8.5/10 I can’t believe that I never reviewed the first season of Clone High before I did the second and third because it’s clearly superior.
Plot: insert theme song
Positives:
1. The animation is great; it has a great early 2000s charm with the thicker outlines and body proportions, plus the characters are so bouncy and move fluidly.
2. The plot is unique; it’s clones of famous figures placed in high school to experience teenage life, while being monitored, plus the series parodies teen dramas and high school relationships.
3. The humor is the best aspect of the series; it’s so fast-paced, witty, and self-referential. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve laughed with each line JFK says in an episode. By the way, my favorite gags/jokes in the series were “Never bad ever happens to the Kennedys,” “The Makeover sequence,” and Cleo and Joan’s fight.
4. The theme song by the Abandoned Pools is so catchy and epic; the punk rock vibe is just spectacular.
5. I love all the characters; each serves an integral role in the series and is funny and entertaining in their own way, my favorites being JFK, Gandhi, Cleo, Joan, and Principal Scudworth. I like Abe too, but not as much as the others.
6. The finale was great, Abe realizing he loves Joan was nice, JFK and Joan sleeping together was hilarious. It’s a shame the following seasons didn’t have the same consistency.
Negative:
1. The series ended too soon, yes, I know it was out of their control, but with only 13 episodes, there’s only so much I can say about those, plus I’ve already reviewed the second and third seasons.
Overall, at least the first season of Clone High is an amazing series; it’s a shame the series never got its proper five-season run, because it would’ve been one of the best adult cartoons of the 2000s—happy 23rd anniversary.