He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

I was home sick yesterday instead of at work. I got out of bed around 6 a.m. as usually do and dragged myself to the shower. I felt like death warmed over beforehand, but I thought,"hey... all you need is a shower,"

Eh... not really. I was sick. So, I called into work, which took about 30 seconds, and I wento back to bed. Well, from about 7:20 in the morning until about 2 in the afternoon, I hybernated like a tranquilized bear. I needed it and it felt great.

After I finally came out out of the bedroom and turned on the television, I decided to watch a little He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on DVD. Not the live-action film starring Dolph Lundgren (which is whole other can of worms), but the original animated series.

I bought Season 1 Volume 1 at Best Buy on Sunday and since I was laid-up in the house alone I had nothing better to do and I really didn't feel like doing anything else.

Now, before I get into defending myself for buying and watching He-Man, let me talk more about the show.

Filmation produced the show based on the action figures by Mattel in 1983-1985. Mattel wanted nothing more than a marketing device for their action figures and wasn't expecting much out of the cartoon and didn't give much in the way of a budget to produce it. With no real expectations for it, it came as a surprise to many when the animated series became a huge success.

A large amount of the success has to go to Filmation, who with a very limited budget delivered a show that was actually well animated and had good writing. The animation's solid look can be credited to the fact that several Disney animators intinially helped with the series, and also the "stock sequence" library that was amassed for the show. Many sequences were drawn very well, but were recycled to save time and money. Usually the backgrounds would be changed, or the sequence would be mirrored to give it a different angle. This technique was used heavily throughout the show. It was also a neccesity because of the production schedule of the show.

He-Man was not a Saturday morning cartoon and it was not a part of any of the major networks. It was a weekly syndicated show airing five new episodes a week, a first on both counts in the world of animation. It was also the first show to have 65 episodes ordered for it's first season, which was why time and budget were very small for the show. In all, there would be 130 episodes of the original series, and a spin-off show, She-Ra: Princess of Power.

When I was a kid I was all about the cartoon. I now know that Mattel was only using the show to sell action figures, but to me the action figures were secondary to my love for the cartoon. I watched it so often that my dad even made me a tape of episodes with the commercials cut out that I would watch constantly in Puerto Rico.

Since then I 've grown older, gotten married, and started a career. But I'm still nostalgic about my childhood and the things that made it fun. When I saw the box-set at Best Buy I was genuinely excited and if that sounds stupid I really don't care. I wanted to the see the show again, man.

Now, I've heard people say things about He-Man, like - "It's the most homoerotic cartoon ever made...". Hmmm. What exactly does that even mean? Look, I watched the show as a kid because of the action/adventure. Back then I didn't even know what "gay" was! I never saw anything strange. Now as an adult, I've watched some of it again and I still don't see what the hell people are talking about! Is it because He-Man's body isn't completely covered and sometimes he picks up a rock and throws it, or struggles with a falling drawbridge? I mean, honestly, if you get a half-chub because a cartoon barbarian lifts something over his head, that's your problem, not mine. I think "homoerotic" is another word for someone saying "I felt funny and didn't like it", or "that show brings out my homophobia - BURN IT!!!" Some people, man - see the "gay" in everything!

I know a lot of people prefer Transformers or G.I. Joe to He-Man and that's cool, I understand. They're actually superior shows. But I always thought of Masters of the Universe as the "Little Engine That Could" and I stick by it. Plus, I genuinely enjoy it for all it's accomplishments and all it's flaws. It reminds me of my childhood and that's something I always enjoy. Does that make me weird? I don't think so.

I still like beer. I still like sex (with grown women). I just also happen to like a cartoon.

BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL.... I HAVE THE POWER!!!!