1x01 Independence Day (1)

[7.4/10] A good start to the series. It’s a little dude-heavy at the jump, but I appreciate the way it introduces the younger heroes as a team here. There’s a strong central dynamic and of younger sidekicks not wanting to be called sidekicks and thinking they’re ready for the big leagues. It’s a relatable sentiment, one that undoubtedly resonated with the kids who were watching the show at the time and felt like they were ready for more responsibility and freedom than their parents gave them.

My only complaint is that we don’t get much in the way of personality from the main characters here. You get Speedy as a little bit more of an angry hothead, but he’s gone after the first few minutes of the episode. From there, I like Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, but they’re pretty samey in terms of their demeanor and attitude. But hey, it’s the opening half hour. Surely, we’ll have time for more shading for each as things go along.

The premise of this first episode is solid as well. The misdirect of our young heroes thinking they’ll get to go into the Justice League headquarters, only to find out they’re basically in its show areas, is a bummer. But them deciding to prove their worth and independence by investigating something the big leaguers don’t have time for makes sense from both a character perspective and to make the story more exciting.

Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad investigating Project Cadmus works as an initial story. We get enough strange teases here -- from the project head clearly brainwashing his assistants, to the presence of a variety of alien demon-looking creatures, to the surprise of a young Superman clone -- to keep the audience interested. It’s not an especially deep mystery thus far, but hidden conspiracies and psychic powers and good guys under the spell of a malign force all give the writers plenty to work with.

Design-wise, I’m on board here too. There’s a little too much anime influence in the art direction for my taste, which is a trend for a lot of D.C. animated works from around this time, and you just sort of have to get used to it. But despite that, the costumes and world and animation all put this show enough in line with the styles of Justice League Unlimited to feel welcoming and familiar.

On the whole, there’s nothing truly amazing in this opening outing of the series, but it capably delivers the basic idea of the show and a few neat twists and conspiracies to keep me ready to see what happens next.