Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z

Production
ANIPLEX, Cartoon Network, Toei, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Year
2006

Whispers of Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z

By David Rasmussen
29th Dec 06

Let’s face it, no matter how good it was when it launched way back when the sad fact is that not everyone was enchanted with the original Powerpuff Girls. Maybe it was the way the series was, maybe it was the artstyle, but more likely than not it was the teeny little preschool girls as heroines that probably turned you off to the whole series (if, you know, the fan created hentai that more often than not flew right into the downright disturbingly illegal didn’t scar you for life first).

Well as of last Summer… and no, I don’t know why is it I don’t find out about things like this until they become articles that start with the words “as of last Summer”… why stuff like this doesn’t get coverage when it came out last summer (logically speaking) is a mystery to me. Now where was I… oh, right, last summer. Well, as of last summer the Japanese got to see Powerpuff Next Gen… no, no, the Professor wasn’t replaced by Patrick Stewart… I mean the Japanese got to see the girls grow up abit, and maybe so will you in this “Whispers” (I.e. your first heads up advanced look) at Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z!
And the first good news you’ll be glad to hear about is that all future fan doujinshi hentai about the girls will now officially leave the “Oh dear (bleep)in (bleep) (bleep) what the HELL is this disturbing sick (bleep) (bleep)” to something that is… hmm… “somewhat mildly disturbing in a still kinda underaged way”… look, I didn’t say this was going to become instantly not disturbing! I just said it’d be better than half the (bleep) that is out there right now, and dear god that falls into the stab your eyes out (brain included) with a poker bad (bleep)! Now… what was I… oh, right, the new girls.

If any images are included with this you can tell if it’s dated or new just by the look. Why? Because the girls have grown up between the last series and this one! No longer the little preschool girls of old, the new Puffs are now rumored (from the new looks and so forth) to POSSIBLY be Junior High (aka Middle School) girls and have a whole new life ahead of them. This, however as I picked up this info from Shojo Beat Volume 2 Issue #12 was not a certain thing, which means there is also a chance they might also be either in Elementary (scary) or High School (not so scary). I guess a future update will place them in their proper grade, whatever that’ll be.

But of course along with older Powerpuffs you’ll also have to get new costumes (which seem to be at this first glance basically the same as the old original costumes of their childhoods but with more custom detailing), also two of the three girls have picked up a new “accessory” as well as “new” names for all three of the young laides… sadly, however, I bet the show still won’t use their Japanese names even if we are becoming more hip to that sort of thing. So then, first the old name, then the new name and their Japanese names. Starting at the top with the team “leader” Blossom…

Blossom becomes Hyper Blossom (Momoko)
The first thing you’ll note about the older Powerpuffs is that their personalities are supposed to have been unchanged by their aging… that seems abit off, since you are supposed to change as you grow up, but let’s hope that is not as severe as them being nearly the same as their previous incarnation only with a new artstyle to make them older… because, you know, that’d be abit off.

Another thing, specifically about Blossom, you’ll note that she is the only one of the three who isn’t getting a new “tool” for her upgrade (or her upgraded dolls and other things that are sure to be mass marketed in concert with this relaunch). Considering that Blossom already had a power upgrade in the previous series with her ice breath (if she didn’t get anymore upgrades since then up to now) I guess I can see her not having a upgrade tool. Otherwise she still should be leader as she was before.

Bubbles becomes Rolling Bubbles (Miyako)
Bubbles has picked up a new tool in a hoop staff that may be used for blowing bubbles (as per her name “Bubbles”). What? That’s no good? Not exactly. As you might remember if you were into the series in the past you’d remember that Bubbles had gained a sonic scream attack at one point of the series. Right? Ok then, Sonic Scream + Bubble Staff = Mega bubble (or rapidfire storm of many bubbles to disorient enemies). Of course there’s no guarantee that this hoop staff can indeed be used to blow bubbles (and Bubbles ever uses it in concert with her sonic scream she once had when she was young), after all for all we know the girls lost their “additional” powers when they became more mature so all of this is speculation.
Still it makes sense if only to me and myself.

Buttercup becomes Powered Buttercup (Kaoru)
The only one to actually carry a “big stick” to whack people with, Buttercup is the only disappointment at this early stage of looking at this series, as the staff who made this series seemingly had run out of ideas when they got around to her by arming her with Anime Cliché #107051 : aka the giant customized mallet of whomping (with the initial “P” (PowerPuff) on it). I was hoping for more imagination out of Buttercup’s upgrade but at least it’s something that fits her personality if nothing else).
At least, however, there is no speculation as to how she’ll use her gear (unlike Bubbles).

And that is what little I know since there is few images to talk about, and little info to speak of, except for this… what is known about the series past what I just said about it.
1-While I am sure this may not hold for the English release, the Japanese release sports an opening credit song by SB favorite Nana kitade, while the ending theme is sung by new artist Yifei Liu.

2-Two villains so far have been confirmed as returning. One is logical, aka Mojo Jojo, but the other… uh… doesn’t make sense. I do know that Fuzzy Lumpkins was the first Powerpuff Girl villain in their premiere short but really… Fuzzy Lumpkins?!? You gotta be kidding me!

3-Missing, however, is other villains like Him, the Gangreen (however that’s spelled) Gang or Princess. One RUMORED returning villain, however, is the Rowdyruff Boys (Wait, wait, didn’t they perish in their first appearance episode? How the heck did they come back anyway!). Obviously if the girls have grown up so too have the Boys, which means the Battle of the Sexes is going to be on again in this new series if they do indeed show up again.

4-No word of any crossovers with other series again, like Major Glory, Valhalen and so forth from Dexter’s Lab for instance which provided a few interesting episodes in the original Powerpuff Girls series.

5-Looks like the Professor was playing with the science again between series, because all of a sudden the girls have a new member of the family in a new talking robot dog named Peach. Also there’s a “Brother like” boy named Ken Kitazawa (probably to get a new name for the trip overseas, or just called Ken) in the girls lives as well. Whether or not he becomes one of the girls’ surprise love interests (I’m guessing Blossom) is something not talked about (of course).

As for when it’ll come here? That is hard to say.
It came out last Summer in Japan but when it’ll make it’s way across the Pacific to our side of the world only Cartoon Network knows for sure… make it fast, guys, because if the little I have in my hands right now is any indication (as well as how great the original Powerpuff Girls was and is) this should really blow the cover off of the ratings wars on animated series as both old Powerpuff fans and new ones should flock to this and stick to it if the show sticks to the solid writing, plotting and humor of the original.
Of course if you can drop a few letters to Cartoon Network to push them to get it out sooner then more power to you (and thus more Powerpuff Girls for you too).
Stay tuned, once I have more information I’ll bring you your first look at Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z sometime in the near future, stay tuned.

-- David Rasmussen 29th Dec 06

Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z Images