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In pop culture there are quite a few pink haired ladies. Ramona Flowers, Sakura from Naruto, Princess Bubblegum, Strawberry Shortcake. But none is more iconic in my mind then Jem, from Jem and the Holograms. The truly, truly, truly outrageous show premiered in 1987 and ended a year later in 1988. It had three seasons and garnered a huge franchise with Hasbro. It has, over the last two years, garnered a lot of attention again. It’s been brought back into the spotlight with a new movie being made Allspark Productions and Hasbro and a new comic made by IDW Publishing. Both of them interpret the original series to suit a more modern palate. Both try to bring the outrageous back.

The movie, then titled Jem instead of Jem and the Holograms, was announced on March 20th 2014 in a YouTube video made by the director John M. Chu and two of the producers, Jason Blum and Scooter Braun. This is not Chu’s first toy-to-big screen adaptation. He also directed G.I. Joe: Retaliation. The three of them opened a casting call to the Internet for people to submit videos to get a part in the film. Fans flocked to the chance to represent their favorite holographic rock star. One of the videos that gained a lot of attention was a YouTube video made by Youtubers Traci Hines (known for her Little Mermaid impressions), Charis Lincoln (CharismaStarTV) and Kota Wade (Steamfaire). The video actually currently has more views then the actually movie announcement video. However Chu, Blum and Braun failed to mention that they were not casting actual significant parts in the film. They were just casting extras and tiny speaking parts. When it came to the casting of the leads in the film a lot of fans expressed disappointment. Jem is played Aubrey Peeples, Kimber is Stefanie Scott, Aja is Hayley Kiyoko, and Shana is Aurora Perrineau. A lot of fans have expressed concerns about white washing in casting. The original cartoon is known for its message of all inclusivity and racial diversity. Another criticism that has arisen with the film is with the changing of the original plot. They have gotten rid of the fan favorite characters The Misfits, the Holograms rival band, along with getting rid of Synergy. In the original show, Jerrica Benton is able to become Jem through her late fathers holographic computer Synergy. A signature phrase of the show was “Showtime, Synergy!”.

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In the new movie, the girls will gain fame from YouTube. This is supposed to bring it into the modern age. Though this sort of waters down the original concept of the actual show. The creator of the original cartoon Christy Marx has been shut out of the production of the film. According to the Los Angeles Times, Marx only learned about the films development a few days before the general public. With a trailer being released recently it is clear that Chu has only really retained only a few bare bone elements in his adaptation. It seems to even get rid of the important “girl power” theme of the show. Though Jem’s pink hair and pink makeup gets retained, more or less. Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell have brought Jem to IDW Publishing.

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Two issues in the comic play a lot truer to the show than the movie. The colors are bright and the character designs are dramatic and exciting. The characters are individuals and feel realistic. Jerrica feels multi dimensional and the fan favorite couple Kimber and Stormer, which never came to fruition in the show, is finally getting its chance. The comic retains a lot of the 80s camp with adding a modern twist. It does, honestly, what the movie should have done.

So what does this sudden surge in a truly outrageous obsession mean? It seems to be wanting to fill the teenage girl power niche that T.V. and media has. Successful or not? We’ll have to see though I can say for sure it will mean a lot of pink.

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Frida Gurewitz