She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a reboot of the She-Ra franchise. The original She-Ra show came out in 1985 and the reboot started in 2018 and the show's fifth and final season came out in 2020. I have a LOT of passionate feelings about this show, so if I seem like an overly-enthusiastic fan, that's because I am.
My History With She-Ra
My first exposure to She-Ra was the 1980's He-Man and She-Ra Christmas special. I watched that special, when I was a kid, because I was a fan of He-Man and Skeletor. I barely knew who She-Ra was, at that time.
I actually watched the reboot before watching the original show. I eventually started watching the original show, because I loved the reboot so much. After discovering the She-Ra reboot, I quickly fell in love with it. The protagonist, Adora (She-Ra), quickly appealed to me and so did her friend/rival, Catra. When I started watching the reboot, there were 3 seasons and I quickly watched and loved those season. When the 4th season came out, I wasn't feeling well, so I relaxed and watched the entire season on that day. Ever since I finished the 4th season, I couldn't wait for the fifth and final season.
The Plot
Season 5 has a much different plot, than the previous seasons and that's because of the new threat. Although the show had been building-up Catra, Shadow Weaver and Hordak as She-Ra's most fearsome opponents, her most challenging threat is the Horde's true leader, Horde Prime. Horde Prime has finally arrived and he's determined to take over Etheria, the land that the show's heroes and villains live in. Because of this, Adora and her best friends, Glimmer, Bow and the Princesses, form an unlikely alliance with old enemies. Trusting old enemies is hard enough, but it turns out that Adora might not even be able to trust her closest allies, since Horde Prime's been brainwashing the residents of Etheria. If Horde Prime wins, all of Etheria will be doomed. It's up to Adora, to save the entire planet.
Adora had a lot of conflicts to deal with, in the show's first four seasons. However, none of that compares to season 5's threats. Catra, who has been struggling to decide whether she's a friend or foe, has to put aside her personal feelings, in order to do the right thing. The same applies to Adora, who has a lot of trouble on her shoulders.
She-Ra's fifth season is one of the most epic television seasons, that I've ever seen. There's plenty of suspense, excitement and action throughout the season's thirteen episodes. There's also plenty of physical and emotional conflicts, that Adora, Catra and the others have to deal with. Thankfully, the show doesn't lose the optimism and heart, that the She-Ra franchise has always had. Like the original He-Man and She-Ra shows, there's plenty of good lessons to be learned from this show. This show is much more subtle about the lessons and while the old shows had good lessons for kids, the reboot has lessons that are good for people of all ages. Despite all the drama going on, the show is still a lot of fun and has several funny scenes. Unlike other dark reboots, this reboot remains colorful, bright and full of heart.
The Characters
This season did a masterful job, when it came to giving great scenes to a majority of the heroes and villains.
The reboot made She-Ra become one of my favorite superheroes and this season continues making her a character I adore. This version of She-Ra has a lot of the same admirable qualities as Superman. Superman is one of the best superhero role-models and is a character that means a lot to me. However, people frequently complain that Superman is hard to relate to, because of how perfect he is. She-Ra doesn't have that problem. She-Ra's one of the kindest and most friendly superheroes, who willing to do whatever it takes, in order to save those she loves. However, she has insecurities, stress and she makes mistakes, just like real people do. Also, she knows how to be laidback and express a good sense of humor, when necessary.
Catra arguably goes through the most character development, in this season. In seasons 1-4, Catra was Adora's childhood bestie, who quickly became her rival, due to Adora joining the Rebellion. Catra was a sympathetic and tragic antagonist, who was easy to feel sorry for, despite all of her negative qualities. Season 5 puts Catra through a lot of pain, but she also experiences a lot of hope. Season 5 provided a lot of surprises, when it came to Catra's character. Catra's character development is epic, beautiful, fascinating and unlike anything that's ever been done in any cartoon.
All of Adora's princess friends get to shine. In seasons 1-4, two of the princesses, Netossa and Spinnerella, barely got anything to do. I thought that was a waste of potential, since Netossa and Spinnerella are two women, who are in a romantic relationship. That's a very rare thing to see, when it comes to a family show. Thankfully, season 5 gives them a lot more to do. It even reveals that they're married, which was a wonderful surprise. Their close bond is very touching.
A character, who remained consistently awesome, was Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver was an evil sorceress, but she was also a mother-figure to both Adora and Catra. Like in the previous seasons, Shadow Weaver is deliciously evil and seeing her play mind-games with everyone never gets old. However, this season also highlights her positive attributes and like Catra, she manages to be intimidating, yet sympathetic.
Hordak was the main villain in the original She-Ra and he was a major villain in the reboot's first four seasons. However, Horde Prime has taken over and he's season 5's main villain. In the original show, Horde Prime rarely showed up and he never interacted with She-Ra, which was a missed opportunity. After thirty-five years of barely doing anything, Horde Prime finally gets his chance to shine and he manages to be one of the scariest and evil villains, that a children's show has ever had. He plays his role to near-perfection, by being a fantastic threat and a character that's very easy to root against. Horde Prime's motivation is fascinating and his personality is incredibly menacing.
The Voice Acting
The show retains the same voice-cast, from the show's first four seasons and they all do a great job. Special mention has to go to Lorraine Toussaint, the voice of Shadow Weaver. She gives the best performance in the show. Everything Shadow Weaver says sounds eloquent and passionate, thanks to Lorraine Toussaint's incredible performance.
The Animation
Like in the first four seasons, the animation is very charming and colorful. Season 5 has one big change, when it comes to the animation and that's She-Ra's new design. I thought She-Ra was already a wonderfully-designed character, but season 5 gives her a design, that's even better. It's jaw-droppingly lovely and the animators deserve a lot of credit, for their great work.
Overall
She-Ra's fifth season might just be the greatest season, of any superhero show. It packs more thrills and emotions, than I could of ever expected and I was blown away, throughout the entire season. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is an incredibly progressive and thought-provoking masterpiece, that I can recommend to everyone.
My History With She-Ra
My first exposure to She-Ra was the 1980's He-Man and She-Ra Christmas special. I watched that special, when I was a kid, because I was a fan of He-Man and Skeletor. I barely knew who She-Ra was, at that time.
I actually watched the reboot before watching the original show. I eventually started watching the original show, because I loved the reboot so much. After discovering the She-Ra reboot, I quickly fell in love with it. The protagonist, Adora (She-Ra), quickly appealed to me and so did her friend/rival, Catra. When I started watching the reboot, there were 3 seasons and I quickly watched and loved those season. When the 4th season came out, I wasn't feeling well, so I relaxed and watched the entire season on that day. Ever since I finished the 4th season, I couldn't wait for the fifth and final season.
The Plot
Season 5 has a much different plot, than the previous seasons and that's because of the new threat. Although the show had been building-up Catra, Shadow Weaver and Hordak as She-Ra's most fearsome opponents, her most challenging threat is the Horde's true leader, Horde Prime. Horde Prime has finally arrived and he's determined to take over Etheria, the land that the show's heroes and villains live in. Because of this, Adora and her best friends, Glimmer, Bow and the Princesses, form an unlikely alliance with old enemies. Trusting old enemies is hard enough, but it turns out that Adora might not even be able to trust her closest allies, since Horde Prime's been brainwashing the residents of Etheria. If Horde Prime wins, all of Etheria will be doomed. It's up to Adora, to save the entire planet.
Adora had a lot of conflicts to deal with, in the show's first four seasons. However, none of that compares to season 5's threats. Catra, who has been struggling to decide whether she's a friend or foe, has to put aside her personal feelings, in order to do the right thing. The same applies to Adora, who has a lot of trouble on her shoulders.
She-Ra's fifth season is one of the most epic television seasons, that I've ever seen. There's plenty of suspense, excitement and action throughout the season's thirteen episodes. There's also plenty of physical and emotional conflicts, that Adora, Catra and the others have to deal with. Thankfully, the show doesn't lose the optimism and heart, that the She-Ra franchise has always had. Like the original He-Man and She-Ra shows, there's plenty of good lessons to be learned from this show. This show is much more subtle about the lessons and while the old shows had good lessons for kids, the reboot has lessons that are good for people of all ages. Despite all the drama going on, the show is still a lot of fun and has several funny scenes. Unlike other dark reboots, this reboot remains colorful, bright and full of heart.
The Characters
This season did a masterful job, when it came to giving great scenes to a majority of the heroes and villains.
The reboot made She-Ra become one of my favorite superheroes and this season continues making her a character I adore. This version of She-Ra has a lot of the same admirable qualities as Superman. Superman is one of the best superhero role-models and is a character that means a lot to me. However, people frequently complain that Superman is hard to relate to, because of how perfect he is. She-Ra doesn't have that problem. She-Ra's one of the kindest and most friendly superheroes, who willing to do whatever it takes, in order to save those she loves. However, she has insecurities, stress and she makes mistakes, just like real people do. Also, she knows how to be laidback and express a good sense of humor, when necessary.
Catra arguably goes through the most character development, in this season. In seasons 1-4, Catra was Adora's childhood bestie, who quickly became her rival, due to Adora joining the Rebellion. Catra was a sympathetic and tragic antagonist, who was easy to feel sorry for, despite all of her negative qualities. Season 5 puts Catra through a lot of pain, but she also experiences a lot of hope. Season 5 provided a lot of surprises, when it came to Catra's character. Catra's character development is epic, beautiful, fascinating and unlike anything that's ever been done in any cartoon.
All of Adora's princess friends get to shine. In seasons 1-4, two of the princesses, Netossa and Spinnerella, barely got anything to do. I thought that was a waste of potential, since Netossa and Spinnerella are two women, who are in a romantic relationship. That's a very rare thing to see, when it comes to a family show. Thankfully, season 5 gives them a lot more to do. It even reveals that they're married, which was a wonderful surprise. Their close bond is very touching.
A character, who remained consistently awesome, was Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver was an evil sorceress, but she was also a mother-figure to both Adora and Catra. Like in the previous seasons, Shadow Weaver is deliciously evil and seeing her play mind-games with everyone never gets old. However, this season also highlights her positive attributes and like Catra, she manages to be intimidating, yet sympathetic.
Hordak was the main villain in the original She-Ra and he was a major villain in the reboot's first four seasons. However, Horde Prime has taken over and he's season 5's main villain. In the original show, Horde Prime rarely showed up and he never interacted with She-Ra, which was a missed opportunity. After thirty-five years of barely doing anything, Horde Prime finally gets his chance to shine and he manages to be one of the scariest and evil villains, that a children's show has ever had. He plays his role to near-perfection, by being a fantastic threat and a character that's very easy to root against. Horde Prime's motivation is fascinating and his personality is incredibly menacing.
The Voice Acting
The show retains the same voice-cast, from the show's first four seasons and they all do a great job. Special mention has to go to Lorraine Toussaint, the voice of Shadow Weaver. She gives the best performance in the show. Everything Shadow Weaver says sounds eloquent and passionate, thanks to Lorraine Toussaint's incredible performance.
The Animation
Like in the first four seasons, the animation is very charming and colorful. Season 5 has one big change, when it comes to the animation and that's She-Ra's new design. I thought She-Ra was already a wonderfully-designed character, but season 5 gives her a design, that's even better. It's jaw-droppingly lovely and the animators deserve a lot of credit, for their great work.
Overall
She-Ra's fifth season might just be the greatest season, of any superhero show. It packs more thrills and emotions, than I could of ever expected and I was blown away, throughout the entire season. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is an incredibly progressive and thought-provoking masterpiece, that I can recommend to everyone.