She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) [+]
Nov 08 2023
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a half hour animated show on Netflix that ran for five seasons (52 episodes). It's a reboot of the original She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985) which was a spin-off of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1985). I don't remember the original She-Ra but did watch He-Man and I bet the old She-Ra was very similar in that it was more about introducing new characters so they could sell new toys.
Anyway, this series starts with Adora (Aimee Carrero) as a cadet in Lord Hordak's Horde army and having grown up as a child of the state. She and her best friend Catra (AJ Michalka) are looking forward to finally battling the evil Etherian Rebellion. But in the first or second battle Adora comes to suspect that it's the Horde who are the bad guys. She also finds a magic sword that turns her into She-Ra, a really tall and powerful warrior.
Adora deserts the Horde even though Catra is not willing to follow. She then gets herself captured by the Rebellion and pledges herself to their cause (it really helps when she reveals she's also She-Ra). Glimmer (Karen Fukuhara), Princess of Bright Moon and Glimmer's best friend Bow (Marcus Scribner) quickly become Adora's new friends and the three of them have adventures battling the Horde and protecting the free parts of Etheria.
Season two/three (13 episodes) or so Adora and crew start recruiting the other Princesses. Each has powers (e.g. Glimmer is a teleporter) and they used to be all in the Princess Alliance which fell apart due to internal squabbling. Besides the Princesses there is a sorcerers faction. Sorcery depends on innate potential plus lots of training, is more versatile than a Princess (who are more akin to superheroes) but not as strong.
Season four we have the final battle between the Princesses and Lord Hordak. We learn that Etheria is actually a planet-sized weapon and She-Ra is the trigger. But it's the kind of weapon that can destroy worlds so Adora will not use it and instead needs to stop Lord Hordak from activating the Heart of Etheria.
Season five is the arrival of Horde Prime, of which Lord Hordak (Keston John) is a flawed Clone. With the Rebellion on the ropes Adora is wiling to sacrifice herself using the Heart of Etheria...
Why I Love It
Anyway, this series starts with Adora (Aimee Carrero) as a cadet in Lord Hordak's Horde army and having grown up as a child of the state. She and her best friend Catra (AJ Michalka) are looking forward to finally battling the evil Etherian Rebellion. But in the first or second battle Adora comes to suspect that it's the Horde who are the bad guys. She also finds a magic sword that turns her into She-Ra, a really tall and powerful warrior.
Adora deserts the Horde even though Catra is not willing to follow. She then gets herself captured by the Rebellion and pledges herself to their cause (it really helps when she reveals she's also She-Ra). Glimmer (Karen Fukuhara), Princess of Bright Moon and Glimmer's best friend Bow (Marcus Scribner) quickly become Adora's new friends and the three of them have adventures battling the Horde and protecting the free parts of Etheria.
Season two/three (13 episodes) or so Adora and crew start recruiting the other Princesses. Each has powers (e.g. Glimmer is a teleporter) and they used to be all in the Princess Alliance which fell apart due to internal squabbling. Besides the Princesses there is a sorcerers faction. Sorcery depends on innate potential plus lots of training, is more versatile than a Princess (who are more akin to superheroes) but not as strong.
Season four we have the final battle between the Princesses and Lord Hordak. We learn that Etheria is actually a planet-sized weapon and She-Ra is the trigger. But it's the kind of weapon that can destroy worlds so Adora will not use it and instead needs to stop Lord Hordak from activating the Heart of Etheria.
Season five is the arrival of Horde Prime, of which Lord Hordak (Keston John) is a flawed Clone. With the Rebellion on the ropes Adora is wiling to sacrifice herself using the Heart of Etheria...
Why I Love It
- good characters, especially Adora and Catra and their love/hate rivalry
- season-long plots that build on each other to the final season
- wholesome themes, ethnically diverse characters, LGBTQ characters
- a fair amount of humor