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spottoTHE EVERYONE HATES BLOSSOM SYNDROME
No it does not exist in the original PPG, this is a PPGZ issue.
In PPGZ, most of Momoko's episodes don't really end on happy endings...ever. She always learns some sort of moral, and then pays for it. The ultimate example is part two of episode 39.
It starts off with the popular Miyako and Kaoru recieving love letters, while Momoko watches from afar, jealous. Princess wonders why she isn't with the other girls like usual, knowing that Momoko simply isn't as popular as the other two. Momoko however, insists that she is indeed popular just like them! Of course this is an obvious lie and Princess does not believe her one bit. She continues to lie however to cover her tracks, stating that she was very popular in elementary, that she isn't now because everyone transferred. To up the ante, she even claims she has her own boyfriend.
So Princess starts to follow Momoko around to try to meet this "boyfriend" of hers, waiting for her to confess her lies and laugh at her patheticness. Momoko had mentioned earlier that the boys that liked her were older and thus did not go to the middle school. When they walk through town among many older boys, none of them seem to take notice of Momoko, which Princess takes notice off. Momoko explains it is because she had rejected all of them, thus they ignore her.
Finally, Princess tries to force the boyfriend out, by shoving a phone in her face to make her ask him to come to the park. She quickly tries to hide the lie by calling the Science Lab where Professor Utonium, Ken, and Peach are and with the continued pressure from Princess, stages a conversation where she asks her "boyfriend" to come to the park without ever mentioning the word "boyfriend". Ken was the one on the phone, so he becomes confused but comes anyway.
Princess sees him come, and immediately says "Isn't he too young" in which Momoko replies of course he isn't her boyfriend. Then they notice Kaoru and Miyako at the park too, so Princess (and Ken, who was informed of this mysterious boyfriend) call them over and tell them all about what Momoko said. So everyone is surprised she has this "secret" boyfriend. Princess, still suspicious, wonders why her "boyfriend" is so late, and forces Momoko to call again, this time the Professor picks up, and he too arrives to the park, also told of Momoko's boyfriend, and is shocked she has one so young.
Once again, Princess forces her to call, and this time Peach picks up, finally Momoko tries to put a stop to it by staging yet another conversation, where her "boyfriend" is said to be ill and thus cannot come. Of course Princess, with her massive assets had a limo ready to take them there, but Momoko insists he is really far away, so Princess adds a helicopter and jet to the list of transportation.
Stuck in a really tight spot, Momoko suddenly points to the sky and claims that none of those vehicles can take them to her boyfriend because he lives in SPACE! Of course by this point EVERYONE doesn't believe her, but Momoko continues to insist, by sobbing fake tears that her boyfriend's parents forbid their son to date an earth girl, and so took him out to space forever, and their love forever broken. She did not expect this to work at all though, as it was her last resort, when suddenly a spacecraft is floating behind them, with every one staring. Finally convinced, everyone becomes determined to mend this torn-apart relationship, and so Princess jumps on a crane while Kaoru and Miyako transform, standing/floating at the level of the spaceship, holding up a sign "LET MOMOKO AND HER BOYFRIEND BE TOGETHER" or something like that ,demanding them to step out of their true love!
Soon the Mayor hears of this news, alerts the entire CITY where they start supporting Momoko's cause while the story shows up on the NEWS (slow news day huh?) and then the PRESIDENT OF AMERICA hears of it and exclaims that all of America supports Momoko's cause! The entire world come together to demand the alien parents to let their son be with Momoko, and the aliens, confused but yelling at the bewildered son why on earth he would date an earth girl contact the rest of their brethren in an absolute emergency, as police cars and various mobs form, all the people on the planet together chanting "LET THEM LOVE! LET THEM LOVE!" with the mass amount of spacecrafts now floating in the sky.
Finally, they decided to put Momoko on stage with huge speakers so she herself could sway the aliens to her favour, and by this point she decides that enough is enough and tells the truth--that she lied, believing everyone would forgive her. She then breaks into an amazing inspiring speech, saying that despite her own tale being false, the whole world actually got together to stand behind something, that such an extraordinary occurance can be continued, and thus world peace is here! Wars will end, conflicts will cease because if the world can stand behind something like love, then they can come together for anything!
You'd think after that they'd forgive her.
No. THEY FORM AN ANGRY RIOT (INCLUDING BUTTERCUP AND BUBBLES) START THROWING STUFF AT HER AND CHASE HER
THROUGH THE STREET WHERE SHE FINALLY TRANSFORMS INTO BLOSSOM AND ZIPS OFF INTO THE SPACE. The entire world starts to chant "PUNISHMENT! PUNISHMENT!" Yes it shows the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty and stuff to indicate other people on the world. They all refuse to forgive her! She sits on a spacerock, sighs, and realizes she may never return to Earth again.
THE EPISODE ENDS. And the caption at the end is "Don't lie!"
Yes I realize the moral behind the story is not to lie, but take the same-concept episode from the original PPG. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup start to deny that they did anything wrong (like drawing on the wall with crayons, breaking the Professor's "nerd award" (you have no idea how much I cracked up at Buttercup calling it the "nerd award" The execution was amazing.) overlording the washer., etc.) They continue to lie all day despite how obvious they did it, and some creature starts growing bigger and bigger, being fed by the power of lies. When they see it, they try to defeat it but cannot, and realize if they tell the truth it starts to disappear. Oddly enough it hasn't completely disappeared because the Professor too lied about something, so he confesses as well and it disappears. They all have a laugh and the episode ends.
As sappy as it may be in the end (but still hilarious), it indicates that everyone lies sometimes, but still in the end teaches that lying is not a moral thing to do at all, and everyone is happy.
IN PPGZ EVERYONE WANTS BLOSSOM'S HEAD. Granted her lies became more and more ridiculous but having the WHOLE WORLD HATE HER!? DRIVING HER FROM THE EARTH, HER OWN FRIENDS AMONG THE RIOT!? SENDING HER OFF TO SPACE LIKE SOME OUTCAST!?
The writers hate Blossom. End of story.
Her other episodes were not happy endings either. Each girl had a special "love episode" devoted to them (Miyako had a two-parter even!) Momoko's though, got an episode where some creepy kid falls in love with her, and she while at first uncomfortable, begins to like the idea of being loved rather than loving, and gives the boy a chance, where she too starts developing feelings. By the end of it however, the boy goes back to his creepy ways and the episode ends with him chasing Blossom with bugs and frogs, who is absolutely disgusted and runs off in fear.
Miyako, in comparison, got the SUCCESSFUL ending, while Kaoru realizes that trying to be someone you're not just to be with some guy (who turns out to be pretty pathetic) is stupid, and she would rather stick with family than love if she had to choose. (You cannot root against your father just so a date would be successful!) So she learns a lesson and is happy in the end.
Plus a lot of Momoko episodes aren't a lot of people's favourites. At one point the whole "MOMOKO IS IN LOVE" storyline is done to death, there was this cake episode where she was rather greedy with the cakes (even stole Ken's) but in the end decides to share (reluctantly) knowing she has a cake back at school (the one she stole) Ken got another cake ANYWAY from the incident, but Ms. Keane mistakingly believing the cake was also from the cake incident eats it so in the the end Momoko gets NO CAKE. Sure it's karma, but she did share, somehow begrudgingly learn her lesson, and still gets no prize for it. I suppose it's all tough love for her.
But why can't a single episode end in her favour?
People either complain Momoko takes up too much of the not-centred episodes. For example Dynamo, despite having two other modes (Bubbles/Buttercup), combines into a massive MECHA-BLOSSOM. She also gets to finish them off or something silly (well at least in episode 46) and you know, feels like the main character, but other times she feels like the BUTTMONKEY.
Also the horrible dub just makes it worse. You know how funny it is when people are all like "THIS ANIME RUINS PPG FOREVER" and then "THIS DUB RUINS THE ANIME THAT RUINED PPG FOREVER?" The whole cycle is hilarious! We all know the Anime may have some themes from PPG but it is also drastically different, and the dub tried VERY HARD to make it as similar to the original PPG as possible, which just...doesn't work. How everyone, supposed to be in secret identities have the same names both sides anyway (I AM BUBBLES! I TRANSFORM INTO...BUBBLES!) and the incredibly annoying voices that grate my ears...
Basically, PPGZ is PPG as a shoujo anime. If you don't like shoujo anime, you probably won't like it. It reminds me of Sailor Moon in that way, and I absolutely love Sailor Moon. So it certainly worked for me, despite a few entire episodes being a waste of animation, the characters are great, and some of them are pretty well-developed. I'm not sure to the extent of the original, but hey, it's pretty close. I mean, Buttercup isn't my favourite in the original, but she is in PPGZ. I think that worked out well for me at least ;) (IF OPPG Buttercup grows up to be that it'd be awesome, but I kind of doubt it.)
Bubbles is okay, I'm somewhat disappointed with how she turned out but she kind of made up with it for ALL OF HER AWESOME EPISODES (seriously, ALL of them were good. No kidding.), while Blossom just got shafted over and over again, then shoved into the spotlight so suddenly. But simply because of Kaoru/Buttercup that I love this series so much more. If OPPG didn't have Bubbles, I probably wouldn't like it NEARLY as much, same as this. Kaoru is just an awesomely well-developed character, of the three, Buttercup got the best adaptation BY FAR.
I just really think anyone who is a Buttercup fan would be pleased by how she turned out, but I don't know. Maybe they imagined her differently when grown up, who knows? I certainly can't possibly know if I wasn't a huge Buttercup fan in the original. I mean while Cities of Clipsville was hilarious I really hope she doesn't grow up into that, but from several hints in the original it feels like...she probably would. :\ Ah well. (Who is the only one who had a crush? Who continued to make kissy-faces at the Rowdyruff Boys even after they were destroyed? It is always the one you least suspect. Also she's always hanging around ALL the guys, like Mitch...and Ace....and, uh....yeah.)
ALSO, she reminds me of Kowloon. Damn that suave Kowloon. Damn him!
No it does not exist in the original PPG, this is a PPGZ issue.
In PPGZ, most of Momoko's episodes don't really end on happy endings...ever. She always learns some sort of moral, and then pays for it. The ultimate example is part two of episode 39.
It starts off with the popular Miyako and Kaoru recieving love letters, while Momoko watches from afar, jealous. Princess wonders why she isn't with the other girls like usual, knowing that Momoko simply isn't as popular as the other two. Momoko however, insists that she is indeed popular just like them! Of course this is an obvious lie and Princess does not believe her one bit. She continues to lie however to cover her tracks, stating that she was very popular in elementary, that she isn't now because everyone transferred. To up the ante, she even claims she has her own boyfriend.
So Princess starts to follow Momoko around to try to meet this "boyfriend" of hers, waiting for her to confess her lies and laugh at her patheticness. Momoko had mentioned earlier that the boys that liked her were older and thus did not go to the middle school. When they walk through town among many older boys, none of them seem to take notice of Momoko, which Princess takes notice off. Momoko explains it is because she had rejected all of them, thus they ignore her.
Finally, Princess tries to force the boyfriend out, by shoving a phone in her face to make her ask him to come to the park. She quickly tries to hide the lie by calling the Science Lab where Professor Utonium, Ken, and Peach are and with the continued pressure from Princess, stages a conversation where she asks her "boyfriend" to come to the park without ever mentioning the word "boyfriend". Ken was the one on the phone, so he becomes confused but comes anyway.
Princess sees him come, and immediately says "Isn't he too young" in which Momoko replies of course he isn't her boyfriend. Then they notice Kaoru and Miyako at the park too, so Princess (and Ken, who was informed of this mysterious boyfriend) call them over and tell them all about what Momoko said. So everyone is surprised she has this "secret" boyfriend. Princess, still suspicious, wonders why her "boyfriend" is so late, and forces Momoko to call again, this time the Professor picks up, and he too arrives to the park, also told of Momoko's boyfriend, and is shocked she has one so young.
Once again, Princess forces her to call, and this time Peach picks up, finally Momoko tries to put a stop to it by staging yet another conversation, where her "boyfriend" is said to be ill and thus cannot come. Of course Princess, with her massive assets had a limo ready to take them there, but Momoko insists he is really far away, so Princess adds a helicopter and jet to the list of transportation.
Stuck in a really tight spot, Momoko suddenly points to the sky and claims that none of those vehicles can take them to her boyfriend because he lives in SPACE! Of course by this point EVERYONE doesn't believe her, but Momoko continues to insist, by sobbing fake tears that her boyfriend's parents forbid their son to date an earth girl, and so took him out to space forever, and their love forever broken. She did not expect this to work at all though, as it was her last resort, when suddenly a spacecraft is floating behind them, with every one staring. Finally convinced, everyone becomes determined to mend this torn-apart relationship, and so Princess jumps on a crane while Kaoru and Miyako transform, standing/floating at the level of the spaceship, holding up a sign "LET MOMOKO AND HER BOYFRIEND BE TOGETHER" or something like that ,demanding them to step out of their true love!
Soon the Mayor hears of this news, alerts the entire CITY where they start supporting Momoko's cause while the story shows up on the NEWS (slow news day huh?) and then the PRESIDENT OF AMERICA hears of it and exclaims that all of America supports Momoko's cause! The entire world come together to demand the alien parents to let their son be with Momoko, and the aliens, confused but yelling at the bewildered son why on earth he would date an earth girl contact the rest of their brethren in an absolute emergency, as police cars and various mobs form, all the people on the planet together chanting "LET THEM LOVE! LET THEM LOVE!" with the mass amount of spacecrafts now floating in the sky.
Finally, they decided to put Momoko on stage with huge speakers so she herself could sway the aliens to her favour, and by this point she decides that enough is enough and tells the truth--that she lied, believing everyone would forgive her. She then breaks into an amazing inspiring speech, saying that despite her own tale being false, the whole world actually got together to stand behind something, that such an extraordinary occurance can be continued, and thus world peace is here! Wars will end, conflicts will cease because if the world can stand behind something like love, then they can come together for anything!
You'd think after that they'd forgive her.
No. THEY FORM AN ANGRY RIOT (INCLUDING BUTTERCUP AND BUBBLES) START THROWING STUFF AT HER AND CHASE HER
THROUGH THE STREET WHERE SHE FINALLY TRANSFORMS INTO BLOSSOM AND ZIPS OFF INTO THE SPACE. The entire world starts to chant "PUNISHMENT! PUNISHMENT!" Yes it shows the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty and stuff to indicate other people on the world. They all refuse to forgive her! She sits on a spacerock, sighs, and realizes she may never return to Earth again.
THE EPISODE ENDS. And the caption at the end is "Don't lie!"
Yes I realize the moral behind the story is not to lie, but take the same-concept episode from the original PPG. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup start to deny that they did anything wrong (like drawing on the wall with crayons, breaking the Professor's "nerd award" (you have no idea how much I cracked up at Buttercup calling it the "nerd award" The execution was amazing.) overlording the washer., etc.) They continue to lie all day despite how obvious they did it, and some creature starts growing bigger and bigger, being fed by the power of lies. When they see it, they try to defeat it but cannot, and realize if they tell the truth it starts to disappear. Oddly enough it hasn't completely disappeared because the Professor too lied about something, so he confesses as well and it disappears. They all have a laugh and the episode ends.
As sappy as it may be in the end (but still hilarious), it indicates that everyone lies sometimes, but still in the end teaches that lying is not a moral thing to do at all, and everyone is happy.
IN PPGZ EVERYONE WANTS BLOSSOM'S HEAD. Granted her lies became more and more ridiculous but having the WHOLE WORLD HATE HER!? DRIVING HER FROM THE EARTH, HER OWN FRIENDS AMONG THE RIOT!? SENDING HER OFF TO SPACE LIKE SOME OUTCAST!?
The writers hate Blossom. End of story.
Her other episodes were not happy endings either. Each girl had a special "love episode" devoted to them (Miyako had a two-parter even!) Momoko's though, got an episode where some creepy kid falls in love with her, and she while at first uncomfortable, begins to like the idea of being loved rather than loving, and gives the boy a chance, where she too starts developing feelings. By the end of it however, the boy goes back to his creepy ways and the episode ends with him chasing Blossom with bugs and frogs, who is absolutely disgusted and runs off in fear.
Miyako, in comparison, got the SUCCESSFUL ending, while Kaoru realizes that trying to be someone you're not just to be with some guy (who turns out to be pretty pathetic) is stupid, and she would rather stick with family than love if she had to choose. (You cannot root against your father just so a date would be successful!) So she learns a lesson and is happy in the end.
Plus a lot of Momoko episodes aren't a lot of people's favourites. At one point the whole "MOMOKO IS IN LOVE" storyline is done to death, there was this cake episode where she was rather greedy with the cakes (even stole Ken's) but in the end decides to share (reluctantly) knowing she has a cake back at school (the one she stole) Ken got another cake ANYWAY from the incident, but Ms. Keane mistakingly believing the cake was also from the cake incident eats it so in the the end Momoko gets NO CAKE. Sure it's karma, but she did share, somehow begrudgingly learn her lesson, and still gets no prize for it. I suppose it's all tough love for her.
But why can't a single episode end in her favour?
People either complain Momoko takes up too much of the not-centred episodes. For example Dynamo, despite having two other modes (Bubbles/Buttercup), combines into a massive MECHA-BLOSSOM. She also gets to finish them off or something silly (well at least in episode 46) and you know, feels like the main character, but other times she feels like the BUTTMONKEY.
I mean WHAT is the reason of HER being the MAIN CHARACTER if she is always portrayed as the greedy, heromaniac, selfish-love obsessed hyper-thing especially compared to her totally-cooler-than-everyone teammates? That is pretty much the complete opposite of the Blossom we know from the OPPG, and that is why she is the least popular of the three. If someone is going to be THAT flawed in the beginning they'll supposed to have character development and become better by the end, but episode 39 is pretty late for something like THAT to happen! (And yes maybe they played it off as humour, but it still seems ridiculous) and also, if her character is supposed to be comic-relief they're driving her far too down into the ground with it. Of course I can't actually comment if she does mature in the end because I don't remember those episodes. I should really rewatch them P:
However she does manage to have on thing going for her, always being the one who gets everyone out of a pinch, being clever, almost like having a plan...but that's as far as the similarities go.
Now I know I was particularly harsh on PPGZ Blossom, but I actually had her as my favourite character a few years back, and I still like her, really. I just think her treatment by the writers in the series is...a lot harsher. Miyako and Kaoru had amazing character development-episodes, the ones everyone consider the best. Miyako even had an Octi epsiode, Kaoru got a shot of her and her blanket....where is Momoko's ice breath? What about her episodes? Maybe the lying is supposedly not only an adaptation of "Lying Around the House" but also when OPPG Blossom stole?
The thing is that episode with Blossom stealing actually showed her with a much darker side. Sure she too was lying like PPGZ Blossom, but she stole. This is a lot more major than stealing your friend's cake from the fridge. I mean I'm sure everyone takes food out of the fridge and eats it, especially their siblings' food, it's still wrong but it happens a lot more often and is less of a "sin" among other words.
OPPG Blossom not only stole $2000 golf clubs, she got her own father into prison and attempted to FRAME Mojo for the crime, and even tried to escape when her sisters tried to catch her, almost like she didn't want to get her dad out of jail. It seemed a little OOC, or maybe a different side to her. Sure she learns her lesson, gets punished, but it seemed really really severe.
In PPGZ at the VERY LEAST Momoko tried to show the world how they came together, trying to bring something good about what she did...even admitting, when she technically wasn't "caught". THEN EVERYONE WANTS HER HEAD. Also this is not something we go "SHOKKU" at because we already know, 38 episodes in, that Momoko is not the most moralistic person out there, while OPPG Blossom stealing is all GASP SURPRISE WHAT.
I mean they all want to wring her neck for lying, imagine if Momoko STOLE, I bet they'd have her at the gallows in no time flat!
Also the horrible dub just makes it worse. You know how funny it is when people are all like "THIS ANIME RUINS PPG FOREVER" and then "THIS DUB RUINS THE ANIME THAT RUINED PPG FOREVER?" The whole cycle is hilarious! We all know the Anime may have some themes from PPG but it is also drastically different, and the dub tried VERY HARD to make it as similar to the original PPG as possible, which just...doesn't work. How everyone, supposed to be in secret identities have the same names both sides anyway (I AM BUBBLES! I TRANSFORM INTO...BUBBLES!) and the incredibly annoying voices that grate my ears...
Basically, PPGZ is PPG as a shoujo anime. If you don't like shoujo anime, you probably won't like it. It reminds me of Sailor Moon in that way, and I absolutely love Sailor Moon. So it certainly worked for me, despite a few entire episodes being a waste of animation, the characters are great, and some of them are pretty well-developed. I'm not sure to the extent of the original, but hey, it's pretty close. I mean, Buttercup isn't my favourite in the original, but she is in PPGZ. I think that worked out well for me at least ;) (IF OPPG Buttercup grows up to be that it'd be awesome, but I kind of doubt it.)
Bubbles is okay, I'm somewhat disappointed with how she turned out but she kind of made up with it for ALL OF HER AWESOME EPISODES (seriously, ALL of them were good. No kidding.), while Blossom just got shafted over and over again, then shoved into the spotlight so suddenly. But simply because of Kaoru/Buttercup that I love this series so much more. If OPPG didn't have Bubbles, I probably wouldn't like it NEARLY as much, same as this. Kaoru is just an awesomely well-developed character, of the three, Buttercup got the best adaptation BY FAR.
I just really think anyone who is a Buttercup fan would be pleased by how she turned out, but I don't know. Maybe they imagined her differently when grown up, who knows? I certainly can't possibly know if I wasn't a huge Buttercup fan in the original. I mean while Cities of Clipsville was hilarious I really hope she doesn't grow up into that, but from several hints in the original it feels like...she probably would. :\ Ah well. (Who is the only one who had a crush? Who continued to make kissy-faces at the Rowdyruff Boys even after they were destroyed? It is always the one you least suspect. Also she's always hanging around ALL the guys, like Mitch...and Ace....and, uh....yeah.)
ALSO, she reminds me of Kowloon. Damn that suave Kowloon. Damn him!
