5 stars
A Rarity Among Others
December 12, 2006
I've been watching Danny Phantom for less than a year now (though I've seen all of the episodes), but it has to be one of my favorite cartoons. When I first saw an episode of it, I have to say I was impressed with its originality.
It's not often that you see a superhero with ghost powers; it's usually the bad guy who's got those. The ghost-monsters and villians in the show are fun and interesting, and the characters themselves are delightful to watch. There's really no character on the show I can't stand.
I love how Danny is a superhero but isn't immune to the temptations of doing 'bad' things. He's still a 14-year-old kid and he makes his fair share of mistakes. He's really a considerate person that will always do the right thing deep down, but sometimes he needs a little direction getting to that.
I also like how his two friends, Tucker and Sam, are pretty unique as well. Tucker's a Techno-geek, but he's not really the stereotyped 'geek'. He's just a guy who's really obsessed with electronics (which is actually a pretty popular thing nowadays). Sam's a goth girl with a thirst for independence. Though she often looks like she does things for shock value and to just be different, it's clear that many of the things she does are also fueled by a belief in their causes. She's refreshing for me to watch because she's a girl who can be a girl without being pathetic and despises society's view of women and what they should be. Her sarcastic and dry comments concerning the stereotyped members of her own gender always make me laugh!
The minor characters are fun too. Danny's family is always entertaining. His arch-enemy Vlad can be both dramatic and funny at the same time, which is a delicate thing to achieve. Valerie the ghost hunter is a complex character, though she's only in a half a dozen of the episodes. There're many, many more.
Characters aside, the show itself is really fun to watch. Some of its storylines are a bit cliche, but the way in which they are told makes them seem new and improved. The show has a ton of truly funny parts and I've only ever seen a few 'potty humor' jokes throughout it (which is a rarity in the cartoons of today). The voice acting is superb though, and they always somehow manage to get big names to guest star.
The show is not without its faults of course. Sometimes the storylines can be a little predictable, and a few of the episodes are too fast-paced. While they usually do a good job not shoving the lesson of the day down your throat, they sometimes stress it a little too much. It's, in my opinion, not really for any kid under 5 who can't handle things that look a tad scary. There are monsters, ghosts, and lots of possession in this show. Most kids should be able to handle it (hey, I watched ThunderCats when I was 3 and up; it was a freaky show that I loved instantly), but maybe not the ones that get scared from watching Care Bears cartoons (No-Heart was never that scary to me when I was 3, but... everyone's different).
As a last note, I have to say that one of the nicest things to watch on the show (for me personally) is the relationship between Danny and his sister Jazz. In the first couple episodes, their relationship seems strained and typical of brother-sister relationships in cartoons and television in general. However, as the main plotline progresses through the series, they become steadily closer and now are more like friends than annoyed siblings. I find their close relationship touching and it is yet another television rarity in this series.
