Official Synopsis:

This second of three exciting volumes features the remaining 13 episodes from Season One of the 2002 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series! With Castle Grayskull now in his sights. Skeletor attempts to overthrow the Sorceress and gain the power of the Elders! The Masters of the Universe discover new allies in Sy-Klone and Roboto, as the Evil Warriors expand their ranks with Stinkor and Two Bad. The battle for Eternia reaches a spectacular climax with the appearance of the Snake Men. But it is Skeletor who looks to gain everything as he assembles his Council of Evil. For the first time on DVD, discover just why this Emmy award winning series entertained fans of the original cartoon, while welcoming a new generation!

Our Take:

For those not in the know, here’s the Chris’ Notes version: Back in 2002, Mattel resurrected He-Man and the Masters of the Universe with some great new toys courtesy of the Four Horsemen, a famed toy-sculpting group. They also launched a new TV series courtesy of Mike Young Productions, and it aired exclusively on Cartoon Network. Unfortunately, for whatever the reason, it never really seemed to take off, and ended up almost DOA. Luckily for fans it did result in some great episodes and some cool toys.

One of the things that this series is great for is fleshing out characters and stories that were merely touched upon in the comics and the Filmation series from the ‘80s. For instance, He-Man’s father, King Randor, was merely a figurehead back then, but in the new series he’s youthful, strong, and takes action, instead of being just a king sitting on a throne all day. We also learn more back story about Eternia, the Horde, and Skeletor’s past.

One of the show’s faults is that it seems like it was rushing to introduce new characters (i.e. new toys) into the fold, and that’s when the story seems to take a back seat. With that said, the purpose of any children’s cartoon is to basically sell toys, and anyone who says different is in denial or works for Mattel. The writers seem to try and balance this out, and for the most part it works, but you have to overlook the occasional product placement. In this volume we’re introduced to the Snake Men, who will take a much bigger role later on in the series, and we also see a glimpse of Hordak, conqueror of Etheria. In general, the series has the tone of being an epic saga, and though mostly episodic, there is an overall arc that the stories stick to so you can tell that something big is coming.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a fun show to watch; it has a great mix of story, flashy animation, and action. The characters that most of us all fondly remember from the ‘80s have all been given an update for the ‘00s and have been really fleshed out more. As with previous Masters sets from BCI/Ink&Paint, He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Volume 2 is terrific. A documentary or two might have been nice, but the episode commentaries contain a wealth of knowledge, and the behind-the-scenes footage is short but sweet. Here’s the full breakdown of extra features:

* End of Episode Morals – What would He-Man be without a moral at the end of an episode? A toy commercial! These morals were omitted in their original airing, but they’ve been included with this set.

* Two Full Episode Commentaries (Audio and Video) – Sit down with various writers and directors of the Masters of the Universe as they discuss Orko’s Garden and Snake Pit. In a screen split three ways we see the speakers, as well as the episode itself, and a small box with animatics.
* Behind the Scenes Footage with the Voice Actors (8 minutes) - A running series of clips of various voice actors taping scenes. It’s pretty interesting to match a face to the voice.

* Three Image Galleries – View art of some of Eternia’s most nefarious villains and heroic defenders.
* Three Full Episode Animatics – Watch episodes as they were “sketched” in concept before going to animation.
* Scripts for Episodes 14-26 (DVD-Rom: PC/Mac).
* Two Art Cards - By acclaimed comic book and animation artists Joshua Middleton and Sean Galloway.

With a feature film in the works, and the newly announced “Masters of the Universe Classics” toy line with highly detailed and articulated toys spanning across the He-Man universe, it’s safe to say that He-Man is still alive and well today. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Volume 2 is a must for any He-Fans or She-Ravers. Still as fresh and new today as it was when it premiered, with any luck this series will be just another chapter in the long saga of the world of He-Man, instead of an epilogue.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:

Show: A

DVD: A-

- Chris Lawrence

Staff Writer