Jenny Robot

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 is one of my favorite shows on Nickelodeon. It's kind of a cross between Astroboy and Powerpuff Girls. It's funny, the animation is pretty good and Jenny (X-J9) is real pretty for a robot. Though the writing can use a little work here and there, it is still just on it's first season. If you've only seen it's "Oh Yeah cartoons" appearance, then you haven't really seen the show, It's REALLY IMPROVED! As hard as it is, don't label this as another cruddy Nicktoon. Though a lot of them are pretty lame, this one certainly is not. It's so good, I've already got all the episodes on tape. (But that's mostly because I like Jenny so much.) this at least deserves a chance.

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 first came across this show while I was channel surfing through the cable program that I just recently received. Since I've only seen a partial portion of the show, the plot and the concept were abstruse to me. My first impression of "My Life as a Teenage Robot" was indifference; I thought it was one of those shows that Nickelodeon inserted just to fill in the gap for their TV schedule. However, I discovered that my assumption had been wrong.

The subsequent week, I watched the show again and again and again.. I just totally became addicted to it! Rob Renzetti did a marvelous job(along with his other fine works such as "The PowerPuff Girls", "Dextor's Laboratory", and other Cartoon Network shows); I believe this is one of his greatest work ever. The story revolves around a semi-angst teenager, named Jenny, whose covetousness is to be accepted in her society. The only thing that's different from Jenny and everyones else is that... well she is a alien/monster fighting robot formally known as XJ-9. The repressive milieu which she resides in usually has her mother forbid her to do anything but save the world and go to school. The tasks that she must accomplish in order to save the world often hinders with her teenage life. She wants to become a real human and just enjoy her life like any other teen. This show's concept is similar to other films such as "Pinocchio", "Astro Boy", "A.I", etc. Just like those films, Jenny acquires knowledge as she gains experience even though Miss Wakeman clearly states that she would be a teenager forever, but metaphorically she is growing up.

Other characters include her next door neighbor and best friend, Brad. She admires Brad because she believes he represents the paradigm of all teenagers; being cool, popular, and acquiring stereotypical teenage quality. However, in veracity, Brad would rather go on adventures like what Jenny does everyday of her teenage life. There's also the mischievous Tuck, who is also known as Brad's brother. Of course and then there's Miss Wakeman, the mad scientist who created XJ-9. At first Miss Wakeman's perspective of XJ-9 was just merely an evil-fighting invention, but her perspective changes as she starts acknowledging Jenny as her daughter. The voice(along with the accent) of Miss Wakeman depicts her disposition perfectly! Also who can ever forget the Jenny-obsessed underdog whom everyone loves, Sheldon. His attempts to get Jenny's attention are just down-right hilarious!

The animation of this show is pretty much similar to Renzetti's other cartoons. The animation is drawn simply and the colors blend in with the environment. This show also has tons of cultural reference as well, including literal and pop culture. For example, in one of the episodes, they made an allusion to "Catcher in the Rye" and "The Boy who Cried Wolf". This show contains a variety of genres, tons of humor, plenty of action, and even a little romance and drama.

Even though I still haven't seen most of the other episodes, "My life as a Teenage Robot" is in one of my top TV shows list. In my notion, this show is much superior than the other flamboyant shows on Nick such as "Spogebob Squarepants" and "The Fairly Oddparents".(Although I have heard substantially positive comments about 'Invader Zim', I really can't compare it with other shows, since I have never seen it for myself) So don't feel reluctant to watch "My Life as a Teenage Robot", you'll be surprised on how much you'll be entertained. Hopefully the DVD will come out soon and that Nick won't cancel this outstanding cartoon.

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.