Daria - Is It College Yet?

Of the Daria movies, I love this one the best. It takes a lot of what was going on and wraps it up pretty well. It still has that classic Daria feel and humor that I love.

Its a great addition to any collection of Daria videos you may have. I will still hope that someday Viacom will release Uncut DVD Boxsets, but until that time I will enjoy what I have.

I loved this show in High School, so I was excited to see it on DVD for sale.

I think it should have subtitles and some other options.

'Hello, life: Goodbye, (to) Lawndale!'

I imagine The Association singing that line to the melody of their soundtrack hit "Goodbye, Columbus" (1970).

"Is It College, Yet?" is the second "Daria" film that superbly wraps up the entire tv series. Even though this is an MTV comedy cartoon, the "Daria" series have elements of a soap opera. Or, should I say, an American cartoon telenovela?

I won't go into details as reviewers have already done so. Daria and her gang are in their last year of high school, and preparing for college. There are the ups and downs of the high school seniors in getting accepted into the college of their choice. There is the Daria and Tom romance. Bratty sister Quinn has to get a job to pay off a high credit card bill she ran up (A $[...] purchase on a pair of fake alligator-skin shoes. She's so ridiculous!). There are other situations involving the rest of the "Daria" cast I won't mention as I would be revealing too much. So I'll stop here. You have to see it for yourselves.

A unique highlight of "IICY" is the 'Time traveling' sequence at the opening credits. Daria, Jane and the rest of the cast go back in time to college life in America, from the 1920's to the present. Daria and Jane are the primary eyewitnesses as they go from each era, dressed in the fashions of each period (as do the cast). They witness the fads and trends of: the Charleston and flagpole sitting (1920's); goldfish eating and marathon dancing (1930's); women being `Rosie the Riveter' (1940's); panty raids and phone-booth crowding (1950's); `Flower Power' (late 1960's); car crowding, bra-burning, disco (1970's), and hip-hop and punk rock (1980's). The song "College Try (Gives Me Blisters)" in this sequence is performed, once again, by Splendora.

As a history lover, I thought this 'back-in-time' intro was well-done! I've replayed this segment several times as it's delightful to watch. The "Daria" cast superbly recreated daily life and some of the events of those past decades. For example: Kevin and Brittany recreate the "VJ-Day Kiss" from the famous 1945 photo of the sailor kissing his nurse sweetheart in Times Square. Even the black-and-white/early color graininess effect, seen in films and newsreels of the 1920's - 1940's, looked authentic! The 'Time Travel' segment is worth repeated viewings as it is well-done. In addition, it is very nice to see Daria `dressed-up' for a change, and out of her trademark combat boots.

What's also interesting is that Jane has gotten over the 'Tom Thing' (from "Is It Fall Yet?"). For the Roaring 20's segment, Daria and Jane are flappers. Tom, dressed as a '23-Skiddoo'er, and carrying a 'State' pennant, takes his sweetheart by her hand as she steps out of his roadster. Jane hops down from the back of the car. The 'Flaming Youth' trio runs off to have fun. She doesn't give Tom and Daria's hand-holding another thought. Maybe they all want to go and dance the Charleston with Mack and Jodie in the following shot.

There are two "Daria" episodes on the dvd which lead to the film, and are the final episodes of the t.v. series: "Boxing Daria" and "Lucky Strike". "Boxing Daria" deals with Daria's attraction to a refrigerator box for a special reason. "Lucky Strike" involves the Lawndale High School teachers going on strike, with disastrous results.

Also featured is the Character Profiles in 'Special Features'. This gives brief information about the main characters, and show early sketches of them in 1995. I'm glad the animators improved their looks by 1997 when "Daria" came on the air. And I'm quite sure you will be, too, once you've seen their early versions. (A foolishly grinning Daria in the black-and-white pilot episode??)

Finally, there's the bonus 'Easter Egg' that several reviewers mentioned. It's a clip of Beavis and Butt-Head's "Babes-R-Us" from their second season. Daria is featured in it. All three characters are roughly drawn before Mike Judge modified their features.

How to see it: With your dvd player remote, go to the Main Menu; highlight 'Special Features'; go left, until the stripe on Daria's graduation gown is highlighted. Then press Enter on your dvd player remote to access the clip. Thanks, reviewers, for making mention of that!

In conclusion, "Is It College Yet?" is an 'all's well that end's well'. It can be a little sad at times as it marks the end of the "Daria" series. And like all high school graduations, as we've all experienced, everybody is growing up and going their separate ways in life. Most of us recall applying for various colleges of our choice; awaiting word of our acceptance; getting the bulky packages in the mail with brochures of the colleges; the excitement, etc. "IICY" takes the viewer down `Memory Lane': both with the opening 'Time Traveling' intro, and making us remember when we were preparing for college.

"Is It College Yet?" is a gem for Daria fans, and 'newbies' like me. This and "Is It Fall Yet?" are proof enough that MTV should get the entire "Daria" series on dvd. Having the complete "Daria" series will go well with my Beavis and Butt-Head Mike Judge Collections. Why? To contrast with the humor and total stupidity of B and B. And, especially, to see how successful Daria (formerly 'Diarrhea' by B and B) has become.