Well I finally did it. I watched the last episode of NA. I have to admit, I'm going to miss putting a little time every day into it. I'm sure I'll come back to it and rewatch them again. Now I wish it had a longer run. I do feel like I've grown even closer to the MOTU...err universe. I now understand more about what went on in the future and on Primus. I enjoyed many of the characters like Slush head, Butthead, Quakke, Artilla, and Spinwit. I wish I would've counted how many times I yelled at Flipshot FOR NOT FLYING! NA definitely has won me over and I'd like for everyone to give it a chance or six.
Four Ways to Sundown was probably my favorite still, after watching all the episodes. It revolved around some great characters, awesome humor, and just enough action.Originally Posted by Heeeere's Olesker!
You have inspired me to try and make it through NA again myself. First time I made it almost to the end of Vol. 1. I didn't stop watching because I disliked the show, but some other show distracted me and I just never got back to it.
So here I go again.
To be honest...I gave up after watching the finale. I tried giving this series a chance, I really did. But after that deus ex machina codswallop revolving around Skeletor's exile, I couldn't do it. There was no buildup, no hint that He-Man could use the sword in that manner, nothing. I now fully admit that I hate everything about this series. I loathe most of the characters [except for Slush-Head, the humans in Zone of Darkness and Felka]-especially those accursed Four Scientists and Master 'I must whine about everything and pretend to be wise when in reality I have no idea what in the Tri-Solar System I'm babbling about' Sebrian. I hate the bad attempts at humour [seriously, half of the heroic cast are comic relief characters who serve no buisness in being there except to waste time]. I hate how this series wastes such a unique setting like the Tri-Solar System. I despise every episode [apart from Four Ways to Sundown and Slush-Head's Wedding] because of how meanderingly droll and tedious they are, relying on every character to be a complete moron. And look, I understand how some people would like this series. I understand not everything has to be a masterpiece. But as far as I'm concerned, I am done with having anything to do with this pointless, slow, obnoxious, childish and overall stupid series. Rant over.
You make me smile. I love your passion. Far too many people have none.
Far too many people also make general comments without specific criticisms. I appreciate your providing your reasons for your opinions. Well done!
Then you must really loathe the original He-Man series
Admittedly, I haven't watched the DVDs since my first viewing, though that is due to the fact that they are Region 1 and I am in a Region 2 zone, plus the episodes aren't in episode order, so a lot of disc swapping has to be done in order to watch the series properly... I really wanna watch again!
I think there's a difference between the Filmation era's definition of childish [cheesy, but with a lot of heart] and this show's childish [needing to cram in 10 comic relief characters per scene, since the creators are scared that if they show anything more violent or serious than a teatowl, children will be scarred for life.]Then you must really loathe the original He-Man series
I'd recommend it. The easiest way I found to watch it was to watch at least one episode a night. Good luck!
Digging up this thread because, basically, I was making my second attempt to get through the series after a failed first attempt a few years ago. This time, I made it all the way through the entire run and wanted to post my thoughts on it now that I got through the whole thing.
I'll start with the bad things, because in any show, there's going to be negatives:
1. The Scientists - Reading through this forum, I'm not alone in despising these characters, though I doubt I would've detested them as much if they didn't seem to be trying to belt out an opera every time they spoke. In the beginning of this show, in addition to being annoying, they seemed to drain the life out of every episode in which they appeared and almost seemed to be trying to take over the show. Thankfully, as the series went on, they seemed to be featured less and less, some of them not even appearing in some episodes.
2. Similar characters - I actually have mixed feelings on the Caz character, as he was unique enough that I didn't cringe when he was on, but other than that, I couldn't really see a purpose for him on the show other than to get into trouble, for which we had the much more likeable Drissi available. Like Caz, I didn't really dislike Hydron, per se, but I feel like Flipshot was essentially better at serving the same purpose on the show as him. Also, a lot of the mutants tended to be idiots and I never really felt they were a threat, which took some of the suspense out of the show.
3. Overly Sci-fi - I'm assuming, from the premise of the show, that the intent was to create a sci-fi show, but I missed the fantasy element from the other adaptions and felt like this was basically G.I. Joe in Space, which happened to feature He-Man and Skeletor. To me, taking He-Man and Skeletor and putting them in this situation is somewhat like taking Conan the Barbarian and throwing him into Star Wars. It's just too much of an atmosphere change for a character with an established iconic backstory for me.
4. Rinse and Repeat - It seemed that every episode was about the Mutants Vs. The Galactic Guardians and it got a little stale. Most animated shows feature episodes with one-off villains and I feel this show could have offered a little variety in their antagonists. Some of my favorite episodes revolved around Gorn City and the outlaws that frequented there. I would have liked to have seen more of Primus and the residents of the planet outside of the Guardians and Mutants...or even episodes where some of the mutants had their side schemes going. But, it was always Skeletor and Flogg with the others following.
5. He-Man's sudden new powers - Suddenly, the sword can shoot magic energy and move objects, etc. I guess I could chalk it up to the Superman idea that a different planet yields different powers, but there was no mention from He-Man that these were out of the ordinary for him.
6. Dual identity was not needed - I don't know why Prince Adam even needed to make an appearance, much less keep changing back and forth. On Eternia, it was necessary because of the ramifications of someone finding out and hurting his family, but on Primus, Adam wasn't needed, IMHO. He should've just turned into He-Man and not turned back during his stay and no one would've even known Adam existed. It could've saved Adam a trip to prison, actually.
Okay, so that's out of the way. Now, for the positive:
1. Continuity - I liked that episodes weren't just forgotten about at the start of the next episode. I liked having an overall story, even if we could've used a break from it now and then.
2. Favorite Episodes - Like previously stated, some of my favorite ones tended to be ones that broke the formula, such as You're in the Army Now, Sheriff of Gorn City, Tornadoes of Zil, Out of the Past, and Bride of Slushhead.
3. Some Cool Characters - Of the main cast, I felt Flipshot, Mara, Slushhead, Drissi, and Crita were the best. I enjoyed Flipshot's loyalty to He-Man, Mara's intelligence, Drissi's innocence, Crita's deviousness, and Slushhead's crankiness. While I felt some of the other main cast was a little generic, there were some unique guest stars I would've loved to have seen more of, such as Grot, Optikk, Meliac, Dreadator, and even some of the outlaws like Bi-Lock and his brother. Dreadator, in particular, struck me as a character that could've even been featured on the old show.
4. A Resolution - Too many shows end without an final episode, especially cartoons, but it was a nice breath of fresh air to have a storyline come to a close. It seems from this forum that the plan was to return to Eternia in the second season, which I would have loved to have seen. When Teela said "Goodbye forever" and disappeared, I thought it was implied that He-Man would never get to go home. I'm happy that at least wasn't the plan.
So, in summary, I guess I'll just say I didn't HATE it, but it wasn't my favorite adaption of the He-Man mythology. If I look at it as an ongoing chapter in a grander story, I'm perfectly fine with it, but in the end, I'd much rather watch either the Filmation show or the MYP version.
Sheriff Of Gorn City, Tornadoes Of Zil, Zone Of Darkness, The Children's Planet and Running Of The Herd.
I'll give you the scientists, but I'll also contend that Gepple's voice actor did a much better job than the others. Krex was tolerable, but Meldoc was horrible, and Alkon makes me want to jam screw drivers into my ears.
I saw Caz as a good way for kids to have a way to place themselves in the story by way of a character nearer their age. I liked that he was so eager to grow up and fight the Mutants, and I especially loved the He-Caz episode. He did play the trouble maker a few times, but I didn't feel it was over kill.
I disagree again. He-man and Skele were transported to the future, when technology would have been far advanced. I personally wished they would have touched on the fact that He-man was an ancient-times-warrior thrust into a highly technological world, but they seemed to have completely over looked that avenue. I think that may have even quelled many fans issue with the whole science based setting, being so far removed from He-man tradition.
I see where you're coming from, but I also feel that there was a fair amount of out of the ordinary characters and settings. Maybe not as much as there should have been, but certainly there was enough to keep it from getting too boring for the writers and audience. I loved Doogan (sp?), Dreadator, Grott, Meliac, anything taking place in Gorn city, that city with the fans, the Mutants taking over Primus for a few episodes, the rock creature that cracked the dome of Hydron's underwater home, which was a personal favorite of mine, the Anadroids, which are one of my favorite plot devices of the series. I will say that it would have been nice to have more episodes devoid of a need for the heroes and Mutants to some degree though, for sure.
This I wholeheartedly agree with you on. It was way too broad in scope of abilities. It just began to feel like, 'why didn't he do that in the beginning of the episode'. It's not always terrible, but sometimes it's so bad I can't believe it. And similarly when Star ship Eternia used it's blue elctro beam shaped like a hand to grab and throw a rocket, or something, as if it were a baseball pitch, complete with wind-up.
Agreed. I don't get why Skeletor doesn't recognize Adam, and say "Hey, if only He-man and I came through the time tunnel, why is Adam here?"
I also agree with all of your likes.
The show is fun to watch when you're going to bed, especially if you've seen the episode already, so you don't have to worry about staying up to finish watching it. I personally have trouble shutting down my very active brain, so I use cartoons to fall asleep. They help me deactivate that hyperactive imagination that keeps me from getting to sleep sometimes. This series is one of the mains I use for that, along with the original Filmation series and Looney Tunes. As an aside, if I wake up in the middle of the night, I have to be purposed to go immediately back to sleep or else i'll end up laying there for at least an hour and a half, or sometimes 2-3 hours, just thinking about random stuff.
Last edited by nicholighkun; February 4, 2014 at 01:12am.
I'd seen bits and pieces of NA before (I'm definitely a fan of the toys) and decided earlier this week to watch an episode a night. So far, so good. I'm going to give myself some time before I get into too many criticisms or praises, but so far I'm enjoying it and look forward to watching a nightly episode.
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"We have a Ram-Man"
I detailed my attempts at watching NA almost two years ago in in this thread and I'm sorry to say that I never made it past the 6th or 7th episode. I really gave it my all...
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OK, so here are a few things I like about the series during this rewatch.
1. You mentioned it earlier, Jack, but I really like that He-Man's power is not crazy unlimited like in the Filmation series. One of my favorite He-Man depictions has always been the 1987 film particularly because He-Man seems like a tough, strong guy who's definitely powerful, but he's not throwing moons or crushing diamonds with his hands or anything. I feel that "nerfing" He-Man a bit really helps both make him a more interesting character and helps to make other characters more necessary.
2. I love the way the series is building on itself. Continuity always keeps me more interested in anything (particularly animation) and I like this element.
3. There seem to be some fun nods to the previous stuff, particularly that someone (was it Drissi or Mara) asked why Adam always disappears when He-Man is around.
4. My wife really likes He-Man's voice. I guess I'm having a tough time gravitating towards it after so many years of Cam Clarke and John Irwin, but it isn't bad. I feel like this is definitely a more mature He-Man, however. I like his interactions with the characters.
5. I'm only four episodes in but there definitely seems to be some potential for good female characters.
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"We have a Ram-Man"
Hey, I never said the writing was bad. Happy birthday!Hey, hey. Easy. Today's my birthday.
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I'm doing a second run through, after watching it for the first time last year. I really enjoy it. I'm glad I was unaware of it as a kid, because I would not have accepted it as a He-Man continuation. The only familiar characters are not recognizable in these new incarnations and the animation style looks more like Voltron than Masters of The Universe.
As an adult, I can appreciate that there is more than one version of every story, and many ways of telling those versions. With a little imagination, it isn't difficult to fit this into Filmation canon. Also, I personally really enjoy where Classics has taken NA, and that has filled in some gaps in the NA story, for me.
I've mentioned this before, but as far as I'm concerned, Caz grew up, took Sebrian's place, and this cartoon is his recounting of events. He doesn't get all of the events right because he didn't witness them all first-hand, and a lot of his memories are colored by his childhood hero-worship/obsession/crush on He-Man. In my canon, he is the leader of Primus in the SOH days.I really like Caz. I think I'm in the minority. I do agree that he was a way "in" for younger viewers, and almost serves an Orko-like role. I like to think that if the story had gone back to Eternia in season 2, Caz would have stowed away and have had to grow up quickly and prove himself away from the paradise of Primus.
I do agree that it would have been nice too see a bit of diversity amongst the main characters. More non-human Galactic Guardians might have been nice. Even someone who wasn't white might have been helpful. I guess Nocturna was Primus' version of Asian, but he was also blonde, so...hmmm. lol. All of the mutants were pretty basic...just different colored, bi-pedal aliens whose gimmick had something to do with their armor. Aside from Optikk! Would have been great to see more "mutations" among the mutants!
As far as it being serialized, I love that part- but I do agree that more one-off episodes with unique villains would have been great! I also could have done with less of the Scientists, but I actually really like Gepple. There are a ton of characters I LOVE. Meliac is one of my top wants in figure form.
I know it is corny, but approaching the different cartoons as if they were told by different witnesses (well, really they were! Different writers!) makes a huge difference, IMO. Scrollos told the Filmation tales, an adult Caz recounted the heroics of He-Man in the Tri-Solar System. I don't know if that would work for anyone else, but it made me really LOVE New Adventures.
Last edited by Kreann'ot; February 24, 2014 at 09:22pm.
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This is a pretty neat thought on Caz. I found him somewhat annoying, but he's a kid so I didn't hate the guy. I did enjoy the Super Caz episode. I wouldn't mind him in figure form in MOTUC.I'm doing a second run through, after watching it for the first time last year. I really enjoy it. I'm glad I was unaware of it as a kid, because I would not have accepted it as a He-Man continuation. The only familiar characters are not recognizable in these new incarnations and the animation style looks more like Voltron than Masters of The Universe.
As an adult, I can appreciate that there is more than one version of every story, and many ways of telling those versions. With a little imagination, it isn't difficult to fit this into Filmation canon. Also, I personally really enjoy where Classics has taken NA, and that has filled in some gaps in the NA story, for me.
I've mentioned this before, but as far as I'm concerned, Caz grew up, took Sebrian's place, and this cartoon is his recounting of events. He doesn't get all of the events right because he didn't witness them all first-hand, and a lot of his memories are colored by his childhood hero-worship/obsession/crush on He-Man. In my canon, he is the leader of Primus in the SOH days.
I do agree that it would have been nice too see a bit of diversity amongst the main characters. More non-human Galactic Guardians might have been nice. Even someone who wasn't white might have been helpful. I guess Nocturna was Primus' version of Asian, but he was also blonde, so...hmmm. lol. All of the mutants were pretty basic...just different colored, bi-pedal aliens whose gimmick had something to do with their armor. Aside from Optikk! Would have been great to see more "mutations" among the mutants!
As far as it being serialized, I love that part- but I do agree that more one-off episodes with unique villains would have been great! I also could have done with less of the Scientists, but I actually really like Gepple. There are a ton of characters I LOVE. Meliac is one of my top wants in figure form.
I know it is corny, but approaching the different cartoons as if they were told by different witnesses (well, really they were! Different writers!) makes a huge difference, IMO. Scrollos told the Filmation tales, an adult Caz recounted the heroics of He-Man in the Tri-Solar System. I don't know if that would work for anyone else, but it made me really LOVE New Adventures.
Apparently the original idea was that Adam would wear a hood to cover his face whenever Skeletor was around, so that Skeletor would not recognize him and become suspicious. For some reason this idea was dropped and we were led to assume that Skeletor just happened to not recognize Adam, which wasn't convincing at all. I think the writers really missed out on an opportunity for great storylines by ditching this angle. Skeletor should have eventually become suspicious of the hooded guy who lurks in the background when he's invading Primus, and should have twigged after a while that this man is He-Man hiding behind a secret identity. We could then have had a storyline like with Mr. McGee and 'John Doe' in The Incredible Hulk live action series, with Skeletor trying to find the true identity of the man who becomes He-Man, and realizing it must be someone he knew on Eternia hence the man's need to hide his face. It would have made things more exciting in the show's later stages and led towards the series' final showdown with Skeletor finding out He-Man's true identity.
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I started watching NA about three years ago and my daughter was born and I never got around to finishing more than a few episodes. I just dug out my DVD set again ,after moving awhile back, and want to start watching this series. The problem is that my second baby is due in a month. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get through all the episodes and then I am going to get stopped short yet again. I'll have to post my thoughts when I start here soon.
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Maybe one of the best parts of NA is that you get to have the creator right here, by the scruff of the neck, to compliment, kick around and/or lambaste with trash talk! Now how many other series can you say that about?
Last edited by Heeeere's Olesker!; March 26, 2014 at 04:09pm.
Did Skeletor spend much time around Adam in the original show? And would he recognize Adam or be more likely to think, "Hey, that guy looks just like my brother's kid. Bah, couldn't be him. I left that little brat back on Eternia."
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I'm currently going through my second full viewing of NA. I'm glad the characters are doing well on these post-2015 polls here on the ORG because after watching it so much I want ALL of the characters as figures!
IT'S TIME FOR MOTUC TO GO GREEN … INCLUDE THE TWIGGETS IN 2015!!!
I'm going to attempt it again, honestly, outside of my prejudices against it not being sword and sorcery etc, the hardest thing for me here is the voice acting and soundtrack.
there was a trend(?) in a few animated shows back then that i noticed, the voices and sounds had an odd emptiness to them, as well as several moments of awkward silence. so say Adam says something to Mara, mara waits three beats to answer him. it happened in Alf, The New Archies and a few other shows. it really bugs me with NA though because it's supposed to be an action show. this pacing makes the episode feel so much slower.
And i don't like a lot of the choices made in the voice acting and directing.
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The reason for those pauses is intentional. They are created by a good voice director and are intended to give the post-production editor the space to insert a sound effect or move new dialog that's recorded later into that spot. In post-production those spaces are supposed to be closed up if they are not used. Obviously this was not done in post production on some of the episodes you saw both in NA and other series. There's a saying in the entertainment industry that "We'll fix it in post." Obviously screwing it up in post is just as much a possibility and is one of the reasons that I am involved in post-production -- as well as actor auditions -- on projects I currently produce.
Last edited by Heeeere's Olesker!; April 3, 2014 at 03:22pm.
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