Sometimes, I worry that I watch too many cartoons, but then I realize that the cartoons I watch are awesome, so it's all okay. Tonight, I was flipping channels, trying to find something to listen to while tidying up the house. I stumbled upon the old Batman cartoon I used to watch, and all was well with the world.
Obviously, there is a little nostalgia influencing tonight's review, but while Yester-Holly is all happy and bubbly, Current-Holly is a cruel mistress.* Lucky for Batman, the series is actually very, very good. It's stood the test of time pretty well.
Probably the most obvious dating factor is the animation. It's actually got its own style, but you can tell it was done a while ago. It's not as crisp as the stuff being made today. Of course, that's not a bad thing. It's not un-watchable and is pretty good when compared to other Saturday morning cartoons.
Considering the man who voices Batman, Kevin Conroy, pretty much became the voice of Batman in all things animated or CGI, you have to acknowledge that the voice cast is solid. I believe this was our first taste of Mark Hamill as the Joker, which is just amazing. While some of the bit players aren't as impressive and are a bit sillier, it doesn't detract from the show.
This particular Batman series wasn't afraid to deal with themes that were maybe a bit deeper than one would expect from a Saturday morning series. The episode I watched tonight dealt with the fact that Wayne's biggest fear was that he was a disappointment to his father. While there were obvious constraints due to the show being aimed at children, it wasn't as dumbed down as some of its competitors.
Someday, I'm hoping to catch a few more episodes of Batman: the Animated Series to see if it really holds up as well as I recall. I only watched one episode tonight, and I was impressed. Let's hope I stay that way. It makes me happy.
*I mean I'm pretty harsh on things I used to like if they don't hold up.
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