Mysticons

Mysticons
This show is not as mystical as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Teen Titans.
Genre: Action Fantasy Magic Kids & Family Running Time: 23 minutes Country: United States Canada Release Date: August 28, 2017 – September 15, 2018 Network(s): United States: Nickelodeon Nicktoons Canada: YTV Teletoon Created by: Sean Jara Distributed by: Nelvana Starring: Alyson Court Ana Sani Evany Rosen Nicki Burke Seasons: 2 Episodes: 40

Mysticons is a Canadian-American animated television series that aired from August 28, 2017, to September 15, 2018.

Plot

Four girls who can transform into legendary warriors, called Mysticons, band together to save their realm from evil. Arkayna, Zarya, Emerald, and Piper -- who all come from different walks of life -- are drawn together by a prophecy to battle evil and protect their homeland. As the unexpected heroes become epic warriors, they also become close friends while working together. The stakes are raised when evil Queen Necrafa is released from prison and embarks on a mission to destroy the Mysticons and their home, Drake City.

Bad Qualities

1. It's a terrible take on the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles formula (the leader, the nerd, the badass, and the goofball), with there being almost no presenting elements that make them stand out from being typecast molds.
   • It also feels like a poor man's version of Teen Titans, Sidekick, and DC Super Hero Girls, which are all better-received shows (ironically, Sidekick and Mysticons both aired on the same channel: YTV).
2. Piper is the token dark-skinned character, only existing so the producers can say they have a diverse cast.
3. Taking it up a notch, the entire series was originally going to have a male cast, but the producers wanted to score more brownie points with a female alternative. This is the original announcement about a boy-oriented Mysticons.
4. Emerald is supposed to be a dwarf (a very short/small person) but she's around the same height as the other Mysticons. No kidding. See this picture. (Keep in mind that Emerald is the one on the far right.)
5. Arkayna, Emerald, and Zarya have the same voice which is ironic as all three of them have different voice actors, but Zarya’s is slightly more masculine-leaning.
6. One of the main villains, Tazma, appears by telling the main characters that power means nothing if you don't train hard, and yet a few minutes later, becomes a villain by essentially going, "Screw training, I want power!"
7. The show's animation is very poor because the movements of the characters feel very mechanical and stiff because they were done with Flash, and the backgrounds are instead very bad CGI.
8. The show ended on a slightly weird note.

Good Qualities

1. It has a catchy theme song.
2. Em not being a stereotypical dwarf is a good thing.
3. The dark-skinned characters (Tazma, Malvaron, and Piper) are handled pretty well.
4. The character designs look good; not too much emphasis on fanservice, but not quite in the uncanny valley.
5. MoonBoon's relationship is a way better depiction of an LGBT couple.
6. "All Hail Necrafa!" and "The Dragon's Rage" have worked better as season finales as they end this series.

Reception

Melissa Camacho of Common Sense Media praised the series as fun but warned parents that there is "lots of fantasy violence" and some "dark images" which might "scare younger kids," but that it contains "magical creature companions," trainer, and dark forces that young fans of anime are drawn toward. She also stated that the series is not educational, but offers an "entertaining alternative to the many male-centered series" produced for those of this age group. In contrast, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction contributor Steven Pearce gave a positive review, stating that the three-story arcs of the series center on a different villain, and stated that even though the series is set in a futuristic city, "noir tendencies of urban fantasy are avoided" with the cultural influence of Earth still present, even as there are sci-fi elements. Pearce also pointed out that the show is "more action-orientated" than most shows that target young girls, stated that while the animation budget wasn't big, it was "used imaginatively" and says that while the story is fast-moving, it gains strength as it moved along, resulting in a "fun, exciting series."

the series has a 4.9/10 on IMDb and an 83% on Google users which is relatively average

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