Cleopatra in Space

There are a number of cartoons for kids that parents can sit and enjoy with their children together. This is not one of them. It's not bad really. The character designs are enjoyable, the acting is very good, and for what it is the music is perfect. The problem is the direction, pacing, and editing where this falls short. It's not just that parts feel rushed and others linger too much. It's that half the time it feels like something really important was skipped over or cut. I've re-watched the first 2 episodes twice and each time I'm left waiting for a "2 days ago" cut-away scene that will explain what's missing, but it never comes. My guess is that while boarding and table reading this, whenever someone might have said "wait, how did we get here?" someone else responded "who cares, it's just a stupid show for dumb kids, they won't even be paying attention." And maybe they're right, but if they're expecting a show about teenagers to be watched by actual teenagers, they're in for a rude saturday morning awakening.

It's a shame that this show lasted only 26 episodes. There's plenty to like. The humor is on point. The action is exciting. The characters are all fun to watch in their own ways. There's a nice mix between comedy, story, and sci fi action. If nothing else, at least give a movie to wrap up the series. It deserves more.

The show itself is nothing special in terms of character and plot, though my kiddos were entertained by it, mostly for its action sequences, which are plentiful (though rarely resulting in death or serious injury, unless you count robots). My daughter had read the graphic novel series and noted numerous differences. She also found Cleopatra mostly annoying - impulsive, narcissistic, and uninterested in learning. In some ways like an exaggerated version of Korra, but far less appealing than, say, Adora, Kipo, or Allura. So not much to recommend the show or the protagonist, over all. And then there is the added issue of the inane exoticizing of "Egypt": beyond featuring pyramids, fake hieroglyphs, and Cleopatra herself, there is not even a remote attempt to accurately portray the ancient culture. Octavian, her mentor, was not Egyptian, and he was not an "Octopus." I could go on and on but the general effect is not to encourage interest in Egyptian history or culture but to present it as an exotic other which is merely a hollow shell of reality, and, more generally, to promote this treatment of different cultures.

This series, based on a 2014 comic series by Mike Maihack of the same name, has a simple premise: then-Princess (and future Queen) Cleopatra is transported tens of thousands of years (30,000 to be exact) in the future to attend an elite school on an Egyptian-themed planet and fight a space tyrant with her friends. Cleopatra, known as Cleo for short, is super sassy, reckless, careless, and cocky, as she adjusts to the future...and is the only prophesied hope for the universe. As one reviewer put it, this adventure focuses on the untold story of Cleo's teen years, figure out how she will get home, fit in, find out the identity of a spy sent to the school, and her mysterious powers. The music of this series is also really awesome. This justifies its current rating.

After watching this show, it's become one of my favorites.