Fangirl Moment! Why We Need [Young] Justice

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Time to take a break from the anime reviews and it is time to talk about comics. For quite some time, one of the biggest debates in the DC Universe is whether or not Young Justice should have a third season. And the common answer is yes.

Young Justice canceled after its second season, due to low sales on toys. In spite of that, the show was still considered a great DC cartoon since the Justice League in the early 2000s. Lately, there have been many news about a third season being a possibility. But it has only reached to that extent. With these news brewing from time to time, then I am more than convinced that Young Justice deserves to return on television. At the beginning of this blog, I talked about some major characters from Young Justice as a way to express how I really loved the series. You can click here to see more of that. It has been my way to de-stress during my freshman year of college. It also makes me hesitant to do a review because I might end up praising everything about the show, rather than critiquing it. So here I am, talking about it again and this time, I'd like to explain to you all why I think it deserves another season. But be warned, for there will be minor spoilers in this post.

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Young Justice has layers.

The best part about this show, is that it is a layered and in-depth cartoon. Sometimes, it doesn't even feel like a cartoon because most of the conflicts the team faces seem very realistic. In the first season, the team of Robin, Aqualad, Miss Martian, Superboy, Kid Flash, and Superboy struggle in their teamwork. Apart from that, there's the issue of them being compared to their mentors. Hence, this leads to them wanting to be considered equal to the Justice League. Now that alone can be very relatable to any youth. Then in season 2, we get to see them past through that and witness their individuality slowly solidify. 

You get an inside look of the characters.

Another thing great about this cartoon is the gradual character development. The pacing was good enough to be able to see how well the characters are fleshed out. For season 1, we get to see each character go through their arcs. The writers definitely were able to think about what would most likely happen if these teenagers come together as a team. For instance, let's take a good look at Robin. Many would assume that he is the official leader, but surprisingly he is not perceived as such. His single partnership with Batman has made him expect that his teammates would be as receptive as he, but that wasn't the case in this storyline. The show was able to show why he shouldn't be a leader, which was able to give me a new perspective of his character. 

Their chemistry as a team is just as good. The way they handle hardships together creates a huge impact not only to the viewers, but to themselves. One of my favorite scenes is where the team had to be counseled by Black Canary after a mission they had. It was able to reveal the inner struggles that they had to deal with and they were able to express how pressured they were to get rid of them. Then Black Canary said one of the most powerful lines in this show... "You are young." The moment she said that, I almost forgot that they were just kids. Kids who wanted to be more than what society expects them to do at their age, kids who wanted to be regarded by their superiors in a different way. I almost forgot that they were still young, so the way they react to how they do things were just almost perfect. In season 2, they are slightly older. We get to see them apply what they learned and how they impose this unto their newer and younger members. The changes between season 1 and 2 are kinda drastic and sometimes far-fetched, but I just love how each of our main heroes become different across time. 

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There are many gaps and loose arcs that need to be tied down.

Like I said, the changes between season 1 and 2 are very drastic. Season 2 revealed many things that happened before the first episode. Some characters got married, others quit the force to live a normal life, and so on. They even mentioned notable "deceased" characters such as Ted Kord (the first Blue Beetle), and the very infamous Jason Todd. They say that if you want to understand this mysterious gaps, you might as well have to stick to the Young Justice comics. I still think the reason why it is remained a mystery in season 2, was because they might be revisited in another season. However, we weren't able to find out because it was discontinued. There were also many arcs in Season 2 that sort of ended abruptly or loosely. It attempted to give more character arcs to the new members such as Blue Beetle and Wonder Girl, but there was a lack of that. There was even a late introduction to the character of Arsenal, who was shoehorned into the series. There could have been more time for these characters to flesh out, but I think budget and sales were a hindrance to that. Nonetheless, I think a season 3 would give the show a chance to polish some unfinished and roughly finished arcs.

I think that is all I have to say about Young Justice for now. I hope producers, writers and animators will have the time and budget to continue this series. So if you're reading this... please bring Young Justice back. It is a great TV show and it deserves another chance. For now, till the next post~