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Reviews
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Remember (2019)
A truly unexpected twist with masterful animation
The finale to this season comes over the course of two episodes, this one, and the following one. Both were excellent. They had me at the edge of my seat, and the excitement felt real and well-deserved. Amazing.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: The Portal (2019)
An Unexpected but Deeply Satisfying Conclusion to the Best Season Yet
I loved episodes 5 and 6, and together they formed a novel, interesting, and deeply satisfying conclusion to this season. It is common for heroes to be faced with doomsday devices, but much less common for the results to be so interesting and compelling when the device finally goes off. These episodes were an excellent study into the characters, and the event was one that actually resulted in growth and development for our protagonist. I could not ask for a better conclusion to this season.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Heart Part 2 (2020)
I could not be happier with the ending. It was excellent.
The conclusion of the show was everything I could have possibly asked for. It's hard to say much else without giving away spoilers, but... so many shows have conclusions that ultimately feel unsatisfying. We are left wondering what the point was, and what happened to the show we used to love.
Not so here. Not in the least. Heart Part 2 was an amazing conclusion to a truly wonderful and deeply moving journey, and the finale masterfully joined a satisfying narrative conclusion with meaningful conclusions to individual character arcs, and this conclusion was made all the more powerful and poignant by the well-deserved and hard-won character growth that preceded it throughout the show.
All I can ask is that Noelle and the crew one day return to the characters and to this world, and I ask that not because the story was left unfinished, but because I loved the characters; I believe there are new stories to tell with them; and I want a chance to see them happy with each other. Catra in particular went through so much pain throughout the show, and I want a chance to see her happy with the person she loves, going on adventures together, no longer as adversaries, but as the soulmates they were meant to be.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
A Masterpiece of Character-Driven Storytelling
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has many strengths, however it's greatest strength is it's characters. Both the heroes and villains feel 3-dimensional, and over the course of the show we see them develop, change, learn, and grow. I do not make this praise lightly. It takes a lot to have a well-written character arc, and this show manages to have multiple, both for the leads, and for the supporting characters.
Independent of the subject matter, all media shares a common objective: to engage the audience. Be it nonfiction, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or one of any other innumerable genres, this objective is a commonality between all of them. And there are many useful techniques to do so in film and animation: the use of suspense, the use of drama; interesting plot threads, and good world-building all serve to further audience engagement, and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power makes use of all of these. But these techniques only work if the audience cares about the show and it's characters, and it is the depth of care that this show is able to muster which truly makes it great. I related on a personal level to a few select characters, and I know that I am not alone in this experience.
Besides the characters, the plot is fantastic. It builds from a slow start in season 1 to be revealed as grand, over-arching, and well planned; season 3 is good, season 4 is excellent, and still season 5 somehow manages to surpass both of them. Plot threads and world-building introduced early in the show are brought to fulfilling conclusions, and the show both teases mystery and suspense, and actually succeeds in delivering: a truly impressive feat, and one where so many other pieces of television leave the audience unsatisfied. The writers knew what they were doing when they planned and wrote this show, and yet character arcs still feel natural and deserved.
Perhaps best of all, the creator, the writers, the directors, and the voice actors cared about the show as much as the fans. Good writing cannot be forced into being by money or fame. Good voice acting cannot be faked. These things can come only from the care and dedication of the crew, and the crew of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power cared deeply. This care and love shows in quality their work.