First, I want to say that I absolutely adored the series. The characters were great, there were a tonne of hilarious moments, and some really heartfelt moments. I was not certain about the animation style at first, but now I love it. It's cutesy, which as a general rule, I despise, but it fit so well with the characters and the writing, that I feel it enhanced the series, rather than detracted.
Speaking of the writing, it was great. Granted, the stories were simplistic, but it was also incredibly entertaining. And there's a surprising amount of nuance, which arrives mostly in the form of Aurora's relationship with Catra. It is a deep bond that is also filled with resentment and a whole bunch of abandonment issues. I also really enjoyed the portrayal of both sides. Everyone, be they in the lower echelons of the Horde, or princesses are people. The 'evil' characters aren't actually evil (though Catra is getting pretty close). Certainly Shadow Weaver and Hordak are evil, but their soldiers are simply normal folk who don't really know any better. They're adorable, too. I think Scorpia might be my favourite. She's such a dope.
I'm also impressed with the variety of body types displayed here. She-Ra has muscles. Glimmer is a little rounder. Perfuma is slender. Scorpia is a husky lass. I really enjoy seeing it. It's not often that many if these kinds of bodies are shown, and shown as able and heroic. As a chubby bunny, I really appreciate it.
I also was really pleasantly surprised at the appearance of a same-sex couple in the last episode. It happened so quickly, and was not exactly explicitly stated, so it's easy to miss. But I loved the representation. It made me happy.
As to Aurora/She-Ra's design, I fucking adored it. She was a teenager, built like a teenager, and as She-Ra, she was an eight foot tall teenager, built like a teenager... with a little more muscle. I thought it was fantastic. I am aware that there are a number of folks, almost exclusively adult men as far as I've been able to determine, who were pissed about this change. Gone is the clearly adult figure. I'm a bit weirded out by any man who has objections to the new design, to be honest. She's a teenager, guys. A teenager. Like, you'd definitely end up in jail if she were real.
If I'm being completely honest, I was skeptical about this reboot. I have vague memories of the original series, and I do know that I absolutely loved She-Ra as a kid (but can't quite remember why). I also roll my eyes every time I hear the words reboot or re-make. I am so over reboots. So. Over. It.
That said, this is one I liked. A lot. It was wonderfully funny, very sweet, and just... made me feel really good. It's been a while since I've watched and enjoyed a series specifically designed to make someone feel good. Most of my viewing is quite dark, to be honest. I usually find things designed to make people feel good were tacky, cringy, and annoying. This was none of these.
I highly recommend this series, particularly if you need an adorable pick-me-up.
Best friend squad!
Right, I'm off to do things.
Ciao!