The Top 10 Powerpuff Girls Episodes
The Powerpuff Girls, along with the other Cartoon Cartoons on Cartoon Network in the late '90s - early 2000s, were a huge part of my childhood. I mean sure I was supposed to grow out of them by the time Powerpuff Girls came around, but at ten years old, seeing superheroes beat up dudes in a bubblegum world was fantastic. Through the show I learned about blurred gender lines, feminism, and just how badass people could be regardless of sex. Also, the show was just a lot of fun.
Since The Powerpuff Girls is returning to Cartoon Network sometime next year in a new form, I figured it was a good time to talk about the best episodes from the show's original run. Couple of things. I didn't follow any set of rules so you'll see a lot of episodes from the same season because they were just that good, and I tried to choose episodes that married writing, premise, and animation better than the others. So let's get to it then.
Here are the Top 10 Powerpuff Girls episodes.
Honorable Mentions: Major Competition, Candy is Dandy, A Very Special Blossom, Beat Your Greens, Equal Fights, Super Zeroes, Slumbering With the Enemy, Los Dos Mojos, The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!, Custody Battle, Oops, I Did It Again, Forced Kin, Meet the Beat-Alls, Monkey See, Doggy Two, The Powerpuff Girls Movie
New Powerpuff Girls Series Coming in 2016
Cartoon Network is getting in on the remake/reboot fun (following the very recent announcements of the ReBoot re-imagining and a new Mega Man cartoon series) with a new, revamped Powerpuff Girls series coming in 2016. The new series won't stray too much from the established story from the original Powerpuff Girls series, but there's no word or confirmation on whether the same stable of villains will be around.
Also of note is the re-casting of each girl's voice. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup will now be voiced by Amanda Leighton (The Fosters), Kristen Li (Monsters University), and Natalie Palamides, respectively, with Tom Kenny returning as the Narrator/Mayor of Townsville. The previous voice actresses (Catherine Cavadini, Tara Strong, and E.G. Daily) expressed both their support of the newer, younger actresses, but also their disappointment in not being contacted:
I wish the new girls well but Wow! does this hurt my heart:( https://t.co/OzchpdAXFR
— Catherine Cavadini (@CatCavadini) June 9, 2015
I have NO ILL FEELINGS 4 the actresses in the new #ppg, We were just beyond hurt we were NEVER asked..every role I breathe life into I love
— tara strong (@tarastrong) June 9, 2015
Owie! Rt in the kisser ! Hurts 😥Xxeg https://t.co/nq9xQQOvUs
— RealEGDaily (@RealEGDaily) June 8, 2015
I don't blame Cartoon Network for not contacting Cavadini, Strong, and Daily, wanting to go for a cleaner slate with younger actresses. Nevertheless, when the trio played such vital roles for one Cartoon Network's most popular and successful series, you'd at least think they'd be contacted.
[via IGN]
Mega Man Getting a New Animated TV Series
While Capcom has done their best to make sure we'll never play a Mega Man game again, the Blue Bomber still has a huge and devoted fan base. Making guest appearances in other videogame series like Nintendo's Super Smash Bros, continuing a successful run through Archie Comics (even leading to a crossover with Sonic the Hedgehog), and several toys still selling by the boatloads, Mega Man is a property that has surpassed its videogame heritage long ago. Meaning it's time to move on to the next big thing, a brand new cartoon adventure.
According to Deadline, Dentsu Entertainment USA have partnered with Man of Action Entertainment (the company responsible for Ben 10, Generator Rex, Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel's Avengers Assemble) to produce a 26 episode animated series for a 2017 release to coincide with the series' 30th Anniversary. '90s kids like myself will remember that Mega Man's gotten a cartoon series before and these rose colored glasses remember it being pretty neat. Mega Man has spawned several anime shows through the years too, with Battle Network being my favorite overall. If the new show can have the kind of quality that Man of Action put into Ben 10 and its numerous spin-offs, we're in for a good time.
Although, I'll hold out hope that it looks like that awesome "anime" style teaser for the Korean MMO from a few years back.
[via Deadline]
The Simpsons Renewed for Two More Seasons
It's been awhile since I've actively watched The Simpsons, a product of growing increasingly busy, disinterest in actual TV, and the dwindling level of quality that's been unfortunately associated with the show in recent years. Nevertheless, The Simpsons is a cultural staple, and while its run is slowly winding down, to think of a generation of TV without The Simpsons is near unfathomable.
The inevitable has been delayed a few more years as Fox has renewed The Simpsons for two more seasons, with the run ending at 28 seasons and 625 episodes. /Film points out that the series will be just shy of breaking Gunsmoke's record of longest running scripted prime-time TV episodes at 635, so there's incentive for Fox and The Simpsons to press on past this new order.
Whether you quote The Simpsons everyday or can't tell the difference between Patty and Selma, it's hard to ignore the significance The Simpsons has had on Americana over the past four decades. Whether it can sustain enough energy or momentum to carry it into 2020 will have to be seen in time. One thing's clear: we need more official Simpsons mash-ups.
[via /Film]