Sugar, spice, and everything nice
If the title doesn't say anything to you then I think it's best to skip this article; otherwise be warned that what follows contains things which could be classified as spoilers.
Huh, what is this?
I admit, I was a pretty big fan of the Powerpuff Girls back in the day. Everything in the show, from the graphic style up to the voices and music was just amazing, so when I got the opportunity to watch the Powerpuff Girls reboot special, Dance Pantsed, I was taken aback.
Out with the cutesy graphics and in with an edgy-er, more post-generation X style; gone were also the old voices, which is weird considering it's mostly the same cast, and a new interpretation of the theme song tried to weasel its way into my brain, and things just felt wrong.
Something missing
I guess that that feeling was due to the way the girls are now imagined; despite the animation/graphical style as a whole being amazing, the girls themselves felt off: the voices were strange at first, and they weren't as cutesy and childlike as I remembered them, though I guess 5 years time is a lot when it comes to growing up.
What's even weirder is that all the other characters besides them, and maybe to a lesser extent Mojo Jojo, seemed closer to the originals than the girls. Now, this might be intentional, as the new series is aimed at introducing the show to a whole new generation, so making the protagonists hip to cater to that demografic, while retaining the feeling of the supporting cast to please us older fans could lead to a double-win.
Don't get me wrong, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are still great characters, it's just that if you're expecting the same vibe from them you might be a little disappointed.
Come play with us!
But as the episode went on, the fan service kept going and going, and I found myself enjoying the show just as much as the old ones. Gags from past series kept popping up, as well as amazingly well served references to other pieces of pop culture which made me actually laugh out loud.
And this was the point when it all became clear: if the show keeps going on like this it will have high chances of making a following among us old(er) farts.
Just like the old Cartoon Network series had layers upon layers (think here of Cow and Chicken for example), so does the new rendition of The Powerpuff Girls, you just need to keep your eyes open. Plus, the episode even manages to bring a surprise ending!
It's all about the love
The truth is that despite whatever I, or you, might think of this reboot, it was clearly made with a lot of love, for both the characters and history of the show, as well as for us, the viewers, so go ahead and watch it.
