Uma Robô Adolescente

I'd never really heard of My Life as a Teenage Robot, but it caught my eye stumbling across channels one day. I stayed tuned as the episodes kept rolling, and it struck me - this show is really good!

The plot's pretty simple - mad scientist Dr. Wakeman programmed XJ-9 to defend the Earth, but after being discovered by her human neighbors, Brad and Tuck, "Jenny" decides she'd much rather fit in with humans - but has to get over some of the social hurdles of being a 6 foot-tall, steel-plated, heavily armed war machine.

The show does really well with its premise. Even at their extremes, the characters are all likable, and have some great voice talent to back them up. The pacing is very relaxed, without a lot of the exhausting hyperactivity you see in a lot of newer shows.

The animation has a very traditional style. The characters are a mix of '60s Hanna-Barbera, Astro Boy, and Felix the Cat. The backgrounds look hand-painted with abstract Art Deco and Populuxe designs. And despite being a scifi-themed show, there's none of the conspicuous CGI common to classics Futurama and Invader Zim.

I was just getting started with this show when I found out it had been canceled for a couple of years, which is a shame because it still seemed to have a lot of energy in it. I'd call it an underrated classic for fans of scifi and animation, and probably good enough for Nick's intended audience, too.

This show is one of the best I've seen in a long time, and that's saying something in a world full of Hey Arnold! and Ed, Edd, and Eddy.

What really caught my eye is the fact that Rob Renzetti worked on this toon, as he mostly works with Cartoon Network. You can definitely see connections between this show and shows like Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and The Powerpuff Girls (As much as I dislike that show). Although it is missing the 'Genndy Touch', it'll probably be right up there with them.

Jenny only wishes to be a normal teenager; unfortunately for her, she's a robot. Her creator, Mrs. Wakeman, is a cross between the average misunderstanding mother of a teenager and a not-quite-mad scientist. She finds friends in Brad and his brother Tuck, and confides in Brad to find how to be a normal teenager. Unfortunately, people like Brit and Tiff Krust are there to make her teenage life worse, while the evil Vexus (Eartha Kitt) tries to use her powers for control of the earth.

(And I don't care what any of you say, but Brad+Jenny=LOVE!!!)

5/5 stars *****

I think this is a great show, they have a great stroy line, Rob Renzetti does it again; they have a great voice over Ex. Janice Kawaye (Jenny -XJ9- Wakeman) and Cree Summers (Tiff Crust).

The story is about a robot, Jenny (Janice Kawaye) who saves the town Tremorton, and the whole world, but would love to do more things more 'important' to her teenage robotic girl life; hang out with normal teenagers and have a normal teenage life. With her friends, Brad (Chad Doreck) and his hyperactive brother, Tuck (Audrey Wasilewski) Jenny is sure to have a crazy yet fun teenage robot life.

This is a great show with great animation and hysterical jokes. Kids and adolescent teens will love it. Period.

So far, Nick's current line-up is pure horror (The Fairy Oddparents, As Told By Ginger, All Grown Up) but only one of them makes an exception: enters the Blue Girl, XJ-9 from the future! (or should I say retro-future in this case!)

My Life As A Teenage Robot is a surprisingly good Nick Toon that tells the story of a girl robot who saves the day by fighting evil alien invaders and other menacing villains from all sides of the world and the universe (hey, that probably sounds like a Powerpuff Girl rip-off but Rob Renzetti, who creates this show, has also worked on several PPG episodes before, so I abide by that fact) while facing challenges as an ordinary teenager in real-life situations! And if you think the word 'teenager' will often lead to concussion that the show will feature head-banging rock songs and typical teenage punks, think again! TR's artwork and background designs are heavily inspired by classic cartoons of the 20s (think of it as an Oswald cartoon in its newer form), out-of-date anime and even classic buildings of the Golden Years while maintaining the very essence that makes every hit show (Samurai Jack, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, PPG) an instant classic.

But that's not all, folks! Every episode is as sweet as the rest, thanks to its inventive ideas, fluid animation (the best examples include Jenny's transformations and even in one scene where Jenny outfashions her rivals by revealing her fancy costumes, in which I personally think is the best I've seen in recent years), wonderful voice acting and colorful character personalities! The music is, unlike the usual pop songs that are often heard in teenage-themed shows like As Told By Ginger, surprisingly pleasant and is predominantly reminiscent to the ones heard in Tartakovsky/McCracken shows, in addition to the cool techno music.

To sum it up, MLAATR is cute, funny, unexpected and a real blast to watch from start to finish. It is hard to underestimate a Nick Toon like this one, especially when you have no idea what the Blue Girl has up her sleeves!

I've seen the pilot of this cartoon many times on Nick's cartoon anthology program, "Oh Yeah! Cartoons", and it has easily been my favorite from that show. I remember seeing that first six minute short about Jenny the teenage robot torn being the world saving failsafe her scientist mother created her as or her own desire to be a normal teenager and hang out with other kids, and thinking what a great series it would make. I'm more than ecstatic to learn that it will in fact be a series, and am greatly looking forward to it. The pilot episode had great animation and character design reminiscent of Cartoon Network's best work from a couple years ago, before then began producing shows with soulless digital painting techniques. I can only hope that the `Teenage Robot' creators stick to their great style.