The Life and Times of Juniper Lee

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the tween set.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this animated series has its share of cartoon violence, but only the bad monsters get beaten up. It's a fun and age-appropriate show with some very positive features: a girl superhero and a refreshing lack of racial stereotypes.

  • Not applicable.
  • While the show is more about providing entertaining action than pushing positive messages, it does promote the idea of a strong female heroine and clearly distinguishes between "good" and "bad."
  • Juniper is a strong, resourceful superheroine. The show avoids stereotyping, a trap that it easily could have fallen into.
  • Some cartoon violence (but no blood).

What's the story?

The creators of THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE have clearly watched their Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The setup is nearly identical, featuring a young girl with mysterious powers and a sharp tongue that enable her to fight the demons and monsters that congregate in otherwise peaceful Orchid Bay City (which bears a strong resemblance to San Francisco). One twist: Juniper is the only one (with the exception of her younger brother) who can see the monsters, so she spends a lot of time apparently talking to herself and looking odd. But like Buffy, she has her helpers -- a younger brother who will take on any battle, and a Watcher-like character, complete with accent (but instead of a classy Englishman, this time we get a Scottish dog).


Is it any good?

 

It's great to see a girl getting to be the hero, and doing it more or less on her own. Another big plus is the lack of racial stereotyping: Juniper is Asian, and the boy she has a crush on is African American.

The show's animation is rather flat, though there is an impressive array of monsters and demons, both good and bad. Overall, it's fun and entertaining and certainly a good lead-in for the more mature pleasures of Buffy.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about gender roles and stereotypes -- why aren't there more TV heroines like Juniper?

  • Kids: What powers would you want if you were a superhero?


This review was written by Sarah Wenk
Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
juniper lee
it is great

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
One Episode Rotted My Brain...
Well, It was canceled for a reason. How they can even compare this show with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "The Simpsons" is beyond me. I swear, sometimes I think that they can put anything on TV. The show had no plot and, for me, entertainment. Shows need to have a spine and enjoyable characters.

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Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Boooooooooooooo!
I dont like it one bit. Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
mental
a must watch the only problem is they took it off cartoon network

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Adult
April 9, 2010
 
IT WAS A GOOD SHOW TO WATCH
I AM 60 YEARS OLD AND I LIKED WATCHING JUNIPER LEE AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY TOOK IT OFF THE AIR WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION. I WISH THEY WOULD BRING IT BACK.

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Kid, 13 years old
August 19, 2009
 

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Teen, 14 years old
April 9, 2008
 
snoresville!!!!!!!!!
this show real stupid its a waste of that channel im glad its canceled its pointless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kid, 13 years old
November 12, 2010
 
It's alright
Some viloence and stuff. I think this show is funny for the adults. But really, it's fine. I like it. I think of this as a disney show, not a cartoon network show.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Ew
Um, ew.

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This review was written by Sarah Wenk
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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