Danger Mouse and Powerpuff Girls both announced for comebacks

[Drtooth]

I was kinda disappointed the Tiara didn't do more, but I don't think we're going to get the darkest and most sinister of Him this early in the series. Even when I saw his shadow when the Mayor was talking about how he got the thing from a beautiful lady (or whatever he said), I gave out a quiet "oh $***!"

Great to see other villains back and with their original voice actors (at least Fuzzy sounded like Jim, when I watched it someone was talking over his dialogue), meaning they're still around even with the new bad guys running the scene. I hope we get to see more of them individually and at their worst in future episodes. And I have to admit, I'm actually liking Princess this go around. I never really cared much about the character being a bratty, spoiled little girl. Here, she seems a little less whiny and a little more grown up and calculated. Also love her having an entourage. It really gives the character so much more than the original who I always thought was the weakest of the recurring villains. I mean, there were episodes she had her moments, but overall I never cared much for her as a villain.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

I guess I sort of figured out why the new PPG show doesn't work as well as the original. The writers are trying to make the characters too relatable at the cost of taking away everything that made them interesting in the first place. There's not nearly as much violence as before, the characters are more like normal kids rather than kids who are larger than life superheroes. The plots are pretty cliche and it's like this show could've been any modern show about crime fighting middle schoolers. They need to bring back the surrealism of the original show, because this show isn't very creative at all. Which is really disappointing after the success of We Bare Bears. And even that show can be a bit stale at times. We Bare Bears is basically Clarence mixed with Regular Show without all the super natural elements. All of Cartoon Network's current shows have a sort of similar feel to them but I think they've gotten too comfortable with their formula.

 

[Drtooth]

I don't see that so much as they have a different sense of humor than the original writers (when it comes to Chris Reccardi, that's not exactly a bad thing). As I said before, the whole concept of them being a parody of superheroes because they're little girls and went to Kindergarten is lost in a post MLP:FIM/Star vs the Forces of Evil world where good girl's cartoons are actually a thing. Also, PPG was never meant to be a girl's show but turned into one. This one seems to be directly trying to get a girl's demographic, especially considering CN is warming up to the concept of girls watching cartoons. Marcie and P-Bubs are the most popular characters on Adventure Time, and Steven Universe wasn't cancelled 13 episodes in. So they're improving from those dark days of canning Young Justice because more girls than boys were watching.

The problem I see is that we're all comparing the first season of episodes of a continuation soft reboot of a full series of cartoons. I can't say I think first season of PPG was perfect. It had a soft vision of what it wanted to be, but it was more a parody concept than a full fledged Super Hero show in its own right. Frankly the show's best seasons were 2-4 with about half of five thrown in. This show is new. We're only 10 episodes in. Compare that to the original show, combine the 11 minute segments so far and we're really only 5 episodes in. The writers have the difficult task of walking the line between writing to the original tone of the series and their own writing style. I feel that they've made some daring choices that need time to pay off all the while playing things way too safe. So far, this is pretty much what the first season of a show based on an older series would be like. Not quite there. They need time to really get the show that they're comfortable writing.

It's like... I just can't watch a first season Gumball anymore. Other than the animation looking way different (oddly more fluid, but not in a good way), the show didn't reach that level of deviously dark, morbid deconstructive comedy until maybe the end of the second season, and that's what the show is best for. On the other hand, the first season of Uncle Grandpa was waaaaay more surreal and wacky, but seems to have toned down and became a little less illogical and I'm conflicted if I think it's better or not. Then again, I know of at least one show with a strong first season that kept getting progressively weaker (cough cough Mucha Lucha...and I love Mucha Lucha).

I just have a feeling that once everything has been established and they know exactly the tone they're going for, the series will take a slightly darker tone (I'm expecting straight up season 4 PPG stuff...brutal) while still being cartoonish, and become the series that we all want to see. Of course, there is going to be a new IDW comic series by the show writers that seems to be a prequel to the show. I kinda wish they would have kept the prequel stuff in the series proper to explain why things are the way they are currently.

 

[mr3urious]

Both you guys bring up interesting points. There is an awful lot of slice-of-life stuff here over action, let's not deny that. But it still feels like the writers are struggling with what kind of tone they're going for, and hopefully we'll see a more solid format along the way.

It's like... I just can't watch a first season Gumball anymore. Other than the animation looking way different (oddly more fluid, but not in a good way), the show didn't reach that level of deviously dark, morbid deconstructive comedy until maybe the end of the second season, and that's what the show is best for.

The 2nd season also saw a more cartoonish tone, consistent characterization (including the voices), and the digital animation software used to animate it getting pushed more. Some episodes are just downright drool-worthy in that department!

 

[Drtooth]

Both you guys bring up interesting points. There is an awful lot of slice-of-life stuff here over action, let's not deny that. But it still feels like the writers are struggling with what kind of tone they're going for, and hopefully we'll see a more solid format along the way.

That said, it's not like there weren't episodes like that in the original series. They had some decent ones. While I don't much like the episode "Superfriends," I appreciate what the episode is about and the tone they went for. And of course the one where Mojo was their babysitter and they acted like brats to get his goat, which I hate to admit I like, but that one was pretty darn funny. Then there are the absolutely juvenile ones like the one about sunscreen that...I just can't get into that one, it's dumb and it feels like it was written for 6 year olds. Then the split difference about the one where they learn how to swear which was kinda funny, I guess, but really is worth it only for Maurice LaMarche as the giant Potty Mouth. It's not that they always had episodes where they had dark subject matter or wacky cartoon violence with a slight smug smile of parody.

I need to rewatch the first season of the original series again. Those episodes are fine and all, but some of them just didn't hit the same mark future episodes did because they were still establishing the ratio of Kindergarten girls to super hero kaiju parody. Plus, parody has gotten much smarter since, as I'm always saying, those terrible Scary Movie type movies ruined parody for years. The original PPG was pretty pop cultury as were most cartoons at the time from Animaniacs to Family Guy's original run (you know, when Peter was a pop culture addict and made TV references instead of acted like a man-child and did terrible things). Plus, to be brutally honest, the super hero parody genre really...really doesn't have much steam left in it. Everything that could be done has been done, and that's just dark parody subversion stuff alone, like Watchmen and The Incredibles. And I'm not even getting into the parody/subversion the original show did. The 10th anniversary special had that amazing ending that subverted Mojo Jojo's villain status. The writers have to be smarter and stronger with the Super Hero parody concepts and try very hard not to retread the original series. I have faith they'll squeeze some new life into the series.

 

[mr3urious]

Then there are the absolutely juvenile ones like the one about sunscreen that...I just can't get into that one, it's dumb and it feels like it was written for 6 year olds.

Or how 'bout "Pee Pee G's" where the girls get distraught over a bed-wetting accident, and the majority of the episode is them worrying over it and accusing the others of doing it. And when they sought advice from others, the Mayor even revealed to Bubbles that he is an AB/DL (Google it. On second thought, don't.)

Spoiler

Of course, Mojo was revealed to be the culprit, and did it just to be a prick to the girls.

 

[Drtooth]

Pee Pee G's wouldn't have been a good episode if it wasn't for the ending.

In fact, a lot of PPG did deal with them being little girls be it an educational-ish episode or an action episode focusing on a character's weakness. The one about Bubbles being afraid of the dark and them having to combat with the Boogieman's army of monsters culminating in a Star Wars parody... that one was one of my favorites.

I can see this series having to deal with them as older girls the same way. I really like the one where Buttercup keeps harassing Miss Keane. It feels like something they would have done in the original series. Sounds like an upcoming episode is about them wanting to be older and doing that "we took something to speed up/reverse our age and it went too far" thing. Surprised they didn't do that in the original series, but then again, Dexter did it beautifully ("I am not Grandpa!"). I really hope they address the fact the characters don't look like they aged a day, other than Bubbles and Buttercup have slightly different hair.

 

[mr3urious]

Okay, "The Wrinklegruff Gals" was clearly meant to air first (if not one of the first), as it shows that the girls are forced to go to a new school thanks to Bubbles accidentally mutating the class hamster and destroying Pokey Oaks, and it at least explains how Ms. Keane got a job there.

 

[Drtooth]

I'm kinda disappointed the reveal is that no time has really passed and they're still Kindergarteners. It comes off a little weird they're in advanced classes, but I can overlook that for the solid Bubbles destroying the school accidentally cutscene.

Yeah, some of these episodes really feel like they're the spirit of the original show more than others. This seems like a plotline that could have been in the original series, but they avoided it because...as I said, Dexter's Lab already did it. But I like the twist that they got more respect as old women and it was generally a good thing for them. It really turns that old bit about aging too far to one side or another on its head.

I also have to admit, while I do miss Mojo Jojo speaking in very not short and to the point way, I don't think this show really needs it. I like how he actually took a downgrade in evilness to become more of a gag character (so far).

 

[mr3urious]

I'm kinda disappointed the reveal is that no time has really passed and they're still Kindergarteners. It comes off a little weird they're in advanced classes, but I can overlook that for the solid Bubbles destroying the school accidentally cutscene.

Didn't Ms. Keane teach her students advanced stuff from time to time in the original series, though mainly as a joke? Plus, let's not forget about the time the girls simultaneously corrected and clobbered Mojo over his bedtime story about Napoleon when he babysat them. Wouldn't seem that far-fetched to me for all three of them (not just Blossom) to be grouped with older kids in school.