Opening sequence without a title--it doesn't get cooler than that.
Batman: The Animated Series to me is like comfort food: I know what to expect and I know I'm going to be happy with it. Here are 5 reasons why I thinkitis not only the best animated series; but the best Batman:
5. It has a good balance
BTAS strikes the perfect balance between dark/gritty and light hearted/comical. To make it TV-friendly, there's no killing or backbreaking, but they come close enough to it. The action never overpowers the story; it supplements it. Bruce Wayne is charming, but Batman is not a nice guy; he'll do whatever it takes to get an answer from a thug. The Joker is equal parts clown and [suggested] killer. Batman and Robin are constantly displaying good detective skills (but maybe a little too good at solving Riddler's puzzles).
4. It shows the human side of villains
A highlight of the Batman mythos has always been its rogues gallery, and aside from The Joker, BTAS portrays its villains as flawed humans who turn to evil instead of justice. Notorious episodes: "Two Face" and "Heart of Ice" but I also like "Feat of Clay".
3. The narrative
BTAS follows a prime rule of good writing in that it shows instead of tells. It's not too heavy on dialogue and creates atmosphere through the characters' expressions and its soundtrack. If you were to flip the channel to BTAS, it is unmistakable. While the later episodes became more entertaining for a younger audience, it is the earlier episodes that are more geared towards adults.
2. The music
In addition to Danny Elfman's kick-ass thematic Batman opening score, each episode has a distinctive soundtrack that's a character in itself. I actually remember each episode by the music. There are several honorable mentions for musical score (including "Appointment in Crime Alley"), but I have a silly addiction to the soundtrack for "The Last Laugh"--a fantastic Joker episode!
1. The voice actors
Kevin Conroy is Batman/Bruce Wayne and Mark Hamill is The Joker. But aside from the obvious (did you know that Kevin Conroy was the first to distinguish Batman's voice from Bruce Wayne?), there are other strong players:
Tara Strong as Harley Quinn ("Mistah J!")
David Warner as Ra's al Ghul (my personal favorite)
Adam West(!) as The Gray Ghost in "Beware the Gray Ghost"
. . . pretty much everyone else, with the exception of Commissioner Gordon and Lucius Fox (they're not bad; they just don't stand out in any way--which speaks more of their character writing than the voice actors).
Spoilers are covered in blue. Highlight at your own risk.
I was wary of yet another retelling of Batman's origin, but this DC Comics original was a truly fresh take on the beginnings of the Dark Knight. It deviates from conventions just enough while not straying from familiar territory. In short, I think it's a great read and I even prefer it to Year One.
Pluses:
Artwork. Earth One has a cinematic quality, in terms of graphic presentation, pacing, and transitions. Panels "come to life" and some even take up two pages. The story is easy to follow and I think it would make a great, but short, animated film.
Alfred is a bad-ass. The Wayne's "butler" shows his true ex-Royal Marine status; but is still there to remind Bruce that he's not alone. Had this been a movie, Liam Neeson would actually play a good "Earth One" Alfred.
Batman isn't perfect. Batman's special skills are evident while in the suit, but if the situation is against him, he gets his ass handed to him. He's not immune to occasional clumsiness, either. After all, he his human. And he's young. Not in age; but as Batman.
It's modernized. In stark contrast to Frank Miller's renowned Batman graphic novels, Earth One takes place in modern time with hints such as Blu-ray discs and a young but competent Lucius Fox.
Unconventional characters. I think one of Earth One's best highlights is that its main characters are not typical of Batman origin stories, such as:
Harvey Bullock: in contrast to Batman: The Animated Series where Gordon's green running partner is the butt of fat jokes; Bullock in Earth One is a cheesy handsome but naive TV personality who is out for exposure and learns the true nature of Gotham City the hard way.
Barbara Gordon: daddy's little girl, all that Gordon has left, a little too ambitious, but is portrayed as smart rather than hasty. I love the scene at the end where she is drawing herself as a Batgirl.
Mayor Oswald Cobblebot: aka The Penguin, I liked his portrayal here. He actually finds out who the Batman is, but he dies later, so Batman's identity is concealed for now.
The Arkham family name is mentioned just as much as the Wayne's.
Good balance of villains. I liked that there was a corrupt cop (Axe), a creepy masked serial killer from the Crane Institute (The Birthday Boy), and a high-status Penguin. The ending took me by surprise the most. I was anticipating one thing, but got another, equally as good.
Minuses:
The fact that I have to wait for the next installment.
Batman: The Animated Series is the best thing ever--it captures the essence of timeless comic book Batman with a touch of organic light hearted humor. Most of all, it features Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker. Batman Beyond has a very similar feel even with a completely different canvas, and both are part of the Timmiverse (referring to animated productions by Bruce Timm).
One of the best Joker episodes and best overall episodes of BTAS is "Joker's Favor". It follows an ordinary man, Charlie, who has an unfortunate run in with The Joker on a bad day and is held accountable for a favor "sometime in the future". The Joker keeps close tabs and threatens Charlie's family to make sure he keeps his promise. I'll let you watch the episode yourself, or read about it on the web, but here is why it is one of the best:
The Joker is actually scary in this episode. He comes across as more of a clown in most of the episodes (which is not really a bad thing--Mark Hamill's Joker brings lightheartedness in contrast to the more somber villains), but I think the realism of the storyline and the fact that he seems to be drawn slightly differently here make it all the more visceral.
This is Harley Quinn's first appearance ever in the world of the Dark Knight. You wouldn't think so because she's already a comfortable household character. And she makes a grand first impression.
Spoiler alert! Batman actually laughs in this episode. It's the context that makes it satisfying.
This is one of the episodes I go back to regularly, and I highly recommend it.
