Galaxy High School

Galaxy High School is a brilliantly animated science fiction series from Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) that first aired in 1986. Packed with whimsical characters, sharp humor, and a distinctive blend of adolescent drama and interstellar escapades, the show is a notable contribution to the animated television of the eighties era.

Set in the outer cosmos where alien species converse, compete, and collaborate, the show centers around the daily lives and adventures of two earthling teen mates, Doyle Cleverlobe and Aimee Brightower. Galaxy High School successfully forges an amalgamation of the limitless world of a high school sitcom with the possibilities of a science fiction setting.

Doyle and Aimee, the former a popular jock, and the latter, a studious nerd on earth, are selected by an alien scout, Professor Icenstein, as ambassadors from Earth to Galaxy High, a grand school situated in space. They are teleported to the spaceship transformed into a school where beings from different galaxies come to learn.

A fascinating aspect of Galaxy High is the way it plays with viewers' expectations. After they arrive at Galaxy High, Doyle and Aimee find their roles reversed. Aimee turns out to be popular and athletically inclined, quickly excelling in "Psycho Hockey," a version of hockey played in the cosmos, while Doyle, whose athletic prowess made him a star on Earth, is seen more as a nerdy figure in this new environment. Thus, the show smartly delves into the themes of popularity, acceptance, stereotyping, and adjusting in an alien environment.

Throughout the show, the pair encounter a multitude of distinctive and comical alien classmates like the adorable Booey Bubblehead, the economically savvy Gilda Gossip, and the punk-styled and emotionally unstable Beef Bonk. Many of these characters are given their own story arcs, allowing for even greater depth of character development and individuation.

Galaxy High School is surprisingly sophisticated for a Saturday morning cartoon. The overarching narrative is about two ordinary humans trying to adapt to an environment where they are the outsiders, but there's more to the show than just this. It's an allegory for how it feels to be a teenager navigating a new high school, swapping the familiar for the unknown. It cleverly uses its sci-fi setting as a metaphor for the strange, alien world of adolescence.

The series also stands out for its unique, colorful, and slick visuals from the well-regarded animation studio TMS, and its smart, often humorous scripts peppered with interstellar culture shocks and plenty of eighties references. Notable are the character designs, which range from the typical humanoid to the more outlandishly alien, and backgrounds that paint an inventive and diverse vision of space.

The tone of the show is light, but it does occasionally touch upon some serious issues. By placing its human characters in a realm where they're the minority, Galaxy High can subtly shed light on the experience of being different or marginalized. It also explores the value of knowledge, friendship, and understanding each other's differences, teaching important life lessons in an entertaining and thoughtful manner.

Galaxy High School also features catchy theme music that harkens back to the 1980s era of television soundtracks, further cementing its place in the annals of classic children's programming.

With 13 half-hour episodes packed with thoughtful humour, remarkable animation, clever explorations of teenage and alien cultures, and unforgettable characters, Galaxy High is a distinctive, ahead-of-its-time series whose charm hasn't waned over the years.

Although its lifespan was relatively short, reaching only a single season, Galaxy High School left an everlasting impact on viewers. It's a delightful exploration of adolescence, alien culture, and high school life, wrapped in a creatively rendered late '80s TV package. To any fan of animated television shows, especially those who appreciate a good mix of comedy, science fiction, and teenage drama, Galaxy High School comes highly recommended.