The city of Townsville…err Tokyo
The Powerpuff Girls was a huge hit for Cartoon Network. It was heavily influenced by anime. Little chibi girls with superpowers fighting monsters and super villains. Saving the world before bedtime. It was a great show. Something even older viewers could enjoy with their children. Heck, you could enjoy the show even if you didn’t have kids. The writing was smart, funny and very well done. A lot of talent and hard work went into that show.
That was why I was excited to see that there was an Anime version. Yep, there is.
Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z
Apparently Chemical X wasn’t good enough so they upgraded it a couple times. That is just one of the changes made. The girls aren’t in kindergarten anymore. They’re older now. Oh, and they aren’t related. Here’s a short summary of their origins.
While Professor Utonium and Ken, his son/lab assistant, are studying the properties of Chemical X their robot dog accidentally drops a rice cake into the vat. Chemical X undergoes a strange reaction, gets improved, and the new substance is named Chemical Z. Ken then decides to use Chemical Z on an iceberg in Tokyo harbor. The iceberg explodes, sending rays of light and darkness across the city. The light hits three young girls giving them super powers. The dark hits various animals and people and grants them new abilities as well. The girls are tracked down by the professor and Ken and made super heroes. Peach, the robot dog, is able to activate the girl’s powers so they can fight crime. Peach can also deactivate them so they can go to school and protect their secret identities.
Sounds very different from the Cartoon Network version doesn’t it? Well, it is. The girls are older, but the age they’re made for seems much younger. There aren’t nearly as many jokes for the parents, at least from what I could tell. I’m afraid these are Powerpuff Girls in name only. It could have, should have, been a much better show. Granted, there may be some cultural differences that put a different spin on the show for the target audience, but I have my doubts about that.
I’m glad to see Craig McCracken being recognized by the anime industry that seemed to so heavily influence his creation. I’m also sad to see that his creation didn’t get the respect it should have.
If it ever gets licensed, I’d recommend PPG fans rent it and watch a few episodes. It’s interesting to see the changes, but don’t expect to become a fan of this one.
January 9th, 2008 at 9:13 am
[...] my first review for AFO I covered the Japanese version of the Powerpuff Girls. It’s kind of an odd show if you watched the original on Cartoon [...]