Movie Database Daria in 'Is It College Yet?'

As a TV movie, this unsurprisingly feels like an extended TV episode of Daria. It's not even the best graduation special or series finale of a teen drama animated series (that belongs to "As Told by Ginger" which wrapped up in an amazing finale; Dodie is still a toxic friend though).

However, it does work as a solid footnote to the TV series as the characters move onto the next step of their lives, mostly because of the way it shows the growth and progress (or the lack there of for some) for the various characters we've come to love, even sprinkling in a new movie-exclusive friend character for Quinn.

Speaking of the sister, Quinn has shown a lot of maturity over the course of Daria season 5, but it's here that Quinn has really stepped into the role of a sensible adult capable of making rational decisions (mostly in relation to her friendship with Lindy, the aforementioned new friend). Stacy Rowe is the runner-up for the most growth in maturity for the movie, having once again the self-confidence to stand up to Sandy. Others such as Timothy O'Neill has also shown their own form of growth, with Mr. O'Neill finally showing some backbone for once, much to Ms. Barch's pleasant surprise. Jane decided to stick by her principles as an artist, but also seizes the opportunity to grow academically. Jodie Landon and Mack Mackenzie are the only couple in the movie to have a fully positive vibe with no problematic implications... much to the surprise of no one. I like Jodie as a person, but she and Mack aren't exactly the most interesting characters to watch, even back in the TV series, probably because their lives, particularly in this movie, are mostly drama-free.

The eponymous Daria, on the other hand, has a bunch of drama to deal with this time, including feeling like she's drifting apart from Tom in her pursuit of college, not just academically or geographically, but also ideologically. I think it's for the best because Tom feels like the type of love interest one would have during your younger days when you don't know any better. Both Daria and Tom still have a lot of growing up to do, so the state they ended up in for this movie is better for the both of them (though perhaps more so for Daria than Tom, going by the implications of the "Future Ego" from the ending credits).

Overall, this was fun, and a meaningful conclusion that showed that life moves on for everybody, including Daria. It's been an amazing journey with the lovely misanthrope, and I'll dearly miss her.