Okay, so most of my followers belong to what I call the “Saturday Morning Cartoon” fandom. That is, they are fans of Young Justice, Legend of Korra, and Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Many are also comics fans, but Saturday morning cartoons enhance those comic feels.
So, I’ve been doing a little studying, and this is what I’ve deciphered. Most people in the SMC fandom have one show which is their favorite. Mine is Young Justice. I love all three shows, but YJ holds a very special and a very large space in my heart.
Others prefer LoK. Still others like GLtAS.
Usually, this preference is because of the person’s character traits. For instance:
People who like Legend of Korra the most are:
1) nostalgic. They adore the hints of old characters and old places. They search for detail and they like diversity. Many of them are extreme advocates for feminism and LOVE the fact that the characters are not of the stereotypical “white” race (I enjoy this too).
2) They take time to analyze every little scene, and they suck every drop of emotion from every phrase that they can. They love extremes. They love the anime-style faces that Korra makes when her secret’s out. They love the fact that Sokka’s arms turn to fluid when he sees a giant mushroom cloud. They love that none of the show is realistic, and yet EVERY ASPECT of it is realistic.
3) They are also incredibly loyal. If anyone tries to slam LoK (or especially AtLA), they’re gonna go apeshit. They’ll turn into some twisted version of Lin, Toph and Azula combined. Sorry, but they will.
Overall, LoK fans are searching for the three D’s: Depth, Detail, and Drama. Why do you think they’re so obsessed with theories and shipping wars?
People who like Young Justice the most are:
1) obsessed with characterization. They will fill entire dashboards with posts about how Wally has “changed,” or why Dick has chosen to become Nightwing, or why Conner and Megan broke up. They are disappointed if an episode is mindless action. They want to see the raw fuel in each character, as they plunge into battle with gloves and gauntlets.
2) They love backstories, which falls in line with characterization. Each YJ character has a defined and developed backstory, and if an episode references said backstory…everyone in the fandom will FREAK. I mean, SERIOUSLY.
3) They like complexity. Dry, everyday stories bore them to tears. They enjoy a working frame of interwoven plots and connected stories that they get to analyze. They don’t like the same thing twice.
4) They enjoy the challenge of keeping up with Greg and his “sixteen hours” or the five-year time gap or why the heck Megan is suddenly gone madcrazy with power. They absolutely relish in the secrets that revolve around every episode.
5) They also love how realistic the show feels, despite being a cartoon. They feel like they can relate on a personal level to each character, watching them change and grow, live and learn.
Overall, YJ fans search for the three ‘C’s: Characterization, Complexity, and Change. They want to go on a journey with the characters.
People who like Green Lantern: The Animated Series the most are:
1) adorable. I’m sorry, but they really are. Every single GL:tAS fan I’ve met is positively precious, in some way or form. But that’s beside the point.
2) They adore the fun nature of the show. They like that there’s action and there’s drama, but that drama is not so life-sucking that they want to go drown in a bed of their own tears. Instead, they want to grab a pillow and cuddle with it and pretend it’s Razer and make all of its problems go away.
3) They respect the show’s characters. In fact, many of them want to be like Aya. Aya is honest and brave and kind without even being human. That’s pretty freaking amazing, if you ask me (or Gltas fans). They believe that the show is a good representation of “girl power” (although, of course, it could still use a little tweaking). They love that the girls are powerful without being judged or justified.
4) They relish in the simple humor of the show. There aren’t any ridiculous “Adventure Time” stunts and anime-style faces. The guys are just, plain and simply, funny.
5) They adore the relationships. There are really only four main characters, and yet the show remains fresh and interesting because the relationships are odd and entertaining. They love that Hal and Kilowag are Aya’s dads. They love that Razer is Mr. Grumpyface in the Corner who really just wants to be their little boy too.
I may be exaggerating a bit, but GLtas fans love the three ‘F’s: Fluff, Funny, and Family.
Now, again, this is all purely speculation on my part. Many people are outliers and actually like characterization the best, but their favorite show is GL:TAS. Don’t be offended by this, or whatever. This is just me…well, I don’t really know why I’m writing this. For the sake of TL;DR, I guess.
Anyway, yeah. I love all three of these fandoms. Woo!
Feel free to reply to this, and argue against or for my claims. I’ll just be in the corner making googly eyes at Wally and Artemis.
