TTG vs PPG Review

Last time on this podcast, I made my remarks on the Powerpuff Girls Reboot on Cartoon Network. I say the term "remark" instead of "review" mainly because the rest of the season hasn't aired yet, I'm not really that invested in the Powerpuff Girls at all. So as a result, I'm not going to give PPG a rating.

Now with that taken of, here's the synopsis of the crossover episode "TTG vs PPG"

Mojo Jojo learns that there is a universe where the villains aren't apprehended by the heroes. In this case, the world of Teen Titans Go, and teleports to Jump City with the Powerpuff Girls following suit. Mojo then recruits Beast Boy and Cyborg to build his robot monkey army, of which the two are more than happy to comply - because talking monkeys are cute.

The girls meanwhile deal with Robin, Starfire, and Raven, who doesn't take them seriously as heroes because of their small stature. The two teams then has a 'competition' of sorts to see who's the better hero, with the Powerpuff Girls winning it hands down.

Mojo learns that Beast Boy and Cyborg, who were building his monkey robot army, misunderstood his intentions and built an army of partying robot monkeys instead. Mojo used the two as bait to lure the Powerpuff Girls in and drain their power using a special repellant. As the Narrator explains the situation, Robin hears it (as he's the only one who can do so), and relays the information to the group.

Robin, Starfire, and Raven then disguised themselves as the Powerpuff Girls to be hit by Mojo's repellant to no effect, and Mojo gets beaten down by the girls. When Robin acknowledges the girls being true heroes and Blossom replying they couldn't have defeated Mojo without the Titans' help, the latter then used Blossom's statement as basis to declare themselves as the winners of the competition earlier. The Narrator does his usual "And so, the day is saved....no thanks to the Teen Titans." and ends the episode.

This episode just plain sucks! And I'm not saying it because I'm not with those in the bandwagon that has nothing but contempt for TTG and PPG. I'm saying it sucks because as it is, it does!  Compare it to the "Let's Get Serious" episode that was the crossover between TTG and Young Justice and I made it clear that episode really made me laugh and I loved it. There is nothing in the "TTG vs PPG" episode that made me get even a chuckle.

To be clear, the crossover is essentially a Teen Titans Go, episode. And watching the episodes of The Powerpuff Girls Reboot, not a single one of that show was ever funny. So I was hoping with Teen Titans Go having some funny episodes, they can pull it off here with the crossover. They didn't.

One thing to note is although it is a Teen Titans Go episode, the writer for this crossover is Emily Brundige, one of the writers of the "Horn, Sweet Horn" episode in PPG. And the negativity of the narrative in that PPG episode is seen here with the crossover.

To be fair, Brundidge also worked on Devil Buster Star Butterfly as a Staff Writer. A Staff Writer is different from a Story Writer in which the former is among a group of other people brainstorming ideas on the narrative, and the latter lays it all on that one person to do virtually everything about the narrative. No pun intended, this is Brundige's first "go" with Teen Titans Go, and critically speaking, it didn't work very well. The only thing that is good about the crossover at all are the designs for the Powerpuff Girls as it is done by Warner Bros. Animation than Cartoon Network Studios, so the girls do look more like their designs from the original cartoon.

Having said that, when the crossover aired on June 30th 2016 in the US, it garned 2.4 million total views, according to Showbuzzdaily, making the episode the 2nd most watched in the show's history, behind "The Mask" episode. So for what it's worth, a lot of people watch it, and regardless of anyone's opinion on the matter, it was a hit for Cartoon Network.

Personally, other than the animation, nothing in this crossover is anywhere remotely likable and you're better off watching the Young Justice crossover, or the "Say Uncle" episode between Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa. And because this crossover is a ratings hit for Cartoon Network, I'm not going to bother giving it a rating, but I assume you already know what it is if I do.