Celebrating Pride Month: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

[Winter]

Come on, you KNEW this was coming. Like I wasn't going to talk about one of my all time favorite shows during a month that's all about celebrating the LGBT Community with a show that's well written (and I'm talking Shakespearean Levels of writing here), with memorable characters and a clever plot that goes in directions that I wasn't excepting and yet perfectly fit with the story.

But let's focus on the gay part of this show and, yeah, this is (at the time of this writing) the gayest show ever made. The cast is composed of all gay characters and the other half is all bi characters. And yet, the show never treats like it's a big deal. The characters are just queer and the issues between certain characters is their ideology or inability to communicate with each other because of the way they were brought up.

It could be argued that some things are meant to be viewed as coming out or a metaphor for homophobia but it's either A) played for laughs as the person who is "coming out" is not about them being queer but that they've joined the war effort (and are admitting this to their gay parents) or B) the ones who are "Homophobic" are themselves gay/bi and their issue with the romance in question is more because they just don't care for one of the characters in said pairing.

I'm not saying that homophobia should never be addressed because, well, the states haven't exactly been the best in the treatment of any and all minorities and it can lead to some good drama but if the world doesn't need address it because it's not what the story is about then it doesn't need to address it.

What helps the show is the fact that the relationships between the characters are all so well written with great chemistry with the cast and the crew helping to bring the world of Etheria to life.

Long story short, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a great show. Go watch it.

Watch it for the plot, what it for the characters, watch it for the romance, the twists and turns. The angst, the seeing how the Disney Sequel Trilogy could have gone with just one or two more re-writes. Watch it for idiot teens who make bad choices yet still manage to come out alive due to their competence.

I honestly can't recommend this show enough. I had no real expectations when going in to watch it and I left feeling a connection to this series that was so profound it honestly changed me. It changed how I look at stories and how, despite what some may say, creativity and great storytelling is not only alive and well today but is, in many ways, even better now then it was back then.

[hammerofglass]

Oh are we gushing about She-Ra again? Good, I love gushing about She-Ra!

Starting off, Double Trouble. NB character played by an NB actor in a show with an NB showrunner and everyone always gets their pronouns right even if they hate them, very cool. Beyond that though my theater kid soul just absolutely resonates with the permanent theatricality, every scene they're in is a sheer joy. They would have overstayed their welcome after more than one season, but they were only in one so that's okay.

Entrapta, the nonspecifically neurodivergent geek princess, is just a freaking delight in every scene she's in. Switched sides multiple times without apparently noticing, got in a very cute and apparently completely ace relationship with the first Big Bad, makes those adorable little Entrapta noises. I work in STEM, I know this person. Get me caffeinated enough and I am this person.

Just the sheer diversity of body types and presentation. Skinny, buff, pudgy, short, tall, and multiple different takes on femme and butch. Also just diversity of heights; Catra is freaking tiny, Skorpia and Huntara are taller than any of the men in the series, nobody gives either one shit for it. A few people joke about Glimmer doing the classic sparkly princess bit but she just freaking owns it. Real life is often like that but you almost never see it in fiction.

Bow being the upbeat one who keeps the friend group together being portrayed as actual hard work instead of just some inherent trait of his, and his mental health takes a hit when the group starts fracturing. But it's a very different kind of working at friendship than Perfuma's "I practice universal love and restraint largely to keep myself from beating the shit out of you for annoying me" version. Also the way he very visably takes after his dads right down to turns of phrase, I love that.

Less cool but good writing: our two mains being clearly traumatized by their abusive gaslighting mother figure but still not quite able to shake off her influence on them. But somehow Shadow Weaver is still kinda sympathetic in a "I get where she's coming from" kinda way and gets some of the best deadpan one-liners in the show? Comes from making her a developed character and not just an archetype I suppose.

One thing I note is my actual ten year old niece was not impressed by the show. After Steven Universe, Owl House, and Kipo that she really likes it was just... another one. Nothing exciting. Didn't particularly resonate with her. I found this out because I was wearing an Entrapta shirt when I visited my brother and she felt the need to comment on it. I'm not going anywhere with this, it's just a thing that happened.

[Winter]

Oh are we gushing about She-Ra again? Good, I love gushing about She-Ra!

Starting off, Double Trouble. NB character played by an NB actor in a show with an NB showrunner and everyone always gets their pronouns right even if they hate them, very cool. Beyond that though my theater kid soul just absolutely resonates with the permanent theatricality, every scene they're in is a sheer joy. They would have overstayed their welcome after more than one season, but they were only in one so that's okay.

Entrapta, the nonspecifically neurodivergent geek princess, is just a freaking delight in every scene she's in. Switched sides multiple times without apparently noticing, got in a very cute and apparently completely ace relationship with the first Big Bad, makes those adorable little Entrapta noises. I work in STEM, I know this person. Get me caffeinated enough and I am this person.

Just the sheer diversity of body types and presentation. Skinny, buff, pudgy, short, tall, and multiple different takes on femme and butch. Also just diversity of heights; Catra is freaking tiny, Skorpia and Huntara are taller than any of the men in the series, nobody gives either one shit for it. A few people joke about Glimmer doing the classic sparkly princess bit but she just freaking owns it. Real life is often like that but you almost never see it in fiction.

Bow being the upbeat one who keeps the friend group together being portrayed as actual hard work instead of just some inherent trait of his, and his mental health takes a hit when the group starts fracturing. But it's a very different kind of working at friendship than Perfuma's "I practice universal love and restraint largely to keep myself from beating the shit out of you for annoying me" version. Also the way he very visably takes after his dads right down to turns of phrase, I love that.

Less cool but good writing: our two mains being clearly traumatized by their abusive gaslighting mother figure but still not quite able to shake off her influence on them. But somehow Shadow Weaver is still kinda sympathetic in a "I get where she's coming from" kinda way and gets some of the best deadpan one-liners in the show? Comes from making her a developed character and not just an archetype I suppose.

One thing I note is my actual ten year old niece was not impressed by the show. After Steven Universe, Owl House, and Kipo that she really likes it was just... another one. Nothing exciting. Didn't particularly resonate with her. I found this out because I was wearing an Entrapta shirt when I visited my brother and she felt the need to comment on it. I'm not going anywhere with this, it's just a thing that happened.

Eh, wait till she gets into her teens then she'll be all over this because I've yet to meet a teenager who wasn't into angst at some point... Hell I've yet to meet any ADULT who have thing for angst.

[Thebestoftherest]

Come on we want it on blu ray.

[Winter]

Come on we want it on blu ray.

Well, you can buy a dvd of the first 3 seasons. It's not official but it IS something.

[Thebestoftherest]

I know, but we can have more. I don't trust companies like NEtflix, or disney plus or paramout plus not to just get rid of these one days and make legally watching them impossible without physical copies.

[Madner Kami]

Sometimes I'd love to see more detailed statistics of the viewerships of some series.

[Winter]

Sometimes I'd love to see more detailed statistics of the viewerships of some series.

Huh?

[Madner Kami]

Refering to what HammerofGlass highlighted in his quote of your words. Ever since MLP I've come to the conclusion, that these series are simply not made for kids anymore. And thinking back, I wouldn't even be able to tell when our local TV-stations stopped broadcasting cartoons in the "traditional" timeslots for children (e.g. early to late afternoon or saturday and sunday morning).

[Winter]

Refering to what HammerofGlass highlighted in his quote of your words. Ever since MLP I've come to the conclusion, that these series are simply not made for kids anymore. And thinking back, I wouldn't even be able to tell when our local TV-stations stopped broadcasting cartoons in the "traditional" timeslots for children (e.g. early to late afternoon or saturday and sunday morning).

Ah