Granted, when I saw the trailer for this second new 2021 series from Netflix which brought back to life my childhood hero He-Man, I have to admit that I wasn't immediately sold, nor were I particularly thrilled. Why? Well, the art style just seemed to be aiming at a very young audience here. But still, it being a "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" series, of course I opted to watch it.
Initially, I wasn't particularly swayed as I started watching this new 2021 series, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and kept watching all 10 episodes of season one. And I have to say that while this 2021 version of "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" definitely was nowhere near close to its source material, then it actually started to grow on me.
The story told in this new series is reminiscent to the old classics, but then again, it is totally changed, for better or worse. The storyline was fast paced, which was actually a good thing, and I have to say that the storyline, if you totally ignore everything you've learned from the 1980s or 2000s series, then it is actually entertaining enough.
And they made some very radical changes to the lore and the characters. Without delving too much into detail, then some of these changes were not sitting particularly well with me as it totally ignored already established characters, backgrounds and lore. Sure, I get that this new 2021 series is aimed at a brand new audience, but come on, changing things around like that is most likely not going to go well with the older fans - such as myself, for example.
Visually, then the art and drawing style used in this 2021 new series is something of an acquired taste, because it definitely is unique. Sure, there were some charm and appeal to the art style, and it was beautifully drawn, but it was just too chunky and bulky.
The 2021 series "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" is watchable and entertaining for what it is, but this is not going to be a long-run pleaser for the older fans of the franchise.
Essentially then the 2021 "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" series is a re-make or re-invention of the franchise that we didn't really need, and thus feels fully and wholly unnecessary.
My rating of the 2021 Netflix series "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" lands on a six out of ten stars. It actually turned out to be better and more entertaining than what the trailer initially lead to show. I was impressed, sure, but certain things changed just doesn't sit well with me.
