SummaryBased on the comic series of the same name, Young Justice will follow the adventures of the teenage superhero sidekicks Aqualad (the team leader, age 15 or 16), Robin (age 13), Kid Flash (age 15), Superboy (age 16 weeks), Miss Martian (age 16 in Martian years), and Artemis (age 15), who have finally gained independence from their leaders...
SummaryBased on the comic series of the same name, Young Justice will follow the adventures of the teenage superhero sidekicks Aqualad (the team leader, age 15 or 16), Robin (age 13), Kid Flash (age 15), Superboy (age 16 weeks), Miss Martian (age 16 in Martian years), and Artemis (age 15), who have finally gained independence from their leaders...
If you are already a fan of the show, good news: The odds are excellent you’ll like where they’ve taken it. For those of you just joining us, you might be OK if you are a thoroughly immersed DC Comics nut. If you’re new to these characters? Well... Netflix just released a nice reality program about finding yourself by cleaning out your closets. You might enjoy it.
Ties the DC universe nicely & its nice to see the sidekicks getting expanded on rather than just being a minion for the main heroes like Aquaman, Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, etc. Ik a lot of people begin to hate the show around season 3 - 4 because it doesn't focus on the original team we followed in season 1 but lemme remind you again that the show is called YOUNG Justice for a reason. The team was created so young superheroes could gain experience/independence from their mentors so by the time they become old enough they know how to do things alone. You can't have Night wing, Super Boy, Tigress, Ms. Martian, Aqua Man & Kid Flash being on a team meant for rookies the least they could do is be mentors for the new team like how the Justice League did for them.
This is the adaptation of the DC Universe I've always wanted. It takes the material seriously while also embracing the bright, colorful, silly and weird elements that make the superhero genre what it is.
The characters are vibrant and show real depth right from the beginning , and the conflict is always motivated by character. But by far the most impressive thing is how the time moves forward, allowing every character to grow and age naturally in a way their comic book counterparts are often denied.
Not quite among Cartoon Network's all-time best shows(Dexter's Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls, Cow and Chicken). But in recent years, alongside Regular Show, Adventure Time and the first three Ben 10 series- Omniverse is a huge disappointment- it is one of their better shows in recent years, The Amazing World of Gumball is also mostly great apart from some weak writing early on. Young Justice isn't quite perfect, the season 2 finale does feel too convenient and incomplete and not all the voice acting was quite there; Brent Spiner is nowhere near sinister or insane enough as Joker, too restrained, Kevin Michael Richardson is over-parted and all his characters sound exactly the same(Mal Duncan is the worst case), and while Nolan North has times where he is right on the money at others he is not powerful or heroic enough as Superman.
The rest of the voice acting though is fabulous, all the Young Justice team are voiced with depth and a great dynamic. Even if Jesse McCartney does start off a tad too lightweight for Nightwing he does mature, as Robin and **** Grayson he is spot on. Bruce Greenwood is pitch-perfect as Batman, he doesn't erase memories of Kevin Conroy but is suitably dark and brooding. There are no complaints to be made of Vanessa Marshall and Maggie Q as Black Canary and Wonder Woman, and Phil LaMarr is a good Aquaman. For the villain roles, Miguel Ferrer, Oded Ferr, Mark Rolston, Keith Szarabajka, Danny Trejo and Arnold Vosloo are particularly good, though all except for Joker are good. The secondary characters are memorable, the likes of Phil LaMarr, Tara Strong, Edward Asner, Crispin Freeman, Jeff Bennett Geoff Pierson and Cree Summer are without fault. G. Gordon Godfrey is annoying in a way and the only character who isn't (intentionally) likable, but Tim Curry voices with such adept smarmy drollness and sinks his teeth into Godfrey's monologues.
But it's not just the voice acting that makes up and comes across strongly in Young Justice. The animation is great here, somewhat anime in look but colourful, detailed and atmospheric, when it calls for it to have a serious approach- and there are numerous cases of that- it does so very effectively without being overly so. The fluidity of the backgrounds and character movements and how dynamically the colours and shadings are used are to much admired. The music has a feel and orchestration that suits the tone perfectly without making too serious or upbeat, with some beautiful and haunting moments. There's nothing cheesy or forgettable about the theme tune either(unlike other Cartoon Network shows like Ben 10: Omniverse and Johnny Test, how is that show still airing?)
From a writing and narrative standpoint, Young Justice also scores. The dialogue is very thought-provoking and intelligently written, doing a great job at giving the characters depth and complexity and also with an ability to provide emotional depth and a some subtle humour. The story lines are always compelling and succeeds in drawing us into the world the characters live in, there is great atmosphere and the action is exciting and well-animated. It is true that narratively the first season is better than the second, the second season was still interesting and well done on the most part if not quite as well-developed and focused in tone. The characters really make the show work, Robin and Speedy stand out in the Young Justice team though all of them have likable and resourceful personalities. Batman, Black Canary, Wonder Woman and Aquaman come off best in the Justice League, and you even root for the fun and charismatic villains especially Vandal Savage and Ras'Al Ghul.
All in all, a terrific show and it is a shame that it was cancelled- maybe its erratic scheduling got the better of it- because it did have potential to have more and the ending of season 2 did suggest that somewhat. 8.5/10 Bethany Cox
While Season 3 and 4 have definitely been impacted by the woke Hollywood agenda. One episode in particular in season 4 is bad, the show is still otherwise amazing. Season 1 and 2 are up there with the likes of Avatar the last Airbender. I probably would of preferred if the show stopped at season 2, but season 3 and 4 definitely gave some bagger moments, I just hope the combination of wokism and trying to to do too much doesn’t ruin this show beyond repair.