By Jared Gomberg
Teen Titans Go! is a continuation of the original 2003 TV show, Teen Titans. Though Cartoon Network has considered continuing the original cartoon (and it’s still possible), Teen Titans Go! has a completely different style than the original show.
The first thing I noticed about the show is its new “chibi” style, an anime style of drawing characters, often with oversized heads, giving the characters a cute or humorous feel. While the chibi style of the show is cute and at some points enjoyable, I just couldn’t appreciate it very much. I felt like I couldn’t take the show seriously as I could with Teen Titans.
The next thing I noticed was that the show is a comedy. Yes, it’s more oriented for children, but there are so many comedy shows on Cartoon Network, that it’s awfully repetitive by now. The original cartoon was a serious show with superheroes, action-packed battles, and scenes that drew its viewers into the plot as they watched. Now, I just can’t take the show seriously.
Due to the comedy aspect of the show, they portray the characters nothing like themselves. The prime example of this is Robin, the leader of the Titans. In the original show and comics, Robin is the smart and skilled fighter, trained in martial arts, and can do anything with his never say die attitude, but most importantly, he’s a serious team leader. He captains the Titans with his smart tactics and leadership qualities. In Teen Titans Go!, Robin is depicted as, well, an idiot. In one episode, he’s seen swinging his weapon around in the supermarket, showing off his staff. In another episode, he’s shown as a bad driver, and says he’s just a bad test-taker (the show then goes to a scene of him failing an eye test, then walking into a wall).
The other characters are also portrayed incorrectly. Cyborg, the powerful, smart, half-human half-robot, Titan, is shown as a complete idiot, too. Raven, the dark, spawn of Trigon (demon conqueror of worlds, again portrayed incorrectly in the show), is seen watching children’s pony shows. In fact, Beast Boy and Starfire are probably the only Titans shown even closely to how they actually are supposed to be.
