Daria: Adieu le lycée

I've mention earlier that I'm a huge "Daria" fan. When MTV finally aired the "Is It College Yet", I stayed tune for it and I did not budge until it was over. As I watched it, I began to realize how much the characters have developed over the past five years (well, actually two years in Lawndale time. It sure is sad to see them go.

All in all, I was really impressed with it, but I'm afraid to say anymore without giving away the story.

I have a confession. Even though I am an adult and parent of a teen, I watched all the Daria TV shows and movies when they first aired. Apparently, this show aimed at teens is something I could still enjoy--even though I am an old fuddy-duddy! Recently I bought copies of the two Daria movies. I would have bought the entire show, but so far they have not been released! How MTV could do that or allow the shows to have been rebroadcast a few years ago on Noggin (chopped up in many cases as well as only showing about half the episodes) is beyond me.

Towards the end of the series, MTV released two made for TV movies. The first, IS IT FALL YET? was probably the funniest of the two, while IS IT COLLEGE YET? was much more angst-filled due to the characters on the show's pending graduation. Even the usually self-assured Daria is worried about life after high school--which is ironic, as she hated almost every minute spent at Lawndale High! I also think I liked this movie less because it meant an end to the wonderful series--a show that was far better than the Luke-warm reception it received. I think a lot of this was because Daria was on MTV and because the network moved the show around a lot on the lineup. The reason being on MTV probably hurt the show was because by the late 1990s, MTV was no longer a music video channel, but began producing near-pornographic "reality" shows that frankly were stupid and vacuous--appealing to audiences that probably wouldn't appreciate DARIA (since there was no sex or naked teens "hot tubbing"). People liking Daria were in most cases the type people who would have hated the rest of the MTV lineup.

When you watch IS IT COLLEGE YET? there are a few things you should first know. First, don't watch it for the quality of the animation, since it's terrible. Instead, the show excelled because of the brilliant and insightful writing. Second, unless you have watched the TV show, much of what occurs in this movie probably won't make much sense. Still, if you are a fan, then this is a must-see.

The dry, sarcastic humor of Daria was always a breath of fresh air in the stale t&a reality driven universe of MTV. The farewell movie is it college yet? is no exception. All your favorite twisted characters are there and so is Daria's dead pan humor. The movies plot revolves around the Lawndale High gang approaching graduation. The usual ribbing of greed, television, popularity, and success are in full, biting Daria form. Watch this movie and pray MTV has another witty, well written animated series up it's sleeve.

Hard core Daria fans will love the animated cells at the final credits.

When it was announced last year that 'Daria' was coming to an end, I have to admit I was disappointed. Then, when MTV aired the season five finale "Boxing Daria," I could only wonder how the 'Daria' crew could top it in the series finale. Unfortunately (?), they could not. However, the crew _did_ manage to put together a send-off that was very good, though not perfect.

The inevitable plot about graduation is the the main focus here, and remains interesting throughout. However, the secondary plots range from intriguing to not very good at all. I'm not going to go into great detail, but a few of my favorite situations were Quinn & Lindy's and Jane's. The most uninteresting (and one that could've been bettered with more exploration) were those with Brittany and Kevin. But even there we the viewers are thrown a few [small] redeeming bones. The best thing about these stories is that they weren't clearly wrapped up, leaving it up to the viewers to decide what happens. In a time where so many storylines are wrapped in neatly tied packages, this is quite a nice thing.

So, although this movie isn't as good as the best 'Daria,' it was still wholly entertaining through and through. It's sad that it's all over, but as creator Glenn Eichler said, they wanted to (and did) go out on a high note. Easy B+/8 material here, but it has the advantage of being a part of 'Daria'...9/10.

I totally loved this show. It's full of crazy characters (Daria's dad in particular) and hilarious stereotypes (who sadly reoccur with frightening frequency in real life). Plus it's the second show to be spun-off from Beavis and Butthead (King of the Hill being the first). It's weird to think of them all existing in the same world.

What separates Daria from other popular animation such as The Simpson's or Family Guy is the character interaction. In some places Daria almost feels like a drama, giving it a touch more integrity.

She's a tough girl to love. Daria basically has no faith in anything but her own judgment. It's makes a little bit hard to get close to her but she is a proud outsider in a mad world.

This DVD features the last (extended) episode of Daria making it to college and what happens once her High School life is over. There are two bonus episodes (Boxing Daria and Lucky Strike) included. The DVD is in 1.33:1 as drawn, the colors are bright and clear as is the Dolby 2.0 soundtrack.