Netflix's New Carmen Sandiego: A Redo Done Right, or a Flimsy Attempt?

General Impressions

The show is actually pretty quick-witted and very fast-paced with the animation and gets into the story very quickly. This is a very good thing because it allows the viewer to learn and grow along with the characters. The problem is that what happens is that the secondary characters that we're supposed to be rooting for are introduced so late in the game we don’t know a lot about them; I’d like to know more about them personally, but maybe that’s for the second season. My first impression of season one is that it is relatively simple, but is also effective in its various communication styles.

I like that they didn’t go with the stereotypical action hero female, which is basically just, you know, a guy with female parts. Like that’s stupid and always has been stupid. What I like is that Carmen San Diego's intellect helps her get through all of her problems and all of her trials. That’s not to say that she isn’t very physically athletic and active, but her greatest asset is her intelligence, which is one thing that I really like. I wish they would use that more often with female characters.

Her intelligence is actually what makes her heroic, so she’s able to outmaneuver her opponents because she’s smarter than them--not because she’s stronger than them, or more physically imposing then they are. She’s just very smart and he uses that to her advantage, especially when it comes to topics of geography, culture, the lay of the land, or psychology. So her best weapon is her brain.

The New Show Compared to the Original

The show has a lot of the spirit of the original in its sense of mystery and its captivating nature. What I will say is that I like how the new show does it better than I like the original. Frankly, the original kind of had that 90s cartoon feel to it, which was very popular at the time, and was meant to educate more than it was to entertain per se. With that, this new one has a story that is a lot more fleshed out and that takes place in a much better developed world. I think that’s very effective, building up of a long running series with an over arching plan to it, as opposed to one that's very episodic, constantly leaving us to ponder: "Where in the world is she? No, really, we've barely caught up to her at all... Still looking for answers here. None? Okay..." The problem with the original is that it had too much build up with not enough payoff. This new one, however, has a good amount of build up that actually pays off. And when you see the pay off, you get more breadcrumbs bringing you to the next mystery, whereas the end the other one had a huge problem with not giving you the reward it just kind of strung you along for what felt like decades. I still don't know where in the world she was...

Comparing the Animation and Artistry of the Two Series

The old one had more detail in the art and it was more of the traditional, detail-oriented animation style, while the new one is more of a defined lines art style similar to Samurai Jack. I have to say I like both types of animation styles but in different ways. So I like the details in shows like Cowboy Bebop for instance where it has detail and has a certain artistry to it, but I also like the ED quickness and the fluidity of the new animation which is kind of reminiscent to what you see if a comic book was taken from the pages and transposed into film. I mean both styles are good for more artistic animation, but I think the story is the real driver of the new Carmen San Diego show--not the animation necessarily.

With that, 90s TV shows existed largely to sell toys and merchandise and to educate, whereas shows nowadays are largely meant to entertain or to make you think about larger artistic concepts. I have to say I like the newer way much more because it holds children's hands far less and allows them to think for themselves and to develop their creativity in new and exciting ways.

The Music in Both Series

What are the differences between the music in between both series? Well, both are honestly pretty similar; I had no problem with the original and I have no problem with this one either. Also, I think that the music in both shows, though mostly similar, is done stylistically different. For me, both styles work in their own ways, but I really like that the style of the music in the new show is based on the music in the original series, but it has a more modern twist to it. Tasteful decisions all around in this area, in my opinion.

Theme from Carmen San Diego (2019)

Theme from the the original show

Rating and Recommendations 

Paper Star

Season one of the 2019 Carmen San Diego was a good introduction for the younger generation to the world of Carmen San Diego that us older folks enjoyed in the 90s. The creators of the show seem to be build up and the basic conflicts and the mysterious tone that the show has always had. It’s everything I wanted to see in a reboot of the popular series, and it had a good twist at the season's end (which I will not spoil--it just had a great twist at the end and the way it concluded was very satisfactory. It also got me super excited for the next season).

As for the next season, I really don’t know what it has it in store yet, but I feel like we will at least see a lot more of Shadowsan (the samurai guy) and Paper Star (the origami girl). I have a hunch that we'll also find out more about the Boston siblings (Zach and Ivy). I really love their characters and I think they are very fun, frankly. I also really want to see more of the the secret evil society (V.I.L.E.) as well because I think that the characters in it are very colorful and interesting.

Ivy and Zach, Carmen's trusty sidekicks.

On to the rating. I would give this show up to an 8.5 out of 10 because, while I really like it, I wouldn't necessarily call it a masterpiece. Overall, however, I recommend the show to anybody, but I think it's more suitable for someone over the age of 10, as it can get slightly scary and/or confusing for younger audiences.

Thanks for reading, Pragmus fans! Let us know what you think of the show if you decide to watch it.

--Logan Christensen