Series Thoughts: Mia and Me (Season 1)

• Released: 6 August 2012
  
• Creator: Gerhard Hahn
  
• Amount of seasons: 3
• Seasons watched: 1
• Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis

A girl who just lost her parents attends a boarding school in Italy and, with the help of a magical book, ends up in the fantastical realm of Centopia, where elves and unicorns reign supreme. Here, she and her friends Yuko, Mo, and the winged unicorn Onchao must stop the evil Panthea's plans.

My Thoughts

I think this might actually have been one of the last shows I consistently watched on cable TV before just quitting TV altogether. Nowadays I rarely if ever watch TV, only streaming services or DVDs. But I fondly remember watching season 1 of this series when I was younger. I'm a big fantasy isekai fan, so obviously this show peaked my interest. I don't think I ever managed to catch beyond season 1 on TV back when it was coming out, but luckily streaming services exist nowadays.

Honestly, this show is pretty good. It's not fantastic, it's not even really above average. But I do think it's pretty good. I do like its format, this being pretty much episodic (with one central conflict each episode) while there's also a bigger plot going on in the background. But it's still more so episodic, so usually you can start watching any episode and won't be totally lost in what's going on other than some missing context. Only the final three episodes of season 1 are really one continuous story where new viewers will probably be confused because they do have a tighter continuity. 

The plot is fairly simple, but still fun. Mia, aside from her wells and woes at the boarding school, travels to Centopia using her book and bracelet on a daily basis to solve the problems there. The most notable conflicts include putting together a weapon called the Trumptus (which is broken and spread apart early in the season) and protecting the unicorns (especially winged and golden-horned young Onchao) from harm. Mia does this with the help of her elf friends Mo, a prince, and Yuko, a fun-loving warrior. She also bonds with Onchao himself, and there's of course side characters like Phuddle (who varies between mildly fun or really annoying), the king and queen (who despite their titles do very little) and Polytheus (a morally gray snake-man who isn't really on anyone's side unless they're willing to pay up. Also he's the best character). 

Our villains consist of a race called the Munculus. They're basically pale blue humanoids that are prone to water, led by their leader Panthea, our main villain who is using the powers of the unicorn horns to stay young forever. Serving directly below Panthea is her general, Gargona, who is honestly probably the second best character in the show just because of how fed up she is with pretty much everyone and everything (including her boss).

Our main characters are very basic, but still fun. They go through basic arcs and interpersonal conflict. I also really like Mia's human friends Vincent and Paula, though they don't do much in terms of the overall conflict as the main focus of the show lies on the goings-ons in Centopia and not the human world. Still, I don't mind the human world segments. They're usually pretty brief. My only complaint with them would be Violetta, who is basically every "bully snobby rich white girl"-stereotype you can think of personified. I know she has character development in season two, but for now in season one there's really nothing that sets her apart from any other character of this trope. 

I also like how the show uses various different styles. The human world segments are live-action, but with some creative 2D rigged animations put over them to add a slightly whimsical touch. Meanwhile, Centopia is all CGI. Which is probably for the best and does really set said world apart form the human realm.

The CGI animation is also pretty good, at least for TV standards. It's not groundbreaking, but it's definitely up there with some of the more decent-looking CGI shows for the time such as Dreamwork's Dragons series. There's actual hair textures and the clothes/robes usually move pretty good as well without clipping, so that's a plus.

Honestly this show really is nothing special, but I just had a lot of fun watching it. It's not perfect, it has its fair share of basic episodes or moments where characters squabble too much, but there's still quite a lot of good in it, too. I like the more episodic format yet there still being an overarching goal. I like the visual style of Centopia. I like quite a few of the characters and their development. I like the world-building of Centopia. And I like some of the dialogue, with there actually being some really funny exchanges once every while, especially with the villains.

If you expect this to be a great show, you'll probably be disappointed. But if you just want to have a good time in a fantasy realm of elves, magic and unicorns this might be your cup of tea. I'll definitely review seasons 2 and 3 somewhere down the line!