Lol, That Is Why Leo 2012 Is My Fave.

10 Best Serialized Cartoons

This day and age is amazing for cartoon fans because we have many different types of cartoons to enjoy! Whether we prefer serialized or episodic, there is a bunch from both worlds for us! Many typically lead to one side, and while I love episodic cartoons, serialized ones are my favorite! In this blog, I will highlight my 10 best serialized cartoons!

10. Sym-Bionic Titan

I am opening this list up by discussing an underrated gem that deserved way better! Sym-Bionic Titan is a series that ran from 2010 to 2011 for only 20 episodes. The series revolved around Lance, Ilana and Octus who all left their planet Galuna due to these creatures called the Mutraddi consuming it. They arrived on Earth, and blended in as normal. The series gets the name from when the three combine. When this occurs, they form the Sym-Bionic Titan. Now, this series is truly amazing - we get amazing writing along with amazing characters and the artstyle is beautiful! Sadly, Sym-Bionic Titan has not been treated fairly, and due to this, it has a pretty short runtime, but it is still awesome!  You can watch Sym-Bionic Titan on iTunes!

9. Motorcity

Motorcity is one of the few shows that I love, but I can’t help but feel upset every time I watch it. The reason for it is because of how badly it was treated (see my other blogs for what I mean by that). Motorcity was a series which ran from 2012 to 2013 for a season. Motorcity revolves around a group of six who call themself the Burners. The Burners share the goal of stopping the evil billionaire and ruler of Detroit named Abraham from taking over Motorcity, a small part of Detroit which he is trying to take over. The Burners have six members - Mike (the leader), Julie (an insider trying to get information from Abraham), Texas (the muscle), Chuck (the tech guy), Dutch (the smart one) and Jacob (the older member who mentors them). This series had lots to enjoy - the characters, the plot and the series sometimes got introspective which added a lot to it for me. Motorcity was a great series that deserved better, and I am sure that if it got promoted properly by the network, it would be featured on more people’s 10 best serialized cartoons lists! You can watch Motorcity on iTunes!

8. Ducktales

This is another one of the many Disney cartoons that had made me into a huge fan. Ducktales was a series that ran for 3 seasons and 69 episodes from 2017 to 2021. It was about Donald Duck, his uncle Scrouge and his three nephews, Huey, Louie and Dewey who essentially go on treasure hunting related adventures. Each season has a different arc, with each providing a different sort of adventure to the series. The series has much to love - we are introduced to great characters, a great story and fantastically written humor. While many reboots fall flat, Ducktales was one of the reboots that hit the nail and exceeded my expectations! You can watch Ducktales on Disney Plus!

7. Steven Universe

I am sure many will agree with me when I introduce one of the cartoons of the 2010s that pushed boundaries and helped increase representation - Steven Universe! Steven Universe ran for 5 seasons from 2013 to 2019, and had a total of 160 episodes. The series revolved around Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven - The Crystal Gems. They were essentially alien warriors who protected the world from any sort of peril. One catch to them was that Steven was a half human who got the Gem side from his mother and the human side from his father. Steven Universe’s plot would continue to progress as the series went on. There was a lot to love about the series - the color choice was beautiful, the characters were amazingly done and the series helped increase representation by pushing boundaries. Steven Universe is definitely a strong series and one that was impactful! You can watch Steven Universe on Hulu!

6. Teen Titans

This is a classic from many of our childhoods…I had to include it on here for sure! Teen Titans ran for a total of 5 seasons and 65 episodes, and the series ran for 3 years from 2003 to 2006. The series centered around five superheroes calling themselves the Teen Titans. The group consists of Robin (the leader), Beast Boy (has the power to morph into an animal), Starfire (an alien princess), Cyborg (a cyborg) and Raven (a goth girl with telekinesis). The series has many different arcs, with each arc focusing on a different character. The series had so much that I took away from it: we had awesome characters who are all iconic and unique in their own ways, great voice acting to back up these characters and an amazing soundtrack. Teen Titans is truly amazing, and it is still iconic up to this day. You can watch Teen Titans on iTunes, Google Play or Amazon!

5. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Now, I am moving back to a cartoon that was definitely a bit older than the previous entries, and one that was clearly a standout from its time! Avatar the Last Airbender was a series which ran from 2005 to 2008 for a total of 3 seasons and 61 episodes. The series revolves around the Avatar, Aang who is supposedly the only person who can master all four elements and restore peace after the fire nation attacked. The avatar was found by two siblings from the water tribe, Katara and Sokka, who travel with him to different nations so that he can master all four elements and defeat the fire lord, Ozai. This series had much to love - my favorite aspect was the story. Despite having an intense story, the humor also made the series for me. Finally, the artstyle won me over. I loved the anime-esque artstyle this series provided! Avatar: The Last Airbender was definitely an amazing series, and it’s no secret why it’s so loved today! You can watch Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix!

4. Detentionaire

Ah yes, now I move back to the 2010s…to a series that blew my mind when I had first seen it with it’s very intricate mystery! Detentionaire was an animated series which ran from 2011 to 2015 and had 4 seasons of 53 episodes. Detentionaire was about a high schooler named Lee Ping who gets framed for a huge prank on the first day of high school, and gets detention for a whole year. He sneaks out every day to figure out who set him up, and while the series starts off with him interacting with different groups at school to see who set him up, he eventually finds out that there are secrets hidden deep beneath the school that could put the entire world in harm. He also finds out that he and his bloodline are connected to everything that is going on. This series is amazing - my favorite thing about this series is definitely the progression that we go through with each episode. Furthermore, the characters are all enjoyable and the overall mystery is just so fun to try solving! Not only is the mystery fun to try solving during the first watch, but the writers also put in little hints regarding what’s to come later on, making rewatching the series very satisfying! Detentionaire is truly one of my favorite cartoons of all time, and while it is definitely underrated, I am happy it still has a fandom! You can watch Detentionaire on the YouTube channel Retro Rerun, or on Tubi!

3. Gravity Falls

As I mentioned earlier, I am a huge Disney fan! At this point of the blog, don’t expect any non-Disney shows. Anyways, to start this Disney run off, I would like to give attention to Gravity Falls! Gravity Falls was a series which ran from 2012 to 2016 for a total of 2 seasons and 40 episodes. Gravity Falls was about two twins named Dipper and Mabel who visit their grunkle, Stan, at a town full of mysteries known as Gravity Falls. In this town, Stan owns a tourist trap known as the Mystery Shack, but aside from the “mysteries” in the Mystery Shack, Dipper hopes to uncover the true mysteries of Gravity Falls as he finds out that Gravity Falls us not what it appears to be. With the help of Mabel and two Mystery Shack employees named Soos and Wendy, Dipper aims to uncover the big underlying mystery behind Gravity Falls. Gravity Falls was definitely a well thought out and unique show. Like Detentionaire, it had a great mystery and was fun to rewatch as there are lots of hints sprinkled in the earlier episodes. Furthermore, the characters were all really entertaining and the pacing was really fluid and made sure every episode was engaging without running into the plot too fast. Gravity Falls was truly an amazing show, and despite seeing so many awesome cartoons after it ended, Gravity Falls has remained in my top 3 since. You can watch Gravity Falls on Disney Plus!

2. The Owl House

Now, this is a show that really continued pushing the boundaries like how Steven Universe did. The Owl House is a series running from 2020 and still running. It currently has 2 seasons of 40 episodes, and is expected to get one more season containing three specials. The Owl House is about a girl named Luz who unexpectedly ends up in a new world by the name of Boiling AIsles after finding a portal. In this island, she meets a witch named Eda who helps train her to become a witch. Now, I love The Owl House. The series has awesome animation, and awesome characters to back these characters up. Furthermore, the LGBTQ representation in this series is a huge plus for the series. It truly is awesome, and it definitely deserved better. You can watch The Owl House on Disney+ or Disney Now!

1. Amphibia

Anyone who has been following me for a while probably knows this…Amphibia is not only my favorite serialized cartoon, but my favorite cartoon of all time! Amphibia ran from 2019 to 2022 for a total of 3 seasons and 58 episodes. Amphibia is about a girl named Anne Boonchuy who, along with her friends, Marcy Wu and Sasha Waybright steal a magic box. This box ends up transporting the three friends to the magical world of Amphibia, which is a world full of frogs. In this series, Anne has the goal of finding her two friends and getting back home. However, along the way, she faces many different challenges both in the forms of monsters and her own inner struggles, and she finds out that not everyone is who she really thinks they are. Now, I love Amphibia. We have a bunch of loveable characters, we have some huge twists and we have a very unique and interesting concept. Amphibia is such an amazing series, and I am so happy that it became a part of my life! You can watch Amphibia on Disney Plus or Disney Now!

Well, these were my 10 best serialized cartoons! Which ones do you agree with? Which ones do you disagree with? Are there any you would add? Feel free to like and comment your thoughts and follow me for more as I post regular cartoon blogs!

I love the idea of 2012! Leonardo being friends with Cassandra. Jajajaja aaah- I'm so excited to see you develop the concept

A meme that will make sense in a future chapter of When The World Crumbles

And if anyone tags this as Leorai I will start killing :)

leos faces make me laugh, everyones like oh my god.....leo.....mr serious........no he is not look at him

YOUR RIGHT!!!

Fuck, so that is why when I was younger I was (am) a Leo stan. Lol that explains a lot haha

Rewatching tmnt 2012 has been so wild because I remember when I was a kid, Donnie was my favorite so I thought I’d just revert back to that right?? But obviously my life changed drastically in 10 years, and I’m watching it now like “wow why does Leo appeal to me so much? Why is this obviously anxious eldest child with crushing responsibilities and niche interests that nobody else cares about so relatable??” Like OH WAIT THAT’S ME LMAO

Something I noticed about 2012 Leo is that he doesn’t seem particularly comfortable with hugs.

The only times he initiates a hug are 1) “Riddle of The Ancient Aeons” when Leo hugs Raph to calm him down on the Angey planet, 2) “Journey to the Center of Mikey's Mind” with smol Mikey, and 3) those times when the boys all group hugged Splinter after SPOILERS would happen.

Every time he is hugged he is for whatever reason somewhat uncomfortable with it.

Raph hugs Leo in “Follow the Leader” and Leo struggles at first thinking Raph’s attacking him, before Leo pulls out of the hug and goes for a fist bump instead.

Raph hugs him in “Clash of the Mutanimals” and while Leo smiles, he still goes “alright alright,” showing he’s not totally comfortable with the hug

April hugs him in “Eyes of the Chimaera,” and he is surprised at first before hugging her back

He dismisses hugs from Mikey repeatedly (such as in “New Girl in Town”)

In “Within the Woods” we have the double-whammy of Mikey hugging Leo when he first wakes up, and then Raph side-hugging him later. Leo flinches both times (tho that can obviously be explained as him being in pain lol, but it doesn’t help his track record)

In “Earth’s Last Stand” after Leo comes back from his one-man mission, Raph (followed by the others) all hug him and he looks confused

Leo is a decently affectionate person. He gives head pats, wraps his arm around his brothers, leans on them, etc., but he canonically doesn’t seem to be too particularly fond of hugging. He’s not averse to it, he’s just uncomfortable/surprised whenever someone hugs him.

that one Laios meme but with the 12 bros, saw the rise one and got inspired <33

(don't tag as t-cest)

original under the cut!

Original by @/sweepswoop_ on Twitter

Spirit: Stallion of The Cimarron & the Indian Boarding Schools/Residential Schools allegory

I love them

underrated dynamic that I care so much

ever think about how 12 Leo was kinda out of touch with reality sometimes during the space arc ?? space definitely messed and got to his head 😭

acting like his inner Captain Ryan , and then using the hologram room talking to a HOLOGRAPHIC version of Splinter ? yeah yikes .

Hehe Leo my beloved <3