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In Episode 108 of the Powers Of Grayskull Series, we become the MASTERS OF GRAYSKULL!!! Join OptimusSolo and TFG1Mike as they start at “The Beginning” with the 2002 Masters of the Universe cartoon series. BY THE POWER AND FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL WE HAVE THE POWER!!!
INTERACT WITH THE POWERS OF GRAYSKULL SERIES PODCAST on TWITTER!
Geeks:
Mike “TFG1” Blanchard
Kevin “OptimusSolo” Thompson
UNLEASH THE MOTU GEEK IN YOU!
Good podcast. I have been waiting a long time to get to this series. I remember being so excited when I completed my DVD collection of the series. I even managed to snag the Best Buy exclusive box that holds the three volumes and completes the MOTU mural. The only issue is that I am still missing the last She-Ra set.
On these episodes, I agreed more with Kevin. The first part was the strongest. I actually fell asleep during parts two and three. I re-watched the episodes on the DVDs with the commentary tracks and even on episode three I fell asleep. This is a good series, so I am not dissing it. I suppose I was just tired.
Overall, I like what this series is establishing in the beginning 3-part story. I like that Adam is a boy and He-Man is a man so that it isn’t so obvious that they are the same person. The character designs are very good. Some of the voices aren’t what I would have chosen for some of the characters. Even Skeletor’s voice takes some getting used to, for me. I don’t mind that he is more serious and sinister, but it just seems unnatural. It sounds like an imitation of the original that just doesn’t nail it. That’s why I have an issue, but I suppose I will get used to it. Man-At-Arms was the perfect casting. Stratos is another one that I find odd. And in the commentaries they do mention the intelligence hierarchy, but does Clawful have to be such a bumbling cliche idiot? Again, maybe I’ll get used to it, but it wouldn’t have been my choice.
I know more characters are going to be introduced, which is something I am looking forward to in this series. Getting backstories and whatnot will be interesting.
Thanks fer the comments Tim. I’ll disagree on the voices though. Skeletor is rock solid, not just an Alan impression. While Campbell Lane was a great Skeletor voice in New Adventures, Brian Dobson’s is far superior in my eyes and ears.
Love Garry Chalk as MAA as you said, but my thing with this series is that for Garry and Scott it’s a Beast Wars reunion! LOL
Thanks for always listening! Have ya heard ToonCast 230 yet?
I did listen to ToonCast 230 and the new format sounds interesting. It is definitely going to be difficult to keep pace with you. I’ll do my best though. I want to revisit some of those shows that I have on DVD that I haven’t gotten around to watching due to time constraints. So, this gives me more reason to do so. I watched the first half of C.O.P.S. and I still find it to be a very enjoyable show. I look forward to watching more and checking out the other series and hearing your thoughts on the podcast. By the way, thanks for the mention.
I totally agree with you on the voice for Stratos for sure. I still think Alan is the best Skeletor voice but I do like that this version is more serious. Can’t wait to watch some more of this series! – Sorry it took so long to reply – hard to see new comments on the site these days
It makes me very happy that you’re spotlighting the 200x series. It also surprises me how many He-man fans overlooked this series. To be honest I didn’t like the show when I first saw it. I wasn’t sure what a reboot of He-man might mean but I went i hoping to hear an update to the old Filmation theme song and a similar update to the transformation sequence. I tried a few episodes and wasn’t pulled into it like I expected a He-man show would do. But I went back to it a few years later and overlooked the expectations I had and man am I glad I did. This series is my go to now for Masters of the Universe.
While I love that there’s a 3 part opening to the show, I do feel it’s not perfect. Good, but not perfect. I do love that they finally gave an origin idea to the idea of Adam getting the power sword, that was great. I love that the Masters are highlighted rather than the focal point always being about He-man. It shows that the cast of characters is rich with characters that have been overlooked up until now. I also love the mythology they’re bringing into the origin as well as Adam being physically different from He-man so it’s not blatantly obvious he has a dual identity. And I agree, I love that Skeletor is cunning in this so he feels like a force to be reckoned with.
One of the things about The Beginning that sits poorly with me is speechifying. In the opening sequence there’s a lot of tell, don’t show in how it’s written. It’s the same as when the Sorceress tells Adam in the huge info dump of a scene at Grayskull that he’s going to be He-man. Both sequences are a bit too clunky for me to look past no matter how I try. The council of elders just saying what the fate of everything is to Randor drives me crazy. I wish they could have handled that in a way where it showed us that Randor’s leadership in the war would lead to him becoming king. The whole reference to the hero who will step in to protect Eternia just felt odd to me. The same thing happens when Sorceress just throws everything at Adam in his first visit to Grayskull. Why on this show does everyone who’s in a mystical position need to vent plot details to those who aren’t in the know like this? It makes them seem desperate.
Beyond that the only thing I wasn’t a big fan of, and this is across the board of the series, is the transformation sequences. Filmation NAILED that moment to make it something epic, spectacular and amazing. Even now I can watch that moment and get chills. This series never managed to find their own way to capture that lightning in a bottle. It was a big hurdle for me to get over because it’s quintessential He-man but once I just came to terms with it, I absolutely LOVED the series. So worth the watch. Thanks for doing this series about it. It’s making me appreciate the show even more than I already do.