So it's been a few months since the Powerpuff Girls reboot aired on Cartoon Network and reactions from both critics and fans of the show have been, well, below average. There's so many articles on news sites, youtube videos, and social media that pans the show than praising it that you can easily look them up on Google. And then there's that episode that's supposed to address transgender issues that got the LGBT community all riled up, and it's no secret creator Craig McCracken and the original voices actresses of the girls aren't happy with the current reboot.
And in spite of all that, ratings-wise, the show is doing quite well, averaging at around 1.2 million total viewers. The target demographic of young girls is around 0.4 in average, which is pretty high for a show like the Powerpuff Girls, or PPG for short. As for the main demographic of adults, it averages at around 0.27, which is not bad. Word has it a second season is already in production. All this gave me the impression that the Powerpuff Girls reboot is, in a nutshell, the second Teen Titans Go.
Speaking of which, the crossover between the two is aired recently and I've actually watched it. Before I give my thoughts on the crossover, here's my thoughts on the PPG reboot in general.
First off, kudos to whoever did the theme song and the opening animation as it's really cool and hip and I love the arrangement. Furthermore the way the girls are drawn and animated in the opening does reflect their original designs and makes it a very nice transition.
Watching the first episode onwards, I can't help but notice the change in the personas of the girls themselves, with the exception of Buttercup. Blossom is always the leader of the group and behaves as such, but in many occasions, she places herself beneath her sisters even in times of crisis. Bubbles, meanwhile is shown to be just as intelligent, if not even more so than Blossom and often acts as the voice of reason.
As for the new voices, it's a little hard for me to get used to not because that I prefer the original voices of the Powerpuff Girls, but rather their voices sound a bit 'off'. At some points, the girls sound as though they are teenagers than elementary school kids. Granted, the show did mention that they have gotten older from the original. But at others, they sound like they belong in an episode of Dora The Explorer, which made me cringe.
As for the new voices, it's a little hard for me to get used to not because that I prefer the original voices of the Powerpuff Girls, but rather their voices sound a bit 'off'. At some points, the girls sound as though they are teenagers than elementary school kids. Granted, the show did mention that they have gotten older from the original. But at others, they sound like they belong in an episode of Dora The Explorer, which made me cringe.
And then there's the episodes that are simply just questionable. Take "The Stayover", for example, which is a total parody of "The Hangover" movies, which were R-rated by the way, so it's not like kids have ever seen them. Then again, a heavily edited PG-13 version was released on cable, so go figure. And then of course the infamous twerking scene of Blossom and Bubbles in the episode "Painbow", that got many riled up, especially considering this episode was co-storyboarded by Julia Vickerman, the creator of Twelve Forever.
On that note, Vickerman also co-storyboarded "Horn, Sweet Horn", the infamous transgender episode. After watching it, I have to say, if they're going to make an episode where the moral lesson is "it's what inside you that counts", while also giving a positive message towards LGBT people, wouldn't it be better if they just make an episode loosely based on 'The Ugly Duckling'? Strangely, the more the unicorn in the episode calls himself 'Donny', the more I think of him as the Donny from Adventure Time.
Sad to say, the negative reactions for these two episodes alone may have hurt Vickerman's reputation - and the chances of Twelve Forever to even have a shot of a full series. I just find it hard to imagine how a kid would view the 'Horn, Sweet Horn' episode and whatever influence it may an affect on that said kid. To be fair, Vickerman isn't solely responsible for this, as the writing staff also pitched in. One of the writers of the episode, Emliy Brundige, has since issued an apology on Twitter towards the LGBT community for this incident and explained that it was the producers' idea to market "Horn, Sweet Horn" as an empowering LGBT episode. But the damage is already done.
The show also appears to can't make up its mind on whether it wants to be episodic, or have an actual plot. At the same time, it also can't make up its mind on whether the show is meant for the newer audience or the older ones. If the show is meant for the new audience, why include an episode that basically removes a beloved character like Ms. Bellum?
There are also some episodes where the scenery doesn't make sense. Obviously the answer would be "because it's a cartoon, so it's not supposed to make any sense". But The Powerpuff Girls is not like Looney Tunes or Animaniacs, so it doesn't apply here. Even the zanyness of The Amazing World of Gumball doesn't use that blanket to explain what's going on in each episode.
And then, there's the NUMEROUS animation errors. I thought the people reporting these were just exaggertating, but it turns out, these errors are quite noticeable and oftentimes so bad, it makes the horrible animation in Dragon Ball Super tame by comparison! The show is even accused of using stock images on their backgrounds, often without permission from the copyright owners.
Sad to say, the negative reactions for these two episodes alone may have hurt Vickerman's reputation - and the chances of Twelve Forever to even have a shot of a full series. I just find it hard to imagine how a kid would view the 'Horn, Sweet Horn' episode and whatever influence it may an affect on that said kid. To be fair, Vickerman isn't solely responsible for this, as the writing staff also pitched in. One of the writers of the episode, Emliy Brundige, has since issued an apology on Twitter towards the LGBT community for this incident and explained that it was the producers' idea to market "Horn, Sweet Horn" as an empowering LGBT episode. But the damage is already done.
The show also appears to can't make up its mind on whether it wants to be episodic, or have an actual plot. At the same time, it also can't make up its mind on whether the show is meant for the newer audience or the older ones. If the show is meant for the new audience, why include an episode that basically removes a beloved character like Ms. Bellum?
There are also some episodes where the scenery doesn't make sense. Obviously the answer would be "because it's a cartoon, so it's not supposed to make any sense". But The Powerpuff Girls is not like Looney Tunes or Animaniacs, so it doesn't apply here. Even the zanyness of The Amazing World of Gumball doesn't use that blanket to explain what's going on in each episode.
And then, there's the NUMEROUS animation errors. I thought the people reporting these were just exaggertating, but it turns out, these errors are quite noticeable and oftentimes so bad, it makes the horrible animation in Dragon Ball Super tame by comparison! The show is even accused of using stock images on their backgrounds, often without permission from the copyright owners.
I really would like to say the Powerpuff Girls has its moments where it is a decent watch. Teen Titans Go, despite being hated, does have some good episodes. I just find it very difficult to name one in the case of the Powerpuff Girls.
And yet, despite all my rants, and everyone elses's, the show has as much viewers as Teen Titans Go. For me to explain, in the nicest way possible, why this is the case, The Powerpuff Girls Reboot is as much a stagnant pool of filth as Jammers and Bottom's Butte. Yet, the latter two does have an audience who really enjoy whatever muck those shows have. Same with the Powerpuff Girls, but with larger numbers.
So yeah, like Teen Titans Go, you can hate The Powerpuff Girls all you want. But as long as it's getting high viewer ratings, which means more money for Cartoon Network, like Teen Titans Go, expect it to be around for the long run. As for me, if I want some nonsensical comedy, I'll stick to Gumball.
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