collapse

* Navigation

* User Info

 
 
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

* Who's Online

Author Topic: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms  (Read 5800 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Leave a Whisper

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 19745
  • Gender: Female
  • In the Land of Dreams
    • View Profile
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #30 on: January 02, 2017, 02:47:00 PM »
Thanks Taffeta. :)

I liked that Banee found her father but doesn't that contradict one of the Starbright episodes where Banee was going blind and Jerrica said they didn't have any idea who Banee's parents were?


I also thought it was funny in  The Stingers hit Town that when all of the people in the club were starting to riot and destroy things Riot told everyone to sit back down and Jerrica said "They're sitting down because he asked them to?"


Ponyfan

Not really. It wasn't impossible to track someone down back then, though its probably easier these days.
Thanks to TheRockinStallion for my Ponysona Artless

Offline Taffeta

  • Trade Count: (+62)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 16058
  • Gender: Female
  • UK Pony, Jem and Mediaeval Japanese obsessive :D
    • View Profile
    • The My Little Pony Scrapbook
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #31 on: January 02, 2017, 05:16:36 PM »
I was looking through the archive of the now defunct mailing list for what Christy said about the final ep but haven't found it yet. I did find this, though, which is a bunch of Q&A from Ask Christy going back to discussions ten, twenty years ago:

https://tojarchives.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/ask-christy-volume-2-january-december-1997/

There are a lot more like this in this archive because the admin of the list compiled them into this blog before she closed it down - she didn't want all the information to be lost to the community. There shouldn't be any bad language or offensive stuff though it did get heated around the time of the You Know What so I won't guarantee it. The main page is:

https://tojarchives.wordpress.com/about/

I hope it's ok to share it :)
« Last Edit: January 02, 2017, 05:21:19 PM by Taffeta »
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
|夏草やつわものどもが夢の跡|

Offline Cin77

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Rapunzel Pony
  • *****
  • Posts: 3615
    • View Profile
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #32 on: January 02, 2017, 05:50:02 PM »
I love Jem and the Holograms! When I was a kid I would run home everyday after school cause it started at 4. As a kid I had some dolls; I remember Snergy, Jetta and GnG Jem for sure.

Favourite songs?

Universal Appeal, Misfits
Friend or Stranger, JatH
Like a Dream, JatH
I Am a Giant, Misfits.

I loved the episodes where Kimber and Stormer team up and when Roxy leaves the Misfits. The characters all seemed very moved by what was happening which went against everthing cartoons were in those days.

And, finally, about a month ago I scored 13 old school Jem dolls (almost one of each character minus Jetta and Clash) plus shoes and clothes for all and some instruments for $95 NZD, those ladies look fabulous and they all have been extremely well cared for, hair is not frizzy, no marks on the dolls only one broken joint out of the whole lot.  When they first came in the mail I just sort of hugged them for a few minutes haha. 

I know its not a popular opinion but I just dont like the look of the integrity toys dolls, they look waspish and sharp which to me as a kid was what Barbie was, Jem dolls seemed softer, more, I dont know how to say it really; the big head and legs that didnt end in pegs just made the dolls seem so much nicer and the Integrity dolls just (to me) dont convey that same feeling.  Also theyre so expensive, I doubt I'll ever have enough spare cash to justify buying one
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Offline LadyMoondancer

  • *Arena VIP*
  • Trade Count: (+96)
  • MIB Licensing Show Pinkie Pie
  • ******
  • Posts: 11464
    • View Profile
    • http://www.superpony.com
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #33 on: January 02, 2017, 09:37:50 PM »
One of the things I like about Jem is that it not only had a really diverse cast, but it was obvious that the writers actually did research when they were portraying different countries.  And since this was in the 80s, research took more effort than it would now that we have the internet.

Like, I like G1 Transformers, but their portrayal of other countries reminds me of a quote from Bill Watterson who said he liked writing about Calvin's school reports because "I didn't need to know any more than a lazy six year old."
Visit my Tumblr, Heck Yeah, Pony Scans!

Offline Taffeta

  • Trade Count: (+62)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 16058
  • Gender: Female
  • UK Pony, Jem and Mediaeval Japanese obsessive :D
    • View Profile
    • The My Little Pony Scrapbook
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #34 on: January 03, 2017, 01:04:54 AM »
One of the things I like about Jem is that it not only had a really diverse cast, but it was obvious that the writers actually did research when they were portraying different countries.  And since this was in the 80s, research took more effort than it would now that we have the internet.

As the resident of one such country I'd have to both agree and disagree on the amount that they did. I think it depends on the writer. (I also know people in Croatia who are quite offended by the episode set in Yugoslavia).

But just looking at the representation of Britain, because it's something I can look at, you have a total contrast between Britrock and Renaissance Woman, for example.

Britrock does include a lot of things you could recognise as British, albeit highly stereotypical. There are some issues - you don't inherit a title at a set time on a 21st birthday, and Mason would already be Earl in name, if not in controlling interest, from the moment he was born. The title of "Lady Wissex" is also incorrect, she's the Countess if her husband is the Earl. But those are tiny things that basically work to the plot. The bigger problem in Britrock is the fact that Jetta is supposed to come from Hull. She says it herself, at one point, and Christy has said she was meant to be from the North. She's not. Culturally speaking she and her parents are both very much Londoner or South Eastern. Gatwick is a London airport and they take a car from there to Wissex. Wissex doesn't exist, but counties that have that suffix are in the south east, too - Essex, Sussex, Middlesex. The ancient country of Wessex was also down there. So Britrock succeeds in a lot of ways (if you ignore the accents of most of the characters, Jetta excluded) but fails in that it portrays all of England as though it were the South East. And culturally that's wrong. (I always see Jetta as a Londoner because you can't see her any other way from what is depicted on the show).

Renaissance Woman, on the other hand, is totally different. As a historian as well it drove me nuts, but it's just stupid from start to finish. First you have a Renaissance Fair. Never heard of those before. Second, you have a pseudo Robin Hood figure appearing in this fair - but the concept Robin Hood belongs to a pre-Renaissance era, so that's wrong. Most stupid of all, though, is the idea that the area, Carfax I think? is feudal, there's a baron and local indentured peasantry who are being oppressed. The writer of that episode completely ignored the existence of the industrial revolution ;)

The idea is obviously to create a story with homage to the Robin Hood tale, with Danse as Maid Marian, but realistically the story doesn't make any sense and it doesn't represent 1980s Britain in any way, shape or form.

I don't think that Jem is terrible at presenting other countries. But I don't think it's overly great at it at times, either. And I know that Christy fought really hard to get a proper voice artist for Jetta to really make her British. Every other British voice in the show is terrible, and they are all would-be cockney, which is a London accent that has no place whatsoever in rural Carfax.

So I would say that, for my country, yes and no. Depending on the episode. And the accents are almost universally terrible.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
|夏草やつわものどもが夢の跡|

Offline LadyMoondancer

  • *Arena VIP*
  • Trade Count: (+96)
  • MIB Licensing Show Pinkie Pie
  • ******
  • Posts: 11464
    • View Profile
    • http://www.superpony.com
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #35 on: January 03, 2017, 08:11:46 AM »
Renaissance Woman was weird because halfway through everyone seemed to forget they weren't LITERALLY IN THE PAST.

Renaissance Faires are a thing (at least in America), they involve dressing up in ye olden timey clothes, but also have people dressed up as elves and things like that.  I don't think anyone really cares if the clothes / activities are actually "renaissance era".  They usually have jousting, for example.  And archery contests.
Visit my Tumblr, Heck Yeah, Pony Scans!

Offline Galactica

  • Phoenix Wright Pony
  • Trade Count: (+101)
  • MIB Licensing Show Pinkie Pie
  • ******
  • Posts: 12681
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #36 on: January 03, 2017, 11:21:23 AM »
One of the things I like about Jem is that it not only had a really diverse cast, but it was obvious that the writers actually did research when they were portraying different countries.  And since this was in the 80s, research took more effort than it would now that we have the internet.

As the resident of one such country I'd have to both agree and disagree on the amount that they did. I think it depends on the writer. (I also know people in Croatia who are quite offended by the episode set in Yugoslavia).
...

Renaissance Woman, on the other hand, is totally different. As a historian as well it drove me nuts, but it's just stupid from start to finish. First you have a Renaissance Fair. Never heard of those before. Second, you have a pseudo Robin Hood figure appearing in this fair - but the concept Robin Hood belongs to a pre-Renaissance era, so that's wrong. Most stupid of all, though, is the idea that the area, Carfax I think? is feudal, there's a baron and local indentured peasantry who are being oppressed. The writer of that episode completely ignored the existence of the industrial revolution ;)

The idea is obviously to create a story with homage to the Robin Hood tale, with Danse as Maid Marian, but realistically the story doesn't make any sense and it doesn't represent 1980s Britain in any way, shape or form.

I don't think that Jem is terrible at presenting other countries. But I don't think it's overly great at it at times, either. And I know that Christy fought really hard to get a proper voice artist for Jetta to really make her British. Every other British voice in the show is terrible, and they are all would-be cockney, which is a London accent that has no place whatsoever in rural Carfax.

So I would say that, for my country, yes and no. Depending on the episode. And the accents are almost universally terrible.

Haha- in all fairness though -  Renaissance fairs are definitely a thing in the US and people DO oddly enough dress up as everything you can think of including Robin Hood characters (fairly common actually) to World of Warcraft or D&D characters- and lately I have seen a TON of pirates! None of which have anything to do with the Renaissance era of course :D

Basically anything goes although you are generally looked down on if you show up in jeans...

Er, it is possible I go to something like a Ren Faire every year (we go to Fairieworlds which is essentially the same thing)

But yeah- as LadyMoondancer mentions- it was super weird that the characters seem to forget at some point they are not actually in the past... I guess they REALLY get into character ?

Offline Taffeta

  • Trade Count: (+62)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 16058
  • Gender: Female
  • UK Pony, Jem and Mediaeval Japanese obsessive :D
    • View Profile
    • The My Little Pony Scrapbook
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #37 on: January 03, 2017, 01:14:31 PM »
Renaissance Woman was weird because halfway through everyone seemed to forget they weren't LITERALLY IN THE PAST.


Agreed. But my point is, Renaissance Fairs are an American thing but this was set in the UK. And we don't have them, as far as I am aware. And if we did, people here don't generally think of the Renaissance and Robin Hood as going together, because they frankly don't. In this country you might get county fairs in rural areas, or you sometimes get battle reenactments or mock-jousting tournaments with some kind of mediaeval reference, or stuff like that. And of course in November we stuff an effigy, stick it on a bonfire and burn it, which can often be a community event. But I've never heard of a Reinaissance fair here. That's what I meant about the episode having a very shoddy grasp of British life.

I totally agree that they lost the plot halfway through though, and blurred whether they were in a Fair or in the past. Which is where the problem of feudalism comes in and gets totally misunderstood.

 The only saving grace about that episode is that we find out Raya's good at archery. And they bother so little to give us anything about Raya past her intro ep and the gratuitous "Mexican trip" ep that any little detail is welcome in my view.

But yeah, not all the episodes are well researched. And not all the writers are Roger Slifer or Christy Marx's calibre.

You can have an amazing bad episode, though, such as the Shangrila one, which is totally ridiculous but amazingly funny. And then you can just get a bad episode like Ren. Woman. :-/.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2017, 01:19:07 PM by Taffeta »
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
|夏草やつわものどもが夢の跡|

Offline Shaymin568

  • Trade Count: (+5)
  • Big Brother Pony
  • ***
  • Posts: 225
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #38 on: January 03, 2017, 03:25:55 PM »
Ahh I just got into the original cartoon over Xmas break, but I had been reading the IDW comics since November 2015 upon seeing a bootleg of the lackluster movie. Halfway through season 1, but more binge-watching to come! I like both of the vintage and the Integrity dolls, though I like Integrity a bit more because they look like the characters from the cartoon.

Offline Galactica

  • Phoenix Wright Pony
  • Trade Count: (+101)
  • MIB Licensing Show Pinkie Pie
  • ******
  • Posts: 12681
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #39 on: January 03, 2017, 04:26:20 PM »
Renaissance Woman was weird because halfway through everyone seemed to forget they weren't LITERALLY IN THE PAST.


Agreed. But my point is, Renaissance Fairs are an American thing but this was set in the UK. And we don't have them, as far as I am aware. And if we did, people here don't generally think of the Renaissance and Robin Hood as going together, because they frankly don't. In this country you might get county fairs in rural areas, or you sometimes get battle reenactments or mock-jousting tournaments with some kind of mediaeval reference, or stuff like that. And of course in November we stuff an effigy, stick it on a bonfire and burn it, which can often be a community event. But I've never heard of a Reinaissance fair here. That's what I meant about the episode having a very shoddy grasp of British life.

I totally agree that they lost the plot halfway through though, and blurred whether they were in a Fair or in the past. Which is where the problem of feudalism comes in and gets totally misunderstood.

 The only saving grace about that episode is that we find out Raya's good at archery. And they bother so little to give us anything about Raya past her intro ep and the gratuitous "Mexican trip" ep that any little detail is welcome in my view.

But yeah, not all the episodes are well researched. And not all the writers are Roger Slifer or Christy Marx's calibre.

You can have an amazing bad episode, though, such as the Shangrila one, which is totally ridiculous but amazingly funny. And then you can just get a bad episode like Ren. Woman. :-/.

Oh it was supposed to be in the UK? Yeah- that's not really very plausible- I guess though they were counting on most people (except for those in the UK) to not know that... 

But seriously- how did people research things like that before the internet?

Now I need to rewatch this episode- it's been way too many years!



Offline Taffeta

  • Trade Count: (+62)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 16058
  • Gender: Female
  • UK Pony, Jem and Mediaeval Japanese obsessive :D
    • View Profile
    • The My Little Pony Scrapbook
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #40 on: January 03, 2017, 04:34:27 PM »
Quote from: Galactica

Oh it was supposed to be in the UK?

I think you just summed up the whole problem with the episode xD.  It's not even clear xD. But the terrible TERRIBLE accents sort of give it away.

@Shaymin - you have some great eps to look forward to. I personally think that on the whole season 2 is the better, because you get a lot more expansion on the background on several of the characters.

Actually, Aja is the one who really doesn't get any of that. She gets the "Starlight Girl" thing and the episode in China, which has nothing to do with her own family. I just realised that Kimber gets a ton of attention this way, Jerrica does, too. Shana gets the whole episode with the design job and although it isn't her background, it does explore her character. And Raya might get neglected later but she's very well drawn out in Talent Search. Poor old Aja gets no such attention.

Season 2 gives good backstory for all four of the Misfits. At least, with Stormer it's more family, fleshing her out, giving her more emphasis as a character and changing the nuance of her role in the group a bit. Roxy has an episode. Jetta has an episode. Pizzazz has Father's Day, too. Even Clash and Video get a background flash.

What on earth did poor Aja do to get left out?
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
|夏草やつわものどもが夢の跡|

Offline Leave a Whisper

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 19745
  • Gender: Female
  • In the Land of Dreams
    • View Profile
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #41 on: January 03, 2017, 10:28:15 PM »
She had that romance going on with Stormer's brother, she got shoved into the luggage compartment of the bus, she was pretty sarcastic and her braininess and natural suspicion let her catch onto some plots.
Thanks to TheRockinStallion for my Ponysona Artless

Offline Taffeta

  • Trade Count: (+62)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 16058
  • Gender: Female
  • UK Pony, Jem and Mediaeval Japanese obsessive :D
    • View Profile
    • The My Little Pony Scrapbook
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #42 on: January 04, 2017, 06:15:56 AM »
She had that romance going on with Stormer's brother, she got shoved into the luggage compartment of the bus, she was pretty sarcastic and her braininess and natural suspicion let her catch onto some plots.

Yeah, but what I mean is, they could have explored a lot more about her background. You can pick out a lot about her character and her relationship with Craig is pretty nice because it's complicated, but I feel like there's more in her that we could've seen. She certainly never had what I would call an Aja episode, unless you count China, which was so early on it really just seemed to be a cultural reference.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
|夏草やつわものどもが夢の跡|

Offline FairyDust

  • Professor Snape Pony
  • Trade Count: (+47)
  • Dabbles Pony
  • ****
  • Posts: 1466
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #43 on: January 08, 2017, 08:02:16 AM »
I'm a huge Jem and the Holograms fan. Jem is my main love, then ponies.
I'm currently downsizing my vintage Jem collection (I also have a few integrity Jem for sale too). Pm me if you want to find me on facebook so I can send my sale pics. I have 125 loose vintage Jem dolls to still photo. Lots of shoes and fashion pieces left too. MOC and NRFB dolls too!
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Collector of Jem and the Holograms, MLP, Kitty Kitty Kittens, and of course Totsy ponies.

Offline Leave a Whisper

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Colombian Baby Pony
  • ******
  • Posts: 19745
  • Gender: Female
  • In the Land of Dreams
    • View Profile
Re: Let's Talk about Jem and the holograms
« Reply #44 on: January 08, 2017, 10:58:05 AM »
She had that romance going on with Stormer's brother, she got shoved into the luggage compartment of the bus, she was pretty sarcastic and her braininess and natural suspicion let her catch onto some plots.

Yeah, but what I mean is, they could have explored a lot more about her background. You can pick out a lot about her character and her relationship with Craig is pretty nice because it's complicated, but I feel like there's more in her that we could've seen. She certainly never had what I would call an Aja episode, unless you count China, which was so early on it really just seemed to be a cultural reference.

True.
Thanks to TheRockinStallion for my Ponysona Artless

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal