Young Justice Vs. Teen Titans

       

       Young Justice, the new animated series that debuted last year, has pretty much wrapped up its first season and I’m very hopeful for a second season this fall. After original viewing of the show I couldn’t help but compare it to the Teen Titans series from a few years back. The characters, the plot, the animation; in my head I broke down the differences and similarities between the shows. But more importantly, I decided which series was better and I’d like to share that information with you.

Teen Titans

         A Japanese-style animated take on the comic book classics. The show tried to stay away from the stereotypical “sidekicks” of the big-time heroes and use of cast of characters well known in the comics, but new to younger fans, which is exactly who this show was geared for. With different animation the show was able to exaggerate on most of their movements and expressions. The creators were definitely trying to make comedy a large part of the series. With a character like Beat Boy they were able to make his many animal-like transformations fun and enjoyable for younger audiences. Even Cyborg could add some comedic with strange modifications, which he would often make to his robotic body.

         Though when it came to action, the show stayed as serious as possible in order to make the fight scenes fast-paced and exciting. The series offered a long list of villains and guest heroes from across the DC Universe. Guests of honors included: Slade, Trigon, HIVE, Terra and the Brotherhood of Evil. As for heroes, Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash and many more made appearances. With a large array of heroes and villains, the episodes stood on their own, meaning that each one was unique and original from any others.

         Out of five seasons choosing the top episode was very difficult, but my favorite episode would have to be “Titans Together”. The second last of the series saw all of the heroes that we’ve met over the five seasons work together to defeat the Brotherhood of Evil once and for all. That or “Lightspeed” with Kid Flash (its hard to just choose one episode out of five seasons, give me a break. Also, I’m just a big Flash fan).

Young Justice

         This show kept it “real”. No weird animation tricks, no exaggerated expressions, but a serious show about the development of young sidekicks into heroes (hence the promo slogan “Don’t call them sidekicks anymore”). Unlike the Teen Titans, Young Justice decided to take the well-known sidekicks of DC’s greatest heroes (Batman-Robin, Superman-Superboy, Flash-Kid Flash, etc.) and give us a chance to see them grow up, learn what it takes to be a true hero and eventually become as heroic as their mentors. Speaking of mentors, Young Justice features frequent appearances made by various members of the Justice League, unlike the Teen Titans who never even mentioned the JLA. If you’re the type of fan who doesn’t want to watch this show because its just about the “sidekicks”, have no fear. At least one member of the Justice League appears in almost every episode, and with a second season hopefully on the way, you can expect to see a lot more guest stars. Each episode plays out like a lesson for the team to learn and normally that lesson needs to be learned in order to take down the villain of that episode. This idea was awesome to me as a fan because I get to finally see the development of these kids and I hope to see more of their journey to the top in upcoming episodes.

         With only 23 episodes so far, my decision was a little easier, so I’d have to say that my favorite episode was “Independence Day”, the first episode of the series. The Justice League introducing these young heroes to the Hall of Justice and the formation of their own superhero team (also, Kid Flash is an ongoing character!).

         After analyzing both series I have come to my conclusion as to which show is better and I’ve chosen Young Justice! While Teen Titans was humorous at times and had a lot of memorable moments, Young Justice showed the realistic side of the young team, with appearances from the Justice League and planning their strategies, you really felt like this was a team, training to some day save the world and I hope to see more of it in upcoming seasons.