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May 12, 2010 Web Exclusive By Jillian Mapes

In the case of Daria Morgendorffer, absence surely makes the heart grow fonder. Since MTV's Daria finished its fifth and final season in 2002, the series spent years caught up in red tape regarding use of its original score. Everyone's favorite teenaged pessimist finally returns via the Daria: The Complete Animated Series DVD set, sans most of its soundtrack of contemporary pop music, replaced by similar, though non-descript, instrumentals.

While animated series were very much a part of MTV's approach to young adult programming in the '90s, the network's focus switched to reality TV by the mid-2000s. It would be fair to compare a current-day MTV show such as My Life As Liz to Daria in the sense that both focus on "alternative" female protagonists who both navigate the trenches of high school as smart-kid outcasts. Yet, despite My Life As Liz being a pseudo-reality show, the animated world depicted in Daria remains, to this day, a more accurate representation of the pleasures and perils of teen life. Today's MTV wouldn't dare to air a teen series as sharp and grounded in reality as Daria, which makes the show's complete DVD set just that much sweeter.

Simply put, don't be afraid to shell out $50 or so for the Daria DVD set. If the nostalgia doesn't hook you, the special features just might. The Daria extras include both TV movies, Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet?, the latter of which served as the series' understated ending. Other special features include the Daria pilot and original character sketches, both of which are low quality but interesting for hardcore fans, as well as a sneak peek of a spin-off surrounding Trent's band, Mystik Spiral. However, a detailed DVD menu, including episode synopses, would have been helpful.

Daria's original fanbase has aged beyond those awkward teen years, but their love for the show is bound to resurface as quickly as a 10th grade crush at the 10-year reunion when savoring the DVD set. Daria remains one of the least dated—and truly enjoyable—shows of its era. Just don't expect to watch the epic eight-disc collection all in one sitting without noticing an increased sense of cynicism. (www.mtv.com/shows/daria/series.jhtml)

Author rating: 8/10