He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Volume Three

Fact: I've never been good with goodbyes. A situation only further compounded by the fact that technically this is the second time I've been forced to say goodbye to the impressive Mike Young Productions iteration of one of the most beloved franchises in recent history; He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

BCI Eclipse LLC (part of the Navarre Corporation) has been responsible for brining the entire He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated saga to the home DVD market beginning with Filmation's initial program in the early 1980s on all the way through to this, the most recent adaptation of the source material.

For those just tuning in, this is in fact the third (and most recent) animated iteration of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Produced for Cartoon Network by Mike Young Productions, this version ran from 2002 until 2004 where it went for two full seasons (26 in the first season, 13 in the second). Along the way it managed to snag a very well deserved Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing (2004). This latest set is titled He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Volume Three and contains the entire 13 episodes that constituted the second (and unfortunately final) season of the program.

Before we get into the intricacies of the show itself, let's get the superficial out of the way. The packaging is easily on par with the first two volumes of the show's DVD release with an excellent clear slip-sleeve housing a cardboard foldout (that contains, via clear plastic spindles, the 3 discs and a pocket for the included book and art cards (this time from artists Jason Shawn Alexander and Chris Bachalo). While the first volume's case artwork highlighted the Masters of the Universe through earth tones and bright contrast and the second a deep purple and red motif showcasing Skeletor and his cronies, this latest effort returns to the brighter look with He-Man locked in battle with the incredibly cool King Hiss. Side by side, all three editions compliment each other perfectly and look magnificent on any entertainment center.

I spend a lot of the word count on my reviews praising BCI and will continue to do so here. Quite frankly, a company who takes bringing animation home to collectors this seriously deserves all of the server space's worth of accolades we can afford to spare. Once again they've taken no shorts when it comes to loading up the good stuff in this 3-disc compilation: All of the moral tag segments are once again included at the conclusion of each episode (which were for whatever reason omitted from the original Cartoon Network broadcast in the US), audio commentary from director Gary Hartle, story editor Dean Stefan, and writers Steve Melching and Ian Richter are provided for 5 episodes while two video commentaries accompany the set as well (one of which is extended). There's a very cool interview with some of the artists at Mattel charged with penning up the toy line designs, episode animatics and scripts (DVD-Rom), the requisite pair of collectible art cards, and a digital comic book of the unproduced 40th episode.

I catch a lot of flack from fans of the original Filmation incarnation of the show who feel that none of the recent versions, regardless of quality, could replace their fond memories of the early 1980s show. To that I agree with one caveat. The Mike Young Productions version of He-Man (or the 1990's JetLag Productions' New Adventures of He-Man for that matter) do not intend to replace the original but rather compliment it with adaptations using advances in the animation process/ technology. BCI has gone through painstaking efforts to release all of the Filmation episodes (including all of She-Ra: Princess of Power) to DVD and I can attest to the impeccability of these sets. This latest show isn't intended to replace the earlier series but rather sit beside on the shelf. In that regard I am about as tough on this version as any collector and yet still continually come away impressed with what Mike Young and his crew were able to accomplish with the source material.

The second half of the first season (known as Volume Two in the DVD release) began introducing viewers to the mysterious Snake Men and their ties to Skeletor's adopted dwelling, Snake Mountain. Well, the second season (Volume Three) takes this concept and develops it to sheer brilliance! Not to insinuate that the Masters didn't have their hands full as it was with Skeletor and his minions, this time around the threats to peace and justice come in from all angles in the form of the Skeletor and company, the Snake Men, and the Evil Horde! Yes, you read that correctly- She-Ra's arch nemesis, Hordak, who just so happens to have been Skeletor's mentor, shows up in Volume Three with his minions to crush the Masters of the Universe once and for all. While many criticize the original show for recycling the same plots over and over- never could this be said of the Mike Young incarnation! He-Man and the forces of good find themselves in an epic struggle against evildoers in many shapes and guises throughout the run of the show and this concept comes to a boil here in the second season.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this latest volume in the bittersweet fashion of knowing that this was farewell. The reasons behind the show's ultimate cancellation were never fully made clear to me (although many suspect the trend of Japanese-influenced animation's popularity at the time) but in hearing the show's creators, it is clear that it had nothing to do with a lack of ideas. In fact the included digital comic book of the unproduced 40th episode confirms that fact that the show could easily have gone on.

As the old saying goes- all good things come to an end and there is no denying that this show fits definition of the concept of good (perhaps great even). Unlike Filmation's He-Man and She-Ra and JetLag's New Adventures of He-Man, the Mike Young Productions' iteration was the only one not to have been released directly into syndication. What this means is that while a typical season of the other versions mentioned above consisted of a whopping 65 episodes, this version follows the industry standard 13-episode season format (although they did manage to squeeze 26 episodes out in the first).

I simply cannot credit BCI Eclipse enough in crafting three beautiful volumes out of the 39 total episodes of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Not only does this latest volume represent the completion of the Mike Young Productions' show to the DVD market, it also marks the completion of every single animated version of Mattel's Masters of the Universe franchise on DVD. BCI has been in it for the long haul (if I do a quick count here that means 12 box sets from beginning to end) and believe me when I say that the company left no stone unturned along the way. These sets are painstaking detailed in every facet from the sleeve art on down to the discs themselves. Each includes a beautiful color book, art cards, trivia, and enough bonus material to keep even the most detail-oriented collector busy for years.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has earned a well-deserved place in the hearts of countless fans throughout the world and BCI Eclipse was, in my opinion, the only company thorough enough to do the franchise justice. It is with pride and a bit of sadness (this is, after all, goodbye) that I added this final volume to my collection. However, so long as the fan base endures, there is always the hope for a future iteration of this beloved series. In the mean time take comfort in knowing that the DVD sets are now complete and done up in absolute perfection.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Volume Three hits stores on August 5th, 2008.