He-Man...The Complete Second Season DVD

I buy cartoon DVD's on a fairly consistent basis for my own enjoyment and when He-Man became available in all it's glory I purchased it. I have Season One by another company, BCI, and I purchased Season Two by this company, Classic Media/Mill Creek Entertainment. I may purchase Mill Creek's Season One simply because they don't split up the episode, "House of Shokoti", on two separate DVD discs like the BCI release does. But this review is about Mill Creek's Season Two release which I have. There are 8 disc's...the first 7 contain episodes of the series while the 8th is the Extra features disc. The discs are housed in paper sleeves...stacked one after the other...which causes one to have to rummage through the discs whenever you want to grab a particular one. The disc I find myself watching the most are Disc's 1 and 4 through 6. I watch disc 7 on occasion but it has the least amount of episodes...BUT it contains the episode giving Moss Man a lot of screen-time: "The Ancient Mirror of Avathar". It's also on this disc that "The Problem With Power" can be found. This particular episode is very deep and is one of just a couple of episodes that shed the good vs. evil overtone and dig deeper into the individual characters. In that episode you see He-Man transform back into Adam for the only time in the Filmation series history and you hear the phrase that he uses to instigate the transformation, too.

Speaking of character studies we get to see plenty of in-depth character studies in "Search for the Past" where the history of the character's are put front and center: King Randor's father, King Miro, turns out to be alive and held prisoner by The Enchantress. We see Man-At-Arms and King Randor behave like young warriors while on the search for King Miro. He-Man comes to the rescue and saves King Miro, who parachutes down from lost mountain with He-Man where they're encountered by Man-at-Arms. The Enchantress, by now, has imprisoned Randor. The Enchantress' gopher, Drude, eventually frees Randor...leading to the eventual face to face reunion of Randor and Miro. He-Man changes back to Adam and in one scene you see three generations of Eternian royalty: Miro, Randor, and Adam.

In the "Time Wheel" we see a former king of Eternia, Tamusk, return to present-day Eternia thanks to a time wheel accidentally spun by Orko while snooping in an ancient laboratory. Tamusk, believing he's in his own time, flees for his palace only to see it drastically changed. Believing that this King Randor is some evil sorcerer who caused all these changes he attempts to do battle with the famously peaceful Randor. The remainder of the episode is spent tracking down Tamusk once he finally leaves the palace in an attempt to convince him that he's thousands of years in the future.

One of my favorites in this collection is "Orko's Return" where we have a departure, of sorts, from the usual dose of action/adventure. In a more comical story Trap Jaw and Beast Man become the possessors of what's called an Amber Crystal. The two use it's magic to build a huge fortress while abducting Orko from the palace. Orko happened to be in the middle of a magic performance when he disappeared...leaving Adam and Teela to continue laughing and applauding while Man-at-Arms, always alert, has a look of concern. In short, Trap Jaw and Beast Man use their newly acquired magic to control Orko and turn him into their slave. This ultimately backfires and the rest of the episode centers around the battle of wits between Orko, Trap Jaw, and Beast Man as He-Man and company track down the fortress. Orko uses his magic to make wishes come true...literally...driving the evil pair into fits of frustration and anger. It's later revealed that Trap Jaw stole the magic crystal from Evil Lyn.

Season Two, unlike the first season, relied very little on the Castle Grayskull backdrop...oh, it still appeared in mostly every episode and was always shown whenever Adam changed into He-Man...but there weren't that many stories about Skeletor and his warriors attempting to take it over. In Season One, for example, the first several episodes were centered specifically around the take-over or destruction of Castle Grayskull while further episodes always had some sort of Grayskull-referenced plot point. In Season Two the Evil Warriors apparently had moved on...even though there were a few episodes in Season Two that felt like a Season One episode, if you know what I mean!

Since the Castle wasn't used as a major part of the story-lines in the Season Two episodes that meant that the Sorceress appeared infrequently. Notable exceptions were the episodes "Teela's Triumph" on Disc 5 where the Sorceress (Teela's biological mother) spent much of the episode in her falcon form, Zoar, trapped in another dimension. Teela, unaware of who her biological mother is, awkwardly becomes the Sorceress at the request of the Spirit of Castle Grayskull, although Teela wonders why she was picked out of the hundreds of other women on Eternia.

In "The Origin of the Sorceress" on Disc 1 we see the story of how Teela'na (the true name of the Sorceress) becomes the keeper of the castle. In that episode we also see the Horde as invaders of Eternia...which ultimately leads to Teela'na becoming the Sorceress. The Horde, whose members wear a red bat logo on their chests, become more prominent in the He-Man spin-off cartoon, She-Ra. Interestingly, though, the Sorceress doesn't refer to them as The Horde in this episode...she simply refers to them as "an invading army" even though fans of the series will no doubt make the connection to The Horde.

There are comical moments in almost all of the episodes...particularly from Orko (his magical mayhem often backfires directly at Man-at-Arms) but often the humor comes from Skeletor and his warriors. Beast Man, for starters, in most episodes is portrayed as a dumb sycophant. There are a few where he's written as an actual sinister villain. Skeletor has his share of comical expressions. Beast Man is often called Beastie or Fur-Face by Skeletor. In the "Energy Beast" episode Skeletor not only delivers a line referencing the radio series, The Shadow, but he also borrows heavily from Edgar Allan Poe when calling for a spy that he sent to eavesdrop at Castle Grayskull. In other episodes Skeletor talks directly to the audience...often complaining about his warrior's collective ineptitude. The cartoon's complete name is He-Man and the Masters of the Universe but I refer to it simply as He-Man. In internet lingo the series is known as MOTU (the obvious acronym for Masters of the Universe).

The series used a relatively small voice cast and so you're going to have quite a few secondary and one-shot characters that pop up who sound the same. John Erwin, the guy who voiced Adam/He-Man can also be heard in numerous other roles. A lot of the Kings from other kingdoms on Eternia and softer-speaking characters were voiced by Erwin. His main roles were He-Man/Adam, Ram Man, Squinch (a Widget), Beast Man, Whiplash, and Webstor. Linda Gary did 99% of all the female characters: Queen Marlena, Teela, The Sorceress, Evil Lyn, Shokoti, and other female roles that appeared. Alan Oppenheimer's main characters were Cringer/Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms, Melaktha, Skeletor, and Mer-Man. Like John Erwin and Linda Gary, Oppenheimer did a lot of secondary characters as well. Erika Scheimer, the daughter of the program's producer, Lou Scheimer, often did female roles that sounded like teenagers or younger women. She didn't have a recurring character on He-Man. Lou Scheimer provided the voices for almost everyone else not mentioned: Orko, Montork, Stratos, Fisto, Man-E-Faces, King Randor, Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops, Two-Bad, and others.

I'm more into comical cartoons, which will become crystal clear if any of you've seen any of my other cartoon reviews, but He-Man and a couple of others from the same early/mid '80s time period will continue to be favorites of mine.

My picks from Season Two as the stand-out episodes:

1. The Origin of the Sorceress
2. Visitors From Earth
3. Day of the Machines
4. The Energy Beast
5. Teela's Triumph
6. The Time Wheel
7. Search for the Past
8. Here, There, Skeletor's Everywhere
9. The Rainbow Warrior
10. Orko's Return
11. The Island of Fear
12. To Save Skeletor
13. Capture the Comet Keeper
14. Monster on the Mountain
15. Into the Abyss
16. The Problem With Power
17. The Great Books Mystery
18. The Shadow of Skeletor
19. The Gamesman
20. Battlecat

She-Ra: 1980's cartoon craze.

In a previous blog entry I wrote some about the TV series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The series was a major success, both commercially and in the ratings. He-Man/Masters of the Universe action figures, plus a big replica of Castle Grayskull, were among the top selling items around Christmas time in the early to mid 1980's. The companion series, She-Ra, also used action figures, comic books, and other gimmicks to tie in with the series. The She-Ra program ran fewer programs than He-Man and a lot of that had to do with less than expected commercial success with the action figures. The cartoon series itself was basically He-Man with a different focus and more exotic and strange looking villains. Some of the villains in Hordak's inner circle are Mantenna, Shadow Weaver, Leech, Grizzlor, Scorpia, and Catra. Mantenna's eyes popped out of his head and he could shoot stun rays out of them. He spoke in a nervous jittery voice...usually falling through a trap door that Hordak often sent his underlings falling into if they displeased him. Mantenna;s voice is close to Orko, from the He-Man series. Shadow Weaver was Hordak's top underling...she could cast spells and transform herself into anything by casting spells. Leech was a big green weird looking villain with big suction cup hands...he would drain the life out of his victim's. Catra was the purring feline, almost Catwoman like...Catra kept a red mask on top of her head and she could turn into a panther if she slid the mask down in front of her face. Scorpia had claws and pinchers and a long tail. She had a husky voice, too. Grizzlor, part man/part bear, was a buffoonish villain of sorts...often attempting to joke around with Hordak, who had little sense of humor.

It was a tale of two cartoons. As I pointed out in the earlier blog, He-Man and his friends helped protect Eternia and Castle Grayskull from Skeletor and his crew of villains. Eternia was ruled by King Randor and Queen Marlena. She-Ra, however, dealt with the problem of dictators. Hordak was appointed, I assume, acting ruler of Etheria with a crew of villains...those who opposed the Horde's influence were all banded together in Whispering Woods, part of the kingdom of Bright Moon, that Hordak hadn't yet conquered...and this became the premise of the series. The defector's proudly called themselves The Great Rebellion. The episodes of She-Ra centered around the Rebels stopping whatever scheme Hordak was planning. Since Etheria was ruled by Horde Prime, the seldom scene "boss" of Hordak, there were no higher power to over-rule the tyrannical ways of the Horde. So, members of the Great Rebellion fought Hordak constantly to keep Bright Moon from falling into slavery.

The leader of the Rebellion was Princess Adora, the twin sister of Prince Adam {He-Man}. Adora was raised by Hordak and grew up in a world of crime, although she didn't realize it. She was brainwashed by both Hordak and Shadow Weaver and raised in the Horde...raised to believe the Horde was protecting their planet from "vandals, crooks, and rebels" out to do harm to the Horde when in fact it was the Horde spreading it's terror all over the planet.

The movie, The Secret of the Sword, served as the pilot for the She-Ra program. In it, He-Man travels to Etheria to find the person the Sorceress sent him to find. He has a second sword with him...this one has a jewel in the center...he must give it to this mystery person in Etheria...soon he finds himself meeting up with Bow and Kowl, members of the Rebellion.

They tell He-Man they're engaged in an on-going battle with the Horde who has a vicious captain named Adora. When He-Man draws the sword the Sorceress gave him, it reacts in a bizarre way...leading He-Man to feel the sword is meant for Adora. A series of misunderstandings and mix-up's follow...Adora, through the telepathy of the Sorceress, learns that He-Man/Prince Adam is her brother and she learns the truth of her hidden origins. Adora uses the power sword to change into She-Ra for the first time. I won't give an entire review but that's a small sampling. As the series goes on, several people learn of Adora's secret of being She-Ra. As on the He-Man series, Prince Adam's secret identity was shared with Man-At-Arms, Orko, and the Sorceress. On She-Ra, Princess Adora's secret was shared with Light Hope, Madam Razz, and Kowl. Light Hope was the mystical spectrum residing inside the Crystal Castle, the equivalent to Castle Grayskull. Madam Razz was the scatterbrained witch and Kowl was a strange creature that was part owl and part koala...he had the face and body of an owl and had a furry appearance to match a koala. He used his big multicolored ears to fly.

The movie is on DVD #1 in that collection I'm holding up in the picture. On DVD #2 there's five episodes picked as favorites from the fan's of the show. The collection I'm holding up is The Best of She-Ra and so it isn't an episode-by-episode collection.

He-Man: 1980's cartoon craze...

I was one of the millions of boys who watched He-Man, formally known as He-Man And the Masters of the Universe. Everyday at 4pm after Guiding Light I would patiently await the start of He-Man. I once pretended I was the character...I used a sweeper nozzle for a sword one time. Sometimes I'd use the cardboard tube that was left over after the paper towel's had been all used up...a toilet paper tube was too small...it had to be a paper towel tube. I had the opening theme memorized within days...and knew the movements of each character in the opening sequence. I could mute the opening and speak the narration myself if I wanted to but I didn't.

I HAVE THE POWER!!! Who didn't run around saying that phrase at some point after watching the cartoon? It was part of Adam's narrative in his transformation into He-Man. I don't profess to be a hardcore fan of the cartoon so I do not know all of the in's and out's and character bio's but I do enjoy the cartoon even to this day. I have one of the DVD collections and others are on the way. I hadn't seen episodes of the show since the early 1990's when they were being re-ran on the USA Network...but the overall plot of the show and several of the characters never left my memory.

The series centered around Adam, the Prince of Eternia. He had in his possession a power sword. He'd use this sword and recite a kind of magic incantation and transform into He-Man...while Adam's pet tiger, Cringer, would transform into the mighty Battle-Cat. Adam's parent's were King Randor and Queen Marlena. The top officer in the royal guard was a man named Duncan, who also went by the title of Man At Arms. He was also part scientist, part mechanic and inventor, in addition to his security skills. His step-daughter, Teela, provided a feminine viewpoint on the cartoon as she was a very serious character in sharp contrast to the easy-going Prince Adam whom she was hoping to turn into a fierce warrior someday. She'd consistently be on his case over something...not knowing that Adam's secret role as He-Man.

Rounding out the main cast of good guys was the alien, Orko, from the planet, Trolla. Orko was the comic relief...usually causing more harm than help. Adam's secret of being He-Man, excluding Cringer, was shared with Orko, Man At Arms, and the Sorceress. A series of supporting players appeared off and on, aiding He-Man and company. The help often included the likes of Ram-Man, Man-E-Faces, Stratos, Buzz Off, Fisto, Moss Man, and several others.

In his transformation to He-Man, Adam would shout out a phrase...calling upon the power from Grayskull. Upon each transformation, no matter where Adam happened to be, the transformation scenes would always feature a back-drop of Castle Grayskull and we'd see the energy and power rising up from the Abyss, underneath the castle, and charging itself into Adam...causing him to change into He-Man.

This "power" that He-Man possessed came from what was known as the Abyss, which lies beneath Castle Grayskull. The mysterious castle was home to a virtual unlimited supply of power and portal gates into other dimensions. It was protected from evil and taken care of by a character known as The Sorceress. This character, a female, could turn herself into a falcon if she chose. She spoke telepathically to He-Man in almost every episode...warning him of some upcoming event or disaster he must prepare himself for.

The villains of the series were many, just like the heroes...but the core group of villains on Eternia were Beast Man, Mer-Man, Kobra Khan, Evil Lynn, Tri-Klops, Whiplash, Webstor, Trap Jaw, and the leader of the pack, Skeletor.

As the intro to the show informs the viewer, He-Man and his associates protect Castle Grayskull from Skeletor and his army of villains. Skeletor wants to conquer Eternia...he resides inside Snake Mountain and concocts all of his schemes usually gazing through a crystal ball on his desk. His main underlings are Trap Jaw and Beast Man. Evil Lynn is the third primary villain...followed by Mer-Man.

The series ran two seasons, 1983-1984 and 1984-1985. There were 130 episodes produced. One of the unique things about the program was it's soap-opera feel. There were several episodes where events from the past were recalled...events that took place in earlier episodes. Then there was the truth about Teela's origin. She was really the daughter of the Sorceress but Duncan adopted her. There are several scenes where Teela comes close to finding out who her biological mother is...in one episode she learns it's the Sorceress but later on in the episode the Sorceress uses her magic powers to erase the revelation from Teela. There are other episodes where Teela openly talks about her wishes to find her mother one of these days...only to have an emotional Sorceress appear as a hologram listening in on the proceedings from above.

He-Man had a companion series that was almost as popular...it was called She-Ra, which followed the adventures of He-Man's twin sister. The story went that when Prince Adam was a baby, the palace was attacked by the Horde, a group of sinister villains attempting to take over Eternia. Their ground leader, Hordak, stole Adam's sister, Adora, from the royal family. Skeletor was preparing to steal Adam but Man At Arm's and other guards captured him. Hordak escaped using a dimension gate and Skeletor never forgave his "teacher" for deserting him. Hordak soon settled on Etheria and he was able to take over the planet. Skeletor in the meantime was not able to take control of Eternia. On Etheria, Hordak and his crew ruled the planet and the goal of She-Ra and her friends was to over-throw Hordak so that the people could be free from the Horde's dictatorship. The good guys were under the umbrella of "The Great Rebellion". The situation was reversed on He-Man...here we had Skeletor trying to conquer Eternia but never succeeding. She-Ra was never really able to defeat Hordak although in each episode he was defeated but remained in power because he'd use his various escape plans.

The series of both He-Man and She-Ra are available on DVD.