Saturday 30 August 2008

Teen Titans - Let's Go!

Premiered in 2003, Warner Brothers' Teen Titans was an animated TV series about a team of young super heroes, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven. Based on DC Comics characters, the stylishly drawn series was created by Sam Register and Glen Murakami.


Whilst Teen Titans is not technically a spinoff of Warners' other super hero series, Batman, Superman and Justice League, it shares good character-based plots and excellent animation albeit in a more stylized manga style and thus light years away from its noble predecessors.

Given that the show is aimed at a younger audience, it has perhaps not received the widespread attention by animation fans, that it warrants. This is partially true, but the episodes I have caught, have tackled adult themes and the animation is a welcome change from the slightly cliched anime style of some much lauded Japanese cartoons.

The delightfully bonkers theme tune for Teen Titans - which I have something of a soft spot for - is enthusiastically performed by J-Pop lovelies Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura better known as Puffy Amiyumi. While Teen Titans is at the kiddie end of their portfololio Puffy Amiyumi's more recent material, which I strongly advise you check out, features some great pop and rock tunes that remind you of L7, Joan Jett, Shampoo, The Beatles, The Who, Abba, Bow Wow Wow, The Ramones, Polysics and Pizzicato Five. Massive in their home country, Ami and Yumi were appointed goodwill ambassadors to the United States to encourage tourism in Japan and looking at them, it's not hard to see why!

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