Different Galaxy, but Same Students
Bradley Headstone | New York | 07/02/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This was actually a phenomenal cartoon of the 80s and it is sad it did not last long. It centers around the jock Doyle and the smart geeky girl Amy. They go to high school in outer space and Amy suddenly becomes popular. Doyle becomes the outcast who has to prove himself. What makes this cartoon so great is that we have aliens who are exaggerations of the human condition. (Gilda Gossip the gossip girl has several mouths.) Doyle is befriended by the geeky, but kind hearted and smart Milo.
Doyle is an interesting main character in that he is neither remarkably altruistic, nor remarkably selfish. At his worst, he is either full of himself such as in "It Came From Earth," or his faults hurt his friends around him such as in "The Brain Blaster." At his best, he is the voice of reason who holds everyone together such as in "Where's Milo?" Doyle's arguably greatest moment is in "Where's Milo?" Milo messes up and makes several people angry at him; he disappears, and most of the gang is happy about his disappearance, and Doyle reminds everyone how kind Milo was to them.
Another interesting character is the jock bully Beef Bonk. He picks on Doyle and doesn't always get a just comeuppance. In "The Beef Who Would Be King," he is especially bad after he is ungrateful to Doyle for saving his life. But he does show a gentle side in "The Brat Pack" as well as a willingness to work with Doyle. It is probably worth noting that in "Where's Milo?" he accidentally saves the day. In some episodes like "Pizza's Honor," he gets a just comeuppance. (So this cartoon was groundbreaking in that we have a bad guy who gets the last laugh sometimes, accidentally saves the day now and then, will work with hero under the right circumstances, or get a just comeuppance sometimes.)
The episode I consider best is "Those Eyes, Those Lips." Booey wants a ticket to see Mick Maggers, and the Galaxy High gang works so hard to get her a ticket. The series most popular episode was probably "The Brain Blaster." (An obvious take on drugs.) "It Came From Earth" is an interesting episode that shows the possible futures of the gang. 2 characters worth mentioning are the elderly married couple the Blastermeyers who are always bickering. (Myrtle) "Why are you getting off here? This is a terrible place! Harvey! Tell him how dangerous it is!" (Harvey) "Myrtle! Mind your own business!" It is worth mentioning that in "Beach Blanket Blow Up" they help save the day for the whole gang. Overall, it's a great cartoon that showed different aspects of the human condition. It's sad it didn't last long."
Feel good cartoon candy...
ChibiNeko | Whereever I go, here I am. | 07/02/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'd vaguely remembered this series from when I was a kid. Since I love a good trip down memory lane, I decided that I'd recheck this series out. It's almost as good as I remembered it. There's a lot that is more enjoyable as a kid, but there's also a lot of stuff that I appreciate more as an adult. Like another reviewer put it, the characters in this cartoon all represent various character types of teenage life. While this series does try to send out a message, they also make the attempt to make the series enjoyable as well.
The plot centers around Doyle (an athlete who chose to not study) as well as the brainy Amy, who is the smartest girl in school. The show tries it's best to show how important school is (Amy gets a scholarship & pretty much everything she always wanted such as clothes, friends, ect while Doyle ends up working at a pizza parlor to make ends meet) while showing that with a bit of hard work anyone can succeed.
I'm debating showing this to my nephews & niece. It's much more entertaining than most of the cartoons out today, that's for sure."