'I'm talking to the little people!' 'Are they here???' by Kara
Wednesday, August 9, 2006 at 7:37 AM

You know, I really wish I hadn't essentially lifted this verbatim from the end of one episode.

I've decided that unless I have something I really want/need to rant about, Monday and Wednesday are devoted to a run-down of some of the shows I'm watching. Well, one at a time, rather. This means LONG RANTS, but you'll deal.

Today, the one everyone's been whispering about -- Powerpuff Girls Z.

Firstly ... I started watching this willingly. Secondly ... I kinda like it. Some of the stuff hasn't really grown on me yet, but I'm giving it time because a lot has.

Yes, this is a reset; the girls are 'real people' (by which I mean they have families/lives/etc. prior to the start of the series ... they didn't pop out of a vat of Chemical X). They've got real names and other places they have to be on a fairly regular basis. This means they aren't sisters. Also, Townsville is now Tokyo City. (I dunno, would Japanese kids understand 'the city of Townsville?' ... I say give 'em credit, but what do I know?)

Basically ... Chemical X becomes Chemical Z when Professor Utonium drops some snackies in it (accidentally). Ken (more on him later) decides to hop up and use Chemical Z to shoot at something, and hits three schoolgirls and a monkey in the process. And so on.

Probably the easiest way to go about this is character-by-character. Thus.

Blossom: Real name Momoko, a.k.a. Hyper Blossom. She is the one in pink, obviously, although she claims it's red, thus making her the leader of the team. Oh, yeah. For lack of a better term, she's a heroine addict. Loves her mahou shoujo and her sentai and her robots. Thus, she's all about this PPGZ gig. Weapon of choice is a yo-yo, which brings to mind our old friend Combatler V.

Bubbles: Real name Miyako, a.k.a. Rolling Bubbles. Even more of a ditz than her predecessor, and now a clotheshorse in addition. Also has every boy in school all over her. I'm sorry, but Bubbles has always been my least favourite, and this show isn't helping her any. The only thing I find truly amusing about her is her giant bubble wand, which (being a ditz) she originally tried to use as a thwacking-stick rather than ... oh, say, a bubble wand. She and Blossom are Bestest Friends, and her costume is the Cutest Thing Ever. Sigh.

Buttercup: Real name Kaoru, a.k.a. Powered Buttercup. It should be no surprise that she is now even more of a tomboy than before, complete with skateboard, frumpy boy-clothes, and the admiration (Utena-style) of every female in the school. She hates her skirt and tends to catch colds while wearing it. More reason to love her? Her weapon is a frickin' mallet.

Mojo Jojo: Well, duh, he had to be in there. I'm not sure how I feel about his voice yet, but I can't really tell how close what he's saying comes to his original speech pattern. He ends every other sentence with '-mojo,' and I wonder if that's the Japanese approximation of his talking funny. Also, Mojo Robo.

Professor Utonium: Not much to say about him ... he's pretty much the same, except for wearing pink and being a lot less angular. Oh, and apparently he has a bloody son ...

Ken: Why is Ken here? Why? Anyone? We know from the second he shows up that he's Utonium's son, mainly because whenever addressing him, he says, 'Papa- I mean, Professor ...' Where's his mum in all this? Did she die in a previous Chemical X experiment, or is he a new Astro Boy? Am I meant to care? Do we need a new little boy? (As the Co-Writer with the Longest Hair said when confronted with Ken's existence ... 'Power ... Puff ... GIRLS!!!!!!)

Peach: We know why you're here, Peach. You're marketable. To his credit, he can't actually speak until all Chemical Z Hell breaks loose. Now he's apparently the one who triggers the girls' henshin belts, because Utonium decided to synchronise them to Peach's voice. Whatever.

The Mayor of Townsville: Well, the mayor of Tokyo City now. He's taller and less bald, but essentially just as daft. Also, car.

Ms. Bellum: She made the cut! (Although I haven't actually seen any cuts yet.) For extra fun, she's got the same seiyuu as Mika (the one chick in Cosmo Crasher from God Mars).

And the Rest: Princess (now Himeko) has popped up once or twice. She seems like she'll definitely be in the foreground. We've had a peek at more to come ... we can see Sedusa, Fuzzy Lumpkins, the Gangreen Gang, Him (yay Him!), and the Rowdyruff Boys in the OP.

Kara says watch it. It's so goofy.

If you have been, soak 'em.