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 On 09/07/2017 at 02:37 PM by SanAndreas See More From This User » |
This originally started out as a post on Captain N's blog, but it turned into a blog in itself.
It's hard to believe that Batman: The Animated Series is 25 years old now. I was 13 when it came on TV. It's older now than the 1960s Batman TV series with Burt Ward and Adam West was when I was a little kid. The 1960s series was my first Batman series, since it aired in syndication every afternoon. This was a decidedly darker take on the series that was closer to the original Detective Comics than the antics of Adam West.
I loved this show back in the 1990s. I guess I still do now, for that matter. It was better written than most of the live-action sitcoms and dramas my parents watched at the time, and better written than any of the Batman movies. Kevin Conroy is Batman to me, and likewise the Joker will always be Mark Hamill.
My favorite episodes, in no particular order.
"Clayface" (both parts): Clayface and Roland Daggett were great villains fighting against each other
"Harley and Ivy": You could almost have hope for Harley with this one, but alas...
"Heart of Ice": This was an example of how deep Batman could be when the writers wanted to. The ending is really sad, and when Batman asks Mr. Freeze if his goals were really worth the potential cost of human lives, he simply says, "Yes, I'd kill for that" after listing all he has lost.
"Baby Doll" - another really poignant episode about a female villain burdened with a disfiguring medical condition. It also had one of the best endings in the series.
"The Clock King" - He might sound like a bland villain, but I always liked the villains that gave Batman a challenge without having some kind of mutation or super powers.
"Joker's Favor" - Charlie Collins was an everyman the audience could identify with getting one over on the Joker.
"Beware the Gray Ghost" - I can see Adam West really enjoying making this episode as the Gray Ghost.
"Almost Got 'Im" - by far the funniest episode of the series and it has my single favorite moment from the entire series. The timing and delivery of the punch line is perfect.
As I said in another blog, I watched the show and loved it, but probably watched 90s Spider-Man more at the time and would be hard-pressed to recall an entire episode of either show, let alone ten!
I actually still like the Avatar cartoon series the most, and I didn't watch those until I was 22. I need to revisit Batman TAS though.
I first watched this cartoon in high school. I really liked it a lot. I would watch Animaniacs and then this. This cartoon is the reason why I know more about Batman than other super heroes. I read that it was this cartoon that created Harley Quinn.
I don't think I could list my top ten favorite epiosdes without having to do some research, though. I don't remember the cartoon in THAT much detail. But I don't think I could make a top ten episode list of any cartoon I liked. Maybe Rescue Rangers, I dunno.
I loved the Clay Face stuff too. Classic. The old Man-Bat episode is pretty classic too. I don't know if this was part of the original series, but I have a memory of Batman fighting Ra's Al Ghuul in this volcano. I remember that very clearly, but I don't remember what happened after that.
What a great show.
A great series. I have the entire 4 seasons on DVD along with Superman:TAS, Justice League/Unlimited, Batman Beyond, and even Static Shock. Can't remember how long ago it was or how much it ended up being, but I rewatch them all the time.
I'd love to own a copy of Batman TAS. I could watch it over and over again. Great writing, voice work and animation. Five stars!
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