La la la la la. La la LA la la.
So. Just finished the "Daria" boxset.
I never caught this show during its initial run-- I vaguely remember it being 'the thing' with my older cousins but between its air time, some rather restrictive viewing options (thanks mom and dad :P) and... the fact that it was on MTV and even THEN finding something watchable was like looking for a needle in a haystack of awful television.
Having seen it though...
Wow. I have nothing more coherent to say that wow. To say this is a great show is an understatement; to say that it validated MTV Animation's existence, captured the genuine essence of high school and being a teenager in a way that few things period do, and holds up superbly even a decade later is getting closer. Has it really been this long since I've seen an animated show-- nevermind an animated comedy-- this good?
Maybe since the last decade or so of such shows have focused so much on abstract jokes, non sequitors or going 'edgy' for the sake of shock value, but the writing here is brilliant in large part because of how well thought out it is. The wit is razor-sharp and delivered with such lack of ceremony that it ironically gives it that much more impact... but "Daria" also remembers that a show like this is nothing without its characters, and allows even the most seemingly shallow and unlikeable strawman some real dimension and depth. Make no mistake, it's a comedy through and through, but during the few instances it decides to get serious, it's genuinely effective. These moments don't feel token or dramatically out-of-place, but as a natural occurence for people you've grown to care about, and even some you didn't think you did.
Apparently the music has been altered from its original run, as much of it was licensed, but frankly this kind of helps to keep it from feeling dated in a way that pop-culture references in general inevitably do. There are a few moments where you can tell there was a specific song that was intended to play over a certain part, but overall the show gains more than it loses from this decision (nevermind that the licensed song battles were part of what kept the series from hitting DVD in the first place).
Oh, and yeah, I do indeed ship it hard. A real shocker I know :)
If there's one thing that feels kind of off about the show, it's the whole Tom thing, both in terms of his place in the series and as a character, and it's honestly not because of my shipping preferences. Daria's crush on Trent made sense, and it's easy to see why she would like him. But Tom? Tom is boring. Being completely honest, I don't think I've seen a more universally bland character stapled in for the purposes of character development since Mark in "Friends" (though Mark at least had the fact that he was Paul Rudd in his favor). And he managed to get with both Jane AND Daria, complete with fighting and incredibly out-of-character jealousy/paranoia on Jane's part? Really? It's a little of the "Tenchi Syndrome", frankly-- a character so lacking any personality or intrigue that he ironically becomes theoretically compatible with anyone on the show.
Still, that's a relatively minor thing especially in the course of the show itself, and it doesn't really drag down the overall excellence on display. Especially in terms of episodes, I really don't think there's a weak one here. If you haven't seen it, "Daria's" definitely worth your time.
Click to viewI never caught this show during its initial run-- I vaguely remember it being 'the thing' with my older cousins but between its air time, some rather restrictive viewing options (thanks mom and dad :P) and... the fact that it was on MTV and even THEN finding something watchable was like looking for a needle in a haystack of awful television.
Having seen it though...
Wow. I have nothing more coherent to say that wow. To say this is a great show is an understatement; to say that it validated MTV Animation's existence, captured the genuine essence of high school and being a teenager in a way that few things period do, and holds up superbly even a decade later is getting closer. Has it really been this long since I've seen an animated show-- nevermind an animated comedy-- this good?
Maybe since the last decade or so of such shows have focused so much on abstract jokes, non sequitors or going 'edgy' for the sake of shock value, but the writing here is brilliant in large part because of how well thought out it is. The wit is razor-sharp and delivered with such lack of ceremony that it ironically gives it that much more impact... but "Daria" also remembers that a show like this is nothing without its characters, and allows even the most seemingly shallow and unlikeable strawman some real dimension and depth. Make no mistake, it's a comedy through and through, but during the few instances it decides to get serious, it's genuinely effective. These moments don't feel token or dramatically out-of-place, but as a natural occurence for people you've grown to care about, and even some you didn't think you did.
Apparently the music has been altered from its original run, as much of it was licensed, but frankly this kind of helps to keep it from feeling dated in a way that pop-culture references in general inevitably do. There are a few moments where you can tell there was a specific song that was intended to play over a certain part, but overall the show gains more than it loses from this decision (nevermind that the licensed song battles were part of what kept the series from hitting DVD in the first place).
Oh, and yeah, I do indeed ship it hard. A real shocker I know :)
If there's one thing that feels kind of off about the show, it's the whole Tom thing, both in terms of his place in the series and as a character, and it's honestly not because of my shipping preferences. Daria's crush on Trent made sense, and it's easy to see why she would like him. But Tom? Tom is boring. Being completely honest, I don't think I've seen a more universally bland character stapled in for the purposes of character development since Mark in "Friends" (though Mark at least had the fact that he was Paul Rudd in his favor). And he managed to get with both Jane AND Daria, complete with fighting and incredibly out-of-character jealousy/paranoia on Jane's part? Really? It's a little of the "Tenchi Syndrome", frankly-- a character so lacking any personality or intrigue that he ironically becomes theoretically compatible with anyone on the show.
Still, that's a relatively minor thing especially in the course of the show itself, and it doesn't really drag down the overall excellence on display. Especially in terms of episodes, I really don't think there's a weak one here. If you haven't seen it, "Daria's" definitely worth your time.