"Teen Titans Season 1" Proof that Kids Shows can still Rock it

 

    Oftentimes, the source of adoration for TV shows is entirely rooted in nostalgia, with being actually very uneventful and dull without any sort of recollection for what originally happened. However, Teen Titans is not that show, and it remains a bright spot in what is surprisingly a strong animated catalogue of comic book related tv shows and movies from DC.

    I'll admit, I never really watched the series when it first came out, except for a few episodes, and therefore wasn't really held back by any of the sort of nostalgia referenced in the first paragraph. In fact, the main reason I started watching this show in the first place was that it constantly gets comparisons to Young Justice, and was so highly acclaimed that DC is still attempting to re-capture that magic to this day, with shows like Teen Titans Go or the live action show Titans. 

    In fact, at the beginning of the show I expected something very different than what I expected, with a larger focus on H.I.V.E. and an actual origin story for the team. While it failed to provide any of that I still enjoyed the show, and how it didn't have to rely on the old comic book trope of "the world is ending" to create any sort of meaningful stakes for the finale. 

    While the animation in this show is great, and reminiscent of anime's, with no scene that isn't just "laser blasting" or "fist fighting" I oddly felt that the show was oddly dark? Not in terms of lighting, as I perfectly saw all scenes fine, but in the sense that it was oftentimes a backdrop of complete black with blotches of colour added. It really isn't a complaint, but more of a comment on the general art style of the show to not be too concerned about too many background details.

    Story wise, I think I enjoy the idea of having one season be more focused on the development of one character, as oftentimes trying to develop everyone at once results in one character being shafted in order to focus on everyone else, and I thought the comparisons between Slade and Robin were interesting.

    On the not of Slade, I thought he was an interesting villain, although I wish he did more in the season? His intentions other than making Robin his apprentice were unclear, and I thought the overarching story could have chugged along a bit faster than it really did, as some episodes did feel like filler around the middle part of the season.

Final Score: 70/100

    Overall, I think I enjoyed this season, and while it might not be my favourite show of all time, for a show directed towards kids, on Cartoon Network, I thought it made the most of what it could. While I felt that it could have done more, I can definitely feel its influence on later shows like Young Justice, and understand the sort of path it paved for Kid Shows that can still hang with older audiences.

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