. He-Man and Skeletor at their purest. It's a great final battle between the two and a very appropriate final fate for Skeletor and Greta (his female partner in crime).

The speech He-Man gave while finishing off Skeletor was almost poetic (SPOILERS AHEAD)...






It want something like "I crown you King Skeletor and Queen Greta...king and queen of nothing!" Then both villians fall into a small one-man space fighter. He-Man continues "Here is your throne..." He seals them inside the ship with his sword and then picks it up and says "...and, now, I send you to your kingdom!" as he tosses them into the void of space. He picks up Skeletor's havok staff off the ground (does he then break it? I don't recall) and says, without it, Skeletor will float through the void of space forever. Beautiful