I had heard great things about this series, about its depth, its characterization, its humor and even its standing as one of the highest-rated animated series on IMDb, up there with masterpieces like "Avatar: The Legend of Aang". So, when I saw it available for streaming, even if it was just its first season, I decided I needed to check it out. The experience watching that first season... wasn't so good. I liked the way the characters were introduced and their general group dynamic, but things like Ms. Martian's grating catchphrase and overall too-childish humor, the lack of development to get to know some of the least-popular Justice League heroes (me not being an avid comic reader, I spent a few episodes wondering "just who/what IS Red Tornado, and why should we care?" before caving in to just googling him) and the arbitrary way of keeping some of The Team's members (usually the more useful ones for the specific mission) out of certain episodes all dampened my enjoyment.
Then I had a chance to watch the second season and boy did my opinion change. The time leap had helped mature the original team members into much more capable, likable and interesting characters. The dynamic between the new members had become more solid than with the ones before, and the decision to put the bulk of the humor on a single character with better delivery than any other funnyman before him was the right one. The increased focus on the over-arching, season-long story and its fewer antagonists than on "mission of the week"-type narratives with too many villains. The brilliant way this narrative's many twists were handled (even if they weren't particularly difficult to guess beforehand). The events during the time gap, only mentioned in passing, as well as the JL's even more sparse appearances all help create an air of mythological mystery around these characters, an improvement over the simple question marks many of them were during the first season. These and other decisions made for a far more enjoyable and interesting story to watch than the first season had (though not without its weaknesses, some of the new Team members introduced in the second season do get badly shortchanged in regards to their on-screen origins, as do some of the older ones in regards to what they've been up to during the time-gap).
I have decided to rate this series with an 8 as an average of my grades for both season. The first one seemed to me like a solid 7, a good introduction to an interesting world, with a lot of untapped potential and room for improvement. The second one, a definite 9, lots of improvement over the first, an imperfect but still wildly enjoyable story that really grabs you and keeps you watching. Considering the threads that were left hanging at the season/series end and how much it improved from one season to the next, I can't help but wonder what would have been if a third and maybe further seasons had been green-lighted. Maybe the third season would have been a perfect 10, but as it currently stands, it's no more than yet another of the great "what if"s of DC's history with adaptations, up there with George Miller's "Justice League: Mortal", Tim Burton's "Superman Lives" and others. However, unlike those, I still hold the tiniest bit of hope that we might yet see the return of "Young Justice". Fingers crossed.
Then I had a chance to watch the second season and boy did my opinion change. The time leap had helped mature the original team members into much more capable, likable and interesting characters. The dynamic between the new members had become more solid than with the ones before, and the decision to put the bulk of the humor on a single character with better delivery than any other funnyman before him was the right one. The increased focus on the over-arching, season-long story and its fewer antagonists than on "mission of the week"-type narratives with too many villains. The brilliant way this narrative's many twists were handled (even if they weren't particularly difficult to guess beforehand). The events during the time gap, only mentioned in passing, as well as the JL's even more sparse appearances all help create an air of mythological mystery around these characters, an improvement over the simple question marks many of them were during the first season. These and other decisions made for a far more enjoyable and interesting story to watch than the first season had (though not without its weaknesses, some of the new Team members introduced in the second season do get badly shortchanged in regards to their on-screen origins, as do some of the older ones in regards to what they've been up to during the time-gap).
I have decided to rate this series with an 8 as an average of my grades for both season. The first one seemed to me like a solid 7, a good introduction to an interesting world, with a lot of untapped potential and room for improvement. The second one, a definite 9, lots of improvement over the first, an imperfect but still wildly enjoyable story that really grabs you and keeps you watching. Considering the threads that were left hanging at the season/series end and how much it improved from one season to the next, I can't help but wonder what would have been if a third and maybe further seasons had been green-lighted. Maybe the third season would have been a perfect 10, but as it currently stands, it's no more than yet another of the great "what if"s of DC's history with adaptations, up there with George Miller's "Justice League: Mortal", Tim Burton's "Superman Lives" and others. However, unlike those, I still hold the tiniest bit of hope that we might yet see the return of "Young Justice". Fingers crossed.