Kim Possible Review

"Kim Possible" was one of my favorite television series growing up. Although it is no longer on air anymore, I've been able to hunt down episodes through the internet. Part of it is probably just nostalgia, but I still find myself enjoying the series, laughing at its jokes, and cheering on the heroes.

The best thing about Kim Possible is the characters. You've got Kim Possibe, the female butt-kicking protagonist, Ron Stoppable, the funny and incompatible sidekick of the lead character, Wade, Kim's genius friend who often helps her collect information, Dr. Drakken, the evil nemesis who is a doofus who believes he is a genius, Shego, Drakken's snarky and much more clever sidekick, and many more characters. They're just so colorful and unique in their own way that it's hard not to like them.

Kim is really cool because she acts like an average teenager girl: she worries about school, boys, friends, is embarrassed by her parents but at the same time loves them, and everything a typical teenager deals with. On top of that, however, she is a world famous superhero. I think that Kim's relatable side and her life as a superhero is what makes her likable: Viewers like us feel connected to Kim Possible, like they could be here. She is also one of the few female superheroes, which is an added bonus for girls.

Ron is hilarious because he's just so lovable. He's extremely clumsy, cocky, tries to act cool but often fails, and is a good friend to Kim. Ron's clumsiness is laughable and fun to watch, providing great comic relief. But he's also shown to be useful to Kim and supports her, which makes him even better: he's not just reduced to being an oblivious sidekick, but can be when needed. He has a good balance.

Wade was always cool because he was a super-smart kid genius--he's only ten or so and managed to graduate from college in a matter of months! it was always cool how he could get information for Kim to help her on her missions. He never was the fighter, but he was the brains. That's just equally as important.

Truly, though, the villains are the most enjoayble characters of the series. Drakken's incompatibleness and obliviousness is very humorous, as are his interactions with Shego, who often makes quick-witted and clever remarks to her boss. Their interactions with each other always amuse me. Professor Dementor is also a worthy mention, as he is also very funny.  Monkey Fist was another compelling enemy, as well as Señor Senior, an intimidating elder for a nemesis.

Aside from the characters, the series had some good storylines, too. While they were pretty average (as to be expected from a kid's series), it was still engaging enough that you wanted to know what would happen (even if it was predictable). They also had the characters using some cool gadgets and good-looking battle scenes.

Of course, the series wasn't perfect. Some episodes were worse than others, and some of the villains/characters I didn't find as interesting. I also didn't like it as much when Ron and Kim started dating, mostly because I liked it better when they were just friends. I mean, yeah, they have chemistry, but I kind of miss Ron's wannabe playa days (not to mention he had a girl in Japan that he had a crush on). At least Kim and Ron weren't sappy with each other (not TOO sappy, at least).

Overall, I really liked this series. Yes, it had cliches, yes, it was predictable at times, but what show isn't? Plus, it was also very fun. I think the whole idea of an average teenage girl saving the world and having no secret identity is pretty unique. The show never failed to entertain me, and, unlike some shows I have seen, ended on a good note. Of course, I could have done without Kim and Ron getting together, but at least they weren't too sappy. And you saw it coming ;)

Teen Titans Review

Teen Titans was one of my favorite shows growing up as a kid. I remember the day when I first started watching it: While flipping through channels on Cartoon Network, my siblings and I stumbled upon an episode of Teen Titans. We immediately recognized Robin from the Batman comics/series/films but were unfamiliar with the rest. From thereon, though, we became avid fans of the series.

I still enjoy Teen Titans today. Admittedly it is cheesy at times, and some of the episodes just feel silly to me, but overall I think it was a pretty well-done show. The last episode wasn't my favorite, but most of them were, on average, decent (some better/worse than others, of course).

The show is mainly cool because of its characters. You've got Robin, the first-in-command who can sometimes let his stubbornness get in the way but is overall a good leader; Cyborg, the goofy, sometimes immature yet lovable second-in-command; Raven, the dark, mysterious, but well-meaning person who's somewhat reserved; Starfire, the happy-go-lucky, bright, optimistic alien who's still adjusting to Earth; and finally, Beast Boy, a green jokester who's always trying to impress girls. Each and every character has his/her own personality, which makes them stand out. They're not one-dimensional, and I'm not even sure if they'e two-dimensional. The characters occasionally do things that will surprise you (namely Robin and Raven, whose story arcs are somewhat dark). Fleshed-out characters always make a good show.

Some of the villains were as equally as interesting as the heroes. Slade (or Deathstroke, deepening on if you're familiar with the comics or not) is the most interesting villain in the series; his mystique and manipulation always intrigued me. Brotherblood has to be the next most interesting villain, with the way he also manipulated Cyborg into giving him what he wants--to become fully human. Jinx wasn't as clever as these characters, but she's always been a fun villain (along with the rest of the Hive Five members). Other notable characters include Overdrive, Dr. Light, Trigon, Control Freak,

Teen Titans also wouldn't be the show it was if it didn't have those occasional dramatic, shocking, and deep episodes. Not all of them were like this, but some were. The characters' motives in these episodes sometimes change, and it's hard to tell where they really stand. Robin had a lot of this during his time of being the apprentice of Slade, as well as becoming Red-X; Raven fought against her dark destiny in the epic The End trilogy; and Terra is the most notable character to suffer through this. Even if it's not the characters having shades of grey, it deals with them struggling against something (such as Cyborg wanting to become the leader of his own team, for example). These wonderful episodes I'm referring to include the following: The End (three-parter), The Apprentice (Part 1 and 2), Brotherblood, The Beast Within, Aftershock (and most episodes dealing with Terra, for that matter), and Titans East (another two-parter).

In spite of how much I liked it, however, it did have its faults (just like every other television series, of course). Some episodes were just plain silly or weird. These were mostly Beast Boy episodes, unfortunately, and I think that's why he became my least favorite titan. From "Every Dog Has Its Day" to that completely bizarre episode revolving around an evil tofu who mind-controlled cows (at least I think that was what it was about), the writers gave Beast Boy some of the worst story arcs. Luckily he had some good ones ("The Beast Within" was awesome, as were the Terra-centric episodes), but overall his episodes were either mediocre or just not enjoyable to me. These episodes weren't just limited to Beast Boy, however; Robin had his fair share in the episode with Larry (*cringes*). Starfire had that really weird episode when she started mutating into a weird creature ("Transformation"). Although I believe this was a Beast Boy episode, Cyborg was acting really strange in the episode when BB accidentally installed a virus inside of him. Raven had an episode dealing with little kids that I didn't love, but none of her episodes annoyed me. And all of the titans had the episode with Mon Moth, which was okay I guess but kind of weird.

The show also had some weird animation gags at times, most notable with the characters' heads got big or whatever. I think it's something common in Anime shows, but I guess I just don't have the same kind of humor the Japanese do. But of course we have hearts and fires in people's eyes whenever they're in love or angry, so I suppose the Japanese may find that weird :P So that's really just a cultural difference thing, but whatever…

But overall Teen Titans was a good series. I'd watch many episodes again, as most of them were average. I mean, I'd rather have them all be superb, but when you have to choose between one extreme and another, I'd choose average. I must admit that, while I do find the  Teen Titans Go! series occasionally funny, it's just not the same as the Teen Titans I grew up with. I guess it's because I would rather have more of an action/adventure series as opposed to a comedic one. But anyway, let's not get off-topic. Teen Titans is a pretty good series that I will occasionally watch for reruns, laughs, and an interesting storyline.