My Top 10 Favourite TV Cartoon Series

I just watched Space Battleship Yamato (the movie version) on DVD and it got me thinking about the first time I saw the cartoon version of it.  Of course, I was watching in Canada so the cartoon was called "Star Blazers" (over in Japan it was called Space Battleship Yamato).  This got me thinking what my favourite tv cartoons/anime was/were.  I will do a whole review of Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers in another blog post but for this post, I wanted to share my most favourite tv cartoon shows.  Keep in mind this list is very subjective, I usually prefer cartoons that have lots of story and action in it (cartoons like Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry didn't make the list because of this fact).  Let's start the list:

10. The Powerpuff Girls
- I like this cartoon a lot because it is very funny and the characters in it are very weird/awesome.  You wouldn't think a bunch of little girls would make for a good story but each girl has her own power/personality.  The bad guys are pretty awesome as well (who doesn't like Mojo Jojo?). 

9. X-Men
- I don't read comic books so this was a good surprise when I first watched it.  There are lots of different characters with each having a good story behind them.  You can tell that the movies that came after the cartoon, followed the exact story line in the cartoon. 

8. Batman: The Animated Series
- This cartoon has a very distinct cartoon style, with a lot of straight lines that makes it stand out from the rest (although several following cartoons have copied this cartoon style).  Batman also has a very dark emotional style that is very hard to replicate. 

7. Pokemon
- I would probably have put Pokemon higher on the list if I was younger when I first watched this cartoon.  It is a very easy cartoon to follow.  There are lots of characters and pokemon for each person to fall in love with. 

6. The Jetsons
- I really like this cartoon because you can just imagine what life would be like in the future when watching this cartoon.  The Jetsons is just like the Flintstones but I really prefer a cartoon that is set in the future more than in the past.

5. Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball Z is the ultimate action cartoon with lots of great fighting/action scenes.  Although it moves through the story at a snail's space at times, the fighting scenes more than make up for it.   Goku is probably my most favourite cartoon character because of his unselfishness. 

4. Futurama
- Although Futurama is considered a clone of the The Simpsons, I would probably watch Futurama over the Simpsons if given the choice.  It may not be as funny as The Simpsons but again, I prefer the futuristic setting of Futurama.  If Goku is my most favourite character, I think Bender is a close second. 

3. Transformers
- The ultimate battle between good vs evil.  I spent lots of time watching this cartoon in my youth.  The battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons was just epic to watch (especially the fights between Optimus Prime and Megatron).  Most of the Transformers had cool abilities, which really made them stand out.  Just the creativity of this cartoon is really well done. 

2. Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato
- Kinda of like Star Wars in a cartoon form, Star Blazers is one of my most favourite cartoons of all time.  This cartoon came out when I was very little (like maybe when I was 5 or 6 years old).  But I still remember the epic story and how you just wanted to watch the next episode just so you could continue following the story line.  Like I said, I will do a whole review of this cartoon later on but for now, I urge everyone to watch this cartoon when you get a chance to. 

1. The Simpsons
- It's pretty obvious but it is one of the greatest tv shows of all time even though it is a cartoon.  I can't believe it but it is still running to this day (the original airdate of the first episode was on Dec 17th, 1989!).  Even though I have stopped watching this cartoon, there are still new episodes being shown.  So many quotable quotes, so many characters, so many special guests, so many crazy moments, (ahh you get the picture). 

To TV or Not To TV

I have recently cancelled my TV cable.  I did this because I don't watch TV that much anymore and I wanted to save some money.  I don't think I will miss having TV because the only thing I really watch on TV is sports. I think more and more people will be cancelling their TV cable since there are other means of watching what the people want to see.  There are many phones now that can stream video and also computers and hand-held devices will also stream media.  I think the TV universe will change over time, the current generation of kids seem to prefer more mobile devices while the older generation (the baby boomers) have grown up with the TV as their main source of entertainment. 

This is also true for newspapers, magazines, etc.  There is more emphasis towards electronic media, especially through the internet.  People nowadays want the information fast and more to the interests of the individual.  For example, as a gamer myself, if I need information about a particular video game, I can't rely on the old forms of media (such as newscasts on tv or the newspaper).  Most of the time, the old forms of media won't cover what I need to read or see.  Therefore, I need my information through the internet, where the search function is very fast and reliable.  The older generation, such as my mom, have a tough time understanding this concept.  They rely on the older forms of media, which is often much slower and often geared towards the general public (and not towards the particular individual). 

I think the television in general will change over time.  Right now it is used as media display device but eventually I think the television will become more like a computer.  Who knows, maybe one day there won't be any *television* shows but just video shows.  It will be interesting to see what will happen to the television in the 10 to 20 years.