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She-Ra Princess Of Power: Season One, Volume One
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Official Synopsis:
Enter Etheria, a world of wonder, a world of magic, a world dominated by the might of the Evil Horde! Join She-Ra, Princess of Power® and her allies in the Great Rebellion as they battle against Hordak and his Horde, a group of villains that Horde science has turned into the most evil beings on Etheria! These first 32 episodes feature the world of Etheria and its inhabitants brought to life with wonderful stories and beautiful animation. Relive the excitement as you enjoy the adventures of He-Man's twin sister on DVD for the first time ever. For the honor of love!
Our Take:
Even as a devout fan of He-Man, She-Ra: Princess of Power always just sort of seemed like the diet version of Masters of the Universe. While it was a continuation of the Masters series, it did manage to have its own identity, and even a little bit of sophistication, at least for a cartoon.
The basic premise for the spin-off is this: Prince Adam's twin sister, Adora, was kidnapped as an infant by Hordak and brought to the Horde-occupied planet Etheria, where he raised her in his own evil image. Prince Adam must venture to Etheria as He-Man and rescue his sister; however, when he arrives she isn't quite what he expected her to be.
She-Ra: Princess of Power has many elements you don't normally see in shows aimed at kids today. While on Eternia, He-Man is on the dominant side in power, whereas on Etheria, She-Ra's cause is that of struggle as they were the Rebellion fighting against an occupying force. It helps add an element to the show that gave it a vastly different feel from MOTU. Also with She-Ra, it has a very nature vs. science theme. The Horde is all about technology and industry, while the Rebellion is very organic, with many of the freedom fighters being made up of farmers and craftsmen.
As with its other sets, BCI Eclipse’s Ink& Paint studio gives fans all they could want and more. First off is the beautiful packaging and art; some people might not care about this, but life-long fans and those invested in their collections do, and that is exactly who this set is catered to. Each DVD has a picture of a different character, some from the Horde, some from the rebellion, and the multi-fold box contains pictures highlighting several significant scenes.
Launching the series is the five-part mini movie, Secret of the Sword, which as a kid I think I watched about a bazillion times.
* Commentaries - “The Sea Hawk” and “King Miro’s Journey” with writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski and others. Two more great commentaries, these guys just love talking about She-Ra and He-Man. They’re very stunned and humble about the fact that the work they did twenty years ago is seeing life again.
* Documentary: “The Stories of She-Ra, Part 1” (24 minutes) - Creators, writers, and artists all comment on particular episodes of She-Ra. Sadly, there is no participation from Lou Scheimer in this set, but hopefully we’ll hear more from him later.
* Storyboard-to-Episode Comparison - For “Into Etheria.” Go back and forth between the storyboard and the episode or watch a side-by-side view.
* Character Profiles - Fifty detailed profiles of various characters, monsters, and artifacts from the show. Each features a small write-up as well as a short clip from an episode.
* DVD-Rom Features - Scripts for five episodes, a series bible, and a “Secret of the Sword” comic book.
* Loo-Kee's Fun Facts and Trivia - Much like Orko's Fun Facts, these are located on the chapter menu of each episode, and you’ll find out some interesting tidbits of information.
Once again, fans have been treated to an exceptional release for our favorite heroine, and the everlasting story of good vs. evil from Masters of the Universe continues in She-Ra: Princess of Power. Don’t hesitate to pick this set up, you’ll be glad you did!
RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Show: B+
DVD: A+
- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer
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