A recent trip to the heart of Europe allowed me to pick up on a few French cartoons, yet with today's subject, you wouldn't think it was French by the themes.
Celebrating 25 years on air, Totally Spies stars Clover, Sam and Alex as international agents of WOOHP - World Organization of Human Protection while trying to navigate school as rich Beverly Hills teenagers, it presents itself as a very self aware spy show with nods to Archie, James Bond, Charlie's Angels and Inspector Gadget, you wouldn't expect it to be French as it translates so well into English.
The secret to the shows enduring success lies in it's ability to allow it's lead trio to be flawed and isn't afraid to morph them into anything the show throws at them, a long running joke of the show in the fandom is that it awakened quite a few fetishes, it helps that the girls have an unlimited wardrobe next to their regular spy colours, it plays all these elements perfectly into making it the most memorable of the 2000s, all the characters even antagonist Mandy is fully fleshed out.
It's not perfect by any means, it has the Inspector Gadget problem of spin offs and modern versions feeling out of place in the spirit of the show, and while it is written well, I really miss Jerry, he was replaced in the most recent seasons by his daughter Zerlina, British wit plays off well when put against Beverly Hills teenagers and the funniest moments are often between Jerry and the spies.
Totally Spies is definitely in the top ranks as one of the best cartoons of all time while it has faded out of public view in the last couple of years, it still remains a big part of millennial anime fans viewing.
