Teen Titans Go!. (sigh.)
Of course we all know what it is, what our feelings are on it, and what impact it has on television.
It's pretty much Cartoon Network's cash-grubbing prostitute; selling it to many people across the country to huge returns, at the same time making it the top draw across all it's platforms, and putting (almost) all it's internal attention towards it. Almost all other original programs are left in the dust in comparison, and if your ratings are close to this show's, you just might get as much attention. Maybe.
Although I began watching with baited breath and eyes wide open just like everyone else, I haven't watched the series since about halfway through Season One ( just like everyone else...possibly), I've avoided it like hell after reading and watching other reviewers (especially on YT) rip it a new ass for being even worse than at the start. And while I feel sorry for them even daring to watch--while simultaneously cheering them for even surviving barely unscathed, it really helped me (and many others) see this series for what it has become--a monster of a bad cartoon based on a good cartoon from our childhoods. ...at least from what I see of it now.
As I said earlier, I began watching, and stopped halfway through S1 just like everyone else. Because...when it premiered, I didn't find Season 1 all that bad. In fact, I actually found it pretty good.
...Yeah. Anyway,
When I heard that a new Teen Titans series was announced by CN, I was...well, you know. As a fan of the original (an perfect mix of kickass action, brutal drama, quirky comedy and well-fleshed, badass and memorable characters--even with its flaws), I couldn't wait to see Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire, Cyborg and Robin back in form again.
That is for a new series of shorts for the network's DC Nation block. Called The New Teen Titans, our favorite colorfully-and-prefectly-dressed heroes--in a certain age and version, continue to fight crime against evil-dooers; this time in a smaller (literally), more humorous format. And I loved it. Jokes, were on par, it was just as funny as the funny moments in the original, the cast hasn't missed a beat and the smaller versions of the Titans (and even their adversaries) were super adorable.
So when I heard that CN would pick up a new TT series to term, I'd hope it be something like New Teen Titans. Too bad when this newly-formed fetus slipped into the world Cartoon Networks's newly-reformed vagina, we got this annoying, loudmouthed brat instead.
Oh that's right, Season One. Well, things didn't end up like that. Our beloved Titans weren't as banal, stupid, jerkish, insane or childish. At least most of the time. And even, during (some of) those times, it was actually funny. Yes, more funny than eye-rolling. Robin still acts like the calm, rational leader of the team, although he does take it very lightly half of the time; Raven is still the moody yet powerful goth-girl with underworld-like powers, yet does have a soft spot for Pretty Pretty Pegasus; Starfire is still the sweet, bubbly foreign girl with kickass laser powers, although at times this show does turn up the "foreign" part; Beast Boy is still the cool, laid-back, sometimes-corny-joking animal-shifter, but his perchant for lounging off and laziness does get played up a lot; and Cyborg is still the foward-thinking yet fun, crazy and excitable half-robot half-humanoid, but here, for some reason, they focused a lot of jokes on the robot part (YMMV on which can be funny). These incarnations of the great characters are IMO much more likable and tolerable this season, with only some minor annoyances popping up in some place. Plus, the original's cast and theme song (well, a remix of it) being back for this show certainly helps too.
The writing was...good. The jokes were hilarious most of the time and they land very well. The series also features well-placed easter-eggs to other DC Comics properties like Batman, Superman, Justice League and much more. The sight gags were quirky and (at times) brilliant and when the writers try, it shows for a decent (sometimes at worst) product. If you ask me if I remembered watching this season and /or enjoying it, I would've said yes.
And also worth enjoying is the animation. The more simplified and colorful art-style certainly differed from the original series; but to me it worked to its advantage. It was appealing to the eyes, the colors meshed well, and . The designs of the new Titans certainly do look like a college student's rough draft compared to the originals (with a lot of noticeable changes in appearance between them); But for this series, they do look great. And despite the simplicity of the style, the artists do a great job making the most of it. The movements are quite fluid compared to the original series. And after watching (almost) all season, I can tell you that--while it doesn't reach heights with other CN shows, it certainly holds it's own.
And now, I'd like to take the time to discuss something:
Since it's premiere, many people have made their opinions loud and clear about their dislike towards Teen Titans Go!.
"Oh it's not like the original"
"Man, it's too comedic"
"Why do they look like this"
"This is not the show I grew up with!"
And in my opinion, as it got bigger and stronger...it was a bit harsh. While it's understandable to dislike this show in general, or even in comparison to Teen Titans, it's unfair (or even unfounded) to negatively call it inferior to the original because it's funny when...well...
when Teen Titans got silly at times too. I don't if we watched the same show when we were kids, or you put the dramatic parts over the comedic, but Teen Titans certainly did get goofy and ridiculous at times, even during sad moments. I definitely remember laughing at some points while watching the original, and I never got upset or annoyed with this when I first watched. Too bad many others didn't feel that way, because this show has received so much hate, that I believe the creators have started making the show even worse just to spite the haters for badmouthing its existence and popularity. While it didn't help their or the show's case, I can see that much clearly.
I also blame Cartoon Network. Putting it on a higher pedestal than its other originals was one of the worst things it's ever done. Yes, it gets them high ratings, but so do their other shows, and it pisses me off when I hear of TTG getting the most attention over everyone else. And it got the worst when CN advertised Teen Titans Go! as--and I'm not kidding..."Your New Favorite Show". I don't think I've ever raged at anything related to television since they axed Rules of Rngagement. That was pretty much an example of a TV network being lame-ass douche and not even hiding it; and I can definitely see when the hatedom got more legit and understandable. Couple that with CN putting the Titans as mascots for the network's Stop Bullying Speak Up campaign and it got more deserving of the heat.
Gosh, this show sucks now, but it's not its own fault it's CN bitch now. Thanks for showing your colors, CN. Now I can watch your shows online instead.
But that's the rest of the show. Back to season 1. I certainly didn't find it great, but I found it fun, funny and something worth watching from time to time. ...again, Teen Titans Go! would've gotten great had old series fans gave it a chance (yeah, I said that) and the writers tighten up the comedy and kept the strengths to make it better and even get it to reach the heights of the originals (which now that I'm thinking about it, has it's own flaws and wasn't exactly a flash-frozen phenomenon worth looking back on all the time). Oh well.
That's been my review of Season One of Teen Titans Go!
Of course we all know what it is, what our feelings are on it, and what impact it has on television.
It's pretty much Cartoon Network's cash-grubbing prostitute; selling it to many people across the country to huge returns, at the same time making it the top draw across all it's platforms, and putting (almost) all it's internal attention towards it. Almost all other original programs are left in the dust in comparison, and if your ratings are close to this show's, you just might get as much attention. Maybe.
Although I began watching with baited breath and eyes wide open just like everyone else, I haven't watched the series since about halfway through Season One ( just like everyone else...possibly), I've avoided it like hell after reading and watching other reviewers (especially on YT) rip it a new ass for being even worse than at the start. And while I feel sorry for them even daring to watch--while simultaneously cheering them for even surviving barely unscathed, it really helped me (and many others) see this series for what it has become--a monster of a bad cartoon based on a good cartoon from our childhoods. ...at least from what I see of it now.
As I said earlier, I began watching, and stopped halfway through S1 just like everyone else. Because...when it premiered, I didn't find Season 1 all that bad. In fact, I actually found it pretty good.
...Yeah. Anyway,
When I heard that a new Teen Titans series was announced by CN, I was...well, you know. As a fan of the original (an perfect mix of kickass action, brutal drama, quirky comedy and well-fleshed, badass and memorable characters--even with its flaws), I couldn't wait to see Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire, Cyborg and Robin back in form again.
That is for a new series of shorts for the network's DC Nation block. Called The New Teen Titans, our favorite colorfully-and-prefectly-dressed heroes--in a certain age and version, continue to fight crime against evil-dooers; this time in a smaller (literally), more humorous format. And I loved it. Jokes, were on par, it was just as funny as the funny moments in the original, the cast hasn't missed a beat and the smaller versions of the Titans (and even their adversaries) were super adorable.
So when I heard that CN would pick up a new TT series to term, I'd hope it be something like New Teen Titans. Too bad when this newly-formed fetus slipped into the world Cartoon Networks's newly-reformed vagina, we got this annoying, loudmouthed brat instead.
Oh that's right, Season One. Well, things didn't end up like that. Our beloved Titans weren't as banal, stupid, jerkish, insane or childish. At least most of the time. And even, during (some of) those times, it was actually funny. Yes, more funny than eye-rolling. Robin still acts like the calm, rational leader of the team, although he does take it very lightly half of the time; Raven is still the moody yet powerful goth-girl with underworld-like powers, yet does have a soft spot for Pretty Pretty Pegasus; Starfire is still the sweet, bubbly foreign girl with kickass laser powers, although at times this show does turn up the "foreign" part; Beast Boy is still the cool, laid-back, sometimes-corny-joking animal-shifter, but his perchant for lounging off and laziness does get played up a lot; and Cyborg is still the foward-thinking yet fun, crazy and excitable half-robot half-humanoid, but here, for some reason, they focused a lot of jokes on the robot part (YMMV on which can be funny). These incarnations of the great characters are IMO much more likable and tolerable this season, with only some minor annoyances popping up in some place. Plus, the original's cast and theme song (well, a remix of it) being back for this show certainly helps too.
The writing was...good. The jokes were hilarious most of the time and they land very well. The series also features well-placed easter-eggs to other DC Comics properties like Batman, Superman, Justice League and much more. The sight gags were quirky and (at times) brilliant and when the writers try, it shows for a decent (sometimes at worst) product. If you ask me if I remembered watching this season and /or enjoying it, I would've said yes.
And also worth enjoying is the animation. The more simplified and colorful art-style certainly differed from the original series; but to me it worked to its advantage. It was appealing to the eyes, the colors meshed well, and . The designs of the new Titans certainly do look like a college student's rough draft compared to the originals (with a lot of noticeable changes in appearance between them); But for this series, they do look great. And despite the simplicity of the style, the artists do a great job making the most of it. The movements are quite fluid compared to the original series. And after watching (almost) all season, I can tell you that--while it doesn't reach heights with other CN shows, it certainly holds it's own.
And now, I'd like to take the time to discuss something:
Since it's premiere, many people have made their opinions loud and clear about their dislike towards Teen Titans Go!.
"Oh it's not like the original"
"Man, it's too comedic"
"Why do they look like this"
"This is not the show I grew up with!"
And in my opinion, as it got bigger and stronger...it was a bit harsh. While it's understandable to dislike this show in general, or even in comparison to Teen Titans, it's unfair (or even unfounded) to negatively call it inferior to the original because it's funny when...well...
when Teen Titans got silly at times too. I don't if we watched the same show when we were kids, or you put the dramatic parts over the comedic, but Teen Titans certainly did get goofy and ridiculous at times, even during sad moments. I definitely remember laughing at some points while watching the original, and I never got upset or annoyed with this when I first watched. Too bad many others didn't feel that way, because this show has received so much hate, that I believe the creators have started making the show even worse just to spite the haters for badmouthing its existence and popularity. While it didn't help their or the show's case, I can see that much clearly.
I also blame Cartoon Network. Putting it on a higher pedestal than its other originals was one of the worst things it's ever done. Yes, it gets them high ratings, but so do their other shows, and it pisses me off when I hear of TTG getting the most attention over everyone else. And it got the worst when CN advertised Teen Titans Go! as--and I'm not kidding..."Your New Favorite Show". I don't think I've ever raged at anything related to television since they axed Rules of Rngagement. That was pretty much an example of a TV network being lame-ass douche and not even hiding it; and I can definitely see when the hatedom got more legit and understandable. Couple that with CN putting the Titans as mascots for the network's Stop Bullying Speak Up campaign and it got more deserving of the heat.
Gosh, this show sucks now, but it's not its own fault it's CN bitch now. Thanks for showing your colors, CN. Now I can watch your shows online instead.
But that's the rest of the show. Back to season 1. I certainly didn't find it great, but I found it fun, funny and something worth watching from time to time. ...again, Teen Titans Go! would've gotten great had old series fans gave it a chance (yeah, I said that) and the writers tighten up the comedy and kept the strengths to make it better and even get it to reach the heights of the originals (which now that I'm thinking about it, has it's own flaws and wasn't exactly a flash-frozen phenomenon worth looking back on all the time). Oh well.
That's been my review of Season One of Teen Titans Go!
I never said it wasn't!
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