I find it very interesting that the Rose is an AI in this show, and that the organic Rose is dead. Friendly robots and AIs are common enough in preschool shows, but not ones based on dead people. Though I suppose this is a dead flower we’re talking about. Still.
Before I found that screening room article (see link below), I thought the Rose was in a safe place, using Zoom or some video chat to watch the adventure from afar. (here’s a bad drawing of what I mean.)
Planets can burn you, freeze you, or worse, after all. I thought Rose was just keeping herself safe.
Anyways, there’s a lot of possibilities for the Rose. Maybe they’ll use her to make an episode that’s a subtle (or not) commentary to the use of AI in the present times. Maybe there’s going to be an episode with the moral of “don’t cheat with ChatGPT” or something. I know “don’t cheat” is a simple enough moral, but maybe there’s going to be some implications that it’s particularly about cheating with AI. Or maybe they’ll address the implications of making a dead loved one into an AI, and the use/abuse of technology.
I headcanon that the Rose sucks at math. As in, Neuro-sama levels of bad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFPZjPehHY
Remember when I said that The Little Prince was coming out in September?
Well, it’s July, and…
According to Sabatino Cruz, the voice actor for The Little Prince, the episode is already out on YouTube, on the official Little Prince YouTube channel!
There’s just one little problem for me, however…
…the video isn’t available in my country.
However, I’m sure some of you can still access it. For those who can’t, I’m already looking for a way and asking some friends for help!
I’m still in that state of shock from what happened recently.
Not only is the show out, they’re already uploading 4 more episodes at such a fast rate! It’s astounding!
I don’t know if it’s appearing on TVs yet, but it’s on YouTube and Okoo France (13 episodes, though those are probably in French) already! And it’s only July! I heard that the show would be coming in September, and I was ready for that time!
I’m so so excited, but the blog is so not ready for this! While I’ll try my best to keep up daily posting, you might need to wait a while for episode reviews.
I know episodes are already coming out, but there’s something that’s been sort of bothering me since the trailer.
For whatever reason, the Little Prince refers to Rose as “The Rose”. Every time.
For example, in this scene from the trailer, the Little Prince says “The Rose, would you set a course for the Galactic Springtime Sector, please?”
This likely isn’t an error, as the French dub of the trailer uses “La Rose”, which is the French equivalent. My French friend found it weird, too, though they’re only one person so let me know your opinions. Also, this remains consistent even in the episodes, with Little Prince saying something like this at least once.
I enjoy the Little Prince’s character so much. He’s so supportive of Charlotte and Elijah, but he also has the tiniest bit of smug to him. Like, just look at him. I think he has at least one of these smug frames per episode.
…okay, the last one is more of a villain pose, but I enjoy how his special… disdain towards the Businessman still carries on in this show. He wants to call Businessman a mushroom to his face. He’s just been holding back.
The Biggest Difference between 2010 Little Prince and 2023 Little Prince...
…is their feelings towards the Rose.
2010 Little Prince is very clearly in love with Rose. He writes letters to her about every planet he visits, looks for gifts for her in some of the planets, and calls her “My Rose”. It’s the most romantic you can get without straight-up kissing.
2023 Little Prince calls Rose “The Rose” when he doesn’t use “The” on most other characters consistently, and doesn’t seem to have much to say about her. I know humanoid-to-plant romance isn’t something you want in a preschool show, but I was thinking they’d still be friends. I can’t exactly say 2023 Little Prince and Rose are friends either.
I suppose this is the way that it is, now that the Rose is an Artificial Intelligence. Maybe there will be a lesson about how AI are objects and should be treated as such. Or, considering that the organic Rose is dead in this series, there will be a lesson about coping with grief. It’s definitely a lesson some will need to learn, but at the same time it’s a little sad considering the Little Prince and the Rose had a special relationship in the book and the previous series.
With the release of Episode 26, the first half of the first season of The Little Prince and Friends has been fully released! What can we expect in the future?
1. More Distribution!
As of writing this post, The Little Prince and Friends is broadcasted in France (Okoo, France5), Israel (HopTV), and Italy (RaiPlay), as well as the United States and the United Kingdom (YouTube Kids). However, there are plans for further distribution in the following broadcasting networks (in no particular order):
-WDR, KiKa (Germany)
-CanalPanda (Portugal)
-Gloob (Brazil)
-TVNZ (New Zealand)
The show may become available on one or more of those networks around the same time the second half of the season starts being released.
As of writing this post, there are four episodes that are released only in French. These episodes are:
10. Le machinoscope
11. C'est du beau
12. Les poux de l’espace
13. Le château de sable
Learn more about these episodes in this post: https://www.tumblr.com/tlpandfriendsfanblog/725131632400596992/unreleased-french-synopses?source=share&ref=fruitziechan
As of now, there isn't a way to find out if these will be episodes 27-30 in the other dubs, or if they'll come out even later than that.
3. Private videos on the YouTube Channel
The YouTube channel releases new episodes by uploading private videos in advance, which become public at a scheduled time. The number of private videos can be seen by looking at playlists.
This playlist has one unavailable video, which is most likely Episode 27. While this playlist contains both full episodes AND compilations, the compilation playlist would also have one unavailable video if it was a compilation.
Meanwhile, this playlist has full episodes, compilations, AND trailers. It has 6 unavailable videos, including the potential future Episode 27.
Now, the question is: what are those five other videos? They're likely not episodes, unless they're just misplaced. Could at least one be a trailer for the second half? Or... are they something entirely new?
Exams are coming for me and I'll need to put more of my time into reviewing. Aside from that, no new content is being released in any of the dubs as of writing this.
Rest assured this hiatus won't be for very long. It seems there's a new episode in the YouTube channel's backlogs...
The Rose: Endless Questions, Endless Possibilities
An adaptation has its differences from the source material. For example, Fox is played up as a more comedic character than in the book, most likely to appeal to the audience. However, there's a change that I find most baffling: Rose's status as an Artificial Intelligence.
When I first saw Rose in the preview poster, I assumed that she was outside the Asteroship and was interacting with the rest of the crew through video calls. Surely the concept of "being perpetually on a video call" is easier to explain to kids than the concept of AI, right?
It's for this reason that I keep assuming she has some kind of deeper backstory. Let's take a look at her and see if anything she says/does stands out.
The King's Merry Dance
The Rose has two notable lines in this episode:
"Of course I would help you (clean the Asteroship), but I'm stuck here in my screen."
This can easily be fixed by attaching arms to this little device she uses. Honestly, I'm not sure why they haven't done it already.
Aside from that, her use of the word "stuck" is interesting. Was she not meant to stay in her current state forever?
"Okay, fine. I'll put the music back on, even if I can't dance with you."
Both of these lines show that Rose wants to do what the other crew members do, but can't. She does try to "dance" by spinning the Asteroship, which she does again in "There's a time for everything", showing that she treats the Asteroship as her body.
The Rose Sees Red
Of course, we can't forget the Rose's own focus episode. This episode shows that the Rose can control any function in the Asteroship, but she can't and she shouldn't due to her limited technological/emotional capacity. She's said to be overheating, and she shows anger in her voice. However, as she's an artificial intelligence, whether or not her feelings are "real" or just a programmed indicator of her overheating is unknown... or is it?
Well, the Rose shuts herself off after receiving too much input, which is a real way to deal with an overheating device. After that point you'd wait a few minutes/hours for it to cool down before you turn it back on.
The crew comes up with the idea of clearing Rose's task list. This is a good idea, as it helps prevent another overheating incident. In the end of the episode, Little Prince is able to apologize to Rose to get her to turn her functions back on, after which she acknowledges the crew's efforts to clear her task list. That shows she was still aware of events within the Asteroship after shutting off, but chose not to interact. It's either that the apology and the urgency pushed her to boot up early, or she was simply waiting for the apology.
Devices should normally have an override that allows you to use it in an emergency despite its current state,
By the Light of the Lumilux
"My sweet Rose, would you mind accompanying Charlotte?
This isn't Rose's line, but rather Little Prince's. He usually refers to her as "The Rose" (he doesn't consistently use "The" on other characters), likely due to her status as an Artificial Intelligence rather than a living being. He likely calls her this instead to reassure her because she'll be out of his grasp for a bit to accompany Charlotte.
The Shuffled Stars
This episode contains the first instance of Rose explicitly calling herself an Artificial Intelligence.
Elijah: Wow! I wish I had as much memory as you do, the Rose!
Rose: I understand you're impressed, but all Artificial Intelligences do, Elijah! And you have many other qualities I don't have!
Of course, those reading this blog likely have at least an idea of what traits a human has that an AI doesn't, like creativity or empathy or something like that. However, the kids watching this show might not.
AI programs don't usually outright admit their own shortcomings unless directly asked, and those that do are usually more specific about what those are, such as ChatGPT's responses possibly containing misinformation.
The Rose likely mentioned this line to reassure Elijah, likely implying she can at least detect other people's feelings. It could also be her indirectly telling Elijah not to envy her, or her secretly envying Elijah's humanity.
Private Content(?)
Now for stuff regular viewers probably shouldn't be seeing. The Screening Room mentions Rose's "former life as a flower", all but stating she has died.
It also says that her "roots" in the Asteroship are what remains of her. This can be taken literally (her plant roots are still within the Asteroship) or figuratively (she is deeply connected to the Asteroship just as a plant is rooted to the ground). As I said before, she treats the Asteroship as her body, so at least the figurative interpretation seems to be true.
See the Screening Room here: https://web.archive.org/web/20230702110736/https://screeningroom.unifrance.org/series/the-little-prince-and-friends
My Theory and Conclusion
With the information from the screening room, we can assume that Rose was made into an AI to preserve her presence after her death. That still doesn't answer how she died, who made her AI, or how she was made.
What I interpret from this is that Rose might want to experience things the rest of the crew does. In her current state, the least they could do is give her a device with proper arms and legs. If Fox can make a mechanical walker, why can't he make limbs for Rose?
I believe that Rose's status as an AI has the potential to make for some interesting storylines and morals, and I hope the writers are able to utilize it more. After all, if they only needed the Rose on a screen, why not just give her video chat?
There aren't any new episodes released in the English dub, presumably because some of the VAs are busy. Until new episodes release, this blog will post once a week, with new posts coming on Tuesday 8:00am (GMT+8).
What are your favorite episodes of The Little Prince and Friends and why?
I'm feeling curious today! I'll answer with mine after the cut, but I'd recommend you answer for yourself first.
#19. The Leading Light
As a budding artist, this episode resonates with me very deeply. The feeling of your art going unnoticed in the face of something better is one felt by people of all ages, and I'm sure many readers here feel it as well. I'm not sure how common a moral like "two brilliant people can both shine at the same time without holding each other back" is in children's shows, but this episode's relatability and presentation gives this episode a special place in my heart.
Another notable part of the episode is the use of contrast to reinforce its moral. Phaeton the lighthouse feels inadequate basking in the glow of the Cosmic Butterfly, but the plot makes it very clear that their talents are more different than they think. Phaeton, being a lighthouse, is fixed in place. It serves as a landmark and a stable source of light, but can only ever light one location in its lifetime (presumably). The Butterfly, on the other hand, can move freely. It can provide light in more possible locations, but it itself requires other sources of light to recharge.
The rescue plot showcases the importance of this contrast:
Without Phaeton, the Butterfly won't have enough energy to fly.
Without the Butterfly, Phaeton can only watch as the Little Prince and the Lamplighter are engulfed by an inescapable wormhole.
The use of contrast also carries on to the drawings Neela (left) and Charlotte (right) made. The former would likely be praised for its lineart, facial expressions, or composition, while the latter would likely be praised for its color palette and use of multiple art mediums (watercolor, crayon/pastel, and pen). Of course, the fact that the subjects depicted in their pieces are different means that it would appeal to different people.
Two brilliant people can both shine at the same time without holding each other back... because people are brilliant in different ways.
All in all, the use of contrast serves to teach that art and deed are multifaceted: the scope, resources, and constraints of one's ability are equally as important as technique or talent, and the presence of diverse abilities allows people to learn from each other and cover each other's weaknesses. While this could be considered a moral in and of itself, I see it as the evidence of the episode's main moral. In simple terms:
#24. The Mirror
As a former crybaby, this episode piqued my interest when I learned about it from a synopsis saying it was about "Elijah deciding to never cry again" and "accept(ing) all emotions". However, what made me expect much from this episode before its release was this screenshot I found before its release:
The lack of a reflection can symbolize many things, but none of the well-known ones (vampirism, soullessness, inhumanity, etc.) are anything good. Compounding with that was the idea of Elijah running away, as implied by one of its teaser image and a line from the season trailer where the Little Prince says "we must catch up with him!".
Watching this episode for the first time gave me a wave of emotion no other episode had given me. I suppose that's fitting for an episode about not suppressing your emotions, but I wanted to say this nonetheless.
Since TLP+Friends isn't the type of show to deal with vampires, the most likely assumption was that Elijah would have to confront and accept an uncomfortable truth about himself or his emotions in some way. It felt like a somewhat heavier topic for an elementary kid's show, and the episode itself certainly delivered.
This episode also has some of the most memorable dialogue in the entire show, though I'd rather you heard it from the episode itself. Here's the most succinct one:
"Is finding me even important?" - Elijah
For example, the fact that Elijah still struggled with the impact of Valentin's mockery a day after and felt the need to hide his emotions suggests he didn't have anyone to confide in right after the fact. This raises a question, however: what about his family? It surprised me at the time as well, but we do, in fact, get a clue about this in the future! ("1, 2, 3, Smile!", to be exact)
Ah, five simple words that convey so many concerning things. The lack of a reflection should scare, concern, or at the very least intrigue a child his age, no? And here he is, showing concern for... the fact that the rest of his crew cares about his lack of a reflection. Just before and after this, he was flashing his best (worst) smile to the crew, even after the Little Prince has a hunch about something hiding beneath it.
Furthermore, this episode calls the viewer to recognize important parts of Elijah's character. While other episodes have shown his tendency to lie to save face, insecurity, and struggles to socialize and communicate, this episode conveys and confronts all of them at once. This would've been a strong culmination of his character arc had it been one of the final episodes, though its position as the 24th in a 52-episode season makes it anything but. It still works out, however, as the episode makes Elijah's character more intriguing and reminds the viewer of his essential (heh) characteristics for future episodes.
Overall, this episode ended up very memorable for me due to how surprisingly complex and relatable it was even for someone my age, and I'm sure this is one older people can resonate with as well.
