Jenny Robot

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.

What can I say. I'm a sucker for new ideas. My Life as a Teenage Robot mixes old school animation with Frederator's elete team of animators. I think this show will be most liked upon fans of The Fairly Oddparents and those who also liked Invader Zim.

Probably one of my favorite characters on the show would have to be Sheldon. While he is a geek, he tries hard to gain Jenny's attention. This is what makes the show worth watching.

Not only is this wonderful cartoon one of the classic superhero shows that we all love, but it also explores the life of a teenage robot who, like all of us, experiences the awkward situations that come along with adolescence. A show that children and teenagers can truly identify with, because they go through the same situations as the main character, Jenny Wakeman, does every day.

Unfortunately however, this show is currently "offline" and only reruns are played on the Nicktoons network. This is believed to be due to ratings and reviews. However, no user rating will truly be correct if you aren't the intended demographic of the show, be your review positive or negative. This show was meant, like many other television cartoons out there, to bring smiles to children's faces, not adults or people who review things for a living. This show was funny, cute and was accompanied by morals and principles that brought fun and learning together, and Nicktoons's popularity has sunken greatly due to its removal of nice shows like this and has thus lost hundreds, even thousands of viewers. This is why Nicktoons should once again broadcast My Life as a Teenage Robot, and go for a fourth season, because this show wasn't meant for being submitted to the scrutinizing eye of reviewers, but to shine its light of knowledge and fun on the children and teenagers that enjoyed this cartoon before it was shut down.

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 *****