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Teen Titans: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review

“Teen Titans” is a top tier DC animated series.

With this complete series set, fans get all 5 seasons of the “Teen Titans” animated series along with the “Trouble In Tokyo” movie with the team (comprised of Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg and Raven) traveling to, you guessed it, Tokyo. Throughout the 2003 animated series (not to be confused with the live-action “Titans” or “Teen Titans Go!”) , the heroic Titans face off against a whole host of villains that include Slade AKA Deathstroke, Cinderblock, Dr. Light, Thunder and Lightning, Mambo, Puppet King, Red X, Warp, Gizmo, Plasmus, Overload, Control Freak, Mad Mod, The Locrix, and, of course, Brother Blood. Of course, the plots are more than just “villain of the week” stories. Expect to see tales about Starfire’s sister, Slade trying to stop time, Robin becoming an enemy, Terra (a shady metahuman), the Titans East team, the villainous organization HIVE, Cyborg in the past, Robin training, Raven’s father Trigon, Doom Patrol, the Brotherhood of Evil, hero recruiting (in season 5) and video games.

Unlike the more comedic “Teen Titans Go!,” the anime influenced “Teen Titans” skews a bit older and is more action oriented. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of humor here as the team banter, bicker, and goof off, but there’s also a fair amount of characterization, action set pieces, and an exploration of the team dynamic. 

Much of the series, as mentioned above, takes a “villain of the week” approach but there are overarching stories such as Deathstroke trying to take them out with fiendish plots. Each season also has epic two-part season finales (or three parts in the case of season 4). 

In terms of episode highlights, there are a number of them. “Nevermore” was a wild try into Raven’s mind as well as her darkside, “How Long Is Forever” is an engaging time travel adventure, “Aftershock” has major stakes and focuses on the conflicted Terra, “Titans East” focuses on a big showdown against fan favorite villain Brother and also includes the Titans East team, “The Prophecy” is yet another fantastic Raven centric story, and, as as a fan of Doom Patrol, how can you not like seeing them in the two-parter “Homecoming”?

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? A significant upgrade from the DVD that will no doubt please fans.

Audio Track:  2.0 DTS-HD MA for the series and 5.1 DTS-HD MA for Tokyo. How do they sound? The 2.0 track for the series is satisfactory but the 5.1 track really packs a punch for ‘Tokyo.’

Extras:

* A sneak peek at “Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi” TV show, an interview/featurette and a music video

* 2 episodes of “The Hiro’s.”

* “Comic Creations: From Comic Book To Cartoon”- A featurette about the comic’s transition to the small screen

* “Finding Their Voices: The Secret Information Behind The Making Of Teen Titans”- A featurette about casting for the roles.

* “The Lost Episode” featuring a music centric villain.

* “Catching Up With the Titans”- A collection of scenes from season 1

* “Know Your Foes” (2 separate ones)- A series of villain profiles.

* “Teen Titans: Friends and Foes”- The title says it all with this extra featuring character profiles.

February 23, 2020 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Beast Boy, Cyborg, DC Comics, Deathstroke, Raven, Robin, Starfire, Teen Titans Animated Series, Teen Titans: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review, Teen Titans: Trouble In Tokyo