Josh Apple
many cartoons from the 80's don't really hold-up a candle to an grown-up adult like me, while i still love the original "TMNT", "Real Ghostbusters", and the underrated "Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors" however i can't hide the fact that i have a special place in my heart for "He-man", i never watched it when it originally aired but thanks to re-runs and VHS i fell in love with it. the animation company "Filmation" has their history with many well-known licenses (archie, batman, superman, tom & jerry, star trek), however majority of them were borderline terrible writing and cheap- looking cartoons. the only decent ones in my opinion were "Flash Gordon", "Fat Albert" and "star trek". but "he-man" is an achievement. a great combination between "star wars" and "conan the barbarian" bringing every 7-yr old wet dream to life and being the first TV series to promote toys, by mattel and their he- man toys were awesome. he-man's setting takes place on a earth-like planet called eternia full of magic, science and sorcery. where he-man and he's friends must defend the kingdom of eternia and castle greyskull where he gained his powers, from the evil forces of he's arch nemesis skeletor ruler of evil. all the characters are enjoyable and sometimes unintentionally funny due to the cheesy dialogue and some of the animation. the action sequences are really top-notch for it's time with nice flow in the animation, plus at the time it was controversial for breaking the cartoon censorship about it's use of violence. very 80's catchy theme song, great detail in animation. season 1 episodes are between average/mediocre to decent at times, season 2 is a improvement thanks to less recycled animation and high quality writers like paul dini and j. michael straczynski. over-all i still love this series despite it's flaws the recycling animation to save money, cheesy dialogue, most of the characters sound similar to each other (fact that only six or seven people did the voices) and the morel lessons at the end of each episodes (some are fitting, and some are just dumb and pointless). as much as i love he-man i can't say the same for it's goofier spin- off "she-ra: princess of power", the live-action train-wreck movie "masters of the universe", the 90's "new adventures of he-man" it's more like "he man the next generation". the 2002 series had great writing but i can't say the same for it's generic music and anime-inspired action sequences (seriously how many animated action shows post 2000's has insane amount of jumping!)
ilovewrestling18
When He-Man raises his sword by the power of Greyskull and turns from Adam into He-Man, I get so giddy. I can't believe how this still sends goosebumps and excitement through me, but then again so does seeing Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man rescuing someone. I know that it is for kids but why would that effect my rating for this series? We don't say that it is for adults as an insult and therefore something being for kids is not a problem for me. I love the characters. I especially love He-Man and Orko. Definitely something I am truly fond of to no end. In heaven there will still be He-Man reruns! The bad guys are so bad and the good guys are awesome. I am biased because Igrew up on this but so what. This series is awesome!
Unbreakable27
I happen to have loved the 1980's.The cartoons, movies, the music.Prince and Michael Jackson with the music, the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, and then there was of course, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.Those of us lucky enough to spend our childhood in the administration of Reagan, were blessed with this cartoon.I picked this gem up on DVD a month ago and I love it. I watch it with the intensity that I did as a kid.I wanted to show my children what real cartoons were all about. Now my children love He-Man, to the point where I had to make my 3 year old a power sword out of wood and I spray-painted it silver. Now he runs around the house, with it in the back of his shirt screaming, 'by the power of gray skull!' In fact, I'm going to also pick up the whole season 1 when it comes out later this week.Just watching these things takes me back to 1983. The only thing that ever bothered me was that the Eternians were idiots. How could you not know that Prince Adam and He-Man were one and the same.1. They look exactly alike2. One is never around when the other one is3. As soon as one disappears the other shows back up.Pick it up and you'll learn what real cartoons were all about!!
csoltesz
There was a reason this show was the hit of the '80's and maintains a loyal fan base to this day. It wasn't the toys (every other show had toys too), and it wasn't the media hype - it was the stories. The tales were thoughtful, compassionate and relevant. As an adult looking back, I can see the underlying themes much better, but even as a child I understood that Castle GraySkull was a thinly-veiled metaphor for the viewers mind (as well as a "things aren't always what they seem" lesson) and that love was the main point. I never cared for She-Ra as much, but the credits sang out the motif clearly - "For the Honor of Love...By the Power Above...We have the Power, so can You..."I am NOT of any particular religion, and attempts to infiltrate a dogma into a show usually irritate the XYZ out of me, but this was does well. This was done Right. They took an ordinary "Muscle-Hero" story and managed to subtly turn it on its head; to satisfy the desire for adventure while teaching kindness and morality. It was, in all, a gentle show. A unique show, like Fat Albert. I wish they would reshow it.Many people say that it wouldn't fly nowadays, that today's kids are too sophisticated for the slower things. Maybe. But I think it's worth the try.